Taking a short break!

I will return very soon with a summary of my June reads, a mid-year recap, reads update and reviews, but for the next week... just taking a much needed short summer/holiday break from everything.

Summer Reads: Beach... or anywhere that's hot!

Playa Nibujon
Picture taken by my cousin F. Ma

Hey... it's hot, hot, hot... at least it's really hot this weekend in Jersey (100 degrees F), and the temperature is going to stay that way for the rest of the weekend and next week. Are we all dreaming of the beach yet? I know, I am!!! You see the picture of that beach? My family grew up swimming on that beach, and I'm dreaming of it right now...

Next week there's a holiday, and many of us will be heading to the beach, (down the shore), or to other summer places to get away from it all. What better time to get some nice reading done? Here are a few recommendations from my recent list of books read and from past years. If you're interested in reading some full-length summery contemporary romances, you can always pick up:

The Lucky Harbor Series by Jill Shalvis includes the original three books that I loved and the latest releases, which I plan to read during this next week, but for a hot summer day? The Sweetest Thing! Here you'll find a book that will make you want to run for the boardwalk, another one with a great seaside romance and an unforgettable dog! And yet another one about two people who begin a summer affair and find love.

The Sweetest Thing, #2 (2011)
No Tan Lines by Kate Angell (2012)
Summer at Seaside Cove by Jacquie D'Alessandro (2011)
Crazy for Love by Victoria Dahl (2010)

And, if just want to pick up some shorter reads that won't take too much time out of your day, I loved and recommend the following three books -- all three are favorites:

Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry (2012 Contemporary Romance)
A Little More Scandal by Carrie Lofty (2012 Historical Romance Novella)
Her Secret Fling by Sarah Mayberry (2010 Contemporary Romance)  

Here are some LGBT recommendations: two enjoyable anthologies full of short stories where you can find sunshine, love or fantastic seafaring tales, an excellent fantasy novella with romance a police-procedural, and a full-length light, summery, young adult mystery read.

Boys of Summer edited by Steve Berman (2012 Contemporary Anthology)
The Touch of the Sea edited by Steve Berman (2012 Fantasy Anthology)
Point of Knives by Melissa Scott (2012 Fantasy Novella)
Mystery of the Tempest: A Fisher Key Adventure by Sam Cameron (2011 Contemporary YA Mystery) 

That's it! I'm going to go enjoy my hot, hot weekend and pick up a summer read! Enjoy your weekend. Stay cool!

New Releases: June/July 2012

Today is a great day for new releases! I have them all nice and cozy in my Kindle already. :)

However, there were a couple of June releases that I missed! Books that I'm really excited about reading, because they are written by a writer who make it to the top of my favorite list last year. So in a way, this is an author highlight and a new release post since two of the books I'm highlighting are by the same author, Mr. Elliott Mackle. The rest of the books are July 2012 releases that I will definitely read.

Captain Harding and His Men by Elliott Mackle
Release Date: June 1, 2012

When a C-130 bound for Southeast Asia explodes on takeoff at remote Wheelus Air Base, Libya, handsome, hard-charging Captain Joe Harding instinctively realizes that the cargo list--''medical supplies and radio tubes''--was faked. When Joe's newly-married workout buddy does a swan dive off a fifth story balcony in downtown Tripoli, Joe refuses to accept the semi-official verdict: suicidal depression. And when Joe's tennis partner, the son of the American ambassador, decides to celebrate his eighteenth birthday by appearing unannounced at Joe's BOQ door, the potential difficulties of their love-match must be addressed--seriously and without delay.

Continuing the adventures and misadventures begun in Elliott Mackle's award-winning Captain Harding's Six-Day War, Joe and his fellow officers and airmen contend with a highly decorated but sexually abusive wing commander (who happens to be Joe's boss), a closeted Pentagon official fighting to save his career, a CIA agent who may be an impostor, and shipments of British weapons that fall into the hands of anti-royalist rebels. When a kidnapping goes terribly wrong, Joe must fight for everything he holds dear: duty, honor, country and love.

Captain Harding and His Men was actually slated to release in August, but released early in June. I noticed almost immediately because I bookmarked this book at amazon! I've been hunting this story down (checking up on it) ever since I read and loved the first installment, Captain Harding's Six Day War last year, and by June 5th this novel was in my Kindle. For those of you who also enjoyed the first book (or who want to give this series a shot), check it out... it's out already!

