All I Want Is You (Mountain Boys #1.5) by Marguerite Labbe

Rating: 4.75 stars

After the tumultuous events of the past year, Eli Hollister and Ash Gallagher have settled into their lives, taking their relationship one step further by moving in together at the Hermitage. Ash is still not satisfied, Ash wants a deeper commitment from Eli. Ash realizes that more than anything he wants to marry his strong-minded, independent lover, but Ash is uncertain about Eli’s views on marriage, especially marriage to him.

It’s their second Christmas together and this time Eli and Ash are headed to Tennessee to spend the holidays with Eli’s family, a visit fraught with anticipated family squabbles, too many people and not nearly enough space for Eli to keep his sanity and Ash work up the courage to propose. Either way it looks to be a memorable Christmas for both men deeply in love but will everything be resolved in time for New Year?

All I Want Is You is a wonderful followup to one of my favorite stories, All Bets Are Off (Mountain Boys #1), published last year by Dreamspinner Press. That novel charted the romance of professor Eli Hollister and former Marine Ash Gallagher from a rocky beginning when Ash turned up in one of Eli’s classes to a couple in love and committed to making their relationship work.

Marguerite Labbe’s characters have always been so realistic that it is so easy to identify with them, become attached to their happiness. We can relate to them because their emotions,expectations and problems mirror those of the people around us. From lovely settings to authentic relationship issues, the author delivers a remarkable portrait of two men working their way towards a Happily Ever After that is both realistsic and romantic. We get to watch as Eli and Ash get to know each other. We listen as they relate their backstories to one another, and exhibit the push/pull on each other that all new relationships exhibit. And when they full commit to each other as a couple, the reader is right there with them, as fully involved in their story and relationship as they are. So imagine how happy I was to hear that Marguerite Labbe was writing a Christmas story for Eli and Ash. And what a Christmas present to her readers it turned out to be.

We listen into Ash’s inner discourse ( I love Labbe’s dialog) on his decision to ask Eli to marry him and then slightly panic when he hesitates to go forward. Eli too has his hurdles to over come this holidays and it is a huge one. But the issues raised here about family are ones that have to be addressed and dealt with before another relationship can proceed, and this element will ring out as authentic because so many of us have been there too.

This is so much more than your typical Christmas story where the holidays themselves are central to the story but rather another step forward in Eli and Ash’s relationship. I hope and feel confidant that Marguerite Labbe will be bringing the boys back for further updates, perhaps even a wedding? What happy speculations stretch out before us, either way I can’t wait. But the real present here is that this wonderful story is free. Download your copy here and settle in to enjoy another warmhearted lovely tale about these captivating Mountain Boys.

Length: 71 pages

Lovely cover art by Fae Sutherland.

Pete’s Persuasion (Shifters’ Haven #7) by Lavinia Lewis

Rating: 4.75 stars

Tony has been examining his life in New York and doesn’t like what he sees, a shallow man pursuing his career, without friends or a man to love. Tony is missing his best friend, Jake who is now living with his cowboy in Texas and happier than Tony has ever seen him. So when Tony decides he is due for a change, its to Texas and Jake that he decides to vacation. A vacation that will land him in the middle of a killer’s quest for revenge and into a world of wolf shifters.

Pete Johnson, beta of alpha Kelan’s Wolf Creek pack, is tired of seeing all the shifters around him find their mates while he remains alone. After the madness with the council member gone mad, all he wants to do is buy the bar he manages and settle down. But once more, a killer rises up from the ash of the plot by a Supernatural Council rogue member to threaten all the members of the Wolf Creek pack. The night Tony arrives, someone burns both the bar and Kelan’s Crazy Horse Ranch to the ground, killing humans and shifters alike. During the investigation, Pete meets Tony for the first time and realizes Tony is his mate. When Jake gets critically injured during the blast that brings down the bar, Tony sees something so unreal, so unbelievable, that he thinks he is hallucinating. Both Kelan and Pete’s features start to change and Tony discovers the reality of shifters.

As the killer escalates their plan to make the people involved in the rogue Councilman’s death pay, Pete must make Tony understand they are mates, sooth his concerns over shifters being real, and try to keep him safe until the killer is caught. Not a easy take when Tony is divided between wanting to help and wanting to flee back to New York. Can Pete persuade his mate to stay with him in Texas or will the killer take revenge on all the shifters in Wolf Creek, and their mates as well.

Shifters’ Haven is a series that continues to grow in depth and complexity and Pete’s Persuasion is the best book yet in this terrific series. In fact, I still find it hard to believe that it is only 92 pages long as it has the feel and emotional heft of a much larger book. Pete’s Persuasion continues with the aftermath of the death of the rogue Council member who was killing the mates of shifters who wished to remain hidden from the human world. Now someone is seeking revenge for his death and everyone is a target. I loved the continuity that flows smoothly from one book to the next, with nary a dropped plot point. Lewis never gives us extraneous storyline side trips but instead juggles all the characters and locations masterfully as she maneuvers her characters and the reader towards a goal yet unseen. If a certain element appears, whether human, shifter or Council law, then you can be sure it will figure seamlessly into the plot at some point, even if it takes a book or two to accomplish it.

Another facet of Lewis’ stories that I admire is that there are no throwaway characters. If she mentions someone, then you can be sure they will make another appearance down the line. Tony, Jake’s best friend of 10 years, is first mentioned in Kelan’s Pursuit (Shifters’ Haven #3), but it took four more books until he reappeared as a main character. And there is no such thing as a cookie cutter character in her stories either. These men or shifters laugh, love, and hurt in such a believable fashion that there is never a strain to remember the cast of characters and their relationships to each other, something that can happen with long running series.

