Luke (Sylvan #2) by Jan Irving

Luke (Sylvan #2) by Jan Irving

Stars: 1.5/5

Length: 100 pages

Blurb

Wandering cowboy Luke Walker is at the end of his rope after his girlfriend abandons their newborn daughter. A terrified new father, he's grateful to meet Dr. Morgan Gallagher. Morgan recognizes that he and Luke could help each other: Luke can rebuild Morgan's property and land so Morgan can have the horses he wants, and Morgan can provide the younger man with a safe place to raise his daughter. In theory, it should work out perfectly, except that Morgan is instantly attracted to Luke-a straight man-and sharing the same cabin and caring for the baby is a more intimate arrangement than he'd imagined.

Overall

A sweet story without much substance or conflict.

Review

I think the biggest weakness in this book is the lack of conflict. While there is some internal struggle and growth, generally everything falls into place neatly. Too neatly. The baby's momma shows up, but doesn't cause any trouble, the exboyfriend-ish has no hard feelings, and there's no negative ramifications for the gay cowboys.

The biggest conflict was the baby's fever and the guys getting over themselves, and even that didn't seem like such a big problem since the supposedly straight dude hopped right over that hurdle.

There was nothing I hated about this book, but there's very little I remember about it either. Parts of it were cute, and it would work as a series of vignettes, but as a novel it didn’t hold up.

I may have enjoyed this story more if I’d read the first of the Sylvan series, but since the characters in that didn’t play too major of a role, I didn’t feel lost.

Shoulda Been a Cowboy by Terry O'Reilly

Shoulda Been a Cowboy by Terry O'Reilly
Stars: 2/5

Length: 21,354 words
Blurb
Charlie Bradley has always entertained cowboy fantasies. When his boyfriend Jared offers him the choice of where to go on their summer vacation, Charlie chooses Stallions and Studs, a dude ranch catering to a gay clientele.

Upon arrival, Charlie meets the very handsome and studly Wade Connors, a riding instructor. Charlie is immediately enthralled with the man and finds his feelings, fight them as he may, are turning into love.

Wade, however, is a man who chooses a guest as his flavor of the week -- to romance, play with, and then move on. But this week Wade finds Charlie becoming more than he bargained for. What will happen when the week ends and Charlie has to leave for home?

Overall
If you're looking for cowboy smut with a weak, but existent, plot, this may be up your alley. I found it fairly lacking and hard to believe, but I still read the whole thing.

Review
I think my biggest beef with the story is that it's completely unbelievable. While I can imagine a couple with a relationship like Charlie and Jared, the way everything falls into place is just too neat, especially since it's so hard to imagine Charlie staying with Jared anyway. Along those same lines, this story deals with cheating, although not entirely of the main characters, so those who are sensitive to that should probably avoid this all together.

What's not believeable is what happens at the end. And some of the horse stuff. Being a 'natural' is good and all, but being a natural doesn't equal being able to rodeo better than people who work on the farm (unless they're incompetent, but that's never implied). Obviously some things needed to be forced in order to resolve issues within the short space, but the "solutions" felt extremely flimsy to me.

That aside, if you're looking for a range full of hot cowboys who cater to gay clientele (and I DO mean cater!), you may find this a tasty little bite, although I didn't find it satisfying.

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James
Stars: 2/5

Length: 362 pages
Blurb
When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Overall
DNF

While I can see many of the elements that have made this novel popular among the masses, there were too many negatives for me to continue reading. I got slightly over half-way before I finally gave up—and I wasn't even reading. I was listening to the audiobook. I thought the readers were pretty good (although I was surprised there was more than one) despite making some choices that I thought were odd (although may have fit with the book).

For anyone interested, I'd recommend picking it up at the library (most libraries have hard copies, ebooks, and audiobooks). Overall, it uses many of the same ploys that Twilight did while amping up the sex. I found the plot to be weak, Ana to be even weaker, and much of the sex allure to be awkward, although this could mainly stem from Ana's narration.

Review
My main impetus for reading this book was the massive amounts of "It does BDSM wrong" that I heard. Sadly, at 56% through the book, the amount of BDSM is minimal (light bondage, sir-calling, and the beginnings of orgasm denial). So I can't even report on that. It makes me sad, since that was the main reason I borrowed the book from the library!

I went in with low expectations, so it was surprising that instead of achieving them (because they were so low), the story's first chapter proves to be horrifically obnoxious and constructs a flimsy premise. Ana meets Christian because she's interviewing him for the school paper. Now, she doesn't work for the school paper (in fact, shows no inclination toward journalism), but her roommate (editor of the school paper) is a super journalist major who has harassed Christian into giving this interview. Sadly she came down with the flu, so can't do it!

