Favourite M/M Romance Books of 2011 Part 2

Yesterday, I gave you the first half of my books of the year. Here's part two.


Urban Fantasy
The Infected Series by Andrea Speed
This is a bit of a cheat because I read the first two books of this series in 2010, and the second two in 2011. This series has become by far my favourite recent Urban Fantasy series.  It's so much more than UF too with elements of mystery and paranormal mixed in with the alternative reality of a world where people can be infected with the cat virus.  More than that though there's the character of Roan who pulls you in and keeps you reading. Marvellous.  Review of the last two books HERE & HERE.


Comedy
Fun With Dick and Shane by Gillibran Brown
I fell in love with Gilli this year. His insightful diaries into the menage relationship he enjoys with Dick and Shane are often very, very funny, but also have a hint of pathos amongst the general silliness.  It's not often that a books makes me laugh out loud so heartily.  Highly entertaining.  Review HERE.



Action/Adventure
Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
This first book in the Nightrunner series blends a couple of my favourite genres: Fantasy and Action/Adventure.  It tells of teenager Alec who is rescued by a spy, Seregil, and becomes his apprentice/partner.  The romance doesn't really happen until book 3 but until then there's lots of swashbuckling adventures involving necromancers and secret missions. I found it to be an exciting page-turner. Review HERE.


Historical
Mere Mortals by Erastes
My top three historicals of the year were all by the same author: Erastes. She really is one of the best GBLT historical writers out there at the moment and Mere Mortals showcases her talent perfectly.  It's a drama set in the Norfolk broads and tells of orphan Crispin whose new guardian seems to have many secrets. It's a little creepy with an atmospheric setting of an old house, but by far the best thing was the relationship Crispin has with the other two orphans Myles and Jude.  Review HERE.


Menage
Golidlocks and His Three Bears by AM Riley
This is another cheat because I first read this book years ago when it was at TQ. This year it's been revamped and reissued at LI so it almost counts as a new read this year. The story is just delightful and tells of Brian  who, newly arrived in LA, is feeling a little lost. Through a series of circumstances he ends up bedding three room mates and the story tells of how their unconventional m/m/m/m relationship develops.  The theme is fun and lighthearted but surprisingly very romantic and this is a book I consider a keeper.  Review HERE.


Anthology
Bullied by Jeff Erno
I've read a few anthologies this year but none have packed such an emotional punch as this one.  It's made up of a set of stories about teenage bullying of GBLT students. It could have been very bleak, and at least one story left me in tears, but on the whole these are also stories of hope and friendship and solidarity.  The theme may not be to everyone's taste but I think this is an anthology that deserves some recognition.  Review HERE.


Short Story
If It Aint Love by Tamara Allen
This historical story set during the great depression in the USA managed to combine historical detail about those terrible times with a pair of likeable heroes and a tender romance.  It's amazing how much the author managed to pack into 18,000 words but this really is a fantastic example of how a short story should be written.  Review HERE.

Overall book of 2011

The Rifter by Ginn Hale

Well, it had to be really didn't it? At over 1000 pages this serialised novel is simply amazing. Rich in detail with a vivid setting, it has at its core a love story which spans worlds and time itself. I've waited impatiently each month for the next installment to arrive in my inbox and have thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing it throughout the 10 month period it was released.  I can't recommend this highly enough and is well worth the money to buy the whole book.  Reviews of all 10 parts HERE.


So there you have it.  My books of the year. It's been tough to sort through all the books I've read and select particular favourites, especially in the fantasy genre because, as I said yesterday, I've read so many fantasy books this year.  Overall though, if you try any of the books I've recommended here - or even any of the books I've given a grade of 'Excellent' to on this blog, then you are not going to be disappointed.

Favourite M/M Romance Books of 2011 Part 1

It's that time of year when everyone is writing the lists of their favourite books.  As with two years ago (I wasn't around last year to do this) I shall divide my list into two and post half today and half tomorrow.  I had a bit of difficulty this year in choosing some of the books for the categories because I realised that I have read A LOT of fantasy books.  Lots and lots in fact and not too many of other genres.  This means I've swapped the categories around a bit by removing horror (I only read 3 horror short stories) and adding YA instead because I read a few of them.  It also means that some books in the categories are fantasy and another genre - you'll see what I mean.  All the books in my list were read during 2011 but may not have been published this year.

Let's get on with it, shall we?


Contemporary
Reverb by Jet Mykles
This book had one of my favourite themes of famous characters, but looked at the darker side of the music industry as well as touching on the highs and lows of fame.  The troubled relationship between the heroes was compelling and I could hardly put the book down. Review HERE.




Mystery
The Boystown Series by Marshall Thornton
This eighties set detective series has been compulsive reading for me. I guarantee once you start the series you'll want to read through the rest. Nick Nowak is a cynical and promiscuous narrator whose sexual exploits leave a bitter taste with the emerging AIDS virus starting to affect the gay community.  Review HERE, HERE & HERE.


Fantasy
Scorpion by Aleksandr Voinov
Amazing and far reaching story of a mercenary soldier whose loyalty to the band of soldiers to which he belongs leads him to many adventures.  This was almost my book of the year and I can't recommend it highly enough. Review HERE.





Speculative Fiction
Out of the Woods by Syd McGinley
I know this hasn't been to everyone's taste, but I loved the character of Tarin who is a mix of child-like emotions and canny intelligence.  The D/s relationship he has with his captor 'Beak nose' was at times amusing and very touching.  Review HERE.





Paranormal
The Usual Apocalypse by Christine Price
I loved the pairing of the workaholic Matthew with the gregarious and charismatic Brennan. The mystery story worked well alongside the paranormal elements, and the incidental details in the world building made this a gripping and entertaining read.  Review HERE.





Young Adult
The Evolution of Ethan Poe by Robin Reardon
I don't often read YA books but this year I have a few on my reading list. This was by far the best and tells of  Ethan whose small town becomes embroiled in a debate around teaching Intelligent Design in science lessons. The beauty for me though was in the blossoming self awareness of Ethan. Highly recommended.


Alpha Hero
Lucan from Dark Heart by Thom Lane
This has been a difficult one for me this year because it's become less and less the case where we get stories containing true Alpha Heroes. Often the characters are on more of an equal level in terms of personalities and preferences in bed.  In the end my choice is taken from a series of slave/master fantasy books I've discovered  and liked this year. Lucan's actions are very much in keeping with the setting of the book. He's a hard master to poor Tam at times, but I liked to see the growing affection he develops for Tam as the book progresses.


Beta Hero
Daniel Halstrom from Anchored: Belonging by Rachel Haimowitz
This is a contentious choice because I know the book divided readers between those who loved it and those who hated it.  I really, really liked the character of Daniel and thought he stayed strong despite the terrible things that happen to him. Review HERE.




So there you go, my books of the year so far. Do you agree with me?

Call back tomorrow to see the second part of the list including my overall book of the year.

Review: Daddy, Daddy and Me by Sean Michael

I'm a bit of a fan of Sean Michael's short stories, finding them hot and kinky, but not so much of his longer books. This is mainly because his longer novels tend to mostly sex with the tiniest bit of plot slotted in amongst all the hot and heavy. However, just occasionally the author releases a longer book where the plot takes precedence over the sex, and Daddy, Daddy and Me is an example of such a book.