A nice element that Lewis works into her shifter universe, is that there is no instant love between mates. There is desire certainly (hot sex too), there is a feeling of completeness and a recognition that each melds with the other but it takes time for the love to form. Her shifters also physically shift instead of a blink of an eye transformation, but there is no physical pain, just a momentary disconnect between the wolf and the man.

And finally, Lewis gives us scenes of such intensity, such fear, that she can make your heart pound and your pulse rate speed up with her action sequences, fight scenes and blazing conflagrations as the burning buildings start coming down around our characters. Really, she does an amazing job with her harrowing descriptions and vivid scenes that you feel like you are there.

So I cannot wait for the next in the series and one of the main reasons is that at the end of this book, the killer is once again on the loose. The plot continues, the anxiety and dread rises with the stakes higher than ever. Shifters’ Haven has me well and truly hooked. You will be too but don’t start here. Go back to the beginning and read the series in the order they were written, which is the only way it will make sense. You are going to love this.

Luke’s Surprise (Shifters’ Haven, #1)

Cody’s Revelation (Shifters’ Haven, #2)

Kelan’s Pursuit (Shifters’ Haven, #3)

Aaron’s Awakening (Shifters’ Haven #4)

Nate’s Deputy (Shifters’ Haven #5) – my review here.

Gregory’s Rebellion (Shifters’ Haven, #6) – read my review here.

Pete’s Persuasion (Shifters’ Haven, #7)

Cover art by Posh Gosh. The covers for this series is lovely but not up to the heights of the Leopard’s Spots series. Still, it pulls in many of the elements of the story and still manages to brand the series from other shifter books.

Aria (Blue Notes #3) by Shira Anthony

Rating: 4 stars

Philadelphia attorney Sam Ryan has never fully recovered from the death of his lover, Nick. One night during yet another attempt to go forward, Sam goes to a bar and meets Aiden Lind, an aspiring opera singer. One passionate week later, a fearful Sam lets Aiden walk out of his life rather than deal with his own issues of loss. It is a moment Sam handles badly, hurting Aiden in the process.

Five years later, Aiden Lind is a successful opera singer, living with Lord Cameron Sherrington, a wealthy music patron. But Cameron’s cheating ways lead to a painful parting and shortly after Aiden runs into Sam Ryan again. Once more the sparks fly between the two men and they start a long distance relationship strewn with obstacles to overcome whether it is Aiden’s insecurity, Sam’s refusal to deal with his loss of Nick or just poor communication between lovers afraid to damage a new love. As the demands of their careers puts new stress on an already strained relationship, Cameron returns to Paris determined to win back Aiden at any cost. Both Sam and Aiden will need to take a hard look at themselves if their love and their relationship is to survive both themselves and their pasts.

I am such a fan of this series and Shira Anthony in general. Blue Notes captured my heart from the beginning by seamlessly folding romance and love into the world of classical music. Because of the author’s background, the love of music and her intimate knowledge of the world of the classical musician has provided the reader with a series that moves to the sounds of a cellist playing ‘Dvorak Cello Concerto in B Minor’ or a violin pouring out the strains of “Bach Sonata 2 in A Minor”. Music is at the heart of this series as much as romance and the combination has proved to be as compelling and potent any I have read before. So I am at a loss here when I have to say that the one thing I am missing from this book is the one thing that makes this series so memorable – music.

Aria is Sam Ryan and Aiden Lind’s story and as a tale of a developing love between two opposites, it is both realistic and a little frustrating. The story moves back and forward along the relationship time line of these two men. It starts at the present day, then returns five years in the past in order for us to capture their painful beginnings and then back to the present where Aiden is breaking up with Cameron. We switch from present day Aiden dealing with the stress of his job but mostly his unequal partnership with Cam to present day Sam who is still dealing poorly with the loss of his Nick. At the beginning, this interrupted timeline did more to impede the reader’s involvement with Sam and Aiden’s relationship than it did to promote engagement with it. You would just get into the flow of the scene and then it would break away to another year and stage in their lives. But after Sam and Aiden agree to try a long distance relationship, then this format actually works to help the reader understand the frustrations each man is dealing with within the framework they have set up for themselves.

As Sam and Aiden get increasingly frustrated and stressed out over a lack of time spent together, so does the reader ride the same emotional currents with them. The couple is not communicating at all with each other which puts additional pressure on their frail relationship. The constantly shifting locations mirror the same shifting stages in their love affair. One discordant scene follows another, each moving forward by months, an effective, realistic way to portray a romance in crisis. But it is done without the accompaniment of music.

Aiden tells us he is to sing a certain aria but we never “hear” him sing or feel his emotions about the songs or operas. We hear a little about the rehearsals or about the mechanics of the performance,but almost nothing of the heat of the moment, the feelings that the songs engender. How Aiden is connected to his music, his profession is entirely absent. In Blue Notes or The Melody Thief, we never questioned Jules or Cary’s passion or commitment to music, it had them in thrall. Concertos and sonatas flowed through the passages of those books as blood does through our veins. Where is that passion here? Where is that feeling that Aiden would rather die than not sing? It is missing and we feel its absence deeply.

At one point in Shira Anthony’s blog about The Melody Thief, the author gives us a link so we may hear Anthony singing Tosca, It is clear from that recording that she loves singing and was terrific at it as well, the deep wells of emotions flowing out on every note. Shira Anthony has blogged about the pain that was created when she chose family over her career as a professional opera singer. And I wonder, was this subject too close to her heart to treat subjectively? With Aiden as a stressed out opera singer dealing with a long distance relationship, was the storyline too close to her own history? Was the material too painful to be able to relate to the reader by way of Aiden what it felt like to let the music flow through you like a vessel created for that purpose and that purpose alone? I don’t know, only the author herself can answer those questions.

I know that the fourth book in the Blue Notes series, Prelude, has been written. It’s main character is David Somers, conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a foundation character who has supported the people in each book to date. Now he gets his own story and that of crossover violinist Alex Bishop.

