Where am I?

I'm at the DIK blog today extolling the virtues of the A-Z reading challenge.

Join me there and tell me whether reading challenges work for you.

Review: Where He Belongs by Rachel Haimowitz

This book is a short anthology of tiny stories set in the world of Anchored: Belonging, which I reviewed here, and are all based around the past experiences of Daniel, the hero from that book. Some are written from his point of view and some from the point of view of other characters. They all give us a peek into the world where slavery is the norm, and takes in the views and behaviour of slaves and non-slaves.  There's even a short extract from Counterpunch which is a novel by Aleksandr Voinov set in the same world as Anchored. I now looking forward to reading the whole book when it's published later this year.

It's not exactly necessary to have read Anchored: Belonging before reading these stories. I have, and my experience of this anthology is therefore tempered a little by my knowledge of what is to come. The anthology ends with the prologue and first chapter of that next book which I'd read before but those who haven't read Anchored: Belonging will find them a good taste of the next step for Daniel. For those people, these stories give a flavour of the world building which can only enhance the experience of reading the next book. For me, having read that previous book, the anthology provided some insight into the years prior to the story and gave more depth to the character of Daniel. It enhanced my reading of Anchored: Belonging as well as made me want to re-read that book.

Each story is a masterful slice of life and I found myself drawn into the Anchored world once again. What really stood out for me was the way that each word is precisely placed to show us something of Daniel and his situation as a slave, as well as tell us something of the narrator of the story. So, for example, in the first story written from the viewpoint of a trainee companion slave, my heart broke a little over the matter of fact way the boy refers to his training but we could also see how shy, unsure and afraid Daniel is of his new situation at NewWorld Media through the other boy's compassionate eyes. Later we are shown how Daniel's training has created different masks for him to wear, as described by his handler. This theme continues through each of the 5 stories, gradually adding to my knowledge of this alternative reality that the author has created. Not only that but each story is packed with emotion, mostly a sense of injustice and sorrow for the slaves, but also a resignation of this is how life is and to take what you can from it. I found it very moving.

As well as supplementing my understanding of the setting, each of these stories has helped in my perception of Daniel as a character in Anchored: Belonging. One of my niggles about Anchored: Belonging was that Daniel is just so passive at all times, so helpless, and reading these stories helped me get why that is.

If I have any niggles it's that I wanted more. More stories and stories of greater length than these vignettes More stories and stories of greater length than these vignettes, mainly because I was left with a small sense of dissatisfaction over how short the anthology is.  I know that the author plans to write a sequel to Anchored: Belonging, so I shall have to be patient until then.

So to conclude. If you haven't read Anchored: Belonging and want a taste of what that story will entail, then this would be the perfect place to start, as long as you are willing to read books with the sometimes disturbing theme of slavery. These are also not romance stories, although some are erotic in content.  If you have read and liked Anchored: Belonging, then this is the perfect companion piece to that book.  I enjoyed Where He Belongs a great deal and recommend this with a grade of 'Excellent'.

Buy this book HERE.

Author Interview: Rachel Haimowitz

Today I'm very pleased to welcome the delightful Rachel Haimowitz to my humble blog. I first discovered Rachel when I agreed to read and review Anchored: Belonging for the DIK blog. After reading that book I was hooked and quickly read all her other m/m books. Since then I've got to know her a little better at her blog and on Twitter and found her to be a lively and witty lady. This interview is part of a blog tour to promote the release of Where He Belongs, a set of short stories set in the Anchored: Belonging world and which focuses on past events in the life of the hero, Daniel. The rest of the stops on the tour can be found at Rachel's blog HERE.

Enough waffling from me, let's get onto the good bit :).

On Writing

How did you get into writing m/m novels?
Through fanfiction, actually. It was one of those strange and amazing happenstances, you know, where an editor saw something I’d done and we just kind of connected. Next thing I knew, I had an invitation to submit.

You’ve published long novels and anthologies of short stories. Which do you prefer to write: short or long fiction? Why?
Onoes, don’t ask me to choose between my children! ;-) Because really, I love both. Long fiction gives you a chance to delve into something in depth, of course—to tell complex stories with complex characters. Creatively, that can be quite exciting and freeing. On the other hand, sometimes you’re quite thoroughly sick of a novel by the time you reach the end of all that writing and rewriting and editing some more, and you can’t wait to be done with it. You have other projects knocking on your brain, begging to be let out, and you have to keep telling them, “Three more months,” or whatever it is until the novel’s done.

So from that perspective, short fiction can be quite freeing too, because it’s quick and lets you play with lots of new shiny things. It’s not easy though; writing strong shorts is an art form all its own that I’m a long way from mastering. But what I particularly love about shorts as “spin-offs” from longer works is that it gives you a chance to revisit characters and worlds that you’ve maybe started to miss a bit, or that you had unanswered questions about. In Where He Belongs, writing those vignettes gave me the opportunity to explore little bits of Daniel’s past that, until then, existed only vaguely in my head. And in Sublime, even though that’s the first piece I published with Sir and Nicky, it’s actually the second one I’ve written. The first one was a 16,000-word single story of how they met, titled Master Class. (That story is releasing sometime this fall.) So the ten stories in Sublime were a chance for me to explore their growing relationship, particularly as applied to the BDSM dynamic between them, in satisfying little bits and snatches of pleasure and emotion and growing trust, without getting bogged down in complicated stories.

How much time do you spend writing each day (or each week, if you prefer)?
Not as much time as I’d like. Probably about 20 hours a week, unless I’m crashing a deadline, at which point I might be spending 60 hours a week. I do spend a lot more time at the keyboard than that, of course, since so much of being a writer is not just writing. There’s editing, and blogging, and chatting with readers, and promoting your latest work. Then there’s the day job, which is also writing and editing in my case, but I didn’t count that in my hours per week since it’s not time spent on my own projects.

What attracts you to writing in the fantasy genre?
Mostly, I think it’s the question “What if?” I’ve always been a fan of speculative fiction, not just in writing but in television and movies, also. I love the idea of the unexplored, the unimagined. And of taking those things and colliding them with bits and pieces of real life and seeing what kind of wonderful mess you can make.

What do you look for in a publisher?
Mostly to be treated as a valued partner rather than a cog in an author mill. That means fair royalty rates, no ridiculous rights grabs, reasonable contract lengths, no right of first refusal, never being forced to go to print with a cover I hate, and having a good working relationship with my editor. Editing is also very important, although I’ve yet to find an epub press that offers true developmental editing. Having been an editor in Manhattan publishing myself, I understand how much time and money true developmental editing takes, and that this market is often seen as too small to support that kind of expense, but I can’t help but think that if a press were to make the investment and the leap of faith, they’d find themselves selling a lot more books—enough to justify and support that kind of attention to detail.

On Your Books

Your novels have a definite slave/master theme. What draws you to that dynamic?
Tough to say what drives our kinks, but for sure that’s one of mine, both in fiction and in real life. I think it safe to say I was born with my sadistic streak. Even when I was a little kid, before I even knew what sex was, let alone understood how S&M might be a part of it, I was drawn to the concept.

