Shari Reviews Stuff: ScottishSlimeStore – Pink Cloud Slime

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Purchase Link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/904529808/pink-cloud-slime-fluffy-foam-drizzle

Seller Page: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ScottishSlimeStore

I’ve been wanting to buy some slime for a while as I have seen other reviews online and so I decided to go for it! I was not disappointed.

This slime is really great! It comes in a container and also comes with an activator and two sachets of glitter! I chose to purchase the pink cloud slime. As you can see from the pictures it goes all fluffy when you stretch it! I don’t know much about slime as this is my first purchase, but the consistency is good and not at all sticky. image2

The seller’s Etsy store has loads of different slimes and options to choose from. I will definitely make my future slime purchases from them!

Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts on the above product and I have not been asked or paid by the seller to provide a review.

Release Blitz & Review: Sun, Sea and Small-Town Secrets by S.J. Coles

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Sun, Sea & Small-Town Secrets

Author: S. J. Coles

Publisher: Pride Publishing

Release Date: July 6, 2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Mystery/Holiday Romance

Tropes: Forbidden Love / Small Town / Holiday

Themes: Healing / Hurt/Comfort / Travel / Self-discovery

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 48 634 words/ 193 pages

It is a standalone story.

Add on Goodreads

Buy Links

Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Pride Publishing

Small towns are full of secrets, some harder to keep than most.

Blurb

Sebastian Conway is a professional psychologist and accomplished criminal profiler, but when one of his patients is sentenced to life in prison for a crime she didn’t commit, he simply cannot let it go. His borderline obsessive behaviour has embarrassed his boss and lover, Gerrard Wilson, and the relationship has come to a bitter end.

Seb has now grudgingly taken Gerrard’s advice and come to the small coastal town of Ruéier in the South of France to get some distance and clear his head—but he cannot sit by and do nothing.

He has started writing a book he believes will address the failings in the case, but when he gets swept up in a local investigation into suspected drug trafficking, which is led by the enigmatic and strangely enticing Antoine Damboise, the book—and Seb’s intentions to avoid active criminal cases—take a back seat.

He knows it’s a bad idea to get involved, but he can’t seem to help himself. And when it seems Damboise is tempted to make their relationship more than professional, Seb finds it easier than ever to ignore his better judgment. But when a local drug dealer is murdered and Seb is implicated, everything gets a whole lot more complicated.

Can the two men set aside their personal feelings long enough to figure out what’s really going on before Seb ends up in prison? Or worse…

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of murder and drug use.

Continue reading “Release Blitz & Review: Sun, Sea and Small-Town Secrets by S.J. Coles”

Review: Beyond the Ruby River (Immortal Jewels #3) by Lee Colgin

Beyond the Ruby River

In Ancient Egypt when the pharaohs ruled the banks of the Nile, Mahu led a simple, if somewhat melancholy, life. Making papyrus filled his days. His needs were provided for, but deep in his soul, Mahu longed for companionship.

Dakarai, born of a demon mother and a human father, craved independence. A young incubus constantly in the shadows of his full-blooded siblings, Daka set out for a new city and a life of his own.

While a starving Daka roams the streets hunting for a meal, the sight of a beautiful man walking alone stops him in his tracks. Just what he needs to quench his spiraling thirst.

But Mahu turns out to be more than Daka bargained for, and his heart falls for the lonely man.

What happens when one lover is immortal and the other seeks contentment in the afterlife? Betrayal shatters their foundation. Can Daka and Mahu find their way back to each other, or is each soul destined to long for the other for all eternity?

 

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Beyond the Ruby River (Immortal Jewels #3) by Lee Colgin


Review

Rating: 5 stars

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

When half-human, half-incubus Dakarai leaves home determined to make his way independently he meets and falls for a human called Mahu. Consumed by grief and burying himself in his work, Mahu is surprised to capture Daka’s attention, but quickly their blossoming friendship turns into much more. However, when Mahu’s mortality threatens to part them, Daka makes a choice that costs them both everything.

Beyond the Ruby River is the third novel in the Immortal Jewels series but can be read as a standalone. I adored the setting of ancient Egypt. This time period is one that I love, and the author clearly did their research in making such an amazing world come to life through the pages.

I loved Daka’s character. His personality and innocence set him apart from most of his kind, and his desire to find the one is adorable. His feelings and actions are so raw and honest, despite not always having the outcomes that he intended. Mahu is a perfect complement to him. He is calmer and sees more realism in the world than Daka does. You can see why each falls for the other and the relationship develops very naturally as the story progresses.

