Review: Deefur Dog

Title: Deefur Dog
Author: RJ Scott
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Publication Date: 19 June 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 109 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: Eighteen months ago, Cameron lost his partner, Mark, to an automobile accident. Now, the only piece of Mark Cameron has left is his dog, Deefur. Unfortunately, between a hectic job, a 2-year-old daughter, and the dog, Cameron is running into difficulties: namely, finding a nanny who can deal with not only his lifestyle but also the energetic Great Dane mix. When the last one doesn't even make it through the door, Cameron resigns himself to giving Deefur up, but a trip to the local rescue gives him another answer in the form of volunteer Jason, who just so happens to be looking for work as a nanny. Is it exactly what Cameron needs, or is it just too good to be true?

Cameron is at the end of his rope, desperate to hang onto Deefur as the last remnant of Mark but unable to figure out how, when Deefur is directly responsible for the loss of countless nannies. His upset over the thought of losing Deefur is touching, as is his love for his daughter, Emma. He's conflicted over his attraction to Jason, still mourning the loss of Mark, but doesn't wallow in it much, instead focusing on moving forward. He's stronger than he thinks, and he's absolutely adorable.

Jason is struggling, about to be evicted, one year left for his degree, and blown off by the agency through which he's looking for work as a nanny. He volunteers at a friend's animal rescue which is where he meets Cameron, a happy coincidence that lands him not only a job but also a home. He quickly comes to love Cameron's family, both human and canine, and settles nicely into his new circumstances. He's content with what he has but also confident enough to go after what he wants, which makes him a really charming character.

Cameron and Jason work very well together, with a low-key attraction that builds slowly. Although the attraction is there from the start, it's a sweet development rather than breathless and overwhelming. This isn't a story about sex, although that does ultimately happen; it's two people growing and coming to realize what they could have together.

The supporting cast is small, with Emma and Deefur being the biggest secondary players, although Cameron's brother Neal and Jason's friend Billy both have decent roles. Given the focus on the build between Cameron and Jason, it works fine; the quality more than makes up for the quantity.

The story itself is minimal once Cameron and Jason meet, focusing instead on character growth. This is far from a bad thing--the characters are both appealing enough that they carry it effortlessly. The lack of conflict makes the whole story comfortable, like a warm sweater you can't wait to squidge into.

I picked it up for the dog and the kid, but I definitely got far more than that out of it. Great characters and a cozy romance make this a lovely little story, one that I definitely think I'll be revisiting.

Review: Treasure

Title: Treasure
Series: The Lost Gods
Author: Megan Derr
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Publication Date: 25 January 2012
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 250 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Nine hundred years ago, the gods were lost. Now, in the seafaring land of Kundou the power that the gods once called their own is in the hands of the royal family, including the youngest son, Nankyokukai. Kyo has a duty his family insists he perform to ensure that it stays that way, but Kyo has his own ideas of what needs to be done. To that end, he enlists the aid of merchant Raiden and Raiden's captain Kin, as well as his own acerbic secretary, Taka. Secret pasts and old grudges threaten to overwhelm their journey to a mysterious island very few men know of--and none know just what awaits them upon their arrival.

A quick preface: this is the third incarnation of Treasure that I've read, the other two being while it was available free on the author's website. It's changed a lot since those earlier incarnations--a lot.

The story revolves around four men in two sets of couples: there are the professional couples--Kyo and Taka, Raiden and Kin--and the romantic couples--Kyo and Kin, Raiden and Taka. The pairings are inescapable as they're fairly transparent from the get-go, but predictability has something going for it here.

Kyo tends to swing between two extremes: rather snotty and mired in self-pity and/or doubt. He's fairly frequently referred to as a brat, which he does front himself as, but I find him to be more of an ass most of the time, to be honest. His tortured "No one must learn of my plans!" aspect never really gets resolved until said planned actions are being completed, which makes me want to shake him until he removes his head from his ass, not necessarily in a sympathetic way.

Taka is, hm, spunky--and quite recognizable if you're familiar with the author's works. I'm not complaining much about that as he's one of my favorite archetypes, but he was definitely recognizable. He's argumentative and stubborn, to the point of being rather off-putting at times, but it's that much more enjoyable when he then gives in.

Raiden is another one bound in his secrets, although his weren't approached quite as well as Kyo's and so came a bit out of nowhere at the end. (Knowing said secret due to prior versions and on the lookout for his history to see if it had also changed, I still felt blindsided a bit at the end. There just wasn't much foreshadowing, when more might not have hurt.) His quirks and irreverence made him more appealing, but he wasn't particularly well-developed outside of his eccentricities.

Kin is the angry archetype, like Taka squared. His personality is compounded by his mermaid heritage, which usually manifests in scales, fangs, and pissiness. He's a "Don't take no for an answer!" kind of guy, which is charming most of the time, though the sheer force of his personality does get a bit overwhelming occasionally.

