Category: MLR Press

A MelanieM Review: Magical Rescue (Shifting through the Snow Book 8) by Laura Baumbach

Rating: 2.75 stars out of 5

Christmas is only a few days away. New Year’s Eve, with all its terminal finality, would, thankfully, bring an end to Daniel Sherman’s traumatic, pain-filled, empty year. Its seem like an appropriate time to bring everything in his world to a close. Spirit broken, Daniel’s plan is to enjoy maybe his last holiday in the icy cold of his beloved wilderness. It would be a comfort to end his days wrapped in the peace and solitude of the mountain — If only he didn’t feel like he was being watched, a feeling he’d had since his accident. Maybe adventure wasn’t out of his life yet.

Honestly, Baumbach has a huge agenda for this story and at 37 pages, that’s just too short to give the reader all the backstory, full characterizations, and structure I thought it needed.  The characters, Daniel had a nice feel but needed more depth.  What happened to Daniel exactly? And why now? For me I was sort of confused about elements that seem to come out of left field (no, I can’t explain without huge spoilers here).  But it just felt that the characters didn’t have enough development or backhistory for the surprises that got dumped on us (and  Daniel).

Perhaps less sex and more groundwork.  But I didn’t really feel any spark between these two or magic in the story. And without laying any of the universe building, I just felt left out in the cold at the end.  Really surprising for a Laura Baumbach story for me.

Cover art is sweet ahd sort of matches the story.

Sales Links:  MLR Press | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 37 pages
Published December 21st 2017 by MLR Press
ASINB078K13T9P

A MelanieM Review: Genetic Snare (Details #2) by Laura Baumbach

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Betrayal, passion, adventure, primal sex, and a fight to the death.

Mating a 26th century Oracan Bounty Hunter with a 18th century pirate has its little glitches.

Bounty hunter Talos bows to pressure to bring his mate home for the completion of his strict warrior culture’s bonding ritual. Aidan, displaced 18th century Earth pirate— light-fingered, sly, charming and understandably naive about the new world he’s been thrust into— can’t wait. Even if it turns out someone wants him dead. The 26th century looks different, but it turns out to be a lot like his old life!

I will admit that maybe my review is colored by the fact that I’ve waited so, so, so, long for this damn book.  I mean I read the first one back in oh, I don’t know either 2006 or 2007, when it first came out.  Loved it!  I mean there was a ginormous space alien on a hunt who talked like Sam Spade, then an 18th century swashbuckling pirate wooshed out of time and sea (literally) who becomes a naughty, captivating mate, and so much more.  And oh, yes?  Tentacle sex of a sort.

By the end of Details of the Hunt (Details, #1), I was just as ensnared as Aiden was.  Thoroughly hooked on their romance, mating, and Laura Baumbach’s curious couple and her world building.  She then promised us a follow up, because they had mated and there was a ceremony Aiden and Talos had to undertake on Oracan to be official, and there was still potential mysteries floating about. So yes, needed that next story.  All the fans anxiously waited, sent texts, and waited some more.  But the sequel never appeared.  And years went by. I think most of us  probably thought it was forgotten under the stress and pressures of running MLR Press.

So imagine my wonder at seeing that a finished copy was available at MLR.  Be still my heart.  Yes!  Talos and Aiden were back! As was the intergalactic intrigue, the new bonding, the planetary politics,  and all the other wild story threads Baumbach had left swirling around the couple.  So many things to remember that I needed to go back and reread my  paperback copy of the first book as a refresher.  And I’m glad I did. (I’ll review it again soon.)

That’s the only thing that I can see will absolutely confuse people.  This is not a standalone story.  While the author did some back history here, it’s just not enough to completely bring a new reader up to speed.  At certain times, they will feel totally “out to sea” as Aiden still does.  There’s also multiple povs that carry over from the first story, again you need to know who they are and where they fit in with Aiden and Talos.  I’m not sure this book let’s the reader in on those elements with enough depth to make those people as real as they were in Details of the Hunt.

What this story does is give Talos and Aiden their acceptance among the Ocacans and Talos a long awaited homecoming.  You get more of a feel for their society and culture during the highly anticipated bonding rituals (which I wish were extended a little more), and only whetted my curiosity for more of them.  I loved the Oracans I do see, I wanted more of the planet and history,and of the couple after the ceremonies. From those Baumbach gave us, those pieces of Oracan culture, like the inking, were interesting touches that begged for the reader to be let in for more. More time, more information, just more.  I bet Aiden felt that way!

It’s hard to address certain aspects of the story without giving away spoilers. I guess after all this time, I’m just so happy to have it, that my biggest complaint is that there is more of it.  I could have used double the  story.  No real way to be objective on this one.  Maybe after a longer amount of time has passed and I can revisit it again.  Until such a time happens, I’m just so thrilled to have them back.  Just make sure you read the Details of the Hunt first, then onto Genetic Snare.  Lucky you!

