Showing posts with label J.L. Merrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J.L. Merrow. Show all posts

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Minis: Lanyon, Merrow, Frank & Harper

And because I'm still catching up with my December reviews, here are my impressions of a few m/m romance reads -- some I picked out from the old TBR pile, and others are brand new releases.

The Haunted Heart: Winter by Josh Lanyon: B+

Lanyon's latest release surprise me! The Haunted Heart: Winter is more of a speculative fiction/horror story, a great first installment. It is the beginning of a new series of four (winter, spring, summer, fall) seasonal novels by Lanyon, and a fantastic beginning it is. The two main characters meet at an isolated haunted house where they are staying alone. Our narrator is a conflicted young man whose loss of his partner left him feeling suicidal and vulnerable to the darkness he encounters at the house. I really love that the focus of this book is on the narrator, and that the man who becomes his partner in solving the haunting is supportive, but remains a mystery. The base for a future romance is laid out by Lanyon, and should be developed slowly and fully within the rest of the series. For me, that is a positive. I'm already anxious to read the next installment.

The "I Spy" series by Josh Lanyon: Grade B

I Spy Something Bloody (B) is a solid piece about a man who has been a spy for most of his adult life. He finds the right man, but fails to contact him for two years while deep undercover, but he is taken prisoner and contacting the man he loves becomes impossible -- talk about taking someone for granted! He returns to his lover a broken man, and finds that during the years he's been away, his lover found a new man. This is a solid piece about love, understanding, and redemption. Lanyon made this work and it hit the spot for me.

The other short stories in this series, I Spy Something Wicked (B-) and I Spy Something Christmas ( C), are holiday companion pieces and further reinforce the main characters' happy ever after.


Cards on the Table by Josh Lanyon: B+

Also from my TBR, Cards on the Table is one of those Lanyon pieces set in a modern Hollywood, but with magnificent retro atmosphere ala Black Dhalia. The main characters are a journalist writing a book about an old Hollywood murder and the cop who helps him when the situation gets complicated. This couple already has a history when the story begins, which immediately establishes the romantic attraction while the personal the conflict is slowly revealed. We've seen this pairing from Lanyon before, but I love the freshness that our narrator brings to the story. The mystery itself is the type that Lanyon excels at writing, with some great red herrings, some scary action, and a great resolution at the end. Cards on the Table is a good mystery that I enjoyed from beginning to end, with a hot pair that provided a few memorable intimate moments along the way. And PS: I love the cover for this novella, it fits the content of the book perfectly.

Fall Hard by J.L. Merrow: Grade B

This story set in Iceland worked for me. Merrow combines Icelandic myth with the strength of the main character and a plot full of slow revelations. I don't usually like the amnesia plot device, but in this case it works because of the circumstances. The uncertainty of the main character Paul and the discoveries he makes about the circumstances surrounding the terrible accident that injured him, killed his live-in lover, and the introduction old friends as strangers, kept me riveted, but the intimate facts and revelations Paul finds about himself give the story depth. The romance with the man who loves him, a gorgeous Viking, with all its conflicts also worked for me. There are repetitive, informational sections that slowed down the story, but overall this is a solid read.

Try (Temptation #1) by Ella Frank: Grade D

Try was a disappointing read for me personally. It pushed some major buttons and most of my reading experience ended up on the negative side of the spectrum. These were my last impressions of the book:
In the end, there's not much in this story that separates it from many other reads with repetitive sexual scenes expected of an m/m erotic romance. These are two bisexual men who get involved in a gay sexual relationship -- with one man initially sexually harassed and ruthlessly pushed into it by the other -- that may lead to more in the future. The story ends in a cliffhanger since it seems there is an upcoming sequel in the works.
Sexual harassment on the job is a deal breaker for me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that a fine line was crossed in Try one time too many. Additionally, I had problems with the dialog and found the legal research used to develop the story, poor. Needless to say, the book did not work out for me on many levels.

