Review: What I need - Theda Black

This novella surprised me. It’s written in first person voice from Jacob’s point of view and in some ways it reminded me of Muscling Through, which I absolutely loved. Jacob isn’t quite up to par with Al, but he does have his own voice.

The focus here isn’t the M/M romance or the sex, it’s Jacob’s characterisation. It’s the moment in his life when something needs to give and change. For too long Jacob has just been ignoring his needs, not just sexual but social. As awkward as interacting with strange people and huge groups is for him, he soldiers on and forces himself to face his fears each and everyday. He just never stopped to think that facing someone isn’t the same thing as opening up to them.

Then he falls for Elijah.

This is where the trope I’m not overly fond of comes in. Elijah is a hooker who works in an alley Jacob walks through on his way home from work. They both know it can’t possibly work, but they throw themselves into the attraction anyway, and figure out a way. Or try to. 

What I absolutely loved was the fact Black doesn’t make it easy for her characters. I was a little worried I wouldn’t be able to suspend my disbelief for the fairytale ending with the magical I love you’s that fix everything in fetishistic M/M erotica. I shouldn’t have been, because there isn’t a fairytale ending with magical I love you’s for these men. There’s something better. It’s raw and real and it’s on both of their terms. 

It feels good to add something on my “recommending” shelf again.

4 stars

Series: N/A

Pages: 66 (Kindle ebook)

Publisher: Self-published

Published: June 20th 2012

Source: Freebie

Review: Fish & Chips and Divide & Conquer

Fish & Chips by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Blurb

There’s a certain challenge in reviewing novels of a book series back to back. How do I say the same things and still keep the review fresh and interesting to read? Because obviously, the problems I had in the first two book of the Cut & Run series about FBI special agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett, still exist in the third instalment. 

The repetition, it’s still there. Not as strong as in the beginning or even in the second book, mind you, but it exists. In the third book, however, it focuses more on catching up the reader after a longer pause between published books than rehashing the same thoughts, themes and events within the book. Although, that does happen too. 

The adverbs and everything that reminds me of bad fanfiction writing, are still there. The fact that I occasionally laughed or snorted at funny lines or incidents, doesn’t change the fact that dialogue tags include unnecessary words ending with -ly. This infection isn’t limited to dialogue tags either, but it fades better within the body text. 

Plot advancement continues to happen in short paragraphs used to tell the reader (more like recap) what has happened. Apart from a handful of discussions and scenes that unsurprisingly also centre around the two main characters and their assumed character and relationship development, majority of this book is spent in scenes mirroring Ty’s and Zane’s behaviour around each other.  

As for the hairline thin plot thread holding this book together that was marginally better done here than in the first book, and significantly improved upon the second—which is hardly a surprise considering that Sticks & Stones had no plot at all.

So what do I talk about, after that quick refresher? 

About the reason why I keep reading, of course—the characters of course.

That however will prove to be a challenge. I already listed a number of reasons on a Goodreads comment for my earlier review and it’s difficult to talk about the subject without repeating myself. 

I shall try.

From the start, Ty and Zane had that not unique kind of chemistry and banter interaction that I find appealing. They’re not mushy, but snarky and rather caustic. They don’t get along in the very beginning, but like the men they are, they only connect after having bruised and maimed each other—as if having others to do that them wasn’t enough. Trust is earned.

Then there’s a disconnect. 

Between books one and two something happens and the characterisations are altered significantly. Where Zane was the one more in touch with his feelings in Cut & Run, in Sticks & Stones it’s suddenly Ty. Ty also has his momentary relapse to childhood behaviour patterns, which should be familiar to every adult ever visited his or her parents after a long absence. In Fish & Chips Zane very clearly regresses to a state more fitting his history revealed in the first book, whereas Ty ends up embracing his submissive side. 

It’s almost like the authors started writing two different characters, went back and changed few history details, and only after having submitted the first manuscript for publication realised they needed to change how the characters acted too. The altered details matter very little if the motivations springing from them don’t ring true. I read Fish & Chips as an desperate attempt to correct the course away from those rocky shores laid out in the first book and towards deeper, safer waters.

I only wish Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux had skipped publishing their practice run and waited for their first actual sailing trip.

As things stand now, between books three and four, I have a very hazy picture of the characterisations the authors are trying to convey. I suspect it would be easier to accept what I’m told, had I skipped the first book and started the series from Sticks & Stones. However, with the absence of actual plot I can’t recommend this option for anyone else either.

