Review: Don't Look Back by Josh Lanyon

As the British saying goes, Josh Lanyon's books have been a bit like buses recently: You wait ages for one to arrive and then three come along at once. The other two being Lovers and Other Strangers and Someone Killed his Editor, both of which I've reviewed here over the past couple of weeks.

Don't Look Back is the novella which will go into the next Partners in Crime Anthology, along with Jordan Castillo Price's novella. However, it's also released today by Loose Id as a stand-a-lone. It's a very different story to the other two books which have been recently released. Its tone is quieter, more reflective and the story mirrors that tone in that most of the conflict comes from the lead character's internal confusion, rather than external forces (although there is a bit of that as well). You may also be shocked to learn that there isn't one single murder in this novella. Not one.

The book begins in a dramatic fashion with our hero, Peter, stumbling towards a house with blood pouring out of his head. He passes out once he gets inside and awakens in hospital with no recollection of who he is or how he got in hospital. Sitting by his bed is Detective Griffin, who tells Peter that he has been accused of robbery. Peter is a museum curate and several costly pieces have been stolen from the museum, including a valuable mural which was taken the night that Peter was attacked. The book follows Peter's attempt to regain his memory and discover who is stealing from the museum.

Although this story is told in the third person, we only get Peter's point of view. This allows us to experience all his frustrations and confusion over what is happening to him, but also means that the reader experiences a little doubt as to whether Peter is telling us the whole truth. His amnesia also casts some doubt on whether he could be the one committing the crime because, although he believes within himself that he's not capable of stealing, he doesn't remember whether he has or not. The use of the amnesia in this context was an interesting way to keep the mystery going, even though I'd pretty much guessed who was responsible before the end.

Another interesting way that the amnesia was used is in the characterisation of Peter. He can't remember what sort of person he is and can only rely on what he knows instinctively about himself. This means that Peter is actually freed from many of the constraints he had previous to the amnesia and is able to act in a way that is more true to his personality than he had previously. One telling scene is when Peter arrives at his house after leaving the hospital and wanders from room to room looking at his things, his clothes and the life he obviously led before the attack.

He tossed the shirt into the laundry, opened the closet, and blinked. His clothes hung in two neatly laundered and pressed rows -- grouped by style and color. Could he really be this organized? It didn’t seem…natural.

He selected a brown polo shirt and a pair of stone-colored chinos. He didn’t appear to own a pair of simple Levi’s.

Peter is even surprised by his own appearance when he looks in the mirror. It suggests that Peter has long lived a life which warred with his inner personality. The amnesia allows him to break free of that - to begin again, as it were, and make a fresh start with his life and with his friends. This was an unusual twist on the amnesia theme, which tends to involve people trying to get their memories back so they can return to how they were, not to rediscover themselves and move away from their previous life as Peter tries to do.

This is Peter's story and we get to experience all his highs and lows. As a result some of the other characters were not quite as well drawn as they may have been. This could be a deliberate ploy because Peter doesn't remember these people and only vaguely recalls their importance in his life, so how can they be fully rounded? Even Mike Griffin, the outwardly gruff detective is somewhat of a mystery. His motivations and past dealings with Peter are revealed slowly through the novella and only at the end do we see some of his true personality. This makes him somewhat of an enigma for most of the book.

I'm a big fan of some of Josh Lanyon's quieter, less outwardly humourous mysteries, such as Cards on the Table and Ghost of a Chance and this book can be compared favourably to those. I liked Peter and my heart ached for his situation and the confusion and helplessness he feels. I was cheering him on all the way through his period of self-discovery and subsequent re-evaluation of some of the decisions he has made in his life. Whilst the mystery elements were all present and correct, this book is really about one man's battle with himself; a battle I was all too happy to witness.

So if you're looking for flashy dialogue and Josh Lanyon's trademark wit, you may need to go elsewhere than this book as any humour within Don't Look Back is of the wry, self effacing sort. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery which gains a grade of 'Excellent', and am happy to add this novella to the growing list of Josh Lanyon's books that I will re-read when I'm in the mood for something emotionally satisfying.

How Important is Setting for a M/M Readership?

The other day I read one of the DSP June anthology stories, Then and Now by Clare London and really enjoyed it. Now you might be thinking that's not very unusual, because I haven't particularly made it a secret that I'm a bit of a fangirl of Clare's. However, this time it wasn't just the excellent writing or the unusual quirky story which made this story stick in my head. Rather it was the fact that the story was set in Britain and not only that, but that quite a lot of the story happens in the downstairs loo.

Now this really tickled me. The downstairs loo is just such a quintessentially British room. For a start it's tiny, just like much of the housing in this country, secondly the name conjures up images of flowered wallpaper, and toilet roll covers and lace curtains at the tiny window. It just seemed such an incongruous setting for two hot young men to be making out that the whole thing brought a smile to my face.




This got me thinking about the setting for m/m contemporaries. Let's face it, most of the time they are set in the US or Canada. I don't mind this because as long as a story is well written I'm not too bothered about the setting. Having said that it would be nice to read more m/m contemporaries in Britain, or Australia, or The Netherlands, or Finland, or Italy or South Africa or, basically, anywhere except North America. Surely, I'm not the only one who thinks this, so why aren't there more m/m stories set in other countries than the US or Canada?

Well, I know for a fact that US e-publishers aren't really very interested in them. They think that the US audience don't want to read books set outside the US and as US readers form the bulk of the m/m readership they don't want to risk alienating them. This means that any novels set outside the US are mostly rejected, not all, but a large number. I'm not talking about short stories: e-publishers seem to be more willing to take a risk with those, but longer novels are few and far between. There have obviously been notable exceptions: Clare London's Freeman was set in London and she was allowed to keep the British spelling (plus points for MLR Press), Sean Kennedy's Tigers and Devils is set in Australia...erm...I'm sure there are lots more m/m novels that have been published by a US epub which aren't set in the US that you can all suggest, but my mind has just gone blank.

The thing is, I'm not entirely sure that the e-publishers are right on this one. If, as a Brit, I'm willing to read stories set in the US and Canada, why wouldn't a US readership be willing to read books set in other countries? To me it seems like the e-pubs are saying that the US readers are insular and not willing to read stories which are set in slightly unfamiliar territory. If I were a US reader I would be rather insulted by that assertion.

What I want to know is whether the e-pubs are right. Do all you US readers out there only buy m/m books set in the US or Canada? Or are you just as willing to buy books set in other countries? Do you non-US/Canadian readers wish there were more (or even any) stories set in your country.

What about you authors: Are you wary of writing books set outside the US (and UF doesn't count, KZ)? Have you written and published books set outside the US and have your sales been lower as a result?

Saturday Shorts

Just a couple today - but hey at least I managed to read some this week!

Taste Test: Down Under

This was a set of three mini short stories by Laney Cairo, Kate Roman and Kara Larson, all of which were set either in Australia or NZ.

I enjoyed all three of them but my favourite was At The Bach by Kate Roman which was a lovely story of second chances. Lainy Cairo's story, Almost Paradise, was a bit strange but had solid writing and an interesting protagonist. Kate Roman's tale, Country Days, about two Maori men in an established relationship was, I think, a follow on from a previous book, so didn't hold my attention as much. Overall the anthology gets a grade of 'Very Good' from me. If you are interested, I have written a more comprehensive review of this book at Wave's blog here.

Str8te Boys by Evangeline Anderson

No-one does Gay For You as well as Evangeline Anderson and this novella about two soccer playing friends who become more was a hot and delightful read from start to finish.

Mav and Duke have been best friends for four years. They are on the verge of moving on with their lives when the relationship starts to take a strange turn. Duke has always been touchy-feeling and Mav has tolerated this, even to the extent that he allows Duke to share his bed. Then one day a game of 'gay chicken' starts to bring out feelings in Mav that he has never had before. This, coupled with a chaste(ish) photo shoot for a gay mag is a catalyst for Mav having to re-evaluate his sexuality and in particular how he views his friend.

As this is told from Mav's point of view we get to tag along with his journey of self discovery, especially as he battles with his feelings for Duke. Both characters were sympathetic and I really enjoyed having two stubborn alpha men battling it out in a series of 'dares' which becomes much more than win or lose. The sexual tension was wracked up to high through the whole story and, although a fantasy like many GFY stories, it wasn't wholly out the realms of believability. This was one of the best GFY stories that I've read in ages and it's going to be one that I shall come back to again and again - dare I say that I enjoyed this possibly more than The Assignment. It gets a well deserved grade of 'Excellent' and is an absolute must for all fans of GFY.

