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Duke #1
Alpha Rising
(55,000-word novel condensed in print to 194 pages.)
Two worlds collide as Duke has to tell his boyfriend Mike his secret, that not only can he change into a black German Shepherd, but also that the Irish Setter he brought home from his family vacation is actually his lover Rourke.
Rourke, a 'purist', his primitive people brutalized him for being gay. By becoming his 'Alpha', Duke rescued him, but to remain an 'Alpha' Duke has to lead a pack. The machinations of the 'purists' not only lead Duke to gather a pack, but also to take action that will have far-reaching ramifications.
For Rourke's sake, Duke has to tell Mike his secret, to do so, they have to mate. Their love on the line, the real threat comes from within, as another competes for Duke's affection.
Animal experimentation, a knife-wielding homophobe, the local whore, and an ailing grandparent, who has to pass along his gift of 'change', add to his troubles, but a hundred year old tortoise with a secret saves the day.
Duke - Book 1: Alpha Rising
Duke - Book 2: Genevieve's Tale (also available)
Duke - Book 3: Transformations (also available)
(note: this book is NOT illustrated, jailbird is credited as drawings by/illustrator for her art used on the cover)
Two worlds collide as Duke has to tell his boyfriend Mike his secret, that not only can he change into a black German Shepherd, but also that the Irish Setter he brought home from his family vacation is actually his lover Rourke.
Rourke, a 'purist', his primitive people brutalized him for being gay. By becoming his 'Alpha', Duke rescued him, but to remain an 'Alpha' Duke has to lead a pack. The machinations of the 'purists' not only lead Duke to gather a pack, but also to take action that will have far-reaching ramifications.
For Rourke's sake, Duke has to tell Mike his secret, to do so, they have to mate. Their love on the line, the real threat comes from within, as another competes for Duke's affection.
Animal experimentation, a knife-wielding homophobe, the local whore, and an ailing grandparent, who has to pass along his gift of 'change', add to his troubles, but a hundred year old tortoise with a secret saves the day.
Duke - Book 1: Alpha Rising
Duke - Book 2: Genevieve's Tale (also available)
Duke - Book 3: Transformations (also available)
(note: this book is NOT illustrated, jailbird is credited as drawings by/illustrator for her art used on the cover)
194 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2011
3 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
scavola
5 books54 followersPeople have (legitimate) issues with my "bio" so let's just cut the carp (or most of it). I live in a state where there are protections from being fired for being FAT but not for being gay. I work for a company that has a "morals clause" and uses it. I write gay porn. You do the math . . .
UPDATE: I pulled my books from sale and shut down my blog to sanitize things further. This is ridiculous, but I can't risk the connection personally.
Why scavola and why a lion? To make a short story long . . . "scaevola" was a Roman soldier who was, supposedly, the first functionally and acceptingly left-handed person, (google him, there's a story there!) and I have a background in Latin. My books are shifter / anthropomorphic, so I joined furaffinity to find an artist for the book covers. Being a Leo, I chose a lion as my "fursona". My profile picture, which I drew, actually has my face under there..
So maybe this will help new members of my group, G/G - gay fiction for gay men, from going to Moderator Don because WTF is a scavola? (Not that I mind them going to Don just the, deservedly, WTF? part).
My old bio:
I'm scavola, as you know me now, a lion. Well, not 'on all fours' as we say, but 'standing tall on my hind legs'. My human form, I don't use much, as lions are proud and majestic creatures and humans, once you reach a certain age, just get old and fat. I've written a few books so far that are available on amazon.com, the 'Duke' series as I call it, Duke – Book 1: Alpha Rising, Book 2: Genevieve's Tale, and Book 3: Transformations, that's where I come in to the series.
Getting to know them, I was so impressed by their story that I had to write it down. It follows them from the time Duke had to tell Mike his secret, that he could 'change' into a black German Shepherd, to their experience with Genevieve, a hundred-year old tortoise, to their joining the Israeli military as part of their compulsory service, where I met them. We stay in touch, so hopefully there'll be more adventures to come.
I love Duke and his world, and I hope you do too.