Secrets and Ink by Lou Harper: Grade D

This is a romance between Jem, a man who believes he was cursed by a meter maid because of his arrogance, and that's the reason behind all the bad luck experienced during his adult life, and Nic, a cop who is attracted to Jem until he sees a tattoo that reminds him that years ago he arrested an under-aged Jem for prostitution. I don't know what to say about this romance. Jem blames his poor decisions on a curse and Nic uses a long-ago guilt trip to back off a possible relationship and instead hides behind friendship. I don't know who shows poorer judgment throughout this story, Jem or Nic. But, regardless of my like or dislike of the characters or their motivations, this story was just all over the place with neither the romance nor the obvious crime mystery working for me.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

February 2013: Books Read Recap + Minis

February was a short, rather complicated month. Somehow, however, I managed to read quite a few excellent books. I do believe that because it was such an emotionally stressed sort of month, I indulged myself by reading books that fitted my mood. So if you look at my list you will notice that there is only one (ONE) mainstream romance in there.

The end of February also marked the end of my participation in the highly enjoyable 2013 Science Fiction Experience. Although I didn't get to half the books stacked on my coffee table, ALL those books I planned to read, with a total of 14 books read and 11 posts, it was a satisfying year. You can read my wrap-up post here.

Here are my total numbers for February.

Total Books Read: 20
--Historical Romance: 1
--Science Fiction: 3
--Poetry: 1
--Speculative Fiction: 1
--Non-Fiction: 1
--LGBT: 13 (Gay Fiction: 1, Gay Urban Fantasy/Romance: 7, Gay and/or Erotic Romance: 5)

Grades:
A = 4
B = 9
C = 7



Favorite Reads of the Month:
1.   The Rest of Us: Stories by Guy Mark Foster: A-
2.   In Search Of an Others by Will Ludwigsen: A-
3.   Criss Cross (PsyCop #2) by Jordan Castillo-Price: A-
4.   Secrets (PsyCop #3) by Jordan Castillo-Price: A-

Balance of Great February Reads:
5.   The Natural Takeover of Things by Tim Z. Hernandez: B+
6.   Among the Living (PsyCop #1) by Jordan Castillo-Price: B+
7.   Hermovore by Jordan Castillo-Price: B+
I loved the different take on vampires -- the virus -- and the details that JCP provides to make the world of vampires and non-infected humans come alive in Hermovore. Her characterization is also excellent and Mark's voice as the human narrator is fabulous. Jonathan as the secretive vampire love interest comes off as a sex bomb turned sensitive macho love bucket. I don't know who I liked best; Mark's snarky, biggest-queen-in-the-world attitude or Jonathan's sexy, secretive persona. The story's pacing is a bit inconsistent, with some too-slow portions and other action-packed spaces, but overall a very good read!
8.   Lord of Darkness (Maiden Lane #5) by Elizabeth Hoyt: B
9.   The Human Division #3: We Only Need the Heads by John Scalzi: B
10. The Human Division #4: A Voice in the Wilderness by John Scalzi: B
11. Body & Soul (PsyCop #4)by Jordan Castillo-Price: B
12. Camp Hell (PsyCop #5) by Jordan Castillo-Price: B-
13. GhosTV (PsyCop #6) by Castillo-Price: C+
14. On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington #1) by David Weber: C+
15. Trick of Time by J.L. Merrow: C+
I like J.L. Merrow's m/m romance stories. I've enjoyed them primarily because her characters never seem to fit the usual A&F mold. Instead her characters are, for the most part, unusual and/or unique. The two main characters in Trick of Time don't necessarily fit the mold either, so why didn't I enjoy this story more? This is a time travel story that shifts between contemporary and Victorian London and the execution of this particular storyline didn't quite work for me. I kept picking at the time travel aspect of it and finding too many holes, so that took me out of the story. Additionally, the time in which the two main characters develop a strong attachment to each other is very short! So, where did that leave me? After suspending disbelief, I enjoyed Merrow's turn of phrase, the unique characters she created and the emotion that she always seems to pour into those characters.
16. Striking Sparks (PsyCops #2.1) by Jordan Castillo-Price: C+
17. Many Happy Returns (PsyCops #2.2) by Jordan Castillo-Price: C+
18. In The Dark (PsyCops #6.1) by Jordan Castillo-Price: C+
19. The Stroke of Midnight (PsyCop #3.1) by Jordan Castillo-Price: C
20. Red-Inked Retablos by Rigoberto Gonzalez (Upcoming Review)

