What’s Halloween without a few vampires? I’ve been a vampire fan since I watched the original Fright Night – how bad could they be if they looked like Chris Sarandon? Today’s author is no stranger to Bad Moon Rising, and she’s featuring a vampire short story set in her Demon’s Blood series universe. I’ve also […]
#BadMoonRising Never Change (Demon’s Blood) by Shari Sakurai #horror #LGBT #shortstory — Books and Such
Former NYPD detective Liliana Slavik is still recovering from a nervous breakdown, after a shooting that killed her fiancé and ended her career. Seeking refuge in her peaceful hometown, she soon discovers hundreds of people have disappeared in the Pine Barrens nearby. She becomes determined to fight through her panic attacks, team up with the man who betrayed her, and solve the sinister secret.
Liliana uncovers information about the famed Jersey Devil as well as Native American lore which tells of monsters which haunt the vast New Jersey forests. But, the anxious investigator knows there’s only one way to reveal the truth. She must enter the woods herself…
Can Liliana face and defeat the terror before she becomes the next missing person?
Purchase: Amazon
Goodreads: The Vanishing
*I received a copy of this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*
Rating: 5 stars
When former NYPD detective Liliana Slavik returns to her hometown after losing her fiancé in the shootout that ended her career, she finds herself becoming involved in investigating a series of strange disappearances in the town. Teaming up with her ex-boyfriend who is now on the local force, Lil soon starts to suspect that there may be a more supernatural explanation for the missing people. That it could be the work of the Jersey Devil.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Vanishing. I’m not familiar with the Jersey Devil story and I went online to find out more before starting to read The Vanishing. I loved how the author weaved the tale into the novel, but with their own spin on it as well.
It has all the ingredients needed to make a truly terrifying tale; a mysterious creature, local legends, missing people, a brave lead with her own inner-demons to overcome and an epic final showdown. This was all put together flawlessly to create one of the best horror stories I have read in recent years. I knew it was going to be good – no great – from the opening scene. A classic horrifying opener in which a man is carried off by the Jersey Devil. It had me gripped from the start and I had to read more.
This is an excellent horror story based on local legends and I highly recommend you putting this on your Halloween TBR list!
When a bloody corpse is discovered in a North London park, Detective Inspector Daniel Graves is the man tasked with finding the killer. With no clues and no suspects it seems like a dead end. Then another body turns up and this time it looks like it could be his fault. Has his investigation caused the murderer to strike again? Is he dealing with a serial killer?
As case one gets ever more complicated, a report comes in of another suspicious death but this is nothing like any other Graves has dealt with. All involved are convinced that something supernatural is to blame. A demon. Daniel is no believer but could he be wrong?
With two cases on his shoulders and the truth behind each beyond his grasp, Graves must race against time before both killers, human or otherwise, strike again.
Purchase: Amazon
Goodreads: The Demons Beneath (D.I. Graves #1) by W.D. Jackson-Smart
*I received this novel for free in exchange for an honest review*
Rating: 4 stars
D.I Daniel Graves is in the middle of investigating a series of murders that may or may not be the work of serial killer when he is called in on a very different kind of case. An exorcism of a demon that has gone wrong and claimed the life of a husband and father. Quickly Graves finds himself drawn into the supernatural world as he tries to keep a cool head and discover the truth. After all, demons aren’t real. Are they?
I really enjoyed reading the first novel in the D.I Graves series. Both investigations were very different from each other, running concurrently and contrasting nicely. There were plenty of twists to both cases and I couldn’t see the endings coming for either of them. I did prefer the supernatural investigation and I liked how Graves kept a level head throughout his investigations. His approach was calm and logical despite the evidence that he was presented with. As his investigations continued you also got some insight into his background, why he became a policeman and some information his personal life. He is a likeable main character with some insecurities and flaws which make him all the more interesting and I look forward to learning more about him throughout the series.
The novel itself was well-paced. Everything flowed well and there wasn’t any moment of lag. There was a good balance between routine investigation and action. This is a solid first instalment and I look forward to reading further books in the series.