After the positive reception to Counterpoint, how difficult have you found it to work on the sequel? Has the weight of expectation been helpful or not?
Oh man, STRESSFUL! But, you know, in the best possible kind of way. The reaction to Counterpoint has been so humbling and buoying and inspiring. When reviews started coming in and people started telling their friends about the book and sales started really picking up, it was the first moment in my life when I thought, Hey, maybe I can actually make a living at this. Of course, there’s also that pitchfork-wielding mob outside my door ready to kill me in inventively torturous ways if I don’t make the wait from last year worth their while in Crescendo. I’d like to think that’s driven me to write the best possible sequel I can. I’d hate to let anyone down.

Which is your favourite character from the books you have written?
I think that’d be Ayden, although it’s a close race with Cyke, the ex-Green-Beret-turned-white-hat-hacker who stars in the upcoming Break and Enter I co-wrote with Aleksandr Voinov (coming this December from Samhain). Both of them don’t hesitate to say what’s on their minds, and both of them are scarily competent. I have a huge competence kink—I love a man who’s crazy good at what he does, especially when it’s physical. And I’m a little in awe of people who always say and do all the things I wish I could say and do if I were braver.

I loved Anchored: Belonging, despite it being a difficult read at times. How did you get the idea for this book, and the character of Daniel in particular?
I was actually working in cable news at the time I started writing Anchored. It’s an insane life. You work 12 to 14 hours a day, and even when you get home you don’t stop working because of course you have to leave your phone on in case major news breaks, and you’re reading three papers and The Economist over breakfast. It was kind of soul-crushing, to be honest. I think it might have been different if I’d felt like the work was important, but it was all just, you know, Anna-Nicole Smith’s Death Fridge and endless partisan bickering, and it really just felt like being on a treadmill going way too fast that you could never shut off. I had huge respect for my team—these people are brilliant, dedicated, hardworking—but I felt like a worker bee, like I’d die one day chained to my desk while logging tape. So, yeah, that’s where that came from :).

As for Daniel? He was just sort of an amalgam of what I think cable news has turned into: a bunch of pretty faces who are slaves to ratings, so even though they might be—and honestly, probably are—stunningly brilliant and interesting people, they don’t get to show any of that at all. They’re stuck covering cheap, tawdry, meaningless things to sell ad space. That’s very cynical of me, I know, but I’ve been in the belly of the beast, and it ain’t pretty.

Sublime is a series of BDSM shorts centred on the same couple. Have you considered writing more or even a longer novel for Nicky and Devon?
Yes, very much so! As I mentioned above, I actually wrote a story about Devon and Nicky titled Master Class before I wrote Sublime. I don’t actually remember anymore why I put Sublime out without releasing Master Class first—maybe it wasn’t ready yet? I dunno. But you can expect to see Master Class sometime this fall. As for after that, I’m not certain. I have many stories about Devon and Nicky in my head, particularly the whole progression of Nicky’s training at Devon’s hands, but when and if they get written depends on a lot of things I can’t quite foresee yet.

You are very active over the internet with your own blog and twitter. How important is it for authors such as yourself to keep up an internet presence?
I have a hard time imagining how anyone can rise above the noise of the crowd these days without getting out there and staying out there, meeting readers and talking with them and learning about them as people. It’s also wildly entertaining. While of course I’d prefer it if people bought my books, I don’t approach it that way. I get onto Twitter and chat reading and writing and pop culture and kink and whatever else (these last couple weeks it’s basically been one long string of sharing X-Men: First Class fanfic links and pictures of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender ), and it’s great fun. Hopefully those folks will remember me when a book comes out, but if all we do is swap pictures of hotties, well, I’m okay with that too.

You have a new book coming out...tell us about it.
Where He Belongs is a collection of five vignettes exploring Daniel’s past, from the days immediately after his sale to NewWorld Media to the months following him landing his own show. For me, it was a chance to look at some formative moments in his life, and some not-so-formative ones as well—to just see Daniel being Daniel, rather than trying to be what he thinks others want him to be.

What’s next for you?
Release-wise, my next one is Crescendo: Book II of Song of the Fallen (October 7, from Storm Moon Press), and then Break and Enter (sometime in December, from Samhain). Writing-wise, I’m juggling more balls right now than I probably should be. I’m working on edits for Crescendo, and I’ve just started what looks like a whole new series with Aleks Voinov that is probably best described as mildly paranormal military erotic romance. I’m working on a short for a Storm Moon Press anthology called The Weight of a Gun, and I’m in the outlining stages for the sequel to Anchored. I’m also starting to think about a third Song of the Fallen book, which will take place a few hundred years after the events of Counterpoint and Crescendo; I have a general idea of where I want to go with it, but none of the details have coalesced yet. And lastly, I’m working on a very exciting project with two other wonderfully talented M/M writers . . . but I can’t say anything more about it quite yet. Stay tuned, though—we’ll be making lots of noise soon enough :).

Thanks to Rachel for those interesting and honest answers to my nosy questions.  Where He Belongs is out on the 1st July, but if you pre-order now you can download two days early, which is today - yay!  Not only that, but if you order before the 1st July you'll be entered into a raffle to win prizes, the details of which are on the site - double yay!  Get the book HERE from Storm Moon Press.

You can also find Rachel at her blog HERE, at her website HERE or on Twitter at twitter.com/rachelhaimowitz.

And that's not all!  Rachel is kindly offering a copy of Anchored: Belonging to one lucky winner who leaves a comment, or if you have that book and live in the USA she can send you a swag bag of Belonging-verse stuff instead.

A-Z Challenge Review: More Fun with Dick and Shane by Gillibran Brown

I know the idea of this challenge was not only to read books beginning with the right letter of the alphabet but also to choose the oldest book on my TBR pile with that letter.  However, I've been itching to read this ever since I finished the last book and this provided me with the perfect excuse.

Why I bought the book:  I read the previous book Fun With Dick and Shane - review here - and enjoyed it so much that I bought this book as soon as I'd finished reading.

Plot: This book continues where the last book finished and chronicles the life of houseboy Gilli from January to December 2007.  Some parts are just a blog-like diary written in snatches of time, and some are longer, more carefully constructed narratives of events which have caused particular upset or are dramatic.  During both occasions he relates various incidents in his m/m/m domestic discipline relationship as well as the trials and tribulations of living with two Doms.  Much of this is amusing, but there are occasional touches of sadness - as is the case with everyone's life.  If possible this book was even funnier than the last one with Gilli's droll sense of humour shining through the narrative.  There were at least two or three points where I was completely helpless with laughter, and several more where I chuckled out loud.  After one particular related mishap, I don't think I could ever look at a piece of ginger the same way again.

Characters: As this is Gilli's diary/authobiography the book is dominated by Gilli's thoughts and personality.  This doesn't always make him the most reliable of narrators because often incidents are bent out of shape by his stubborn determination to always be seen as the injured party.  However, once you are aware of that, the fun is in trying to filter out some of Gilli's over-the-top statements and see past Gilli and onto how his behaviour is affecting Shane and Dick.  Sometimes my feelings are firmly on Gilli's side, and sometimes I'm more sympathetic towards the other two men who have to deal with some of Gilli's more outrageously selfish behaviour.  Either way, the whole experience is a great deal of fun.  Gilli himself, for all that we find out about him, is an unusual mix of personalities.  He's a bit of a Northern lad with a wicked temper, who likes going out and getting drunk, but he's also a very sensitive young man who quotes Shakespeare and goes to pieces over the death of a friend's pet.  He's wild and impetuous at times but fiercely house-proud and lives to please his men.  I liked him a great deal.

