Review of Making Contact Anthology

Rating: 4.25 – 4.5 stars

Space, the final frontier, as a certain well known Federation Captain would say on his 5-year mission into space, has always consumed our thoughts and dreams. We have always wanted to know what is out there, its vastness and mystery ever present. All we need to do is look up to be faced with the unknown. How will we get there and what or whom will we meet once we do are questions innumerable authors have tried to answer in poems, movies, stories and graphic novels. Making Contact is a new science fiction anthology from Dreamspinner Press that examines some of those questions along with what type of love will be found among the stars?

Making Contact gives us ten stories by eight authors. The stories range from aliens attempting to “fit it=n” among the human inhabitants when they arrive on Earth, humans trying to live in isolation on a lonely outpost, intergalactic conflicts among the races, an alien drunk tank and pirates in space. There is humor, mystery, heartbreak, and a swashbuckling yarn of space pirates and derring do.

I found this to be a really strong anthology and the variety of stories and themes keep me glued to the Kindle one after another. Don’t expect cohesion other than the fact that they fall under the science fiction m/m banner. Just a look at the authors represented should tell you that their visions of space are as unique as they are. Their narratives explore space from so many different perspectives. The first story, Better Than Cola by JL Merrow is the only one to feature an alien so far removed from the humanoid mold that the author had to come up with an equally alien method of sexual exchange. I loved this story as it left me with more questions running around my head than was answered. Some of the aliens are recognizable in form that the authors have put their own twist to, aliens with fur, aliens with different skins tones and facial markings, and even a new take on vampires in space that will break your heart as it did mine.

Normally when I review anthologies, I only mention the stories I loved. In Making Contact, that includes them all in varying degrees. Here they are in the order they appear in the book.

Better Than Cola By JL Merrow

Newly arrived on Earth to work in the Melliti embassy, Summer Storms meets Nathan Chambers, who is tasked with teaching the alien visitor how to deal with human social interaction. The thrill of casual touch exposes an immediate attraction between them, but how far can intimacy go between two totally different life forms?

JL Merrow has done a fantastic job of giving us an alien so far removed from us but still one whose thoughts and emotions can stir attraction in another. Summer Storms is a plurality of beings contained inside a “human shaped envelope”. They have to adjust themselves to casual human touch and the way in which their “envelope” reacts to the human sent to help them deal with interspecies interaction. This story has so much charm while still being sexy and alien. Merrow left me wanting to know more about their physiology and culture while giving me a satisfactory glimpse into the unknown.

Revolving Realities By Cari Z.

Dr. Eliot Hollister is desperate to locate the Ulysses and her crew before tragedy strikes… again. The lone survivor of a hostile attack compounded by human error, Eliot is using an alien artifact to search through alternate realities, trying to change the outcome in a parallel dimension. Eliot’s challenge once he finds the ship? Convince Captain Paul Alvarez he’s for real before the Ulysses falls prey to the same trap.

Cari Z brings alternate universes into play with her story of a lone survivor grabbing as a last chance to save his lover from death, even if it is not his actual lover, but the man he is in another universe. Wonderful characterizations play off against time as Eliot tries to stop the scenario from playing out again in the new universe but runs up against the same scientist hell bent on exploring the world beneath them. His frustrations become ours because we know what will happen if he can’t stop the mission. My only quibble is that it ended too soon.

The Sacrifice By Sue Brown

After twelve years, the leaders of the Free Worlds have finally found a man willing to sacrifice his life to the gods of Segelian to ensure an alliance with the mineral-rich planet. But when Stane raises the dagger to perform the rite, he looks into the human Steven’s eyes and is horrified to discover he is destined to kill his life partner. If Stane doesn’t complete the ritual, it will destroy any chance for a treaty… and it might also change the world of Segelian forever.

Sue Brown uses two worlds, one homophobic (human), one a male/male warrior culture and the extended war between them that will end with a human sacrifice. She does a nice job of world building including a world divided by religious caste and the warrior caste and makes us believe it. I loved Stane and Steven however implausible the final intervention.

Alone By Andrea Speed

Scientist Logan Murakami doesn’t have much to keep him company during his lonely vigil at Outpost Proserpina. But he knew that going in, and it’s the perfect place to focus solely on his work: a neuro-optical interface that would be the perfect engine for artificial intelligence… an intelligence that Logan hopes is taking on a life of its own.

What I loved most about this story is that it plays out internally in the mind of Logan Murakami. Solitude and remoteness are definitely two of the factors to be considered when talking about space travel. How to achieve it, do we need a base of operations to extend our exploration? And what type of person will be able to handle those conditions? All compelling questions that need viable answers and Speed attempts to provide some of them in the person of Logan Murakami. Raised in isolation in Alaska and solitary by nature, he unexpectedly ends up alone at the outpost and uses this time to perfect his neuro-optical interface with the goal of having it attain intelligence. What happens exceeds his expectations and gives him something so much more. Just outstanding.

Losing Sight of the Shore By Emily Moreton

Secondary communications officer Jay is assigned to a boarding crew when the Hydra discovers a seemingly abandoned, powerless ship floating in space. While exploring the derelict ship, Jay finds a barely conscious man with purple skin and silver eyes. After surviving a raider attack, Felix is understandably afraid to let Jay go—even when cultural differences threaten to stop any contact between them.

Moreton gives us romance in space that emerges from survivors of an attack upon their ship. I liked the romance even if I wanted a little more of the alien culture and history of the purple skinned people living in ships among the stars. I got some lovely bits of characterization from Jay and the other members of the crew, I just wish I felt I got the same result from the aliens. A really sweet story that could have been fleshed out a little more to make it absolutely terrific.

Gifted in Tongues By JL Merrow

After inadvertently outraging local sensibilities, space pilot Torvald “Spitz” Spitzbergen faces a five-year stretch in a Lacertilian jail. His only consolation is trading insults with his cellmate, Tao, a six-foot libidinous Felid. But Tao seems to have a distinctly fuzzy understanding of the difference between fighting and foreplay…

Merrow gives us an alien drunk tank! How could you not love this? Spitz seems like the very type to get his drunk on, outrage the locals, and be very surprised to find himself with the remains of a hangover, two very different cell mates and the worst morning after he has had in a while. I chuckled throughout this story, Merrow’s descriptions painting the scene so perfectly that I had no problems picturing it all as it happens. Cracked me up, made me blush, and left me wanting more. Now if only I can talk the author into bringing Spitz and Tao back for further adventures. Pretty please?

Analytic Geometry By Andi Deacon

Kevin Ikoro has an incredible opportunity: his boss at Helix Multicorp wants an analyst’s view of how the corporation’s Exploration division works, and Kevin is now a member of explorer team Alpha 3IG. His teammates, a set of brilliant twins named Cameron and Theo Banark, are fascinating, and Kevin finds himself harboring a serious case of lust for Cameron. But exploration is unpredictable, and his teammates may not be what they seem. The shortest distance between two bodies isn’t always a straight line.