Three stars for the sheer grace of not annoying me as much as the previous two.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Series: Cut & Run #3

Pages: 314 (paperback)

Publisher:    Dreamspinner Press

ISBN: 9781615812271

Published:         December 6th 2010

Source: NetGalley

Divide & Conquer

Blurb

No. I’m not going to go through with the list again. Let’s just say that I have issues with the quality and style of writing Urban & Roux produce and leave it at that. 

Or let’s not. 

I must mention the utter lack of medical research. It’s like they didn’t even try. Admittedly I’m not a medical professional, but there are characters in this book that are supposed to be and they’re not acting like they are. There’s a very serious situation where Zane loses his sight. No one knows whether the loss is temporary or permanent, but the doctors just shrug: 

“You don’t want to stay in the hospital do you?”

They just discharge him without providing him with the information or contact numbers for people who help newly blinded people to cope with their situation. There’s not a phone call or a quick talk, there’s nothing. You’d think the doctor or a nurse would at least put Zane in touch with someone regardless how resistant he might be. 

Also, the family. Where is Zane’s family? The doctor asks. Texas, Ty answers, but no one contacts them. Oh, Zane doesn’t want to talk to his family?  Okay then. These people, the hospital staff or the FBI, don’t know that Ty and Zane are a couple. They act like it’s normal for work partners to stay at each other’s homes for prolonged periods of times instead of making tentative plans for the day after tomorrow when Zane’s home and his partner at work like he’s supposed to be. 

Except Ty’s not at work. He’s conveniently sent home to not be a target. A target in a federal building, which you would think has better security measures than just letting random bombers walk in through the front door. 

As for the so called mystery, it’s getting annoying being thrown at these clues in such a casual manner. I do understand that the authors are trying to foreshadow things to come, but the problem with this is that they are relying on clues very much entwined with the characterisations. And those clues, aspects of these characters, aren’t necessarily in line with what has been told about them in the previous books. Like Ty’s latent OCD. Ty’s always been observant but Zane was the detail orientated. Except when it fits the plot. 

This is where you ask ”what plot?” and I nod knowingly. The one where the whole point was to provide convenient circumstances for Zane to finally say the I love you, to Ty. As opposed to the serial killer hellbent on their destruction. 

Whatever. Two stars and the book is hanging on to that second star by tooth and nail. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Series: Cut & Run #4

Pages: 320 (paperback)

Publisher:        Dreamspinner Press

ISBN: 9781615817160

Published:        October 14th 2011

Source: NetGalley

Review: Sticks & Stones - Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Sticks & Stones

Six months after nearly losing their lives to a serial killer in New York City, FBI Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett are suffering through something almost as frightening: the monotony of desk duty. When they're ordered to take a vacation for the good of everyone's sanity, Ty bites the bullet and takes Zane home with him to West Virginia, hoping the peace and quiet of the mountains will give them the chance to explore the explosive attraction they've so far been unable to reconcile with their professional partnership. Ty and Zane, along with Ty's father and brother, head up into the Appalachian mountains for a nice, relaxing hike deep into the woods... where no one will hear them scream. They find themselves facing danger from all directions: unpredictable weather, the unrelenting mountains, wild animals, fellow hikers with nothing to lose, and the most terrifying challenge of all. Each other.

What can I say about Sticks & Stones? Not much that hasn’t already been said (by me) about Cut & Run. 

I was still cursing the adverbs and the repetition, although, the latter was greatly improved (read: greatly diminished) in this second part of the series. And as before, the characters are the story. There’s something around the 30% mark that could be interpreted as a hint of a plot, but it never develops into anything and fizzles out long before the end of the novel. 

To the list of authors’ sins we get to add infodump. Ty’s family is introduced in such a manner that the only impressions left are vague caricatural characterisations, one with a shovel, another with a limp, and a third with a cooking addiction. 

I’m still hoping for a better, more precise writing from this author duo. For example, there’s a scene where Ty and Zane spend a night in Ty’s old room and I was confused by the state of the door. Was it shut with a click, or was it left open to act as a deterrent for gay sex? Also, who was wearing which shoes? I could infer more details from the additional commentary, but only after spending a few minutes turning back the pages trying to find the right answer. 

These weren’t my only issues with the continuity within the book and the series so far. This time Zane took back the I love you he said in Cut & Run and Ty’s characterisation morphed from slightly unstable to properly insane without any real forewarning or foreshadowing. I guess the signs could have been there, but the imprecise writing undermined the effort.

My other issues include the questions when did “marine” become a magic word and why did the blissfully absent cockcommentary from book one have to be introduced here? 

