Title: All the Wrong Reasons

Author: Sebastian Hansen

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 12/28/2021

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 111700

Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Romance, urban fantasy, action, family-drama, superheroes, gay, nonbinary, trans, BDSM, secret identity, billionaire, Dom/sub relationship

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Description

The day after telekinetic supervillain (and billionaire philanthropist), Stetson Nadenheimer dies, he wakes up on the autopsy table and falls in lust with the man hired to cut his cold, dead corpse open. The problem is that the forensic pathologist is Doctor Julian Dandridge, the part-time superhero, Scatter. It’s probably a bad idea for a supervillain to get into bed with a superhero. Probably. Not that it stops him, but trying to start a relationship with a reluctant hero without getting caught turns out to be easier said than done. Between midnight meetings over games of checkers and kinky secrets, Stetson and Julian begin a tremulous romance. Unfortunately for them, there’s an actual villain watching from the shadows, waiting for Stetson to stumble.

Excerpt

All the Wrong Reasons Sebastian Hansen © 2021 All Rights Reserved Chapter One STETSON The last thing I remember seeing before I died was the garish gold and orange spandex-clad fist of Major Bigstuff flying at my face at something like a million miles an hour. I lost my telekinetic grip on the wall I was holding. The debris came down on my head, which the masonry squished like a rotten melon. Brains all over the place. Bones shattered. Totally dead. Not my finest hour. A day later, I woke up on the medical examiner’s slab. Nobody knows why this happens. It’s a super-thing. Superheroes come back from the dead all the time. It’s practically a requirement for the job. Like when you go to get your physical at the Hall of Good Guys Forever and they stab you in the heart to make sure you’ve got what it takes to come back. I’m not entirely sure this is true, but you hear rumors. What’s odd about me waking up is that I wasn’t a superhero. I was kind of the opposite. The anti-superhero. My name is Stetson Nadenheimer (it’s not my fault), and before my timely death, I was a supervillain. They call me Jester. Nice to meet you. It’s not that supervillains don’t come back from the dead. We do, but it’s usually the big-time ones. The “build a death ray and hold the world to ransom for all the money” ones. I’m not even Major Bigstuff’s main rival. He just happened to be flying past the bank I was robbing on his way home from Denny’s. That’s what I did, by the way—rob banks. No building death rays, no kidnapping or killing people. I’d never even held anyone hostage. My Fortress of Evil is more like a Penthouse Belonging to That Mildly Irritating Villain. But I liked robbing banks. Since most super-people are what you’d call physical (strength, size, agility, speed—you know, that kind), they don’t know what to do when someone’s power is mental. Mental powers aren’t common—and they’re not popular. Telepathy isn’t as flashy as super strength and doesn’t play well on camera. Hence, nobody’s figured out anti-telekinetic security. Besides, I liked to flirt with the tellers. They had no idea how to handle a tall, handsome man in a sleek (cheap) black tux and white masquerade mask. I’ve got some killer green eyes too. Alas, while my black hair is long enough for a ponytail (tellers love ponytails), I kept it bound up and hidden in a hat. I’ve never wanted to take over the world, but I’m damned charming. It drives superheroes up the wall. Anyway, back to the ME’s slab. Right. So. After knowing for a fact that my brains are all over the floor of the First United Citizens Bank on Twenty-second Street, I open my eyes. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever woken up to? In my case, it was a whirring bone saw in the general vicinity of my head. I screamed. Well, wouldn’t you? The bone saw immediately stopped, and I quickly became aware of someone laughing. A glance to my left confirmed that I wasn’t alone. A young man in green scrubs with tousled blond hair was turned away, covering his mouth to hide his grin. “Works every time,” he said and set the saw down on a table just out of my reach. Then he turned to look at me, and I stopped breathing again. In addition to the adorable hair, the man was indeed young with deep-blue eyes, dimples, and the prettiest smile I’d ever seen. The smile faded quickly. “Welcome back.” He narrowed his eyes and watched me carefully. My mouth opened to say something, but my brain hadn’t caught up. It was still trying to imagine what the man would look like in my bed. I’m an uncomplicated person like that. It might not have been love at first sight, but lust? Certainly. The problem currently facing me was this: I was obviously in a morgue of some kind, half-naked, drenched in my own blood, and sitting on a frigidly cold metal table. The place smelled of chemicals—formalin (I found out later) and bleach. Forget flirting. This man had seen me dead, which is so much worse than naked. Eventually, I managed a strangled, “Hello.” The corner of his mouth quirked, and the smile came back slightly. He nodded and walked away from me toward the far wall, where he dug a clear bottle of water out of a cooler. He held it up for my inspection. “Thirsty?” I nodded. My voice was still on the fritz, and he thought it was because my throat was dry instead of…oh…any other reason. I was thankful for it. Anyway, my mouth was parched. I took the bottle gratefully and drank half in one go before finding my voice again. “Do you often wake people up in the morgue