Another neat story full of twists that added dimension and depth to this little space gem. I don’t want to go into this except that I loved the characters where the attraction of the mind trumps attraction of the body. Sexy, humorous and with a little bit of mystery thrown in. Again the characters that Deacon creates here are so terrific, so unique that as the end I wanted so much more. The surprise alone is worth the story but it is the family that is forming that captures my interest, imagination and heart. Just a great job.

The Monsters Below By Lyn Gala

Brai’s never dreamed of fighting the monstrous sub-humans who infest Kestia, but when his lover joins the service, Brai does what he always does… he follows. Then Rick is lost on his first mission, and Brai is left alone in a murderous rage. Now on his own first mission gone terribly wrong, Brai has his chance to get back at the monsters for killing Rick—only the government hasn’t been honest about the nature of the enemy, and Brai might find that the caves hide a secret that could change his life.

I was not prepared for the heartbreak that is this story. Lyn Gala gives us an intense, knuckle biter of an update of vampires in space and makes it hurt even as the characters bleed out and die. Again for me to go into detail would ruin it but Gala’s characters are beautifully realized and the situation they find themselves in so dire that our hearts and minds are caught up in their plight immediately. This story kept me up and thinking into the wee hours of the morning.

Feral By K.R. Foster

Desperate to end a war, the king of the Lunar Pryde agrees to submit one of his offspring to mate with a member of the Sol Pryde royal line. Cynfael, prince of the Lunar Pryde, fled the planet six months ago searching for freedom, and nothing could convince him to return… except his father’s threat to marry off Cynfael’s twelve-year-old sister Adara. After fighting for freedom his entire life, Cynfael must return to Starion to face his unknown mate and an equally unknown future.

What is it about felids or specifically felids that walk upright with many of the same emotions and thoughts of humans that captures our imagination so? I kept running across so many of them from author after author and genre after genre. Still, I end of loving them all. Feral is Foster’s newest addition to felids in space. Cynfael is another prince being forced to wed the son of warring royal line and bring peace to the planet they inhabit. There are so many nice touches here from Cynfael’s ability to communicate with the planet to a comb made of filed down teeth that I wanted an extended version to fill in the gaps left by the story. We are left in the dark about the loss of Cynfael’s mother, the war ongoing, the purity of his genes (does it relate to his color?) and so much more. A little more volume was needed to add layers to an intriguing tale.

Ganymede’s Honor By Cornelia Grey

Colonel Ardeth Connor has been rescued from death, but he’s not sure his new life is any better: he’s effectively trapped aboard a rebel ship that defies the Federation to collect ice meteors, stealing life-sustaining water for the poorest of planets and asteroids. As an anonymous part of Captain Gabriel’s crew, Ardeth is biding his time until he can escape… and learning there’s more to space than just the Federation.

This story reminded me so much of an interview I just saw with an astrophysicist. She was talking about space travel, space ships and the Tardis. Ok, yes, I am a geek. I make no bones about it. She was talking about the fact that our modes of transportation in space didn’t need to be those sleek versions that populate the page and movie screen, that we could travel about in something as funky as a phone booth or a Rubic’s Cube. On in this case, a space galleon similar to those that rode the waves way back when. I loved this story. It left me smiling for hours just picturing the Ganymede under her solar sails in search of meteorites to capture. Cornelia Grey’s story gives us pirates in space or should that be rebels in space and turns it into a swashbuckling story of love, sexy rebel captains who shouts to his crew ‘Unwind those cables, bunch of useless yobs!” as they prepare to harpoon a ice meteoroid out of a swarm, and his crew man the sails and chains as the ship rockets under them. What a scene, what a crew! It got the blood boiling, the eyes wild, the heart pounding…..oh how I wanted to be on the ship with them and maybe snuggled up against Ardeth and Gabriel, just saying. I do have a thing for his tats.

And just the idea of a galleon sailing through space, the stars all around her…that’s magic right there. Grey’s story hit a lot of my buttons and left me cheering the crew on to great glory and many more stories. I feel much the same about every author here with their diverse take on space and making contact. I loved their stories, I wanted more of their aliens and human interaction. I hope this spawns even more novels featuring the being that made me laugh, made me cry and made me exult that space means no boundaries of any sort. No boundaries to the imagination and no boundaries as to who we can love and be loved by in return. More please. Much, much more. Engage.

Cover art by Analise Dubner, cover design by Mara McKennen. Love the cover, great colors and a catchy design.

Review of Gregory’s Rebellion (Shifters’ Haven #6) by Lavinia Lewis

Rating: 4.25 stars

Leopard shifter Gregory Hale has been sent by the supernatural council to pick up a young jaguar shifter in Las Vegas and bring him into Council headquarters as they have determined the young man’s loner status has made him a potential danger to the humans around him. But Gregory has watched Hayden at a distance for days and everything about the young shifter shouts neglect and pain. When Gregory finally contacts Hayden, he realizes that Hayden is his mate but there is no acknowledgement on Hayden’s part that the recognition is mutual. Hayden is skinny to the point of starvation and his face is marred by a raw scar that stretches from eye to mouth on one side of his face, a scar that should have healed when Hayden shifts. Hayden has come from a traumatized past, but he won’t confide in Gregory, not yet at least. More than ever, Gregory is determined not to let Hayden fall into the council’s hands and he pretends to his superiors that Hayden has slipped away from him, to their immediately displeasure. Gregory is, in fact, taking Hayden to Kelan’s Crazy Horse Ranch knowing the Alpha will help him hide Hayden and keep him safe.

Gregory still has the corruption within the council to deal with and a new series of murders to investigate. Someone is murdering the mates of council members, as Gregory knows all too well. Now with a mate of his own to protect, Gregory needs to get to the real culprit behind the killings before its too late.

The Shifters’ Haven series is built around Wolf Creek, Texas and its pack of wolf shifters. Wolf Creek is two thirds shifters in population, a situation that the human population is ignorant of as all shifters have worked hard to keep themselves hidden. Each book brings together a different mated pair with a continuous plot line of dissension among the Supernatural Council which is composed of shifters of all types, from hawk to cougar. From the first installment, you are made aware of the Council who governs all shifters with their rules and regulations and the possibility of corruption within that impacts Wolf Creek and beyond. From book to book, each time a member of the Council intervenes or arrives on the scene, you become less assured as to who the “good guys” are. Also each book widens the Wolf Creek pack with new family members and sometime new species of shifters are given haven.

