Review - Moon Sworn by J F Holland #pnr #shifters

Moon Sworn (The Bound Series #1)

by J.F. Holland

Blurb

Moon Sworn is an introduction to 'The Bound Series', (Heated Shifter Romance). The story and the characters continue throughout the Paranormal Romance Serial. (Not a standalone).

At 4-years old Maya Rawlings witnessed her own father horrifically murder her mother. Brought up by an older aunt she knows nothing of her family history. 

She wants a family of her own to make up for all that she's lost, but it's difficult to achieve when she's not attracted to anyone. That is until the night of her 21st birthday when a strange mark appears on the palm of her hand. The mark was followed by re-currant nightmares of fleeing for her life, and the voice of a man offering her things she's always dreamed of. Is he real or is she finally losing her mind?

Jaden Matthews is a loner who never settles in one place. He doesn't do forever, not after the murder of his parents and younger brother. That is until fate decides to step in and a mark appears on his hand, it seems he now has a mate. 

After waiting for 21-years for her to mature, the clock is now ticking. First, he needs to find her and his search leads him back to a place he'd vowed never to return. He's not the only one there hunting her though. 

Can he use his skills to not only get rid of the threat to her life but also persuade her to agree to the binding? Or will he be destined to walk a limited lifespan alone, as the animal he becomes? 

Contains erotic scenes and profanity.

My Review

I love discovering a new shifter series, this is a series by an author I haven't read before so you never know what to expect! I dived in and liked how Jaden was communicating with Maya, telepathically. They had never met but they are mates and upon their first meeting it got hot and heavy quickly, it seemed a little one sided at one point and made me a little uncomfortable, but then it is Paranormal and animals act differently, and Jaden felt bad, so don't be put off by that scene as you will miss out on a good read.

He was leaving his mark, as well as his scent, all over her, before this was over. He would make sure no other male would dare come near her, which at least would appease the cat, and the man, if he were being honest. The cat was hissing and clawing at him, incensed by the abhorrent scent of another male on his female. However, the man, he was disgusted with his own behaviour, and not being able to control it. Jaden was riddled with shame that he could have treated her so roughly, ignoring her fear and anxiety.

Maya is not a tame woman, so Jaden has his hands full getting to know her a little more. They are mates so the call to mate is strong between them but there is danger around and a few surprises too.

"Daniel, you just called out Daniel?" he looked at her again and realised her eyes were laughing at him. "Well as you decided it was okay to get in my pants while I was asleep, I decided it was okay to pretend you were someone else."

I mentioned they communicate a lot in their heads and I loved it's like couples texting in modern contemporary romances. It does get difficult for them as shielding thoughts is a skill to learn.

'Maya, if you don't like my thoughts, stay the fuck out of my head.' He snarled, showing her a mental picture of a she-cat with horns, and she threw him back an image of him with a flaccid dick and his balls swollen and dark blue.

Jaden is quite an alpha male, apparently a rich one too but meeting his mate takes its toll on him and a softer side is discovered. Maya discovers a lot about herself through the book and we get to meet quite a few other characthers, some very interesting ones.

"You are mine. You were given to me," he used his other hand to trace the mate mark on her palm with his thumb. "This is my proof that you are mine, and this." He told her, holding up his own hand, showing her his own mark. "This is the proof that I am yours.

I like the shifter world the author has set up, the men may be alpha but the women have all the power - not going to explain exactly how as that would be a spoiler!

The book doesn't end exactly where I would have liked but its a series and looks like book 2 starts where this one finished. Looking forward to diving into book 2.

4 Stars - give it a go.

ADD TO GOODREADS

FOLLOW J F HOLLAND ON FACEBOOK

THE HOLIDAY PACKAGE A Jake Davis Novella: Part 1 by Leigh Lennon

THE HOLIDAY PACKAGE

A Jake Davis Novella: Part 1
by Leigh Lennon

29 - The Series by Nancy Pennick

29 - The Series

by Nancy Pennick

ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN by Marie Harte

ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN

by Marie Harte

Cinderella, Necromancer by F M Boughan Release Blitz

Title: Cinderella, Necromancer

Series:

Title ISBN: 978-1-946700-33-9

Book Length: 324 pages

Publisher: Month9Books

ADD TO GOODREADS

Buy Links

AMAZON.COM

Amazon UK

B & N

DESCRIPTION/Blurb

Cinderella, Necromancer is Chime meets Anna Dressed in Blood and was inspired by a real medieval grimoire of necromancy from 15th-century Germany.

