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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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