Gregory’s Rebellion picks up right where Nate’s Deputy leaves off, with Gregory on his way to Las Vegas on council business. Gregory is still heartbroken over the events that happened back in Wolf Creek and unsettled because the real leader behind the shifter problems and crimes has not been fully identified, at least not with proof he can use. There has been a really nice development of Gregory’s character from book to book, from his first appearance as a council member somewhat rigid in demeanor to the compassionate person he is here. But my focus was on Hayden, who was kicked out of his home at the age of 16 by his parents for being gay, an all too real occurrence. Hayden has suffered since being thrown out of his home and family and has done what he had to in order to survive on the streets. He has no self confidence, he is all shame and humiliation, his trauma written across his face in a scar he refuses to heal as a measure of his torment and degradation. When Gregory comes into his life, he has just arrived at a modicum of security, with a boss who regards him as more family than employee and a job he likes. Now all of that is gone in an instant, disrupted by a stranger who tells him the council is after him and wants his trust. Lewis does a beautiful job in conveying Hayden’s confusion and fear. I became invested in Hayden from the very beginning and stayed so to the end. You will too.

Also carrying over is the issue of corruption in the council and the fact that someone is murdering the mates of council members, but to what end? Gregory gets caught up in trying to deal with his new mated status as well as his investigation into the problems of being part of a council he no longer trusts or believes in. Again, all very credible and in keeping with the persona of an honorable man trying to do what’s right when confronted with the reality behind the supernatural council. Lewis’ wonderful way with location and characterization is in top form here. It is becoming a saga of Wolf Creek versus the old order of council rule, a storyline that has intrigued me since the start of the series.

Once more, I felt the ending rushed and not as satisfactory as it might have felt to have the villain meet his comeuppance. Had the story lasted a little longer and with a more detailed exposition, then the end would feel more complete given the buildup. Perhaps Lewis is doing this intentionally to keep the thread going in the next book up, Pete’s Persuasion (Shifters’ Haven #7). I hope so, for it’s an interesting part of all of their stories and it doesn’t feel finished yet. So I am waiting impatiently for October and the next in the series. Pick up the first book, read them all and meet me here for No. 7. See you then.

Once again Posh Gosh is giving us lush, gorgeous covers for the entire series. Beautiful branding and great design for each and every book.

Here are the Shifter Haven series in the order they were written and should be read in order to fully appreciate the characters, relationships and plots.

Luke’s Surprise (Shifters’ Haven #1) . Luke Morgan and Mark Malone’s story

Cody’s Revelation (Shifters’ Haven #2) – Cody Morgan and Stefan Drake’s story

Kelan’s Pursuit (Shifters’ Haven #3) – Kelan Morgan and Jake Bradfield’s story

Aaron’s Awakening (Shifters’ Haven #4) – Aaron Drake and Cary Lewis

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

Gregory’s Rebellion (Shifters’ Haven #6) – Gregory and Hayden

Pete’s Persuasion (Shifters’ Haven #7) coming in October 2012

Review of Nate’s Deputy (Shifters’ Haven #5) by Lavinia Lewis

Rating: 4.25 stars

Nate Stanford is back home in Wolf Creek, Texas following the death of his brother, Rick. Guilt stricken over his falling out with his brother, of not being there when Rick needed him the most, Nate is determined to buy back his family’s ranch as a way to make amends to his dead brother. Rick’s Alpha, Nate Morgan, has given Nate a place to stay and a job to tide him over. But there is someone else interested in bidding on the family farm to his consternation.

Jared Ambrose came to town to take the job of Deputy in Wolf Creek, bringing with him his younger brother Tristan. Since their father died, Tristan has been getting in trouble, drink binging and hanging out with the wrong crowd. Jared hopes that a change from Lubbock to Wolf Creek will make all the difference to Tristan and their relationship which has become increasingly distant. Now that their family has been narrowed down to two, Jared hopes to make Sheriff and settle down permanently in a town where the wolf shifters outnumber humans 3 to 1, even if the humans aren’t aware of the fact.

When a fight in a bar brings Nate and Jared together, both men realize they are mates. But Jared is afraid the town won’t vote for a gay Sheriff and Rick’s death has left Nate feeling unworthy of Jared, so neither man acknowledges their bond. But someone is causing trouble for the pack in Wolf Creek and the Supernatural Council is sending operatives to evaluate the situation and the current pack leadership. As everything becomes increasingly unsettled, Nate and Jared will have to come together to fight for their pack’s and Tristan’s safety or have their decision to remain apart threaten the stability of those they love.

Nate’s Deputy is the 5th in the Shifters’ Haven series and is being touted as a standalone too. But I would discount that as each book brings more of the backstory of Wolf Creek and its denizens as well as contributes to the mystery concerning the supernatural Council. Lavinia Lewis does a wonderful job with her characterizations of the town’s members as well as her vivid descriptions of Texas, dusty and hot in the summer season. You can almost feel the dirt and sweat accumulate on your skin or fur under the Texas sun. Wolf Creek is populated with all types of personalities, some craven, some hiding secret ambitions and agendas under bland exteriors as well as the stalwart and the noble ,the insecure and the downtrodden. I think Lewis has crafted some wonderful individuals to populate her novels and Nate and Jared are no exceptions. Nate, with his survivor grief to go along with brotherly guilt over his relationship with Rick, is someone we all can relate to. He is so unsettled, so distraught with himself that the idea of someone else finding him worthy is hard for Nate to accept. Jared too is realistic. He earned my sympathy and affection as he tries to assume responsibility for his younger brother, manage his own grief on losing his father and settle into a new town and job while feeling utterly overwhelmed by the challenges in front of him. Jared’s stress is palpable.

Another nice touch in this shifter series is that neither Nate or Jared want to accept or acknowledge their status as mates. Usually in this and other series, the moment a mate is found, it is all about instant bonding with a straight shot to love happily ever after. Not so much here. Jared has his brother to think of and the ambition to become Sheriff in a town not always tolerant of gays. Nate is uncertain about his future in Wolf Creek, still trying to come to terms with his brother’s death and his own lack of a role within the pack. No rush to love here, just two men who happen to be shifters dealing with life’s roadblocks and detours. I really liked their fumble towards a relationship.

My quibble here regards the continuing issues within the Supernatural Council and the problems they caused here. The end seemed abrupt and a little too streamlined considering all the events leading up to the denouement, especially considering the main issue for the shifters of whether to remain hidden or come out to the human population is never really addressed. Perhaps that is coming down the line in future books. I can only hope so. My other quibble is the length of the books. All are novellas and could be helped by the addition of more length, more exposition. Still I found this to be a wonderful new installment to a terrific series.

Once again Posh Gosh is giving us lush, gorgeous covers for the entire series. Beautiful branding and great design for each and every book.

Here are the Shifter Haven series in the order they were written and should be read in order to fully appreciate the characters, relationships and plots.

