Review: Somebody to Love by Merry Farmer

Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5

Banker Phineas Bell has, by necessity and law, hidden his sexuality behind a kind but prim exterior, one expected of a banker in Montana in 1901. But the arrival of Elliott Tucker in Cold Springs, Montana stirs up old feelings and desires Phineas thought he had buried. Elliot is a vet from Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in the Spanish-American war and has been looking for a place to settle down and call home. A homosexual used to hiding his preference for men behind dalliances with women, Elliot thinks he knows what’s best for Phineas as well as for himself.

When the only room available in town for the new sheriff is as a lodger in Phin’s house, the close quarters make the sparks fly but the consequences might be not only traumatic but costly when Phin’s uncharacteristic behavior causes an uproar.

But even more dangerous are the scoundrels that have come to town to make sure that Phin’s friends don’t open a store in their mine owned and operated town. When their insidious plans don’t pan out, then desperation causes them to kidnap someone close to Phin’s heart. Elliot and Phin must race to catch the kidnappers before something unthinkable happens and the child is hurt. But will their hidden romance be revealed? And at what cost to the themselves, the town, and their loved ones waiting for them to return?

I have very mixed feelings about this story and some come from the westerns I love and read growing up. Those stories by Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey set a standard against which, right or wrongly, I judge all western stories I read. From their characters to their authentic settings and plots, I reveled in every story of theirs I could get my hands on. Luckily for me, my dad was an ardent fan of both authors so I had their entire library of stories to pull from whether it was Louis L’Amour’s The Sacketts or Zane Grey’s Riders of the Purple Sage.

Now I can hear you grumble that this is a m/m romance and that’s true. But that doesn’t make the comparisons any less relevant. I bring to these m/m western romances a need to hear a dialog that would make sense in the time period involved. I want behavior and mannerisms in keeping with the times and culture of the west. That includes Easterners that have made their home in the territories (for surely they would have appropriated some of the local colloquialisms and idiosyncrasies after they settled in the area) as well as taciturn cowboys and soldiers who have learned to hide their sexual preferences. I am also a stickler for detail and historical accuracies. While I have seen more than one author tripped up by poor research and inattention to detail, I have also read stories by authors (m/m authors) who embraced the genre and made it most memorably their own. With all that in mind, Somebody to Love is a mixed bag for me.

This is the first story I read by Merry Farmer and its apparently one in a series called Montana Romance. Without the other books as a support, I don’t know if the issues I have with Somebody to Love are pertinent only to this story or all the others too. So let’s start with the elements I thought were well done.

Merry Farmer has researched the era and physical setting of her story. The town of Cold Springs, Montana comes alive here with its stores, bank and lively citizenry. The section of the book that deals with the underhanded tactics of mine owners protecting their interests feels authentic and true to the times. The “Copper Kings” and the Anaconda Mining Company were ruthless in pursuit of their interests and holdings and their tactics were as varied and wide ranging as their need for domination of the copper market. Those agents are represented here by two women and how you feel about their characters, their “realness”, and their placement in the plot might guide your feelings about the story.

I did enjoy Farmer’s plot. I found it interesting and certainly entertaining. But what held me back from connecting with these characters and their passion for each other was believability. I never found their behaviors or actions to be realistic for both the time period and the setting. Phineas Bell is a “confirmed bachelor”, typical of that age. He has never demonstrated any interest in the women in town, and other than his adopted family of friends and their children, Phin occupies himself with his bank and financial dealings. In short, he is an upright, well regarded member of the community. Into town comes Elliot Tucker to upset everything, and I do mean everything, including the believability in their romance and story.

