Stalk
Book One
Victoria Danann
Genre: paranormal romance
Publisher: 7th House, Imprint of Andromeda LLC
Date of Publication: October 19, 2018
Number of pages: 388
Word Count: 82,000
Cover Artist: Victoria Danann

Tagline: Every breath you take.

The first coming of chaos. Twelve thousand years ago, members of a more advanced race crossed into our dimension when the barriers temporarily collapsed.

Trapped in our world, the aliens, who were also shifters, built structures that eventually caused the great flood and the sinking of Atlantis.

Some of the alien DNA survived in progeny that carried an untraceable shifter gene, dormant until awakened by mating with a full blooded werewolf.

The first book in the new Hot Blooded series is an intriguing concept with some fascinating elements that draws readers in. The characters are strong and the whole alien wolf shifters on Earth concept gives a different spin on shifter romances. This of course can be quite fascinating while the romance is sweet and passionate with a bit of a strange twist on the first meeting between the two which causes a rocky start. Since the pack’s biggest problem was the absence of females finding a female is quite exciting to the pack and readers can’t help but pick up on the emotions that flow from the pages. The pace is steady to fast paced and even thought the flow seems a bit choppy, the story easily keeps readers’ attentions as the pack become the focus of a gentlemen’s hunting club, which adds thrilling danger and suspense to the story. The book is intense with some surprising twists but also has a bit of a light hearted feel at the same time. Readers should definitely read the prologue for better understanding of where these alien wolf shifters come from which is really an unexpected and fanciful element that will keep readers coming back for more.

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42280217-stalk

BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/books/stalk-hotblooded-book-1-by-victoria-danann

Stalk in the 1st book in the Hot Blooded series

Goodreads - http://victoriadanann.com/home/hotblooded/

AVAILABLE in print or ebook

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JBK9DNR/

Shortly after the incident, the event came to be known as May Day simply because it occurred on the first of May. The term would be forever after altered to represent the pandemonium that followed the dimension overlap that left so many stranded. It worked because it was a good choice because of disassociating the incident with high emotion.

Some from other places were left here. Some that belonged here had disappeared and, even though every city had a centralized location where loved ones could post photos and leave flowers or burning votives, everybody knew somebody who had lost someone. And the world had been turned on end in the blink of an eye.

The conventional wisdom about withholding news panic-inducing news from the public was bypassed. Cover up was impossible in this case and overnight, everyone knew that we experience reality alongside many others, invisible to us.

Everyone also learned conclusively that other species exist in those realities.

One of the species that had been stranded in this dimension were canine shifters, werewolves as they were sometimes called in fantasy. Being disinclined to panic, the werewolves, each individually, used their cunning to quickly assess their circumstances and determine what was required to survive. Utilizing their innate talent for strategy, and seduction, they were able to identify missing humans who were a reasonably close match to anthropoid bodies, were without families and were, basically, antisocial. Being shrewd as well as cunning, they made matches with candidates with financial assets.

New lives could be built in a new world without money, but money could go a long way toward building walls of privacy and providing the one thing they needed most, after company, of course. That thing was territory. Freedom.

The government made it almost too easy by publishing an open database of the missing and requested that corrections be made if someone listed was present and accounted for. Each shifter made his choice then notified the government that they were not missing. They were sorry for the misunderstanding, but had been sailing in the Caribbean or fishing in the Gulf or on an archeological expedition in the Amazon.

By the time the dust of the catastrophe began to settle, seven shifters had found each other through a curious intersection of tech and primeval instinct. Each of the seven, while dealing with his own personal disorientation and sense of loss, quickly identified the Pacific Northwest as the most suitable habitat on the North American continent. Millions of acres of national parks and wildlife reserves was attractive. That, and the cooler temperatures, made the locale almost ideal as shifter temperatures run a full three degrees warmer than humans.

It took only a few weeks to come across each other. Shifters in wolf form can cover great distances. In so doing they came across the scent of others who were similar to themselves if not identical, but definitely distinctive from wild wolves.

And each felt immeasurable relief to find others. For social animals, abject solitude would be a sentence to hell.

That was one of the reasons why Ken Sahabe was admitted to the pack without hesitation even though he was not a canine, but a spotted hyena. The pack decided Ken’s social and hunting needs were close enough and admitted him.

The hard wiring of pack behavior hadn’t changed for millennia. However, the language used to describe certain facts of pack life was altered for modern times so that it seemed more politic. For example, rather than saying the alpha decided, which was true, the thought would be expressed as ‘the pack decided’. In Ken’s case, though the actual wolves didn’t have a real vote, they accepted him like one of their own species.

Eight times #1 Amazon Paranormal Romance Bestseller

OVER ONE MILLION BOOKS SOLD

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Victoria Danann, has won the prestigious Reviewers’ Choice Award for BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES the past four years in a row! Click follow to get notifications of new releases.

Knights of Black Swan – BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)

A Summoner’s Tale – BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL (2013)

Moonlight – BEST VAMPIRE/SHIFTER NOVEL (2013)

Solomon’s Sieve – BEST VAMPIRE NOVEL (2014)

Falcon – BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL (2016)

In addition to the brave and beautiful vampire hunting knights, Victoria writes other paranormal romances that often touch on scifi/fantasy along with contemporary bikers for those who love it when the bad boys are soooooo good.