Luke’s Surprise (Shifters’ Haven #1) . Luke Morgan and Mark Malone’s story

Cody’s Revelation (Shifters’ Haven #2) – Cody Morgan and Stefan Drake’s story

Kelan’s Pursuit (Shifters’ Haven #3) – Kelan Morgan and Jake Bradfield’s story

Aaron’s Awakening (Shifters’ Haven #4) – Aaron Drake and Cary Lewis

Nate’s Deputy (Shifters’ Haven #5)

Gregory’s Rebellion (Shifters’ Haven #6)

Pete’s Persuasion (Shifters’ Haven #7) coming in October 2012

Review of Life as a Fairy Thrall by Katey Hawthorne

Rating: 4.25 stars

Tammas and Aeron have just gotten over one shock to their relationship when two more happen right in a row. Emry is successful in his work on their bond and Kamala appears on their doorstep with a problem and her nephew, Firez, in tow. Firez is an old schoolmate of Tammas’ and his sister has been kidnapped by a fae. He has come to ask for their help in rescuing her, knowing it will take all the magic and the assistance of one of the fae to get her back. Firez is not totally welcome in their home. He is a part of those who hurt and bullied Tammas in school. Aeron demands payment for their help and Firez must enter into a Fairy compact if he wants their help.

Kidnapping humans to keep as thralls is illegal. Only those humans who go willingly may become thrall but kidnapping the unwary is occuring in the Fairy Court. But Tammas and Aeron know that if they can get her back, the chances of the fairies coming after her again are nil. So with the help of Aeron’s sister, Awela, Kamala, Tammas, Aeron, Awela, and Firez head out to the portal into the Fairy Realm. The plan is for Kamala to watch the portal until they are safely back while Aeron and Awela travel to the Court with Tammas and Firez disguised as their human thralls.

Once at Court, their plans become even more complicated, as the Lady holding the girl wants more humans to take her place. With danger all around them and the eyes of the Fae upon them, Tammas and Firez must act the part of human thralls right down to the collars they wear. The girl is there but unaware of who they are. All must tread delicately or the ones to pay the price will be Tammas and Firez with the cost of their freedom.

Life as a Fairy Thrall is the second story in the Fairy Compact trilogy by Katey Hawthorne. The first story, The Dangers of a Fairy Compact relates the first meeting of Tam and Aeron, although they have been connected by a fairy compact all Tam’s life. Without giving too much away of the plot of that story, it goes without saying that Fairy compacts always come with a price to be paid, ones that will resonate through the years and even alternate worlds. The trilogy is the story of Tammas and Aeron’s entwined lives and the relationship that comes out of a compact neither made of their own volition. These are not your Disneyfied fairies but the fae of old Gaelic myths and lore. Capable of great cruelty as as great good, their moods interchangeable and indeterminable. They cannot be held to human standards something humans often forget. Katey Hawthorne gives us the Fae made real, from their diaphanous wings and unworldly beauty to the power and magic that swirls around them like an aromatic.

It is through the author’s vivid descriptions and wonderful characterizations that Tammas’ world comes across as realistic as the neighborhood I live in. I can see the small cottage with its gardens and trees surrounding it, but more importantly I can feel it as the story is as tactile as moss on a stone. The magic here engages all the senses, it is smelled, and stroked. It is the burbling of a stream and the mist of the woods and that gives these stories a wonderful depth and realism, both needed when the reader needs to believe in the world and characters before her. This tactile nature of these stories carries just as vividly into the sex scenes. Who knew that winged sex could be so hot? Indeed it is so be prepared when entering Hawthorne’s fairy world or her human world either. At the end of the story we are left with Tam and Aeron’s relationship facing yet another hurdle, with another major decision to be made. It will be a hard one, full of angst as well as love. I can’t wait to see how the trilogy finishes up.

I love stories of the Fae and have since I was a child. Tinker-belle never interested me but the Fair Folk of Irish lore fascinated me as much as they had the ability to terrify me. Katey Hawthorne is giving us a wonderful trilogy in this same tradition. Start with the first one. It can be downloaded for free from either Katey Hawthorne’s website, visit http://www.kateyhawthorne.com/p/fairy-compacts.html. Or visit All Romance Publishers and download it free from there. I think you will love the stories as much as I do plus the illustrations by Ruxandra Lache are not to be missed.

The Dangers of a Fairy Compact (Fairy Compact #1)

Life as a Fairy Thrall (Fairy Compact #2)

Autumn Comes to Maryland, Vote 6 for Equality and the Week Ahead in Reviews

Good morning to all and what a spectacular day it is here in Maryland. The sky is that crystalline crisp blue that I only see in Fall, the clouds fluffy white and a huge flock of Canada geese just flew overhead, their cries trumpeting the arrival of Fall. How I love this time of year, my pulse quickens, my step is a tad more brisk (such as it is these days), and I feel like rejuvenated after the sweltering heat of summer. The Monarch butterflies are flitting through the garden on their way to Mexico, and what a journey they have in front of them, over 3, 000 miles of ingrained need to fly to a place they have never been. Amazing when you consider they are fragility on wings.

Autumn is a time of movement, a time of activity, both measured and frantic. Beaver and muskrats are busy with caches of food and antlers, so too are the squirrels and white footed mice. All have plenty to do to make sure the food stores are full for the winter. Bees zoom around the garden, gathering pollen and nectar from the spectacular profusion of gold, white and purple flowers of the season. The New England asters, goldenrod, the Black-eyed Susans, and the Joe Pye weed that linger on. Most people think of Autumn colors as red, yellow and orange, but the fall gardener knows that the harbinger of Fall also carries the colors of white, gold and purple to all the gardens and fields around us.

Fall brings change. Leaves swirl to the ground as the sap returns to their roots in preparation for Winter, seeds are scattered by wind and animal alike, and the animals start their migration to the winter feeding grounds. The songbirds seek the safety of the night for their travels while the raptors, secure as top predators of the air, wing their way south during the daylight hours, soaring above as they follow the coasts and mountains. I watch the squirrels stuffing leaves into the neighbors chimney with all the energy and enthusiasm of teenagers on energy drinks. I have never seen those neighbors use their chimney and hope that for the squirrels sake that this continues. My old bird feeder finally fell apart from the relentless onslaught from the non flighted visitors and a new one should arrive any day, carrying with it the hope of a squirrel proof feeder. Hah, I say from experience. My money is on the squirrels.

I am hoping for another change in Maryland this fall. It is 51 days until the election and I am hoping that this fall brings Marriage Equality for all in the state of Maryland. If you live here, please vote for Question 6 and make it legal for all GLBTQ to marry here. It is long past time for this to happen, equal marriage rights are long overdue. Let’s be a voice for progress and become a partner in movement for equal rights for all. Vote yes for Question 6 and let’s make the promise a reality! I will be there on voting day and hope you will join me.

Finally, October will see several special events on my blog. First up, actually the very first week is Regency Sci-Fi week with JL Langley in preparation for My Regelence Rake release October 1st. I have an interview with JL, recap of the series to date, a discussion about Regency novels, and a contest to give away a copy of My Regelence Rake to someone who comments during the week! Whew! I am also participating in the Howloween Blog Hope at the end of October where I will be giving away a Amazon gift card during the blog hop! So stay tuned, my pretties, we have a great time planned this fall. Change is in the air, I can feel it. Can you?

