 This excerpt is from Electric Candle, book 2 of The Sleepless City. Series co-written with Anne Barwell.  Blair stripped and cranked the water on. Forge was right; his shower was nicer, bigger, and had two showerheads. The shower in the guest suite wasn’t as nice. He knew that from the brief glance he’d had of it. Stepping underneath the water, Blair let it run through his hair, over his shoulders, and down his neck and back. He turned so the cool water hit between his legs full-on. It did no good. Blair finally gave in and put one hand flat on the tile of the shower wall and took hold of himself with the other. One pump, two, three, and Blair bit his lip to stay quiet. Thinking of Forge’s hands griping his wrists, pinning him to the wall, he came hard enough his knees buckled and he dropped to the shower floor. At least, he didn’t burst into tears this time. Chest heaving, breathing hard and gulping in air, it was a few minutes before he climbed to his feet. Turning the water off, he grabbed a towel on the way out of the shower, pressing it to his eyes. When he pulled it away, he was more disappointed than he should have been to find he was alone in the bathroom. He heard Forge come back into the suite. “Do you have an extra razor and shaving cream?” Blair called as he pulled the shorts back on. “Inside the medicine cabinet,” Forge answered. Blair was trying to gauge where in the suite Forge was, but couldn’t. Blair opened the mirrored door and found a pack of disposable razors and can of shaving cream. Out of habit, he looked at the mirror, but the only thing that looked back was shaving cream, a razor, and the bathroom behind him. Blair hated not having a reflection. He took a swipe with the razor and hissed, “Damn.” The shaving cream stung where the razor had taken off a small chunk of skin. Forge knocked on the door. “You okay?” There had been no telltale footsteps, making Blair think Forge had moved from wherever he’d been to the bathroom at vampire speed. “Ye—yeah. I nicked myself. I had enough trouble shaving when I could see myself in a mirror. It’s twice as bad trying to shave without seeing what I’m doing.” “Want some pointers? I learned to shave before I had a mirror.” “Sure,” Blair said without thinking. He started when the bathroom door opened and Forge stepped in. Taking the razor, Forge rinsed it off, sprayed more cream from the can, and stepped behind Blair. “See, the trick is, don’t try so hard. Your skin hasn’t changed.” He reached around and lathered more shaving cream onto Blair’s face and neck. Blair sucked in a breath and tipped his head back, resting on Forge’s shoulder. “All your parts are still where they were before you changed.” Forge’s breath was warm in Blair’s ear. All Blair could do was offer a jerky nod. Forge pressed the razor lightly to Blair’s neck and glided it up, repeating the movement a few times before stopping. Blair wanted to beg him to continue, but his voice wouldn’t work. Forge leaned around Blair and rinsed the razor. Blair felt Forge’s thighs, as muscular and powerful as he’d imagined, press to the back of his. A shudder ran through Blair, and Forge’s body responded with one just as forceful. How the man ignored it, Blair had no clue. “It’s like mowing a lawn.” A tremor ran through Forge’s voice. He took a few more swipes up Blair’s neck, these skimming over his chin. “Overlap your strokes.” “I’m getting your shirt all wet.” Blair winced inwardly as the stupid words left his mouth. A low rumble vibrated through Forge’s chest and against Blair’s back. “Easily fixed,” Forge murmured. He set the razor down, took a step back, and pulled his shirt over his head. When Blair turned to watch, he saw that at some time after Blair entered the bathroom, Forge had changed to faded jeans and was barefoot. Forge tossed the shirt to the side, making the muscles of his wide chest stretch and flex. Pale skin had a fine dusting of curly hair so dark it was almost black across his pecs and swirled around dark pink nipples. A thin line of dark hair ran down to his navel creating a small eddy in its path, then continued from his navel to disappear under low-slung jeans. His abs creased along his midline, then formed a web of lines between the muscles to outline Forge’s ribs. Leaning around Blair again, smiling as he did so, Forge picked up a washcloth, thoroughly wetting it. Repositioning himself behind Blair, Forge used two fingers to gently tip