For me Elliot is everything that is “off” about Somebody to Love. Elliot is a former member of the Rough Riders that stormed San Juan hill and has arrived to take the Sheriff’s position in town. But almost immediately, without “taking the lay of the land” so to speak, Elliot decides to admit he’s gay to the town banker he just met, kiss him, assume he knows best for Phin and urges him to flirt and date girls in town, including some of the more disreputable bar girls, to act as beards for their affair. He starts a fight that Phin is involved in, all in a matter of hours and days. This is the man the town is supposed to have faith in as a Sheriff? Someone so completely lacking in judgement that his actions and hotheadedness would surely have gotten him killed in action before now. And our staid, closeted and utterly reliable banker is following his advice? Why would the town continue to let him hold their money and futures in his bank when all of a sudden his actions are unaccountably crazy? The fact is that they wouldn’t and a later scene with a run on the bank should have come much earlier in the story if the author had wanted to remain realistic to the times and actions of a small town in the territory. And Elliot’s strange and impetuous behaviors continue throughout the story to my astonishment. In the space of a few days the author has Elliot almost completely destroying Phin’s reputation and business and we are supposed to connect with this man? It never made any sense or came across as realistic for the times. For a war hardened soldier with the past that Farmer provided for him, Elliot is a strange and unbelievable character from start to finish. And he takes the character of Phineas Bell down the rabbit hole with him.

Merry Farmer included some wonderful and suspenseful scenes within this story. There are fires, and rescues, and all sort of shenanigans that will make you catch your breath and tense in anticipation of the action to come. Those segments are described with energy and are bright with emotion. But time after time, an element rises up to disconnect me from the story with its irrational and unrealistic idea or plot point. The town is flooded with counterfeit money at the exact same time to strange women come to town with threats and devious actions. Elliot and Phin figure it out but the town immediately assumes it’s Phin whose the culprit? And the actions they take, even after some initial investigations into the nefarious goings on, had me dumbfounded because they were so far removed from reality and common sense. The behavior of Phin and Elliot seemed to change according to the needs of the plot instead of being aligned along those of human nature and societal norms of 1901 in the Territories. I just could never lose myself in either their romance or the storyline as it proceeded no matter how I appreciated other parts of the story and various characters I met along the way.

It’s a difficult task authors set for themselves when writing historical novels, western or otherwise. They must bring their characters and stories to life within a defined range of cultural morays and mannerisms found in the particular time period they have set their stories. Everything, from the dialog and to laws and societal norms must be taken into consideration and still connect the readers to the plots and passions of those involved. That’s a huge undertaking, and it’s one I’m not sure Merry Farmer accomplished here. For every element I enjoyed there is its opposite that served to disconnect me from the story and the characters.

Somebody to Love is similar in my mind to a m/m “Paint Your Wagon” sort of story. Part of it made no sense, likewise the casting. Parts of it were fun, absolutely enjoyable while others were, well, lets be kind and just say perplexing. But not every reader will feel as I do and for some, this journey into 1901 Montana and a Cold Springs romance might just be the thing for them. It’s all in how you approach historical fiction and your tastes might vary from mine.

But if, like me, you are a fan of the more typical Western, including m/m Westerns, there is a host of other stories and authors to explore. Start with the older authors such as Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour and then look at the 5 star western m/m stories circulating now. There is a book and author out there for everyone. Let me know who is at the top of your list of authors and stories who brought the West alive to you!

Buy Links: All Romance (ARe) Amazon ” title=”Amazon”>Somebody To Love

Cover Art: The lovely cover is by Pehr Graphic Design.

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 288 pages
Published April 27th 2014
ASINB00K02UWIS
edition languageEnglish

Review: Floodgates by Mary Calmes

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

All Tracy Brandt ever wanted was a happy life. Instead what Tracy had was a complicated one. Business partners with a man many consider to be a Russian thug, Tracy knows better, even when their offices are bombed and he barely escapes with his life. Then there is Tracy’s love life. He thought he and his lover were happy and committed, then Tracy found his lover in bed with another man and the relationship was shattered. Or so Tracy thought.

But lately his ex,Breckin Alcott, has been trying to renew their relationship, something Tracy is sure he doesn’t want or does he? Then in the aftermath of the bombing, Tracy’s overprotective brother, DEA Agent Alexander Brandt, and his infuriating ex partner Cordell Nolan or Cord for short, show up at the hospital and things go from bad to worse.

For five years, Trace and Cord have been fighting the attraction between them. For Cord, it never worked because Trace wanted a commitment, something Cord was unwilling or unable to give at the time. For Trace, Cord was a player, a new man every night and that was something Trace would never be, just a one night stand. So for five years its been an impasse. Then Trace’s office gets bombed and Cord returns to help investigate and protect Tracy, a man Cord now wants to commit to for a future together.