I also enjoyed the inclusion of other supernatural beings, especially vampires and the author’s take on them. It was a refreshing and different take on the vampire lore, and one that I would love to learn more about through the other books in the series.

If you love supernatural loves stories set in beautiful ancient Egypt, then I highly recommend that you read Beyond the Ruby River!

Monthly Reading List

I can’t believe its July already! Here’s my reading list for this month! I’m hoping if the weather’s nice I will be able to sit outside and read for a change!

Sun, Sea and Small Town Secrets

Small towns are full of secrets, some harder to keep than most.

Sebastian Conway is a professional psychologist and accomplished criminal profiler, but when one of his patients is sentenced to life in prison for a crime she didn’t commit, he simply cannot let it go. His borderline obsessive behaviour has embarrassed his boss and lover, Gerrard Wilson, and the relationship has come to a bitter end.

Seb has now grudgingly taken Gerrard’s advice and come to the small coastal town of Ruéier in the South of France to get some distance and clear his head—but he cannot sit by and do nothing.

He has started writing a book he believes will address the failings in the case, but when he gets swept up in a local investigation into suspected drug trafficking, which is led by the enigmatic and strangely enticing Antoine Damboise, the book—and Seb’s intentions to avoid active criminal cases—take a back seat.

He knows it’s a bad idea to get involved, but he can’t seem to help himself. And when it seems Damboise is tempted to make their relationship more than professional, Seb finds it easier than ever to ignore his better judgment. But when a local drug dealer is murdered and Seb is implicated, everything gets a whole lot more complicated.

Can the two men set aside their personal feelings long enough to figure out what’s really going on before Seb ends up in prison? Or worse…

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of murder and drug use.

The Dead Don't Lie

While young doctor Adam Morrow resigns himself to an uninformed existence, world-weary assassin Ian Abbott struggles with a life he never asked for. When the two strangers meet by chance, the attraction is immediate. And deadly, as Adam walks in on Ian in the middle of a hit.

The situation spirals out of control once Ian discovers he and Adam share a connection far more profound than either imagined. Shocked by the discovery, Ian makes the hasty decision to kidnap him.

Overnight Adam is torn from his promising career and a family who believes him dead. Things go from bad to worse when he finds himself reunited with a mother he never knew who is now head of a covert and shadowy group of killers for hire. Forced into joining their ranks, with Ian as his reluctant trainer and handler, Adam is given a series of impossible tasks to complete.

To survive, he must fight with everything he has to keep his life, his sanity, and his very soul from being swept up in a violent and chaotic world even as he battles his unwanted and complicated feelings for Ian.

For his part, Ian, a man with dark secrets of his own, has a past he isn’t ready to share with Adam even as the other man worms into his life in more ways than one. The two grow closer and lines blur — between good and evil, friend or foe, enemy or lover. But something, or someone, plots against them, determined to do everything in their power to keep them apart. Even if it means destroying them both.

Trigger Warning: This story contains a brief scene of sexual assault.

Dark Summer

Is a human lifetime long enough to learn to love a vampire?

The tumultuous events of the Blood Winter are a fading nightmare, and Alec and Terje are trying to build a life together at Alec’s newly restored ancestral home of Glenroe. There’s just one problem… Terje doesn’t appear to be committed—constantly called away on mysterious errands and seemingly unable to forsake his own kind. Alec begins to wonder if Terje is capable of loving anyone, let alone him.

When an old uni friend Jay Singh, recently out of the closet and looking rather too good to be true, returns to Alec’s life, he becomes more conflicted than ever. Things only escalate when Alec is forced into the social and political issues still surrounding the haemophiles’ tumultuous integration into human society and soon it is more than just his relationship on the line.

Can Alec figure out what kind of future is possible with a vampire—and if it can ever be enough for either of them—before it’s too late?

Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, murder, alcohol abuse and blood drinking.

Publisher’s Note: This story is best read as a sequel to Blood Winter.

Release Blitz: Beyond the Ruby River by Lee Colgin

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Beyond the Ruby River

Author: Lee Colgin

Publisher: Colgin Enterprise

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Release Date: June 17, 2021

Genres: M/M Historical Romance, M/M Paranormal/Fantasy Romance,

Tropes: Mixed species, second chance romance

Themes: Longing, betrayal, forgiveness, grief, reunion

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 72 000 words/ 260 pages

It’s the third in a series but can be read as a standalone.