Blair’s chin up and began wiping away the remaining shaving cream. “Now, was that so hard?” Forge asked. His voice was in Blair’s ear again. “Oh, yeah, it is.” Blair’s voice was small and tight. He was very aware of Forge’s hard cock pressed against his ass and rubbing the soft material of the shorts Blair wore. A low growl escaped Forge, and something in the mirror flickered. Blair’s attention riveted to the glass. Forge dropped the washcloth and moved his hand over Blair’s belly, coming close but never touching his aching cock. Blair gasped and tried to jump back, but the solid bulk of Forge stopped him. His arm around Blair’s waist tightened. “Shh… shh. It’s okay,” Forge whispered in Blair’s ear, licking it ever so softly. There was another flicker, and Blair got a good look at himself, and Forge, in the mirror. Blair’s eyes had changed to completely gray-green, and Forge’s were a vibrant blue. It was the sexiest thing Blair had ever seen. Seeing it mimicked on his face, it was frightening. “Wha—?” Blair exhaled. He clawed at Forge’s thigh, and he pushed harder against the immovable force behind him. Forge moaned and rolled his hips forward. “Enough adrenaline or arousal, and that happens. The reflection and the change.” Forge nipped Blair’s ear as he spoke. “Nothing to be afraid of. You have magnificent eyes.” Blair felt pin-sharp teeth trace a line down his neck and back up. Blair groaned and dropped his head back onto Forge’s shoulder again. He moved a hand on Forge’s thigh to between his legs, and with the other gripped the hand Forge held against his belly. When they appeared in the mirror again, fangs visible, eyes glazed with color Blair shuddered. He pushed Forge’s hand down until it touched Blair’s leaking cock. He gasped when Forge slid a hand under Blair’s waistband. Forge’s fingers moved along the length of his cock, smearing Blair’s precum all over it. There didn’t seem to be enough air in the room for him to get a good breath, and he felt as if he might combust from the inside out. Forge shoved Blair’s shorts down, he picked up one leg, then the other, shaking his clothes off. Electric Candle is available is eBook, paperback and through Kindle Unlimited.      My snippet today is from Jewel Cave, part of the Circles Box Set.  “Does Hatchet have caving experience?” Mason asked. “Not that we’re aware of,” Matt said. “Clint has some, but he prefers tunnels to verticals. I’m the hardcore vertical-drop guy,” Griff said. “This cave has a pretty small drop, fifty-five feet or less. Nothing like Sótano de Las Golondrinas cave in Mexico or the one in Alaska, El Capitan Pit.” Mason turned and faced Griff, looking him up and down very quickly. “You’ve been in those?” “The Alaska pit several times. Like I said, I’m more hardcore than Clint. Don’t let the suit fool you.” Griff met Mason’s gaze steadily. This man was going to help rescue Clint; Griff needed him. He also needed Mason Arquette to accept and trust him while in the caves. “Is your suspect, Hatchet, violent or dangerous?” Mason asked. “We’re considering him very dangerous. He did appear to take Clint from his home by force, including using a choke hold,” Liam said.  There are more snippets in the Rainbow Snippets Facebook group! The Circles Box Set is available in eBook through Amazon.     RECENT RELEASE 
Book Title: Feral Hearts Author: A.J. Church Publisher: Nytshadow Publishing Cover Artist: Gigi at G-Cat Designs Release Date: July 17, 2026 Tense/POV: First person, dual POV Genres: Contemporary MM Romance Tropes: Enemies to lovers, slow burn, hurt/comfort, mutual obsession Themes: Bisexual awakening, mental health Length: 129,000 words/565 pages It is the first book in a standalone series and does not end on a cliffhanger. Heat Rating: 4 flames Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited 
