Review: Second Star to the Right by A.F Henley

Second Star to the Right by A.F Henley
Less Than 3 Press
Novella
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Be it unrequited fascination with his straight best friend or impossible fantasies of rekindled interest with his heartbreaking ex, Mason has no clue why the perfect connection seems to keep slipping through his fingers. When another lonely holiday seems like too much weight to shoulder, Mason gives up on romance and seeks out the next best thing—rented company. Jack is everything a person could want in an escort: willing, hot, and built like an angel. 

Mason can't resist. After all, who wouldn't be interested in a guy who loves kid's movies, is a self-professed Peter Pan, and has no problem throwing caution to the wind at a moment's notice. But then interest quickly blooms into a whole new emotion—an emotion that Mason knows far too well, especially when Jack has no interest in returning it, preferring to keep his heart safely tucked away in Neverland.

Review
Mason is lonely, he’s so alone guys. He has friends but the connection is fragile and he fancies himself in love with his best “straight” friend which is just a bag of crazy. Why can’t he make a love connection? He’s very successful, fairly good-looking, and just an overall nice guy and yet he’s just so lonely. When the topic of an escort comes up, Mason is both thrilled and repulsed by the idea but the thrill wins out and he finds himself getting a rentboy for a week. Its either going to be the best week of Mason’s life or the absolute fucking worse.

Mason nerves are on high alert but meeting Jack is lust at first sight. Of course there’s doubt because Jack is so attractive and young and why would he be interested in an old man like Mason?  Well he’s getting paid and this weekend is not about love but losing himself in glorious lovemaking and making for the time past. Yet, there is something about Jack that draws him in and he finds himself wanting to get to know the young man. But Jack has his boundaries and they’ve been clearly set, but rules and shit were meant to be broken.

OMG Guys! This story is just so sweet and gave me all the feels. Jack is so wonderfully jaded and Mason is so absolutely sweet which created a wonderful balance. Mason’s character is written so well that he never felt too perfect, just believable as a really great guy. Jack isn’t original as a rentboy and yet I feel like there is more to his stories, I just wish I had the opportunity to get to know his character better (he must have lived some life to be so young and almost without hope). I love their coming together and overall attraction, not a tale of insta love but a journey of finding love. Did I mention it really touched me in the feels?

Second Star to the Right is wonderfully sweet and will leave you feeling happy. I am so happy I read this book, and A.F Henley is becoming a fave to read. Also, freaking Canada man (home turf). If you’re looking for something sweet and quick then this book is a must. So adorable!

4 Pants Off

DarienMoya

Guest Post & Giveaway: Working Backwards by Megan Derr

~WooHoo, the wonderful Megan Derr is stopping by the blog and dishing on her amazing series Princes of Blood (Amazing) and she brought an awesome giveaway. Help me welcome Megan Derr once again.~

I have always admired writers who can write out of order. They write part of chapter one, then a piece of chapter twelve, then all of chapter seven … and then somehow later they bring all those pieces together. I can't do that. I've tried, in the interests of learning new skills and wanting to be as flexible as possible when it comes to writing, but that particular skill is just not one I possess. When I write a story, I have to write 1,2, 3 … I can make notes on stuff that will happen later, but I can't write those bits until I get to them.


Past that, though, I have no particular need or desire to write in order. So something like Dance with the Devil, where the chapters go back and forth in time, is pretty easy for me to write. That might seem weird, but I wrote them in the order they needed to be. That they weren't in sequential order was completely irrelevant.

But Princes of the Blood is definitely the first time I've been compelled to write a series backwards. I know many people were disappointed the story did not move forward from Of Last Resort, but the story never came to me that way. It very clearly gave me three stories, and by the time I had them sorted out they lined up best going back in time. I maintain this is the best way to read them, though if you absolutely need them in sequential order you can read them backwards.

The amusing thing is that I actually started working on With Pride first. I got about four chapters in before I realized that no, I needed to stop, give in to the voices, and work on Of Last Resort first. Somewhere in the middle of that I also started In Despair because I needed to make certain I could line everything up correctly.

As exhausting as something like this, there's still a lot of fun to be had. Telmé and Korin are interesting because in OLR and WP they are very much rock-steady, in control characters. They keep Guldbrandsen and the Legion in line. Then comes In Despair where they are still extremely young and have no idea what they're doing (and are put through fucking hell. People think I was a jerk in Engineered Throne, ahahahahaha. That was a warm-up).

Kristof and Håkon are also fun in that backwards respect, because they're established and happy in OLR. I think of the three, their story is the closest to being light-hearted, and it makes a good break before the much more somber stories of OLR and ID.

So as weird, and occasionally frustrating, as I know it has seemed to readers, these books are stronger for having been written in reverse.

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With Pride comes out April 16th from Less Than Three Press (third party vendors will follow after about 24 hours).

Of Last Resort can be found all over. In Despair comes out July 9th.

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GIVEAWAY


Leave a comment to enter, one lucky winner will get a free copy of With Pride. Giveaway will run until April 22nd, at which point I will randomly draw the winner. Make certain to leave a way you can be reached! Winner has 24 hours to respond, after which another winner will be chosen.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!


