Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

My choice for this week is the “the queer Zombieland you didn’t know you needed,” packed with action, humor, sex, drag queens, lesbians, and zombies!

The Z Word

by Lindsay King-Miller
Adult, Horror
Paperback and eBook, 256 pages
May 7, 2024 by Quirk Books

Title: Dragonfall
Author: L.R. Lam
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Male

Dragonfall was pitched to me as a queer dragon enemies-to-lovers fantasy, which was all I needed to want to read it, but it turned out to be a queer dragon enemies-to-lovers fantasy in a genderfluid world, and that was all I needed to love reading it.

Before I get to that, though, let me explore the more familiar foundations of the fantasy. As we discover in the first chapter (no spoilers, I promise), our story is set in two worlds, magically separated long enough for the sundering itself to become legend. On one side is humanity, with its veneration of long-absent dragons as gods, and on the other side are the dragons themselves, with their loathing for the humans who betrayed them.

So, when we talk enemies-to-lovers, we’re not just talking run-of-the-mill adversaries, we’re talking about epic enemies, the kind whose relationship threatens to destroy one world (or perhaps both) depending on how it develops. As much as we, as readers, want to see the romance be realized, we’re also painfully aware that there are consequences to their love that nobody can afford.

Tied up in the conflict and the affair is a daring heist tale involving ancient dragon artifacts, a den of thieves with entanglements of betrayal, and a mysterious assassin who doesn’t fully intersect the main story until near the end. It all sounds familiar, and on a strict plot level it is, but the personalities, the writing style, and the alternating POVs are what set this apart. For all its epic stakes, it’s a very intimate tale, and one that draws you in, making you care about (and for) the players.

Getting back to the issue of gender, it’s not necessarily a driving force behind the plot, but it’s a lovely bit of background that excited me.

“Some feel between, or outside of male and female, man or woman … You’d use neutral for children until they choose, whenever that might be.”

“I was never drawn purely to femininity or masculinity. Neither felt like me . .. Gender is both so important and yet inconsequential, in the grand scheme of things.”

I love stories that explore gender without being about gender, so this hit me right in the feels.

While the pacing lags a bit in a few places, when this gets going, it sucks you in and demands you hold tight through to the end. As for the ending, it’s an interesting sort of subversion of the whole story, but there’s a surprise twist that hits hard and nails the ending. Bring on Emberclaw!

Rating:

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday!

Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review? 

Enjoy!

Title: Phoenix Rising
Author: Ryk E. Spoor
Publication Date: November 6, 2012
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Female/Male

I discovered fantasy in high-school, back in the late 80s/early 90s, so my fondness for the genre is firmly rooted in the likes of Weis, Hickman, Feist, Rawn, Lackey, Brooks, Jordan, Eddings, Donaldson, and others. I grew up with sprawling epics of magic and monsters, wizardry and wonder, where hope (and humor) tipped the balance of horror. I love its familiar tropes and its cliches, and its tried-and-true themes of heroism and sacrifice.

Sadly, stories that like have become the exception on shelves dominated by grimdark and historical fantasy, so when I find a book like Phoenix Rising, my heart swells and my imagination squeals like a teenager once again.

I was hooked by this from the first chapter. It has the settings, the mythologies, the characters, and the creatures that I so fondly remember. Ryk E. Spoor doesn’t just nod and wink to the reader, he welcomes us with open arms, giving us things like adventurer’s guilds and quests that are the stuff of roleplaying games. The stakes are cataclysmic, betrayal is everywhere, but you know from the start that goodness will prevail – it will struggle, there will setbacks and sacrifices, but goodness will win out.

By the end of this book we have our classic heroic trio fully formed: a highborn young woman imbued with the power of a magical knight, a noble questing prince from across the world, and a kick-ass intelligent toad who only fools underestimate. Quests are completed and villains vanquished, but the fate of the world still hangs in the balance, with two more books waiting to be devoured.

Rating:

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

My choice for this week is the 3rd book in an absolutely beautiful, breathtaking, cozy (Canadian!) fantasy saga that has me excited to visit Marrowdell once again.