with a bone saw?” He smiled. I wanted to melt. God. I can’t describe that smile and do it justice. Accept for a moment that it was stunning, will you? If it helps, compare it to rainbows on sunny spring mornings. Like the sun rising at dawn. The light of his smile forgave all sins, watered all crops, and brokered world peace. The hyperbole is necessary. Everything that happened after that night started with his smile wrapping me up and turning my world on its head. “Only people like you.” The smile didn’t budge. “People like…me.” “Dead people who aren’t dead anymore.” “Oh.” I blinked. “So, you do it to heroes, too, then?” He pursed his lips and rolled his eyes thoughtfully. “Mm-hm. They don’t like it either—Mistress Tidal broke one on me, but there’s something about the sound. It tends to bring people around quickly.” “The alternative is getting our heads cut into.” He laughed. Please insert a description of silvery bells and songbirds here. He had a pleasant voice. “I wasn’t going to cut you open. You were already breathing.” “I…was?” I glanced around, certain I knew where I was now. I looked down at my blood-stained hand. “Tell me, were you able to get fingerprints off my corpse? I’ve never been arrested before, so I doubt they’d do you any good.” “No.” He shook his head. “And no DNA either.” I narrowed my eyes. “Ah. And now we’re just waiting for reinforcements to arrive, aren’t we?” “Are we?” He smiled again, and my reply stuck in my throat. “It’s nearly ten o’clock on a Thursday night. Nobody’s around.” “Ah…and you’re alone here with a formerly dead supervillain because you’re, what? Confident in your medical plan?” I asked with a snort. He laughed again. “I don’t think you’re going to hurt me. I’m pretty durable. My name is Dr. Julian Dandridge. I’m a part-time superhero. They call me Scatter.” Ah, Scatter. I’d heard of him, but never run up against him. He belonged to the Guild, which was Kinsley City’s very own organization of superheroes. A sort of Hall of Self-Righteousness. Major Bigstuff ran the show over there. Well, that put a wrench in my dream of having him tie me to my bed. I frowned. The revelation that Dr. Julian was a lost cause stung more than it should have, considering we’d just met. Still, he was in the Guild, and that wasn’t good for me by any means. The Guild didn’t typically bother about me. I was small-time and didn’t offer much in the way of a challenge. When I did run into one of their members, I tended to extract myself from the situation as quickly as possible. I can fly—and over my months-long bank robbing spree, I’d gotten good at evading the Guild’s fliers. I glanced around, getting my bearings. A few pencils on the desk behind Julian rolled on my command, and I breathed a little easier. My telekinesis was up and ready to go. I smiled. “You know what they call me, I’m assuming.” “Jester.” He shrugged. “So, here’s what’s going to happen—” I held up a hand to forestall him and started talking. It was important to prattle on so his attention focused on me and my mouth. That way, he wouldn’t notice me telekinetically prying the window out of its frame until it was too late. “There’re a couple ways this could go. The first is dull and causes more of a mess than its worth. You call your Guild. They show up, we have a spirited scrap, and maybe I end up dead again. If not, and you manage to throw me in SuperMax, I call my astronomically overpriced lawyer and make bail in under an hour. Then we spend weeks wading through red tape, and in the end, I get a slap on the wrist, some community service, and maybe a fine. I’m not the kind of supervillain who makes headlines, Scatter, and you lot have bigger things to worry about than someone like me. Death rays and such.” He crossed his arms. “Of course, there’s option number two.” Grinning, I simultaneously lifted myself off the table and out of Julian’s reach and crooked my finger at the window, popping it out of its frame and setting it gently aside. “Which involves me escaping. You can’t fly, can you?” “If I could, I’d have you down already.” He shrugged. Then he did something I did not expect. He winked. I paused near the ceiling. “You’re letting me go?” I asked, incredulously. “Letting you go? Oh no. No. What kind of superhero would I be if I let a villain escape?” “A very bad one.” I pressed my hands against the ceiling and stared down at him in disbelief. He frowned. “Do you want me to stop you?” The tone of his voice implied that he could. I believed him. “Not particularly.” He looked away, thinking, arms crossed, then glanced back at me. “Then do me a favor and knock over some tables on your way out.” “So it looks like we got into the aforementioned tussle?” I asked. “Plausible deniability.” I blinked. “Look, either go or don’t. Let’s just say I’ve seen some things, Jester. Supervillain?” He smirked. “Sure.” “You’ve seen some—” He waved me away. “Get out of here. If I see you near a bank in the future, you can be sure I won’t be so nice next time.” I stared at him for a few more seconds, but his expression suggested that his patience was wearing thin and the invitation to escape wouldn’t last indefinitely. So, stunned and unsure if what had happened was real, I flew out of the window. But I made sure to knock over two sets of shelves and a table on my way out.

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NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Author

Sebastian Hansen (she/her) is a non-binary mess of a person. She lives in the Midwest with her husband and herd of opinionated cats, where she spends most of her time playing video games, reading comic books, and writing about superheroes. She likes strawberries and is easily frightened by the Internet.

