Category: MLR Press

A Caryn Review: Stone by Stone by Stevie Woods

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I really love historicals.  But I do think they are challenging to authors, because so much research is required to do them right.  This book, unfortunately, is an example of what happens when you don’t do your research, and don’t truly immerse yourself into the period.

Andrew Cheyne is an assistant to King Henry VIII’s commissioner, traveling to all the Roman Catholic abbeys, monasteries, and other holdings in England to take inventory of their assets, wealth, and workings before they were forcibly turned over to the newly created Church of England.  Andrew is a man who had sex with men; not a man who wanted or even considered a romantic or long term relationship with another man.  While at Tavistock Abbey, he met Brother Mark who was an apprentice mason – and was powerfully physically attracted to him.  It took less than 48 hours for him to seduce Mark, but instead of just relieving a physical urge, he found himself intrigued, to the point that even after he left a day later, he couldn’t quit thinking about Mark.

Despite being soft spoken and gentle, Mark is not as innocent as he initially seemed.  He grew up with privilege, which he took advantage of, gambling and having sex with “men, so many men” until his mother forced him to go on a pilgrimage to Rome.  During that pilgrimage he repented, came to understand that God was his only hope for forgiveness and salvation, and when he returned to England he gave up the family farm and his possessions and entered the monastery.  Where he continued to pray to be relieved of his unnatural lusts.  Andrew was the first man to tempt him since he became a monk, and he gave in to that temptation easily and completely.

All of this occurred in the first 20% of the book.  The two men fell into insta-lust that immediately turned into insta-love, and caused them to completely reverse their previous feelings on relationships.  There is little to no description of how homosexual men behaved or were regarded in sixteenth century England, and I found Andrew and Mark’s relationship to be much more fitting to a contemporary time.  There was only token angst about sin, or illegality, and at a minimum I would have expected that from Mark who supposedly had a real religious conversion earlier in his life.  There were some blatant anachronisms (for instance, when Mark wanted to “converse with Andrew in preference to stuffing his face”), but mostly what bothered me was the way these men spoke and acted like 20th century guys who just happened to meet in a monastery.  There were too many convenient occurrences before and after they met (I knew from the moment she was introduced that Emily would die) and they kept pulling me right out of the book.  Working through the last 80% of the book was a chore, and I got really tired of Andrew whining, and thinking of having sex with Mark.

In the end, I went up from 2 to 2.5 stars because I felt that there was some character growth in the years they were apart, with Mark becoming less of a doormat, and Andrew becoming more appreciative of who Mark was.  But since the entire basis of their relationship seemed to be physical, or Andrew’s admiration of Mark’s artistry, I never really got involved with their romance and was just happy when the book ended.

Cover art by Melody Pond matches the period.

Sales Links:  MLR Press LLC

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 181 pages
Published July 7th 2017 by MLR Press (first published August 22nd 2011)
ASINB073PZV8VP

A Lila Review: Conned By Jana Denardo

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

 

Detective Roy Connolly never expected to find real elves and murder at his local anime convention.

Seeking a bonding experience with his formerly estranged son, Sion, a crown prince of the elves, takes him to something they both enjoy: a human anime convention. They both like humans and all their geeky creations so Sion anticipates an enjoyable weekend. He never expected an enemy assassin, armed with only a description of Sion’s cosplay, to start murdering his way through the convention.

Detective Roy Connolly, a closet geek, heads to the same anime con without his friend, Amelia. He’s surprised to find one of the most handsome men he’s ever seen cosplaying in the same anime style as his own, and even more delighted that Sion can’t keep his hands off him. Throwing caution to the wind, Roy jumps into a whirlwind relationship only to find himself in the cross hairs of an assassin.

 

Conned is a short, quirky read about a geeky police detective and an elven prince. The story goes directly into the action as we meet the characters, get the basics about them and move into the moment they meet for the first time.

 

All the events happened quickly and the MCs formed an easy connection that gives us the direction of their HFN. When I first read the blurb, I expected Sion’s son to be a child and not an adult. This added to an extra layer to the story, and how they work together shows Sion’s depths.