Ignoring the fact that her friend Kat didn't seem nearly sick enough to beg out of a once in a lifetime opportunity (which seems kind of vital, but hey, I pass on huge opportunities because of the sniffles all the time)--I'm sorry, where was I? Oh yes, so Kat can't make it, so she asked Ana to go, despite Ana's protests, lack of experience, and excuses (she has work and finals coming up, and a paper to write? I can't remember). Despite the fact that Ana is totally unqualified and Kat would know other, more-qualified people (like the rest of the school paper staff or the incoming school paper editor), Kat has badgered Ana into going. Completely reasonable. Or not. Whichever.

In addition, Ana does not make a good first impression as she complains that her friend got the flu (how dare she!) and later complains about how gorgeous Kat is with all her curves (unlike Ana who is skinny and pale). Bella had similar complaints about her own appearances, but she came across less bitchy, especially since Ana borrows Kat's clothes multiple times in the book, so they obviously can't be that different in size.

That minor issue aside, Christian is of course immediately drawn to Ana (for reasons I can't fathom) and Ana to him, at least physically. She doesn't like him, think he's self-centered, bossy, and cold. But he's the first guy to get her blood pumping, so she acts like an idiot (at least mentally) every time she sees him. He stalks her (like ya do) until she is overwhelmed and agrees to go on a date. Or something. Paperwork may have been involved.

By this part, Christian hasn't done much to really bother me. Okay, the stalking was a bit weird, but I can definitely understand it, considering the book's origins. But the stalking is the worst thing he's done by this point. He tells Ana repeatedly that he doesn't have girlfriends, just casual fucks, and that she's too innocent for him and she should stay away. Of course, he has no self control and can't seem to stay away from her. Kind of a hypocrite.

There is a lot of mystery to Christian, and I'm not sure how much is explained, but it was the most interesting part for me. He has food issues, touch issues, and was in a BDSM relationship very early in life with an older woman. I'm interested in him psychologically. I'm not saying he does things right later in the book, but he's fairly honest with Ana (as far as I can tell), and besides being a stalker, he's kind of fun.

Ana, on the other hand, has a huge double standard (aka, “why does Christian get upset about answering personal questions?” that Ana was just complaining about having to answer), has lived in a bubble for the past 21 years (which I find ridiculously implausible), and just makes me want to smack her upside the head. Hard. (To which she'd respond, "Oh my, oh shit, or oh fuck" depending on the level of sex involved.) She's Bella, made more virginal and somewhat dumber. Finally, my biggest issue is when she walks out on Christian after they've finished discussing the roles of a Submissive, and she's thinking about how she doesn't want to do it, and how dare he, and he did warn her, after all.

And then she thinks about what he said ("I've never known anything but this). And she thinks "Well, I've never known anything but this too" (although she hasn't really even begun to know) and so makes the grand conclusion that they "can learn new ways together."

AKA, I am going to change him and teach him to love.

Oh, and I forgot to mention she has multiple personality disorder. She has "An Inner Goddess," "A Conscience," and herself. These each have very different thoughts and feelings on things, individual reactions, and unique personalities. Don't get me started. She might want to get that checked out.

For people without delicate palates (aka, well-written isn't necessary in books) and those who have no experience with sexy sex and BDSM, this may be an enjoyable read. I can't really recommend it aside from loaning it out from the library.

First Impressions by Christopher Koehler

First Impressions by Christopher Koehler
Stars: 2/5

Length: 300 pages
Blurb
The first time Henry Hughes and Cameron Jameson meet, it’s an unmitigated disaster. Cameron reminds Henry of all he left behind when he stopped making adult films, and he cruelly rejects Cameron. When Cameron discovers Henry’s porno-thespian past, he assumes he’s dodged a bullet.

But circumstances continue to throw the two together. Though the physical attraction between them grows, they cling to first impressions, even as a slow dance reveals just how good they could be.

Henry finally realizes how wrong he was, but Cameron can’t cope with “sleeping with the enemy.” It will take a confrontation for Cameron to realize just how wrong he’s been, but unfortunately, he may have lost his chance.

Overall
This novel will not be for everyone, or even maybe for most people. While the writing itself isn't bad, the characters and the plot leave plenty to be desired. The one main character especially rubbed me the wrong way, but that may be personal preference. It's possible this was meant to be a more humorous story, and some may find it that way, but my dislike of the one main character and his friends, along with the inconsistency of how the character portrayals, left me not laughing as the story fell flat.

