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Song of Oestend by Marie Sexton

22 Aug 2011 4 Comments

by Lisa in authors, Marie Sexton Tags: Marie Sexton

Title: Song of Oestend
Author: Marie Sexton
Publisher: Total e-Bound
Pages: 274
Characters: Aren Montrell, Deacon
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Paranormal, AU, M/M/M
Kisses: 5

Blurb:

Symbols have power…

Aren Montrell has heard tales of the Oestend wraiths – mysterious creatures which come in the night and kill anyone who’s not indoors. Aren’s never had reason to believe the stories, but when he takes a job as a bookkeeper on the BarChi, a dusty cattle ranch on the remote Oestend prairie, he soon learns that the wraiths are real. Aren suddenly finds himself living in a supposedly haunted house and depending on wards and generators to protect him from unseen things in the night. As if that’s not enough, he has to deal with a crotchety old blind woman, face “cows” that look like nothing he’s ever seen before, and try to ignore the fact that he’s apparently the most eligible bachelor around.

Aren also finds himself the one and only confidante of Deacon, the BarChi’s burly foreman. Deacon runs the BarChi with an iron fist and is obviously relieved to finally have somebody he can talk to. As their relationship grows, Aren learns there’s more to Deacon and the BarChi than he’d anticipated. Deacon seems determined to deny both his Oestend heritage and any claim he may have to the BarChi ranch, but if Aren is to survive the perils of Oestend, he’ll have to convince Deacon to stop running from the past and finally claim everything that’s his.

Review:

Two very different men are attempting to escape their pasts.

Aren Montrell, an artist and scholar, has accepted a position as bookkeeper at the BarChi Ranch in the desolate, wild, and supremely dangerous Oestend territory. Aren is a man whose desires have led him to make choices that, in the harsh light of day, have often left him feeling ashamed of those needs and the way in which he’s been forced to satisfy them—his body used as a playground by men who could not have cared less for Aren, but cared very much about slaking their own physical hungers.

Deacon is the foreman of the BarChi, a man who was pushed by prejudice, years before, into denying his attraction to men. Deacon is a man who wears the weight of his responsibility like a mantle, forced each day to earn the respect of the hands and to ensure that the ranch and everyone who lives and works there not only does his share but also remains safe from the natural and unnatural dangers that make the days and nights in Oestend a perilous existence to navigate. Deacon’s iron rule over the ranch does little to earn him friendship from the men he leads, but friendship doesn’t count for much of anything if the men don’t respect him. Deacon is a man with an uncertain past, and rather than aligning himself with one history or the other, he has chosen to deny both. In doing so, he has denied both his birthright and his heritage—a heritage that will ultimately prove to be incomparably vital to his future.

When Aren and Deacon meet, it seems unlikely the men might find enough in common to form any sort of bond, but they do, slowly and genuinely, as they each discover that friendships can spring from necessity and grow from little more than the need to connect with someone who understands that companionship is not about what you can take, but also about what you can give; that it’s not about what you say, but that you’re willing to listen.

Song of Oestend is set in a landscape that conjured a picture in my mind of distant times, when the American West was nothing but miles of barren land, a land where Native American lore was a religion in which the People honored those who had come before them.

The land of Oestend is haunted by the spirits of the Old People who left the realms of the living and passed into a spirit world to become revenants, an intangible and utterly deadly foe that will kill anyone who dares to trespass upon the dark of the night they claim as their own. The wards and songs, the prayers sung in the ancient language of the Old People, have been mostly forgotten and replaced by more modern technology, a dependence that turns tragic when technology fails those who depend upon it to survive.

Marie Sexton has written a tale that is woven together from several threads. It is a story of the paranormal that runs through an alternate universe of centuries past, where the unusual is the norm. It is a story of legend and of a race that has been all but decimated, of a lost language and customs that are part of the past, but find a very urgent purpose in the present. It is a story of a young love torn apart by religious intolerance, about one boy who moved on, while the other became mired in what might have been, and crippled by his inability to let go. That betrayal of self becomes integral to the story for Aren and Deacon when its poison threatens to harm them.

At its heart, however, this novel is the story of two men who find their way to each other from different paths in life. It is a story of a dominant man who, in the private times they share, is willing to give up control of himself—heart, soul, and body—to a man who, until that point, had only submitted to those who’d used and dismissed him. Their bond is formed within mutual need and a profound and undeniable trust that they mean more to each other than merely a way to satisfy their own individual desires. They are connected by the certainty that they have each found in the other, the one who will give him the strength to fight for a future not haunted by the past.