<3
Meg

Megan is a long time resident of m/m fiction, and keeps herself busy reading, writing, and publishing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she's not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her cats, or watch movies (especially all things James Bond). She loves to hear from readers, and can be found all around the internet.

maderr.com
maderr.tumblr.com
meganaderr.blogspot.com
lessthanthreepress.com
meganaderr@gmail.com
@amasour

Submission Call: Geek Out (Less Than 3 Press)

Geek Out — A Trans* and Genderqueer Collection Gamers. Computer nerds. Baking enthusiasts. Fanfic writers. History buffs. Cosplayers. Music, TV, painting, cars, make-up—we all geek about something, and nothing quite rivals the passion displayed by geeks for what they love. There’s no limit to what can be geeked over, and no rules about who is allowed to geek about what—and the harder someone tries to put such rules in place, the harder they get knocked down. 

 In the spirit of true geekery, and the limitless possibilities of it, Less Than Three Press invites you to submit your stories of trans* and genderqueer geeks doing what they love best. 

 THE DETAILS: 

 Deadline is MARCH 31, 2014 (give or take, we won’t kill you for sending it off the following morning).
Stories should be at least 10,000 words and should not exceed approx 50,000 words in length.
Stories must feature at least one trans* or genderqueer character (any romantic pairing is acceptable (M/F, M/M, F/F, or poly of any mix).
Stories must have a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) end.
Any sub-genre is gladly accepted: sci-fi, mystery, contemporary, steampunk, etc.
All usual LT3 submission guidelines apply.
GEEK OUT is a COLLECTION, meaning stories will be sold individually and authors paid royalties. Examples: The Bestiary, Kiss Me at Midnight, Proud to Be a Vampire (coming soon). 

 Authors will receive one copy each of the ebook formats LT3 produces and 2 print volumes (stories 40k and over will be their own books, shorter stories will be compiled into anthologies).

 Stories should be complete before submitting, and as edited as possible. They can be submitted in any format (doc, docx, rtf, odt, etc), preferably single spaced with a space between paragraphs, in an easy to read font (Times, Calibri, Arial) with no special formatting (no elaborate section separation, special fonts, etc). Additional formatting guidelines can be found here. 

 Any questions should be directed to the Editor in Chief, Samantha M. Derr, at derrs@lessthanthreepress.com (or you can ping her on twitter @rykaine).

Review: Of Last Resort by Megan Derr

Of Last Resort (Princes of Blood #1) by Megan Derr
Less Than 3 Press
Novel: 235pgs
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
In a kingdom ravaged by the beasts and terrors of an ancient war, the only hope against them is the army of mixed-blood beings known as the King's Legion: dragoons, shadowmarch, sorcerers, titans … and the Princes of the Blood, nigh-invincible warriors of fearsome magic and strength, their only weakness a need for pure human blood.

When his brother runs away, Raffé agrees to undergo the Blooding, but he is a pale imitation of his strong, capable brother. No one expects him to survive and become a Prince, merely to die to save the rest of his family and preserve honor.

But runaways and weaklings are the least of the kingdom’s concerns when an ancient evil returns with new tricks, and their only hope lies with knowledge long lost and a fierce bond forged in darkness …

Review
Megan Derr has done it again. This author writes M/M fantasy like no other; her world building is incredible and always leaves me anticipating for more. I want more all the time, and I want it now.

Raffe isn't beautiful, he isn’t extraordinary, he isn't gifted he’s the looked over mouse in his family. He's talented with number but no one seems blown away with his gifts. His family has found him a match and his life should most likely be pleasant but uneventful. That is until his brother runs out on a important commitment and Raffe has to step up and take his place though his courage could end up taking his life. Raffe is to go through the blooding and become a Prince of Blood, fierce warriors who protect the kingdom and Raffe has most certainly bitten off more than he can chew. His brother would have been oerfect because he had the training but Raffe knows ye will most likely perish and never become a Prince because after-all he is of no importance and certainly of no strength.

Raffe is convinced he will not live through the blooding, and since it will be his last night alive he wants to something that will make his last night the sweetest. Too bad his fiancé is a prude and leaves him high dry. Just when Raffe feels forsaken a sexy stranger offers him his night, and what a glorious night of lovemaking it was. If he is meant to leave the world then he will have treasured memory of the very first person who have ever made him feel wanted, treasured, and in some way loved. When Raffe survives the blooding no one is more surprised than him, because now he is recognized as powerful and he stands with the great.

He takes to his skills like duck to water and while he does have moments of doubt he feels powerful and for the first time he has a family that take notice of him people who finally see him. All thats missing is his sexy lover who gave him a night never to forget and Raffe longs for his touch once again. Yet, his love life had to wait because a terribly enemy is upon on them and everyone is in danger. While new to his skills, Raffe has to serve as if he were a veteran and act like he knows what he's doing. What he might not be able to deal with the losses and a task so great that it will break him and his demon heart.

Once again, with most Megan Derr book there is a lot that his happening and so many great characters fill the pages. I could literally write pages to review this book but I'll keep it simple. There is love and loss, dragons, zombies, angels, sexy time, and shockers. I applaud the skills it takes to weave such a book and skills it take to keep all that in line. While there is a lot of world building it never felt like too much and it was always entertaining. In my head I can just picture the grandeur of the fight scenes and just beautiful colours it would all make.

