Bitten by Mistake by Annabelle Jacobs: Review Tour & Giveaway

Author: Annabelle Jacobs

Release Date: July 28 2016

Length: 81,000 words

Amazon

Cover Artist: Natasha Snow

Blurb

From animosity to searing passion in a lunar cycle… but can their bond survive?

Wolf shifter Nathan Kohl’s pack is his whole life. Arrogant and handsome, he avoids commitment to anything or anyone outside of his pack. He works hard, plays hard, and pursues humans as lovers because there’s little to no chance of him forming a permanent bond. However, when Jared Taylor comes into Nathan’s life, every rule is broken.

After a bad experience, Jared vowed to never get involved with another shifter, no matter how much they got under his skin. Despite being physically attracted to Nathan, who’s all kinds of hot, Jared only sees an arrogant, domineering bastard.

A disastrous case of mistaken identity throws Nathan and Jared together until the next full moon. Forced to spend the next twenty-eight days in close proximity, they can no longer ignore the powerful attraction between them. Passion ignites, and their relationship takes a turn neither of them wanted.

But when the full moon comes, everything might change again.

My Thoughts

Up until now I more or less stayed away from paranormal stories. Not because I have anything against them, or because I thought I wouldn’t enjoy them but because I need a new (sub)genre to get addicted to like I need a hole in the head. I’m already struggling to read all the books I’m interested in as it is. And then I read the blurb for Bitten by Mistake and didn’t even hesitate; I had to read the book.

The good news is that I loved the book. The (for me) not so good news is that I now do find myself with a sub-genre to add to my must read list.

I’m not entirely sure where to start, there is so much I loved about this story. I adored Jared and Nathan and the constant push and pull between them. When the story starts Jared (for good reasons which aren’t revealed until later on) has very good reasons to keep his distance from shifters. So to say he’s unhappy when Nathan accidentally binds him and thus ‘condemns’ both of them to spending four weeks together, would be a gross understatement.

Nathan is not a whole lot happier about the situation. While he doesn’t dislike Jared or humans in general, he’s only too aware that having bitten and possibly infected a human without prior permission could have very dire consequences for both of them. The situation leaves him with no choice, he has to keep Jared both a secret and close to him until the next full moon will reveal whether or not Jared has been changed.

It isn’t long before an undeniable attraction between them pulls them close. What initially appears to be ‘only’ mind-blowing sex soon reveals itself as the two of them having bonded. The bond is as confusing as it is exhilarating but the big problem is that just as no one can predict whether or not Jared will change, nobody knows whether or not their bond will survive the next full moon. And as much as neither Nathan nor Jared had wanted to be in the situation they find themselves in, they want to live without each other and the bond between them even less.

And in the background unrest in the shifter world may mean Nathan and Jared won’t live to see the next full moon together.

This book had me hooked from the opening paragraph. The story is filled with tension, danger, very hot and passionate sex, two fabulous protagonists, and a cast of fascinating secondary characters. I couldn’t help but ache for Nathan and Jared as they can’t be sure whether the strong emotions they experience are the result of genuine attraction or their bonding. 

This book is filled with all the feels. From Jared coming to terms with his attraction to Nathan despite his hatred of shifters, to the fear both of them experience that they may not feel the same after the full moon had me racing through the book as fast as I possibly could, just to make sure they’d get to their happily ever after.

If I read the epilogue right, this may well be the first title in a series. If I’m right about that, I can now stop worrying about whether or not I’ll be reading more paranormal titles in the future. Because even if I never try such a title by another author, I know I won’t be able to resist the opportunity to visit this world and these characters again. Or, if you’d like me to be really succinct: This is a fabulous book.

Author Bio

Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with three rowdy children, and two cats. An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They're usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.

Author Links

Twitter         Website        Facebook

Email – ajacobsfiction@gmail.com

Giveaway

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Werewolvees of Chernobyl by K.A. Mericka and L.A. Witt: a Release Day Review

Werewolves of Chernobyl by K.A. Merikan and L.A. Witt

Pages: 214

Date: May 4, 2016

Details: ARC received from the authors

E-book

The blurb:

--- Being kidnapped by two werewolves is an adventure after all, right? Right?! ---

Quinn

If Quinn wants to get the best photos for his travel blog, no gate is too tall, and no ‘do not enter’ sign actually means he won’t go in. What he finds in a hidden exclusion zone by Chernobylblows his mind. Mutants? Monsters? He doesn’t know, but he is bound to find out when not one but two of them break into his hotel.
Too bad the rules and attitudes they have toward sex don’t match Quinn’s at all.

