TITLE: An Erie Garden Party
SERIES: Lake Erie Shifters
AUTHOR: V.L. Locey
PUBLISHER: Torquere Press
COVER ARTIST: Kristian Norrise
LENGTH: 32,100 words
RELEASE DATE: April 13, 2016
BLURB: Spring has finally arrived along the shores of Lake Erie and no one is happier than skunk shifter, Templeton Reed. Now that the snows have melted, he can frolic and play on the grounds of Lupei Manor, the formidable home that he shares with his life partner, Mikel Lupei, the alpha of the Lake Erie pack. What a pity that his joy is short lived.
Not only does a stranger appear to shake things up in the manor, bodies begin showing up on the grounds as well! Could the newcomer to the pack be the one viciously killing innocent humans and shifters? Or is there a more nefarious force at work lurking just outside the boundaries of the ancient manse Templeton, Mikel, and their LGBT friends call home?
"Son of a
human," Mikel snarled. He stripped and shifted. I stood with his clothes
over my arms, watching the wolf work the scent. He padded to the lake, snuffled
the shore intently, and then slowly made his way back to the corpse. I turned
my head to stare at Erie when he shoved his head under the bloody sheet to
smell the body. The water seemed almost tranquil today. How I wished we were
planning our spring fete instead of standing here beside a dead man. Mikel
tapping my arm brought my attention from the Great Lake back to him. I handed
him his pants.
"So, what can you
tell us about this poor man's fate?"
"He's human."
Mikel zipped his trousers vehemently. "And he was killed by a large
animal, either wolf or bruin. Whoever did this dragged him through the lake to
mask the scent. I'll have to gather the pack to scour the woods.
Damnation."
"Oh dear me,"
I sighed. "I suppose the call must be made then."
Mikel threw his head
back and stared at the soft white clouds ambling past. "Yes. We have to notify
the Elder counsel. That is standard operating procedure when a human is
involved in mystical matters. Damnation!"
I reached out to pat
his thick bicep. I wasn't sure he wanted consolation but I offered it anyway.
He placed his hand over mine.
"Let me know when
they plan to arrive. I'll take a long stroll through the woods."
Mikel's lip rolled as
he turned to look down at me. "I hate that as well. You should be at my
side. This mansion is as much your home as it is mine."
"Yes, well, the
times they aren't a changing as rapidly as needed," I smiled then snuggled
into his wide chest. His arms cinched around me tightly, his smoky shirt
smashed between us. My ear rested over his strong heart. "If one of the
Elders saw me here it would raise questions. I know we have a lie all in place,
but I for one do not wish to put that lie to the test. Better I enjoy the
forest for an hour or so while they attend to this mess."
"I love you beyond
words, Templeton," Mikel said into my black hair. "Someday, I swear,
we shall not have to hide our love for each other."
"From your mouth to the Elders' ears," I whispered, then tipped my head up for a kiss. We both needed one. Pity it couldn't be a longer one, but it was tender.
So, this is book 3 in this series. I did not know this when
it was given to me to review. I don’t think I was confused though I do think
reading 1 and 2 would have made a few things a little clearer. I’m not sure.
This book focuses on a Mikel (a wolf shifter) and Templeton
(a skunk shifter) Yep skunk. I have to say I was shocked. LOL. Never have I
ever read a skunk shifter story. I was skeptical. Well Templeton is absolutely
fabulous! He’s hilarious and adorable and I loved him to pieces.
What I REALLY was impressed with was VL Locey’s research. Skunks
have vision problems. They are nearsighted and she didn’t ignore that fact. She
even transferred it over to when he was human. That made me so happy! Too often
when we read shifter stories they are unblemished. Have no issues. It’s nice to
see how Templeton was written and I liked that VL Locey added this.
I will be going back to read book 1 and 2 as I did find this
installment to be wildly entertaining!
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, two dogs, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and three Jersey steers.
When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in hand. She can also be found online on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and GoodReads.
Winner’s Prize: Digital copy of An Erie Garden Party.
April
18: Rainbow
Book Reviews
April
19: Cia’s
Stories
April
20: Diverse
Reader
April
22: Multitasking
Mommas Book Reviews
April
25: Alpha Book Club
April
26: Wicked
Faeries Tales And Reviews
April
28: Drops
of Ink
April 29: Frosty's Book Corner
Thank you so much for hosting me today!
ReplyDeleteThis series looks wonderful. Now on my TBR list!!!
ReplyDeleteWoot! Shoo happy that the newest installment published! Congratulations on the release, VL - can't wait to get my hand on a copy!!
ReplyDeleteOh, and thank you for the giveaway chance. :)