Cover art by Spacepixel carries over from the first story which I liked very much.

Sales Links:  MLR Books | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 175 pages
Published November 25th 2017 by MLR Press
ISBN13 9781934531075
Edition Language English
URL https://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=LBGNTCSN
Series Details #2

A Stella Review: Mended With Gold by Lee Welch

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

A photographer with post-traumatic stress disorder falls for a comics artist on a wild New Zealand beach, but can he find true love when he feels so wounded by life?

Everything changed when the bomb exploded. Forty-five-year old, Alex Cox worked as an international photographer until a deadly explosion left him with post-traumatic stress disorder. Emotionally wounded, and desperate for a sense of safety, he’s run all the way to wild and remote Kahawai Bay, New Zealand.

Under the worst possible circumstances, Alex meets Joe, a shy young comics artist. Joe lets Alex into his playful, gentle world of comics, and soon Alex is falling for him, hard. Alex longs for more. Joe is reticent. But is it shyness? Or does Joe not want a much older lover with ‘issues’? Or is something else keeping them apart?

This is a tender and uplifting story about creativity, adversity, true love, and comics.

Mended With Gold is the first book I read by Lee Welch and I have to say it was a lovely surprise. I soon connected with the story and the characters, maybe because the author hit one of my weakness with these kind of souls like Alex and Joe. I love scarred characters, their pain makes them more real, troubled like we all are. I adore couples with an age difference and in some ways here it was evident Alex was more experienced than the younger Joe, but since life had not been easy on both of them, I later found them well matched and truly enjoyed the time I get to learn about their love.

Considering this is just a novella, I think the author developed quite well the characters and the plot, I found the setting particular and beautiful, that said to me Mended With Gold ended with a HFN and I would love to meet Alex and Joe again in a new book, and see them how they gained their HEA. I feel to recommend this story and I will definitely look for other works by the author.

The cover art by Melody Pond is lovely, clean and fitting. I like it.

Sales Links:  MLR Books | Amazon

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 94 pages

Published November 17th 2017 by MLR Press

ASIN B077365FMD

Edition Language English

A MelanieM Review: Wait For Me by Kris Jacen

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Master Sergeant Jeff “Mackey” MacNamara has been waiting for THE ONE for years. First it wasn’t too safe to find a partner and now his schedule is a nightmare with training soldiers and deployments.

Scott Ash has found where he always was meant to be after a brief bout of idealistic do-gooder after college. He loves his job as a child care director, if he could just find someone to love — perfect might cover it.

A chance meeting when Scott is doing a favor for a friend starts them on a journey that could take them to forever, it’s just a matter of waiting.

Sometimes a story, a theme just calls out to an author and together they make a sort of narrative magic.  I believe that happens here with  Wait for Me by Kris Jacen.  With the author’s intimate knowledge as a military spouse and all that implies,  it’s use to provide the framework for the romance of Master Sergeant Jeff “Mackey” MacNamara and Scott Ash becomes a foundation not only for these two main characters but for all of the heptad (a close knit group of soldiers) and a retired MWD (military working dog) as well.

The ties that bind and make the necessary support system for the soldiers and spouses that wait are all a deep part of Wait for Me. It starts as the very first steps of a military romance as Jacen shows here if it’s going to succeed, then through the acceptance and establishing yourself as part of support system for each other, the soldiers and those left behind, dogs included.   All while keeping the romance and love intact, a very scary and sometimes hard thing to do, made so much easier when others have your back.

The characterizations here are layered, believable, and so full of warmth and life that the time spent with them flies by.  I’m not just speaking of Mackey and Scott (although I love them), but all the members of their group, from Mooney to e their spouses, Nibblers (kids), families and sisters, and most of all, a very special retired MWD named Dill, who stole my heart from the get go.

There’s some drama, but mostly it’s about adjustment and life.  I have to admit there were times when I wish the author  had included pictures of what that unit had to have looked like dressed up for the weddings and  yes, I was choked up during the scene when the troops were welcomed back.  I defy anyone not to be grabbing for the tissues or remain dry eyed then.

Waiting for You by Kris Jacen feels so real, so heartwarming, like it’s the story the author was meant to write.  It feels intimate, loving, touching, and wonderful.  I highly recommend it for all lovers of contemporary romance and a love that feels true.

Cover art: Jared Rackler.  I love the  bottom section with the soldier and dog.  That’s perfection.

Sales Links:  MLR Press | Amazon (let me know if you find a link)

Book Details:

ebook
Published November 10th 2017 by MLR Press
ISBN139781370266845