Trammel by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox

I greatly enjoyed the first book in this series Tatterdemalion, and I was really looking forward to reading this next book. It's been a whole year since I read Tatterdemalion and I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to remember the characters. As it is my worries proved to be groundless as I easily slipped back into the fantasy world created by the authors.

The story begins closely after the end of the previous book. Lindsay, who is a mage with the ability to create elaborate illusions, is enjoying his time of training with Dane, a shifter, who as well as being in charge of Lindsay, is his lover. Into the group of mages, led by Cyrus, comes Noah, who as a fire mage has come into his powers relatively late and who has been sent by his family to Cyrus to be healed and trained. Cyrus gives Noah to Lindsay, changing the dynamic of his and Dane's relationship slightly. When evil scientist, Moore, captures a newly turned female mage, Dane, Lindsay, Noah and the other mages are charged with saving her from Moore, a task which changes things for ever for the group of mages.

The main thread of plot which runs through this story is that of Noah and Lindsay. Lindsay is at first tasked with training Noah into his new powers, but this leads to much more as an attraction builds between them. As such the book becomes a sort of triangle between Lindsay, Dane and Noah and as the book progresses the shifts and changes in the relationship between these three are explored. For me this was the most interesting part of the book, especially because we see Lindsay grow in confidence and move from what was quite a passive character in the first book into someone who knows he is strong and can take charge. At one point in the book, Lindsay inadvertently becomes the leader of a small group of mages and I found it delightful to see how, after a certain amount of resistance to the idea, he was able to flourish in that role.

Dane is missing for quite a lot of the book and so the main romantic pairing is Lindsay and Noah for quite a number of pages. Their relationship is so different to that of Lindsay and Dane, that I wasn't at all put off by the fact that the two grow close. In fact, the way that the three men all bring different facets to the relationship made me feel optimistic as to their success. It helped that themes such as Noah's isolation, his recovery from the death of his wife and his jealousy were given space in the book just as much as the growing affection he has for Lindsay, so that when the two men finally make a move on each other it feels realistic. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this relationship develops into the next book. One thing to note, this isn't an m/m/m book as such because there is no romantic or sexual scenes involving Dane and Noah, just separately between Lindsay and the two men.

Other parts which worked for me were in the exciting action sequences which take place during the daring rescue scenes. I also liked the way that the little band of mages form together, and the tensions that causes. Each character was given enough to come across as three dimensional, and all had a part to contribute to the story. The book is structured with tightly written action followed by more fluid and slow moving sections and if I have any complaints its that these slower sections lost focus a little. However, I could understand that the authors were using the slower sections to build characterisation so it didn't bother me too much. Besides, these slower sections were then followed by tense scenes involving Moore and her laboratory, or faster paced scenes, making the plot varied and exciting to read.

Overall those who liked Tatterdemalion will be very pleased with this sequel. If you haven't read that first book then I do feel you ought to read it before this one as although you can still understand the action and characters in this book, much of the relationship between Dane and Linsday is built within that first book. Personally I can't wait for the next in the series as this book was an absorbing read with fascinating characters and a intriguing magical world which sits alongside our own, yet hidden from view. Marvellous and recommended with a grade of Excellent!

Buy this book HERE.

Fool's Oath by Chris Quinton

I really enjoyed the previous book in this series, Fool’s Errand, and was looking forward to reading this book. Fool’s Errand had left me with a lot of questions about the futuristic world created by the author and also the complex ‘still waters run deep’ character of Andreas who I felt was overshadowed rather in the previous book. It was a little unfortunate then that the story kept its focus on Xavi and that the questions I’d hoped would be answered were not.

The story begins a few weeks after the previous book. Xavi has spent the time recovering from the vampire virus after he deliberately infected himself by mingling his blood with that of Andreas at the end of the last book. It’s been a tough few weeks for him, as the transition was made more painful because of the silver that had been mixed with Andreas’ blood at the time. Xavi is now back to his previous cocky self, much to Andreas’ relief but there’s a shadow in the horizon. Andreas is called back to the USA for a week or so during which time he hopes to extricate himself from the oppressive regime there. He daren’t take Xavi with him and so leaves him behind after extricating a promise from Xavi that he will keep a low profile and stay out of trouble. A promise that Xavi readily makes but has no intention of keeping.

