Review: Dreamlands by Felicitas Ivey

Dreamlands is told by three different first person points of view. Firstly, there is that of Mason, an African American man working for a Boston based secret agency called Global International run by 'trustees'. Mason is in security and his job is to protect the building and its inhabitants from attacks from the Dreamlands. These attacks are usually in the form of monsters who get through portals and reap havoc when they do. Secondly, there is Keno, a young Japanese man who was dragged from his college dorm room and kidnapped by the agency for accidentally breaking into their computer system. Keno is then held captive and forced to work as a IT technician whilst also being verbally and physically abused by his coworkers. Thirdly, there is Samojirou, a Japanese demon or Oni who lives in the Dreamlands after being banished by a lover.

The book begins in confusion as Mason recounts a breach in the building caused by one of the agency workers, Heiseg, who is able to use magic. Monsters pour in and devour many of the technicians and in the chaos Heiseg goes mad and rapes Keno who was unfortunate to be caught up in the situation. Suddenly a beautiful woman appears and sets her 'reapers' on killing the monsters and then disappears, taking Keno with her. The view switches to Samojirou. He is the consort of the beautiful lady, Tamazusa, who gifts Samojirou with Keno to be his companion and lover. The story then follows Keno as Samojirou attempts to gain his trust after his horrific experience and also switches backwards and forwards from the Dreamlands to Boston as Mason and his co-workers attempt to open a portal to the Dreamlands to find out what happened to Keno.

One of the ongoing themes of this book is the contrast between the so-called monsters or demons in the Dreamlands and the civilised humans in the real world. Every single one of the humans, including Mason come across as selfish, conniving and generally unpleasant. The demons, however, treat Keno with courtesy, kindness and compassion. They strongly observe the traditions from ancient Japan and to them honour and esteem mean a lot. There's a lot of black humour to be derived, through Mason, when the demons and the humans eventually meet, especially in the way that both parties conduct themselves. I found this part of the book, set in the Dreamlands to be the most interesting and well written section.

Whilst the interweaving first person narratives were certainly one of the most unusual things about this book, it was also perhaps its weakest aspect. This was not because of a lack of individuality in the voices of the three characters - quite the opposite in fact, but rather that the changes in voice often heralded a change in scene which made some of the book seem a little choppy. The three first person point of views allows more perspective than a single first person pov, but it is still limiting enough that you are never quite sure of the motivations of the other characters. Whether you will enjoy that will depend on your opinions of books written in the first person. I thought it worked well, especially with Keno and Samojirou. However, I found Mason, in particular, to be difficult to understand in the way that he spoke and didn't really like the sections where we had his point of view, especially as it was often used to break up the story of Keno and Samojirou. I found myself getting impatient and tempted to skip on back to the Dreamlands setting as I was more interested in those sympathetic characters than the humans in the real world. This got better when all the characters got together in the Dreamlands. Another side effect of have all the humans as unsympathetic characters was that I didn't particularly care for any of them, even Mason, which meant that any of the dramatic tension in the all-action end section was lost as I was hoping that all the humans, apart from Keno, would come to a sticky end. One other confusing aspect was that three of the human characters had names that began with the same letter - Mason, Murphy and McGann - whilst this is only a minor annoyance, it did make it slightly difficult to work out who was who at first which may be another reason why I didn't warm to the humans as much as the demons.

One aspect which was done extremely well was the world building which was rich and intricate. The Dreamlands, in particular, contained a wealth of information and history, not just in the main characters but in secondary characters (of which there were many) and even the land itself. The Dreamlands follows a pattern similar to ancient Japan with many hierarchies in terms of position in society and although I'm not entirely familiar with Japanese history, I knew enough that the place seemed familiar but still retain its mystery as a good fantasy setting should.

