Review: 'Tis the Season by Rob Rosen

Reviewed by SinChan
'Tis the Season (A Torquere Sip) by Rob Rosen
Torquere Press
Short Story: 14pgs
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Blurb:
The sweater blinks in red and green, but all is not merry for Jeff when he discovers that the airport is closed and there's no way to get home for the holidays. A Christmas miracle, however, is soon to present itself in, of all things, Jeff’s ex, David, who has a private jet at his disposal. And once a member of the Mile High Club, always a member, making this a Christmas no one will ever forget.



Short Review
Jeff wants to fly home to spend Christmas with his family. On the day of his flight, the airplanes won't fly. In comes his ex, David, to the rescue. He has a private plane that'll take them to the same town. David uses this chance to make up with Jeff.

This story reminds me of every cliché thrown together. The wildest one: airplane sex.

The story is also super short so that definitely doesn't help with building up the story and character development. There is basically no back story for the MCs. The reason why they broke up in the first place (except some youthful misunderstanding) is unclear. So now that they are grown ups, they will have airplane sex to magically fix their relationship? I'm missing a big chunk of the story here.

On the other hand, the Jeff and David are cute together, especially in their matching Christmas sweaters.

Overall, this is a story of a Christmas miracle. Jeff gets to go home for the holiday, the MCs gets back together, and the parents accepts their relationship. This is a very short, light read with only one major scene that's on the airplane.

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Review: A Swift Herd for Solstice by Andi Van (Heartwarming)

Reviewed by SinChan
A Swift Herd for Solstice (Heartwarming) by Andi Van
Dreamspinner Press
Short Story: 50pgs
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Blurb:
Martin Jones is driving home after working retail on Black Friday when he nearly hits an elk in the middle of the road. A drunk elk. A drunk, talking elk. Martin is pretty sure he's hallucinating—right up until he discovers shape shifter Haven Clarke in his bed the next morning. Their awkward meeting leads to a friendship that quickly deepens, and soon Haven has to take Martin to meet his herd’s leaders. What Martin finds out may change his life forever. 



Short Review:
This is a crazy, typical shifter story that starts out funny with Martin meeting a drunk Haven as a talking elk, but ends up with no romance and takes instant love to the extreme.

My first thought after reading the story is: where's the romance?  It seems like it is skipped. The characters jump into the "I love you" routine immediately after they meet (as humans). Haven takes Martin to meet his herd's leaders also immediately after they profess their love. In short, there's too much commitment from Martin to the shifter community when I don't even see his love for Haven.

There is a surprise with the world building about different types of shifters and vampires. There are also interesting methods to try to get Martin to live the same life span as Haven so they can be together forever. However, the intrigue and mysterious air is lost due to the shortness of the book length. All the events in the story seem rushed.

Overall, as a shifter story, there's nothing special in this short story. As a romance book, this fails. However, it is a very happy-go-lucky story that's infused with the holiday spirit. It's guaranteed angst-free and so sugary, it may give you cavities.

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Review: Absinthe by Julia Talbot and B.A Tortuga

Reviewed SinChan
Absinthe by Julia Talbot & BA Tortuga
Torquere Press
Short Story: 38pgs
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Blurb:
Bartholome would give anything to get his young lover Rene to stop running away from him. Years ago, he made a stupid mistake, letting the rest of their wolf pack come between them, but he knows better now. Rene’s not sure he can believe Barthe will ever want him. Can they come back together before they lose their chance forever?




Review
Maybe because it's co-written that parts of the story don't connect as well as they could. The story focuses on too many things that cannot be fully explored in a short story with this length. It's missing a lot of transitions and fillers that create mood, world-building, and character development. There are so many lingering questions about the shifter society, the MC's back stories, and everything else for me to enjoy the story.

Barth refuses to mate with Rene on the basis of their age difference even though they are mates. Surrounded by she-wolves that want to have Barth's children, Barth rejects Rene when Rene takes a stand as Barth's mate to decline their offers. Rene leaves the pack and Barth, after realizing his mistake, chases after him for 6 years.

It's not clear where Rene went for 6 years and how he survives in human society. Rene is a very stereotypical submissive wolf and Barth is the stereotypical dominant alpha. The mate bond is strong between them and Rene tries to reject it by running away. It's ambiguous whether Barth had a fall out with his pack or left in order to chase down his mate. The story didn't really play on the angst or any heavy emotion that the characters must have felt. The majority of the first half of the story is make up sex between the two.

Randomly, the second half of the story introduces a tortured soul that's stuck in a half-shift between wolf and man. Sebastien, Barth's brother, enters the scene and tries to help the man, Greg, who's half-shifted. It's unclear if they're meant to be mates too.

The ending is unsatisfying since it's left without a HEA or a HFN ending. Greg is still unhealed and they are traveling around the country to find a healer and a place to call home. It's interesting to see some French words and endearments mixed into the story. This seems like the result of a fun collaboration but story pieces are jumbled together with critical pieces missing.

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