Enjoy your weekend!

GBLT Bookshelf

For any of you who may have been hidden under a rock recently, there's a new GBLT Wiki which has been set up by Mel Keegan- who I freely admit I'd never heard of before just recently (sorry Mel).

Anyway, it's this great resource for GBLT authors, reviewers, editors and publishers, so I thought I'd flag it up today.

I'm there, just about. I have to say it's tested my crappy IT skills to the limit, but I've posted up some of my reviews and intend getting them all up at some point. What I found amazing was actually how many reviews I've produced over the last 9 months.

You can find me here, so go over and have a look, rummage about, set yourself a page up if you are a reviewer or author of m/m.

I'll be back tomorrow with some Saturday Shorts - yes, I'm reading again - woo hoo!

Review: Turner and Turner: One Good Turn by Amber Green

Kendall Turner, or KT, is an embarrassment to his rich, influential family. After being caught on film having sex and the tape being used as blackmail, his family want nothing more than to lock him away in a 'clinic' and cure him of his drunken and sexual excesses. KT, however, doesn't want to ever go down that route again and attempts to escape from their clutches. He doesn't get very far before he is caught by his half brother Turn, who takes him off, drugs him, takes away his clothes and locks him in a motel room. KT, however, is more resourceful than Turn realises and it isn't long before KT turns the tables on Turn, especially when he realises that there is much more to his half-brother than he originally thought.

This book began really well. The scene with KT's parents, followed by his escape and capture, followed by another escape, was a mixture of thrills and great comic timing. I liked KT, our first person narrator: His nervous energy, his resourcefulness and his determination not to bow to his families wishes was admirable. He is very much the black sheep of the family, choosing an academic job over the family business and the gay lifestyle over doing his duty to marry and beget heirs. His father in particular hates him and it seems a cruel and unnatural hatred until the reasons are revealed later in the book. I also liked that KT is not your typical helpless beta male. The scene where he used his brains to overcome Turn was very amusing, as was his ability to 'adapt' to his surroundings in order to escape detection. Turn was very secretive. He had lots to hide and we never really find out much of what he is keeping secret. Judging from the book title, I am assuming that this is a series and we shall be finding out more in subsequent books. I did wish more had been given away in this book though because I never really felt that I got to know him at all.

In some ways Turn's character fits in with the main themes of the book which are secrets and lies. Nearly all the characters have something to hide; we never find out exactly what the 'family business' is; and everyone behaves in an odd overly cautious way as though they trust no-one, especially KT. There were numerous plot threads left hanging on at the end of the book which, again, points to a series rather than a stand-a-lone.

If I have one main complaint about this book it was in its pacing. For the majority of the book the story unfolded slowly: Information about what was happening was spaced throughout the story and the steady development of the relationship between the two Turners provided lots of excellent sexual tension. Then, ten pages before the end, the author crammed in a ending and a consummation. This was just so jarring when compared to the lovely build up, that I had to look and see if I'd missed any pages out. It was almost as though the author realised that she was getting close to the word count and so packed everything in as quickly as she could. What a disappointment. This book could have easily been 50 pages longer and, to be honest would have been a much better book if it had.

Another very minor issue was the way that KT used the internet to hack into all the family email and financial accounts. I did think that it was very convenient for him to be able to do this and added a bit of a false note to the proceedings.

This author was new to me and I liked her written style very much. It was sparse with a wittiness that appealed to me. It was such a shame that the rushed ending spoiled what had been, up to that point, an intriguing mystery with some unusual and interesting characters. As it is I can recommend it to those who like a mystery and aren't too bothered about having everything wrapped up with a big bow at the end. I'm giving this book a grade of 'Good' and I shall look out for more from this author in the hope that the pacing is better next time.

Review: Extreme Bull by Catt Ford

This book caught my attention because it is set in the world of bull riding. Having recently read and reviewed a book by BA Tortuga in a similar setting, I was interested to see whether I would enjoy this one as much. And, yes, I admit, I find it hard to pass up a cowboy book! I also love that cover. Catt Ford is such a talented cover artist who shows imagination in her cover designs and doesn't rely on the old naked torso shots so prevalent in m/m romance these days.

Jeff and Clay both work the bull riding circuit and both are reaching the top of their game. This leads to fierce competition between them both in and out of the ring. The men love the lifestyle and attention from women that bull riding brings, taking advantage of the 'townie' women, who in turn take advantage of the cowboys. This all changes for Jeff and Clay when a confrontation between them leads to a passionate kiss. Suddenly both men are confused about their attraction to each other, Clay more than Jeff, and they spend the rest of this novella trying to work out what they both want from this new relationship: an opportunity to expend sexual tension or something which touches the emotions.

This was very much a mixed book for me. I really liked the depiction of the terribly competitive sport of bull riding: the camaraderie between the riders and the other men associated with the sport; the descriptions of the rides themselves; and the matter of fact way that the men deal with a lifestyle where they are constantly on the move. I also liked the way that these men thought and spoke and behaved with each other. These men interacted with few embellished phrases, dealt bluntly with one another and hid any emotions other than a strong ambition to win. For example in the scene where Clay and Jeff first come together:

Jeff tilted his head back and peered at Clay’s face. “You queer?”
“Never have been,” Clay said.
“So what the hell are we doing?”
“You mind if we analyze it later?” Clay felt if he didn’t get some action soon, he was going to explode.
“Yeah, whatever.” Jeff applied himself to Clay’s mouth once more, greedily sucking his tongue.

In some ways it is this reluctance to talk over their problems or even how they each feel about this new and somewhat frightening relationship that leads to much of the conflict in this book. Clay is determined that he feels nothing for Jeff other than lust and their relationship is nothing more than an opportunity to 'get their rocks off' whenever he's in the mood for sex. As a result, Clay spends most of the book jumping Jeff and then rejecting him afterwards. I could quite understand when this happened the first couple of times, but when it continued to happen over and over again, I got rather irritated. Clay's refusal to accept that he was at least bisexual - even if it was in a 'gay for you' context - made the middle part of the book drag and it all got a bit repetitive.

The characters of Clay and Jeff were, frankly, interchangeable. They both spoke, thought and acted the same, with the exception that towards the end of the book Jeff becomes more accepting that he might be bisexual. As a result of this, and also because there was a certain amount of headhopping between the two men, they became almost like just one character with two different names. This led to a certain distancing between myself and these characters which may not have occurred if they had different personalities. I liked them, I wanted them to succeed at both the bull riding and in their relationship with each other, but I never really fully engaged with them or their situation.

So, whilst the setting and the dialogue were done very well, the secondary characters fairly well rounded and the romance hot and believable, this book didn't wholly engage my emotions. I'm giving it a grade of 'Good' and I can recommend it to fans of the author and those who like cowboy books.

Review: Someone Killed His Editor by Josh Lanyon

Kit Holmes isn't a happy man. Not only has his lover recently run off with Kit's PA, he's also been told by his editor, the odious Stephen Krass, that his long-running mystery series involving the elderly English sleuth Miss Butterwith and her feline sidekick Mr Pinkerton is no longer commercially viable. In a desperate attempt to keep his contract, Kit's agent, Rachel signs him up for a writer's conference in the middle of nowhere so that he can pitch a new idea for a book to Krass. Kit's also been given strict instructions to change his image from a bit of a slob to hip and happening, so, armed with a new wardrobe, haircut and enough beauty products to fill a supermarket shelf, Kit sets off for the conference only to get stranded when his car breaks down and the bridge over the river is washed away in a storm. Whilst slogging his way through the mud and rain, he discovers a body in the woods. Luckily for Kit, ex-cop and ex-lover JX Moriarity is on hand to help, because with the bridge down, no-one can get to or from the lodge which means that everyone, including the murderer is stranded.