There’s nothing closer to love than a good hatred. Blurb Aubie I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but I’ve never let that stand in the way of my two favorite past times–breaking hearts and disappointing my family. An ardent fan of the smooth line and shallow hookup, I excel at keeping things gliding on the surface. Feelings, when I have them, are reserved for the few I call friends. Until the night I walk into Club Eros and come face to face with Cutter Knight. Tall, dark, and mouthwateringly handsome, he’s also an uptight prick. Doesn’t stop me from wanting to toss all my rules out the window for just one taste. Cutter Once upon a time I was the golden boy of my family. Future planned out. Ducks all in a row. Then my idiot brother threw my world into a tailspin. Now I go out of my way to avoid his type, which is why I hate Aubie Gauthier. He’s a spoiled brat with an old money trust fund and a reputation for being a shameless slut. And for some reason he’s set his sights on me. I’m not gay, and even if I was, I wouldn’t be interested in someone like Aubie. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to matter to him. Excerpt from Chapter 1 “FIRST TIME?” I glance up at the tall hunk standing next to me and shake my head. “Don’t be nervous,” he says with a smile. “You’ll do fine.” “Oh, I’m not nervous.” More like excited. I’ve spent two days working on my routine. The biggest part of that was selecting my outfit. I chose a charcoal gray velvet jacket, sheer black shirt, slinky black silk pants and dance slippers. I kept my makeup to just some eyeliner and a little shadow. I’m going for a debaucherous lord of the manor aesthetic. I picked out my music–Parked Outside by the Afghan Whigs–and threw it on a thumbdrive for the DJ, then loaded everything in a suit bag. I stand when the stage manager calls my name and head through the short hallway to the front of the house. From the moment I stroll onto the stage and my music starts to play, I know I’m home. The mechanics of taking off my clothes are secondary to having all those eyes watching me undress, knowing that I’ll soon be naked in front of them. I nearly come before the first article of clothing hits the floor. After dancing provocatively for half a minute, I unbutton the jacket and flash my chest under the sheer black shirt while sliding the fingers of one hand into my mouth and sucking each one dry. When I’ve got their attention, I start to lose clothing. Jacket first. One shoulder at a time. Once it’s gone, I run my fingers down the front of the shirt, unbuttoning as I go. I dance like that for a chorus with my best bedroom eyes, daring the audience to look away. You don’t want to miss this. My hand slides down inside my waistband, making a show of cupping my stiffening cock before pulling on the drawstring to untie my pants. I bite my lip and offer a naughty grin as I let go of the string. The silky fabric slides down my legs to pool at my feet. I step out of them and strut over to the pole, arching my back and tangling my hands above my head as I start to writhe my back against it. The shirt slides off my shoulders and I let it drop to the floor, leaving me in nothing but the sheer thong. The flimsy garment barely contains my straining cock. I caress myself while I dance, lost in the music. Lost in the moment. The sexual tension in the room is exquisite. Like a bow string being pulled taut. The music vibrates against me and I grind my hips to its beat, letting my mouth drop open to rim my lips with a teasing tongue. Come taste me, my eyes say. I can feel it. They’re hungry for me. For me. Let’s give them what they want. I slide my hands down my chest to fondle my nipples, causing my cock to noticeably twitch. At this rate I’ll be making a mess on this stage. I move my hands down to my hips then turn away and rotate my hips, humping the air. Wishing I had a warm body to fuck right now. I can at least make them think I do. I slide my fingers under the thin straps of the thong and bend over to slowly roll it down my legs, baring my hole. I look over my shoulder to get their response. Now this is addictive. All those eyes, all this bare flesh. How could they possibly not want me? I turn to face my admirers, finally free to prowl the stage completely naked. And prowl I do, vacillating between bold, come hither looks and coy smiles with just enough of my inner slut to make my moves seductively feline. I know I hit the sweet spot when people start squirming in their seats. One man in the front row yells, “Oh honey, let me help you with that,” when I slide my finger over the head of my cock and bring it to my nose. I take a deep whiff before plunging the finger between my lips and moaning. Damn, I’m turning myself on. About the Author Growing up a military brat meant I was always the new kid in school, so my friends were often the characters I found in the books I read and later wrote. I love dreaming up bad boys and the trouble they can get into, and lucky for them, I’m a sucker for a well-earned happily