That said, this wasn't a hard book to read, either. It has a good pace, and there is almost always something happening that keeps things moving. For readers who don't mind ridiculous characters and who like the 'big misunderstanding' trope, this may be just the thing.

Review
The biggest weaknesses in this book stem from the characters. My initial thoughts on Cameron weren't that bad, although I questioned his taste in friends. V+T are irresponsible, loose cannons who think everything is a joke. They overreact to simple situations, are pushy and flamboyant, and got under my skin. At least for the first half. In the latter part of the book, they become more responsible, only retaining fragments of themselves, while Cameron becomes the reckless one.

In general, Cameron's first appearance presents him as a responsible adult who is surrounded by irresponsible friends (aside from one of them) and who made decisions to be independent that have put him in the situation he's in now. I liked the Cameron we were given, but as the story unfolds, he changes and the perspective about him changes, which could have been done on purpose by the author to show that what we first saw wasn’t all there was to him, but in general made me dislike him as a character and made me question whether we were finding out new facts or if the old facts were changing.

Henry is a more consistent character, although his hatred/obsession with his history as a porn star gets a little tiring. However, I can understand that people get that way about something they are ashamed of, plus his 'uncle's' involvement probably amplifies the negative experience Henry had. Despite his grumpiness, I rather liked Henry and the friendly relationship he has with his comic foil. They balance each other out, and the foil keeps Henry from being too much of a stick in the mud.

The general plot and back and forth of the characters had some interesting elements, but in general it dragged out the telling. Many things kept happening, getting in the way of the two main characters, which meant for a quickly paced book, but I lacked motivation to really care about the characters and their end results. So while the multiple "But wait, another twist!" events kept the story moving, they only helped with the enjoyment slightly.

It's an easy story to read, and while there was plenty I didn't like, it was quick, making it oddly enjoyable. It's like a cheesy, sorta bad movie that makes you roll your eyes and laugh once and a while. Not something I'd outright recommend, but will probably be to some people's tastes.

Requested this book for review.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.

Stolen Moments by Ariel Tachna

Stolen Moments by Ariel Tachna
Stars: 2/5

Length: 210 pages
Blurb
After a year apart, teacher Jacob Peters and county judge Beau Braedon decide they can’t live without each other. There are just a few small obstacles to their Alabama love story. Jacob resents Beau’s paranoia about being outed, but Beau is convinced he’ll lose his seat on the bench if he admits to their relationship, and as a teacher at a Christian school, Jacob’s job is even more at risk. They could relocate, but Beau’s mother has Alzheimer’s and can’t be moved. And then there’s the tiny issue of Jacob’s infant son, Finn, and his mother, whom Jacob wed out of duty. In short, they are stuck.

But Beau has a long-term plan, and he’s prepared to swallow his fears and compromise with Jacob, because sharing stolen moments is no longer enough.

Overall
While there are moments of this novel that I enjoyed, such as how the resolutions were handled, how the characters reacted (sometimes), and the general concept, I had difficulty connecting with Beau, struggled to feel the connection between the two men initially, and had to force myself to keep reading what is a slow-paced story. The things that are done well weren't done quite well enough to overcome the problems I had with the story, but for readers looking for a slow, "second chance"-type story, this may be right up their alley.

Strengths
The struggles the two men go through at the end are touching and sweet as they stick together and persevere. Although some moments seemed a little ridiculous, I was willing to let it go as part of "small Southern town" stuff.

When the men are human together--not worrying about their jobs, their secrecy, or their dicks--the story is a warm tender tale. However, these moments are rare and were barely enough to keep me reading.

Despite my largely negative review, this story will read better for some readers than others. The story wasn't bad so much as bland, leaving me unimpressed and feeling it was largely forgettable. This isn't a story I'd recommend, but it's not one I'd wave red flags all around either.

Weaknesses
The uninspired prose felt sex heavy and plot light. Although the story wasn't unbearable, too much time was spent on them being apart from one another and only getting together for sex, leaving me to see very little development of their relationship at first. Their moments together not talking about what they are going to do or having sex are nice and develop the characters, but these instances seem too few.

Too happy of an ending. Things fell into place too easily, making all the worries and fretting from the beginning seem unimportant--and left me even more frustrated with Beau. While I wanted the men to have a happy ending, this fell into the almost-unrealistic end of the spectrum.

Requested this book for review.