The most amusing thing about this book are not the obvious funny gags - of which there are plenty, or even the witty, sparkling dialogue - also in bountiful evidence, but rather the sly, tongue-in-cheek humour which permeates this comic, mystery novel. For example, throughout the novel, our downtrodden hero Kit, makes several snide observations about chick lit, when, actually, this whole book is a pastiche of a chick lit mystery, a sort of gay chick lit (dick lit?) if you like. All the elements are there: The brand label name dropping; the seemingly ditzy hero who obsesses about his looks; the strong, sensible hero; the embarrassing social situations and the way that, in the end, the hero saves the day, despite the odds. One scene in particular springs to mind when making this comparison: Kit has been confined to his room so he decides to pass the time by trying out all his new beauty products. It was such a 'chick lit' scene that it had me snorting with laughter over the image of a 40 year old man trying to work out how to use a face mask.

In fact Kit Holmes reminded me very much of the queen of chick lit, Bridget Jones: He worries about his age, weight and general level of fitness; he is constantly saying or doing the wrong thing, mostly by accident; he gets drawn into dangerous situations through no fault of his own; many of the other characters 'humour' him to keep him happy; he drinks too much to hide his insecurity and he has a habit of chattering on when nervous, both out loud and in his head. He's also immensely lovable, has a killer sardonic wit and a self-depreciating sense of the ridiculous. He did occasionally veer into being overly dramatic, but given the circumstances, I could forgive that. JX Moriarity was a little more difficult to understand. This is mainly because the book is written in the first person from Kit's point of view so there are large gaps when we have no idea what JX is doing or why he behaves as he does. Having said that, I found myself warming to this wary man, who on the surface is good looking and sociable, but underneath seems unsure both of Kit's motivations and his own feelings for Kit and I'm hoping that subsequent books in this new series will shed more light on JX's intriguing character. As well as our heroes there are a number of well drawn secondary characters who all have something to hide and a motive for murder, making it impossible for me to guess the murderer.

It is in the atmosphere and setting of this novel where the book veers sharply away from chick lit and into the realm of serious mystery. The weather is almost a character in itself with its relentless rain, punctuated with short dry spells. It conspires against Kit and JX at every turn, washing away the bridge and then the evidence; raising high winds so that the law enforcers cannot land their helicopters; covering everyone in mud, especially Kit; and then turning to fog the moment someone goes missing and needs searching for. Much of the action takes place at night or in dark places adding a chill to the light frothy humour found elsewhere in the book.

Overall, Josh Lanyon's first deliberately comic novel is a hit from start to finish. The darker mystery elements perfectly contrasted with the lighter comic moments, with neither detracting from each other. That, combined with a set of disparate characters; many, many amusing jokes on the nature of the publishing industry; gruesome murders and the start of what looks to be a thrilling, tender romance, made this a book to be read again and again. I highly recommend Someone Killed His Editor with a grade of 'Excellent' and I will be waiting impatiently for the next in the series.

Good News!

I know I've been a bit of a miserable bugger recently, mainly because I've not been able to do enough reading due to the bloody marking. However, I will soon be back to my normal cheerful self because...

I'VE FINISHED! WOO HOO!

In other good news, I've been invited to join the ladies on the DIK island - after passing their very rigorous application process. You can see my answers to their application form on the DIK blog here.

Stop by and torment me if you wish. I may even treat you to one of these:

So as from tomorrow I shall have the time to do more reading and put together the interview for Jordan Castillo Price which is happening next month.

It's all very exciting.

Review: Three of a Kind by Sean Michael

It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to pass up a Sean Michael book these days. Whenever I see one I tend to snap it up because I love his mastery of sexual tension and the eroticism of his sex scenes. So when I saw that this one was also a m/m/m menage, how could I possibly resist? Well I'm sorry to say that this was not really one of Sean's best books. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as I've come to expect from his books in the past.

We begin with meeting Zane. He's been beaten up pretty badly by his boyfriend, fought back, escaped in his boyfriend's truck and is heading as far away from him as possible when the truck breaks down. It's late at night and Zane has no idea where he is or where the nearest services are. Fortunately, someone comes along and helps him out - that someone being Butch, who rescues Zane from the side of the road, takes him home to the place he shares with Randy and patches him up. Butch and Randy offers up their home as a sanctuary for Zane until he gets back on his feet and Zane cautiously accepts. It doesn't take long for an attraction to form between the three men which is far from platonic.

One of the best things about this story was the way that all the men were so different in their personality and outlook on life. Zane was quiet and not much of a thinker. He is so desperate to be useful to Butch and Randy that he tries to help out before he is even healed properly. It's obvious that he's had a really bad experience with his ex-boyfriend, but he also has enough awareness of the situation to realise that it was partly due to his own youth and inexperience. I found him to be a most sympathetic character, especially at the beginning as he comes to terms with what has happened to him. Butch is the practical, pragmatic character who works long hours to put food on the table. He is a large man, which Zane finds very frightening at first, but his size hides a gentle, caring man. Randy is an artist who makes sculptures out of bits of machinery. He's flighty, forgets to eat and often blurts out his feelings or thoughts without thinking. He has an immediate attraction to Zane and tries to act on that quite quickly, leaving Zane confused and worried about how Butch will react. It is in the interactions between the men that the story works well. I believed that each of the men had a personality which complemented each other and I felt that the menage wasn't forced or unworkable.

I was a little confused about whether this was a story we were supposed to take seriously or not. On one hand, Zane has been through a terrible experience leaving him with more than physical scars and yet on the other hand there are aspects of the story which are a bit funny. For example, the names: Butch is...well...butch and Randy spends most of the story feeling horny so is a bit...well...randy. This play on words with the names seemed incongruous in the midst of the serious subject matter. Randy is another example of where the humour fell flat. He's an oddball character who wanders about naked and constantly puts his foot in it and I did wonder whether the author had included these aspects of his personality to add a little comic relief to what otherwise would have been a very serious novella. Unfortunately it didn't work as Randy's craziness was a little creepy at times rather than the loveable loony character I think the author was trying to convey.

Another aspect which jarred with the story was the sudden way that all Zane's problems are tied up neatly and very conveniently at the end. It was too easily done and I wished that there had either been a confrontation or that we had been left never knowing what had happened to Zane's ex-boyfriend. This aspect also made me wonder whether this novella was supposed to be a realistic portrayal of a menage or a bit like a modern fairytale. Very confusing.

So whereas the menage was realistically done and the relationship between the men tender and erotic, there were far too many oddities about this story for me to recommend it to anyone other than Sean Michael fans or those who like m/m/m menage so this gets a grade of 'Good'.

Author Promotion: A Reader's Viewpoint Part 3

It came to my attention on Wednesday that I may have been a little misleading when I said I was going to spend 'a couple of days' talking about how authors and readers interact with one another and how this impacts on author promotion. I did intend to do 2 posts, but a few of you thought I was doing 3 - oops. Anyway, since then I've been thinking hard about what I could do for a third post because I don't want to disappoint my readers!

So today I'm going to look at that thorny issue of the bad review and more specifically how an author conducts themselves when reading and responding to a reviewer who has trashed their baby made constructive criticism of their book.

On Tuesday, Kassa asked me whether I emailed authors regardless of whether I have written a good or bad review. Actually, I don't email an author if I've written a very critical review of their book. This is mainly because I know that a bad review will pretty much ruin an author's day/week/entire life and it would also seem like I was rubbing an author's nose in it if I emailed them to tell them that I hadn't liked their book. However, a large number of authors either Google themselves or set up a 'Google Alert' and so find a bad review regardless. Authors are pretty much left with a dilemma at that point: Do they leave a comment or not?

As far as I can work out this is the way it is often played by authors:

1. They don't leave a comment. Instead they go away and cry on someone's shoulder, either a fellow author/friend or their SO.

2. They thank the reviewer for their honest review (I've had a few of these!).

3. They may mention one or two points which addresses some of the criticisms - for example if the book is part of a series they may tell the reviewer that a big plot hole is being addressed in a later book.

4. They become overly defensive/upset/angry.

5. They attack the integrity of the reviewer and/or the review site either in the comments or later on their own blog.

This is where the issue of responding to criticism becomes important. In some ways the safest thing is for an author not leave a comment and then go and sob on the shoulder of their SO; either that or grit their teeth, smile through their tears and thank the reviewer for reading their book. Sometimes though, a reviewer may have made some criticisms that an author feels that they want to defend and as long as they do this in a polite, respectful way then I don't see a problem with that.

