Jessica E. Subject's Blog, page 2

February 2025 Reads...

Below are the books that I finished in February and my thoughts on each. 

I'm not doing any reading challenges this year, but since February was Black History Month, I read two books from Black authors that were already on my reading apps. I'm having a harder time reading on a screen now. I still do, but I have found a workaround for some books. I make a list of the books on my apps that fit into a certain category. Then I go to my local library's website and see which ones are available to check out there. If I can get a paperback or hardcover version to read, I will read that. Otherwise, I read on a tablet. Phones are way too small for me to read on now. 

Anyway, it was a great month of reading, and I'm almost done my next book, but I didn't finish it before the end of February. GIRL OF FLESH AND METAL by Alicia Ellis

Girl of Flesh and Metal is a wonderful YA novel about what could happen when AI is connected to the human brain. It shows that even when technology is used with the purpose of helping people, it can have deadly consequences. I really enjoyed this first book in the series! The fictional futuristic world was easy to immerse into, and I enjoyed learning about all the characters and seeing them grow in the story, especially Lena. I look forward to reading the next book in the series! THE SPY COAST by Tess Gerritsen

Maggie Bird is a retired CIA spy living in Purity, Maine with other retirees from the same organization. She enjoys a peaceful life raising chickens and helping her neighbors at the farm next to hers. After she is contacted about a former mission, she is unwillingly thrust in the middle of an investigation where she doesn't know who is on her side and who wants her dead. The story goes back in time quite often to introduce characters and give details of the former mission, all while Maggie is trying to gather clues about who is after her. Sometimes her retired friends help her and other times she leaves them behind. Plus, she has local acting Police Chief Jo Thibodeau asking a lot of questions that she can't answer. The Spy Coast is an intense thriller that kept me enthralled until the end! The characters were all wonderful and I enjoyed traveling around the world with them. I've enjoyed Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series and I look forward to more in this series as well. ​GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN by Talia Hibbert

As a web designer with chronic pain, Chloe Brown doesn't get out much and her only friends are her family. In a moment of adventure, she writes a list of things she wants to accomplish that will prove she has a life. When she comes across a cat in a tree while out for a walk on a good day, she decides to climb up and rescue the cat. Redford Morgan, an artist/ building superintendent comes across his tenant stuck in a tree and offers to help her back down. Though Chloe won't admit she needs help, she allows him to help her and believes he can also help her cross some things off her list. What neither of these two damaged souls expect is to enjoy spending time with each other and to eventually fall in love. Chloe's disability as well as both of their pain from their past relationships play a pivotal role in this book. And while there are some hurtful misunderstandings between the two main characters, this book is a true romance. Though the last few chapters proved quite the roller coaster ride. I look forward to reading more from Talia Hibbert!

Lion's Crossing is here!

Lion's Crossing has released! This MM MPreg Shifter Romance is part of both the multi-author shared world of Love Sync Mates Season Two and my Shifter Towers series.

It was partially inspired by the Via Rail incident that happened at the end of August last year, where passengers were stranded on a broken down train for over 10 hours. If you want to read an more about what conditions were like for passengers on that train, check out this article from CBC. 

Also, Linc, who is the alpha in this book, was also mentioned previously in my Shifter Towers series, in His Omega on Stage. 
Small town omegas shouldn't travel to the big city on their own. Or so my parents tell me. But that doesn't stop me from taking the train to Saramto for a week's vacation.

Ever since I became an adult, my parents have urged me to find a good alpha to settle down with and tried many times to set me up with one. But there aren't any “good alphas” in Shifter Crossing. So, I live in a tiny apartment on my own and clean at the local high school to pay for my expenses. When my vacation time comes, I take the train to the metropolis of Saramto to visit museums I've only heard about, eat foods not available in a small town, and see what it's like to live in a big city.

My holidays are quickly derailed when the train breaks down on the way, leaving all the passengers stranded for hours. That's just the beginning of the ruination of my meticulously planned vacation. If not for a kind (and very famous) alpha who comes to my rescue, I doubt I would survive my first night in the big city. But I wonder if his good will comes with a cost, and will it be too much for me to repay?