The story begins with Donny who has recently graduated as a specialist in early years care. He's trying to find a job in child care as a nanny but is finding it difficult to pass an interview because even if people can get past the fact that he's a man, they soon show him the door once he reveals that he is gay. He arrives at Jeff's house feeling generally despondent to discover a house in chaos. The baby is screaming, the three year old is refusing to have a bath and Jeff is hopping around with blood dripping out of his foot. Donny immediately takes charge and once the house is peaceful, Jeff, who has been left with two small children after his best friend died, hires him. Donny is over the moon, especially because Jeff is gay too, and once Jeff's has had chance to get some sleep, Donny realises that he's also very attractive.

In the end I had a mixed response to this book. I'm always a little wary of books with children in them because they always seem to be these idealised version of kids which doesn't tally with my own experiences. Fortunately this wasn't the case with this book, as I felt that the author had done a good job of showing the joys and the difficulties in raising children. Most of the story is about the way that the men work together to look after the kids and so the children did feature quite a lot. Just occasionally I did wonder why neither of the men seemed to need a break and even when it was Donny's days off he still didn't take time for himself. I found that rather odd.

Another thing that worked for me was in Jeff and Donny's growing regard and affection for each other. Their feelings grow quite quickly but I felt that was realistic given that they spend so much time with each other. The move from employer/employee to lovers was organic and smooth, and again took the children into consideration. I also liked the way that the grandparents of the children were present in their lives and pleased to see Jeff and Donny happy together.

The final thing I liked was that the story allowed space for Jeff and his son to grieve over the death of Beth. Donny's arrival means that Jeff can finally draw breath and face his reactions to Beth's death and there were several touching scenes where Jeff grieves for her. Robin may only be three, but he's old enough to know his Mom is gone and yet not understand why. The scenes where Jeff and Donny have to cope with a confused little boy tugged at my heart strings without ever becoming overly sentimental and mawkish.

What didn't work so well for me was the character of Mitch, Jeff's ex-lover. He was such a missed opportunity in my opinion. Mitch leaves Jeff after the kids arrive, horrified that their cozy life together has been invaded by nappies, crying children and sleepless nights. Jeff is very upset that Mitch chose to end their seven years together, as is understandable, but I could also understand Mitch's point of view too. It must have been hard for him to have his life changed like that when he was never interested in children and it seemed realistic that if he couldn't cope he would leave. Not everyone wants or even likes children. However, instead of allowing us to have a measure of sympathy for Mitch, he's turned into some kind of monstrous, evil selfish man. It wasn't enough that he's branded a selfish asshole by everyone just because he doesn't like children, he becomes a psychotic, unhinged money grabbing maniac. It was entirely unnecessary and I would have been much happier if Mitch either didn't appear bodily in the book, left only to be the selfish man who left Jeff, or even better that we could have seen a man who had to make a choice and chose his own needs over that of his lover's children. This would have provided a much more nuanced character than the one we get with Mitch.

My feelings about Mitch and the rather over the top way he behaves in the story coloured my view of the book overall, so that whilst I liked Donny and Jeff, and thought the story on the whole an enjoyable and satisfying read, I still would give this book a grade of 'Good'. It may be that many readers wouldn't be put off by Mitch's character, in which case I would recommend this book to you.

Buy this book HERE.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my blog readers!  

Hope you are all having a fabulous day, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, and I'll see you here next week I'll be announcing my favourite books of 2011.

Riptide Winners for this week

I had two Riptide giveaways this week. Thank you to all of you who left comments on the guest posts for Cat Grant and Rhi Etzweiler.

The winner of the Cat Grant giveaway which is a choice of one of Allegro Vivace, Sonata Appassionata, The First Real Thing (Icon Men #1), Appearing Nightly (Icon Men #2), A Fool for You (Icon Men #3), or Entangled Trio is....

BOOKWYRM369

The winner of the Rhi Etzweiler giveaway which is First Wave Winner’s Choice: Pick any one backlist book from Rachel Haimowitz, Aleksandr Voinov, L.A. Witt, Brita Addams, or Cat Grant (“Frontlist” books, i.e. Riptide releases and newest non-Riptide release, are excluded, as are the Courtland Chronicles) is ...

SABRINA

Congratulations to you both! I've passed your email addresses onto Riptide and they'll be in touch with you soon.

Even if you haven't won, you still have a chance to win prizes as all the names have gone into the overall draw for the Riptide Launch Party.  See here for details of that, and good luck!

Review: Miracle of the Bellskis by Astrid Amara

Last year I really enjoyed Astrid Amara's Hanukkah story Love Ahead: Expect Delays, and so I was looking forward to her offering this year.  At first I was a little dismayed to discover that the story was a sequel to Carol of the Bellskis which I haven't read, but it seemed a good excuse to buy and read that first book so I could get this one too.  I loved Carol of the Bellskis which I reviewed briefly on Good Reads here, and so that made me look forward to reading this book.

Whilst, in the end, I didn't enjoy this one as much as Carol of the Bellskis, it was still a really great read.  It picks up the story three years after the first book.  Lars is now out to his family and, having sold his half of the partnership of his previous law firm, is now in business on his own.  Seth has passed the bar and is working as an attorney for a friend of Lars, Violet, because he wants to gain some independent experience away from Lars' influence.  All would be perfect except that Lars' parents are coming to stay for Christmas, meeting Seth for the first time, and Seth finds that he has to juggle to expectations of his family at Hanukkah with coping with the frosty behaviour of Lars' parents.

What I liked about this story was that it was less about Hanukkah itself and more about the slight clash of Jewish/Christian traditions around this time of year. Previous Hanukkah stories from this author have focused on the importance of Jewish family and traditions, but with the addition of Lars' parents, the focus shifts to how they view Seth's Jewish traditions and how he views their Christian traditions.  This was handled in a very sensitive fashion, and is a gradual creeping theme through the story so that I never felt that either tradition was being favoured over the other.

The visit from Lars' parents is a cause of contention between Seth and Lars, leading to arguments, but on the whole I liked that they were a united front against the cold treatment from Lars' parents.  I especially like the scenes where Seth stands up for Lars, or for himself.  This is something I've always liked about the character of Seth. He's not afraid to tell people exactly what he thinks, even if it's not the more diplomatic way of going about things.  In this book it works in his favour, as his forthrightness coupled with a 'through gritted teeth' determination to make the best of the situation because he want things to be better for Lars, is just the right thing to do for Lar's parents.

Where the story didn't work so well was in the plot involving a divorce case.  Seth and Lars find themselves on opposite sides when Seth takes on a last minute divorce case.  This would have been fine, expect that I'm sure there could have been a better way of resolving the problems they encounter other than the grand gesture that Lars makes towards the end of the story (sorry for being vague, I don't want to give away spoilers). I can see why it was used because it not only gave the story a dramatic push but it allowed all the characters in the story to gather in one place, but the whole thing felt a little forced.  Other than that part, I liked the way that Seth's working life is shown, such as the haphazard way that Seth and Violet run the office, compared the Lars' much more organised way of doing things. It was also nice to see the pair working as attorneys as it gave a different perspective on their relationship.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this novella length story.  I loved revisiting Seth and Lars and was happy to see them having successfully worked through the problems from the previous books.  Even the niggle with the divorce case wasn't enough to really spoil things to much for me and I would happily recommend Miracle of the Bellskis with a grade of 'Excellent'.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Dreams by Addison Albright

I've read quite a number of Addison Albright shorts and when I saw this self-published anthology, I thought I'd give it a go. The book is made up of two novellas and a short story and all the stories are linked through the characters, although quite distinct and separate too. Because of this, I shall take each story in turn.