Symbols have power, which Aren and Deacon prove when death threatens to separate them, but those symbols are made even more powerful when constructed in love. Though the journey isn’t always easy, though it takes some time for Aren and Deacon to find the crossroads that will alter the paths their lives have been on, it was so well worth the trip.

Reviewed By: Lisa

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Between Sinners and Saints by Marie Sexton

29 May 2011 Leave a Comment

by Lisa in authors, Marie Sexton Tags: Marie Sexton

Title: Between Sinners and Saints
Author: Marie Sexton
Publisher: Amber Allure Press
Pages: 276
Characters: Levi Binder, Jaime Marshall
POV: 3rd person
Setting: Miami/Georgetown, SC
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Rating: 4
Kisses: 5

Blurb:

Levi Binder is a Miami bartender who cares about only two things: sex and surfing. Ostracized by his Mormon family for his homosexuality, Levi is determined to live his life his own way, but everything changes when he meets massage therapist Jaime Marshall.

Jaime is used to being alone. Haunted by the horrors of his past, his only friend is his faithful dog, Dolly. He has no idea how to handle somebody as gorgeous and vibrant as Levi.

Complete opposites on the surface, Levi and Jaime both long for something that they can only find together. Through love and the therapeutic power of touch, they’ll find a way to heal each other, and they’ll learn to live as sinners in a family of saints.

Review:

Is there anything quite as divisive and at the same time as unifying as religion? Maybe politics. But it’s not politics that provide for the conflict between Levi Binder and his family in Marie Sexton’s Between Sinners and Saints. Rather, it’s the religious directives of the Binders’ faith that have both divided and united Levi’s family, a difference of ideals that has threatened to isolate him from them—possibly for all eternity.

Love is supposed to be unconditional: Patient and kind, it is not arrogant, nor does it act unbecomingly. Love rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But sometimes it doesn’t work that way. It’s only in the hands of we mortal beings that love can be used to manipulate and to judge, even though our hearts may be in the right place while we’re doing it.

Though they love Levi immensely and have only the best of intentions for him and his immortal soul, it’s the Binder family’s inability to love him unconditionally that proves to be their undoing. The more the Binder’s push Levi to give up his homosexual lifestyle, the more Levi pushes back, working at a gay bar while night after night, he makes anonymous hook-ups in the back room, knowing those are the very things he can use to hurt them as much as they’ve hurt him by not accepting him for who he is. The more they try to gather him back into the family fold, asking him to repent and deny his sexuality, the more they push him away in a repetitive cycle of anger and pain.

But where love has the power to hurt, it also has the power to heal. It has the power to heal even those who didn’t know they needed healing to begin with. It has the power to heal those who are broken by the lasting damage of a past that has left its share of visible and invisible scars. But while Jaime Marshall may be broken, he is not damaged beyond all hope.

A nagging muscle injury leaves Levi in need of a massage therapist, which places him directly into the very capable and elusive hands of Jaime Marshall, a man whose fear and anxiety manifests itself in regimented behaviors and his inability to tolerate being touched. How does a man who cannot stand to be touched by anyone, ever, endure touching others for a living? Control—something that had been stolen from him as a child, something that eludes him in his nightmares. It’s his unconquerable and often overwhelming fear that threatens to steal his control on a daily basis. And it’s that fear that creates an irrevocable bond between the two men, as Levi fulfills a need in Jaime, the way Jaime fulfills a need in Levi; the need to connect and to belong to someone else. Jaime’s pain and fear become Levi’s pain and fear, a burden he willingly accepts in an effort to ease Jaime’s affliction.

Trust, friendship, family—those are all things Jaime has been lacking in his life, the very things he wants and needs, the very things Levi can provide for him, but first Levi must prove himself to be trustworthy. It’s a long and arduous journey, as the two men travel together through the building of a friendship that will cement a lifelong bond. Through the power of touch, something that Jaime has only been able to give but never to accept, Levi gives Jaime a safe place to fall, gives him a family, and gives him unconditional support and love.

Faith and love cannot remain at odds if a family is to survive. It’s a hard-fought conflict for the Binder’s, and one that love, with all its influence, overcomes in the end.

Between Sinners and Saints is, simply put, a brilliant and beautiful story of recovery and redemption. It’s a story that explores the eternal conflict between spiritual beliefs and the temptations and trials of the secular world, without ever crossing the line into sermonizing.

How can love between two consenting adults, the sort of love that is entirely pure and unselfish, patient and kind, possibly be considered sinful? It’s a theme that is conveyed through a group of characters who are each genuinely portrayed with real personalities and emotions.