I am hopeful that with a return to the orchestra’s conductor and violinist, that the music will return to the series as well. I enjoyed Aria, the romance was realistic and well done but curiously devoid of music in a series called Blue Notes. And where this story should sing, there is only silence. I love this series and its music. I can’t wait for its return.

Here are the series in the order they were written. The author has stated that each book can be read on its own.

Blue Notes (Blue Notes #1) – read my review here.

The Melody Thief (Blue Notes #2) – read my review here.

Aria (Blue Notes #3)

Prelude (Blue Notes #4) coming soon from Dreamspinner Press.

Cover: Just an outstanding cover by Catt Ford, unfortunately it pertains more to the music than the story within.

Bayou Loup (Rougaroux Social Club #3) by Lynn Lorenz

Rating 4.25 stars

When werewolf Bobby Cotteau’s wife died, two things happened. One was that Bobby could finally start to live his life as he had always wanted to before his inner wolf chose Carol as his mate, live and love as a gay man. The second thing that started to happen? Bobby started to die. Without his mate, a werewolf will slowly waste away, and the only thing that can stop it if the shifter finds another mate, a rare occurrence. But before Bobby dies, he wants to experience the life he always wanted for himself. Not comfortable being out in St. Jerome parish where he used to be the Sheriff, Bobby heads out to neighboring towns to visit gay clubs and meet strangers for anonymous sex.

During one of his weekend stays at a Lake Charles hotel, Bobby meets Mark, a handsome man closer to Bobby’s fifty years of age and the sparks fly. A weekend of wild sex leaves both men satiated, physically and emotionally, something that surprises them both. Bobby leaves to return home and neither man has each others phone number or last name to their mutual regret.

Professor Mark Bradford teaches zoology at the local college, his specialty is wolves. Due to traumatic incident from his past, Mark has made it his life mission to prove the existence of wolves in the Louisiana bayou and now he thinks he has found the location of the wolves in a place called St. Jerome. The small parish even had a Rougaroux Social Club which put on a yearly Rugarou Festival about their swamp wolf. Now he is off with camera and recorder in hand to get the final bit of proof he needs to make his colleagues believe in him. Once he has done this, perhaps he can finally start his life fresh, maybe even with the man he has meet in Lake George.

Bobby has the responsibility of running their Rugarou Festival this year but all he wants to do is find Mark. Bobby has finally realized what his emotions have been telling him, that Mark is his true mate but he doesn’t know where to find him. Then there is a Jesus sighting in the bark of the old tree in the church parking lot, a band cancels and he has to find a replacement while hiding from the widow determined to get Bobby to marry her. Things are falling apart faster than Bobby can fix them, but he has no idea that the worst is yet to come. His true mate coming to town to expose his pack. It will take all of his years experience, all of his wiles and major mojo if Bobby can save Mark, himself, his pack and the festival.

What a wild and wonderful sexy romp this book turned out to be. I fell in love with this series with the first book, Bayou Dreams which introduced us to St. Jerome, Sheriff Scott Dupree, his mate Ted and all the other colorful characters of the parish. Scott was the first shifter in his conservative, Catholic pack to come out as gay and bring in his human mate as a pack member. Scott did it with the backing of Bobby Cotteau, a man who is not only his mentor but has acted as his father figure since the death of his dad. Bobby, even as a secondary character, still managed to grab my attention. Then in the second book, Bayou ‘s End (Billy and Peter’s story), it comes out that Bobby is gay but he buried that fact about himself when he married Carol all those years ago. That was a truly heartbreaking and unexpected element of that book and it further endeared the character of Bobby Cotteau to all the readers.

Now Lynn Lorenz uses all her wonderful gifts of characterization and vivid portraits of the Louisiana towns and countryside to bring Bobby’s story to life in Technicolor (google it) terms and lusty joy. The first part of the story is consumed with bobby and Mark’s first encounter in Lake Charles. And while it might seem one continuous sexual encounter (love that shifter stamina), it really shows the slow turn around in the attitude and thoughts of both men as the weekend progresses. As physical satisfaction evolves to an emotionally happy state of mind, Bobby and Mark start to realize that this weekend is becoming more than just a quick sexual fix and the sex changes to reflect that. And while Bobby realizes that Mark is his true mate there is not a case of instant love going on here, just a meshing of individuals.

And as with the previous books, there are quite a few humorous elements here to offset the angst, mostly supplied by that wonderful character of Darlene Dupree, Scott’s mother and her black cat, which just might be her familiar. She has her own peculiar way of looking at religion that Father Peder, the parish priest would not approve of or even her son, the object of several of her spells gone awry. She cracks me up every time and as she is such a lively, fleshed out riot of a person, you can’t wait to see what escapade she will cause next.

But Bobby and Mark, especially Bobby are the reasons to read this book. Bobby is such a wonderful character, older and yet more vulnerable than he should be at his age, finally able to be himself for the first time in his life and yet looking at such a small time in which to experience everything he has denied himself unless a miracle happens and then it does. I loved him. I love St. Jerome and can’t wait to see who and what will come up next in this small bayou town. Mama Dupree is making noise about grandchildren that should leave the reader laughing in anticipation and her son and mate quaking in their boots. Either way, you know it will be memorable and that is why this series continues to be a must read for me. I think it will be yours too.

