Bully for Sale by Leta Blake Blog Tour

Heat can be sold, but love is earned.

Bullied and outcast, Ezer has seen firsthand the cruelties of the world. He knows what’s expected from his kind—timid compliance and submission to his “betters.” But Ezer isn’t one to roll over and conform to the role society has forced upon him.

Despite his defiant nature, Ezer is coerced into partnering with a man of his father’s choosing. One his father promises will love and care for him for the rest of his life.

A night of nameless and faceless passion later, Ezer is horrified to find himself bound to Ned, a bully who has done so much to make his life hell. Ezer’s determined to hate Ned but he can’t help the way his body craves his touch.

Ned is young, privileged, and hopelessly in love with Ezer. Too bad his pack of so-called “friends” have targeted Ezer for torment. Ned has a lot of regrets, but none greater than his role in Ezer’s misery. When Ned’s offered the contract of a lifetime, he sees it as the only way forward with the man he loves.

The dual biological drives of heat and its aftermath might be all that’s keeping them close now, but Ned is determined to prove he’s worthy of Ezer’s love.

While Ezer is just as determined not to fall for his bully.

Bully for Sale is a standalone m/m romance set in the Heat for Sale universe featuring forced proximity, first times, bully romance, opposites attract, and enemies to lovers.

Content warnings: bullying, sexual assault (not between the heroes), heat, knotting, pregnancy, intense birth, familial coercion.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Heat for Sale series!
For book one, Heat for Sale, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

The front porch was small, but there was a rocking chair on it, so Ned led Ezer toward it, the shade of the covering casting off the warmth of the pale, winter sun, but letting the cool sea breeze sail through. Ezer sighed as he collapsed in the chair, his overheated skin still flushed from their last coupling.

Ned took a seat at Ezer’s feet, daring to rest his head against Ezer’s knee, as they gazed out across the sandy dunes toward the splashing water, and the soft blue sky sped away into the distance, merging with the horizon.

Fingers entered Ned’s hair, soft and timid, carding through it. Ezer said, “You keep telling me you want me to understand.”

“I do.”

“Then I think you should start talking now,” Ezer said after a few sweet moments had passed. “The heat will be back, I know. This is just a reprieve. But we have some time, and I want to hear you out.”

“What should I tell you about first?” Ned asked, not wanting Ezer to disappear into silence again. “I’ll tell you anything.”

Ezer laughed under his breath. “You know what’s crazy? I believe you would.” He touched Ned’s hair again, before pulling his hand away, tucking it beneath his arm and looking out toward the ocean. “When did you decide you liked me? Was it when you and your pals were harassing me on the first day of school?”

“No.” Ned was, relieved to confess this truth. He’d lived with it on his own for so long. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

“No.”

“I do.”

Ezer rolled his eyes. “Don’t even pretend you—”

“I’m not pretending,” Ned said fervently. “I saw you on the first day of school, and my heart…” Smiling, Ned clutched his chest to demonstrate. “Just like that, I fell in love with you.”

Ezer frowned. “That’s not what I want to hear. I don’t believe in it for one thing. For another, it just makes the rest worse.”

“I’ve told you I’m sorry.”

“No,” Ezer said, diverting his attention to the sea. “For now, through this heat, I’d rather pretend nothing about our lives existed before we came to this house. That I didn’t exist. This is my life now, so I should get used to it.”

Ned chewed on his lower lip. This house wasn’t Ezer’s entire life. It couldn’t be. This was just an interlude. He had to make Ezer understand, so they could move forward together with love.

If only Ezer would go ahead and fall in love with him already.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
This book has a lot of triggers so read with care. This book made me feel all kinds of things – hate, sadness, empathy, and eventually, hope and happiness. Ezer and Ned have a history that wasn't so pleasant. I don't want to go into things and spoil anything, but Ned was a complete jerkface to Ezer. Ezer had such a rough life you can't help feeling for him. Ned didn't agree with all that happened to Ezer and harbored secret feelings for Ezer. When these two are thrown together, it started off rocky. It was a slow burn that eventually got the reader to not hate Ned anymore and to root for Ezer and his happiness. This book put me through the ringer but was worth it.


Erica – ☆☆☆
Bully for Sale is the second installment in the Heat for Sale series. While it could easily be read as a standalone, I recommend reading Heat for Sale prior, as the cast of characters are familial connections, where the previous protagonists make many cameos on the pages – their presence impacting the overall plot.

Ned and Ezer were both abused by their parental units, groomed to act in the manner in which they are behaving. Ned to always put his father first, no matter if it causes destruction to his own future. Ezer to champion for his omega parent, because he too is an omega, even if that parent isn't worthy of the devotion. This abuse leads to behaviors that are hard to swallow on both their parts.

During Heat for Sale, Heath downgraded his nephew as his heir by breeding an omega and having a son to call his own. Heath's nephew, Ned, was his previous heir, seeing the boy as more son than his layabout brother's son.

