Life Prison by Dusk Peterson

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Life Prison
Author: Dusk Peterson
Publisher: Self-Published duskpeterson.com
Pages: Novella length
Characters: Merrick, Thomas
POV: 1st person
Setting: Mercy Prison
Genre: Historical Drama
Cover Rating: 3

5 KISSES

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Blurb:

In the unmerciful world of Mercy Prison, there is no rule but unending pain. For Merrick, the arrival of his new guard provides hope that he may break beyond the boundaries of his life prison. But appearances can be deceptive, and Merrick does not yet recognize the danger this guard poses to his future.

The novella “Life Prison” is the first story in the first volume of the Life Prison series. Friendship, erotic desire between men, and the costs of corruption and integrity are examined in this multicultural historical fantasy series, which is based on late Victorian prison life.

Review:

Mercy and Compassion—they are life prisons, asylums where the prisoners are dehumanized, where the guards rape and torture their charges at will, and where there are no wardens, only the Keepers of Mercy and Compassion. They are jails without boundaries, not without walls and cells, but without the moral constraints of human kindness. “And soon you will come to discover that a lack of boundaries can mean only one thing: pain, pain, and unending pain.”

The prison names are a perversion, an oxymoron of the very definition of the words, a place where the prisoners debate the most dreadful aspects of Mercy and Compassion. Mercy and Compassion are the places from which Death becomes the only means of escape. They are the places where Life itself imprisons far more cruelly than the bricks and mortar that surround their inhabitants.

Mercy and Compassion are places where the desire for self-murder is far exceeded by the capacity to accomplish the act. They are places in which the weapon of excessive torture is the directive that the prisons’ inhabitants will die by natural courses rather than by their own hands or at the hands of the guards who abuse them. The best way for a prisoner to cope is to disentangle himself from useless emotions. They are the places where Merrick, a man who has been sentenced to pass the remainder of his existence for the murder of his three year old niece, has trained himself to ignore the screams and cries of his fellow inmates, to scorn those who have found mercy and compassion in the arms of their fellow prisoners.

Merrick is a man who is both emotionally and physically impotent; he is a man who has, but once in his life, attained any degree of gratification, and it occurred at the moment his knife slipped into the skin of a little girl in the middle of a sun-drenched and flower strewn field. It is a chilling portrait of the loss of innocence and the beauty of the author’s ability to paint the images and moods of the scene with nothing more than words.

Thomas is a new guard to whom Merrick has been assigned. As the son of the Keeper of Compassion, the prison where the guards are particularly sadistic, Merrick fantasizes that he might be capable of manipulating the young man into setting him free—by death or by door, either will be an escape. Merrick’s reputation is one of cold, hostile inhumanity, and Thomas has been assigned to him as punishment for a transgression he’d committed. Merrick coolly and meticulously begins planning his manipulation of the naïve boy. Thomas, however, may very well be more than he appears: “It happens that way sometimes. You discover early on that you’re different from how people expect you to be.”

Thomas is the personification of Mercy and Compassion, a man who exemplifies that the capacity for kindness does not signify an inclination toward weakness. He is the unwitting pawn in Merrick’s machinations…or perhaps it is the pawn who will control the outcome of the dance between predator and prey. It is a dance that will surely change Merrick for the remainder of his days as surely as there is no doubt as to whom was in the lead from the start. The scenario provides a gorgeous bit of irony and leads to the poignant redemption of the seemingly irredeemable.

Written in the first person, Life Prison is a dark, eloquent, and absorbing psychological tale that delves into the mind of a killer who, perhaps incongruously, manages to evolve into a sympathetic character in spite of the horror of his crime.

The setting of this story is desolate, the atmosphere devoid of hope, yet the ending leaves the reader with the belief in the transformative power of, yes, mercy and compassion.

