Pleasures with Rough Strife by J.L. Merrow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I tend to like Merrow’s contemporary work best for the great comic timing and wit. Pleasures with Rough Strife is a historical Christmas themed story that’s decent but not enough to hold my interest unfortunately. One of the two narrators has a nice accent that grabbed my attention but overall neither character really came alive for me.
Pricks and Pragmatism by J.L. Merrow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review:
Pricks and Pragmatism is a delightful and absorbing read. It’s just a quick novella – 50 pages – but it’s worth reading. The writing is clever, sly, and witty with a lot of quick one-liners and classic characters. The tension and conflict plays off obvious and exaggerated tropes but that doesn’t diminish the entertainment factor. Luke will warm your heart while Russell is adorable as a geek. They don’t stretch beyond their pre-determined boxes but the strong writing makes this worthwhile reading.
The full review can be found at Jessewave’s site or Goodreads.
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