Sunday 12 July 2015

ALEX'S SURPRISE & SAVING ALEX by Chris McHart

ALEX’S SURPRISE by Chris McHart
 
Pages: 100
Date: July 8, 2015
Details: No. 1 Unexpected
E-book / Own




Additional information:

Alex’s Surprise was written as part as the Don’t read in the Closet event in the M/M Romance group on Goodreads. Below are the picture and the reader request which inspired the story.
  
PHOTO DESCRIPTION:

A blond-haired man making love to a visibly pregnant man. From the expression on the blond’s face and the kiss he presses on the black-haired man’s shoulder, it’s clear these two are a couple who are deeply in love. They are somewhere hidden, maybe a basement, since there are stairs visible in the background. It makes me wonder, is the pregnancy forbidden? Are they hiding because of that?



STORY LETTER:
Dear Author,

When I got pregnant unexpectedly and my partner-in-babymaking up and ran off, I figured I’d be alone forever. It was a rough time and if not for best friend I don’t know how long it would have taken to drag myself out of it. I never thought I’d find myself in this position with 
him. He has been so supportive through the pregnancy and all these feelings I’d never noticed before started blossoming. This is our first time together and I never thought sex could be this amazing― tender and smoking hot all at the same time. I think it helps that he spent so much time wooing me and we were able to fully switch from “friend” mindset to “romance” mindset before we just jumped into bed.

Sincerely,

Kathy Reinard


P.S. I’d really like to see that initial dark time when he first found out he was pregnant and best friend was there with support and then some of the later wooing. However, what I’d really, really like is a tender hot sex scene with a heavily pregnant MC that isn’t all about writing an M/F love scene and just making one participant male. Please make these two MCs equal and avoid differing power dynamics in the bedroom (no BDSM).


The blurb:

“Alex wanted a night of hot passion with Gerome, but he gets more than he ever bargained for. His life will be changed forever in a world where he’ll be thrown in jail— or worse— for being pregnant.

Alex’s best friend, Sam, has been acting strange ever since he met Alex’s one-night stand, but now Alex needs help in order to hide, and Sam is his only hope.”


My thoughts:

I always like it when an author takes a trip off the beaten path and does something original, something you won’t find in most other romances. And that’s exactly what Chris McHart does in this book.

Alex gets pregnant after a one night stand with a man he only knows as Gerome. When he finds himself pregnant it comes as a huge shock. While male pregnancies are not unheard of they are certainly uncommon and, more importantly, illegal.

This is the point where the story doesn’t quite go where you might expect it to travel. This is not the story of how the two fathers to be bond over the pregnancy and eventually fall in love with each other and the baby. Instead Alex finds himself growing closer to his flatmate and life-long friend Sam.

Sam has been feeling more than friendship for Alex for a long time and is there for Alex from the moment he discovers he’s pregnant. As Alex grows bigger, the two men grow closer, but not without encountering a few bumps in the road.

Before I started this book I read somewhere that this book ends on a cliffhanger and I was worried about that. To say I’m not a fan of cliffhangers would be a gross understatement. Personally I wouldn’t call the ending of Alex’s Surprise a cliffhanger. While it is clearly not the end of the story, the characters are safe and happy when the book ends.

Overall this was an original story with likeable characters and based on a fascinating idea. Alex’s Surprise held my attention from start to finish and made me smile, worry and tear up once or twice. This was my first encounter with mpreg but I can safely say it probably won’t be my last. If only because I do want to read Saving Alex as soon as possible to find out what happens next. J

****

SAVING ALEX by Chris McHart
 
Pages: 105
Date: July 12, 2015
Details: No. 2 Unexpected
            Copy received from Author
E-book

The blurb:

“Not only is Alex pregnant, something punishable by jail time, but Gerome, the father of the baby, is a vampire prince. When strangers invade Alex’s home and kidnap him, he doesn’t know who is responsible, if he’ll ever see the man he loves again, or even get to see the child growing inside him. 

Considering himself the father of his lover’s child, Sam has a hard time standing around and letting others plan Alex’s rescue. But when the Prince and his trackers find an important clue, the race to save his beloved is on. Now all he can do is cross his fingers that that the scheme they’ve devised will work. 

When Prince Gerome receives ransom demands, the instructions are clear: mate a complete stranger or he’ll never see Alex or the child he carries again. Will he be able to convince his newly intended to help, or will those seeking to dethrone his family win this evil game of blackmail? 

Caution: Contains a kidnapping, unwanted matings, a scheming king, way too many people that follow their own plans and a highly pregnant Alex.” 

My thoughts:

Before I say anything about Saving Alex I’d like to point out that this book is the sequel to Alex’s Surprise which you really need to read before starting Saving Alex. Since the book is available for free in the Goodreads M/M group as well as through most retailers, reading it first shouldn’t be a hardship for anyone.

The peace and reassurance Alex and Sam found at the end of Alex’s Surprise unfortunately doesn’t last long. Only a few days after the two men have been reassured about Alex’s pregnancy and the delivery of the baby in a few weeks time, Alex is abducted by two men who break into the apartment he shares with Sam.

The room Alex is held in has no windows, although it is not an uncomfortable environment. While he manages to establish a bond with the man who brings him food and drink he has no idea who has kidnapped him or why. More worryingly, he has no idea whether or not Sam is safe.

Sam, meanwhile, contacts Gerome and soon finds himself up to his neck in Vampire politics and surrounded by shifters who are there to help find and rescue Alex. Poor Sam feels completely helpless while he has no idea where the love of his life is and as he watches Gerome being forced into life changing actions the vampire doesn’t want but has to make in order to keep Alex safe.

This is an action pact story. An awful lot happens and we’re getting a better insight into the workings of the Vampire covens. And while this book – unlike the first one – does end the story in a very satisfactory way I could see at least two spin-off stories resulting from this book. If I’m right about that I will make a point of reading them when they become available.

Alex’s Surprise and Saving Alex kept me thoroughly entertained and I have to admit that my first introduction to Mpreg when better than I thought it might. While I had quite a few reservations about the whole concept before I started reading Alex’s story, those have mostly disappeared now. If it hadn’t been for the fact that I already knew I would enjoy Chris McHart’s words, I would probably never have made the leap so I am grateful I read and enjoyed Never Wrong and Grenzen by this author last year.

Sales Links:

Alex’s Surprise is a free story! You can download it on Goodreads, Amazon and Are

Saving Alex: Amazon        All Romance

Author bio:

Chris McHart is from Germany and, while she's an accountant, writing is her real passion. She likes to spend time with her family and has way too many animals that demand constant attention. Chris also enjoys landscaping and cooking, even if she’s still looking for someone to clean up after her.
Whenever Chris has a free minute, she spends it writing, a cup of coffee in hand, deeply lost in the worlds her muses have created. When she's coming up for some air, you’ll find Chris on a lot of social networks. Check out Chris’s website to see where you can find out more. She looks forward to hearing from you!


Goodreads links: Alex's Surprise    Saving Alex 

Publisher: Alex’s Surprise: M/M Romance Group; Saving Alex: Chris McHart

Cover Artist: Meg Bawden, Bawd Designs




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