Enemies and Shadows by Ginn Hale
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
We’re over halfway in the Rifter series and book #7, Enemies and Shadows, is a quieter edition that starts to pull together all the various little details and threads. There’s not a lot of exciting action or romance that occurs but instead various political subplots and details (both past and present) are discussed and handled to make the core of the story more solid. It’s a good, if not terribly exciting, installment. Continue reading
Reverb by Jet Mykles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Like many others I’m a huge Jet Mykles fan and anything she writes is an auto-buy for me. Add in about musicians and a Gay For You theme and I’m pretty excited to read. Reverb doesn’t quite live up to the greatness of the Heaven Sent series but it’s an absorbing, gritty read about the reality of fame and drugs. The main couple is well crafted and the story itself flies by, almost too fast, with a lot of great secondary characters that catch your interest. The only real compliant I have is that once the couple gets together the last 100 pages or so is filled with sex scene after sex scene, perhaps making up for the lack in the previous 200 pages, but it also feels a bit repetitive without a lot of tension. This is a small compliant though and I highly doubt many fans will mind. Continue reading
Muffled Drum by Erastes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Muffled Drum is an absorbing page turning historical story. In fact I didn’t want to put this down as the setting and characters sucked me in from the beginning. The story is poignant and often bittersweet but with a solid HEA ending that should definitely please fans. The writing is very strong with a rich, descriptive setting and lots of contrasting interests. The characters are intriguing with flaws and nuanced depth. My only slight issue is with the predictable “villain” character thrown in towards the end that I’m not sure even needed to be there. It adds a certain tone to the story but I disliked the obvious nature of his inclusion and furthermore the treatment of the character. However those could be personal reader preferences too and others won’t be bothered. Continue reading
Tortoise Interruptus by J.L. Merrow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I adore JL Merrow’s sense of humor and Tortoise Interruptus is no different. The story is short, sweet, incredibly witty, and laugh out loud funny in parts. This is a great story for fans of Merrow’s as well as though new to the author. This is short enough to satisfy while giving a glimpse of the author’s trademark sense of humor. In fact it’s rare to read a story of JL Merrow’s that isn’t quite enjoyable and funny. So TI fits very well with her backlist and is an easy story to recommend. Continue reading
Rhapsody for Piano and Ghost by Z.A. Maxfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really enjoy this author’s voice and writing, perhaps even more than the book itself. The ghosts were the absolute highlight of this story while the main couple left me cold. In particular the ingénue in Fitz drove me nuts with his idiocy and often “too stupid to live” moments. He has a lot and his bumbling, socially awkward manner should be endearing but soon turns frustrating for me as a reader. Not everyone may feel this way but for me the best part of the story by far were the ghosts; an element that didn’t even make much sense or seem to fit in well. Yet I’m very glad it’s there. Continue reading
Demonic Harmony by Rob Knight
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Demonic Harmony is a short story that is considered paranormal I guess. I’m not entirely sure I understood the story or the angle the author was aiming for, though it’s enjoyable enough to read for a quick tale. The story centers on musician Shy who is some kind of paranormal creature. I’m not sure what kind, since the story doesn’t specify other than to say he feeds off energy. Lucky for him he meets a demonic guitarist, Seth, with energy to spare. The two get down and dirty quickly and often in this erotic short. Continue reading
Dark Sun by M.J. O’Shea
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
As a fan of dystopian fiction, I was pretty excited to read Dark Sun. The story has a very nice urban fantasy setting that fulfilled that craving I always have for the genre while the characters and plot are decent. They’re not great unfortunately, partly due to the short nature of the novella, and the entire story rushes from start to finish. The characters feel unfinished and somewhat empty as they stick close to pretty well known stereotypes. There is a vague Romeo and Juliet feel to the star crossed lovers from warring families while one character is a pretty typical Robin Hood by stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Because of these obvious tropes, the story never quite satisfies and moves into something wholly unique but the various elements included are enough to make an interesting enough story if you’re a fan of urban fantasy. Continue reading
Goldilocks and His Three Bears by A.M. Riley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m one of the many that bought this book when it was published previously but for whatever reason never got around to reading it. So when I got it from Loose Id, I realized it was re-released but definitely worth getting. It’s a very cute story about a polyamorous relationship and it’s one that really works. I’m not always a fan of multiple partner books but this one is so cute, adorable, warm, and very entertaining. It’s just simply works as a great story and one that’s likely to leave you with a satisfied smile. Continue reading
Again by Mary Calmes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Again reads like a classic romance with the typical cheesy misunderstanding, super quick resolution to every conceivable problem and easy happy ending. That’s not bad if you’re looking for something short, sweet, and mildly funny. It’s not a story you’d remember or even care about as soon as you put it down, nor are the characters really that entertaining but the story itself is romantic enough for an easy read. Continue reading
Broken Fortress by Ginn Hale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the last installment of the Rifter, John and Ravishan were left together and bleeding on the Holy Road in a very hanging ending. Instead of picking up where that left off, this particular installment makes the odd choice of leaping back to a hanging ending of a prior book but a future scene (future as far as the timeline). It’s a bit confusing at first. For those following along you’ll remember that Kahlil (Ravishan in the future is Kahlil) went to the future while John went to the past. Eventually the two meet up with John as Jath’ibaye when Kahlil saves Jath’ibaye’s life and Jath’ibaye in turn saves Kahlil’s life and they run off on a sailing ship. Well that storyline had been shelved in favor of revisiting how John became Jath’ibaye. We’re not quite to the point but the story has skipped ahead (again) and is back with Kahlil and Jath’ibaye. Continue reading
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