The romance between both couples is a lot of tension for most of the story, followed by a lot of sex. I don't recall anywhere near that much, if any, in the original and actually rather prefer it that way, as despite its heat it sometimes seemed shoehorned in. (For example, approaching the end there is a scene in which the story could follow either Kyo and Kin or Raiden and Taka. I wanted desperately to be party to the conversation between Raiden and Taka, but instead got Kyo and Kin fucking. It was a little disappointing.)

The supporting cast is a lot of set-up for the sequels, with major players for each land with more gods appearing. Aside from those, however, it's pretty well limited to the four main characters--which is just fine, really, as they're enough to carry the story.

The story itself is interesting, though I missed some aspects of the original that were left out here and didn't care for others that were introduced. It's a fun quest romance on its own, just not quite the trip down memory lane that I'd hoped.

Unfortunately, typos and grammatical errors are rife throughout. Even names are swapped here and there. It's usually possible to infer what's meant, but I spent a lot of my time reading with a mental red pen. A touch (or a lot) more editing couldn't have hurt, and may also have helped some of the redundancy and awkward phrasing that cropped up here and there.

I feel I'm judging this harshly as I'm comparing it to my memories, and honestly I probably am. On its own, it is a nice story with interesting romances, but I think that something of its original charm was lost in its evolution. Still, I enjoyed the world enough that I'll be picking up the revised sequels as well, and look forward to seeing how else it has changed.

Review: Grand Jeté

Title: Grand Jeté
Author: Diana Copland
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Publication Date: 11 December 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 170 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Jordan first sees Davis while attending a performance of The Nutcracker. The next time he sees him is under less pleasant circumstances: the dancer is brought into his ER with a career-ending torn miniscus. Even with Davis high on painkillers, there's no mistaking their instant connection. The problem? Davis lives on the opposite coast and they can only be together until he catches a flight home. With a country between them, is there any way that their connection will last?

Jordan is a teddy bear, still hurting over the failure of his last long-term relationship to the point that he sleeps on the couch rather than in the bed he'd shared. He enjoys his work as a triage nurse, despite difficult doctors and relationship-killing hours, and adores his family, even when they're driving him nuts. It's terribly easy to root for him.

Davis is getting over his own break-up, though it was rather more recent; he was dumped the same day his career ended. Suddenly single, unemployed, and injured, he needs someone to rely on. He's charming when blitzed out of his mind on painkillers, and sweetly vulnerable once he's off them.

Jordan and Davis fit each other quite well; Davis needs someone to look after him and Jordan needs someone to nurture. Not that medical services are all they share; in the short amount of time they spend together, Davis is adopted by Jordan's family, and Jordan has someone to hold him in bed again. Even the sex is sweet, for all that I spent the entire scene wondering about Davis's knee.

The supporting cast is varied, including Jordan's coworkers and family as well as people from Davis's dance company. Not many of them are particularly well-developed, but they are mostly warm characters with just enough variance to keep things interesting. (The main exceptions here would be the ER doctors when Davis is first admitted--personalities I've unfortunately experienced, which made them that much more aggravating, if believable--and Miles. Although assholes, they're not so overblown as to be caricatures.)

The story itself moves along surprisingly quickly; once I'd started reading it, I was sucked in to the point that I was suddenly on page 96 before I looked up. The progression is easy and natural, and what drama there was was resolved quickly enough as to be satisfying without it being so quickly that it lost its impact.

Between the likable characters and the sweet story, my time spent reading this was quite enjoyable. I crossed my fingers for Jordan and Davis the whole way through, and was quite satisfied in the end.

Review: Squire

Title: Squire
Series: Indigo Knights
Author: Jet Mykles
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 7 September 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 165 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Rabin's looking to reinvent his band, Indigo Knights, when he arrives in Chicago. Working closely and living (temporarily) with Brent Rose, guitarist for the famous band Heaven Sent, things are looking up--especially when Rabin meets Izzy, Brent's cousin who is also sharing his house. Although Rabin isn't interested in men, there's something between him and Izzy that he just can't ignore, and it's not long before they're heating the sheets. Things are fine with their secret relationship until Rabin receives an offer that will take him half a continent away from Chicago--and from Izzy. It's his musical dream or Izzy, but which will triumph in the end?

Rabin is a character from the Heaven Sent series, having appeared in Genesis. I never quite got around to reading that one, so I'm not sure how much development he had there, but it struck me that much of the original ground laying must have been done there, as his character came across as already established by the first few pages of this story. If you've read Genesis, great, but if you're ignorant of that or Heaven Sent as a whole, it's a bit of a detriment.

That being said, I do like Rabin as more of his character is explored. He's down-to-earth and open-minded, fairly easy-going but not a pushover, and excited by new opportunities. I enjoyed him tooling around with Brent as much as I enjoyed him fooling around with Izzy; it was pleasant to see the different facets of his personality.

Izzy was a bit more of a cliché, and I never really grasped him as much more than a fairy stereotype. He was likable enough, but I never really felt that he had his own personality, or at least not enough of one to make a huge impression. He's sweet and seductive, just a bit generic.