Ellison lost her mother at an early age. But since then, her father has found love again. He's happy and doesn't quite notice that Ellison does not get along with his new wife or her mean daughters. When Ellison discovers a necromantic tome while traveling the secret passages of her father's mansion, she wonders if it could be the key to her freedom. Until then, she must master her dark new power, even as her stepmother makes her a servant in her own home. And when her younger brother falls incurably ill, Ellison will do anything to ease his pain, including falling prey to her stepmother and stepsisters' every whim and fancy.

Stumbling into a chance meeting of Prince William during a secret visit to her mother's grave feels like a trick of fate when her stepmother refuses to allow Ellison to attend a palace festival. But what if Ellison could see the kind and handsome prince once more? What if she could attend the festival? What if she could have everything she ever wanted and deserved by conjuring spirits to take revenge on her cruel stepmother?

As Ellison's power grows, she loses control over the evil spirits meant to do her bidding. And as they begin to exert their own power over Ellison, she will have to decide whether it is she or her stepmother who is the true monster.

EXCERPT

(Excerpt from Chapter Two: The Beginning)

On the morning of my fifteenth birthday, my mother died. It was a cruel and terrible death, wrought with pain and suffering and moments of relief between the screams.

When death finally took her, the darkness hovered like a plague over our home, my father and younger brother and I only moving and breathing to survive, though if anyone had asked us why, we couldn’t have given an answer.

On the morning of my sixteenth birthday, the darkness descended in a form incarnate, though at first, we couldn’t see it.

Why should we have?

Father thought he’d brought me the best birthday gift a father could give his daughter: a new mother.

I saw nothing but a vile attempt to replace someone utterly irreplaceable.

I screamed, threw the pot I was holding at his head, and locked myself in my room for three days.

On the fourth day, six-year-old Edward knocked on my door. “

You can’t stay in there forever,” he said, his small voice wavering. “Father is threatening to call the locksmith. Mother—”

“Don’t call her that or I won’t speak to you,” I said.

He paused before continuing, an awkward pause that made me wonder—no, suspect—that she stood outside my door too.

“She is threatening to take a hatchet to your door,” he whispered, so soft I could barely hear.

Was she now? I wanted to see her try. Difficult, though, being on the other side of the door.

“And ruin Father’s fine craftsmanship? She wouldn’t.”

But I didn’t know if she would or not. After all, I’d only caught one glimpse and hadn’t even seen her face. Or looked in her eyes. I’d been a fool.

One’s eyes say so much more than most people suspect. While the superstitious bustle about, trying to hide their true names—for they believe there is power in names—they should really be wearing dark glasses and learning to speak while gazing at the ground.

Names? Please. Child’s play.

To learn the state of one’s soul, find their gaze and hold it.

But I’d thrown a pot and run away.

How differently things might have turned out if I’d only followed my own rule.

(Excerpt from Chapter Four: The Leaving)

He left that same morning, quietly, while the rest of the world still slept. I watched from my window as he galloped down the road that would lead him through town, past the King’s palace, and out the other side on the road headed north. For years I’d begged him to take me on one of his distant journeys, and after Mother’s death, he’d promised his trips would never again separate the family. We had to stick together now.

Celia’s arrival had changed everything.

Father and his horse had barely disappeared from sight when someone rapped on my door—three sharp knocks, and a fourth with ominous finality.

I suppose I shouldn’t have answered, but at the time, some small part of me must have hoped that Father’s leaving had only been an illusion or some semblance of a nightmare, and that he actually stood on the other side of my door once again, waiting.

But Celia Not-Mother stood there instead, hands clasped at her middle.

“Your father has taken leave for several days to do business in Neustadt. Be a good girl and bring me up a pot of tea. Sweet child.”

The last she added as an afterthought.

Be a good girl? For Father, certainly. For her?