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Title: It Takes Two by Elliott Mackle
Release Date: June 6, 2012

February, 1949. Fort Myers, Florida. It started out to be such a nice day. But early morning gunfire at the Royal Plaza Motor Hotel changed all that. One white man is dead. One black man is dead. The white man's widow has just crashed the investigation and is waving a gun around. Dan Ewing, who isn't supposed to be there, barely escapes getting shot. Saving his bacon is Lee County detective Bud Wright. Dan and Bud are more than just fishing buddies. But that's one secret of many in this small town.

Dan is the manager of the Caloosa Hotel, a class act if you're just passing through, but a provider of card games, call girls, mixed drinks and other special ''services'' for members of the ultra-private Caloosa Club. This doesn't sit well with everyone in town, including a wealthy car dealer, the KKK, and Bud Wright, despite the fact that he's sleeping with Dan. But the car dealer is the dead white man, the black man is the husband of his wife's former maid, and the sheriff, Bud's boss, seems determined to steer the investigation off track. So what does the apparent murder-suicide have to do with the Caloosa?

Former journalist Elliott Mackle takes this wonderfully realized ''why-done-it'' to fascinating levels as he explores the various factions of a small southern town facing the giant implications of a rapidly changing society in the postwar years. It Takes Two, Mackle's first novel and a Lambda Literary Award finalist returns to print.

Also out in June from Mr. Mackle, his first novel It Takes Two. This book was out of print and was re-released in both print and ebook formats by Lethe Press. I looked and searched for this book last year and could not get my hands on it. I wanted to read it right away after finishing Captain Harding's Six Day War, and that was frustrating. Sooo, for me that was great news! It Takes Two was a Lambda Literary Award finalist and of course it had some excellent reviews when it was first released. I received this book for review from the author, and of course you know that yes... I already read it! If you have NOT read this excellent novel yet, check it out it's available again. Review to come!

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The Last Policeman: A Novel by Ben H. Winters
Release Date: July 10, 2012

What’s the point in solving murders if we’re all going to die soon, anyway?

Detective Hank Palace has faced this question ever since asteroid 2011GV1 hovered into view. There’s no chance left. No hope. Just six precious months until impact.

The Last Policeman presents a fascinating portrait of a pre-apocalyptic United States. The economy spirals downward while crops rot in the fields. Churches and synagogues are packed. People all over the world are walking off the job—but not Hank Palace. He’s investigating a death by hanging in a city that sees a dozen suicides every week—except this one feels suspicious, and Palace is the only cop who cares.

The first in a trilogy, The Last Policeman offers a mystery set on the brink of an apocalypse. As Palace’s investigation plays out under the shadow of 2011GV1, we’re confronted by hard questions way beyond “whodunit.” What basis does civilization rest upon? What is life worth? What would any of us do, what would we really do, if our days were numbered?

The Last Policeman is another novel that I accepted for review. Now... how could I pass it up? It's the first book in a pre-apocalyptic "whodunit" trilogy, with a pretty odd sounding central character. The blurb for this book definitely grabbed my attention. I haven't read anything by this author, although I think most of us will recognize a couple of his previous titles, namely Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters and the bestseller Bedbugs.

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You Will Meet A Stranger Far From Home: Wonder Stories by Alex Jeffers
Release Date: July 14, 2012

Ten recent stories that wander back and forth along and across the boundaries between realistic, fantastical, and science fiction.

This is the only description I could find for Mr. Jeffers' latest collection, You Will Meet A Stranger Far From Home: Wonder Stories, except for a list of titles a small summary about each story at the author's site, plus a few advance reviews... some very good ones! You can read titles and descriptions here. I've read two of those stories already (in different anthologies) and loved them.

It's no secret that Jeffers is a favorite author, his book The Abode of Bliss: Ten Stories for Adam was a favorite last year, so I'm not missing this collection.

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Title: Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
Release Date: July 31, 2012

After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea’s whole existence is in shambles. She tries to put herself back together by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend. When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano—the male alpha of the Clan Bouda, and Andrea’s former lover—die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate. Now she must work with Raphael as her search for the killer leads into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta. And dealing with her feelings for him might have to take a back seat to saving the world…

Gunmetal Magic is Andrea's book! From the Kate Daniel's series by Ilona Andrews! Am I going to miss it? Heck no!! She's one of my favorite characters from this series, and I can't wait to read this book to see how the Andrews team develop Andrea into a central character. Andrea and Raphael... Hah! Yeah!

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There are only three July releases in this early release post. I will post more later! Are there any books you are looking forward to reading in July?

