Saturday Shorts

Not done one of these for ages!

A More Perfect Union by JM Snyder
I've reviewed the two previous books in this series over at Brief Encounters Reviews here and here, but this third and final instalment of the bobcat shifter romance is too long to review over there so I decided to do it here instead. Our heroes, Caleb and Brance, have settled in a remote area in Pennsylvania and have built a cabin and a comfortable life well out of the way of nosy humans and other bobcats. Their idyllic life is put under threat when a new female bobcat is discovered close to their territory.  I've enjoyed this series so far, and as I've said in all my reviews the only thing that I haven't liked has been the shifted sex.  It was in this book too and although it's barely described, it still hits my squicky button every time.  I was pleased though to find that there was more focus on the men in their human form in this book and we really get a feel for their love for one another, despite their very different personalities.  Brance's exasperation with the less intelligent, but young and eager Caleb shines through his narrative, but there's also obvious affection too.  There's not much to the plot itself, but what's there had a nice mix of danger and some humour.  Overall, this has been a well written and generally entertaining series.  Grade: Good.

There's a sale on at JMS books at the moment so you can buy this book HERE for 30% off!


Apples and Regret and Wasted Time by Cornelia Grey
This short begins when an unnamed first person narrator slips into the house of a past lover.  He's been in a fight and is filthy and bleeding. As he uses the shower, his ex-lover returns and discovers him.  The story then slowly unfolds over 13 pdf pages as we discover who these lovers are and why they can never be together.  It's a poignant tale with no happy ending, but I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the prose and the absolute yearning that filters through the narrator and his lost relationship with his ex-lover.  At first there is only happiness and joy at being reunited, plus an almost desperate passion that arises between them.  It's not long though before we discover that there's much more below the surface.  The writing is just masterful in the way that it draws you into empathy with the narrator, and then allows you to shift sympathies between the pair as the story progresses. I was hooked and my only niggle is that I longed for more, for a longer story to examine this couple.  Plus that cover is just fantastic! Highly recommended with a grade of 'Excellent'.

Buy this book HERE.