The Saint of San Francisco by Jerry Sacher

The Saint of San Francisco by Jerry Sacher
Stars: 2/5

Length: 245 pages
Blurb
After finding himself still depressingly single on his thirty-second birthday, Jeremy Haniver accepts an invitation to move to San Francisco. Though he falls in love with the Castro and the city, it’s not enough to cure him of his loneliness or the depression that dogs him. He almost throws his life away, but fate intervenes when Jeremy meets Mark Caparelli.

Mark is a former Marine and a detective with the San Francisco PD. Unfortunately, he’s also seeing someone else—at first. Life finally seems to be going Jeremy’s way, until a homicide breaks up his first date with Mark. Jeremy desperately wants to get over his past and start a new life with Mark, but they have to catch the killer first... before he catches them

Overall
This novel is an attempt at a murder mystery using a unique narrative style and a frequently changing point of view. While I applaud the attempt at stepping outside the box, too many problems arise from some of the choices Sacher made, which left me skimming through the story to get to the ending. Instead of breaking this story down into positives and negatives, I'm going to look at the different parts that caught my eye and why they worked--and why they didn't.

The Breakdown
Title. While I think the saint in the title is supposed to refer to Jeremy, I think it more aptly applies to Mark. Not only does Mark save Jeremy's life, but he also puts up with Jeremy for some reason that I can't fathom outside of love. There are moments were Jeremy is a good match for Mark, but there are other (majority) times where I wanted to smack Jeremy. Hard. Mark, however, despite some poor choices, puts up with a lot of crap, tries to protect the one he loves, and does his job.

Points of view. While my biggest complaint in some books is that they randomly begin skipping around the perspective pool, this novel at least consistently jumped around. The lead narrator (in first person) is Jeremy, but possibly so you don't kill him, we get third person perspectives from Mark and various other key voices. I know this caused complaints among some readers, but I didn't mind. I feel the concept can work well, and while it may not have been executed perfectly in this case, it wasn't terrible. However, I know it rubbed many readers the wrong way.

Voice. We are told off the bat that Jeremy is apathetic in his relationships, doesn't think he's (really) capable of loving someone, and gets easily bored with boyfriends (and dumps them for no particular reason). He's a hard guy to love, and he's the leading male. Because of his apathy toward his boyfriend, his friends, and many things in general, it's hard to want to hang around his head, which is why jumping perspectives is probably a good thing. He's slightly whiny, very stubborn, and sometimes annoying. Also, despite his many failings, he still has friends and has trouble seeing any of his negatives. Because of all of this, he comes across as a Gary Stu (the male equivalent of a Mary Sue).

The mystery. In general the mystery was pretty interesting. I liked how everything unfolded and Jeremy continued to dig up facts and get his nose into business when he really shouldn't have.

On the other hand...there were some really big issues with reality in the mystery, the story, and a few characters. Mark takes Jeremy to a crime scene; I don't believe that a murder case would just be "dropped" no matter who was asking; and there are various other moments that made me question what research went into it. Along these same lines, the murderer, when he's finally revealed, behaves erratically, has previously behaved illogically, and yet has acted perfectly rationally other times. I didn't buy it.

Requested this book for review.

Second Chances by Jeff Erno

Second Chances by Jeff Erno
Stars: 2.5/5

Length: 253 pages
Blurb
Harold Wainwright is dying. At seventy-nine, stricken with malignant cancer, the multi-billionaire insurance mogul realizes he has much to regret. In his youth he rejected his only true love and instead chose to advance his career and build his financial empire. Single-mindedly he focused upon achieving his own goals, looking out for number one, and acquiring a monetary fortune. Now he is alone, and all he has is his money…and his life is over.

Doctor Timothy Drayton has devoted his entire career to developing the technology to prolong human life. His entire focus has been upon creating a computer chip which can be implanted into the human brain, allowing human consciousness to be transferred from one human subject into the mind of another. Given optimum circumstances, he is confident that he can now preserve the consciousness of a dying patient into the mind of a donor subject with a surgically electronic implant.

Jesse Warren is eighteen years old, about to graduate from high school. He’s a track star, model student, and the typical all-American kid. One day while on his way to track practice, tragedy strikes, and Jesse is in a terrible accident, rendered comatose. When his family learns the horrifying news, they believe they’ve lost their son forever. Jesse Warren is pronounced “brain dead”.

When neurosurgeon and world-renowned brain specialist Dr. Timothy Drayton arrives, telling the Warren family that he has an advanced form of experimental treatment which can possibly save young Jesse and restore his consciousness, the Warrens are convinced that God has sent them a miracle. They are overjoyed the next morning when their son undergoes surgery and awakens as a new man. His memory loss, they are convinced, is amnesia due to his accident.

