Saturday Shorts

Pet Sitting by Syd McGinley
There was a 20% off sale on at TQ last week and so along with *ahem* several other books, I bought this, the first in the Dr Fell books.  I've read a couple of other Dr Fell stories in anthologies but have found them bewildering because I hadn't been reading the books from the start.  This seemed like a good opportunity to at least try them and get a better idea of whether I would like them.  John Fell is a Dom without a sub, his sub having died in a gay bashing 5 years previously.  John needs some time and space to finish his thesis so his friend Ben offers John the use of his house whilst he's away at a conference for two weeks.  There's a catch though in the form of Ben's sub, Charlie, who's a former druggie and one of the worst subs John has seen.  John promises to 'train' Charlie in Ben's absence.  This was one of the more brutal BDSM books that I've read, not because John uses whips and paddles, but rather because he trains Charlie through humiliation.  John doesn't love Charlie or even particularly respect him so his callous treatment made me wince a little.  Having said that, I also found it quite a fascinating look at how the 24/7 D/s lifestyle is supposed to work and John's grief and sense of loss over the death of his sub gave him a sympathetic edge to the hard exterior.  I've bought the TQ Chasers which follow on from this story and I'm still interested enough to want to read those.  Grade: Good.

Buy this book HERE.


Blood on the Ice by AM Riley
Nick is an NHL ice hockey player who, let's face it, isn't the brightest man on the team.  One day, whilst searching in his locker for his lucky socks, he gets bitten and turned into a vampire.  Nick's heightened senses makes him able to 'smell' the emotions of his other team players, especially his best friend and room mate, Petey.  This story was just hilarious.  I know nothing about ice-hockey, except that it's supposed to be a sport but looks more like several men on skates trying to kill each other over a small round disc, but that didn't matter as the focus is more on Nick.  Nick is a delightful dumb ox, with an engaging personality which put me in mind of a Labrador.  He's completely clueless about Petey, even with his vamp senses, and I found myself laughing several times over that.  The vamp stuff is kept to a minimum except for a few humourous observations about which blood tastes best.  Overall, a delightful and very funny short with a paranormal twist.  Grade: Excellent.

Buy this book HERE.


Betweentimes by Jordan Castillo Price
Owen and Jonny are neighbours and friends.  When Jonny returns from a particularly stressful day at work, Owen suggests they go for a meal at a local burrito bar.  Whilst there, Owen relaxes Jonny in a very unexpected way.  As with all JCP books the beauty of the story is in the details.  The burrito bar is one of these chains of restaurants where families go for meals.  The food is bland and the margaritas taste like kool aid, yet the company makes up for the bad food.  I also liked that the men seem opposites but actually have more in common than you would think at first.  Both of them wear a 'costume' with Jonny in his suit and Owen in his ripped jeans, tight t-shirt and piercings, but underneath that there's an attraction that transcends these assigned roles.  I liked that this was developed through the story with Jonny noticing little details about Owen and Owen able to see that there's more to Jonny than a corporate drone.  Overall, an amusing story which I wished had been a little longer.  Grade: Very good.

Buy this book HERE.


I've also written a couple of reviews of shorts at Wave's blog in the last couple of weeks.  You can find my review of 8 Seconds on the Mountain by PD Singer HERE, and my review of Independence Day 2 by Christiane France HERE.