I really liked all the characters and Raffe's secret lover was surprise I was like "wait now" never saw that coming. I like that they are vampire like but not really vampire like if that makes sense. The princes drink blood and so on but I think they're a little cooler than vamps :D. I shed a few tears, I was shocked out of mind by the twist there, and I thought I pegged the bad guy but I was way off.

Overall, Of Last Resort is an epic fantasy at its best filled with so much awesome and colour it’s hard not to fall in love. A fan of Megan Derr will love this book and fans of fantasy books that consumes you. You remove the sexy time and this book is just as great, romance or no romance it’s all out entertainment. I am looking forward to more in this series and I can't even wait...

SideNote- I wonder if anyone won the bet about Raffe's secret lover. I'm pretty sure they all were wrong, right?

5 Pants Off

DarienMoya

Short Review: Come to Me by Megan Derr

Come to Me (Black Magic #2) by Megan Derr
Less Than 3 Press
Short Story: 43pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
The roles of High Paladin and High Necromancer do not allow for much free time, even less where they might spend it together. When they do finally obtain some time to spend with each other, Sorin and Koray find there are still doubts and fears between them that will take more than time to overcome …




Short Review:
I love anything by Megan Derr and this little short featuring two of my fave characters from Black Magic is no exception. High Paladin Sorin and his High Necromancer lover Koray are about to get it on and clear up some rumors along the way.

Their high ranking jobs don't leave much for alone time and the men are feeling the effects. When Sorin decides to seek out his man, he can't help feeling jealous when he finds him with someone else and starts to think that maybe Koray doesn't feel the same way. After all Koray is beautiful and might eventually get tired of him and want to move on. When he finally confronts Koray with his fears, Koray's answers are both hilarious and foolish. Now is the time to prove that Koray isn't lacking as a lover and he is everything he ever wanted and more.

Love, love, love this little short which is a perfect read for Valentine’s Day. Koray and Sorin are still very delicious their world still just as exciting in the few little pages, and I can never get enough. There's also this little tidbit where Koray loses his hair and near damn well cried. Yet, it goes to prove their love and blah, blah (he freaking bloody lost all that gorgeous hair) if it wasn't for those meddling kids. Still, a really cute short just perfect if you're a fan of Koray and Sorin.

4 Pants Off

DarienMoya

Review: Book #1 Black Magic

What's Happening This Week!!

Hey Folks, once again its been awhile. 2014 is shaping up to be a pretty busy year for me, so I apologize for a lack of posts. I hope you all had a wonderful new year, and had a lovely Valentines Day whether you had that someone special or it was just you and Netflix kicking it :D

This week has some amazing stuff coming at you, thankfully cus I am in a reading mood and I read some Megan Derr. I hope to bring you some amazing stuff this 2014 and fingers crossed I get to bring that to you (I feel like you guys deserve it). so I leave that post for another time and get back to...


Here's whats causing a pants losing this week....

Reviews:
Come to Me by Megan Derr (DarienMoya)
Hound Dog and Bean by B.G Thomas (Whuppsy)
Better Than Chance by Lane Hayes (DarienMoya)
Of Last Resort by Megan Derr (DarienMoya)
Holding on to Hope by Sid Love (DarienMoya)
Kept Tears by Jana Denardo (Whuppsy)
Shadowkings; The Beginning by Mychael Black (Whuppsy)

Guest Posts & Giveaways:
Author Interview: Vicktor Alexander
Strain Blog Tour
Holding on to Hope Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Have A Great Week

Review: Battle of Will by Sasha L. Miller

Reviewed by Fehu
Battle of Will by Sasha L. Miller
Less Than 3 Press
Novel
4.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
At a memorial service meant to honor the dead and mark the beginning of a truce between Skirfall and Morcia, Ackley spies a figure who does not belong—a mage interrogator whose presence will only cause harm should the Morcians realize who he is and all the people he has tortured. But the problem rapidly grows much worse than that when Ackley realizes his true purpose is assassination of the Morcian crown prince—an assassination Ackley prevents, but at great cost.

Banished from his own country, bound magically to the crown prince of his enemies, Ackley is certain of just one thing: whether he can figure out how to break the spell or not, his death is assured.

Note: This story is part of LT3's Serial Fiction line

Short Review
This story has a lot of action and not the one in bed. I really enjoyed seeing how two enemies have become friends and slowly progressed to lovers. Battle of Will is a great fantasy story first and it just happens to have two male protagonists. There is a great plot with danger, magic, treason and treachery.

Ackley was a bodyguard to a prince before he was banished and unwillingly has become bound to another. I liked Ackley, how he didn't behave differently just because he was with a prince and talked back. He didn't just roll over or let the prince do as he pleases. Actually the mentioned prince wasn't bad either, he was not a selfish prat and actually did realise his feelings for Ackley before it was too late.

