Review of Five Star Review by Lara Brukz

Rating: 3.75 stars

Eric Carillo edits textbooks for a living and writes book reviews for his blog mmreviewers on the side. When m/m fiction author Cade Montgomery sends him a email after Eric had reviewed one of his books, it is the start of a long distance online friendship that both come to treasure. As the friendship deepens into something that might be called romance, Cade and Eric start thinking about meeting in person. When a conference brings Cade to Eric’s city, each hopes their meeting will rate a five star review and the beginning of a future together.

Five Star Review is a very sweet short story that has some lovely twists and turns to it. The romance by email gives us a chance to watch the relationship grow between the two men as they go through their daily lives. Eric Carillo is a terrific character, nuanced by a surprise waiting for the reader and Cade that neither of us expected. Well done, Lara Brukz! I didn’t see it coming and it makes Eric stand out from the crowd of similar individuals I have read about. Cade Montgomery by the same token doesn’t distinguish himself as much from other blond, good looking nice gay men in other stories. He comes across as a little bland but sweet natured. Both men are surrounded by loving families I wish we had seen more of during the story.

This is a short story, only 105 pages long and it ran into trouble during the last half of the book. Instead of concentrating on the two main characters and deepening their relationship, the author chose to concentrate on Eric’s ex who lives across the hallway. Marshall Ellerbee is a confusing character, part pathetic rich boy half alcoholic stalker. The author makes him a viable threat and then has Eric treat him in an offhanded manner that belies their past. The last chapters deal with Marshall and his actions in an unsatisfactory and hurried fashion which culminates in an ending that still has me asking questions, the primary one being why wasn’t the police called.

My review of Five Star Review ends stating that Lara Brukz has much to offer as an author. Here she has shown that she can deliver a character we can connect with, complete with a angst filled backstory combined with a present reality that will surprise us. And she gave him and us half a great story. I look forward to seeing the potential she showed us here given full reign in the next story.

Cover: Cover art by Catt Ford. Just a great cover, perfectly captures the main characters and the story elements. Beautiful.

Seizing It by Chris T. Kat

Rating: 3 stars

Kit Hall, veterinary assistant, leads a life of strict routine that his epilepsy and physician requires of him. Kit has also isolated himself by choice from others with the exception of his sister and the veterinarian he works for. A victim of domestic abuse from his ex, Kit finds himself unwilling to trust others to the extent that he has walled himself off from most personal interactions. When Kit is attacked outside his home by a crazed admirer, his sister and a good looking stranger come to his aid. The attack puts him off balance. When he learns that Alan, his friend/boss, is moving and someone else is taking over the clinic, Kit becomes even more unsettled. The next day at the clinic Kit is horrified to find out that his new boss is none other than his rescuer from the day before.

Dale Miller is on his way to his new veterinary clinic when he chances upon a young man being attacked. He intervenes, restraining the attacker until the police arrive. He is not the only one surprised when he meets the young man again at the clinic he is taking over. It turns out his assistant, Kit Hall, and the victim, are one and the same. A fact that Kit is not happy about and makes very clear to him. But he finds Kit attractive and becomes determined to be the one to make Kit lower his defenses and take one more chance at love.

Several days later and this book still has me confused about my feelings towards it. Mostly they are of the “not so good” type. Add to that column, “flashes of talent”, “great idea”,”kind of creepy” and “downright annoying”, and I think you all will begin to get my drift. The author had a great idea for a protagonist here but never brought the main character up to snuff. I was really looking forward to a thoughtful exploration of a life lived with epilepsy, the proscribed limits and how a full life could still be achieved within them. That is not what I got in any way, starting with that title. Seizing It? Really? Should I say it had me fit to be tied? *that was sarcastic, people – shakes head*

In addition to epilepsy, Chris T. Kat has burdened Kit Hall with being a victim of a shattering domestic abuse attack from his controlling and mentally ill ex, a temper that should see him in anger management classes and a family that treats him as though he is twelve (and sometimes rightfully so). I think we are supposed to find him one of those endearing prickly main characters, slight in stature, with a shock of red hair and green eyes. I generally like those characters. I didn’t like Kit Hall. Mostly I wanted to send him off to intensive therapy sessions which he clearly needed, not to be seen again. The author endowed Kit with a temper which as victimized as he is I could understand but apparently he has always had a temper that he directs at all close to him while acknowledging that he may be a brat. This got very old as it would in real life and Kit comes across as a bit of an abuser and bully himself.

Further complicating the story is the other main character, Dale Miller. He is older, finds Kit incredibly attractive, and wants to rescue Kit from himself. In one section when Kit is freaking out over Dale restraining him (???) during an argument, I started to get that squicked out feeling. I remember seeing adult handlers forcibly restraining out of control children (mentally and physically challenged) in the same manner until they calmed down. To see it used here between “potential” lovers hit quite a few wrong notes. Especially when Dale then picks up Kit and put him in his lap. Am I the only one thinking child abuser not lover here? And then Kit falls in love with him immediately in a couple of days? Never has a case of “instant love” seemed so wrong.