ever after. Or at least a happily for now. Social Media Links  My teaser this week is from Shifting Chaos, book 4 of The Sleepless City. Series cowritten with Anne Barwell. Forge jerked awake with a gasp. He sat up and immediately wished he’d taken some more time and thought his actions through. Every part of him ached. He hurt in places he didn’t know were capable of such pain. Curling forward over his knees, he ran one hand through his hair a few times. The last he remembered he’d been dressed in a suit for work. Now he was wearing thick socks, an old sweatshirt, and sweatpants. Moose was a warm, pleasant presence against his leg. He sat up and poked at Forge’s hand with his nose. “Oh, damn, buddy, I think this is what a hangover must be like.” Forge petted Moose’s head, then rubbed his hand over the dog’s belly when he rolled on his back. Forge swung his legs over the edge of the bed, gripped the edge, and slowly tried to push off the mattress to stand up. “Yeah, I don’t think so.” Blair crossed from the doorway, put one hand on Forge’s shoulder, and very easily shoved him back down. He held out a bottle of water. “Declan said you’d be dehydrated.” Forge nodded and croaked, “Thanks.” Blair folded one leg underneath him and sat beside Forge on the bed, watching him guzzle the water. “Do you want more?” Forge nodded and Blair rubbed his knee tenderly. “Sit tight. I brought a whole case up. They’re in the other room. Be right back.” Forge watched him disappear through the bedroom door and sat quietly until he returned with two more bottles. One he opened with a twist of the cap; the other he set on the night table. As before, he sat on the bed beside Forge and watched him empty the bottle. “Thank you,” Forge said. Though Blair gazed directly at him, Forge couldn’t bring himself to meet that gaze. “Blair…what happened? I’m—” Blair put one finger over Forge’s lips. “Let me talk.” He took Forge’s hand and rested both their hands on his thigh. “Declan told us everything. What happened when you were changed, how you can change to a different type of vampire—he called it a full shift—and how it took you over for a while, making you kill a whole settlement. He said it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t really know what you were doing. In fact, he said he was responsible.” “He wasn’t the one who killed all those people,” Forge said. “I said be quiet.” Forge squeezed Blair’s hand and gave him a small smile. “Declan said he changed you so you wouldn’t die, and then something happened during the fighting—he didn’t know what. He was knocked out and you two were separated. The guy who changed me did what he did on purpose. He used me and left and that was his plan the whole time. With you it really was an accident. Declan never meant to leave you alone.” There was a pause, a breath then Blair said, “Now you can talk.” “What I did to all those people was no accident. I told you we weren’t monsters and that wasn’t entirely true. You’re not a monster,” Forge said softly. “Declan knew what I’d done this whole time?” Blair nodded. “And now you know everything. Lucas, Simon, and Ben do too?” Again, Blair nodded. Forge looked down at his knees. He cleared his throat, but still his words came out wet and in a whisper. “I suppose my stuff is sitting on the lawn, and I should go away?” Blair huffed loudly. “My God, Lucas is right. You have a skull that could crack a boulder in half. Are you that damn dumb, and worse yet, do you think the rest of us would do that to you? Did you ever stop to consider our bond and that I’d never give up on you?” Blair pulled something from the nightstand drawer. “I found this when I was translating Declan’s journals. I changed the digital version and took this page out and hid it.” Forge took the old, tattered journal page and read it. Declan had written the journals in French, and Forge’s French was sketchy, but he understood enough to get the gist of what it said. “You knew this ever since you came to Boggslake?” “I didn’t really understand what that part about the settlement meant until now. But, yes, I knew. I also knew I didn’t want you to be hurt because of it,” Blair admitted quietly. “And yet you still kept saying I was some sort of hero,” Forge whispered. He looked at Blair and was graced with a truly epic eye roll. When he opened his mouth to speak, Blair clamped down on his hand and ordered, “Stop talking.” Blair used his free hand to make a circle in the air. “We aren’t a we without all of us. Yes, you should have told me from the start that, given the right conditions, you could become the vampire edition of a great white shark. However, it likely would have scared the hell out of me, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”  Shifting Chaos is available in eBook, paperback and through Kindle Unlimited.     