Together, Rabin and Izzy were comfortable. Despite Izzy being Rabin's first male lover, the relationship was surprisingly without drama, slipping easily from Izzy's harmless flirting to their spending nights hooking up in hotel rooms. There was never much tension, which is unfortunate in my book; everything was instant (or very nearly) gratification. Even the reactions surrounding their separation were low-key, when just a hint more conflict would have been nice.

Most of the conflict came from the supporting cast, in particular the other original members of Indigo Knights. Even then, aside from some musical squabbling, most of it came in the form of raging homophobia, so over-the-top given the mildness of every other thing in the story as to be a little ridiculous.

Personally, I was also a bit dismayed that Brent and Hell were the couple carried over from Heaven Sent; they're my least favorite couple, and Hell is my least favorite character overall. Fortunately, though they (Brent, in particular) are central to the story, the time spent with them (Hell, in particular) isn't great.

The story itself is pretty predictable, especially if you're familiar with the author, and as comfortable as the characters themselves. You might know exactly what's going to happen between points A and B, but that doesn't make the journey any less pleasant. It's also set up much like Heaven Sent, with sequels (not yet written as of this posting) for each of the band members, so there will be plenty more time to spend in their world.

Although it's nothing earth-shattering, this is still an enjoyable read, perfect to devour during a long soak in the tub (and just short enough that you may still even have some hot water left at the end of it). I look forward to the release of the sequels to see how Rabin and Izzy are doing.

Review: Ghosts and Flames

Title: Ghosts and Flames
Author: Kaje Harper
Publisher: MLR Press
Publication Date: 4 November 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 84 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Ben is in Florida after fleeing Nevada and the ghost of his best friend--literally. When said friend guides him into a dive bar, Ben doesn't know what to expect, but it's sure not Talon, the bar's young, lonely owner. Or, for that matter, the vampires out to make the bar their own. With help from Ben and their own private ghosts, will Talon be able to overcome all odds to keep them both safe--and maybe to find out just what he and Ben could have together?

Ben is a fun narrator, remarkably down-to-earth for a man who argues with his dead friend through the medium of lettered scraps of paper. He held a torch for Grant long before Grant died, and is struggling to move past it, not sure he wants to, and not helped by Grant's reappearance as a ghost. He's charmingly dedicated once his mind is made up, whether it's to take Talon up on his generous offer or to risk his life to save them all.

Talon is a bit less well-developed--not surprising given that the story is from Ben's point-of-view. He's a bit hard to grasp, veering between sex kitten and excited kid and resigned businessman, but the overall package is certainly appealing. I would have liked to have spent more time getting to know him, but he tended to be overshadowed by Grant in any scene they shared--which was the majority of them.

Together, Ben and Talon were more interesting to me as comrades-in-arms than lovers, but that may be because the sex aspect was a bit rushed due to the constraints of the story--it takes place in a time span not much longer than 24 hours. Had they had a little more time to get to know each other beyond "Hey, I get to pop your man-cherry--neat," I might have been more invested. The sex was still entertaining, just lacking that extra layer of interest for me.

The supporting cast was fairly small, the highlights being the ghosts. I couldn't help laughing at Grant's apologies to the ghost of Talon's many-great-grandfather for his inappropriate language. In truth, I had more fun with the bantering with the ghosts than most of the conversations between Ben and Talon alone; Grant added a layer of humor the story needed.

The story itself was a bit strange for me. I knew about the ghost thing, of course, given the blurb, but the vampire aspect caught me out of left field. The vampires were never quite adequately explained--why were they vampires? why were there four?--but they served well enough as the vehicle to the conclusion. I'm not a huge vampire fan in general, but they were introduced enough to be effective without actually taking over the story. The story itself moved along at a good clip, not dragging or really stumbling despite my unanswered questions.

Had I known about the vampire element going into this, I probably would have given it a pass. As it stands, I'm glad I didn't, as I would have missed out on an entertaining tale, even if the ghosts did steal the scene.

Review: Downed Fences

Title: Downed Fences
Author: Kate Roman
Publisher: Torquere Press
Publication Date: 5 May 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 68 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: All Cody has going for him is horses; he's trapped between an overbearing father and sadistic trainer/lover with no way out. That all changes one day when a flighty mare throws him into a fence at a show, when a small kindness shown by a steward opens his world to new options. Will Cody be able to find it within himself to take the chance at a new life or will he remain trapped in his own private Hell?

Cody is not quite broken, but not too far removed from it. Fearing every session with his trainer--both in the ring and after hours--he tries to convince himself that it's love that keeps him going back. His reactions to the abuse are heart-wrenching, but I can't help questioning just how it began, or when. A little history would have helped to flesh Cody out a bit, rather than just defining him by his abuse. It was nice to see things changing for him in the end, but they seemed to almost happen on their own; his handling of most situations was to avoid them. It would have been nice to see him step up a bit more.