Reviewed By: Lisa

A Dangerous Man by Anne Brooke

A Dangerous Man
Author: Anne Brooke
Publisher: Bristlecone Pine Press
Pages: 243
Characters: Michael Jones, Jack Hutchinson
POV: 1st person
Setting: Hackney, London, England
Genre: Suspense/Psychological Thriller
Cover Rating: 4

5 KISSES

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Blurb:

Michael Jones, a young gay artist and part-time prostitute will do anything to stage his first exhibition. When he falls in love with rich financier, Jack Hutchinson, he seems set to achieve his goal. But as Mikey becomes caught between the unforgiving territory of smoky-bar Hackney and the green-garden luxury of upper class London, we discover the intense mindscape of a man obsessed with his dreams as he attempts to free himself of his past. When a net of antagonistic relationships and inner battles encroaches upon him, the consequences of Mikey’s uncompromising pursuit emerge in thrilling tragedy, leaving him having to fight for all he holds dear, and in the only way he knows how. Within a plot thick with the flesh of individual struggle, a backbone of page-turning tension carries Mikey’s plight through the charcoal grey London which rubs itself so close to his skin, entrapping him in a dark kaleidoscope of sex and crime. Pushing him to the full expression of his haunting richness, Brooke alerts us to the psychological discourse and emotional minefield of a troubled man struggling to establish a sense of self and place in urban England.

Review:

A Dangerous Man could just as easily have been titled A Desperate Man, as Anne Brooke weaves an acutely suspenseful story which slowly, methodically, and brilliantly exposes the dreams and despairs of a twenty-four year old artist, Michael Jones, whose ambitions might very well exceed his talents. He is also a man who isn’t above trading his body for both money and favors to ensure those ambitions come to fruition; he prostitutes both himself and his talents, justifying his behavior in the name of his personal goals.

Michael presents a chilling portrait of a steadily discontented man who believes in himself and his abilities far more than anyone else believes in him. His surroundings, the gray and desolate part of the city in which he resides, do their best to shape Michael into something he doesn’t wish to be. It is when he meets Jack Hutchinson, the older, wealthy man who becomes a potential benefactor and redeemer for Michael, that the reader becomes invested in the conflicts Michael will endure, and endures the manipulations that Michael employs to obtain that which he covets.

There is a certain beauty to this book’s narrative; it is at once oppressive and aesthetic, creating the perfect mood and environment for the reader to witness the psychological, physical, and emotional unraveling of a man who, it becomes apparent, seems intent upon sabotaging the potential for his own happiness and success. The prose is dense with emotion and imagery, lush in atmosphere. This is a story that unfolds as though the reader is seeing an optical illusion—what at once appears to be one thing becomes something entirely other, the longer it is studied and analyzed. It is akin to watching the stark lines on a blank paper evolve into a destructive and frenzied image that couldn’t have been predicted at its inception. It is dark and it is intense and evolves as such in concert with Michael’s deterioration.

Michael is the narrator and director of this tale, relating, in retrospect, the events during a nine month period. Telling his story with the gift of hindsight lends a despondent quality to the narrative, as the reader realizes the events to come have already been set in motion and there is nothing that can possibly be done to alter their outcome. The only thing the reader can do is to witness, then to interpret the finished work. And the final product? It is stunning, explosive, and absolutely pitch-perfect.

A Dangerous Man is a taut psychological thriller that one doesn’t necessarily consume as much as savor. It is too rich and satisfying to finish quickly.

Reviewed By: Lisa

33 A Gay Love Story by J.J. South

33 A Gay Love Story
by JJ South
Self-Published, Amazon Digital Services
242 Pages PDF (475 novel-size pages)
Characters: Rick and Justin
Genre: MM Romance/Erotica
POV: First Person Narrative

3 KISSES

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Blurb:

‘33 a gay love story’ comprises 3 story plots; the love lives of 15 gay characters set amid the suspense of an international corporate scam and intriguing murder, and the randy romp of a swimwear tour through Europe, Nth & Sth America and Australia.