A Dream Come True
This novella tells of Wes who is looking for a new place to live. He's always been out and proud but when he's been fobbed off several times by potential room mates who discover he's gay, he decides to keep the next viewing a little more low key. It turns out that he didn't need to bother when the guy, Mike, recognises Wes from University. Mike was deep in the closet at the time and admired Wes for being so upfront about his sexuality. Mike is out now, but still hasn't told his parents. He and Wes hit it off straightaway and begin what seems to be a 'room mates with benefits' relationship. It isn't long though before both men are surprised at how well they gel and start wanting more, but Mike still needs to come out to his parents, and both are wary of things going too fast for them.

This was one of those stories which tells of two really great guys feeling their way into a new relationship. There's a little bit of stress and lots of sweet loving moments which prove just how right they are for each other. The themes of the story were handled well with Mike's worries about coming out to his family being realistic, as was the way that men were unsure how to handle what were fast growing feelings for each other. It fitted with their characters that both of them held off saying anything for a while, and even tiptoed around their realtionship a little. For example neither of them know how quite to introduce the other person when 'room mate' doesn't really seem appropriate. The plot is very gentle, even a little slow at times, but that fit in with their developing feelings. I liked both men and was interested enough to want to know how the story would work out for them. I wasn't disappointed as the end left me with a smile on my face.

Another Dream
This story follows Mike's uncle, Marty, who left home at 18 after a confrontation with his parents when he came out to them. It's 20 years on and he's now a successful joiner/carpenter. Marty's been lusting after his shy neighbour Larry ever since he moved in a few weeks ago, and finally gets the opportunity to ask Larry out. Larry can't believe his luck when his hot neighbour asks him out but his introvert nature and low self esteem makes it difficult to understand what Marty sees in him.

This was another slow burner of a story with a plotting style similar to the first. Here we see the men meet, go on a date, have sex and then gradually come together into a relationship. This was my favourite out of the anthology, mainly because I'm a bit of a sucker for a guy with low self esteem. I liked that Larry wasn't conventionally handsome, and more than that, that he didn't undergo a 'transformation' to suddenly become hot property. Instead he remains the same guy throughout, with the only changes being that Marty does wonders for his self image, showing him the desirable man inside. Larry is good for Marty too by convincing him to get in touch with his estranged family. I also really liked the way that the pair played on the fetish that Larry has for Marty's toolbelt! Like the previous book, the pair fit well as a couple and the fun of the story was seeing them slowly come to the realisation that what they have is special. Overall, it was a nicely written, very romantic with a touch of hot in the sex scenes. Great stuff.

Dreaming of You
This was the shortest of the three stories at only 30 or so pages. It follows Trevor, who is a former lover of Marty's. He's got to the stage in life where he's fed up of playing the scene and just wants to settle down. He thought that Marty might be the person for him, not realising that Marty only ever saw him as a good occasional lay. After Marty and Larry get together, Trevor is feeling even worse. He's approached at a club by Quinn (who also featured in the previous story), and although Trevor treats Quinn with disdain, Trevor finds himself drawn to him and the odd sense of security he sees in Quinn.

For me this was the weakest of the stories, mainly because I didn't get enough about either character to make me connect well with them. The story is focused mostly in and around the time in the club, with a short scene at Trevor's house. As such we learn next to nothing about the lives of the two main characters. When placed next to the first two novellas, which were filled with great, well rounded characterisation, these guys come across as a little flat and one dimensional. That isn't to say that this story is a total write off because it isn't. The story is taken from Trevor's point of view, and it was nice to see him change from the sarcastic bitchy character we see in the previous story, to one who lowers his defenses and allows Quinn to see inside to the real man. I particularly liked that Quinn sees Trevor when not looking his best and still thinks he's attractive. The final chapter of the story is entitled Closure and a Fresh Start and this was very appropriate given how the story ends. It was nice to see Trevor blossoming under the influence of good friends, but I really wish I'd had more from both him and Quinn to have been entirely happy with the story.

Overall this anthology was one of those nice, easy reads with great characters and a romantic storyline. It would be perfect for a lazy afternoon in front of the fire and I would recommend it with a grade of 'Very Good'.

Buy this book HERE.

Guest Post: Thy Vampires Shall Not Sparkle by Rhi Etzweiler

Today I'm pleased to introduce Rhi Etzweiler to my blog. She's here as part of the Riptide Publishing blog tour where there are lots of prizes to be won - click here for the prizes. Today Rhi is talking about her upcoming Riptide release, Blacker Than Black. Over to you, Rhi!

Back about four or five years ago, I had a very good writer-friend challenge me to “do something completely different.” At the time, I was in one of those uninspired slumps, trying to work on editing/revising a story, and spinning my wheels in Mississippi Mud.

We both were, actually. Trying to revise, I mean. And doing little more than flinging mud about, too, I imagine. The idea of writing short stories to sub to e-zines and anthologies, to get our names out there in the industry and build our writer resume’s, was a daunting necessity if breaking into print were to ever happen.

The biggest obstacle in revisions at that time was getting into the head of my MC, a young and inexperienced female character that I quickly discovered an inability to relate to. It was easier for me, I found, to write her story from the POV’s of the sundry male characters in the story around her. Their stories would unfold smoothly, the prose flowing without effort.

There was a “Red Light District” anthology call out around that time. NanoWrimo was coming up. I remember thinking, okay something completely different from a fantasy epic written in third person past tense—dark speculative fiction written in first person, present tense?!

I needed to get away from the female character POV. Did it have to be male, though? I remember reading through the anthology call, and that’s what they were focusing on—streetwalkers, in the more conventionally accepted sense. Solution? Use the asset of first person, and don’t make any gender references at all. Let the reader assume. Forget “red light” cliché, I went with blue. No selling sex, my streetwalkers were chi-whores. Their johns—energy vampires.

It was a struggle, that total shift in writing technique. I think I typed every sentence two or three times, constantly catching myself slipping back into third person, or past tense. But slowly, very slowly, the character sank in and clicked, and the story began to gain momentum.

And so Black the Nightwalker was born from a frenzy of fifty-thousand words. It started out with the intention of being a short story, but it never stopped unfolding. There's more to this, Black kept saying. Keep going. Which is precisely what the muse-slave did, of course. It was a really long first chapter, so I polished it up to work as a standalone, and subbed it. The anthology editors declined to acquire it. Over the course of the following year and NanoWrimo I churned out the rest of Black’s story. It was a full-length novel.

And I’d discovered a story wherein I challenged the mold of the dual gender limitation. You’re one or the other. Not in “Blacker Than Black.” Over the ensuing years, attempts to garner feedback and beta input—through the normal channels of fellow writers—had seriously mixed results. Why are you obscuring the narrator’s gender? Is Black male or female?!?! First person present tense is for amateurs. I can tell it’s a romance but I don’t know the gender of the narrator; that’s keeping me from liking it.

Over, and over again. Black would flat-out refuse to cooperate or even entertain such notions. And I found myself wondering, why’s it matter so much?

Even now, years later, Black’s story is a tad bit “ahead of its time” still, but I don’t love it any less. If anything, I love it more now for those aspects that make it stand out and set it apart. A difficult challenge for any publisher to think of marketing, understandably, but a story that demanded to be written nonetheless. And I thank Riptide’s staff for believing in Black.

Thank you for that interesting insight into Blacker Than Black, Rhi!


Riptide Publishing has very kindly offered up a First Wave Winner’s Choice: Pick any one backlist book from Rachel Haimowitz, Aleksandr Voinov, L.A. Witt, Brita Addams, or Cat Grant (“Frontlist” books, i.e. Riptide releases and newest non-Riptide release, are excluded, as are the Courtland Chronicles) as a prize for those who leave a comment on this post. You have until 11pm on Friday 23rd December and I shall announce the winners on Christmas Eve. Good luck!

