Review: Warrior's Cross

Title: Warrior's Cross
Author: Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 31 August 2009
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 99,889 words

Blurb:
Cameron Jacobs is an open book. He considers himself a common waiter with normal friends, boring hobbies, harmless dogs, and nothing even resembling a secret... except a crush on a tall, dark, devastatingly handsome man who dines alone at his restaurant on Tuesday nights. All it takes is one passionate night with Julian Cross to turn Cameron’s world on its head.

Julian's love and devotion are all Cameron could have hoped for and more. But when his ordinary life meets and clashes with Julian's extraordinary lifestyle, Cameron discovers that trust and fear can go hand in hand, and love is just a step away from danger.


Rating:


Review:

Main Characters:
Cameron is a man content with his lot: head waiter at an upscale restaurant named Tuesdays and proud owner of four West Highland White Terrier puppies. So what if he's nursing a crush on an enigmatic patron? Every man is allowed his weaknesses. He's an unremarkable type and okay with it, though his unassuming exterior hides a spine of steel. The problem for me is that he's so unremarkable that he didn't leave much of an impression as a character with me; immediately after finishing the book, I had difficulty remembering him. I liked him well enough during the story, but once it was done, he was pretty forgettable.

Julian, on the other hand, left rather more of an impression. Operating on the wrong side of the law, he's a shady character who makes himself deliberately difficult to approach. With few friends in the world outside of his colleagues and evil cats, he isn't quite certain what to make of Cameron--or his attraction to him. Despite his job description, he's on a fairly even keel, with a dry sense of humor and a temper that's slow to rouse. Although he appears mild-mannered and soft-spoken, he's not a man afraid of doing what it takes to get things done with a necessary ruthlessness. I found him charming, especially in his more humanizing moments; he's an adorable sickie. It's also sweet how careful he is with Cameron and Cameron's puppies, as though he's afraid of breaking them.

Chemistry:
The tension between Cameron and Julian is more cute than sizzling, but appealing nonetheless. The dynamics are a bit unbalanced at times, though, with Julian's secrets weighing down a lot of their interactions. This doesn't keep the sex from being hot, between Julian's take-charge attitude and Cameron's care-taking. I have to admit a weakness for Julian hefting Cameron off the floor and pinning him against a wall--yum.

Secondary Characters:
The supporting cast is small but interesting, if in need of just a little bit more character-building. I liked Blake and Preston quite a bit but am not clear on their positions or motivations; much is either implied and never addressed. I'm less enamored with Miri, who comes off as a bit too intrusive and inconsiderate; she's skirting the edge of the stereotypical overly-meddling female friend, but only just.

Story:
The story is rather unevenly paced, starting off slow as Cameron and Julian come to know each other, then packing a lot of action into the end. The beginning and end seem almost like two separate stories without much to connect them; though there is some foreshadowing, much of the ending all but stands alone. It isn't a terrible thing, but I found myself losing interest when the action started; although I recognize Julian's competence, I think I preferred him uncertain and hesitant.

Writing:
The writing was certainly enjoyable, without many errors; I liked being able to turn off my mental red pen and just read. Nothing particularly wowed me, but it was still solid and easy to sink into.

Overall:
Appealing (if not particularly memorable) main characters and an interesting romance kept me reading even when the plot made me want to tune out a little. I wish the secondary characters had had a bit more development, along with the climax, but altogether it's still a book I enjoyed, and one I wouldn't mind revisiting.

Review: Yakuza Pride

Title: Yakuza Pride
Author: H.J. Brues
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 13 June 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 346 pages

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: Ken is an American raised in Japan, returning for a vacation from the States. Shigure is an underboss in Shinayawa-gumi, one of the city's largest yakuza gangs. They meet at a formal function, Ken there at his friend Ryu's insistence, Shigure as a reminder of Shinayawa's influence, and the heat between them is immediate and unmistakable. Passion--for each other and the sword--brings them together, but is it enough to bridge the gap between their worlds of light and shadows?

I feel I have to confess: I have a weakness for a good yakuza. Story. A good yakuza story. Yeah, that's right. Stories involving Japanese culture in any way are already likely to make me happy, but the yakuza element just pushes that one more button to bring happy to ecstatic. Yakuza are my g-spot.

That being said, I set myself up for disappointment, expecting it to be window-dressing filled with awkward gratuitous Japanese and mob cliches. Imagine my delight when that disappointment failed to manifest! The window-dressing is all there, yes, but it actually serves to set off the story, instead of obscuring it as I had so feared.

Ken (Kenshin, to his friends) is a charming character, culturally-sensitive, artistic, and confident in a quiet way. He could so easily have become a wilting flower, but instead he was a reed, bending but never breaking under everything that he endured. The regular reminders of his mis-matched eyes weren't as necessary as they were prevalent, but that is honestly my only quibble, and I'm stretching for that one.

Shigure came up from dirt, but has as much honor as any yakuza could ask for. He's gruff but kind (in an appropriate way), working well within the confines of his position and characterization. I enjoyed his interaction with his men and Oyone in particular, as well as the fact that he didn't compromise who he believed himself to be.

The supporting cast was mostly strong, with Kotaro and Kinosuke as particular high points. I also enjoyed Uehara rather a lot, and Shinya and Tachibana, once they found their voices. I wish Ryu hadn't faded quite as much as he did, but even that suited the story.

The story swings between a number of extremes; there's light-hearted sex, and then there's fairly graphic torture. I have to be honest: I am not a fan of angst, and had I known going into this that major characters were going to be tortured I would have probably given this a pass. By the time it came up, though, I was too invested to put it aside. The described torture is terrible, but it fits the context.

Japanese is interspersed throughout the story, but it is used well, lending accents instead of bludgeoning awareness. It's so easy to turn foreign language usage into an annoyance, but that was masterfully avoided here.

I ultimately got everything I wanted out of this story, in a perfect little package. You don't need to be a fan of yakuza stories to enjoy this; you just need to enjoy stories of personal growth and love overcoming obstacles.