Dima

Born with a disabled hand, smaller than the other werewolves, Dima is the lowest of the low in his pack, but when he meets the loveliest human he’s ever seen, he knows his luck has changed.
The last thing he expects though is his beloved friend Nazar turning on him once Dima’s affection for Quinn deepens, and he refuses to be mounted by Nazar anymore.

Nazar

Nazar is a high ranking soldier in his pack, but in his powerful body hides a gentle soul, and all he wants is to escape the pack with Dima. But once Dima claims Quinn as his, secrets Nazar has so far kept hidden rear their ugly head.

The werewolf language doesn’t have words to describe what they crave, so Quinn might be the only one to help them solve the puzzle of the desires that go against the rules of their pack.

My thoughts:

--- Being kidnapped by two werewolves is an adventure after all, right? Right?! ---

Adventure is one thing to call it, I guess. Of course you could also say it is unimaginable or even that it is a life changing event. For snarky, independent and disobeyer-of-rules Quinn it turns out to be all three. Having said that, being captured by two werewolves turns out to be far less scary or horrific than Quinn or the reader might have imagined. Dima and Nazar, the two werewolves who kidnap Quinn, are anything but monsters. They are definitely a different species from Quinn, and completely out of touch with the world, but after the initial shock wears off, they turn out to be anything but fearsome. They are in fact, loving and caring creatures in need of someone to help them recognise and embrace their most inner and secret desires, and it turns out that Quinn is exactly the right person to not only strengthen the life-long bond between these two werewolves, but also the third they need to make their union—or should I say pack?—complete.

This was a fun, action and sex packed, thrilling read. The story races forward so fast that there were one or two moments when I wouldn’t have minded a bit more detail or explanation. On the other hand, I was incredibly curious about how it would all work out for our trio and couldn’t read fast enough in order to find out.

Quinn, Dima and Nazar all touched my heart, be it all for different reasons and all three of them turned out to be a lot more than they appeared to be at first glance. Quinn’s ‘devil may care’ attitude was rather attractive and created a wonderful contrast with the rather strict rules under which the two werewolves lived in their pack. Dima and Nazar were both adorable. My heart hurt for them when it became clear how pack rules forced both of them to pretend to be what they really weren’t and their journey to becoming who they were meant to be was wonderful to behold.

The sex in this book is off the charts hot. Whether it is the three of them together, or any combination of two of them, they set the (e)reader on fire. And yet, no matter how rough it might get, there was always this tender and caring undertone.

I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting romp and treasured every minute of the journey from insta-lust to happy ever after. Yes, there were one or two moments when I raised my eyebrows and wondered whether or not what I read made sense in the context of the story, but I can’t say those spoiled the fun for me. Any reader who enjoys a thrilling, sexy and touching paranormal adventure could do a lot worse than read Werewolves of Chernobyl.

Buy links:   Amazon                 Amazon UK

INTERESTING TIMES by Matthew Storm

INTERESTING TIMES by Matthew Storm

 

Pages: 228

Date: July 26, 2015

Details: No. 1 Interesting Times

E-book

The blurb:

“Oliver Jones was a dull man living a dull life, until one night a stray cat began speaking to him. In English. And that was before things got really strange. Now he is on the run, hunted by an inhuman assassin who will stop at nothing to kill him. His only hope for survival rests with a trio of unlikely new allies: A werewolf with a fondness for Hawaiian shirts, a strange little girl who just might be immortal, and a gunfighter with an anger management problem. Oliver always wanted a little excitement in his life, but now he finds himself living in Interesting Times... 

From the Back Cover:

"You see that house?" Tyler pointed at the building they had just left. "It exists at a single fixed point in time. From its perspective the outside world never moves and never changes. So we use it as a safe house. It's a great place to hide for a while."

"A fixed point in time?" Oliver asked. "So...is this the past? Or the future?" Oliver was beginning to think he'd need a physics textbook to understand all of this. Or possibly some LSD.”

My thoughts:     

“Now he was on the run, and the only people he felt sure he could trust, albeit hesitantly, were a creepy little girl, a woman who had threatened to shoot him and...Tyler. Tyler, a man who possessed a very questionable fashion sense, but made up for it with fantastic baking skills.”

Intrigued yet? That is only the start of the weird and wonderful. I mean I haven’t mentioned the werewolves, talking cat, vampires or lizard people yet, have I?