The plots against them, there quite interesting and I really enjoyed the mystery of discovering the traitor. Here also lies my only complaint or a reason for a sequel: A traitor was a big deal and he made a lot of things happen, I find it a bit unbelievable, that it was just this one person and that there were not more people involved. The matter was dropped and not mentioned again and considering how long it took them to find the one who murdered a king, well the matter was solved too easy in the end.

Otherwise I loved this book; it had great characters, an interesting plot and some pretty good writing.

4.5 Pants Off

Review: Marked by Kayla Bain-Vrba

Reviewed by Fehu
Marked (Proud to be a Vampire) by Kayla Bain-Vrba
Less Than 3 Press
Short Story
3.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Jake is a vampire and a drug dealer. To humans, he sells crystalized vamp blood; to vamps, he sells the blood of humans hopped up on the finest drugs. In the midst of a deal gone wrong, he runs into Benji, a human desperate to escape the city. Though they're natural enemies--hunter and prey--their paths keep crossing, and they quickly find themselves in a mess from which there is no escape.




Short Review
An interesting whirlwind romance between a drug dealing vampire and a human, who despises vampires.

Jake is a wannabe bad guy, a drug dealer and vampire, who sells human blood to his bretheren. He is also a good brother and after his first meeting with Benji, quite interested in the fate of one special human, especially, when the live of said human is at stake. Benji wanted a new life and couldn't explain his attraction to the vampire who nearly got him killed on their first meeting.

Jake was a cute at least how he was following Benji and called him babe to get a rise out of him. I liked the chemistry between Jake and Benji. Jake, with his bad boy image, was quite sweet to Benji, well in his own way. I would have liked a bit more background about the world, the author created, but it's a novella, so I know there isn't a lot of page space for that.

There is a lot of action and the world feels a bit dystopian, with vampires on top reigning over the humans and their own, like mob bosses controlling the cities. For all the angst, the solution and the final battle appeared to be over pretty quickly, especially considering that Jake had to have a lot less people than the overall vampire master.

3.5 Pants Off

Review: For the Sake of the Kingdom by Julia Alaric

Reviewed by Fehu
For the Sake of the Kingdom (Proud to be A Vampire) by Julia Alaric
Less Than 3 Press
Short Story
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Prince Erik's life is grand: his father has taken a new wife, a beautiful and sweet woman who charms all who meet her, the kingdom is prospering, and there is no shortage of men and women to keep his bed warm. If he wishes for the one person he cannot have, well, at least he's accepted it. 

But then everything begins to change, a shroud falling slowly over the kingdom, darkness creeping in and leeching his father's life away. Strangest of all, the kingdom's artists all begin to create works along the same strange and frightening theme …


Review
A great twist of the classical Snow White fairytale, with demons, vampires and shifters and a cross-dressing prince. Sounds silly? Well it isn't and that's what makes this one special!

The Queen needed an heir and the King loved her too much to take another lover, even if she couldn't bear a living child. So she takes it in her own hand and Prince Erik is conceived, but the price is very high and the queen dies, after giving birth.

Prince Erik has two guardians growing up, his mother’s old bodyguard and the King's Huntsman. It's them who are suspicious, when the king marries and brings home a new wife, but all is well for years, until the kings health begins to fail and the kingdom falls under a spell. All paintings show the prince dying and that's when Erik takes notice and start ask questions, some of the answers he find are quite surprising and he has to come to terms with his own conception and special abilities.

I would have liked to learn more about the history of all the mentioned countries, but the fantasy world was quite interesting and detailed enough for a novella. Erik didn't grew up afraid of his step-mother, she was actually not evil at all in the beginning and there was an interesting explanation for the changing behaviour of the queen, which was not used before, at least not in a version I've read. What was missing, at least in my opinion, was how Erik fell in love with the Huntsman. Suddenly he was interested in the Huntsman and the interest was even more suddenly returned.

Other than that it was an engaging story and there was quite a lot of suspense going on, at least for a fairytale.

4 Pants Off

What's Happening This Week!!

Hey guys, hope you all had a wonderful time over the holidays. Again, its been awhile but life and the weather seems to be getting in the way of my post schedule. Toronto had an ice storm last week, and lets just say that the Holidays wasn't merry for many and the new year isn't looking very happy. Lots of people were without power and many remain without power going on over a week now. Thankfully my power came back quickly and I could provide a warm place to stay for friends.

2014 is fast approaching and we have some cool reviews and giveaways coming this week to kick off the new year with a bang. Stay Tuned!

Here's whats causing a pants losing this week...


Reviews:
Encore by Shira Anthony (Fehu)
Wrapped Up in You by Lucy Whedon (SinChan)
Filth by M. King (Elbie)
For the Sake of the Kingdom by Julia Alaric (Fehu)
Serendipity Kit by Connie Bailey (Whuppsy)
The Trouble with Elves by Therese Woodson (SinChan)
Marked by Kayla Bain (Fehu)
From this Window by Diana Jean (DarienMoya)
A Prairie Dog's Love Song by Eli Easton (SinChan)
Cinnamon and Seduction by Ari McKay (Fehu)

Guest Post & Giveaways

• The Forester II: Lost and Found:  Interview with the Guide 
• A Book A Week: The Forester II

Other Posts:
SinChan's Faves of 2013
Elbie's Faves of 2013
Whuppsy Faves of 2013

Happy New Year!!!