What I did find realistic is that Kit is ashamed he is epileptic and doesn’t tell Dale about his condition until a Grand Mal seizure forces him to. I had a childhood friend who felt the same way. He moved away in elementary school so I never knew how the adult Tim dealt with it. The author does a good job talking about stress being a trigger as well as using medication and a regulated life style to control his epilepsy. I wish she had done as well with the issue of domestic abuse which loomed as a larger subject here. Male victims of domestic abuse represent a huge sector of people who go unreported and unaccounted for. Kit’s issues that stemmed from his years of living with a domestic abuser are never really dealt with in the same manner his epilepsy is. A missed opportunity the book never recovers from in my opinion.

I won’t even get into his father issues and a family determined not to let a 28 year old grow up and make his own decisions. Let’s leave that one alone. It’s overshadowed anyway by all the problems I have already remarked on. Seizing It is the only book I have read by Chris T. Kat so I don’t know if this story is typical of her work or not. I hope not. She does have some good ideas here but in the end raises far more questions about her protagonists and their relationship then is resolved in the book.

Cover: The artist is Anne Cain who I love but where are the dogs? Another missed opportunity as one main character is a vet, and the other is his assistant with a dog who is also a main character within the story. It remains a beautiful cover of two men in a fall setting.

The Week Ahead and a Great Recipe for Stuffed Cabbage!

What an outstanding day here in Maryland! Sky is blue, air is cool and crisp, The day will be perfect for turning off the overworked air conditioners and opening the windows. Payment indeed for the 7 tornados and torrents of rain that hit us on Friday. Yes, that was 7 tornados touching down all over from Frederick, MD to Northern VA. What is going on with our weather? But today is a gift I am going to take advantage of and head outside to read and take pictures of the garden.

Let’s look at what is coming up this week. Sorry all, things came up that pushed back my next installment of VGB. It will be posted at the end of this week. Last week was a banner week with wonderful books from great authors. For those who missed it, Saturday’s substitution was Mind Magic by Poppy Dennison. New author, first book in a new series. Loved it! This week will be some new authors for me as well as a continuation of a series I just love:

Monday: Still Waters, Sanctuary #4 by RJ Scott

Tuesday: Seizing It by Chris T Kat

Wednesday: Murder at The Rocking R by Catt Ford

Thursday: Five Star Review by Lara R Brukz

Friday: One Small Thing by Piper Vaughn and MJ O’Shea

Saturday: New Vocabulary Gone Bad!

Now for a great recipe that can be used as a main course or secondary dish. I just love this one. It came from Laura Calder again. Can’t go wrong with her recipes or her quirky show French Cooking At Home. Great taste and the presentation is so pretty! And it is easy to make. What’s not to like?

Stuffed Cabbage:

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
1 medium or 2 small savoy cabbages (about 1.5 pounds)
3 ounces white bread
About 1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 pound trimmed and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
A few handfuls fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon quatre-epices, more to taste, recipe below
Freshly ground black pepper
About 1 pound pork sausage meat – I like to use sweet Italian

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt it generously.

Core the cabbage. Gently peel away the leaves to expose the heart (by heart, I mean the ball of more yellowish leaves at the center which are too tightly packed to bother prying apart). Cut out that core of inner-most leaves and shred to add to the stuffing. Cut the thick ribs out of the remaining leaves (they will look like you’ve stolen a sliver from a pie). Set aside.

Blanch the cabbage leaves for 5 to 7 minutes. Drain, and refresh under ice-cold water. Drain and pat dry with a towel.

Break the bread into crumbs in a bowl, pour over the milk and set aside to soften. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet and gently fry the onion and shallot until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped cabbage, mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Cook another 5 minutes. Add the bread and cook until the milk has evaporated. Stir through the quatre-epices and season generously with salt and pepper. Add this mixture to the sausage meat in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork. Make a small ball and fry it in the frying pan. Taste it to check the seasonings. Adjust as needed.

Lay a tea towel on the counter with a piece of cheesecloth or muslin large enough to wrap the cabbage in. You’re going to reconstruct the cabbage, but with layers of stuffing between the leaves. So, first lay down the large outer leaves, in a circle, slightly overlapping with the prettiest side out. Spread over a layer of stuffing. Lay over another layer of leaves and repeat the action. Continue until you have run out of leaves. Pull up the edges of the cheesecloth, like a bag, and twist, as if making the head of a puppet, to shape the cabbage into a round loaf shape. Tie a string around the beard of cheesecloth where it meets the cabbage ball, to secure the package. The cabbage can be prepared to this stage in advance, refrigerated and then cooked before serving.

To cook: Steam the cabbage over water or good chicken stock (about 2 cups) for 45 minutes. The flavor from the stuffed cabbage will drip into the water or stock and give it the most amazing flavor. When the cabbage is done, boil down the cooking juices and serve a spoonful around each wedge of cabbage in a soup bowl.

