Let’s talk Holidays…

November 23, 2011Kassa 8 Comments

Yes, yes it’s that time again. It seems to happen oh-so fast. I’m actually a big fan of the holidays, for all of about 5 minutes. Then all the gift buying, wrapping, giving, worrying, decorating, cleaning, re-decorating, re-cleaning, and stress gets to me and I’m exhausted before it’s even November.

But that’s why there are books to escape to!

Whenever you’re sick of the real world or just can’t face the inevitable drama of the holidays, there’s always a perfect fictional world to dive into, complete with festive blowjob. Sometimes there’s even a pretty dick wrapped in a bow. Ahh, such wonderful books.

So in the theme of the upcoming holidays, what are some of your favorite holiday books to read or re-read? These don’t have to be erotica books but those suggestions are welcome and encouraged. This could also include any upcoming releases.

Review: The Little Death

November 21, 2011Kassa 5 Comments

The Little Death by Andrea Speed
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

First and foremost, The Little Death is not a romance at all. This is misleading being that it’s sold at a purely romance publisher – DSP – and there is no mention anywhere that this isn’t a romance so readers beware. This is definitely a hard broiled detective story that borrows heavily from the noir genre. The similarities are obvious and often referential which means this story is likely to appeal to those fans first and foremost. The writing is good but the story is over the top and the hero is damn near indestructible, which makes for considerable suspension of disbelief required. Additionally the story purposefully keeps important details away from the reader so the ending is out of the blue and somewhat deceitful. As an average detective story, this one is ok with the writing better than the actual story. Continue reading →

Review: Talker’s Graduation

November 18, 2011Kassa 2 Comments

Talker’s Graduation by Amy Lane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s no secret that I adore Talker & Brian and the entire Talker series. It’s definitely one of my favorites for a lot of reasons. The third book in the series, Talker’s Graduation, puts a nice solid happy ending on the couple but due to the choppy writing, uneven pace, and flashbacks that hurt more than help this particular offering isn’t as good as the previous ones. Fans of the series will definitely want to read it and I recommend it, but it’s definitely not as emotionally intense as the previous books and thus offers a much more muted impact. Continue reading →

Review: Desert World Allegiances

November 16, 2011Kassa 5 Comments

Desert World Allegiances by Lyn Gala
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Desert World Allegiances is the first book in a two book series by Lyn Gala. The science fiction world is very well developed, even if based off a familiar premise of terraforming a new planet. The characters in this first book are pretty immature and they honestly drove me nuts. While I really quite enjoyed the writing and world building, I disliked almost every single one of the actual characters. This does give them room to change and grow but since this is just the first book, they don’t actually make that big of a change in the space provided so it’s more of an interesting idea that I’m waiting to see how it ends. Continue reading →

Review: First Watch

November 14, 2011Kassa 3 Comments

First Watch by Peter Hansen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m not really sure what category First Watch falls into, more sci-fi than anything else with a somewhat vague romantic thread and ending. I quite like the writing and the sci-fi bent with Edouard endebted to some sea creature for his life but the ending feels too easy and the romance feels thrown in and rushed. Despite these stumbles, I think First Watch stands out as unique, captivating, and worth reading. I’m interested to see what else the author has to offer but I’m leery about anything with a pseudo romance attached. I think the sci-fi elements are considerably stronger and better executed than the romantic additions. Continue reading →

Life sucks when you’re held accountable…

November 12, 2011Kassa 18 Comments

Moving beyond the wank to actual intelligent discussion… or trying to!

You’re all probably as tired as I am with this whole topic. It broke with such a fervor but then the waters got muddied and nasty and everyone kind of wants it to go away. I get that and even agree to a certain extent as the level of discord and nasty behavior has reached disgusting proportions. It makes me question this genre and the people in it.

With that in mind I’ll be as brief as possible (ok I tried but this was hella long, sorry).

Continue reading →

Review: The Iron Temple

November 10, 2011Kassa Leave a comment

The Iron Temple by Ginn Hale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rifter Book Nine: The Iron Temple is perhaps the most straightforward and linear of the entire series. The previous eight books have jumped back and forth from past to present to tell the story of what happens in the future and how the future came to be. Book nine is simple, straight-forward action as John/Jahn/Jath’ibaye fights for the Fai’daum but in reality he’s fighting to save Laurie and Ravishan. In this installment, John comes fully into his Rifter power and can’t be killed, so instead he endures many, many situations where he should be killed but instead saves the day and kills everyone else. It’s violent but fast paced, engaging, and only slightly repetitive. As always the ending is a pretty strong cliffhanger though the ending is predictable – after all, the story already told us what happened. Continue reading →

Review: Long Way Home

November 9, 2011Kassa 2 Comments

Long Way Home by Carolyn Gray
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Long Way Home is technically a sequel to Red-Tainted Silence but it’s easily, and perhaps better read as a stand-alone story. RTS is such a good novel that any sequel would have a tough time measuring up. The author smartly went for a secondary character to star in the sequel but it lacks the intensity and excellence of the first book. This one is ok/decent enough but it pales considerably when compared to the first book. The writing, the characters, even the plot all seem to struggle making this a choppy and ultimately disappointing story. Continue reading →

Review: Stowaway

November 7, 2011Kassa Leave a comment

Stowaway by Becky Black
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

I consider this book to be sure reading fantasy, in that nothing is very realistic about the plot, characters, actions, and dialogue but that’s not really the point. The story is trying to be entertaining and not necessarily concerned about things like world building, logic, and realistic behavior. If you’re a reader that doesn’t need a realistic take then this is probably entertaining enough to read and enjoy. I found it to be so but if you’re the type that harps on realistic actions in books then this one will likely drive you nuts and I’d suggest you avoid it. Continue reading →

Review: Pretty Monsters

November 4, 2011Kassa 5 Comments

Pretty Monsters by Andrea Speed

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first Andrea Speed story I’ve read and it makes me want to start on her backlist immediately. The story is only a few pages, barely enough to grab your attention but it does. The premise is pretty simple and it’s one I’ve seen before but that doesn’t mitigate the cute and fun details the author included. It’s a nice little story that whets your appetite but it’s not long enough or meaty enough *cough* to satisfy just yet. Continue reading →

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book reviews and the velvet rope overkill

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Author: Kassa