Review: Fairytales Slashed #5 by Jaime Sulllivan

Reviewed by Fehu
Fairytales Slashed 5 by Various Authors
Less Than 3 Press
Novel: 579pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Five tales, familiar and new, where nothing and no one is precisely what it seems, and where it will take more than determination and magic to set all to rights again …

Part of Your World is the tale of a man adrift, his dreams of music all but lost, and his only solace found in taking his boat out to sea for a few hours. Deep beneath the water, the lonely Ren looks up at the surface he is not supposed to breach …

In Beast, the very last thing Beau expects to land on his desk is the story of the year: the location of the missing scumbag rockstar Gabriel Fletcher. Eager for the chance at a story that could make his career, he heads off immediately for the remote mansion where Gabriel is rumored to be hiding. But the questions he seeks to ask bring answers he never could have expected …

The Heart of Evil is the story of Kallum: depressed, broken, his magic burnt out. All he wants is to recover in peace and quiet, an opportunity he hopes he'll get when he agrees to look over his aunt, comatose for the past five years. But his first week in town, Kallum is pressed into service by Nathaniel, who needs his help fighting an evil wizard. And there's Ash, who seems to be anything but the harmless librarian he claims …

Matters of Perception is the tale of Nathaniel, a young apprentice wizard still trying to get the hang of his powers, worried about his sister and jealous about the relationship between his master and his former brother-in-law. But all that is set aside when he falls into a magical garden from which there is no way out, and his only companion the garden's mysterious caretaker …

In Memories Lost in Forgotten Time, a broken pocket watch and a shop full of junk are all that Colin has left of his lover, Quentin. Behind on the rent, tormented by his landlord, he knows he should sell everything and move on. But memories are not so easily discarded—or trusted.

The Power of a Wish is the tale of a boy forbidden to cut or otherwise alter his hair until he turns twenty-five, on the orders of his strict grandmother. But when he returns home and reunites with an old friend, a seemingly harmless prank goes horribly awry …

And in The Blind City, Charley, a lowly librarian's assistant, never expected to be sent out on a quest with the most famous knight in the country. Sir Thaddeus Constantine is strong, honorable, a legend told in countless stories. To spend time with him is a dream come true, especially when Charley realizes that the man behind the knight is far more fascinating than stories …


Review
Anthologies are always a mixed bag and this one is not different, but fitting for Christmas this collection was a delight to read and it has some surprises!

What I loved was how fairytales which seemed similar had a different approach and I was impressed with the constructed worlds in this one, also not all of them were set in a fantasy world. I liked the urban fantasy ones as much the ones with knights, that one reminded me a bit of the Arabian night’s cartoons.

I liked this fairytales collection a lot, with the exception of one story, which was just weird. The character set to repair a watch and traveled in time to see his dead lover and found out that his dead lover actually is not dead, but that they found a youth fountain and he himself de-aged too much. I did mention my confusion about this one right? First he was grieving for his lover and then he started travelling in time, seeing zombies, dead people, a war in the past, but he always come back and sees the nephew of his dead lover. He himself was a brilliant inventor, before his de-aging days.

My favorite stories were by Sandra Bart, The Heart of Evil and Matters of Perception. They are set in the same universe and were beautiful fairytales. One about a charmed house where it's always summer and which is sustained by a magical orb and is guarded by a beast. The other one was about a wizard who had to fight an evil woman to rescue his aunt and the villagers, she put in a coma.
I found both the story telling and the characters very charming. Both stories were 4 pants reads.

The Blind City- 4 Pants Off 
Also a very charming story about a librarian assistant and a knight, who searches for his brother and finds a lover instead, when they travel together into the lost city. The actual librarian was quite bossy and I think was having an affair with the king. I would have loved it if that one was longer and not wrapped so fast at the end.

Beast- 3.75 Pants Off
This one was about a rockstar, who had pretty bad bed manners and was therefore cursed to be a beast. I thought the ending was a bit funny, when the manager brought back the witch, since the solution to the curse was not the typical one, which is not true love. It was a bit of a refreshing remake of that particular fairytale.

Part of Your World -3 Pants Off
I know it’s a novella, but still I felt like it lacked depth. I liked the merboy, but it was just not explained well enough how he was able to learn to speak, if he was always alone and with fish. I know that it's fiction, but still. Also the end was wrapped up pretty fast and the villain defeated with ease. The whole story lacked details and the characters were behaving strange. I didn't feel the love between the main characters, since the selfish bastard, who is supposed to be the prince in this one, abandons his mute friend, as soon as a girl appears and only remembers him when he is gone.

The Power of a Wish  -3.5 Pants Off
I found that one to be an infesting take on Tangled. Here it is a guy who is not supposed to cut his hair and it's not because of some evil witch, so his mother might see her mother in law that way. He promised it to his grandmother, that he won’t cut his hair up to a certain age and the hair did come in handy in a fight for the live of his best friend/ love interest. The genie was a bit of a surprise to be sure and the sister was, let's just say strange.