Add on Goodreads

Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

When an incubus half-breed falls for a mortal Egyptian man, will their love span centuries or are they destined to pine for each other for all eternity?

Blurb

In Ancient Egypt when the pharaohs ruled the banks of the Nile, Mahu led a simple, if somewhat melancholy, life. Making papyrus filled his days. His needs were provided for, but deep in his soul, Mahu longed for companionship.

Dakarai, born of a demon mother and a human father, craved independence. A young incubus constantly in the shadows of his full-blooded siblings, Daka set out for a new city and a life of his own.

While a starving Daka roams the streets hunting for a meal, the sight of a beautiful man walking alone stops him in his tracks. The handsome stranger is just what he needs to quench his spiraling thirst.

But Mahu turns out to be more than Daka bargained for, and his heart falls for the lonely man.

What betrayal shatters their foundation, can Daka and Mahu find their way back to each other, or is each soul destined to long for the other for all eternity?

Beyond the Ruby River is an MM Paranormal Romance featuring a steamy love story, a second chance romance, and the mysteries of an ancient world. This is book three of a series and can be read as a standalone with its own HEA and satisfying conclusion.

Continue reading “Release Blitz: Beyond the Ruby River by Lee Colgin”

Release Blitz: Flowers Under My Pillow by Nell Iris

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Flowers Under My Pillow

Author: Nell Iris

Publisher: JMS Books

Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Release Date: June 26, 2021

Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance

Trope: Soul mates

Themes: Older characters (40+), instant connection, meet cute

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 17 477 words

It is a standalone story

Goodreads

Buy Links

JMS Books | Universal Link

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Smiling brown eyes. A dark beard. Dandelions. Sunny, happy dandelions.

Blurb

Smiling brown eyes. A dark beard. Dandelions. Sunny, happy dandelions.

For thirty years, Frode’s had the same dream. Every Midsummer’s Eve since he was a kid accompanying his sister to pick flowers to put under his pillow, he’s dreamed of the same man. A dream he never shares with anyone, that makes him wish for impossible things…like true love.

“It’s you.”

Then one Midsummer’s Eve, the man of Frode’s dreams stands before him in the flesh. Both men recognize each other despite never having met in real life. Both men are instantly drawn to each other and want to know more.

“Who are you, Viljar? Are you even real?”

Their questions are many but do the whys and the hows matter? Or should they allow the Midsummer magic that brought them together to lead the way into each other’s arms? Into each other’s hearts?

Traditional Swedish folklore tells you that if you pick seven kinds of flowers in silence and put them under your pillow on Midsummer’s Eve, you’ll dream of the man you’ll marry.

Continue reading “Release Blitz: Flowers Under My Pillow by Nell Iris”

Release Blitz: Courting Nightfall by Amanda Meuwissen

RELEASE BLITZ

Book Title: Courting Nightfall

Author: Amanda Meuwissen

Publisher: JMS Books

Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Release Date: June 19, 2021

Genres: Paranormal, High Fantasy, Horror, Dark M/M Romance

Tropes: Reincarnation, vampires, enemies to lovers, his first time, blood play

Themes: Self-acceptance, redemption, love means letting go

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 182 pages

It is a standalone story

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK

JMS Books

Zen had only—literally only—ever dreamed that someone would want him this much…

Blurb

Zen is a half dark elf in a world that hates him, protected by being raised by the Order of the Sun to become a priest. He longs for a different life with a mysterious, beautiful man he only glimpses in dreams. After encountering an adventuring party, Zen is drawn to accompany them to destroy a fabled vampire lord, but the pull he feels toward those lands might be more fated than he realizes.

Continue reading “Release Blitz: Courting Nightfall by Amanda Meuwissen”

Review: Flowers Under My Pillow by Nell Iris

Flowers under my pillow

Smiling brown eyes. A dark beard. Dandelions. Sunny, happy dandelions.

For thirty years, Frode’s had the same dream. Every Midsummer’s Eve since he was a kid accompanying his sister to pick flowers to put under his pillow, he’s dreamed of the same man. A dream he never shares with anyone, that makes him wish for impossible things…like true love.

“It’s you.”

Then one Midsummer’s Eve, the man of Frode’s dreams stands before him in the flesh. Both men recognize each other despite never having met in real life. Both men are instantly drawn to each other and want to know more.

“Who are you, Viljar? Are you even real?”

Their questions are many but do the whys and the hows matter? Or should they allow the Midsummer magic that brought them together to lead the way into each other’s arms? Into each other’s hearts?