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The Gemini Strand

December 28, 2021December 21, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: The Gemini Strand

Author: L.J. Hasbrouck

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 12/28/2021

Heat Level: 1 – No Sex

Pairing: No Romance

Length: 91600

Genre: Science Fiction, sci fi, family-drama, futuristic, dystopia, gay, ace, professional assassin, cloning, Mars

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Description

Life on Mars is no fairy tale for Morgan, a scrappy adventurer who plunders Earth’s carcass in search of loot—and evidence of an elusive scientist. She hopes he can cure her father’s dementia, but instead he kidnaps her father and flees into the deceptive dreamlands of Mars. During her frantic search to locate them, Morgan begins experiencing strange hallucinations that make her think she’s losing her mind. Meanwhile, Nil, a tormented killer struggling to repress his humanity, thinks his hallucinations are a flaw in his system. Soon his pesky emotions roar back to life, throwing a dagger into the whole “cold-blooded assassin” thing. While he pursues his next mark, a witty hacker trying to save Nil’s other victims, he battles with his disorienting visions and burgeoning emotions. What he doesn’t realize is that he’s falling in love for the first time—and the hacker he’s falling for is also the scientist who kidnapped Morgan’s father. Drawn together by their common target, Morgan and Nil harness their mysterious visions to find each other amidst holographic recreations of Oz, Wonderland, Neverland, Atlantis, and Camelot. Before she loses her father forever, Morgan must work with a killer and kidnapper to discover the sinister truth behind her father’s illness and her bond with Nil. And Nil is forced to decide between protecting the man he loves and helping the girl he’s inexplicably linked to. Because they share more than disorienting hallucinations—and what they share will change everything they thought they knew about themselves.

Excerpt

The Gemini Strand L.J. Hasbrouck © 2021 All Rights Reserved NIL I don’t know why I kill. I’m ordered to, true, and it’s all I’ve been trained to do. I’m good at it. But that doesn’t mean I like it. Lately, I’ve been losing my touch. Each time I suffer an emotional episode, my handler remedies it by sending me in for reconditioning. The guilt goes away, my efficiency improves, and the nightmares stop. But the guilt always returns. And so do the nightmares. Up to the point I awoke at the Guild’s headquarters, all I remembered was a dim, murky muddle of nonexistence. My eyes opened to a roomful of shadows. Vague shapes hovered over me, surrounding me in a nebulous circle. My vision remained hazy, my awareness cloudy—I mistook what would be my first memory for a chilling dream. “Good morning, my son,” a cold but cajoling voice said. Lilith. My handler. “Your slate has been wiped clean. Let’s see if you do better this time.” I was floating. But when I moved my arms, I displaced something thicker than air: water. My bare, pale limbs drifted in the translucent pool. Reflecting on it now, it was my birth. And the darkness delivered me. Which makes Lilith the closest thing I have to a mother. Tonight, she’s ordered me to slip into the Emerald City, Oz’s entertainment subdistrict. The buildings are green and glittery, disorienting like the rest of Mars’s vast and vacuous districts. Citizens stumble along a yellow brick road nestled between fields of red and pink poppies. A tiny dog frolics through the field alongside his mistress, an adolescent girl in a gingham dress and silver slippers. She darts in front of me, but I walk right through her. The image shimmers, light particles interrupted by my mass, until she reassembles and skips off without a sound. None of it is real. It’s a projection, both literally and metaphorically, an idealized vision of our world according to the minds who invented it. A fantasy brought to life. All I’d have to do to destroy it is smash the lenses installed on the construction’s framework, strip the taciturn gray structures of all their glimmering emerald, and reveal the ordinary bricks beneath the yellow. Dorothy and Toto would disappear. The poppy fields would vanish, expose barren cayenne clay and ashen rock. At least shadows are real. Honest. I slink into them, darting between hologram-cloaked buildings and grappling to the rooftops. Ads promising the improbable—the cure for any ailment, all at the low cost of submitting yourself to the Pantheon’s experiments—glint and glitch at the skyline’s zenith. I set up a zipline to the adjacent roof and grapple from rooftop to rooftop, leaving as many lines as I can in my wake. Haste isn’t necessary when entering the target zone, but a speedy exit is crucial. As I traverse the rooftops, I scan for thermal signatures beneath and behind me. No one’s noticed me. Good. Though I pass several Bouncers patrolling below me on the street, they’re all underneath the Guild’s thumb and therefore instructed to ignore us. Even if a civilian sees me, they’d never see my face again—or see it at all. I use a different shroud on every job, but I sometimes leave them turned off in lieu of the full black bodysuit, which means I resemble some subverted superhero creeping and swinging through the night, mask and all. Not the most outlandish sight on Mars, believe it or not. I send Isabeau off to survey the area around the soaring spires of the Emerald Castle, my target’s last known location. The synthetic falcon launches from my shoulder, wings shimmering as she slices through light beams shining in the air. I close an eye and perceive what she sees, one camera transmitting an image to another. This eye isn’t mine; it’s a replacement implanted with a chip. I don’t recall how I lost mine, but Lilith says it had something to do with the traumatic incident that sabotaged my memories. I’m not sure I believe her, but I can’t question the woman who controls my life—unless I want to risk losing it. Isabeau perches on a ledge outside the building. She monitors the area through a faux stained-glass window, her viewpoint displaying in my cybernetically enhanced eye. Inside the Emerald Castle, writhing clubgoers surround my mark. I activate my shroud and shimmy down the side of the building with my grappling hook. The regulator installed in my chest controls the speed my heart beats at, keeping my pulse and temperature low at all times. Makes it tougher for thermal imaging and pulse readers to pick up on my signal. There shouldn’t be many people around with tech that can outdo mine, but a few paranoid denizens carry them as a precaution. Not everyone trusts the Pantheon. With good reason. I glance into a compact mirror to ensure my shroud works, then stow my gear and waltz into the street, blending with the crowd. The music inside the club vibrates beneath my feet as I approach the front doors, so I prepare my ears for the decibel assault. I nod at the Bouncer, make eye contact, press my palm into the scanner. It approves my print and accepts my false identity with a beep.

