Review: Distant Gardens anthology FF sff

 

 

five great sff authors, ten happy endings

These authors love lesbian sci-fi fantasy as much as I do and display that love to spectacular effect here. The heat levels vary and are specified up front. There are tentacles, fungi, carnivorous plants, inter-species pairings, dimensional rifts, life-or-death struggles, pirates and politicos, intergalactic espionage, nerds and naifs, immortals and pixies, evil corporations and bureaucracies to circumvent, all paving the way for non-binary and sapphic heart bonds. We need more of those unconventional balances in our own reality, so what better way to seed them in our imaginations than this?

Each of the five gifts us with a tale from their established sff universes, as well as one that takes place elsewhere, providing a wonderful introduction to their worlds, and their literary chops. The volume delivers exactly what I wish for in boundary breaking romances. May they all live long and prosper, writing happily ever after.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

 

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58363764-distant-gardens

review of The Lost Shrine series 3: By Blood Betrayed by Amberlyn Holland

 

                            https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40776913-by-blood-betrayed

 

This book continues a series set in a well-realized fantasy universe that is reminiscent of ancient Eire. Each storyline follows a 'power couple' brought together by the Goddess to counter forces of evil let loose by blood magick. Holland has imbued each meeting tale with gripping adventure and relatable personalities who have successfully blended their special abilities with a matrix of loving humanity and greater service to their world.

Those who prefer a veil of sacred euphemism to remain between them and the physical aspects of romance will be pleased by this series, which makes it safe for young adults. Descriptions never stray beyond kissing and cuddling in this third installment.

The three shape-shifting Hound brothers have divided the hunt for dark sorcery between them, with the youngest, Phelan, assigning himself to the dangerous borderlands of Marnak, under the very nose of the evil warlord Trask. As a spying bard he insinuates himself into the rebel underground in search of a lost power place that has been nearly drained by the evil blood magick along the border with his birthplace, the land of the Thousand Tribes. What he finds is a close-knit clan of refugees led by flame haired twins who fled from a monstrous fate.

Selena and her brother were closer to the evil Phelan hunts than they would like to admit, and it still seeks them. She knows her healing magic should be for the land and not for conquest, that family should be aligned with love and not coercion. She's given up on personal dreams of happiness, beyond keeping her brother and their self-made family safe. Is the ballad-singing stranger putting them in danger, or will he help root out a hidden enemy in their midst? Can they muster allies enough to stop the poisoning of their waters? She discovers that she has supernatural allies greater than the darkness, but will they last beyond this hour of peril?

This book stands alone quite well, but you will be craving happy endings for all the heroes.

review of The Lost Shrines 4: By Love Reclaimed by Amberlyn Holland

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40777267-by-love-reclaimed

 

 

This book continues a series set in a well-realized fantasy universe that is reminiscent of ancient Eire. Each storyline follows a 'power couple' brought together by the Goddess to counter forces of evil let loose by blood magick. Holland has imbued each meeting tale with gripping adventure and relatable personalities who have successfully blended their special abilities with a matrix of loving humanity and greater service to their world.

Those who prefer a veil of sacred euphemism to remain between them and the physical aspects of romance will be pleased by this series, which makes it safe for young adults. Descriptions never stray beyond kissing and cuddling in this installment.
This book stands alone quite well, but you will be craving happy endings for all the heroes.


The three shape-shifting Hound brothers have divided the hunt for dark sorcery between them, and Ranulf surprised them by opting to return to the Milesan Isle of Tirnan, where once his heart was broken. Somewhere is a rumored goddess cave, fully separated from the renowned sacred Sword shrine, and dark forces could infiltrate there and put all their lands at risk. Tara's father scorned Ranulf as an adopted and inferior Milesan then; this legacy persists due to the family secrets Tara and her brother and sister still conceal.