A Change of Place

by Julie E. Czerneda
Adult, Fantasy
Paperback and eBook, 512 pages
April 30, 2024 by DAW

Title: Principle Decisions
Author: Thea Belmont
Publication Date: November 29, 2023
Genres: Romance
Protagonist Gender: Female

Oh my, but this was a delight! Principle Decisions delivered on everything that I expected, but it also delivered some surprises as well. There were aspects of both Vivienne and the story that I wasn’t expecting, that spoke to me deeply, and I know that connection certainly flavored my reading of this.

The cover blurb describes Vivienne as icy, aloof, and sexually frustrated, but it’s so much deeper than that. Here we have a woman who has sacrificed for her family, given of her free time and relationship dreams, to care for her orphaned niece. Vivienne comes across as icy and aloof because she holds so much in, because she is so reluctant (and afraid) to allow any sort of human connection. She’s so committed to the roles of professor and caregiver that she hasn’t the time or space for a lover, or even friend. At first, I thought I disliked her because of how frustrated I was with her, but then I realized that what really bothered me was that she forced me to really consider how my family has felt about me – I saw aspects that I disliked about myself in her.

Like Vivienne, I find the role of submission, the act of being controlled, dominated, punished–and then cared for–to be extraordinarily soothing. We both come away from it with the same sense of a relief so deep, so permeating, that it’s hard to explain to others. It’s cathartic, and it’s also sometimes hard to remember professional boundaries.

And that brings us to Selene. She is, in a word, marvelous. All too often it’s the domme who is written as cold or stern, sacrificing a personality for a presence, but she comes across like someone you could happily sit and have coffee with and never suspect her other activities. She’s what I would call playfully stern, someone to be respected and admired, but also someone who doesn’t need to feel feared or to make a submissive feel humiliated in order to work her magic. The sparks are there from the start, and my heart was fully invested in seeing them achieve a happily-ever-after.

There is also a well-written subplot to this about Vivienne’s niece and her best friend, a transgender boy who is being bullied at school. It explores the overall novel’s message of tolerance, love, and taking responsibility in a sort of microcosm. That being said, I do feel like Vivienne’s family was the weakest link in the story, especially her sister, Hattie, who feels so timid and meek that I, once again, had to confront the sort of exhausting level emotional trauma we can sometimes inflict on our families. My spouse has told me that, since I’ve begun getting help for my anxiety, she not only loves me more but likes me again–and it’s hard to realize you were unlikable.

I’ve rambled on enough, and likely injected more personality into this review than most would care for, but Principle Decisions was a fabulous read. The BDSM scenes are delightful, the romance is scrumptious, and the drama that threatens to keep the lovers apart is genuine. Please, do pick that red business card from the book and give Selene a chance.

Rating: 1/2

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Eli Book Five – Triumph
Author: B.J. Frazier & Jessie Spectre
Publication Date: August 21, 2023
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Male

I actually finished this a few days ago, but needed some time to process it. If you’ve been following my reviews of the Eli series, then you know I’ve talked about the emotional roller coaster that B.J. Frazier & Jessie Spectre have taken us on. It’s been fun and fabulous, often inspiring and sometimes amusing, but there’s been this ominous feeling beneath it all, the dread of a looming confrontation at the end. The story could have sidestepped that darkness, snatched Eli away from the brink, but as much as I silently raged against B.J. and Jessie in reading this, I admire them for sticking to the story and where it had to go.

This final volume is the culmination of Eli’s journey in so many ways. It is an entirely satisfying conclusion in that it wraps up all the outstanding questions and issues, but it’s also a difficult one. Eli is forced to confront the darkness at the heat of Bernie’s plan, the violence that can happen when the rules and ethics of the BDSM power-exchange are discarded, and that went deeper and darker than I expected (or even feared).

It’s hard to say much without spoiling the journey that’s taken us to this point, but emotions are explored, agendas revealed, justifications offered, and excuses thrown up. This book really transforms the entire series, but it’s not so simple as that sounds. Even as we’re forced to confront the darkness beneath the story, B.J. and Jessie confirm that many of the emotions were genuine. So much of what we thought we knew about this world is flipped on its head, which may sounds like a cheat, but it’s not that at all. We’ve been experiencing the story through Eli and Bernie, and Eli’s perceptions are largely shaped by Bernie, so it makes sense that stepping outside them would reveal things we didn’t expect . . . and others for which we could only hope.