Lion's Crossing is the eighth book in USA Today bestselling author Jessica E. Subject’s sweet with building heat Shifter Towers series and the seventh book in the Love Sync Mates Season Two shared world series. Lion's Crossing is a MM MPreg Shifter Romance that features a small town deer shifter omega anxious to visit the metropolis of Saramto for the first time, a lion shifter alpha and former boy band member ready to return to the big city for work after taking some time off to help his father after surgery, a broken down train, and Fate doing what they do best in bringing these two together.  If you like fated mates, true love, slow burn romance, and an unpredicted heat to fire things up a notch, Lion's Crossing is the book for you. While each book in the Shifter Towers series is set in the same world, they can be read as standalones. Lion's Crossing at Amazon US Lion's Crossing at Amazon Canada Lion's Crossing at Amazon UK Lion's Crossing Universal Buy Link Enjoy an excerpt from Lion's Crossing... ​“Attention passengers,” the voice came over the coach’s static-filled PA system. “There has been a brief delay in our travels, and we are working quickly to get on our way again.”
 
That didn’t tell us much. It could have meant there was a problem with one of the passengers, or there was an engine malfunction. Either way, I hoped to be moving again soon. I was supposed to arrive ahead of the check-in time at my hotel, but with the delay, I would likely arrive right on time.
 
The alpha beside me began typing furiously on his phone, so I leaned back and pressed play on my music streaming app. I had my playlist on shuffle, so I didn’t know which song would play first. “Fated For Forever” was the first random song I heard, sung by the pop group FNL about how when an alpha finds their fated mate, they will love them forever. The group had since disbanded, but I still enjoyed the music they had released. I wasn’t a huge fan of theirs, didn’t know all their names or anything, but appreciated their sound. A short clip of the group played on the app, showing the group dancing to the music. And that’s when I realized the identity of the alpha sitting beside me. He was a former member of FNL.
 
I froze for a moment, hoping he hadn’t looked over to see what music I listened to on my phone. I didn’t want him to think I was some crazed fan who would be all over him because of his celebrity status. Leaning into the corner of my seat, away from the alpha, I switched to a new song then brought up my search engine. Looking up FNL, I tried to find a list of the members to figure out which one sat beside me. After checking out a few fan pages, I learned his name was Linc, he was a lion shifter, and he lived in Shifter Crossing before heading to Saramto to become a pop star. And after leaving FNL, he’d become a music producer for Adan Records.
 
It all made sense why he hid his identity. I would have, too, if I rode on a train with all these people. Most wouldn’t care about his identity, but one fan pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable behavior would be enough to ruin the ride. And I didn’t want to witness that, either.
 
I made a mental note to only talk to him about being from Shifter Crossing. That was, if he decided to talk to me. Because, so far, he seemed engrossed in his phone. Even though we weren’t moving, I returned to looking out the window and listening to my music. It wasn’t as if I could do anything else.

Lion's Crossing - Pre-Order & eARCs available!

I wrote Lion's Crossing after being asked again to be part of the Love Sync Mates shared world again. It is part of their Season Two collection of books as well as the eighth book in my Shifter Towers series. And Lion's Crossing releases February 16, 2025! Here's the blurb:

Small town omegas shouldn't travel to the big city on their own. Or so my parents tell me. But that doesn't stop me from taking the train to Saramto for a week's vacation.

Ever since I became an adult, my parents have urged me to find a good alpha to settle down with and tried many times to set me up with one. But there aren't any “good alphas” in Shifter Crossing. So, I live in a tiny apartment on my own and clean at the local high school to pay for my expenses. When my vacation time comes, I take the train to the metropolis of Saramto to visit museums I've only heard about, eat foods not available in a small town, and see what it's like to live in a big city.

My holidays are quickly derailed when the train breaks down on the way, leaving all the passengers stranded for hours. That's just the beginning of the ruination of my meticulously planned vacation. If not for a kind (and very famous) alpha who comes to my rescue, I doubt I would survive my first night in the big city. But I wonder if his good will comes with a cost, and will it be too much for me to repay?

Lion's Crossing is the eighth book in USA Today bestselling author Jessica E. Subject’s sweet with building heat Shifter Towers series and the seventh book in the Love Sync Mates Season Two shared world series. Lion's Crossing is a MM MPreg Shifter Romance that features a small town deer shifter omega anxious to visit the metropolis of Saramto for the first time, a lion shifter alpha and former boy band member ready to return to the big city for work after taking some time off to help his father after surgery, a broken down train, and Fate doing what they do best in bringing these two together.  If you like fated mates, true love, slow burn romance, and an unpredicted heat to fire things up a notch, Lion's Crossing is the book for you. While each book in the Shifter Towers series is set in the same world, they can be read as standalones.
Lion's Crossing at Amazon US Lion's Crossing Universal Buy Link ​Attention book reviewers! If you like MM MPreg Shifter Romances with a surprise heat and an unexpected pregnancy, Lion’s Crossing eARCs are available at Booksprout! Claim an eARC of Lion's Crossing

January 2025 reads...