33 is the story of two mid-20 year olds, Rick and Justin, who meet in a heated encounter in a crowded elevator in Sydney. In their ensuing relationship, they fight issues of self-doubts and fidelity, explore faith and courage, re-live past fragile moments and probe the anxieties and trials of gay life issues.

They bring twelve other lonely guys together, aged 18 to 30. The stories of these characters enrich the book’s themes, particularly those of John and Lou and the 18 year olds, Shorty, and Damien. Their inexperience and blossoming romance embellishes the story with the charm and quaintness of innocent, virginal teenagers.

33 is a story of loneliness, hardships, abuses, insecurities, denial, curiosity, desire and love, found in everyday situations that touch feelings and tug at memories. It is a story of deprived love; of the heart’s desperation to find a mate, of the body’s innate needs to find companionship. It speaks of the beauty and bounties realised by guys ending the abyss of loneliness, of guys falling in love, of fellowship and partnership. Balancing these emotions are humour and happiness, as shown by easy going Rick and love-struck Justin towards each other and their newfound friends.

Sinister corporate intrigue, greed and crime test Rick and Justin’s dedication towards each other. In life or death outcomes at a diamond mine in Australia’s remote north west, and in the miner’s boardroom in Perth, Justin’s courage and love for his mate are put to extreme tests.

Intimacy, love, intrigue and murder, what could be better? For readers who like hot and graphically described m/m scenes by hot, gym honed beach and surf loving guys, 33 is sure to please. Similarly, if you also like riveting intrigues of corporate mischief and a mysterious murder, 33 will pleasantly surprise.

33 comprises some 119,600 words over 33 chapters, equivalent to a thick 475 page popular sized paperback novel. Accordingly, 33 is twice the size of the average printed or downloaded ebook these days. The book downloads in approximately 242 A4 pages, equivalent to 250 Letter pages.

Review:

Is this not the longest blurb you have ever seen in your life? Well, wait until you read the story, as it is much like the blurb: very well-written though undeniably verbose. When I began this story, immediately I was taken by the impressive use of vocabulary and the magnificently descriptive prose. Certainly the strength of this novel lies within the writing itself.

As one author recently noted, however, “Writing isn’t about beautiful language. It’s about realistic characters living amazing lives.” There are plot issues which are rather difficult to swallow, and the entirety of the work is in need of editorial tightening. The plot itself is extremely repetitive, retelling the same scenario numerous times.

Rick and Justin are the central characters, and the story is written in the first person in Justin’s voice. They meet on an elevator in chapter one, and they both get off on the thirty-third floor, hence the book’s title. (The book also has thirty-three chapters). Immediately the couple is sexually intimate, and they fall in love. There is virtually no courtship or dating. Instantly they are fully committed to one another, becoming monogamous, and Justin completely abandons his former existence in order to move forward in his life with Rick.

Thereafter the couple functions as matchmakers. One-by-one, secondary characters are introduced who each are single and lonely, and the couple pairs them up with other lonely singles. In every case, it is love at first sight, and the result is instant happiness and lifelong commitment.

The plot drastically shifts about three-quarters of the way into the book. Up until this point, the story is basically a series of erotic encounters, then suddenly it focuses upon espionage as a sub-plot unfolds. Betrayal, murder, and a climactic confrontation scene comprise what I view as a book-inside-of-a-bigger book.

My feeling is that the story would have been far more interesting if this mystery and espionage had been interwoven into the story from the beginning and if the erotic scenes had been limited. It is a classic example of the adage, “Less is more”. The author is extremely gifted at portraying beautiful, sensuous lovemaking scenes, but it felt to me as if many of them were unnecessary. And with the plot not really beginning to take off until so far into the story, it was a bit frustrating because it seemed to be just one sex scene after the next.

The characters themselves were oftentimes charming, but they also were a bit too perfect. I loved the manner in which the author wrote Australian dialect, and I was especially fond of the young character Shorty. Truthfully I’d love to see a sequel or spin-off of this book which features Shorty. He’s absolutely adorable.

