Review: Treasure by Megan Derr

I'm rather fond of Megan Derr's fantasy books and so I jumped at the chance to review this first book in a new series. It tells of royal prince Nankyokukai, or Kyo to his friends, who is destined for a terrible fate. In order, not to avoid that fate, but rather embrace it on his own terms and so that others may not suffer as well, Kyo steals a precious magical jewel from his family and sets out across the ocean, along with his faithful secretary, Taka and rich merchant, Raiden. They travel on a ship owned by Kin, who is no ordinary man and who shares some history with Kyo. As they travel they have to face attacks from mermaids, rescues and storms, as well as facing up to some surprising secrets.

The story began well and I was quickly hooked into the tale of Kyo's escape from his Father's plans. Much of the first part of the book centres around the close friendship that Kyo has with his secretary, Taka. Their closeness has a distinct lack of sexual attractiveness, and fits well with Kyo's almost asexual presence through much of the book. Although Kyo is only mentioned in the blurb, this is just as much Taka's story, and we get a lot of the book in his point of view. Once on the ship, the story takes on a bit of an ensemble piece with all four main characters of Kyo, Taka, Raiden and Kin being used to explore the themes in the book and also the relationships between each other. This worked well for me and I quickly grew to like all the characters and sympathised with their respective situations.

The pacing of the first two thirds of the story was quite swift with a few exciting set pieces to liven up the narrative add to our knowledge of the characters. However, at about the two third point, the story began to hit a bit of a lull. It didn't really go anywhere for quite a few pages and there was lots of sex used as padding. It may be that the author was trying to forward the relationships at this point, but it got a little dull and repetative, and in fact gave us little additional information about the characters. Things did pick up at the end, with an exciting finale scene, but I felt that some of the circumstances at the end were a little out of the blue. More foreshadowing on the character of Raiden, for example would have allowed me to believe more easily some of the things that happen at the end of the book. Aside from the slight sag in the story in the last third, my only other niggle was that there were a number of annoying name switches - again in that last third of the book - and whilst this did not spoil my enjoyment of the book too much, it may put off some readers.

One thing that did work for me was the intricacy of the world building. As a first book in the series, it's inevitable that there will be parts of the book dedicated to setting up the situation, geography, mythology and sociology of the world that has been created in the book. I never felt I was being preached at or had too much information dumped on me at once. Instead I was impressed with the way each country had different religions and rituals, and how these directly influenced the events of the book. I'm keen to see this continue into book two.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and felt that they were distinct and unusual. The romance is woven through the story, but is also a strong and important theme. I'm certainly curious and interested enough to look forward to the next book in this series, and I'd recommend Treasure, with a grade of 'Very Good', to those looking for a character based fantasy romance.

Buy this book HERE.

UK Meet 2012

Here's my exciting announcement!

Yes, the details of this year's UK Meet have been announced and I've shamelessly copied the following from Clare London's blog:

UK GLBTQ Fiction – Read it, Write it, Love it 


September 14th - 16th 2012 will see the third annual UK Meet for readers/writers/reviewers/fans of GLBTQ fiction. There will be a full day of programmed events on Saturday 15th, plus optional social events on Friday evening and Sunday morning. 


From its modest beginnings in 2010, when a group of the most respected British and European authors in m/m romance got together in a library in Ely, this convention has already doubled in size, developed panels and guest speakers, thrown out links to publishers, editors, writers and fans alike, and looks set to become a major player in the field of GLBTQ fiction in the UK. 


 In 2012 we aim to be bigger and better yet. 


Set at the elegant Mercure Brighton Seafront hotel, this year’s convention will feature talks by top authors, panel discussions on hot topics in the field of GLBTQ fiction, such as BDSM, Shifters, Beta readers, Online Interaction, Adapting fanfic, US settings, Self publishing, 1-to-1s for budding authors and more, while a separate room is available for chilling out, socializing with your favourite authors/pitching to publishers and agents etc. 


For full programme see the website.


To book a place at the convention go here. 


Cost of attendance: £35 (rising to £40 if bookings are made after 30th June), to include all panels, buffet lunch, coffee, tea & snacks throughout the day, and USB stick filled with free fiction. 


To book a room at the hotel for Friday and/or Saturday night tel :(+44)844/8159061 or email: 061rs@jupiterhotels.co.uk Special rate for delegates: £85 per night, booking code available on the UK meet website (or you are very welcome to visit just for the day or arrange alternative accommodation elsewhere). 


Anyone attending, whether they have been published before or not, is invited to submit a story for this year’s anthology: "Lashings of Sauce." Full details of how to format your story and where to send it are available here. 


To keep up to date with the latest news visit our blog.




I'm going to be there, possibly helping with a panel about readerly or blogging stuff.  So if you're a Brit, or even just over the channel, then do come. Overseas visitors from further afield are also welcome.  It will be lovely to see you.

