M/M fantasy

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Lenni Reviews: “Souls for Sale” by Asta Idonea & Nicki J. Markus

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

In exchange for one night of pleasure, Tom agrees to sell his soul to a demon named Saul. But when the night ends, Saul finds Tom too tempting to let go so they go on the run from the demons of Hell, who are not thrilled with Saul breaking his contract.

I found their flight from the assassin from Hell to be pretty darn interesting. Genuinely invested in this predicament, I wondered how Saul was gonna get out of it without Tom getting killed or worse. In that regard, I was not disappointed.

As for their relationship, the smutty scenes are well written and I empathized a great deal with Tom as the lost nerd and Saul’s sudden acquisition of feelings when he’s not supposed to have any. But in the end, this is pretty standard. Fun but standard. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Enter the Dragon” by Jamie Sullivan

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Jac Conway has always dreamed of working with dragons. Having joined the Academy, he is eager to work with them directly but novice students are not allowed near dragons. But when a prank by older students lands him smack in a dragon’s cave, he gets much more involved with them than he planned.

This is a pretty simple set up with the conflict centered around Jack being tricked into his initial encounter with his dragon mate rather than it happening by chance. That was a bit offputting but everything is consensual so no triggers here if you’re looking to avoid non-con.

It’s short with not much staying power but it’s cute enough. The best parts are the baby dragons. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Storm Lords” by Ravon Silvius

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Rowen lives in scorched and lonely life in a village ravaged by heat storms. After losing her parents and his voice, the final straw is his fellow villagers leaving him exposed in the sun for a crime he didn’t commit. Before the heat can claim him, Rowen is rescued by Kristoff, a Storm Lord who came to break the heat storm with his powers and sensed Rowen has some abilities as well. Jumping at the chance to prevent the same sort of heat storms that claimed his parents, Rowen throws himself into his training but when his abilities flummox his mentor, Kristoff doubts he can be the man Rowen needs in every sense of the word.

Even without the romance, this would be a cool fantasy novel. The best parts are the world building and the magic, as well as Rowen himself as a sympathetic and determined character. From there this book wanders into mediocre territory where not much development is given to other characters, even Kristoff. Overall this balances out to a 3 out of 5 for me; good but not great.

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Lenni Reviews: “Velvet Claw” by L.J. Hamlin

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Dr. Evan Kidd is a brilliant researcher specializing in finding cures for mysterious diseases. When he is called upon to find out what is ailing several children in a small village, he is more than happy to help. But the village is inhabited solely by Felis, a cat/human shifter species and most are not fond of humans due to terrible discrimination. A Felis bodyguard is assigned to Evan; a hulking, brooding male with a major chip on his shoulders about humans AND doctors named Rene.

Rene may not be happy about babysitting Evan but the doctor’s earnest and hardworking nature has him more intrigued by the human as he feels he should be. But as the mystery around this illness unfolds, their taboo attraction is the least of the danger surrounding them.

While the premise seems awesome and the world building is interesting, the pacing seemed clunky and there were a lot of places where an idea or concept would be stated two times in two different ways in one paragraph. The redundancy completely threw me out of the book. Maybe this is because I got a galley and there’s more editing that needs doing? I hope so…

Overall, this book is just ok. The sex scenes and romance elements were alright even though they felt overused. The best bits to me were the parts concerning the illness itself and even there, I feel more could have been explored. 2.8 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Echoes of the Dead” by H.R. Harrison

 

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*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

When interpreter Oswin finds himself suddenly unemployed, he makes the journey back to his master. He takes shelter from a snow storm in a rundown castle inhabited by an elf named Calder. As the days go by, Oswin becomes more and more intrigued by the mysterious Calder and is reluctant to leave.

This is a cute little fairy tale with a m/m twist. There are some obvious Beauty and the Beast and Swan Princess parallels, which makes some of the plot points achingly predictable, but enough is different to keep the reader interested. As I was reading, I found I enjoyed Oswin and Calder but once I was done, they didn’t leave a real impact on me. A sweet short story though. 3.5 out of 5.