J.J. South clearly has literary talent, and his writing is most impressive. He’s eloquent in his use of vocabulary, and he definitely writes with sincerity and feeling. He has a distinct writer’s voice which is quite endearing. I look forward to reading more from him in the future.

The flaws I’ve identified in this review are primarily editorial, and I think that this self-published first novel is merely a stepping stone for some fantastic material which South is sure to produce in the future. At least this is my hope, for I’m anxious to read more.

Review by Jeff

>Promises and Lies by Rowena Sudbury

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Promises and Lies
Author: Rowena Sudbury
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 230
Characters: Sean Murphy and Jeff Hayes
POV: 3rd Person
Sub Genre: Contemporary
Book Cover Rating: 4

4.5 KISSES

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Blurb:

When Sean Murphy meets Jeff Hayes in a park one day, he’s charmed by the simple pleasure Jeff finds in walking his dog, and despite Jeff’s guardian, Jesse, hovering over them, a friendship is born. Sean realizes there’s something different about Jeff, something that would explain his timid nature and fear of disappointing Jesse, and he suspects Jeff has been a victim of abuse.

Sean works hard to earn Jeff’s trust, but there are so many challenges to meet: Jeff’s unusual dependency upon Jesse, Sean’s devil-may-care attitude toward the past, and old nightmares and disabilities that continue to haunt Jeff to this day. Their growing love might not be enough. Jeff will have to find courage from somewhere deep within to take control of his life and decide if he wants Sean to be a part of his future.

Review:

Promises and Lies was a very interesting, heart breaking story of two young men from different upbringing who find love when they least expect it. I know that sounds extremely sappy, but it’s also very true. After more than his fair share of partying at school, Sean not only left with the degree he wanted but soon achieved the professional success he hoped for. His personal life may be lacking but on the whole he’s happy. Then he meets Jeff, whose background is so totally different from Sean’s that you wonder how they could have anything in common.

I have to say that while I thought Sean was a little harder to warm up to I fell I love with Jeff from the beginning. While the hardships Jeff has endured have left him almost innocent, in someways they have also left him very suspicious of others. When his history came out I wanted to cry for all he had gone through. The author did a remarkable job showing the readers not only how hard it was for Jeff to walk away from the abuse he suffered, but also how hard it is not to fall back into old patterns. Knowing Jeff in many ways matures Sean as he tries to help the young man, regardless of the feelings he is developing for him. These two make a great couple as each man has something the other needs. Like most relationships theirs has a honeymoon period, but once the problems arise they seem to grow like crazy. More than once this book had me crying, wondering just how Sean and Jeff could survive their problems.

Promises and Lies has a wide variety of secondary characters, all of whom play an important part in both the men’s lives. A couple of these characters also add a little extra dimension to the story as they are facing relationship issues as well.

This is a strongly written story that touches on many dark issues that many make some readers uncomfortable, however it is also a story I would have no problem recommending to fans of the M/M genre.

Review by Lydia

Take the Cake by Sandra Wright

 

Take the Cake
Author: Sandra Wright
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Pages: 423 (pdf)
Characters: Kate Shannon, Michael Forrester, Wren, Emily, David, Thomas, Paul
POV: Omniscient 3rd person
Scene Setting: Take the Cake bakery, Michael’s apartment, various New York City locales
Sub Genre: Contemporary Mainstream Romance
Book Cover Rating: 3.5

4 KISSES

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Blurb:

Sometimes you just have to take life one cupcake at a time.

Kate Shannon is happy with the way things are. Granted she lost her parents at a young age, but she has made a good life for herself which includes a legacy of misheard song lyrics and a malfunctioning gaydar. Kate doesn’t have a Mr. Right, or even a Mr. Right Now, but what she does have is a thriving bakery in Greenwich Village called Take The Cake, and that’s just the way she likes it. Better still is the competition with her barista as they try to outsmart each other every morning with their cupcake/quote war. Firing shots like Woodstock Afterburn and Vegan Rehab is enough to keep her on her toes. Who has time for dating?

