Tag: A Free Dreamer Review

A Free Dreamer Review: Coyote’s Creed (Broken Mirrors #1) by Vaughn R. Demont

Rating: 5 stars out of 5    ★★★★★

Always have an ace up your sleeve.

Broken Mirrors, Book 1

Coyote's CreedIf con games were taught in high school, Spencer Crain would be on the honor roll. As it is, he’ll be riding the edge of failure to graduation next month. Then Spence gets the news that his long-gone father is not only dead, but was a Coyote, one of three clans of tricksters in the City.

With a near-catatonic mother on his hands, Spence couldn’t care less about the Coyotes’ ongoing feud with the Phouka and the Kitsune—until it lands on his doorstep. Suddenly he’s thrown headfirst into a dangerous world he knows next-to-nothing about. His only guide is Rourke, dashing King of the Phouka, plus a growing pack of half-siblings, a god, and Fate herself.

As Spence embarks on a journey to learn the Coyote’s creed, the truth about his heritage, and how to handle his growing attraction to Rourke, he wonders when his life turned from TV sitcom to real-life danger zone. And what price must he pay to survive the next roll of the dice…

Warning: Contains PG-13 rated violence, R-rated language and X-rated hotel scenes. Meta-humor, pop-culture humor, utter disregard for the 4th wall abound.

This is one of those books I picked up a while ago and never got around to read. When I finally did find the time to start it, I’d forgotten what it was about. So I essentially started this without any expectations whatsoever, because I never read a blurb right before starting the book. Now that I’ve read both blurb and book, I can only say: Hell yeah! Coyote’s Creed definitely delivers what the blurb promises.

Spencer’s long-absent father dies and Spencer is apparently the designated Speaker. He couldn’t care less about the death of his father. In fact, he decides to attend the wake just so he can spit on his father’s grave or “accidentally” knock over his ashes. But then he learns that his father was a Coyote, one of three paranormal trickster clans in the City and that his uncle Rourke is a Phouka. He also finds himself very attracted to Rourke (don’t worry, no incest, he’s not his real uncle, Spencer just called Rourke “uncle” when growing up). And that’s only the beginning of what turns into a truly insane adventure, full of secrets and lies and intrigues.

I absolutely loved Spencer. He’s funny, he’s witty and he’s definitely not your typical romance hero. He’s a trickster and a bit of a pick pocket and doesn’t care too much that it’s illegal. His knowledge of TV tropes is truly awe-inspiring and he always knows just what a TV hero would do to avoid getting killed. Naturally, real life isn’t all that simple, but his ideas on the matter are epic. It was easy to fall for his charms and to just get sucked into his world full of crazy.

Spencer is bi and unlike in many other books of the genre, it’s not just an excuse so he can have kids or only mentioned in passing. He flirts openly with men and women and is very obviously attracted to both. There’s some kissing and quite a bit of talk about boobs. Sex only happens between Spencer and Rourke, so no on-screen naked girly bits. 😉 It’s something I liked about this book, though. I always like my MCs to be diverse and Spencer definitely fits the bill.

The author obviously put a lot of thought into this world. There are three different races, each with their own individual traits, there are gods, there’s Fate, and countless “knacks”. Those knacks make for some really interesting characters.

The plot was incredibly fast-paced and you can do nothing but hurtle along at break-neck speed till the very unpredictable ending. I loved it. It was so very addicting.

The sex was plentiful and hot, and yet didn’t take anything away from the plot. But don’t expect a real love story. Spencer and Rourke aren’t really a couple, it’s more of a friends with benefits kind of relationship.

Long story short: I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read part two. This was so much fun.

Cover: The cover by Angela Waters doesn’t really fit the mood of the story. It looks much more serious and almost angsty. Still, Spencer looks good on there and the Ace on his pocket fits.

Sales Links:  Samhain Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 273 pages
Published October 11th 2011 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ASINB005BSMXDS
Edition Language English
Series Broken Mirrors #1
Characters James Black, Spencer Crain
Literary Awards Rainbow Award for Best Gay Paranormal/Horror (2012)

A Free Dreamer Review: Opening Moves (Chess #1) by Sean Michael

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Opening Moves 2Threesome Rook, Knight and Bishop make Jason an offer he can’t refuse. Can the four of them be exactly what they each need? Find out in this Opening Move.

