Author: sharisakurai

Shari Sakurai is a British author of paranormal, horror, science fiction and fantasy novels that almost always feature a LGBT protagonist and/or antagonist. She has always loved to write and it is her escape from the sometimes stressful modern life! Aside from writing, Shari enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to (loud!) music, going to rock concerts and learning more about other societies and cultures. Japanese culture is of particular interest to her and she often incorporates Japanese themes and influences into her work. Shari loves a challenge and has taken part and won the National Novel Writing Month challenge ten times!

Book Review: The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

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Right from the start I knew I would be hooked! When sworn enemies, Talasyn and Alaric are forced to come together for the greater good, neither of them are ecstatic about the new arrangement. Yet hate and love are closer than either of them realise and a different kind of relationship begins to grow between them.

I think what I loved most about this book, is that it is a realistic portrayal of a war, the outcomes and also how two people from opposite sides are being used by their respective kingdoms. Both are trapped and also fighting each other, whilst failing to see how much they actually have in common. There are so many factors at play, I cannot predict what direction the series will go in and I love this! I cannot wait to read book 2!

Series Tour: Apocrypha of the Knight Shamans series by R. Roderick Rowe

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SERIES TOUR

Apocrypha of the Knight Shamans series by R. Roderick Rowe

“In Jamari’s time, the Knight Shamans were the glue that held the Elk Creek Tribe together.

In the beginning, the Knight Shaman was mystic, prophet, and wise man. Someone who could heal with a touch.

Before the beginning, there was a boy working to become a man and becoming legend in the process.”

The stories can stand alone, but will be better followed if read in order.

Overall Heat Rating for the series: 2 flames

BOOK DETAILS

BOOK 1

Book Title: The First Knight Shaman

Part One of the Apocrypha of the Knight Shamans Series

Publisher: RWCollins Publishing

Length: 103 pages

Release Date: November 2024

Tense/POV: third person, present tense /alternating POV

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Dystopian, Post-apocalyptic

Tropes: Found Family, Post-Apocalypse survival

Themes: Coming out, forgiveness, fate, coming of age angst

It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

When his people are attacked by other villages, Rodney Knight uses his ability to interact with dead people’s spirits to help his community survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

Blurb

Rodney suffers through his earliest years in angst and rebellion when his father constantly rejects him. He enters young adulthood still bitter over how his father has treated him. Even so, his tribe needs the intervention of their only shaman in the Other Worlds for their very survival. As he acts out his anger, he accepts his duties and learns how to master them from a trusted mentor. Then he discovers that family isn’t limited to the blood ties, but can be so much more.

The San Francisco Book Review gave a nice summary:

“After the Great Quake of 2040, the forested lands and the lives of those in the Pacific Northwest are shaken. With both civil and social unrest still prevailing from the ideas of the 47th president, much of southwestern Oregon has been divided into tribal communities. Rodney Knight, the son of the founder of the Elk Creek Tribe, comes to age and into his own powers during this tumultuous time. At seven, he recognized his first spirits. First, a childhood friend was slain in an attack, and next, a beloved mentor lost during a battle. At seventeen, while on patrol with his unit, Rodney once again encounters a spirit that warns him of an ambush. Knowing that war is inevitable, the Elk Creek Tribe recognizes Rodney as their first Shaman. With advice from his Spirit Guide, Rodney helps lead his community through troubled times and towards the ideals that the founder had envisioned.”

Continue reading “Series Tour: Apocrypha of the Knight Shamans series by R. Roderick Rowe” →

New Release Blitz: Specimen by C. Quince

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Title: Specimen

Series: PRISM Agents, Book One

Author: C. Quince

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 03/11/2025

Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 105100

Genre: Science Fiction, MM romance, sci-fi, interracial/intercultural, former military, spies, secret agents, aliens, vampires, covert missions, cosy mystery, paranormal, paranormal sleuthing, sci-fi fantasy, action, British humour

Add to Goodreads

Description

David Cortez, a decorated US Marine, is now on the run from his own government after escaping a top-secret CIA lab when an experimental medical procedure turned sour.

While lying low in Mexico, an assassin sent from British Intelligence tracks him down. However, Sonny from MI6, a British-Iranian with a cockney accent, offers David a choice: join his team, or be killed.