I'm feeling excited about it already. I've never been to Brighton so I'm combining the conference with a 'jolly holiday' to the south coast!

I'll keep you posted if any more details emerge. Until then, keep an eye on the UK Meet website.

AWOL

Ok, I admit it, I've been totally AWOL this week.  There's a good reason.....well, there's a reason anyway.

It's this:

I've become totally addicted to playing Skyrim and I'm playing it a lot in my spare time.  Admittedly this isn't as much as I would like, because technically the XBox belongs to eldest son and he gets first dibs on playing, but it is still quite a chunk of time I usually spend blogging or reading.  It's been getting rather an obsession. You know it's bad when you start having Skyrim dreams, or lying awake trying to puzzle out how on Tamriel you can kill three major nasties whilst also avoiding being attacked by Druegars at the same time, just so you can forge an amulet.

However, I will try to resist a bit more this coming week. I have a couple of reviews to write for next week and an exciting announcement, so please forgive my absence this last week.

Review: Masters and Boyd by SJD Peterson

I was keen to read this book because I like stories which detail a relationship in crisis and the ways that the couple either try to pull back from splitting up or are reunited in some way. This book surprised me a little because I was expecting something quite angsty and emotional, but instead got a rather sweet tale with a pair of admirable and very likable leads.

The book begins with a short prologue which shows a very spicy D/s sex scene between our heroes, Carrick Masters and Ed Boyd, then the story moves two years into the past and works forward to show how the men got to the point in the prologue. Two years previously the men were at a turning point in their relationship. They had been married for three years and were still very much in love. The physical attraction between them is still smoking hot, but they are finding it increasingly difficult to find time to spend with each other. Carrick's job as a surgeon, and Ed's job as a junior partner in a law firm seems to be eating up all their time, leaving nothing for each other. As you can imagine, this is leading to a certain emotional distance between them. The story charts how the men try and try again to fight for their relationship.

What I particularly like about this book is that this isn't an easy path for the two men. They try several different ways to make their relationship work, and when something isn't successful they try again with a different approach. This led to a series of highs and lows in the story which worked within the context of the story. There's something rather admirable about two men who work so hard to make things right between them, even when it would be perhaps easier to let the marriage go. I found myself cheering them on all the way. Another thing I liked was the way that both men had high pressure jobs. This is the main cause of their problems but it meant that they are both in similar situations and, with prompting, can see the other man's point of view. It reminded me again why I love the equality of an m/m pairing. It also works because we get the points of view of both men and see their concerns and fears over the breakdown of their marriage. The fact that the men love each other comes over very strongly, even when it's also mixed with resentment or annoyance.

Those readers who may be slightly concerned about D/s subplot to the story shouldn't be. It's very tame, and is just one method the couple use to help with keeping their marriage alive. I rather liked these scenes because, rather unusually for a D/s story, it shows a couple who start along the D/s path together. Plus I thought Ed's feelings about his previously unsuspected submissive side a rather sweet mix of embarrassment and daring.

The story is very much focused on the main pairing and as a result they exist a little in a bubble. We hear some of their past and how they meet, and we get a little about their families, but other than that I did wish that we got to see them in a wider context. Much of their time together is spent in a number of sex scenes or talking about their problems and I wanted to see more scenes where they just relaxed or spent time with friends and family. I think that was my main niggle about the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this novella. It wasn't as heavy or angsty as I thought it would be, but that wasn't a bad thing. I was happy for the characters when the book finished, and also quite pleased that there looks to be the possibility of an offshoot of the story in the pipeline. If you're looking for an easy read, with sympathetic characters and plot which leaves you with a smile on your face, then this would be a good book to pick up.  Grade: Very Good.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Bonds of Earth by GN Chevalier

If this book hadn't been sent to me for review, I may well have never read it. The cover, whilst actually quite apt for the story, is not particularly eye-catching and also it's labelled incorrectly at DSP. This is not a 'civil war' story, nor is it a 'wild west' story so why DSP have put it under those categories is anyone's guess.  What it is, is a beautifully written story set just after the First World War in New York State and tells of Michael who is of Irish immigrant stock. Before the war he was studying in Dublin for a degree in medicine, but joined up as an ambulance driver and intern shortly after war was declared in Britain.  Haunted by his experiences in the trenches and unable to return to his medical degree, Michael is now working in New York as a 'rubber' or masseur with 'benefits' in a men's bath house. As the story begins, Michael is being blackmailed by his uncle into leaving the bath-house and going into the country to work as a gardener in a country house estate. It's here he meets John, a reclusive man and nephew to the owner of the house, whose body is twisted and almost useless from being injured in the war. Micheal sees that John could be healthy and whole again with his help but John is stubborn and bitter and refuses any help.