Ned is in a precarious position, forced to befriend his father's business partners' sons. While Ned is trying to be a better person, trying to make his uncle proud, he also has to think of his father's wellbeing – something his father never lets him forget. Befriending these two sadistic, teenage alphas is the only thing keeping his father out of the poorhouse and away from emptying Ned's trust fund, which would destroy Ned's future. There is only one major issue with this – his so-called friends have targeted the small omega with the hypnotic eyes.

Emotionally driven, easily manipulated by familial connections, Ned is a romantic, believing in love at first sight. While I wouldn't classify Ned as a coward, because he's not taking the path of least resistance. He's on a destructive, painful path, putting a father first that only ever thinks of himself. In the end, his emotions and drive to do right causes him to unknowingly do wrong.

Ezer (going to be honest, I'm not a fan of this name, as my mind continually kept trying to input Ezra for Ezer and it would yank me from the story). Ezer is an omega, born in the middle of a large family of omegas. To Ezer's knowledge, his father kicked out his omega parent for never producing an alpha child, then found a young replacement. Said father sees omegas as nothing but either money pits or opportunities, believing they should forever be barefoot and pregnant to be happy.

Ezer is filled with rage, to the point he never truly thinks clearly. Ezer will never take the path of least resistance, even if that's the path that is right to take or the path that he truly wants to take.

Spiteful, with good reason, highly intelligent, but this belligerence causes him to make mistakes, which make him look emotionally and intellectually stunted. Ezer isn't easy to love, let alone like, even when the reader is rooting for him. Even hormones cannot be blamed for his attitude. While this reader understood the outrage and is equally outraged for him and behalf of other omegas, there wasn't anything else to like about Ezer personality wise.

Ezer used to do math equations – that's it. His entire personality is rage, belligerence, and the drive to be opposing. If Ned says he likes TV shows, then Ezer can't stand TV, and so on. I'm surprised he actually answered with an ice cream flavor instead of saying he loathed it because Ned liked it.

A string of miscommunications and badly behaving parental units leads to the union of Ned and Ezer. Ned is patient, kind, submissive, comforting, understanding, and neverendingly calm and supportive. He's also young, younger than Ezer, yet Ezer assumes Ned should know everything and take care of everything.

Ned didn't get anything out of the contract – the parents did – except for Ezer, believing Ezer was where he wanted to be after signing the contract. Ezer got away from his father, from a fate much worse. I understand Ezer's rage, but it's directed at the wrong party. Ezer's fate was in peril – while Ned isn't his hero, shouldn't require thanks, he shouldn't also be the person vilified either.

I'm not sure why the butler didn't just hire security at the house, knowing everything there was to know about the pair of kids thrust into this situation by their awful parents. They needed a parental unit to take care of them. Heath was otherwise distracted. But Ned cannot know what he hasn't been taught, and it was wrong of Ezer to assume he should just do everything and know everything. Ezer demanding perfection from Ned while all he required of himself was to exist.

While pregnant, Ezer has no plans to take care of anything for himself or the house, nor does he support Ned in any way. I get that some of this was the world building, but Ezer showed no interest for the future either. Nothing was good enough, perpetually waited on like a prince, Ezer couldn't even get himself a drink or put his dishes in the sink.

It was odd, in a world where omegas are to be the caretakers, homemakers, and babymakers. Ezer did nothing but be miserable, most of the misery earned, but it showed he was spoiled and did absolutely nothing as he grew up, entitled and privileged. While the alpha was the one doing the housework, cooking, and caretaking, when that would have never been taught to him growing up. This just didn't compute.

Ned was wrong in the past, he's tried to make amends, even if Ezer is only hearing what he wants to hear. Ezer is borderline abusive in his manner toward Ned, even after admitting Ned was doing what he thought was right, what he thought Ezer wanted. Ned is not a mind-reader where the contract was concerned.

Does Ezer have the right to be angry? Yes. It just felt as if that rage wasn't directed at the correct parties. Ezer should have hated the system, the parents, the bullies. He should have seen Ned as a partner in this hellscape who had no options either. Instead, all he ever did was blame Ned. Everything was Ned's fault. Yet Ezer played into their hands time and time again. This intelligent, stubborn boy would get angry, the anger causing him to do exactly what they wanted instead of thinking of a work-around, even in the end of the novel when he returned to his father's home. Why did he do that? If Ned is at fault for everything, and Heath is so powerful, why not ask them to stop this versus being hysterical and playing into his father's hands. This was frustrating to read and made me dislike Ezer. The omega was a classical damsel in distress acting too stupid to live for the sake of some manufactured drama.

It just felt to me that Ned got the short end of the stick, as Ezer was just as narcissistic as the rest of the cast. Ezer's da was not a good person, and Ezer was now making excuses to justify abusive behaviors.