But start at the beginning and catch up with all the parish going ons and relationships. Here are the books in the order they were written and need to be read to understand the characters and their relationships:

Bayou Dreams (Rougaroux Social Club #1)

Bayou’s End (Rougaroux Social Club #2)

Bayou Loup (Rougaroux Social Club #3)

Review: Daddy’s Money by Alan Chin

Rating: 3.75 stars

Muslim Sayen Homet has had a long journey to get to the United States. His mother fled from his abusive father and brother back in the Middle East. Now Sayen is working his way through Stanford University’s Medical School, a place where he can be out as both gay and a Muslim. But the bills are overwhelming him, so he has become the companion of a wealthy older married man who hides his sexuality and pays Sayen’s bills. Sayen likes his older companion but is getting tired of the secrecy involved in their relationship, When a fellow student, Campbell Reardon, starts showering Sayen with attention and gifts at the same time, Sayen begins considering ending his relationship with his older benefactor and taking up with Campbell instead. Campbell Reardon is gorgeous, wealthy and says he is in love with Sayen. No longer would Sayen have to hide a relationship and he would have all the benefits of a wealthy, single suitor as well.

Sayen breaks off with his older lover and breaks the man’s heart as well. Then Sayen takes up with Campbell, who not only comes out to his parents but takes Sayen home to meet them as well. This innocent introduction of Sayen to Campbell’s parents spells destruction on all involved as Campbell’s father is none other than Blake, the married man who was involved with and loved Sayen for two years. As the shock of betrayal reverberates through the family, Blake discovers he wants Sayen back and Campbell flounders in the face of his father and lover’s past relationship. Whose love will hold the key to Sayen’s heart?

I have admired the writings of Alan Chin since I first discovered his book Matchmaker, which remains a favorite of mine. I can always count on a complex plotline and multilayered characters that behave as realistically and humanly possible with Chin’s characterizations. And as with Island Song or Simple Treasures, a mystical thread can be found running like an etherial current throughout the story. All of that comes into play here and something more, an active voice for the main character versus the passive voice Alan Chin normally applies to his books.

I have mixed feelings about how all these ingredients faired in Daddy’s Money, a complicated, ambitious story on so many levels. I was intrigued to see how Alan Chin handled a father and son competing for the same lover storyline, which is a compelling idea fraught with father-son issues such as paternal love versus romantic love. And in the father’s case, a man with repressed sexuality who has fallen in love for the first time. Along with the elements of multiple love interests, the story is told from Sayen’s Muslim view point as well, one of the more challenging elements of this story. I know that Alan Chin travels frequently throughout the world and assume that the Middle East has been the destination of many trips. But I did wonder how a non-Muslim could accurately project what a Muslim would feel or do in any given circumstance, including the rape by an older brother. This abuse figures largely in Sayen’s emotional makeup and factors enormously into his past and his outlook on love.

I think my biggest issue with this story comes down to the character of Sayen Homit. I felt absolutely no connection to this man whatsoever. The man is a taker, something Sayen himself admits to. We are given to understand he feels that living in the United States has separated him from his religion as well as his ethnicity but it comes across more as his own selfish, goal oriented views that have done that than anything else. He is ruthless in using whoever or whatever it takes to get his degree, pay his bills, accomplish his goals. If someone gets hurt, then what small guilt he feels is momentary and soon passes. Sayen will take about seeing an inner glow in others while demonstrating none of his own. In fact, the callous disregard Sayen feels towards his older benefactor just deepens the disconnect between the reader and the character once we meet Blake. Blake truly is the character that draws out our empathy, our pain. Blake is the one character, other than Campbell’s sister, that I connected with. But with Sayen showing no real warmth towards any of the other characters, remaining remote and full of distain, how can the reader be expected to show Sayen anything other than the same. Even when Sayen finally acknowledges that he loves Campbell, it is too late for both Campbell and the reader to believe it.

I honestly feel that had this story been told from Blake’s pov, not only would it have been a richer, more vibrant book in keeping with the man as he is portrayed, but a completely different review. Blake is a marvelous character, so complex, so emotionally hurt, not only by his years of lying to his wife and himself over who he really is but in pain from the loss of the only man he has ever loved, Sayen. A pain that is multiplied when Blake finds out that he has lost the man he loves to his son who is to be used as the “golden goose”. Campbell is too golden, too superficial, at least at the beginning to engage the reader’s emotions on his behalf. And those emotions, if not captured at the beginning, are hard to recapture later on. For me, it never happened with Campbell. Other than Blake, it is Campbell’s antagonistic pregnant teen sister that will interest the reader on the same level as Blake. And it is how she ended up that cost Sayen what little grace he had gained with me at the conclusion of the book. I don’t want to completely spoil the ending but just consider what a small village in Muslim Tunisia would do and think about an unwed nonbeliever, a bastard child, and a gay man in their midst. I think recent headlines give us that answer and quickly. So Sayen’s belief that his way is the only right way continues to the end and continued to further my distance from any fondness for this man and his fate.

It took me a while to hash over this book in my mind, days in fact. I went back and forth over a rating because there is so much here to admire, including a new approach in Alan Chin’s narrative as well as telling a story from a Muslim’s point of view, something I rarely see in this genre. But in the end my antipathy towards Sayen could not be overcome, no matter how I looked at this story. But I hope that Blake comes back for his own tale. He deserves it as much as he does some happiness. I want to know more about Blake’s future and new romantic love interest.

So I am going to recommend this, even with all my issues with it. You might feel differently about Sayen than I do. I look forward to hearing from those of you who read it. Tell me what you think. I can see this book generating much discussions in the near future.

Cover: LC Chase’s Bentley figures large in the story. Well done.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside and The Week Ahead in Reviews

Maryland has actually been feeling like winter for the past week and my body is going into shock. Last year was Nomageddon (nothing, after Snowmaggedon) but no one really knows what will happen this year. We really haven’t had any snow or ice and believe me, I am not complaining about that. It’s been cold but not for very long. In fact we are due to go back up into the 50’s in a day or so.

I look at my bird feeders and find that they are staying fairly full for longer periods of time, Ditto the suet feeders, Even our squirrels are looking complacent as opposed to frantic for food. But it is early yet. February is normally our fiercest winter month here and that is still a month away. I will let you know how it goes.