Across town, Michael Forrester has gone from enjoying the thrill of success to wallowing in the depths of despair. With a collection of critically acclaimed novels in his wake, Michael now spends his days battling writer’s block, avoiding his publisher’s calls whenever possible. With nowhere to go and nothing to write, Michael’s just in time to find exactly what he didn’t know he was looking for. What happens next is what you get when you combine friendship, cupcakes, and good coffee with a substance called ‘the eternal breath,’ all mixed up in a city like New York. Forget what you know about love, and take the cake.

Review:

Take the Cake is a sweet story; definitely a delicious confection of romance, friendship, dreams, goals and looking for that indefinable something. And while I enjoyed it, I never felt the need to stay glued to the pages. It was an easy book to put aside and pick up again a while later; not something that usually happens when I’m reading. BUT, and it is a ‘but’, the story and characters stuck with me and I always found myself wondering just where they were and what they were doing.

The building of the relationship between Michael and Kate was a very gradual progression. Yes there was attraction, especially on Michael’s part; at least he wasn’t afraid to admit it even to himself. Kate, on the other hand, was pretty much doing all she could to remain oblivious. Unfortunately for Kate, but wonderfully for us, that didn’t work too well; especially with Wren’s behind-the-scenes machinations to get them together.

Sandra Wright did a great job helping us to connect with her characters, and I liked both Kate and Michael, although my heart was Michael’s. *grin* Then there were the secondary characters, especially Wren. Oh what a ball of fire she was! And she not only knew it but played up to it shamelessly—I adored her! And I was chuckling away to myself as she, in turn, found herself pretty much in the same position that she had maneuvered Kate into. Ah those gorgeous and charming customers at Take the Cake; turnabout is, after all, only fair.

While this is mostly Kate and Michael’s romance there is a lot of falling in love happening and, at the end, everything was brought together beautifully.

I guess part of the reason I was reading the book for so long is that I kept waiting for the big climax, the rip-roaring AHA moment. But this isn’t that kind of story and, once I figured that out, I was quite happy to coast along and watch people fall in love, go through their day-to-day, meet challenges and overcome roadblocks…and just enjoy spending time with them.

Take the Cake is a long story—over 400 pages—and it did take some getting through; there wasn’t any fast and furious action to carry me away. But, at least halfway through, I began to enjoy the somewhat sedate pace. Sandra Wright has proven to me that sometimes a slow and gentle journey can be very enjoyable.

Reviewer: Kathy

>precious_boy by KZ Snow

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precious_boy
Author: K.Z Snow
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: Novella length
Characters: Jonathan Wright, Ethan Benz-Collier
POV: 1st person
Setting: Kenosha, WI
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Rating: 4

5 KISSES

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Blurb:

It was just an amateur porn video, like thousands of others on the Internet. Like hundreds Jonathan Wright has viewed and hundreds more he’s ignored. He didn’t intend to watch it, but he gives in to his curiosity. When he sees the lithe, blond young man who’s doing naughty things with a bearish, older man, he’s seduced…and feels like a pervert afterward. The youth in the video seems a little too young, despite the fact he runs his own escort service. Worse yet, Jon gets the nagging feeling he’s seen “Justin Time,” aka precious_boy, before.

When Jon takes a chance and meets Justin in a Chicago hotel room, Jon’s past, present, and possibly his future begin to converge in alarming and confusing ways. There’s no escaping the resulting dilemma: Jon must decide just how involved he wants to get with a sweet kid whose life has turned sour… a decision made more complex by a surprising connection to a lover from Jon’s past.

Review:

Precious_boy: so nice, I read it twice. Uh-huh, back to back readings. I had to in order to ensure that my immediate reaction to the book was genuine.