Below are the books that I read in January and my thoughts on each. 

I'm not doing any reading challenges this year, but I am planning to keep my reading diverse as I tackle the pile of books I have on my shelves, both digital and physical. And I do have a goal of reading at least 30 books. I'm a slow reader, so that's a lot for me. It's also why I give high ratings to the books I do finish. If a book doesn't capture my attention right away, is in need of editing, or pushes a character ideal that I don't agree with, I am not going to take the time to finish that book. I've already DNF'd at least four books this year. But I never mention them, only the ones I enjoyed reading. YEAR ONE by Nora Roberts

This book was different than the other Nora Roberts books I read, because it was less about romance and more about survival, community, and hope. In some ways, Year One reminded me of Stephen King's The Stand as well as many books and movies about a chosen one. Yet, Year One had something special and magical that Nora Roberts always brings to her books, and it reminded me of the first Nora Roberts book I read, Dance Upon the Air. There is a huge cast of characters in Year One. Most of the time I found it easy to follow along, except when large chunks of time were skipped. Then I got a little confused, but the story managed to get me on track again. I really enjoyed Year One and look forward to reading the next in the Chronicles of The One series. If you're a fan of Nora Roberts, like dystopian stories, or live for books about a chosen one, be sure to read Year One. THE STARDUST GRAIL by Yume Kitasei

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei is a sci-fi space adventure that for me had some Indiana Jones and Star Trek qualities. But at its heart, it's a story about defining humanity and what lengths a species will go to in order to protect themselves and ensure their survival. There are many characters with many different pronouns based on gender and species, and the character growth is very evident for all of the characters in this story. Each one has a clear moral compass at the beginning of the story, but they are forced to question it throughout as they learn truths beyond what they'd imagined and must make decisions with the new knowledge in order to survive. The pacing varies throughout, but when the characters aren't contemplating life, they are trying to sneak in somewhere, to escape, or to save one or more of the other characters. All in all, I enjoyed Yume Kitasei's second novel and I think it would be perfect to be produced on film as a limited series. FALLING BODIES by Rebecca Roanhorse

Falling Bodies by Rebecca Roanhorse is a sci-fi short that deals with colonization, the forced removal of children from their home only to be raised by the colonizers, the illusion of "peace" talks between the colonizers and those native to the land, and the effects all of that has on those who grow up in the after affects. While the story mentions an alien species as the colonizers of Earth, it is obvious how this story relates to colonialism that has happened and is still happening on our own planet. The ending is not a happy one, but it definitely gets the point of the story across.

My 2024 Wrapped & Goals for 2025

Every year, Spotify does their Wrapped summaries at the beginning of December, telling their users what songs and artists they listened to the most, along with other interesting listeners facts. They do the same for the artists, telling them their most popular songs, and where the majority of their listeners are from. This year, I saw authors and readers doing the same sort of thing, but about books. I found the template they used on Canva, and decided to make one for myself. So, if you didn't see my Wrapped on social media, here it is. Though I've added a few more tidbits here. Enjoy! Above are my goals for 2024, none of which I accomplished. With Left On Earth, I contemplated over and over whether to make it a novella or a short story. And I wrote it as both throughout the year. In the end, I decided to make it a longer short story, but I still have a lot of writing to do for it. I plan to continue working on that story this year. With 3 Secrets, I did get some more words into the story, but it is not finished yet. I hope to finish it this year. I did work on the plot for 2 Fans, but only the first half. Not sure if I'll get to that story this year. Though I didn't accomplish the goals I set at the beginning of 2024, I did have two book releases, and write a total of 84,415 words that doesn't include the words I removed during edits. Those words were between Once Upon a Dance Club Wish, Lion's Crossing, and my three works in progress I mention below.