It does become a problem though when an author gets either very upset or angry with a review. It is understandable that a bad review will be upsetting, but if an author responds badly, either with hysterics or insults, then that reaction will have done far more damage than the actual review. A reader may be inclined to give a book a go regardless of a bad review, but will certainly give an author's book a miss if they have responded to that review with a hissy fit.

ETA: On a side note, this can apply to authors who become righteously angry when one of their author friends has a bad review. This is not only rather embarrassing for the author whose book has been slated, but also does not reflect well on the author doing the defending if they become angry or hysterical on their friend's behalf.

Actually insulting the intelligence of the reviewer is an absolute no-no. This is common sense advice to most of us, but it does happen, usually as a knee jerk reaction and later deeply regretted.

One last conundrum is whether the author then flags up that bad review on their blog, especially if they are flagging up a number of good reviews too. Some authors put up links to all reviews, good or bad and some just link to the good ones. I don't know what any of the other readers think about this, but I don't think an author is obliged to link to a bad review, especially from their blog or website. I suppose those that do link to bad reviews do it out of a sense of fairness and as an acknowledgement to the reviewer who has taken the time to read their book and write down their thoughts on it, even if they weren't complimentary.

So that's it for my reader's viewpoint on how author's conduct themselves in their interactions with us. I think the important thing to remember is that readers and authors are real people, no matter how disconnected we may seem with our usernames, avatars, pen names and caginess about the details of our personal lives, and that we should all treat each other with respect, just as we do those who we see face to face each day.

Review: Bashed by Rick R Reed

THE BLURB

Three haters. Two lovers. And a collision course with tragedy.

That October night, Donald and Mark had no idea their lives and love were about to be shattered by fag bashers, intent on pain, and armed with ridicule, fists, and an aluminum baseball bat. Bashed charts the course of a journey that encompasses suspense, horror, and--ultimately--romance.

THE REVIEW

My first thought after finishing this book was, 'Well that was really good, but how the heck am I going to review it?!'. Bashed is one of those books so full of churning emotion, that it almost defies description. It deals with a range of topics such as hate, anger, violence, frustration, confusion, contrition, guilt, despair, grief, intolerance, bigotry, revenge and several different types of love. The plot seems on one hand very simple, yet packs such an emotional punch that at times I could hardly bear to read it.

The book begins, horrifically, with a graphic description of a gay bashing that made me almost sick to my stomach to read and yet it was also terribly compelling. One of the victims, Donald, wakes up two days later to find that his world has fallen apart with the death of his lover, Mark. Whilst recovering from his injuries he is visited by the ghost of Mark, which is both a comfort and a torment for Donald. These visitations continue on and off as Donald struggles to come to terms with what has happened, tries to remember the identity of his attackers and attempts to rebuild his life. One of the group of men who attacked Donald is Justin, a sixteen year old boy. He is horrified that something which was supposed to be a bit of intimidation and name calling turned into murder and feels guilty even though he was not the one wielding the baseball bat. In an amazing piece of irony, the only person who cares about Justin is Walter, his gay uncle, who has recently moved into Donald's building. When Justin realises that his uncle and Donald are getting close he panics and starts a chain of events which leads to a nail biting finale.

Bashed is taken mostly from the viewpoint of either Donald or Justin. Donald is a fifty year old gay man who worked the gay leather scene for 30 years before meeting Mark and falling in love, 18 months prior to the story. I found myself feeling a mixture of pity and sorrow for Donald, who had finally found love and lost it in such a violent, unnecessary fashion. Before the attack he was a strong and independent man, who had taken the dominant role in the relationship with him and Mark. After the attack he becomes bewildered and frightened easily. He also doubts his own sanity when he is visited by Mark and yet looks forward to those times when he appears. Then, occasionally, we see flashes of the man he used to be, in his dealings with his sister and when he tries to forget his pain in casual sex.

The character of Justin brought out even more mixed feelings in me. For a start he is young, but still old enough to know right from wrong. He has a neglectful mother, but is loved unconditionally by his uncle. He knows that he hangs around with a bad crowd, drinking and smoking weed, but he does nothing to get himself out of that situation even after the attack. Justin is an example of how a weak attitude plus enough bravado and anger can lead to tragedy. Time and time again he thinks about doing the right thing and yet takes the wrong path at each opportunity.

We do occasionally get the point of view of other characters, especially Grace, Donald's sister; Walter; and for one enlightening chapter, Ronny, the young man who killed Mark. Each of these characters then provides us with insights into other characters - such as Grace's view of her brother, or the gay lifestyle - such as with Walter, or some explanation as to why people may behave as they do - as with Ronnie. There was never a point that I felt a scene or a character was wasted or not needed, even the scene at Mark's wake was included to show that even the most outwardly reasonable person can carry a homophobic attitude.

So out of the simplest of plots - an attack, a death, a grieving, a justice, a new beginning - comes a whole breadth of complex characters and motivations, showing that what might on the surface seem a pointless act has its roots firmly in cause and effect. It was enlightening and chilling.

This was not an easy book to read. I felt emotionally drained by the end as though I had been wrung out. This is a realistic portrayal of a gay bashing and its aftermath. There are no easy answers or excuses at the end of this book, which is as it should be. There may be a little explanation, a few hints as to why these attacks happen but this is real life and there's no fairytale ending because this still happens today, even in our so-called enlightened times. The book does end hopefully with the promise of new beginnings despite the sorrow but Bashed will not be to everyone's taste. The violence at the beginning was graphic so may be offputting to those who don't like violent stories; the themes, as you would expect, are rather depressing; and many of characters are unsympathetic, even on occasion Donald. However, this is a compulsive read and I think it's also a book that needs to be read by all those who sympathise with gay rights. For that reason alone I can wholeheartedly recommend Bashed with a grade of 'Very Good'.

Author Promotion: A Reader's Viewpoint Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about how authors can promote themselves through common courtesy in replying to emails and today I'm looking at author blogs as a tool for promotion.

Before I begin I want to point out that I'm talking about blogs, not websites. Websites are primarily a space for authors to show off their wares and are entirely necessary for any author to have. There is no direct interaction between an author and reader on a website except through the contact button, whereas blogs are an optional way of authors to interact directly with the reader.

Now, I'm no expert but I have read/looked at/abandoned quite a number of author blogs and this post is about my findings. I'm talking generally and not about any particular author so please don't get all offended if you are an author and think I may be criticising your blog because I'm not.

In my experience there are several different types of author blogs, which contain the following:

1. A random mix of personal details about the author's life, professional views and book promotion.

I like these types of blogs because they give me enough of a mix to keep the blog interesting. I like knowing a little of what an author is doing, having a small insight into their daily lives and don't mind that they tell me when their latest book is released.

2. A mix of views, reviews and book promotion mostly relating to writing or books.

I also like these types of blogs, although they can be a little dull if the author is writing pages and pages on writing techniques. Interesting for other writers but not so much for the readers. This type is also a bit like mine, I suppose, so it's interesting to see how the views of authors tally with my own.

3. Book promotion only.

I have a number of these on my blog roll. I rarely look at them but then again the authors rarely post on them. Interesting if you need to know when a book is being released but ultimately a wasted opportunity.

4. Personal details with a bit of book promotion.

Sometimes these have too much personal information - why do I need to know that an author has walked her dog today? Again I have a few of these on my blog roll and they don't get looked at much.

5. Nothing except a list of books and where to buy them.

These are usually set up by an author because they want to have a Blogger/LJ/Wordpress account. I'm often disappointed when I come across them, especially if the author doesn't point me on to their working blog or website.

I do appreciate that it takes time to keep up a blog and time blogging is time away from the WIP. However, if an author is going to set up a blog then it's only fair to their readers that they post on it on a fairly regular basis - even if regular is once a fortnight!

So those are the types of blogs, but what about the content? What sort of things can an author include that would be satisfying for their fans and promote themselves in the best possible light?

Things that I like to see on author blogs:

1. Posts which fill us in with how a book is going or what the WIP is about.

2. Snippets or tasters of books such as prequels or additional scenes with characters which aren't available anywhere else.

3. Opinion pieces which take a look at aspects of writing or books without being overly technical, such as a discussion of themes or plot devices and characterisation.

4. Posts which show that the author has a sense of humour by highlighting a humourous incident from their day or pointing us towards something amusing they've found on the web.

