Review of Fallout by Ariel Tachna

Rating: 4.5 stars

When NASA Robotics Engineer Derek Marshall hears that a tropical storm is headed his way, he decides to ride out the storm at home. After all, living in Texas’ Gulf Coast he had been through plenty of storms, what was one more? Then the storm strengthened again and again, until Hurricane Elsa roared ashore as a Category 4, decimating everything in her path, including Derek’s neighborhood. Derek has just rescued an abandoned dog left behind in a house on his street when he gets a call from his boss telling him that his skills and special robot are needed now at a damaged nuclear reactor to help contain the situation. One helicopter ride later and Derek, Fido and Number Five, his robot, are deposited in front of Dr. Sambit Patel, professor of nuclear engineering at Texas A& M. Dr. Sambit has had his services volunteered by the university in hopes he can help cool the reactors.

Sambit Patel is astonished to see a grubby jeans clad man with a dog trotting beside him hand over some suitcases and prepare to go inside the power plant. Sambit’s attempts to stop him from bringing the dog inside end in a argument as weary stressed out Derek comes up against reserved, quiet Sambit. Adding additional fuel to the instant antagonism is the fact that Dereck is out, proud and in your face gay while Sambit is reserved and closeted about his sexuality.

But the dangers of radiation poisoning, isolation and poor living conditions start to bring the men together. Derek finds that the more he listens and works with Sambit, the more he appreciates his quiet introspective ways, intelligent mind and subtle beauty of his Indian physique. Sambit learns that the prickly, obnoxious front Derek presents to the world is a barrier that hides a sensitive, hurt soul. Plus he doesn’t miss the fact that Derek is gorgeous to look at either. Each man has a past that is holding them back from a closer relationship. And time is against them as they race against the clock and lack of information to cool down the reactor and keep the plant from having a nuclear meltdown.

Fallout spoke to me on so many levels not the least of which is the unexpected plot which revolves around a nuclear accident brought on by a hurricane. Ariel Tachna dedicated this novel to ” the heroes of Fukushima Dai-ichi, whose willingness to risk their lives to save others inspired this novel”, so it is clear who and what prompted the storyline for this novel. Natural disasters and nuclear power plants has been a hot topic in the news and rightly so given the extreme weather patterns we are now seeing. I myself sit 1 1/2 hours from the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby, Maryland and the protests in Japan are on the rise as their reactors come back on line. The relevance of this storyline is all around us.

How real does the nuclear disaster feel? Unbelievably so. I was glued to the book wondering where and how far Tachna was going with the meltdown. I don’t know where Ariel Tachna got her information about the inner workings of a nuclear power plant, the technical jargon, and the emergency repairs necessary to cool the rods but I felt as though I was getting insider information at all times. As Sambit and Derek maneuver the robot Number Five through debris strewn corridors, taking radiation readings as they calculate the quickest way to get coolant into the reactor without plant maps or detailed plant malfunctions, I never once doubted the authenticity of the information the author was giving us. In fact I began to wonder when and in what capacity she had worked in the nuclear field. Most of the time I felt like I was an interloper looking over the shoulders of the men as they scrambled to find the solutions they desperately needed before the power plant, themselves and all of Bay City became another statistic like Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. You do not have to be a science geek to appreciate the drama and the technology that goes into this part of the story, all you need is your imagination and a reminder of the pictures we saw transmitted from Japan to feel the impact of each and every scene.

The second element of the novel that drew me in was the multicultural romance between Derek Marshall and Sambit Patel. The author’s close connections to India and its people comes alive through the character of Sambit Patel. The more we learn about Sambit the better we understand him and eventually come to love him as we do Derek. Tachna uses his thoughts and actions to acquaint the reader with some Indian customs, dress, cultural beliefs and even native cuisine such as sambar. We learn about Sambit’s past which had made him think that most relationships will not work out for him, his daily use of Yoga to relieve his stress that started in his youth, and where his reticence about his homosexuality stems from. The character of Sambit Patel could have easily been white but we would have been missing out had that been the case, and this book much less rich in flavor and dimension. I cannot stress how much I loved this part of the story and the character Sambit Patel.