Rook, Knight and Bishop have been searching for a fourth man to join their threesome for quite a while when Knight meets Jason, the live model in the art class he’s auditing. He thinks that Jason is the perfect man for them and his lovers Rook and Bishop quickly agree. The trick will be convincing Jason…

Join these sexy men as they make their Opening Moves.

It always seems that there’s no way around Sean Michael, if you’re a fan of M/M BDSM Erotica. So I figured it was high time I gave this famous author a try as well. And a M/M/M/M romance/erotica is not something I’ve ever read before, so I had high hopes. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed.

Essentially, this was porn without plot. There’s not a single page without sex or thinking or talking about sex in the entire book. Porn isn’t so bad every now and then, but somehow the sex was rather boring here. It probably didn’t help that I really struggled to keep Rook, Knight and Bishop apart, so I was constantly wondering who was doing what. The sex felt kind of formulaic, to be honest. We start off with sucking and end up fucking. There was a bit of BDSM between Bishop and Knight, but that wasn’t really all that exciting either.

The whole set up was a little silly and unrealistic. There’s Rook, Bishop and Knight in a happy relationship. They have tons of money and find themselves craving a fourth man in their relationship. So they decide to hire a boy to play with for a year. They choose Jason. Now, Jason isn’t gay, but he’s broke and likes the trial sex with Rook, so he agrees. Turns out Jason is very much gay and loves every sexual activity with the three men. He occasionally questions his sexuality, but then sex ensues and he kind of seems to forget about the whole thing.

Another issue with this book was the characters themselves. I was simply unable to connect to them at all. There was so much sex, there was no room for any real feelings to develop. I didn’t dislike them, I just didn’t care about them at all. Again, my inability to keep them apart didn’t help.

Still, the idea behind the story is definitely unusual and does have potential. In the beginning, the sex was quite alright, too, till it started getting repetitive.

Cover art works for the story.

Sales Link: Pride Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition, 120 pages
Published October 6th 2015 by Pride Publishing (first published January 30th 2012)
ISBN139781784308087
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesChess #1

A Free Dreamer Review: Stalking Darkness (Nightrunner #2) by Lynn Flewelling

Rating: 5 stars out of 5              ★★★★★

Stalking DarknessWith the Leran threat laid to rest, Alec and Seregil are now able to turn their attention to the ancient evil which threatens their land. The Plenimarans, at war with Skalans, have decided to defeat their ancient enemy by raising up the Dead God, Seriamaius. The early attempts at this reincarnation—masterminded by the sinister Duke Mardus and his sorcerous minion Vargul Ashnazai—once left Seregil in a sorcerous coma. Now, an ancient prophecy points to his continuing role in the quest to stop Mardus in his dread purpose.

Seregil’s friend and Mentor, the wizard Nysander, has long been the guardian of a deadly secret. In a secret, silver-lined room hidden well beneath the Oreska, he has served for most of his 300 years as the keeper of a nondescript clay cup. But this cup, combined with a crystal crown and some wooden disks, forms the Helm of Seriamaius, and any mortal donning the reconstructed Helm will become the incarnation of the god on earth.

Nysander holds the cup and Mardus the wooden disks—one of which was responsible for Seregil’s coma—but the crown must still be located. Threatened under pain of death by Nysander to keep his quest a secret even from his loyal companion, Alec, Seregil is dispatched to find the last missing piece of the Helm so that he and Nysander can destroy it. But this is only the beginning of one of his deadliest journeys ever, for the prophecy also holds that four will come together in a time of darkness, and gradually all that Seregil values is placed at risk as he, Alec, Nysander and Micum are drawn into a deadly web of terror and intrigue.

After absolutely loving part one of this series, I of course had high expectations for this book, too. And I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. This might even have been a tad better than part one.

I read part one a while ago, so I did have some trouble with all the names in the beginning. It’s probably best to not take too big breaks between the individual parts. This way you won’t have so much trouble remembering names and events of the previous book(s).

At times, this did get actually rather gory. It fit the plot and it wasn’t overdone, but if that’s not your thing, be careful.

I continued to fall in love with Alec and Seregil. They really grew and changed throughout this book, especially Alec. His life has changed so much in such a short time and it really affected his development.