5. Competitions to win books or promotional merchandise.

Things I don't mind seeing on author blogs:

1. The occasional moan about difficulties with the WIP.

2. Posts promoting their new releases.

3. Posts informing the reader of book reviews and interviews on other sites (I can hardly complain about that!).

Things I don't like to see on author blogs:

1. Internet wank where an author insults his/her writing peers or reviewers or their publisher/editor for cheap laughs or out of a misguided sense of superiority.

2. 'Masterclasses' on the intricacies of writing techniques, designed to bore me stupid (or make me feel stupid).

3. Whinging posts on how an author is under appreciated.

4. Posts about the author's dating difficulties or (God forbid) details of their sex lives (yuk).

There are probably lots more to add to all of these lists so why don't you leave a comment with your dos and don'ts.

Now many of you will be reading this thinking that it all sounds like common sense, which it is. You'll be surprised, though, how many authors don't use their blogs effectively. This is, I think, because they set up a blog with no real idea of what they want to do with it so they end up with something which isn't quite book promotion and isn't quite blogging. I hope that this post has helped some of the authors out there who are struggling with this valuable promotional tool.

Author Promotion: A Reader's Viewpoint Part 1

I've been thinking a bit recently about authors, their presence on blogs and the way that they promote themselves. This was primarily initiated by my 'listening in' to an interesting discussion on Twitter but culminated today by a post by Erastes at Wave's blog. She was discussing the perils of self-promotion for authors, from an author's point of view. What I'd like to do, over the next couple of days, is look at that from a reader's (and a blogger's) perspective.

Firstly a bit of history about my interactions with authors...

Before I started reading m/m I never looked at author blogs or websites except to look and see when their next release was due. All my books were bought because I had read a good review, or had a book recommended by a review blog. These were all paperbacks (usually historical romance) and much of the promotion of these books was done by the publishing company rather than the authors themselves. As a reader, there was a huge yawning gap between me and the author. I would never have dreamed of contacting Lisa Kleypas, or Mary Balogh, or Nora Roberts by email or by sending a message via their website. They were 'up there' *gesturing high with arms outstretched* and I was 'down there' *lowering arms towards the ground*. In other words I was in awe of them as published authors.

After I started reading m/m, I began to read a few author blogs - most notably Josh Lanyon's. I never commented but would amuse myself reading what they had to say and what the other commenters had written. There was still this gap between me and the author and I still would not have dreamed of emailing any of them. In fact, I was slightly envious of some of the bloggers who would casually mention that they had been in an email discussion with 'such and such' an author and I would wonder whether I would ever have the nerve to email an author about anything.

Oh, how things have changed.

And they changed, of course, when I screwed my courage to the sticking place and started my own blog. This all happened because I decided that I wouldn't just ramble on inanely about books in general, but that I would write reviews as well. Then, once I'd written a good review of a book, I began to think that maybe the author would like to know that I had said nice things about their book so I began to email authors to let them know.

Now, anyone reading this who has ever had an email from me will know that I suck at sending emails. No, I really do. They are usually really short and to the point because, even electronically, I'm hopeless at small talk. Anyway my emails to authors always follow this pattern:

Hi (name)
Just letting you know that I've posted a review of (insert book name here) on my blog today. If you're interested you can find it here: (insert blog address).
Best wishes
Jen

Hands up how many of you authors have had an email from me like that? Yep, I thought so!

Now for the important bit: One factor in how I view authors is how they respond to this email. This happens in several ways:

1. I don't get a direct response by email. The author looks at the review but doesn't leave a comment.
2. I don't get a direct response by email but the author does leave a comment on the blog review.
3. I get an odd email back berating me for using an old email address, even though I got it from the author's own website. No comment left on blog.
4. I get an email back thanking me for my review but no blog comment (sometimes the email will say that the author has a policy of not leaving comments which is fair enough).
5. I get an email back and a comment.
6. I get an email back, a comment and a little email discussion occurs.
7. I get an email back, a comment and a friend for life.

Now, out of these responses, which do you think is going to encourage me to buy and read your books in the future? Which of these places an author in the best possible light, do you think?

Can I just point out that not replying to a reader's tentative first email (or alternatively not leaving a comment on the blog to show your appreciation instead) is the height of rudeness, even if all you say is 'thank you for buying and reading my book', and may lead to said reader thinking that they might not bother buying one of your books again.

This is an area of self-promotion for authors that doesn't take a lot of effort. Taking time to reply to some emails (even if you only devote a few minutes a day and send out a short 'thank you') can provide you with more positive promotion than hundreds of blog posts or Facebook status updates.

Tomorrow I'm going to give you my perspective on author blogs and the way they are used as a tool for promotion. Don't worry, I'm going to be very general and not point any fingers at particular authors. If any of the readers want to email me at jenre30@gmail.com with their views on author blogs then feel free and I'll include your views on that topic tomorrow too.

Crying Over You

On Sunday I read a m/m story which made me cry. I'm not talking about a few graceful trickles down the side of my face, I'm talking sobbing into a tissue until my eyes were raw and my nose needed a good blow (or several good blows, if we're being honest here). It was a bit like that scene in Truly Madly Deeply, where Juliet Stephenson is grieving over Alan Rickman with snot dripping off her nose (actually this may be a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea).

I don't think I've cried so much over a story since I read The Time Traveller's Wife.

Hub came in the room whilst I was mid torrent and was highly alarmed, thinking that something terrible had happened, something tragic. To be honest, it had, but only in the story.

After I had calmed down I was rather cross: How dare this particular author make me cry! I hate books or films which make me cry and I tend to stay well clear of them if I can. I read romance to be cheered by the HEA, to have an ending which makes me feel happy. There's already enough doom, gloom and tears in this world without me choosing to read about it too.

The thing is, the story was beautiful, poignant, incredibly well written. The structuring was delightful, with a mix of flashbacks, mingled in with present day and above all, a sense of impending melancholy mixed with bright flashes of humour and cheer. It showed a mastery of the short story format which few authors can manage. I admired the story, even as I hated it for playing so cruelly with my emotions.

So on one hand, I think that this story has been the best yet out of the DSP June Anthology, and on the other, I know that I can never read it again because of the way it made me feel.

Do you have books/stories like this? Stories where you felt so overwhelmed by emotion at the end that you almost resented the author for making you feel that way? Or do you like a book which gave you an opportunity to have a good cry?

I suppose you're all wondering what the story was called now, aren't you? It was A Simple Life by Chrissy Munder and you can buy it here for the incredibly reasonable price of $1.49. But don't say I didn't warn you when you end up an emotional wreck!

Short Review: Body Art by Jordan Castillo Price

This is the second part of my review on the anthology Partners in Crime IV: The Art of Dying. Yesterday I reviewed Josh Lanyon's Strangers and Other Lovers and today it's the turn of Body Art by Jordan Castillo Price.

Plot: Ray is at a very low point in his life. He is a tattoo artist who used to own a successful tattoo shop. Due to the excesses of a previous lover Ray lost his business, all his money and all his self-esteem. In desperation he tries to re-invent himself, gains a cab/limousine driver license, attempts to hide his tats by dressing conservatively and applies for the post of driver to an elderly couple, Mr and Mrs White, who live on an island mostly populated by holiday homes. He gets the job, much to his relief, but when he arrives at the house he realises that he may have been hired as much for his large frame and muscle as for his driving skills.

Also living on the island is artist Anton, who suffers from Bipolar disorder. Ray is physically attracted to the young man, but is also bemused by his erratic behaviour. However, there is also a mystery to solve when a body turns up and Ray wonders how much he can trust Anton.

Characters: I have to say I really liked Ray. He has a very calm, capable personality and is philosophical rather than bitter about his experiences. He misses his shop and his life as a tattoo artist and acknowledges that he was talented in that profession. He also realises that it was his own foolish infatuation with his lover that had caused his downfall. Instead of allowing this to overwhelm his life, Ray tries to pull himself out of the mire. This was such an admirable quality. There was no whining or whinging about his mistakes, just an acceptance and then a moving on. He doesn't even allow his past to prevent him from starting a relationship with Anton. He finds him attractive and engineers a way to act upon that.