UPDATE: I pulled my books from sale and shut down my blog to sanitize things further. This is ridiculous, but I can't risk the connection personally.
Why scavola and why a lion? To make a short story long . . . "scaevola" was a Roman soldier who was, supposedly, the first functionally and acceptingly left-handed person, (google him, there's a story there!) and I have a background in Latin. My books are shifter / anthropomorphic, so I joined furaffinity to find an artist for the book covers. Being a Leo, I chose a lion as my "fursona". My profile picture, which I drew, actually has my face under there..
So maybe this will help new members of my group, G/G - gay fiction for gay men, from going to Moderator Don because WTF is a scavola? (Not that I mind them going to Don just the, deservedly, WTF? part).
My old bio:
I'm scavola, as you know me now, a lion. Well, not 'on all fours' as we say, but 'standing tall on my hind legs'. My human form, I don't use much, as lions are proud and majestic creatures and humans, once you reach a certain age, just get old and fat. I've written a few books so far that are available on amazon.com, the 'Duke' series as I call it, Duke – Book 1: Alpha Rising, Book 2: Genevieve's Tale, and Book 3: Transformations, that's where I come in to the series.
Getting to know them, I was so impressed by their story that I had to write it down. It follows them from the time Duke had to tell Mike his secret, that he could 'change' into a black German Shepherd, to their experience with Genevieve, a hundred-year old tortoise, to their joining the Israeli military as part of their compulsory service, where I met them. We stay in touch, so hopefully there'll be more adventures to come.
I love Duke and his world, and I hope you do too.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 25, 2012
2.5 Stars.
Let me preface my review by saying I don't think this was a bad book, it just wasn't for me.
What I Liked:
[1] The writing. I couldn't find any fault in it. I like the way the story was told and the way Duke told it.
[2] Duke. I liked his voice even if I didn't like all the humping and crying.
[3] The creativity. I've never read another shifter story like this. I liked how their "dogs" were very much a part of the man.
What I Didn't Like: May contain spoilers....
About 77% into the story i was just sick of the drama and wanted it to end. We're seeing relationship issues with secondary characters and family crisis it was just too much. Since i didn't care about any of the characters it was all just too much. It just started getting ridiculous. And I literally had to force myself to finish.
Let me preface my review by saying I don't think this was a bad book, it just wasn't for me.
What I Liked:
[1] The writing. I couldn't find any fault in it. I like the way the story was told and the way Duke told it.
[2] Duke. I liked his voice even if I didn't like all the humping and crying.
[3] The creativity. I've never read another shifter story like this. I liked how their "dogs" were very much a part of the man.
What I Didn't Like: May contain spoilers....
About 77% into the story i was just sick of the drama and wanted it to end. We're seeing relationship issues with secondary characters and family crisis it was just too much. Since i didn't care about any of the characters it was all just too much. It just started getting ridiculous. And I literally had to force myself to finish.
March 8, 2013
Normally I wouldn't rate my own book, but doing it to counter Tim's rating. Check his bookshelf and see all the 'types' of books he gives one star, anything with 'gay' in it, or any book not Christian, or anything liberal. And he does so purely out of spite, as he doesn't read them.
August 29, 2012
I wish that I could say exactly what I didn't like about this story but I honestly can't. This world and these characters just didn't do it for me, nothing drew me into the story enough to make me care for any of them.
UPDATE: After having heard from the author in regards to his/her attitude & comments toward me & my GR friend for our honest rating of this book I will not ever bother trying to finish this book nor will I ever purchase another by this author. I do not appreciate someone trying to make me feel bad for my honest opinion.
UPDATE: After having heard from the author in regards to his/her attitude & comments toward me & my GR friend for our honest rating of this book I will not ever bother trying to finish this book nor will I ever purchase another by this author. I do not appreciate someone trying to make me feel bad for my honest opinion.
December 30, 2012
Quite a strange short novel is this.
Centred on creatures that shift into house pets or into the random wildlife forms it can and will not, at first, evoke the same sense of potential danger and wild sensuality that is what makes the best werewolf novels with their big, brawny and dangerously sexy characters so compelling.