Title: The Door and Other Uncanny Tales
Author: Dmetri Kakmi
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: September 28, 2020
Heat Level: 1 – No Sex
Pairing: No Romance
Length: 46800
Genre: Horror, LGBTQIA+, sci-fi/fantasy, paranormal, horror, family-drama, crime gay, lesbian, demisexual, asexual, art/visual, ghost, body horror, prostitution, murder, abortionist, ancient evil
Living paintings, spectral children, cannibal serial killers, lost souls, haunted houses, and ancient evil proliferate The Door and Other Uncanny Tales. Everywhere reality and fantasy collapse to create a new unstable world, even the body is not what it seems. Combined with Dmetri Kakmi’s gothic imagination and mordant humor, the result is fiction that is as memorable as it is unsettling.
This collection contains three new and three previously published stories, including the acclaimed Haunting Matilda, The Long Lonely Road and The Boy by the Gate.
I cannot remember the last time I did one of these posts. In any case nothing much has got better in the UK, if anything it has got a lot worse. Honestly no one knows what the rules are anymore. Everyone was told to go back out in August to save the economy and given incentives like 50% off food in restaurants. Now all those people who did as they were advised are getting the blame for the rise in virus cases. It’s completely insane. Anyways, I’m just sticking to what I have been doing since it all began. Avoiding shops and any indoor public places. Getting a train only when absolutely necessary. I only see my immediate family now and I doubt that will change as things get worse again. Apparently there is going to be another announcement this week, which will result in more chaos and confusion I am sure!
My sister and nephew came over yesterday and we had a KFC for the first time since January thanks to Deliveroo! It was my nephew’s first time having one and he wasn’t impressed. He ate a few chips and then threw the rest of it to my cat! She was very excited that it had suddenly started raining mini fillet and chips!
I finally bought my air fryer that I have been wanting for a year on Tuesday! It arrived on Thursday but I haven’t been able to rest it yet as I have nothing to fry until my Asda order next Thursday oops! It looks really good though and seems very easy to use which is good!
I’m on Instagram now! A fellow author advised me to check it out and I did, and I love it! Here’s the link to my profile, yet me know yours in the comments so I can follow you back! https://www.instagram.com/shari_sakurai
Today is going to be a rest day I think. I have a few bits to do on the dreaded ‘to do’ list which gets longer every time I tick something off somehow! Then I’m going to finish building my post office on Animal Crossing!
Title: The Sorcerer’s Guardian
Series: Chronicles of Tournai, Book Four
Author: Antonia Aquilante
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: September 14, 2020
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 111400
Genre: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Fantasy, romance, family-drama, gay, cisgender, magic, cat shifters, magician, captain of the guards, storm, antagonists to lovers, court intrigue
Savarin honed his Talent through years of study, and to achieve his goal of becoming the most powerful and accomplished sorcerer in Tournai, he made magic his life. Among the wealthy and noble circles he moves in, no one would suspect the handsome, refined, arrogant sorcerer’s humble beginnings—which is how Savarin prefers it. He wants to be seen only as the man he’s made himself. When Tournai’s princes task Savarin with studying and strengthening the spells that protect the principality from magical attack, he is more than happy to do so. The spells are complex, centuries old, and exactly the type of puzzle Savarin is eager to solve. But to his annoyance, the princes insist Loriot accompany him on his journey.
Second son of a minor noble family, Loriot worked his way up the ranks of the royal guard to captain with single-minded determination and takes pride in his service to the crown. He must obey the prince’s orders to protect Savarin, despite believing his skills would be best used elsewhere and his wariness of magic. UnTalented himself, Loriot has learned not only the benefits of magic but also its potential for harm—and how to counter it. He still believes it’s best to avoid most magic entirely, which is difficult when he’s tasked with playing guard to a powerful sorcerer.
Loriot and Savarin clash repeatedly during their journey, but the simmering tension between them doesn’t only stem from their work, and passion develops into feelings neither expected. But Savarin must still secure Tournai’s magical barrier, and his only solution will endanger both him and the royal family.
Kanjin hardly view their servants as human. Even less so when they are different.
Asagi is different. Both a man and a woman.