Derek Marshall is also a wonderful creation. There are so many layers to his emotional makeup, including a horrific incident from his high school days that has shaped his outlook and his approach to society in general. Brilliant, abrasive, he strikes out before someone can hit him, yet he is also reflective, sensitive and more willing to take chances than the reserved Patel. He is full of dichotomies and that both appeals to and repeals Sambit. It is a delicate dance they engage in as their close proximity and 24/7 work hours starts to bring them to an understanding and acceptance of each other’s nature that changes into appreciation and need. And all the while, they never lose sight of the reason they are both there, that their individual talents need to mesh to help bring the power plant under control. It may be crazy but in many ways this is a rushed slow relationship built under pressure that exposes the best of both men to each other.

The rest of the story takes place with Derek once more at home having to deal with boredom and the ravaged remains of his neighborhood and infrastructure while Sambit has stayed behind, a choice made by a homophobic bureaucrat in charge of the recovery operations. We see Derek’s neighborhood start to clean up after the hurricane as he worries about the radiation levels Sambit and the others left behind are encountering. And as Sambit deals with the loss of Derek after his continual presence, we learn about Sambit’s insecurities and the past history that threatens the fragile foundation of their relationship. Again, Ariel Tachna’s description of how these men build their relationship, the barriers they have to overcome within themselves is as real as the natural disaster that brings them together.

If I had any quibble with this story, then I believe Derek answered it himself. Number Five is a robot that has a special place in Derek’s heart. The name comes from the movie Short Circuit which I loved. He hoped to patent it and has kept it close to him all this time. And part of me wondered how Derek felt about leaving it behind. But then Derek himself answered that he builds robots for space and came to terms with the fact that they would never come back at the beginning of his career. Plus Number Five was helping Sambit stay alive and healthy which would have been number one priority with Derek. So that quibble wobbled and vanished. There is no angst here but the story of a real,wonderful relationship between two men caught up in a natural disaster. This is an outstanding story that should not be missed.

Cover. This cover by Shobana Appavu is easily one of my favorite. Dramatic, beautiful and intense. Great job.

Country Mouse by Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov

Rating: 4.75 stars

Owen Watson is on vacation in London and overseas for the first time. After his traveling partner and ex-girlfriend ditched him for a hookup, Owen lands in a pub drinking a glass of bad beer by himself. He’s tired from playing tourist all day and he needs something to eat. Instead of dinner, he gets an offer for another drink and a night of sex from Malcolm Kavanagh, a bonds trader and sexual player.

Malcolm Kavanagh has been waiting for his “one night only sub” to arrive. The man is late and Malcolm’s patience has run out. When he spies the Yank at the bar, he decides to honor him with a night of mind boggling sex before kicking the Yank out the door before breakfast. With 80 hour work weeks, Malcolm doesn’t do relationships. He doesn’t have time. So introducing a tourist to the joys of BDSM fits into his schedule of sex with no commitments. But moments into his pickup , he realizes that the Yank isn’t falling into line as he should, and Malcolm is more than a little stymied.

Owen is open to a night of casual sex but it will be on his terms and not the arrogant but gorgeous jerk trying to pick him up. One night later and things have changed. Malcolm is not quite the shallow, heartless top he made himself out to be and Owen is not the innocent country mouse Malcolm supposed him to be. The more things change between them, the more Malcolm and Owen admit to themselves how much they want to stay together.

Country Mouse is a delightfully sexy short story from Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov. Really, can we get them to write another? Because I loved the result of their combined writing styles and ideas. The authors took two stock characters, the country mouse visiting the big city for the first time and the big bad city mouse with his experience and sexual prowess, tweaked it and turned the characters on their stereotypical heads. And made us cheer for them, laugh with them, and hope that they have a happy future together. Didn’t I say I loved this book?

While Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov have such difference writing styles, you can always expect great characterizations from them. Owen and Malcolm are two such wonderful creations, beautifully realized in only 79 pages. Malcolm starts out offensive and quite frankly not terribly likable. Owen Watson is an affable person but only so far and ends up being more than a match for Malcolm’s cocky attitude. As Owen asserts himself, we start to see a shift in Malcolm’s behavior. This shift carries right into the heart of Malcolm’s character and the unlikable facade dissipates and allows the real Malcolm that Owen sees to shine through.

