Pre-release Review of Malena MCD by Beryll & Osiris Brackhaus

Malena MCD by Beryll & Osiris Brackhaus 4*

BLURB: Mauve is a pet, a human pleasure slave. He is smart, ambitious, horny – and the only witness in a murder case. Or rather, he is 'evidence'.

Luckily, the crime was committed on Malicorn, where an unsolved murder would disturb its profitable reputation as the safest planet of the Empire. So Mauve ends up in the hands of the Malena MCD, the local Major Crimes Division, run by ex-space-marine Alexej Sirenkov and his brilliant wife Andrea. Unwilling to see him stored in the evidence locker, the Sirenkovs take him home for a few days. And while Mauve hopes they might just be the perfect forever-owners, he has no idea of Mistress Andrea's plans for them...

Written by award-winning authors Beryll and Osiris Brackhaus, 'Malena MCD' is a funny, naughty, police procedural throuple rom-com set in the wildly diverse, hopeful 'Virasana Empire' universe and can be read as a stand-alone.

Warnings: First Person POV, Slavery, MMF threesomes, Graphic Sex Scenes, Violence. And pigs, of course. We're on Malicorn.

My Review: I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication March 23, 2023. 

I loved this story so much I've already got The Demon of Hagermarch on my Wishlist. 

The World building was excellent and the characters had so much personality that I felt they were people I'd met in real life. I loved the main plot line too and think it would be fun to see the police procedural stuff done for TV :D Other than that I can't say anything you won't already know from the blurb without giving  spoilers.

 So if you like science fiction without all the science bogging down the story then you're in for a treat with this one and, if you like police dramas and science fiction with down-to-earth style plot lines, then give this one a try.  

A Pre-release Review of A Queer Little Book of Tales by H.R. Harrison

A Queer Little Book of Tales by H.R. Harrison 4*

BLURB:  collection of queer fairy tale retellings for the discerning reader. Dive into a world both familiar and strange and meet a colorful cast of characters from all different backgrounds and upbringings, from princes and paupers to aliens and dwarves, from merchant sons to sign language interpreters. And fairies, of course. But it’s important to remember… most fairies aren’t fairy godmothers. 

 The White Cat follows the intrepid young prince Yufitri from across the Sea, who meets a mystical talking cat who offers to grant all his desires—even the call for a wife. 

 The Fairy’s Gift tells the tale of a young princess Wynn who was cursed by an evil fairy to… have the body of her dreams? Oh no, whatever shall she do? Save a neighboring kingdom it seems! 

 In From Stars They Fell, when a strange metal ship falls from the sky, an angel with dragonfly wings is left stranded in a strange land, and meets a young man who speaks with his hands. When the angel takes the job of the young man’s interpreter, Oswin, he sets out to find new work. 

The Echoes of the Dead finds him stumbling across mysterious black ruins in the woods, inhabited by a scarred and quiet elf whose kindness hides a depth of despair. 

 In A Step Apart and a World Away, Naomhan, a duke’s son, who has always felt apart from the world, rescues a beautiful snake, who turns into a beautiful man promising rewards for Naomhan’s kindness. But Naomhan wants only to disappear. 

 And In the Shade of the Tree of Life ends the collection with a tale of anxiety and heartbreak, when a tailor’s apprentice of maligned background falls in love with a hermit of a prince.

My Review: I received a copy from IndiGo in exchange for an honest review. I loved the stories in this book. They were a lovely twist on some old favourites with a few that I didn't recognize at first. I also liked that the settings were fantasy versions of the real world, with the real world customs and religions used in a clever way. The characters and the way they showed up in more than one story was also a nice touch and made for a nice continuation within them.

If you like stories that go from traditional fairy tale to unusual science fiction twists and all with well written characters and settings, you won't be sorry. Mind, you may need to wait as the release date is not until tomorrow, 15th March 2021.

Pre-Release Review of Hidden Powers by Tara Lain

Hidden Powers (Superordinary Society #1) by Tara Lain 3*
BLURB: Superordinary Society: Book One
Jazz Vanessen is weird—and not just because he’s a werewolf. For most of his life, he’s felt different from his alpha male brothers and friends. Since he’s adopted, he can’t even blame it on family.
Now eighteen, Jazz meets his idol, the social activist Lysandra Mason, and her breathtaking nephew, Dash Mercury. When Dash is around, even stranger things start to happen, including Jazz falling hopelessly in lust. Not only is Jazz having visions, making people disappear, and somehow turning invisible, but somebody’s following him and threatening to reveal his pack’s secrets to the world.
Together with Dash and Jazz’s equally amazing friends—Carla, BeBop, Khadija, and Fatima—they discover the danger is even more lethal than they thought, and Jazz’s weirdness may save all their lives.

My Review: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. I usually 'squeeee' madly and give Tara Lain's books a 5* rating as she is a writer who's works I enjoy a lot. However this time I really couldn't do that.
Firstly, even though it's advertised as the first in a series, it is actually a continuation/spin off from the Harker Pack books. This means it would help enormously with knowing a lot of the characters you encounter if you've already read Harker Pack (which I highly recommend as a good series) but, if you haven't you could get lost in family dynamics etc. Secondly (for me) it was trying too hard to not be another Harry Potter book even though it uses that book in it's blurb. And finally I just felt that it was probably aimed at someone a lot younger and less cynical than I am, so I found a lot of it was not holding my interest in the way her other books have. If you like NA/YA/Teen Fantasy then by all means get this book. I think you would enjoy it more than this jaded 60 year old.
n.b. You have another ten days until you can get it and make up your own mind about it's merits because, apart from not being to my taste, it is a well written fantasy with lots of surprising 'beings' in it.