Overall:  One of the greatest benefits to reading this book is the understanding it gave me of the domestic discipline lifestyle.  This type of relationship is something I could never enter into, and yet Gilli describes his thoughts and feelings about it so concisely and with such great thought that I could see why it works for him.  Gilli stresses again and again that it's not abuse, and nor is it strictly BDSM (at least for him, Dick & Shane relationship with each other is another matter entirely), but I can see how it settles him and the benefits he gains from being with his men.  If I have any niggles it's of my own making as I sometimes felt a little like a voyeur but I suppose reading any autobiography can, in theory, bring on those feelings so I tried not to let it bother me too much.

This book was a such a great read. I raced through it and when I'd finished I went off to buy book 3.  Unfortunately that book isn't out yet, and although I can read the diaries from 2009 & 2010 online, the OCD in me shudders at the thought of reading stuff out of order so I'll have to wait.  Grade: Excellent.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Trust in Me by Lori Toland

Tristan runs a company that sets up lighting rigs for big events.  When one of his team of lighting engineers is injured, Tristan has to step in and don his overalls.  At the event he meets up with Jamie Hunter, his first crush and the guy who broke his heart 10 years earlier, now a doctor and Tristan realises that the attraction between them is still strong but is overwhelmed by the hurt and bitterness of Jamie's actions 10 years earlier.

I have to admit I had a bit of a mixed response to this story.  The plot is divided into two parts.  The first is a section set in the present where Tristan meets up with Jamie and they sort through the reasons why Jamie broke Tristan's heart and the second is a flashback to the past where we see the events of that fateful weekend.  The part that worked for me best was in the flashback section.  I felt the author had perfectly captured all the insecurity of the young Tristan when it comes to his body as well as keeping the typical teenage brashness.  He's got the hots for Jamie, who's been invited to stay at Tristan's house to keep an eye on he whilst his parents are away - and I loved the outrage that Tristan has about that idea:

At the ripe old age of eighteen, I should have been able to stay on my own. Jeez, it wasn’t as if I didn’t know how to use the microwave, not to mention I was a decent cook. I would spend most of the time in my room, anyway, probably chatting online and working on computer programs.

The last thing I would ever want was a babysitter, but that was what I got. Since my mom and dad were the typical set of overprotective parents, they thought I might burn down the house while they went away for a romantic weekend.

The next few hours are an exercise in embarrassment for Tristan as he tries to hide the effect that Jamie has on him, whilst also being a little confused about some of the messages Jamie is sending his way.  When things start to happen between them, Tristan's sense of wonder at his first taste of sex was realistically shown, as was all the awkward fumblings that come from not really knowing what to do.  I really warmed to this young Tristan and felt that his teenage despair at the outcome of the weekend fit with his age and the heightened emotions that all teenagers seem to feel.

What didn't work as well for me was the part set in the modern day.  It begins well with a nice accidental meet and some confusion over Tristan's job but as the men meet again at the end of the day and into the next day there were a couple of things that irked me a little.  Tristan is now 10 years older than his teenage self, with lots of experience of relationships under his belt, and yet he still harbours a great deal of bitterness over what happened with Jamie.  I found it odd that, emotionally at least, he has been unable to move on.  The awkwardness between them at first was well shown, but Tristan's sarcasm and immature behaviour towards Jamie when they meet again seemed out of place as did the way his thoughts ran to sullen resentment.  These were the thoughts of a teenager, not a well adjusted 28 year old. In a way I can sort of understand that perhaps seeing Jamie again brought all the old thoughts out into the open, but I still cringed a little at Tristan's behaviour.  When the two men finally thrash out the reasons for Jamie's behaviour that weekend, I found it rather anti-climactic.  It was something that could have been sorted through a phone-call or a short conversation, and yet, instead, had been allowed to be blown out of all proportion. This irked me a little too as I'm not keen on stories where there's a pointless big misunderstanding because the characters don't talk to each other.

As the story progresses and the two men sort out their problems, I began to like the older Tristan a little more, especially in the way he take charge in the bedroom.  This confident and skilled lover was a good contrast to the young Tristan from the flashback and I enjoyed the sense of  self-assuredness he feels at that time. I also liked that the story was more than just the accidental meet and make up, as we shift into a section which gives us an opportunity to get to know Jamie better and meet Tristan's family.  It made the story more complete somehow and therefore gave me confidence that the HEA would last.

Overall, there were some good and bad points to the story, mainly in the character of Tristan and his reactions to Jamie at first.  However, the writing was good, the sex scenes very well written and the story as a whole flowed well.  I've wavered on the grade on this book, but after a second read I decided I liked it enough, despite my few niggles, to give a grade of 'Very Good'.  Those who are looking for a sweet and sexy contemporary and who don't mind misunderstanding plots should give this story a go.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Accidentally in Love by Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow

If this story was an m/f, set in the regency period then the plot would fit neatly into the virginal heroine who captures the heart of the seasoned rake. As it is, the modern day setting gives it a new twist and I found myself really enjoying this story for most of the book.

The story follows Cal who's a photographer and a bit of a player. He's used to going out a couple or more times a week and picking up random men for good sex. He's attractive with a good income and a job he enjoys and he can't see himself changing his ways any time soon. When his landlord sells the house he's renting, Cal has to find new accommodation which fortunately comes through Tom, who's a friend of mutual acquaintances. Tom could not be more opposite than Cal being a bit shy and socially awkward, and Cal decides he's going to make Tom his pet project. However, after a measure of success, Cal is a bit alarmed to realise that he's not too happy seeing Tom in the arms of another man.

To say that I was riveted by the first half of this book is an understatement. The whole set up of Cal the player and Tom the virginal shy young man was just the sort of thing I usually enjoy and I could hardly bear to put the book down. Tom is a delight. After years of bullying at school he's got a very low self-confidence about his looks which makes him dress to hide his body despite being decently attractive. My heart went out to Tom several times as he tries to cope with the loneliness by pretending it didn't matter. Not only that but he's not the most sociable person, preferring his own company and having a tendency towards bluntness which other people find off-putting. Cal finds this rather refreshing and, apart from a few hiccups, the pair get on well almost from the start. There's a bit of a make-over storyline where Cal decides to offer Tom some tips on how to look good, and the whole time this was happening I just knew that Cal was going to fall for him. I read on with gleeful anticipation of the time they would get together and I wasn't disappointed when it happened.

Cal too is a great character. He has his own brand of honesty in that he's quite open about the fact that he likes to sleep around and doesn't see the need to settle down. His horror towards the beginning when he discovers that a friend and occasional hook-up has fallen in love, may have been a tad over-the-top but it set the scene for what was going to be a very satisfying fall into love for Cal. I also liked that he was unable to charm and seduce Tom, and so had to rely on other methods to get his attention. He deals with Tom's lack of self-esteem in a surprisingly gentle fashion, showing that he's not quite as shallow as you might think.