Once accepted the unusual supernatural lore and a writing that is far from flawless because of typos, mistakes and a shaky syntax which makes whole paragraphs barely understandable, this work ends by being extremely enjoyable.
The supernatural element, relevant though it is, is just a frame for a complex net of human relationships that evolve in the most heart-warming way.
Duke is a great character: young, maybe naive but full of warmth, courage and good intentions, he manages to assemble an odd pack of bizarre individuals bound together by love. Mike, his companion, is well rounded as well and the same is valid for most of the other characters.
All the love that these individuals experience together is sorely needed as the shifter world in general is not a particularly nice one.
Plot is confused, patchy, with conflicts that are quickly introduced and easily solved, but it does not drag and it does not stand in the way of an enjoyment that begins with page one and goes on to the end.
This book, the first in a series of three, stands more or less on its own but ends with a moderate cliffhanger that prods the reader to read the second part.
There is a lot of graphic sex and some involves humans with partially shifted supernaturals. The shifters being as intelligent and aware as humans I find there is little to complain about this, but I suppose a warning might be in order for sensitive readers that might not like near-bestiality.
Centred on creatures that shift into house pets or into the random wildlife forms it can and will not, at first, evoke the same sense of potential danger and wild sensuality that is what makes the best werewolf novels with their big, brawny and dangerously sexy characters so compelling.
Once accepted the unusual supernatural lore and a writing that is far from flawless because of typos, mistakes and a shaky syntax which makes whole paragraphs barely understandable, this work ends by being extremely enjoyable.
The supernatural element, relevant though it is, is just a frame for a complex net of human relationships that evolve in the most heart-warming way.
Duke is a great character: young, maybe naive but full of warmth, courage and good intentions, he manages to assemble an odd pack of bizarre individuals bound together by love. Mike, his companion, is well rounded as well and the same is valid for most of the other characters.
All the love that these individuals experience together is sorely needed as the shifter world in general is not a particularly nice one.
Plot is confused, patchy, with conflicts that are quickly introduced and easily solved, but it does not drag and it does not stand in the way of an enjoyment that begins with page one and goes on to the end.
This book, the first in a series of three, stands more or less on its own but ends with a moderate cliffhanger that prods the reader to read the second part.
There is a lot of graphic sex and some involves humans with partially shifted supernaturals. The shifters being as intelligent and aware as humans I find there is little to complain about this, but I suppose a warning might be in order for sensitive readers that might not like near-bestiality.
September 4, 2012
Two high school best friends and lovers go home for a break to see their lives change. Duke has to share to his man-lover about his second life; his shifter life. There is a hint in the first chapter where each decide which animal they would be if they weren't human. Duke is a black German Shepherd when he shifts and he is tied to an Irish Setter who comes from a 'purist' shifter society where they live in the wilderness and hardly ever change to human form. This was an interesting political and social device for the 'story' but it was written in a really childish way (not to mention the crazy broken English spoken by the uneducated 'purists').
I had to stop at the mid point because I just couldn't care for Duke and I have a bit problem with 'cheating' even if you are in the same room together ('swinging'?) so I stopped reading.
196 pages and kindle freebie
--Couldn't finish!--
I had to stop at the mid point because I just couldn't care for Duke and I have a bit problem with 'cheating' even if you are in the same room together ('swinging'?) so I stopped reading.
196 pages and kindle freebie
--Couldn't finish!--
August 26, 2012
The story was told from a silly point of view. All the situations somehow work out in the end. There's a lot of sex, but the characters were sweet. But it was entertaining nonetheless. There were a few editing errors, not enough to interrupt my reading like some do.
August 28, 2012
A fun read.
Once I started, I couldn't put it down, which was kind of a surprise since I am not really into 'shifter' fiction. I am looking forward to reading the two sequels and see what happens.
Once I started, I couldn't put it down, which was kind of a surprise since I am not really into 'shifter' fiction. I am looking forward to reading the two sequels and see what happens.
Want to read
August 24, 2012kindle freebie 8.24.12
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews