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The Bestiary Vol. 1: The Staff of Kyade – James L. Craig
When royal soldiers attack his village in search of a magical relic, Kenji watches in horror as all that he loves is destroyed. Determined that they will not get what they want, he takes the staff they seek and flees, vowing to avenge all those he lost as soon as he can.
Boring shit and cheesy too but not so abysmally bad as to merit one star.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839842-the-staff-of-kyade)
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Kiss Me at Midnight: Saved by a Demon –
Alessandra Ebulu
Parker’s New Year’s resolution is to end his own life. What he didn’t expect upon reaching the bridge where he planned to jump was to encounter a demon whose New Year’s resolution is to save a human.
This could very well be saved by a totally random, completely human person and it would make no difference to the story because no magic powers were on display save for materializing out of nowhere. However, interesting premise and cute characters but needs more characterization and substance. Started with misery then morphed to holiday-ish and sickly sweet like a watered down cocktail with too much sugar.
Rating:
2.5 Stars – far from hate but not quite a like(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16133164-saved-by-a-demon)
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Bloodguilty –
When Casimir reaches Brightgate, he isn’t sure what to expect from the City of Monsters, though he’s a monster himself. He definitely doesn’t anticipate being attacked mere moments after arriving—or that he’d be rescued by Mikki, the city’s rough-edged guardian angel.
He gets another unpleasant surprise in the form of ex-lover Jared, who instead of talking responds with violence, dead-set on exacting vengeance for the events that drove them apart. Given the way his visit is going, about the only thing Casimir is sure of is that the City of Monsters could very well be where he dies.
I like Brightgate. Seemed like an interesting place to live in minus the flesh-melting slugs. You get to meet a variety of monsters, humans and demons so it never gets dull. There’s Jewel Box where you can play out your fantasies. Just play nice and don’t forget to greet the snow maiden. Yeah, it’s a good town.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25583628-bloodguilty)
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Skybound – Aleksandr Voinov
Love soars.
Germany, 1945. The Third Reich is on its knees as Allied forces bomb Berlin to break the last resistance. Yet on an airfield near Berlin, the battle is far from over for a young mechanic, Felix, who’s attached to a squadron of fighter pilots. He’s especially attached to fighter ace Baldur Vogt, a man he admires and secretly loves. But there’s no room for love at the end of the world, never mind in Nazi Germany.
When Baldur narrowly cheats death, Felix pulls him from his plane, and the pilot makes his riskiest move yet. He takes a few days’ leave to recover, and he takes Felix with him. Away from the pressures of the airfield, their bond deepens, and Baldur shows Felix the kind of brotherhood he’d only ever dreamed of before.
But there’s no escaping the war, and when they return, Baldur joins the fray again in the skies over Berlin. As the Allies close in on the airfield where Felix waits for his lover, Baldur must face the truth that he is no longer the only one in mortal danger.Lots to love about this. WWII from the German POV, men in uniform, beautifully written story, pacing that didn’t feel rushed, historical authenticity, poetic imagery, the atmosphere of fire, smoke and steel plus a gripping and suspenseful climax. Even without the romance this is already a gem. The romance itself was full of longing and love. I love the subtly of actions and the tender moments, the sharing of cigarettes, the tinkering of the piano, the clinking of the safety belt. Never had I wished so hard for a story to have a happy ending.
Rating
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32506330-skybound)
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REVIEW: The Servant’s Heart by Missouri Dalton
The Servant’s Heart – Missouri Dalton
Terence has spent his life in the shadows. Even now, far from his home country serving the Lady Linnaea, he lurks behind a servant’s mask. But secrets like his cannot be hidden away forever, and as his mask starts to slip, the castle weaponsmaster, Iolyn, begins to take more notice of him. Will budding romance be enough to shake Terence free of his past? Or will he always be stuck in the shadow of a tainted bloodline?
This is interesting enough for me to want to read it as a full-length novel. The romance angle here was like,”we’re both gay so why don’t we hook up” so I was more into the story rather than shipping Terence and Iolyn. The royal couple reminded me of Mathias and Esta from Prisoner and lightning magic seemed badass.
Without the obligatory m-m relationship, this would work pretty well on its own but the short story structure might not be the best medium for all the great ideas the writer had.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17372742-the-servant-s-heart)
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Kria: Prisoner / Bound Ficbits – Megan Derr
Kriaverse short stories.
If you are hungry for more Beraht and Dieter, here’s what you need.
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfect -
A Society of Gentlemen: The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh – K.J. Charles
Passion is on the cards for two reckless rogues as K. J. Charles ups the ante in her Society of Gentlemen series with a sizzling eBook short story.