“That is not my place,” I said, for I had no knowledge of kitchens and pots, nor the necessary interest to deduce what might be needed. “Miss Mary—”

“Is no longer in our employ.”

A breath caught in my throat. Father’s trail barely minutes cold, and already she’d loosed the woman who’d nursed us and raised us during Mother’s frequent convalesces. Miss Mary had no children or family of her own save us.

“You didn’t,” I said, fists firm at my sides. “You can’t.”

Celia lifted her chin as though height meant power and folded her arms across the looseness of the blue silk robe she wore which—I swear it, even now—once belonged to my mother.

“I can, and I did. A needless expenditure, she. We must be careful with our coins, child.”

Tell that to the curtains and pillows.

She tapped a slippered foot. “Tea, child. In my room. I will be waiting.”

Indeed she would.

(Excerpt from Chapter Twenty-Six: The Second Ball)

They left. I did not hesitate.

I set up the parlour as if by rote, though the ease with which I fell into the routine stirred a concern. I buried it.

The spirits did their work, and I would do mine.

I had no doubt of my power, though if anyone had asked, I couldn’t have explained why I continued to tempt my eternal fate. I was as though driven by some force—something unseen—to use the ability, now that I had it.

I don’t excuse what I did. I only wish to explain why I continued to seek retribution despite my misgivings.

What is more, I longed for something deeper. Harsher. More severe, for a part of me believed that no matter what, I still held control over the spirits and what they did. And that same part of me wanted to see Charlotte suffer.

And so it was with this in mind that I turned further pages in The Book, knowing full well what I sought.

“To inflict harm,” I read, “make an image of wax on the day and in the hour of intent, in the name of the one to be harmed. Thus, you should use wax of candles burned at a funeral, and on the likeness, fashion hands in the place of feet, and feet in the place of hands.”

And so I did. With candles from my room that I had saved from Mother’s funeral, I molded a crude figure of my stepsister. With my fingernail, I inscribed Charlotte’s name on the wax doll’s forehead, and on its chest and shoulder, carved the book’s images of circles, planets, and five-sided stars.

Then I called my spirits. With the bridle still, I had no need of the first spirit. To the second, I had only to repeat my request. And to the third, I gave the wax doll, which he consecrated with spit smeared over the doll’s eyes.

“What would you have me do?” Oliroomim spoke with an unsettling eagerness.

From my hair, I drew a pin. With a hollowness in the pit of my belly, I pierced the spine of the doll.

About the author:

F.M. Boughan is a bibliophile, a writer, and an unabashed parrot enthusiast. She can often be found writing in local coffee shops, namely because it’s hard to concentrate with a cat lying on the keyboard and a small, colorful parrot screaming into her ear. Her work is somewhat dark, somewhat violent, somewhat hopeful, and always contains a hint of magic.

Website: http://www.fmboughan.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FMBoughan/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FaithBoughan

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7170196.F_M_Boughan?from_search=true

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/F.M.-Boughan/e/B074G1ND9Z/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1503448811&sr=1-1

http://www.pcbookreviews.com

Check out this amazing EXCERPT of Blood Guard by Megan Erickson!

Check out this amazing EXCERPT of Blood Guard by Megan Erickson! Coming soon on September 12th, you'll want to sink your teeth into this romance!

Amazon → http://amzn.to/2i2Taw6
Amazon UK -http://amzn.to/2xyyKPg

iBooks → http://apple.co/2uLVw4t

Nook → http://bit.ly/2fJ7jhi

Kobo → http://bit.ly/2vZ4aQX 

 “Megan Erickson knows how to bring the heat! With a kick-butt heroine and a hero to die for, Blood Guard kept me reading all night long.”—New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff

Enter a world of immortal danger and desire—and discover an incredible fate borne of blood. Tendra: One minute, I’m a bartender in gritty Mission City; the next, I’m whisked away by a vampire named Athan who tells me that I’m the lifeblood of his clan. It sounds unbelievable, but he’s got evidence I can’t deny. Turns out, Athan belongs to an underground society of vampires who feed only on humans with their consent. Their enemies have no such qualms, and they want me dead. The only thing standing in their way is strong, sexy Athan. And the closer we get, the more tempted I am to let Athan feed. . . . Athan: How could I have known when I snatched this snarky, beautiful human off the streets that she would change my destiny? As a loyal soldier, I must deliver Tendra to our future king—my brother. Empowered with the blood of ten generations of the Gregorie breed, she is fated to rule as our queen. But there’s something between us that’s so intoxicating, so carnal, I can’t help wanting Tendra for myself . . . even if it’s treason.