I've read quite a number of books set in and around war-time, and quite a few contemporaries which show the aftermath of modern warfare, but I think this is one of the few romances I've read which looks at the aftermath of the First World War. It's an interesting period in history because it was a time of great prosperity, and were there was a shift in the previous strict Victorian ideals.  Whilst this isn't the focus of the book, the ideals of the era still manage to permeate the setting which helped to ground it in the period.

There are a couple of themes running through the book. The most obvious one is the effect of WW1 on the characters. Not just the main heroes, but how the effects of loss trickle through to other characters too. This could be a tricky subject to handle, but I felt the compassionate way it was dealt with showed a great maturity in the writing. Both heroes suffer from a form of shell shock. The story is from Michael's third person point of view, and we see his flashbacks, but we also see John having flashbacks and eventually find out what he suffered in the war. Although this theme is sombre and has a tone of gravity that such a subject deserves, it wasn't heavy handed or maudlin because the focus of the story is very much on recovery. Michael helps John to recover physically, and in return John helps Michael to recover his love of medicine, his self-worth and confidence.  Each page takes the characters further away from the horrors they suffered and although by the end they are not forgotten or even completely well, both men are at a stage where they can begin to function to the best of their abilities rather than being crippled physically and mentally. It was rather beautiful to read.

The second theme is that of family. Both men are betrayed and let down by their families and much of the story shows how family is something that can be created when a group of people learn to love one another. Again this was not done in a heavy handed fashion, and there is much to overcome before the end, but I loved how Michael's gentleness and persistence led to his having something precious in a family who genuinely loved and cared for him.

The story wouldn't have worked without the subtle character of Michael. He seems a study in contradictions. He's a rough Irish man with a growling temper and a lower class upbringing, but he's also a gentle, thoughtful and very intelligent man. It would be very easy to make a whole lot of assumptions about Michael from the first few pages of the book, but they are all blown away as the book progresses. At first glance the pairing of Michael and John seems incongruous, but they work as a couple. John's sharp tongue and pride, fails against Michael's stubbornness and refusal to allow John to push him away.  I fell rather in love with Michael and was glad when he was able to find happiness.

I urge you not to let the fact that this is a book which deals with difficult themes put you off reading.  It's a book which is ultimately about hope. It didn't make me cry, because it didn't sensationalise what the men had experienced in the past or were experiencing now.  Instead it showed two rather gruff men struggling to cope on their own, and discovering that the way to recovery was in each other.  Marvellous, and highly recommended with a grade of 'Excellent'.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Academic Pursuits by Lou Harper

I'm rather enjoying these Hot College Daze stories from Amber Allure and this one was no exception. It tells of super slutty student, Jamie, who's intelligent and hard working but also likes to set himself various targets for seducing straight guys.  This is working well for him and as the story starts he's just about finished with his latest conquest, Hollins, and is moving onto the next. However, Jamie is having a little trouble shaking Hollins and his next conquest takes a surprising turn. Added to this is art student Roger who looks at Jamie like he's dirt, but manages to get under Jamie's skin, and a huge crush that Jamie has on his Russian Lit professor.

How much you like the story will depend on how much you like Jamie. He really is very slutty, and is totally unrepentant about it. If you're the sort of reader who likes the main romantic pairing to not sleep with anyone else during the course of the book then this may not be the story for you because Jamie sleeps with at least three other guys in this book.  I found I rather liked Jamie. His cheerful and optimistic attitude was endearing and I liked that he didn't have any underlying psychological problems to his sleeping around. He just liked sex and wanted to share the love :).  Seducing straight guys is just a bit of fun for him, but in the case of this book it also has very positive outcomes for all involved - some of which made me laugh and others which made me go awwww.

I also liked the relationship which Jamie has with his cousin/room-mate Jo.  She's one of the best female friend characters I've read for a while.  They liked each other's company, confided in each other and helped each other out.  There was no unwanted advice or criticism given, and definitely no interfering - unless you count Jo's habit of bursting into Jamie's bedroom at inopportune moments, which I found funny rather than annoying, and Jamie offering fashion advice to a guy crushing on Jo (again this was a very amusing scene).

The story as a whole has a great lighthearted and fun feel to it and I read the story quickly, keen to find out who Jamie was going to end up with.  Despite all the sex, the story is also very romantic as we are shown several different types of romances involving the people that Jamie comes into contact with during the book.

Any niggles I have about the story relate to the end.  It was just a little too abrupt. Ten-fifteen pages towards the end, Jamie still hadn't managed to get together with the guy he ends up with. Then it happens and the book is over. I was a little disappointed that Jamie spends more time with other men in the story than he does with the guy he sails off with into a HFN. I needed to see more of them together to be happy and if I'm honest, I felt cheated a little at the end.