Anton himself is a difficult character to pin down. He is flighty, artistic and, to be honest, away with the fairies most of the time. His bipolar condition is manifested as periods of intense creativity followed by a lull. He also has the classic symptom of being unable to control his spending. He is pretty much left to his own devices, except for an absent sister who sells his art and makes sure he doesn't spend all his money. In many ways he is the absolute opposite of steady, reliable Ray and the pair complemented each other perfectly. Ray is often bewildered by Anton's behaviour but cannot help but be swept up in the awe and wonder that Anton creates with his unique way of looking at the world and Anton needs Ray's authority and influence to help and ground him. What was most wonderful about this interesting pair was the way that Ray viewed Anton's illness. He is warned about Anton but that doesn't put him off at all. He is often a little confused about Anton's behaviour, and sometimes questions his own attraction to the artist, but he's never put off by the fact that Anton is going to be hard work to be around for an extended period. How lovely to see a character who views mental illness in such a positive fashion.

Overall: I've not read a mystery by JCP which didn't contain horror themes or paranormal characters but this was still a pretty terrific story. Many of the elements I've come to love in her writing such as complex characters, vivid descriptions of setting and great sex scenes were also present in this novella. As well as Anton's illness one of the minor characters has Alzheimer's Disease, which provided an interesting contrast to Anton. Anton is hyper nearly all of the time whereas Mr White is slowing down almost to a standstill. Ray's kindness to Mr White in dealing with some of the more unpleasant aspects of that illness mirrored the way that he dealt with Anton during one of his 'manic' phases, adding yet more depth to his characterisation. Mental illness is not an easy topic for romance and I applaud JCP for her sympathetic and yet realistic portrayal of it in this book. All in all I was gripped by the characterisation and fooled by the mystery. The red herrings completely threw me and I was surprised when the murderer was revealed. What more could you possibly want from a mystery? This gets a grade of 'Excellent' and I'm looking forward to the next in the Partners in Crime series.

Short Review: Lovers and Other Strangers by Josh Lanyon

This book is taken from the Anthology Partners in Crime IV: The Art of Dying, along with Body Art by Jordan Castillo Price. I'm going to review Josh Lanyon's book today and JCP's book tomorrow in my short review format.

Plot: Finn returns to the small island where he grew up to recuperate from a serious car accident. Three years ago he left in a temper after discovering his lover, Con, in the arms of his twin brother, Fitch. Since that time he has cut himself off from his childhood home and returning is both comforting and unnerving for Finn. After arriving, he discovers that his brother also left the island the day before Finn and that no-one has seen or heard from him since. Finn is concerned about this because Fitch is not the sort of person who would disappear for three years. Along with his mainland friend, Paul, an ex-lover of Fitch's, Finn sets out to find out just exactly what happened to his brother three years ago whilst also fighting a losing battle against his feelings for Con.

Characters: There are two main characters in this story. One is Finn, our third person narrator and the other is Fitch, who we know only through the memories and recollections of Finn and others. At first these two brothers seem to be deliberately in contrast to one another. Finn is the good twin, the quiet one who is considerate to everyone. Fitch is the bad twin, who deliberately and cruelly interferes with the lives of many of the island's residents and who ruins Finn's chance at love through a mixture of spite and jealousy. However, these things are never really as clear cut as you may think, especially when Josh Lanyon is holding the reins. So, gradually throughout the book, we learn that although Finn never joined in Fitch's taunts he was still amused by them; that Finn is able to hold a grudge for three years when his brother never could; that Finn is just as cold-hearted and selfish for his own desires as Fitch ever was, for example in his dispassionate response to the man who effectively gave his life to save Finn or in the way he accuses both Con and Paul of murder. I found it fascinating to see the layers stripped away from Finn to show that it was only Fitch's outspokenness and rash behaviour that set him apart, in many ways, from Finn. It's not often that an author deliberately makes his main character develop in ways that shows him to be less than a 'nice person'. Hats off to Josh Lanyon that he was brave enough to do so as this makes Finn an infinitely more interesting person.

As a result of this the other characters paled when compared to the twins. I found Con's constant grovelling a little irritating and it was again an indication of Finn's inwardly cruel nature that he continued to hold a grudge against Con. Paul provided some much needed light relief in his flamboyant interactions with the insular island people. The islanders themselves were well drawn being a both a comfort and an irritation to Finn.

Overall: It's been a little while (about 6 months) but Josh Lanyon has finally returned to writing what he writes best: A cracking good mystery. This is more than just a mystery though, it is also a love story about how a small betrayal can lead to a change that is perhaps for the better. The novella reminded me very much of PD James, one of my favourite mystery authors, with its claustrophobic, insular island setting; the fact that the list of suspects was pitifully small, but that it was also horrifying that anyone of those would commit murder; and one man who strives for justice when all those around him are advising caution. However, this is very much a Josh Lanyon book with his trademark sparse writing, his complex characters and a mystery which keeps you guessing right through to the end. I highly recommend that you read this if you are looking for a short book which will set you on a satisfying intellectual and emotional journey. It gets a grade of 'Excellent'.

Review: InDescent by KZ Snow

THE BLURB

Being a powerful, sexually magnetic wizard has its disadvantages. Like inviting the attention of bumbling but persistent rivals. And seductive women. And otherworldly beings.

For Jackson Spey, that isn’t the worst of it. His lover-of-choice is his best male buddy. Who has a disturbing past. And a girlfriend. And feelings Jackson is afraid to return. The legendary Prism of Nezrabi brings all these elements together when it falls into the hands of Spey’s number-one enemy. No ordinary crystal, the Prism is an intricate microcosm wherein all time, space, and dimensions coexist in delicate balance. Humans who’ve been pulled into it have gone mad…or simply never returned.

Through inept or malicious magic, the structure’s integrity has been compromised. A breach has freed creatures thought only to exist in Slavic myth. Nobody but the most qualified Adept can repair the split. But if Jackson Spey descends into Nezrabi’s world, he may have to face something more dreadful than a seemingly impossible task and its potential consequences.

He may have to confront the secrets of his own soul.

THE REVIEW

Jackson Spey isn't a very happy man at the beginning of InDescent. On one hand, he has started a glorious sexual relationship with his best friend, Adin Swift, a man for who he has deeply repressed feelings. On the other hand, Adin is also in love and living with a woman, Celia, meaning that Jackson only sees Adin for a weekend every few months. Jackson is coming to the realisation that being Adin's 'bit on the side', no matter how sanctioned by Celia, is not what he truly wants out of the relationship. Whilst in the midst of all this internal confusion, Jackson is hired by a group of witches led by the suspicious witch, Christy, a woman who seems to be all body and no brains. They need a wizard to perform a sex rite, and Jackson agrees more to ease his sexual frustration and as a way of getting his own back on Adin, than any real interest in the rite they wish to perform. There also seems to be something a bit strange about the whole business, especially with one of the witches, Mikela, who draws Jackson's attention during the rite. What Jackson doesn't know is that an old enemy of his has obtained a mysterious prism which could cause his downfall and is testing out Jackson's weaknesses as a way of drawing him to the prism. However, it turns out that the prism itself needs Jackson to heal a rift between our world and that of another dimension.

There are two interlocking story lines running through this book. Firstly there are the paranormal parts. Jackson is a wizard who has grown in power throughout the years since a motorcycle accident and a near death experience activated his powers. He knows that he is perhaps one of the most powerful wizards and yet he is quiet, unassuming and prefers not to publicise his abilities. He keeps very much to himself, using his magic when asked, rather than showcasing it to the world. I liked the quiet control and self assurance that Jackson has in regard to his powers, which was a complete contrast to the odious Ivan, another wizard, who seeks revenge for a humiliation metered out by Jackson in a previous book. Jackson's control, though, is starting to slip when the second element of this book starts to take him over. That being his feelings about Adin and his reaction to being always second best in Adin's life. These feelings lead to a certain recklessness in Jackson and he behaves in ways even he acknowledges are out of character. He visits strange bars in an attempt to find solace in anonymity amongst strangers; he takes part in a sex rite, even though there's something odd about it; he starts to show off his magical powers; he allows complete strangers to give him a blow-job to ease his sexual frustration. These tiny moves away from his previously controlled existence were all indication of his emotional turmoil which Jackson keeps firmly locked inside until a moment of clarity later in the book forces him to acknowledge how he really feels for Adin.

