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Night
Marion Wiesel, Elie Wiesel
Taking the Long Way Home
Julio-Alexi Genao
Tinman
Dani R.R. Hermit
Pride of the Veld
L.E. Franks
Silver Bullet (Falls Chance Ranch #4)
Ranger, Rolf
The Young Protectors
Alex Woolfson, Adam DeKraker, Veronica Gandini
Not For Sale - Brenda Cothern It looked good. The blurb sounded right up my alley- Leo's undercover work, etc. and, well, kudos to the author for starting the craft so late. It's harder than it looks.

I REALLY liked the general plot/story idea- the human traffic angle, the forced 'undercover relationship, and if course, the m/m aspect:). I also liked the informative nature of the bdsm information.

Unfortunately, this book really just wasn't my thing. It's easy to nitpick stories in general, but I don't want to do that. I'll just list my top (hopefully constructive) concerns:
1) Head-hopping and quasi-head hopping. The frequent back and forth between the characters interrupted flow and confused me.
2) Over-explaining (rather than showing or providing proof). I prefer a bit more ambiguity, and allowing the reader to draw conclusions. Admittedly, this can be a fine line.
3) Sorry! But the editing and pacing. I know this was indy, and therefore the author probably didn't have access to an editor. Buuuutttt.... I'm pretty sure I paid full price(ish) for this, which builds a certain expectation. And, while it wasn't pervasive, there were enough errors to draw me out of my headspace. If at all possible, hopefully the author can gain access to an editor ( or a really good beta) in the future- if nothing else, as a learning experience.

So, this didn't work for me. I'll keep watching the author, though, as writing is an evolutionary thing.
In His Secret Life - Mel Bossa Yay! Now I just need to find time to read it! ;)
Never a Hero - Marie Sexton 5/13/13
The Dangers of Fairy Compacts (Love is Always Write) - Katey Hawthorne For whatever reason (primarily because I just stumbled across this free read) I had rather mediocre hopes when I started this story. Quite happily, the author quickly took those expectations and stomped them into the ground, then jumped on them for good measure. Low expectations properly destroyed, I very much liked this story about a romance between a fairy and a mendicant cleric. When the humble cleric accidentally (kind of) summons the fairy, he finds himself temporarily stuck with the summonee.

I found this story to be entertaining, not too sweet, not so angsty. Perfectly enjoyable. I'm glad I picked it up and I will be looking for other works from this author.

That said, lets get to the good stuff. Wingsex!


For whatever reason (probably because my brain was turned off), I was expecting penetration. Which... C'mon, how was that supposed to work? Fortunately, the author is smarter than me, and didn't Try to do some strange wing acrobatics. The wingsex is like a discovery of a new completely erogenous zone. Anyhow, I know some of you are freaky (ahem-TOTALLY unlike me) so, I thought I'd let you know).
Freedom - Jay Kirkpatrick MandyM really said it well. This story was amazingly good in part 1. I loved the story, loved the characters, loved everything.

The premise of Freedom is pretty much what you would expect, given the title. The reader catches a glimpse of a dystopian society, in a world after "burst", where psychically-talented citizens live in the cities, and those without talents are largely relegated to the "outside" or, depending on their connections, are allowed to live in the city but are given thankless jobs.

A John Doe is found outside, horribly beaten/attacked and as a result is borderline psychotic. Patrick, a somewhat talented empath, is brought in to help assess and heal the tortured mind of John Doe. As part of this, the reader gets to experience the building relationship of the two men in a sterile society. Through this relationship, Patrick comes to realize that his "safe and secure" society isn't what it seems.

Kirkpatrick excels at writing the budding relationship in, writing a riveting story, and providing an underlying warning, or mistake to the story- without becoming preachy. Excellent writing.

Where the author started to lose me, similar to MandyM, was in part two. The MCs are temporarily separated, the story focuses more on an ensemble cast (with multi-person head hopping!), and the story takes on shades of an action film. It really felt a bit like Firestarter, to be honest.

Still, I really (really) enjoyed the writing, and looooved the first part if the story. So.. A 3-3.5 overall. Certainly recommended, and I will absolutely check out future work from this author.
The Red Heart - Isabelle Rowan “You tell her you danced in the desert with a madman and filled your heart.”

