Sex, Romance, Love and Dog Tags!
by Kendall McKenna
Hello to everyone! Happy July – ‘love and dog tags’ to all. I hope you’re all having the kind of summer you personally enjoy! Mine is shaping up to be awesome. I’m usually nocturnal, but I might have to adjust my schedule for the next few months, so I can enjoy the sun and the warmth.
Okay, down to business. My name is Kendall McKenna, and I write m/m erotic romance novels (www.kendallmckenna.com). If you love a good military themed story, you probably know who I am. If you love a good military themed story and you don’t know who I am, you’re in luck! I’m here to rescue you by introducing you to my characters and my stories.
Through a happy accident, I learned that I have a special talent for writing authentic military characters, so I’ve made it my niche in the m/m genre. It’s tricky and challenging to write this type of character as falling in love. These military guys are strong, and sexy, but they typically start out emotionally reserved. Then they get indoctrinated into the subculture of the warrior, and they lose a significant percentage of their ability to talk about their feelings! Things get worse for me when both halves of the pairing are Marines, because there’s no one in the nascent relationship who’s willing to try to communicate. (sigh) On the other hand, these hot, alpha males try to distract each other from discussing their feelings, by seducing one another with loud, rough, and sweaty sex!
Part of my success in my happy little niche of the m/m genre, is a direct result of my placing them in realistic, believable situations. One of the reasons my stories feel so realistic to my readers is that I weave the romance all throughout my complex and layered plot. The suspenseful, pulse-pounding action, and combat scenes, moves the plot and the romance forward. Even the super sexy, super hot love scenes serve to propel the story, or a character arc, forward. Some things explode on the battlefield; others things explode in the bedroom! (wink) Yes, I said it, and I said it intentionally!
Even my series that features werewolves serving in the Marine Corps, makes it seem as though the world could wake up tomorrow, and shifters would be serving in the military! As if a bunch of emotionally stunted men, all dressed in camouflage, weren’t enough of an interesting challenge, I’ve added the actual social structure of a pack of wolves to the Marine Corps’ rank structure, along with a full-moon compulsion, and hormone-driven mating drives! Given the number of automatic weapons and incendiary devices that are normally just lying around, it’s a wonder there aren’t more injuries.
The first book in The Tameness of the Wolf series – Strength of the Pack – kicked the entire thing off with an earnest human lieutenant, and a stoic, alpha werewolf sergeant. They fall in love over the course of year, while fighting a war in the mountains of Afghanistan. Strength of the Pack is a nominee for a Bookie Award, from Authors After Dark.
Strength of the Pack
(The Tameness of the Wolf, Book #1)
Blurb:
Lieutenant Lucas Young doesn’t know much about shifters. When Sergeant Noah Hammond is assigned to Lucas’ platoon, the Marine Corps’ True Alpha werewolf challenges the Lieutenant’s authority and his self-control. As Lucas learns to dominate and command Noah, he struggles against a strong attraction and deepening emotional bond.
During their combat deployment to Afghanistan, Lucas and Noah begin mirroring legendary partnerships. Their bond and their power grow as they survive dangerous combat and ambushes. When one of them is wounded in battle, they both must embrace the strength of their bond before they lose each other forever.
The second book in The Tameness of the Wolf series – Strength of the Wolf – paired up a human major, with a civilian werewolf. They also fall in love over the course of an entire year, while battling their own government, at the same time they prepare to take on the leadership of a civilian werewolf pack. Strength of the Wolf helped me to earn the title of MLR’s Best Selling Ebook Author for 2013.
Strength of the Wolf
(The Tameness of the Wolf, Book #2)
Blurb:
After a fiery exit from Afghanistan, Tim Madison is promoted to major. Jeremy Wagner is a civilian, just beginning his Transition to True Alpha. As a lone wolf, he has no one to teach him the vital principles of strong leadership. After a volatile chance encounter, Tim and Jeremy form an intimate bond.
As Jeremy prepares to someday lead his own pack, Tim struggles with military werewolves being needlessly maimed in combat, as well as specifically targeted by hostile forces. Despite Tim and Jeremy’s feelings, werewolf and human politics or family conflict could prevent their mate-bond.
The third book in The Tameness of the Wolf series – Strength of the Mate – nearly cost me my sanity as I wrote from the point of view of a civilian, for the first time. This civilian human, and werewolf Gunnery Sergeant, fell in love quickly, while facing death daily, from a Marine base in Fallujah, Iraq. Strength of the Mate just received outstanding praise in the Happily Ever After section of USA Today.
Strength of the Mate
(The Tameness of the Wolf, Book #3)
Blurb:
Adam Madison is in Iraq, driving supply trucks for the Marines, but he still can’t outrun his personal ghosts. Outside the wire, insurgents are a relentless threat. Inside, renegade werewolves are a constant danger.
Dawson Rivers is on a mission for the True Alpha—bring the rampaging shifters under control. Adam proves to be invaluable to his task. Their intense mutual attraction explodes into a powerful physical, and emotional connection.
You can find out more about The Tameness of the Wolf series, as well as my other series titled The Recon Diaries, on my website. While you’re there, you can read up on my stand-alone story, as well as my three-author anthology. My books are available at all the usual distributors, but you’ll find buy-links on my website, as well.
I have a substantial social media presence. Please contact me with any questions or comments you might have, regarding any of my books. Don’t be shy! Ask away.
You can find out more about Kendall on her Website, Facebook & Twitter or email her at kendall.mckenna3@gmail.com.
Now it’s time to put our feet up, and let down our hair! It hasn’t been a successful blog visit, if I haven’t given something away.
To celebrate the June 20th release of Strength of the Mate, I’m offering a chance to win 1 ebook copy of this title! Just click the link below to enter!
Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway unless otherwise stated but are still welcome anyway.
Don’t forget to check out JustJen’s review of Strength of the Mate to see what she thought of it!
Good luck!
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