4 Pants Off

Review: To Serve the Count by Cassandra Pierce

Reviewed by Fehu
To Serve the Count (Proud to be a Vampire) by Cassandra Pierce
Less Than Press
Short Story
2.75 Pants Off

Blurb:
Cast out of his village when he is caught kissing another man, Rupert seeks refuge at the mysterious Castle Blutstark. But refuge means carrying out unusual duties for his new master, the enigmatic Count Kaspar, and he starts to wonder if Blutstark is a place of safety after all.




Review
Well written, but the characters were a bit too simplistic as was the plot.

The story was quite simple: a boy gets kicked out of his village and flees to a castle to find work. There is a vampire who takes notice of the boy and invites him to his bed and to be his blood donor. Said boy had a lover, who followed him, had known the lord to be a vampire, unlike the naive boy and who wants to take the vampires riches and kill him, by using the unsuspecting boy.

That is also what happened, very fast paced, no time left for a lot of explanations or normal human reactions. If you ever find out about vampires, would anyone, especially a boy from a backward village, be so blasé about it, in a historical time setting? I find that hard to believe!

Rupert, the boy or youth in question was generally acting a bit like a modern spoiled brat. He ran away from his home, the whole dialog with his father didn't have the historical feeling, his actions were too bold for a young character with his background and he could not have honestly expected anyone in a historical period after the French Revolution to be ok about gay tendencies, when people were hanged for such tendencies in the past!

I thought he took the whole vampires exist and why not just let the guy, you known a day drink your blood and have sex with him. There is fast and then there is swearing your love after a few days acquaintance, which happened here.

I liked the writing style, but the story and the characters just didn't have any depth and were very predictable.

Review: Danse Macabre by Janette

Reviewed by Fehu
Danse Macabre (Proud to be a Vampire) by Janette
Less Than 3 Press
Short Story
2 Pants Off

Blurb:
Angelo is the right hand problem solver for Broodmaster Ardoin Baptiste. He loves the hunt and thrives on the kill. Ordered to get rid of someone making Ardoin's life difficult, he finds that the job is nowhere near as simple as it should be—and just how deadly a weapon love can be.





Review
Well this one gets points for hot sex scenes.


The first meeting with Angelo and he is already having sex with his master vampire. Said sex is a bit of dub-con and sound a bit painful, what with happening without lube or preparation, but it is all explained away, as Angelo being a vampire and not feeling thing the same way as humans.

Someone has been encroaching on Ardoin's territory and he sends Angelo to find out who it was and how it was done. Angelo finds a normal human is behind it, but he has someone in his employment, with some highly unusual paranormal abilities. Of course Angelo's boss want said paranormal individual and Angelo has to make him come to the fold.


The whole story is very focused on sex, violent sex and I know this is not everyone taste. Personally I would have not minded the sex, but sometimes the scenes felt pointless and I was just confused about what the whole story was about. I didn't feel the love or a lot of tender emotions in this story, to go with the violent sex, so that did detract from my enjoyment of this particular story. 

I like romance and this one just didn't have enough of romance to make me care. The characters were not likable, they murdered without a conscience and there was mention of statuary rape at least, in one of the characters past and said character was still attached to the guy who used him like that as a child. I would have felt sorry for him if he was not a ruthless killer without any remorse for his victims. So yes, while the story was a bit confusing and a lot about some power play, the characters didn't have anything I could have liked about them, which made me uninterested in the story they had to tell and honestly with all the sex, they were not exactly about witty dialogs.

2 Pants Off

What's Happening This Week!

Hey folks, hope you all had a wonderful week. It was a super busy last week here on POR, lots of reviews and guest posts. This week is a little slower but just awesome as we begin our second book a week giveaway. The winner for the first one has been chosen and I will announce later on today. If you didn't win this week there is still many chances to come and the books just keep getting more awesome.

For publishers/authors, it's the holidays and we want your stories. If you have any holiday themed books feel free to send them in for review so we can start posting up some Christmas joy.

Omo, Doctor Who 50th and can I tell you guys how I was in heaven all of Saturday night. My younger sister thinks I'm completely nuts but she doesn't understand the awesome that is The Doctor. I loved it all!

Without further ado, here’s whats causing a pants losing this week...

Reviews:
Serve Me by Various Authors (DarienMoya)
Housekeeping by Kim Fielding (SinChan)
Ghost of A Chance by Ari. McKay (Fehu)
A Package Deal by Mia Kerrick (Whuppsy)
A Marrying Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion (DarienMoya)
Surprise, Surprise by Star Noble (SinChan)
Danse Macabre by Janette (Fehu)
The Gospel According to Cher by S.A Garcia (Whuppsy)
Taking A Chance by Anne Brooke (SinChan)
Single Use Only by Pender Mackie (Whuppsy)

Other Posts:
A Book A Week Giveaway: Bad Idea by Damon Suede 
Queer Romance Blog Hop: My Interview 

Have A Great Week!!

Review: Convergence by Talya Andor

Reviewed by Fehu
Convergence (Proud to be a Vampire) by Talya Andor
Less Than 3 Press
Novella
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Chris and Ling travel the world in search of rare, exquisite curiosities, but treasure hunting is rife with danger and comes with a price. In order to retrieve a lost treasure deep within a perilous mountain, Chris hires on a vampire. But traveling with a predator comes with its own risks, and their venture may collapse into absolute loss unless they can each find the opportunity in one another.