Quatre Epices or Four Spices (a common French spice)

1 heaping Tbsp black peppercorns ground
2 tsp whole cloves ground up
2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger

Review of On the Trail To Moonlight Gulch by Shelter Somerset

Rating: 3.75 stars

It’s 1886 and Chicago, Illinois is booming. Everywhere there is construction as new steel structure buildings rise up and more people flood into town for jobs. Torsten Pilkvist, known as Tory, works for his Swedish immigrant parents in their bakery and boarding home. Tory and a new boarder, Joseph fall secretly in love only to see it end with a tragic accident. As Tory works through his grief, he happens upon Matrimonial News, a periodical where men and women advertised for arranged marriages. One letter in particular calls out to him, that of Civil War Veteran Franklin Ausmus who lives in the Black Hills in Dakota Territory. Tory decides to write Franklin back, hiding the fact that he is male and the two men begin a correspondence that quickly becomes important to the both. When Tory parents discover the letters, the ensuing argument sees Tory fleeing Chicago and heading out to meet the man behind the missives.

Franklin Ausmus left the Civil War behind when he journeyed out West. Traveling until he happened upon the perfect place to build a ranch and settle down, a homestead called Moonlight Gulch. And for ten years, he worked the land with only Wicasha, a Lakota Sioux as friend and company. Driven by loneliness, Franklin writes a letter to the Matrimonial News with low expectations. He is surprised when the letter from a girl called Torsten P calls to him and he writes back immediately. Soon letters are flowing as quickly as the mail of the times will allow and a tenuous relationship is established between the frontiersman and the young Swedish “girl” in Chicago. But the letters abruptly stop leaving Franklin brokenhearted and unaware that the real Torsten P. is about to arrive on his doorstep. What will happen when Franklin discovers the young greenhorn he hired and become fast friends with is in fact the Torsten P. he wrote all those letters to. And it’s not just Franklin’s anger and Tory’s subterfuge that must be overcome, someone is trying to steal Franklin’s lands.With so much at stake, will both men survive long enough to get their chance at love?

This book contains many wonderful elements, the main one being the author’s ability to capture the hustle and bustle of Chicago 1886 so authentically that I could feel the awe of the citizenry as Chicago rises from the ashes of the Great Fire of 1871 to become one of the largest cities in the nation. Somerset’s descriptions of the new metropolis include buildings soon to be known as skyscrapers rising up as thousands of immigrants flood into the city looking for jobs and opportunities. There are crowded sidewalks, boarding rooms appearing overnight to fill the need for lodging, dueling cathedral construction and always more people pushing the population to over 1 million, exceeding that of Brooklyn and Philadelphia. What amazing times to have lived in. The author captures it perfectly, the research so well done that it meshes nicely with the story without becoming a information dump. Shelter Somerset has an equally lovely touch with the portrait of Torsten’s parents, the stolidly Swedish Pilkvists and their boarding room guests. Arriving in America with their hard work ethic and determination to exceed, their son’s flighty nature and “head in the clouds” attitude is neither accepted nor understood. It is absolutely realistic that such parents would do anything,including burning letters, to ensure that their son continues on the path they have chosen for him. The author’s characterizations just add to the flavor and tone of the Chicago setting. In fact, it is one of my favorite things about this novel.

And while I missed Chicago as the story migrated west, Somerset’s descriptive gifts kept up with the journey as Tory travels by various methods to the Black Hills. Especially memorable are the stage coach portions of the trip with the carcasses of horses, stagecoach remnants and harnesses lining the trail they travel on, a testament to the treacherous nature of the passage west. There are nice touches of Tory’s interludes with “renters” or prostitutes and with other men who prefer “the company of men”. In many ways, I wish the relationship aspect of the story to have been reduced in importance and the journey itself elevated as the main storyline.

It is with the majority of the main characters that the problems with the story arise for me. Franklin Ausmus is a wonderful creation. A wounded veteran, disabled by the Civil War, he has fought hard for his land and to get Moonlight Gulch to the stage where he is happy with his home, barns, gardens and animals. He is self sufficient and has a friend in Wicasha, a Lakota Sioux who lives on his land. The book is at its strongest when it is Franklin’s voice we are listening to. His love for the land and his travails as a soldier in the Civil War make him easily the best realized character in the book.

Less successful is Tory Pilkvist, a young Swede small in stature and incredibly impulsive by nature. I found it hard to believe that he had not been robbed or shot at by the time he got to Spiketrout, the town nearest Franklin’s homestead. At times, I wanted to shoot him myself his naivete was that irritating. And then the author goes and shoots their own character in the foot by having Tory simper. You heard that right. Simper. As in “an affectedly coquettish, coy, or ingratiating smile or gesture”, that simper. I haven’t heard that phrase outside of Cinderella’s stepsisters so it stopped me completely here to see it in a main character. We are supposed to find that romantic I think but the context in which that would be attractive totally escapes me. And it happens more than once. Sigh. That Tory simpers and it is in keeping with his character tells one all you need to know. Tory never reached the realistic heights achieved by Franklin and the Pilkvists. Neither does Wicasha, the Lakota who seems to have gone to bed with quite a few men in the Territory. His character often felt more a means to introduce the research about the third gender in some Indian tribes than a necessity to round out the storyline and move the narrative forward. And then there is Henri Thibault Bilodeaux, the Snidely Whiplash of the novel. He pops up every 10 minutes or so, threatens our heros and tells them he is going to steal their land. He orchestrates every dramatic scene with all the villainous flair of a sneering Yosemite Sam. I could never take him all that seriously which negated any angst or anxiety he was supposed to trigger with his appearances.

