Short Review: The Heart of Frost by Charlie Cochet

Reviewed by Fehu
The Heart of Frost (North Pole City Tales #2) by Charlie Cochet
Dreamspinner Press
Novella: 120pgs
3.75 Pants Off

Blurb:
At the North Pole, no one is more powerful and feared than the Prince of Frost. As general of the toy soldier army, Jack Frost has been working extra hard to put away the villainous Mouse King once and for all. If that isn’t taxing enough, Jack has to deal with the scandal and gossip brought on by news of his relationship with Rudy Rein Dear, captain of the Rein Dear Squadron, which hit headlines last holiday season. Lucky for Jack, his reputation has managed to deter any foolish attempts to stir up trouble. At least until now.

When someone sabotages Rudy’s plane during a test run a few weeks before Christmas, Jack is determined to find the culprit by any means necessary. The closer he gets to finding answers, the more difficulty he has not falling back to his icy ways. Has the Mouse King stepped up his game in order to throw Jack off his, or is someone a little closer to home behind the attempt on Rudy’s life? Either way, Jack has every intention of delivering a Christmas they won’t soon forget, even if it means losing the newfound warmth in his heart.

Short Review
Sweet Christmas story with somewhat unusual characters! Rudy is Jack Frost's lover and has been for quite a while. At the end of the last book they came out as a couple and not all in North Pole were happy about that development.

I very much loved the cover and the story sounded very intriguing and to some degree it was. I liked the supporting characters and Rudy and Jack. It's just that I like to be shown how things, relationships happened and here it was a bit fast forward in a flashback. The story had a lot of potential, but I just wasn't fully drawn into the plot or cared enough for the characters to want to see them again.

So while this was a nice, sugary Christmas story it lacked a certain something for me at least, it didn't make me care for the characters, since the characters were just not fleshed out enough, they felt a bit like some plastic action figures. There was a good screenfront, Jack tries to find out who had it in for his lover, but looses himself in the cold and his own revenge plans. Love conquers all and so Rudy manages to bring his lover back and warm his heart. Very cute, if you want something romantic, without a lot of drama or angst The Heart of Frost is a good choice.

Review: Reawakening by Amy Rae Durreson

Reviewed by Fehu
Reawakening by Amy Rae Durreson
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 260pgs
5 Pants Off

Blurb:
For a thousand years, since their defeat of the Shadow at Eyr, the dragons have slept under the mountains. Now their king, Tarnamell, has woken. Driven mad by loneliness, he hurls himself south until he finds and tries to claim the Alagard Desert. Unfortunately, the desert already has a guardian spirit, and he doesn't want to share. Amused by the cocky little desert spirit, Tarn retreats, planning to return in human form.

When his caravan enters the desert, however, Alagard is missing. Rumors fly of a dark power, and soon Tarn’s caravan encounters the living dead and an amnesiac mage called Gard.

Forced to take refuge in the Court of the Shells, a legendary fortress in the heart of the desert, Tarn, Gard, and their allies decide to seek out the Shadow before it destroys the desert. But to confront the Shadow, Tarn needs to gather his strength. A dragon's power depends on the love and loyalty of his human hoard, but Tarn's original hoard has been dead for centuries. Before he can face his most ancient enemy, he must win the trust of new followers and the heart of a cynical desert spirit.

Review
Fantastic world building and interesting characters that will draw you into their story! I loved the story, yes but there are a lot of fantasy books that focus too much on world building and too long, and I loved that that was not the case here. Even the few flashbacks were well built into the plot and didn't distract from the actual story.

In the beginning we a have a lone dragon who wakes up after a long, centuries long sleep, a form of recovery after the last great battle for the world against demon lords and Shadows. One could empathize with him from the first moment, he is alone in a new strange world and realises that his hoard, all people he loved, his lover, have died. All of his brothers still sleep, but he is the king of all dragons, the first and his sleep was somehow interrupted.

The atmosphere of the book was a bit melancholy and when Tarnamell reaches the desert the feeling changes. A desert should be a lonely, desolate place, but Tarn sees it as something warm and full of love. Alagard, the spirit of the after him named desert, is less happy about a dragon in his place. When Tarn couldn't convince Alagard to join his horde, he leaves the desert and moves to human cities. Tarn isn't happy about what he sees, the world has changed a lot, but the world has not been kind to the weak, no benign lord protects them and there is no clan to look after them. In a city he meets a female warrior of on the Myrtilis orden and he is hired to protect a caravan on their way through Alagard. The desert they find is lost in pain, their spirit god captured by and old enemy of Tarn's - Shadow, who has awakened and now tries to pull the world into death and chaos once more. Now Tarn has to fight again and this time without the love of his hoard, his lover, his brothers and sisters or his old allies.