2024 releases:
Fox Trapped (Shifter Towers book seven)
Once Upon a Dance Club Wish (City Wishes & Enchanted Dreams book one)

Coming in 2025:
Lion's Crossing (Shifter Towers book eight) - will be available for pre-order soon
Plus more to come!
My current works in progress are:
1. City Wishes & Enchanted Dreams book two
2. Romance Tales from the Quadrants book two (working title 3 Secrets)
3. Dystopian short story (working title Left On Earth)

I also asked for the rights back to four of my older stories. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but didn't know if I would have the time to revise/rewrite them and republish them. But it is my goal to work on them this year along with my other WIPs.
Authors are not only supposed to write, but they're supposed to read, too. In 2024, it was not only my goal to write more, but also to read more. I'm a slow reader, so I set a goal of 24 books for the year. Two a month. In 2024, i surpassed that goal, reading 31 books. There were many I started but did not finish. Because I'm a slow reader, I don't have time to push through books that don't intrigue me. I never mention these books or review them, as they simply weren't meant for me. But I did read a lot of great books, the longest one being 448 pages, and the second longest at 447 pages. Plus, I tried the Fold Reading Challenge to diversity my reading. It was a great way to find many new authors and read from a variety of settings, cultures, and view points. There is another Fold Reading Challenge this year, which looks fabulous! I will not being doing it, as I already have a diverse collection of books waiting on my physical and digital bookshelves for me to read. So, my goal this year is to get through them. I'm hoping to read at least 30, though hopefully more. Plus, there are some upcoming releases that I have pre-ordered, and many more on my wish list waiting for their release.

2025 Books Pre-Ordered:
You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh - May 20
Titan of the Stars by E.K. Johnston - May 27

Here's a recap of the books I read in 2024 (in the order I read them):
All of them were great reads, but my top 12 are in bold.
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
Gaza Writes Back Edited by Refaat Alareer
The Jackal by Erin E. Adams
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
The Red Palace by June Hur
His Ducking Alpha Dragon by Lorelei M. Hart
TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by Jesmeen Kaur Deo
The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed by Noreen Mughees
One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole
Deadly Cure by Mahi Cheshire
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Snowglobe by Soyoung Park
Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
Road to Ruin by Hana Lee
Missing White Woman by Kellye Gerrett
Pretty Furious by E.K. Johnston
Delivered to My Tigers by Mazzy J. March
Midwife to Destiny by Nana Prah
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
Toward Eternity by Anton Hur
Love in the Air by Mariah Ankenman
Dead Sound by Anise Eden
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie
Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau
Sensory: Life on the Spectrum Edited by Bex Ollerton
Full Speed to a Crash Landing by Beth Revis
Escape Velocity by Victor Manibo

What were your favorite reads of 2024?
While I don't remember everything I watched in 2024, here's a list of the more memorable shows I streamed. Some of them have been out for a while, but it took me until 2024 to watch them.The ExpanseWayward PinesBitten3-Body ProblemTransplantGyeongSeong CreatureSweet Home season twoThe Peripheral
​What were your favorite shows and movies that you watched in 2024? I have many goals for 2025, many of which I already mentioned. I will be posting them in a separate post on social media, but I'll recap what I already mentioned...Lion's Crossing to release in Februaryfinish City Wishes & Enchanted Dreams book two and submit for publishingfinish Romance Tales from the Quadrants book two and submit for publishingwork on Dystopian short storyRevise/Rewrite four formerly published stories and republish them
Thank you for all your support over the last year!

December 2024 reads...

Below are the books that I read in December and my thoughts on each. 

I tried to do the Fold Reading Challenge to diversify my reading this year, but didn't meet the December challenge. It definitely made a difference in my reading, and I plan to continue to read diversely while tackling the pile of books I have n my shelves, both digital and physical. SENSORY: LIFE ON THE SPECTRUM Edited by Bex Ollerton

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum is a fabulously diverse collection of comics that shows what life on the spectrum is like. I first learned about it through the social media of some of the artists involved. From diagnosis to daily living, each artists details what life is like for them, what it means to be autistic, and share their coping strategies. 

This is a great resource for newly diagnosed teens and adults, as well as their families in that it provides guidance and assurance that they are not alone. It is important to note that this collection of comics also shows that everyone's autistic experience is different, and I believe that is an important takeaway. FULL SPEED TO A CRASH LANDING by Beth Revis

Full Speed to a Crash Landing is a fast-paced read from the beginning where everything I thought I knw about the main character, Ada, and her situation got flipped on its head the more I read. There are hints throughout the story that Ada is keeping a secret from the reader, but it is not revealed until the last chapter in her point of view. The memos at the end of the book give more background information and possibly hints about the next book in the series, which I am anxious to read. ESCAPE VELOCITY by Victor Manibo

Reading this book felt very timely considering the current political climate. And I admit there were times I wanted to throw my ereader across the room because of the attitudes of many of the elite and wealthy characters. There were some I sort of felt sorry for until I remembered they still had privilege even as they fell from grace. Regardless, I kept reading because I knew something was going to happen based on the first chapter and the occasional chapter in the point of view of one of the crew of the space station, Altaire. I wanted something to happen.