My snippet this week is from Shifting Chaos, book 4 of The Sleepless City. Series co-written with Anne Barwell.  Declan shook his head. “No, rejection. It’s one reason why he’s always had a dog. Unconditional love and acceptance.” “Does that mean for the past two days a demon has been in his head making him believe he’ll be rejected by us?” Blair asked. “Why would we do that?” “You said this demon feeds off fear. Forge has an ability to shift into something that caused him to kill innocent people. It likely took that event and twisted it in his mind to make him believe he’ll be cast out,” Simon said. “Maybe what he wrote was a warning. Banish the monster could also mean the demon.” There are more snippets to be found in the Rainbow Snippets Facebook group.  Shifting Chaos is available in eBook, paperback and through Kindle Unlimited.    They wandered through the front door to a cashier’s counter with a girl sitting behind it. The girl’s eyes glowed gold, and her gaze flicked from Forge to Blair and back again. Forge snorted and leaned one elbow on the counter. “Please. Don’t be ridiculous. I need to talk to Jasper.” He held up his badge. “It’s official.” She huffed a breath, and Forge heard her press a button under the counter. A few minutes later, Lucas’s uncle came from a door that led to the back rooms of the store. Hidden underneath the store were the Boggslake Supernatural Council’s meeting rooms. “Detective Forge and Dr. Turner. To what do I owe this visit?” Jasper had always reminded Forge of an older version of Lucas. The similarities didn’t stop with physical features, though Jasper’s hair was an even mix of gray and brown. Casting a glance at the girl, Forge asked, “Can we talk in private?” She raised an eyebrow and rested her chin in her hand, smirking. Jasper turned so his back was to her and winked. Holding one hand out, he motioned to the door he’d so recently exited. “We can talk in my office. Do we need other council members present?” “No, I don’t think so. This shouldn’t take up much of your time,” Forge said. He smiled and stuffed his badge into his pocket. They followed Jasper through the door and down a short hall. Once they were all inside his office, Jasper closed the door and turned to face them, spreading his arms wide. “Poker night isn’t for a week yet, so this must be important.” “Yeah, it is.” Forge leaned on the corner of the desk. “We’re looking into some sunken ships and the death of at least one person in a fire I’m convinced was arson. A man, a werewolf, who is not from this area, is one of our suspects.” Jasper nodded. “You think this man is connected with my pack?” “No.” Blair shook his head. “But the full moon is in two days.” “I see.” Jasper moved around his desk and sat down. “Jasper,” Forge said and pulled out the photo. “This is the man. Has he contacted you for a safe haven during the full moon?” Jasper took the photograph, studied it for a minute, then set it on the desk. He took a deep breath and looked up at them. “I can’t simply give out confidential information.” “He shot me.” Forge pulled his shirt down from his shoulder. “I understand your motivation, but it’s not as if it was going to kill you,” Jasper said. Forge grunted. Why did everyone insist on pointing this fact out instead of offering sympathy? “And he threw a baggy full of wolfsbane dust at Lucas,” he added. Jasper’s face clouded, and his eyes turned from dark brown to bright gold. He gripped the edge of his desk, and Forge saw his knuckles turn white. “Is Lucas…how is…is he…?” “He’s fine, Jasper. Do you think I’d come here and tell you he’d been hurt like this?” Forge asked. Jasper shook his head. Blair spoke up. “Lucas is alive because Forge jumped in front of him.” “Are you all right?” Jasper looked up at them. “Other than the bullet wound. Apparently, the only thing wolfsbane does to me is make me sneeze.” Jasper chuckled. “I was contacted by a man, but I don’t know what he looked like. All I have is a voice-mail message.” “Scottish accent?” Blair asked. Jasper nodded and Blair