Traditional Swedish folklore tells you that if you pick seven kinds of flowers in silence and put them under your pillow on Midsummer’s Eve, you’ll dream of the man you’ll marry.

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Flowers Under My Pillow by Nell Iris


Review

Rating: 5 stars

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

According to Swedish folklore, if you pick seven kinds of flower in silence on Midsummer’s Eve and place them under your pillow, you will dream of the man that you will marry.

One summer, a young Frode joins his sister and her friends in picking flowers. That night after he has put them under his pillow, he has what will become a reoccurring dream of a man. Is this coincidence or is there some truth in the tale after all?

Flowers Under My Pillow is a retelling of the traditional Swedish tale. I am not familiar with the original version myself, but I did not need to be to enjoy this short story.

It is told in a very descriptive and almost melodic way so you really get the sense of the magic within the tale. Frode’s dreams and his reality entwine so cleverly that at first I was not sure what was real. When he finds Viljar, their connection is instant and beautiful. I was afraid for a moment that it was another one of Frode’s dreams as I wanted him to find happiness.

If you like short stories and folklore retellings you will enjoy this beautiful tale!

Review: Courting Nightfall by Amanda Meuwissen

Courting Nightfall

Zen is a darkling — half human, half dark elf — in a world that hates him, protected only by having been raised by the Order of the Sun to become a priest. He continues to fail to rise above being an acolyte despite having come of age and longs for a different life, one he only glimpses in dreams when he is with a mysterious, beautiful man he wishes was real.

After encountering an adventuring party made up entirely of other half-races, Zen is drawn to accompany them on their quest to find and destroy a fabled vampire lord. However, the pull he feels toward those lands might be more fated than he realizes.

Purchase: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Courting Nightfall by Amanda Meuwissen


Review

Rating: 5 stars

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

Being half-human and half dark-elf, Zen is shunned by most around him including the priests that took him under their protection. Never fitting in, Zen secretly longs for more than the life that he has and when he meets a band of adventurers, Zen decides to accompany them on their quest to kill a vampire lord. However, there are other forces at work, including a mysterious man haunting Zen’s dreams and soon his reality too.


I really enjoyed reading Courting Nightfall. It has action, adventure, paranormal, romance and fantasy – all of which are favourites of mine – in one novel. Zen and his friends’ adventures take them across the land, and you learn so much about the world that the author had created along the way. This is done by cleverly weaving it into the plot, so you learn a little at a time and are not overwhelmed by too much information.


I loved Zen’s character from the start. Despite never being shown much kindness himself, he is a compassionate individual who always strives to do the right thing. Given his treatment by most others, he could have easily gone down another path and even when this is offered, he stays true to himself and the goodness inside of him. The supporting cast are great. Each have their own motivations for going on the quest, but the one thing that unites them is how much they care for each other. True friendship is something that Zen has never experienced before and having this gives his character more strength. Strength that he will need when he learns the truth about vampire lord Gaian and himself.


If you enjoy any, or a combination, of the genres that I mentioned above then you will love reading Courting Nightfall!

Review: Karma’s Brutality (Scorned Gods #4) by Mychael Black

Karmas Brutality

When word reaches Jason and his bandmates about several defectors who escaped Harlan Yates, the group realizes it’s time to act. With their allies from Abaddon — including the newly-turned demon, Daniel — the band makes their move to get rid of Yates once and for all.

Led by the demons Gabriel and Haez, the others take the fight directly to Yates, aided by the defectors. Jason and his bandmates have never been in battle, and they’re going to discover it’s not for the faint of heart. Not everyone comes out unscathed, but that’s the nature of war. For one of them, a single bite changes life forever.

 

Purchase Link: Amazon.com

Goodreads: Karma’s Brutality (Scorned Gods #4) by Mychael Black


Review

Rating: 3 stars

*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*

With the final confrontation drawing near, the members of Scorned Gods and their allies get ready to face Harlan Yates in a battle that will decide the fate of all vampires.

I had mixed feelings about this last story in the series. I liked that everything came together and wrapped up nicely, so you weren’t left with any loose ends. However, I was left feeling rather disappointed that their main adversary through the entire series was killed by another character. I felt a bit cheated that it had all been working up to this moment and then there was no big confrontation with the enemy. It was a shame and a missed opportunity after so much build up.

I enjoyed the characters and the concepts explored in the series as whole, but I finished it feeling that the entire thing was somewhat rushed. This is a shame as it had some unique ideas that I would have loved to have been explored in further detail.