Finally, my last quibble has to do with the sheer length of this book. It is way too long so by the last sentence you feel like you have slogged through the tall grass prairies and mountain paths to get to the end, weary and needing to find the nearest saloon. See? The long way of saying that at 42 chapters, it felt overblown and unwieldy. At least a third could have been trimmed and perhaps even more to arrive at a faster paced story where the slight characterizations might not have been as noticeable.

To recap, there are some great elements here, the descriptions of the locations, the great feeling the author has for the times and one terrific main character. The author has such an authentic feel for settings that I wish we could have lingered in Chicago so vividly did the city come to life. This was also a nice twist on the mail order matrimony storyline. I just wish it had come in a smaller bundle, complete with better companions and love interest .

Cover art by Anne Cain. What an outstanding cover. Perfectly captures the times and place of the story. Absolutely a favorite cover of the month for me.

Review of Acrobat by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Nathan Qells has a pretty great life. He loves being an English professor. He has a son who has grown into a wonderful young man. An ex-wife he adores along with her husband. He loves his condo and takes care of Michael, the young boy who lives across the hallway with his uncle, the mysterious Andreo Fiore. The only thing lacking in his life? A man to really love and have him love back. At least that’s what his ex wife tells him. She also tells him he has never truly loved another man deeply. Nate doesn’t agree with her. At least he thinks he doesn’t. Doubt starts him looking for Mr. Right which leads him into the path of a dangerous man and the mob..

Andreo Fiore started working for the mob as a way to support his nephew after his sister died. Long and unusual work hours meant that Michael would be alone in the apartment. Then Nate Qells, the neighbor across the hallway, came to their rescue and took Michael under his wing. Years later, Michael spends most of his time across the hallway and Dreo has fallen in love with Nate. Dreo sees in Nate a good, wonderful man who also happens to be very handsome. And blind in the face of Dreo’s love. Between Michael and Nate, Dreo wants to lead an honorable life, one where Michael can look up to him and Nate would be proud to be his partner. But first he has to get out of the organization and it has troubles of its own. As Dreo tries to extricate himself from the mob and make Nate realize that love is right in front of him, his criminal past makes them both a target.

As a man in his forties and nicely settled into his life, Nate Qells is a realistic representation of a man who thinks that he is happy with his status quo and stops reaching out for more. In Nate’s case, he has stopped believing in romantic love for himself and has settled just for caring. I find that totally believable. So many people dismiss the idea of love after a certain age, not just the idea but the chance of them falling into love later in life is miniscule to nonexistent. So when Nate refuses to listen to his ex wife when she tells him he has never loved, I totally get it. Nate is capable of caring for others but self satisfied enough not to extend himself further. I know him because I have met him in real life. Nate certainly has his flaws, he is impatient with others, abrupt to those professors within his department he doesn’t respect, and a little arrogant. All of which makes him very human.

Andreo Fiore is much older than his years. I had to keep reminding myself of his age. He accepted responsibility of his nephew in his early twenties, and his time as a bodyguard/muscle in the mob has aged him further. He recognizes that he could coast along the path he has made for himself (very much like Nate in this respect) or reach for what he really wants, a family with Nate and Michael. Deeply steeped in his Italian family and culture, he speaks as much Italian as English. And I loved it. Besides French, there is no more romantic language than that of Italy. Both are the languages of love and it is used very effectively here. I loved Dreo, a honorable conflicted man trying to get out of a bad situation. What a great character.

And then Mary Calmes adds in more characters to give the story substance and layers. There’s Michael, Dreo’s nephew and almost son to Nate. He’s young, cocky but still so much in need of direction and parental influence. Mel, ex wife, and Ben, her husband, both contribute additional needed perspectives on Nate and his life. Duncan, the in-the-closet ex boyfriend and Aubrey, Nate’s sarcastic grad student with just the right amount of snark. All necessary and unique.

The story itself has many wonderful moments. I especially liked the storyline with Nate and his missed dates with Sean Cooper, an attending doctor. With them, as in real life, sometimes it is all about the timing. People can seem to be right for each other, and yet the timing is off for them to be a couple. Nobody’s fault. Stuff happens. I haven’t seen this pop up in a storyline and loved it’s authentic treatment here. I don’t know enough about organized crime to comment on it here (outside of what I have seen in The Godfather movies) but the idea that you can have people at different levels of competency in mob organizations struck me as realistic too. Old fashioned businessman versus young takeover turk. Crime is still a business albeit a criminal one. Is there angst? Of course, there is. It wouldn’t be a Mary Calmes book without it. Never fear, our protagonists future is assured. I liked how all the different elements pulled together in the end to give me a very satisfying story and a new couple to love.

Cover: The cover art by Anne Cain is such a sensual piece of art that I would love to have a copy. In the introduction Mary Calmes and Anne Cain talk about the inspiration for the cover, deceased artist Steve Walker’s painting Parallel Dreams. I looked up that painting and thought it beautiful. I learned much about Steve Walker and his art which I really appreciated. But this cover stands on it own, glorious in its depiction of love between two men. It has already become a favorite of mine.