When it appears that Trace is the target of an unknown assailant, not just the bombing, then Cord is determined to protect Trace at all costs. And if it means that they can finally break through the barriers that have been separating them, then nothing will stop Cord from finding who is behind the attacks on Trace so they can finally get their HEA.

I have loved Mary Calmes’ stories from the moment I read about Jory and Sam in A Matter of Time (both editions). For myself, Calmes is a comfort read. You know what to expect with her characters and dialog and you know how it will all end. The pleasure is in getting to that expected denouement and whatever couples involved HEAs. It is the comfort of the known, like the pleasure you have in a visit from an old friend. Perfect stories for that old armchair and evening in the jammies and bunny slippers.

But sometimes even that is not enough when other parts of the story let you down and familiar characters fall flat instead of fizz with effervescence. And that unfortunately is how Floodgates felt to me.

In Floodgates, Tracy is the Jory character and Sam is represented by Cord. Not a problem at face value as we have seen this in her contemporary fiction before. However, Tracy is that uber perfect character who never admits how hurt he is (physically or emotionally). Trace trusts everyone, including those people that clearly have the letter V on their foreheads for villain. He teases his ex who cheated on him and wonders why the man doesn’t think they are over. The ex, Breckin, is such an unsavory cad that you want to dust him for stds just seeing a mention of him on the page. But Trace is warm and welcoming each time they talk or meet or what have you. Really, after pages of this, you wonder why anyone would find Tracy realistic in any way because he never comes across as a viable human being.

Cord doesn’t suffer from the same characterization flaws that Trace does except that as an experienced detective, the mistakes made in the investigation and the “smack hand to the forehead” lack of any authentic police work, makes Cord as superficial a character as any of the others found here. And again there are an untold number of superficial characters to be found here. Normally that is not a problem because the reader is so involved in the main characters journey to love and a relationship. But when that founders, so does everything else like a domino chain effect.

And then there is Tracy’s business partner, Dimah Masir, a Russian who may or may not be a Russian mobster (first red herring alert). Dimah also may or may not have a mobster brother (second red herring alert). Tracy says he’s not but Dimah sure has plenty of henchmen running around and law enforcement officers who believe he’s a thug. No matter. After much is made of this connection, Dimah disappears entirely only to make an astonishingly unbelievable appearance almost at the end of the story. The only reason for Dimah to be in this story is to either be served up as a rather inedible red herring or Calmes intends to bring him back for his own story. Either way I did find him the most interesting element here so I was sorry to see him vanish.

And that brings me to the plot. It just didn’t work. At the beginning it appears that the bombing is connected to Dimah and his shady connections. But when Calmes discards that element, then the detours and misdirections that follow make no sense whatsoever. But perhaps the worst element is a villain that pops up out of nowhere, with little foundation laid for his role, and an arrow over his head that clearly marks him as the nut job to watch out for. Which of course, no one does, including the DEA agent and an seasoned detective. A 5 year old could figure out this character’s role in the plot. Unfortunately almost everything about Floodgates is a jumbled mess, lacking complexity or coherency.

And that includes nitpicky little details like a Vermont shack used to “store syrup from the maple trees”. Uh no. In Vermont as in other maple syrup producing states, a sugar shack is where the maple sap is boiled down into syrup, a labor intensive process that happens only in the spring when the sap is rising. And that process? Makes it much more expensive than $6/bottle for high grade maple syrup. A small mistake, true, but when the story is falling flat, it’s the small errors like this one that become highlighted in the narrative because your attention is everywhere but where it should be, which is on the plot.

For me, Floodgates is that Mary Calmes story that will never be reread or remembered. For some, the issues listed above will not matter. For them, its enough that it is a Mary Calmes romance. Its predictability, characters, sweetness, and HEA is all they need to recommend it. And that’s perfectly fine. But for others, this may not be the romance for you. There are other Mary Calmes stories I would recommend, including her wonderful supernatural series or other contemporary stories like Frog. If you are new to this author, I would start there. For everyone else, I will let you make up your own mind.