continued, “Do you have a name?” “I do.” Jasper pulled a pad of paper from one of the desk drawers. “Peyton Grier. We have—facilities—for such others during a full moon. What else do you need from me?” “Right now, the name will do. We’ll let you know if there’s anything else. Thanks, Jasper,” Forge said. “Any message for Lucas?” Blair asked. Jasper smiled. “Please tell him I look forward to seeing him next week and to take care of himself.” “Will do.” Forge tapped the edge of the desk and stood up. “Thanks.” They had a name. There was a lot that could be done with a name. Code Name Jack Rabbit is available in eBook, paperback, through Kindle Unlimited and your local library digital catalog.    NEW RELEASE 
Book Title: The Dark Before Dawn Author: Thom Collins Publisher: Entwined Publishing Cover Artist: Kelly Martin Release Date: July 7, 2026 Tense/POV: Third person Genres: Contemporary MM Romance, Mystery/suspense/thriller Tropes: Friends to lovers, cop, stalker Length: 68 500 words Heat Rating: 4 flames It is a standalone story that is part of a wider series (book four in the Basic Instincts series) and does not end on a cliffhanger. Buy Links Universal Link | First For Romance 
A brutal killer. An unwitting witness. A cop caught in the middle of a deadly pursuit. Blurb A brutal killer. An unwitting witness. A cop caught in the middle of a deadly pursuit. Jude Kalvert is glad to be back in his home city and playing gigs around his favourite bars. Blyham is a dangerous place, and things seem only to have got worse in the time he’s been away. It’s not safe to be out alone at night, but when Jude runs into an old school friend after one of his shows, things don’t appear so bad after all. Danyal Nadir has changed a lot since they knew each other. He’s a cop for one thing, newly appointed to act as liaison between the police and the LGBTQ+ community. And he’s come a long way from the shy, bullied kid Jude remembers from school. The adult Danyal is strong, confident and very attractive. Both men jump at the chance to get reacquainted. But that first night is not as safe as it appears. Jude discovers that he’s one of the last people to have seen a murder victim alive. Soon the killer has Jude and Danyal in his sights. On the run and desperate, there’s no limit to what he’ll do. As their friendship turns to passion, their new beginning could be the end of them. Reader advisory: This book contains scenes of violence, gore and murder, as well as homophobia and racial slurs. Excerpt The police officer was incredibly good looking. He appeared mixed race, maybe of South Asian heritage with a strong, stubbled jaw and cleft chin. The body beneath the dark uniform was finely shaped. He could almost be a stripper in a cop costume rather than the real thing. But Jude knew better than to be distracted by a hot guy and maintained his guard. The cops’ eyes narrowed as he came nearer. “Jude?” he asked. “Jude Kalvert?” His accent was a blend of light Scottish with a strong inflection of North East England. “Jude Kalvert? It is you, right?” There was something familiar that Jude couldn't quite place. Maybe they had met on a cruise sometime. He saw hundreds of new faces each week, and it wasn't always easy to remember them. “Yes,” he said. The man seemed friendly enough, but he was still wary of the uniform. The serious cop face was transformed by a beautiful smile. “I thought I recognised you. It's Danyal Nadir. I don't know if you remember me. We were at school together.” Jude had hated school. As the only openly gay kid in his year, the school years had been a misery of bullying, slurs and abuse. He hadn't kept in touch with a single pupil from those days. Whenever anyone reached out to him on social media, he rejected the friend request. Twelve years since he last sat in a classroom, the trauma was still too raw. Danyal Nadir. That name did ring a bell though. He dug into his memory. Yes. A skinny kid who had transferred into his class when he had been around ten years old. They had never been friends but had bonded in a strange way because they were tormented by many of the same bullies. Jude for his odd looks, interest in theatre and later for his open sexuality. Danyal, for his mixed heritage- his mother was white-Scottish and his father Indian- and what was considered a strange accent. Jesus, that school was a fucking cesspit. He prickled at the memory. “Oh my God,” Jude said. He had to