Escape Velocity revealed the inequalities of the 1% vs. everyone else, their concerns, and their relationships with others. They are not the same at all, and the 1% have no idea what everyone else wants. So, when the space station, Altaire is taken over by some of the crew, they don't understand why their money and power won't help. 

While the ending of Escape Velocity seemed a little abrupt, I like to think the world became slightly better for those living on it. 

Teaser Tuesday: Alien Attraction, an M/F Aliens on Earth Romance

Today's Teaser Tuesday is from the third book in my Alien Next Door series, Alien Attraction. The FMC of this story, Rachel, is the daughter of Luke and Rachel from Alien Adoration, and sister to Adam from Alien Admirer. This story is a little more action-packed than the first two. Read and excerpt from Alien Attraction below... Enjoy the beginning of Alien Attraction... ​Soul mate. The one person Angela would marry, spend the rest of her life with. Did she have one somewhere on this planet, or was she destined to spend the rest of her life alone?

Holding the crystal orb passed down to her by her father over a year earlier, she willed it to give her a sign, flash red or blue. Or any other color for all she cared. The extraterrestrial sphere hadn’t provided any guidance in her life decisions as it had her father and brother, hadn’t shared its thoughts on the two guys she’d dated since moving to the city, not even whether she should stay there. Had the battery died? Or was she too human to make it work? Her brother Adam, had told her to be thankful she shared little of the extraterrestrial DNA, that her life would be easier. Instead, she didn’t fit in. Anywhere.

The last few years had been brutal as she waited to locate her one true love, especially after Adam had married Sera. Angela had given up on all the guys she’d gone to high school with, none of them interested in anything other than drinking and one-night stands. Moving far from home had been the best decision she’d made in her life, but hadn’t brought her any closer to finding love.

Tempted to slam the orb on the floor and smash it to pieces, she instead tucked it into a nest of tissue paper inside a cardboard box. Next time she drove the four-hour trip to visit her family, she would return it to her father and give up on the idea of celestial intervention. After fitting the lid on top, she shoved the box into the rear of her bedroom closet. No point in leaving it out for another year to collect dust.

With a sigh, she plodded over to the bay view window in the main room of her tiny apartment, the only saving grace to being on the fifteenth floor. She picked up her plum-colored pillow and plopped onto the matching foam seat. Glancing across the city, she gazed at the setting sun, the end of another day on her own. Growing up, she’d never imagined living so far from her parents, in a city full of concrete, steel, glass, and people. So many people. Yet, she failed to make a connection with very many of them, save for the sweet old lady next door who had passed away from a heart attack a month earlier. Angela didn’t regret her decision to move though, not when the friends she’d grown up with were alcoholics, or in prison for dealing drugs.

Knock, knock.

She jumped. Except for her former neighbor, no one visited her. Plus, the building had a controlled entrance, so anyone who did decide to pop over had to call up first.

The sound came again. She rushed to the entrance, curious as to who stood on the other side. No one at work had mentioned stopping by. Heck, she was lucky if her co-workers remembered her name for an entire day.

Peeking through the peephole, she gasped. A guy. And a damn hot one from what she could tell through the tiny hole. Shoulder-length brown hair, a prominent nose, and radiant green eyes. Though his scowl left her wanting to sneak away from the entrance and pretend she wasn’t at home.

When he raised his fist to knock again, a burst of courage swept through her. She yanked the door open before he made contact. “Can I help you?”

He jumped, his scowl momentarily gone. “You’re Angela Jones?”

“Yes....” How did he know her name when she’d never met him before? Usually it was the other way around. People knew her face, but couldn’t get her name right if their lives depended on it.

The stranger held out a couple of envelopes. “I believe this is your mail. Seems the postal carrier put them in my box instead of yours.”

She took them from him. “Thank you.” Maybe it was a good thing the mail lady kept mixing up Angela’s box in the lobby with the one next to hers. That was how she’d ended up meeting sweet Mrs. Kersley, her neighbor before the handsome man in front of her had moved in. She could get to know him better. “You.... You’re new here, right? Would you like to come in for coffee?”

“No.” He furrowed his brows, looking even more disgusted than he had through the peephole. “See that this mix up doesn’t happen again. I don’t want this to be a daily trip. I have better things to do.”

