Review: A Case of Possession

May 28, 2014Kassa Leave a comment

A Case of Possession by K.J. Charles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

While Case of Possession, the second book in the Magpie series by KJ Charles, feels like a filler book, it’s still exceptionally entertaining and well written. The characters are wonderful with incredibly clean, evocative writing and the plot is absorbing. I do feel as though the mystery was a bit rushed and not as thorough as the previous book. Perhaps that’s because this particular outing offered more focus on Lucien and Stephen’s deepening relationship so time on the who-dun-it had to be sacrificed. It’s a minor compliant though and I’m more convinced than ever this author is a really stunning writer. I’m going to look for everything she’s written and dive in happily. Continue reading →

Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire

May 21, 2014Kassa 2 Comments

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While Mistborn is not the best fantasy book I have ever read, I think the world building and magic descriptions are definitely some of the best ever written and for that I bump this up to 5 stars. The author has done such an amazing job creating a world where nothing is a surprise. Oh it is to the reader, but I was confident the author had planned every single last detail of the plot, magic use, and world building. This is definitely not a world where the author gets backed into a corner or didn’t prepare for the outcome. It’s a stunning creation that is actually better than the characters and story itself. I’d recommend this for fantasy fans or anyone that enjoys meaty world building and magic. There’s definitely a little bit of every genre thrown in – mystery, political intrigue, science fiction, some love story. I actually listened to the audiobook (so any spelling/naming mistakes are mine since I don’t have the book for reference) and the narrator is very good, which helps because the pacing is quite uneven. Overall I was impressed and blown away by the author’s level of detail and imagination so I’ll easily continue with the series. Continue reading →

Review: The Prince and the Frog

May 16, 2014Kassa Leave a comment

The Prince and the Frog by Rob Rosen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I like Rob Rosen’s writing as he’s funny, witty, and often over the top. My problem with his short stories is that they tend to be more erotica based than I prefer, but I always appreciate the humor. The Prince and The Frog is good for that. It’s a definite tongue in cheek take on the classic fairy tale and I read it in about 15 minutes so I can’t complain. It’s not as memorable as some of Rosen’s other work but it’s cute, easy to read, and doesn’t take itself too seriously as erotica; a trait I enjoy in Rosen’s writing. Continue reading →

Sex in YA?

May 14, 2014Kassa 43 Comments

At Rainbow Con they had several young adult panels, which is of interest to me since I read quite a bit of YA fiction. I only made it to one of the panels (damn scheduling!) but I was both bewildered and interested in what the panelists had to say. There were 5, I think, authors of YA m/m fiction and the topics ranged from language, sex, violence, and accurate portrayals. Continue reading →

Review: Bone Rider

May 12, 2014Kassa 2 Comments

Bone Rider by J. Fally
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars

I heard so much buzz about this book and how it made best of the year lists by numerous readers. This is definitely a case of a book being overhyped and not living up to the buildup. The basic premise is good and I quite liked Riley and McClane, even Misha. Unfortunately that’s all I liked. The plot has so many plot holes that it takes more than just suspension of disbelief, you basically have to ignore any kind of logic, rational thought, and physics. Then if you can get beyond all the problems in the plot, which is a feat in itself, the multiple POV might just kill whatever enjoyment could be had. I don’t mind multiple third person POV but I do not need to read every single character’s viewpoint of a scene that just happened and adds nothing to the story. I don’t care about the background of a tertiary character that is only minorly involved and I certainly do not need to be constantly pulled out the story again and again to be told irrelevant and uninteresting information for no reason at all. This could have been a great book and there were things I liked about it a lot, but overall the execution made my eyes and brain bleed with all the problems. How people loved this I’m just baffled. I know tastes differ but I’m legitimately in the dark about this being a “best of” book in any way. Continue reading →

Update on the 100 books list

May 9, 2014Kassa 4 Comments

I posted the list here about the 100 books Amazon says you should read in your lifetime. I thought it was a year but phew…I have a bit more time. Though I could die tomorrow in a bizarre dog/cat/bike accident so I try to get on these things.