There were scenes here that made the squeal with joy (oh, how I wish I could spoil the secret in the basement!), and others that made me thankful for the bravery of friends (even those unexpected). For all the darkness, Eli is loved deeply, and when he needs it most, those who care the deepest are there. You’ll be surprised at who turns up, and even more surprised as how some of them turn up, but it all feels natural. There’s often a tendency to force too much into the end of a series like this, but this feels like a natural end – or, not an end, a transition to a new beginning.

I’m so grateful for being invited to explore this series, and for having the chance to share my impressions with readers. If you’ve been at all curious, then I urge you to give it a chance – you’ll be glad you did.

Rating:  

My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday!

Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review? 

Enjoy!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

This monster-slaying sapphic fantasy romance sounds creepy and weird and absolutely delightful!

Someone You Can Build a Nest In

by John Wiswell
Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Hardcover and eBook, 320pages
April 2, 2024 by DAW

Title: Eli Book Four – Deception
Author: B.J. Frazier & Jessie Spectre
Publication Date: June 11, 2023
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Male

Wow, what an emotional roller coaster the Eli series by B.J. Frazier & Jessie Spectre has been. Just when I think I have it figured out, when I’m sure I know where it’s going, it throws in a new twist, challenge, or development. Knowing how my heart has swelled for Eli, only to break time and time again, I know what the poor boy must be feeling.

This volume gives Eli some space, distancing himself from everything at home by sending him out of town for the weekend, and that allows him to explore who he is. It’s a very sexy excursion, and one that involves black mesh femboy formal wear, dinner with a porn star, and . . . well, exactly the erotic escapades for which you’d hope.

But then there’s a twist, only we learn it may not be as big of a one as he seems to feel it is, but we have the luxury of not being the ones hurt.

Back home, Eli finds himself wanting to be a better submissive, and struggling to balance the role with the romance, which isn’t easy when he’s keeping secrets of his own from Bernie. Adding to his confusion is an unexpected public confrontation with Zac, his partner at Bernie’s shop, and an awkward session with a dominatrix, whose behavior shows him the difference between a scene and a relationship.

Clem really steps in here, guiding the boy and forcing Bernie to see what’s happening. It’s an interesting dynamic, and she’s a fascinating character – almost motherly at times, and sexually dominant at others. It’s a shame neither listens as well as they should, never mind communicates as well as they should, because it leads to more pain, more damage, and more conflict. It all adds yet another layer of confusion to Bernie’s true intentions, which is the last thing we – or Eli – need.

Speaking of which, the story once again ends on an ominous note, but the good news is all shall be revealed in the final chapter!

Rating:  

My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday!

Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review? 

Enjoy!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

John Wick meets Dungeons & Dragons in the vein of N. K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms? Oh, hell yes, I’m in!

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

by P. Djèlí Clark
Adult, Fantasy
Hardcover and eBook, 224 pages
April 23, 2024 by Tordotcom

Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday!

Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review? 

Enjoy!

Title: The Dragons of Deepwood Fen
Author: Bradley P. Beaulieu
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Male

This book and I . . . well, we had issues.

For starters, it’s a cold, sterile, matter-of-fact fantasy tale with no sense of wonder or delight. Even the dragons are as about as exciting as a mangy old dog. Maybe I expected too much from the cover blurb, or too much from Beaulieu himself, given that I enjoyed his Song of the Shattered Sands series, but this just didn’t engage me.

Next, it’s one of those multi-POV books where there’s overlap between some narrators, but no immediate connections between others. That means the story jumps around, sacrificing whatever tension or curiosity it’s nurtured to a new thread. It’s just not a style I generally enjoy.

In addition, this feels like a book that doesn’t know what it wants to be. It has epic fantasy roots wrapped up in low fantasy trappings, with something of a grimdark flavor, but the plot is largely centered around a police procedural involving drug trafficking. Ugh, no thank you – I read to escape that mindless drivel on TV, not to explore it in a different setting.

Finally, the pacing of this was atrociously slow, owing in large part to the multiple POVs. You’d expect the events of the cover blurb to come early, to be the tease that launches you into the story, but I DNF’d this at about the halfway mark and we still hadn’t encountered those events.

All of that said, Beaulieu is a talented writer and I’m sure this will find an audience, it’s just not me.

Rating: 1/2

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

My choice for this week is the sequel to a book I only picked up on a whim, not even sure I’d ever shift it from the TBR pile, but loved immensely.

Empire of the Damned

by Jay Kristoff
Adult, Fantasy, Horror
Hardcover and eBook, 400 pages
February 29, 2024 by HarperVoyager

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

My choice for this week is the first in a new trilogy that turns convention on its head and explores a queer high fantasy world where elves thrive and humans are legend.

Faebound

by Saara El-Arifi
Adult, High Fantasy
Hardcover and eBook, 496 pages
January 18, 2024 by HarperVoyager

Title: Empire of the Damned
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publication Date: February 29, 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Horror
Protagonist Gender: Male

Damn it. I knew I was going to regret falling prey to the vampire’s call and immersing myself in this early sampler of Empire of the Damned. The first book was so bloody amazing (check my review here), and I’ve been so anxiously awaiting Jay Kristoff’s sequel, that I surrendered myself to the thirst for more blood … for the Grail … for it all … and now I fear I may go mad waiting for the rest of it.

This sampler captures, as near as I can tell, the first half of the book. It picks up right where the first left off, takes us through several new set pieces, thrusts us into increasingly deadly battles with the undead, twists the silver blade just a bit deeper into Gabriel’s heart, unveils new layers of mythology, and leaves us with not one, but two cliffhangers.

There’s not much I can say without spoilers, but this is a book that’s heavy with consequences. There’s the bloodbath that ended the first book, the loss of Gabriel’s birth family, the fate of friends and allies, and (more than anything) the choices made that have led us here. That’s not to say it’s all doom and gloom – the wit, the banter, and the morbid humor of the first book is still here – but the more we know of the world and its characters, the more we feel the significance of every action.

Here’s hoping I manage to land an ARC of the entire book before release but, if not, I’ll be in line at the bookstore on release day with everyone else.

Rating:

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Eli Book Three – The Perversion
Author: B.J. Frazier & Jessie Spectre
Publication Date: February 24, 2023
Genres: Erotica
Protagonist Gender: Male

With The Perversion, book three of the Eli series by B.J. Frazier & Jessie Spectre, we hit the physical, emotional, and thematic midpoint of the saga. It starts out with some frisky, fetish-filled fun before it gets risky, then dark, and then somewhat ominous.

So, let’s get right to it. The fun involves another ‘delivery,’ which Eli is now wise enough to know means letting himself be used for some kinky sex by older men who can afford his affections. What makes this delivery so much fun is that Eli does it while dressed as Little Bo Peep. It’s sweet and adorable and oh-so-very naughty, and it ends in an act of passion that (once again) has consequences, but also involves a gratuity that raises questions.

Not to spoil anything, but at this point you really have to wonder if it’s even possible for Eli to repay his debt.

The whole Eli/Bernie dynamic grows even more muddled here, with glimpses of meaningful emotion mixed in with secrets, lies, and jealousy. I fear a confrontation is looming for poor Eli at the store, as not everyone appreciates how his presence has shifted Bernie’s behavior. Before we get to that confrontation, though, there is another in store within this chapter. I won’t go into detail (you can likely guess from the cover blurb), but it ties deep into the first two books and promises to have consequences for Eli when summer break is over.

As for the ominous part, that involves a certain freedom given to Clem, another new realm of discovery for Eli, and a final moment that feeds my fears of that looming confrontation. I’ve been very diligent about not reading ahead, but I had to peek at the blurb for Deception as soon as I was done . . . and it has my feelings a muddled as Eli’s relationship. I don’t want his story to end, but I need to know how it ends!

Rating:  

My sincere thanks to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, if it’s Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday!

Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon’s free reading applications.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

While you’re on Amazon, if you’d like to support my stories, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review? 

Enjoy!

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.

My choice for this week is a queer Victorian romance, and that is pretty much my favorite new genre of the last few years.

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend

by Emma R. Alban
Historical Romance
Paperback and eBook, 400 pages
Expected publication January 9, 2024