Here are the books to be reviewed this week:

Monday: Life As A Fairy Thrall by Katey Hawthorne

Tuesday: Making Contact (Sci Fi Anthology)

Wednesday: Nate’s Deputy by Lavinia Lewis

Thursday: Gregory’s Rebellion by Lavinia Lewis

Friday: The Melody Thief by Shira Anthony

Saturday: Wolf’s Own Book One Ghost by Carole Cummings

Review of Love, Hypothetically (Theta Alpha Gamma series) by Anna Tenino

Rating: 4.25 stars

Paul’s life is not going as well as he had hoped. He’s been kicked out of his apartment, actually Sebastian’s apartment, because he insulted his friend’s boyfriend. He lost Sebastian’s friendship too because when it came down to it, he was actually cruel to Brad the boyfriend, not just insulting. But he had to look out for Sebastian’s best interests didn’t he? After all Brad was one of those awful jock frat boys that can’t be trusted except that he turned out that he could plus Sebastian loved Brad. So no more friend and no more apartment. Now Paul is reduced once more to dorm living at Calapooya College and scouring for tutor gigs to earn extra money. Then he gets a call to meet with the new girls softball coach who needs a tutor for the team and gets the shock of his life.

Trevor Gardiner was once a Major League baseball player until he retired and came out of the closet. Trevor is also the reason that Paul hates jocks and frat boys. Nine years earlier, the two had been secretly in love in high school until they were caught with their pants down in the boys locker room. Faced with the rest of his team,the high school coach, and his future as a ball player, Trevor threw Paul under the bus, saying that Paul had come on to him, outing Paul in the process. Paul’s subsequent years in school were hellish until he escaped to college.

Now Trevor is the new softball coach at Calapooya College. More than anything he wants Paul’s forgiveness for his actions in high school. He also wants them to try again as a couple, something that Paul definitely does not want. Or does he. Can Trevor’s apologies overcome years of pain and hurt or will Paul get the revenge he has always dreamed about.

Frat Boy and Toppy, the first in the Theta Alpha Gamma series, was an absolute delight of a read so I was really looking forward to the next in the series. Love, Hypothetically meets my expectations for another great time to be had exploring love among the disparate groups on campus and clears up some issues I wondered about in the first book. Paul is a carryover from the first book where he was one of Sebastian’s roommates when Brad entered the picture and he was the one whose unwavering dismissal of Brad as anything other than a boy toy so angered Sebastian that he threw Paul out of the house and cut him out as a friend as well. Paul was the one character whose hostility towards jocks and Brad in particular was never explained and it made him a little one dimensional. Love, Hypothetically answers the question why all the jock hatred from Paul?

Tenino makes it clear that Paul had ample reason to despise the jock mentality based on Trevor’s betrayal and his outing of Paul in high school, an event Paul has never recovered from. All of Paul’s fears, hurt and distrust stem from that one traumatic event and he has turned it into a hatred of all things fraternity and jock orientated. Tenino takes Paul from a one layered persona and gives him a depth of background and emotion that makes him totally relatable and easy to empathize with. Paul’s snarky attitude and bitter quips can be embraced when you know they stem from a deeper hurt. I liked the fact that there was no instant forgiveness or instant love factored into the story. Instead Tenino has Paul examine the past, even if hypothetically, to see if he can get through the emotions and memories he has carried all these years to arrive at a new possible future. Not an easy thing to achieve and Tenino lets us see that and that she does so with humor and snappy dialog is to her credit. I will admit to a spew moment when Paul decides to go ahead with his 12 step program for Pricks and ends up on Sebastian and Brad’s doorstep with his awkward apologies in hand. It doesn’t exactly flow smoothly out of his mouth because well, he’s Paul. It turns out kind of snippy, awkward, and has to be pulled out of him. It is a great scene that kept me chuckling even after I finished the book.

That’s another thing Anne Tenino does so well. She treats serious issues, liking being outed in school, with the gravity it deserves but never loses sight that humor and laughter help get through the memories and a bad situation while never taking away from the pain it causes. We have laughs that help alleviate our fears and pain all delivered with a deft touch that keeps me coming back for more. Whether the humor is delivered situationally or through dialog, it always works.

Tenino creates characters for her stories that come across as completely human, warts, intolerance, fears, snippiness, loyalty and love all included. It makes them easy to understand and sometimes easy to get frustrated with. But above all her characters are easy to cheer for and hope for their happiness. It will also keep me coming back for more. More of the Theta Alpha Gamma series, more Anne Tenino. Read the books, I think you will find yourself agreeing with me.

Cover art by LC Chase. Clean, bright and easy on the eyes. I really like this cover but not as well as Frat Boy and Toppy.

Frat Boy and Toppy (Theta Alpha Gamma series #1). Read my review here.

Review of Isaiah (Leopards Spots #4) by Bailey Bradford

Rating: 4.25 stars

Snow Leopard shifter Isaiah Trujillo has always felt like the dumb brother of his family. He isn’t smart like his brother Timothy, the PhD investigating shifter history and genetics. Isaiah never wanted more than to be a good mechanic, own his own business and be happy. And maybe, just maybe find a mate of his own, like his brother and cousins have. When a customer mentions he volunteers at a GLBT youth center that could use Isaiah’s help, Isaiah volunteers and changes his life forever. At the volunteer dinner, he meets Dr. Bae Allen Warren, a mobile veterinarian and fellow cat shifter. Bae is an Amur Leopard shifter and Isaiah’s mate. But Bae runs from Isaiah at first sight. Confused and hurt Isaiah chases after his mate only to learn that Bae carries with him a truckload of trouble.

Dr. Bae Allen Warren comes from a lepe or clan almost cultlike in its actions and outlook. Amur Leopards are becoming extinct, both as animals and shifters. Bae’s lepe has kept its shifters isolated to keep their bloodline pure, demanding that each contributes by mating with as many other clan members as possible to produce offspring. These children are promptly sent off to other lepes to live in hopes they enlarge the gene pool. No one has ever questioned their leader or the manner in which the lepe live their lives until Bae brings home his mate, Isaiah. Bae is gay and has refused to mate with the females of his or any other clan. That is the only reason his father has allowed him the freedom of an outside education and life. Isaiah changes Bae’s perspective on his clans lifestyle to his father’s disapproval and threats by his grandfather, the lepe’s leader. Even as Bae finds Isaiah, his mate, the lepe closes in around them, threatening their bond and their future together.

Isaiah (Leopard’s Spots #4) is the best of the series so far. Bradford introduced the idea of a spiritual connection between animal and human in the last book, Timothy, that I felt was jarring at the time. But clearly this idea or story thread is becoming a major theme for the series. Isaiah is a spiritual man, good and decent. Only he feels insecure when he puts himself next to his brother’s achievements, never seeing himself as others do. Bae is a shifter forced to fight for his right to live his own life, while feeling the guilt and pressure brought on by his father and clan. Both shifters bring to each other a shift in perspective that each desperately needs, along with the message of accepting who you are.