Ned is so besotted, he would give Ezer anything on the planet. Ezer isn't going to go to school, he wants to work but isn't. He has someone else taking care of the house and eventually the kids. I'm not sure what Ezer plans in life but to be purposefully miserable. Only the epilogue saved Ezer from appearing to be as awful as the parents, but the reader never saw the journey to his character growth. No matter Ned's horrific origins in the novel, at least he grows over the course of the pages.

As a feminist, the omega rights portions deeply resonated with me, enraged me, and gutted me. However, I found it ridiculous that every parent was a piece of shit. Every single one of them. Ned's dad was a layabout. Ezer's father was cruel and insane. His omega parent was not even remotely redeemable, especially shacking up with a married man with kids, said married man was also utterly worthless. The whole lot of them were awful.

Then add in the "bullies" and their never-shown fathers. How many villains can a novel support?

So while I appreciated the omega rights issues, I didn't appreciate how most of the cast was written as the villains to highlight how amazing and awesome Heath is as an alpha and a person.

Ned's journey into manhood was a good read. Ned and Ezer's relationship left a lot to be desired with the fact that Ezer never allowed Ned to truly speak to him, never allowed a true bond to take place. No matter how many times Ezer tested or punished Ned, there was never true closure.

Am I glad I read Bully for Sale? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes. Did I think there was some missteps in the plot? Also, yes.

 

 

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, LETA BLAKE’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

Connect with Leta Blake

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Facebook Group: Leta’s Lovelies  ~  Patreon

 

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Bully for Sale (Heat for Sale #2) by Leta Blake to read and review.

Omegas in Power by Sai Fox Release Blitz

Grayson Valins should have the world at his feet.

Born to one of the wealthiest families in Seattle, Grayson was raised exactly as a Valins heir should be: sharp as a tack, witty, charming, and powerful.

He was the ideal son—until he presented as an omega.

Now he's barely holding on to the threads of his father's empire, watching the vultures circling overhead. If he makes a mistake with the Felder and Sons merger and acquisition, it's game over.

If he doesn't get married, either... that's just as bad.

Zack Felder's in over his head.

After the tragic death of his older brother, Zack has no choice but to put his music career on hold and head back home to handle the family's affairs. The family business is drowning, and Zack isn't sure what to do.

So, when the older and wildly attractive Grayson Valins offers him a deal—a fake marriage in exchange for saving his family's legacy—how could Zack ever deny that?

But what happens when emotions get tangled and a good business deal turns into something much more potent?

Omegas in Power is a stand-alone HEA novel with a buff, snarky omega businessman and a sensitive, passionate alpha musician.
Warnings for mentions of off-screen child abuse and grief.

 

 

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

“Wait.”

The way Grayson said those words sent a chill down Zack’s spine, and though he knew he shouldn’t have, Zack couldn’t stop himself from turning back around to look at the omega.

He was closer now than he had any right to be, towering just an inch or two above Zack, but for some reason it felt like it may as well have been a foot. His eyes were wide, mouth open, and now that he was this close, Zack couldn’t help but smell the sweet, intoxicating scent of slick and heat engulf all of his senses.

“Wait. Are... are you in heat?”

Grayson’s nostrils flared as he took another step closer, Zack instinctually taking a step back. His back hit the tiled wall, breath escaping his lips.

“And if I was?” Grayson’s words came out like a purr, one that made its way straight down from Zack’s ears and right to his cock. He leaned in close, so close that Zack could see that his pupils blowing, irises barely a ring of gray against a sea of black.

Fuck. I was right.

“I—I should go,” Zack spluttered, heart racing in his chest as the omega in front of him came closer and closer, staring at him as though he were a particularly fascinating bug. Zack needed to leave, needed to get as far away from Grayson Valins as he could get before he did something that they both would regret.

The man in front of him only tilted his head to the side, a look of consternation crossing his face. “Why would you do that?”

“You’re not thinking clearly.”

“I don’t need to think clearly,” Grayson replied with a little smirk, but the way he said it made Zack remember the words his papa taught him when he presented. An omega in heat—particularly a distressed omega in heat—wasn’t in the right place to say yes to anyone.

And propositioning a random alpha in the bathroom sure as hell isn’t thinking clearly.

There was a tiny part of Zack, the part that yearned for a mate as much as he yearned for the oxygen in his lungs, that made him want to keep going. The man in front of him was beautiful and smelled like everything that Zack ever dreamed an omega mate would smell like, but...

Zack’s pulse quickened as Grayson leaned down, their lips so close that Zack could feel the man’s breath against his mouth. He could nearly taste him.

Every alpha instinct in Zack wanted to claim the omega in front of him. No matter what his papa taught him, what morals and lessons he learned, it felt as though Zack were fighting a war inside of him that he knew he was going to lose. If he didn’t pull back right now, if he didn’t stop himself—

He was going to claim Grayson Valins.

The same Grayson Valins that wants to take everything away from my family. Everything.

