Chew Toy

by L.E. Franks

Waking up dead sucks. And now it’s up to the Ancient vampire who turned him to teach photography student Morgan how to live.

When faced with the loss of everything he’s known, Morgan isn’t sold on an eternity spent with an emotionless, 2,000 year old record producer with fangs. Trapped on top of a mountain in a vampire’s retreat, Morgan must grapple with the reality of his demise. But the true challenge is whether to kill or kiss the one being walking the earth who can make his heart beat again.

Can Morgan face his new undead reality?

Genres: M M Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Urban Fantasy

45 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

At seventeen, LE Franks walked away from writing for love. Jumping head first into real life and travelling the world seemed to be fair compensation until the characters in her head demanded their turn. Now, living in the San Francisco Bay Area, surrounded by inspiration everywhere, LE is finally taking off the filters and giving the stories free rein. These days, LE can be found frequently writing about sexy men who desperately need a happily ever.

LE writes M/M Romance in a unique mix of humor and drama with enough suspense to produce fast-paced stories filled with emotion and passion and featuring characters that are quirky and complicated. Don’t expect the typical, rugged hero or sophisticated businessman with the world at their feet; LE’s men are living in the margins— they’re in the middle of their journey, doing the best they can while searching for a connection to something bigger than themselves. With a little effort, and a lot of luck, they may actually find their happily-ever-afters.

When not writing, LE wrangles an odd assortment of jobs (six— both paid and volunteer), houseguests (including pro baseball players), family, and friends. Manifesting an odd combination of contradictory talents and traits, LE is tragically honest and personally deceptive and makes the best piecrust— ever.


You can find LE Franks online at the following spots:
Her website: http://www.lefranks.com
Her blog: http://lefranks.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/boxtersushi
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/LEFranksAuthor
Facebook Page for Wolves & Waves Book Series: https://www.facebook.com/wolvesandwaves

Reviews

[☆ Todd]

Ehhh. Nice for a short, but I felt like I still had a ton of questions as the story ended, so I'm glad that it was a freebie in the Winter Wonderland 2020 giveaway. ;- )

3 stars.

[Meags · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

This was rapidly paced, even for a short story. Not sure how I felt about that, TBH.

In these limited pages, we watch Morgan go through the five stages of grief, as he comes to terms with his new vampire status and the two thousand year old hottie that sired him.

The tone is a bit chaotic, but that’s mostly due to Morgan’s unstable emotional state. Either way, I didn’t connect very well to either the characters or the story.

If this had been longer, more developed, it may have been more my speed.

But beggars can’t be choosers when dealing with free reading content, so this is what it is, and might just serve as the welcomed little treat for anyone looking for a little palate cleanser between reads.

[Reading to Stay Awake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm new to Vampires and I'm learning, as does Morgan, that when a human is turned they get extra strength, hence Morgan ripping his jeans!!

This is another great book where a Vampire takes a human as their mate, not entirely by choice, and falls in love. In this book there seems to be a bit of confusion for the Vampire, Marc, when Morgan doesn't behave as expected once he has been turned.

I love the 'stages' style, the banter and the comedy of the writing of this book. There was generational pokes about the Vampire's age and formality together with traditional vampire jokes around light and garlic! Because of the way the story is structured it flows at a good pace pulling the reader with it as part of the story rather an outsider.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from LE Franks xx

I received a free copy of this book and provide my honest review voluntarily

[Elin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked what little we got to see. The sass and the stages of accepting his new reality. I wish there had been more, it had such potential.
It made me curious enough to have a look at the authors other books.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a little confused as the whole story is told in bits and pieces and you don’t find out the beginning until the end. I didn’t really get these two together romantically.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chew Toy is a freebie available in the Winter Giveaway from Prolific Works and follows the undead life of a newly turned vampire. Morgan goes through the stages of grief as he deals with being turned against his will by his sire. It was a nice and short novella with some funny moments. The title is hilarious :) I hope the author expands this novella.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just wish it was longer!

[Grammy 1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review by Gloria Lakritz Review Chair for the Paranormal Romance Guild
5 star
Prequel Short: Chew Toy
Author: LE Franks
Publisher: same
Published: 1/15/21
Genre: Paranormal Gay Romance Vampire
Rated: Mature
Pages: 45

I just love to read a prequel to begin a new Series!!! LE Franks has baited the hook with this 45 page adorable idea to begin her new series Fang Club.

Since I have swallowed the bait, hook line and sinker, and since I will be waiting to click on Pre Order when it should arrive…hopefully by March, I thought I would share.

From page one we follow Morgan, an adorable photography student at UCLA, go thru the 5 stages of death. By being at the wrong place at the wrong time, waking up and being told you are a vampire isn’t the usual thing that happens to someone who was at a photo shoot gone bad.

The man standing before him Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus call me Marc or Sire is catching Morgan up on the evening he doesn’t remember. The 2000 year old vampire is very upset himself, as he has never ‘changed’ a human….The snarky remarks of a shocked Morgan and the horror of having a creation is filled with great dialect and the heat between them is extra…..

Only 45 pages,,,,,a must read!!!

[Altivo Overo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undead gore

Some interesting twists in this novelette teaser for a series. However, the emphasis on bloody scenes seemed a bit much even for a vampire story. I'm left with no desire to read more.

[Don Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, fun and full of snark!

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure exactly how I feel about this story. It was unusual and a little odd. Doesn’t make it bad, just different.