If you like fantasy and urban fantasy (of which this book seems to be a mix), then I would highly recommend that you read this book. There is enough in Dreamlands to satisfy those with a taste for gentle romance, for action sequences, for character driven stories and also (as a brief warning) mindless violence, especially towards the end of the book. Felicitas Ivey is a new author and I'm very impressed with this book as a first novel. I shall be keeping a look out for her books in future. Grade: 'Very Good'.

Buy this book HERE

Keeper Review: Lord and Master by Jules Jones

Chatting about this book with Jules Jones on yesterday's post reminded me that I'd been meaning to do one of my 'Keeper' reviews on it for ages.

I was first attracted to Lord and Master by the gorgeous Anne Cain cover. I was fairly new to m/m and I'd been having a nosy through the author lists at Loose Id looking for something I might like when I saw this cover and had to check it out. The blurb made it sound fun and so I bought it. I'm so glad I took a chance on this book because it's become one of my comfort reads. A book I'll turn to if I need cheering up or have read several 'meh' books in a row.

The story begins with our young hero Mark. He's nearly finished his science PhD and is starting to think about his future. Mark's supervisor and friend suggests that he apply for a post as a research and personal assistant to the charismatic Steven who runs his own very successful business with strong links to the science sector. Mark is a little worried at becoming what could essentially be a glorified secretary, but once he meets Steven and hears what the post entails he is happy to consider the post. His decision might also be influenced by the fact that Steven is gay, handsome and an older man - so pushes all Mark's buttons.

What I really like about this book is the way it takes certain romance conventions and turns them on their head. So whilst this looks on the surface to be a secretary/boss romance in the tradition of Mills and Boon/Harlequin, the power dynamic is actually very evenly balanced. Mark makes his attraction to Steven known almost immediately and their affair is by mutual consent. There are lots of delicious scenes of sex on the desk, or other parts of the office which you definitely didn't get in the M&B books I read in the 1980s! You would expect that as the boss and the older man, Steven would hold the greater amount of power in the relationship but Mark's self assuredness and the way that both men talk through their expectations of the relationship dissolves some of that power struggle. I have to admit that the way the men talk to one another is far and away one of the best things about this book. They discuss their feelings, they are open about any problems and when there are mix ups the two of them talk through how and why those misunderstandings happened and how they can move on from that. Wow! Men who are actually reasonable human beings!

Another aspect I like about this book is that it's a May to December romance. Once again, rather than this aspect being an opportunity for Steven to hold all the power, it is Mark who has to constantly reassure Steven that he is not taking advantage of Mark and that Mark is naturally attracted to older men - Steven is in his 40's whereas Mark is 25. There's a few jokes made about Mark's lack of self-control which is attributed to this age, but on the whole the age issue isn't a big deal. Instead, the age gap is seen as more of a problem for the other people in the office building, who look at Mark and see 'young office totty' for Steven. This stereotype is used by Mark and Steven, as they play off on that image of Mark in order to gain the advantage over Steven's business rivals.

The final thing I like about this book is that it isn't just a light, fluffy read. It deals with some issues such as workplace harassment and bullying, mental illness and the struggle to be taken seriously in your chosen career. These themes are mixed into a lovely romance between two men who start a relationship based on casual office sex, but which eventually leads to something much more meaningful.

If you haven't read Lord and Master yet then I would highly recommend that you read this book. Its British setting and characters may make me a little biased, but it's one of my favourite m/m books and one that I've read over and over again since I bought it. Grade: An unsurprising 'Excellent'

Buy this book HERE.

Yaoi and the Student/Teacher Relationship

As many of you know, I've been reading quite a lot of yaoi recently.  One thing I've noticed about this is the proliferation of plots involving students and teachers that litter yaoi manga in particular.  Now I suppose this fits nicely into the yaoi genre because usually there is one older guy with a lot of authority and a younger guy who get taken advantage of (only to turn the tables later, I've noticed).  Occasionally it's the other was around with the teacher as the 'cute young thing' Uke and the student as a younger, yet still more dominate Seme.