Jesse lives, and is given a second chance. Will his new life prove to be the impetus for significant change, or will the old Harold Wainwright emerge to make the same mistakes a second time around? Most of us are given but one chance to make the right choices, but imagine if… there were such things as Second Chances.

Overall
This novel held more potential than was realized and I had some pretty large issues with it. Still, it wasn't painful to read and I didn't need to force myself to finish. It was easy going and had a very sweet romance. This is one where different readers will probably have very different feelings on the matter, and I can only offer my opinions.

Strengths
The story centered around an interesting concept of one man's mind/soul being placed into another's body. I had some difficulty understanding the doctor's motivations until later in the story, but I enjoyed seeing the challenges that New Jesse experienced as he tries to fit into Jesse's life while still retaining much of Harold's preferences. Although this plot contains some science fiction elements, it's not so far outside the realm of possibility that it could be considered straight sci-fi. Er, hardcore sci-fi.

The romance Jesse experiences is very sweet and pure, like young love, and I liked how those elements were handled, carefully rebuilding a friendship that one person doesn't remember while delving into a relationship. The romance is very tender but moves pretty quickly since they are young men in love. Hormones do that to you, I hear. You can't help but want them to get together.

Although I had some major issues with this book (as I list below), it was still a pretty good read. Although it's not something I'd probably pick up and read again, it's also not something I'd warn people against or fight against having to re-read.

Weaknesses
The writing was okay, but a little heavy handed and stiff at times. Also, the repetition of "second chance" annoyed me. Obviously it was the theme of the book, but it didn't need to be pointed out so often, even in times when it would naturally come up, I think alternative phrases would have helped. A minor niggle which I could have forgiven if it blended into the writing more. However, as I didn't find the writing to be as natural as previous Erno works, I was more easily distracted by minor word choices.

While I enjoyed the plot concept, I felt it was a little abused. Part of this relates to the author's repeated use of "second chance" as a theme--slightly more than a theme since it permeates every element of the book. By the final third of the novel I knew how everything was going to turn out, even if I didn't know the specifics. Obviously with romances the two main characters are generally going to end up together, but I feel even beyond that this ending was predictable. This could just be me, though, but if you're a reader who likes surprises and figures out endings, (and if predictability bothers you), then you may want to steer clear.

Regarding the ending: I feel there were some unresolved issues that didn't get addressed and needed to be.

Also, I was a little annoyed by how much Harold flung around money. Obviously he's used to being rich and I think he gets a just reward in the end, but books that inadvertently say that money solves everything--even when they are trying to say the opposite--get under my skin in the bad way.

Received this book for review.

Magic Fingers by Etienne

Magic Fingers by Etienne
Stars: 2/5

Blurb
David Majors should be looking forward to a long and prosperous life: after tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he’s attending college courtesy of Uncle Sam and riding the fast track to success. He’s tall, fit, and good-looking, so shouldn’t the world be his oyster? But underneath his clothes—and beneath the surface—David is a mess of scar tissue and insecurity.

Then he meets Kevin Boxer, another former Army Ranger. Their first night together, Kevin stares David’s scars in the face and doesn’t flinch, instead showering David with the passion and attention he craves but never imagined possible. Slowly but surely, Kevin helps David rebuild his confidence, and the two of them begin to build their life together. But their journey is far from over, and it turns out Kevin may need David to help him heal some scars of his own.

Overall
Although this books is promoted as stand alone (part of the Avondale series), I don't think readers who aren't already familiar with the characters from the other Avondale stories will take much from this novel. Although the initial premise is interesting and promises emotional and psychological exploration, the story mainly just follows Kevin and David from their first passionate meeting through to many years later.

The difficulty of finishing the novel is that if you haven't read any of the previous Avondale books, very few, if any, of the characters hold much meaning, so the reader is just guided through everyday life while constantly waiting for something to happen. Nothing does. This may be a good read for fans of Avondale who want to know more about this couple, who I'm guessing make appearances in the other novels (which is why the story got 2 stars instead of 1), but I wouldn't recommend it to the random reader.

Strengths
This story has a very interesting concept that I was eager to see explored: A man deprived of his manhood in modern day America. I've dealt with similar concepts before, but the social environment was never the same, although certain implications still stood true. In Magic Fingers, David not only has to come to terms with his injury, but he has to face others judging him in a very personal, intimate manner. And until he meets Kevin, he's never come across someone who hasn't walked out. There was a potential for great emotional and psychological depth to be explored here.