Troy was a fairly generic Good Guy. Ignorant of Cody's abuse but knowing that something was wrong, he tries to do what he can to help Cody, though even once he's aware of the abuse his action too is mostly inaction.

The baggage of Cody's abuse is inescapable between him and Troy, which makes their intimacy vaguely bittersweet. Although it was a welcome change for Cody from his abuser, I felt somehow as though the time he spent with Troy was too private; I ended up skimming most of the last sex scene. This isn't to say that the smut wasn't done well--it was--but to me the relationship between them called for a bit more discretion on my part.

The supporting cast was comprised mostly of horses, Cody's father, and Cody's trainer, Gary. Cody's father was stereotypically overbearing, focused more on wins in the show ring than anything else. Gary was almost cartoonish in his villainy; all he needed was a pencil moustache and a black cape, and he'd have been made. A little more development of him wouldn't have hurt.

The story focuses primarily on Cody's relationship with Gary, both with and without horses, and Cody's growing feelings for Troy. It's fairly predictable though not in a bad way, but I would've liked to see some things first-hand, rather than getting a recap after the fact. (I'm referring here specifically to the resolution with Gary. There's actually not even really any resolution, just a throwaway line about him. I would've liked to have seen Cody actually dealing with it, instead of the cards just falling where they would.)

For a sweet little romance, this isn't bad. It was easy to root for Cody to escape his situation, but ultimately a little anti-climactic in the end. It could have benefitted from a little more character development and growth, but it still went a long way toward satisfying my craving for horse stories.

Review: Relationships 201

Title: Relationships 201
Author: Alix Bekins
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 13 December 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 254 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Stephan's got it all: he's starting grad school, he's got great friends, and he's dating the perfect boyfriend. So why does it feel like something's missing? The epic crush he's developing on the professor for whom he's a TA isn't helping matters. It takes some drastic changes for Stephan to reassess his life and decide just what it is that he wants.

Stephan is a compelling character, and I certainly enjoyed the time I spent with him. He's a bit of a party animal but not (usually) to excess, grounded when it comes to his classes and friends, and able to evaluate himself and his life without too much flinching. He's adept at building strong relationships with his friends; it's fun to read the different ways they interact (though most are built on the same sarcastic irreverence). I liked him quite enough to root for him throughout the story.

Jeff was a bit less developed, though this is pretty much a given as the entire story was told from Stephan's point-of-view. He's intelligent, considerate, outdoorsy, and fun without being over the top. I liked him well enough, though not as much as I did Stephan; something about him was a little less viable to me.

Stephan and Jeff started out as friends, which I actually found a little unbelievable, given that Jeff is a 38-year-old associate faculty member and Stephan is a 24-year-old grad student. Although Jeff socialized with Stephan and his friends often enough, there was never any indication that Jeff had any friends in his own circles, which made him a little, I don't know, pathetic? Even with the unresolved sexual tension between him and Stephan, you'd think he'd do some other socializing on his own, but there was never so much as a hint of it. The nearest thing to it was the 'grading parties' he had with Stephan and the other two TAs.

Speaking of unresolved sexual tension, there is a lot of it in this story. A lot. This made me happy, but someone looking for immediate gratification will probably be gnashing their teeth by the time Stephan and Jeff finally give it a try. Not that there's not sex prior to said consummation--after all, Stephan does have a boyfriend for the first portion of the story, and isn't quite celibate during the build-up of his relationship with Jeff--but it's not the main attraction. When Stephan and Jeff finally do give in, it's heavy and fun, despite the brief drama (which is thankfully quickly resolved).

The supporting cast is varied, but limited pretty much exclusively to Stephan's range of acquaintances--if Jeff has any of his own, I never came across them. They're in general quite entertaining, with just enough individual personality quirks to be interesting without being entirely interchangeable.

There's not much to the story itself, really; it's focused on Stephan and his relationships, so not much actually happens. There's just enough setting to provide a backdrop to Stephan's personal drama, providing flavoring without much more than is strictly necessary.

I adore stories that are really glorified character pieces, so this pushed a lot of my happy buttons. Those looking for a more event-driven story or, well, porn may find that their mileage varies. I certainly enjoyed it, though, and look forward to reading more by this author.

Review: Seducing C.C.

Title: Seducing C.C.
Author: Ariel Tachna
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 16 April 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 200 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Roger is looking to escape, however briefly, from a bad break-up with a cheating ex when he accepts a position as outdoors specialist at Camp Laguna. Newly dubbed Astro by his tentmate, C.C., he fights against an instant attraction, certain that C.C. is straight. When a night away from camp shows him to be anything but, Astro has to decide whether he's worth risking his heart, or if C.C.'s philandering past is more than he can chance.

Astro is likable enough. He's willing to stand up for himself, gun-shy without being completely neurotic, and still mostly self-confident despite his occasional questioning of himself due to his ex. I never really felt invested in him, though; he never made it past words on a page to me. I appreciated his romantic quandary with C.C., but I wouldn't have been crushed if it hadn't worked out.