I’d liked Xavi in the previous story. His swagger, self confidence and optimism were a good foil for Andreas and his stony like exterior and carefully managed emotions. They worked well as a pair and in fact still worked well in this book, because the scenes where the two men were together were by far the best parts of the book. The push and pull of their relationship and the way their feelings are starting to develop after the commitment they made at the end of the last book, were realistically done. I had worried about the insta-love aspect of the story but in this book that element is explored through the various conversations that Andreas has with his friends. The sex between the men was well written, and highlighted the theme of submission and dominance that threads its way through the relationship between the two heroes.

Having said that, my feelings for Xavi were not quite so positive in this book. He changes from an intelligent man, used to trading on his charm, good looks and quick wit, to a petulant child who acts like he’s had his favourite toy taken from him and so sets out to destroy the other toys in the toy box. Andreas explains why he needs to keep a low profile, that he doesn’t know his own strength and powers, and this is only confirmed by Xavi’s doctor, but that doesn’t seem to stop Xavi from doing the entire opposite of all advice given, just because he’s had his nose put out of joint by Andreas having to go the USA. The real killer for me was when Xavi was deliberately unfaithful to Andreas, just to show that he could be and that he could get some poor woman to give up her body to him on the strength of his charm. When things go horribly wrong for Xavi, he is made to see the error of his ways and to also try to atone for his mistakes but that wasn’t enough for him to have been redeemed in my eyes, and I felt that Andreas’ way of dealing with Xavi didn’t go far enough to restore my previous feelings of sympathy for Xavi. As you can imagine this rather clouded my views on the book, especially as I felt there was too much focus on the selfish and immature Xavi and not enough on Andreas who still remains an enigma in many ways.

The futuristic worldbuilding is slowly being fleshed out but I was still left with questions about Andreas’ role in the USA regime. New characters were brought into play and I am interested in seeing how they will influence the events of the third and final book in this trilogy.

Overall, this was still a good read: The writing is clean and descriptive, with the setting of Barcelona a definite positive for the book; the paranormal aspects of the worldbuilding are interesting and continue to be developed; and the character of Andreas is intriguing. However, Xavi’s character took a negative turn for me and it remains to be seen whether he can redeem himself in the next book.  Grade: Good.

Buy this book HERE.

Zombie Jen Goes AWOL

Many, many apologies to you all for going missing this week.  It's that time of year again when I'm juggling my regular job with my second job of marking exam papers.  Apparently this means I still have to do all the other stuff as well - although hub has kindly offered to wash up after dinner during the marking period.  Alas his kindness does not extend to other housework tasks.

Anyway, after working during the day, marking in the evening and fitting in all the other stuff like endless taxiing of children to their activities, my brain turns to mush and I become Zombie Jen, unable to string together a coherent sentence and therefore unable to write any reviews.  As if that isn't bad enough, I'm barely getting any reading time either.  So far, since Saturday I've read 3 short stories and 2/3 of a novella.  Not good.  Especially when that has barely covered my commitments to BER and Wave's site.

Enough moaning from me!  This post is just to excuse my very bad blogging behaviour, to assure you that I haven't forgotten you - even if I'm not posting comments on your blogs, I'm still reading the posts - and to make you aware that things might be a little thin on the ground for the next couple of weeks until I get back into my stride.

Thanks for your patience, folks :).

Review: Cherry Pie by Samantha Kane

I've not read a book by this author before, but have heard good things about her writing. When I saw this new release at Loose Id I took the opportunity to give her a try. I'm glad I did because this book was just delightful.

