Alpha Torn By: Sascha Illyvich

Alpha Torn 

(Nights of Lust Book 1)

By: Sascha Illyvich

This book really through me for a loop, and I think it will you too. This one has wolves and vampires in it, not the kind I am accustomed to. This was a truly unique story that kept me turning the pages, wondering where the story would take me.

Sascha is a great story teller, he was the first to introduce shape-shifting to me. I had honestly never heard of it, until him. It was then, that I was drawn to more and more stories with it, and how it became to exist, therefore. He plagued me with the craving for more.

Vampires yes, a lot of people tell great stories about them, and many with a great deal of love and romance, like the vamps are the mortal love stories. I often remember the Movie: “Love At First Bite.” And wonder if that is why everyone thinks of vampires and relates them to love. Then I can’t help but laugh. But honestly, a vampire has to get close to you, in order to get you, so obviously there’s going to be some sort of relationship, usually. I guess? Ah…who knows…

I’m blabbering. My apologies. Perhaps I should tell you about the book, eh?

This book is quite interesting to say the least. We first must meet Josef, who is going to travel to Hungary to meet up with his past. Hoping to learn about his wolf heritage, and perhaps even get to know his own fathers former pack, this is something he knows he can do. After all, Josef promised his lovely Vampire mate.

During this time, the ack has been without a leader, and Kissa has decided she would fulfill it all on her own. Therefore, when Josef shows up, she deems it all on herself, to take on Josef and show him that she wants to claim him as her own, show him that she is the dominant, and that she will not step down. 

Oddly enough, Josef has noted that there is someone in the pack acting a might bit strange. With a bit of research, Josef discovers that the outsider, is none other than the Syndicate crime organization from the US that has followed him all the way to Hungary. Immediately, Josef is angered at the realization. 

Josef has no choice, but to avoid having to make any mistakes. If he does, it will be the end of the pack completely. Although Josef has a love, his Vampire mate, who he promised not to forsake he knows what he must do. In order to completely stop the Syndicate, there is only solution that Kissa and Josef must face together. Can you guess what they must do?

This book is a wonderfully written five-star read. I enjoyed reading the words of Sascha Illyvich, as I always do. He is an excellent writer, always keeping you wanting more. If you haven’t read any of his books, honestly, you need to start. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Here are my questions for Sascha:

1. What made you write this book and how long did it take you?

An Alpha Torn is the follow up to popular Erotic Noir Romance Endangered which, I believe you reviewed.  I needed to continue Josef’s story.   As to the original draft, two months.  The version for sale?  About ten years, due to editing and finally finding a place where this novel can have ahome and it can stand alone since Red Sage still owns Endangered.  Josef needed to find some release and it took him (and I) about 12 years to finally settle the fuck down. Just honestly, get to a place of clarity and calm, even if it seemed fake. The follow up to An Alpha Torn will be out hopefully by year’s end and feature Josef, Livia, Kisa, and the whoel gang dealing with shit in San Francisco this time!

2. Who designed this cover?

The goddess known as Rachel Grosso at City Lights Press

3. Do you have any photos or descriptions of the characters that you can share with us?

Imagine Vin Diesel with long hair and a rough looking face. I didn’t really have anything in mind when I wrote Josef the first time. Long hair, Russian, angry….

4. Do you really smoke cigars and if so, what is your favorite?

You know better.  So there will be no less than four pictures attached with me and cigars.  As to favorite, on the luxury side:  Don Cervantes Tres Maduro, Don Cervantes Masterpiece Platinum, Propio Leon. If we’re talking non luxury, I really enjoyed All Out Kings, Liga Privada T52, Leaf Maduro, by Oscar Avo Syncro Ritmo, and of course a standard of mine here is the Alec Bradley Tempus.   If you’re looking for around the $7-10 range, (at the brick and mortar stores) then CAO flathead,  Casa Magna Colorado, I could go on.

5. What motivates you to write?

Getting the stories out is enough motivation for me to continue writing.  It is a driving force for all writers to create and share their vision with the world.  It’s like how I”ve been saying we see the world through the eyes of a different reality and then when we try to capture that on paper, you folks are generally happy because it makes you feel even a smidge of what we experience. So, probably sharing?  Fuck, I don’t know!

6. Do you ever get turned on by your own writing, and if you do, do you ever verify that your sex scenes work?

Didn’t you tell me you owned stock in Energizer since you started reading my books? Deneale's response: I thought you kept secrets?!?! As to the latter, why don’t you come here and find out.

7. Of your own books, which one is your favorite?

Hard to say. Shit gets to a point where you begin promoting a book you really love, but then you get to that point where, I don’t know if it’s lack of reception or difficulty to get it traction or what, but I get bored and need to work on something new and publish something new. Plus, my tastes have changed over the years and I have grown so when once the answer was Endangered because Josef is so damn dark, so damn angry, no longer am I that way.