Cover art by Reese Dante. What a spectacular cover, evocative and one of the best of the year.

Book Details:

ebook, 234 pages
Published March 3rd 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published March 2nd 2014)
ISBN 162798738X (ISBN13: 9781627987387)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Review: Ashland (WereWolf Fight League #2) by Lynn Lorenz

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

For years Dan Stoltz has dreamed of owning his own werewolf fighter. He apprenticed with the well-known trainer and friend, Murphy, and now he is ready to make his first purchase. At the auctions, Murphy points out a slave that he thinks would make a good fighter, one being sold because his owner is broke and can’t pay his back taxes. Dan is wavering,as he has decided upon an Asian were. Then the slave raises his head and looks into Dan’s eyes. With that one gaze, Dan is lost and determined to have Ashland at any cost.

Ashland has known nothing but abuse at the hands of his former owner, Durio. Starved, sexually abused, kept weak for his owner’s amusement, now Ashland is for sale again and fears the new master who buys him. He sees Dan Stolz watching him on the auction block. When Dan wins the bidding war and buys him, Ashland finds that his life has changed for the better. With good food, rest, and training, Ashland thrives, becoming a skilled sparing partner. And something more happens. Dan and Ashland are attracted to each other, lust and something more threatening the bonds being built between master and slave.

Ashland is the second installment in the WereWolf Fight League series and the main characters make this a very different book from Tor, the first in the series. In the first book, the relationships are between slaves, the Owner/Master Marrack is a secondary character. In Ashland, the relationship starts with the characters occupying two different strata in society. Dan Stolz, Murphy and Ashland’s former owner Durio are free man, Masters in every sense of the word. Lorenz’ universe seems to mirror ours here, at least as far as economics, as each man above has a slightly different financial reality. Murphy is doing well as a seasoned successful trainer. Dan is the apprentice who is ready to branch out on his own, lower middle case on the rise. And then there is Durio, bankrupt and unable to pay his taxes, someone on the way down and hopefully out.

Next are the slaves, human and were. Some fighters are breeders and are intact. Others like Ashland have been “snipped”, they can function but not reproduce, an almost gelding as it were. There are sex slaves of both genders, and instead of prison, those free men who have committed crimes against the government or society pay by becoming slaves themselves, condemned to perform the worst tasks society can give them (getting rid of the dead and cleaning up the streets). Owners have total control, including rape, over their slaves, although change is coming via were and slave right activists.

A Master/slave relationship is by definition an unequal relationship as the Master has total power over the slave. So I was expecting to see something of that reflected back in the story. And outside the brief mention of Durio’s actions towards Ashland, I didn’t see that. In fact I found this owner/slave dynamic missing in this slave/owner relationship story. Almost from the first, Dan is treating Ashland less like a slave and more like a person he wants to get to know. Yes, Dan is a new owner, one of the people who believe in humane treatment of slaves, but still I found his attitude and behavior towards Ashland anything but masterful.

I have to admit I didn’t mind that this aspect was missing from the story (I actually preferred it this way) but just found it a bit odd. Their love for each others develops at the same pace as Ashland’s training, with the traumatized Ashland wanting Dan’s affections to Dan needing Ashland yet not wanting to abuse Ashland’s trust. Apparently men don’t communicate very well in alternate worlds either.

New characters are introduced, another Master/slave/slave grouping, that I expect to appear in the third book. I liked this trio. They have real possibilities as men who respect each other within the limitations of their society. I think my problem here is that the inequality within Dan and Ashland’s relationship continues even when Dan professes his love for Ashland. Dan calls him “baby” which is accurate given his inability to read or navigate in Dan’s world. Ashland remains emotionally unprepared for the status Dan is laying on him. At least that is the way it seems to me.

There is a measure of suspense with regard to Ashland’s former owner trying to reclaim his slave. The resolution of this plot thread is so pat that it felt perfunctory. Wrapped up all too quickly, with many issues left unanswered, I found myself wishing that Lorenz had added at least a chapter or two of the “behind the scenes” mechanisms that made the ending possible. I found myself liking this story marginally less than Tor perhaps because of the difference in relationship as well as the ending. I think that the people who liked Tor will find themselves divided over this story. And perhaps those that didn’t care for Tor will love the dynamics in play here. Either way Lynn Lorenz’s wonderful, heartfelt characters make this a werewolf story to add to your collection.