The story follows John, a guy in his thirties who, after losing his lover, decides to up-sticks from California and move to a grand old house in Mercury, North Carolina. The plan is to spend some time renovating the house and enjoying his very early retirement whilst putting the past behind him. One day John sees a young man, Conn, hanging about outside the house and learns that the house used to belong to his family. Conn moved away from Mercury and got into some trouble, but he's back now and wants to make amends with the town he abandoned. As an act of kindness, John takes him in as a handyman to help with the renovations but it's soon clear that there's an attraction between them too.

The highlight for me in reading this book was the portrayal of small town life in the Southern USA, and the blend of the older characters with their long family histories with the younger characters who are trying to forge out a life which breaks some of the traditions whilst still adhering to small town values. The fabulous character of Miss Priss epitomised the traditions of the town whilst the sheriff embodied some of the harsher realities of views on homosexuality in the south. Although John had been living in Mercury for a year it takes Conn's appearance to bring John into the community itself and I found his utter bafflement at some of the things he gets dragged into quite amusing at times. It all happens in such an organic way that before he knows it he's going to church and hosting impromptu gatherings at his house to satisfy the curiosity of the townsfolk. His resignation that his quiet and relatively private life will never be the same was a charming contrast to the loneliness of his life at the beginning of the book. I also liked that the author addressed some of the negative aspects of modern day small town life such as lack of jobs and the closure of the smaller businesses, it grounded me more within the setting than if it had been some idealised look at small town life.

Another aspect of this book which worked for me was the way that the two characters move on from their pasts. In many ways Conn is both facing up to the past he left behind whilst also trying to move on from what happened whilst he was away. The way he's forced to face up to people he unintentionally hurt when he moved away suddenly is done at a gentle pace. There are no huge scenes with recriminations, but instead each time he meets someone from his past he has to deal with what he's done. It's not overly emotional, more a quiet intensity in his interactions with the characters, especially his old best friend, Toby, but I found it very affecting nonetheless. John, on the other hand, has run away from his past and is essentially hiding. He is forced to face up to his previous life in California as well as the painful relationship he had and then lost, through his relationship with Conn who is very different from John's ex-boyfriend. The way that John struggled with how to cope with Conn and those differences was realistically done, and in the end it is John who grows most as a character.

I had a couple of niggles. Firstly I really disliked the character of Kristine, John's friend from California. I can understand why she was brought into the book - as a sort of catalyst for John having to examine his relationship with Conn - but she was irritating in the extreme. In a book where I pretty much liked everyone except the Sheriff, her brashness and the way she spoke to John raised my hackles - which probably shows you how much I liked John! Another niggle was that I felt the last part of the book was a little rushed, mainly because the author hides a lot of things from the reader until the big reveal at the end. This was just too sudden and out of the blue for me and made the very happy ending slightly forced.

However, these niggles weren't enough to spoil the story too much for me, mainly because I liked the other characters so much and found the small town setting utterly delightful. I finished the book feeling all warm and fuzzy for John and Conn - not that this meant that everything was resolved, just that I was optimistic about their future and happy that I'd taken their romantic journey with them. Those who are looking for a contemporary romance which is strong on character and setting can't go wrong with Cherry Pie, and I'd highly recommend it with a grade of 'Excellent'.

By this book HERE.

Exciting News!

You may remember a little while ago I publicised the UK GBLT fiction meet in Milton Keynes on the 23rd July.  There are still some spaces for this if there are any Brits out there who haven't booked yet.  The website is here if you are interested.

Anyway, to celebrate this marvellous day out for us all, the powers that be decided to put together two anthologies of stories with a unique British flavour.  One is a free flash fiction anthology called British Flash which contains a set of 1,000 word stories with contributions from Alex Beecroft, Stevie Carroll, Charlie Cochrane, Erastes, Elin Gregory, Sandra Lindsey, Clare London, JL Merrow, Josephine Myles, Zahra Owens, Caroline Stephens, Lisa Worrall and Serena Yates.  It's going to be published as an ebook only and will be available from the 16th June.

I love this cover!