Review: Starlight (The Christies #2) by Carrie Lofty

Passion sparkles forever . . . in the shining eyes of a true love.

An esteemed astronomer, Alex Christie, the eldest and most steadfast of the Christie siblings, has never possessed his late father’s ruthless business drive. But to protect his frail infant son from his cruel father-in-law’s bid for custody, the young widower must undertake Sir William Christie’s posthumous million-dollar challenge: to make a Glasgow cotton mill profitable. At sea in an industrial world of sabotage and union agitation, Alex meets Polly Gowan, daughter of a famed union leader, who hopes to seize a mysterious saboteur without involving the police.

Because a sympathetic mill master would aid her cause, Polly becomes Alex’s guide to urban Scotland. From soccer games to pub brawls, Alex sees another side of life, and feels free for the first time to reveal the man—vital and strong—behind his intellectual exterior. Polly is utterly seduced. Their ambitions, however, remain at odds: Alex vows to earn the mill bonus to save his child, while Polly fights for the needs of her people. Is there strength enough in their sparkling passion to bind them together in their quests—and in a lasting love that conquers all?

In Starlight, Carrie Lofty successfully combines all of the ingredients that I love about her romances. The atmosphere created by the gritty setting in this novel serves as an excellent backdrop, giving this romance the perfect historical touch. The characters that populate the story, both central and secondary, also make it happen, beginning with Polly who definitely belongs in the setting, and ending with Alex whose character grows by leaps and bounds right before our eyes.

Alexander Christie is the late William Christie's eldest son. In his controversial will, the industrial mogul leaves Alex the Christie Textile Mills in Glasgow, Scotland with the proviso that he must manage the cotton mills and make a profit within two years in order to receive a $1M bonus, however if he fails, his inheritance will be reduced to $500. Alex is not a businessman, but an astronomy teacher at a Philadelphia university and a widower with a sickly infant son. He resents the situation and doesn't care about the money until his powerful and unbalanced father-in-law threatens to take his beloved son Edmund away, giving Alex the resolve to fight for a future and make a success of his endeavors in Glasgow, Scotland.

Glasgow 1881 is a hotbed of trouble. The cotton mills masters are all powerful, uncompromising and always looking to make the biggest profit, as a result, masters don't care about poor workers' conditions. Mill masters certainly don't negotiate with workers' unions, and when crossed their wrath is often violent and deadly. Polly Gowan is a mill worker and has taken her father's place as the respected leader of the peaceful workers' union. She works at Christie's Textiles where after a suspicious explosion, workers are blamed, the usual suspects rounded up by constables and goons alike, and she meets the new master Alex Christie under difficult circumstances.

Reluctantly, Polly becomes Alex's guide through the troubled political situation with an eye on bringing him over to the union's side. But pretty quickly these two people from different worlds, who stand at opposite ends of this explosive situation, become passionately attracted to each other. Alex and Polly act on that attraction and begin a torrid and passionate affair that has all the hallmarks of a disaster in the making, where each keeps information from the other and trust is gained and broken on both sides.

I loved Polly's character, flaws and all. The first thing you notice about Polly is that she understands her people and selflessly cares about them. She is giving, passionate and tough as nails. Initially, Polly falls in lust with Alex and is willing to take a chance on taking just a few moments for herself (having a little fun), until her feelings for him begin to complicate matters and loyalties are questioned. Her feelings reflect Alex's who also becomes torn between what he feels for Polly and what he has to do to keep his son safe from his father-in-law.

Alex, I adored. Alex almost has a split personality. In Flawless, he is described as an astronomy teacher and that led me to visualize his appearance as that of a rather refined and sophisticated young man. Reading A Little More Scandal prior to reading Starlight, helped me visualize the differences in Alex's physical attributes and physicality. Lofty beautifully captures the duality to his personality and even to his physical appearance in this novel -- both Alex's rough side, the one that comes from William Christie, and the astronomy teacher or New York society gentleman.

Alex is basically sexually starved after what was practically a platonic marriage to a woman he knew since childhood. He is such a beautiful man in so many ways -- passionate, tender, rough, tough, protective and even sexually naive. Alex's attraction to Polly is instant and his passion is boundless. It's interesting because Polly loves Alex's protectiveness, but simultaneously resents his propensity for playing the 'knight' who rescues ladies in distress. I understood Polly!

