About Prey Mate
Bailey
Bradford - Prey Mate
Release
Date: May 1, 2016
ISBN:
978-1-943576-82-1
Categories: Gay, Shifters. BDSM - FLAME:
4
Price: $2.99
Price: $2.99
BLURB:
Predator and
prey...one reluctant mate.
Cody
Sanderson wasn't looking for a life on the run, but one mistake has cost him
his freedom. If he gets caught, it might cost him his life. The man he hooked
up with for a night wasn't a man after all, but a beast intent on owning Cody.
But Cody
isn't anyone's to keep. He will evade capture and die before he lets himself be
caged by a monster. When he's finally caught, he thinks he's about to be taken
to the one man he doesn't want to see ever again. Instead, he's offered
protection and a solution that will keep him safe.
The only
thing is, he'd have to be mated to one of the very things he feared most—a wolf
shifter. Cody's not so sure the risk is worth taking.
Keywords: gay wolf shifter romance, reluctant
marriage romance gay, alpha wolf shifter romance mm, paranormal mm romance,
fated mates romance mm, paranormal marriage of convenience
BUY LINKS
Excerpt:
It was happening again. Cody
Sanderson fought against the instinct to turn and look behind him. The
uncomfortable sensation of being watched made his spine itch. He finished the
last of his beer and set the bottle on the grungy table. The bar he’d stopped
in at was a few steps below a dive, not the kind of place he’d hung out at in
Texas at all. He’d hoped that would throw Ansel off his trail. Maybe it had,
and whoever watched Cody had nothing to do with Ansel at all.
Or maybe Ansel had found him. Again.
Cody wiped his mouth and pushed to
his feet. The legs of the chair scraped noisily on the uneven floor, timed,
much to his displeasure, with a pause in the country music that had been
blaring from an ancient-looking jukebox a half dozen feet away. Cody hadn’t
been listening to the song—it’d been a background noise to his own chaotic
thoughts—and he didn’t know if the song had ended naturally or if someone had
stopped the music. Perhaps he was being paranoid, but paranoia was all that had
kept him alive thus far.
He kept his head down as he pushed
the chair back in, a ridiculous thing to do in a bar like this one. Old habits
and ingrained manners made him do it, though, and he felt like it marked him as
the outsider he was. It was definitely past time for him to get out of there.
The jukebox didn’t start up again
as he made his way toward the exit. Cody’s skin prickled with goosebumps as he
walked. The utter lack of conversations made him want to run screaming from the
place. He felt like everyone watched him, and if they were, it couldn’t mean
anything good for him at all.
He tried to think, to pinpoint if
he’d done anything that might have made him a target there. Nothing came to
mind. He hadn’t done more than order a beer and a burger, had been careful not
to smile or stare anyone in the eyes for longer than necessary. Keeping his
gaze averted would have marked him as prey as surely as staring too long would
have.
What
a crazy, unbelievable world to live in. And he’d had no idea just how crazy and unbelievable
until he’d stumbled upon Ansel’s secret. For that bit of stupidity, he’d have
to spend the rest of his life on the run, on the lookout.
If
he survived
tonight. His footsteps seemed abnormally loud as he strode toward the door. The
scents of stale beer and cigarette smoke paled against the rancid sweat odor
that clung to him. If Cody could smell his own fear, then so could any
predators.
He struggled to keep from running,
to keep his steps even. Showing fear would be a mistake he might not survive.
His palms were slick as he reached for the door handle, but he didn’t lose his
grip on it. Cody opened the door, and the crisp, cold air that greeted him
chilled him to the bone.
He stepped outside. The sound of
the door closing behind him didn’t ease his fears any. Every one of his senses
was on alert; Cody had learned to listen to his instincts in the past few
months. He held himself still, barely daring to breathe as he waited. When
music blared suddenly from inside the bar, Cody bit back a yelp but couldn’t
repress his body’s reaction otherwise. He jolted as if he’d been jabbed with a
cattle prod, and it broke his reserve, sending him running to his motorcycle.
Stop
running.
Cody told himself that over and
over again, but he knew he’d never be safe, and he’d only be able to stop
running when he was captured by Ansel or dead. Given those two choices, he knew
which one he’d prefer.
4 out of 5 stars
Prey Mate is a contemporary paranormal novella in the Dubious series.
This story starts out with action and that continues on straight through the end of the story. Cody is trying to hide from Ansel, an insane werewolf who wants to take possession of him. Before they met and hooked up one night Cody didn't even know such creatures really existed and now he's running for his life. Little does he know that he's about to encounter another werewolf determined to find him a mate to 'save' him from Ansel.
Derrick is a Hunter, which is more of a protector of his kind. His family's always been a watch dog of sorts for their kind, making sure no one oversteps and brings their species into the public eye. Stopping the insane from destroying others of their kind, and so on. He leads Ansel to believe that he is working for him but in reality he's working to save Cody from Ansel. He just goes about it the wrong way for Cody since ultimatums and no options generally piss Cody off. It doesn't help that Cody and Derrick are also attracted to each other, even if it's reluctantly.
This is a novella and as such it packs a lot of story into a short package. While it gives a satisfying story there were a few things I'd love to have had more backstory on, particularly the Dire Wolves and Derrick's role as Hunter/Protector. It doesn't really detract from the story it just didn't give me that deeper story I prefer. The sexual tension and finally sexy times between Cody and Derrick are smoking hot. The action is spot on, the bad guy is pure evil, and the conflict is well written.
All in all this was good story that you definitely need to pick up for a quick, sexy read!
The Appeal of Mating/Marriage of
Convenience by Bailey Bradford
Hi there,
I’m Bailey Bradford, and I write gay erotic romances. I’ve written a short
story, Prey Mate, that will be available on All Romance eBooks. This series is
based on a trope that some people are really fond of—matings and/or marriages
of convenience.
When I was
asked to be a part of this exciting series by All Romance eBooks, I was a bit
stumped at first. And totally enthralled, because this is a trope we’ve seen
and read so often in romance. Figuring out how to make a mating or a marriage
of convenience necessary for two guys (or more) sounded like the kind of
challenge I love.
The
appeal, for me, is having characters that might not otherwise give each other a
chance, being thrust into a situation where they have to make some hard
choices. It’s angst, and anger, it’s fighting against desire sometimes, just for the sake of being stubborn.
It’s fear tempered with hope, and maybe desperation.
But
there’s also respect, boundaries, and usually—one of my favorite
things!—secret, buried affection which leads to love and a happy ever after.
My reasons
for enjoying the mating/marriage of convenience trope in gay erotic romance
probably isn’t the same as yours. Those also aren’t all the reasons I loved writing this. What do you find most
appealing about this trope?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bailey Bradford is a married mom of
four who spends most of the day writing, either on stories or at the blog. She
loves to write as much as she loves to read. Baily is generally quiet and laid
back, choosing to let things slide off rather than stick and irritate her.
Although like many authors, she finds it a challenge to talk about herself, but
she does answer emails and invites readers to leave comments on her blog if
there’s something specific they’d like to know.
For more
information about other books by Bailey, visit her website: www.baileybradford.com.
Links:
Giveaway
3 commenters will win a copy of
Bailey Bradford’s MIDNIGHT RUN (All Romance eBooks) in eBook
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