Stories in the WereWolf Fight League series include:

Tor (WereWolf Fight League #1)
Ashland (WereWolf Fight League #2), in many ways a prequel to Tor

No Publishers warnings accompany this story, unlike Tor, the first in the series.

Book Details:

ebook, 1st Edition, 151 pages

Published November 5th 2013 by Loose Id (first published November 4th 2013)

ISBN13 9781623005528

edition language English

url http://www.loose-id.com/newest/current-week/werewolf-fight-league-ashland.html

series WereWolf Fight League

Review: Fool For Love by Cassandra Gold

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

College professor Vincent Norton is feeling every bit of his forty-five years of age. Three years ago his partner of 20 years died in a car accident. Estranged from his family, now just his dad, Vince has used all his energy and time at his profession, teaching college kids and not much else, Even his apartment of three years still looks empty of personality or his past. His life is in on hold until he meets one of his neighbors from the apartment next door. One of a group of four college students, Vince finds the young man attractive and that is something he hasn’t felt for 3 years.

Rob Bridges is 21 and getting ready to graduate at a nearby college. He has been secretly crushing on the older man in the apartment across from his. That man is tall, gorgeous with just a little silver starting to show at the temple and Rob wants to date him. But he doesn’t even know anything about him other than he is a professor at Washington University, let alone that he is gay? What is a man to do?

An accident in the hallway brings the two men together and a date soon follows. And while Rob is sure Vince is the one he wants, Vince is having second and even third thoughts. The age gap between them is huge and surely Rob will tire of an older man, won’t he? Opposition to their dating mounts from all sides. Will Rob succeed in making Vince believe in their love or will Vince’s own doubts and outside influences push him away permanently?

In Fool For Love Cassandra Gold has written a very sweet love story. Her May – December romance between Vince Norton and Rob Bridges has many lovely qualities, including two believable characters who talk and act their age. Vince Norton is every bit the still grieving, stuck in stasis middle aged professor. He cares about his students and mourns the loss of the man he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. In an authentic touch, Gold has his apartment reflect this inability to move forward. It’s not decorated, bare walls and barren of spirit, it states that it is more of a staging area than a home. And I absolutely believed in Vince and his current situation. Her characterization is of a man who finally realizes he might be ready to move on but how and with whom?

Then into the picture comes Rob Bridges, another likable persona. He is intelligent, compassionate, and kind. He is also quite handsome. And Rob likes older men and has been secretly crushing on Vince next door. All well and good. Rob has three roommates who are also his friends. I liked their easy acceptance of his sexuality as well as the layers to their characterizations. If one acts like a jerk, he is also capable of an apology that makes sense. Again, I like the secondary characters involved in Vince and Rob’s story. They are all quite human, funny and flawed. And their presence goes a long way in making this story more viable and lovely to read.

Another moving element is the scenes with Vince’s Dad. I think Gold handled this aspect of taking care of older parents realistically and quite movingly. And unfortunately, I think it helped highlight what might be the one obstacle that will keep readers from connecting to this book and Vince and Rob’s relationship. And that would be the huge gap in their ages.

We aren’t talking 5, 10 or even 15 years here. No, the gap is that of 25 years and for many people that will be an insurmountable obstacle. And I think I count myself among them. Cassandra Gold did such a good job with her characters that Rob feels way too young for Vince. And yes Vince is far too old for a young man of 21. As the author has Vince point out, they are at two very different stages in their lives and that gets brushed over a little too quickly. When Rob breaks down in tears because Vince had to cancel out on an important date, while we might have had some empathy for him, it also highlighted just how young Gold had made him emotionally. Vince gets mistaken for Rob’s father while out on dates (again I can see that). And as Vince cared for his dying father and thought about himself and Rob in the same position, I found myself agreeing with him that it was entirely plausible. It’s not something you want to bring up in a love affair but 25 years is 25 years and Vince is turning 47 as the book ends.

