Tuesday Teaser - Bound by Love

Neo jumped up, rushed to the door, and stabbed the wall plate granting permission for entrance. It slid open, and Neo’s breath caught. Low lighting from the hallway illuminated auburn hair threaded through with gray now and soft, big blue eyes bracketed by crow’s feet.

“Dad!” Relief flooded Neo. “Oh gods, Dad!”

John wrapped his arms around Neo’s waist and hugged him. “My….” John’s voice broke. “My young.”

John hugged him as hard as he could, making Neo grunt. He closed his eyes, and they started that stupid burning thing again, and dammit, he was about to lose it there in front of the guards.

“Neo?” John rubbed his palms up and down Neo’s back. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be here sooner, but I also wanted to find—”

“Your dad’s turning red in the face, my friend. You, ah, might want to loosen your grip a bit.”

“Laken!” Neo gasped, opening his eyes. Giving his dad one last hug, he let go and reached for Laken. “How did I miss you standing there?” He demanded, pulling Laken into his embrace.

“I honestly have no idea. It’s not like you can’t hear when I’m around.” Laken smirked, the bells chiming sweetly in his hair as Neo lifted Laken off his feet.

“I am so glad to see you. So damn glad.” Neo lowered Laken back to his feet. Neo’s heart yearned for Hamza, but if his mate couldn’t be here, then Laken was the next best thing. He truly was Neo’s best friend.

Pucker Up Monday

Welcome to Pucker Up Monday. It's not what you think, lol. Since Mondays do tend to suck, I though I'd try to start the week off right for y'all.

Thursday book recommendation

These are books I’ve read and really enjoyed. Most of what I talk about will probably be paranormal/scifi but not always. Although it’s rare, I do read some contemporary.

This week is:  Constant (The Valespian Pact Book 3) by Lexi Ander

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0864SVS3D

Blurb:

Can a Warlord and a Prince find love when the galaxy is on the brink of war?

Chief Warlord Sohm'lan has a job he loves protecting the family who claims him as one of their own. He has known the loss of a mate and believed he would walk alone for the rest of his life… that is until Prince Mestor demanded more from him than duty. Unable to fathom why Mestor would want a widowed older warrior, Sohm'lan maintains his distance believing Mestor will eventually choose an amor closer in age and experience, even though the thought causes him more pain than it should.

Prince Mestor is tired of pretending and his patience is eroding. He needs Sohm'lan to see past their respective ranks and duties to who Mestor is underneath it all. Worried Sohm'lan will be lost to him if he pushes too hard, Mestor and Sohm'lan are caught in a dance of denied desires and tangled obligations.

Warlord Sohm'lan and Prince Mestor struggle to find a way to their heart's desire against the backdrop of galactic conspiracies, the dangerous mission escorting the Fal'Amoric royals, and discoveries within the Vondorian family that threaten to tear apart everything they hold dear. The two of them stand together to fight the coming battle whatever the consequences.

*Note: Constant is 250,000 words and is the third book in the series that must be read in order.

My thoughts: It’s here! It’s here! Y’all, when I heard this book was coming, I can not tell you how loudly I yelled lol. I’m a huge fan of this series. You want excellent scifi worldbuilding, this is the book for you. The details are so clear, so crisp…. It’ll impress you. It did me. Lexi doesn’t build just one world. No, she builds a whole frigging universe lol. Speaking from experience, that’s not easy!

This book covers Warlord Sohm’lan and Prince Mestor’s relationship, but it’s so much more than that. We get an in-depth look at the younglings of the royal Vondorion family. We see how they feel, how they react to what’s going on with Zeus and other plot points.

You absolutely need to read Alpha Trine and Striker first, or you will be completely lost, in my opinion. This story runs parallel to events in Striker but the overall plot *is* continued. Make sure you have plenty of time when you start this. You won’t want to put it down lol.

Thursday book recommendation

These are books I’ve read and really enjoyed. Most of what I talk about will probably be paranormal/scifi but not always. Although it’s rare, I do read some contemporary.