Grayson was the one who pressed his hot, hard body against Zack, engulfing him in a kiss that stole his breath and sanity away with tongue and teeth. There was heat and the feeling of a hand reaching up to pull the back of his shirt tight around his throat, making him gasp. That mouth, that sinful fucking mouth against his, made Zack’s knees damn-near buckle under him.

But Zack liked it.

Letting himself fall into the sensations, Zack leaned into the kiss, hands wrapping around Grayson’s broad shoulders to pull their chests flush against one another. He could feel the shudder of the omega’s harsh breaths against his lips and the staccato of his gasps as Zack ground their cocks together through the thin fabric of their pants.

Grayson groaned against his mouth before grabbing Zack by the back of his skull, forcing the alpha’s mouth against his throat. “Oh, God. Fuck. Please—”

Please what? Zack thought through the haze. The intoxicating smell of flowers and vanilla coffee made the hairs on his arms stand at attention.

Grayson seemed to know exactly what he wanted, pushing Zack against the nearby wall so hard it sent a shockwave through Zack, shaking him back to what little sense Grayson hadn’t damn-near sucked out of his soul.

What the fuck was he doing? Someone could see them—fuck, anyone could walk in—but that only seemed to make Zack harder.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He had ruts before where he felt nothing but the overwhelming desire to knot and breed, but never once in Zack’s entire life did it feel quite like this. This was a new level of need, an utterly impossible yearning to do nothing more than fuck into that warm, tight heat he could smell permeating through Grayson’s skin.

But with whatever self-restraint Zack had left in him he used to press both hands against Grayson’s shoulders, shoving him back hard enough to put a good foot of distance between them. Zack’s head hit the wall behind him with a sickening thud.

“Fuck!” he hissed, but Grayson only panted in response.

Today didn’t go as expected—at all.

Something flashed in Grayson’s eyes, a moment of clarity, but before Zack had a chance to say anything, Grayson wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You don’t want me?”

“I don’t know you,” Zack shot back.

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
Sai Fox is a new-to-me author and I look forward to reading more in the future.

Omegas in Power is the first installment in the Omegas in Power series.

What I enjoyed the most about the novel is the dynamic which isn't often explored in this genre, which is quite evident with the title. While omegas still have to deal with the fallout of being treated as second-class citizens by those who wish to retain power over them, Grayson is an omega acting as interim president of a large corporation.

As the eldest, Grayson's mother passed while giving birth to his little brother, which put a stain on their relationship. Forever attempting to apologize for presenting as an omega, Grayson has the weight of the world upon his shoulders. His father recently passing, Grayson is struggling to remain in power, the terms of the will hamstringing him while maintaining the resentment he feels for his brother.

Zack is not only grieving the loss of his elder brother but also the loss of his family livelihood. With his brother's death, the business was put in jeopardy, allowing Grayson's company to swoop in and steal it. Away from the support system of his band, unsure what he wants to do with life, struggling to help his omega and alpha fathers, Zack is floundering.

A marriage of convenience turns into something more...

There was just something about Grayson and Zack, where they complemented each other perfectly, drawing the best out of one another, especially courage to go after what they want the most. Joining forces, along the way, they realize what they want and what they need are one in the same.

Sweet, smoldering, and engaging, I read Omegas in Power in a single sitting. The relationship and family dynamics creating an angsty, emotional, and sometimes warm and fuzzy escape.

 

 

SAI FOX was born and raised in New York City, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that there’s an ever-present coffee cup on her desk as she writes well into the night. A chronic insomniac, some of her best ideas come to her right before heading off to bed.

Currently residing in Tokyo, Sai finds most of her time spent writing, reading, and wandering the strange and intoxicating streets that tell thousands of stories… with a cup of coffee. There is always a cup of coffee.

Sai has been writing fiction for well over a decade, enjoying the ability to push boundaries of society and sexuality through her work.

Connect with Sai

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads

 

 

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Omegas in Power (Omegas in Power #1) by Sai Fox to read and review for this tour.

Wishes for Rohi by K.L. Hiers Release Blitz

Ashley Mostrich gets one heck of a birthday surprise when the guy he brought home for the night turns out to be the twin brother of the prince he didn't know he was supposed to marry. Unbeknownst to Ashley, his grandpa made a deal with a jinn and promised him off to the royal family before he was even born.

Zamir is the heir to the mystical kingdom of Palmyra and promises he will love Ashley in time, while his younger brother, Zaire, is trying to get into Ashley 's bed again. Ashley wants to be a faithful fiancé to Zamir, but he cannot deny the powerful chemistry he feels with Zaire. Additional jealousy flares when Ashley discovers that Zamir’s heart already belongs to another, but the pressure for the wedding is on because the future of the Palmyran people hinges on a royal union magically producing an heir.

Once Ashley realizes that Zaire’s feelings for him might be more than physical, he finds himself falling in love with the wrong brother and risking the fate of the entire kingdom. It’ll take a miracle—or one very powerful wish—for everyone to have a happy ending.