The other anthology is called Tea and Crumpet (no cover as yet) and is going to be sold to raise funds for future UK meets. It's made up of longer stories with contributions from: Alex Beecroft, Stevie Carroll, Jennie Caldwell, Charlie Cochrane, Elin Gregory, Clare London, Anna Marie May, JL Merrow, Josephine Myles, Zahra Owens, Jay Rookwood, Chris Smith, Lisa Worrall, Serena Yates - and possibly more!

Here's the exciting bit of news. One of those authors is me!

To be honest, I'm not quite sure how this happened, other than the meet organisers sent out a call for anyone to submit stories and even encouraged us readers to have a go. It seems that I passed muster and so my story has been included. It's called Sweet Temptation and is about a chance meeting in a churchyard.  The anthology will be published by JMS books as an ebook on the 3rd July and a print copy will be available by the end of July.

So there you go. For a very brief amount of time I'm going to be a proper author.  Now, can you guess my pen-name?  It's not too difficult, I think.

A-Z Challenge Review: Kindling Fire with Snow by Kate McMurray

Why I bought the book: I had no K books in my TBR pile and so I appealed to Tam who pointed me in the direction of this book.  This means it's all her fault if I didn't like it ;).

Plot: Seth is recovering from a baffling break up with his boyfriend.  He feels completely knocked sideways and as a result has retreated behind a number of different masks that he adopts to face situations in his life.  He puts on his 'going out with friends' mask and meets his friend Marty at a bar where he unexpectedly runs into his first boyfriend Kieran.  Both men are intrigued by the differences from the last 13 years, from innocent 17 year olds, just coming out the closet, to 30 year old experienced men.  They decide to spend the evening together to catch up on old times but a snow storm strands Kieran at Seth's house.  The time together allows the men to be reacquainted, but also forces Seth to face up to some painful truths about himself.

This was one of those gentle romances which slowly unfold.  It's entirely character based with little action other than sex and a walk in the park, which allows the reader to focus on the way the men interact with each other.  I liked the 'chance meet' aspect of the story and that both men experience the slight awkwardness of coming face to face with your past.  What worked especially well for me was that this wasn't one of those stories where the men had fallen in love at an early age and then pined away for each other for 13 years.  Instead it was an entirely realistic story of young love which was fierce when it happened but both men moved on and had other relationships, only looking back fondly on occasion to a time of innocence when the most risky thing they did was make out on the couch in Kieran's basement.  I think many of us can empathise with that time of our lives.

Characters: This story was really all about Seth.  We do get Kieran's point of view at times, but it's Seth's journey which is the focus.  Part of the fun of the story is seeing Seth come to terms with the break up between him and his ex, but also recognise the part he played in that.  This meant that he moved from being a bit self-absorbed and sorry for himself, and grew to be more mature and having learned from his experience.  I very much enjoyed taking that journey with Seth.  As the focus is on Seth, I felt that Kieran was a little less well defined.  He's a nice guy and has some problems of his own, but I never really felt I knew him that well, even by the end of the book.  At the end, he starts to think abut making some changes of his own, but to me that seemed a little odd and misplaced because I hadn't been able to grasp what the actual root of his problem was, other than a reference to insomnia and a vague dissatisfaction with his life.  As such Kieran's problems seemed a little tagged onto the end.

Overall:  The niggle with Kieran wasn't enough to spoil this book too much for me and I enjoyed reading about two men who are relearning about each other.  The pace of the book is gentle but I liked that, just as I liked the whole romanticism of their relationship and the tenderness of the sex scenes.  The setting of Brooklyn was important too and I liked the descriptions of the area, especially the park covered in snow.  Those of you looking for a sweet read that's not too high on sugar will like this book and I recommend it with a grade of 'Very good'.

Buy this book HERE.

A-Z Challenge Review: Jude in Chains by KZ Snow

Actually, I'm not going to review this book at all for reasons I shall explain later.