In the wake of his failure to protect a boy he saw as a son from their abusive master, Asagi is sold into the house of a young nobleman, Mahiro, who is the opposite of everything Asagi has ever known—gentle, kind, and generous.
Mahiro bonds with Asagi and their friendship blooms into a deep and profound love. But when Asagi is poisoned out of jealousy, Mahiro reveals himself to be youkai, a demon who feeds on blood, and he has no choice but to turn Asagi to save his life.
Asagi awakes reborn, strong, and eternally youthful. But the price for Asagi’s new life is high.
The blood of the innocent.
Just as Asagi’s trust in Mahiro falters, the boy he failed to protect, now a man, reappears.
New master, same threat.
With both a literal and proverbial monster at the door, Asagi must decide what it means to be human to protect what he loves most.
If you like Bella Forrest, P. C. Cast, AJ Tipton, or Anne Rice, you will love this beautiful dark paranormal fantasy romance.
Publisher: City Owl Press (September 29, 2020)
Releases on: September 29, 2020
Genre: LGBTQIA Dark Historical Paranormal Romance
Language: English
ISBN 9781648980152
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://smarturl.it/Youkai1Amz
Amazon Paperback: https://smarturl.it/Youkai1AmzPrt
B&N: https://smarturl.it/Youkai1BN
Kobo: https://smarturl.it/Youkai1Kobo
iBooks: https://smarturl.it/Youkai1iBooks
GoodReads: https://smarturl.it/Youkai1GR
City Owl: https://smarturl.it/Youkai1CO
Website: https://www.courtneymaguirewrites.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CourtneyMaguireWrites/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PretentiousAho
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymaguirewrites/
RELEASE BLITZ
Book Title: Remember My Name
Author: Laurencia Hoffman
Publisher: Encompass Ink
Cover Artist: The Illustrated Author Design Services
Release Date: September 4, 2020
Genre/s: M/M Romantic Suspense
Trope/s: Second Chance, Soul Mates, Exes to Lovers, Dark Secret Keeps Them Apart
Themes: Love, Survival, Death, Injustice
Heat Rating: 1 flame
Length: 58 582 words
It is a standalone story.
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
Suffer in silence or live to regret it.
Blurb
Dark and twisted secrets mar Shane Coulter’s skin, and darken his fragile heart. Yet he keeps his nightmarish truth hidden from all those he holds dear with a smart mouth and abrasive attitude.
His first love, Callan Reid, refuses to accept Shane’s tough exterior. Convinced something truly horrific lurks beneath Shane’s defenses, Callan vows to uncover the truth.
But some things are better left buried. As darkness from the past threatens to be brought to light, there are those who would kill to prevent it. Can Callan break down Shane’s walls? Or will digging into the past come with deadly consequences?
Title: Time Lost
Series: Out of Time, Book Two
Author: C.B. Lewis
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: September 7, 2020
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 114600
Genre: Science Fiction, LGBTQIA+, science fiction, gay, British, detective/police officer, law enforcement, crime procedural, engineer, programmer/decoder, murder, mystery, age gap, interracial, dirty talk, spanking, outrageous flirtation
A dead intruder. A missing scientist. A terrified child.
No one wants a dramatic case first thing on a Monday morning, but that’s exactly what Detective Inspector Jacob Ofori got. It should be open and shut, but scientist Tom Sanders is nowhere to be found, a dead man seems to have appeared from thin air, and the Temporal Research Institute—Sanders’s company—is strangely uncooperative about assisting with the case.
Jacob’s only source is TRI engineer, Kit Rafferty. He clearly wants to help, but there’s only so much the man can and will tell him. As more and more impossible questions mount up, Jacob finds himself facing a reality that could change his world.
When Alice defeated the Red Queen, she thought the worst was over.
Until the Grey Queen rose.
Ever since her sister, Dinah, contracted the momerath virus, Alice Carroll’s world has been twisted upside down. Spurred by a desperate determination to save her sister, Alice has braved every peril Wanderland has to offer–rogue momerath, hostile survivors, and treacherous queens. But now, there is a new threat creeping in on Alice, one that leaves her facing an impossible choice.
Does she follow her heart and save her sister, or abandon her to save the world?
Release Date: 13th October 2020