What was so sexy and hot was that the change in their roles starts to happen during their sexual encounters. Malcolm is supposed to be this badass Dom teaching this inexperienced Yank how to be his submissive toy for the night only Owen has something or rather someone he intends to be doing before the night is over. Let’s just say their expectations don’t play out exactly how either of them intended, much to their combined enjoyment and laughter. That’s right….fun and laughter amid sexual hijinks. In a story by Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov! Owen and Malcolm enjoy the heck out of each other and you will be laughing along with them.

Their relationship continues to develop as Malcolm takes Owen sightseeing in a nice series of scenes that take place at different tourist sites throughout London. At each location, Owen and Malcolm learn something about each other as well as historical facts. As they grow on each other, so does the pairing grow on the reader until you take them both into your heart. If you are expecting a angst filled story, this one is amazingly angst free or is that angst light? Either way, it doesn’t matter. There is some angsty moments at the end as you would expect but it is satisfactorily dealt with in an ending that will have you cheering.

Grab this one up. I always find bad boys so appealing but here both the Country Mouse and the bad boy City Mouse crept into my heart and set up housekeeping. Never thought I would say that about mice. Drat it. Now where’s the cheese?

Cover: Love this cover. Cover art by Jordan Taylor. Smart sexy and eye catching. Just like the men inside.

Review of the Bellingham Mystery Series by Nicole Kimberling

I first became acquainted with the small township of Bellingham, Washington and it’s excentric collection of inhabitants in 2009. That’s when Primal Red was first published and Nicole Kimberling introduced us to Peter Fontaine, intrepid reporter for The Bellingham Hamster, reclusive painter Nick Olsen, Peter’s best friend found object artist Evangeline and her stoner boyfriend, Tommy. In each book, Peter Fontaine investigates a mystery with all the enthusiasm and determination of an Edward R. Murrows (his idol) and with the assistance of some of the quirky new age/back to the earth/greenie inhabitants of the City of Subdued Excitement also known as Bellingham. Peter’s forays for clues and evidence often puts him and others around him in danger, at times keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

Along with some wonderful mysteries, we get Peter’s idiosyncratic inner monologue which is a absolute delight. Whether Peter is racing down the streets of Bellingham on his bike (his preferred method of locomotion) or sitting at his desk at The Hamster, he is constantly composing either paragraphs for a book or a column for the newspaper. His thoughts vary from the whimsical to the sarcastic but are always entertaining. Here is an example from the latest book in the series:

“From the Turgid and Tempestuous Chronicles of the Castle at Wildcat Cove: On a stormy Friday evening in April, in the year of our Lord 2011, Evangeline Conklin (sometime found-object artist and all-time best friend of Peter Fontaine) approached the cliffside residence that Fontaine shared with artist Nick Olson. Evangeline’s long curling hair, plaited with dozens of ribbons of astonishing variety, now hung bedraggled by rain and wind and dripped water on the entry mat as she exclaimed, “Thank God you’re home. I really need a favor!”

Peter and Nick first meet in Primal Red and their relationship deepens and matures with each book, in conjunction with the investigation of a mystery as more of Nick’s mysterious history is revealed to Peter and the reader. I love this slowly building of a relationship that is full of hesitation, fear of commitment, love and the necessary adjustments a person makes to accommodate the one they love. Nicole Kimberling does a great job with all her characters but Peter and Nick hold a special place in my heart. Both men with their diverse backgrounds love their town and the people that live there. Whether its townfolk search for the mystical, the best ceramic glaze or the finest method of composting, tolerance and acceptance is the key foundation of those who live within its boundaries. In each book I also learn something new about a topic the author is either invested in (beekeeping) or interested in. I love this element as well as her characters and find the time I spend within the covers of her books one of enjoyment and satisfaction. I understand Kimberling is going to write another in the series. I hope so as I can’t wait to visit again in the City of Subdued Excitement!