There are a lot of m/m books based on yaoi and yet I've yet to read one where there is a teacher/student relationship.  I've read a couple like The Professor's Passion by ML Rhodes which have a university professor and a post-grad student but non with an 18 year old high school student and a teacher (which are the ones which crop up the most in yaoi and sometimes the students are younger than 18).  This made me wonder why.

• Is it because there's a faint whiff of seediness about an older man in authority who has an affair with one of his students?

• Is it that western readers are uncomfortable with teacher/student romance?

• There are a number of romance books which have teachers getting together, including one of my favourite m/m romances Caught Running by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux, so it can't be that the school environment is considered unsexy.  

I don't mind the whole teacher/student storyline and I wish that there were some m/m books which use that plot.  Or maybe there already are some books like that, but I haven't heard of them.  In which case I'm sure you'll correct me!

Review: To Be Where You Are by KZ Snow

To be Where You Are follows on from the excellent InDescent (reviewed HERE). At the end of the previous book our heroes Adin the ex-vampire and Jackson the wizard had realised that they mean more to each other than the occasional weekend fling. The trouble is Adin is still living with Celia, who he loves and respects but has begun to realise is not the life long partner he once thought she would be. Celia also realises that she has lost Adin to Jackson and also that perhaps Adin and Jackson have always been destined for each other. Before Celia can finally cut the ties that bind her and Adin, another wizard interferes in a desperate attempt to get Jackson to help him find his missing lover.

Before I begin, I feel I ought to mention that this book is part of a ongoing series of books involving Celia, Jackson and Adin (non of which involve a menage, I hasten to add). It's not necessary to have read all the books in the series before you read this one, but I would recommend that you read InDescent and possibly the one before that, Obsessed (reviewed HERE), to get a true understanding of the characters, especially Celia, and how they have arrived at their present situation.

This book follows two intertwining story lines. Both of these take up equal page time as we swap and change between the paranormal mystery involving voodoo witchcraft and Jackson's attempt to discover the whereabouts of fellow wizard Perez, and the domestic scenes between Adin and Celia as they struggle to come to terms with the breakdown of their relationship. This actually means that our two heroes don't spend very much page time together, but instead the focus is mainly on Jackson as he works through the implications of finally admitting he is gay, of being in love and his frustration at being forced to be apart from Adin. This is done quite cleverly using characters who try to tempt Jackson. On three separate occasions in the book Jackson is propositioned by different men and each time the temptation is stronger as he considers giving in to their sexual advances. The way that Jackson reacts to these temptations, coupled with his sexual frustration and worry that Celia may not release Adin, is a turning point in the book and the series as a whole. These incidents show us how Jackson has begun to allow himself to look at other men in a sexual way and to accept that it isn't just a case of 'Gay for You' with Adin, but that he's attracted and tempted by other men also. It's quite a subtle shift in Jackson's viewpoint but an important one for him and for us the reader to recognise.

Alongside that is the paranormal plot involving the missing wizard Perez. At first I was a little irritated at how Perez's story dragged me away from what was happening with Jackson and Adin, but as the book progressed I began to be drawn into the weird, almost dreamlike, situation. Perez is an intriguing character and most of what we find out about him is done second hand through Jackson and Perez's lover, Noah. When we do eventually get to meet him he is so disorientated that he's almost a different person to that described earlier. I liked this contrast and also that his own folly has directly affected Jackson. One part that did surprise me slightly was the way that this part of the plot was so easily dealt with. I was expecting some 'whizz bang' witchcraft but everything was dealt with quite quickly and easily. I'm not sure quite why I was so surprised, after all, it is probably more realistic to have everything go to plan smoothly rather than have a lot of contrived difficulties added to the plot to make it more of a challenge for the characters!