Review
Charming characters and a nice action/adventure plot, a la Indiana Jones just with a vampire and gay blokes.
Chris works for his father on paper, but follows up his private interest in archaeological artifacts and treasures, with his partner and childhood friend Ling. A new treasure hunt in China brings with it a need for a special being. Chris can only succeed in recovering the old artefact, with the help of a dead or in this case undead person - a vampire.

Since it's not exactly easy to find a vampire per announcement in the paper, at least you cannot request one; Chris devises a plan and publishes a poem instead. The only one to answer is the mysterious, but quite charming Dorran. Dorran proves to be more interesting than Chris anticipated and soon he finds himself fighting his growing fascination with the vampire, whose interest and loyalties, Chris is still unsure of. They travel together to China and have to survive a more than one test, to get to the artefact and the last challenge might prove to be quite deadly to Chris.
I've read other book from this author, but so far no paranormal story and I hope to see more of Chris and Dorran, since their relationship just begins after they get back, at the very end.

The characters were interesting, but of course had their faults, which made them quite charming. I was a bit disappointed in how easy the guys solved the challenges and that they didn't need all that much time to do it. Action/adventure stories do need time, at least in my opinion. Thankfully the recovering of the artefact was not the end of this story and I was glad to see that Chris and Dorran did not just rush in a relationship. The slow build in the relationship was a bit of a contrast to the quick progress of the plot. Still for a story of this length, it was a pretty good in terms of plot and characters.

It's a story that leaves you wanting to read more!

Should You Read It? I very much enjoy this story and liked the characters, so I would recommend it. After said that, I'd love to see another story with these characters and where the adventure part is a bit more drawn out!

4 Pants Off

Review: Thicker Than Water by A.F Henley

Reviewed by Fehu
Thicker Than Water (Proud to be A Vampire) by A.F Henley
Less Than 3 Press
Short Story
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
Ladomer's first experience with vampires instilled a deep hatred--an emotion he gladly uses to bring destruction to the beasts that can't be purged from his memory. Hunting alongside the compelling man who saved his village, Ladomer and Zor are ruthless in their quest to stop the growing threat. When a new call pulls them deep into Eastern Europe, Ladomer learns anew just how cruel vampires can be--and how much deeper love can go.


Review
Intriguing, but too short to fulfill the promise of the summary. We first encounter Ladomer, when he first encounters a vampire as a child and that experience sets the course of his future.

In a world where vampires have come out from their hiding, the civilization is no more. Cities were abandoned and farm communities have grown. No electricity exists any longer and people trust only the strangers who come when the sun shines. No one leaves when it's dark, since that is the time when vampires hunt.

When Landomer was a boy he dreamed about travelling and seeing more than just his village, to see places filled with books and the machines former people in the cities abandoned. A lot of knowledge was lost, when people left the cities to live in small villages and of course it sounds like a great adventure to a boy to recapture at least a bit of this knowledge. That is also the time when he is not careful and does not see that it did get dark, he follows a firefly and it leads him to a strange man. Landomer would have been dead, but his brother has come to his rescue and died in his place.

That is something Landomer still dreams about, when he and his lover, Zor, rest after finishing their hunting for the night. Years later, a grown up Landomer has become a hunter and helps the man who has come to the rescue of his village. He has fulfilled his dream to travel, but has paid a high prize.

Now Zor and Landomer want to kill a master vampire, the one who created the creatures they encounter and this is one encounter, where they might not survive.

Flashbacks are not favorites and I know some people don't like them, so consider you warned. The first scene, Landomers childhood, was quite detailed. Other things like him becoming a hunter were a bit of a flash forward. In the end I ended up not knowing a lot about the grown up Landomer, there was some telling and not nearly enough showing, to get me invested into these characters.

The initial story, what about the vampires coming about and hunting humans, so that humans have to leave was not explained well enough. Why didn't the military do something? All scientist in the world could not combat vampires and no armies? That was my problem with the plot, there was just not enough reason to leave the cities and abandon all the modern props, which might give humans a fighting chance. Also I didn't understand how wanderer protected themselves in the night from vampires, since people did leave their village; I would have loved an explanation for that!

Should You Read It? The first scene and chapter were quite promising and if the story would have been longer it might have lived up to it full promises. As it is, it's promising, but I'd love to have some answers for my questions to word building.

3 Pants Off

Guest Post: "Love" by T.T Kove (Yesterday's Tears)

Yesterday’s Tears might deal with grief of loosing loved ones, but most of all it’s about love. Josh and Damian are an established couple in the novel, they’ve been together since they were both eighteen years old. They’re both troubled, but those who’ve read the shorts published about them know that Josh might be the most troubled and that he’s been leaning on Damian and his love ever since they met.

In this novel, it’s all flipped. Damian’s world is turned upside down and now Damian’s the one who has to lean on Josh, and Josh has to stay strong because Damian needs him. Josh also tries to stay strong for Matt, Damian’s cousin, who is reeling from losing his parents, but Matt isn’t as receptive to help as Damian is.

