multitaskingmomma : Blog Tour, eARC Review, Excerpt, & #Giveaway: Scent of the Heart by Guest Bloggerpoppa Parker Williams

Author Name: Parker Williams

Book Name: Scent of the Heart

Series: Shifting Needs

Book: Two

Publisher: Parker Williams

Series should be read in order

Release Date: June 15, 2015

Pages or Words: Approximately 69,000 words Cover Artist: Laura Harner Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance, Romance, Paranormal, Bisexual, Fiction, Gay Fiction, New Adult

Amazon | AllRomance | Smashwords

Casey Scott grew up being told he’d never amount to anything, and despite the unwavering love and support from his best friend, Jake, the idea sticks in the back of Casey’s mind. When he discovers he has a unique destiny in an enclave where shifters and humans live together, he seizes the chance, wanting for once in his life to be someone special.
Tsvetok Yerokhin lost his parents to the evil ruler of the enclave when he was a boy. The responsibilities of raising his two younger brothers nearly overwhelmed him and self-doubt took over. When the new Alpha and his Protector arrive in time to save his life, Sev is grateful, but he’s even more shocked when he scents his mate with them.
Casey isn’t prepared for the feelings that sweep over him when he meets Sev, but he refuses to act on them because he’s straight. Still, there is something so alluring about Sev that Casey can’t help being drawn to him.
As the two explore the edges of their new discovery, an evil returns, determined to control the enclave or destroy it. The Alpha and Protector are powerless to stop it, but Casey holds the key to victory. If he can discover what it is, he has a chance to save them all. To be the hero.
Unfortunately, the hero has to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, and for Casey thatmeans losing his heart.

Review by: multitaskingmomma

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Scent of the Heart is the second installment to the Shifting Needs series. The first book read like a normal shape-shifter story that soon turned into an adventure neither the readers nor the characters expected. This second book just entered into the high-fantasy with a dash of Native American Indian spirit guides.

For those of you who read the first book, the ending was quite dramatic and unexpected. Before the actual ending, there was the skunk who sprayed Casey, Jake and Zak, the Protector and the Alpha. That was hilarious. However, the death of the shaman left Casey in a quandary for although he had the gift, he needed a mentor to guide his education and make full use of his innate knowledge. Then the shaman appeared in his dreams and he had bad news. This is where Casey soon learns that the spirit world held more answers than he realized.

Sev is a skunk shifter and he became his family's sole support after his parents left him and his two younger brothers orphaned and sent outside the protection of the enclave. This was the time when the then alpha and his enforcer abused the peoples of the enclave and sought the death of Jake and Zak. Sev's confidence bore the brunt of the abuse so he never expected to find the new shaman, Casey, as his mate.

One complication: neither Sev nor Casey are gay.

The two men try to work it out but a lot of angst and self-doubt make things difficult. They tried and they do succeed. But what should have been a happy ever after turned chaotic and dangerous. There is an evil reaching out from the other side and it seems as though Casey is the only one who could stop it.

Question: how could Casey defeat a dark and powerful evil from the spirit world with only a skunk at his side?

As I said, this has turned high fantasy. It is an unexpected turn and it makes the read a little difficult to follow. It will confuse those who have no inkling of what spirit guides are. It will confound those who never read the first book. So a bit of warning: this book is the second installment to an ONGOING saga involving the peoples of the enclave.

This book opened a lot of doors leading to the unknown. This world is very mysterious and the powers from both physical and spiritual worlds can augment or destroy the people. The revelations of the roles of each character slowly become more concrete. The ending, once more, gives us readers a glimpse of what new mysteries this world has to offer.

Note: again, the ending. The ending is killing me.

Excerpt

“This night is shot,” Casey mumbled. “Hakii, if you’re there, I’m sorry. I need to find him. I’ll try to be back as soon as I can. Oh, and if you’re not there, I hope you’re getting a damn good laugh at me talking to myself.” The night air had chilled considerably. Casey threw on a sweater and hurried to the Alpha’s house. Before he could pound on the door, it swung open. Jake stood there wearing nothing at all. “Oh god, my eyes.” Jake sighed. “You’ve seen me before. A lot, if I recall correctly.” “And every time I do, I remember that I need to create eye bleach.” Jake faked a laugh. “Yeah, you’re hilarious. What do you want?” “A guy came to my house tonight. His name is Sev, and I think he’s in trouble.” All humor fled from Jake’s face. “What happened?” Casey told him about the visit. “He…called me his mate. What the hell is that about?” “Later. We’ve got to find him.” In an instant, Jake transformed into a beautiful black jaguar. Zak came rushing to the door. “What is wrong?” Before Casey could answer, Zak grabbed a heavy coat and squirmed into it. “Jake will track him. You will come with us.” “Zak, he called me his mate. Why would he do that?” “You worry about this now? I do not see where this matters. If you prefer, you may stay behind.” Casey sobered immediately. “No, you’re right. I’m sorry.” They tracked Jake as he hurried to the woods. When they heard him roar, Zak and Casey ran to the edge of the forest. Jake had transformed back to his human form and, man, was he pissed. “Come out here, now,” he demanded. There was no movement, but Casey heard a clicking noise, followed by the familiar stamping of feet. “You spray me and I swear to the gods I will neuter you. Put your damn tail down and face us as a man, Sev.”

Parker Williams was kind enough to volunteer to be a bloggerpoppa for the day. How could we refuse? He's a great guy. Right?

I was in the kitchen (as usual) when he replied and I was making tacos. I had beer, the works. So I sent him questions on how he would like his tacos. The bold, red text were the questions I sent him. He replied with something naughty and nice, but definitely spicy.

Tacos! Parker. Tacos!

The men are nice, though. I got my eye candy.

Here's Parker's Taco Recipe

Mild, Hot or Spicy? - Mild. As mild as possible. Unless we’re talking sex, then hot and spicy are a good combination.