It's a well written story and I liked that the author understood how to draw in the reader. A lot was shown and the relationship between Alagard and Tarn progressed slowly and in a believable pace. The story moved swiftly, not too slow and not too fast, which made it easy to follow and there was no time to get bored or get lost in description. Also the characters are quiet and interesting cast a dragon lord, a desert spirit, female warriors and two merchant /spies with an interesting past. Tarn is very powerful, but he is portrayed quite vulnerable and a bit lost in a new time, you can’t help, but to fall in love with him and the story.

A good story leaves you wanting more and I would love to read new adventures of Tarn or the historian who writes at the end. Rafe is also an interesting character or the other dragons that might wake up. But you do not need to fear it is a finished story and it is satisfying happy end.
For fans of David Edding, at least the story reminded me a bit of the worlds and adventures he created, just with a male romance twist.

Highly recommended for fantasy lovers!

5 Pants Off

Review: Where You Lead by Mary Calmes

Reviewed by Fehu
Where You Lead by Mary Calmes
Dreamspinner Press
Short Story: 68pgs
3.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
ATF agent Peter Lomax isn’t a hearts and flowers kind of guy, but he can be possessive, and it caused problems until Carver Fleming. Carver may be part of the art world, but he gets Peter, loves belonging to the man, and Peter treasures the way Carver understands them together.

Carver loves Peter, but he's fully aware that six months doth not a commitment make. Carver wants to make the relationship last forever, but he’ll have to leave their life in Chicago to take care of the family he loves. He wants to do it with Peter by his side, but going from the city of Chicago to tiny Colt, Kentucky is a big change.

Carver has only one Christmas wish: Please, oh please, let Peter fall enough in love with Carver's family to follow Carver home.

Review
It's certainly not a book that will leave you uninvolved. I've read some, was mad, put it down, wanted to know how Peter will react, started reading again, was annoyed and stared at the book in disbelief.

Let's say it is an emotional read as in I was quite invested into the story. I didn't believe the story, but I was pretty involved in the plot, but it was over too fast so I was left a bit dissatisfied. Also there were quite a few problems and I felt they were solved without a lot of effort. The time frame was just unbelievable. Pete and Carver knew each other for 6 months. Feel with me and say it out loud s i x months. So of course Pete would agree to leave his friends and his home and his work to move into a small town, where e v e r y o n e is ok with a gay couple. You can understand my suspended disbelief. All of this would probably bother me less in a paranormal setting, but here there is no explanation of a soul bound or life mates!

I expected sweet, and some parts were, the dialog between Peter and his partner on the force was pretty good and I laughed, when they talked about the art. The beginning pretty much seduced me into the story, some dialogs did not flow and the relationship and story progressed too fast, at least for me.

At the end I was torn as how to rate this story, since I liked the first part very much, but the second part felt rushed and a bit disjointed.

3 Pants Off

Review: Kid Gloves by Anna Martin

Reviewed by Fehu
Kid Gloves by Anna Martin
Dreamspinner Press
Short Story: 96pgs
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
Alone in his East London shop, a man known only as Dalton makes living prosthetics: bionic, mechanical limbs, from leather, metal, and magic. It's to this little corner of the capital that Finn Croucher, an elite army marksman, travels after an accident leads to his hand being amputated.

While Dalton fashions Finn’s new hand and teaches him how to use it, he reveals some secrets long hidden, and he and Finn become lovers. But Finn must return to duty, and a string of letters becomes his only connection to the love he left in London.


Short Review
Dalton is quite an interesting character and he has whored himself for his knowledge. He slept with most of the people from whom he learned and now finality is at a stage, where he has perfected a craft and no longer needs to rely on others. Finn come from a Roma family and is an archer in the army, who has lost his hand. He wants a new hand and Dalton was recommended to him, but he finds himself surprised how he finds Dalton attractive.