This week is:  Murder Husbands by E.M. Denning

Blurb:

DARK MM Romance
Pounds of flesh repay debts in Pierce's world.

In a sea of nameless bodies, Henry Prince is sold to Pierce to settle a score and turns out to be the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

Pierce’s empire is crumbling around him and before Henry, he hadn’t cared to salvage it. Henry is full of secrets, and Pierce is desperate to learn them all, even if it means risking both their lives to protect him from the enemies closing in around them.

Together, Henry and Pierce are unstoppable. Their devotion is immeasurable until two men from Pierce’s past threaten their trust in each other when it’s needed most. Drew and Griffin are a painful reminder of how much Pierce will risk protecting the man he loves. Henry's attraction to Griffin might be the key to uniting his past and his future, but Pierce’s animosity and desire for Drew threaten the delicate balance the men have forged.

Good men can be bad and bad men can do good, but life isn't always black and white. Sometimes all you can do is fight to save yourself and those you love. Is there strength in numbers or will Pierce fail when it counts the most?

My thoughts: First off, let me say how jealous of that title I am lol. No kidding, I am such a title slut, and I would’ve killed to have thought up such a cool title! Okay, now that I got that off my chest, lol, once more I seem to be highlighting a dark book. This isn’t the darkest thing I’ve ever read, but it does touch on stuff that might trigger some folks, so be aware of that. The blurb does a good job of telling us what the story is about also. Yes, this is a love story, but it’s not your usual fluffy love story. There is violence. Blood. Pierce was actually my favorite character, although Henry def makes the book.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085459ZZR

Finicky Friday - Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

Crust:

1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling:

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup chopped onion (I use dried onion from a bottle lol)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 ¾ cups chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)

½ cup milk

2 to 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Directions

Heat oven to 425°F. Prepare pie crusts as directed on box for pie crust using 9-inch glass pie pan.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Link: https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/classic-chicken-pot-pie/1401d418-ac0b-4b50-ad09-c6f1243fb992

Thursday book recommendation

These are books I’ve read and really enjoyed. Most of what I talk about will probably be paranormal/scifi but not always. Although it’s rare, I do read some contemporary.

This week is:  Love of the Egoist: M/M Enemies to Lovers by by Nero Seal

Blurb:

“I wanted to play with you… punish you. But now, I want to ruin your world and turn it pitch black. Isolate you so you don’t have anything left except me. And remember, it’s your own fault.”

Isolation. Loneliness. Endless silence stretching into eternity.

This is the personal living hell of police detective, Kuon Leiris.

His punishment for ruining the Black Duke’s deal.

But when nights come, it gets worse…

Cruelty. Care. Brutality. Affection.

Constant mind games where he can do nothing, but give in.

Yugo pours his every corrupt desire into his prey, testing the limits of their twisted relationship.

Do you dare enter a dark world where safe-words don’t exist?

My thoughts: I almost didn’t highlight this book because it’s VERY dark. It’s a no-holds-barred, violent, bloody story of one man’s obsession with another. I hesitate to even call this a romance, but if pressed, I’d say it’s a very, very, very twisted romance. It will straight up fuck with your head. The MC doesn’t have any redeeming qualities. He’s bad and completely happy with being bad. Love isn’t going to save the day in this.  

If you have triggers, this may be something you want to skip. Seriously. This isn’t for the faint of heart. There is mind-fucking, on-page rape, and… well, you name it, it’s in there. I don’t trigger at all, and I had to take breaks when reading this. I would say this ranks up there with The Flesh Cartel books. (Which I did read and won’t read again. Once was enough, but holy shit was that book well done.)

Now, having warned the hell out of this, I can honestly say this is one of the best books I have ever read. It’s brilliant. You want to see the mental workings of a depraved person? This is the book for you. Want to see how someone can and will break? Then is reshaped? This is the book for you. Book #2 is now out also, and yes, I did read it! If you like book #1 you need to read book #2!

Take my warnings seriously, y’all.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CQQJG5H

Pucker Up Monday

Welcome to Pucker Up Monday. It's not what you think, lol. Since Mondays do tend to suck, I though I'd try to start the week off right for y'all.