Matt does find help though—in a very special someone and that helps him come to terms with his parents’ death. It isn’t easy, it doesn’t happen quickly, and it never really goes away, but it becomes easier. He shuts everyone out, but slowly begins to open himself up again, and even though he’s only just eighteen years old, he does experience his first love.

Whereas Damian and Josh are an established couple, you have to read the book to find out who Matt’s special someone is. I can promise you it’s quite a ride!

Thanks so much to Pants Off Reviews for hosting me today! If you want to check Yesterday’s Tears out, here’s the blurb for you:

Blurb:
Damian's world is irrevocably altered the night his aunt and uncle are brought into his A&E, victims of a terrible car accident. Grief-stricken and lost, with nowhere else to turn, he calls Josh—the man he loves, and who left him.

Meanwhile Matt does not know how to live in a world where his parents aren't, especially when the rest of his family seems capable of handling it while he wants only to hide from the world. His only solace is Adam, whom he wishes was so much more than the man he occasionally has sex with—and who apparently has been keeping a secret that ruins the only comfort Matt had left.






Yesterday’s Tears will be released tomorrow, at Less Than Three Press!

Buy Link: Less Than 3 Press

Thanks again for letting me guest post at your blog! ^_^

T.T. 

T. T. Kove

Website / Blog

Where Fantasies Come to Life

What's Happening This Week!!

Hey folks, hope you guys had a wonderful week and are having a lovely weekend. Crazy how the holidays are creeping up and with that comes the stress of figuring out gifts. Well instead of you guys buying gifts POR is giving you guys a little gift with many chances to win because on Monday the Book A Week giveaway begins, and we've got a giveaway by Abigail Roux. I'm calling that this week will be awesmazing and with all the awesome reviews; EPIC.

So without further ado, heres what's causing a pants losing this week...

Reviews:

Shock & Awe by Abigail Roux (DarienMoya)
Convergence by Talya Andor (Fehu)
A White Coat is my Closet by Jake Wells (SinChan)
No Flag by Liz Borino (Whuppsy)
Catch My Breath by M.J O'Shea (DarienMoya)
Thicker Than Water by A.F Henley (Fehu)
With or Without Him by Barbara Elsborg (Whuppsy)
The Caldwell Ghost by K.J Charles (SinChan)
Love's Nest by Leta Blake & Keira Andrews (Whuppsy)
An Eerie Halloween by V.L Locey (SinChan)

Guest Posts & Giveaways:

Spotlight & Giveaway: Shock & Awe Blog Tour
Guest Post: Love (Yesterday's Tears) by T.T Kove
Storm Moon Press: The Harvest Taken
Storm Moon Press: Shakespearotica

Other Post:

A Book A Week Giveaway: Catch a Ghost by SE Jakes

Have A Great Week!!

Review: Drinker Class X by Sasha L. Miller

Reviewed by SinChan
Drinker Class X (Proud to be A Vampire) by Sasha L. Miller
Less Than 3 Press
Novella
4 Pants Off (Rounded Up)

Blurb
Bitten on the job, Laurence is left to readjust to living as one of the drinkers he has always hunted. In order to be declared a stable citizen—and get back to work—he must attend a series of court-mandated sessions with a psychiatrist specializing in newly-turned drinkers.

The worst part of being a drinker, besides adjusting to life without sunlight, is that it's mostly doctors and red tape and tedium—right up until it isn't.



Review
I love the set up of the story. Vampires are now called drinkers and they are highly regulated through hospitals, blood centers, and a police force specialized in handling rogue drinkers, or Class X drinkers. Laurence is part of this police force and is bitten by a Class X on the job. In order to readjust and get his job back, he needs the psychiatrist, Ira, to give him a Class A rating, meaning he can handle high stress situations. They are interested in each other and when their professional relationship as doctor and patient is over, they plan to go on dates. Unluckily, Ira disappears without a trace.

Laurence is struggling with his new status as drinker and trying not to be depressed. He's very easy to sympathize with. His whole life changed when he got bitten and now he has to see a psych, which no one wants to do. Nevertheless, he has a strong, healthy mentality and a let's-get-it-over-with personality. He's calm and optimistic, which balances with Ira's over-analyzing personality.

One thing that confused me is the dress code, and by relation, the time period. The dress style for the main characters and the side characters are described in detail. It seems like some kind of Victorian style is preferred, however, they live in an age where hospitals can analyze blood protein levels and do brain scans.

When Ira gets kidnapped, that's the start of a thrilling mystery. Laurence gets thrown in with Ira in a locked room with kidnappers that's planning torture them. Combined with a morbid back story, I can't stop reading or tear my eyes away from the pages. Although one thing that can be clearer is the reason behind the murders, but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

Ira and Laurence are not totally in love with each other yet but they have a budding relationship. Their ordeal together builds trust and lays a good foundation for future friendship or love. The author really succeeds in writing a vampire story that's different and describes the world in detail. I definitely recommend this book to vampire fans and someone who likes a little bit of thriller in their books.

4 Pants Off

Review: The List by Sandra Bard

Review: Bloody Kiss by Mell Eight