Also it was fun (not really) reading how the men had a quickie with all their injuries and enjoyed unbridled and spontaneous kissing with a broken nose without a single complaint or a wince. No, the wince came after when he accidentally tried wrinkling his nose. 

In Sticks & Stones we also get to hear from Ty’s brother and father, but I was left wondering why. As nice as it was to have someone observe Ty’s and Zane’s unconscious cuddling, there really wasn’t a point to these point of views. Of course those paragraphs could have been wasted in background information or mental monologues in the middle of an action scene, so I’m not complaining too loudly.

There are lots of cute moments between Ty and Zane that unfortunately can’t carry this plotless story even if we do learn Beaumont’s real name.

2 stars

 I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Series: Cut & Run #2

Pages: 322 (paperback)

Publisher:        Dreamspinner Press

Published:       January 25th 2010

Source: NetGalley

Review. Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

A series of murders in New York City has stymied the police and FBI alike, and they suspect the culprit is a single killer sending an indecipherable message. But when the two federal agents assigned to the investigation are taken out, the FBI takes a more personal interest in the case.


Special Agent Ty Grady is pulled out of undercover work after his case blows up in his face. He's cocky, abrasive, and indisputably the best at what he does. But when he's paired with Special Agent Zane Garrett, it's hate at first sight. Garrett is the perfect image of an agent: serious, sober, and focused, which makes their partnership a classic cliché: total opposites, good cop-bad cop, the odd couple. They both know immediately that their partnership will pose more of an obstacle than the lack of evidence left by the murderer.


Practically before their special assignment starts, the murderer strikes again — this time at them. Now on the run, trying to track down a man who has focused on killing his pursuers, Grady and Garrett will have to figure out how to work together before they become two more notches in the murderer's knife.

While reading this book I had quite a few thoughts circling in my mind, but of those the most prominent three were:

1. Gods, save me from the adverbs. 

2. Gods, save me from the repetition. I’ll forget the adverbs as long as the repetition ends NOW.

3. This isn’t a character driven story, because the characters are the story. 

Now, there’s nothing wrong with a character centric book, but. 

There’s hardly any plot. Scratch that. There’s no plot. There’s barely a framework for a murder mystery and an awkward excuse to bring two men together and have them fall in love against all odds and their life experience up until that point. 

Ty G. and Zane G. (Grady and Garrett respectively) fall into each others arms repeatedly in scenes that can only be described as fantasy fulfilment. They take turns disrobing in front of each other and getting conveniently hurt to allow the other to touch them in a caring manner.  And of course this leads to unresolved sexual tension which quickly becomes resolved. 

Too quickly. Their relationship progresses too fast, which is a considerable achievement considering the over all length of the book. My NetGalley copy showed closer to 400 hundred Kindle pages than 300 and half of those could have easily been left on the cutting room floor without any significant loss to the plot. Er. My mistake: -without any significant loss to the character and relationship arcs. 

One of my Kindle notes says: 

”They’re od’ing on deux ex machina plot point encounters.”

The success of this book hinges on the readers connection to the characters. 

As a long time soap opera viewer I’m a sucker prone to suffering through horrible plot lines just to see my favourite characters stumble from one ill-advised adventure to another.

But I’m also a mystery and crime novel fan and whodunnits have made my heart skip ever since I picked up my first Agatha Christie Novel. And in this, too, the novel fails.

Almost all plot advancement mystery partition of the story is done in short paragraphs telling what had happened with the case and the world around them. The foreshadowing is done with a heavy hand and the culprit is clear pretty much from the beginning. At the time it felt like some relevant information like Zane’s wedding ring is withheld until the last minute.

I also have other small complaints like the fact that I’m not sure how accurate the hospital scenes are or like someone on Twitter said: New York is a city that should be a character. It’s not in Cut & Run and that shows the lack of actual research on the authors’ part. 

There’s a lot criticism in this review, so why is the rating two stars instead of one? 

That’s easy. I’m picturing Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki as Ty and Zane. 

Wonder why exactly that is.

2 stars

 I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Series: Cut & Run #1

Pages: 348 (paperback)

Publisher:        Dreamspinner Press

Published:         September 1st 2008

Source: NetGalley

ARC Review: Sight Unseen - Hunter Raines

Sight Unseen

Daniel Van Doren was once a renowned writer, until he was blinded in the car accident that killed his lover. Now, all he sees are ghosts in need of help. They follow him everywhere, and the only way to be rid of his ethereal visitors is to help them resolve their unfinished business here on earth so their spirits can find peace.