As I said, the book gripped me from the start and this continued for most of the story. My main niggle though is that once the two men get together the story flounders a little and loses the focused intensity that was present at the beginning. Partly this is because there's a lot of sex as Tom attempts to make up for lost time, but also there's nowhere really for the story to go after the men get together and so it meanders through a few scenes before a sudden crisis brings everything to a head. The crisis itself was due to lack of trust - a theme which runs through the book - and also a misunderstanding. However, I couldn't help but get the impression that the men behaved a little out of character by running from the situation rather than doing what they had throughout the book, which is to talk sensibly to resolve their issues. It left me feeling that the last few pages had been a little forced when for most of the book both the plot and writing had flowed beautifully.

Despite my feelings for the latter part of the book, Accidentally in Love is still worth reading. There's an engaging, witty tone to the narrative and the characters are well rounded and realistic. The story is mainly lighthearted but doesn't shy away from some topics such as low self esteem and conflict arising from lack of trust. If you're the sort of reader who likes a shy, virginal hero then this will be a good book to read but I would also recommend it, with a grade of 'Very Good', to those looking for a well written contemporary with likeable characters.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Wild Passions edited by SL Armstrong

When K Piet got in touch and asked whether I would consider reviewing this anthology of stories containing anthropomorphic heroes, I have to say I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it.  I get a bit squicky about non-human heroes and have in the past been put off when a hero looks too much like an animal or has features too far removed from human.  However, never let it be said that I won't try anything new, and so I decided to take her up on the offer of this anthology.  I'm glad I did because on the whole all of these stories were very enjoyable and not off-putting at all.

The anthology consists of six stories which are all very different in tone and subject.  As there are so few stories, I'll do a quick round up of what I liked/disliked about each story:

City of Foxes by Cornelia Grey
This story is a futuristic/sci-fi set in an unknown city.  Jake has returned to the city after a long absence - for what reason we never really find out - when he discovers some militia about to abduct a young child of the fox people.  In helping the child escape, Jake is injured and then rescued himself by the leader of the fox people, Liam.  The pair grow close over time but Jake is hiding some secrets and Liam is in danger of losing his leadership because of his friendship with Jake.  What I liked about this one was the world of the fox people and the sadness of their persecution.  Jake and Liam worked as a couple, their romance believeable and the relationship that Jake has with the young fox kid, Kye, added a touch of lighthearted sweetness to the drama of the story.  What didn't work as well is that I was left with a lot of unanswered questions about Jake, especially how and why he his powers, and also the story ends a little suddenly for my taste.  Having said that, the romance was sweetly handled and there are several exciting action scenes which kept me on the edge of my seat.

Trust Me by Elizabeth Hyder
Koit is a half human/Shterpi who is training to be a space pilot at a remote academy.  He's quite happy using his minor empathetic powers to get girls to sleep with him.  His best friend Sera is convinced that he needs to explore the other side of his sexuality and so signs him up to the website SuckAnyCock.com. This leads Koit to having several sexual adventures with men as he attempts to discover whether being bisexual is his thing. There was one major negative to this story and that was the classic example of the Interfering Female Friend to be found in Sera. She thinks that because she is bisexual then Koit is missing out in not trying out men. I found her so irritating that I was literally grinding my teeth whenever she was on the page. I just couldn't see why Koit put up with her or the reason way she is so obsessed with his sexuality - it was creepy.  The positives were that I really, really liked Koit.  His journey of sexual exploration was well written and very believable, and I particularly liked that he's lacking in social graces but is still baffled when some of the men react badly to him. There's a light humour to the writing which worked well with the theme.  If Sera hadn't had so much page time I would have enjoyed this a lot more.

Alpha's Pride by K Piet and SL Armstrong
This was a story set in a world where men and cats/wolfs have mutated to become cat or wolf men - I think, anyway!  Alec is one of the lovers of Nahele, the Alpha in their tribe, but he sees so much that isn't being done well that he decides to challenge Nahele for position, something which could destroy their friendship.  The parts of this story which worked for me was in the character of Alec and his struggles both internally as to whether he should do the right thing and challenge Nahele, and physically after the challenge.  I felt all of his anguish and frustration, especially in trying to be a good leader.  What didn't work as well was the way that the situation was resolved by sex.  One part of the sex was a bit brutal, but actually that was well within character and situation, however, I would have liked to have seen them resolve their differences outside the bedroom.  But that was a minor niggle in a story which was well written with some interesting touches to the setting.

I Do Like the be Beside the Seaside by Wayne Mansfield
Jason moves in with hot new room-mate Panos, who despite the sweltering heat of a Greek (I think it was set in Greece) summer, wears turtleneck tops and long trousers.  After just over a week of getting to know each other, Panos reveals why he has to keep himself covered up all the time. I think this story was supposed to be a bit lighthearted and sexy but it missed the mark for me mainly because I didn't really feel I got to know the characters that well.  Panos' origins are never really explained and Jason is just characterised as a 'nice guy'.  The men fall too quickly for each other, and I found Panos a little difficult to like, even whilst understanding why he was so snappish.  There's a lot of sex which is used mostly for padding, especially the final sex scene and because I hadn't engaged too much with the heroes, I found I wasn't actually that bothered about reading the sex.  Having said that, there were some fun ideas and I thought that the way the men solve their problems was silly enough to make me smile.

Opening Worlds by Cari Z
I have a total girl-crush on Cari Z's stories and so I was really excited when I saw that she'd written one for this anthology.  Once again she didn't fail, and this story was my favourite from the anthology.  It tells of lonely luxury space ship captain, Jason (yes, two stories with a Jason as a hero!), who is a little bit fed up that three Perels are joining his ship on the last leg of their space-tour.  Perels are known for being alluring creatures with the sexual habits of tom cats.  Jason is still nursing a broken heart and prefers not to sleep around so he decides to keep himself as far away from the Perels as possible, something which proves difficult when politeness means that he meets Ferran, one of the Perels who takes an interest in Jason.  There were two things that I particularly liked about the story. The first was the way that Ferran and Jason slowly get to know each other. The dance around their attraction was wonderful to read and all the more satisfying when they give in to their feelings. It was all just so romantic!  The second thing was the world-building which was done so deftly with little incidental details slotted in amongst the larger information about Perel society.  The only niggle that I had was that the ending was just a tad convenient, but I forgave that when the rest of the story had been such a delight to read.

Songs for Guitar and French Harp by Angelia Sparrow
Arthur is the son of a bear construct, a lab created human/bear hybrid.  The primary function of a construct is to be used for whatever purposes the humans deem necessary, whether for lab experimentation, slave labour  or to be used as a sexual toy.  Arthur is lucky, his mama escaped the labs and fell in love with Frank, a blind man.  They've joined the circus circuit where Frank plays his guitar whilst Arthur's mama dances and Arthur sells teddy bear toys which look a bit like he does.  When Arthur sees Gordon, a beautiful lion construct, he is entranced but the road to love is not smooth for these young men.  Out of all the stories in the anthology, the heroes of this one are the most animal-like.  Normally, I would find this off-putting, but actually for most of the story the relationship is that of young love with nothing but cuddles and shared kisses.  The way that the affection that Arthur feels for Gordon is shown was so sweet as was his astonished delight in his new feelings and in nurturing them.  In terms of setting this one, of an alternative universe early 1900's USA, was the most compelling and interesting out of all the stories as the author weaves in the vibrant world of the circus with the sinister dangers for the construct people.  My only niggle was that there was so much detail in the story that it overwhelmed the romance a little, especially as I wanted to know more about Frank, who had all sorts of interesting secrets!