The youngest son and the blackest sheep in his family, Lord Gabriel Ashleigh never imagined he could sink so low. Though he’s a notoriously bad gambler, he takes on the formidable but strangely alluring Francis Webster, only to lose everything: all his money, the lovely estate he inherited from his aunt, and any hope of future happiness. So it’s a shock when Webster summons him to a private game for a chance to win back his possessions. The stake? If he fails, Ash must surrender his body.
Francis has been waiting years for this moment. At Eton, Ash’s elder brother harassed him relentlessly. Now, consumed by lust and rage, Francis is only too happy to exploit Ash’s foolish indiscretions. But as Francis strips the magnificently built youth—first of his family assets, then his clothes—he begins to wonder whether he’s been plotting revenge … or exquisite seduction.
I love short stories and quick reads because I have a short attention span but sometimes you need a full length book or at least a novella to flesh out the development of a relationship. They, here, need at least a couple more card games. Still this did a good job of making me want to read the series. K.J. Charles can do no wrong.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067203-the-ruin-of-gabriel-ashleigh)
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Masters of Rome Series – Colleen McCullough
An epic series about the last years of the Roman republic, struggles between politicians and generals, and the men and women in the centre of all.
The M/M genre was not yet invented when these were published so it’s not really LGBT-centric. This series is all Roman politics and lifestyle and shows you that people were gay even back then. And not just gay, I mean, the wealthy Romans were the sort who slept with everything that moves. Plus they really know how to throw a party.
The main star of this series was obviously Caesar but people need to know Sulla more. He was as golden as Sebastian St. Vincent and twice as debauch. He would have been as famous or notorious as Caesar if Caesar was not in the picture. My interest in this series petered out when it was just all about Caesar and his women.
Rating:
The First Man in Rome – 5 stars
Fortune’s Favorite – 5 stars
The Grass Crown – 5 stars
Caesar’s Women – 4 stars
The October Horse – 4 stars5 Stars – absolutely perfect
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits*haven’t read Caesar and Anthony and Cleopatra
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/series/43716-masters-of-rome)
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REVIEW: Babycakes by Armistead Maupin
Tales of the City: Babycakes – Armistead Maupin
The characters that filled the pages of the three earlier Tales of the City books with love and laughter are at it again, as an ordinary house-husband and his ambitious wife discover there’s more to making a baby than meets the eye. Unexpected help arrives in the form of a British monarch, a grieving gay neighbour, and an international ring of mail-order brides. Armistead Maupin has written a comedy of manners for our times.
Maybe I was too young when I read this or I was just too bored to care but I couldn’t recall or understand what was going on in this book.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/660955.Babycakes)
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Sano Ichiro: The Concubine’s Tattoo – Laura Joh Rowland
Twenty months spent as the shogun’s sosakan-sama–most honorable investigator of events, situations, and people–has left Sano Ichiro weary. He looks forward to the comforts that his arranged marriage promises: a private life with a sweet, submissive wife and a month’s holiday to celebrate their union. However, the death of the shogun’s favorite concubine interrupts the couple’s wedding ceremony and shatters any hopes the samurai detective had about enjoying a little peace with his new wife.
After Sano traces the cause of Lady Harume’s death to a self-inflicted tattoo, he must travel into the cloistered, forbidden world of the shogun’s women to untangle the complicated web of Harume’s lovers, rivals, and troubled past, and identify her killer. To make matters worse, Reiko, his beautiful young bride, reveals herself to be not a traditional, obedient wife, but instead, a headstrong, intelligent, aspiring detective bent on helping Sano with his new case. Sano is horrified at her unladylike behavior, and the resulting sparks make their budding love as exciting as they mystery surrounding Lady Harume’s death. Amid the heightened tensions and political machinations of feudal Japan, Sano faces a daunting complex investigation.
As subtle as the finest lacquered screen, as powerful as the slash of a sword, Laura Joh Rowland’s The Concubine’s Tattoo vividly brings to life a story of murder, jealousy, sexual intrigue, and political storms that keeps is in its spell until the final, shattering scene.
It’s one of those books where I couldn’t care less about the main characters and was rooting hard for the antagonist. Not a gay book per se but it features a gay couple that broke up (not the most accurate of words) because of the detective’s wife. Boy, I had never been pissed at a meddling wife before as I was with her. So angry that I vowed never to read this series or this author’s books again.
Biased reaction aside, I liked the story. It was never boring. The setting was interesting too. It was refreshing to read about detectives that are not from the western part of the world.
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/310804.The_Concubine_s_Tattoo)