[DTM · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I saw that LE Franks' Winter Wonderland freebie is now on Amazon (for $.99)...I had downloaded it but hadn't read it yet..it's a prequel to a new series...Then I read the blurb and then I immediately read the short and YEAH..I LOVED it...Vamp/new Vamp story! So sexy hot too! 😉 ...I can't wait to see what the series is like!

[Jacquie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but fun. Loved the stages Morgan went through, they felt normal and rational for the character

[Joelle Mendes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. Great title and it was nice to see a different perspective in a vampire story. I enjoyed the banter between the MCs and the humor that was injected throughout.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the stages of acceptance and the general sass that he brought to the whole situation. This was an odd story that plays out without telling where it started (and even really only alluding to it at the end) and just being smack dab in the middle as Morgan tries to figure out a cosmic shift in his life. It just fell flat when it came to anything outside of Morgan. It was hard to really enjoy the relationship as Marc seemed mostly confused and reluctant that things were not as they should be ie. Morgan under his thrall. As well, nothing is ever really explained of what all is around in this world. After all, there is a lot of why is Morgan this way, what was going on in this photo shoot, where are other vampires, what is feeding usually like......etc. Too many questions come up about what vampires are in this world and the general idea is never explored. Add that in with an unexplored plot and poor relationship building and it just didn't quite nail it.

This would be fascinating if it were a start to a series with the first book being about Morgan and Marc as there is much that still needs to be figured out with these two. The fact that this is apparently their entire story just doesn't give the best hope for the ensuing series.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really a surprisingly fun story giving the reader a different approach to the vampire lifestyle. Photography student Morgan Lucca has joined the ranks of the undead, and he has to navigate the stages of grief for the loss of his life while on top of a mountain in a vampire’s retreat. His sire is likewise struggling. They will be together a long time with the emotionless, 2,000 year old record producer with fangs. Can Morgan deal with this? What if it’s not enough?

These two are very likeable characters who are trying to figure out how best to cope with the new reality for Morgan. Grab your copy and enjoy the fun as they try to figure out the best way to enjoy the endless time ahead of them. This is the prequel to the series and I am looking forward to diving into this one. I like the premise and the characters already!

[Danial · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short prequel that promises what will be a great series to come

This is a short prequel to the series. It details the story of someone who has just been turned and the different stages of acceptance he goes through (similar to the stages of grief, etc...). The story was great. It wasn't lengthy and was easy to read. It gives readers a promise of what to expect in the next book. I can't wait to see what the next book has to offer.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this different take on becoming a vampire. The steps of denial through acceptance that a person had been changed was a view or story I have never read before. Although quite short, the story was an interesting viewpoint of vampires and how they live and can be killed. Morgan is "saved" by the vampire who turns him, but he is very angry for having been turned until he learns why he was turned. Good story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kkhmonrai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story concept and the characters of Marc and Morgan, but I was disappointed not to see the actual emotional changes Morgan experienced. Each stage is just described as more of a point in time so the reader doesn't see the process Morgan is going through. I didn't see the formation of the romance/love that Morgan came to at the end. I just had to assume it had happened somewhere along the way. I would have liked to see Morgan's thought process to support the changes.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I liked how sarcastic Morgan is when he discovers that he has been turned. Marc is mostly patient as Morgan learns to accept his new life as a vampire. In the end Marc and Morgan are together with Marc promising to retrieve Morgan's cat Spike. It was interesting in that Morgan's turning was a rescue action by Marc.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars...Short story with so much potential for an interesting novella or even full length book. As it is there are so many gaps in the story that I constantly felt like I was missing something. I fully expected to get to the end and find this was a prequel to another book.

So an interesting base but I was left feeling flat, like there should have been so much more.

[casvec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chew Toy is a funny tale of a man whose life is going in a great direction, until one night. Morgan wakes up and he is dead, the man who sire him is near. The emotions Morgan goes through and his comments/ feeling as coming to acceptance will have you laughing through the book.

Definitely a delight.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This paranormal m/m short romance story is a prequel to the series Fang Club. The first chapter of the story was hard to understand what was happening. But as I read a few more chapters of the story it started to make sense.  For most of the story its about how he come to term with being changed into a vampire.

I received a complimentary copy via Booksprout. This is my honest unbiased opinion.

[Latecia Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure of the seduction or the romance but it was a fun read. Morgan the "childe" to Marc's sire made it entertaining. I did like how the chapters were broken up on the moods/attitude Morgan was going through. I did find it interesting that how Morgan became a vampire was explained at the end instead of beginning...unless I missed it...Fun prequel to the upcoming series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and ohh sooo good!! This follows Morgan thru the five stages of death after becoming a vampire. I loved the patience that Marc had with Morgan! Morgan and Marc had some really great banter! Loved it!! I’m voluntarily reviewing from an advanced copy that I received.

[Ken Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winter Wonderland download. [There is apparently a full version of this short story by this author. ] Contemporary turning of a vampire. Told from the point of view of Morgan, it covers his acceptance of Marc's action. Clever plot and brilliant descriptions, with many a chuckle.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool preview for a new series, looking forward to seeing where this goes

[Traceys · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual but enjoyable read. There's some light heartedness from Morgan who isn't accepting his predicament and a patient but old-worldly sire.

Not sure I felt an emotional connection between Marc and Morgan but there was defo a sexual one near the end!

This was freebie read so that's always a bonus especially as it's a short read.

[Cynthia Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marc a vampire has to get Morgan to feed off him to get Morgan to bound with him. The only problem is Morgan doesn't want any part of it. I enjoyed this short story.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 stars*