Pre-release Review of Caledonia Destiny by Lexi Ander

Caledonia Destiny (Blessed Bane, #1) by Lexi Ander 5*
BLURB: A twist of fate changed both their destinies.
The wyrbears, once a long-lived species, were being lost to the forest in their prime. A people borne of a curse, their abilities not a gift but something wrongly taken, they nonetheless live in harmony with their animal spirits. But over time the curse they lived under changed, mutated, and now what once was a refuge from the world when they became too weary is culling mathan in their prime.
Ewen mhic Friscalach, the leader of his peoples, lost his father too early and is now a widower with four children. The vow he made as a youth to break the curse afflicting wyrbears has been buried by grief and responsibility.
Roi mhic Alric, a priest of Cerridwen and seer, watched his fellow priests slaughtered and his temple desecrated. The only thing that kept him going the last three horror-filled years was the vision Cerridwen had granted him of his emancipation. If freedom came at the cost of his life, well, he was more than ready for the Otherworld.
A fated meeting upon a bloody field of battle. A wrong done long ago. Their choices could save a people… or send them into extinction. Either way, their love will be legend.

My Review: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. I love reading stories by Lexi, as she has a talent to make you so immersed in her world that it's a wrench to leave it when you're done reading.
This one was a little different from some of her previous ones that I've read, they were more science fiction than this one. It was set in ancient celtic lands with a sword and sorcery feel to it. In this world paranormal creatures live unknown to, but side by side with, humans and Lexi used a lot of old words from that era which actually helped get me into the story. With her usual flair of dragging the reader straight into the action, and keeping them hooked, this book was on par with my favourite fantasy writers of the past. I loved all the main characters and all the twists and turns that made it difficult to put the book down to go to work. I have so much I want to say about the book, but I promised not to give spoilers so I can't.
If you like Lexi Ander stories, fantasy with werebeasts, or just a story with lovable characters and plenty of action, then go buy this when it comes out on 9th July 2018, you won't regret it.

A Pre-release Review (includes some spoilers - sorry)

Somebody's Monster by Beau Van Dalen 2*
BLURB: A tale of mystery, thrill, and erotic love.
Vance Steward only wanted to start over.
His wish was granted – but not in the ways he’d expected.
Chased by a Kraken responsible for the murder of their commander, fighter pilot Vance Steward and his crew navigate through unknown territories, their ship running on its last power supplies.
Victim to a freak accident, Vance is gravely injured and can only watch as his comrades fight for their lives, his hopes of survival growing thin. However, between darkness and stars, Vance finds himself forming a close bond with Luenos, an alien passenger robbed of sight who seeks to find his long-lost family.
Left to his own demise by his crewmates, trapped in a battle with life and death, love and war — Vance makes a promise to Luenos that will change their lives forever.
But enemies aren’t always who you think they are.
And betrayals might be just around the corn

My Review: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. I can't say I truly enjoyed the story as it was a little bit like I was missing bits of it as I was reading. I'm not sure if this is the author's usual style (he's a new to me author) but I found it had too much unexplained and I had trouble staying in the story. Mostly because of trying to figure out what was going on - like why were they going to Mars and where did they find the first alien? My problem was that, although the characters were well written, there was not enough of the setting or background to make sense of the story.
The book is due for release at the end of the month, and there might actually be a lot of change from what I've read in the ARC, so I might see if I can afford to buy it and try a reread then, if it does reads better I will revise this review.
I have just received an email from the author and it turns out I wasn't missing anything, the ARC was. The author sent me a paragraph that was missing from the ARC that should have been there but wasn't. Please be aware that this review will be revised once I've read the published version. 
Thank you all for your understanding and patience in the mean time.

Pre-release Review of Protecting His Omega by Giovanna Reaves

Visit tomorrow for a Release Day Post with a Giveaway to win a signed paperback of Jordan's Pryde .

Protecting His Omega by Giovanna Reaves 4*
BLURB: Phoenix Harcourt, a single father who was kicked out of his home when his parents found out that he was an Omega. After losing his Alpha mate, Phoenix he turned his focus to his daughter and the successful company that was left in his care. With a threat to his life, Phoenix hires a bodyguard who wants to protect more than his body. He also want’s Phoenix’s heart.
Hired to protect an Omega, Lucius Payne had one goal do his job and nothing else. He was never one to mix business with pleasure. Moreover, finding an Omega mate was never in his plans, especially when it is the man he is supposed to protect. His job becomes more complicated than he was expecting. Can Lucius convince Phoenix to trust him with his heart as well as his body?

My Review: I received an ARC in exchange for reviewing. I haven't read anything by this author before but think I might do so in the future if this is an example of her work. It was a lovely slow romance story but at the same time it was an exciting 'who's the stalker' mystery. The balance between the two was nicely done and I loved that all the secondary characters felt just as real as the main ones. Obviously I took into account that this was an advanced copy and so I ignore a few problems I had. Then I got an email from the author with a new copy as the first one had formatting errors. This says to me that she is an author who values her readers and I gladly read the new copy and it definitely improved my original rating hence the 4* it now has from me.