Taking the anthology as a whole, this is certainly well worth reading.  If you've shied away from anthropomorphic heroes in the past, then I would urge you to give this anthology a go because maybe, like me, you'll be surprised at how good writing and interesting plots can overcome any reservations.  I'm recommending this anthology with a grade of 'Very Good' and am looking forward to more new releases from what is turning out to be an inventive and imaginative publisher.

Buy this book HERE.

A few things

Firstly I want to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS! to my mate and partner in crime at Brief Encounters Reviews, Tam, for the release of her first short story Winterlude over at Torquere Press.  Here's the blurb:

Eric hates the cold weather and his broken down car, which means venturing out on foot into the sub-zero temperatures. Navigating the icy sidewalks, he runs into Omar, literally. An impromptu hot coffee on the cold day finds that tattooed and pierced Eric, and government IT guy Omar might have more in common than they expected. When Omar is called away, before he can get the guy's number, Eric believes it may only have been a pleasant winterlude to temporarily distract him from the cold, or is there a possibility his winter will get a lot warmer?


It's a great little story and you can buy it HERE.


Secondly, I've done one of my very occasional Sunday ramblings over at BER today.  I'm talking about my feelings on anthropomorphic heroes, so do pop over and give your two pence worth.

Thirdly, I've now finally finished the marking and so a reasonably normal service should resume here from now on.  Sorry if you are waiting for a review.  I shall endeavour to catch up as quickly as possible.

Saturday Shorts

Accidentally His by Shawn Lane
Shawn Lane can be a bit hit and miss for me.  Sometimes I really like her stuff and other times it's just OK.  This story was one which worked.  Kirk rides the bus every day to work and sits behind a cute nerdy guy.  He's never been able to get up the nerve to speak to the guy but instead watches the back of his neck and spins fantasies about him.  When the bus is involved in an accident, Kirk learns the guy's name, Elijah, and arranges a date with the guy once he's recovered.  I really liked this story, especially Elijah who suffered quite a bit from having bad previous relationships.  He has a famous brother and is a bit of a dork, which has led to problems with other guys.  I loved that Kirk just liked Elijah for himself and so helps to boost Elijah's self confidence.  My only niggle is that there's a few misunderstandings towards to end caused by not explaining things to each other and jumping to conclusions.  This annoyed me a little that they could be a bit more straight talking.  Also it seemed odd that Kirk would leave Elijah hanging for a few days - hasn't he heard of texting?  Anyway, those were minor niggles in what was an engaging story with likeable characters.  Grade: Very Good.

Buy this book HERE.


British Flash
I plugged this book earlier in the week and couldn't wait to read it when it was released at Smashwords.  This is an anthology of very short (about 1,000 word) stories by several different authors.  It's not just m/m but also has a few f/f, one transgender and a m/m/f story.  I loved all the m/m stories which were a great mix of funny, poignant and reflective in tone.  Some were sexy but the majority were just sweet slices of life and there was a good mix of genres from contemporary to paranormal, historical and fantasy.  My favourite story was Sunshine Superman by Elin Gregory which featured an older man reminiscing on a summer spent in his youth with a man.  It managed to be nostalgic without being sentimental and I liked the warmth and pragmatism of the main character, Sam.  However, they were all good and had such a variation in theme that there's really something for everyone.  I liked the humour of the man coping with a rook shifter for a partner in Thoughts in Spring by Mara Ismine; just as much as the more sombre Commission and Omission by Charlie Cochrane which brought a tear to my eye.  There weren't really any niggles, just matters of taste, so the m/m/f Mouth Almighty by Victoris Blisse wasn't really my thing because I don't like m/m/f menage, and whilst I read the f/f stories, I preferred the sweeter Like a Girl by JL Merrow to the sexier When the Boys are Away by Lucy Felthouse which nevertheless was still very well written and worth reading.  There's a great range of stories, styles and themes in this collection and I'd highly recommend it.  Plus, it's free so there's really no excuse!  Grade: Excellent.

Get this book HERE.

Reviw: Reverb by Jet Mykles

I'm a huge Jet Mykles fan and when I saw that she had a new book out, I snapped it up as soon as I could. Like her Heaven Sent series, this book deals with the world of musicians, singers and bands. Unlike her Heaven sent series this is quite a gritty look at the reality of fame alongside a Gay For You plot.

The book begins with out hero Nick at a high point in his life. He's a guitarist who is on tour with famous singer/songwriter Marlowe. Nick is exactly where he wants to be. He's working with a band he respects and who want to start including some of his songs; he's getting rave reviews for his guitar playing; and he has the pick of all the entertainment that living in the fast lane can offer. What Nick hadn't realised is that Marlowe wants more than just friendship from Nick. However, on the night that Nick learns this, tragedy strikes leaving Nick with mixed feelings of hate and bewilderment towards Marlowe.

There are two strands to this story. The first follows Nick as he recovers after the accident and tries to sort out his feelings for Marlowe. Nick is a fully formed and very sympathetic character. The way that his feelings change and evolve over the course of the story is realistic, especially because Nick is very definitely straight at the start. There's no quick change for Nick, no sudden realisation that he finds Marlowe attractive, just a steady shift in his evaluation of his own sexuality which is convincingly mixed with confusion and denial. When the time came that Nick had finally sorted out his feelings, I was pleased for him. Alongside this is Nick absolute love of music and a burning ambition to succeed. When he is injured, his whole world falls apart, and yet his determination to overcome all obstacles and get back to where he was before the accident is admirable. I liked Nick a great deal. He's the voice of reason and dedication in the crazy world of rock and roll.

The second strand follows that of Marlowe and his rehabilitation. In fact there are two Marlowes in this story: The bright, talented, drugged up, exuberant and egotistical Marlowe at the beginning, and the man he becomes after the accident. In many ways I liked both sides of Marlowe, although I was more sympathetic to to Marlowe at the end of the book. The change in Marlowe is forced by circumstance and therefore less gradual. It was almost a shock to me when the change happens and in a way I mourned the man from the beginning of the book, whilst also recognising that there was a need for change. Nick too often expresses a sense of sorrow at the change in Marlowe. Having said that, the change isn't a bad thing, much of what happens with the band just would not have occurred if Marlowe hadn't changed.

Intertwined with these two character strands is the world of rock and roll. This isn't the slightly sanitised version we see in the Heaven Sent books, but a world where sex is easy to come by, drugs and alcohol are taken indiscriminately and good sense is thrown out in favour of a good time. Much of this world is seen through Nick's eyes at the beginning and I liked that he's so matter of fact about the whole thing. Those readers who are squeamish about drugs and multiple partners may not find this to their taste. Both Nick and Marlowe take drugs and have sex with women in the story - although the sex is all off page - and whilst I felt this was realistic given the subject matter some readers may find it offputting.

The final part of the book focuses on the consolidation of the GFY plot, and how to make the romance work between the men when they are trying to keep that aspect private. There are also some issues still with Nick having sex with a man which are worked through at this point. I have to be honest and say that this part was the weakest point of the book for me, although I can see the reasons why it was included - possibly to show that the pair still have difficulties that need working out and to force a commitment. However, even this slight niggle didn't diminish my overall great enjoyment of the book.