The romance does progress pretty quick, considering this is a historical story and Finn is a virgin. For my taste they fell into bed a bit too quick, I like a slow burn romance. Here I find it a bit hard to believe, because of the social stigma in a historical setting that such a relation caries. The letters they exchanged were quite sweet and I liked the idea. A lot of their relationship happened in the letters and it's not what we are used in our modern interaction, but it was the thing to do in earlier times, so I loved that the story captured that!

Not a lot happens in that story, no great adventures and not a lot of drama, mostly this is a nice love story, with nice characters. The excitement and tension is something I missed here, but if you want a love story than you will be happy with this one, especially if you wish to take a break from tearjerker stories and melodramas.

3 Pants Off

Review: One Night Ever After by Tere Michaels

Reviewed by Fehu
One Night Ever After by Tere Michaels, Elle Brownlee, Elizah J Davis
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 254pgs
3.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Just a Drive by Tere Michaels

After weeks of flirting, “One Night” Wyatt Walsh spends a fabulous night with his shy coworker, Benji Trammell. As Wyatt tries to sneak out the next morning, he receives a call from his frantic, very pregnant best friend Raven—she needs him immediately. With no other way to get from New York City to the Pennsylvania town where Raven and her husband live, Wyatt accepts Benji’s offer to drive him there. Wary and unsure of each other, they start the trip at odds, but as time goes on, the barriers that usually keep people at a distance fail. And what started out as “just a drive” becomes a step toward romance.

Just a Stranger by Elle Brownlee

The excitement of meeting a stranger in a club can’t be beat. Loud bass sets the rhythm to Michael Wiercinski’s primal urges as he flirts with Andrew, a cute guy offering the promise of a hot night with no strings, no complications. Still, when their night is done, Michael admits there was something about Andrew that left him wanting more. Months go by with no sign of Andrew until Michael moves back home to help after his father’s heart attack. Once there, Michael is completely amazed to find Andrew Lucas living in his hometown. Despite surprising “complications” in Andrew’s life, Michael vows to take advantage of this second chance to make Andrew more than just a stranger.

Just a Weekend by Elizah J. Davis

James is a homebody in a predictable, if not altogether comfortable, rut. He’d rather stay in with a book than brave the Seattle bar scene. One night, after allowing his friend Kara to coax him out for drinks, he meets Devin—charming, gorgeous, and way out of his league. With a little bit of help from Kara, James leaves with Devin to indulge in a night together, which is as much time as he’s bound to get with a guy as hot as Devin. He doesn't expect the easy rapport that quickly develops between them, and when the weather conspires to keep them together, James wonders if this could be more than just a weekend fling.

Review
A surprising anthology, I expected to like the first story but ended up liking the last story a lot more. The first story is about Wyatt, who is a love them and leave them kind of guy and who is called to the aid of his best friend, his pregnant best friend, just after his one night stand with his co-worker Benji. Benji is shy and has some secrets of his own; surprisingly he is very helpful and offers to drive Wyatt, even after he was pretty mean to him in the morning after. Like I said Benji turns out to be a very helpful guy, a bit too helpful to be believable and there was a lull in story, considering that it is a short story, I would have liked a bit more action. Since Wyatt was mostly a jerk and Benji nearly a saint, I found it hard to relate to them. So I wasn't as emotionally involved in this story as I had expected. What worked was the writing and the dialogs. It's a well written story, well edited, but I personally wish it had some more spice.

In Just a Stranger we meet Michael and Andrew; one is a cop and the other a landscape architect. After a great night Andrew leaves without a word and Michael is surprised, when he meets the guy again in his own hometown, after moving there to help his parents. Andrew has a reason for not wanting further attachment; he has to take care of his sisters children.  The children were quite sweet and Michael was surprisingly hung up on a guy he just met on one evening. I really liked Michael’s family and that they did come around and rallied to help his get his man. All in all this was a rather sweet story, I might have wished they took longer to fall for each other, but other than that it's a nice read if one needs a HEA and a pick me up story.

Just a Weekend features James and Devin. David was a bit of out of luck later and had to move home on a trip with a friend he meets James, who takes him home. A snow storm makes them stay together for the weekend, but their time is interrupted by James's sister in law, who needs him for babysitting.

I liked James and Devin, they were both sweet and James was a bit of a homebody, who is always there for his family and a very nice guy. Devin is a bit of an opposite at least he likes to go out more and is more social. So they are a great fit and it was cute to see them play with the kids and make pillow castles in the living room. I was invested in the characters and there was enough personal drama to keep me reading. The story is well written and there was happening enough things that I was entertained and wanted to see them both get their happy end.