8. Have you ever met any of your fans? If so, what was/is it like meeting them?

Nikki MacCarver is the best! That’s all I’mma say about a woman who owns MOST of my 60+ back list.

9. Have you ever written anything different? Like horror? Or would you ever attempt it?

I’ve been a technical editor, a ghost writer, written SEO copy for pornography sites.  I do have this idea in my head that has something to do with empty MARTA trains (the mass transit here in Atlanta) The Buzzer (A Russian Numbers station still active, look up Dead Hand, UBV-76)  and Boothworld Industries…  I’ve been looking at some creepy pasta lately and letting my mind wander as I wrap up this Paranormal MC Romance you’ll see sometime early next year.

10. Do you put yourself into your characters?

Not anymore. I don’t need to. I’m sure there are parts of me in there still, in all of them.  But it’s no longer intentional.  Authors are always going to write themselves into their stories, I’m pretty sure romance authors are guilty of this to a great degree too.

11. Do you write under your given name, or is this a pen name? 

What’s that about a magician and never revealing their tricks?

12. Please share with us your social media and book links:

Follow me on Social Media:
Sign up for Updates:  http://eepurl.com/8GiCv

Booklist at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sascha-Illyvich/e/B002IYU4J8

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AuthorSaschaIllyvich

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SaschaIllyvich

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2928546.Sascha_IllyvichWebsite: http://saschaillyvichauthor.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SaschaIllyvich
FB: https://www.facebook.com/RomanceAuthorSaschaIllyvich/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saschaillyvich/
White Wolf Indulgence: http://whitewolfindulgence.com

Pure Indulgence:  https://www.facebook.com/WhiteWolfIndulgence/

13. Anything to add::

I am fairly active on Youtube and FB Live, and if you or anyone reading this has even $1 to contribute to Patreon, its’ much appreciated!

An Alpha Torn by Sascha Illyvich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book really through me for a loop, and I think it will you too. This one has wolves and vampires in it, not the kind I am accustomed to. This was a truly unique story that kept me turning the pages, wondering where the story would take me.

Sascha is a great story teller, he was the first to introduce shape-shifting to me. I had honestly never heard of it, until him. It was then, that I was drawn to more and more stories with it, and how it became to exist, therefore. He plagued me with the craving for more.

Vampires yes, a lot of people tell great stories about them, and many with a great deal of love and romance, like the vamps are the mortal love stories. I often remember the Movie: “Love At First Bite.” And wonder if that is why everyone thinks of vampires and relates them to love. Then I can’t help but laugh. But honestly, a vampire has to get close to you, in order to get you, so obviously there’s going to be some sort of relationship, usually. I guess? Ah…who knows…

I’m blabbering. My apologies. Perhaps I should tell you about the book, eh?

This book is quite interesting to say the least. We first must meet Josef, who is going to travel to Hungary to meet up with his past. Hoping to learn about his wolf heritage, and perhaps even get to know his own fathers former pack, this is something he knows he can do. After all, Josef promised his lovely Vampire mate.

During this time, the ack has been without a leader, and Kissa has decided she would fulfill it all on her own. Therefore, when Josef shows up, she deems it all on herself, to take on Josef and show him that she wants to claim him as her own, show him that she is the dominant, and that she will not step down.

Oddly enough, Josef has noted that there is someone in the pack acting a might bit strange. With a bit of research, Josef discovers that the outsider, is none other than the Syndicate crime organization from the US that has followed him all the way to Hungary. Immediately, Josef is angered at the realization.

Josef has no choice, but to avoid having to make any mistakes. If he does, it will be the end of the pack completely. Although Josef has a love, his Vampire mate, who he promised not to forsake he knows what he must do. In order to completely stop the Syndicate, there is only solution that Kissa and Josef must face together. Can you guess what they must do?

This book is a wonderfully written five-star read. I enjoyed reading the words of Sascha Illyvich, as I always do. He is an excellent writer, always keeping you wanting more. If you haven’t read any of his books, honestly, you need to start. I promise you won’t be disappointed.



View all my reviews

 

If You Were My Vampire (a Shades Below Novel) By: L.J.K. Oliva

If You Were My Vampire

        A Shades Below Novel

              By: L.J.K. Oliva

     Ok, before I begin I do wish to inform because as you will notice in the title, this says that it is ‘A Shades Below Novel’ that this book can also be read as a stand-alone novel, so you don’t have to feel obligated to purchase a prior book, unless of course, you want to. The decision is yours, and you will have no problems following along, if you haven’t read any of Ms. Oliva books. Although I can assure you, once you experience her writing, you will want to. Just a heads up from me. ::grin::

     Grace Alan is very beautiful woman, and as a member of a very intuitive family, she is one of those people who is always aware of her surrounding, in more ways than one. There’s just one thing, she has spent most of her life isolated away from people, because she has a hard time trying to be a normal person. 