Overall, Reverb was an arresting read which was difficult to put down. It addresses a GFY storyline with depth and maturity, focussing on character and conflict to great effect. The setting of the music industry was full of lots of great incidental details which created a complete and vivid background for the story to take place. This may not have the lighthearted themes of the Heaven Sent books, but I wouldn't want it any other way as I was drawn into the lives of Nick and Marlowe; their mistakes and successes. Reverb is Heaven Sent all grown up and I loved it.  Grade: Excellent.

Buy this book HERE.

British Flash Out Now!

Just popping in to let you know that the flash fiction anthology which has been put together to celebrate the UK Meet of GBLT fiction authors and readers is now available at Smashwords. Here's the description:

Enjoy this entertaining collection of flash fiction stories, each one a short but sweet expression of what it means to be queer in Britain, past and present. All these stories reflect the iconic sights and national character of the British Isles: a taste of our idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, but also an unashamed representation of the love, loyalty and laughter of our people.

Follow the British way of life from historic villages to modern cities, from the countryside to the sea, through history and with a fantasy twist, in gardens, shops, campus and the familiar, much-loved local pub.

The stories cover universal themes of romance, desire, remembrance and reconciliation. The authors range from multi-published to up-and-coming, and they all share a passion for their characters, whether through great drama, erotic excitement, humour—or a combination of all three!

This anthology is a souvenir of the 2011 UK Meet, an occasion for GLBTQ supporters to get together in a relaxed setting to celebrate and chat about the fiction community they love.< Contributing authors: Alex Beecroft, Victoria Blisse, Stevie Carroll, Charlie Cochrane, Sophia Deri-Bowen, Erastes, Lucy Felthouse, Elin Gregory, Mara Ismine, Sandra Lindsey, Clare London, JL Merrow, Josephine Myles, Zahra Owens, Jay Rookwood, Caroline Stephens, Stevie Woods, Lisa Worrall and Serena Yates.

The best thing of all though, well apart from the smashing cover and fabulous line-up of authors, is that it's FREE! Yay!

Get it HERE. You won't regret it!

Review: The Rifter Part 4: Witches' Blood by Ginn Hale

This review can also be found at Desert Island Keepers.

Part four of The Rifter takes on a different structure to the previous two parts.  Instead of an equal focus between John and Kahlil, the book concentrates solely on John and his time in the monestary at Rathal'pesha.  This part of the story follows John for about 18 months as he tries to devote his time to helping out in the infirmary by 'taking on' the injuries of the ushiri'im when they attempt to travel through gray space, and by aiding Hann'yu in the day to day tasks in the infirmary.

There are several plot threads which we follow during these 140 odd pages.  The first thread is that of John's relationship with Ravishan.  Their forbidden feelings for each other grow despite both of them knowing the consequences should they be caught.  The moments they get with each other are snatched and furtive which lends a sadness to the romance, whilst also allowing the reader to see just how erotic a forbidden brush of fingers can be or a stolen hug.  It is in this theme where we see all of John's frustrations over his time in Basawar as compared to his previous life on Earth, and this frustration spills into other aspects of this part too.

Another theme is that of John's powers and their slow discovery by those around him.  Sometimes this is for good effect, such as when Ravishan discovers that John's 'gift' can aid him with gray space, but most of the time there is danger for John every time something new is discovered about him.  This theme is intertwined with that of John's growing horror of the way that witches are treated in Basawar, especially in the North where religion has such a grip on the populace.  This makes it even more imperative that John hide his powers in case he too is outed as a witch.  The way that John has to tread carefully with everything he says and does meant that the atmosphere in this part was tense and sombre.  There were several fraught filled moments, such as when John discovers he had a bad reaction to poison known to particularly affect witches, or the way that he can manipulate gray space, which brought me to the edge of my seat as I read on to see how this would be viewed by others.

One final theme which is explored in part four is John's growing animosity towards Ushman Dayyid, the man in charge of the ushiri'im.  Dayyid is suspicious of John and treats him with a malicious intent at all times.  Meanwhile, John's feelings for Dayyid are growing from a sullen annoyance to all out hatred.  This animosity between them is growing in intensity to the extent that it will go one of two ways: Either Dayyid will push John too far and he will end up doing something he later regrets; or the pair will end up having to set aside their differences and work together during a crisis.  I strongly suspect the former, but this author is nothing but surprising so we'll see!

I have to say that, apart from the first part of the series, this has to be my favourite part so far.  There's a sense of impending doom slowly filtering through the narrative which sends a shiver down my spine and made me very frustrated when I got the end of the part because I wanted to read on and find out more!  John's complexity as a character constantly develops and he is already a very changed man from the college student we meet in part one.  The descriptions of the city combine bleakness at the povety and the irrational religious fervour of the residents with the opulence of the richer aristocracy and the more temperant views of the intellectual Hann'yu.  This is not an easy read with some gruesome and macabre descriptions but I was hooked through the whole of part four and can't wait to read part five.

You can either buy this fourth part - and then any of the other 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 Fan Letter to Jet Mykles

Last year a bunch of blogs got together to write fan letters to our favourite authors.It was great fun and I wrote one to KZ Snow which you find here if you are interested.  I was delighted when Kassa and Kris announced that they were running the author appreciation blog crawl again this year and I jumped at the chance to participate.  You can find the whole list of blogs taking part here, but I especially want to draw your attention to Heather from The Book Reading Gals who wrote a great letter yesterday to Julie Garwood.

Now onto my letter...

Dear Jet Mykles

You probably don't know this, but you are perhaps one of my most inflential m/m authors.  You see, a few years ago now I discovered m/m romance.  I'd read a JL Langley and a couple of Josh Lanyon books but then I was completely stumped.  I had no idea which book to try next, what sort of thing I would enjoy or how to proceed with my tentative move from m/f historical romance into m/m.  Most of the blogs I was reading were all centred on m/f romance and so there was no help from that quarter.  Anyway, I was helplessly scanning the pages at Loose Id, wondering what to buy when I came across this book:

The cover just jumped out at me and after reading the blurb I bought it and read straight away.  I can honestly say I never looked back.  I immediately bought up all your LI m/m books and read them one after the other, happy that I had finally found a m/m theme that I could identify and enjoy and which would make my m/m book choices easier in the future: Gay For You.

I know that these days some m/m readers claim to be tired of GFY as a theme, but not me. I love it and have done from the very start.  For me you are one of the most exciting writers of that theme and I look forward to each and every one of your releases.  Tyler's cry of "but I'm not gay" in Heaven, still has the power to make me smile and Johnny's reaction to that still sends shivers down my spine.  Your Heaven Sent books are my number one comfort re-read and as such have been re-read most often out of my entire collection of m/m books.

However, it's not just the GFY theme which has me returning to your books or which makes you one of my few autobuy authors, I just love the sense of fun that comes through your writing, the witty dialogue and the amusing plots.  I also love your characters and the way they interact with each other, the way that their problems are so well described and their conflicts resolved.  There's often a great sense of theatre and drama to your books which reminds me of cinema, especially in the way that many of your characters make bold statements of love at the end, bringing a huge soppy grin to my face.  Many of my favourite romantic films end this way too, and your books reflect that.

