Top Five Paranormal M/M Books of 2014

While I haven't been reviewing very much this year, I still have been reading M/M. And there have been some wonderful books published. So, to celebrate the New Year, I am posting my top five paranormal picks for 2014. These books were, in my opinion, some of the most amazing novels I read in the paranormal category last year!

And to give you, the readers, a chance to find out how great these books truly are, I am giving away a gift certificate to Amazon for $6 to sample at least one (or two) of them!

Please use the Rafflecopter option for a chance to win these books and leave a comment on my blog!


Lasha’s Top Five Paranormal M/M Books for 2014:  

• Tiger Boys by Linda Gayle - REVIEW HERE
• Walk A Mile (The Sixth Sense #2) by Sarah Madison
• Hell or High Water (Thirds #1) by Charlie Cochet
• A Family With His Werewolf Mate by Anya Byrne - REVIEW HERE
• The First Three Rules (My Brother's Keeper #1) by Adrienne Wilder

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REVIEW: "Tiger Boys" by Linda Gayle

Title: Tiger Boys
Author: Linda Gayle
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 230 pages

Grade: A


BLURB:

Grad student Jules has always felt different. He’s got buddies, sure, but relationships make him turn tail and run. Dreams of tigers and memories of a mysterious great-grandmother make him wonder if there’s something his parents aren’t telling him. When an unexpected inheritance offers clues to Jules’s destiny, he’s intrigued, to say the least. It doesn’t hurt that the news is delivered by a sexy Russian who seems to know Jules better than he knows himself.

A prince of a powerful tiger clan, Sergei Sidorenko wants to live as an ordinary man. But his family nags him to take his place as king. They offer him a deal: teach the lost prince Julian how to shape-shift and control his untapped sorcerous talent. Then Jules will be king, and war between the once-rival clans will be avoided. Most importantly, Sergei will be released from clan obligations forever. It sounds like an easy out. But Sergei doesn’t count on Jules being so temptingly innocent, so eager to learn. Lessons in sorcery turn to lessons in love. And Sergei falls hard for Jules.

Dark clouds gather over the tiger clans. In a bid to seize power, Jules’s ambitious older brother, Anton, works on the key to immortality. And he needs Jules’s flesh and blood to finish the spell. Tangled in Anton’s machinations, with a traitor in their midst, Jules and Sergei must fight for their lives—and for the love that destiny would deny them.


MY REVIEW

One of my Top Five Paranormal Books of 2013 was Linda Gayle's A Shadow of Wings, which I gave 5 stars (A+) review here and on Reviews by Jessewave. So, I was very happy to see that the author had published another M/M book with Tiger Boys. Now, it isn't a sequel to A Shadow of Wings, but introduces another fascinating shifter universe, one with magical Russian tigers!

As with every book I've read by Ms. Gayle, she is able to weave incredible original world building along with a steamy romance that knocks my socks off and makes me beg for more. In Tiger Boys, she gives us Sergei and Jules, two men who should be enemies because of their family backgrounds, but who instead come together in a quest to save their lineage from a ruthless villain (namely Jules' brother). Add in complex secondary characters like Sergei's sister and Jules' parents and you have a great read. But the thing I loved best about Tiger Boys was the chemistry between Jules and Sergei. The slow build-up to their coming together is not to be missed and when you add the magical/paranormal elements of the novel, you will be rooting for Sergei and Jules' happy ending.

Because I read so many paranormal books when I find one that resonates with me, I want to shout about it from the rooftops and I can with Tigers Boys. Highly recommended!


P.S. If you haven't read A Shadow of Wings, run out and buy it. It is only .99 on Amazon right now! BUY LINK.

How To Sabotage Your Writing Career in Three Easy Steps, Or Ways to Avoid That

Authors melting down. I think we've all seen it. No one, not even best-selling authors are immune. (Think Anne Rice.) But unless you have a million dollar selling backlist like Ms. Rice, please do not do the following things, or you might find your fledgling writing career over before its begun.

AUTHORS AVOID DOING THIS:

1. Never, ever respond to negative reviews by READERS on Amazon, GoodReads or the like. It makes you look petty, and boy does it turn new readers off.

2. Do not under any circumstances call readers: dumb, stupid, morons, curse at them, use sexist/racist terms. Again, it makes you look unprofessional, and lets face it, your first impression to readers is important! Do not make it a negative one.