Until then, today the Redskins play the Seattle Seahawks and the area is on pins and needles. I must go climb into my Redskin regalia and prepare to lose my voice. So here is the week in reviews:

Monday, 1/7: Daddy’s Money by Alan Chin

Tuesday, 1/8: Bayou Loup by Lynn Lorenz

Wed., 1/9: Pete’s Persuasion (Shifters’ Haven #7) by Lavinia Lewis

Thursday, 1/10: All I Want Is You by Marguerite Labbe

Friday, 1/11: A Boy And His Dragon by R. Cooper

Saturday, 1/12: Aria (Blue Notes #3) by Shira Anthony

I will leave you with this image of the man who has made the Redskin fans smile once more and dance in the streets, RGIII!

Dreamspinner Advent Story Roundup – Part II and List of Story Recommendations

This post will finish up our Dreamspinner Advent Story Roundup started on Saturday, January 4, 2013.

A Charming Idea by Alex Mar

Rating: 4.5 stars

DSP: Having fallen on hard times, London-based wizard Evan keeps his charms shop open on Christmas Eve. When he finally gets home, he finds his neighbor, Kian, languishing with a wound that hasn’t healed properly. He takes Kian in and they share the Christmas roast from their neighbor, Mrs. Halfpenny—neither suspecting the magic in the marinade that will make their holiday especially merry.

Alex Mar has written a real charmer of a story in A Charming Idea. I loved everything about this tale, from the characters to the enchanting descriptions of Evan’s Charm shop to the pixies in his apartment. I so wished I was able to actually appear in his shop and be able to see for myself the tiny reindeer prancing and peering about the other charms on the old wooden shelves or see the snow butterflies lighting up the firefly glasses. Even the angel on top of his Christmas tree snored lightly in her sleep and fluttered her wings while dreaming. Entrancing doesn’t even begin to cover it.

The characters themselves were as magical and magnetic as their surroundings. Evan with his wild mop of red hair and Kian, the mysterious neighbor with his black cloak and quiet,somewhat menacing demeanor filled me with delight and anticipation. I couldn’t wait to see how Alex Mar was going to bring them together and Mar didn’t disappoint me. In fact, my only quibble with this story is that it is far too short. I wanted to know more about Kian with the phoenix tattooed on the side of his face marking him as a Wizard Guard. And I wanted to know more about those Wizard Guards who patrol the area. And Evan’s father whose stags would have been sent to bring Evan home for Christmas if he hadn’t needed to keep his shop open. There are so many delicious details here that cry out for a larger narrative that I almost couldn’t believe it when the story ended. Alex Mar, if you are listening, please revisit this wonderful universe you created and give us the story it is meant to have. Really, if you love fantasy, you will absolutely adore this story.

Aunt Dee Dee’s Holiday Check by Joel Skelton

Rating: 4.25 stars

DSP: After his Aunt Dee Dee sends him a windfall, Ethan decides to bail on the family holiday drama and go on a college skiing trip instead. Then a reservation snafu lands him in the same room as Henry, another student on the trip, and Ethan stumbles onto a bonus present of another kind: one that could last through Christmas and beyond.

Joel Skelton, where you been? I loved this story and both Ethan and Henry grabbed me from the start. At 65 pages, it is a longer story than most but Skelton uses that length to slowly build up Ethan and Henry’s backstories as well as give us a slower climb into a relationship. Skelton’s characters are marvels, more than just sketches, we get fully fleshed out human beings on every level of the story, not just the main characters. I especially loved Ethan’s Aunt Dee Dee of the title. She is a lesbian who the family disowned and now she is trying to reconnect with them. Aunt Dee Dee, along with her partner Agnes, sent Ethan the check that changes his life.

This is how she describes herself and Agnes: ”

“We’re day traders by profession, lunatics by disposition, and we like to drink.” Agnes spelled it out. “And smoke,” Auntie D added with a snort.”

How do you know love these two and want to seriously party with them? The whole story continues in that vein. It’s funny, heartwarming and is never overly saccharine. Nor does it fall into the trap of instant love for Henry and Ethan, just a lovely romantic weekend with the future of more waiting them. Perfect. This is the reason I loved getting the Dreamspinner Advent stories. New authors to look up and the possibility of new stories to discover. If I hadn’t gotten the entire package, I would have missed out on this author and many others.

The Christmas Snoop by Jean Wolfe

Rating: 3.25 stars

DSP: After going on a present hunt while his boyfriend, Matt, is in the office, James finds several things he didn’t expect, including photos of Matt in a Christmas jumper, an old teddy bear, and several letters to Santa Claus—one of which states that Matt doesn’t need anything for Christmas because he has James. It seems Matt has been a very good boy this year….

This is one very cute story about a snooping boyfriend, looking around for his presents and finding much more than his expected. It was sweet, nicely written and a lovely present to find on my computer that December morning. The characterizations were well developed and the short story about two men who love each other was completely angst free. While I don’t feel any need to reread this story, I certainly enjoyed the time I spent with Matt and James.

Rudolph by Sam C. Leonhard

Rating: 3 stars

DSP: Crotchety and cranky Rudy—aka Santa—is in a foul mood every Christmas season. He talks to lots of children and even more parents but not with guys looking for dates. Only when his best helper makes him a very special gift does he meet someone to his liking. Kind of. Because that someone is made of flour and spices—and to impress him, Rudy seriously has to work on his seduction skills.

This is a story that you are either going to dislike it or love it, depending upon how you feel about your Christmas figures. This will not surprise anyone who has been following my reviews of the holiday stories, but I am coming down on the side of not liking Rudolph. Here is Santa (son of Santa) who is cranky, hates Christmas and all the trappings, rude to children, with the patience of a pouting child. It is not spoiling things to tell you that someone decides to gift this curmudgeonly Santa with his own cookie man for Christmas to teach him a thing or two.