I always enjoy a book in which the nonsensical appears to make perfect sense, especially when it’s a case of a very average person being thrown into an anything but average situation. And that is exactly what happens in Interesting Times. I’m not even going to try and explain the story to you. Read the blurb and then dive into an adventure in which the mad is normal. This book is wacky and fun. There were moments when I laughed out loud. The storyline is so ludicrous it shouldn’t work, and I guess that’s probably the reason it does work very well.

This is a book to read when you need something that will capture you and transport you to a magical world filled with delights, shocks and surprises. Once you’re stuck into the story it is very hard to stop reading. Events follow each other in quick succession and keep the reader turning the pages in order to find out what form of madness they’re going to run into next. Expect the unexpected. Believe the unbelievable and enjoy this wild ride. It will be a few hours very well, and very enjoyably spent.

I didn't mention this in my reviews on either Amazon or Goodreads because what I'm about to say next didn't interfere with my reading enjoyment at all, and shouldn't be taken as criticism. But I have to say that I've got the distinct feeling Matthew Storm may be an avid reader with books like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Passage on the list of books he has read. Mind you, if I'm right about that, I have to say there are worse places to find inspiration.

It is very good to know the sequel, Interesting Places, is already available. I can’t see it taking me long before I read that one.

SEX, WOLVES AND ROCK 'N ROLL

TITLE: SEX, WOLVES & ROCK ‘N ROLL

AUTHOR: MINA CARTER

Pages: 53

Date: 16/01/2014

Grade: 4+

Details: One Night Stand Series / Lyric Hound

              Received from Decadent Publishing

              Through Love Romances

Own / Kindle

The story:

Trent Savage, Sav, is the drummer in Lyric Hound, a very popular band, consisting of Werewolf musicians. For as long as he can remember he’s been attracted to Karlan Rixx, the band’s guitarist. What’s more, for years he has known that Karlan is his preordained mate. Karlan however is as straight as they come and, as far as Sav can tell, completely unaware of or ignoring Sav’s feelings as well as the bond between them.

After years of trying to deny his feelings just to hold on to Karlan’s friendship, Sav can’t take it anymore and leaves the band as well as the only life and family he’s ever known.

Karlan may be a womanizer, in his heart there is only one person he’s interested in. When Sav disappears Karlan feels lost. The band isn’t the same without Sav to drive the beat and Karlan’s life is incomplete without the man behind him on stage, next to him in life.

When he discovers that Sav has contacted Madame Eve to organize a one night stand, Karlan does what he can to be Sav’s date. There was a reason Karlan didn’t know he and Sav were mated. With Karlan’s problem solved both men are in for a few surprises when they meet again. But will it be enough for them to embrace their destiny?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

My thoughts:

Allow me to start with a few qualifiers. I’ve never read a One Night Stand or Lyric Hound story before. I don’t read a lot of supernatural stories, erotic or otherwise and, I very often find myself having issues with novellas. For all intents and purposes requesting this book for review seemed to be an exercise in setting myself up for failure.

Imagine how happily surprised I was to discover that being new to the One Night Stand series and Lyric Hound stories didn’t make a difference. I fell into and was captured by this story from the very first word and stayed hooked until I’d finished the last one. What’s not too like? We’re meeting Sav, a sexy and dominant werewolf rock star who, despite his rough exterior is breaking up inside because his mate appears to be rejecting him. And, not only do we get to enjoy this hunk, we’re also treated to Karlan, an equally hot werewolf. The reader is being spoiled.

Talking about werewolves; I’ve obviously been missing something while ignoring supernatural (erotic) stories. If this story sets the standard, this is a discrepancy I’ll be fixing in the not too distant future, very likely starting with the other Lyric Hound stories.

As far as the fact that this is a novella rather than a full novel is concerned all I can say is that I was very impressed. This was as complete a story as any reader can wish for. The characters are well described and fully fleshed, there’s enough back story to give the reader not only everything they need to know but also a real connection to the character’s feelings and actions. This story may only have counted 35 pages, it provided everything a good story needs: a beginning that puts the reader straight into the story, a middle that provided all the explanations needed without slowing the story down and a beautiful and very satisfying ending.

And did I mention this story is hot? Well, it is. But then, that’s exactly what you would expect when you pick up a story about two Alpha werewolves giving in to their feelings for each other after years of having to deny them.

This in short was about an hour’s worth of pure reading delight, leaving me with yet another author I have to add to my must-read list.