 

 

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

“Why does everyone keep calling me ‘savior’?”

“You don’t know? About the prophecy?” Zaire questioned slowly.

“No?”

Zaire made a sour face, mumbling a few soft curses before clearing his throat. “My brother is truly an idiot. Come with me,” he said, taking Ashley’s arm and guiding him back toward where the little girl was.

People were bringing her little trinkets and baubles, receiving a slice of the cake from her in exchange. She had a crown of flowers in her hair, well dressed, and seemed to be of some importance despite her youth.

Ashley watched for a few moments. “Who is that?”

“That is Lady Alana,” Zaire replied, waiting for the name to settle in Ashley’s brain.

“Lady Alana. Wait, she’s the birthday girl?”

“Yes,” Zaire said, something sad in his voice. “Our people are dying, Ashley. Slowly but surely, jinn are fading away. Every generation has gotten smaller and smaller, and there hasn’t been a new jinn child born in over thirty years.”

“Thirty years... Alana was the last one?”

“Yes. Even with all our proper breeding and perfect little arranged marriages, every mating ritual since her birth has failed. But there’s a prophecy, you see, that a royal wedding will bless the entire kingdom with an entire new generation of children.”

“Wait a damn second, that little girl is freakin’ thirty?”

“Yes,” Zaire huffed impatiently. “We don’t age as humans do. Now, do you understand why you are so important?”

“Everyone actually believes that me getting knocked up by your brother or me knocking him up is the future of your entire race?”

“Mmm, pretty much. It’ll probably be you getting knocked up, to be honest. But you know, no pressure!”

“Fuck,” Ashley mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face and chugging his drink.

“My brother knows what’s at stake,” Zaire said gently, a tone meant to be comforting. “He will make amends for his behavior, I know it.”

“Do you believe the prophecy?”

Zaire’s brows furrowed, and he glanced down at his mug as he thought over the question. He took a small sip before he said, “I believe that other people believe it’s true. I’ve never been much for fate or destiny. I much prefer the idea that I’m in control of my own life.”

“You realize this makes what you did even more screwed up?”

“Hmm?”

“If the prophecy is real, you risked the future of your race just to piss off your brother.”

“First of all,” Zaire drawled, wagging his finger, “I never planned for ‘what we did’ to go that far. I truly had no intentions of having sex with you. I was expecting to find a blushing virgin, not an insatiable bedroom hellcat—”

“A bedroom what now?”

“And second of all,” Zaire went on with a smirk, “it was quite impossible to think about the good of my people once I had tasted your gorgeous flesh.”

“Zaire!” Ashley protested, whipping around to see if anyone was listening. He stared back at Zaire, and he suddenly realized that although he could hear his voice, his lips were not moving.

“When you were screaming my name, all I thought about was wanting to hear that sweet sound as many times as I possibly could.”

Ashley gulped, blood creeping up into his cheeks as he stammered, “That’s… that’s, uhm, that was very s-selfish of you.”

“I know,” Zaire said out loud with a smug little smile. “I’m a very selfish person. At times, quite envious as well.”

“Envious?”

“Seeing my brother get all the things I want for myself has become a bit tiresome,” Zaire replied, his lips not moving again, and yet his voice was fully in Ashley’s ear as he stepped into his space. “Not very fair at all.”

“How, how are you doing that?” Ashley hissed, instinctively backing away.

“Doing what?”

“The talking without talking.”

“Magic,” replied Zaire’s voice in his ear.

“You’ve gotta stop saying those kinds of things,” Ashley barked, cringing when he noticed his raised voice earned them several curious stares.

“Hmm, I didn’t actually say a thing,” Zaire pointed out smugly.

“Fine! Stop not saying those things!”

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
Wishes for Rohi is the first installment in the Jinn and Tonic series, and the first I've read as a new-to-me author, K.L. Hiers. Due to a not-my-cup-of-tea situation, I believe this will be the first and last, as I will not be continuing on with the series.

To preface this review, the writing style suited me just fine, but the mindset of the narrator was too infantilized for my tastes. The emotions just skating the surface, completely at odds with the human condition – no fear, never questioning, just follows this stranger to a strange land with no doubts. High. A giddy high Ashley was riding the entire time, where nothing felt real, cavity sweet yet confusing, as the world building was never truly explained.

I can appreciate the fairy tale vibe the novel/series set. Obviously, this is fantasy, so the novel must be read with an air of disbelievability, but I still need an undercurrent of realism to make the character seem lifelike. Fast-paced, to the point where the emotions were nonexistent, moving on from one scene to the next without Ashley unpacking everything he just experienced.

Ashley's mindset was that of a child, giddy and silly, just following along without questioning anything, immediately making besties with anyone put in his path without questioning their motives, speaking and interacting with them as if he had known them his entire life, bantering and teasing – it was bizarre. In the next moment, he would be stomp-his-foot, f-bomb dropping, slap-happy, just waiting for him to throw his drink like so popular in black and white films featuring flighty heroines – behaviors infantilized, saccharine sugar sweet, but at odds with the cursing and seduction. I never truly got a bead on Ashley's true personality.