Bradford also brings back the focus on endangered cat species by including Amur Leopards also known as Korean Leopards. Look them up, they are stunning in their beauty. Snow Leopards remain a center species and the author brings in a hybrid species known as pumapards, which actually existed earlier in the century. Bradford has clearly done her homework on big cat species and wildlife conservation. Timothy and Otto from the 3rd book are back to help Isaiah and his mate, Bae, with several of the mysteries running throughout the series. One is the low shifter population within species as birthrates are at an all time low. Is it due to inbreeding, like Bae’s lepe? The fact that none of the isolated clans are finding their mates? Or something more ominous, that their animal/spiritual side must be nurtured, treasured or they will lose their animal part of themselves, remaining forever damaged. Bradford obviously has a plan with her series that is just now becoming clearer with each new book.

I loved the characters here. I find Isaiah and Bae to be the most captivating of the group so far. And Isaiah with his spirituality and humble outlook charmed me immediately. I really like where Bradford is taking this series which leads me to my main quibble all around. These stories are way too short for the goals Bradford is trying to accomplish with each book. That was my problem with Timothy, which I will now have to reconsider given this story. She set out so many new plot lines in Timothy (Leopard’s Spots #3) that the main story suffered under the lack of space for its development. Here she comes close to doing it again but still pulls off her agenda. If these books would be enlarged even a little, I think the series would benefit as new ideas could be more richly explored.

Another thing about the series is the huge amounts of sex contained within. I find that realistic as the sexual activity helps in the bonding and if you have ever heard the neighborhood cats yowling during their nocturnal activities, well, let’s just say Bradford has that right too. There is one section concerning the pumapards that is left completely unsettled here but I suspect that a future book will find that resolved. At any rate, I am onto the next in the series, Gilbert (Leopard’s Spots #5) with renewed enthusiasm about the series and the vision behind it. I promise I will let you know how it goes.

Cover by Posh Gosh. The glorious covers just keep getting better with each book. Nominated for the best series covers.

Here are the books in the series in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters and storylines:

Levi (Leopard’s Spots #1) read my review here

Oscar (Leopard’s Spots #2) read my review here.

Timothy (Leopard’s Spots #3) read my review here.

Isaiah (Leopard’s Spots #4)

Gilbert (Leopard’s Spots #5)

Review of Love in La Terraza by Ethan Day

Rating: 3.85 stars

Cain Elliot is desperate beyond measure and about to give up all hope. His grandmother entrusted La Terreza, her 1920’s Spanish courtyard apartment complex to him after her death. La Terraza is special in so many ways, its beautiful architecture, its magical courtyard and of course, the unique group of characters that have come to live there over the years, including himself. And now he is about to let them all down. La Terraza needs a multitude of repairs to meet code and Cain doesn’t have the money. He has been to bank after bank to no avail and he is close to bankruptcy.

To make matters worse, there is a real estate developer who is hounding Cain to sell, its tactics almost feeling like harassment in intensity. Feeling like an absolute failure after his last meeting at the bank, Cain heads over to Sully’s Tavern to meet up with his group of friends. Also at the bar is Henry Abrams. Henry came to town to accept a position in the architectural firm Hamilton-Bach, so he is new, lonely and out looking around town. He finds Cain and is immediately in lust but after their conversation and a night spent together, Henry finds that they have so much in common. Cain and Henry really like each other, and Cain’s vulnerability brings out the need to protect him in Henry.Henry also falls in love with La Terraza, it’s magic and architectural beauty capturing his attention and admiration as much as its owner. In a short amount of time, Cain and Henry finds themselves on the road to a real relationship, the first for each of them in a long time. And then Henry and Cain realize his new firm is the one working with the developer to acquire La Terraza.

Henry is horrified to find they want to tear it down, and Cain worries about Henry’s ties to a firm whose methods he thinks is disreputable. As the stress and tensions mount up, their new found relationship starts to fall apart. Then the plumbing starts to fail at La Terraza and Cain has no money left to fix it. Henry wants Cain to find happiness with him but at what cost? Cain must overcome doubt and his past. Henry must decide if what he wants is what Cain needs. In the middle of it all is La Terraza’s future.

I have been a fan of Ethan Day’s since Sno Ho made its debut. Ethan Day has such a winning way with his characterizations, snappy dialog and portrayals of love relationships from disastrous to dynamic that I eagerly await each new story from him. Love in La Terraza is no exception. It has all the earmarks of Day’s earlier lighthearted stories while still capturing some of the darker elements of his latter works. Cain Elliot is absolultely a Ethan Day creation. I could tell that immediately. From his snarky voice, easy tolerance of quirky personas that surround him, and the “oh so happy to hop in bed with you, gorgeous” attitude that he presents Henry with the first night they meet, he is everything I love about Ethan Day’s writing. I adore Cain. He is lovable, vulnerable, loyal and insecure about his abilities. Henry is his wonderful counterpart. Solid, ambitious, hardworking to a fault, still he yearns for something more to his life and recognizes it in Cain. It’s their hesitant fumble towards a relationship and mutual understanding that is the heart of this story. Hearfelt, realistic, and full of missteps that occurs in most beginning relationships, it will speak to every person reading this story.

Also true to a Ethan Day novel are the wonderful oddballs that live in La Terraza and make up a core family group for Cain. There’s the Scalia brothers, Vito and Tony,a pair of elderly men who play Frank Sinatra tunes, blasting them out into the courtyard, Mrs. Ruth Robinson, a grey panther married many times over and still going out on dates nightly, Eddie, blind and a teacher at the school for the Blind and his boyfriend Matt, musicians Pixie and Thrash. Thrash speaks as though he’s from England but is actually from the Midwest, both are in a band, and Nic and Stu, her husband, a recently married couple playing at being hippies and close friends of Cain’s. Each a splendid portrait of eccentric individuality. These people will absolutely engage your affections. They did mine. I wanted to get to know all of them so much better. In fact I wanted to move right into La Terraza and make myself at home with all of them.

La Terraza herself is that grand dame of Spanish buildings the shout out romance at every cobblestone and ooze amore from it’s stuccoed walls. I wanted to be strolling through the courtyard myself, so vividly did Ethan Day describe her. La Terraza is a character in her own right, sumptuous, a true classic beauty. I wonder if La Terraza exists outside of Ethan Day’s imagination, I hope so. But either a figment or reality, La Terraza lives on these pages.

There is so much to like here that I find it hard to bring up the quibbles I had with it. And that would be the secondary plot surrounding the group of firms trying to take La Terraza away from Cain, no matter the legalities. I won’t go into more details but I felt at times I was in another novel with this storyline. It just did not seem to fit in with the romance between Cain and Henry because the way Day built up the relationship between the two men was so well done that the second section seemed almost clumsy in comparison. I knew without a doubt before I even got halfway through the story what was going on with the building, who was doing it and who was the ultimate “bad guy” at the top of the evil chain. In these economic times, it is easy to believe that Cain is having money flow issues to go with rehabbing an older structure without bringing in a melodrama that seeks to drown out everything with it’s exaggerated accompanying score. Without the melodrama, this is a solid 4 star story. Unfortunately, with the cloak and dagger stuff thrown in, it takes away from a wonderful romance and pulls it all back into a “nice story” category.