David chooses to work with Sonny, not only because he wants his life back, but because he feels a kinship with the man.

They’re also both in the unique position of being the only living test subjects with alien DNA in their blood. Could that explain the strong attraction between them?

Continue reading “New Release Blitz: Specimen by C. Quince” →

Blog Tour: Stolen Dream by Oliver Takely

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BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Stolen Dream

Author: Oliver Takely

Publisher: MM Romance Press

Cover Artist: Emily’s World of Design

Release Date: March 5, 2025

Tense/POV: Third person, dual POV

Genres: Contemporary MM Romance

Tropes: Forbidden love, first times, demisexual rep, found family

Themes: Second chance romance

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 60 000 words

It is book three of the Soho Knights Series. Books four and five are scheduled in 2025.

The book ends on a cliffhanger for the series, but not for the couple.

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK

In a world that tried to change them, love becomes their greatest rebellion.

Blurb

At just eighteen, Paolo and Max meet at a conversion therapy camp. Abandoned by their families. left to endure literal hell on earth, their love is forbidden. Their secret romance grows and as they make plans to escape, they are brutally torn apart.

They both spend the next twelve years building lives in different worlds. Paolo in the vibrant heart of Soho, London, surrounded by his found family, and Max thriving as a successful criminal lawyer in the bustling streets of New York. Both of them believing they’ve lost the love of their life forever.

Max finds himself in London after defending a mobster, which leads to an offer he literally can’t refuse. Needing thinking time before his fate is sealed, he unexpectedly crosses paths with Paolo again. The spark between them reignites, yet their reunion is fraught with challenges, and even the magical backdrop of the holidays may not be enough for them to get their second chance at love. With Paolo’s sister at risk of suffering the same fate they endured, the stakes are even higher.

Stolen Dream is a tale of resilience, forbidden love, and the fight for a future that embraces who they truly are. Will they save Paolo’s sister in time, and can they find a way to be together, against all odds? Join them on this emotional journey of hope and redemption, where stolen dreams may just lead to a love worth fighting for.

Continue reading “Blog Tour: Stolen Dream by Oliver Takely” →

New Release: Blade Broken by Niranjan

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NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Blade Broken (The Echelon Book 1)

Author and Publisher: Niranjan

Cover Artist: Artscandre

Release Date: March 4, 2025

Pairing: MM (MF minor)

Tense/POV: Third person/past tense/alternating PoV

Genres: Sword and Sorcery, Political Fantasy

Tropes: Assassins, spies, political intrigue, Not a romance. Has secret siblings, former friends turned enemies becoming lovers again, but it’s just a part of the story

Themes: Political fantasy with morally grey and complex characters, themes of forgiveness, redemption, found family are present

Length: 75 504 words/335 pages

Heat Rating: No sexual content. Not a romance. Some kissing and fade to black

It is the first book in the series and is not a standalone book.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Universal Link

A spy lurking in the shadows, a nation on the verge of an invasion, a man desperate to protect his home.

Blurb

Lucian is the Blade of Castrial–the kingdom’s spymaster and first line of defence, lauded for his success in repelling an invasion from Garaner. But the war has left Castrial’s economy in shambles, and when the neighbouring kingdom of Sarian musters their armies and sends spies into Castrial, Lucian realises two things: they have a spy in their midst, and they can’t afford the cost of fighting off another invasion.

And if that wasn’t trouble enough, there is Alaric, the Shield of Castrial and the only man in the Echelon whose power is equal to Lucian’s. Returned from banishment like the vengeful spirit of their long-lost relationship, Alaric carries a deep-set grudge against Lucian, a grudge that may well be justified.

Lucian’s desire to protect his nation is nearly equal to his wish to reconcile with Alaric, but if he cannot get his act together and convince the Shield to work with him, Castrial will fall.

Blade Broken is a queer, sword-and-sorcery fantasy and the first book in The Echelon Series. If you love flawed characters, betrayals and redemption, and gritty worldbuilding with lots of political machinations, you will love this book.