Review of Infected: Shift by Andrea Speed

Rating: 5 stars

Shift is the fifth book in Andrea Speed’s Infected series. This is a tightly linked series and the books should be read in order. This review may have some spoilers for previous books in the series.

It’s a typical day for Roan McKitchan in that there was nothing typical about it. His new client is a wall of a man who just happens to be a hockey player with a 10 year old case involving a transgendered person’s suicide that just might be murder. Roan’s relationship with his artist/bartender boyfriend, Dylan is especially rocky these days and all his friends seems to think that Roan is so depressed that he is seeking to die. And then there is that little matter of another possible aneurysm next time he shifts.

When his partial transformation is caught on tape and uploaded to YouTube, the crazies start coming out of the woodwork with vicious attacks on himself and those close to him. Everything about Roan’s world is in flux, his stress increasing, and yes, his depression is getting worse even as his virus mutates yet again. What is he to do when the shifters start to look to him for leadership just as he is struggling to handle all the major shifts in his life? Leader or vigilante? Life or death? Roan needs to find those answers himself and soon.

Shift picks up the story of Roan where Freefall left off as everyone around Roan is still reeling from the aftermath of Roan’s brain aneurysm. The fact that Roan survived the unsurvivable for no discernable medical reason has left Roan, Dylan and his circle of friends on edge with Dylan especially fragile. Still sustaining himself on drugs and partial shifts, Roan McKitchan tries to continue business as usual. But his reckless behavior and depression has seen his relationship with Dylan grow increasingly problematic as the daily stress that is Roan’s life and his precarious mental state leave Dylan’s composure in shreds. What others see as his suicidal tendencies, Roan believes to be his normal state, at least for him. To Roan, his outlook and actions are in tune with someone uncertain of his humanity and life span. And as we get pulled deeper into latest Infected novel, the story of Roan McKitchan and the cat virus continues to shift and evolve, turning into a series as unpredictable and infectious as the virus itself.

Andrea Speed’s spectacular talent ensures that we are able to absolutely understand and empathize with Roan, one of the most unique characters I have come across. A virus child who lives and thrives against all odds and laws of nature, Roan’s “fuck you’ attitude is at odds with his bruised romantic soul. Roan constantly lives with the truth that he is mutating along with the virus and we feel his terror and pain as the virus mutates and shifts his view of himself from human to monster. One of the threads that keeps him tethered to his human status are his boyfriend/husbands as Dylan continues to anchor him in the present as Paris’ ghost visits his dreams to comfort and annoy. Roan’s such a complicated character as one would expect of a man bedeviled by his abusive past and mutating physique. One can be reading along, laughing out loud as Roan muses on the state of music, societal goings on, whatever grabs his attention and then suddenly plunges us into tears with remembrances of Paris, the victims that cross Roan’s path, and Roan’s very real fears for his future. From his music to his t-shirts and books, Roan is a character so remarkable in dimension that finding words to do him justice is confounding at times. I may not be able to explain satisfactorily explain the beauty that is Roan but it is clear from book one that he is one that will always stay with you.

Dylan is another unexpected character who continues to grow with the series. As the boyfriend with the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Roan’s soulmate, Paris, it would be as easy to dismiss him as other characters in the book do. A Zen Buddhist, his calm outlook is constantly under attack by his role in Roan’s life, and by Roan himself as his infected status throws them all into daily turbulence. Dylan has always seemed to accept his secondary place with Roan, but that starts to change here as the doubts creep in. I found this so authentic and wonder where Andrea Speed will take this romance. It is Roan’s nature to be a monogamist but there is more to be considered here. The lion’s needs must be brought into the equation as well and here the relationship with Dylan seems less certain. The lion clearly loved Paris, a tiger shifter who was Roan’s equal if not more in so many ways. And as I watched Roan and Dylan struggle to maintain and strengthen their relationship, the thought remained in the back of my mind “what does the lion think of Dylan as a mate?” Can a lion accept a lesser human? And for me their future together got blurry. And that just points up the strength of Andrea Speed’s writing. She has the reader constantly thinking about the events and relationships in the story, nothing is concrete, everything is constantly shifting, including our perceptions.

Shift is divided into two stories as is typical of this series. The first is Shift. It is in this section that a wonderful group of characters is introduced, the Seattle Falcons, minor league hockey team. While Roan has always had a small group of friends, with the addition of Grey, Scott, Tank and others, a wonderfully crazy element of support for Roan has been met. All strong, with a love for a fight, these modern warriors have depth beneath the hockey player stereotypes that made them instant favorites of mine, especially Grey. I hope to see them often along with Holden, Dr. Rosenberg, Dee, Fiona and the rest of the circle that revolves around Roan. The case Grey brings Roan is heartbreaking in content and conclusion. Bloodbath is the second story in the novel and aptly named as the blood flows through all the events in this tale of vengeance and vigilante justice. There is a common link of attacks between the two stories that remains unsettled at the end as does so much else here.

The virus remains a phenomenal character all it own, as it’s continuing mutations bring new challenges, questions, and pain to Roan, Dylan and everyone else around him. Andrea Speed has sprinkled some truly tantalizing notions throughout the novel, a sentence here, a snippet there, that had the ability to bring me to an absolute standstill when I extrapolated them out in my mind. One involves a painting Dylan had in mind when thinking of Roan and wondering if it could happen. Where that thought took me made me breathless with anticipation for Roan and his future.