     Finally, Grace has found a beau that she can relate to and has captured her heart, and is everything she has ever dreamt of, and he is even quite handsome too. His name is Asher Evans, and he is someone who is and has been haunted by history, because wouldn’t you know it, he had been turned into a vampire in a concentration camp that claimed his entire family. 

     Asher has never been the same since the loss of his humanity. He has forced himself to face his eternity alone, and never planned on meeting someone he could actually love and care for, that is until he met Grace.

     Then the unthinkable happens, and Grace is murdered. 

      Asher accidentally stumbles upon the dying Grace, and find his heart is now in his throat. He knows he should leave well enough alone, but she understood him. She never once seen him as a monster, or a creature of the night. He admires her beauty in her lifeless and still body, and remembers that she reminds him what it is like to be human.

     Asher knows rescuing Grace will have consequences. The World has deemed female Vampires illegal for centuries now, and the choice Asher has made may have caused complications now for both of them.

     Now together Grace and Asher will try and survive the mortal world without trying to get noticed, and creating enemies along the way. Together they hope that their love can protect them, and help them evade other mortal enemies.

     This book is a beautifully written five-star romantic book, that will make you fall in love with romance all over again. Some may think Vampires are always bloody and evil, but not this time. This book is truly a romantic read that shows you, love can come in all different shapes and sizes, and that it doesn’t matter, love will always prevail over all else. I truly enjoyed this book, and am glad I had the opportunity to read it! 

My question for Laura:

1. What made you write this book and how long did it take you?

Hi Deneale! Thanks so much for having me over again. It's always a pleasure!

Basically, I wrote this book for Asher. I introduced him in my last Shades Below novel, The Devil's Disease, and I really enjoyed the glimpse into his character- in particular, the way he interacted with Grace. There was a lot simmering under the surface of their interactions, so it was a real pleasure to dive in and unpack all that in If You Were My Vampire.

2. Do you have any photos or descriptions of your characters?

Absolutely! I'm a bit obsessed with creating companion graphics for my books. Here are a couple that capture how I imagine Asher and Grace would look:

3. Who designed this beautiful cover?

I did, and I'm so glad you like it! I started designing and creating all my own book covers right around the beginning of this year. I had been honing my skill on those graphics I mentioned, and am finally at a point where I feel able to create covers that meet my own standards of professionalism.

4. Do you ever put yourself into your characters?

All. The. Time.

You always hear the classic writing advice to Write What You Know, and different writers have different opinions about just what that means. For me, it means digging down and finding the part of my characters that is true for me, that I know personally. I don't know what it's like to be a vampire, but I know what it's like to be an outsider, to want things that aren't good for me, to have hungers I don't know how to fill. I start with those core kernels of truth, then weave my characters around them.

5. Do you wish-- or are you a Vampire? 🤣😜 or is it a secret?

I admit to nothing ;-) *looks around for Watchmen*

6. What do you hope to be when you grow up?

Living the dream, mama. Living the dream. :-)

7. What led you into writing and how long have you been at it?

Personally, I've been writing for as long as I can remember. I've always loved stories, and before I could write, I acted them out with my dolls. Professionally, I've been writing for about five years now. When my son was born, I wanted a job with flexible hours that I could do from home. I threw all my chips in the writing basket, and have never looked back!

8. What is your upmost favorite book and why?

That's such a hard question, haha! There are so many books that have had a profound influence on me, both as a writer and a person. That said, my favorite book remains Redwall, by Brian Jacques. It's the first book I can remember my mom reading to me when I was a kid, and the book that made me fall in love with words. I even named my son after the main character.

9. What are you working on now?

I have a few projects simmering at the moment. First up is a short story that features my vampire constable Seneca Lynch and Grace's friend, Tonio Ramirez. The interplay and innuendo between them in If You Were My Vampire was a lot of fun to write, so I'm going to go behind the scenes and let them have some fun ;-)

Next up, I'll be writing the second novella in my Shades Below Shorts series: Thicker Than Water. I had initially planned to write it before If You Were My Vampire, but Emil and Puzzle weren't ready to talk to me yet. Now they are, and I'm really excited for their new adventure!

After that, I'm writing Shades Below, #3: Ghost In The Machine. In it, Lena is still reeling from Grace's death when a freak accident at The Wayfare Hotel sets her adrift in space and time.  MacMillian has to race the clock and the cosmos, and must decide just how far he's willing to go to bring her home.