Victoria co-hosts the popular ROMANCE BETWEEN THE PAGES podcast which can be found on itunes or at www.romancecast.com. She and co-host, Riley J. Ford, interview the biggest names in romance every week. Ever wonder about the personalities behind your favorite books? Some of them just might surprise you with their interests, wit, lifestyles, and sense of humor.

www.VictoriaDanann.com

www.Facebook.com/VictoriaDanannBooks

www.RomanceCast.com

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THANKS FOR VISITING & HAVE A MAGICAL THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY!

LOBOS
Big Bend Wolves
Book One
Victoria Danann and Teresa Gabelman
Genre: paranormal romance
Publisher: dba 7th House, Imprint of Andromeda LLC
Date of Publication: 11/09/18
Number of pages: 218
Word Count: 39k
Cover Artist: Victoria Danann

Tagline: Sometimes running away takes you straight to the thing you’re running from.

Book Description:

The Three Rivers Pack has been deeply embedded in Kerrville commerce and society for generations. They own businesses and hold government offices, including that of sheriff. But the influx of retirees and well-to-do building second homes in the Hill Country has squeezed the shifters for room to run.

The only answer is relocation to a less populated locale and that will require making a deal with the pack that holds that territory. The alliance struck by the two alphas is blood seal, a political mating between the Lobos alpha’s daughter and the Three Rivers alpha’s son. It’s the perfect solution that benefits both tribes.

Except nobody asked Fleet Ryder and Dani Alvarez if they’re willing. And they aren’t.

This exciting new series is off to a great start, Lobos, the first book has all the right elements and wonderfully strong, captivating characters that easily pull readers into their story. Fleet and Dani has sizzling chemistry and feisty attitudes that has sparks flying from the pages and their romance is sweet although it has a very rocky start as they try to defy their alphas orders and resist their arranged mating. The characters obviously have to overcome their doubts, their anger and their fear of the future which adds lots of emotional turmoil and depth to the story while the snark and witty repertoire between them and their friends adds a bit of fun and causes a few chuckles.

The fast paced plot flows smoothly with excitement, adventure, romance and some thrilling suspense and danger when one of Dani’s pack mates decides that Dani is his and no one else can have her. If the story was a little longer and had a bit more detail, I think it would have be even better but other than that I was engrossed in the story from the beginning and I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

PODCAST:

http://romancecast.com/event/victoria-danann-and-teresa-gabelman-the-lobos-project/

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42598604-lobos

Lobos is the 1st book in the Big Bend Wolves

AVAILABLE in print or ebook

Amazon –

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K1NBHQ9/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

The light was on in the kitchen, which meant Marva was up. When he stepped through the kitchen door not wearing a stitch of clothing, she looked him up and down with a half-smirk and the same lusty interest she’d shown as a teenager.

John Ryder thought of himself as being a lucky man to have a mate who loved and craved his body like they were newlyweds, after thirty years together. He returned her smirk with a knowing smile, pulled her in close and kissed her long and deep.

When he pulled back, she sighed. He loved that sigh.

“I know that look,” she said.

He kept her tight against his naked body, but pulled his head back to make eye contact. “What look is that?”

“The one that says you’ve made up your mind about something important.”

He broke away and grabbed the clothes he’d left on the bench by the back door. As he began dressing, he said, “Yeah.”

The pensive tone told her everything she needed to know. “And you’re not happy about it.”

She waited patiently while he finished dressing. She’d been with him long enough to know the difference between John, her mate, and John, the alpha.

At the moment he was seeing the world through the filter of pack alpha. He’d speak when he was ready and wouldn’t be rushed.

“Can I have some of that coffee?” he said.

She turned, poured and handed him a mug. “You want breakfast here or are you gonna eat at the café?”

“Café.” He leaned back against the kitchen counter and took a sip before saying, “We have to go.”

“Go?” Marva stopped what she was doing and turned with a question firmly registered in the crease between her brows. “Go where?”

When his pale gray eyes met hers, she recognized the gravity of the moment.

“I mean we have to move,” he said quietly.

Marva sat down heavily at the kitchen table trying to keep her shock from adding to the burden her mate was clearly carrying with stoic pride. “You mean the whole pack.” It wasn’t a question, but a verbal clarification.

Nodding, feeling much older than his years, he simply said, “Yeah.”

It might have come as a surprise to Marva. It would be a surprise to everybody in the pack. And not the good kind. But truthfully, John had been mulling over the problem for years. As alpha, survival of the pack was his responsibility. With an eye on the encroaching population, he knew there was only one way it could end. Move. Or be exposed as shifters with the vast shit chasm that promised.

Since the latter was just not an option, they were going to have to prepare for a whole-pack migration. Several lucrative business enterprises and a lot real estate was about to go up on the market in Kerrville. But first, pack members had to be told. And he wasn’t expecting even the most adventurous of them to be happy about it. The final decision was his and making it meant that he owned the outcome as well.