The writing wasn't bad, but it did feel a little stiff--or at least not strong enough to make up for the lack of story. It was good enough that I did finish the novel, even though the plot and characters didn't entice me.

Weaknesses
This story lacks any real plot line. Although plenty of things happen from beginning to end, none of them are explored thoroughly or as a driving focus of the story, except maybe David's injury. But even that isn't given it's due as while it affects multiple things in the story, it never really goes beyond surface tension. The lack of plot is the biggest weakness of this story as it takes two characters and gives them easy challenges that they always overcome, sometimes with the help of family and friends. The conflicts are always outside sources that are taken care of within a few pages. This read more like a happy dream-fantasy than a novel.

I was also a little disturbed with how David told his father about his injury. Perhaps that shows my own prejudice, but I don't know many sons who would just drop their shorts in front of their father. This was after several other incidents (the party where David first walks around naked in front of other people) that made me feel very disconnected to the characters. They live in a very different world from me and the author never helped me bond with them.

Spoilers below
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I think the most frustrating part of this story is that there are so many potential points of interest that could have been developed. David's injury obviously caused him plenty of previous psychological issues, but when Kevin accepts him (instantly) there is little further drama, except when David is expected to walk around nude or tell his family. Potential for emotional/psychological development that was never touched upon.

Kevin's family is pretty messed up, but he's turned out alright, probably due to his great aunt's and grandmother's influences. The book blurb is probably referring to this as the scars that David will help him heal, but these didn't feel like scars so much as scratches from a pricker bush. Band-aids and kisses made them all better.

Finally, they adopt Kevin's nephew, who has abandonment issues, which they talk about and are careful about, but never really need to face. Another potential for developing characters that was left as something that was talked about but never explored.

All these points suffer from the reader being told the story instead of shown it. Even the writing style goes along these lines, as the first person perspective switches between the two leading males as if they are taking turns telling someone their life story. I think this would have worked better if we were shown one major event in their lives instead of being told about all of them.

Requested this book for review.

Signed and Sealed by B.A. Stretke

Signed and Sealed by B.A. Stretke
Stars: 2-2.5/5

Blurb
William Drake’s living an ordinary life—he's got a job, a dog, and a house near Lake Superior—when a frantic call for help from his ne'er-do-well sister, Katrina, throws a big rancher-shaped kink in the works. Proving that no good deed goes unpunished, Will’s arrival at the Montana ranch belonging to Katrina's fiancé, Martin, is marked by a flat tire and unexpected help from a tall, dark, and handsome Good Samaritan who turns out to be Elijah Hunter, Martin's brother, and the most unsettling man Will has ever met.

Eli’s fury over Katrina’s misdeeds boils over onto Will, and he demands that Will remain on the ranch until the matter is resolved. While Will can take Katrina's place, Eli doesn’t make it easy, testing Will at every turn, but Will’s uncompromising morals exceed even Eli’s exacting standards. The attraction growing between them is further complicated by Eli’s ultimatum: he's still holding Katrina to the pre-nup she signed... unless Will agrees to marry Eli instead.

Overall
A lot of other reviewers have listed this book as "Harlequin" in nature, which really didn't mean much to me, since I've not read enough Harlequins to judge. However, it is something to keep in mind when reading this review, as some of my points may be applied to this Harlequin status.

To enjoy this book, the reader is going to have to take a ginormous leap of faith from the beginning, as the entire story is reliant on the notion that Will is practically held hostage at Eli's estate. While he's not being forced physically, Eli is holding financial reasons over his head. I found that, and the majority of the plot, to be ridiculous and horribly weak, which made a majority of the story unenjoyable. That, rolled together with the facts that Will can't trust Eli (who seems to change personalities every other scene) and Eli thinks Will is a gold digger like his sister, but they both have the hots for each other, makes for a frustrating story.

However, not all is lost. Once the story begins to dig deeper into Eli actually beginning to court Will and overcoming Will's distrust of him, the story picks up. If this is "your sort of story," I think it could be very interesting, but in general I was not impressed.

Strengths
Admittedly, I have a soft spot for antagonistic romances where hatred (with a touch of lust) blossoms into love. Once this novel got to that point where the initial logistics were put behind and Eli was beginning to court Will, everything was much more enjoyable. I realize that a large portion of the beginning was needed to develop their relationship to create the conflict, but more could have been done to focus on the strength of the story rather than the flimsy building blocks.