Ethan Day fans won’t want to pass this one up because it is an Ethan Day story. For those of you new to the author, seek out his other books before you read this one. Try Sno Ho for a wonderfully comedic bent on romance or At Piper’s Point, a more serious contemporary romance that gets it all right from beginning to end. There are so many wonderful Ethan Day books out there. I am just not sure this is one of them.

Cover art by Adrian Nicholas. The two men are lovely but the building standing in for La Terraza is a misstep.

Review of Alone In A Crowd (Cattle Valley #27) by Carol Lynne

Rating: 4 stars

Sheriff Ryan Blackfeather has worked hard to overcome his torturous past to get where he is today, successful in his job as Sheriff, in a town where he has friends and is respected, and most importantly, content and happy, in love with his two partners, Nate and Rio. But a phone call from Oklahoma revitalizes old memories, bad ones that upset his hard won equilibrium and makes him pull away from those he loves. Ryan’s mother has died and the landlord wants the trailer moved off his lot or the rent paid for. Without telling either Rio or Nate why he is going, Ryan leaves on a trip back home, to face his past and confront the abusive father who raised him.

When Nate and Rio realize that Ryan has been withholding the truth about his travels from them, they are hurt and worry about the man they love. How can they help with when Ryan doesn’t realize he needs their help to begin with. As the emotional turmoil of Ryan’s past starts to tear at his relationship with his partners, Ryan understands that only by returning to Oklahoma and confronting his demons can he save all he has now, including the men he loves.

Carol Lynne’s Cattle Valley series were some of my first books when I started reading m/m fiction. As I have said back in our Series week, I love starting a novel and then discovering that I have a slew of books yet to read in the series. So there is a huge reservoir of affection that wells up in me when Cattle Valley is mentioned. I think there was six books in the series when I started and now it is up to book #27, each running anywhere from 98 to around 130 pages.

Cattle Valley series began in 2007 with All Play and No Work (Cattle Valley #1). In this book, Lynne introduces us to Cattle Valley, Wyoming, a gay haven established by a man mourning the death of his gay son. The millionaire wanted to build a place where everyone was gay, and safe, and could build a meaningful, rewarding life among others just like themselves. So he deeded his land to the town and the GLBTQ community came. Lynne starts off her Cattle Valley series as Ryan Blackfeather arrives from Texas to take the job as Cattle Valley’s first Sheriff. Ryan is a part of a triad, his other partners being Rio Adega and Nate Gills. When their small Texas town’s disapproval of their relationship becomes overwhelming, Ryan convinces his men to make the move with him to Cattle Valley. That move and the trio’s adjustment to Wyoming starts the river of books that are the Cattle Valley series.

In each book, Carol Lynne concentrates on one or two pairs of men and their relationships. It is also a staple of Lynne’s that the characters for the books that follow are introduced in the current one. And then as the town fills up with people and businesses, during the course of book the characters we have already met continue to pop up again and again in every story. So Ryan as Sheriff, Nate (who eventually becomes the Mayor) and Rio who runs the local gym are focal characters for the series. These men and their relationship were also my first introduction to m/m/m! Lynne has taken their relationship and reexamined its dynamics throughout the series and she does so again in Alone In A Crowd (Cattle Valley #27).

In previous stories we learn Nate and Rio’s history. Here we concentrate on Ryan Blackfeather who has always come across as the rock of their relationship. Ryan has always seemed so controlled and steady while not detracting from the deadly abilities he gained in the military. So it’s interesting that it’s Ryan who starts to fall apart when confronted with his past, a real switch of rolls within the triad. Lynne’s descriptions of the reservation and the living conditions Ryan faced growing up in a derelict trailer are both heartbreaking and realistic. Any one familiar with the plight of Native Americans on reservations today will recognize the authenticity Lynne brings to the scenes in and around Tahlequah, Oklahoma, capitol city of the Cherokee Nation. Whether it is Ryan confronting his father in the nursing home or both men facing their pasts in a dusty cave on the reservation, the descriptions brings the men to life and we feel the anger and pain of their conjoined past rise up around all of us.

In addition to Ryan’s story, another character from the past comes back to Cattle Valley. Smokey Sharp from Rough Ride (Cattle Valley #4) reappears in town, sober and hoping to make amends to the people he wronged in the past. That would be Erza James, Palmer “Wyn” Wynfield (a favorite of mine), and Elliot Simmons, owner of the grocery store. Smokey is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis which limits the work he can do. Ryan finds Smokey work on Robert “Oggie” Ogden’s Second Chance Ranch as a ranch manager. Carol Lynne uses Smokey and Oggie to set the stage for the next book in the series. Oggie’s ranch will become home for GLBTQ youths homeless and/or in trouble. She is already lining up the characters: Drake Smith, Chief of Security of Montgomery Enterprises who wants to help financially, and maybe even Joseph, Nate’s ex boyfriend who runs a GLBTQ youth center in NYC. And then there is Dean Grooper, former school custodian, using alcohol to drown his pain over the loss of his long time partner. We meet him here too.

And this brings me to my main quibble with Carol Lynne’s stories lately. Too many characters crowded together into books too small in size to adequately give each character sufficient attention. In the first 6 or even 8 books, the town is still small and Carol Lynne concentrates all her wonderful powers of characterization into a small group of people. With a small focus group, it is easy to become invested in them and their stories. And quite frankly, easy to remember who is with whom. I love those people and can remember each and every detail from their backgrounds. Then the town got bigger (as towns will), more people came and Lynne left behind the one couple/one book format for multiple pairings in a novella sized book. After a while I felt I needed a town chart and name tags for everyone who showed up in a scene plus all the newcomers making their debuts to get them in place for the next in the series. There were so many people crying out for attention that my brain hurt and characters were forgotten.

Another quibble for me is the pairings. Lynne took Cattle Valley from strictly m/m or m/m/m into other pairings such as m/f/m which doesn’t interest me. Multiple relationship combinations make sense in that Cattle Valley is set up as a town of tolerance so any pairing outside of m/f would be acceptable in town, I am just not interested in reading them specifically. And yes, you can skip those books like I did but as each book moves the series forward, we miss out on events that will be mentioned down the line. It also seemed to bring in an element of “MarySue” into her writing that had been absent up until then.

Carol Lynne packs a lot of emotion into a story and her characters. She also packs a lot of sex. She has dealt with sex when one partner is paralyzed, sex with multiple partners, interracial sex, fem gays, Bdsm, D/s, you name it and Lynne has probably addressed it in a story . Her sex scenes are vivid, hot and never unintentionally funny. In Alone In A Crowd, she had the boys do things with an ear of corn (ok that was funny but intentionally so) I had not read before and still left me able to have corn on the cob at my next meal! I can’t tell you how much I appreciated that as I love corn. She also mentions a douche attachment for the boys shower, something I think should be brought up more as it is a realistic part of anal sex. Carol Lynne did a great job here while still giving us realistic elements.