Nicole Kimberling is giving away a copy of Primal Red (I love that cover). To enter, please leave a comment with your email address. A name will be selected late today and the name announced on Sunday.

The BELLINGHAM MYSTERIES Series in the order they were written and should be read in order to better understand the characters, their history and their town of Bellingham:

Primal Red, Bellingham Mystery #1: 4.5 star rating. Peter Fontaine is a reporter with a local free newspaper with a knack of falling right into a story or in this case being in the thick of things. Peter just happens to be on the premises when Shelley Vine, local art professor and rising star of the art world, is stabbed to death in the Vitamilk Building, an historical edifice now housing artists of all media. Also renting out studio space is reclusive artist Nick Olsen, an enigmatic man Peter finds himself attracted to. Peter hopes his investigation into Vine’s death propels his career as an investigative reporter forward into the ranks of writers he admires. But the deeper Peter investigates into Vine’s past, the more connections he finds with all of the artists in the building, including Nick Olsen. But nothing will stop Peter from finding out the truth, even if it means the arrest of Nick. This is a wonderful introduction to the very earliest beginnings of the partnership of Nick and Peter. Peter is also just starting out his career as a journalist and pursues this case with all the eagerness of a first time reporter on the loose. Loved it.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside, Bellingham Mystery #2: 4.5 star rating. Small town reporter, Peter Fontaine is in the middle of a personal crisis. He is turning 30 and upon receiving a job offer from a prodigious newspaper in Austin is reexamining his life. His boyfriend Nick Olson, artist, recluse, and snow-loving outdoorsman, is firmly based on the Northwest, specifically Bellingham, and going to Austin might mean leaving Nick behind. When Nick and his cousin enter Freezing Man snow sculpture competition, Peter accompanies him, hoping for answers and another column for The Hamster. Before he can tell Nick of his job offer, they come across a frozen corpse inside one of the competition snow sculptures and the race is on to find a murderer before the contest is over. This is one of my favorite books of the series. Peter is forced to examine the state of his relationship with Nick as well take a hard look at his ambitions as a reporter. More of Nick’s background is also revealed and we get to see what contributed to his character’s reclusive nature.

Black Cat Ink, Bellingham Mystery #3: 4.25 stars. It’s Halloween, Nick and Peter’s favorite holiday and time to host their famous Halloween party. But first Peter and Nick must first recover a stolen statue from the local museum, a theft made all the more interesting as its sculptor was Nick’s deceased lover. To find the statue and discover the identity of the thief, Peter must look into Nick’s background for the answer, something Nick is not comfortable Peter doing. And then black cats start disappearing and a goat is stolen. As the mysteries pile up, Peter is going to have to work overtime to solve all the mysteries before Halloween, their party and his new slutty nurse costume can make its debut! What is an intrepid reporter to do? A fun outing that turns serious at points as Peter and Nick’s relationship moves forward towards a level of commitment that Peter has just now understood that he wants.

One Man’s Treasure, Bellingham Mystery #4: 4.5 stars. When Evangeline begs a favor from Nick and Peter, they end up assisting at her booth at the Bellingham Farmers Market just in time to see Nick’s friend and fellow ceramic artist, collapse at the booth. When they learn that Roger died at the hospital and the cause of death was poisoning, both Peter and Nick investigate Roger’s background and the motives of those around him. For Nick, watching Peter put himself at risk once more for a story, makes him wonder at Peter’s commitment to their relationship. For Peter, it has been 4 wonderful years since they first met. They live together, have a cat, and Peter’s columns have brought him several awards. Yet, his boundless curiosity in search of a story and bad habit of throwing himself into dangeroussituations once again threaten the stability of his relationship. Peter must figure out where he priorities lie even as he searches for a killer at the Green Goddess Farms and Farmers Market.

April Martinez is the cover artist for all the covers and does a nice job with the graphics but none of the designs really speaks to the stories within.

Review of Stolen Dreams by Sue Brown

Rating: 3.5 stars

It has taken Morgan 5 years to get his life back on track after he derailed it by cheating on his best friend and lover. After finally climbing out of his drunken depression with help from his friends, he now owns a successful coffee house, has a great career as an assistant direction in the film industry and is happily engaged to Jason, a gorgeous up and coming movie star. He has it all and then Shae Delamere comes back into his life.