What an asshole! Like she had any control over which slot her mail ended up in. As he turned away, she slammed the door behind him. The mail snafu had happened for as long as she’d lived there. Mrs. Kersley hadn’t minded bringing the misdirected letters and packages to her. She would often make extra food and invite her for dinner when the older woman did stop by. Angela doubted the same would ever happen with Mr. Too Busy. Time to get the computer out and switch everything to e-billing with the hopes of never running into him again.

With a huff, she headed back to the window. Lights flickered to her left. She spun toward her bedroom, where blue and red beams danced across her walls and ceiling. What the hell?

A few cautious steps and she reached the entrance. Peeking inside, she searched for the source of the luminescence. Inside her closet, the box she’d tucked in the back corner less than an hour earlier, lay on its side, with the orb in the middle of the floor, lighting up her bedroom like a disco ball. What had caused it to fall over? And why was it flashing two colors? According to her father and Adam, it pulsed with lights of red or blue, not both. Knowing Angela’s luck, the orb had little life remaining, giving one last show before it finally died.
​
Shaking her head, she picked up the extraterrestrial object, not at all surprised it stopped flashing with her touch. Why would it start working for her after so many years anyway? Stupid ball. She tossed it in the box and used her foot to shove it to the far corner of her closet. Time to face the fact she lived alone in the big city, with no help from anyone or anything. And when her work contract expired in a few weeks, she would consider moving elsewhere rather than sign a new offer of employment. Because she had no chance of stumbling upon her soul mate here, not when people chose to ignore her rather than invite her to group events. Didn’t seem to matter she carried more human DNA than Adam. Alien Attraction (Alien Next Door #3) by Jessica E. Subject ​She wants to be more alien.

He wants to be more human.

Born a galaxy apart, will Angela and Chal have a chance at love, or will their extraterrestrial secrets leave them running to stay alive?
Alien Attraction at Amazon Alien Attraction Universal Buy Link

Teaser Tuesday: Alien Admirer, an M/F Alien on Earth Romance

Today's first Teaser Tuesday post is from the second book in my Alien Next Door series, Alien Admirer. I've switched to Tuesdays, as Friday was already a busy posting day for me on social media. Plus, I can't always share the first chapters of my books due to length or lack of chapters. 

The hero from Alien Admirer, Adam, is the son of Luke and Rachel from Alien Adoration. And he has a huge crush on his recently widowed neighbor. But can anything ever come of it? Read the beginning of Alien Admirer below... Enjoy the beginning of Alien Admirer... Staring out the window at his next door neighbor, Adam cringed. His buddies had already left for Morty’s Pub, needing a break from a week of twelve hour days to finish building another house. He was the only licensed carpenter among them, though they all put in the same effort. Instead of spending his Friday night with them, he’d chosen to lounge in nothing but boxer briefs, and pine over the woman of his desires, but not his reality. Not because one of his parents came from a planet many light years away—a part of his life that he kept secret from everyone. Neither did their eight-year difference in age weigh into his decision to stay away from her.

No, Sera’s husband had died about a year ago and she’d refused to start dating again, saying her kids didn’t want a replacement for their father.

Adam longed for a way to convince her to take a chance on him. Her children, Melody and Zach, clung to him every time he offered to take them swimming in the lake, or treated them to ice cream from the convenience store up the road, or any other time they spotted him outside.

He adored them.

Sure, Sera needed time to grieve. He understood that, but his mental comprehension didn’t stop his dick from stiffening every time he had her in his sight. No woman had left his body humming with one simple glance in her direction. Except Sera.

He yearned to read her thoughts, sense more than her emotions. Her sadness and grief he empathized with, but nothing explained the confusion he sensed around her. In the few moments alone he’d had with her, she always changed the subject when asked if she’d considered dating again. Sure, she trusted him with her kids, but that trust didn’t extend enough to open up to him. She remained a mystery, one he desperately wanted to solve.

Adam groaned, grabbing a shirt. I’m going out. He’d been through all of this before. No point waiting forever for her to change her mind. So what if his dad said his ability to read her emotions pointed to Sera as his soul mate. She’d probably never view him as anything more than a handy sitter.

Pulling on a pair of jeans, he considered a trip to the local pub. The same women always frequented the place, but at least he’d be guaranteed some action. His fist, and fantasies of the woman next door, no longer brought him much satisfaction. He craved the real thing.

Not going to happen.

