Shepherd, Slave, and Vow by Lyn Gala
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Shepherd, Slave, and Vow is a fun, quick erotica story about a spoiled royal son that finally meets his match in a slave shepherd. The novella is entertaining and well written with a deft hand that keeps the main narrator from being too insufferable or obnoxious but gives instead a light hearted tone about a bratty, attention seeking man who finally finds someone to give him the “tending” he’s always wanted. Continue reading
Frog by Mary Calmes
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I actually finished the whole book, which I consider a bit of a feat, considering I didn’t like this one. I didn’t hate it to the depths of it’s soul but frankly I find very little appealing about Frog. It’s clichéd, ridiculous, full of perfect Gary Stu characters and the author’s voice is muddled with too many cutesy and perfect moments. There is no tension, no romance, and no real genuine emotion by anyone without even getting into the various situations that simply wouldn’t happen in real life and the story doesn’t even attempt to make the reader buy into them. Continue reading
False Start by Janey Chapel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m a fan of Chapel’s work and with this offering I realize I like her writing more than I like the actual plot. The story here is predictable though well told, and almost boring with its mundane and expected actions. There’s nothing unique or different to the story but Chapel’s clean, inviting prose makes it enjoyable to read anyway. She has a way of writing that invokes clear, impressionable imagery while being smoking hot every single time. It wasn’t until I hit the end of the novella that I realized the characters are woefully under developed, there’s no closure, and no real purpose to the story. Yet despite these issues the crispness of her writing makes me want to read it again for the easy flow, wrenching emotions, and hot sensuality. Continue reading
Chase in Shadow by Amy Lane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Chase in Shadow is a somewhat typical Amy Lane story filled with angst and emotionally damaged men. There is enough emotional turmoil, tears, and intense drama to exhaust anyone at the end of reading but the ending is definitely and very solidly a happy, deeply in love ending. These kinds of stories have become almost, I’m sorry to say, formulaic for Lane. The individual protagonists are expectedly broken and damaged almost to the point of no return but the deep love of another slightly less damaged but still broken man can help save them both. This only happens after considerable emotional torture and pain but all’s well in the end. There are enough differences in the circumstances and details to make each story interesting so if you’re a fan of Lane’s style, you’ll likely appreciate this addition. Continue reading
Better by Jaime Samms
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I’m a big fan of Samms’ writing and I leapt at her first full-length novel. I’ve been asking for one of these for a while and it’s not surprising that the concept is pretty deep. While the idea is solid and makes for an involving story, the writing stumbles in multiple places. There are problems that I’ve never associated with this author before and ultimately this one is merely ok. It has some high points but more low points than anything and makes me wonder if full-length stories highlight more weaknesses. Continue reading
Lorcan’s Desire by S.J.D. Peterson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
As I’m a somewhat firm believer in the happy ending of romances, I shocked I didn’t mind the ending. Instead the characters and their internal monologue left me bored silly and I didn’t care for any of them. I think the story is trying something interesting, giving a definite not happy ending but trying to show that there is more than one potential mate for people. Perhaps not the perfect mate but a good person that can develop into a good relationship. I like that concept a lot, even if some die hard romantics aren’t going to, but the writing is bulky and filled with unnecessary details. Then whatever potential the story has is killed by the weak characterization and ultimately while I give credit to the author for trying something different, the execution isn’t good enough to pull it off. Continue reading
The Tea Demon by Cornelia Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pirates and thieves and treasure abound in this short fun story. It’s quasi steampunk with just enough details to set the story in that genre but not enough to really delve into the setting or satisfy die hard fans. The Tea Demon works despite this lack of detail because the real focus is on the men and their entertaining relationship with a backdrop of rather humorous and far-fetched hijinks. The writing and Grey’s style is what I like the most. The story is enjoyable and short enough that it gives a quick thrill and an enjoyable tale. Continue reading
It’s Not Shakespeare by Amy Lane
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I know I’m likely to be the minority on this one but this Lane book just didn’t work for me (which is a first). I liked the characters as individuals but they didn’t seem to work as a couple and there are several unnecessary and rather random scenes that didn’t add to the story very much. I like Lane’s writing now as much as ever, though the repetitive use of “heifer” in almost all books is annoying, but I wish I’d skipped this one since I think Lane is capable of much better books. Continue reading
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
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
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