C.C. caught me a bit more. He struck me as rather vulnerable despite his bluster, and the reveal of what was behind his name was charming in its bittersweetness. He did tend to come on a bit too strong for me to buy it, though, given the setting. Then again, college students can be supremely dumb when it comes to hormones, so I suppose it really isn't too terribly unbelievable.

The chemistry between Astro and C.C. starts out as one-sided lust, grows into mutual interest, and finally explodes into the physical. It takes a long time to get to even their first kiss, but it's all downhill from there. From there on, the sex gets frequent and frantic enough that I actually found myself skimming the final scene. There was definitely heat between them, just a bit too much exploration of it for me.

What ultimately ruined it for me was a preliminary scene before Astro and C.C. actually had sex. In it, C.C. is busily fingering Astro with only saliva for lubrication... which is refreshed between bouts of fingering. The thought of said fingers going from ass to mouth to ass again just completely put me off of the scene and soured me on the sex in general. It's one of those things I just can't move past, unfortunately.

The supporting cast was stellar, threatening to walk away with the story more than once. I particularly enjoyed Spirit, but most of the counselors, particularly those dubbed the Amazons, were fun, well-developed personalities. I would have enjoyed spending more time with them, although what was shared in the story was plenty in and of itself.

The story itself is cute, centered on the camp life when not on Astro and C.C. There's mild conflict here and there, but nothing to really threaten the relationship and nothing that isn't quickly resolved. I usually prefer a little more conflict, but this is a sweet enough premise that it wasn't really necessary. The story is also told entirely from Astro's point-of-view, so everything is flavored by his personality and perceptions.

Actually, sweet fits the story as a whole, not just as a premise. The characters and relationships were sweet, the story was sweet, the development and ending were sweet. I wish I'd had a summer camp like Camp Laguna when I was younger. The hot guys in love with each other are just a bonus.

Review: Adder

Title: Adder
Author: Ally Blue
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publication Date: 7 April 2009
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 141 pages

Rating: 2 out of 5

Review: Adder does not have good luck when it comes to drummers. After spectacularly firing the band's last one, bandmate Harpo suggests that they try Kalil, a high school friend. Adder agrees, but he has no way of knowing what other changes the new member of the band will bring. Will Adder and Kalil be able to remain true to themselves and their dreams without losing each other?

Adder is a larger-than-life up-and-coming rockstar with the personality and charisma to attain his goals. He has horrible fashion sense, green hair, a steel tooth, and a penchant for colorful condoms. He's also unrepentantly promiscuous, and quite used to getting what he wants. I can see him as a leading man... but I just never liked him. He was a bit too much for me, I think, as though every stereotype of a rockstar had been rolled into one overwhelming package. He vaguely annoyed me for the vast majority of the story, and just as I was starting to like him pulled a stupid stunt that made me roll my eyes and demote him again.

Kalil is a bit of a control freak with jealousy issues. He spends most of the story with a quietly simmering anger, which made him rather difficult to root for. When he wasn't angry, he was a mire of doubt and emotional extremes, which was enough to actually be draining.

The chemistry between Adder and Kalil went a long way toward making up for their failings as individuals. Although the relationship itself was spawned by the fact that Adder wanted to sleep with pretty much anything with a pulse, and evolved into mutual self-flagellation and does-he-doesn't-he, the sex was hot. The frequency was just enough to fit into the rockstar image, without completely shutting out the plot. To me, it got a little silly at the end, though, between Adder's aforementioned stunt and the epilogue.

The supporting cast was fairly small, but mostly appealing--Vi was my favorite, I think. They served their purposes well without fading too much into the background or taking over.

The story itself was mostly good, if limited by the personalities of Adder and Kalil. The plot moved along at a fairly steady clip, though it did have some repetitiveness or unnecessary dwelling upon certain points here and there. Aside from the relationship woes, things could have gone a little less smoothly--some points and resolutions were a little too pat--but, then, that would have distracted from the personal strife. Perhaps had it been a longer story, but ultimately not truly a terrible thing.

One thing that bothered me, though this is totally a personal thing, is that I cannot for the life of me recall or find the band's name. Even after skimming the book once I'd finished it, I couldn't locate it. I took to calling it Here for Your Pleasure. Maybe I just missed it, I don't know, but it seemed odd for there to be a number of other band names in the story without Adder's being readily apparent.

In the end, despite my dislike of and later apathy towards the main characters, this wasn't a bad story. For someone who enjoys extreme personalities, it might even be a good one. For myself, well, hot sex can only carry things so far.

Review: True North

Title: True North
Series: Lost Boys and Love Letters
Author: Bethany Brown & Ashlyn Kane
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 12 January 2009
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 240 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: The last thing Jack expected to see when an injury at the worksite sent him to the clinic was Dr. Julian Piet, a new arrival to the small community. The attraction sparking between them was equally surprising, especially given how gun-shy Julian is and how closeted Jack is. Between plotting family, good news, bad news, and a medical crisis, will they be able to find a happy future together?