Together, Alex and Polly are explosive, heartbreakingly tender, frustrating, and loving. Polly is really the aggressor in their sexual relationship. He is passionate but whenever he tries to be a gentleman, she is the one who repeatedly drives and pushes him to the next level in their sexual adventure. Polly is no coy miss! Alex and Polly do resolve their immediate differences as master and textile mill worker in a big climactic scene, although unfortunately there are no scenes showing how the changes affect Calton.

I loved Starlight. The setting, atmosphere, characters, conflict and passionate romance all drew me and kept me reading. There's no way I will miss reading the next installment in The Christies' series. Highly recommended.

Category: Historical Romance
Series: The Christies
Publisher/Release Date: Pocket/June 26, 2012
Source: eARC Novel Sidekick
Grade: A-

Visit Carrie Lofty here.

Series-The Christies:
Flawless, Book #1
A Little More Scandal, Book #1.5
Starlight, Book #2

Review: Taxi Rojo by Erik Orrantia

Taxi Rojo is my first read by Erik Orrantia. The setting is Tijuana, Mexico. That right there is one of the reasons this book grabbed my attention. For me, the setting alone presented many wonderful possibilities for this story, and I couldn't wait to meet Orrantia's characters.

With Taxi Rojo, Orrantia creates that combination of LGBT fiction with romance/love stories that I seem to enjoy so much these days. And yes, if the definition of romance is for couples to find a happily ever after, there are at least two full-fledged romances and the beginning of another one in Taxi Rojo. Of course these are no cookie cutter romances, gay or otherwise. Orrantia's characters are everyday people struggling to survive in a place where survival is the word of the day, and their romances are not fantasy filled, but take place as they struggle with the harsh realities of every day concerns. I think of these as reality-based romances.

The story begins when six strangers share a taxi from downtown to Playas, a neighborhood in Tijuana, Mexico. While on their way, there is a tragic accident where the driver and a passenger are killed. The passenger is a gay old man who is found with no wallet or identification. The rest of the passengers survive and forge a bond through this terrible experience that changes their lives.

Orrantia highlights each central character from their individual points of view beginning with Pancha/Pancho, a transvestite and performer who dreams of finding a man who will accept her for whom she is. She's just not sure that her long-term lover Eduardo is that man. After the accident, Pancha finally finds the resolve to clarify her position to Eduardo. Julia is a poor, guilt-ridden, hardworking woman that lives for her family but has allowed herself to become a doormat. The death of that unknown old man in the taxi deeply affects Julia, and slowly she strives to make things happen for herself, including allowing a man in her life. Julia's character also serves to make a social statement. Through her character, Orrantia makes the argument and shows the need and growing frustrations that comes from the daily struggle of having to cross that border on a daily basis to make a living.

Rigoverto, Cristian and Toni's lives become intertwined when, in the evening of the accident, Rigo and Toni hook up while Rigo's partner Cristian is away. Rigo and Cris confront two conflicts in this story; dishonesty/lack of trust due to Rigo's lies and a more serious conflict that arises as a result of medical testing that will affect Cris and Rigo's lives forever. Each character struggles with the emotional aftermath and consequences of their actions, as well as with the possibility of a future together or apart. In the meantime, Toni's denial of his sexuality is as wide as the River Nile. I found this character rather compelling because he's not just in the closet or on the down low – he’s in complete, utter denial. As a result of his encounters with Rigo, life also changes for Toni, and as his homosexual encounters gain momentum that denial changes to extreme homophobia.

There's a lot of denial going on in this story and all the characters seem to rationalize their actions in one way or another until the accident takes place. Afterwards, most of Orrantia's characters work through the denial, rationalization, and conflicts, while others can't come to terms with reality and cross the line. On a personal note, I enjoyed all the stories but must admit that Pancha and Eduardo's romance became my favorite and particularly like the queer twist that Orrantia brought to their happy ending.

Although there are multiple points of view used in Taxi Rojo, Orrantia delivers a tight narrative by using the bond established by the characters through the accident and the old man's death. As the setting, Tijuana is incorporated into the story so seamlessly that it almost becomes another character that the author explores to its fullest extent with all its gritty flaws exposed. There are happy endings in Taxi Rojo, moments that may seem to be just a bit too happy or convenient in the end. But in my opinion if anybody deserved happy moments and happy endings, these characters with their ordinary lives and struggles, did. Well done!

Category: LGBT Fiction/Romance
Series: None
Publisher/Release Date: Cheyenne Publishing/April 10, 2012
Grade: B+

Visit Erik Orrantia here.