I bought the book because I autobuy everything by KZ Snow. She's my go-to author (along with a couple of others) for intelligent, thoughtful and unusual character driven romances and so there wasn't ever a possibility that I wouldn't buy this book. Which I did on the day of release. Since then it has sat unread on my TBR pile for over a year because I was pretty sure that I would have issues with the book and that the theme would be something I would find difficult to read.

When I got to J in my A-Z Challenge, Jude in Chains was the only J book in my TBR pile and so I saw this as a sign to bite the bullet and read it. To see whether my apprehensions about the book were justified or whether, in the end, I was just being a wuss and it would turn out to be the best thing I've ever read.

All this waffling preamble is to show that before I even picked up the book I wasn't sure it was for me.

It wasn't.

And I fully admit that the reasons why I didn't really enjoy this book too much were wholly personal and had nothing at all to do with the strength of the writing, or the characters, or even the plot itself. In fact, like all KZ Snow books, this was intelligently written.

It just wasn't my thing and the book left me feeling vaguely sad and frustrated.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend that you read it, because as I said, my reasons for not connecting with this book were all to do with me and nothing to do with objectivity. So do read it. See if you connect better with it than I did - and in fact a quick look at the Good Reads site shows that I am definitely in the minority here.

So there you go.  My not review of Jude in Chains.  Sorry about being vague but sometimes you read books that get you in all the wrong places and this was that book for me.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: The Rifter Part 3: Black Blades by Ginn Hale

This review can also be found at the DIK Blog.

*Warning: It will be impossible for me to discuss this third part of The Rifter without giving away spoilers for parts 1 & 2!*

I've decided that it's quite an odd experience to review a serialised novel, especially this third part.  This is mainly because the book has reached a point where many of the major players have been introduced, the scene has been set and the pieces are slowly moving around the board.  In many ways this third part is very similar to part two in its structure.  The first half of the book follows directly on from part two and concerns Kyle/Kahlil and is set in the future Basawar after the Rifter has destroyed the North.  At the end of part two, Kahlil discovered an assassination plot against a warlord from the North, Jath’ibaye and this third part begins as Kahlil attempts to thwart this assassination. During this time Jath’ibaye and Kahlil meet, an event which has consequences for Kahlil. It was this part which was full of action and suspense as Kahlil travels the city looking for ways to help Jath’ibaye.

The second half of this serial moves twenty nine years into the past and deal with John as he describes the daily life of the monastery at Rathal’pesha where he's been living for about a year now. This section is used to feed the reader a set of information about the priests, the trainees and also some of the history of Basawar, including the religious figure of Parfir and the origins of the Rifter. As such, this meant that this part was slower moving and more focused on dialogue and character interaction that the section with Kahlil. It is heavy with information which will be useful to us as the book progresses, so whilst my attention drifted a little, I was aware of the importance of some of the facts given to us. That didn't mean that this section contains no action altogether, but just that the tension is provided by conflict amongst the priests and John's own worries over his future and that of his friends, rather than the more aggressive and nervous suspense in the section with Kahlil.

One thing I am enjoying with this book is seeing the links between the two separate times. One example of this is when Kahlil is thinking of one of the rumours that he hears about Jath’ibaye's eating habits and the fact that he likes strongly flavoured food usually eaten by peasants, rather than the more refined food of the Basawar nobility. Then in the next section we find out exactly why that is. Every time I come across these links it makes me smile, especially as they often seem to be just the odd whimsical fact, not important to the overall story but there as a flavour to the characterisation. It's little touches like these that remind me how good the writing is, and how complex the two worlds are.

Any niggles I have with the story stem from it being a month since I read the second part. The author has created an elaborate hierarchy of the both the nobility of Basawar and the priests at Rathal’pesha, and I found myself a little lost at times about who ranked higher than who and how people were related to each other. There is a glossary attached to the end of the part which explains it all, but it's difficult to swap back and forth like that with an ebook.