Isn’t fiction fabulous? An author will formulate a scenario, present us with a situation, a set of circumstances that many of us would likely never encounter in our lifetimes; then they construct a story which allows us to question, what would I do if I were in that situation? Every answer then becomes unique to the individuals own beliefs and life experiences. My immediate response to this book begins there, from the observations and ideals that shape my world views. And I’m going to admit there were parts of this story that had my entire being tied into knots of anxiety, but not for the reasons one might assume.

Imagine the niggling feeling of familiarity with someone you’re quite certain you recognize but can’t place. This person is someone you don’t believe you should know, but somehow you do. You have seen this person in the most unlikely of places, in a place you’ve never visited before, a place you’re fairly certain you shouldn’t be, Then imagine you had never gone there, and your life would’ve followed a very different and likely less fulfilling path. Some call that fate.

Imagine the stark aversion you’d feel when you suddenly realized that the person you’re quite certain you recognize is someone from your past, someone whose one degree of separation happens to come in the form of an ex-lover, and this familiar person’s relationship to your ex-lover is…Oh. Shit. Yeah, it’s like that.

I had to step into several different roles when reading precious_boy, which is one of the many reasons I loved the book: I wasn’t reading it from a limited perspective. I could see the story from different angles, varying aspects, but no matter what point of view I employed, I came to the same conclusion—love follows its own set of directives and it’s left to the two people involved to fulfill its course.

Ethan Benz-Collier is just seventeen years old when the story begins, and doesn’t age beyond eighteen; so much a boy, yet one who has experienced more in his short years than many will experience, ever. He and Jonathan Wright share a history, one that might have strictly precluded a relationship, if the events that brought them back together hadn’t been so incredibly significant to each of them. Ethan has given up on his dreams of becoming a chef, in order to sell sex—he’s an entrepreneur of his own physical attributes; Jonathan, on the other hand, is a twenty-eight year old man who has become so disillusioned by life and the prospects of love that he gives sex away to anonymous one-night-stands. Is one sort of emotionally detached sex different from the other? Is one more honest than the other? Good questions, and a large part of the reason I loved this story.

Ethan and Jon each share a history with a man named Donald—a manipulative, self-involved, and dispassionate character who was the cause of much of my emotional turmoil for a portion of the book. One man is connected to Donald by circumstance; the other is connected to him by choice. Neither man ultimately benefitted from his presence in their lives. Donald’s apathy and insecurity made him a perfectly loathsome antagonist, and I absolutely loved disliking him.

Precious_boy is a story about faith, courage, controlling one’s destiny, and is, perhaps above all, a story of second chances. It’s a story about overcoming social canon and pursuing dreams; it’s about taking risks and finding the one who fits and fills a void in life, making even the mundane rituals mean something more when they’re done together.

Precious_boy is quintessential K.Z. Snow: eloquent, intense, evocative, and provocative. I’m addicted to her work, like some sort of linguistic junkie, and I can’t wait for my next fix. I would like to immediately begin petitioning for a sequel to this book, please. Yeah, it’s like that.

Reviewed By: Lisa

>Well Hung by the Chimney by EM Lynley, Ryan Field, and Chloe Stowe

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Well Hung by the Chimney
Authors: E.M. Lynley, Ryan Field, Chloe Stowe
Publisher: Ravenous Romance
Pages: 250
Book Cover Rating:5

4 KISSES

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Blurb:

Alec has a week to close a big takeover deal or lose his job, so when the buyer, Brant Linton, heads off to a tropical island for the holidays, Alec has no choice but to follow. But Brant’s sister has forbidden any business during the trip and Alec is forced to pretend he’s Brant’s boyfriend. Until business turns pleasurable in EM Lynley’s THE CHRISTMAS BONUS.

Best-selling author Ryan Field brings back Lance and Nathan, two high school lovers who reunited on Christmas Eve, as they now explore their new relationship a year later and find the true meaning of Christmas in THE CHRISTMAS GIFT.