3.5 Pants Off

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: Cinnamon and Seduction by Ari McKay

Reviewed by Fehu
Cinnamon and Seduction (Recipe for Romance #4) by Ari McKay
Torquere Press
Novella: 138pgs
3.75 Pants Off

Blurb:
After the success of his two Gourmet Network specials, outspoken Executive Chef Stephen Pierce is offered a sweetheart deal for his own regular show. Everyone believes Stephen has a lot of self-confidence, but he is aware of his own shortcomings and refuses to sign on unless his loyal PA, Robert Logan, agrees to stay with him. Stephen knows Robert is the one person who can keep him in line, but Stephen has always hidden his more personal interest, fearing that if he knew, Robert would be disgusted and leave him.

Robert has been in love with his boss for almost six years, but he’s begun to believe Stephen will never see him as more than an efficient assistant. Resigning himself to never having the man he truly wants, Robert begins to date other men, hoping that one of them will strike the same sparks for him that Stephen does without even knowing it.

Can the efforts of their friends finally get Stephen and Robert together, or will Stephen’s hidden insecurities keep them apart forever?

Review
Sweet, with some sprinkles of drama and some well meant meddling.

Robert was in love with his chef, the eccentric Executive Chef Stephen of a popular restaurant for years. He has helped his friends and coworkers to find their love and now wants someone special for himself. Stephen has quite a temper, but Robert can always calm him down and he doesn't want to do anything, which might compromise their relationship, even if that means giving up on the chance to be part of a network cooking show.

Stephen is not quite oblivious as all assume, but he is lot less secure in his own self worth and ability to attract Robert. He doesn't know if he wants to do the show, especially when he sees that his brother would take his partner with him, but it could mean Stephen might lose the only person he loves.

It's a sweet story, but I felt like I missed a lot of things since this was the first book, I've read. Robert is hired and then it's a fast forward to 6 years later. A lot of his feelings were a bit hard to believe because of it, since a good chunk of Stephen and Robert's interaction happened it that 6 year span, we as reader are told about, but are not shown. Same thing with Robert's dates, only 2 were shown, the reader was told about the other. The story is well written and it might be better if you read all the books and not just one out of context. I wanted to know how the other guys got together and who the partners were, that were mentioned.

A lot of the drama was about nothing, since Stephen and Robert both liked each other and was just too afraid or unsure of each other, but actually the interest was there on both sides and it was more waiting for one of them to make a move and tell the other. While you can read this one as a stand-alone, I think it's better to read the other books, since Robert had an important role of bringing the others couples together and at least in Ian's story there is more about him and Stephen.

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

Review: Encore by Shira Anthony

Reviewed by Fehu
Encore (Blue Notes #5) by Shira Anthony
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 296pgs
4.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Cool kid violinist Roger Nelson doesn’t give a damn about anything. Wannabe conductor John Fuchs is awkward, effeminate, and just figuring out he’s gay. Despite their differences, they become friends—then lovers—and after college, they try to make it work. But it’s the 1970s, and Roger can’t bring himself to admit he’s gay. Worse, after his brother is killed in Vietnam, Roger tries to live up to his memory and be the perfect son. Then after suffering one tragedy too many, he makes the biggest mistake of his life: Roger pushes John away.

Through the years, they dance around the truth and in and out of each other’s lives, never quite able to let go. Twenty years later, Roger still carries the pain of losing his dream of a brilliant career with him, while John is a superstar conductor with a wild reputation. John’s off-stage antics get him plenty of attention, good and bad, though deep down, he wants only Roger. Finally determined to hold on to what really matters, Roger asks John for another chance, and when John panics and runs, Roger has to convince him to listen to his heart.

Review
A very good book that ties up some loose open ends of the Aria book and tells of some new beginnings. I felt a bit like a goodbye and a new beginning. John is a young man who has to transfer to another school just before the end of his high school career, after his parents’ divorce. There he meets Roger, a fellow music geek who is also part of the orchestra, where John plays. Early on John realises his attraction to Roger, who becomes his best friend and is always supportive of him.

In college they both are together, but Roger's parents don't like John, they encourage Roger to date girls and let John go, which he resists. After an accident Roger cannot longer play the Violin and has to go to a different college and give up on his dream of becoming a musician, while John's career takes off and he goes to New York.