The pack was gathered in the barn on the Ryder property. Everybody had brought pot luck. They’d tried to enjoy the food and the company, but there was an undercurrent of anxiety because every adult pack member could read the mood of the alpha well enough to know something was up.

When the alpha finally stood and announced his intention to move them, the responding silence was suffocating. No one wanted to argue, but no one wanted to agree either.

At length, one of the elders cleared his throat and said, “Where are we going, John?”

“I can’t say for certain yet, Emmett. But I’ve been considering options for a long time. The biggest issue is that there’s no such thing as a desirable place that isn’t already occupied by a pack.” There were murmurs as people whispered to each other their fears about what that might mean. John held up his hand. “I know. We’ve had a good stay here. Most of us are connected to families who’ve been here since before Texas was a Republic. Most of us have never lived any place else.

“So I’m not saying it’s going to be easy.” It hadn’t escaped the pack’s notice that he hadn’t answered the question. “But I’m thinking Big Bend. Out around Alpine.”

The emotional current that ran through the pack was mixed. Some were fearful about the prospect of packing up and leaving everything for parts unknown. But mixed with that was an undercurrent of excitement.

When things settled down, John went on. “Alpine is a small town, I grant you, but there are opportunities there just like there are opportunities everywhere. We’ll make it work just like we always have.” With a small smile he shook his head just a little. “It’s wild out there. You’ll be free in ways you’ve never been free here.”

“Doesn’t that territory belong to the Lobos Pack?” Beverly Mossgreen spoke up.

John’s head swiveled toward her and he stared for a couple of seconds. It wasn’t an official correction, but it was enough unwanted attention from the alpha to make her uncomfortable.

“Yes. Lobos. But I have a plan.” John noticed that both his betas, who happened to be cousins of his, stood opposite each other, off to the sides, leaning against the walls with muscled arms crossed in front of chests. The pose looked casual, leisurely, but would be read by the pack as absolute support for whatever the alpha had to say. “A peaceful transition.”

“What is it?” A female elder sounded anxious and he couldn’t blame her.

A move like the one he was proposing would be hard on any of them, but especially so on those who were older. His face softened for a second as he regarded her. “Don’t worry, Evelyn. Everything will turn out fine.”

He looked over the pack. “In the old days, we would have had to kill the alpha and any loyalists who resisted a takeover. But that was the old days. We’ve made a lot of changes. James owns the auto parts store. Raleigh is a real estate broker. My own mate bakes fucking cookies!”

“I do not bake fucking cookies!” Marva spoke up. “I run a bakery.”

The laughter that rippled through the room helped to ease some of the tension.

“Right.” John smiled her way. “Right,” he repeated. “I bet people in Alpine like cookies just as much as people in Kerrville.”

“I don’t just bake cookies,” she grumbled.

He gave her a look that said, ‘First, I’m teasing you. Second, right now I’m speaking as the alpha. Not as your mate. Take it up with me later. In bed.’

She got the message and ducked her chin slightly in deference. He continued.

“Point is I think it’s time for the old ways to move aside for better ideas. We’re going to try for a bloodless coup.” He glanced at his betas. “Rake, James, and I are going to head on out there and have a talk with the Lobos alpha and his top people. We’ll offer a ‘buy in’ for a piece of their territory around Alpine. I don’t know much about their finances, but I’m guessing that these days it’s hard for even shifters to turn down cash.

“That’s the first part of our offer. Folding money appeals to the two-legged half of our nature. The second part is a little trickier because cash is useless in wolf form.

That’s why we need a deal sealed with blood.” He cleared his throat. “The Lobos alpha has a daughter. Mating age. We’re going to arrange an alliance.”

The alpha paused and looked over the gathering, faces almost as familiar as his own in the mirror. He spotted his son in his usual spot, in a far back corner with his friends. The gathering followed John’s line of sight and turned to look at Fleet at the back of the room.

Fleet had been softly chuckling at a joke, only half listening to his dad, when he realized that everyone in the pack had turned to look at him. His world turned serious in a heartbeat and he stood taller, pale gray eyes identical to his father’s, going straight to lock the alpha’s gaze.

“Our son, Fleet.” John nodded toward Marva even though everyone there knew full well that she was Fleet’s mother. “And Lobos’ daughter.”

A range of emotion flashed across Fleet’s features. Confusion. Shock. Anger. And again, confusion, finally resolving in disbelief. He couldn’t possibly have heard right. Could he?

If he was human, he’d tell his father to fuck off. But Fleet Ryder wasn’t human. He was a wolf shifter with two choices; obey the alpha or leave the pack. Since the latter wasn’t really a choice, that left once course of action. He couldn’t disobey.

He couldn’t challenge openly. He couldn’t object in any overt way.

So he did the next best thing. He threw his father a hateful look, turned and left.

Four young shifter males filed out behind him, partly because they were compelled on a subliminal level. Fleet was oozing alpha traits and the next generation were already paying homage to that.

Victoria Danann and Teresa Gabelman are both award winning New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon #1 bestselling authors.

http://www.VictoriaDanann.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5822912.Victoria_Danann

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.TeresaGabelman.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5356562.Teresa_Gabelman

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