All main characters really grew on me and my heart went out to them whenever they were faced with difficulties. It was easy to relate to their feelings and they felt very realistic to me.

I loved that the author introduced a new main character with Micum’s daughter Beka. Her pov was really interesting.

The plot was absolutely amazing. So very addictive. I often found myself reading till the early morning hours, because I just couldn’t stop. There was so much going on, but it never got confusing. The ending just about broke my heart. It was so completely unexpected, I could only gape in horror for a few minutes.

There’s a bit more romance here than in part one, but only in the second half and still very low-key. But the little bit that was there was absolutely wonderful.

Once again, the world building was very impressive. Lots of descriptions about religious and cultural rites made it very easy to really feel at home in the world the author created.

Overall, I just absolutely loved “Stalking Darkness” and I’m delighted I already own part three. I absolutely can’t wait to find out what adventures Alec and Seregil will face next.

This is a series for all those fantasy lovers out there, who are craving awesome world building with a hint of gay romance.

The cover by Gary Ruddell shows a scene toward the end of the book. Just like the first cover, it definitely fits the story. Well done.

Buy the Book Here:  Amazon Paperback |  Kindle

Book details:

Paperback, 501 pages, first published 1997 by Bantam Spectra

Kindle Edition, Reissue, 513 pages
Published November 17th 2010 by Spectra (first published February 3rd 1997)
Original TitleStalking Darkness
ASINB004AM5R4S
Edition Language English

Series: Part 2 of the Nightrunner series

A Free Dreamer Review: Luck in the Shadows (Nightrunner #1) by Lynn Flewelling

Rating: 5 stars out of 5  ★★★★★

Luck in the Shadows cover“A new star is rising in the fantasy firmament…teems with magic and spine-chilling amounts of skullduggery.”–Dave Duncan, author of The Great Game

When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things–none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine, and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec’s new mentor, and this time there just might be…Luck in the Shadows.

I absolutely loved this. I’m always looking for great fantasy novels with very low key romance and this had the added bonus of Seregil enjoying the company of men as well as women.


The romance was as good as non-existent, really, but there’s definitely hope for Alec and Seregil. I loved both of them. Seregil the ever mysterious spy/thief who won’t talk about his past and Alec, who starts out so naive and then turns out to be so very clever.


The world building was excellent. Religion, language, history, culture, politics – it was all there. The map could have been a little more detailed, though. There were a lot of places I couldn’t find that were mentioned in the book. Or maybe I just seriously suck at map reading.


The plot had me hooked from page one, with lots of unexpected twists and turns. Very addicting and definitely not boring!

There was always some new intrigue to uncover or some new mystery to solve, while still having an underlying ultimate goal.

Usually, I read my m/m romance on my Kindle, but I decided to go with the paperback version for “Luck in the Shadows”. And I’m glad I did. I’m of the very firm opinion that any halfway decent fantasy novel deserves to be read in paperback and I just love my old, battered copy that I got off the internet for very little money. I’m old fashioned like that. And skipping back and forth between map and story is definitely easier with a paperback than with the Kindle.


If you’re looking for a great love story with decent fantasy, then you’d better keep looking. There is no love story here. If, however, you find yourself craving amazing fantasy with a hint of romance, then this is just the book for you.

The cover by Gary Ruddell looks like so many other 90s fantasy covers. Nothing mind-blowing, but definitely fitting.

Sales Link:  Amazon Paperback   | Amazon Kindle

Book Details:

ebook, paperback, both versions available in both languages

ebook, 476 pages
Published November 3rd 2010 by Spectra (first published September 1996)
Original TitleLuck in the Shadows
ISBN 0307774996 (ISBN13: 9780307774996)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesNightrunner #1
CharactersAlec í Amasa of Kerry, Seregil í Korit Solun Meringil Bôkthersa

A Free Dreamer Review: The Hot Floor by Josephine Myles

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

The Hot FloorTwo plus one equals scorching hot fun. 

Dumped by his boyfriend and reduced to living in a grotty bedsit, Josh Carpenter has gotten used to expecting the worst. Now he lives only for his job as a glassblower…and occasional glimpses of his sexy downstairs neighbors, Rai Nakamura and Evan Truman.

