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REVIEW: The Starving Years by Jordan Castillo Price
The Starving Years – Jordan Castillo Price
The chemistry between these three men is undeniable, but is it enough to save New York?
Imagine a world without hunger.-
In 1960, a superfood was invented that made starvation a thing of the past. Manna, the cheaply manufactured staple food, is now as ubiquitous as salt in the world’s cupboards, pantries and larders.
Nelson Oliver knows plenty about manna. He’s a food scientist—according to his diploma, that is. Lately, he’s been running the register at the local video rental dive to scrape together the cash for his outrageously priced migraine medication.
In a job fair gone bad, Nelson hooks up with copywriter Javier and his computer-geek pal Tim, who whisks them away from the worst of the fiasco in his repurposed moving truck. At least, Nelson thinks those two are acquainted, but they’re acting so evasive about it, he’s not sure how they know each other, exactly. Javier is impervious to Nelson’s flirting, and Tim’s name could appear in the dictionary under the entry for “awkward.” And with a riot raging through Manhattan and yet another headache coming on, it doesn’t seem like Nelson will get an answer anytime soon.
One thing’s for sure, the tension between the three of them is thick enough to cut with a knife…even one of those dull plastic dealies that come in the package with Mannariffic EZ-Mealz.
The Starving Years is a must-read for fans of dystopian romance looking for scorching M/M/M chemistry in a fast-paced, page-turning adventure.
I remember my Austrian cousin visiting our hometown with her baby. While here, she fed her child boiled fresh squash or potatoes rather than the instant baby food local mothers typically buy.
And I thought how ironic. Here we are, an agricultural country, so brainwashed by multinational corporate ads that we keep feeding our families artificial foods when we could easily pick organic vegetables growing wild in our backyards.
The Starving Years by Jordan Castillo Price has a brilliant premise that reminded me of that. A superfood, manna, is produced by corporations and distributed worldwide. This is a very convenient food supply that can be heated and eaten. The superfood mimics the flavors of most foods or is as close as chemically possible.
Some countries, usually those considered backward, still have their traditional foods. The immigrants of New York also insist on their traditional foods. The general population looks upon this with askance since preparing these usually takes time, effort, and money.
Then, our MCs discovered that the food corporations substituted a certain protein in the formula. The more people ate, the more hungry they became. Children are most affected. They became so hungry they started eating each other. It’s up to our heroes to reveal the truth before the powers that be catch them.
The story is in three POVs. It opens with Nelson Oliver bored out of his mind at a job fair. You wouldn’t know it if you look at him, shabby clothes and long hair, but the man has a double master’s and a Ph D in food science. He’s a genius, really, but is currently working the register at a video rental shop.
Nelson, our boy, is the ray of sunshine in the chaos and mayhem. Equal parts easy-going and cynical, he’s also a shameless flirt, an enthusiastic vers, a doting father, a resourceful patcher of wounds, and the best friend any woman could have. He’s a serial do-gooder with a matter-of-fact way of handling things that takes the awkwardness out of any situation.
Javier De La Rosa is the eye-patched undercover reporter Nelson met at the job fair. Our boy was hell-bent on getting Javier’s number. When chaos descended upon the job fair, they were stuck together, along with two other applicants, Mary Anne and Randy.
Javier is the most enigmatic character here. He used his connections and resources to help their cause. Little is known about him because the man hardly speaks about himself. Dominant and hella toppy, he can easily command a room. Later, we learn that he came from a wealthy Cuban family and is divorced. He has a 6-year-old daughter but is estranged from his family for running away to the Middle East with a man.
Tim Foster is the blogger behind Voice of Reason. His secret identity is tightly guarded since he’s blogging about the corruption of the big food corporations. His posts were highly incendiary. Javier got in touch with him because of his posts. Soon their interactions in the chat room also became incendiary for different reasons.
Tim is adorkable, awkward, sensitive, and wears his heart on his sleeves. He’s a computer genius, a shy bottom, a designated driver since he owns the moving truck, and a friend to Nelson’s son who he and Randy saved from the pits of hell a.k.a. prison. The children of the city were rounded up and locked in the Tombs since many were infected.
The two other characters are Mary Anne and Randy. Their POVs were not shown but they were important parts of the rag-tag group who saved New York.
Mary Anne is the peppy woman sitting next to Nelson at the job fair and she was swept along with Randy and Nelson when they escaped the riots. She was instantly a staunch ally though she was kept in the dark for most part of the story about Tim’s secret identity. And she was a huge fan of VOR. Mary Anne has her secrets but she held the group together through thick and thin.
Randy is a frat boy, a mansplaining, douchey person. In movies, this is usually a cannon-fodder type of character so I was curious to see how long he will last. The thing with Randy, he went from douche to not so bad to did the right thing, attaboy! He won me over and I ended up rooting for him.