In many ways it is the theme of Jackson's loss of control which forms the main thrust of the poltline. Jackson hates having control taken away from him. He likes to think that he is in charge of his life and it is a humbling and somewhat humiliating experience for him to discover that for most of the book his control is being slowly eroded. He fights this all the way, even when doing so almost costs him his life. Only once he faces up to the fact that other people in the book, especially Adin, exert a certain amount of influence on his life and then casts aside his pride and rigid control can he then move on in his powers and in his relationship with Adin.

It is in the confusing, tender, sensual, thrilling relationship between Adin and Jackson where this book really begins to shine. Both Jackson and Adin are feeling the strain of their brief times together. Jackson adapts to this by never giving away his true feelings whereas Adin constantly expresses his love for Jackson. This leads to hurt on both sides as Jackson feels pushed out and bereft when Adin is with Celia and Adin feels (rather hypocritically) jealous of any other sexual encounters that Jackson may have whilst they are apart and also longs for Jackson to return his love. Their sexual encounters have changed from the purely lust filled with some tender feelings in Obsessed to wholeheartedly emotional, even when in the throes of an initial desperate coupling after a long separation. As a consequence of this, the vocabulary used to describe their couplings has moved on from the overblown descriptions of body parts and lustful feelings found in the previous book to something more genuine and heartfelt. This is no longer just about sex for either of them and that comes across strongly in their interactions both in and out of the bedroom. I was drawn deeply into the situation between these men, caring about them, wanting them to find a suitable solution to their difficulties. I can't wait to find out how they resolve the problems with the strange triangular relationship that has formed between Celia, Adin and Jackson.

Overall, I was enchanted with this book. The strong emotions of Jackson and Adin; the interesting, well drawn paranormal world; and the contrast between Jackson, who used his powers (mostly) selflessly and Ivan, who was self seeking with an arrogance which bordered on stupidity, all combined to draw me in and keep me reading. If I have any reservations at all, and this is very minor, it is that there is some m/f sex at the beginning of the book. This is not unusual for KZ Snow, who likes to mix up the sexual encounters in her books. I would urge you not to be put off by that because otherwise you would be missing out on a terrific book.

I would highly recommend this book for those who like a great paranormal story and who are interested in looking at two complex men and how that complexity spills over into their relationship. This gets a well deserved grade of 'Excellent'. KZ Snow's writing just gets better and better with each book and I very much look forward to reading more about Jackson and Adin.

I'm in a silly mood today...

....I was doing a bit pootling through my blog roll when I came across this author...

...and my, admittedly weirdo, mind thought, 'Wow, Kris Kennedy. That's like a mix of Kris and Sean Kennedy'.

Kris

+

Sean

=

?

Who knows what sort of Antipodean monster mixture this would create?

Answers on a postcard....

*runs for cover*

Apologies to those who haven't got a clue what I'm talking about!

Musical Slash Goggles

A couple of weeks ago Erastes did a post about slash goggles on Wave's blog. For those of you who don't know, wearing slash goggles means that you start to see the world (and especially TV and film) in terms of m/m pairings. She gave lots of examples which you can go over and read about if you wish. I didn't comment on the post because I don't really view much TV and film wearing slash goggles. However, after thinking about it I did realise that I sometimes view music or bands with slash goggles.

I'm not a music aficionado. I don't often listen to music unless I'm in the car or cooking in the kitchen as I'm not one of those people who needs constant background noise (with 4 kids is it any wonder that when alone I like quiet?!). I also can't concentrate on reading or writing when there is background noise so I don't have music on when I read books. I don't even get to put music on when the kids are around because they come and switch off the CD player so they can put on the soundtrack to High School Musical or Mamma Mia (thank goodness we're past the nursery rhyme stage). Having said that, there are a couple of bands which set my slash goggles twitching in place.

Firstly, it's this band.


Yes, Radiohead. I'm blaming Jet Mykles for this one. After I read her Heaven Sent books, I couldn't help but draw the comparison with Radiohead and now whenever I listen to them (especially In Rainbows for some reason) I'm imagining Thom and Jonny getting it on backstage.

The other band I'm listening to a lot at the moment is this one...


...TV on the Radio. They've got this great song called Lover's Day which has lyrics straight out of a m/m romance. My favourite lines are:

I hunger for you like an animal,
Not gonna let you run.
I'm gonna take you,
I'm gonna shake you,
I'm gonna make you cum.

You can listen to the song here...



... or you can find the whole set of lyrics here if you're interested.

So what about you guys? Do you find those slash goggles slipping on when you listen to music or is it confined solely to your TV and film watching (or even just your m/m books)?

Enquiring minds wish to know!

Review: Obsessed by KZ Snow

I recently got hold of a copy of KZ Snow's newly released Indescent and was about to start reading it when I realised that there were a number of books previous to it. All the books are stand-a-lones but they feature some of the same characters and as a result sort of follow on from each other. Obsessed is the book that comes before Indescent, so I thought I'd read it first and pick up on any back story.

At the start of the book we meet Adin at his thirtieth birthday party. Actually it's his first birthday as a human in 660 years. Six months ago Adin was changed back to a human from a vampire. I'm not sure quite how this happened but it had something to do with Adin's best friend, Jackson, who is a wizard. During the time of his conversion Adin met and fell in love with his partner Celia. However, he also has very strong feelings for Jackson, feelings which have only grown since he became human and was able to experience the deep emotions lacking in a vampire. Adin is also having disturbing dreams which fuels his desire for his best friend. He confesses those dreams, and his feelings for Jackson, to Celia who, incredibly, suggests that Adin visit Jackson to explore some of those emotions and desires.

Let's get that last bit out of the way first, shall we? Having not read the book where Celia and Adin meet, it was difficult for me to get a real handle on her as a person as we only see her through Adin's eyes. It seems inconceivable to me that any woman would willingly allow her partner to go off and spend the weekend having sex with his best friend. However, I have to say that in this case it worked. Celia never comes across as jealous, or self-sacrificing, but rather that she loves her partner and wants him to be happy. It helps that she knows Jackson well and is the one to suggest the trip. She also finds Jackson attractive and jokes with Adin that she is envious of the connection between him and Jackson, but she never suggests bringing Jackson into their bed, choosing instead to allow Adin to explore what he later calls "The dark side of the moon". Having said that, I was a little uncomfortable with what is, in a sense, permitted infidelity and those of you who cannot stand infidelity of any form in their books had better stay away from this.

When Adin arrives in Milwaukee he has to convince Jackson to act on their obvious attraction. Jackson is sort of bisexual - I say sort of because he doesn't see himself as gay, but rather as having the occasional attraction towards men, especially in his wizardry. He also finds it difficult to express his feelings (like many men). Consequently, much of Jackson's emotional journey in this novella is taken up with him coming to terms with the powerful sexual feelings he has for Adin and how expressing his physical desire in public changes his perception of who he is. Adin is much more comfortable at giving away his emotions and as a result is alternately delighted by Jackson's open affection and then hurt by Jackson's inability to disclose his inner feelings. All in all, I was enchanted by both men and wanted their odd relationship to work, despite my doubts as to how all this would fit in with Celia.

There's a lot of smexing in this short novella as you would expect given the storyline. Adin's sole purpose in visiting Jackson is to see whether his repressed desires are reciprocated and when they are things go off with a giant explosion. If I have one criticism of this book it would be that the descriptions of the sex scenes, especially towards the beginning, were a little verbose and some of the imagery pulled me out of the scenes somewhat. This did settle down a bit in the later sex scenes which were more emotion rather than lust laden.

Overall this was an interesting premise: What happens when a character falls in love with two people? It's a different love that Adin feels for Celia than that he feels for Jackson, but it's love nonetheless. I shall be interested to see how this odd triangle works in Indescent and any subsequent books. Until then I recommend that you read this if you are interested in relationship dynamics, hot sex scenes and are not too bothered by the infidelity. I enjoyed it greatly so I'm giving this a grade of 'Very Good'.

Real Life Sucks Sometimes

No Saturday Shorts today for the simple reason that I haven't read any.

Well, that's not strictly true, cos I'm reading the daily shorts in the DSP To Have and To Hold anthology. I'm not going to review them here because I'll do a round up of my favourites at the end of the month (like I did for the Christmas Dreams anthology).

The reason why I haven't read any shorts - or any other books for that matter - is that June is always a very busy month for me. So whilst I'd rather be doing this...


My spare time and all my weekends are spent doing this...