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NineStar Press | Books2Read

Meet the Author

Knowledge-seeking animal-lover, supporter of diversity, and OG Floridian. Lifelong gamer who grew up drawing Disney characters, whales, and dinosaurs. Proud INTJ (which I share with the likes of Hannibal Lecter, Batman, and Ellen Ripley).

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Taming Lucia by Raissa Donovan & Addison Wolf

December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: Taming Lucia

Series: Spoils of Victory #2

Authors: Raissa Donovan & Addison Wolf

Genre: Dark Reverse Harem/Mafia

Release Date: December 28, 2021

Am I their partner… or their pet?

Victor promised me that I’d be one of the team. That I’ll stand at his side, helping him mastermind my father’s demise. I’ll direct Saint to finding our enemies, and I’ll tell Angelo when to pull the trigger.

So why does it feel like they’re humoring me? Why is every single victory only followed by another humiliation? I need to prove to them that I’m important to their operation. I need to prove that I’m not expendable.

I need them to need me, or else I might end up shattered in pieces so small, there’s no way to put me back together.

Note: This work contains extremely dark themes (see below) with potentially triggering content. Read at your own discretion.
*MMMf, dubcon/noncon, captivity, complete sensory deprivation, watersports/desperation, somnophilia, D/s, medical kink, drugging, cockwarming, spanking, breathplay/choking, enemas, M/f anal, double vaginal penetration, violence, blood, gun play, and more.

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“Thank you,” I tell her, and she tenses up so deliciously. “I think I’ve found our activity for the evening.”

“I’m not doing anything with you,” she says, like she really thinks she has a choice. “You can just fuck off, for all I care. Go spend some time trying to train Angelo if you need something to entertain yourself with. Or better yet, make some progress against my father.”

“Oh, Lucia. You’re forgetting something.” I take her wrist and begin to squeeze tightly. I don’t have Angelo’s sheer power, but I’m strong enough to make her wince and try to pull away.

“What?” Lucia asks, her voice suddenly high.

I look her in the eyes and say coldly, “You’re not the one in charge here.”

Addison Wolf is the pen name of Adara Wolf, for writing dark (MM)M/f romances. Under either name, she enjoys writing dark situations and characters finding themselves in very dubiously consensual situations. Please check her website for a full list of works and detailed content notes for them.

Raissa Donovan is the pen name for M/M writer R. Phoenix. Raissa has ventured into writing dark (MM+)M/f romances.

As R. Phoenix, she writes anything from pretty pink fluff to dark noncon twincest. She prefers to write dark — the darker, the better — but sometimes her muse takes her to some pretty strange places. Her books are primarily available on Amazon, but the especially taboo works are only at Smashwords.

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Black, White and Gray All Over

December 28, 2021December 27, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Nonfiction

Date Published: August 18, 2021

From shootouts and robberies to riding in cars with pimps and prostitutes, Frederick Reynolds’ early manhood experiences in Detroit, Michigan in the 1960s foretold a future on the wrong side of the prison bars. Frederick grew up a creative and sensitive child but found himself lured down the same path as many Black youth in that era. No one would have guessed he would have a future as a cop in one of the most dangerous cities in America in the 1980s—Compton, California. From recruit to detective, Frederick experienced a successful career marked by commendations and awards. The traumatic and highly demanding nature of the work, however, took its toll on both his family and personal life—something Frederick was able to conquer but only after years of distress and regret.

About the Author

Frederick Douglass Reynolds is a former Compton police officer and a retired LA County Sheriff’s Homicide Sergeant with a combined 32 years of experience working some of the worst areas of Los Angeles County. He retired in 2017 with over seventy-five commendations including a Chief’s Citation, five Chief’s commendations, one Exemplary Service Award, two Distinguished Service Awards, two Distinguished Service Medals, one city of Carson Certificate of Commendation, three City of Compton Certificate of Recognition, one city of Compton Public Service Hero award, one California State Assembly Certificate of Recognition, two State Senate Certificates of Recognition, a County of Los Angeles Certificate of Commendation, one Meritorious Service Award, two City of Compton Employee of the Year Awards, and two California Officer of the Year awards. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Carolyn, and their daughter Lauren and their young son, Desmond. They have six other adult children and nine grandchildren.

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Temptress by Fallon Raynes

December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: Temptress

Author: Fallon Raynes

Genre: Action Thriller

Release Date: December 24, 2021

Temptress is a short story originally featured in the best seller: Make Them Pay – A Thriller Anthology.