Finally, I can't finish without a reference to your ability to write amazingly hot sex scenes which are full to the brim with emotion and romanticism too.  You use sex to further the plot, to show us something of the characters and their development all within a series of descriptions which blow your socks off.

So I just want to say, thank you Jet Mykles, for helping me to find my way into m/m romance, for fostering in me a love of the genre and for writing such terrific books that I want to read again and again.  I'm all excited at the moment because the next book on my pile to read is your recent release, Reverb. I can't wait to begin and know I'll be in for a special read.

Yours sincerely,
Your fan, Jenre.

Don't miss the rest of the blog crawl - tomorrow it's the turn of Alpha Reader.

Review: Draconian Measures by JC Owens

This book is the prequel to the two other books in this fantasy series: Gaven and Gaven 2: The Bonding. However, whereas the first two books were very series in tone and dealt with themes such as slavery and dubious consent, the tone of this book is entirely different. Instead of angst and emotional turmoil, this book is very lighthearted in tone and deals in an almost comic fashion with the relationship between Sadan, the father of the hero of the previous book, and the grumpy Graitaan.

We first meet this couple in Gaven 2: The Bonding when Sadan travels to meet Gaven and give Vayl his blessing on their bonding.  During that book we are given teasing hints of the difficulty Sadan had in wooing Graitaan. In this book we get to see that wooing as Sadan is determined that Graitaan is his mate, and Graitaan is equally determined that he is not. In terms of plot there isn't much that actually happens: Graitaan and Sadan meet when both are involved in helping the Masaran King fight a war. After the war they travel to Finneria where Graitaan really has the pressure applied in the form of a young Vayl, who was utterly delightful.  This means that the book is technically a prequel because in the time line it happens many years before Gaven.  However, much of the groundwork of the series in terms of setting and worldbuilding is done in the first two books, so I still recommend that you read those first.

The part of the book I liked a great deal was in the prickly interaction between Sadan and Graitaan, and the character of Graitaan especially who was a bad-tempered being on the whole.  He's a Draconian which means that, although he stand upright like a human and has arms, his physiology is closer to that of a dragon.  He has scales instead of skin, a crest, the slatted pupils of a reptile, a muzzle, wings and claws.  For the most part, this didn't bother me because he was such a delightful character and I particularly liked the parts where we get his thoughts.  He's the last of his kind on the planet, having been part of a battalion of Draconians loaned to the Masarian king.  The last of his friends died many years before and Graitaan is now trapped in a world which views him with a mix of fear and suspicion.  I found his lonely situation quite affecting, and the parts where he describes his upbringing on his own planet were tinged with sadness and nostalgia tempered with his own attempts to prove to himself that he didn't care about his lonely state.  The first person narratives alternate between Graitaan and Sadan and yet I still felt I knew Graitaan a lot better, perhaps because we get more of his thoughts.  For me Sadan was just a little too smug and perfect.  His complete confidence that Graitaan would be his, despite Graitaan's protestations to the contrary, was at first a little amusing but after 100 pages or so started to grate on the nerves.

This leads me to the part of the book which didn't work for me.  Nearly the entire is constructed through internal dialogue.  Whilst this enabled me to find out lots of background information on Graitaan and Sadan, leading to thorough characterisation, it also got a little tiresome as the book continued.  This was especially the case because a lot of the internal musings of the characters cover the same ground, ie. Sadan knowing that Graitaan is his mate and not taking no for an answer, and Graitaan fuming over the fact that Sadan is ignoring his protestations.  This meant that by the time I'd read three quarters of the book I was getting tired of reading the same thing over and over, so what started out as amusing became a little tedious.

Another part which didn't work so well were the sex scenes.  Although these were well written, and certainly interesting in terms of Draconian physiology, I just couldn't get past the fact that it was a human-like man having sex with a lizard.  Maybe some readers wouldn't be put off by this, but it affected my enjoyment of that aspect of the book.

So overall, I had a bit of mixed response to this book.  Much of it was amusing and I really liked the character of Graitaan and the younger version of Vayl.  However, the fact that it got a little repetitive towards the end meant that my enjoyment waned in the last third and so this gets a grade of 'Good'.  Those readers who liked the first two books in the series will probably still want to give this one a go, but I would recommend Gaven as a good place to start the series rather than this book.

Buy this book HERE.

A-Z Challenge Review: Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

Why I Bought the Book: Lynn Flewelling was a key invited speaker at Yaoicon last year. I have to admit, I'd never heard of her before, but the seminar she led with Ginn Hale, Astrid Amara and Marie Sexton made me interested in buying at least this book, the first in the Nightrunner series to see whether I liked her style of writing.

Plot: Sixteen year old Alec of Kerry is a bit of a bad situation.  He was stalking a wild cat for its fur when he wandered onto private land and was caught.  As well as being tortured for information he doesn't have, there's talk of selling him to the slavers.  Fortunately for Alec, one of the men in the cell with him turns out to be Seregil, a spy and con man who rescues Alec and invites Alec to join him on his journeys.  Alec readily agrees and it isn't long before the two are thrown into danger and excitement.

One thing to say about the plot is that it grips you and never lets go through the entire book.  The pace is swift as the two men, plus assorted comrades and friends, move from one exciting situation to another.  Along the way the author provides information and background on the places that Alec and Seregil visit, deftly combining religion, history, social and economic details to create a wholly realistic and vivid setting for the reader.

Characters: Alec is a complete sweetheart.  Innocent and naive at the beginning but with a willingness to learn from Seregil and a strength and determination to succeed.  Next to Seregil, he comes across as a little slow witted, but that's not actually the case and as the book progresses so does the reader's understanding of his intelligence.  He's very much a boy on the cusp of manhood: Old enough to understand the ribald jokes but still young enough to blush.  He's very attractive but not yet self-aware enough to understand that or use it to his advantage.  His feelings for Seregil are that of towards a mentor - he respects and admires him and longs for his approval.  When that is witheld, or when he's shut out for any reason, the young boy comes out in Alec in fits of surly anger and sulking.  It was all rather endearing.  Seregil is both a contrast and a compliment to Alec.  He's much older with a wealth of experience to call on but this can sometime lead to over-confidence on his part.  He's charming and handsome with a bit of a silver tongue, and yet finds dealing with Alec sometimes baffling as he often cannot read Alec's moods and as a result says the wrong thing.  As a pair they work well together and although there is no sexual attraction or feeling between them at the moment, I can see how it may come to grow as Alec gets older.  The other characters are all fully fleshed out and I found myself liking characters such as Micum, Seregil's good friend, and Nysander, Seregil's wizard mentor and friend as much as I did Seregil and Alec.  Even the most minor characters, such as the captain of the boat taking them to Skala, were three dimensional.

Overall:  I greatly enjoyed this book which managed to combine an intriguing and arresting plot with fabulous world building and very sympathetic characterisation.  I was immersed in the story and rather displeased that I had to make so many breaks in reading due to other commitments.  Some more squeamish readers may not be fond of some of the more macabre elements to the story but these didn't bother me - in fact they rather enhanced the story.  For fantasy fans this really is a must read, especially those who like high fantasy.  Romance fans are going to have to be patient as that aspect of the series doesn't begin until well into the next book.  I'm happy to wait for that - and what a wait it will be if the next book continues along the same vein as this one.  I highly recommend Luck in the Shadows with a grade of 'Excellent'. I've already ordered the next two books in the series and can't wait for them to arrive through my letterbox. 