3. If for some reason, you do not follow advice one and two, then step back and apologize to anyone you may have offended. An apology goes a long way and makes you look like a grown-up. We've all lost our tempers, but how you handle that afterwards might determine who buys your book in the future.

Review: Sixth (Mad Dogs #1) by Brenda Cothern

Title: Sixth (Mad Dogs #1)
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 153 pages

Grade: C+


BLURB:

Brian Hay’s only dream in life was to be part of America’s elite, yet unacknowledged, Delta Force. After years of training to be the best the 75th Ranger Regiment had ever produced, his dream was finally coming true. But what starts out as what he thinks is a Delta hazing op soon turns into much more when Brian not only becomes a Delta Force soldier but a Mad Dog.


MY REVIEW

Shifters and the military? If you like those concepts, then Sixth by Brenda Cothern will be right up your alley. The book starts out with Brian Hay joining a Ranger division. He's their new sniper, and the other five guys have a strange initiation for the new guy!

This is the fourth book by Ms. Cothern I've read, the others were not paranormals, so I was excited to see her delve into this genre. The best part of this new series, entitled Mad Dogs, is the world building. The author was able to create an unique world that I haven't seen before in shifter books, which is an accomplishment in itself, since I've probably read over five hundred paranormal M/M books over the years.

However, as much as I loved the world building and the possibility of what comes next in this series, I did have a few niggles, which is why I did not rate it higher. First, from the beginning to nearly the end of the novel, I wasn't sure who Brian's love interest would be. There are five guys in the Ranger unit and there was no real chemistry between them and Brian until the very end when Brian mates. In a romance novel, I tend to like the main characters to have more interaction so I can fall in love with them as a couple. But, if you like a little mystery in your romance book, then you might like the approach the author took in her final surprise reveal.

Second, as some other reviewers have stated, the book ends on a cliffhanger, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Yes, a second book is coming this summer, but I've always felt each book should be self-contained and any plot pieces not left dangling. Plus, I wanted more action between Brian and his mate before the book ended!

So, for all readers looking for a different type of shifter book, look no further than Sixth. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Review/Blog Stop/GIVEAWAY: The Pack or the Panther by Tara Lain

Title: The Pack or the Panther (Tales of the Harker Pack Series)

Author: Tara Lain
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 149 pages


Amazon Buy Link, Dreamspinner Buy Link

Grade: A+

Blurb:

Cole Harker, son of an alpha werewolf, is bigger and more powerful than most wolves, tongue-tied in groups, and gay. For twenty-four years, he’s lived to please his family and pack—even letting them promise him in marriage to female werewolf Analiese to secure a pack alliance and help save them from a powerful gangster who wants their land. Then Cole meets Analiese’s half-brother, panther shifter Paris Marketo, and for the first time, Cole wants something for himself.

When Analiese runs off to marry a human, Cole finally has a chance with Paris, but the solitary cat rejects him, the pack, and everything it represents. Then Cole discovers the gangster wants Paris too and won’t rest until he has him. What started as a land dispute turns into World War Wolf! But the bigger fight is the battle between cats and dogs.

MY REVIEW:

This is the first book by Tara Lain I've read and based on this novel, it will not be my last. I've heard good things about her Balls to the Wall series and so I was excited that she was delving into the paranormal genre, and she didn't disappoint. The Pack or the Panther starts out as a typical arranged marriage plot, but it is soon apparent that Ms. Lain is going to take that trope and turn it on its head.

Cole is gay and doesn't want to marry Analiese, but to protect his pack, he agrees to the marriage. The day of the wedding, she runs off, and Cole is left holding the bag. Analiese and Cole's parents decide that Analiese's brother, Paris, a lone cat shifter would be the perfect match instead. Between fighting and having scorching hot sex, Cole and Paris have their work cut out for them to make their marriage a real one. But, will outside forces tear them apart?

What I loved about The Pack or the Panther was the chemistry between Cole and Paris. Yes, Cole is your typical Alpha, but Paris is anything but your submissive mate. He's a delightful change from the weak, smaller men that are mated to a big, powerful Alphas and I liked that. It's rare that M/M shifter books surprise me anymore, but this book did.

I don't give out a lot of A+ reviews, but The Pack or the Panther deserves it. Highly recommended and looking forward to the next one in the series.





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