Overall, this third part continues to build and expand slowly on what has come before. Each strand of the story is slowly knitting together before moving off in another direction, only to form with another strand. I'm enjoying experiencing this masterful interweaving, and the monthly gaps between parts only highlights the efficiency of the world building in all its complexities. Bring on part four - I can't wait!

You can either buy this second part - and then any subsequent parts - separately for $3.99 each, or buy the whole book at $29.95 and each month the new part will be sent to you via email. More information about this and the buy now page can be found HERE.

A-Z Challenge Review: Infinity Pools by LA Witt

Why I bought the book: I read and reviewed the previous short, Getting off the Ground at Brief Encounters Reviews and enjoyed it so much I bought this sequel as soon as it was released.

Plot: The story follows on directly from Getting Off the Ground.  After making the decision to change his holiday plans at the last minute, jilted groom Elliott is on his way to two weeks spent in the company of Derek, a man he met just a few hours previously at the airport.

The plot then follows the two men as they spend an intensive two weeks in each others' company, learning about each other, having lots of sex and slowly developing feelings for each other.  Normally, two weeks would be a little too short for me in terms of falling in love, but the fact that, apart from one day, they spend nearly every minute of that two weeks in each others' company made it believable that they should fall quickly.

Characters: This is very much an opposites attract story with Elliot generally being uptight and organised and Derek being laid back.  Elliott sees his time on Maui as an opportunity to forget the mess he's left behind in Seattle and also forget all his rules.  As a result, he's more relaxed and enjoys the freedom he allows himself.  I found the whole shift in character for Elliott quite charming.  He also makes himself face up to some of the things he had been avoiding, such as why he was left at the altar, as well as trying to sift through his growing feelings for Derek.  I liked Elliott a great deal and was pleased that impetuous decision he makes at the end of the first book is given the space to be dealt with properly.  That eased some of my misgivings about the end of the first book.  Derek is seen through Elliott's eyes, but it was quite clear to me (even if Elliott couldn't see it) that he too was starting to change his life views.  This is mostly done through the erotic and yet also beautifully tender sex scenes, as well as the way that Derek deliberately goes out of his way to make Elliott see the beauty of Maui.  I also liked that we get to see that Derek isn't just a feckless drifter with no concept of responsibility, but that he has a job and commitments too.

Overall: I really enjoyed this follow on from Getting Off the Ground.  The extension in the characterisation was realistic with the focus being almost solely on Elliott and Derek and their romantic journey together.  The descriptions of Maui were vivid and made me want to visit.  If I have any niggles it's that I was a little disappointed in the epilogue, not because it wasn't satisfying or romantic, but rather because it meant that the story between these two very sympathetic characters has come to a very definite HEA and I was really hoping for another book!  For those who read and liked Getting Off the Ground this is an absolute must-read and I'm giving it a grade of 'Excellent'.  If you haven't that first short then you can still read this, but you get more of a feel of the change in character for Elliot if you read the short story first.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: In the Shadow of the Sun by Aislinn Kerry

Seth is a priest of Ra who has been sent to kill the Pharaoh, Aten, because the man claims to be a god. In order to do this, Seth seduces the king at a feast celebration. When things don't go as planned, Seth stays with Aten, determined to find another way to kill him. However, as the days and weeks go on, Seth begins to realise that he may have been wrong about the king.

It didn't take more than a few paragraphs before I was hooked into the world that the author has created here. The setting is very close to Ancient Egypt with its gods and Pharaohs but has subtle differences which lift it from being a straight historical, albeit with a paranormal twist. The descriptions of the feast, coupled with Seth's nervousness but resolute determination to kill the Pharaoh, drew me quickly into the story and I read the whole book almost in one sitting as I grew more and more fond of Seth and his confused feelings for Aten.

Another part I liked was the way Seth's feelings change over time. Like all assassins, he's full of the strength of his convictions and fully intends to carry out his murderous task. He's been fed a number of stories about Aten which, over the course of the book, turn out to be misguided and even untrue. His bafflement and self-doubt once he begins to realise that things are not as he originally thought was well done. Because the story is in the first person the reader gets to experience all of Seth's feelings as he changes his mind, including his own puzzlement over why he stays with Aten, and what draws him to the enigmatic king.