Roger has to learn to deal to weather his parent’s expectations, his own desires and his failed career as a musician, as well as society’s stigmas. He also needs to decide if he can stand to have John in his live, who will always remind him of what he had lost. The story shows John and Roger grow up, find their careers and find a way to each other, which was not straight or easy.

Here we meet John and Roger, who played an important part in the lives of the characters we knew from previous books. Alec is mentioned and Corry and a young David, it's hard not to feel a bit sad to know that it's about an end of an era. John and Roger brought some of the people together and I don't remember reading a lot about them in the following books, with Roger's illness, that made me think that they might no longer be there. On the other hand it's nice to see all the people they influenced, grow and become stronger, fail and rise, find love and make friends for life, just like John and Roger have been. John and Roger's story shows a part of American history, the rise of AIDS, death of lovers and friends, the panic of the infection. It also shows human prejudice, but most of all it shows the strength of true friendship, that weathered decades and a love that grew along.

4.5 Pants Off

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: Island House by Bru Baker

Reviewed by Fehu
Island House by Bru Baker
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 200pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Unable to move on after the death of his lover, British expat Niall Ahern clings to Nolan's dream of living in the Caribbean by moving to Tortola. Once there, he finds that not even the beauty of the island can fill the hole in his heart. Broke and spent in nearly every way imaginable, Niall wants out of the lonely, miserable, guilt-ridden life he's carved out for himself.

When Ethan Bettencourt, a wealthy tech guru, shows up in British Virgin Islands looking to purchase a second home, he gives Niall hope that he can move on. Both men fall hard and fast, but Niall finds piloting his yacht in the midst of a hurricane is nothing compared to weathering life's simple misunderstandings. As their troubles come between them, Niall is left to wonder if he and Ethan are over before they've begun.

Review
A great story, the cover is a bit misleading, since all is not well and the sunny beach hides secrets and hurts. This is a well written story about finding ones way again after overcoming grief and second chances at love and life. Very fitting for the season if you get tired of all the fluff and sweetness!

Niall lost his partner and his best friend before their life together could really begin. Now he is living on an island in the dream house of his dead lover and tries to live the live they had planned before his lovers’ sudden death. After sinking all of his savings into this new life and buying the boat his partner always wanted. Niall found out the hard ways that the fishing business was not something he could be successful in and so he fell back on what he knew - selling houses. A tropical island is quite the popular area to buy property and sell property and if Ethan wants to stay in the business, he has to impress Ethan Bettencourt, an internet mogul, who wants to buy a house and approached Niall's firm. A storm helped bring them together and Niall thought about trying something new, but Ethan left before anything could truly happened between them and didn't return to the island. Now Niall has a choice of letting the man go or find out if the spark he felt could be more.

Even after more than 3 years after the death of his partner Niall is still not over the loss and grieves for all the dreams that they lost. It was easy to feel empathy for him and so get into the story and follow him through the book. I liked Niall and he was an easy character to like, Ethan was a bit more complicated, what with his short fuse of a temper.

Ethan and Niall had an instant attraction, but I loved how the author didn't let them give in to it! No, this did not turned out to be a story about a stormy and hot romance on an island, which made me very happy. I love a story that has layers and this one had them, the character had secrets, their past was shown in a different light and it felt a bit like unwrapping candy, with a delicious offering at the end.

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: Ghost of a Chance by Ari McKay

Reviewed by Fehu
Ghost of A Chance by Ari McKay
Torquere Press
Short Story: 74pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Dr. Mason Beaulieu thinks rival ghost hunter Haywood “Fort” Fortenberry is sexy but too credulous when it comes to the paranormal. Fort thinks Mason is attractive but too cynical. When they’re offered a chance to be locked up in reputedly haunted Wisteria Grove on Halloween night, however, both men jump at the chance.

Storms and mysterious sounds keep them busy during the night, and they discover a mutual respect for each other’s skills. As the investigation continues, Fort learns the truth behind Mason’s seemingly dismissive attitude, and Mason finds a new appreciation for Fort’s open-mindedness. But when an unexpected intruder derails the investigation, they learn that more than just hunting ghosts can offer them thrills and chills.

Review
I didn't know what to expect with this one and it turned out to be a nice Halloween surprise!