Guest Post: My Inspiration for Once a Marine by Cat Grant

Today I'm pleased to introduce the lovely Cat Grant to my blog. She's here as part of the Riptide Publishing blog tour where there are lots of prizes to be won - click here for the prizes. Today Cat is talking about where she got the idea for her recent Riptide release, Once a Marine, which I reviewed here. Over to you, Cat!

I’ve always held a great deal of respect for those men and women who’ve chosen to put on a uniform to defend their country. The dedication, the personal sacrifice… well, it’s not something I could ever envision myself doing, even when I was young enough – not to mention thin enough! – to sign up.

I’ve been wanting to write a story dealing with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell for awhile now, but I couldn’t see how to give it a happy ending until the policy was officially repealed last year. I knew I wanted it to be a story about personal sacrifice, with a main character who struggles to embrace his sexual identity after spending his entire life up to that point in the closet. I wanted to explore what happens when a warrior is sent home in disgrace, left to pick up the pieces of his shattered life alone.

A pretty daunting undertaking, since my family has no tradition of military service. Despite living near the Defense Language Institute and Naval Post-Graduate School here in Monterey, I couldn’t find a real, live Marine (gay or straight) who was willing to talk to me. So I had to do my research the hard way – in books.

I read Steven Zeeland’s The Masculine Marine and Military Trade (all about military men and men – and women – who chase after them), Rich Merritt’s Secrets of a Gay Marine Porn Star and Joseph Steffan’s Annapolis memoir, Honor Bound. But it was Rachel Maddow’s series of interviews with American servicemen and women facing discharge under DADT that proved most valuable to me. Putting faces with uniforms, hearing firsthand about the onerous burden of serving under DADT really hammered it all home for me. When Army Captain Jonathan Hopkins talked about his decision to put his personal life on hold until his stint was over, because it wouldn’t be fair to his partner to ask the man to go back in the closet for Hopkins’s sake, I knew I had the model for my Marine hero, Cole Hammond.

I can only hope I’ve done my story – and the sacrifice of so many valiant men and women – justice.

Here's the blurb:

Love is a battlefield.

Discharged under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, former Marine major Cole Hammond is struggling to find a new identity. But PTSD casts a pall on everything, and his hard-nosed, homophobic father can’t even bear to look him in the eye. To top it all off, he’s pretty sure he’s flunking out of law school.

Marc Sullivan is a kind, sensitive romance author-slash-waiter with a thing for men in uniform. Cole’s not wearing his anymore, but there’s no mistaking the warrior Marc meets in the diner one rainy afternoon. Cole’s sexy smile and Carolina drawl prove irresistible, but Marc’s played this game before, and he always loses. Once a Marine, always a Marine, and if there’s one thing Marc knows about such men, it’s that they all leave him in the end. It doesn’t help that Cole’s practically closeted in public, or that he refuses to seek treatment for his PTSD.

But like any good Marine, Cole’s willing to fight for what matters. And like the characters in Marc’s stories, he’s certain that if they try just hard enough, together they can find their own happily ever after.

You can read an excerpt and purchase Once a Marine right here.

Visit Cat here:
Email address: bittermint2007@gmail.com
Website
Blog
Twitter: @CatGrant2009
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Thank you for that interesting insight into how Once a Marine came about, Cat!


Cat has very kindly offered up the choice of one of Allegro Vivace, Sonata Appassionata, The First Real Thing (Icon Men #1), Appearing Nightly (Icon Men #2), A Fool for You (Icon Men #3), or Entangled Trio as a prize for those who leave a comment on this post. You have until 11pm on Friday 23rd December and I shall announce the winners on Christmas Eve. Good luck!

Kari Gregg Winner

Thank you to all of you who left a comment on Kari Gregg's guest post on Monday.  If you missed the post and want a chance to read, it's here.

Kari had offered up a copy of a book from her back list as a prize and the winner is...

SARAH S

Congratulations, Sarah S. I've passed your email onto Riptide Publishing and they should be in touch with you shortly.

Even if you haven't won, you still have a chance to win prizes as all the names have gone into the overall draw for the Riptide Launch Party.  See here for details of that, and good luck!

Review: A Cornwall Novella 2: Simple Gifts by LB Gregg

It's been a while since an LB Gregg release so I was pleased to see this Christmas story at Musa Publishing.  It tells of Jason who prefers to avoid all the socialising that happens around Christmas.  Unfortunately, his good friend Sunny, isn't letting him get away with it this year and drags him along to her family's Christmas shindig at their new mansion type house.  Whilst there Jason sees Sunny's brother, Robb, who's just been released from the military. Jason has had a crush on Robb for years but always seems to end up making a fool of himself in front of Robb.  It seems that things never change for Jason as whilst he attempting to slip away unnoticed he's felled by a rogue Christmas lawn decoration, and it's up to Robb to get him to the hospital.

As with all LB Gregg stories this one is filled with great humour and observational comedy.  Jason's clumsiness - both physically and socially provides a lot of the comedy, as does his sharp wit and self deprecatory narrative.  However, there are more serious themes in and amongst the laughs.  Jason's very conscious that his upbringing as an orphan often leaves him unprepared and awkward when it comes to social situations, and this gives us flashes of a painful past for Jason.  Robb has also suffered a great deal whilst on active duty, as we can see from this first description of Robb:

Gaunt and rawboned, he’d aged ten years, easily. Time had stamped lines on his face and something, maybe experience, hardened him.

As with many first person narratives we don't get to know much about Robb, but there's enough given in the impressions that Jason gets, their conversations and Robb's quiet disclosures that hint of a lot of pain and bad experiences. I liked that there was no quick fix for Robb, no instant healing via sex. It made the ending all that more worthwhile when it happened.

My favourite thing about the story was the unusual character of Jason. We find out that he's so much more than clever words, and slightly neurotic behaviour. Instead he's a man who has struggles with a past which he refuses to let define him; a man who has developed coping strategies; a man who has his own business; a man who sees what Robb is going through and does exactly the right thing to help.  Jason made me smile and laugh out loud at some of his thoughts, but he also brought a tear to my eye and made my heart ache for him.

Overall, this was just a marvellous seasonal short with a good mix of slapstick and observational humour, with some more sombre and quiet moments.  The serious themes didn't overwhelm the story but they were also given enough space to be dealt with appropriately. The end left me with the warm fuzzies.  Those readers who are looking for a short story to read this Christmas should definitely pick this one up and it gets a grade of 'Excellent' from me.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: A Chip in His Shoulder by LA Witt

I'm a bit of a fan of LA Witt's writing and so I was pleased to see this new story at Riptide Publishing, mainly because it seemed to break away from her usual contemporary romance stories. It's a sci-fi/fantasy story which tells of vampire Liam who was cast out of his upper-class family when he was discovered to have a male human lover. He ended in the 'Gutter' where pollution, poverty and crime rule the streets and eventually made his living as a hit man with all the latest body modifications.  As the story starts Liam is hired by the father of the man who was the cause of his destitution, Daniel. Liam is pleased to finally take his revenge by killing the man he used to love, but once in Daniel's apartment he discovers that not all is as it seems and the pair have to work together to escape the trap they have fallen into.

I had a rather mixed reaction to this story in the end.  I really liked the breadth of imagination in the setting and the world building.  The social hierarchy of those who live in the sky with those who live in the gutter; plus the use of body modifications and the way that causes tension between the characters were interesting and only one or two steps away from what could be a future reality. This made the story firmly grounded in the believable whilst also being in the realms of fantasy.