One of things I really like about this author is the sensuality of her writing, and not just the sex scenes. When the two men are together the page sizzles with sexual tension from their very first meet. It made for compelling reading and it was that spark, that delicious push and pull in the relationship which was the highlight for me and overrode some of the weaker points to the book.

One of those weaker points is due to the story being so insular, and focused mainly on the two men. This meant that some of the complexities to the world building were swept through the book with a rather broad brush, giving us hints rather than specifics. We know that Seth is a priest and has priests duties - and later we find out that he has a mother too - but other than that, he is a blank page in terms of background to his character. Aten is more fleshed out which is surprising as we see him only from Seth's point of view, but again, I would have liked to have learned more about his origins and some of his past history which he only mentions as the book progresses. The politics and complexities of Aten's role as Pharaoh is something that the reader is only given hints about, and I would have liked to have seen more of this to understand exactly why Seth changes his mind about Aten.

Having said that, the book still works well as a romance and as that is the main focus of the story, I was happy. The positives definitely outweighed the negatives and I really enjoyed reading the book. If you are looking for a sensual romance with a bit of a historical paranormal twist then I would recommend In the Shadow of the Sun with a grade of 'Very Good'. As for me, I'm going to seek out more books by this author because I've liked what I've read so far from her.

Buy this book HERE.

A-Z Challenge Review: Hardass City by Kiernan Kelly

Why I bought the book: Kassa and Tam had written good reviews and I thought the VR game twist sounded interesting.

Plot: Hard core VR gamer Brad AKA Dare when he's in the game, loves playing Hardass City, a complex shoot -em-up.  He's been playing for years and is now the second best player in the game, the first being Spike.  When things start seeming a bit off with the game, Dare and Spike (or Jeff as he's known in the real world) get together and discover a plot by the game's owners which will affect all the players in the game.

Let's face it the plot is a nice bit of nonsense, but it was still engaging.  I'm not a huge gamer (I leave that to the kids) but I could still see the appeal for these guys and how something as seemingly trivial as changes to their VR game would be a big thing to them.  The story flips between the conflict in the game, where Dare and Spike have to battle the increasingly difficult to kill bad guys, and the RL stuff where Brad and Jeff are trying to find a way to prevent the game's owners from taking advantage of the players.  It worked as a story and both parts were interesting to read.

Characters: These guys are a couple of nerds who spend all their free time in VR.  They do have something of a life outside of their hobby but we aren't actually told very much about that - for example they both have a job but we aren't told what they do, which was a bit bizarre.  This means that the whole focus in the story is on the game and the problems associated with that.  Because they have an immediate connection through their love of the game, it wasn't difficult to see how their attraction to each other would flourish.  The sex between them was hot and also uncomplicated - they are both gay, like each other and sex is a natural extension to that.  Brad is the narrator so we get more of a feel for him than Jeff.  He's a bit shy with an endearing stutter and you can see why he might spend his evenings pretending to be the dashing and heroic Dare.  Jeff was a little less easy to figure out and I did wonder exactly what he saw in Brad, other than a kindred spirit.  However, by the end I was convinced that they worked well enough as a couple that I was satisfied with the ending.

Overall: This was a quick and enjoyable read.  The characterisation may be a little thin in places but I still liked Brad and Jeff enough that it didn't bother me too much.  The story was engaging and the pacing swift enough that the book was a very pleasant way to fill a lazy afternoon.  I'm giving it a grade of 'Very Good' and would recommend to all the gamers out there or those looking for a decent read with an unusual story.

Buy this book HERE.

Not a Review: Paper Planes by M. Jules Aedin

This is not a review because I'm totally biased about this book and would not provide a fair review, even if I tried to write one! I beta read Paper Planes and followed its journey from half written, to fully formed; from submission to acceptance, and so I may just be a little emotionally connected to it, even if I didn't actually write any of it myself :). I also make a point of not reviewing books that I beta, for the reason I've given above and also because in my own small way I have contributed a tiny bit to its creation.