The plot is unpredictable. Not because there are particularly clever twists but because the execution is all over the place. It didn’t feel smooth. You could really feel the forced proximity because most of the scenes are the five of them cooped up in a room.
The claustrophobic scenes also shut out the rest of the world so it felt like the riots were happening somewhere far away and not in their very city. Also, the story would be more compelling and exciting if it went all the way horror or at least more action-packed, with the affected people going feral in the streets.
The world-building is practically non-existent, and mentions of technology or certain customs is done through dialogues, like it’s assume the reader knows already. This style worked exceptionally well in the author’s sci fi series, Mnevermind Trilogy (a top fave!). Here, it was just confusing.
Also, the blurb mentioned 1960s but the setting felt more late 90s to early 2000s.
Despite the execution, I was completely riveted and heavily invested in the fate of our rag-tag heroes. The romance was passable, but what I loved most was watching how these five people formed deep connections forged by the desire to save the world.
The Starving Years is rated between like and love. It has an intriguing premise and fantastic characters but needed better execution. Overall, could have gone down smoother but still a satisfying piece.
Rating:
3.5 Stars – that place between like and loveSoundtrack: Hunger Strike
Artist: Temple of the Dog
Album: Temple of the Dog
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THE STARVING YEARS: Kindle I Audiobook
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BOOK TOUR: Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee
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COVER REVEAL: Deck The Hulls by Kat Cassidy (Giveaway)
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RELEASE BLITZ: Love and Loathing in El Olvido by Sylvia San Sebastian (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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RELEASE BLITZ: Snow Angels In The Dust by Kristoffer Gair (Excerpt)
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RELEASE TOUR: Shear Bliss by Sam E. Kraemer (Excerpt & Giveaway)
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REVIEW: The Bitter Rivals Fiasco by Hayden Hall
Frat Brats of Santa Barbara: The Bitter Rivals Fiasco – Hayden Hall
I fell in love with the enemy. Twice.
Hudson
For my twenty-first, I threw a masquerade party and met the most exciting guy on the planet, dressed as a fallen angel. Then, I never saw him again.
And just when I think my life is perfect, in walks my nemesis, Tate Anderson.
The guy’s got no finesse. He looks down on everyone, especially me. So, when the mischievous wannabe matchmaker of a professor forces me into a project with none other than Tate, I seriously consider dropping out.
Except, the more time I spend with him, and the more we growl and bark at each other, the tighter my chest feels around him.
To put him out of my mind and escape the feelings I’d kept at bay for so long, I keep throwing the biggest parties in the city. Like some modern version of Jay Gatsby, I hope to run into my mysterious fallen angel, but he’s ever so elusive.
Until he shows up again.
And I take his mask off…
Tate
My life sucks but don’t make a mistake thinking I would let anyone know.
Especially not Hudson Blackwood. That guy’s gloating enough already. Ugh… He laughs too much, pretends he’s so cool, nothing really bothers him.
Well, except the fact he’s stuck with me on a semester-long project. But I’m stuck with him just as much. He’s also hot as hell and knows it, which makes him infinitely more annoying.
And if that’s not enough, my stepmother is spending the last of my late dad’s fortune on her two sons and I have to study every waking moment to keep my scholarship.
The only escape I’ve had since coming to Santa Barbara were the masquerade parties a tall, handsome guy dressed as The Phantom keeps throwing.
Before I know it, I am hurtling into love and I hate it. I know my stepmother will uproot me again before the year is done. Besides, I don’t even know who this smoking hot Phantom is. This can only end one way, and it’s not good.
It’s just better for everyone if the masks stay on.
The Bitter Rivals Fiasco is an enemies-to-lovers story featuring one certified player, his moody, lifelong rival, and a Cinderella-meets-Great-Gatsby storyline. This is the fourth book in the Frat Brats of Santa Barbara series. While it can be read on its own, it’s just more fun to read them in order, since the series follows a group of friends as they grow and mature at a prestigious, boys-only business school, Highgate Academy.
The Bitter Rivals Fiasco is a blind read that turned out to be a win! Not perfect, but fantastic enough to hook me on the Frat Brats of Santa Barbara series. The book is the 4th installment of the contemporary romance series by Hayden Hall, set in a prestigious all-boys business school.
The plot is a Cinderella + Romeo and Juliet retelling with a side of Phantom of the Opera. Bitter rivals Tate Anderson and Hudson Blackwood hate each other since high school after Tate’s father edged Hudson’s parents out of a deal. They met again at Highgate Academy and promptly resumed one-upping each other in class so intensely that the professor assigned them to work together on a project.
Tate’s father was a workaholic who always told Tate to choose his battles. The man later married a cold-hearted woman who pretended to care for him, then grabbed the power of attorney out from under Tate’s nose when his father was on death’s door.
