Happiest of hump days - the first of the year! I figure, if those pesky Mayans are correct, I have nearly a year of poor judgement and "mistakes" to make before the end of the world as we know it!(are you singing REM in your head now too???)
In light of the fact that the last New Year's resolution I ever made was several years ago (and it was to stop making New Year's resolutions - inevitable failure is so depressing!), I will share my mantra for the year - "Be brave (thanks Sid), be proud of who you are (thanks Dad) and never be ashamed of your guilty indulgence" (thanks Tyra, Kim and Rebecca for feeding my coffee addiction, sharing a good book and opening that bottle of malbec when I need it most!)
Awakening Delilah, Waking Moon
AUTHOR: Abigail Barnette
PUBLISHER: Resplendence Publishing
Striped, Red Moon - Book Eight in the Phases series
Tiger shifters Mitchell and Jason are reaching their dream of creating Gwinn Close, a community for shape-shifters in the wilderness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Everywhere they look, small "mini-packs" are being formed, triads and quads, in addition to multi-generational families are settling down. New shifter in town, Sean Warren, doesn't like to abide by the rules but maybe that's just because his wild tiger side needs taming. Exacting the same principles of discipline and loving he used on Jason, Mitchell believes he and his partner have the makings of something good with the much younger shifter. The question that begs to be asked, does Sean have the desire to submit after he discovers how much he likes it?
Writing M/M/M romance takes some finesse. Abigail Barnette depicts a loving male couple - both strong, very masculine figures who play a deeply integral role in the formation and maintenance of their fledgling shifter community. The beauty of this story is that the characters are so well written, it feels like a much longer book. The actions, sex scenes and emotional development of the characters feels true. Watching the pair make the decision to add a third and the struggles each must contend with to overcome personal fears add depth and richness. The D/s elements add to the storyline both as a method to "break" the tiger behaviors that are causing Sean to wreak havoc on Gwinn Close and fit into the shifter hierarchical society these men are trying to create, plus they make for some smokin hot sex scenes. Fans of shifter romance, M/M and menage are gonna enjoy this tasty "phase-y" bite!
Awakening Delilah, Waking Moon - Book Four in the Phases series
Delilah Lewis moves from Atlanta to Gwinn Close to start a new life, a chance to free not only her deer shifter self but her soul. Saved from nearly getting shot by poachers after she leaves the sanctuary during a run by a sexy red wolf shifter and a bat shifter, Delilah learns she has alot to learn...about everything. Including what to do when the pair, a committed couple, both apparently want her. What starts out as a break for a "dry spell" morphs into something more. The big question, can Miguel and Darius's relationship handle the something more and when push comes to shove, will it save them or break them all?
Barnette hits the bulls-eye again with Delilah Awakening. This time, the pairing is M/M/F, but the struggles for a stable poly-amorous relationship feel even more realistic. While both stories feature an initial committed pair, the addition of a sexy, chocolate skinned beauty in this piece took on a whole new level. Delilah is no dimwitted girl - brought to Gwinn Close to write grants for Mitchell's brain child, she has smarts aplenty. What she learns during her initial stay is how to free her soul by allowing her animal to run free and how to be herself by taking a chance on the pair of uber-sexy men who are willing to sacrifice for her to stay with them. All in all, an excellent, burn-your-fingers-turning-the-page read and I have to say that, while many can make wolf shifters hot commodities, it takes some serious chops to make a reader want a freakin bat in her bed!!!! Raise your hands, 'cause I know I do!!!!!!!
RATINGS: FIVE Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries for both books - totally worth the read!
These books were given to us by Resplendence Publishing. Many thanks.
CONTEST ALERT!!
Comment on any review this week OR tell us what your guilty indulgence is... and you'll be entered into the contest to win ALL TWELVE of the PHASES BOOKS.
Woot!! Excellent author with excellent books and two excellent reviews by the reviewer. Nicely done ladies. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great reviews! I'm so glad you enjoyed the book. (And I'm not crazy, I really am Abigail Barnette. I always forget to mention that when I leave comments places and end up looking like a crazy person).
ReplyDeleteI know you are - didnt want to whistle blow (snort, giggle) if you didnt want to advertise that. Guilty Indulgence met you and Bronwyn and some of the other Resplendence authors at AAD last summer....total fan girls we are! I really, really did love your stories and tried to keep my Awakening Delilah review a bit tame (as it was so smokin hawt it had to be re-read...hoo boy!)
ReplyDeleteHave an awesome New Year and watch the karaoke....it's a killer!
I'm pretty certain I purred through parts of Striped which I liked just slightly more than Awakening Delilah. BUT I will definitely be happier if someone says there will be more stories about Gwinn Close.
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