And finally, because yes, my mind goes there. There is the physical differences in physiology between a 21 year old man and a 46* year old man. At 21 years old, the sexual drive can match up with the body’s ability. Unfortunately, not so with middle-age. And that wasn’t touched on at all. Perhaps because it’s not a very sexy thing to think about. Athough I have read some books where the authors treated aspect realistically and still made the relationship sexy. Certainly though it is a fact of life, not exactly dealt with here. But that’s what I kept thinking about. So yes, I just couldn’t make myself believe in this romantic relationship. To be honest, I don’t think I would by it as a M/F romance either. The difference is just too great.

There are a couple of odd phrasing here and some confusion about ages, all that is minor issues in an otherwise sweet narrative. So again, how you feel about the age gap between these two realistically portrayed men will define how you feel towards Fool For Love. It has many lovely elements but in the end I just couldn’t connect to the love affair. You make up your own mind.

Cover art by Valerie Tibbs is far preferable to the original. At least it shows two men of difference ages. But the blue tone makes it all a little hard to see.

*It states that Vince is 45 at the beginning of the book, then 46 and at the epilogue which occurs one year later, Vince is turning 47.

Book Details:

Note:This book is a re-edited, revised version of one previously released by another publisher.

Published August 20th 2013 by Loose Id, LLC (first published April 9th 2009)

original title: Fool For Love

ASINB00EOA5Q8I

edition language English

url http://www.loose-id.com/fool-for-love.html

characters Vince Norton

setting United States

Review: The Night Visitor by Ewan Creed

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Kevin fled his old life in St. Louis for a new startup in Memphis. New job, new place but that was about all. Then the dreams started, dreams that felt so real that Kevin wasn’t sure when he was awake and when he was asleep. Every night the same tattooed man gave him the most erotic, sexual experiences of his life. Then the dream starts reoccurring, in greater detail and with more vivid feelings then Kevin has ever experienced, until it starts to overwhelm Kevin’s new life. Then Kevin’s starts to wonder….is his night visitor real or imagined?

The Night Visitor by Ewan Creed left me with mixed emotions. An erotic short story, it starts out accomplishing its goal. Creed gives us a vivd sexual dream, Kevin’s erotic dream to be specific. It involves a rough looking tatted up man who Kevin pays to have sex with. It’s hot, the descriptions are sexy, and it works because the rough language goes along with the scene unfolding on the pages. Then the author reaches for more, more in plot, more in descriptive language, and it sort of falls to pieces.

This is our first sighting of “Vic”, the man of Kevin’s dreams:

Another man walked down the sidewalk towards him. He was tall and shirtless and moved with a swaggering confidence that came from knowing himself and knowing these streets. A dirty white wife beater was tucked into the waist of his low slung and tattered jeans. A large serpent tattoo wrapped around one shoulder, curling down his lean torso and disappearing below the elastic band of his underwear. The man looked side to side as he approached. Then he looked straight ahead. He caught Kevin’s eye and sneered.

His hair was buzzed beneath his side-angled ballcap. He looked to be a bad boy, a tasty piece of very rough trade. That was just the way Kevin liked them.

And the initial dream sequences work, the language and vocabulary is coarse, the sex dirty and hot. It’s all pretty erotic. But Creed has a larger agenda here, a larger plot than just the erotic dreams of a man in a new setting. And soon the narrative is muddied with dream within dream sequences that serve to confuse rather than elucidate and the descriptive terms turn from white hot and sexy to unintentionally humorous.

Vocabulary choices such as man meat, piss slit, fire hose, man meat, and (beautiful, glistening) tool just serve to tumble the narrative from the provocative into a giggling disbelief, never a goal for an author writing erotica. Authors have to be careful when choosing words to represent the human sexual anatomy because it can so often turn hilarious just when it needs to be smoking hot.*

While beautiful rod is no “purple pickle of passion” some of the other vocabulary choices come close. Plus we have pecker,prick, cock, tool, and man meat all used within a couple of sentences of each other (sometimes within the same sentence). It’s excessive, too many terms kill the erotic tones of the sex scene being described instead of heighten it.