And finally join Aaron and John, the military pilot and doctor from Chloe Stowe’s FOREVER BOUND, as they dance through another holiday of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” in FOREVER BOUND WITH TINSEL.

Review:

I was asked to review one story out of the three included with this anthology and ended up reading two of them.

The first one written by EM Lynley, The Christmas Bonus, is a story about 2 very big corporal business men who live their lives around their jobs. Brant owns his own business and Alec is the man who is trying to land a deal that will ensure his position with his company. However, things aren’t as easy as all that. Alec does his very best to get the wealthy business owner to sign on the dotted line and he’ll do whatever it takes to see that done. Brant makes Alec work hard for that signature and when he leaves town for the holidays with the contract unsigned, Alec takes action and does what he needs to do so he can save his job.

The author did a great job with building the characters, and setting. The plot was interesting with the added dash of angst. I really enjoyed the time I spent with the characters in this story, even the kids added to the plot.

Ryan Field wrote The Christmas Gift. This is a story about two lovers who lost touch for ten years. They were high school secret in the closet lovers from a small town where being gay was frowned upon. After graduation one man is married and has a child, the other moves up in the mountains and opens his own business. Then they meet again and one is now a sheriff and the other still owns his own business and they finally get together. Took a minute to get the sheriff out of the closet so to speak but he does and he goes for the man he loves. It’s a sweet love story and great character development. And the neat part here? The characters are real, true to life with money issues and doubts, and insecurities, just like Real Life people! I think my favorite part was when they wake up in bed with a third party and had no idea how he got there…well…one knew but the other didn’t and it was funny. (no, this is not a ménage) They left the guy in the room.

I truly had a good time with this story and the characters. Ryan never disappoints.

Reviewer: Michele

Tooth and Nail by Mary Calmes

Tooth & Nail (Warders Series #2)
Author: Mary Calmes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 148
Characters: Malic Sunden, Dylan Shaw
POV: 1st Person
Setting: San Francisco
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Cover Rating: 4

4 KISSES

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Blurb:

Nineteen-year-old Dylan Shaw is possibly the most beautiful thing Malic Sunden has ever seen. After Malic rescues Dylan from an attack, Dylan makes it very clear that he is more than interested, but Malic won’t even consider sleeping with Dylan because of his age. Malic is sure he’s not good enough for Dylan, who has his whole life ahead of him, and can’t conceive of burdening Dylan with his secrets.

But the darkness in Malic’s life won’t be denied, and soon Dylan is drawn into the dangerous paranormal world that is Malic’s reality. Malic fights tooth and nail to push Dylan away, to keep him safe… no matter that Dylan is the key to Malic’s strength and the only hope for his future.

Review:

When I began Tooth & Nail, I had no idea I was reading the second book in a series. I didn’t go in search of this information because I was confused by the storyline or felt lost; I actively searched for this information because I knew instantly that this was a world and these were characters I wanted to know more about, and I wanted to know if I was going to have to wait months for a sequel before I could become immersed in their realm again. I would typically never recommend reading a series out of order, but I do feel safe in saying that if you read Tooth & Nail before His Hearth, you won’t ruin your enjoyment of either book, nor will you be confused by the structure of the weird and wonderful world these characters inhabit.

Malic and Dylan are an absolutely irresistible couple. Malic is the consummate hero, one who doesn’t see himself in that light, and therefore, he is a man who it is impossible not to celebrate for once he sees himself through someone else’s eyes. Malic is a warder, a demon hunter protecting the earthly realms and its humans from the evil those demons represent. It is, however, the human monsters from which he rescues Dylan, a gentle and innocent nineteen year old, who effectively knocks Malic’s existence off kilter. After doing so, it is entirely symbolic, then, that Dylan would become Malic’s hearth—the central point, the warmth, the gathering place in a home. For all his youth and inexperience, Dylan becomes the foundation on which Malic, somewhat grudgingly, begins to build his future. It is Dylan’s confidence and sheer force of will that ultimately topple Malic’s defenses, insinuating himself within the walls Malic has built around himself and becoming both the protected and the protector.