When local bars become the hot target for thieves, Detective Reyes is reminded that temptation comes in many forms.

Kent, Grady, and Red have the bait and switch routine down to a science. Although, Red is the newest member to the tiny crew, she’s the biggest weapon in their arsenal. She’s hot as sin and the poster child of distractions. Kent and Grady knew she was going to help them pilfer all the dive-bars in the town they’d set their sights on. It would be easy money with her in the spotlight.

There was just one small problem. They hit Lucky’s bar first. A bar that was owned by the father-figure of Detective Reyes, of the Midland Law Enforcement Center.

Detective Ricky Reyes is on the hunt to catch the thieves that stole what wasn’t theirs. Will he catch the band of thieves before they skip town? Will justice be served?

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Chapter 1

A vision in a red dress and spiky, black heels fluttered into the bar. Her short, flared skirt danced at her long legs from the rush of the evening breeze coming through the open door. She brushed a strand of flame-red hair behind her ear. The door closed, darkening the room. The lady in red stood there at the entrance as she searched the dimly lit surroundings. Behind the bar was Frank, the owner of the outdated bar called Lucky’s. He stood frozen with his gaze on the woman, his mouth agape.

Grady smirked, thinking the guy’s sad old eyes had probably never seen the likes of this gal. His gal, in fact, and aptly nicknamed “Red,” her favorite color.

Finally, she found what she was searching for—or more accurately, whom. Grady grinned and made a “tipping of the hat” motion. Red’s full lips turned up in a smile as she sashayed over to him. He held out his arms, and she threw herself into his embrace. Her skirt twirled up as he swung her around a few times before setting her down for a kiss. He sucked in a deep breath of air and tasted her sweet perfume. He looked around, noticing the patrons at the bar and pool table were just as enthralled with them as he had hoped they would be.

She pulled herself away and blushed demurely. Ah, she’s good, Grady thought. He steadied her and offered the chair next to the pool table. The sharp smacking of the balls resumed. He smirked, winked, and then headed to the bar to get her a drink and refill his whiskey.

When he returned, he gave her another quick wink as he set an icy mug of beer in front of her. She took a quick sip and seductively licked the foam off her lips. He had to admit, Red was hard to ignore. And that was exactly what they wanted.

Her grand entrance had actually worked. No one had seen Kent come in and slip to the back office. Their plan was in motion. When her knees started to bounce slightly—a hint that she was getting anxious—Grady pushed down on them gently. He took his thumb and started tracing circles on the fair skin of her inner thigh.

He nodded slightly toward the bar, and she casually turned to look in that direction. The bartender’s eyes locked with hers, and she ran her tongue along her top lip while Grady’s hand wandered up her skirt. She was definitely the main attraction this evening. Grady continued the play, stroking the inside of her leg with his rough hand. His phone buzzed in his pocket—once, then two more times.

That was the signal. Show time. Grady slid Red’s chair closer to him, put his arm around her back, hand on her shoulder. He lightly squeezed three times to relay the message. Red stiffened, and he looked directly into those green eyes and gave her a smile of assurance. Everything will be fine.

Fallon Raynes is a paper pusher by day, writer by night. Writing has been in Fallon’s blood for as long as she can remember. Short stories and poems kept her mind at ease earlier on. Life’s adventures have swirled in her mind to create some exaggerated stories that she’s excited to put to paper and share with the world. Her first published thriller novel will be released soon. To relax, Fallon enjoys watching the ID and Hallmark channels, reading, and the outdoors.

Fallon resides in lower Michigan with her husband and fur-baby.

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Taken Under the Moon by LP Dover

December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: Taken Under the Moon

Series: Royal Shifters Series #7

Author: LP Dover

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: December 28, 2021

Goodreads Review – “You need to buy Taken Under the Moon. If you haven’t read the rest of series, GET ON IT NOW!!!”

Goodreads Review – “It was a really great addition to this amazing series!”

Goodreads Review – “I don’t even know what more to say about this series that I haven’t already. I love the magical feel of this series and with each book I fall in love with this world more.”

When her deceptive plan against the Royal Pack fails, royal arctic wolf, Kara Channon, finds herself stripped of her strength and left with nothing but the weak human shell of a body. Knowing it’s too dangerous for her to stay in Wyoming, Chase Maheegan volunteers to be her jailor and take her to California to be with him.

For years, they were rivals.

Now, he’s her only hope.

Chase always enjoyed making the uptight royal squirm, but Kara refused to give in to her attraction for him… until now. Desperate for her power to be restored, Kara spends a passionate night in his arms only to sneak away in the morning and thrust herself into a world of danger.

Time is running out as darkness circles the beautiful wolf. Can Chase get to her in time to save her from herself? Or will the lure of an unmated royal mark her as a target for those who would kill to claim her?

I left one hell for another. The sleeping spell has worn off, and now I’m back.

I can’t see a fucking thing, and when I take a step, my legs give out beneath me. My knee scrapes against the concrete, and the sting shoots up my leg. “Son of a bitch,” I growl, carefully touching my knee. My teeth chatter and my body shakes with not only being cold but from fury. I’ve never been weak like this before. I’m also starving. My stomach feels as if it’s burning and twisting into tight knots.