The romance and warm and fuzzies are front and center, where you hardly notice that it's not a fully fleshed out world and magical system, or at least it was never explained in-depth to the reader via Ashley, because Ashley apparently didn't seem to care, too high on insta-love and romance and wedding planning and royalty and forbidden romance. As I said, Ashley didn't seem to have a personality outside of being giddy or a flash of anger at the stranger he was to call husband.

I can see the appeal of the novel, those looking for a quick escape without much drama will undoubtedly devour the novel and ask for another helping. I just needed more depth, more emotion, more actions/reaction dictated by the human condition, even when set in a fairy tale fantasy novel.

Never fear, everything is tied up in a pretty bow. A trio of siblings get their happy endings. The bestie sister's romantic insta-pairing at the end is what solidified my decision that this author and series isn't for me.

Zaire, especially in cat form, was the shining star of the entire novel, and the only reason I read until its completion.

 

 

K.L. HIERS is an embalmer, restorative artist, and queer writer. Licensed in both funeral directing and funeral service, she’s been working in the death industry for nearly a decade. Her first love was always telling stories, and she has been writing for over twenty years, penning her very first book at just eight years old. Publishers generally do not accept manuscripts in Hello Kitty notebooks, however, but she never gave up.

Following the success of her first novel, Cold Hard Cash, she now enjoys writing professionally, focusing on spinning tales of sultry passion, exotic worlds, and emotional journeys. She loves attending horror movie conventions and indulging in cosplay of her favorite characters. She lives in Zebulon, NC, with her husband and their children, some of whom have paws and a few that only pretend to because they think it’s cute.

Connect with K.L.

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: K.L. Hiers’ Hot Dog Shack

 

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Wishes for Rohi (Jinn and Tonic #1) by K.L. Hiers to read and review for this tour.

Run Free by Colette Davison Release Blitz

They believe they only need each other, until they collide with their soul mate.

Jax is an omega, Hugo is human, and their love is forbidden. They’ve spent the last seven years on the streets, relying on no one but each other.

When they collide with Dominic, they realise something has always been missing. Jax is keen to get to know the alpha, but Hugo resists the mate-call, worrying that, as a human, there will be no room for him.

The only way they can be free to love each other is to escape the UK, but will Dominic leave his life behind to find home with two younger men?

Run Free is an alternate universe MMM shifter novel, with fated mates, knotting, mpreg, an age-gap relationship, and a happy ending.

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As they rounded a corner, Jax collided with a muscular guy in a smart suit. The hairs on the back of Hugo’s arms stood up as a pulse of electricity swept through him. He grabbed Jax’s arm, steadying him so he didn’t fall.

“We’ve got to go,” he hissed, tugging his lover’s arm.

Jax didn’t move. He was staring at the man in the suit, breathing harshly. The shopkeeper’s yells were getting closer, yet Hugo couldn’t resist glancing at the man they’d bumped into. He found himself noticing every tiny detail in a matter of seconds. The guy was gorgeous, with dark hair that had been cut into a short, neat style and grey eyes with a dark brown ring around the pupil. His cheekbones were sharp and pronounced, and he had a couple days’ worth of stubble. He smelt of rainy days and damp moss. Hugo’s stare tracked to the man’s neck, where he saw the rice grain-sized bump of a chip beneath his skin. He was a shifter. Judging by the man’s size and the way Jax was quivering, he had to be an alpha. Hugo felt like he was being pulled towards the man, which was a dangerous sensation, considering how close the shopkeeper’s shouts sounded.

“We’ve got to go,” Hugo insisted, tugging Jax harder. They couldn’t get caught.

“Go,” the alpha said.

His voice was deep and velvety, the kind of voice you could listen to all day and not get bored of. It was a voice Hugo could happily get wrapped up in. Damn, why was he thinking that way, and why was his skin tingling in the alpha’s presence?

He shook himself.

“Run,” the man told them in a commanding growl, stepping aside so he was no longer blocking the path.

Jax pushed him forward, and suddenly, they were running again. Hugo felt a sickening wrench in his stomach, which made him falter, but he quickly found his feet again. Nothing mattered but getting as far away from the shopkeeper as possible.

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
This was the author's first time writing this type of book, and it was pretty good. I LOVED Jax and Hugo. Their love could be felt, it poured off the pages. They went through so much and you felt it as they went through it all. I didn't feel that connection with Dominic, something felt off with him. I didn't understand how he could just up and leave either. I think this would have been much better as a MM book instead of MMM, at least for me.

Colette’s personal love story began at university, where she met her future husband. An evening of flirting, in the shadow of Lancaster castle, eventually led to a fairytale wedding. She’s enjoying her own ‘happy ever after’ in the north of England with her husband, two beautiful children and her writing.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Run Free by Colette Davison to read and review for this tour.