Really, someone has to create a man for Santa? Sigh. The only reason this story has three stars is because despite my dislike for the subject matter, the story is very well written, the characters crystalline in form, and the ending open and full of possibilities. Some people will adore this story. So I will recommend it and let you make up your own mind.

This is the second time I have gotten the entire month of Advent stories from Dreamspinner Press and have exactly the same reaction as I did the first time around, that you end up with a mix grab bag of stories. Most are wonderful, some very nice, some forgettable and a few that resembled lumps of coal.

So I am sure you are wondering, is it worth the price to buy them all or should you wait and purchase them one at a time? Well, after some thought, I think that it is worth the price, even with the uneven quality in the stories. I did love getting a new story every morning, that was fun. And I found some new authors I might not have discovered any other way. I shudder to think that I might have missed out on Cardeno C’s Eight Days or Kim Fielding’s A Great Miracle Happened There. The Colors of Pastor Saul by SA Garcia made me think and The Ghost of Mistletoe Lock by Amy Rae Durreson brought back memories of Christmas ghosts past. Amy Lane’s Turkey in the Snow can make me laugh just thinking about the scene that produced the title and Andrew Grey’s Snowbound to Nowhere was full of holiday delight and wonder. And then there was Alex Mar and Joel Skelton too.

So many gifts were received this Evergreen Advent month that I heartily recommend you try it next season. But don’t wait until then to read these stories, pick them up now and capture the glow of Christmas past!

Here is the list of the stories I loved in no particular order:

Eight Days by Cardeno C

Turkey in the Snow by Amy Lane

Snowbound to Nowhere by Andrew Grey

A Great Miracle Happened There by Kim Fielding

Aunt Dee Dee’s Holiday Check by Joel Skelton

A Charming Idea by Alex Mar

The Ghost of Mistletoe Lock by Amy Rae Durreson

Traditions from the Heart by Bru Baker

The Colors of Pastor Saul by S.A. Garcia

Wish List by J.J. Cassidy

Lessons Learned, Wishes Earned by Cassandra Gold

Dreamspinner Press Advent Story Roundup

The Ghost of Mistletoe Lock by Amy Rae Durreson

Rating: 4.25 stars

DSP: After lonely divorcé Isaac leaves his job as a banker to work as a conservationist on a country river, he gives up on finding the love he always wanted. Then he meets flirty jeweler Ryan and assumes Ryan’s out of his league, but Ryan’s just as lonely as Isaac. Ryan also has the housemates from hell, and when he storms out of the riotous Christmas party they forgot to warn him about, he soon finds himself lost in the snow.

Ryan passes out in front of the lock cottage where Isaac lives, and once Isaac brings him in from the cold, they finally have a chance to get to know each other. But when their insecurities get in the way, it’s up to the ghost of Mistletoe Lock to ensure they give love a chance

I really enjoyed this unusual tale by a new author for me, Amy Rae Durreson. It starts off with the haunting (literally) death of a young mother in the lock and then forwards to the present where a young British man is leaving his shoppe for the evening after having helped his last customer, a rough looking man looking for a present for his mother. It is Christmas eve and the party at his house sends him off on a path down the river and a meeting with a ghost and his destiny. Durrenson has a lovely way with descriptions and her settings come alive with the cold beauty of the locks and river on a moonlighted Christmas Eve. Whether it is the Aga warmed old lock cottage or the vivid descriptions of the men themselves, her vision of her story is so clear that it conveys itself to the reader with the same ease and clarity. I loved both Ryan and Isaac, and found the ghost Emily haunting in her pain. Christmas ghosts abound through literature, the season always bringing with it the joys of family and friends as well as our losses. Durreson has added so very nicely to that tradition. I look forward to other stories from this talented writier.

Traditions from the Heart by Bru Baker

Rating: 4 stars

DSP: When Aaron finds out Ben is missing out on some important Christmas traditions to be with him, he starts thinking of ways to give Ben new ways to observe the holiday. Can a homemade bear, a friend-made video, and a sock-eating goat become the traditions that keep Ben and Aaron together?

I adored this story. It has everything I look for as a Holiday story. It is warmhearted, sappy, contains family, love and Christmas traditions that I can relate to all rolled into one sexy and fun holiday tale. Baker has a terrific way with the characters and the part about the stuffed cat was fun and kept me smiling. It was lighthearted but still contained enough of the season’s melancholy memories that it rang true there as well. Like I said, I loved this one and you shouldn’t pass it by.

Bless Us Everyone by Gina A. Rodgers

Rating: 3.5 stars

DSP Blurb: Edan has spent the past five years hiding in his home, living with the ghosts of his Christmases past and unable to allow for the possibility of a future. So when his vibrant and sexy neighbor, Tim, barges into his life with a stepladder and a plate of cookies, Edan finds himself living for the present. But can he let go of his bah humbug ways and accept this second chance as the gift it is?

Cute story about a man whose past has made him isolate himself inside his house for years until a new neighbor draws him out, and into a relationship. Nice characterizations combined with heart and warmth. A lovely story for the holidays.

Lucky by Ana Bosch

Rating: 3.25 stars

DSP: Ever since Martel Heller rolled his first dreadlock, his love life has been blessed. For seven years he’s had the luxury of cherry-picking the hottest men available. But when the dress code at his new job forces him to hack off his lucky locks, his good fortune comes to an end.

To make matters worse, if Martel shows up at the company Christmas party alone, his creepy coworker Phil will know he’s single. As a last resort, Martel enlists his best friend, Felix, a fashion photographer, to hook him up with a model. Then plans fall through, and Martel ends up stuck at the Christmas party with the last person he expects—but as the hours pass, he wonders if he’s finally learned what it means to be lucky.