After a quick spray of cologne, he peeked out his window one last time. And froze. His neighbor stood naked on the dock, her luscious body glowing in the moonlight. That image ingrained in his mind, his cock stiffened. Screw going to the bar. He either finished the job based on the recent sighting, or acted fast to get even closer to her.
​
No harm in trying. He rushed down the stairs.
Alien Admirer (Alien Next Door #2) by Jessica E. Subject He fills her with forbidden longing…

Widowed for over a year, Sera longs for the company of her younger, sexier neighbor, the one man she can never have—unless she plans to rob the cradle. It’s too dangerous…

She’s the only one for him…
​
Adam never wanted to settle down…until Sera. But even when her children give him the green light, he must prove age is an alien concept... 

Will Sera give him a chance, or will Adam be left in the cold, never more than her alien admirer?
Alien Admirer at Amazon Alien Admirer Universal Buy Link

November 2024 Reads...

Below are the books that I read in November and my thoughts on each. 

I'm trying to do the Fold Reading Challenge to diversify my reading. In November, I was to read an ACCESSIBLE book by a marginalized author. I used the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) website to search for books I had by marginalized authors to see if they were ACCESSIBLE. I found many that were, and decided to read Jackie Lau's book which I had bought from a local bookstore earlier in the year. December is 2024 in reflection. I'm not sure what that means at the time of writing this post, but I'll see what The Fold recommends. DEAD SILENCE by S. A. Barnes

Dead Silence is a futuristic sci-fi horror that is psychological, supernatural, and about survival out in the vastness of space. It was an intense ride from the beginning to end that kept me wondering how reliable the narrator was throughout.

When Claire and her crew come across the Aurora, a long-lost luxury ship, at the end of their mission, they decide to board the ship and salvage some of the some of the riches as a finder's fee while investigating what happened to the passengers and crew. But nothing prepares them for the horrors they experience on board.

This is my first S. A. Barnes story, and I look forward to reading more of her sci-fi horror! I've already bought Ghost Station. LOVE, LIES, AND CHERRY PIE by Jackie Lau

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is a fake dating romance with so many layers that each add to how great this story is. Emily hears about Mark Chan all the time from her mother, but when she meets him, she's not impressed. But her mother won't give up, so Emily convinces Mark to pretend they are in a relationship to get her mother off their case. But their fake relationship is not easy to pull off, and they have to spend more and more time together. Eventually, Emily realizes Mark is not at all like the person she thought he was, and begins to have real feelings for him. But what happens when their families learn that they deceived them?

Not only does Jackie Lau write a fabulous fake dating story, but she also throws in the realities of the publishing industry, living in Toronto, parental expectations, and being the child of immigrant parents. All of it helped to draw me further into the story and made it feel that much more real. If you like fake dating romances, you'll love Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie!

First Chapter Friday: Alien Adoration, an M/F Alien on Earth Romance

Today's First Chapter Friday is from the first book in my Alien Next Door series, Alien Adoration. This was the first title I self-published after having several titles out with Decadent Publishing and one with another publisher now gone. It was inspired by the song "Spaceman" by Bif Naked. If you listen to the song and read the book, you'll see some key similarities. In Alien Adoration, Rachel admires her "playboy" neighbor through the window while wishing to meet a man who looks like him, but without the rotating dates. But Luke is nothing like she imagined. He's not even from Earth. Read the beginning of Alien Adoration below... Enjoy the beginning of Alien Adoration... A car door slammed. Rachel flicked her eyes open, a flush of adrenaline racing through her body. Not again.

Even though common sense told her to go back to sleep, she slid off the bed and peered out the window. The driver of the red Camaro squealed the tires, tearing off down the street.

Rachel cursed the woman with long, bleached-blonde hair, tiny waist, and the biggest breasts she’d ever seen. Why did her neighbor go for women like that?

Stilettos and sports cars? They were all the same, reminding her she didn’t stand a chance with her neighbor.

Luke Jones.

Whether he wore his work clothes of jeans and a T-shirt that clung tight against his muscular body, or leather pants and a jacket when riding his motorcycle, he defined sexy, making every other guy seem drab. She licked her lips, thinking of him, the hero in every single one of her fantasies since moving in two years earlier, and obviously as the leading man for so many other women, bringing home several each month. Though not one of them ever returned for a second visit. They all left with a commotion, waking her in the middle of the night.

What she wouldn’t give to experience an evening with him. She rolled her eyes. No, never going to happen. Putting out on the first date led to one night stands. And sex on the second night didn’t hold much promise for a long-term relationship, based on her past experiences. One month of seeing Dirk Chambers, the grocery store manager, and she still hadn’t slept with him. Maybe if he didn’t wind up drunk on every single date, she might consider it. Though his suggestions of making out in the bathroom of the local pub, and in the back seat of his car did not appeal to her. So not how she wanted their first time together to be. Those places were fine for the second round of sex and beyond. But, for the first time, she wanted romance, to be swept off her feet.