work hard to see anything of that timid kid in this strapping policeman. And yet it was there. In his eyes. And in the rare time he'd seen Danyal smile at school – the smile was the same. “You've changed so much.” And you’re gorgeous. A shy chuckle and Danyal’s eyes looked Jude over too, taking him all in. “So have you, but somehow I recognised you. When I saw you get out of the car, I was almost certain it was you.” Jude felt a warmth spread over his face. Danyal was making him nervous. Not in the intimidating cop way he'd initially expected, but in the hot and bothered want-to-get-into-his-pants way. But no chance. This was Danyal Nadir. The wee kid from Blyham High. “I didn't know you became a police officer.” Stupid comment. There was no reason he would. They hadn't seen each other in years. “It's been a decade now. How about you? What are you up to?” “I'm a singer. Just finished a gig tonight. I'm about to get some food before heading home.” Old acquaintance or not, he was not about to admit to his plan of visiting The Viaduct. Danyal checked his watch. “Mind if I join you for ten minutes? I'm due a break and I'm parched.” It was Jude's turn to smile widely. “I'd love it. I'm just heading around the corner.” About the Author 
Thom Collins is the author of the Jagged Shores series and the Anthem Trilogy as well as numerous standalone novels and novellas. His latest series Basic Instincts launched in spring 2025 with the novel Now Comes the Dark. Thom has lived in the North East of England his whole life. He grew up in Northumberland and now lives in County Durham with his husband and two cats. He loves all kinds of genre fiction, especially bonk-busters, thrillers, romance and horror. He is also a cookery book addict with far too many titles cluttering his shelves. When not writing he can be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes. He’s a keen traveler but with a fear of flying that gets worse with age, but in 2013 he realized cruising is the best way to see the world. Check out his website for news updates and a free ebook The Night. Social Media Links Threads | Instagram | Newsletter Sign-up 
 This book has a lot going for it. It's written in multiple POV. Not only do we get to see the main characters, Danyal and Jude's point of view, but also the bad guy. I found it very interesting to know his thoughts and motivations.
The bad guy is truly evil, and sadly I think represents homophobic attitudes and beliefs accurately. There were some wonderfully hot sex scenes. They enhanced the plot and moved the story forward. This book is on the darker side, with grisly murders and violence. The plotting and storyline were solid. I do have issue with the cover. I understand the author may not have had a choice, but I do feel the publisher could've done better. Danyal is Asian Indian and Jude is Caucasian, yet the men on the cover both appear to be Caucasian. The action scenes as well as the sex scenes could do with a bit more editing. Sometimes it was difficult to follow who was doing what. The author does a lot of telling the reader what is going on with the characters' emotions and thoughts instead of showing. **I was provided a copy of this book by the author for a fair and honest review.**  “There are two types of world leaders, those the public sees and then the other kind,” Ori said. “Supernatural councils are among that second type, as you know. We have the Sut Resi. Think of them as a global council. They are who the Guard, and all of the Akhkharu Nasaru, answers to. Those people are elected, and they are a secretive bunch. I’ve never met one as far as I know. They often point us to our assignments.” “Their goal for the most part is to protect the people no one else can, or will, assist. They, and by extension us, have no political or religious affiliation, no national borders.” Kai stopped and looked around at them. “Sometimes because of financial limitations, or the political climate in an area, those that need help can’t get it. That’s where we come in. “Sometimes it’s simply a matter of no one else sees a problem since it takes place over too many years and miles. Other times one of our operatives gets wind of a problem we can help with while”—he made quote signs in the air—“working inside another intelligence organization.” “Humans think in years, werewolves in decades, vampires in centuries,” Blair said softly. “Yeah.” Lucas nodded. He looked at the