Weaknesses
The point of view was third person limited omniscient, jumping from character to character at the author's discretion. While it wasn't done poorly, I feel this novel could have improved if it was kept in a second person perspective, leaving the reader just as confused as Will was about Eli's motives and feelings. As it was, we know what's going through Eli's head, and it makes the majority of the struggles rather inane. While many books flip between the two characters and play off "misunderstanding" trope, this novel relied too heavily on Will's issues and distrust to work the conflict appropriately. While we can see Eli is a bit of a jerk, we never think he's as mean as Will does because we see inside Eli's head, although sometimes even that isn't enough to make sense of what's going on. I give the author credit for being consistently omniscient in writing, but don't feel it was very helpfully to the story telling.

The set up of the story was the most difficult for me, as I mentioned above. It seemed trite and unfeasible. I couldn't buy it and so I had a difficult time settling into where the author wanted me to go. Along those lines, I had a hard time buying that Will could just take off from work for a month, since we know he's not exactly rich. Plus, even though his dog is safe at a "friend's" house, I'd be a little pissed if I was asked to dog-sit for a weekend and it became a month! And he never calls to see how the dog is. Minor points, perhaps, but symptoms of the larger problem.

In addition, Eli seemed a bit unbalanced. To an extent, we are given the reasons behind this, but for the most part he just comes off as a little crazy/vengeful, which makes sense, as this is how Will is supposed to see him. However, some of the events that we see through Will's eyes are not compatible with how Eli behaves when we see events through Eli's eyes. Not until the end did Eli begin to have a consistent personality that seemed to fit with the person everyone describes throughout the story.

Requested this book for review.

Angel Thief by Jenny Schwartz

Angel Thief by Jenny Schwartz
Stars: 2.5/5

Overall
Sara and Filip are two pawns in a game, struggling to do what is right, and best, while playing within the guidelines. If they can manage to work together, they might just be able to win.

I'll admit it's been a while since I read a het romance, but the concept of an angel falling for a djinn was tempting. That part of the story held up strongly and was satisfying. I recognize that my perspective may skew this review.

Strengths
Plot. I felt the strength of the story was in what was happening. For a shorter piece it has a good amount of action and just enough complexity to move the story along without requiring exceptional details.

Side characters. There was good variety here and none of them were simply cardboard cut outs meant to fill a spot. They all had at least a little depth and played their parts.

Weaknesses
Turning Point. I felt the turning point from "I'm resisting you" to "Take me now" was abrupt. The author provides reasons, and possibly even acceptable ones, but I didn't buy it. Her reasons for resisting were good and too easily thrown out the window.

Sexual encounters. I didn't find the sexual encounters particularly enjoyable. The first felt a little ridiculous and the second seemed so abrupt that it disrupted the rest of the story for me.

Fall by Alex Draven

Fall by Alex Draven
Stars: 2/5

Overall:
I enjoyed this story, and I enjoyed this world, but the reason it scored so low was because so much was confusing. There is so much here that can be fleshed out into a longer piece. I was even hoping that maybe this was just an off shoot of another story without any luck. I enjoyed the crabby centaur, the young go-getter, the conflict between them and their histories. The end confused me a little, as to why everything happened, even if I have an understanding of what happened. The history of everyone is a little fuzzy as well, although I grasped the basic plot.

This is meant to be M/M romance, but very little actually feels like it. Our main centaur had a male lover (boyfriend/significant other/grooming mate?) and there is the possibility of something between him and the young colt, but it's all kind of vague. This needed to be longer to explore the complex systems that were created.

Liquid Glass by Zathyn Priest

Liquid Glass by Zathyn Priest
Stars: 2.5/5

Overall:
True love. Soul mates. Whatever you want to call it, Priest has it stretch across time and existence. I didn't really know what I was getting into when I started reading this story; in fact, I had some very wrong assumptions (which, after reading the description of the book, I'm not sure where they came from). We are given a ghost story in the barest sense that it involves ghosts and the past, but more importantly it involves true love which struggles through the ages to finally be happy together. While I didn't suffer while reading it, I wasn't captivated either. I'll probably give the author another chance, since I enjoyed one of his short stories.

What I liked
Story. The overall arch of the story was pretty interesting once they got into it and the action started happening. The flashbacks did an excellent job of explaining what was happening without further exposition (see What didn't work). Although it wasn't an intense story, it was "creepy" enough for it's ghost-story-like charms.

Characters. Most of the characters were enjoyable and complimented one another well.

True love. I'm a giant sucker for the idea of true love and soul mates, so this novel pushed that button hard. I really enjoyed the soul mates once they came together because they didn't completely lose their own identity. (Completely, see What didn't work.)