The weight of the bracelet is heavy on my wrist, and I grip it as hard as I can, pulling until my muscles begin to shake. “Dammit,” I shout, knocking myself off balance. I reach out into the darkness, grabbing onto the first thing I can to stop my fall. Bottles clank together as I grip the shelf and take a deep breath. Slowly, I reach out to touch the bottles, wishing like hell I could use my wolf sight to see. I remember Chase saying that’s where he was going to keep me … in his wine cellar. Bastard.

“Chase!” I shout as loud as I can. Fumbling through the dark, I feel around the walls until I find the staircase. I’m not staying in the goddamned cellar any longer. I start up the stairs, and there’s a sliver of light at the bottom crack of the door.

“Chase!” I shout, balling my fist tight and banging on the wood. Pain shoots up my arm, and I curse under my breath. If I had my strength, I’d break down the damn door. “So help me,” I scream, beating the door even harder, “if you don’t open up this fucking door, I’m going to destroy every single bottle of wine you have down here.” A few seconds pass, and nothing. “Chase!” Huffing, I grip onto the handrail and start down into the dark. “All right, here I go, asshole!” The door swings open, filling the staircase with the brightest light I’ve ever seen. “What the hell?” I hiss, turning my face away. I blink a few times until my eyes adjust. When I look up at the top of the stairs, Chase is there with an enormous, shit-eating grin on his face. “You’re not going to be smiling like that for long.”

Chase rears his head back and laughs. “Oh yeah? And how are you going to stop me?”

Growling, I storm up the stairs and lift my hand to smack him, but when I try to connect, it’s as if I moved in slow motion.

Chase snatches my wrist and grins, his blue eyes piercing right through me. “I’m going to love having you around.”

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Everything’s sweeter in the South has always been her mantra and she lives by it, whether it’s with her writing or in her everyday life. Maybe that’s why she’s seriously addicted to chocolate.

Dover has written countless novels in several different genres, including a children’s book with her daughter. Her favorite to write is romantic suspense, but she’s also found a passion in romantic comedy. She loves to make people laugh which is why you’ll never see her without a smile on her face.

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Off the Bench by Alley Ciz

December 28, 2021December 27, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Off the Bench by Alley Ciz is now LIVE!

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About Off the Bench

𝑶𝒏 𝒂 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒏, 𝑸𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏.

Gorgeous. Fiery. A cheerleader so far out of my league it’s 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 that I even fantasize about her.

I need to find a way to shut down the dirty thoughts she inspires before it’s too late. If I don’t, this whole new life of mine is at risk.

Easier said than done when temptation lives right down the hall.

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒈𝒖𝒚, 𝑪𝑲 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔.

Sweet. Shy. The star of all my naughty nerd fantasies, but utterly blind to my flirtations.

Giving in to his plea to be his love coach may seem drastic, but I’m 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 for the chance to come off the bench.

Too bad the friend zone was a hell of a lot safer for my heart.

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About Alley Ciz

Alley Ciz is an internationally bestselling indie author of sassy heroines and the alpha men that fall on their knees for them. She is a romance junkie whose love for books turned into her telling the stories of the crazies who live in her head…even if they don’t know how to stay in their lane.

This Potterhead can typically be found in the wild wearing a funny T-shirt, connected to an IV drip of coffee, stuffing her face with pizza and tacos, chasing behind her 3 minis, all while her 95lb yellow lab—the best behaved child—watches on in amusement.

Author Links:

𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: bit.ly/2CAMr4h

𝗙𝗕 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲: http://bit.ly/2TQZj0E

FB Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AlleyCizReaderGroup/

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2FuBF1k

𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻: amazon.com/author/alleyciz

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀: http://bit.ly/2HzGOHP

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗯𝘂𝗯: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/alley-ciz

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Dare to Need by Brianna Remus

December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: Dare to Need

Series: Falling for You #2

Author: Brianna Remus

Genre: New Adult Romance Erotica

Release Date: December 28, 2021

Fate brought them together.

Will tragedy break them apart?

Every broken piece of me had been stripped away so that, like a phoenix, I would be able to rise from the ashes of my past.

He’d been the one to show me the truth of who I was. Who I am. Without him, I would still be chained to another man and a life that was killing me slowly. Taking every last piece of my soul and twisting it into something so unrecognizable, it was a miracle I was able to find myself again.

Garth was my sturdy rock against the violent waters that had threatened to rip me apart last year. His faith that I was strong enough to break through the facade I had been wearing for years was the catalyst that changed everything for me. I turned my back on the scared, insecure girl I once was and let the light shine on the confident, brazen woman I was becoming. My dreams were coming true and I had the most incredible man by my side to see me through it.

But that’s the thing about love. It blinds you. And you can’t see the storm that’s peaking over the horizon until it’s too late.