Don't let the ending out you off though because this was still a great book.  If you're looking for an amusing and lighthearted story with a witty and likable hero, then you can't really go wrong with this story.  Grade: Very Good.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Berry Blue: Lessons Learned by TC Blue

Those readers who have been following this series by TC Blue will, like me, have been curious about the odd relationship between Peter (Riley's uncle) and his lover, Dex. They seem a very ill matched couple and I don't think I was the only reader who wanted Peter to ditch Dex and find another man who would appreciate him. Well, that's certainly what we get with this book!

The story begins with Peter realising that things aren't going so well between him and Dex. They were reunited a couple of years ago when Dex came back into his life after a break of about 20 years. All those years ago, Peter did something terrible which led to them splitting up and he's doing all he can to make up to Dex all the problems his actions at that time caused. Peter goes out for the evening with his nephew Riley to celebrate the birthday of a friend of Riley and Kelly's (the couple from the third book in the series). When Peter meets Leonard, they hit it off straightaway and become good friends. Leonard finds himself falling for Peter, but knows that nothing could happen between them because of Peter's involvement with Dex.

I really liked the start of this book and the way that Leonard and Peter's friendship develops. Leonard is a very sympathetic character who works hard at his job as a kindergarten teacher but who is also a little lonely. At first he's really happy to fall into the close friendship with Peter as it helps to ease his loneliness, but his growing admiration and attraction to Peter leaves him feeling uneasy. He doesn't want to get between Peter and Dex. I admired Leonard a great deal, liked that he was a decent man with moral fibre who was willing to set aside his own feelings. Peter is a rich older man with a slightly sleazy past but even that wasn't enough for me to dislike him. He may have played the 'sugar daddy' role for a few years but he's working hard now to redeem himself. When secrets are revealed that show Peter in a more positive light, I was pleased that the way was cleared for him and Leonard to give things a go. They worked as a couple and their romance was realistic and left me feeling happy.

I had two niggles to the story. The first is to do with Dex. After the big secret is revealed, Dex just disappears from the book. We are never told where he goes or what happens to him, even though we get some of the story from his point of view earlier in the book. This bothered me a little, although I suppose it was a case of 'good riddance'. Another thing to do with Dex is the big betrayal of Peter when the men were young guys. I don't want to go into details because that would constitute a major spoiler but I was left with lots of questions over how Peter was unable to remember his actions at the time.

My second niggle was to do with the last 30 or so pages of the book. TC Blue has a particular written style where her characters have an awful lot of internal dialogue. Mostly this works for me because I get a good idea of how the characters are feeling. However, I found that as the book drew to a close, the story became a little too far into the HEA and the internal dialogue began to grate a little. It seemed too self indulgent and I wished the book had ended at an earlier point. That might just be my opinion though and other readers may feel that it was necessary to see the guys work through a couple more issues before leaving them to their HEA.

Overall, though this was still a good book. I really liked Leonard and Peter, and it was fun to revisit some of the characters from the other books in the series. I think there may be another one or two books planned for this series and I shall look forward to reading those.Grade: Good.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Lily by Xavier Axelson

Pryor is suffering from a terrible grief and loss after his daughter is snatched by an animal from their back garden. The folks in the small town blame coyotes, but Pryor knows that it was a wolf. Consumed by grief and regret he spends his days staring into the woods at the back of his house. When a voice tells him that his daughter will return for one day on Father's Day, Pryor decides to acquire a silver necklace which will make sure that Lily cannot return to the woods.

Although this was quite a short novella, there's lots crammed into its pages so it feels like a much longer and more complete story. There are two threads running through the story. One is Pryor's feelings of guilt and grief for his daughter which was powerfully described. His grief has almost turned him mad and for much of the story there's a lingering sense of unease in the narrative that he is mad, and is only imagining that he has seen a wolf in the woods and voices telling him of his daughter's return.  Pryor's mind constantly runs through those last minutes before his daughter was snatched and his plans to trap her on her return visit. Despite his almost madness, Pryor is a sympathetic character and I felt very sorry for him for the tragic events.

The second thread in the story is Pryor's relationship with Ned. The story flips backwards and forwards in time and we get a picture of how the men first got together, as well as how strong, capable and loving Ned is. Neither of them are very experienced with other men and yet they work as a couple, and the sex scenes show a tenderness between them. Ned provides comfort and security for Pryor and eases his mind. It's only when he is with Ned that the wheels in his mind stop turning and he can find peace. I found this a lovely analogy.  I also liked that, without this situation, the two men may never have met and that their respective different backgrounds didn't matter in the end.