That's my recap for February and on to March! I already have a few new releases I've been looking forward to reading AND some old books that caught my eye too! Let's see if I can get through all of them.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Minis: Romance Suspense, Erotic Romance, M/M Romance

Here are my reactions to some of the books I read in October in my favorite short, quick mini-impressions format. They are featured in order of books read, and as you'll see below my grades fluctuate from a solid B to D+'s for these seven reads. Genres included are romance suspense, erotic romance, m/m romance and m/m romance suspense.

Black Ice (Ice #1) by Anne Stuart: What happened between this book and me? Well, I loved the suspense/thriller aspect of the book but didn't enjoy the romance. Why? Well I question whether there's consent from the heroine during the first sexual encounter. The hero is overwhelmingly cold and for most of the story is thinking how or when he will or might kill the heroine. Not very romantic. Stuart's heroine mentions and dismisses Stockholm syndrome as a reason for her feelings throughout the story, however that's the only way I see this woman falling in love with this man. The fact that she's a bit on the clueless side and her judgment seems to be impaired so that her actions magnify the danger do not help. This suspense/thriller romance would have worked really well for me without the romance though. If this couple had walked away from each other at the end, I would have been better satisfied because in my opinion Stuart can write some exciting, thrilling suspense and action scenes. Grade: C-

Old Poison (Dangerous Ground #2) by Josh Lanyon: I enjoyed the second book in the Dangerous Ground series by Josh Lanyon more than the first book! It has one of the best "happy birthday" bedroom scenes I've read in any book. *g* There's a good mixture of romantic and erotic scenes, as well as suspense and action. There are a few incidental details that I found out of place, but overall Old Poison is a solid, enjoyable gay romance/mystery suspense. As a result of liking this one, I will definitely read the next book of this series.  Grade B

Everything Changes (Alex Kennedy 1.5) by Megan Hart: A look at events that happened in Hart's Tempted from Alex's point of view. Written in broad strokes without much detail and very little emotion, this short piece didn't do much for me personally except to reiterate my initial thoughts about Jamie and Anne as two self-centered people who use and hurt Alex to please themselves. This is a sad story that I did not find erotic, nor does it showcase Hart's talent for rendering detail.  Note that the cover featuring two males is extremely misleading. I cannot recommend this novella as a standalone read, nor to first-time readers of Hart's works. However, I would say that this book is a "must" read for fans of the narrator, Alex, and the book Tempted. Grade: C-

Pressure Head by J. L. Merrow: I liked this romance between a man with psychic abilities and the bully who made his life a misery in high school. Merrow has a flair for featuring characters who are very different from each other and selling a happy ending, but this romance did not quite convince me in the end -- too much unresolved anger on both sides and not enough time to resolve all the issues to make this relationship work, made the happy ending questionable for me. On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery the main characters solve together. An average read by this talented author. Grade: C

All Roads Lead To You by Harper Fox: I do enjoy a good gay romance by Harper Fox, unfortunately this was not it. Set in Italy, in my opinion this story about a model-turned-rent boy and his first love-turned-mafia boss tried too hard. It had a pretty unbelievable plot line with too many different conflicts going on at the same time and little room for development due to the short format. A good premise never realized. Grade D+

Heart Trouble Josh Lanyon: I love Josh Lanyon, but for me Heart Trouble turned out to be a surprisingly incomplete, outdated, and underdeveloped short story (very short), lacking in both detail and real emotion or connection between the two main characters. There is no happy ever after (which I don't usually mind), instead the story ends with the beginning of what might be a relationship. Why? I don't know. I didn't really understand when these two men 'clicked' with each other. A solid writer, Lanyon doesn't usually receive low grades from me, unfortunately I can't really recommend this story. Grade: D+