Finally there is the situation with Adin and Celia. Those of you who are uncomfortable with infidelity, how ever much it may be sanctioned and accepted, will still find this aspect of the book and series uncomfortable. I have always found Celia's reaction to the whole thing quite baffling at times and as a result she does come across as rather saintly. Having said that, I felt that the way the situation was resolved was handled well, especially as we are given a legitimate future for Celia and I was happy at the way this aspect of the story was concluded.

To Be Where You Are is a character based book which is high on emotion. I love books like that, love getting inside a character and really getting to know them and this book was able to satisfy me through the use of excellent, realistic characterisation. I devoured the book in one sitting and reached the end of the book both with a sigh of contentment and a slight feeling of disappointment that it was all over. This may well be the last Adin/Jackson novel (although KZ Snow has hinted of the possibility of more) and I've invested a lot of emotion and time on these wonderful characters. I want more, but I may just have to content myself by re-reading the series again. I highly recommend this book, with a grade of 'Excellent' for all those, like me, who have fallen in love with Adin and Jackson but also the whole series in general for those who are looking for an emotionally fulfilling story about two men who have to overcome a series of difficult obstacles to be with one another.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: On a Bruised Road by Pepper Espinoza

This ghostly paranormal story may not be to everyone’s taste with its themes of lust and desire from beyond the grave and how that affects the lives of two men, but I found it to be a compelling read.

On a Bruised Road begins with a car – a 1962 Alpha Romeo Spider. Edwin has been saving up, and searching all his life for this car. He’s finally found one in mint condition and when he slides behind the wheel, the experience is almost orgasmic.

Edwin slid behind the steering wheel, closing his eyes to absorb the ambience, the atmosphere, of the car. For a moment, everything felt perfect. The sun was high overhead, heating the leather, and the steering wheel was solid against his palms. The most solid thing in the world. Something inside of him surged, like fire erupting from a mountain. Sparks swirled in a whirlwind, spiraling through his core, engulfing his heart. It was akin to love, or maybe a junkie’s rush of adrenaline.

I’m not a big fan of cars in general, but Edwin’s utter contentment at finally finding this car, after all the time, effort and money he had spent looking for it, immediately made me warm to his character. Edwin has had a rough past. He was addicted to pain killers in his twenties and so feels that he has somehow missed out on that part of his life. At 47 he is unhappy at this supposed lost youth and does think, with a great deal of resentment, of all the missed opportunities that his addiction caused.

Edwin’s contentment with his new car is short lived when he discovers that it is haunted by the ghost of a young man called Cooper who died in a accident whilst driving the car in 1962. Cooper is attached to the car, and can interact with people most strongly when in or next to the car, but he can also exist outside the car, although not usually in a fully formed way. Cooper sees how much Edwin loves his car and, in his loneliness, becomes obsessively attached to Edwin with whom he can talk and even touch. Edwin is at first horrified by Cooper, but through his own lack of self worth, plus Cooper’s manipulation starts to consider whether he should give in to Cooper’s demands to be with him. Into this situation comes Carson who also likes Edwin and wants to get to know him better. This proves to be difficult when Cooper’s jealousy threatens to put a stop to their blossoming relationship.

The strength of this story lies with the character of Edwin and his conflicting emotions as he tries to choose between a ghost and the very-much-alive Carson. There are a whole host of reasons why he should choose Carson, who is funny, sexy, hard working and finds the much older Edwin a complete turn on. Yet every time Edwin makes the decision that he wants Carson, Cooper gets into his head and uses Edwin’s insecurities about his age and his addictive personality to manipulate him to the extent that he even forgets to turn up to dates with Carson. It is even worse when Edwin is having sex with Carson, as Cooper tries to invade his thoughts and get Edwin to think about him, rather than Carson. The whole three-way relationship, with Edwin as a pawn in the middle, left me feeling very uncomfortable – in a good way. I’m a lover of psychological horror stories and found this one to be utterly chilling. The way that Cooper uses Edwin to assuage his loneliness and in doing so plays on all Edwin’s fears of getting old was quite unsettling. It made me squirm, it made me want to shout at Edwin for being so foolish and yet I also felt a great deal of sorrow and pity for Cooper.