I also liked the fast paced escape plot. I was on the edge of my seat a number of times, wondering how the plan was going to work and whether the men would be able to escape from their predicament.  The set up with the characters trapped in the apartment and their plans for escape made for an exciting and tense read.  This was then combined with a clever use of the technology in Liam to make the story a little bit unusual.  I read quickly through the book wanting to know what was going to happen.

Where the book didn't work for me was in the characters of Liam and Daniel.  I'm afraid I didn't like either of them.  Daniel was too smug and self satisfied at first, before changing and acting in a totally irrational manner, and then suddenly giving up all his antagonism towards Liam as they reunited.  I liked Liam a little more, but still found him to be cold-hearted and his bitterness was unappealing.  Like Daniel, his change of heart was a little too sudden for my liking.  More than that though, they are both played for fools by Daniel's father and it was his unseen presence which grated on my nerves.  I can only assume that this is going to be a series because the story ends with little or no resolution to their situation, other than escape and regroup.  I felt a little cheated out of seeing Daniel's father brought down, and maybe I have to be patient and wait for further books.

So overall, whilst the plot was fast paced and well written, I didn't really connect with or like the characters.  This means that I'm giving this book a grade of 'Good'.  Don't let me put you off though as other readers may like the main characters a little more than I did.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: David and Andrew Book 1: One Night in December by Terry O'Reilly

I've read a few Terry O'Reilly books and find them often to be quite sweet reads but with stories which don't shy away from the harsher realities of life. That was certainly the case with this book. It begins with widowed school PE teacher, David, who has been in a bit of a funk since his wife died. He loved her dearly and had a good life with her, enjoying many aspects of being a family man but he is also gay and had a number of 'friends with benefits' outside his marriage. Now he's not interested in anything any more until he decides to come to the rescue of a homeless man, Andrew and discovers that there is such a thing as love at first sight.

Now I know what you're all thinking, yes this is an insta-love story, and yes it did work for me this time. Don't faint! The reason it worked is because the instant love at first sight happens right at the start of the story when the men meet and then the book follows the men over several years of their relationship. I have to admit that I was a little taken aback in the first few pages because the period of time between the men meeting, declaring their love and David coming out to all his kids and proclaiming he's with Andrew is less than a week. I stuck with the story though and the rest of the book shows them living together through many problems, as Andrew gets back on his feet and David copes with being newly out to the world. This meant that we get to see them being together over a sustained period of time and as such made me much happier with the way their relationship first developed.

The story is structured in such a way as it jumps forward in time, often by months and highlights certain major conflicts and milestones in their relationship. This was both a plus and a negative for me because it made the plotting a little choppy and episodic whilst allowing us to see a fairly quick progression through the years.  My favourite parts were those that related to David's family. He obviously adores his children and grandchildren and I liked that they had different reactions to Andrew. It wasn't all plain sailing for them which seemed a more realistic scenario than everyone suddenly being OK to find out their dad was in a gay relationship.

I also liked that the story has an older man for a hero.  There's a gap of maybe 15 years between them and David must be somewhere in his late 50's early 60's (although I'm not wholly sure about this because their ages are never specifically mentioned).  The age gap was never overplayed and David often jokes about being a bit of an old man but you can tell that Andrew finds this attractive.

The parts that didn't work for me was in some of the sex scenes which were a little 'dry' at times and there was a distinct lack of condom use during their first few sex scenes. Plus I would have liked to have seen a little more of David showing Andrew 'the ropes' when it came to sex between men, as that is one of the areas where we jump forward in time, especially as the first sex scene together made me (and David) wince at Andrew's obvious inexperience.  I was also a little uncomfortable at David's thirty years of infidelity with his wife. It made him a less sympathetic character in my eyes and I was a little wary that he may do the same with Andrew.  Fortunately my mind was laid to rest with that one later in the book.

This book is supposed to be the first in a series, but I'm not really sure where else the story can go after this one, unless it was just more of the same.  This story ends happily showing the two men well into what I would consider a HEA and I'm not certain I would be that bothered about reading further books about them.  They were nice guys, their story was sweet and very touching in places, the writing was good, but the book didn't grab my attention in a big way.  I read on because I was interested in their story and the pacing was a gentle pull through their lives. I was glad to have read it and it gets a grade of 'Good' from me.  Those readers who like stories with older protagonists or who are looking for a sweet tale which revisits the Christmas season at several points in the book, should give this one a go.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Love Means...Healing by Andrew Grey

Those fans of the Love Means series will be glad to see this short novella, I think. It fills in a gap in the overall story by allowing us to see how Len and Chris' relationship developed. This means that this story doesn't follow on from the end of the last book, Love Means...No Fear, but rather fits into the Chronological timeline after the end of Love Means...No Shame. I found it rather sweet to see the young Joey, and also Geoff and Eli's first flush of love again.

I probably wasn't the only reader who was curious as to how those two got together and especially how Len manages to overcome his grief for Cliff. The story begins just over six months after the death of Cliff. Len has recovered from the first crippling months of grief but he's still missing Cliff terribly. He's got to the stage where he's starting to be able to face the world again and to do this he pays a visit to his and Cliff's special place. It's a time of healing for Len, so when he starts to feel an attraction to the new stable hand at the farm, Chris, Len is filled with confusion and guilt. It's too soon for him to move on with another man, but Chris' gentle persistence begins to break down some of Len's barriers.

I have to admit that at first I was a little wary of this story. I loved Len and Cliff in Love Means...Courage, and there was a part of me which didn't want Len to move on from Cliff. However, I also knew that Len was a still a young man in his forties and deserved a second chance at love. The story takes place over a few months, culminating at Christmas, and the main focus is not just on the romance, but also on how Len begins to pick up the reins of his life and move on. As such the story is mostly Len's story, and if I have any niggles it's that I wish I could have got to know Chris a little better too. We find out some about his time in the Marines, and how that has shaped him as a person as well as the long period of self-denial he has enforced upon himself. We also find out a little about a past relationship, but other than that Chris is a bit of a dark horse. That doesn't mean to say I didn't like him because I did, in fact his gentleness, understanding and patience with Len was one of the main plus points for me in this book, just that I could have done with knowing more.

In the end, my fears about the romance were unfounded as this is a charming and delightful story. The two men fit each other well and I liked that Chris is a very different personality to Cliff. The relationship moves so slowly, allowing Len to set aside his grief and come to terms with his attraction for Chris, that the pacing worked for me and I never felt that Cliff was being 'forgotten'about or set aside too soon because that would have cheapened the love that Len felt for Cliff. Instead Chris' patience and the slower pacing of the plot shows us that he's a man worthy of Len's love and I finished the book with a smile on my face for both men.

I also liked the fact that this is a romance containing older men.  The way that Len and Chris are products of their past was done well, showing how their age and experience has matured them for the better. It made them more thoughtful characters, less prone to the wilder emotions of youth, and therefore very sympathetic characters to me.

Fans of this series are going to really like this book. It allows us to see how Len and Chris meet whilst also providing a sweetly charming seasonal love story and I would recommend it. Grade: Very Good.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Winter Warmers Anthology by Pink Squirrel Press

Today is a two review day.  This is mainly because I started writing this review last week but then ran out of steam about half way through (it was getting late).  Today has been the first opportunity I've had to finish it, so I thought I'd get it out whilst I could.

I was really pleased when I heard that this anthology was going to be released. It features four well loved authors in Clare London, Chrissy Munder, Josephine Myles and JL Merrow, plus Lou Harper whose a fairly new author but I liked her story Between Friends in the DSP June Daily Dose anthology, so I knew I was in for a treat with these stories and I wasn't disappointed.  This is not an anthology of Christmas stories, but rather each story is set in winter, and as such can be read at any time of the year.