Perfect Day Josh Lanyon: Perfect Day is another very short story by Lanyon. This romance features the breakup between a man in love with a lover who lost his partner and is still grieving. In this short story, Lanyon successfully establishes an emotional connection between reader and narrator, but unfortunately there is an unlikely happy ending brought about or influenced by rather contrived circumstances. Grade: C-

That's the end to my minis, hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Question: I love writing mini-impressions or mini-reviews. Do you enjoy reading mini-reviews? Or do you prefer the long, extended version of reviews with all the details and spoilers? 

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Minis: Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews, Pricks and Pragmatism by J.L. Merrow

It's Super Bowl Sunday in the US! For those of you who love football, I wonder if you're excited about this year's game? It's an East Coast battle this year, New England Patriots v. New York Giants. My chosen team is out of contention, but I'll be watching my husband and brothers root for the home team. Enough about football, there's sufficient hype about it on our local TV programming, right?

Today, I'm posting a couple of minis for two novellas I read in January -- urban fantasy and gay romance. Neither was perfect, but interestingly enough, both were quite enjoyable for different reasons.

Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels #5.4) by Ilona Andrews

Magic Gifts was a free Christmas present from the authors to fans of the Kate Daniels series. The novella serves as a bridge between Magic Slays and the upcoming book Gunmetal Magic where Andrea will be the central character. Magic Gifts, however, is all about Kate and Curran, and Andrea only plays a small role. I believe we will find out exactly what happened to her in this story in the upcoming book.

The story begins with a date between Kate and Curran at a local restaurant. The date quickly deteriorates into a battle with vampires when a female vampire navigator is choked by a magic necklace given to her by her boyfriend. When a child is placed in danger by this same necklace, an investigation and a race to save the child's life ensues.

The Andrews team takes the time to incorporate mythology in this novella, as they bring into the picture the Nordic Vikings and their fun, rather superficial society. They also showcase the growth that continues to take place in Kate and Curran's relationship in both intimacy and team play, as well as Kate's increased role within the Pack. As always, the characters are well drawn, the plot well developed, particularly for a novella, plus I found the pacing and action to be quick and exciting. My one concern? Kate's involvement with the Mercenary Guild seemed to be unnecessary, although it's understood that their help will probably be necessary in the upcoming battle. However, how many roles is she supposed to play? Where exactly are they going with Kate's character? Is she supposed to be Queen of Atlanta by the time this series is over? And, why didn't Jim take on that role? He easily could have.

I'm a glutton for Kate Daniels and once I began reading this novella, I wanted more! More story, more Kate and Curran, more Jim, more Julie, more depth, more everything! So, now we wait for Andrea's book in 2012, and the next Kate Daniels installment in 2013! Ahhhh... Grade: B

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Pricks and Pragmatism by J.L. Merrow

I liked this novella by J.L. Merrow. Pricks and Pragmatism's main character is Luke, a young man who is accustomed to exchanging sexual favors for a place to live. His usually type is the well-to-do sugar daddy. However, when his current roommate finds a replacement and tells him it's time for him to leave, an old flame hooks him up with a friend willing to let him stay at his place. His new roommate Russell is a geeky engineer and not Luke's type at all, and when he makes it clear from the beginning that he doesn't want sexual favors in return for room and board, this confuses and angers Luke.

In the span of this novella Russell attempts to show Luke his worth as a man and a human being, and Luke learns about himself and ends up yearning for a new type of relationship based on friendship, real attraction and understanding. The story is told from Luke's perspective, and I enjoyed witnessing Luke's growth as a person and experiencing that all-important emotional connection with Russell along with him. I just couldn't help but wish that there had been more depth to Russell's characterization, or that the couple's happy ending had been less abrupt and a bit more satisfying. Overall, however, this was an enjoyable short by Merrow. Grade C+