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Release Announcement: “A Strange and Mystifying Story” by Tsuta Suzuki

The awesome folks over at SuBLime have announced the release of a new title: A Strange and Mystifying Story. The lovely cover and press release are below! 😀

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

GLOBAL YAOI MANGA PUBLISHER SUBLIME RELEASES THE FAN FAVORITE SERIES

A STRANGE AND MYSTIFYING STORY

Fantasy Series About A Japanese God And A Cursed Man From Renowned Creator Tsuta Suzuki Returns To Print

 

San Francisco, CA, November 15, 2017– SuBLime, the leading global English-language yaoi manga publisher, delivers the launch of new series A STRANGE AND MYSTIFYING STORY, available now after being previously out of print.

The series, by creator Tsuta Suzuki, is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers. Print editions carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $17.99 CAN each. The digital versions carry an MSRP of $6.99 U.S. Readers have two methods of digital access to the series on SuBLimeManga.com – via a DRM-free downloadable PDF, viewable on any enabled eReader device and computer, as well as via the online manga viewer. Readers can also purchase a digital version through the NOOK, Kindle and Kobo eReaders as well as on Google Play. SuBLime will publish subsequent volumes of the seven-volume series on a quarterly basis.

In A STRANGE AND MYSTIFYING STORY a man named Akio Yamane falls terminally ill, presumably from his family’s curse. Remembering his grandfather’s final words about their family protector, he looks to where his grandfather pointed and finds a tooth. Upon holding it, he accidentally summons a god who promises to cure him, albeit in a rather odd and intimate manner!

“Fans have requested that SuBLime pick up and finish releasing all volumes of this series, and we are excited to add A STRANGE AND MYSTIFYING STORY to the SuBLime catalog. We will make the series available in its entirety,” says Hope Donovan, Managing Editor. “Readers will not want to miss what happens as the relationship heats up between a deity and this seemingly cursed, but decidedly handsome, man.”

A STRANGE AND MYSTIFYING STORY is Tsuta Suzuki’s second English-language release, with her first being Your Story I’ve Known. Formerly working under the penname, “Yogore,” she has also published doujinshi (independent comics) under the circle name “Muddy Pool.” Readers can find out more about Tsuta Suzuki on her Pixiv page: Pixiv.net.

Visit SuBLimeManga.com for a complete array of additional yaoi manga titles that are available digitally in a download-to-own format for $6.99 (U.S. / CAN) each and are viewable as a PDF on any enabled eReader device or computer or accessed via the online manga viewer found on the web site.

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at SubBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga, Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga, Tumblr at http://sublimemanga.tumblr.com/, and Instagram at @sublimemanga/.

About SuBLime

SuBLime is a global yaoi/boys’ love manga publisher presenting English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high quality titles. SuBLime offers titles digitally worldwide at SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in a Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide.

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Lenni Reviews: “Angel Fever” by May Ridge

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

*This review is cross-poted at Otakus and Geeks.

Malachi is the most talented male angel healer in a generation but despite his inflated ego about his talents, one thing still bothers him. Mal is an orphan and he’s on the search for his mother. He returns to his childhood orphanage and the current priest working there, Tobias, tells him that despite it not being exactly within the rules, he will let Mal look at his records. However, it seems this mother’s name is missing. As they dig deeper, Mal and Tobias discover a dark secret hidden among the priests which will put both their lives in danger.

The whole thing could have been an interesting longer book but as a short story; it feels rushed. If given more time, the world could have had more time to build and thusly would have been better understood. The relationship between Mal and Tobias would have had more time to develop so they have real chemistry instead of just a line drop about how they’ve been working together for two months. A concept with potential but not enough room to grow, I give this a 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Bonfire” (Hours of the Night #1.5) by Irene Preston and Liv Rancourt

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Thaddeus – a vampire – and his assistant/boyfriend, Sarasija live together in the bayou. While Thaddeus begrudgingly indulges Sarasija’s enthusiasm for Chirstmas decorations, strange lights are seen in the darkness which lure people away. To avoid being scapegoated as the cause Thaddeus goes to investigate while trying to keep Sarasija safe.

I found it very difficult to get into this and the blame can be squarely put on the fact I haven’t read any other books in this series. Bonfire is one of those in-between books that’s more of a side story for fans. You get the most from it if you are already familiar with the characters and the world they live in. As a result, how Thaddeus and Sarasija spend their holidays means nothing to me.

That being said, the mystery of the swamp lights did keep me reading to the end. The POV shifts from time to time, Thaddeus can be overly guilt-ridden to the point of being tiresome, and without the books I had trouble feeling the connection to the couple of the towns people around them. Still an interesting enough diversion. 3 out of 5.

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