I really did like this story, but it's not perfect. Sometimes I found the style a little confusing in places and wasn't sure exactly what was happening. This might have been a deliberate ploy by the author to show Pryor's distraction and near-madness, but it also makes it a little difficult to initially settle into the story. There were also a number of mistakes in the editing which threw me out when I came across them, which is a shame when the writing itself is good.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and found the slightly mismatched characters appealing. The story was very unusual and I was glad that the reader is kept in suspense right up to the end over how things will work out. As it is the ending is both a little sad, but ultimately hopeful, and I was glad to have read this story.  This isn't your typical werewolf story which is a bonus for me and I give Lily a grade of 'Very Good'.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Tailor Made by Josephine Myles

Felix is on a mission to impress his art tutor at College so that his tutor will want to bed him. In order for this to happen he enlists the help of Andrew, a fashion student, to make a suit for him.  Andrew is reluctant at first because he finds Felix's slutty ways a bit too much but eventually agrees. Both men are surprised at how well they get on with each other and Felix finds himself thinking less about his tutor and more about Andrew.

I have to admit, I wasn't too sure when I first started this book because I didn't really warm to Felix at first.  He's the sort of guy who usually turns me off: over confident, secure in his attractiveness and determined to get what he wants no matter the cost.  In contrast, Andrew was a complete gem: quiet, studious, and saving himself for the 'Mr Right'. It wasn't long though before I realised that they worked really well as a couple. Felix may have been around the block a few times but his outrageous flirtation is just was Andrew needs to be drawn out of the protective walls he's thrown around himself. He doesn't need a shy virgin like himself, he needs someone with experience who can encourage him and show him to ropes. That's what he gets with Felix. The scenes between them zing with sexual tension and I particularly loved the scene where Andrew is measuring Felix for a suit, whilst desperately trying to ignore the longing coursing through his body.

The relationship moves quickly, but it's clear that it's more than just sex. There's a sense of 'rightness' between them in the way their friendship grows, shown not only in how happy Andrew feels, but also in Felix's confusion over his changing feelings about the situation with his tutor.  Of course, being men they are both stubbornly thick headed when it comes to recognising what a good thing they have. This led to a vaguely annoying, but thankful short lived, forced separation. Misunderstandings are never my favourite of story lines but this one wasn't so badly done. I could see that there needed to be a catalyst for the men to see what was in front of their eyes and as such I forgave the way the story was worked out towards the end. I also liked that, despite the novella format, we get a number of brief insights into the past of these characters and how it shapes them as young men.

Another thing I liked about the book was the way it poked gentle fun at conceptual art. There are a few references in the story to crazy stunts all done in the name of art and in particular, Felix's role in these.  This made me smile a lot, but was also nicely contrasted by Felix's real passion which was for fine art and the regret he feels that he can't pursue that more on the art course.  This all ties in with the Bath setting which is brought into the book in bits and pieces. I liked that Felix was so in love with the city and that it showed through scenes as simple as looking out of his window.

Overall. I really liked Tailor Made. The author took quite an unusual setting and a pair of likeable characters, and turned them into a heartwarming romance with a slight bite of satire which left me with a smile on my face. Grade: Excellent.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Safe Harbor by Derek Adams

I have a hit and miss relationship with Derek Adams' books. I often like his writing style and I'm impressed that he seems to be able to write in a range of genres within m/m, but his earthy and raunchy erotic sex scenes don't do it for me.  I was pleased to find that this book was quite different to many of the other things I've read before by this author.  It's still a very sexy book, but it's also sweetly romantic and has two very appealing lead characters.

The story opens with Mikey who works at the harbour of a tourist town. His job is mainly grunt work, but he also helps out his nearing retirement boss with things like book keeping and other organisational tasks.  Mikey has a ten year old daughter, Becky, who he had when he was only 18 and whose mother ran off not long after the birth.  Immediately we get a picture of Mikey as a sensible, intelligent, hardworking, responsible man, and it wasn't hard to like him.  He's a on the quays sorting out tangled ropes when he sees a group of gay men depart from a nearby boat. Mikey recognises one of the men, and is transported back ten years to the summer he spent with Eric, before all his dreams of College fell to pieces.

The story is mostly structured with a lengthy flashback sandwiched between parts set in the present day. I know some readers hate flashbacks, but this one worked for me because the bulk of the story is contained within the time set ten years previously. Mikey meets Eric and is taken aback when he is attracted to him. They begin a gentle exploration with Eric being the confident and more experienced one of the pair. I thought the author had managed to capture well all of Mikey's concerns and confusion over his feelings for Eric, and I was soon caught up in this story of a young man's coming out to himself.  The sweetness of the romance is balanced by the way that Mikey struggles with his image, especially with his other friendships, and some of the homophobia he encounters there.

The relationship that Mikey has with his daughter was touching without ever becoming mawkish. He could have been bitter about having to raise a child on his own, but instead he delights in her, even if she seems to find ways to embarrass him.