She studied the water stain on her ceiling, visible by the light of the street lamp. Yet another thing she couldn’t afford to fix. If a man offered to fix her roof for her, she’d find that romantic, and break her first date rule. But did any guy know the meaning of romance anymore? Surely no one from Hanton. The small town boasted the highest rate of divorce in the province due to extramarital affairs. No one in town got married anymore, expecting all vows to be broken within the first year. Those of her classmates who’d been lucky enough to move away bragged of their success in both their marriages and their careers.

Rachel hadn’t had the chance to move away. Thankfully, the view next door didn’t hurt. Though he would never be more than a fantasy. She wanted a relationship, not a one-night stand.

Ready to return to her bed, she squinted at the glow of moonlight reflecting off her neighbor’s front screen door. She sucked in a breath, hoping to catch a glimpse of him to use as a happy thought before going to sleep.

He walked out to his LJ Construction truck in only flannel pants hanging low on his hips. Opening the door, he ducked inside, grabbing…something. Then he slammed the door behind him. The view provided plenty of inspiration for her fantasies, his back muscles just as appealing as his washboard abs. Her pussy clenched, and she craved the toy she hid in her nightstand drawer.

Luke reached for the handle, but turned around before he opened it. Something above her house caught his attention. An airplane? The moon? No, his focus was on her. Shit.

He lifted his hand and waved and without so much as a smile, he returned inside.

Her cheeks burned. God, he’d caught her gawking. Did he think she was spying on him? It’s not as if she gaped into his home. No one could with every window covered in heavy drapery at all times. It only added to his mysterious appeal.

She yanked her curtains closed and slipped back into bed, pulling the blankets over her head. The first time he noticed her, and she wore battered pajamas, her hair likely looking like a rat’s nest. Groaning, she turned onto her side, trying to ignore the queasiness in her stomach. In a couple hours for work, she had to get up for work. And the late night interruption meant an extra large black coffee in the morning, just to stay awake. Closing her eyes, she locked away the images of her neighbor’s bare chest for another night.
 
***
 
Luke rubbed the back of his neck. Rachel had seen him, glaring wide-eyed like she expected him to attack. Why did she keep her distance, never say hello? Did she remember him from years ago, or had she woken, disgusted with him because of the loud departure of another of the women he used to try and forget about her?

But he never could get her out of his head. From the moment he’d first met her, she’d implanted herself in his heart. She’d been so kind, so accepting. Now she stared at him from her bedroom, wouldn’t even talk to him. Over the years, she must have become afraid of him, of what he was. An alien.

He trudged up the stairs to his room where the red glow from the orb—his only connection to the world he came from—had finally faded. After dinner, he and Marnie had moved to the couch to get more comfortable. Then the light had appeared. And it grew brighter while she tried to seduce him. Even though he imagined his neighbor in her place, he could never give any woman what she wanted. A brick wall always stood between him and his dates. His neighbor. The unattainable woman. And he refused to stop his female companions as they stormed from his house, calling him a tease, among other names.

He flopped onto his bed. They were right. No one could ever replace Rachel in his heart, and he refused to try anymore. Until she told him outright she didn’t want him, he would never invite another woman over. But if she decided to accept an invitation to dinner, spend some time with him….
​
Smiling, he closed his eyes and visualized the possibilities.
Alien Adoration (Alien Next Door book 1) by Jessica E. Subject ​Erotic dreams fill her with need…
 
Night after night, Rachel fantasizes about her sexy, playboy neighbor. But in her small town, no one changes, least of all the bad boy next door. But when Luke rescues her not once but twice from disastrous dates, she dares to believe her knight in black leather armor may be the right man for her after all.  
 
Until she learns the truth...
 
Life on Earth has never been easy for Luke. Stranded as a little boy, he struggled to craft an existence for himself, but he never forgot the first human he met--and he never stopped wanting to see her again. Returning to Hanton, Luke longs for Rachel. Yet, nothing goes as he plans, and Rachel barely notices him. Convincing her he isn't like all the jerks she's dated means telling her the truth, but can she handle it? 
 
Can she overcome her fears, or will she deny her alien adoration and leave him stranded once more?
Alien Adoration at Amazon Alien Adoration Universal Buy Link