Tara, a Defender of Hearth and Home, is struggling to keep their isle whole despite the worsening onslaughts of darkness that plague her and her sister of Harvest and brother of Storm. How can a Harbinger of Death like Ran possibly aid full Milesan Powers like them? Why was their love judged so wrong when it felt so right in their youth? It will take the truth, and the powers of both their feuding lineages, to defeat the insidious plots the blood sorcerer laid in the course of generations.

Only then will Ran and Tara allow themselves to love again. If it succeeds, and they are not separated by the Death he senses around her.

Though this is the purported end of the series I sense that there are other pairings possible and not yet explored by Amberlyn. 

 

 

reviw of Tiny and Fierce: Her Alien Crew bk 1, by Margo Bond Collins & Eli Constant

This is a very erotic book, nearly from the first few pages.  Stranded by a rogue wormhole in an unknown quadrant of space,  far from other humans,  Tommelise and her ship's intelligence, Blue are carrying on with salvage work in an effort to get home again.  To manage it they need a local crew.   Then they run into a trio of three different species-- one of who looks tremendously like an extra handsome human--  running a scam in a bar.  Tommi follows her instincts and recruits them.  The wisest of them accepts, moments before the station authorities sound the alert.  

I really enjoyed learning about the three different males and their contrasting species back-stories.  I further enjoyed how Tommi decides to give in to the pheromones of the situation and physically bond with the crew member who requires it most urgently. Each of her new crew proves their worth in turn as they all put their intelligences to the task of staying alive in the  daunting custody of the Bufo Empress.  

There's a lot of unusual secretions and mind-boggling fight scenes including them.  The cover portrait of our heroine shows her hair stiff with a gray material when she's described initially as strawberry blond, and you might not want to know exactly why.  But it suits her, and shows how far she's willing to go to make this extraordinary crew function at optimum levels.  

If you like your sex truly mind-blowing, this is the series for you.

Thank you, Booksprout. 

 

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3602022950

 

 

Review: Sol's Solstice by Leona Windwalker

 

 

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23933243-sol-s-solstice 

 

 This romance has a plot so timely and detail so harrowing that I thanked my stars to be alive for its very plausible and satisfying conclusion.

My first Leona Windwalker book was not very well written and I set it down after just a few pages. This one is Leona doing everything right, to our great good fortune as readers. There is a cohort of MM romance writers of my own generation who dedicate ourselves to proving through fiction that love is indeed the solution to what the world needs. Leona's story of Sol, short for Absalom, and his twin brother who survived a terrible childhood and nearly became casualties of it, touches us in all the important ways. 

Sex does happen but is de-emphasized in favor of life challenges the characters face.

Summer Breeze Book Fair -- free reads, including mine

WELCOME to the Summer Breeze Book Fair. This fair is for August and features all genres

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Heidi Wasabi and other FREE paranormal titles!

 The Incredible Heidi Wasabi is FREE in TWO group giveaways this month.   Whee...

Wicked Delights: An Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, and Paranormal Romance Giveaway 

Summer Magic - Fantasy GG 

Check them out, and KEEP BUSY with love    

 

Heidi Wasabi is in this ebook Giveaway!

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Speculative fiction is a broad category encompassing genres with fantastical elements that don't exist in the real world, often in the context of supernatural, futuristic or other imaginative themes. Join us this month to find new romance reads in: science fiction, fantasy, horror, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, and supernatural fiction!

Brought to you by Samantha Lau - Author of gay romance. Join her mailing list to find out about future releases and giveaways: http://samanthalau.net/mailinglist

 Shakti or succubus? Faithful spouse or figment of the imagination? Whatever she is, Rufus and Steen wouldn't have made a grand success in their chosen profession, as stars of the heavy metal band Virgen Steel, without Heidi. And they probably never would have gotten married—to each other, anyway. This is her incredible story... 

https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/mavbCa1Eg2PlNiwoU1Jt

Heidi Wasabi is FREE for Valentines Day

 So are a lot of other fine sci-fi and fantasy titles at the link.

https://artofthearcane.wordpress.com/Valentines-Day-SFF-Bargain-Sale

 

Review: Don't bother going Out in the Bright Bright Light by D W Watson

This is a series of short 'episode' style chapters based upon a set of characters working for a paranormal security service organization, much like 'Men in Black' but set in Britain. Because of this format, the author feels they can skip on plot and character development; all is extremely shallow and played for laughs. The tales are further hampered by the incorrect vocabulary and incomplete sentence structure. What could have been classic British snark is instead incoherence.