Save Me by A.M. Arthur

Alpha Gaven Freel was taught by his doting beta parents to protect and respect omegas, and he sees those parents as shining examples of how to love his future mate. Except he’s only nineteen and still a university student, so Gaven has plenty of time to find his omega bondmate—but fate has other plans, and he scents his omega from across a crowded waiting room. Too bad his bondmate is the son of his parents’ oldest enemy.

At twenty-two, omega Frey Porter has already gone through multiple heats without an alpha. He’s desperate to find a mate, but his sire Monte Porter won’t settle for just any alpha for his only omega son. Frey will one day access a sizable trust fund—no gold diggers allowed into the wealthy Porter family. When Frey insists younger alpha Gaven Freel is his bondmate, Monte is skeptical about the pairing. And Gaven’s parents are skeptical right back, worried Monte might use the situation to punish Gaven for decades-old hurts.

Monte surprises everyone by negotiating a fair financial agreement that limits Gaven’s access to Frey’s trust fund and by allowing them to mate. Gaven has no interest in money, only in being the best alpha possible to Frey, and with Frey’s next heat months away, they have plenty of time to date and get to know each other. Frey is intimidated by Gaven’s huge extended family, but he also adores their camaraderie and genuine love for each other. Frey wants his future to be with the Freels.

Gaven is busy making plans for their life together when the unthinkable happens—Monte serves Gaven with papers dissolving the mating agreement. Papers Frey signed, too, and stands by. Devastated by losing his bondmate, Gaven sinks into a deep depression even his best friends can’t get him out of. But Frey also has a terrible, life-altering secret he’s keeping from Gaven, and he’ll have to learn to trust in the strength of the mating bond in order to save them both from darkness.

Save Me is the first book in the brand-new Finding Free omegaverse series, which is a spin-off of the fan-favorite Breaking Free series. This is an original universe featuring mpreg, A/B/O dynamics, heats, knotting and an alpha-dominated society that is starting to see advances in omega rights.
Content warnings for dark themes apply. See interior blurb for additional warning.

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shannan – ☆☆☆☆☆
Save Me is the first book in the Finding Free series which is a spin off from the Breaking Free series. Finding Free happens 13 years later and involves all of the kids.

Save Me is Gaven Freel (Serge and Dax's son) and Frey’s, the omega son of Monte, an alpha from Dax and Serge's past, story.

Gaven and Frey have a chance meeting, scenting each other immediately. They both want to explore the connection, but past issues and Frey's sire make doing that very difficult.

I loved getting back into this world. I've missed the parents’ characters and now getting the kids’ stories is exciting. I loved this read and can't wait to see where this series goes!!


Angie – ☆☆☆☆
I liked this spin-off series. We got to see some of the couples from the original series. I loved Gaven and Frey. They are so sweet together. I don't want to spoil the book, but I did shed a tear or two reading this one. My heart just hurt. If you read the previous series and enjoyed it, you will definitely enjoy this book. I hope the next book is just as good and we get a glimpse of Gaven and Frey so we can see what happens next.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/M Omega with male pregnancy, romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

This book is a spinoff of the Breaking Free series. It is years later and now we're having stories of the children in the previous series.

This is a book about Gaven and Frey. Gaven was raised by amazing betas who love him dearly. He knows that alphas are supposed to love and protect his mate. But Gaven is also very aware that his family is a lot to handle. There are a lot of them that grew up together and when you add in the friends, it's a large group.

Frey has lived a sheltered life. He is the protector to his two younger brothers. When his Omegin passes away, his alpha father is less than affectionate and a lot surly. His father also is very old school in his belief that omegas are there to satisfy their alphas.

While this is supposed to be a love story, it felt that we were missing the couple for most of the book. They meet briefly, come to terms that they are fated for each other, and then spend almost the entire book apart. This seemed more like a book about Gaven and his family and friends.

I wished that this was a more comprehensive story. It felt truncated and kind of zigzagged through the storyine.

A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone's throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She's been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn't been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories. A.M. Arthur's work is available from Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, SMP Swerve, and Briggs-King Books.

When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Save Me (Finding Free #1) by A.M. Arthur to read and review.

Bitter Heat by Leta Blake Release Blitz

A pregnant omega trapped in a desperate situation, an unattached alpha with a lot to prove, and an unexpected fall into love that could save them both.

Kerry Monkburn is contracted to a violent alpha in prison for brutal crimes. Now pregnant with the alpha’s child, he lives high in the mountains, far above the city that once lured him in with promises of a better life. Enduring bitterness and fear, Kerry flirts with putting an end to his life of darkness, but fate intervenes.

Janus Heelies has made mistakes in the past. In an effort to redeem himself, integrity has become the watchword for his future. Training as a nurse under the only doctor willing to take him on, Janus is resolute in his intentions: he will live cleanly in the mountains and avoid all inappropriate affairs. But he doesn’t anticipate the pull that Kerry exercises on his heart and mind.