Before I do a round up of each story, I just want to highlight something that really worked for me in this anthology as a whole, which was that each story was firmly routed in its setting, and that each setting was very different to the others. This meant that I was taken from the rather claustrophobic setting of a British Junior school, to the snow and freezing temperatures of a Michigan winter, to the milder winter of Santa Monica, to the canals and architecture of Amsterdam, and finally to London.  I found this variety very pleasing indeed.

Clare London's story, Lucky Dip, really showcased the author's talent for situational comedy as it is set in the hectic world of the school Christmas Fair.  Year two (7-8 year olds) teacher, Andy, is struggling to get his class stall erected whilst looking after the child of one of the parent helpers. He's pretty annoyed when he finds himself placed next to the lucky dip stall with is being run by his ex-lover Greg. What I really liked about the story, other than the great little jokes about working in a school and dealing with children, was the way that the men were forced to confront their feelings and deal with their issues. It made it impossible for them to run away from the situation, and as such allowed them time to make amends in a realistic fashion.  Plus the tone was so lighthearted and fun that it made the story an enjoyable start to the anthology.

Butterscotch Kisses by Chrissy Munder was a change in tone to something a little more sombre, at first. This was a welcome quieter story which focused on Matthew who is trying to overcome his fear of heights. Each day he returns to the toboggan run where his previous boyfriend dumped him in order to try and climb up to the run, and each day he fails.  His visits are brightened by chatting to the 'cute ticket guy' who rescues Matthew when a sudden storm blows in.  I really felt for Matthew at the beginning as he struggles with something he really has no hope in conquering. My heart ached for his lack of self confidence and I loved the sweet beginnings of his romance with Adam and how that gave him the push he needs to keep going.  The little touches, such as Adam's hat and the way he warms Matthew up, not only with heat, but with his words meant that I enjoyed this story a great deal.

Lou Harper's story, Wintertide, was a quieter read and was perfect for the middle of an anthology.  It's a May to December romance which takes the theme of moving on from grief.  Jem is a young man with a dead end job who takes a trip out to Santa Monica where he meets Oscar, a middle aged man. They click well together but Oscar has to let go of the past before he can move on into a future with Jem.  I have a fondness for older/younger man romances and whilst these two don't initially seem as though they would fit together with their different backgrounds and outlook on life, I thought the author did a good job of showing the potential for them as a couple.  It's a story of new beginnings and as such we leave them as a HFN, but I felt that worked best within the context of the story and I still felt optimistic for them in the future.

The fourth story,  When in Amsterdam by Josephine Myles, was set in Amsterdam during their Sinterklaas celebrations.  Black guy Brandon is not happy to see all the 'Golliwogs' in the windows of the stores and no matter how much his Dutch lover Jos tries to explain that they are Pieten, or elves, it doesn't stop Brandon feeling uncomfortable.  The pair shelter from the rain in what turns out to be a sex shop where Brandon surprises himself at how much he is turned on by a particular leather harness.  There were two elements to this story which worked well for me.  Firstly, I loved the setting, especially with the time of year and I very much enjoyed reading about the traditions and the architecture in the city.  Secondly, this was a story about changing your perceptions of yourself and I liked the slow way Brandon chases away his misconceptions of Jos' submissiveness, and begins to learn how to make that work within their relationship.  I was fanning my face at some of the sexual tension but was so much more than just hot sex, it was also about making a relationship work.  Great stuff.

The final story was A Pint of Beer, a Bag of Chips and Thou by JL Merrow, and was an amusing story full of quirky characters and observational wit. It's taken from the first person narrative of Liam who lives with a coven of witches made up of his mother and two aunts, and who makes his living busking in the London Underground.  Each day he sees a hot older man at the tube station but the man never seems too look at him unless to put a pound in his saxophone case.  In the days leading up to Christmas his mother and aunts give him a series of bizarre clothing items as early Christmas presents which finally seems to get the man's attention.  This was definitely the silliest story out of the anthology with the two main leads almost getting upstaged by Liam's mother and aunts, but it still retained a core of romance as Liam  and his 'silver fox' Neil spend a few hours getting to know each other. The London setting with its shift from the tube, to a traditional British pub to an Anglican Church all added to the fun of the story for me and I finished it with a smile on my face.

Often when I read anthologies, I can select a favourite story. Not so with this one because all the stories were equally as entertaining and well written.  If you're looking for a set of stories to chase away the cold winter weather then this anthology of contemporary stories will be perfect.. I'm looking forward to more story collections from this new press.  Grade: Excellent.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: My True Love Gave to Me by Ava March

I’m rather fond of Ava March’s Regency stories, finding them rooted in the time period but not overly stuffed with extraneous historical detail, so I was really pleased to see not only had Carina included a historical story in their m/m Christmas anthology this year, but that it was one by Ava March.

This isn’t a Christmas story per se, although it’s set a few days before Christmas, rather it’s a story of young love, broken hearts and ultimately forgiveness. The story begins as our hero, nineteen year old Alexander, is attending a pre-Christmas ball. He’s there with his best friend from Oxford, Thomas, with whom he’s also in love. In fact, Alexander is so in love he can barely contain himself and seeks every opportunity to get Thomas alone. They make plans to visit Alexander’s father’s hunting lodge in the country but before anything can happen Thomas panics, leaving Alexander heartbroken. Fast forward four years and Thomas is back, newly reconciled to himself and wanting to make it up to Alexander. But the man he finds is so far removed from the sweet young Alexander he knew, that Thomas may never be able to get through to him.

There was much to like about this story, which as you can see from my summary above is almost in two parts. For me the beauty of the story was in the character of Alexander. When we first meet him he is so in love he almost irrepressible. His feelings overflow from him and I found myself warming quickly to him as a person. His love for Thomas makes him daring, leading to some scenes where they run the risk of discovery. It said much about Alexander and how he was so in the throes of young love that he would take risks like that during the time period the story is set. Alexander’s behaviour contrasts with that of Thomas who is a true proper English gent. He’s reserved and quiet, whereas Alexander is chatty. He’s not as grabby or hands on as Alexander and this made me immediately wary of their relationship. We don’t get into Thomas’ head until quite a way through the story but it wasn’t difficult to see that he was struggling a little at how quickly things were moving. I thought the author did a good job of sowing the seeds of doubt in the reader’s mind so that when everything blows up for Alexander, there’s an inevitability about it. That didn’t mean that my heart didn’t break a little for Alexander, because it did, and even more so when we catch up with him four years later.

Having spent so much time in Alexander’s head we then move more in Thomas’ as we see him trying to make amends to Alexander for his past behaviour. If my heart broke a little before it continued to break for the way Alexander had changed. His cynicism and lack of trust was so far removed from the happy, trusting man in the first part of the book. Thomas’ realisation that he had been the cause of the change provides the impetus for all his actions later in the book. What I really liked though, and what made this an excellent read for me, was the way that Alexander doesn’t forgive Thomas, at least not easily. It takes a lot of time and persistence to get through Alexander’s hard shell and the reward was satisfying when it happened. For parts of this second half I read on in dismay at Alexander and his behaviour, but I knew it would be worth it in the end, and it was.

I also liked the change in Thomas, and how his time in the USA had given him to opportunity to break away from the stuffy tradition of the ton and reassess his life. He came back a better person and I found I was able to forgive him easily for his actions earlier in the book. After all they were the realistic reactions of a young and overwhelmed man.