Video Trailer on Youtube

https://youtu.be/nPpzV-OMxBI?si=w2Wdbawe3fiP3HH9-


Continue reading “New Release: Blade Broken by Niranjan” →

New Release: Bud by Russell J. Sanders

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BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Bud

Author: Russell J. Sanders

Publisher: JMS Books

Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Release Date: December 1, 2024

Pairing: Transgender MF love story

Tense/POV: First person/past tense

Genres: Contemporary interracial new adult romance

Tropes: Transgender love story

Themes: Transgender sexual awakening, acceptance of self and others

Heat Rating: No sexual content

Length: 65 000 words/336 pages

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

JMS Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Is young dancer Shelly Sheridan transgender? What does that mean?

Will Shelly’s new guardian, the uncle Shelly’s never met, understand? What’s next in Shelly’s life?

Blurb

Suddenly homeless, young dancer Shelly Sheridan, heartbroken at Christmas, is taken in by an uncle Shelly has never met and didn’t know existed. The burly ex-Marine uncle and his husband welcome Shelly with a shower of love and acceptance. Their friend Estrella, a retired ballet star, is enraptured by Shelly’s dancing.

Shelly makes a new friend the first day of school in this strange place but isn’t happy, feeling out of place and very different from the other boys. The new friend eventually suggests something Shelly didn’t even know was possible. Could Shelly be transgender?

When Shelly embraces this new idea, problems immediately arise. His former nanny doesn’t approve, and the trustee of his mother’s estate fights Shelly’s newly formed decisions.

With his new family’s unconditional love, Shelly hopes all will be well. It’s Christmas once again, and it will be a merry one if Shelly’s problems go away, and Christmas works its magic.

Continue reading “New Release: Bud by Russell J. Sanders” →

Demon’s Past ARC Sign Ups!

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ARC copies of my upcoming release Demon’s Past are now available! 

Please use the below form to sign up for a free copy in exchange for a review! 

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Thank you for signing up to review Demon's Past. Your ARC copy will be sent out shortly!

Book Blast: The Truth of a Kaleidoscope Mind by Patrick Bryce Wright

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BOOK BLAST

Book Title: The Truth of a Kaleidoscope Mind

Author: Patrick Bryce Wright

Publisher: Wicked Ink Publishing, Ltd.

Release Date: October 29, 2024

Pairing: MMF

Tense/POV: third person, past tense, single POV

Genres: Paranormal horror, psychological horror

Tropes: Haunted house, dark family secret, damaged guy finds love, childhood friends to lovers

Themes: Healing from trauma, found family

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 82 000 words/ 300 pages

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Universal Buy Link

Universal Link

When cleaning his dead mother’s cellar, Fredrick discovers his family’s dark secrets, unleashing angry spirits in the house that threaten both him and his new love.

Shorter blurb

When Fredrick Anderson’s mother dies, he cleans her house and discovers his diary in the cellar. To his shock, it reveals what his mind hid from him: his parents abused him. The family secrets provoke the ghosts haunting the house. As the spirits threaten his life, Fredrick must uncover the truth of his family’s traumas and tragedies both to survive and find love.

Longer Blurb

In a 1950s Craftsman house steeped in the weight of the departed, Fredrick Michael Anderson faces a daunting task: preparing his late mother’s home for auction. Battling memories of a turbulent childhood marred by gender conflicts, Fredrick delves into the cellar alongside his faithful friend. Amidst unearthed relics, Fredrick stumbles upon his locked diary, triggering a chilling revelation.

Within its pages lie secrets of his father’s sinister past, fracturing Fredrick’s fragile psyche. Unleashed by the diary’s opening are dormant spirits—some benevolent, others malevolent. As Fredrick grapples with Dissociative Identity Disorder, his mind splinters into distinct personalities. Amidst this psychological turmoil, a battle of good and evil ensues within the haunted confines of his home.

Confronting his family’s dark truths, Fredrick must navigate the volatile terrain of his own mind. Cryptic messages from a flapper ghost serve as a guide, unraveling his family’s sinister history. To survive the malevolent forces unleashed by the diary, Fredrick must confront his inner demons, embracing painful truths and finding strength within. In this supernatural horror tale, the boundary between the paranormal and the psychological blurs, leaving Fredrick to confront the ghosts of his past—and possibly find love along the way.

SALE PRICE DURING BOOK BLAST

$5.99 US/CAN and £5.99 on Amazon, Google, Apple, and Kobo

Continue reading “Book Blast: The Truth of a Kaleidoscope Mind by Patrick Bryce Wright” →