The relationship between the men in both sections of the book is that of mutual admiration and a healthy desire. There were lots of scenes where compliments are given, small touches bestowed and lingering looks which hype up the sexual tension. The sex scenes were toned down from the usual raunchy scenes I associate with this author, and were instead very romantic without being too sweet.  They were still very hot, but you also get a good sense of the growing admiration these guys feel for each other.

Whilst there is a little bit of drama in the book, the story is mostly focused on Mikey coming to terms with loving a man and taking that step out of the closet. Those looking for a very angsty read will have to look elsewhere but I found this to be a perfect book for those readers who are looking for an easy sweet read with nicely drawn characters and a steady plot where the focus is very much on romance.  This is a perfect read for a cold winter's evening and gets a grade of 'Excellent'.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: His Hero Anthology by Total E-Bound

I picked up this anthology because I like stories about men in uniform and so I was looking forward to reading this collection. Unfortunately, apart from a couple of stories, I wouldn't recommend reading this collection of shorts for various reasons I shall set out below.

 Let's start with the positives. The one reason for reading this anthology is for the story A Ring and a Promise by Devon Rhodes. It tells of two Navy men (one a marine and the other a pilot) who have been lovers for a couple of years, and the difficulties which arise when they come to the end of their training and are posted away from each other. I really liked this realistic portrayal of not only the difficulties in being gay in the military, but also the hardship of being the partner (gay or straight) of a military lover. I liked that there was no easy answer to their situation, and that the two men were sensible in not only how they conducted themselves but also with their pragmatic approach to their relationship. Very moving, well written and definitely a 'Very Good' read.

The other story I liked was In the Name of the Law by Sue Holston, which tells of two vice detectives, Mitch and Ivan. Mitch has been in love with Ivan for a long time and as the story progresses he becomes more and more caught up in wanting to confess his feelings. The story was a touch melodramatic on occasion, but I liked Mitch and felt for his situation and was happy when things worked out well for him.

Only Sam by Em Woods and Wings of Fire by Kit Sams were what I would consider 'OK' stories. There wasn't anything to dislike about them too much except that the men fall a little too fast for each other and they also, rather bizarrely follow a similar storyline which becomes almost identical towards the end.

The other two stories didn't work for me at all. I found the characters hackneyed and one dimensional and the stories unbelieveable. Any story which has the main character announcing to his family that he's found 'the one' after knowing the other guy less than 12 hours is going to lose me as a reader. One of the stories so thoroughly lost my attention, due to the lack of chemistry between the pair and the ridiculous situation, that I skimmed the last few pages because I wanted it to be over.

One thing that struck about the anthology as a whole was that many of the stories relied too much on sex and less about a realistic plot or romance and substituted sexual desire for true intimacy of feeling. Too many times feelings of lust or protectiveness were used as a short cut for love. This just didn't work for me because whilst there was often that zing of initial chemistry between the characters, the reader is often then just told that love is happening rather than being shown it in scenes other than the bedroom.  There were also too many over the top villains who behaved in baffling and irrational ways, and too many couples who fell in love too quickly and didn't act in a rational or consistent manner. It's not that the writing was bad, but more that the characters and situations didn't work for me as a reader.

Overall, this anthology is not really worth reading except for the Devon Rhodes story. Fortunately you can buy that one as a separate story, and I suggest you do that rather than spend money on this anthology.  Grade: Poor.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Finding Eden by Kele Moon

Finding Eden is a prequel to Beyond Eden, a m/m/f book which I haven't read, and am still a little undecided as to whether I will read since m/m/f isn't really my thing. It tells of two best friends Danny and Paul whose best friend (and Paul's girlfriend), Eden, has gone away to College, leaving the guys feeling sad and lost without her. Both men have had pretty poor home lives. Danny's father is rich but is an verbally abusing alcoholic. Paul's family is much worse as his father and brothers despise Paul's gentle nature and often physically beat him. Paul has to be the best at everything and so he excels at sport, school, and not showing weakness during the beating. We skip forward two years to find Paul at College and Danny bumming around taking on odd jobs as a mafia 'heavy'. At first glance, it seems that Paul is more sorted of the pair, but Danny is shocked to discover that Paul has got involved with some very dark BDSM submission.