Let's just say that when the main characters are suddenly tossed into a mighty cliff-hanger on the final page, I was glad to see them go.

This is my true take on a copy I received through StoryOrigin. It is not a romance or even much of an adventure. 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43689450-out-in-the-bright-bright-light

I've got a #free #paranormalromance #ebook in this giveaway! Help yourself

 I've got a #free #paranormalromance #ebook in this giveaway! Help yourself  



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  Fangs, magic and wings... Whatever your paranormal obsession we've got you covered!

<3 span="">

  Fangs, magic and wings... Whatever your paranormal obsession we've got you covered!

Free Love #ebook Giveaway

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Paranormal YA Review : Scion's Delight by Jeffrey Bardwell

 This heir to the kingdom is partisan to artficers and mechanisms, and cannot forgive the mage guild for having such an odious power-mad schemer on the Royal Council. Everything changes when a northern barbarian MAGE becomes her most trusted servant, using his abilities to aid her experiments, and more. The book keeps us reading as we follow the maturation of the princess, emotionally as well as intellectually.  

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2427054298?source=facebook_share&fbclid=IwAR1rJI6OJwFrKe1DdVQr3TFJwgycIUWHW-HOKWQakIBs0wHi2_bl2l3_DsM


A cunning trap. A whiff of magic. A burst of steam.
Princess Cordelia has steel plate ambition, a mind like twisting brass gears, and the political might of tin foil. The girl aims to ratchet the Iron Empire into a glorious new day of gears and steam. The entire palace is arrayed against her. The chambermaids disdain her. The emperor ignores her. The mages, championed by Lord Oriolanus, lead a brisk campaign of lies and coercion. Those evil magic users threaten to tighten their grip upon the land even though machines are clearly superior. By the gods’ oil-stained hands, why can’t anyone else see her vision of the ideal future?
Just when Cordelia’s future threatens to slip back into medieval quagmire, a lone stranger with ice blue eyes and flowing blond hair arrives from the savage north. The handsome barbarian is destined to make both the hearts of the empire and the princess tremble. Does this spell doom or salvation for the girl’s fragile dream?
Explore The Scion’s Delight, the fantasy romance prequel novella of The Mage Conspiracy series. Discover a world of adventure and intrigue where lies cut deeper than any sword.

Though there is some mild sexual content, it is hardly romantic because Cordelia simply is not made that way.  And that is just fine.

Helgaleena Healingline's Reviews > Virgin Vampire: Vivian

 There are very few modern erotic authors whose work I can recommend across the board, sight unseen, and SCinders is one of them!  She's imaginative and really puts you deep into each character, has a great sense of humor, and never leaves out the happily ever after we require to know in our hearts that love will triumph.  Whatever sub-genre she takes on, it never disappoints.

Now she's embarked on a four-part expose of vampire politics and cultish fundamentalist 'hunters' who terrorize them.  Seize and celebrate the consequences of being yourself, special sexy snowflakes!  Because of course the solution involves sex and more sex, as it makes our worlds go round no matter how we fill our bellies. 



What's the worst that could happen on a prom date gone wrong? You wake up in a shrubbery miles from school with blood all over your dress and two guys putting handcuffs on you? Well, that is just the start of how Vivian's idyllic small town life is turned upside down until she ends up finding out she's a long lost heir to a throne she didn't even know existed.