My only niggle with the story was that I wanted to know what happened to the pair in the future, and in particular how they proceed into their HEA. However, this was only a minor point and one which may be addressed by a sequel.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this Regency story. It reminded me of why I love the genre, with some great descriptions of setting, and characters who remained true to the time they live in. Those readers who like historical m/m stories are going to love this one. I did. Grade: Excellent.

Buy this book HERE.

Guest Post: Collared: The Story Behind the Story by Kari Gregg

Today I'm pleased to introduce Kari Gregg to my blog. She's here as part of the Riptide Publishing blog tour where there are lots of prizes to be won - click here for the prizes. Today Kari is talking about where she got the idea for her recent Riptide release, Collared. Over to you, Kari.

I was raised in central West Virginia and I still go back several times each year to visit my family. Although my parents now live in the next county over (light years and entire universes away from my old stomping grounds), I still run into and hear from/about old friends occasionally. Collared came to be after I bumped into one of those friends. We'll call him Jack. That isn't his real name, but close enough.

Back in high school, Jack was brilliant. He was funny and fun to be around. A much heavier partier than I was (and I was no lightweight). We were bored kids stuck out in the country. We had to drive half an hour to get to a restaurant chain and another hour beyond that to see a movie. Of course, we were going to get into trouble. And Jack was excellent at it. So good, in fact, that (like me) he managed to put his party on and maintain the high GPA that was his ticket out of the county and into civilization.

For Jack, though, the train derailed. Never use something that will end up using YOU, compadres. Jack got a powerful monkey on his back in college, dropped out, blew around the party-fest communes back home and finally settled in a shack deep in the woods -- deep enough to dissuade the cops from looking for his crops, if you see what I'm saying.

So anyway, I run into Jack many years (and several lifetimes later) and he's still the fun guy he always was, but wow, does he have a whole treasure trove of conspiracy theories. Really crazy stuff. I love the guy to death, though, and you know what? He's still brilliant. Nuckin futs, yeah, but brilliant. One of the many theories he'd cooked up was an elaborate scenario in which the government was doping the masses (that'd be you and me, pal) with hormones injected into our meat and bio-engineered crops. Whoa. Awesome.

But it got me to thinking...What if behavior could be modified by altering the food supply? What might that look like? How would we, as a society, respond? I thought about an old grade B horror flick in which animals went super-aggressive for some bizarre reason (scared the shit out of me as a 10yo) so I had an idea for what direction I'd go in (though dominance instead, not aggression of the homicidal bent). Then, weirdly enough, I thought about 911, how the horror and grief of that event provoked us (individually and nationally) to act impulsively and at times irrationally -- sometimes for the good and sometimes for the very, very bad.

From that soup of what if's, Collared was born. Everyone's brain chemistry is changing and that's causing us to act in extreme and (sometimes) irrational ways, both individually (for my characters) and as a nation (the political/legal environment). My heroes struggle with who they were, who they want to be and who they are becoming -- juxtaposed against the setting of a world in flux. Nothing makes sense, not how they feel, not how the new environment is coming into shape...It doesn't work. The world they live, breathe and move in does not work. It needs fixing and so do my characters. They're trying. They're fighting to adapt to the changes, to accept their new normal and to make that new normal better. They make mistakes. We, as a society, make mistakes too. But we never stop fighting to make life better. This is Connor's, Emmett's and David's story -- their struggle to find their balance, each other, and a way to make a world gone mad work.

You can read an excerpt and purchase Collared right here.

Email address: kari@karigregg.com
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Thank you for that interesting insight into how Collared came about, Kari!

Kari has very kindly offered up the choice of one of her backlist books as a prize for those who leave a comment on this post. You have until 11pm on Saturday 17th December and I shall announce the winners on the 18th December. Good luck!

LA Witt Winner

Thank you to all of you who left a comment on L.A. Witt's guest post on Monday.  If you missed the post and want a chance to read, it's here.

Lori had offered up a copy of a book from her back list as a prize and the winner is...

BOOKWYRM369

Congratulations, bookwyrm369. I've passed your email onto Riptide Publishing and they should be in touch with you shortly.

Even if you haven't won, you still have a chance to win prizes as all the names have gone into the overall draw for the Riptide Launch Party.  See here for details of that, and good luck!

Review: The Rifter Part 10: His Holy Bones by Ginn Hale

This review can also be found at the DIK blog.

Well here it is, finally, the last part of this tremendous serialised novel, The Rifter.  Part ten, as you may imagine, is packed through with action, adventure, love, tragedy, betrayal, ruined hope and ultimately an ending which, although is classed as 'happy' still leaves you with a lot to think about.  All whilst drawing together the strands of the story to a cohesive and satisfying conclusion.

Part ten begins where part nine left off.  Ravishan is injured, possibly fatally, and John divides his time between wanting to be close to Ravishan, and his duties as the newly revealed Rifter.  Some of those duties lie in managing to convince the kahlirash’im, that he is just as much human as he is god whilst also coming to terms with his god-like abilities. Other duties involve repairing the damage that he inflicted on Vundomu as well as dealing practically and emotionally with the knowledge of how many people died when he stormed the tower in order to save Ravishan.  This meant that much of the first part of the book is relatively quiet, showing us the healer and nurturer that John will become as he gets older, and how he can use his abilities for good.  That doesn't mean there isn't action too, as we find out the circumstances which surround Ravishan's death in a scene I found immensely shocking, and which suddenly made John's initial reaction to the appearance of Kahlil in the future make a lot more sense. We also find out what happened to Laurie in Umbhra’ibaye. One thing I've loved about reading this book as a serial is the way that I suddenly get these 'lightbulb' moments about things that I've puzzled over a bit in previous parts of the book.

The second half of this part then moves forward into the future and picks up where we left Kahlil in part seven.  He's been captured by Laurie and is now being held as bait. Kahlil knows that John will come for him and that when John does, Laurie will kill him. Yet he's trapped, unable to move, terribly injured and guarded by Laurie's hungry bones. Rescue is in the form of a complete surprise and I found the remainder of the book a strange mix of heartwarming and heartbreaking. This was especially true for the character of Laurie who I found difficult to figure out in book seven. I couldn't see why she hated John so much, but things become so much clearer here.

Like much of the entire novel, this part focuses on the choices that John makes and the consequences of his actions. John has some difficult choices to make here and has to face the consequences of his past actions. He has strong emotional ties to Laurie, and knows that he has somehow failed her, but he also realises that his reluctance to 'deal' with her in the past has caused the loss of many lives. Even right at the end, when John knows what must be done, he wavers between giving Laurie what she wants and doing what he knows is right. Even I felt some compassion for Laurie at the end, knowing how much she had lost and that it had driven her quite mad. The confrontation between John and Laurie towards the end of this part was filled with much sorrow and recrimination but was also a fitting conclusion to their troubled relationship. It made me quite sad to remember the happy, dippy Laurie from part one and compare her to what she is at the end. Very sad, actually.

John too has come a long way from the College student he was in part one, and even in this last section we are shown how much he has grown, matured and changed in his time in Basawar.  I liked that John has learned strict self control, that his impetuous actions in the past have made him more careful and less likely to fly into a destructive temper. The John we see at the end of the book is a true leader, one who looks to others first before his own needs. I liked him a great deal.

Another thing I really liked about this final part was the way that the present and past were resolved. I'm not going to go too much into specifics because that would spoil things, but the loose thread involving Ravishan in the past and Khalil in the future is brought together in a most pleasing way.