This was a book of two halves for me. The first half deals with the friendship between the guys and in particular Danny's attraction to Paul. Danny is bisexual, a fact he's hidden from Paul who thinks that Danny spends most of his time having sex with woman. It took me a long time to warm up to Danny. He has anger issues, is very self-centred, and seems to hate pretty much everybody. He a self-confessed 'asshole' who speaks to people with disdain and uses his good looks to get as many people to bed him as possible. I did wonder how he managed to keep any of his friends but he has formed a rather touching relationship with a lesbian couple as well as his friendship with Paul. I spent the first part of the book wondering why I was continuing to read about such a nasty character, but there was also something rather compelling about Danny which made me keep reading. Despite his rough nature he has pride and a conscience. He's the type of guy who once he makes a friend will do all that he can for them, will remain loyal no matter what. It takes most of the book for that to become apparent though, so I urge readers who may be put off by Danny to keep reading. He doesn't change, other than to perhaps become a little less truculent and more responsible for his actions, but we do get to see a better side of him that's hidden for most of the first half.

The second half of the book deals with Danny and Paul coming together as a couple and in particular Danny's reaction to the BDSM scene that Paul has got himself involved in. This is a time of inner reflection for Danny as his perceptions of his friend changes and, as a result, he has to deal with some things about himself that he has tried to suppress. The things that happen to Paul are rather graphic and some fainthearted readers who are not fans of very violent scenes or the aftermath of violence may not find this to their taste. Extreme masochism isn't really my cup of tea, but I thought the author had done a good job in showing Paul's mindset, his reasons behind needing that sort of submission and also how dangerous it can be. The character of Jason, another submissive and a doctor, acts as the sensible and experienced voice in the book. I liked Jason a great deal and was in sympathy at his alarm over the way the two men approached Paul's kink. Jason definitely needs his own book!

My main niggle with the story isn't to do with the writing (although some of the crude language used by Danny reminded me again why I don't like m/f erotic romance) but with my own squeamishness over what happens to Paul. I couldn't find the sex scenes sexy when I was worried about a) Paul's back bleeding everywhere; b) the foolishness of what they were doing in terms of not seeking proper medical help at a hospital (although I did understand why thy didn't go to a hospital; and c) how much of a pain it would be to wash the blood out of the sheets.

Having said that, the themes within the book were very fresh and I thought the way that both Danny and Paul were shown as developing their own strategies to deal with their past abuse and interesting and unusual idea. The story ends just as the men are starting to understand the seriousness of Paul's kink, and starting to develop strategies to be safer in their play. It takes nearly the whole book for Danny to come to terms with the BDSM scene, to stop think of it as something deviant. I presume the next book will show how the men come to a place where they can enjoy their newly defined roles within safe limits but at the end of this book they still have that road to travel.

I've had to think a little over how to grade this book. There were parts that really didn't appeal to me, but it was also a book that left me thinking over the characters and their actions. It also made me think about masochism and its effect on masochists and those around them. As such, I think this book deserves a grade of 'Very Good'. It's a book that will not appeal to everyone, but I'm glad I read it.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: The Peripheral Son by Dorien Grey

The Peripheral Son is the fourteenth book in a long running series of mystery novels (the first book The Butcher's Son was published over 10 years ago - find a whole list of the books here) featuring PI Dick Hardesty.  Now normally I won't join a series so late on as I tend to break out in a cold sweat when I read a series out of order. However, I was asked to review the book and I found that because the focus is very definitely on solving the mystery, you don't really need to know what happens in the previous books. I even managed to pick up a lot of clues about Dick, his relationship with Jonathan and his adopted son Joshua, and his vast network of gay friends quite easily - even if I got a little confused as to who all the gay friends were.  My only annoyance was that certain specifics about Dick such as where he lives, his looks and age were never mentioned (presumably because all that stuff is covered in earlier books) and I struggled with picturing him.  Not that it's strictly necessary to have a image of Dick, especially as the books are written in the first person, but it would have been nice to know for certain that he was in his forties, rather than having to make an assumption that he was.

In this book the mystery revolves around a missing person - Victor Koseva.  Dick is hired to find out where Victor is and spends time looking for him.  When Victor turns up dead at a local gay cruising spot, the death looks accidental, but there are things that don't add up for Dick. Dick's client asks that he continues the investigation, and Dick finds himself immersed in the murky world of shady business deals in construction, and drug taking in the boxing world.

The story is set in the 1980's (again no specific date), when useful tools for a PI, like the internet and the mobile phone, had not yet been invented.  As such, Dick spends an awful lot of time on the telephone, in the library, meeting people and researching  the validity of what people tell him.  Each conversation he has with people is painstakingly recreated so that the reader knows everything that Dick finds out.  Alongside these conversations we have the internal dialogue of Dick who mulls over various clues, options and scenarios.  On one hand this meant that the book contained an incredible amount of detail, but it also had the effect that the plotting was very slow at times.  This meant that, at least for me, this wasn't a book I could read all in one go.  It was very interesting and I was curious as to how the mystery was going to work out, but I wasn't riveted by the book.  I put it down a couple of times and read something else before coming back to the book.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as I definitely wanted to finish the book because the mystery had caught my attention, just that those looking for lots of action and swift pacing may be disappointed with this dialogue heavy book.