others. “Part of that chart I told you about. It basically relates to each of our species’ lifespans.” “Succinct. I like that,” Kai said. “Some of us are more military in nature, some focus more on espionage and intelligence gathering, others focus on research or diplomacy,” Ori picked up the thread. “You four are a wonderful mix of those skills and like freaking jack rabbits. Quickly and quietly slide through a tiny hole in a defense system. In so fast no one notices. You do what you need to do, then get back out again with no trace until the damage is done and it’s too late.” “We’ve been working this particular case for a few years,” Kai told them. “Ships, yachts, boats going down for no real reason, and oftentimes no one survived, and those few survivors haven’t provided much information. There are times nothing was recovered. They simply disappeared,” Kai told them. “Innocent people--children—all killed.” “Like the Bermuda Triangle?” Blair asked. “Except this has been happening all over the globe and only in fresh waters. There wasn’t a lot—one here, another there, some separated by months or years,” Ori said. “It started about a decade ago, give or take a few years. As far as we can tell, the various vessels don’t have anything in common. There is no direct evidence of smuggling or stealing goods, but we won’t rule it out. No contraband shows up from the missing vessels.” Kai shrugged. “Sometimes they’re cruise ships carrying nothing but people on vacation.” “Your werewolf friend, and more recently, Bronwen and Vaughn, always show up in the general vicinity. Occasionally they arrive before anything occurs, but usually it’s right after. So, I suspect the university boat isn’t the first vessel to vanish in this area,” Ori said. “All sorts of boats and even cargo ships go down in the Great Lakes. Most of the time it’s attributed to weather conditions,” Forge said. Kai nodded. “When a vessel is found, it’s usually extremely damaged. Not a lot of evidence to examine. We’ve been following the trail left by this werewolf and Bronwen.” He rubbed his forehead and sighed. “It always feels as if we’re four steps behind.” “We know this werewolf is from Scotland, and we think we know what pack he might belong to. What he does, or any other details about him, we don’t know. It’s as if the guy never existed,” Ori added. “Yet clearly he does, since he shot me,” Forge grumbled. “You told us there were other werewolf operatives. One of them couldn’t get some leads from the Scottish pack?” Lucas asked. “Have you ever had contact with a pack from that part of the world?” Kai asked. Lucas shook his head, and Kai continued. “If you think American packs are mired in old-fashioned ways, you should meet some of the Scottish packs. All those movies made about rival clans? They take it to a whole new level. There must be dozens of small packs that don’t like one another, never mind someone from another part of the world. Local supernatural councils simply won’t tolerate any sort of illicit means of gathering information when a pack’s members haven’t broken any laws and we can’t prove any laws were broken. We never know when we may need them, so we tend not to get on their bad sides.” “Oh, come on, you must have some decent hackers,” Blair said. Ori nodded. “We do. However, cyberespionage only works when there is a computer to hack.” Blair’s face fell. “Oh.” Code Name Jack Rabbit is available in eBook, paperback, Kindle Unlimited and through your local library digital catalog.   Kai nodded to Blair. “The first real chance we’ve had is you striking up a friendship with Martell.” He leveled a hard stare at Declan. “You ever do that to me again, and there will be blood drawn. It won’t be mine.” “Why don’t we just dowse all the vampire testosterone and calm down?” Lucas moved to the middle of the room. “The worst that happened is Forge got a dip in the lake.” “I was shot. It hurt and ruined my shirt,” Forge groused. “Which reminds me…” He dug the bullet from his pocket. “Can you run ballistics on this?” Lucas shook his head and rolled his eyes. “It was an ugly shirt, and your wound is half-healed. No harm, no foul. I think the real question is, who is trying to hurt this woman, who killed her friend, and Mr. Newmann and how is it all connected to a damaged boat?” There are more diverse and wonderful snippets in the Rainbow Snippets Facebook group.   |
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