Another part which worked well in this book was Edwin and his previous addiction to painkillers. The fact that Edwin knows that he has a weakness, not just for painkillers but for any drug, be it alcohol or even sex was an interesting concept. Cooper is able to invade Edwin’s dreams and put him into a coma-like state similar to that of some drugs. This frightens Edwin and yet the sense of peace, of being disconnected to the real world, is addictive to Edwin and he allows Cooper to take over his mind, almost killing him in the process. This contentment Edwin feels when in this dream-like state is contrasted with the difficulties he has in real life, making being with Cooper seductive and an easy option. I liked how this became a metaphor for the drugs that he took in his youth and I could see that Cooper’s influence is more an addiction than a choice. This made some of the decisions that Edwin makes more easy to stomach.

If I have any negative things to say about this book, it would be that the end was just a little too conveniently done and perhaps that, when compared to the complexity of Edwin and Cooper, Carson was a little less fleshed out.

One note of warning: This book does contain quite a graphic and harrowing scene of non-con sex. I can’t say much about it as it would give too much away in terms of spoilers, but I’d ask you not to let that put you off the book. The scene marks a turning point in the relationship between the three men and, as a result, is not gratuitous but rather very necessary to the plot.

Overall, I was completely hooked by On a Bruised Road. I got very annoyed when RL meant that I had to put the book down. The complex, creepy psychological plot and the swift pacing all combined to make this an exciting journey, one which was enhanced by the flawed emotions of the characters. I highly recommend this book for those readers who love horror and chilling psychological drama.  Grade: Excellent

Buy this book HERE

Saturday Shorts

All the shorts this week are sips from Torquere books.

Smoke Screen by Stevie Woods
This historical tells the story of Justin and Richard who have been friends for a few years.  They are both in love with each other but daren't say anything in case their love isn't returned and also for fear of any repercussions.  In desperation, Richard travelled abroad and returned married.  This only reinforces Justin's idea that Richard is straight and so he resolves to keep his secret and just be Richard's friend.  All that changes when Justin inadvertently lets his feelings slip.  I like historicals and this one was a good short read.  The characterisation was done well, and I liked the slightly ambiguous ending over what would happen with Richard's wife.  I'm giving it a 'Very Good' and I recommend it for anyone who likes historicals.

A Dangling Conversation by Dallas Coleman
Tam recommended this Halloween short to me. It's very different from the normal type of story because it's structured like a monologue, with one (unnamed) character taking to another (unnamed) character who either won't or can't speak back to him. The two men are waiting for a third to arrive and during the course of their time together the first man relates how he met and came to know the third man. It's difficult to say too much more about this without giving away major spoilers, but the whole creeping atmosphere of the story was deliciously chilling.  I also loved the way that the character of the first man comes across strongly in his accent and the way he phrases his disturbing story. My favourite line out of the whole thing has to be: "We ended up in a rent-by-the-hour place, because, well, he was buying and I wasn't near as classy then as I am now, you know?". A perfect story for Halloween or for anyone fond of unsettling psychological horror stories.  Grade: Excellent.

The Starlight by Vic Winter
This lovely second chance at love story concerns Dan who is persuaded by his friend Billy to go out to what used to be the favourite haunt of Dan and his lover Ben, who was killed nearly 14 months previous to the start of the story.  Dan is reluctant to go out, but makes the effort.   When he gets there he meets Bo and despite a slight inkling that he may have been set up by Billy, he gets on well with the other man.  At 12 pages, this was just a tiny read but I very much enjoyed Dan's emotional journey as he begins to move away from the grief which has held him for the last few months.  My only complaint would be that I didn't really find out much about Bo other than he was tall, blond and had a good sense of humour.  Still this was a sweet story with likeable characters and gets a grade of 'Very Good'.