EXCERPT:

The panic welled in my chest. I was trapped in a strange apartment with a strange man who probably outweighed me trifold. I opened up my mouth to scream but he held up his hand and said in a deep voice. “You scream, and I’ll just put you to sleep again.” My jaw snapped shut. I focused on breathing. In and out. In and out. I wanted to thrash and yell, and holler, but he’d somehow knocked me out before and I would be useless if he did it again. I glanced around. The only light was from a small, dim bare bulb above us. The rest of the room was in shadow. There was nothing I could use for a weapon, not even my shoes. I focused back on the man in front of me. “How’d we get here?” “I carried you,” he answered, his voice a rumble that I felt down to my bones. Something moved in the corner of my vision and I peered into the dark. A form materialized, and I must have been dreaming still because Brex was there. He stalked toward me, rubbed against my leg, then sat down by my feet like a feline guard. I tried to be calm, but I was close to losing it. I didn’t date. Was this how people dated now? Maybe it was a thing. “Why is my cat here?” My captor didn’t move, and half of his face was in shadow. “I brought him.” “I don’t keep my ID on me, so how’d you know where I live?” “I didn’t need your ID.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “I’ve been watching you.” Oh, just fucking great. A stalker. I’d be lucky if I made it out of here without him wearing my skin like clothes and my head in a freezer. “Okay, cool. Well, uh, hi. I’m Tendra. I applaud you for your unconventional, um, greeting. Want to untie me? We can go for a drink. I make a mean screwdriver.” Confusion flickered over his face, then his scowl deepened, like uncertainty angered him. “No.” I didn’t want to make him mad, but I’d never been great at keeping my mouth shut. Sometimes me opening my mouth was the reason we had to move. “Do you want money? Because I’m sorry to say, you kidnapped the wrong girl. Especially because I just paid rent. I’m eating peanut butter out of the tub for the next week.” Again with the angry confusion. He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t want your money.” I gritted my teeth. “Well, now you have me here. What do you plan to do to me?” The panic was slowly switching over to anger, the fight instinct my mother instilled in me strong as ever. If he was going to kill me, maybe I could piss him off enough that it would be quick. “Because I’ll tell you right now, I will fight you to my dying breath and then come back from the dead and haunt you until I convince you to cut your own dick off.” His expression didn’t change. “Charming.” I was signing my death warrant, but I couldn’t resist getting a shot in. “Fuck you, you creeper.” His chest rose as he inhaled sharply. “Right, so let’s have it out. I’m your guard, because you’re destined to be delivered to my older brother in order to make our clan stronger.” I didn’t move. Not an inch. Because holy shit, not only was he a creepy stalker, but he was out of his gourd, too. I couldn’t just have an evil stalker. Oh, no, I had to have a lunatic one, too. Zero of what he said made sense, so I focused on one thing at a time. “Excuse me? Clan? What are you, cavemen?” I thought he’d take offense, but instead he just looked bored. “No, not cavemen. Vampires.” I blinked. And blinked again. But nope, he was still there. This was still happening. Only me. If I made it out of here alive, what a story I’d have to sell about my stalker who thought he was a vampire. I had visions of the guy trying to bite my neck with his blunt teeth. Which made a giggle bubble up in my throat, which turned into a laugh, which turned into me throwing my head back in hysterical laughter until tears streamed down my cheeks. When I dropped my head and focused on him through my tears, he was watching me carefully, that impassive expression still on his face. He reached down and picked up Brex by the scruff of his neck, which immediately ceased any and all amusement on my part. “If you hurt my cat, swear to God—“ Brex yowled and swiped a paw across the man’s face. A thin line of scarlet bloomed on his cheekbone before the man dropped Brex, who scurried off to hide under a small table near an old couch. “Good job, Brex!” I shouted after him. “Now come back and finish the job!” I turned to my stalker, and whatever I was about to say died in my throat. I watched as the cut sealed up and vanished before my eyes. Gone. No mark, no blood. No nothing. And those dark eyes were still trained on me.