Buy this book HERE.

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.

Review: Infected: Life After Death by Andrea Speed

Those readers who toughed it out during book two as we followed Paris' decline and death are no doubt hoping for a slightly cheerier read in this third book. You may well be a little disappointed then because, although Life After Death isn't the weepy that Bloodlines was, it's still very melancholic in tone.

The story begins a year after the end of the last book. Roan is finally dragging himself out of the mire of his grief and depression, mainly because one of his friends organises a client for his detective agency. Work brings a sense of purpose for Roan as helps a woman who thought her husband had died but now isn't sure and needs Roan to track him down. Working on the case means that Roan is out and about more and he finds himself being watched carefully by his friends, as well as getting to know one of the bartenders at Panic, his and Paris' old gay club haunt, a little better.

One of the most interesting parts of this series has been watching Roan change and develop over the course of three books. This change becomes even more marked now as he no longer has Paris' calming influence over him. Roan was always a sarcastic man with a quick temper and cruel tongue at times, this only increases as this book progresses. At times he can barely hold his temper, which leads to painful changes as his lion virus tries to take over each time he grows angry. It is alarming to both Roan and the reader as to just how barely in control he is during the book, and how he revels in his ability to intimidate and frighten at times. I also found his casual cruelty towards some of his friends a little off putting. Matt in particular bears the brunt of Roan's sarcasm on a number of occasions, and whilst I could understand why Roan acted as he did, I couldn't help but feel very sorry for Matt. By the end of the book, Matt has been reduced to an almost pathetic figure, some of which is due to Roan's treatment of him.

Having said all that, Roan is still an absolutely fascinating man. His constant struggle with his grief over Paris is affecting as is the way that he is slowly trying to regain some interest in his life and occupation. His relationship with Dylan is both good and bad, I think. Dylan is a good influence on Roan and very opposite in temperament. However, I couldn't help but get the impression that Dylan isn't really going to be the one for Roan in the end.  That maybe his and Dylan's relationship will not stand the test of time. This is mostly because Roan tells this to the reader, but also because there was no spark between them, and as such the romance feels a little flat.

The other fascinating thing about this series has been the world of the cat virus created by the author. In this book we are slowly gaining insights into Roan as a virus child, as well as seeing some of the political changes starting to take place to help control the cats. Although this is not a huge part of the book, it all added to the setting and I get the impression that things are not going to go so well for infected people in future books. It will be interesting to see what the author does with this theme.

I have one pretty major negative with this book to do with the plotting. Towards the end of the first part of the story, Roan is approached by a former police colleague and asked to investigate the disappearance of a male prostitute. Shortly after that the first part of the book suddenly ends and the story moves a year into the future (although there is a typo which claims it's only a month later). The plot thread involving the missing prostitute is then dropped and never referred to again. This irked me no end as I like all my plot threads to be tidied up.

However, that annoyance wasn't enough to completely spoil my enjoyment of this absorbing book. I said earlier that the book was melancholic in tone, but this is tempered on occasion by bright flashes of humour - usually of the sardonic kind from Roan, by the genuine caring that many of Roan's friends show for his well being and by the amusing character of Fiona, the dominatrix mentioned in the blurb, who was a welcome breath of fresh air into Roan's life.

Those of you who have stuck with the Infected series so far are going to enjoy this one too. Those who have read book 1 and couldn't face book 2, can pick up the story here with very little difficulty. As for me, I eagerly await the next in the series as I just can't seem to get Roan out of my head and want to know whether there will ever be a silver lining for his cloud.

Buy this book HERE.

Holiday Reading

Once again I'm totally failing to maintain this blog, but at least this time I have a legitimate excuse. Yes, the camping season is upon us once again and I've been off for five days with my trusty tent, husband and four kids, sampling the delights of camping in the North Yorkshire Dales.

Delights such as:
1. High winds which snapped one of the poles on our toilet tent.
2. Freezing night temperatures
3. Youngest son getting hit in the face by a cricket bat. Then three days later hit in the face with a swingball racquet (which needed a trip to the local doctor).
4. Youngest daughter getting hit in the forehead by a stone which went astray.
5. Hub not being very good at wounds gushing blood and retreating whilst I dealt with the aforementioned injuries.
6. Eldest son getting too near the fire and burning a hole in his trousers (and leg) when an ember flew out at him.
7. Drinking far too much red wine.
8. The kids finally learning that going camping means you sleep in and don't get up at 5am - yay!
9. Feeling hungry all the time and eating too much cake.
10. Socialising with friends who I haven't seen for a few months.

And, obviously, the most important aspect of camping is that I get to read some of the paperbacks in my TBR pile because I don't want to take my Sony anywhere it might get accidentally wet.  I'm sure you're all dying to know what I read so here's a short summary:

Storm Front by Jim Butcher
This is the first Dresden Files book which I picked up because both Chris and Erastes had gone on about how much they like them.  The story is about a detective wizard, Harry Dresden, and his sometimes hapless attempts to discover the whereabouts of a client's missing husband and also to help the local Chicago police with a grisly double murder.  I was initially put off by the simplicity of the prose but soon got into the swing of it.  Harry is a great character with a dry sense of humour and a wittiness to the narrative.  He pulled off the 'dour wizard' label perfectly and carried me through the story with his mix of self-deprecatory comments and genuine caring about those with whom he comes into contact.  The UF world building was great with lots of interesting detail about wizarding set into a recognisable Chicago.  I had great fun with the whole thing and will probably continue the series which seems to be a very daunting 12 books long at this stage!  Grade: Very Good.

Lord of the White Hell Books 1 & 2 by Ginn Hale
Continuing the fantasy reading, I set my sights on this duology from Ginn Hale which has been in my TBR pile since Yaoicon where I bought the books at the Blind Eye Books stall.  This sweeping fantasy tells the story of Kiram, a Haldiim young man who is the first of his countrymen to attend a prestigious academy in Cadeleonia.  When he arrives his roommate is Javier, a troubled yet confident and brash young man who currently controls a 'white hell' in his body.  The rest of the book follows Kiram as he settles into the baffling Cadeleonian traditions of the school and helps Javier to find out how to break the curse over Javier's family.  As with all Ginn Hale books, the beauty in this was in the detail which was fabulous - far too all encompassing for me to do it justice in this mini-review.  Every little thing is described and as such the world of the Cadeleonians and Haldiim was brought to life under the author's masterful touch.  In a funny way though, this was also the book's downfall as some of the description was a little self-indulgent at times and, although interesting, added nothing to the overall narrative.  I found this especially towards the end of the first book/beginning of the second where my interest waned a little with all the descriptions of a competition that Kiram has to enter.  Having said that, this was still an excellent fantasy novel with characters who behaved like 17/18 year olds should, lending it the slight air of a YA book.  The book ends with the overall story arc complete but with further adventures in the future for these pair and I wonder whether the author intends to pick up the story again at some point. I hope so.  Grade: Excellent.


I did start a fourth book  - another fantasy, Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling, but I'm only 80 odd pages out of about 500 into that at the moment so can't really comment except to say that I'm enjoying it so far.

So there you go, a very productive holiday overall, I think!