The Things you do for your Invisible Buddies

ETA: Thought I ought to add for all those people who are popping over from other blogs that Kris and I have a history of insulting each other.  She likes it, really.

Kris over at Kris 'n' Gay Books, in a fit of apparent boredom, decided to produce one of those meme thingies (I still haven't actually ever found out what 'meme' actually means) all based around m/m books.

She knows I hate these things and so has deliberately tagged me, cos she's a bitch stirrer. I could, of course, refuse to do it, but I can't be bothered to put up with all the shit annoying things she'll say forever on her blog if I don't so here goes...

Rules:

1. Answer all the questions below in either the comments here or post it on your own site. If you post it on your own site you have to come back and give the link here so I/Kris can mosey on over and see if you answered correctly have a sticky beak.

2. You have to tag two other people once your done and pester them relentlessly until they do the meme too.

3. Instead of a meme image thing you have to post a cookie, preferably a twofer. It is an m/m meme after all. ;)

Questions:

1. How long have you been reading GLBTQ fiction?
I can be very precise here. I bought my first m/m book on 20/5/08 and read it that day.

ETA: I just realised that I'd read the Lord John Books before this.  Plus I'd read the Anne Rice Vampire books years ago.  Does that count?

2. What was the first book you read in this genre?
My Fair Captain by JL Langley

3. Are you 'out' as a reader?
Only to hub.

4. Ebooks, print or both?
Mostly ebooks, but I do have a few print books too.

5. Do you buy direct from publishers or from secondary sellers?
Both

6. Prove you're a Book Slut. How many books would you say you buy a week?
I get quite a lot of arcs so I don't buy many books, maybe four a month.

7. Are you a cover, blurb or excerpt buyer?
I'm easily caught by a cover but have to read the blurb and extract before I buy.

8. Yeah, you read reviews, but do you actually take notice of them?
Yes, I do. Except my own of course. I pretty much ignore them.

9. Who's your fave publisher?
Loose Id. But I also like Torquere as long as I turn a blind eye to all the errors.

10. What about authors? Your top two only!!
Just two!!!
*starts hyperventilating*
I can't do it.
OK, start with Josh Lanyon and JCP.
But then there's Sean and Clare L and KZ and AM Riley and ZAM and KA Mitchell and lots and lots more.

11. Is there a sub-genre you particularly dis/like?
Not hugely fond of shifter books, but do like it when it's done well.

12. Short or long?? *rolls eyes* And, no, I'm not talking about cocks.
Both. Whichever suits my mood at the time.

13. Anything turn you off about m/m or is all just glorious smut to you?
Erm, not fond of shifted sex or anything involving gross bodily functions.

14. Finish this sentence. You know it's m/m twu wuv when...
You start carrying round little sachets of lube in your pockets.

15. What trope or theme are you heartily sick of in m/m romance?
The old 'soul mates' thing.

16. If you could choose any 3 characters for a m/m/m who would they be?
Vic and Jacob and Crash
*ducks and runs away from the Psycop fans*

There was also a perverse part of me who would have liked to have seen a consensual menage between Adrien, Jake and Paul Kane
*ducks and runs from the AE fans*

17. What new GLBTQ release are you most hanging out for right now?
The Dark Tide (AE book 5) by Josh Lanyon

18. What GLBTQ book has completely blown you away this year?
The Bones of Summer by Anne Brooke, Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy, Collision Course by KA Mitchell

19. What do you think we'll see more of in m/m romance in 2010?
Steam punk.

20. Don't you agree that author Josh Lanyon should kill off arsehole character Jake Riordan?
No, no no! He's misunderstood and is going to thoroughly redeem himself in the next book.

OK, so I now have to tag two people - just don't either of you blame me.  Remember this whole thing is Kris' idea.

I choose LisaBea and Tracy