It is a question that shouldn’t need to be addressed at all. But if it’s going to be, it should always be addressed this well.

Reviewed By: Lisa

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Marie Sexton Serves Us A Little Cheesetastic, With A Side Of Craptacular. Oh, And She Has A New Book Release Too!

29 May 2011 8 Comments

by Lisa in authors, Marie Sexton Tags: Marie Sexton

One of the greatest things about writing is learning about my characters, because they rarely go the direction I intend. My latest release, Between Sinners and Saints, is a perfect example. When I started this book, I had in my head that my shy massage therapist Jaime Marshall was a bookworm, but I wasn’t very far into the story before I realized it simply didn’t fit. Jaime is haunted by events of his childhood. He struggles each day to stay just one step ahead of the fears and nightmares that plague him. I couldn’t see him wanting to curl up with any book that might bring those terrors closer rather than helping keep them at bay. When, early in Between Sinners and Saints, he woke in the night, gasping for breath, trying to get away from the memories in his head, he didn’t retreat into a book as I had planned. Instead, he padded downstairs with his dog Dolly at his heels. He turned on the TV. And he watched….

Something.

But what? What exactly would Jaime want to watch? I had to know, because somehow, that information was a key to who he was. What would he choose?

Something not too sappy. Something not too deep. Something that would keep his attention enough to distract him, and yet allow him to fall back asleep too. After a little bit of thought, I realized he’d watch the one thing guaranteed to be on at any hour of the night: a low-budget monster movie on SyFy, where the horror is too absurd to be scary, and the acting too bad to warrant tears.

SyFy has managed to build a name and a reputation for themselves, not to mention a surprising amount of success, on these monster monstrosities. They’ve carved themselves a pop-culture niche with such new classics as Mansquito, Mega-Python vs. Gatoroid, and Mongolian Death Worm. These movies are low on plot and high on imagination. They’re made on budgets of about $30 a piece and apparently filmed on some guy’s iPhone. There’s always a scientist, usually female, in her mid-thirties (she lives), and a slew of young bimbos in bikinis (they don’t). There’s usually a stud-muffin who can’t seem to button his shirt higher than his navel, and a leering bad guy who nobody suspects, despite his evil laugh. The movies are silly. They are predictable. They are gleefully, unapologetically craptastic.

I kind of love them.

Now, I confess, I watch these movies often, yet I don’t ever watch them attentively. After all, I don’t have to. That’s the beauty of them! I can jump in at any time without worrying about having missed a crucial plot point. I can leave the room and come back, and maybe I missed a scantily-clad coed suffering a spectacularly low-budget death, but there’s always another coed lined up to take her place, so it’s okay! I don’t need to see the end, because I know the monster dies and the brainy-but-hot female scientist falls for the can’t-button-my-shirt-up stud-muffin. I’ve turned on Snakehead Terror at least twenty times over the past year, and I don’t actually remember a single second of it. And yet, if it were on again right now, I’d turn it on. I really would.

Wait a minute…

Holy shit! Look at that! It is on!!

Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised. That is, after all, the secret of SyFy’s success: there’s nearly ALWAYS some freak-fest movie to watch. Any day of the week, any time of the day, just turn on SyFy and you’ll be greeted by cheesetastic masterpieces like Caved In: Prehistoric Terror, and Bats: Human Harvest. SyFy movies are more reliable than either UPS or the USPS. They’re like the slippers next to your bed, except without the dog drool. (Okay. I lied. There might be dog drool in Hellhounds.)

So next time you’re flipping through the channels, trying to decide how to kill some time, think about Jaime Marshall in Between Sinners and Saints, and check out SyFy. Keep your mind open and your expectations low. Pour yourself some wine – this is cheese we’re talking about, after all, and it always goes better with wine. (I recommend white over red in this case, because when you burst out laughing and inadvertently spit it across the room, it’s far less likely to stain.) Kick off your shoes. Sit back and relax. Prepare to be blown away by the sheer, unabashed absurdity that only SyFy can deliver. Because seriously, have you ever seen anything as cool as a giant shark jumping out of the ocean to take down a jumbo jet?

I didn’t think so.