Jack is a teddy bear, cuddly and loveable. He's also not afraid to go after what he wants, despite his concerns of being outed to the small conservative backwater in which they live. He's one of those almost-too-good-to-be-true characters, though he does have just enough flaws to keep him believable.

Julian has baggage but isn't overwhelmed by it. He's sweet and considerate, will do anything for his family, but also has a mischievous side that's fun to experience--the initial hockey scene made me smile a ridiculous amount. I enjoyed how his history comes out, in dribs and drabs as is appropriate, rather than an information dump.

The chemistry between Jack and Julian is perfect, developing nicely from flirting to tension to consummation. I was actually almost sad when said consummation came around, as I was enjoying their will-they-won't-they so much. (I'm a sucker for unresolved sexual tension, really.) The sex was hot enough to be worth it, though, and just frequent enough to be satisfying without taking over the story.

The supporting cast is strong and appealing, with the natural highlight being Roz, though there is enough variety in the others to be interesting without being too much. They have their own subplots that move the main story along nicely.

Although the story itself focuses on the relationship between Jack and Julian, there are, as mentioned above, enough subplots to keep things going forward without dragging. The writing was solid, too, with few enough editing errors that I completely disregarded them, which was lovely; it gets tiring reading with a red pen in my head.

All that being said, for some reason this story just didn't stick with me. For the purpose of typing this up, I had to practically reread it as I went. I remembered reading it and enjoying it, but the specifics completely eluded me. I'm not sure if it was something in the story or something in my mindset as I read it, but it was a little odd. Still enjoyable, just not particularly memorable for me.

That being said, also, I did enjoy this quite enough to pick up the sequels. Memorable or not, it was still quite a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, and a world that I look forward to delving into again.

Review: Home Ice

Title: Home Ice
Author: Kate Sherwood
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Publication Date: 11 November 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 67 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Jason and Mike had a thing when they were kids, but life separated them before it could become more. Now Mike is back in town after a successful NHL career, ready to take on a position with the team Jason is coaching. Hooking up again isn't in the plans for either of them, but will they be able to ignore the feelings that have lingered all those years?

Jason is a charming character. He is deep in the closet, but it's quite understandable given his living/working circumstances, and he's certainly assertive and forthright enough in other ways to more than make up for his lack of interest in outing himself. I particularly enjoyed his exchanges with and takes on his players; I was sold on him being a good coach.

Mike is just as much fun, adorable in his insecurities. (I loved him buying too much Chinese. Seriously, the entire exchange where he reveals the history of that made me smile.) He does seem to be a little bit of a pushover, at least when it comes to Jason, but that doesn't make him any less appealing.

As a couple, Jason and Mike work well. They're comfortable with each other in a way that makes their relationship believable, without being over the top, and their history allows much of the relationship to be almost pre-built, so that when they fall all over each other, it's not completely out of the blue. The sex is great, too, being just enough without being overwhelming.

The supporting cast is good, also. Jason's players in particular were well-developed, given the limited number of pages in which said development could happen. They were perhaps a bit pat in their reaction to certain revelations, but not so much as to require great suspension of disbelief.

The story itself was fairly predictable once the groundwork was laid, but that isn't a detriment. The conflict and reactions were realistic, enough to make me grind my teeth and root for the best resolution. There were few editing errors, too, which is always a bonus.

This was rather a departure from the other books I'm familiar with by the author, but I'm glad for it. There is nothing wrong with deviating from the norm, especially when it comes out this well.

Review: Conquest

Title: Conquest
Author: S.J. Frost
Publisher: MLR Press
Publication Date: October 2009
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 377 pages

Rating: 2 out of 5

Review: Jesse is ready to take his band, Conquest, to the top of the charts--he just needs a break. Evan had it all, only to disappear from the public eye in the midst of a wildly successful career. When Evan stumbles across Jesse performing in a Chicago club, neither knows where--or how far--their connection will take them.

Jesse ranges from adorable and sweet to egotistical and annoying. I found that I overall far preferred his private moments with Evan, when he wasn't showing off the size of his ego. He came across as almost too good to be true, being so talented and supportive and forthright and and and, but given that that is fairly normal for the genre I can't really judge him on that.

Evan is much the same as Jesse, only with more of a nougaty center of vulnerability. He's also got a temper that is at once entertaining and alarming, given his reactions to certain situations. Despite that, I have to admit to preferring him to Jesse overall.

The chemistry between Jesse and Evan was by turns sweet and hot, the sex frequent enough to be appealing without being so frequent that I skipped chunks of it. They played well off of each other and provided nice complements with just enough variety to be interesting.

The supporting cast is mostly good, if there are some weaknesses. Tim was a notable one, as was Trish, whose motivations I could never figure out, and who really just annoyed me most of the time. That being said:

I spent the first third of the book hating almost everyone but for Jesse and Evan. This wouldn't have been bad if it were only Tim, but I was hating characters I was supposed to like. Brandon came across as a sleazeball, Kenny as a homophobic douchebag. I had to actually walk away on the middle of a chapter for a couple of weeks before I could press on.