Having said that, I wanted to draw the book to your attention because it is rather marvellous.  As well as that, it's got a very unusual hero in Dustin (no spoilers, just take my word for it) and a very sympathetic other hero in Stuart who is dealing with his grief over the sudden death of his partner.  It's a bit angsty, but it's also funny in places and very, very romantic.

It's out today at Loose Id HERE and I really do recommend that you buy it.  Go on...you want to...you do!

A-Z Challenge Review: Gregori's Ghost by Sarah Black

Why I bought the book: I didn't! It was free at ARe. I've liked some of Sarah Black's other stories so I thought I'd pick this one up too since it didn't cost me anything :).

Plot: Steven is a neurologist who lives a cushy life. When his Grandfather, Charlie, passes away from cancer, Steven is left with an antique camera which belonged to an old friend of Charlie from the Second World War, Gregori. Steven looks into the lens of the camera and somehow manages to be able to see all that Gregori could see, particularly of a massacre that took place involving the Russian army against Polish civilians. This then releases the ghost of Gregori and he begins to interact with Steven. Meanwhile, Steven also contacts Gregori's grandson, Alexi, who works for an underground newspaper in the Ukraine. The discovery of a Gregori's photographs sparks off a period of danger for Alexi. Fearing for Alexi's life, Steven travels to the Ukraine to help him, and also to put Gregori's ghost to rest once and for all.

Characters: Let's face it, Steven is a bit of a arse at the beginning of the story. He's one of these scientific guys who has no people skills whatsoever and as a result is generally disliked by all. His abrasive nature was off-putting at first, but I slowly gained more sympathy for him as the story progressed. This is partly because of the analytical (and therefore slightly comical) way that the tries to explain away the fact that a ghost can speak to him and even touch him through a kind of 'mind meld'. It's also because Steven has a sort of breakdown after the death of his Grandfather where he shuts himself off from the outside world. It's subtly done over a period of time but there was a sudden realisation that the appearance of the ghost and all that entails was affecting Steven more than just grief over his Charlie's death. It takes Alexi, and his equally abrasive nature and sharp mind, to pull Steven out of the funk he gets into. It was more difficult to get a handle on Alexi for a few reasons. Firstly because he is so different to Steven, and that we see him only through Steven narrative, that Steven is quite dismissive of him at first. Steven's lack of people skills often meant that they traded insults rather than useful information that would give us an insight into Alexi's character. The fact that Alexi is so far removed from Steven and that they only converse by email was another reason why it's difficult to get to know him. When the action move to the Ukraine, then things got much better as we get to see Alexi's actions and the way he deals with some of the tough realities of his life. By the end of the book I was happy for both men, and felt that despite their similar temperaments, they would work well as a couple, even if it was doomed to be a temperamental, fiery relationship!

Overall: One highlight for me was the Ukrainian setting, and some of the political ideas and dangers of living within the Soviet Bloc. I have to admit, I know next to nothing about that country and found the descriptions of the city of Kiev and the difficulties both Steven and Alexi face evocative and exciting. Those who bemoan the lack of interesting settings will like this book. I'm not usually a huge fan of ghost stories and some of the scenes between Gregori and Steven made me a little uncomfortable. However, once the emphasis shifts onto Alexi and Steven, then I felt much happier and was pleased by the way the ghost aspect was dealt with. This is certainly one of the most unusual stories I've read for a while, it kept my interest throughout its pages and I learned a lot about the Ukraine, especially some of the horrible historical details that Steven uncovers. A small warning in that there are a few niggly typos in the book, but as this isn't professionally edited, I forgave that. I'm giving it a grade of 'Very Good' and I urge those of you who are looking for a character based story with a good mix of action and romance to read Gregori's Ghost. After all, it's free, so what's stopping you?

Get this book HERE.