I actually came close to giving this story 4 stars but in the end the main character was such an unrepentant jerk right up to the last pages that I remained more frustrated than affectionate towards Martel. I liked the concept that Martel felt his luck resided in his dreads and that once they were cut off due to an employee dress code, his luck was lost. Now I do wonder about any company being able to enforce a “dread free zone”, especially as dreads can be pulled back and secured or kept “neat: in so many other ways. Really the AACP or ACLU would have been all over this here in our area. But ok, even given that, there are other things about Martel that just leaves the reader cold. When you make your main character a jerk and tell the story from his pov, then there should be some redeeming characteristics that allow the reader to understand or make concessions for his, in this case Martel’s, behavior.

I never felt we got that. Instead we come to love Felix, Martel’s best friend who he treats poorly in so many ways. Read this for Felix and for the ending, otherwise, I would recommend you skip this altogether.

On The Rocks by Ari McKay

Rating: 3.5 to 3. 25 stars

DSP:

For years, Mal has given Aidan a little piece of the world for special occasions in the form of unique rocks and fossils—until the year he gives Aidan a piece of the moon instead. Aidan has treasured every gift: in a world of impersonal relationships, they’re the one reminder he has that somebody out there cares about him for who he really is. Then through a twist of fate, their relationship goes beyond personal and into intimate, leaving Aidan shocked and set to run the other way. Despite his feelings for Mal, past experiences have convinced Aidan that he’s a failure at relationships, and he’s afraid to trust his heart. It just might take a Christmas miracle for Aidan to find the courage to love.

I actually liked this more than I think it deserved. I think that perhaps it is due to the fact that when Aidan finally realizes what he has lost, he goes into therapy to try and fix himself first before trying to establish a relationship. That realistic touch alone elevated this story for me. I liked Mal and Aiden, although Aiden had to grow on me because of his self centered personality. But with the concept of rocks as gifts which totally appealed to someone who has always picked up stones everywhere I go, to the idea of someone getting help to solve serious issues. Well, kudos to McKay for handling these elements of the story so well.

Bianca’s Plan by B.G. Thomas

Rating: 3 stars

DSP: Bianca worries that her daddy, Gavin, is lonely and decides he needs a boyfriend for Christmas. So she enlists her father’s best friend, the straight and unattached Curtis. Gavin has a Christmas wish, too, and Curtis setting him up on disastrous dates isn’t part of it! Meanwhile, Curtis finds life becoming complicated as he tries to please Bianca, make Gavin happy, and fend off his own unexpected mixed feelings. Will anyone’s wish come true?

I thought this was a very cute story. I have to admit that a story plot line that has a daughter or son setting their father up for a romance has always appealed to me. And Thomas has one wonderful character in the mischievous and plotting little girl, Bianca. She is absolutely adorable and believable as a 10 year old little girl who sees so clearly what is right before her Dad, that Curtis is perfect for them both. Bianca wants two dads and a husband for her father and proceeds to get what she wants. All the characters within the story have some depth to them, although I would wish for a little more realism. But one sentence tanked this story for me. When virgin Curtis (virgin to gay sex that is) and Gavin finally realize they love each other, they jump into bed to have sex (no problem here) but then they decide not to use either protectuion, no condoms, or lube. Why? Because as Gavin tells Curtis, they don’t need that stuff.

“Not this time,” Gav told him. “Nothing fake. It has to all be real.”

So condoms and lube make have sex be less real? Uh, does STD’s and pain make it more memorable? Hmmm, maybe it does at that but not in the way I think the author intended. That sound you hear? The rating falling through the floor. 3 stars because I liked Bianca.

The Roommate by Teegan Loy

Rating: 3 stars

DSP: Ryan’s finally home after a long week of hiding in a hotel while his boyfriend’s parents visited. He isn’t happy that Jordan hasn’t told his parents he’s gay but believes Jordan when he promises to come out. When Jordan’s family ends up on their doorstep after a winter storm shuts down the airport, Jordan introduces Ryan as his roommate, leaving Ryan horrified and hurt. Jordan’s little sister notices and tells Ryan she’s going to ask Santa to make him happy… but does Ryan’s Christmas wish have any hope of coming true?

Teegan Loy has written a love story for the holidays both cute and frustrating. Loy’s characterizations are so good that you fall in love with Ryan immediately. And the fact that Ryan endears himself to the reader from the start (really that cooking scene is hilarious) that when his live in boyfriend hurts him by pretending to his family who has helped him move in Ryan’s apartment, then the story looses its joy and momentum. Hard to root for somone’s love affair when you have a main character not as fully fleshed out as the other who is coming across as a jerk. The author never gives us enough backstory for Jordan’s fear of exposure to make any sense, especially after meeting his family. All we see is a man who continues to reject his loving partner who has gone out of his way to make things easy for his love and gets kicked repeatedly for his efforts.

Yes, there is a happy ending but I am not sure I ever believed it. Loved Ryan though.

Soups and Diners by Alex Whitehall

Rating: 3 stars

DSP: Two days before Christmas, just after his best friend’s wedding, Max is in a diner when he’s joined by Stan, another wedding guest. Getting to know each other ensues with some awkwardness, teasing, and fun conversation. They seem to hit it off, but Stan has reservations, wondering if Max is too good to be true, and Max has a history of bad boyfriend choices. Will meeting each other be a Christmas miracle—or a prettily wrapped present that’s really an empty box.

Nice story. But to be honest, I forgot about it as soon as I was finished. Nice people, nice story, nice ending. Nothing memorable about any part of this tale so I would give this a pass on that rationale alone.