Things do improve in the second half, as characters get straightened out and events develop. Said events are fairly transparently contrived, so even with the angst it's apparent the ending will be happy.

The writing itself was a bit of a problem for me. Grammatical errors were rampant, as were typos. I'm still not sure what it means to be torquered, for one. There were enough errors to be notable; this definitely could have benefited from more and/or better editing. It also fell victim to some of the worst third-person omniscience that I've come across; not only did the point of view shift between Jesse and Evan, but secondary characters (Brandon in particular) also were mixed in, which made things very confusing sometimes.

The first time I put the story down, I didn't think I'd ever go back to it. In the end, I'm glad I did, as I did enjoy the later parts quite a bit, enough that I'll probably be looking to pick up the sequel(s). It certainly could have used more polishing, but there's definitely something shiny underneath the grime.

Review: Midnight Dalliance

Title: Midnight Dalliance
Author: S.J. Frost
Publisher: Torquere Press
Publication Date: February 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 29 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Dalton sank everything he had into his Grand Prix dreams and a stallion named Midnight Dalliance. He may be in over his head, though--until his hero in a beige cowboy hat arrives on the scene.

Given that this was a short story, it's perhaps not terribly surprising that character development was thin on the ground. Dalton and Kelvin (the aforementioned cowboy hat-wearing hero) each have a voice, though thankfully not at the same time. Dalton's is the stronger of the two, but not enough to give much of an impression of his personality. This isn't a bad thing for the format, but a longer story would have been interesting to see, with more exploration of who Dalton and Kelvin were, both separately and together.

The supporting cast was comprised of one, plus the horses. Again, there's not much of a way around this with the story length, and really wasn't necessary; the horses were enough to carry the story along.

The chemistry between Dalton and Kelvin was well-done (again, given the story length). It was naturally a bit rushed from meeting to sex to commitment, but not so much as to be terrible. The sex (most of the point of a short story) was hot, which was a bonus.

There was a little drama in the story beyond the sex, mostly in the form of horses and an ex-boyfriend, but, really, it was just a vehicle for the sex. It's certainly an adequate vehicle, though, and enjoyable enough in and of itself.

Although I wish it had been longer, this was still a nice bite of story. It definitely helps satisfy a craving for horse stories with a dash of romance (or romance with a dash of horses).

Review: All's Fair in Love and Advertising

Title: All's Fair in Love and Advertising
Author: Lenore Black
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 2 December 2009
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 150 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: Max is an advertising genius--a genius in general, really--who's taking a walk on the gay side after his divorce. Joe is a potential client whose ex-military Montana background Max assumes will equal backwoods hick. When his assumption proves to be well-removed from the truth, Max isn't sure what to make of the situation--or the sparks between them. Is it worth it to begin a relationship with the man whose account he's trying to win, or will Max have a bust on both fronts?

I adore Max. Really, I absolutely adore Max. He's an unashamed egoist, a self-described genius who rules his advertising agency with the iron fist of termination threats. He's also been on a gay rebound since his marriage self-destructed, living it up with relationships with twinks that never end well--his latest break-up left a vase full of anaphylaxis-inducing nuts as a parting gift. He has a therapist he can't read, an apartment with an inconvenient decor, and a decided lack of people skills. Admittedly, I'd loathe him if I knew him in person, but he still makes for a fun character.

Joe is far more laid-back, an excellent foil to Max's frenetic energy. He's far from what Max expected without being so over-the-top that I started rolling my eyes at his perfection. He's cultured, intelligent, and fit, morally-upright, confident, and sexy as hell--in short, the perfect man. He should be annoying, but he works.

The supporting cast is fun, if not particularly memorable; I can't keep most of Max's staff straight, although I smiled at their antics in the story. My favorite is, I think, Quinn, the unwillingly-if-temporarily-ex-hippie, but the others are still fun.

The chemistry between Max and Joe is amazing. Max's lack of self-restraint despite his frequent assurances that things need to be strictly business between them is utterly charming, while Joe just smiles and goes along with it. The sex is hot and funny all at once, with just enough of it interspersed with, you know, plot to be interesting without being overwhelming.

I particularly enjoyed the story itself, also, even if I did guess the point that the climax hinged on as soon as it was introduced. Told entirely from Max's point-of-view, the narration was mostly as frantic as Max's personality, adding nicely to his voice and keeping things moving along at a good pace. It was interesting to see how Max's perceptions evolved over the course of the story, too, going from completely self-centered to actually learning to appreciate other people.

My main quibble in the story was an occasional quirk in the dialogue of repetition. "Yeah, yeah," "Never, never, never," "You, you." It's mostly during sex when people are at the most incoherent anyway, but it still made me blink a few times with its sheer prevalence.

Truly, I enjoyed this story far more than I expected to. I adore Max. I adore Joe. I adore Max-and-Joe. My quibbles are so ridiculously minor as to be a non-issue. My only wish is that it were somehow possible to spend more time in its world.