Getting past the vocabulary, then my final issues are with the plot. I like what Ewan Creed was trying to achieve but I just don’t feel that it worked here. The Night Visitor needs either more volume, more pages to bring off the full plot the author has planned or it needed to be cropped down further to just a short erotic story. But by trying to pull off both elements in 52 pages, Creed ended up with a story that felt like an awkward combination of outright erotica and paranormal short story, seemly scattered and somewhat confusing.

I gave The Night Visitor a 3 star rating because there are good elements here as well as a promising plot. And while some of the vocabulary made me giggle it didn’t have me wanting to put the book down either. So you make up your own mind. I kind of enjoyed this one and you might feel the same. Consider this conditionally recommended.

Here is an example of what made me giggle: “The night visitor was a real fire hose.” “big juicy slab of meat”.

Book Details:

ebook, 13,000 words, 52 pages

Published September 25th 2013 by Wilde City Press

ISBN13 9781925031539

url Wilde City Press

*Vocabulary Gone Bad

Review: Waiting for Ty (Lovers and Friends #2) by Samantha Ann King

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Tyler Coil and his his best friend, gorgeous Landon Burke, have been best friends since college. Landon, a cancer researcher, and Tyler, a politcal reporter, have remained close even though they no longer reside in the same city. Landon has secretly loved his best friend for years, just watched as Tyler dated one woman after another, never seriously. Now Tyler has come to stay with Landon at his apartment for a time while working on a report. Landon is getting ready to buy a condo and take a sabbatical for 6 months in another city. The time is ripe for change in their relationship. Will Landon take a chance on love or let his dream of happiness with Tyler go?

I have mixed feelings about Waiting for Ty. It is the second book in the Lovers and Friends series by Samantha Ann King. The first book, Sharing Hailey (Lovers and Friends #1) is a menage (m/f/m) book that contains a fair amount of back story missing from this book. But as menages are not my thing, I won’t be reading that one. And without that information, much of this book feels incomplete as the author did not take the time to build it into her narrative. And that is just one of the issues with Waiting for Ty.

The story opens with Ty visiting Landon in his rental apartment just as two important events in Landon’s life are about to take place. He is finally finished with his years of college, including graduate degrees and is working as a cancer researcher. He has bought a condo and has agreed to take a 6 month sabbatical from his current position to work with another research group in a different state. And in walks Ty. Tyler is in town to meet with a informer for a explosive political expose’ he is working on. His entrance and the start of the novel is so abrupt that we feel as though we have entered midway through the novel. The reader is given little to no back story as to the men or their history together. It is just so odd that it is almost impossible to feel engaged in Landon’s predicament or their relationship.

Once the plot moves forward and the men try to establish a relationship amid family disapproval and personal assertiveness, then the book takes shape and the reader can finally settle into feeling more connected to the men and their struggle to be together. Ty is “straight” so this reads as a “gay for you” story which I am not sure that I bought into. Their initial sex scene came across the page as being somewhat polished in experience considering Ty’s inexperience. I really thought the author did her best work with describing the family dynamics and religious beliefs that threaten to tear the couple apart even as they are getting started. That aspect of this story really highlights Samantha Ann King’s talents as a writer. Tyler’s family comes across as real and absolutely believable in their bedrock fundamental religious beliefs even after having evidence as to their love, especially his mother, for their son. The stress that Landon is under during his first visit to Tyler’s family and the strained family dynamics are perfectly portrayed. It’s sad, and it has the feel of a family ready to break apart, splintering beyond any of the family’s power to heal the fractures about to be created.

Tyler’s change of face with regard to his sexuality and relationship with Landon is a little too pat, and the ending of this novel comes about a little too soon to feel authentic as well. I liked this story but felt it had so much more potential than was evidenced in the final product. I think Samantha Ann King has a gift that she has just begun to explore and I look forward to more stories from this author. I liked this story but am on the fence as to whether I would recommend it.

Stories in the Lovers and Friends series:

Sharing Hailey (Lovers and Friends #1)

Waiting for Ty (Lovers and Friends #2)

Book Details:

ebook, 36,000 words

Expected publication: July 29th 2013 by Carina Press

ISBN13 781426896033

edition language English

series Lovers and Friends

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