Every time he overhears the diminutive academic and the hunky plumber having loud and obviously kinky sex, Josh is overwhelmed with lust…and a longing for a fraction of what they have.

To his amazement, Rai and Evan find his embarrassing tendency to blush utterly charming, and the three men grow closer over the course of the long, hot summer. Despite Rai’s charming flirtation and Evan’s smoldering gaze, Josh is determined never to break his new friends’ loving bonds.

On the night a naked Josh falls—quite literally—into the middle of one of Rai and Evan’s marathon sex sessions, the force of their mutual attraction takes control. But just as Josh dares to hope, he senses a change. Leaving him to wonder if the winds of love are about to blow his way at last…or if history is about to repeat itself.

Warning: Contains one well-endowed stud with a sexy accent, one improbably toppy bottom boy with an unfortunate owl obsession, and one blushing naïf who can’t believe his luck. Also, the occasional indulgence in mathematical spanking and some shameless armpit sex.

The book is all the blurb promises: A little silly, a few stereotypes and first and foremost tons of sex.

The sex was definitely interesting and unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an armpit kink and I really don’t think that’s my kind of kink, but hey, at least the author got creative. Other than that, it really wasn’t all that kinky. There was a bit of spanking and a hint of D/s, but mostly it’s just three guys having fun. So don’t worry if heavy kink isn’t your kind of thing.

Josh got annoying after a while, with his insecurities and his inability to talk about feelings. It felt like the whole plot solely revolved on him not being able to just come out and say how he feels. Instead he sulks and wallows in self-pity.

I loved that the author gave him such an unusual job, but unfortunately there weren’t many scenes with Josh really working. It’s a shame when an author makes the effort to come up with an unusual job and then only mentions it in passing, instead of writing some really interesting job-related scenes.

Rai and Evan didn’t get much of a characterisation. Rai was the nerdy twink and Evan the very well-hung top. The author did include a bit about their history, but it wasn’t enough to make them feel really alive to me, instead of like the stereotypes they represent at first glance.

What I missed the most about this book was the plot. Nothing much actually happened. There’s Josh pining after Rai and Evan, then he falls into their bathroom, they have sex, they have even more sex, Josh wallows in self-pity, they talk, they have sex, they live happily ever after. It got a little boring toward the end, to be honest.

To sum it up, “The Hot Floor” isn’t spectacularly good or spectacularly bad. It’s okay. More plot and characterisation would have really helped me enjoy this book more.

If you’re looking for a quick read with lots of steamy sex, then “The Hot Floor” is a great book. Just don’t expect too much of a real plot.

 The cover by Lou Harper fits the steamy mood of the book perfectly. These guys are absolutely drool-worthy!

Sales Links:  Samhain Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book details:

ebook, 233 pages
Published September 25th 2012 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN 1619212986 (ISBN13: 9781619212985)
Edition LanguageEnglish
URLhttp://josephinemyles.com/published-stories/the-hot-floor/

A Free Dreamer Review: Song of the Navigator by Astrid Amara (Double Review*)

Rating: 5 stars out of 5 ★★★★★

Worst Possible Birthday: Being sold into slavery by none other than your lover.

Song of the NavigatorTover Duke’s rare ability to move anything instantly across light-years of space makes him a powerful, valuable asset to the Harmony Corporation, and a rock star among the people of the colonies. His life is luxurious. Safe. Routine.

He has his pick of casual hookups passing through Dadelus-Kaku Station. His one brush with danger of any kind—the only bright spot in his otherwise boring life—is Cruz Arcadio, a dark-haired, hard-bodied engineer whose physical prowess hints he’s something much more.

When a terrorist abducts Tover, hurling him into a world of torture, exploitation and betrayal, it’s with shattering disbelief that he realizes his kidnapper is none other than Cruz. As Tover struggles to find the courage to escape his bondage, he begins to understand the only way to free his body, his mind—and his heart—is to trust the one man who showed him that everything about his once-perfect life was a lie.

Warning: This story contains descriptions of extreme violence and assault. It also contains graphic sexual depictions. It also has a lot of birds. And pirate movies from the future. And romance.

