Patchwork Heaven by Jaime Samms
My rating: DNF
Um I usually love Jamie Samms but I feel like an alien took over her writing and this is the result. I’m struggling with this book pretty mightily and considering I’ve had a rash of bad luck with books I really don’t want to continue with this because I’m pretty confident it’s not getting any better. Then I’ll have invested a lot into a book I got no enjoyment or entertainment from. YMMV. Continue reading
Off Stage: Right by Jaime Samms
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I had initially read the reviews on this one when I got it months and months ago and only remember that it was supposed to have a ton of angst; the kind of angst where you’re exhausted when you finish reading the book, ie. Keeping Promise Rock or Red Tainted Silence. Perhaps my tolerance for angst is higher than other readers because while there is angst in this book, I didn’t really feel like there was that much. It definitely did not exhaust me and frankly I felt there could have been quite a bit more. The story is good, as Samms is a good writer. However, I never connected to the characters so I always felt removed from the angst and it never really affected me. I never felt for nor commiserated with the characters so I actually wanted more angst and for it to be real and meaningful. That said I enjoyed the book and read it in one sitting, which is saying something considering the length. However it’s not a book I would re-read. I liked it but did not love it, even if it’s a book I think I would remember (which is hard when you read a lot and have a crappy memory). 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
Permanent Ink by Jaime Samms
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This short story plays off a minor character from “Goodbye Scrooge.” You don’t need to read the previous book at all as there is little to no cross over. Instead this new story focuses on giving a happy ending to an odd couple. The writing is decent and the story has all the right elements: complex characters, minor tension, a graphic sex scene, supporting friends, and so on but it never came together for me. Instead I finished the story glad it was over and not particularly caring for the main couple. I actually liked the m/f couple better. Continue reading
Blurb:
Book one in the Tales from Rainbow Alley Series
A good car thief needs sixty seconds, but grand theft heart might take even less time than that.
Freedom and trust; opposite sides of the same coin that could give expert car thief, Marky, the win he’s looking for. Little does he know escaping his gang ties will lead him through heartbreak and into cuffs he hadn’t even thought to watch out for.
Now he can trust the powerful man who wants to help, or he can keep running. It all depends on how much he values his freedom, and whether or not Roland has managed the impossible; hijacking Marky’s carefully guarded heart.
Publisher’s Note: This story has been previously released as part of the Stealing My Heart anthology by Total-E-Bound
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
the dick doesn’t quite match the porn star cover but its close..
Goodbye Scrooge by Jaime Samms
Blurb:
When beautiful, perfect basket ball hero Eric hits on grad student Marcus, it’s more than just another flirtation. Marcus realizes it’s time to take a good look at the difficult relationship he’s had with his unpredictable and bitter professor Julian for the past four years. He has to make a decision. Sure he’s ready to move on, he plans to give Julian one last Christmas gift; an unforgettable night, before he leaves.
He never expected to be the person who can’t get the passion they find on that last go round out of his head. His decision isn’t going to be as simple as he’d hoped. Maybe perfect isn’t everything after all.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Blurb:
Ken and Mikko have overcome the hurdle of finding one another and coming to terms with the damage they both had done to their relationship. Happy to submit to Mikko’s rule, Ken has come a long way toward finding his own strength again and has decided he must officially end the relationship he’d left when he’d searched for Mikko. Awaiting Ken’s return is the hardest thing Mikko has ever had to do.
The solitude forces Mikko to come to terms with his own shortcomings, and confront his own past, the secrets he’s kept, and the effect they may have on his lover.
But when that same past knocks on their door, Mikko has to face the fact he might not be able to protect Ken any longer. Whether or not he finds the strength in himself to accept help may mean the difference between keeping their home and their lives safe or losing everything to the man Mikko thought they had escaped.
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Angel Requiem by Jaime Samms
Blurb:
In a world without hope that kills what it can’t understand, a solitary priest who has lost all he ever loved may be the last man to still believe in Angels. In the end, his belief may be all that can safeguard the fate of two Angel lovers—and restore his own faith in the power of love
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Spinning by Jaime Samms
Blurb:
Ken has fallen in love twice in his unnaturally long life. He’s spent the rest of it trying to forget what falling out of it feels like. Not even the end of civilization has distracted him from his own misery, and now, desperate and achingly lonely, he calls the one person who’s never hung up on him.
Mikko lost Ken once, letting life get in the way of love, and ever since the day Ken ran, he’s been trying to track him down. He’s honed his skills over the years, tracking Ken through the morass of men and ugly affairs, waiting for the chance to make things right.
Ken thinks his messy past is a secret from Mikko, and is too ashamed to admit any of it. Mikko has secrets of his own, things he’s discovered about their very nature he’s sure Ken’s not ready to hear. Back together, after years of cat and mouse, Ken has to learn to trust a man he knows isn’t telling him everything, and Mikko has to figure out how to fix something his own negligence might have destroyed beyond hope of repair.
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Review:
three am 