 

The plot, the situations, and fast romance suits the short story but aren’t enough to carry a full story. There’s a lot more to learn about the worlds, their present, and the possibilities of a future. Overall, this is a perfect story to read for a short, enjoyable distraction.

 

The cover by Melody Pond is beautiful and matches the world-built and Sion’s description.

 

Sale Links: MLR| Amazon | Nook

 

ebook, 47 pages
Published: July 6, 2017, by MLR Press
ISBN: 9781370776726
Edition Language: English

An Ali Review: As Big As The Sky by Amy Aislin

Rating:  5 stars out of 5

 

Sam wants nothing to do with his irresponsible, sarcastic neighbor or does he?

 

Sam McAuley is having a rough start to the summer: Not only is he being sued, but the new guy running the animal rehabilitation center next door has no idea what he’s doing and his runaway chickens constantly end up in Sam’s pristine yard.

 

Everything is temporary for Bo Novak. For as long as he can remember, it’s been one town to the next, one school to the next, one job to the next. Even his current job running his sister’s animal rehab center while she’s away on a four-month leave is temporary. And he does know what he’s doing, thank you very much. Sure, things don’t always run smoothly, but the stick-in-the-mud next door could be a little nicer about it.

 

One overheard conversation, an olive branch, and a baseball game might show these guys that being at odds isn’t really what they want, and that what they want might just be each other.

 

This was a beautiful story and I loved it.  Sam and Bo don’t start out on the right foot due to Sam’s assumptions based on Bo’s sister’s warning before he came but Bo’s heartbreaking moment on the back porch give him some clarity about his neighbor.

 

All Bo wants is a friend, he doesn’t think he will ever find someone who would really love him.  My heart broke for him when he thought about being abandoned by his family and friends.  Seeing him doubt that anything good would happen for him almost made me cry.

 

We get to see the story through both of the MC’s eyes.  I was happy when Sam realized how he was acting toward Bo and quickly made a change getting to know the real man.  He did everything he could to help Bo see himself better but I think that the support of his family towards Bo did even more for him to realize that he is wanted.  I’m still not sure in the end if Bo’s sister had really changed her view of him but I think Bo realized she wasn’t as perfect as he always thought.

 

The cover art by Melody Pond is beautiful and perfect for this story.

 

Sales Links: MLR Press | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 134 pages

Published: August 4, 2017 by MLR Press

Edition Language: English

An Alisa Review: One Heart, One Destiny by Pelaam

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

Dillon is an omega, which makes him the general whipping boy for the pack, as well as under Brendan, his Alpha brother’s dominion.

 

The last thing he expects is to visit a fae club, but even less expected is to find himself drawn to Drake; a sassy sprite.

 

Letting Drake think he’s a pack alpha, Dillon enjoys the sprite’s company, and soon realizes he’s falling for Drake. But as omega, Dillon can’t take a mate without his Alpha’s permission.

 

Knowing Brendan wouldn’t approve, Dillon keeps their relationship secret, only to find Brendan has already discovered the truth. And is far from pleased.

 

A prisoner in his brother’s home, Dillon knows he won’t see Drake again.

 

But Drake has other ideas.

 

This is such a wonderful story.  Dillon has finally found someone who loves him but he is afraid that if he tells Drake the whole truth that he won’t want him.  What he doesn’t realize is their connection runs much deeper and Drake already knows the truth and is much more than a simple sprite.

 

This story is told from Dillon’s point of view and I couldn’t help but feel his heartbreak over how he is treated in his pack but also when he is forced away from Drake.  I loved how from the very beginning Drake would do anything to make Dillon feel good and cherished while also going slowly at building their relationship.  Dillon is rewarded with a man who is willing to stand up for him to his alpha so he can live a happy life.  Seeing these two together was very heartwarming and I loved their connections to each other.

 

The cover art by Melody Pond is very nice and work great for this story.

 

Sales Links: MLR Press | Amazon | B&N

 

Book Details:

ebook, 78 pages

Published: July 6, 2017 by MLR Press

Edition Language: English