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Beneath a Yankee Sky

Book 2 of the Between States series

Cover for Beneath a Yankee Sky

Genre: Historical (1863 / Civil War)

Publisher: Amber Quill Press

Length: Novelette (17k)

Date Published: September 2007

Heat Level: Hot Hot Hot!

ISBN: 978-1-60272-113-5

Brance Brenneman is used to harsh conditions -- the eldest son of a stern Amish preacher, Brance was bit by a werecat as a young boy, and managed to keep his secret from his family until he was old enough to leave them and their religion behind. Years later, when the nation is divided by the American Civil War, Brance finds himself enlisted in the Union army. By sheer chance, he meets Caleb Chilson, a Confederate soldier who bears his same shapeshifting burden.

Together they leave the war behind to forge a new life in the wilderness of Pennsylvania. But trappers near their camp are hunting bobcats, and they don't much care if Brance and Caleb are only in the fur part of the time. Brance finds his peaceful existence shattered, and he has to fight to defend the life -- and the bobcat, the man -- he's come to love.

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Excerpt

Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.

Caleb nodded against Brance's back and stood, then leaned down to whisper, "I still want that fuck."

"Later," Brance conceded.

Behind him Caleb stretched again. Brance risked a quick glance up and saw a glorious sight -- his lover's balls nestled in fuzzy hair, and the tip of his dick pointing down at Brance like a single sightless eye winking in temptation. If it weren't so late, and the change so imminent ... if only they had world enough and time ...

A foot nudged the small of Brance's back. "I see you looking," Caleb said again. "Two minutes, I'm telling you ..."

Sudden discomfort flickered across Caleb's face as one hand clutched his lower belly. "God," he gasped, a look of sickness on his young face. Turning on his heel, he raced for a low thicket nearby. Brance heard him retch as he disappeared into the underbrush.

It was nothing more than the moon on the rise but when Caleb cried out in pain, Brance stood and half-turned to follow his lover into the trees before a cramp in his own stomach doubled him over. Clutching his abdomen, Brance fell, breathless, to the ground. His skin began to burn, as if flames lapped his body -- pain slashed through him, radiating from his belly up through his chest, shooting down both legs, crippling his arms. In the cataclysm of change, his joints popped as his bones crunched down, reshaping themselves into a familiar feline form. Burnished hair erupted over the back of his hands, along his legs. As he writhed on the ground, his fingers fumbled to unbutton his shirt. His breath came hoarse and close, ragged to his own ears. Over the sound he heard the brook muttering to itself and, beyond that, Caleb's quiet sobs.

With nerveless fingers, Brance managed to extract himself from the shirt. His hands changed as he struggled to undress -- his nails lengthening, curving, sharpening; his fingers retreating into padded paws. The last vestiges of humanity fell away as he kicked off his underpants -- the legs that slipped from the shorts drew up to Brance's body, feet dissolving into paws, ankles straightening, knees bending back as his thighs reformed into haunches.

Around him, the night came alive with sights and smells and sounds the human he had been could not appreciate. Brance lay on his side, panting, as he allowed himself to remember the feel of this body, its weight and power, the strength now flowing through his veins. The thrashing in Caleb's thicket had stopped, as well. The stench of man filled the clearing but Brance recognized it as his own scent, mingled so heavily with his lover's that the two became one.

A sudden roar split the night. It flashed like lightning through Brance, igniting his blood. As he rolled into a sitting position, the trees nearby shook -- he watched a bobcat trot from the thicket, amber eyes trained on Brance's face. Before he could react, the cat came right for him without hesitation. Its cold nose wrinkled as it sniffed over Brance's forehead -- he closed his eyes, waiting.

Then a choppy purr filled the night air, and the bobcat butted its head against Brance's. What about now? the other cat mused. It turned, raising its short tail into the air to expose its anus. A heady scent blossomed between them, a randy, wild smell that eclipsed all others and made Brance's claws knead the soft dirt beneath him, eager. Caleb's voice spoke into Brance's feline brain. Will you fuck me now?

Reviews
Bitten by Books: 3.5 out of 5. Full review.
"I enjoyed this installment as much as the last, possibly even more. This is one to pick up on a lazy afternoon if you enjoy male/male eroticism and romance."

Coffeetime Romance: 4 out of 5. Full review.
"This is a great story of people being different and able to find someone just like them. Caleb and Brance still make a great couple balancing out the differences in each of them. If you have read the first book, you will enjoy this one as well."

Fallen Angel Reviews: 4 out of 5. Full review.
"Together Caleb and Brance seem to fill the empty spaces is each others life and create a love that is strong enough to overcome whatever obstacles that life puts in their way. I hope that there will be more stories about the lives of these two very strong willed and vibrant men."

Joyfully Reviewed: Full review.
"Will hold you captive to the last page as these guys battle to remain alive and together all while fitting in passion where possible."

Literary Nymphs Reviews: 4½ out of 5. Full review.
"Snyder has written a fantastic story of love and adventure, filled with emotion, humor and hot sex! A beautiful story of two men, with such a strong connection to each other you can’t imagine one without the other. You won’t be able to help but fall in love with Brance and Caleb all over again, so don’t miss this book!"

Rainbow Reviews: 4 out of 5. Full review.
"When I read one of J.M. Snyder's stories, I always find myself mentally and emotionally engaged with both the story and characters. This story was no different. The characters of Caleb and Brance are very different, but they compliment one another so well."

Reader Review by Enigmatically Emily. Full review.
"A fabulous story with well developed characters and an intriguing plot ... J.M. has done a fabulous job maintaining their differences from human to cat form as well as describing their physical characteristics that are so truly feline ... This is a fantastic story and I highly recommend this series!"

Reviewed by Frost: 4 out of 5. Full review.
"I love the way Brance and Caleb interact. Though different, they're like two halves of a whole. Being who and what they are, they're trying to find a piece of wilderness to call their own; to be free of the unrest of the Civil War, to love one another, and to live without fear in their bobcat forms. Once again, Snyder manages to make the history in this story feel true for this time."

The Romance Studio: 5 out of 5. Full review.
"The author does a great job building the scenarios, suspense, main as well as secondary characters and thought processes involved as Brance plans for the future and defends his lover. This is an erotic book that was hard to put down."



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