Now, the solitary broody Tate has to earn the money that was rightfully his, doing all the chores in the house and whatever else his stepmother orders in exchange for a meager allowance. He’s in Highgate on a scholarship he is busting his balls to keep, on top of his other tasks.
In contrast, Hudson comes from a loving home, is surrounded by friends, and is so rich he throws parties at the most exclusive clubs whenever he wants. On his 21st birthday, he threw a masquerade party where everyone was encouraged to be as unrecognizable as possible.
Cue the Phantom, the Fallen Angel and one unforgettable night.
Tate, as Cinderella, abides by his stepmother’s rules, as per necessity, but by no means a doormat. He snarks, negotiates, or even loses his temper at the last straws. But then, has to pay the price later on. His stepmother became especially vile towards him when he came out. She forces him to live in the attic and locks him out of the house when he’s out past curfew.
Hudson used to crush on Tate in high school until he learned what happened with their fathers. He held on to his grudge until he learned the true state of affairs. Then, as the prince, sweeps his fallen angel off his feet, and with the help of their fairy godmother, a.k.a. Hudson’s badass mom gives a satisfactory comeuppance for the villain.
This is an enemies-to-lovers story, and this part is done to sizzling perfection. The succeeding masked encounters in more parties, still anonymous to each other, and their public interactions as bickering rivals created a fabulous, squee-tastic buildup to the big reveal.
The antagonism mixed so deliciously with the magnetic pull towards each other. The air of mystery, the tingle of anticipation, the zing of sexual tension, FEELS you can cut with a knife!
The friendships were also one of my favorite parts. The Frat Brats were loyal friends to Hudson, cheering him on his pursuit of his fallen angel. Though they were wink*wink* to the angel’s true identity, knowing Hudson has no clue and looking forward to him blowing his mind when he finds out.
Alex is a fellow student and another fairy godmother, the master designer who created Tate’s beguiling look. He and his boyfriend Franklin befriended the lone wolf. They and the Frat Brats were memorable so I’m looking forward to their books.
The writing is why I’m not 100% into the story. The prose and the dialogues tend to veer towards melodrama. Not sure if it’s because of the fairy tale themes, but sometimes the phrasing is too fancy, like something out of a Victorian romance novel. One reviewer used the term “purple prose.” The effect is enhanced by how narrator Jon Waters sometimes sounds like he’s about to break into a British accent.
Still, The Bitter Rivals Fiasco is a retelling done right, with well executed tropes, familiar yet still exciting. All in all, sweet, spicy and utterly captivating!
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Masquerade Butterfly
Artist: Miura Ayme
Album: Masquerade Butterfly
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THE BITTER RIVALS FIASCO: Kindle I Audiobook
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RELEASE BLITZ: Marrying Mr. Majestic by Lucy Lennox
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COVER REVEAL: Something Unprofessional by Rory Maxwell (Giveaway)
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REVIEW: Not All Himbos Wear Capes by C. Rochelle
Villainous Things: Not All Himbos Wear Capes – C. Rochelle
PLEASE NOTE: Full list of Content & TWs can be found in the front of the book and at c-rochelle[dot]com.
Xander
Big City is supposedly the place where dreams come true. As someone just trying to live my life, I can tell you, it’s more like a recurring nightmare where dreams get c*ckblocked at every turn.
Especially if you’re a supervillain like me.
The irony is that I have zero powers, despite coming from purebred villain stock, but try telling that to Big City’s beloved hero, Captain Masculine.
This himbo is ruining my research, and if his firepower doesn’t kill me, the sight of him in Lycra surely will. Luckily—or unluckily, in my opinion—my bestie just signed me up for the Bangers dating app and found my perfect match.
If this isn’t the start of my villain arc, I don’t know what is.
Butch
It’s hard feeling like I have to wear a mask every day—that the only value I bring to the table is the sparkling image others have created for me.
Such is the life of being Captain Masculine, Big City’s greatest superhero. This is the existence I was destined for, and I will gladly defend this city against every threat to its people.
Except Doctor Antihero.
I’ve seen countless villains come and go, but something about Antihero intrigues me more than the usual hero-villain encounters should.
It’s because of him that I impulsively signed up for a dating app, hoping a meaningless fling with a local normie will help get my head back in the game. The truth is, what I really want is someone who sees me—the man behind the mask.
But that’s a luxury no superhero can afford.
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Not All Himbos Wear Capes is an MM romance between a superhero and a villain. Our men find other men in tight supersuits incredibly attractive. Sometimes, they keep these supersuits on while engaging in explicit extracurricular activities with each other (and sometimes they even use bad words!).
This is not your kid’s superhero book. This is Sin City and The Boys having a love child with extra spicy Spideypool and is meant for 18+ adults who can handle such things.