Review: Finding Home

Title: Finding Home
Series: Quinn Security
Author: Cameron Dane
Publisher: Loose Id
Publication Date: 13 May 2008
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 97 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Rhone doesn't know what he was thinking when he offered a job to the kid who picked his pocket. As time passes, though, the kid--Adam--becomes such a part of Rhone's life that he can't imaging it without him. Living together, working together, all that's missing is the reciprocation of the love that Adam feels for Rhone, but is too afraid to confess. Will they be able to move beyond their expectations of each other to find love?

Rhone is my favorite of the two. He's confident and put-together, but also somehow vulnerable. His reaction to events later in the story made me want to hug him, which is always a bonus. His obliviousness is absolutely adorable, too, and his regard for Adam is touching.

Adam is an interesting character, but ultimately not one I could really relate to. Divorced from sex, I really like him; he's so determined to make himself worthy of Rhone that you can't help but root for him. Throw the sex into the mix, though, and... well... it changes things a bit for me. His fantasies put me off a bit, honestly.

The supporting cast is fun, if few. I really like Canin and Kasey, for the little she's in the book, is appealing--again, divorced from the sex. The squabbling between the two is also charming, though not quite enough to get me past the summary to read their sequel.

The chemistry between Rhone and Adam is... interesting. I love it when it's unresolved, between Adam's quiet affection and Rhone's complete ignorance of it. When it's realized and consummated, though, is when I run into issues. The sex is admittedly hot, but the way it's led into isn't quite my cuppa.

The story itself revolves around the evolution of the relationship between Rhone and Adam, so it's very character-driven. The evolution is natural (mostly) and sweet, and the writing itself is quite nice. Although both characters present their point-of-view, it's clearly delineated as to whose point-of-view is current, rather than smushed all together and alternating by paragraph.

There are some word choices that threw me, especially in the sex talk. Penis shows up bracketed by ass and fuck. Adam is pumped full of ejaculate. The back of Adam's throat is stamped by Rhone's piss-slit. My frequent pausing to blink over that terminology threw me out of the story--more specifically the sex--more than once.

I also had to wonder at Adam's transition from virgin to sex god. Really, practically within the same sexual encounter. His technique went from zero to sixty in a handful of pages, which I found quite difficult to believe, given that his history was mostly masturbating with a dildo. It's a minor point, but it's another thing that put me off the sex.

I really did enjoy this story, despite my quibbles. Rereading it, I think I'll skip the sex, though, and just revel in the sweetness of their relationship without it.

Review: Her Two Dads

Title: Her Two Dads
Author: Ariel Tachna
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 21 June 2010
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 193 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: Srikkanth is shocked by the news that his friend Jill has died in childbirth, delivering the baby for which he donated sperm. Unable to give the baby up for adoption, he brings her home to the bachelor's apartment he shares with two other gay men. Along the way, he has to deal with ignorance, a complaining roommate, and Child Services, just for a start. Will discovering love amidst the chaos make everything worth it, or is he in over his head?

Srikkanth is a likeable enough protagonist, if a bit of a woman. (Seriously. His reactions to a lot of things remind me of my mother, which is an... interesting association to have.) He's also a bit bland; I never got a good impression of him as a person.

Jaime is more of the same--likeable but still rather bland. I grasped him even less than I did Srikkanth, as he never left a strong impression beyond being a necessary half for a romance.

The supporting cast was fairly generic, seeming to exist more to provide quantity than quality. None of them left a particularly strong impression, but none of them were overly annoying, either. Likeable but bland.

The chemistry between Srikkanth and Jaime was sweet rather than hot. It also wasn't overwhelming in the acting upon of said chemistry; what sex there was was well-done and not particularly frequent, which is a bonus for me.

The story itself was surprisingly without conflict. The stress of Jaime's and Srikkanth's coming out was dealt with long before the book began, so it was residual "Oh, my parents don't approve!" throughout much of the book, and even that was fairly low-key. The difficulty with the roommate, with Child Services, with the other issues that arose was fleeting and resolved quickly and easily, with the effects of it usually lingering a chapter at most.

The writing overall was good, though not what I expected after Once in a Lifetime. It was a bit of a shock to find my hated third-person omniscient point-of-view, although it was at least limited to the two leads. I think it was this disappointment more than anything that soured me a bit on the book, which I recognize is rather unfair but which I can't shake.

There was a bit too much information in dialogue sometimes. The early portion of the book read like a discourse on taking care of babies, which got to be a bit annoying in the midst of the information dump. Too much telling, not enough showing.

I have to confess being a bit startled by some of the terminology used, too; I've never before read of testicles being referred to as nodules, for starters. Referring to the anus as the guardian muscle also threw me; I kept envisioning it bristling with spikes or some such, which made the whole thing rather silly.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book. It was an easy, almost soothing read, a decent way to pass an afternoon--likeable but bland.