So this rollercoaster called Infected has come down from the stratosphere, depositing me earthbound once more, leaving me with more questions,more stymied and with more anticipation than ever before. What a magnificent job Andrea Speed has done with Shift. I can’t wait to see where she takes Roan next. I will be sure to follow.

Cover: These Infected covers are fantastic. Art work by Anne Cain, design by Mara McKinnon. Dynamic in graphics and design, I just love them. They are available also as wallpaper on Andrea Speed’s website.

The Infected series in order they should be read to fully understand the characters, their backgrounds and storylines:

Infected Prey

Infected Bloodlines

Infected Life After Death

Infected Freefall

Infected Shift

Review of Mind Magic by Poppy Dennison

Rating: 4.5 stars

When Simon Osbourne starts hearing the cries of children begging for help in his head, he tries to ignore them. It’s against the rule he is governed by to interfere as he is an apprentice mage and the children in danger are werecubs. But as the cries continue, he feels the children weakening and decides to act. Under the darkness of night, Simon steals onto the grounds of a house in the woods, and finds five were children being drained by a demon. Using the magic tricks he has learned as an apprentice, Simon frees the children and drives them back to the Wolf pack compound outside of town.

Grey Townsend, alpha of the High Moon Pack, has been going crazy ever since his son, Garon and four other children were stolen from the compound. For two days, the pack has searched but all traces of the cubs are gone, along with hearing their mind speak. When a strange mage brings the children home, Gray owes Simon his gratitude and trust, not something the weres give to the Others. Little is known about the Others except that the groups stay away from each others societies, segregated by rules and laws arcane in nature. Then Simon saves Garon from a demon attack for the second time, and Gray admits they need Simon to help solve the mysteries before them. Simon loves the family life he sees in the pack and is attracted to the handsome Alpha, Gray. With the pack and their cubs still in danger, Simon and Gray come together to help find the demon behind the attacks and begin a possible relationship. But Simon’s actions have repercussions within the Mage Society and he could lose the one thing he has wanted all his life if he continues on this course – the chance to be a full blown mage.

Mind Magic combines so many of my favorite elements in one book. It has shifters, vampires, and demons with different takes on all. In this universe magic is divided up into a triangle. At the top point is the Head Magic of the mages, another point is Body Magic of the shifters with the final point that of Soul Magic (demons/vampires). As the author sets the stage in her world, all magical beings have long thought the division between them to be rigid and final. But with Garon demonstrating an aptitude for mind magic as well as body magic, Simon, Gray and the others begin to understand that all is not as they have been told or seems.

Dennison’s alternative world is a wonderfully compelling place that pulls in the reader completely from the very beginning and doesn’t relinquish its hold even after the story is finished. I love the notion of the magical divisions and her unique take on all things fantastical extends to shifters and vampires. Recently I was reading a note on the shifter thread at GoodReads where someone wondered about the difference in body mass between the human and animal forms that disappears from most shifter fiction. Dennison addresses that question as her shifters are much larger than the natural wolves, something that doesn’t appear often in shifter fiction. Her shifters live in a pack in adhering to wolf natural history. Her vampires and mages get the same attention and neat twists to them, especially her vampire who takes very little blood, only enough to sustain his magic.

The author also excels with her characters, both main and secondary. Simon Osbourne is kind, gentle, appealing in every way. Here it is the mages that lead a lonely life, isolated from their families and others which is used to a nice contrast with pack life. Simon yearns to be a part of a family as his backstory makes plain. Simon has a love of herbs and plants that his grandfather passed on to him which gives Dennison a chance to go into herbology with lovely results. I fell in love with Simon quickly just as Gray and the children did. Definitely not a case of “instant love” as Simon must earn Gray’s trust. Gray Townsend is a great addition to shifter Alphas out there. He is steady, older, a wonderful father and pack leader. Slowly Dennison shows us Gray’s history as the story continues with another interesting twist on an Alpha coming of age at 30 to emerge as leader of the pack, Gray is a family man who takes his responsibilities seriously and still has an open outlook on the world around him. Of all the characters in the story, it is the mages who remain the most hidebound, strictly adhering to the old ways and narrow outlook on the world around them. Then there is Goran, Aunt Maggie, and Liam and Cormac, Simon’s “grandfather”. terrific characters, as fully fleshed out as the main characters.

Mind Magic combines some of the most wonderful supernatural elements, tosses it with a good dose of herbology, great characters, and an ongoing mystery to create a story that will continue past Mind Magic. My only quibble is that the end came sooner than I had expected and left me with more questions than were answered. But that makes sense as Mind Magic is the first in a new series called Triad Trilogy. The next books are Body Magic and Soul Magic. Poppy Dennison promises that we will be seeing all the wonderful characters we met here again as the series continues. Great job, great story. And I have a new author to love.

Cover: I love the cover by Anne Cain. That is Gray is every respect. How I love her artwork.

200 pages in length. Published by Dreamspinner Press. Find out more about the author here at her website.

Note; The next edition of Vocabulary Gone Bad will be posted next week instead of today as promised. Sorry, guys but inspiration hit and I have to add it in somehow!