The mystery itself was full of twists and turns and misdirections. I guessed whodunit by about 3/4 of the way through, which is probably when the really obvious clues were being given to the reader!  One thing I really liked about the mystery was that it showed the many brick walls that Dick stumbles into.  Towards the end of the book Dick is incredibly frustrated at how little he has in terms of concrete evidence in his case, and I felt just as frustrated as he did!  It was interesting to read a mystery where the clues didn't follow on in a nice linear pattern, and also for us to see some surprises and misconceptions for Dick.  It was all rather clever.

There's no romance in this book, unless you count the four year relationship Dick has with his partner Jonathan.  There's a slight sub-plot involving Joshua who is starting school and all the organising that goes along with that.  We also get glimpses into Dick's past as a bit of a gay playboy which made me smile because he's such a responsible family man now, even if he still loves the much alluded to 'games' that he and Jonathan get up to in the privacy of their bedroom.

Overall, if you are a fan of mystery novels then this will be a good book to pick up.  The eighties setting is unusual but don't expect a lot of references to the time period (except to see how much harder life was without the internet).  Even the AIDS epidemic is only mentioned briefly because Dick and nearly all his friends are in long-term monogamous relationships and therefore it didn't affect them too greatly - at least not in this book, it may have been given more of a focus in earlier books in the series.  I liked Dick a great deal and found his dogged and fairly optimistic approach to his job and life in general very sympathetic.  I'd recommend The Peripheral Son with a grade of 'Very Good' and would certainly consider reading further books in this series.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: By His Rules by JA Rock

This book is divided into two parts. The first part covers Aiden's relationship with Scott. At the beginning of the book Aiden is drifting a little. He has a good degree in Drama and vague plans to go onto to do an MBA but he can't seem to summon up the gumption to start applying for places. He knows he's a good actor and an attractive man, and he dabbles a little in the BDSM scene, excelling in role playing with a little pain play. When he's picked up by Scott, he's excited that Scott sees through him to the need to submit and so Scott takes him onto train. A few months later, thoroughly discouraged and beaten down by months of being told how worthless he is, Aiden finds it within himself to leave Scott.

What worked for me with this book is how it so perfectly showed the pitfalls of falling into an unsuitable BDSM relationship. Aiden was a bright, confident man at the beginning of the book. A bit of a show-off, but then that fitted with his love of acting. When he leaves Scott he's a shadow of his former self, lacking in self confidence and unable to control a eating disorder or organise his life. The thought of finding a place to live, a job or even just surviving by himself fills him with panic. Keaton steps in at this point and offers Aiden a safe place to try and get himself back on his feet which is where the second part of the book begins and we see Aiden slowly recover from his ordeal.

I was a little skeptical at first as to whether the domestic discipline story would work alongside the BDSM abuse story and worried that it would prove to be a 'sex heals' book. In the end it wasn't like that at all as Keaton, at first, only provides a set of rules to help Aiden restructure his life. One reason this aspect of the book worked for me was because Keaton is shown as being just as flawed as Aiden. He knows the theory of how a DD relationship works but he's lacking in experience. They grow as a couple because as a problem arises they work through it. Much of their problems stem from Aiden's difficulty in following the fifth rule where he must be open and honest about any worries he has, and I have to admit I found the way he continued to keep secrets a little irritating after a while.

The romance between the men moves quite slowly, as is fitting given Aiden's bad experience with Scott, but I liked the contrast between the sometimes difficult to read scenes where Scott is 'training' Aiden and the generous, loving and affirming relationship that develops between Aiden and Keaton.  I also liked the way that Scott's character is developed later in the book, where we are given glimpses into how he has been affected by the way he treated Aiden and Aiden's reaction to that. It meant that although I was never in sympathy with Scott, he wasn't a monster.

My main complaint in the story is that I was slightly concerned that the DD relationship was used solely to heal Aiden. I felt that, given how terribly affected Aiden was by the way he was treated by Scott, he needed to have sought some professional help too. Keaton wasn't a professional by any means, and whilst the loving guidelines and punishments helped to ground Aiden and focus his mind on what he needed to do to recover, I felt that he should have gone to a doctor or therapist to deal with some of the psychological problems caused by Scott's abuse.

Setting aside that complaint, this was an engrossing story which dealt with difficult themes of abuse and recovery. The writing was very good, if emotionally intense at times and that drew me into Aiden's story.  It made me think about the very thin line often shown in BDSM books between enjoyment of pain/humiliation play and all out abuse. It also provided what turned out to be a warm and satisfying romance.   I recommend By His Rules, with a grade of 'Very Good' to those readers who are interested in reading about the domestic discipline lifestyle and who won't be upset by some of the themes of the book.

Buy this book HERE.