Ghostwriter Logan Riley is assigned to pen Daniel's biography. He plans to reveal him as a fraud, but when they meet he's struck by Danny's quiet sincerity—and a growing attraction. Which makes sticking close to Danny to find out the truth more than a little distracting.

When they are attacked by a violent poltergeist Logan begins to believe Danny's not just telling the truth, he's in grave danger. A spirit has learned how to harness the energy of the living to break through the barrier between worlds to harm Danny. And Logan may be the one to blame…

You know those books that start out fine, not with a bang or a vortex that sucks you in and won't let go, but just plain well. You put it down and finish another book, a better book, a book by an author you love, and then you go back to it hoping it'll get better but not at all expecting to be wowed.

Sight Unseen was such a book for me.

I wasn't expecting high literacy, nor was I expecting to find my new favourite author ever. I was simply expecting to be entertained, but even in that Sight Unseen failed me.

It started with the little things.

Great mobile phone signal in the sewers. One of my favourite TV shows mentioned in passing. Mild misogyny I'd read without batting an eye in another place and time, but on a day reading about people defending rape jokes and remembering a government mandated rape for abortion seekers in a certain part of the world, I batted an eye. Those were the things it started with.

Then it graduated to fanfic clichés. It wasn't Edward pinching the bridge of his nose, it was Elena, Danny's sister, but who the hell pinches the bridge his or her nose if not a character from Twilight? It's a phrase I've only read in Twilight and Twilight fanfiction and even then it made me want to hurl my laptop through the window.

No, I'm not claiming this ever was a Twilight fanfiction, but that's where my mind goes in this era of  pulled to publish fanfiction.

That kind of little things that kept pulling me out of the story and making me stop. And with this start and stop and start again rhythm I started paying attention to things that probably wouldn't have bothered me otherwise. They were all small things, not mistakes really, but things that made me think the author hadn't quite thought things through.

Like the cane. Yes, blind people use a cane to find their way around the world, but even in their own homes where they've memorised the layout? Granted, Danny's new to this blindness thing, but I got the impression that he's pretty much a shut-in, other than the occasionally visits to the police station, nearby coffee shop and to his sisters. Though, I was under the impression his sister visited him, not the other way around. And then there was the way sounds and smells were described. They were only mentioned when it was convenient to the author and scene in the book instead of being an integral part of how Danny lives his life now.

I'd complain about the characterisations further, but that's not really my problem. All the building blocks were there, they just weren't utilised properly. Why not you ask? Well, because apparently according to this author, what qualifies as character and relationship development is remarks about the characters' various states of arousal. Basically cock-commentary and that's it.

I'm tired of reading M/M porn without heart. Or a story.

That's the worst part. This had potential. The plot thread about ghosts and a poltergeist haunting Danny, giving him a new kind of  purpose in life, and Logan wanting to expose him as a con man had potential. If we forget the misogyny angle, Sophie's anger and the confrontation were well done.

Except for the part that killed the remaining good for me. Spoiler coming:When Sophie possesses Danny's body, he temporarily regains his vision. This I could understand and even forgive, because it was only temporary thing--in the end Danny is just as blind as he is in the beginning of the book. What I could not forgive was what the author did with that sight. She used it to validate Logan's confession of love. You read right. The only way Danny could possibly believe Logan was honest and telling what he truly felt was by seeing it.Highlight to see.

I can't say more. I'll just rage and rant if I do.

Rating 1

I received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Series:           N/A
Pages:          68,000 words ~ 200 pages
Publisher:      Carina Press
Published:      expected, July 23rd, 2012
Source:          NetGalley, Publisher

Guest Review: The Prince's Groom - KT Grant

Genre: M/M romance, historical
Pages: 175
Published: November 2010
Review by Lis

Mr. Martin, the former first mate of an infamous pirate captain is mourning the loss of his young lover. He and Thomas de Fleurre, an exiled prince turned gentleman landowner, had a passionate affair on a tropical island paradise for a very short time. Thomas decides to end their relationship since Martin is a wanted man on the run for a twenty-year-old crime he didn’t commit.

Thomas longs for the frank speaking Martin, who not only ravaged his body, but his heart and soul. He has moved on, finding happiness in the arms of another man, but can’t stop thinking about those hot steamy nights where Martin made his every fantasy become a reality.

Martin’s past comes back to haunt him as he arrives on Thomas’s doorstep to finish what they started. And then Martin puts his life on the line to save Thomas from an unstable woman who is obsessed with claiming Thomas as her own.