 I didn’t read the blurb all that carefully and thus went into this expecting something much lighter. Song of the Navigator is definitely not light. At times, it’s very dark and violent. The slavery here is real. Tover really does get tortured and there’s no redeeming the slavers. I was positively surprised, to be honest.

Cruz sells Tover into slavery. To me, that seemed like something you can’t possibly forgive anybody and thus a credible romance between Cruz and Tover seemed completely impossible to me. The author works with that expectation. Tover is furious with Cruz, hates him, even, and spends a lot of time thinking about how he’ll kill the man he once loved. I was right there with Tover, absolutely hating Cruz. There is no excuse for betraying anybody like this, even a casual hook-up. But Astrid Amara managed to convince me, and Tover, to slowly forgive and understand Cruz. It took time and there was a lot of hurt for a very long time, but it worked out eventually. That was incredibly well done. Somehow, I went from hating Cruz to really liking and understanding him.

Tover was instantly likeable and I found it very easy to relate to him throughout the many things he experiences. At first, he’s carefree, a bit superficial and also quite vain. He’s cocky and self-assured, which is to be expected. Improvisational navigators are revered. There’s even a bunch of people who think he’s a god. That’s the world he’s lived in since he was a little child. But then he gets kidnapped and sold into slavery. He’s tortured and treated like a tool. Suddenly his world comes crashing down and Tover changes. What follows is some really excellent character building.

The world the author created in this book was intriguing, with lots of creative ideas and enough world building to satisfy even me. The world building was cleverly woven into the plot, without any info dumping whatsoever.

The plot was addicting and full of surprising twists and turns. The end was unexpected and very satisfying. Overall I just absolutely loved Song of the Navigator. If you’re looking for some good sci-fi with real world building and don’t mind a bit (or a lot) of violence, then I’m sure you’ll love this. If you’re looking for a fluffy romance with a dash of sci-fi, however, keep looking. This is not the book for you.

Personally, I’ll definitely check out the author’s other works. Astrid Amara has some serious world building skills.

Cover: The cover by Kanaxa is great. The dark brownish red somehow really fits the tone of the story.

Sales Links:  ARe | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book details:

Kindle Edition, 224 pages
Published May 26th 2015 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ASINB00SB49GJ8
urlhttp://astridamara.com/portfolio/navigator/
*Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Note: This is the 2nd Review of this Book: When F. D. said she finished reading this story and wanted to write a review, I knew that BJ had already read and written her review which we posted here.  But I was curious, how would F. D. view Astrid Amara and this story?  Too dark?  I should have known better.  Consider this a double recommendation for this amazing author and novel.

A Free Dreamer Review: Retribution (Tribute #2) by Kate Pearce

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Retribution_600x900Cheated out of his exit from the Tribute program, Kai Mexr is forced to return as a trainer for one more year. His trainee, Aled Price, is an idealistic Mitan patriot who Kai struggles not to loathe on sight, and who seems up for any challenge Kai sets him. As Aled learns to give up control and endure the program’s worst, Kai is drawn into an intense sexual game that leaves him wanting more.

But then Aled must fulfill his duty as Tribute. He must endure the Ungrich—or die.

When Aled returns, it takes Kai’s ruthless presence to pull his trainee back from the brink of madness. Surviving the Ungrich makes Aled doubt his blind allegiance to his planet—and to everything else he’d never thought to question. But with Kai at his side, Aled finds a new cause to believe in. And with the help of master trainer Akran and his partner Anna Lee, Aled and Kai forge unbreakable allegiances of blood, sex, and love that could save the entire planet from the Ungrich for good.

Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes: Dubious Consent, Non-Consent, Explicit Violence, Heavy Kink

 First of all: Please do take that warning seriously. I don’t think there was a single really consensual sex scene in this book. There was even a bit of tentacle rape, though that was rather short and non-explicit. There’s also a LOT of kink here. If any of those things bother you, this is not a book for you.

I didn’t read book one of the series but I never felt like I missed vital information. So this definitely works as a stand-alone, even if the ending has a very mean cliff hanger.

Essentially, “Retribution” is 100 pages of pure sex, with a bit of combat training mixed in. The sex was really, really hot and very kinky. I decided not to read this while out in public after a few pages. It had me all hot and bothered. 😉

I didn’t realize there would be in this, so I was a little worried when I started reading and saw the tentacles at the beginning of each chapter. Tentacle rape is so not my kind of thing, but those scenes were mercifully brief and unlike everything else, also rather non-explicit.