BITE THE HAND THAT BLEEDS by Megan Erickson is totally FREE!
Download it here: https://www.instafreebie.com/ free/4xBMx

About the Author:

Megan Erickson is a USA Today bestselling author of romance that sizzles. Her books have a touch of nerd, a dash of humor, and always have a happily ever after. A former journalist, she switched to fiction when she decided she likes writing her own endings better. She lives in Pennsylvania with her very own nerdy husband and two kids. Although rather fun-sized, she's been told she has a full-sized personality. When Megan isn't writing, she's either lounging with her two cats named after John Hughes characters or... thinking about writing.

Connect with Megan:

Website: meganerickson.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormeganerickson/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/MeganErickson_ Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2wlessh Newsletter: http://bit.ly/2voYMHc

Soul Awakening By Paul Lonardo #NewRelease #Review #Excerpt

Soul Awakening

By Paul Lonardo

 (Inkspell Publishing)

ASIN: B06ZYSYNLW    

     ISBN: 978-1-945910-08-1

Blurb:

Something otherworldly is happening in a small Texas town.

As a small Texas town mourns the tragic death of its high school football star, Alecia is struggling to adjust to life without the boy she has dated since sixth grade and thought she would be with forever.

When Braden comes to her as an apparition, she finds herself falling for Riley, Braden’s best friend and teammate. Has Braden returned to spy on her, or for some other reason?

Alecia’s not sure, but she soon realizes she must find a way to accept Braden’s death and welcome love back into her life, or risk losing everything.

The Power of Secret Love changes everything…

 

EXCERPT:

“Alecia.”

Her name had come out of Braden’s mouth countless times before in so many different inflections and every possible situation. This time, he spoke her name tentatively, almost warily, his tone unfamiliar even though it was clearly his voice. It had been about ten minutes after she’d gotten off the phone with Riley. She couldn’t sleep, and she was lying in bed, streaming some music on her phone.

“Alecia.”

She raised her head, and her eyes instantly widened. She lifted herself upright on the bed and gazed directly at Braden, who was standing in the middle of the room. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She didn’t know if she was awake or asleep at first. If she was dreaming, it was the most realistic dream anyone could ever have. If Braden was an apparition, then so was everyone else she’d ever encountered. Alecia had never seen a ghost before, but she would have expected one to have physical qualities that were vastly different from those of the living. This was Braden, in solid human form, not an ethereal manifestation or translucent likeness. He wasn’t floating in the air, his orange Nikes were planted firmly on the wood floor of her bedroom. His voice wasn’t accompanied by moaning, shrieks, or rattling chains.

It was uncanny. Not only was Braden here in the corporeal sense, he looked exactly as he would have if he’d survived the accident. His hair had been cut short the day before the accident. Now, however, it had almost two full weeks of growth. And while he didn’t have much in the way of facial hair, he was sporting a stubbly beard and mustache. It was a new look for Braden, and Alecia was not hating it.

Buy Links:

 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/soul-awakening-1

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2qRMNLx

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZYSYNLW

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1229335927

About the Author:

Paul Lonardo is a freelance writer and author. He has had both fiction and non-fiction book published, including titles that have been excerpted in Reader’s Digest and reviewed in Publisher’s Weekly.

Soul Awakening is his third romance novella. Reunion of Souls was published by Liquid Silver Press in 2105, and last summer Wild Rose Press released Enchanted Desire.

From the Ashes, a collaborative book written with a Gina Russo, is a true story of her survival from the deadly 2003 Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island which claimed the lives of 100 people, became the basis of a 2013 documentary web series, The Station, which Paul produced.

Paul has been interviewed as part of several documentaries, including NBCUniveral’s I Survived a Serial Killer, featuring the true crime story depicted in the book  Caught in the Act, A Courageous Family’s Fight to Save their Daughter from a Serial Killer.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/734960.Paul_Lonardo

https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lonardo/e/B000APQ0Z4/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

https://www.facebook.com/RIAuthor/