I had stopped reading Cattle Valley around Neil’s Guardian (Cattle Valley #17), overwhelmed by too many characters and too little plot in too few pages. With Alone In A Crowd (Cattle Valley #27), Carol Lynne returns to the form that made me a fan to begin with and does it with the characters that started it all. I hope this continues with the next in the series, #28 whatever that may be. And in the meantime, I might just have to go back and pick up the ones I missed. I still love Cattle Valley and its vision of a town of tolerance and equality. Alone In A Crowd brought that all back. If you are new to the series,start from the beginning. See Cattle Valley as it gets off the ground, meet all the inhabitants as they find their way to town, watch as the romances form and carry over, story after story. You will have 27 to go and counting. For those who got lost along the way like me, pick it back up again and remember why you loved it. And for those who never left, here is a gem of a story to treasure as Cattle Valley continues to grow.

The Cattle Valley Book Series covers by Posh Gosh are my favorites in a series cover. They brand the series while still conveying the subject of each book. Great job.

Here are the stories in the order they should be read to understand the series and the characters.

Cattle Valley: All Play & No Work,Cattle Valley: Cattle Valley Mistletoe Cattle Valley: Sweet Topping Cattle Valley: Rough Ride Cattle Valley: Physical Therapy Cattle Valley: Out of the Shadow Cattle Valley: Bad Boy Cowboy Cattle Valley: The Sound of White Cattle Valley: Gone Surfin’ Cattle Valley: The Last Bouquet Cattle Valley: Eye of the Beholder Cattle Valley: Cattle Valley Days Cattle Valley: Bent-Not Broken Cattle Valley: Arm Candy,Cattle Valley: Recipe for Love Cattle Valley: Firehouse Heat Cattle Valley: Neil’s Guardian Angel Cattle Valley: Scarred Cattle Valley: Making the Grade Cattle Valley: To Service and Protect Cattle Valley: The O’Brien Way Cattle Valley: Ghost from the Past Cattle Valley: Hawk’s Landing Cattle Valley: Shooting Star Cattle Valley: Confessions Cattle Valley: Shadow Soldier

Review of Unconventional at Best Anthology

Rating: 3.5 stars

Unconventional at Best is an anthology from six authors of stories featuring romance in and around conventions. GayRomLit convention last year provided the inspiration for this selection of stories by Carol Lynne, TA Chase, Amber Kell, Jambrea Jo Jones, Stephani Hecht, and Devon Rhodes. The stories run the gamut of lovers reunited, best friends to lovers, alien love, geek love, confectionary love and love among tops and it all occurs at a convention.

I found this anthology to be a fifty fifty proposition. Out of 6 stories,only three kept me completely entertained, staying with me once I was done with the anthology. The others remained just nice stories, forgotten as soon as I put them down.

Here are the ones that stayed with me. I think they are just wonderful stories.

‘Ninja Cupcakes’ by T.A. Chase

Ethan Gallagher is a baker of very special talents. His cupcakes are not only delicious confections but when certain ingredients are added, downright magical. When Ethan and his business partner agree to supply the desserts for his brother’s sci-fi convention, it presents the perfect opportunity for Ethan’s floury confections to work their particular magic on certain participants, including an astrophysicist Ethan has been corresponding with for four years. With just the right timing and the special ingredients, Ethan bakes cupcakes that insure that love is in the air or desserts. Or perhaps we should say Ethan insures that everyone gets their just desserts!

This is a delicious little story. I have always found that cooking, or in this case baking, and magic were natural combinations. T.A. Chase does a terrific job of doing just that in Ninja Cupcakes. From that great title to Chase’s wonderful characters, I just loved this story and wished to see them all again once I was done. This is fun, frothy and still is grounded in realistic characters that capture your hearts. Ethan and Callum were an especially endearing couple. I wish I had their story, complete with how they first met, and what happening to each of them during their four year correspondence.T.A Chase, this would make a wonderful story. Just saying.

‘Operation: Get Spencer’ by Jambrea Jo Jones:

“Even if superpowers were real, Benjamin still might not get his man.” Good friends Benjamin and Spencer are spending the day at Comic-Con, something Spencer has always wanted to do. Benjamin has a surprise for Spencer to go with their day at Comic-Con. Benjamin intends to tell his friend that he is in love with him and decides the convention is the perfect time to reveal it. The problem? Spencer believes Benjamin is straight and with good reason as Benjamin has told everyone he is straight over and over again. But Ben hopes that a convention where everything is possible is the perfect place to make Spencer believe in his love.

Friends to lovers and gay for you, both happen here in this story about sexuality, perceptions and fear of change. Jones takes two completely recognizable characters and brings them together at Comic-Con for her story of friends and lovers. Ben has been so busy denying that he is gay that everyone believes Ben is straight even if Ben no longer believes it himself. His best friend Spencer is gay and they have always done everything together. But recently Ben has discovered that his feelings for Spencer go beyond friendship and into romantic love, but how to tell his best friend?

Jambrea Jo Jones makes us laugh and sympathize with Ben and Spencer throughout it all. From Ben’s mishaps, missteps and outright screwing up his announcement, we are still on his side and hope he gets his man. Spencer is authentically confused about Ben’s change of heart regarding his sexuality, we understand his point of view as well. He doesn’t want to mess up his relationship with his best friend, his confidant, and we get that too. Somehow it all comes together in a satisfying end back where they started it all – Comic-con.

‘Fan-Tastic’ by Stephani Hecht

“Everybody knows the best lovers are geeks.” The setting this time is the annual Comic Book and Horror Convention. Here Deke Masters, a well-known actor in a zombie TV show is ordered to appear on a panel for his show. Also in attendance is Blake Tallision. Blake is trying to sell his comic book Star Cats and other items that he has been working on so hard. Blake also has a crush on Deke going back to their school days. Even then Deke was a star and Blake the nerd hiding in the shadows of the stage. To Blake’s amazement, Deke is a fan of Star Cats. The convention turns out to be the perfect stage for a romance neither saw coming.

This was my favorite story of the anthology. In Deke Masters and Blake Tallision author Hecht gives us characters worth cheering for. Blake is an especially memorable one. In pursuit of his art, he has starved himself, living in the basement of his abusive mother’s home, almost despairing of making it. Blake was so real I could see his skeletal frame and intense features. His vulnerability drew me in and kept me there. Deke also came across a fully realized human being, a guy who has worked to get where he is now but misses being wanted for just himself. While Blake wants nothing more than to be noticed by Deke, when that happens, Blake is believably wary and insecure, not seeing himself as others do. Deke is perfect for him, the normal guy who just happens to be a tv star, he understands Blake’s struggle because he was once at that stage himself. Everything about this story from the dialog to the characters just cried out for a larger version, especially to delve further into the relationship between Blake and his mother who had a secret she was hiding from him. Great job.

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