Mason wanted to believe in ghosts, but after some youthful disappointments, he decided to tackle his obsession with the paranormal more rationally and invested in good equipment to help him search for a proof that ghosts exist. Years later, retired after selling one of his better gadgets, a special camera for a very good price, Mason retired in his 30's and joined a group which sought that tries to find logic explanations for the ghost hunting's, that people reported.

In the course of his work Mason finds himself intrigued by a hot and prickly Psychology Professor, Haywood “Fort” Fortenberry, who is his rival and is a member of a group that tries to prove ghosts exist. Unfortunately for Mason, his flirting does not seem to work on Fort, but he has another chance to get close to the man, when they are both chosen to do moderate a live show on Halloween, about ghosts in Wisteria Grove, which is rumored to have ghosts in various rooms.

I liked the pacing of this story; especially the first half was fabulous as far as the introduction of the character goes. Fort and Mason did not fall in love on first sight and one could see how Mason slowly developed an interest in the guy, which Fort begun to return only in the last part of the second half.
All in all the characters are very likeable and the dialogs don't get boring, but are engaging and well written.

However the ending and the epilogue did not work for me. They just met an old lady and were in a supposedly hunted house and they decided to have sex on the couch in the front room? Not like the sex on the former battle field was better. Honestly this one would have been perfect with all the good sexual tension and the sex might have been better left of scene or for when they got home.
For all people who like me are not fans of horror, this story is pretty perfect. The ghost is pretty friendly at least the one Fort and Mason do get to see.

4 Pants Off

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

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

Review: Waiting For A Prince by K.C Wells

Reviewed by Fehu
Waiting for a Prince (Island Tales #1) by K.C Wells
Island Tales Press
Novella: 117pgs
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
When trainee hairdresser Mark sees Sam for the first time in the salon, it’s lust at first sight. Sam is Mark’s living, breathing fantasy guy. He couldn’t be more perfect. Of course, there’s the tiny, insignificant detail that Sam has a girlfriend. Hell….. A chance meeting on Mark’s favourite beach brings the two men together, and Mark finds himself with a new friend. As they spend more time together, Mark grows to see Sam less as an object for his lust and more as someone who just… fits. But falling in love with your new best friend—especially when he’s straight—is bound to bring heartache in the end.

Sam likes Mark. As in, he really likes him. And he’d like to get to know him even better. But Sam has secrets. There are things going on in his life that he can’t bring himself to tell Mark about, because the shame Sam feels is too much to bear, and not something he ever wants to share with another living soul. And if Mark ever finds out how Sam really feels about him, and the fact that he’s lied to him…. Sam can’t take that chance.

Then one drunken night in the pub changes everything….

Review
Interesting topic, certainly an unusual angle on an abuse story in an m/m romance. Mark is the only male hairdresser in a salon on a small island, so his being gay is not exactly a secret. It's in the hair salon he meets Sam, who intrigues him from the start. What Mark doesn't know is that Sam might remind him of things he rather not remembers, like the death of his father, whom Mark’s mother abused until he died.

Sam seems to be in an abusive relationship and Mark wonders, like he did with his father, why one would endure something like that. When Mark has the chance to befriend Sam after a chance meeting on a nudist beach, he takes it. But Marks feeling don't stay at friendship and he falls in love with Sam Prince, whom he knew from school and now had a chance to get to know and who became his bestfriend.

Sam is in the closet, since he knows his father would disown him and Sam works for his father's company and coming out would mean he would lose his family and his job at the same time. His fiancé is blackmailing him into staying with her, even though she is abusive, or she'd tell his father the truth about his sexuality. After meeting Mark, Sam comes to see some things differently and now has a reason to come out and free himself.

At times I was very frustrated with the characters, I was wondering alongside Mark, why Sam would tolerate his girlfriend’s abuse. Mark's father might have cared about his son and wanted to distract his wife’s attention from him, but Sam lets his father pressure him in a relationship he doesn't want. He is a grown man and has a good profession and work experience, why not just work for someone, who is not his father????

Sam has known he is gay for a long time, but he just cannot admit it and acts cowardly towards Mark, when Mark admits his feelings, he (Sam) acts enraged and betrayed, while he has been lying to Mark all the time!

The story had and interesting concept and was well executed, but the characters didn't charm me, like they did in the second book in this series. Don't get me wrong it's a nice story, but I just was too frustrated about Sam's behaviour to truly enjoy the story.

Should You Read It? You might if you want to start with the first book in a series.

3 Pants Off

Review: Book #2 September's Tide