For the full cheesetastic glory of SyFy, check out this clip from Mega-Shark vs. Giant Octopus

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Paris A to Z by Marie Sexton

25 May 2011 1 Comment

by Lisa in authors, Marie Sexton Tags: Marie Sexton

Title: Paris A to Z (Coda Books #6)
Author: Marie Sexton
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 106
Characters: Zach and Angelo, Matt and Jared, Cole and Jonathan
POV: Dual 1st person—Zach and Matt
Setting: Paris
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Rating: 5
Kisses: 5

Blurb:

Zach Mitchell and his lover Angelo Green are headed to Paris (along with their Coda friends Matt and Jared) to attend Jon and Cole’s wedding. Matt will have to face Jared’s former lover, and Angelo will have to spend an entire week with Zach’s ex-boyfriend.

Between Matt’s jealousy and Angelo’s temper, Zach thinks they’ll be lucky to get through the week without one of the grooms being punched. But Zach soon realizes he should worry less about Angelo and more about himself. Facing the bittersweet memories of his past and his own guilt over breaking Jon’s heart is harder than expected, but Zach will have to find a way to leave his past behind if he’s to have any hope of the future he wants with Angelo.

Review:

Oh, how I love the Coda men; and all the men together in Paris, the city that is synonymous with romance? Well, that’s pretty well my definition of insanely good reading.

If you’ve read the previous five books in this series (and I highly recommend you do), you’ll know that these men have histories that intertwine, either through long-standing friendships or past romantic entanglements. It’s those past affairs that create much of the conflict and emotional tension in Paris A to Z, the sixth installment in the series that travels to the City of Lights with all three couples to celebrate Cole and Jonathan’s wedding.

Is there anything that illuminates your past failings quite like spending a week with a man who, at one time, you had loved deeply but hurt irrevocably? That’s a harsh reality Zach and Jonathan must endure as, after twelve years, they attempt to reconcile the way in which their relationship ended amidst infidelity and rejection. There is a sublime poignancy to their storyline, as each man has moved on to find their perfect soul mate—the men who each have taught Zach and Jonathan that they can fly, yet still have their feet planted firmly on the ground, that their compasses will always point toward home, so long as the one they love is there.

While the story is told in alternating points of view between Zach and Matt—Matt, of course, having to come to terms with his jealousy and antagonistic feelings toward Cole—I honestly felt this was Angelo and Zach’s book. Their relationship is so entirely complex and so utterly glorious that I found myself missing Zach’s voice when the focus was not on him and his angel. Angelo’s evolution and by extension, the deepening of his and Zach’s feelings for each other was oh-so-sigh-worthy, causing frequent bouts of anxiety, mixed with episodes of sheer giddiness as their commitment to each other strengthens.

Zach and Jonathan’s relationship failed because Jon wasn’t able to accept Zach for who he was. Zach and Angelo’s relationship thrives because Zach loves Ang precisely for who he is, not for who he has the potential to become. Angelo has given himself completely to Zach, and there is no greater gift than that. It’s an unconditional love and understanding that makes their unconventional relationship work absolutely. I adore them both, which means, based on the ending of this one, I cannot wait until book 7 to see what Marie Sexton has planned for these two men next.

”You are the known place to which the unknown is always leading me back.” And I follow gladly.

Reviewed By: Lisa

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Putting Out Fires by Marie Sexton

19 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment

by Lisa in authors, Marie Sexton Tags: Marie Sexton

Title: Putting Out Fires
Author: Marie Sexton
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages: 36
Characters: Matt Richards, Jared Thomas
POV: 1st person
Setting: Coda, Colorado
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 4.5






Blurb:

A Coda Valentine’s Day Story

Matt Richards has never given much thought to Valentine’s Day, but when his lover of almost three years, Jared Thomas, hints that he feels unappreciated, Matt realizes he needs to do something. He’s determined to make this Valentine’s Day special, but nothing is going to turn out the way Matt plans.

Review:

I am the self-professed Ebenezer Scrooge of Valentine’s Day. Bah-humbug to it, I say! The made-up holiday is nothing more than a poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every fourteenth of February, inciting bouts of near fatal stress to impress. Spontaneously give me roses on the twenty-first of August if you want to impress me.

Reading Putting Out Fires reminded me of why I have such a distaste for the day. Poor Matt! And it all began with a pink envelope, a misinterpreted comment, and the fear that the fourteenth of February meant something more than it truly does.

I loved this short, funny, and heartwarming story. It serves as a reminder to be sure to show your appreciation for your significant other more than just once a year, and to do it because you want to, not because you feel obligated to by a date on the calendar.

This is a Murphy’s Law story told from Matt’s point-of-view—if anything could go wrong in his attempts to romance Jared, it did, with near disastrous but comical results.

I love the men of Coda and I thoroughly enjoyed this little treat. Putting Out Fires is so much better than chocolates and flowers any day of the year.

Reviewed By: Lisa

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