10. Have you ever regretted ending a book or character?

Not yet, however, there are a few characters in the Shades Below series who might not make it to the end. If and when their time comes, I'll definitely be sad to say goodbye.

11. What do you do for writers block? If you have never had it what do you suggest?

I definitely struggle with slumps, as I think everyone does. I generally don't label it "writers block" though. Being a bit of a hippie, I believe naming something gives it power over me, which only makes things worse.

When I'm in a slump, I've found the only way through it is, well, through it. I sit down and set my timer, and write like a madwoman for solid twenty-five minute increments, with five minute brain breaks in between. I give myself permission to suck. I accept that the words I'm putting down probably won't be my best, and allow myself to be okay with that. After all, this is why God made editing.

Usually, my slumps only last for a scene, maybe a chapter. Once I've written myself out of whatever rut I was in, I keep going through the story. Later, once I have some distance, I go back and go over what I came up with. If it needs tweaking or finessing, I do that.

Above all, I just keep writing.

12. Please share with us your social media and book links::

Sure! You can find me all over the place. Here are my current haunts:

Website: http://ljkolivabooks.com

Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/author/lauraoliva

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/ljk.oliva (friend me!)

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/LauraOlivaBooks

Pinterest- http://www.pinterest.com/authorljkoliva/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/lauraolivabooks/

If you're interested in a no-risk, all-reward introduction to my books, I offer a free Shades Below Starter Library when you sign up for my mailing list. You can claim yours by signing up here: http://eepurl.com/cF3H_5

And finally, here is where my books currently live:

A WORLD APART (Shades Below, #1)

https://ljkolivabooks.com/shades-below-series-2/shades-below-novels/book-1-a-world-apart/

PTOLEMY'S TABLET (Shades Below Shorts, #1)

https://ljkolivabooks.com/shades-below-series-2/the-shades-below-shorts/shades-below-short-1-ptolemys-tablet/

SEASON OF THE WITCH (Shades Below, #1.5)

https://ljkolivabooks.com/shades-below-series-2/shades-below-novels/book-1-5-season-of-the-witch/

THE DEVIL'S DISEASE (Shades Below, #2)

https://ljkolivabooks.com/shades-below-series-2/shades-below-novels/book-2-the-devils-disease/

IF YOU WERE MY VAMPIRE (Shades Below, #2.5)

https://ljkolivabooks.com/shades-below-series-2/shades-below-novels/book-2-5-if-you-were-my-vampire/

13. Anything to add...

Nothing besides thank you again for the interview! It's been a blast :-)

    

If You Were My Vampire by L.J.K. Oliva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok, before I begin I do wish to inform because as you will notice in the title, this says that it is ‘A Shades Below Novel’ that this book can also be read as a stand-alone novel, so you don’t have to feel obligated to purchase a prior book, unless of course, you want to. The decision is yours, and you will have no problems following along, if you haven’t read any of Ms. Oliva books. Although I can assure you, once you experience her writing, you will want to. Just a heads up from me. ::grin::

Grace Alan is very beautiful woman, and as a member of a very intuitive family, she is one of those people who is always aware of her surrounding, in more ways than one. There’s just one thing, she has spent most of her life isolated away from people, because she has a hard time trying to be a normal person.

Finally, Grace has found a beau that she can relate to and has captured her heart, and is everything she has ever dreamt of, and he is even quite handsome too. His name is Asher Evans, and he is someone who is and has been haunted by history, because wouldn’t you know it, he had been turned into a vampire in a concentration camp that claimed his entire family.

Asher has never been the same since the loss of his humanity. He has forced himself to face his eternity alone, and never planned on meeting someone he could actually love and care for, that is until he met Grace.

Then the unthinkable happens, and Grace is murdered.

Asher accidentally stumbles upon the dying Grace, and find his heart is now in his throat. He knows he should leave well enough alone, but she understood him. She never once seen him as a monster, or a creature of the night. He admires her beauty in her lifeless and still body, and remembers that she reminds him what it is like to be human.

Asher knows rescuing Grace will have consequences. The World has deemed female Vampires illegal for centuries now, and the choice Asher has made may have caused complications now for both of them.

Now together Grace and Asher will try and survive the mortal world without trying to get noticed, and creating enemies along the way. Together they hope that their love can protect them, and help them evade other mortal enemies.

This book is a beautifully written five-star romantic book, that will make you fall in love with romance all over again. Some may think Vampires are always bloody and evil, but not this time. This book is truly a romantic read that shows you, love can come in all different shapes and sizes, and that it doesn’t matter, love will always prevail over all else. I truly enjoyed this book, and am glad I had the opportunity to read it!

View all my reviews