As the question of Kerry’s future health and safety comes to an explosive head, only the intervention of fate will see these desperate men through to a happy ending.

This gay romance novel by Leta Blake is the third in the Heat of Love universe. It has a strong happy ending and a critically-acclaimed, non-shifter Omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, mpreg, heat, and knotting.
Content warning for a violent and oppressive society regarding reproductive rights.

Book 3
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Bitter Heat is the third installment of the Heat of Love series. While I do believe there wouldn't be much confusion if read as a standalone or out of series order, the emotional payoff for the reader would be greater if read in order, simply because of threads tying these main characters to previous novels.

While we've only read a mention or two of Kerry in the previous book, Janus was a large part of Alpha Heat, as a past beau, cousin, and reformed antagonist.

After several bouts of the flu, which not only compromised his health but had him realizing he needed to change the path of his life, Janus takes to the wilds of the hills, seeking retribution, solitude, and mentoring in the medical field. What is thought of as a nurse in the city. Janus is now considered a doctor to the hillfolk, as he stays in a boarding house and assists their local self-acknowledged doctor.

Kerry is under contract with a monstrous alpha, who is currently incarcerated, which in turn imprisons Kerry into a way of life that isn't necessarily consensual. Kerry got more than he bargained for when he signed the contract, locking him into a lifetime of torment. Even while his alpha is imprisoned, Kerry has to have his heats serviced by the very man sentenced for abuses against omegas. With the way the current laws are written, contracted omegas are property, which means anything that happens between the contracted pair is legal, no matter how heinous.

Abused, pregnant, and hopeless, Kerry is beyond reserved yet also stuck in an untenable situation, where he's terrified his son will behave as his sire, forcing him to take unlawful, perhaps amoral action.

Without writing an entire book synopsis to avoid spoilers... Bitter Heat is sometimes dark, sometimes filled with unexpected hope, with many warm and fuzzy moments shared between Kerry and Janus. The novel's slow-burn connection between them ignites to fiery, necessary passion, with a hurt-comfort vibe to heal a few wounds.

There's almost a dystopian feel to the series with the world building. I do wish this was explained a bit more in-depth. I have gone with the flow, but after reading three books back-to-back, I still don't understand how human beings evolved into alpha, beta, and omegas, nor why they pray to the wolf-god. A few mentions to a pandemic, with the bouts of flu from the last novel, but where exactly was this odd religion formed? Religion yet societal yet legal rules and regulations, lending an air that the humans in the series have evolved into what they are now with wolfish behaviors. Why a wolf? Just because of alpha, beta, and omega, which are personality types in wolves, not genders. Why do some have bonded mates and others don't? Where did that phenomenon come from?

While I enjoy the series and the characters' deep connections to one another, I need the world building to be explained further.

While I rated this five stars due to my entertainment and the emotional value I found in the story, as I became invested in the characters, on the world building front, I would have to give two stars, as it's a case of just roll with it and don't think too deeply into it, because nothing has been fully developed nor explained.

Guilty pleasure of mine, I do enjoy omega/alpha novels, and Leta Blake (as well as her other pseudonym) has written most of those at the top of my favorite's list, and this book is among them. I highly recommend to readers who enjoy this author, as well as those looking to dip their toes into this MM Romance subgenre.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/M Male Pregnancy, Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

I have not read the previous books in this series.

Kerry is an omega who is contracted to an alpha currently in prison. Kerry's alpha is a man who gets off, literally, on violence and pain. This was not known to Kerry at the beginning of their relationship, but now he can't escape it.

Janus is an alpha who is trying to redefine himself. It seems as though he's quite sickly at times – it was mentioned – but now he wants to give back to a community of people. He finds himself staying in a rural area that is in need of medical personnel.

This is a relationship that is bound and determined to succeed. When Kerry finds himself pregnant with his horrible alpha's baby, he's not sure what to do. He finds comfort in his friendship with Janus. Their world is somewhat of a mystery – there are no humans any longer and I'm not sure if this is because there never was or if they somehow became the alphas, omegas, and betas of this world.

Janus and Kerry's relationship is a slow burn and they let it simmer throughout a lot of the book. Kerry’s relationship with his in-laws was much more confrontational. Despite the overwhelming evidence of their son's psychotic behavior, they keep Kerry tethered to them because the baby he carries could be a second chance for them – for their line to carry on.

This was full of entertaining banter, emotional pleas, and heartfelt relationships. I really enjoyed it.

Also Available in the Heat of Love Series

Book 1
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For reviews & more info, check out our Slow Heat Audiobook Review post.

Book 2
Audiobook Buy Links

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Ebook Buy Links

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~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

For reviews & more info, check out our stop on the Alpha Heat Audiobook Tour.

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Bitter Heat (Heat of Love #3) by Leta Blake to read and review for this tour.