The plot of Tooth & Nail flows briskly along, the action is fast paced, the romance simmers and swelters, the characters are each intriguing, and the creatures, demons, monsters, and things that hide in the dark corners of the closet are appropriately creepy. There is one rather significant plot line involving a kyrie demon that is left dangling that I would assume has been left so in order to be revisited in a sequel. I’m hoping that’s the case, at any rate, because I will gladly accept as much Malic and Dylan as Mary Calmes is willing to offer.

Reviewed By: Lisa

>Insta-Love by Josephine Myles

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Insta-Love
Author: Josephine Myles
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 19
Characters: Skip, Wildman
POV: 3rd person
Setting: The future
Genre: Sci-Fi/Romance
3.5 KISSES

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Blurb:

When Skip wakes up next to a naked man, his first impulse is to kick the stranger out as quickly as possible, especially when the stranger wants to stay and get to know him better. It turns out that the previous night was Wildman’s first experience with a mood patch, and Skip treats his affectionate advances with cynicism, believing them to be nothing more than the aftereffects of the Insta-Love™. But attraction and mixed emotions will fool them both as they learn more about love.

Review:

This short story has been brought to you by Insta-Love™, the erotic enhancement patch guaranteed to improve your sex life or you money back. Disclaimer: Erections lasting longer than four hours…

No, that’s not what really happens in the story, but there is a ring of truth to it. This story takes place in a socially and emotionally dysfunctional setting, in a future that, sadly, seems all too near. It is a place where the norm is to function in a chemically and surgically enhanced environment, a place where life seems as if it’s brought to you by one advertising sponsorship after another.

Skip is the physically modified man who is illustrated in body art. Crispin (a.k.a. Wildman) is the natural specimen from a planet that still pledges itself to Gaia, the ancient Greek deity of Earth. The two men are a blend of natural and artificial flavors who spend one wildly passionate night together, but the first thing on Skip’s mind the next morning is how to get Wildman out of his bed and out of his pod. The chemistry he felt with Wildman was synthetic, which leads Skip to believe it was only a temporary diversion.

Their night together was made possible by the makers of Insta-Love™ and Blyss™. Skip can’t possibly fathom how the attraction he feels toward Wildman is in any way organic. However, Skip’s skepticism is something Wildman is determined to erase the all-natural way—with lots of adrenaline.

Josephine Myles has composed an amusing and sexy little story featuring two characters who are like honey and saccharine: one natural, one not, both sweet.

Reviewed By: Lisa

>Measure of Discipline by Diane Adams

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A Measure Of Discipline
Author: Diane Adams
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (Day Dream)
Pages: 24
Book Cover Rating: 3.5
Kisses: 4
4 KISSES

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Blurb:

After ten long years working as head of student records at a local university, Taylor Jordan has landed the programming job of his dreams, and he’s ready to move on with his life. Training students to replace him starts off as an ordeal, but things heat up after lunch and when Taylor’s not-boyfriend drops by for a surprise visit and catches Taylor in a compromising position. Seeing that Taylor needs a lesson in self-control, Adam decides it’s up to him to exert a measure of discipline over the situation

Review:

One of the hardest things to do besides writing a short story is writing a review for one. This story is the third in a short story series, the first being What’s a Boy to Do, and the second Iced. This story carries on with Taylor’s love life, this time in his office at the University. While “training” another student to take over his position he’s caught by Adam who proceeds to teach his friend some discipline.

I felt that the author did a great job with the story in 24 short pages, the characters had believable personalities, they were put into believable situations, and the sex was great. We learn a bit more about Taylor, about what he thinks about, about what he wants, and I’m thinking he wants Adam as more than just a friend. I hope the author decides to work with these characters in a novel. It would be interesting to see their lives unfold.

Reviewer: Michele