There was no real plot here and the world-building was pretty much non-existent. Honestly, I didn’t mind that much. The occasional bit of porn is fun and this had just the right length.

If you’re looking for a quick, hot read with tons of kink and don’t mind non-/dub-con, then you’ll like “Retribution”. Just don’t expect too much plot.

I’m not sure if I want to read part 3 as well, since that seems to be M/M/F, which I’ve never tried.

The cover by Lou Harper is quite hot, just like the story. Well done.

Sales: Riptide Publishing |  |Amazon |  Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 100 pages
Published October 5th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN1626492883 (ISBN13: 9781626492882)
Series: Tribute

A Free Dreamer Review: To Catch A Threeve by Alexis Duran

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

To Catch a ThreeveAxel Blackwood catches a thief and is astounded to see that he closely resembles Liam Alloway, the love he lost seven years ago in an attack by the evil woodland folk known as threeves. Axel suspects he’s fallen prey to dark magic, but can’t help becoming infatuated with his prisoner. He’s overwhelmed with the hope that he can at last bring his lost lover home, despite everything that warns him it’s all a diabolical trick.

Bryn Darrow, the half-threeve, half human orphan sent to trick Axel and rob him of much more than a simple gem finds himself equally as fascinated with his handsome human captor and the lure of someplace to call home, but he knows deep down that the constable is in love with a dangerous illusion. When he’s commanded by the threeves to murder Axel and steal a witch’s powerful grimoire, he’s forced to decide between the only family he’s ever known and the one person who might rescue him from a life of isolation and pain.

Will Axel and Bryn be forced into a deadly confrontation before they can discover the truth?
Axel is still mourning Liam, the man he loved, seven years after his death. He wholly dedicated his life to the fight against the threeves, the beings who killed Liam and has given up on ever finding love again, but he’s mostly come to terms with his loss. One day he catches a half-threeve, who looks just like Liam. But Liam is dead, so this has to be some cruel magical trick.
Bryn is said half-threeve, sent out to bring down the dangerous threeve-killer. That turns out to be much harder than he thought, because Axel is not some cruel, mindless killer.

What follows is a journey full of intrigues and secrets, uncovering lies and deception.

“To Catch a Threeve” has an interesting premise, with a completely new species. The threeves reminded me of elves, with their pointy ears and small stature. But they had their unique features as well, like the skin that looks like tree bark. I love it when authors invent new species, so I was thrilled with the threeves.

Overall, the plot was a little predictable. About halfway through I’d figured out half the mysteries. It was still interesting to read about the MCs figuring it all out in their own way, though.

While the threeves were very well developed, the world building as a whole was a little lacking. There’s talk about different religions, but the author doesn’t really give us an explanation. The most common religion frowns on homosexuality, while the second mentioned religion seems to embrace every form of love freely.

The taboo of homosexuality created an additional layer of tension, but it wasn’t overdone. The MCs are fine with their sexuality and don’t face any extreme homophobia.

To sum it up, “To Catch A Threeve” was a mostly enjoyable story, with an interesting new species. The ending was predictable and some more world building wouldn’t have hurt. If you’re looking for a quick fantasy read with a healthy dose of romance, then this is definitely a book for you. If you’re looking for a well thought out universe and a unique plot however, you will be disappointed.

Cover Art: Fiona Jayde created a very appealing cover. The colours work really well together and I like the mysterious look of it.

Sales Links:  Loose id  |  All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

122 pages
Published October 28th 2014 by Loose Id
(first published October 20th 2014)
ISBN139781623005375
edition languageEnglish

 

A Free Dreamer Review: Strength To Let Go (Tales of the Werewolf Tribes #1) by Alina Popescu

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Strength to Let Go coverAfter being abandoned by his mates, Shiki Kirishima, beta of the Dragons of the Fang werewolf tribe, returns to his home in Tokyo.

Crippled by grief, Shiki decides to end it all by going into the territory of the Siberian Killers tribe and challenging them to a battle to the death.

His death.

Ganzorig, beta of the Siberian Killers, however, sees the potentially disastrous consequences of having Shiki die in battle.