I finished this final part feeling a little bereft that it was all over. The book has brought me so much pleasure over the last 10 months that I'm sorry that it couldn't continue on for a few more months more at least! However, all good things come to an end, and this was a marvellous conclusion to what has been a simply stunning piece of fantasy writing. If you haven't started reading this book yet then I urge you to begin now. It's a long book, yes, but it's a wholly rewarding read.  It's also not an easy read, and definitely not for those of you who are squeamish because some of the violence in the book is quite graphic.  It is a book for those who love dark fantasy and want to read a complex, intricate novel with a huge cast of characters, but which retains at its core a heartfelt romance.

I said in my review of part 1 that I would wait until this last review before I grade the whole book.  Really, though, there is no grade that I can put on this because my grading system seems so inadequate.  It's definitely worthy of the grade 'Excellent' or even beyond Excellent because I shall be re-reading this many times in the future.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Infected: Freefall by Andrea Speed

This fourth book in the Infected series sees things going rapidly downhill for Roan. His addiction to painkillers is consuming his life, he's having trouble controlling his lion and is spiralling further and further into depression. There are two separate mysteries for him to solve too, but whilst these are interesting - one is the discovery of a missing child and the other is the seemingly suspicious death of a local politician - they do take a back seat to the drama in Roan's life. I'm not complaining about this because Roan is a fascinating character. His personal life is at an all time low, as as part of this Roan has increasingly vivid dreams about Paris and also his first lover Connor who committed suicide. This allows at least a little closure for Roan on that aspect of his past as his subconscious forces him to think through his life with Connor. Sometimes dreams in books don't work for me but they did here because I could see why they were being used.

My main niggle with the story is focused on the relationship between Roan and Dylan. I honestly don't think they are very suited to each other and as such in my mind I still see them as a transient couple. Don't get me wrong, I love both characters and I think this is why I get a funny concerned feeling about their relationship. Dylan is just too nice and accepting to be with Roan. He's not strong enough to stand up to Roan and often takes the line of least resistance, putting up with an awful lot of crap from Roan, crap that Paris would never have stood for. Take Roan's addiction for example. Dylan knows about the addiction but refuses to tackle Roan about it, preferring to be a gentle support for Roan instead. In many ways Dylan is part of Roan's problem because he's so concerned about not rocking the boat, he just stands back and lets Roan get worse and worse. Roan needs someone who will kick his arse from time to time, who won't take crap from him and who cares deeply enough to fight Roan for what is best for him. Paris was like that, and Roan needs another Paris, or someone very similar. Dylan may profess to love Roan deeply, but he doesn't love Roan's lion in the same way Paris did. I wonder really whether Roan will ever find someone to love and care for him as deeply as Paris, and that saddens me.

What I did really like though was the way that Holden is becoming more of a main character in these books. I like Holden because although he's a hooker, he's also got a wild intelligence about him. As the book progresses, Holden begins to take on the role of Roan's assistant and even though his approach to things is very different, and more emotional than Roan, I can see that they will work well as a team. There's a lot going on under the surface of Holden, behind the facade he puts on for the world, and I look forward to seeing more of him in future books.

I'm really enjoying this Infected series and was particularly pleased that the editing seemed a little tighter in this book than the previous one. There were no loose ends or inconsistencies, only hard boiled drama with some gripping and realistic action scenes. I love that the action is interspersed with some well written strong characterisation, and was pleased to get into the head of both Dylan and Holden for parts of the book.

As with many of these books we end on a cliffhanger and it's not good news for Roan. He's starting to come to terms with his lion - a theme which stretches through this book in particular - and I am interested to see how their symbiotic relationship withing Roan's body will develop into further books.

If your a fan of this series, then this book is a must. If you haven't started the series yet, then I urge you to start now, even if you just begin at book three for those who are unable to cope with the lack of HEA for Roan and Paris. I really enjoyed Infected: Freefall and would recommend it with a grade of 'Excellent', as a fantastic paranormal story.

Buy this book HERE.

Deck the Halls!

Today it's my turn at the Speak Its Name advent calendar where I'm talking about my love for the Christmas historical romance anthologies and bemoaning the fact that there isn't an equivalent m/m version.

Do please pop over and say whether you agree.  All comments will be put into a draw to win this lovely Christmas decoration which I picked up on a recent shopping trip to Skipton.

BTW, all the posts in the Advent Calendar are well worth reading and there's some fabulous prizes to win each day too.

See you there!

Guest Post: How on Earth did A Chip In His Shoulder Come to be? by LA Witt

Today it's my very great pleasure to introduce LA Witt to my blog. She's here as part of the Riptide Grand Opening Blog Tour Party but I'm also secretly squeeing like a fan girl because I love her books! Today she's talking about her new release A Chip in His Shoulder and telling us where she got the idea for the story. Over to you, Lori!

How on earth did A Chip In His Shoulder come to be?

Like most of my stories, Chip started out as a very vague idea that gradually took form and wandered into a whole different realm from what I originally had in mind. Considering it’s a futuristic cyberpunk story, you might be surprised to learn it began in my head as a medieval fantasy type of setting. The original idea involved Liam, an assassin and vampire, being lured into a chamber of some sort—a room on top of a castle tower or something similar—thinking he was there to kill the person inside it, only to find out a moment too late that he’s trapped. The walls were glass, and when the sun came up, he’d be toast. Considering the person he was there to kill was an ex-lover, I didn’t imagine they’d play very well together, so that would make escaping a little tricky.

The more I tinkered with the idea in my head, the more it seemed to fit a more modern—and ultimately futuristic—setting. As I thought about the chamber or building, and what kind of technology would be required to contain Liam until the sun came up (not to mention how they’d ultimately find a way out), I realized I needed something more advanced than anything my medieval characters seemed to be able to come up with. Super strong glass. Key pads. Insanely intricate security systems.

Then I started pondering the idea of adding a cyberpunk element. Maybe some sort of implant that would put the boys at a disadvantage. Because really, what fun is having cybernetic tech if it only makes things easier? So what if the security system wasn’t in the building, but in Daniel? I mean, he already had a chip on his shoulder, so what if—

Eureka! And that’s where we come to the title: A Chip In His Shoulder. I’m always a fan of puntacular titles anyway, and while I was thinking about a) the relationship between Daniel and Liam, b) residual (mostly bitter) feelings between them, and c) what kind of tech could make their lives more difficult…that title fell into my head. The sequel’s title is promising to be along the same puntabulous line, but probably not quite so groanworthy.

Also, I have to give credit where it’s due: I spent a lot of time discussing the story with one of my editors, Rachel Haimowitz, made a lot of suggestions that altered the course of the story. Daniel’s anti-cybernetic views were her idea. From there, the Gutter/Sky social strata emerged, which fit perfectly with the cyberpunk flavor, since cyberpunk and dystopian society go together like root beer and vanilla ice cream.

Then during editing, she and Aleks Voinov both commented that a particular scene just didn’t quite have the emotional OOMPH it needed. They weren’t convinced that Liam had worked hard enough to gain Daniel’s trust, and Daniel was being a bit of a pushover. In the end, that resulted in somebody wearing an unscheduled bullet hole, which thoroughly pleased Rachel, because she’s sadistic that way.

And in the end, we have A Chip In His Shoulder: a cyberpunk vampire assassin story when I had castles and high fantasy in mind. Go figure, right?

A Chip In His Shoulder, as well as my other work as both L. A. Witt and Lauren Gallagher, can be found at http://www.loriawitt.com I’m also on Twitter as @GallagherWitt, and blog at http://gallagherwitt.blogspot.com

Thanks for that interesting insight into your new book Lori!  

Lori has kindly offered up a prize for today's post.  Leave a comment between now and 11pm on Saturday 10th December and you'll be put in the draw to win your choice from any of LA Witt's backlist.  The winner being announced on the 11th December.  Good Luck!.