Abigail Roux’s Save The Kitty Contest and Compass Rose Pendant from Cut and Run series

Abigail Roux is running a wonderful contest over at her website called Save The Kitty Contest. As I had mentioned in my review of Armed and Dangerous, Abigail does extensive research into subjects covered in her books and the new Cut and Run book #6, Stars and Stripes, is no different. Ms. Roux flew to Texas and visited the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Boyds to learn about the plight of captive big cats and their increasingly threatened status in the wild.

It made a huge impact on her as she states in her blog, Shop To Save The Kitties. Here she is offering a contest (and what an amazing contest it is) with all eBook copies of the entire Cut and Run series, including those not yet written – at least 9 total. Then on top of that you get Ty’s Compass Rose pendant, a Team Zane or Team Ty t-shirt. Unbelievable. But you have to visit the blog above and get the instructions on how to enter. Abigail Roux has already donated the proceeds of her research trip to the Sanctuary while she was there and she is donating 10 percent of her royalties from Stars and Stripes, the next Cut and Run book. You can also purchase Ty’s pendant, seen to the right, by itself. Sigh! Or get one of their Team Zane or Team Ty t-shirts. Treat yourself, help an animal!

So let’s recap shall we? Go read all the Cut and Run books, you will love them if you don’t already. They are listed in order at the end of my review for the outstanding Armed and Dangerous novel. Visit Abigail Roux’s blog, read in her words the impact the Sanctuary had on her and enter the contest. You will be helping a tremendous cause that can use every dollar that is donated. Visit Abigail’s website now.

Here is the link for the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Boyds, Texas.

Review of Abstract Realism by Edward Kendricks

86 pages

Rating: 4 stars

Tonio, a renown painter of abstract realism, made the mistake of accepting an invitation for a movie date from a man he just met at a gallery opening. The man’s jealous lover made sure Tonio never made that mistake again by savagely attacking him with a knife. Now scarred and traumatized, Tonio rarely leaves his studio. His only contact with the outside world consists of his sister, Jessie who is also his agent. With a gallery opening a new show of his paintings, his sister finally talks him into attending the opening and go to the gallery party afterwards.

Jonam is also attending the gallery show. He owns a close protection agency and had met Tonio by accident in a nearby park. Tonio had been sketching people in the part and rejected Jonan’s efforts to talk to him. When Jonam attends the gallery show, Tonio does his best to avoid him. But Tonio’s attacker calls and threatens him just before the party. When her brother doesn’t show up for the party, Jessie and Jonam show up at Tonio’s apartment and the find the man cowering in fear. Jonam offers to protect Tonio and find out whose behind the threats. Can Jonam find the attacker and free Tonio from the threats and fears?

The author packs a lot into 86 pages. There is contemporary romance, mystery, the art world, a scarred artist, and lethal stalker. Edward Kendricks did a great job with Tonio. Tonio is a believable character, traumatized by a brutal attack on him by unseen thugs. The scars left behind are both physical and emotional. I can believe that this character retreats into a shell and that his art changes direction with the brutality inflicted upon him. That the attack was unexpected and undeserved only deepened the trauma left behind. I did find it unrealistic that the police were not brought into this case especially given he was a well-known artist but PTS can make victims act illogically. Jonam was a tad less defined as a character. Jonam was tall, good looking and efficient at his job. It wasn’t until the end of the story that I found out he was Swedish and that accounted for his name. More of a backstory on Jonam early on would have helped. It was hard to get a feel for a connection between the two men when I could only get a handle on one of them. The story seemed rushed at the end and the denouement resolved far too quickly for the buildup that preceded it.

Still Abstract Realism is a neat little short story that I enjoyed reading. I look forward to more from Edward. Kendricks.

Cover: Cover Artist Reese Dante. Cover is gorgeous. Both models work for the characters inside the story. Fonts are great. Good job.

Review of Armed and Dangerous by Abigail Roux

Rating: 5 stars

“I’m sorry. The walls are closing in and I need to go. Love you.” And with that note, Ty Grady was gone leaving Zane Garrett to wake up alone after finally declaring his love for his partner. Missing Ty and his frustration levels rising by the minute, Zane prowls the hallways of the Bureau in search of anything to occupy his time. When the Bureau Chief sends him as backup to an agent on a specialty mission, Zane is astonished to find out that the agent he is meeting is none other than his missing partner, Ty. Their mission? To retrieve and escort part-time CIA operative and assassin Julian Cross (Warriors Cross) to Washington, DC to testify against his former employers whether Cross wants to or not. In this case, its definitely not. Cross won’t go.

Julian Cross retired after the events of Warriors Cross and has moved in with his love, Cameron Jacobs in Chicago. And nothing, including a couple of FBI agents is going to take him away from that. Garrett and Grady have orders that say otherwise and when the four come together, the explosions and gunfire reverberate from Chicago to Washington, DC. Fighting not only each other but agents from other agencies as more and more people pursue them across state after state, Ty and Zane must also work on their newfound relationship as the present mission and Ty’s past threaten to come between them. Sometimes being Armed and Dangerous is just not enough to see them through the dangers ahead.