Old Flames by Davi Rodriquez

Rating: 2.5 stars

DSP Blurb:

There’s something to be said for old flames. NYPD Sgt. AJ Cooper seems to think so. His ex, Brad Meyers, dumped him to work on getting a starring role in a Broadway show, leaving AJ confused and betrayed. Five months later, while patrolling Times Square, AJ sees a giant advertisement for Brad’s show and misses what they had… and then he sees Brad.

AJ grouchily agrees to meet Brad in Central Park the next evening, but he doesn’t realize what he’s in for. AJ might regain everything he lost five months before—or he might lose it all over again.

I thought this story had real potential. I liked NYPD Sft. AJ Cooper as he seemed like a fairly realistic New York Cop right until his ex showed up and the story fell apart. There is not much to the character of Brad Meyers, no layering or depth to explain Cooper’s feeling for him. There is also no real explanation as to why AJ was dumped after a long term relationship. So why are we expected to believe that a smart cop would take this guy back? We don’t believe it, and there is no passion, no credible love between the two to overcome such a wildly unlikely turn of events. No amount of elf dust would let someone suspend their belief for this one.

The Perils and Pleasures of a White Christmas by Emily Moreton

Rating 2.5 stars

DSP: Despite the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, FBI Agent Drake and his Army officer partner Tim keep their relationship under wraps for the sake of Tim’s career. Though they’d rather be open about their relationship, the sex and friendship make up for having to hide. Then holiday stress kicks in with a triple whammy of bad luck and they’ll have to focus on each other to find the cheer in the holiday furor, even if that means coming out.

Actually, this reads as a snippet from a much longer story and has very little to do with the blurb above. Basically it is an afternoon/night in the relationship of Drake and Tim where the power goes out and they spend it in bed having sex. That’s it. No angst, no questions about their jobs or closeted status, nothing. Just two men who love each other staying warm under the blankets when the power goes out in their building. It as though the author (who I love btw) has said “here is a bit from a book I am writing, what do you think?”. And the answer is well it’s a lovely part, like the couple. Where is the rest of it?. So that’s what you should do, wait for the rest of it. There is just not enough here to warrant reading it.

Delay in Dreamspinner Post and Caption That Picture!

Guests arriving early so my round up of Dreamspinner Advent stories will be delayed until this afternoon. Until then I found this picture of Josh Whedon and Nathan Fillion at a party together. Marguerite Labbe and I agree on the caption. We think it says “Mine”. What do you think their body language is telling us?

Review for Cover Up (Toronto Tales #2) by K.C.Burn

Rating: 3 stars

Detective Ivan Bekkar is just coming off a drug bust gone terribly wrong when his captain asks him to go undercover on a mission known only to the two of them. Ivan is to report only to the captain while investigating a drug dealer because the captain says there is a mole in their operation giving information to the criminals they are investigating. Already reeling from having to shoot and kill a man during the drug bust and under investigation himself by IA, Ivan still agrees if it means his squad will be safer, including his partner still in recovering from his wounds in the hospital.

Ivan becomes the roommate of the man he is supposed to be investigating, Parker Wakefield, and soon is more confused than ever. Parker Wakefield is young and seems too innocent to be the hardened criminal his captain is portraying him to be. And the closer the two men become, the harder it is getting for Ivan to believe that Parker is part of the Russian mafia drug-trafficking operation. Unable to sleep or eat, Ivan’s own health is deteriorating under the stress of the operation and his own feelings for Parker. Then he finds evidence in Parker’s house that points the finger to Parker being heavily involved in the drug trade, and Ivan must choose between his job and the man he has come to love.

I had throughly enjoyed Cop Out, the first book in this series, so I couldn’t wait to read the sequel. Unfortunately, Cover Up does not come close to achieving the same level of enjoyment I derived by reading Cop Out. And it all comes down to one word – plausibility.

There is very little in this story that comes across as having even the remote possibility of the events being believable. Starting from the idea that a police captain would ask a bloody, brutalized officer to meet with him in his office, then command him to go undercover in an “off the books” investigation that reports only to him? Uh, no. And then that police officer, supposedly one of the best, agrees to undertake this ridiculous mission? Again, no. The rationale offered later on is that Ivan is suffering from PTSD, but that only pops up halfway through the book and in no way mitigates the actions of Ivan and the others who find out from Ivan about the secret detail he is on. In fact all of the police protocol here is on such shaky ground, that I am not surprised everyone was baffled right from the start over all the events that occurred within. The whole framework of the story is implausible from the get go.

The secondary issue I have with the story is one of characterization, primarily Parker Wakefield’s. Basically, he’s nice, he’s young, he’s attractive, he’s a doormat. And I have never been fond of doormats as main characters or romantic interests. Everyone takes advantage of Parker to some degree (his best friend almost whores him out to strange men at his parties). Parker just accepts it and goes on, albeit with some mental complaining. It’s later explained Parker is this way because he was fat as a child. Another instance where the reader is expected to suspend their disbelief. Really, it is one thing after another, A good cop, even one with PTSD, would have realized that Parker has the criminal instincts of a hamster early on. And once his fellow officers were clued into Ivan’s undercover work, even they realized how many rules and regulations were being broken, but did any of them act on it? Not really to any understandable degree that would give the reader satisfaction.

It was nice catching up with the two main characters from Cop Out and they are back in good form here. I did like Ivan, a nice character that had the potential to become terrific. But we are back to plausibility here with Ivan’s character too. In the end, Ivan and his actions, no matter the reason, don’t ring true either. Such a shame.

I like K.C. Burn’s stories. Whether it is Cop Out or her bald lavender hued aliens from the Galactic Alliance series, her stories were always entertaining and enjoyable. So I am going to just look at this as the pass all writers deserve and look forward to the next tale she conjures up. But if I were you, I would let this one go by.

Lovely cover but doesn’t really apply to the story.

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