The Villainous Things series contains standalone books (each with HEAs) that feature interconnected characters and an overarching plot.
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*FULL LIST OF Content & TWs can be found in the front of the book and at c-rochelle[dot]com*
CONTENT & TROPES:
• MM romance
• Dual POV
• Superheroes/villains
• Grumpy/sunshine
• Star-crossed lovers + fated mates
• Lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers (yup)
• Hurt/comfort + found family
• D/s dynamic that’s more bedroom than lifestyle
• MM romance (in case you missed that part)
• Plus suspenseful plot + save-the-world epicness for pizazzPOTENTIAL TRIGGERS:
• Sweary dialogue
• Naughty irreverent humor
• Extremely morally gray characters with moments of psychotic ideation
• Extra spicy extracurricular activities (see inside book and c-rochelle[dot]com for specifics)
• Minor gore in villain lair and during hero/villain battle scenes
• Controlling + neglectful parents with some physical (superpowered) abuse
• Lack of autonomy + indentured servitude
• Restraints (not the fun kind)
• Detailed descriptions of humans’ negative effects on coastal wildlife (specifically with pollution and including a seagull autopsy with details of the contents of its stomach)
Heroism and villainy as a matter of perspective, or in this case, a matter of signing the contract, is a frequently explored theme in superhero stories.
Villainous Things, by C. Rochelle, is another take on the subject. The series opens with Not All Himbos Wear Capes, an enemies-to-lovers secret romance between Big City’s golden boy, the cheese-tastically named Captain Masculine, and Doctor Antihero, a member of the infamous villain clan, the Suarez family.
The world here is divided between normies and supes. The supes are considered different species and shouldn’t procreate with normies because their abilities might harm ordinary humans. They are expected to form strategic alliances with other prominent supe families to create more supes.
The supes are further divided between superheroes and supervillains. The heroes are backed by the government and signed contracts to protect the city from the bad guys.
Cap Masculine and Doc Antihero first met as Butch and Xander via an online dating app. They immediately hit it off on their first date. Still clueless of each other’s alter egos, they continued dating until things became serious between them.
Then Xander invited Butch to meet his family. Only for Butch to realize Xander is from the notorious Suarez clan, having recognized his sister as Ultraviolent, and his mother as Glacial Girl. Xander still remained the clueless loving boyfriend, while Butch tries to find the right time to tell him.
Also, his family has arranged for him to marry a girl from another famous superhero clan, treating Butch as nothing more than a breeding stud. His entire life has been mapped out since birth and Butch is used to following orders.
The plot starts simple enough as a secret identity romance, where the supposed villain shows his caring side and the hero discovers his kinkier desires. There’s also a grumpy/sunshine aspect, Xander being the growly top and Butch as the sunshiny himbo.
I’m not a fan of the romance because it’s mostly boring daddy/boy foreplay with cringy dirty talk. Outside the bedroom, they were okay, mostly just there as eyes to see the world through. In short, I don’t care for the MCs. I just like the things happening around them.
Because bigger things are happening than just a forbidden love affair. Cap Masculine’s blinders fell off, and he took a stand against the indentured servitude his famous superhero parents signed him in when he was born. As they and the rest of the superheroes have signed such contracts.
At this point, the plot became a convoluted game of political machinations, supe rights, family upheaval, and unlikely allies where power is challenged, and murders are committed to maintain the status quo.
I wished the Saurezes came on page much earlier because they were the more interesting characters. Xander has a complicated relationship with his family. He says they’re all psychopaths and stays away from their house. They appeared halfway in the story, and made things a hell of a lot more chaotic and exciting.
Apocalypto and Glacial Girl have five known children, Violencia, Wolfgang, Baltazar and twins, Gabriel and Andre. Xander is the secret baby because he didn’t show any superpowers. His high IQ gave him multiple PhDs and nifty inventions, which he used to save the ocean. These inventions were hijacked by his evil dad into dastardly gadgets.
Wolfgang, a.k.a. Hand of Death, practically stole the show, when he made his move to secure the Suarez family. One of the most powerful villains and a sly psycho who will protect his family at all costs, but is also surprisingly vulnerable, he’s my favorite character and happily, his book is next.
The rest of the books feature the male siblings and continue the overarching plot so the books must be read in order.
At first blush, Not All Himbos Wear Capes is a fun, raunchy take on the superhero trope. Then it goes grey and gritty the more we know about Big City and its secrets.
While not really saying anything new about heroism and villainy, it still gave us an intriguing world that is fun to explore through the eyes of its superheroes and villains. Overall, heroically kinky, villainously wears its heart on its sleeve.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bitsSoundtrack: Villain
Artist: Ado
Album: Ado’s Mitattemita Album
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NOT ALL HIMBOS WEAR CAPES: Kindle | Audiobook
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