Exam marking: Each year I tell myself I'm never doing it again, but I always do.

And any spare time I may have left is taken up doing this...


because the loft conversion has finally been built but now needs decorating.

Perhaps I should just hire this guy.

Back on Monday with (hopefully) a review - if I actually get chance to do any reading this weekend. Until then I hope the sun is shining where you are and you get some time to enjoy it (unlike me).

Review: Her Majesty's Men by Marquesate

I'd not heard of Marquesate until I read her wonderful story Code of Honour in the I Do anthology. That story turned out to be one of my favourites from the anthology. I loved it for it's manly characters and testosterone fuelled sex. So when the opportunity came up for me to get hold of this book, I jumped at the chance, hoping to read something as good as that story had been. I wasn't disappointed.

Many of you who read this blog will know that I like my heroes to be 'real men'; to be masculine and to be comfortable in their alpha status. Well, to get an idea of how manly the characters are in this book, you need to think of the most manly man that you know or have read about and then inject him with three buckets of testosterone. That will give you an idea of the sort of men that Tom and Alex are in this book. Marvellous.

The book begins with our hero, Tom, in the shower. Tom is a Sergeant in the Royal Engineers and is gay. He joined the army at 16:

Sixteen, and he hadn't had a clue; would have fucked any girl if they had let him.

Hadn't intended to grind himself at eighteen against another guy in breathless need, loaded to the gills with cheap lager, denims pulled down to his knees.

Britain doesn't have an official 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. It's more implicit than that - keep it to yourself or get beaten up - is more the deal in this country, so Tom keeps away from the girls and visits gay clubs in the cities when he needs slake his lust.

In the opposite shower is Tom's best friend, Alex. Tom has been in love with Alex for a long time. He is particularly attracted to the scars on Alex's body which Alex got under torture. He has hidden his love and lust for his straight friend, but is almost at breaking point. Then one night Alex starts badgering Tom over why he never takes up any of the many offers that he receives from women. It is at that point that Tom cracks and confesses his sexuality to Alex. What follows from this confession changes their relationship from comradeship, to hate, to acceptance and even love. It's a long journey for these men full of excitement and danger. These were well rounded characters. It helped that the book is almost split in two with Tom's thoughts at the beginning as we learn about his feelings for Alex and his motivations for starting a relationship with him, and then Alex's thoughts as we move into the action based part of the book.

There were a number of things I really liked about Her Majesty's Men. Firstly, that the story takes place over a long time period - several years. This was necessary because both men, especially Alex, have a lot of healing to do. Alex hates his scars, believing them to be the reason his wife divorced him. Plus they are a constant reminder of the pain he underwent and the subsequent emotional fall out of the torture. Gradually, throughout the book he learns, with Tom's help, to accept what happened. We need the long time period for that to happen.

Secondly, both men are alphas. Their lovemaking is almost like fighting, with both determined to take control and neither one giving quarter. It was so violent that I was visibly wincing on a couple of occasions. This was very thrilling and so unlike much of the alpha/beta relationships that crop up in m/m. This also fits in with their situation, with Alex's reluctant reliance on Tom which causes him to lash out in anger as he strives for sexual fulfilment.

Finally, I love a great action book, and being a predominantly military storyline this contained action in spades, especially during the last third of the book, which was like something out of a Hollywood action movie. Marquestate writes in such vivid, gory detail that I could feel every ounce of pain, suffering and triumph that she puts these men through. This was coupled with believable thoughts and dialogue. These are men of action, not of words, and this is reflected in the way they speak to each other and the way they think. A prime example of this are Tom's thoughts in the first section of the book, which begins:

Goddammit!
Here he was again, under the shower and with none other than Staff Sergeant Alex Turner in the stall opposite. They were bloody Royal Engineers and couldn't even fix shower stalls with fucking doors?

I only had a couple of issues with this book, mainly centred around Tom. He was such a strong man, and yet utterly crippled by his feelings for Alex. Time and time again, he allows Alex to use him which was something I found immensely frustrating and wished that Tom had been less submissive in this area. I also wanted to have much more grovelling from Alex at the end of the book and as a result more tenderness. However, I appreciate that at the end, Alex had come a long, long way, so maybe I shouldn't be so greedy!

Apart from that, this book was a rough ride from start to finish. I loved it because violence, pain and brutality are issues that don't bother me and I welcomed a read that was so different from the normal m/m fayre. If you don't like those things in your romance, then I suggest you stay away from Her Majesty's Men. If you like books filled to the brim with testosterone, packed with action with men who are a mix of arrogant and confident on the outside, yet a seething mass of insecurity and self-hatred on the inside, then this book is for you. For those people, I highly recommend you read this and it gets a grade of 'Excellent' from me. I understand that there may be a sequel in the pipeline (where Alex has to do some serious grovelling, damnit) and I look forward to reading that in the future.

Review: Dissonance by Sonja Spencer

THE BLURB

dis•so•nance [dis-uh-nuhns]—noun. 1. inharmonious or harsh sound; discord; cacophony. 2. Music: a. a simultaneous combination of tones conventionally accepted as being in a state of unrest and needing completion. b. an unresolved, discordant chord or interval.

Matthias McGaughey checks into his new dormitory, dreading the new year, new people, and new dangers. The past year was a nightmare, and now he lives in a constant state of unrest, unable to find balance or trust anyone. The building director, Kent Thomas, can feel the vibes pouring off Matthias; they're discordant enough that even he can tell the musician is very troubled. Appointing himself Matthias's protector, Kent tries his best to draw Matthias out of his shell. Despite his initial resistance, Matthias finds himself warming to his new friend. Little does he know that Kent, already in love, will help him weave harmony between the past, the present, and their future.

THE REVIEW

I was initially attracted to this book because of that great cover, which caught my attention as being a little different from the norm. Once I read the blurb I liked the idea of one of the heroes, Matthias, being a musician as that is quite unusual for m/m romance. We meet a very nervous Matthias at the beginning of a new College term as he moves into a new dorm house. During the previous year he had been bullied and tormented in a horrific way by some of the young men in his dorm and as a result he has completely withdrawn into himself. At the new dorm is Kent, who is the resident director of the building. When they first meet Matthias is scared stiff of Kent, who is tall and broad and looks rather intimidating. However, behind this bluff exterior lies a gentle heart and Kent becomes determined to bring Matthias out of his shell and encourage him to love and trust again.

There were many things that I enjoyed about this book, especially in terms of the characterisation of the two men. Matthias has very good reasons for his withdrawal from the world and the way that he views everything, except his music, was heartbreaking. When we meet him at the beginning even his stance screams out victim as he hunches over, hates being touched and refuses to make eye contact. It was a delight to take a journey of healing with him, and to experience his growing confidence in both his reaction to others and to the physical relationship he shares with Kent. Kent was a great mix of hearty, jovial and kindhearted. He sees that Matthias has been dreadfully hurt and makes it his mission to make him feel welcome, talk to him and share his life as much as possible. His patience with Matthias, even in the face of extreme frustration, was wonderful to read. There were also very few minor characters, which meant that the reader was focused entirely on the love story, with few distractions.

The story takes place over several months and details various incidences between the two men in their growing regard for one another. I liked that there was a drawn out time-frame and that Matthias isn't miraculously 'cured' during a few weeks: It made the situation and story that much more believable. In fact, this was my main criticism of this book. I would have liked to see more of those times with Kent and Matthias. I wished the book had been longer and contained more scenes with the two men. Instead, it jumps ahead to a point in the future and another big point in their relationship. I wanted to see more of them interacting on a day by day basis, doing the small things together as well as the large leaps. I was left a little frustrated at all the information we are given about what the characters had done, without actually being shown those scenes. Certainly the book would not have suffered for being longer.

One other minor criticism was that there was a bit of confusing head-hopping towards the beginning, but that settled down as the book got going.

Overall, this was a tender romance between gentle characters. It was rather angst filled at times, but I felt that was necessary to counterbalance what might have been overly sweet overtones. This book is a romance only, there's no mystery to solve (other than the reader not knowing straight away the details of what actually happened to Matthias), no paranormal creatures, no thrilling escapades, just a pair of sympathetic men getting to know one another, overcoming their personal difficulties and falling in love. This novella gets a grade of 'Very Good' and I can recommend it to those who are looking for a little romance to brighten their day.