As my mind roamed with torturous thoughts, I felt my throat constrict, my shoulders tense, and my stomach churn. My body was reflecting what I couldn’t quite process through the mess in my mind. It ached for a release of the anxiety blossoming like torrid flames in every corner of my soul. All I wanted was for this to go away—for my mind to calm and for the world I built for myself to be right again.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I heard the subtle click of the bathroom door opening and like a moth drawn to a flame, my body rose from the lounge chair. Needing to be close to her—the only thing that would quench the wild fire roaring through my veins.

As I stood between the flowing sheer curtains on the edge of the balcony, I saw her in a way I’d never seen her before. The planets, moons, and stars themselves blared past me. All of them were completely insignificant compared to the woman who stood only a few feet away from me. She was the center of the universe, her gravitational pull the only thing keeping me from floating into oblivion where I’d be alone with my wretched thoughts.

Closing the infinite space between us like it was my sole mission in life, I had no strength left to calm the storm that thundered through me. I needed to feel her and damnit if I didn’t want to take everything from her—her touch, her kiss, the very breath from her body.

Everything I felt for Eva was no longer quantified by desire or wanting. I needed her like the very air I needed to breathe.

And so I claimed her as such.

The soft rumble of her moan as my lips melded against hers was a calling to my tortured soul. I buried my hands in her silken hair as she opened up to me, our tongues lulling against one another. Tasting, exploring every inch the other was willing to give. And we were both willing to give it all.

My left hand traced down the nape of her neck, over her shoulder, and to the front of her chest where her breasts were wrapped in a soft black mesh. Each swollen nipple was a reminder of the pleasure I was capable of giving her. She hissed against my lips as I rubbed her right nipple between my thumb and forefinger. Letting the sensitive skin roll between the thin fabric.

“Don’t tease me, baby,” she murmured between kisses.

“Tell me what you want, doll face.”

Her eyes were lustfully hazy as she leaned back and said, “You know exactly what I want.”

Taking the briefest moment to shrug off my suit jacket to give me more access, I pulled her against me once again. Searing my mouth to hers, desperate to taste the minty tang of her tongue against mine, I tugged on the mesh fabric and felt the heady weight of her breast as I cupped it with my palm.

Her skin was so fucking soft, all I wanted to do was fall into her. Knowing how decadent it would feel to have my cock wrapped in her delicious folds. But I wanted to take my time—to show her just how sorry I was.

So I cradled the back of her head in my hand as I dipped low and took her sensitive peak in my mouth. Sucking and tugging on her nipple had my cock straining against my pants, frantic for release. Her skin was soft as satin and her pleasure was hard as stone. I loved every second of her whimpers as I nipped around the edges of her jaw.

I sucked in a sharp breath as Eva ground her pelvis against my cock. I could feel the heat of her desire, even between the fabric of our clothes. She was ready. So fucking ready for me.

She looked like a fallen angel as she arched her back, pressing her breasts forward until I claimed her with my mouth. Long strands of her auburn hair fell between my fingers, cascading toward the floor.

“More, baby,” she whispered through her desire. “I need more.”

Abiding her command, I lifted her against me and slowly backed her toward the bed. When I felt the back of her knees meet the frame, I slowly eased her down.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.”

With a wicked smile that I knew would be my demise, Eva trailed her fingertips from the edge of her neck to the valley between her freed breasts and down further over the middle of her toned stomach.

“Say it again,” she coaxed as her fingers continued to travel south to the edge of her matching black mesh thong. The thing was so fucking small, it was a miracle it hid anything at all.

As the tips of my fingers found their way over the clasp of my pants and the zipper below, I never took my eyes off her.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” I growled. The fabric of my pants and boxers pooled at my feet just as Eva arched her back in response to my words. My mouth watered, desperate to devour every inch of her skin.

When her fingers dipped below the edge of her see-through thong, I said, “Now that’s not fair at all. I wanted to be the one to touch you first.”

“Well, stop spending all your time gawking and get over here.”

I cocked a brow as a chuckle rumbled in my chest. “Yes, ma’am.”

With each step I took closer to the bed, it felt like I was not only closing the physical gap between us, but the emotional one as well. I’d spent the past week and a half internally running from everything. Even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself, I knew I was scared as hell. The world was on fire around me and the only thing capable of pulling me out of the flames was her.

Eva released her hand from under her panties and wrapped her arms around me as I pressed my body against hers.

“That’s better,” she whispered against my ear. A shiver ran over my skin from my neck all the way to my toes.

Bracing myself on my elbows, I framed her face with my forearms. Flecks of honey dusted her brown eyes the same way the stars dusted the night sky. Beauty in its most perfect state. And she was all mine. This incredible, brave, and sexy-as-hell woman was all mine and I’d nearly fucked it up because I couldn’t keep my head screwed on straight.

Unexpected tears welled in my eyes. Eva shifted underneath me, her head tilting to the side as her jaw tensed.

“What’s wrong?”

Closing my eyes for a moment, I shook my head. “I’m so sorry for how I spoke to you yesterday. You deserve better than that.”

