Author: Kassa

First up…Men with clits!

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17788192Star Crossed by Astrid Cooper
My Rating: 1 of 5 stars

So my first foray was not an auspicious start and it wasn’t because the aliens were men with clits. I didn’t mind that, but what I disliked was kind of everything else. I chose this one because I liked the name, I’ve read several good books with the same title, which invoked a positive association,  and I thought the blurb sounded light but fun, sexy times in space with some built in cross species tension. If only I’d looked at the cover because really, has any book ever been good with a cover like that? I hate to be superficial but I can’t think of a single book I loved with such a bad cover. It’s like no one cares about the aesthetics because the content must be crap too. Even though I had a bad feeling about this once I saw the cover, I tried to go in with a more open mind. Perhaps it’s not great literature but maybe it’ll be smutty fun. I already had the book after all. Continue reading →

I’m alive! It was dicey for a minute..

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So as the title suggests…I’m alive! I wasn’t sure how my first half marathon run would go. I was pretty sure I’d come out in one piece but yanno with 15,000 other runners, mostly women btw, that’s highly questionable.

I’m happy to say I survived! I’m beyond pleased with my time. My garmin watch had a lot of trouble keeping a GPS signal so I didn’t really know how fast I was running. I just figured if I didn’t know I should probably be running faster. In the end I shattered both the goal I had when training and the secret unspoken one that you really, really want but don’t want to tell anyone because you figure it’s impossible. I managed to impress both my brother and sister in law, who do triathlons, which is amazing. They are such motivation to me so now I have even more inspiration.

And of course the sweet Tiffany’s bling at the end for finishing.

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I know most people don’t care about running (believe me, I know! My family and friends are sick of it) so I’m sorry for interrupting the reviews and such with this. Back to our regularly scheduled program of books and reviews. Thanks for listening to my babble.

Trying something new…let’s hope it doesn’t end in tears

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144px-The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy,_english.svgMy recent post about author burn out got me thinking. I want to shake up my m/m reading a bit.

My current reading rotation involves reading 4 books of different genres at any given time. Surprisingly this isn’t confusing or frustrating since they are all very different genres and books that I read at different times. I used to never do this but I’m pretty pleased with how it’s been working out. Continue reading →

Review: Overture: Ghost in the Closet

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Overture: Ghost in the Closet
Overture: Ghost in the Closet by S.L. Armstrong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m very torn about this serial. On the one hand I think it’s very well written with some clever twists and a touch for drama. There are so many intriguing and absorbing aspects about this story that I get sucked in just when I think I’m done. This installment created more questions and I’m too intrigued and caught to give up now. At the same time, however, I actively dislike both Gabriel and Dorian as characters and find them insufferable. Thankfully this part focuses more on the secondary characters and flashes into Dorian’s past so I could enjoy it more, but I still can’t stand either protagonist and actively wish bad things happen to them. Continue reading →

Is too much familiarity a good thing?

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tumblr_lo3ss6IM9e1qld9nso1_500I’ve been reading the m/m genre for several years now and like any genre it has it’s ups and downs. I tend to be more author and subgenre specific, and picky you could say, so I don’t bounce around as I once did. This has led to the happy side benefit of not reading as many horrid books as I perhaps once did, but it also tends to give me a feeling of sameness. The problem is really two-fold. Continue reading →

Review: Dark Around the Edges: We Are Family

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Dark Around the Edges: We Are Family
Dark Around the Edges: We Are Family by Cari Z.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Episode 3 of the serial picks up exactly where the last series left off. Devon has given away his sense of touch to a witch in exchange for information about their target. The information seems good but Devon is horrified when he realizes the true cost of the bargain. Losing his sense of touch plagues him in ways he had no way of knowing. Distraught and scared, Devon and Rio head to Devon’s hometown and his dads to wait out the remaining few days before getting his full ability back. Once there though, revelations, complications, and intense emotion are just a few of the things waiting for them. Continue reading →

New member of the zoo…

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shark-cartoon-27So it’s been a while since I did an update. Life is really quite good but busy lately.

I’ve finally found my groove with reading and reviewing – reviewing less, reading more outside of m/m – and though I wish I reviewed more, I’m only reviewing those books where the review practically writes itself in my head as I’m reading. I’ve struggled a bit with m/m as it seems all the books feel the same. There’s less of a surprise element and more of “haven’t I already read this” that comes to mind. There’s something to be said about staying within a comfortable genre and that includes the tropes that make such things popular (more on this topic later).. but suffice it to say, I’m still chugging away with the genre. Continue reading →

Review: The Heir Apparent

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The Heir Apparent
The Heir Apparent by Tere Michaels
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tere Michael’s new novel, The Heir Apparent, is a tightly written, absorbing mystery-romance. The characters have depth and the relationships grow beyond typical expectations. The mystery portion is interesting and could have been pretty suspenseful, unfortunately there is only one option for villain and the story doesn’t even try to offer other options. Thus the end reveal is too easy and obvious, which ruins the pacing and suspense. However, I found this to a pretty minor problem and enjoyed the story regardless. Continue reading →

Review: Dark Around the Edges: Black Magic Woman

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Dark Around the Edges: Black Magic Woman
Dark Around the Edges: Black Magic Woman by Cari Z.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Episode 2 of Cambion hits a bit harder and a bit edgier than the first. It’s just as good, if not better, than the first episode as the action becomes more involved and deeper. The characters aren’t really given any more depth and the supernatural world they operate in isn’t any weightier than the brief outline of the previous book. Despite this, the tone of this story is darker and more insidious, leading to potential new dangers. Continue reading →