What didn't work
Over explaining. This problem mostly comes to head when Trudy is narrating. While she is the most knowledgeable about psychic abilities, she also tells the reader too much. While she has an important role plot wise, I'd rather if the author didn't use her as an unnecessary crutch to tell the reader things...things that we didn't really need to know in the first place. This is seen most clearly toward the end of the novel in the falling action when she pretty much tells all. In monologue. I felt like the author was trying to justify his own story when he didn't need to--I followed along with him until then.

Character loop hole. Cameron is frugal, a penny pincher, what have you. But as soon as his true love arrives, he's willing to blow massive amounts of money on him. I can't buy it. Yes, love makes you do crazy things, but love also rarely changes deep-seated behavior traits like that. It felt horribly out of character for him.

Construction. The story didn't grab me right off the bat, which I find to be a failing of any story/novel. Why should I continue if I'm barely interested? I realize some stories take time to build into a complex weave (and this one did have a fair amount of weave to work with), I still needed to be pulled in quicker than I was. Mostly the first few chapters left me annoyed, although it didn't help Malcom and Trudy initially led the story, and they were my least two favorite characters.

Dream Boy by Jim Grimsley

Dream Boy by Jim Grimsley
Stars: 2.5/5

Overall:
While this is a beautifully written story with several positive points, the ending really sours the entire story for me.

What I liked
Writing. The style is unique and moving, feeling abstract and distant in many cases, which works to illustrate how the main character has become closed off (although the writing style doesn't change as he opens up.

Abuse. The main character's relationship with his father is handled well. The fear is palpable without showing any actual abuse being committed, just threats (which is enough).

What didn't work
The ending. I'm not sure if I'm missing something, I didn't read carefully enough, or it's just the style of the book, but the ending was extremely confusing. I'm not exactly sure what happened, and I'm not certain if I'm supposed to know if certain things happened. I found it frustrating to feel uncertain and confused about the ending.

Boyfriend. We have an obviously limited view of what other people think and feel, but the main characters "boyfriend" had several moments where I really disliked him. He had a girlfriend, he's hot and cold, he's almost cruel in some instances. While I can understand this logically, I never felt his behaviors were satisfactorily explained or defended. It wasn't until the end that he both ruined and redeemed himself.

The Solstice Mistletoe Effect by Serena Yates

The Solstice Mistletoe Effect by Serena Yates
Stars: 2/5

Overall:
The continuing story of Magnus and Lance leads us to Sweden, where Lance struggles with his life choices and the outside forces that don't want them together, while also dealing with a partner who can be a bit dense. Overall, this story improved upon the first, both in character, plot, dialogue, and writing.

What I liked
The emotional challenges faced in this story were more realistic and overarching. It felt true to the story, the characters and the plot. The reactions of the characters felt reasonable and made sense, both emotionally and logically.

The writing improved from the first book.

What didn't work
The characters still seemed too emotional in general. Lance I can excuse the trait, since it is his way, but it feels unnatural in Magnus, who I sometimes have difficulty reading (as in, reading his chapters).

Mistletoe Phenomenon by Serena Yates

Mistletoe Phenomenon by Serena Yates
Stars: 1.5/5

Overall:
While I was enchanted by the premise of the story, overall, it wasn't satisfying. The characters were overly emotional to the point of not feeling real. The story was cute, but left much to be desired.

What I liked
Happy ending. Everything works out and our two men find happiness, which isn't a surprise, really. The story is cute and satisfying in this regard.

Jakob. The young boy (nephew) is fun and adorable. He keeps the story moving and alive, and any forced conversations that involve him feel more natural because he's a child and is more likely to blurt what he's thinking.

There are also moments when I really feel for the characters and I empathize with them, especially Lance. I think he is easiest to relate to and feels like a real character.

What didn't work
Characters. We have two men, one is overly emotional, the other (starts) completely severed from his emotions. Obviously for them to get together emotions are involved, so Magnus learns emotions. Which worked sometimes and not others. He skipped from “no emotions” to “I love you” too quickly to feel realistic. His mental dialogue always felt stifling and awkward, and not because he was dealing with new emotions.

By the end, the phrase “chicks with dicks” comes to mind, which feels unduly harsh, but fitting. These characters are very expressive of their feelings, especially Lance, and have no problems discussing their feelings. I couldn't buy it, but that may be your thing.

Writing. The writing flopped back and forth between being adequate and pretty good, to some very awkward prose and conversation. The writing seemed to solidify better in the second part of the story, so maybe it was just “first book” nerves (unrelated to whether it was her first book).