Armed and Dangerous is the 5th book in the Cut and Run series started originally by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux in 2008, and in my opinion, is the most satisfying book of the series. Armed and Dangerous is a remarkable book made even more so by the fact that Abigail Roux is now writing the series alone, as Madeleine Urban has quit writing. To take nothing away from the terrific job Urban did together with Roux on the previous books, it is clear that Roux was right to carry on with Ty and Zane without her. Years of coauthoring the books have given Abigail Roux decisive knowledge of both Garrett and Grady (and their unique personalities) that the writing is seamless between A&D and Divide and Conquer, the previous novel. Only in the absence of Urban’s name on the cover does the difference between the books become apparent.

Abigail Roux is a master of location and she visits the cities where her characters reside and travel to. Roux often posts pictures of her research travels on her website. Such thoroughness and authenticity is appreciated and apparent in the way she captures the flavor of the neighborhoods in Baltimore as well as Chicago. As someone who lives in the DC area and visited Chicago, she has Chicago, Baltimore and the District spot on, including the Verizon Center and The Greene Turtle. I really applaud that extra effort in an author and thinks it contributes so much to the story that a realistically described locale can become a character all its own in a novel.

In addition to location, her descriptions of the fighting, explosions and in an hilarious scene, TSA search methods, are all so incredibly written that the story moves forward at a pace that keeps time with your heart, beating rapidly with anxiety and anticipation as the story builds to its conclusion. But its with the characters, and what characters they are, that Abigail Roux really shines.

Ty Grady and Zane Garrett are two of the most complicated (and charismatic) protagonists in a relationship that I can remember. Absolutely wonderful creations at the beginning, each has continued to evolve and strengthen as the series continued, the reader learning about them as they learned about each other, adjusting by small increments to the partnership the Bureau foisted upon them. This journey continues with A&D as Ty and Zane’s relationship reaches a new stage. The insecurities that have hounded both men and kept them from acknowledging their love are slowly let go, the men finally on the same page at the same time. To appreciate the struggles these men have gone through to get to this level, it is imperative that the books be read in the order they are written. Ty and Zane have faced down their own demons, including drugs and alcohol, as well as the Bureau’s use of their abilities and still gone forward in their relationship, to each others surprise. These men are beautifully written, each with their own unique personality and a dialog that reflects that individuality in each phrase they utter. It is no wonder that these men have rabid fans with Team Zane or Team Ty t-shirts of their own. I *cough* am a fan of both.

In each book, a layer of the past is pealed back, revealing more of one of the main characters background. Here it is Ty’s turn and some of the revelations are truly unexpected, including the real reason he joined the military. I really wasn’t expecting that one. And that is just another one of the many pleasures these books, and this one in particular, deliver. I never know what will happen next. Roux kept me guessing right up until the end and then some. I love that. Also it’s the tricks of the trade that Ty, Zane, and Julian employ to frustrate, roadblock, and totally disable those trying to apprehend them that amaze me as well. What until you get to the doorknob maneuver. Amazing.

But all the neat bells and whistles won’t help if you don’t have a great plot filled with tremendous characters. That Armed and Dangerous has in spades. Ty and Zane are joined here by Julian Cross, an enigmatic Irish assassin and his lover, Cameron Jacobs, a waiter in an upscale restaurant. Yes, you read that correctly, that would be Cameron the waiter. Definitely not a person you would expect to find paired up with such a dangerous individual as Julian Cross. But Cameron is more than his unremarkable exterior and a lovely layered character in his own right. Julian is not your typical assassin either as he comes complete with his own driver, Preston and a pair of wicked Maine Coon cats named Smith and Wesson. I have loved all of them since their introduction in Warriors Cross and was thrilled to see them brought into this story. To fully appreciate both characters, again I will direct you to read their backstory in the book I just mentioned. To read Armed and Dangerous without reading Warriors Cross or any of the other Cut and Run books, is only to skim the surface of the ocean, missing all the life, formations and depth that make up the whole. If you are already a fan of these books, you know what I mean. If you are new to the series, stop reading this and head out to get Cut and Run. No reading from the back! I know who you are!

Abigail Roux is an amazing author. Armed and Dangerous is an exemplary example of her talent. I haven’t heard if she plans to write another story in the Cut and Run series.* I can only hope she does. I need to know what happens next to Ty and Zane. And to Julian, Cameron and those darn cats. That’s what happens with great characters, they live beyond their pages and reside in our hearts. Ty and Zane do both.

*(Reviewer note: There is a 6th book coming out in August by Abigail Roux, published by Riptide Publishing. See below)

Here is the series in the order they must be read to fully appreciate the characters and the growth of their relationship:

Cut and Run, Cut and Run series #1 by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Sticks and Stones, Cut and Run series #2 by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Fish and Chips, Cut and Run series #4 by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Warriors Cross ( Julian and Cameron’s story – side novel to Cut and Run series) by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux

Armed and Dangerous, Cut and Run series #5 by Abigail Roux

Stars and Stripes, Cut and Run series #6 by Abigail Roux due out in August

Cover: I love the covers on this series. Simple yet elegant. And yes, handcuffs appear often in this story so this is perfect. Love it.

More about the author can be found here at her blog:

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