Review: Hell’s Pawn

August 8, 2011Kassa 4 Comments

Hell’s Pawn by Jay Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I choose Hell’s Pawn based on the author and the incredible cover art. The story lives up to both as a somewhat epic jaunt through afterlife complete with visitations from just about every major religion. This is perhaps the one hiccup to the story in that the philosophy of religion, belief, faith, and the afterlife is thoroughly discussed. The story doesn’t try to advocate one faith or belief system over any others but it does examine the concept of faith from many different angles and may not be what every reader is looking for. It’s important to read with an open mind and trust that the story is not trying to preach or condemn, but instead almost enlighten. Continue reading →

Review: Bear Like Me

August 2, 2011Kassa Leave a comment

Bear Like Me by Jonathan Cohen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bear Like Me is a satirical look at the gay bear community. It’s a little dated as a contemporary piece but the humor translates for the most part if you’re looking for something very light and heavy on the obvious puns. The ending is ridiculous and completely over the top but that’s mostly the point. It’s meant to be outrageous and unbelievable with one gag after the next. The characters are decent and likable to a point but none stand out very much. In the end this is a fun, easy book to read but not one I’ll especially remember. Continue reading →

Review: Lines in the Sand

August 1, 2011Kassa Leave a comment

Lines in the Sand by Lyn Gala
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lines in the Sand is a pretty hot and entertaining read. It deals with the moral ambiguity of criminals and crimes. The two main characters are interesting with a lot of chemistry. The story is pretty internal with both men in their heads a lot, almost too much, but for the most part Gala’s clean writing and evocative descriptions are what keep me reading. This particular story is just long enough to satisfy without being too long and the situations are handled well with an appreciative eye to the future. If you’re a fan of the author you’ll likely really enjoy this one. Continue reading →

Review: The Ghost on My Couch

July 28, 2011Kassa 2 Comments

The Ghost on My Couch by L.A. Gilbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Ghost on My Couch is incredibly sweet, entertaining, and romantic. It’s a near pitch perfect romance that’s sure to please fans. The characters are utterly adorable with just enough geekiness in them to appeal, but enough chemistry to sizzle. The premise should be tired – the ghost and the living fall in love – yet the great humor, whimsy, touching emotion, and sheer entertainment factor make this something funny and adorable. You won’t want to miss this. Continue reading →

Review: British Flash

July 26, 2011Kassa 8 Comments

British Flash by Josephine Myles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

British Flash is a collection of flash fiction stories – just a few pages each – that center on being gay and British. There are 21 stories with 16 m/m, 3 f/f, 1 m/m/f, and one gender bending story. So there truly is a wide range of stories for everyone but the collection will still appeal most to m/m fans. This is an especially good collection if you’re looking to taste various authors you haven’t tried before. I found those authors I usually quite like to shine very well here while a few surprised me and I’ll definitely be looking at their backlists. Continue reading →

Review: Highway Man

July 24, 2011Kassa 2 Comments

Highway Man by Eden Winters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m pretty open about my admiration and love of Eden Winters’ writing and dayum, that woman has done it again with Highway Man. Just a quick story, too quick in my opinion, that introduces some intense characters, a hint of possible love, painful pasts, and a cowboy future. Seriously I’m not sure what else the author could have included but altogether this delightful little story is wonderfully angsty, incredibly hot, and a delicious bite you won’t want to miss. Continue reading →

Review: Make a Right

July 21, 2011Kassa Leave a comment

Make a Right by Willa Okati
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I chose Make a Right because I like Willa Okati’s writing and the men seemed a touch angsty, which I adore. While the story succeeded in being romantic with a lot of elements fans are sure to love, I couldn’t quite connect with one of the main characters which kept me from truly enjoying this story. The right reader, however, will find this an easy, enjoyable book to read with very strong love conquers all and soul mate themes. Continue reading →

Review: Living Promises

July 20, 2011Kassa 2 Comments

Living Promises by Amy Lane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s no real secret I think Amy Lane serves angst with a side of awesome. She frankly knows how to make complicated men tug at your heartstrings and the Promise series is a great example of that. Unfortunately (and this easily could be a problem for me alone) the series starts off so high that it’s never really hit that same sweet note in subsequent books. I like Living Promises more than the second book in the series but they both pale in comparison to the first. You can read LP as a stand alone but you shouldn’t. I also realize that I just adore Crick and Deacon so much that any time the focus is on someone else, I just want more of them. This is a fine book but as a reader I’m totally spoiled by Crick and Deacon and realize that any other focus in this series will be lost on me. For the more open reader, this is a great angsty character driven story. Continue reading →

Review: Muscling Through

July 18, 2011Kassa 7 Comments

Muscling Through by J.L. Merrow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let me just say I adore everything about this story. The first person narrator is charming, lovely, heart warming and it would take a real hard hearted person not to appreciate his genuine personality. The story isn’t perfect and the narrator tells you the story as if this had happened a long time ago and he’s telling the reader how things came to be. The tense also changes sometimes from present to past but honestly these are all incredibly minor qualms that don’t stand a chance against such a truly wonderful story. I recommend this easily and think fans and readers will love this story. Continue reading →

Review: The Holy Road

July 13, 2011Kassa Leave a comment

The Holy Road by Ginn Hale
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Rifter #5, The Holy Road, is a vicious and dark installment of the epic fantasy. It also holds a touch of romance and hope between Jahn and Ravishan. It’s perhaps the darkest of the novellas so far and I’ll admit I was pretty disturbed by the end of it. There is a lot of death, destruction, and mayhem offered in graphic and vivid detail. While that’s not my favorite part of fantasy, the problem here is that the story ends on a bloody note without further action to help alleviate the depressing tone. So I ended the story feeling more morose than the well written story deserves. Continue reading →

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