It's an amazing and amusing and erotic journey into all corners of the debate on Nature vs. Nurture. The kaleidoscopic imagination of SCinders hits it out of the park again.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44073662-virgin-vampire

special Valentines Giveaway is now live!

https://artofthearcane.com/Valentines-SFF-Giveaway/https://artofthearcane.com/Valentines-SFF-Giveaway/

Shakti or succubus? Faithful spouse or figment of the imagination? Whatever she is, Rufus and Steen would not have made a grand success in their chosen profession, as the stars of the heavy metal band Virgen Steel, without Heidi. And they probably never would have gotten married—to each other, anyway. This is her incredible story...

coming soon: special Valentines Giveaway of Heidi Wasabi

Shakti or succubus? Faithful spouse or figment of the imagination? Whatever she is, Rufus and Steen would not have made a grand success in their chosen profession, as the stars of the heavy metal band Virgen Steel, without Heidi. And they probably never would have gotten married—to each other, anyway. This is her incredible story...

Review: Rend by Roan Parrish

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2657096273

As I am a healing healer myself, I identified much more with this book than I did with the recovering addict musicians in Parrish's prequel, 'Riven'.  And you will be permanently turned on by the nearly BDSM level situations this married couple enjoy.

Matt was abandoned at a young age, spit out without many coping skills as an adult into New York City, all he's ever known. Yet he's made his way as a wounded healer, helping those who are in the same position he was such a short while ago. He's drawn like metal to a magnet by musician Rhys and his effortless joy. But like all humans Rhys has insecurities and they rush into a 'forever' bond.

Despite their mutual desire to make it work, Matt's never been able to imagine himself as a happy and loving 'normal'. Even his best friend from the orphanage left him to live in Florida eventually. Even though they have fabulous sex, he's haunted by fears of sabotaging their marriage and poor at articulating his true feelings, thinking he always has to be pleasant. It takes therapy, a dog, and a stubborn dom husband and his ex-addict musician friends to ease Matt into the happily ever after he can hardly believe is real. But it is. He's part of a family for the first time.

And the moral of the story is, love is all around, no need to waste it.

Review for Of Curse You Will (Womby's vol. 11) by Sarina Dorie

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2631566220

This is the volume where Clarissa and Thatch finally manage to 'make it work'. Yet it has to be for 'new adult' rather than YA simply because of the nature of their strain of magic. All his long life Thatch has had to deal with the practical disadvantages of the Red affinity. Clarissa's indefatigably loving nature refuses to leave this unsolved. Then when she uncovers a potential solution, the frigid heart of her potential helper also needs healing. It's a matter of life and death for them all, and has to remain hush-hush due to school rules!

You will get absurd chuckles over how the students interpret the strange situations in which they find their teachers, giving rise to truly tabloid-level rumors.

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2631566220

Review of The Priestess of Camelot by Helgaleena

Those who enjoyed Marion Zimmer Bradley's retelling of the Arthurian legend will be quite happy with this new alternative, which has plenty of well-described love scenes. 

It's a shame about the historical inaccuracies in the book, which render Anya a 'Rus from Jutland'. Evidently author confused Viborg in Karelia with Viborg in Denmark. All notes about supposed equivalency of Rus with Vikings are thereby invalidated. However since this is not a history book per se, it is only interfering with our suspension of disbelief. Also the dying visions are rendered in full as if Anya came back to life to write them down. Third mistake: heavy mention of using the herb coneflower, which is exclusive to North America. Scratch the Pulitzer off the wish list, Heirs of Camelot.

That said, it's a pleasant, Goddess-affirmative fantasy of feminine fulfillment. I have a feeling the cursing of Morgaine is going to set up plenty of future adventures.


 https://www.amazon.com/Priestess-Camelot-Prequel-Heirs-ebook/dp/B07HSYTNRT/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_pdt_img_top?ie=UTF8

Helgaleena Healingline's Reviews > An End to Summer

This coming-of-age story took a lot of world building. I believe it is successful in that, as well as in conveying a soulmate-level MM romance.

Alexander's journey in parallel worlds is epic. I can only imagine that the epic will continue in future volumes; they'll have to top this one, which won't be easy.

Five stars for fantasy, five for erotic romance, and five more for relevance to our own existential dilemmas.

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36313937-an-end-to-summer