Here are the books I’ve gotten to read in the past few months: Continue reading →

Review: Widdershins

May 7, 2014Kassa Leave a comment

Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think we can safely establish I live under a rock insofar as knowing when books come out. This particular book came out well over a year ago and I finally heard about it at Rainbow Con. I’m glad I heard the author speak and her eloquence convinced me to check out her work. I liked Widdershins for many reasons including the solid writing, charming characters, interesting mystery component, and that it’s a fantasy historical set near Boston instead of London. I know this book has received rave reviews from a lot of people but the second half of the story dragged for me. I much preferred when the relationship development was mixed with the mystery instead of focusing on the two men exploring sex while the whodunit languished. However that compliant was overcome by my reading enjoyment and I’m looking forward to continuing the series with hopefully more focus on the actual mysteries to come. Continue reading →

Does your romance need a happy ending?

May 6, 2014Kassa 27 Comments

While speaking with quite a few authors recently the topic of romance and what defines romance has come up multiple times. I feel like I’m getting beat over the head with the concept “Romance MUST have an HEA.” In fact I’m pretty sure I have bruises from the blundegoning this particular vehemency has left on me. Despite trying to beat this into me – I still don’t get it.

Why does romance REQUIRE a happy ending?

I read a lot in a wide variety of genres so I understand the difference between romantic elements and romance. In fact I would wager that a great many books within the m/m genre are other genres with romantic elements. The fact remains that m/m is still synonymous with erotic romance even if the books within are actually much more broad. And while the happy ending – or even happy for now ending – are by far the most common, they are still books without happy endings.

Now before I hear from everyone that they prefer happy endings, let me state that I, too, like happy endings. If I’m going to read through all the suffering, emotional torture, hand wringing, horrible miscommunications, and so on then I want them to work out in the end and I can pretend that tru wuv exists.

That’s not really the point of this post though. Yes, readers want happy endings. I get it. That said, why does a book REQUIRE a happy ending? That is what I’m getting at because I don’t think it should be a necessity.

To me a romance story is defined by the relationship between two or more people that dominates the story and pushes the plot forward. Without the relationship, there would be no story. By this definition there are numerous m/m books that would exist quite well without the romantic elements. They definitely enhance the story in many ways but the main plot and drive would exist without the romantic relationship. In fact many stories also include a happy for now between a couple that you just know is never going to work out, despite how much you may want them to.

So I ask again – is the happy ending a deal breaker?

Does it have to be there in romance books when so much of “romance” goes beyond the scope of the genre?

While we all may like happy endings, is it a requirement before you read a book that contains a relationship? Explain please!

Little fish in a different pond…

May 2, 2014Kassa 5 Comments

While I greatly enjoyed my time at rainbow con and on the panels SMP so kindly assigned me, I still felt totally out of place several times. Here I am a no-nothing blogger that’s been around forever and still never made a splash. I never cared about being a big blog -then or now- but somehow the concept of having a lot of reviewers or traffic makes the reviewer/site more legitimate. I disagree with this vehemently but I’m not immune to that perception. Continue reading →

Review: Measure of Devotion

May 1, 2014Kassa Leave a comment

Measure of Devotion by Caethes Faron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m torn on Measure of Devotion. The book had me literally glued for over half of it but once I realized what was going to happen – and why – I literally started hating it. So I kind of hate-read the final half, knowing I couldn’t stand the actions occurring. That said, it’s a pretty familiar m/m romance theme, although it’s better written with clean, engaging prose. There isn’t a happy ending for this particular book, but it’s part of a trilogy that does end happily so readers won’t be upset. It’s not often that I start out a book liking one character and disliking the other and then flipping that entirely by the end. Usually you like both characters but not here. I struggled at the halfway mark to like both and found myself liking one significantly more than I thought. Ultimately this book made me think and want to slap a few people around, but it’s that human aspect of selfishness and self centered reality that more than anything made it realistic and emotional for me. Continue reading →

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book reviews and the velvet rope overkill

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Month: May 2014