Instead, he saves him.

Having suffered loss himself, Ganz takes it upon himself to help Shiki deal with his pain.

Blake, Shiki’s best friend since childhood, is as determined to show him there is life after a wolf’s ultimate loss.

Could there also be something ‘more’ for them after friendship?  I was looking forward to this so very much. Shifters in Tokyo? Abandoned by his mates? That sounded like it could be truly amazing. Sadly, it truly wasn’t.

I had a lot of issues with this book. First of all: Shiki. I did not like him the least bit. He was whiny, annoying and stupid. Yes, he was dumped by his mates, which simply doesn’t happen in werewolf culture. Yes, I know that hurts. But he has two toddlers that need looking after. And what does Shiki do? Well, the sensible thing of course. NOT. Instead of taking care of his children and slowly patching up his life, he leaves his children in the care of his brother and his mates and goes off to kill himself.

Of course since he’s Japanese, he can’t just hang himself or something equally simple. No, he’s determined to go down like a true samurai. Never mind that it’s the 21st century. He’s still determined to kill innocent werewolves who never hurt him, only to make his death “honourable”. But then Ganz swoops in to save the day. Of course he’s not angry at Shiki for killing men from his tribe. Instead, he takes it upon himself to make sure Shiki stays alive. So of course Shiki is pissed. But it’s okay, they become best friends and fuck buddies after a while. Because while Shiki is apparently still crushed and suicidal, his libido works perfectly fine.

Oh yeah, and then the best friend shows up. Shiki’s been hiding from the world for two months and keeps hiding with said best friend for several more months. All this time, he doesn’t once call his children. Or talk about them. Or somehow maybe miss them. No, he’s busy throwing himself a pity party and generally making an ass of himself.

Then there was the non-existent world building. We learn that there are several werewolf tribes all over the world. There’s Fae too, and they have their own world. And of course we have humans as well. I still don’t know if humans know about those supernatural beings or not, whether the werewolves suppress the humans or vice versa, and I’m still wondering if there are other beings as well. If you can’t be bothered to do any world building, then don’t write fantasy! And it’s no excuse that this is a romance novel, first and foremost. I need at least some very basic world building to be able to enjoy a fantasy setting. And the author didn’t do any of that. . It was maddening.

One of the reasons why I wanted to read this book so badly was the setting. I love reading about Japan. But the setting was utterly generic. It was mentioned that it’s set in Tokyo, but it didn’t feel like it. It might as well have been set in an unnamed city in America. Aside from his ridiculous notions about an honourable suicide, Shiki wasn’t very Japanese either. He constantly makes reference along the lines of “feeling like a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey”. Celebrating Thanksgiving with a turkey is such a very North-American thing, it was very jarring to hear it from a Japanese. And it’s not like Shiki grew up in the USA either.

The plot was sadly lacking as well. Nothing much happens, other than Shiki whining and Shiki fucking. There are no details, no explanations, for anything. We never learn why Shiki’s mates left him and their children. We never learn who killed Shiki’s parents. We never learn why Blake was sent to Japan to learn how to fight. We never learn where Shiki grew up and why he was separated from his siblings.

The sex scenes were nice enough the first few times. Then they got kind of boring and repetitive and finally they became annoying. The sex was never hot. Actually, it sounded rather painful. With descriptions like “my now reddened and sensitive head”, it sounded like Shiki should have that looked at by a doctor. All those swollen, red, sensitive cocks eventually made me roll my eyes.

And let’s not even talk about how Shiki kept coming up with ridiculous pet names like “Blakey” and how everybody loved him and forgave him and pitied him.

To sum it up, I really didn’t like this book. I hated Shiki, the setting was generic, there was no world building and the sex was badly written. Add to that a few too many typos and you have yourself one very annoyed and disappointed reader. Not going to continue this series and will stay far, far away from this author in the future.

Cover art by Jay’s Covers by Design. The cover is very pretty. It shows Shiki forlornly staring off into nothingness. The colours match beautifully and the Japanese character looks great too.

Sales Links:   Waywark Ink Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details: 

eBook,Published June 24th 2015 by Wayward Ink Publishing
original title Strength To Let Go
ASIN B010EJQU8C
edition language English
series Tales of the Werewolf Tribes #1