Tonight or Else by M. King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Tonight or Else is a fantasy story with an unusual ending. It’s exactly the kind of story I expect from King, mythical with a lot of exaggerated details and a compelling narrator. I like how King’s stories are always different with a darker tone than most in this genre and although there is rarely a happy ending, the characters emerge strong and vibrant at the end. Continue reading
That’s the advice I was given after a drunken night of debauchery. As Leotine said so perfectly “last week was touristy stuff, you guys are the party.” I think we certainly did the bar and retreat proud with our celebrations. In fact hanging out with the girls and going around New Orleans was definitely the highlight of the trip.
I had considered blogging our trip day by day but let’s face it, I’m just not that kind of blogger. Not to mention I’m pretty sure the other girls will give play by plays since they are those kind of bloggers and well, I’ll leave that kind of work up to them. Also I can snag their great pictures that way too. I was kind of lazy with the camera on the trip. Continue reading
The Silent City by Ginn Hale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rifter Book Eight: The Silent City continues to piece together the long reaching and rather complicated plot. This is one of the better installments from my perspective because I’m an unabashed John/Jath’ibaye fan so the fact that he’s the narrator and main focus works very well for me. Here the story picks up after Ravishan and John left the Holy Road and are hiding in the woods. John, as the Rifter, is unleashing a hellish storm to help his healing but he can’t control the storm. A group of revolutionaries, the Fai’daum, find and take in both John and Ravishan as John learns to control his power. Their relationship deepens and takes on more significance with even a rare on page sex scene (don’t miss it!).
After registering for this retreat ridiculously early months ago, it’s finally here! Since apparently all the other people I’m shacking up with are uber bloggers and have already been commenting and blogging (seriously, do you sleep?) I figured I had better post to keep up with the Mrs. Joneses.
Things I’ve learned after a mere few hours in the Big Easy:
That’s it for now. Tonight is the GRL registration and MLR meet and greet. Hmm, considering MLR banned me from their reviewers list I wonder if they’ll block me from the party. You think? Won’t it be fun to find out. Can’t wait.. I’m bringing back up, who will most likely laugh at me and take pictures.
Oh and Kris.. your phone won’t stop ringing. Answer it please!
*edit : This is what I mean! Janna (whom I’m very excited to meet later today) is ALREADY blogging! Check it out...
Mastering the Ride by J.P. Barnaby
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Mastering the Ride is a short erotic story with very little plot or character development. It’s basically just an excuse for some hot BDSM based erotica, so if you’re looking for something that fits that description this could really satisfy. This isn’t a fully fleshed out story by any means and the characters and plot are superficial at best. However the author knows how to write steamy erotica and puts that on display here. Continue reading
Other Side of Night: Bastian & Riley by S.L. Armstrong
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I love vampire stories, they’re a first and lasting love in fiction and Other Side of Night fits in well with the genre. There is nothing especially new or fresh about the plot and concept, in fact it’s very familiar on just about all levels. The story takes all the existing vampire trends and clichés and puts them together in a decent, entertaining story that holds your attention. It’s not groundbreaking or different but it’s interesting and well written. Vampire fans especially will appreciate a nicely crafted entry in a genre stuffed with fluff. Continue reading
Finder Series, Volume 3: One Wing in the Finder by Ayano Yamane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finder #3 ranks up there with the entire Finder series. One Wing in the Finder picks up with Akihito mixed up between Asami and Fei Long. We got a glimpse of Asami and Fei Long’s history in the second book but that’s put on hold here as we see Akihito getting himself in trouble with both gang lords. On the one hand the sex is pretty entertaining and the characters are wonderful but there’s definitely a suspension of disbelief needed as Akihito acts pretty stupid for most of the story. I can’t say I really minded since this is yaoi and mostly non-con so it doesn’t matter if the characters always make sense so much as they’re entertaining. Which is what works the best here. The story is fun to read with really stunning artwork and easy to recommend.
The additional stand alone stories are very good as well. There’s a short story about a drunk Akihito dialing Asami until the later man comes to get his prize as well as thorough character profiles of Akihito, Asami and Fei Long. There are interviews with each “character” as well. The unrelated short is very cute, involving some pretty adorable underwear, and makes for an easy, quick end to the book. I’m glad I bought the re-release and am looking forward to book 4.
Last Chance by Josephine Myles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Last Chance is the third book in the First Impressions series. The first book was the aptly titled First Impressions where Jez the artist meets loud sock loving Steve. The second entry in the series is a free story called Fuzzy. This is an adorable look at Steve getting into knitting his own socks. This third short story is a darker, more serious turn as Jez’s homophobic father is dying. Despite the darker tone and content, this delightful story is a real treat to read. It’s beautifully written with a lot of subtly and punch packed into such a short space. This may not be the last we see of this couple (and I hope not) but the series and this story in particular is worth reading. Continue reading
One of the things each blogger has to keep in mind is how to stay relevant. This is something we’ve been discussing over on Three Dollar Bill Reviews because we don’t put out a plethora of reviews each month. Some sites are megasites and can produce numerous reviews each day but other sites produce maybe one review a day or in some cases a week. TDB has several reviewers but with busy schedules the number of reviews is pretty sparse. Does that mean it’s not a viable resource? I wonder the same thing about my personal blog. I used to post every single day and now I try to post a couple times a week (at best).
So I struggle with how much content is needed to stay relevant and interesting. Do you need reviews every day and content posts as well? Is that too much, not enough, just right? It’s hard to strike a good balance and remain a resource that’s actually useful.
Not to mention those blogs and sites that seem to produce massive amounts of content are so much work that it’s a job in itself. Some of the bloggers I follow have quit their day job because they make enough money off their blogs to survive (ha how nice that would be). But the majority are doing blogs as a hobby and that can turn into a full time job if you’re not careful.
I’m always impressed with readers/reviewers/bloggers that can pump out the amount of reviews and content that keeps their sites super busy and interesting. That’s great! As a reader I like that sometimes, other times I get overwhelmed by the amount of missed posts and just give up. I’ve given up on quite a few sites because I get too far behind and can’t keep up. Since I feel the need to read in order (and everything) if someone is posting multiple times a day and I miss say a week, that site will probably be dropped because I can’t keep up and feel some kind of weird pressure that I missed something important.
So what about everyone else? What makes a site relevant as a resource and what is too much, too little, just right?
A Solid Core of Alpha by Amy Lane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Solid Core of Alpha is an impressive book. It’s intense, angsty, drama filled, and sure to make you cry more than once. Even so, once the drama stopped and the inevitable slow glide to a happy ending started, the book started to lose me. The characters definitely deserve a happy ending but when the story lost it’s intensity, the characters did as well and ultimately the book ended on a whimper as compared to the explosive beginning. I would still eagerly recommend this story to those who love angst and drama filled stories. This is intense in the best ways and sucks you in right from the start. This is definitely a not miss book. Continue reading
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