With a dangerous highwayman also terrorizing the land who has close ties to Martin, Thomas becomes a target in a deadly game of cat and mouse. It’s up to Martin to save Thomas and hope they can sail away on their tide of passion, where he will end up being the Prince’s groom.

------

Ahoy, ye merry mateys! Aye it this time again. Time for a swashbucklin' about pirates, wenches and gentlemen. I'm talking about K.T. Grant's book The Prince's Groom. After reading The Claiming of Suzy I was a wee bit hesitant, but shiver me timbers, this book surprised me.

When I started this book, which is about Martin and Thomas – or Thom as Martin also calls him – there was the feeling that something was missing. It started right in the middle of the wedding of Thomas' sister Daisy and the characters already knew each other. I was a wee bit disappointed, because I dislike those stories that just start right in the middle of something, assuming we know what in the seven seas is going on.

Turns out that The Prince's Groom is a sequel/continuation of the Daisy's story The Princess' Bride. So while I was a bit disappointed that I missed how Martin and Thom got together and the general first part of the story, I soon got with the program and got into the story. While I missed bits and pieces of Thom and Martin and their histories, it didn't stop me from liking this story.

Martin is a man of secrets and Thom is a stubborn git. While passion flies, communication between the men is missing and that doesn't bode well. Indeed Thom takes off for his own parts while Martin can't follow because he's a wanted man and because he let Thom go. Gah. Men. Always refusing to talk.

Fast forward a year and Thom is getting it on with his personal assistant, though his heart is – gna gna gna – not in it. Trouble brews in the form of the bad, scheming and spoiled wench Ramona. She set her beady eyes on Thom and lo and behold, what Ramona wants she gets. No matter the cost or consequences. Trouble also brews in the form a Night Stalker. Luckily, after some time on the high seas, Martin gets his wits about him and goes in search Thom.

What I liked about this story is that Martin and Thom are not your typical characters. They're not stereotypes who have a role to play (while of course they each have their part in the story, it's not a typical role). They're round characters who are stubborn and want to keep themselves from hurt while also being in love with each other. I also liked that Thom got it on with his PA. It shows that he's not a saint and makes his mistakes. Just like Martin wants to keep his past and his first name to himself.

What I didn't like about this story was the lack of world-building. Having not read the previous book, I most likely missed a bit more, but I missed the background on the world around them, the setting, but also the secondary characters. Take for instance Ramona. She is the typical evil bitch of the story, yet you don't get a real insight into the motives – while, and that I liked, she got more page time than most baddies in a story.

I'm glad B. sent this story my way. The Prince's Groom is a sweet, sexy and hot story about two men learning that they can't live apart and that they can make it work together if they want too.

Thank you Lis!

review copy from the author

Review: Str8te Boys - Evangeline Anderson

 Or the tale of how I lost my m/m virginity





Genre: m/m
Pages: 60
Published: 2009

How far would you dare to go…to win it all?

Maverick Holms and Duke Warren share almost everything—a college soccer team, an apartment and the same extremely competitive nature. Thanks to that never-back-down spirit, they’re about to share more than they bargained for.

The game is “gay chicken”. The rule: get as close as possible without kissing, and the one that pulls away first is the loser. The problem: neither of them likes to lose. It isn’t long before the game becomes an excuse to touch and kiss in every possible forbidden way. And after they pose for a gay website to earn extra money, things really heat up.

Suddenly Duke is talking lifetime commitment, and Mav is backpedaling as hard as he can, not sure if he’s ready to accept all his best friend is offering him. Or the truth about what he is.

Plot:

The blurb does say it all for once.

My thoughts:

Oh how scared I was, who is the chicken here really. Not to mention I have this aversion to e-books these days, but this one was short, I took bf's minilaptop and started reading.

Two guys playing games and daring each other to go further. Maverick and Duke was truly the perfect couple for me to start with. Two straight men falling for each other and exploring. Mav has doubts and Duke is in love. I really liked them both and they eased me into this genre. It was a sweet tale about love, oh and it was HOT. Hehe, mostly it was hot, and then love at the end. A great little novella that didn't rush things, cos things had been happening for a long time and now when they were about to go separate ways things heated up.

Recommendation and final thoughts:

Not that I am an expert, I do not even know how hot hot is, but yes I would recommend this to my fellow m/m readers, and for someone who is as chicken as I was this is a good book to start with.  I enjoyed this little tale, and I am happy to have read it.

Reason for reading:

Everyone seems to read these so I wanted to give one a go and when I won a gc from Closetreader I took my chance.

Cover: I do like it ;)

And that was my tale for the day