The above statement fully eclipses what you will fond in The Red Heart. the language is lyrical, but grounded. The romance, and well, the entire story is filled with a sense of understated peace - which is exactly what the main characters are seeking.

The story circles around an abbreviated, modern day walkabout- not in which there was an aborigine teen entering into manhood and tracing the route of his ancestors, but where a ex-addict, Dan, seeks to fill the empty hollowness of his soul. While the lacks the most traditional elements of a walkabout, it captures the main theme- a journey of spirituality and connection. He undertakes a journey to see Uluru, the "red heart" of Australia, and perhaps in doing so, find his own heart.

image

What he fails to consider is that his goal may be found in the journey, his destination is nothing more than a rock. Dan I initially seeks to drive to Urulu, but chance encounters and guidance from others soon turn his path to walking the distance and exploring nature along the way. Dan is guided on his path by Sam, another damaged young man, and together they find something to make them whole.

"You are like two halves of a story waiting to be told"

Isabelle Rowan does an excellent job providing a serene backdrop with beautiful imagery and common themes running subtly throughout. Once in a while she hits you on the head with them, but for the most part she weaves the story with one red thread glimmering throughout. Highly enjoyable.


Red
Heat
Sam
After the End - Alex Kidwell 3.5 stars.
It seems there are a number of stories lately that feature a main character who recently (or within the past few years) lost a much-loved partner. This story, I think, is one of the better tales with that plot line.

The characters are both fairly vivid and realistic, if one is a bit too good to be true. The writing quality is excellent and slightly haunted and romantic, which certainly suit the plot rather well. The story provides a good mix I melancholy over past list and a tremulous hope of a new relationship, combined with the turmoil that comes with giving up an old and beloved connection (even if it now only lived in your head) to forge a new relationship.

There are no quick fixes here and no glossing over prior partners ("oh I never really loved him quite as much as I loved you). It was a nice, steady, wonderfully sweet story with some hit tends thrown in. And some cuddling. At the beginning, lots of that romantic touching/cuddling kind of stuff :)
Lorcan's Desire - S.J.D. Peterson Sigh..

I could have liked this, I think. Interesting premise and parts I started getting into. But...3 huge things held me back:


1) extremely tell-ey. To the point where one of the characters would comment on something another did or a characteristic of the other and I was like .. Wait , what?
2) I hate it when I can't tell WHY characters like each other. It's meet, fall in like/love, have sex.
Why do you like him? No clue. Please provide some substantiation of the relationship, or I can't believe in it. This is probably an offshoot of #1 above.
3) very dramatic. I just didn't understand the reactions to certain events. At all.

I'll probably try book 2, as I hear it gets better, but I'm... Well, lets just say my fingers are crossed.

On another note, I did read and love Plan B, by the same author. So maybe this is a one-off for me.
Pink Bunny Ears...Seriously? - Jackie Nacht .
Glitterland - Alexis Hall August
Bolt-Hole - Amy Lane Mar 27
Shelter - this_is_kelly Very enjoyable Merthur fic, in which Arthur is a closeted doctor and Merlin is an out and proud nurse. The story takes place over several years, showing 'today', with the buildup of the relationship built through a series of flashbacks. The structure was well-done, which is often not the case with flashbacks. The story was sweet, sassy, and realistic. I quite liked it! Good for me - there's a sequel!
The Brat and the Bodyguard - Rolf,  Ranger Quite entertaining, if stereotropic :) more domestic discipline-ey than BDSM, but the story doesn't really delve into that other than using the spankings as punishment. This is very much spoiled brat (horribly spoiled) and mature man. Not too deep, but I read through all the stories, so I must have liked it!
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz Four, maybe five stars. I'll have to reread this to do a proper review, but I really really enjoyed this story.
City Mouse - Amy Lane, Aleksandr Voinov 3/18/13
For All Waters - Sirivinda The story was very well written and realistic, but I just couldn't believe in the main characters. The reason for that, I believe, is partially due to the heavy subject matter of the story. There is quite a bit of stress and angst that goes into a relationship such as the type the two main characters had. Given that, I would have expected that the author build a very strong relationship between the two to explain why the characters were willing to go through what they did. I didn't see that, and therefore couldn't believe in the romance between the two in the end.