“Shhh,” she cooed as she reached her hand up, running her delicate fingers through my hair. “There’s no need to apologize for anything, babe. You’re allowed to have this time to sort through everything. I know that this time is going to be difficult and you’re going to have moments of lashing out. But I’m not going anywhere. I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”

I let out a deep sigh. It was the words I’d needed to hear the moment I heard my mother’s voice on the phone that my father might not pull through—that he very well could have left us all here without him. The thought of losing Eva—to my own stubbornness and stupidity—plagued me in a way I’d never known. To hear her say that she not only was going to stand by my side through all of this, but that she understood what I needed soothed every aching crevice of my soul.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Eva Barnes, but I am so thankful you’re mine.” I rubbed my thumb against her left temple in slow circles and the smile she gave me stole the very breath from my lungs.

Reaching my hand down, I found the edge of her panties. Her lips parted, a sinful moan telling me exactly what I wanted to hear when I tugged the thin fabric to the side. She hissed through clenched teeth as I gently rubbed three fingers over her clit.

“Fuck, Eva. You’re so wet. So fucking ready.”

Through thick lashes, those flecks of honey swirled with desire that was ripe for the taking. And I wanted to take all of her—every single bit she was willing to give.

My cock flexed as she arched her back, grinding her sweet little pussy against the palm of my hand. Slowly, I flattened my hand against her mound as I slid my middle finger through her slick entrance.

“Yes,” she coaxed.

“Tell me what you want, doll face.”

“I want you inside of me,” she said as she rolled her hips up and down, grinding herself against my palm.

Without hesitating, I slid my middle finger inside while she continued to grind herself against the palm of my hand. Her smooth pussy pulsed around my finger as I flattened myself against her and took her hard nipple between my teeth. Tugging and pulling as she continued to ride my hand, my cock was so fucking hard against the side of her thigh.

“You keep riding my hand like this and I’m going to cum before I even get inside of you,” I growled.

Her husky laugh floated between us as she said, “Where’s all that restraint you usually have?”

“It’s fucking gone.”

Eva whimpered as I withdrew my hand from between her legs. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I flipped her over so her perfect little ass was taunting me. I stood up at the edge of the bed between her spread legs and she shook her hips side to side.

“Fuck, Eva.” I smacked her ass hard and she scampered across the bed, squealing in delight.

“Oh, no you don’t.” I grabbed both of her ankles and pulled her back to the edge of the bed. Positioning myself between her legs, I grabbed both sides of her hips and tilted her taut ass up, giving myself the perfect angle.

“Good girl.”

When she snickered, I smacked her ass again lightly before I smoothed both my palms against her cheeks in slow circles. The ache to be inside of her was growing stronger by the second as I hooked my thumbs around the tiny fabric of her t-back thong.

A breathy moan escaped her as she flattened her chest further into the bed, tilting her ass up for me, just the way I liked it.

If it were any other day, I would have slowly pulled her thong over her ass and wrapped it around her ankles. But today was different. My need for Eva was feral as I ripped her thong, the tiny straps falling against her upper thighs and revealing the pink flesh underneath.

Over her shoulder, Eva furrowed her brows at me. “Hey! I liked those.”

Grabbing my length, I gently pressed the head of my cock at her entrance. “You’ll like this a lot more. Hold on tight, beautiful,” I husked as I rolled my hips forward. Her wet pussy grabbed at my cock as I sank deeper and deeper.

With every inch that I took from her, the torment I’d felt over the past week started to melt away. Sex had always been more than just pleasure with Eva, but the connection I felt as I leaned forward and wrapped her tiny waist in my arms, our bodies melding together as one, was the unbinding of shackles I didn’t realize were chained around my heart.

Every stroke that made her quiver with pleasure was an apology for the venomous words I’d spewed. The tender kisses we exchanged were a promise that we would get through this storm together. And as our breaths quickened with the rising lust of our climaxes, I knew that everything would be alright—as long as I had her by my side.

Brianna Remus is a Florida-based author who lives with her husband and three pups. She started her writing journey in 2016 to ward off the woes of graduate school. The light-hearted hobby quickly turned into a passion-filled dream that consistently distracts her from the real world.

When Brianna isn’t working as a psychologist or writing books, you can find her getting lost in the worlds created by others (through books and movies), spending a day at the ocean, or taking a walk in the forest. She loves to spend her days outdoors surrounded by the beauties of nature.

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Five Reasons to Stay by Andie Bale

December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Title: Five Reasons to Stay

Series: Love in #’s Series #5

Author: Andie Bale

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Best Friends to Lovers

Release Date: December 28, 2021

Alison Roberts has been in love with her best friend for a while. Her lonely attempt to tell him how she feels goes downhill fast. Now she’s trying to talk herself out of all the feelings she has toward him and move on with her life. But things are never as easy as they seem.

Wyatt Knight’s favorite person in the world is his best friend. When she tries to tell him how she feels about him, the timing is bad, and the opportunity flies out the window. By the time he catches on with the program and realizes that he is in love with her too, she is backtracking. But he refuses to let her go.

***This story has heart, humor and lots of heat that’s intended for readers who are 18 or older***

Andie Bale lives in Ann Arbor (Go Blue!), Michigan, with her husband, daughter and awesome four-legged baby. Her love of reading started at a young age when sneaking her mother’s romance books to read was the highlight of her day. Now, I am beyond grateful and excited to be able to bring the characters in her head to life.

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