Shae Delamere was Morgan’s best friend and lover all their lives, up until Morgan destroyed their relationship by cheating on Shae in a moment of weakness. For two years, Morgan held out hope that his phone calls and letters would be answered and then he gave up and moved on. Now with Shae’s reappearance, Morgan realizes that he never stopped loving Shae, even with all that had happened to them both, even his fiance can see it. When it turns out that their friends manipulations that helped keep them separated, the pain of the betrayal combined with the love they still hold pulls them together once more. But there are still so many lies still hidden and a geographical distance to overcome. Will both men be able to overcome the pain and past hurt to have a future with each other?

Stolen Dreams is a very well written story of young love derailed by lies, lack of communication and the maneuverings of those closest to them. Brown’s characters are all too human in their faults and abilities to self destruct. Morgan is easily my favorite character and the one I empathized with the most. Morgan made a mistake at 19 that destroyed not only his only love and their relationship but tore apart two families that had been close since the boys were very young. At 19, the mistake he and Shae made (as Brown makes clear, there were relationship errors on both sides) was huge but it was a mistake grounded in poor communication, worse judgement, and a relationship already on shaky ground, a fact neither man acknowledges until five years later. Brown’s story is strengthened by her wonderful ear for dialog and the depiction of the areas out there waiting to trip up any relationship that doesn’t have a firm foundation. This holds true for the young that don’t have the maturity and skills necessary to maneuver the rocky shoals life hands one and make it safely to harbor.

Shae Delamere was a character that felt less authentic and therefore, much harder to like and empathize with. This is a problem as he is set up at the start as the main victim here and to my way of thinking ends up more the victimizer instead. Shae is far too passive, he too easily accepts what others tell him even though he knows they have every reason to lie, he doesn’t follow through on his actions, he lies, he is constantly sorry etc. Shae just doesn’t have the depth that Morgan’s character has. He seems more a reactive element here and that takes the entire story down a notch.

Another quibble I have with this story is that it is an examination of relationship dynamics but neither Morgan or Shae seem to learn from their mistakes in the past. When lies continue to surface with the expected reverberations, do they communicate with each other? No, instead they bury their problems under sex. A realistic problem in some relationships true but even as Morgan raises the question of why that is their answer to problems, Sue Brown never gives the reader or her characters a satisfactory answer. They continue to use that as a bandage right up to a devastating revelation that I did not see coming, a final lie that threatens everything that has come before. This denouement also pancaked the ending of the story for me.

The ending is the final quibble. Yes, it is a HEA. But for me it seems to be a bit self delusional for Morgan. I could see the ending as a pragmatic and realistic way for Morgan to obtain what he wants but the author coats it all with a saccharine layer of immediate forgiveness for an almost unforgivable event and again a round of sex to blanket the real issues of trust, continuing lies and hidden agendas that plague Morgan and Shae’s relationship from beginning to end. Morgan is understandably furious and hurt, then it is all glossed over in the name of love and HEA. It did not make sense given the amount of time Brown took to get her characters to a semblance of realistic actions and emotions. So what started off to be a great book I was really enjoying metamorphosed into a story that ended up with me feeling as though I had stayed too long at a party held by bickering neighbors I never liked all that much. What a shame.

Cover: Another beautiful sensual cover by Reese Dante.

Review of One Last Kiss Goodbye by N.J. Nielson

Rating: 4 stars

Jacen Ives has loved Kayne Henderson since he was 11 and Kayne was 14. Kayne was kind to him and stopped Jacen from being bullied. Confused about his feelings, Jacen talks to his older brother, Micah, and dad about being gay and is met with acceptance and love. But both caution him about being out at school and Micah makes him promise to never reveal his feelings to Kayne. Jacen keeps that promise until the night of their graduation party. It seems that Kayne has known all along about Jacen’s “crush” and he sends Jacen away to college with a kiss goodbye after telling Jacen that he is straight and has a serious girlfriend.

Six years later, Jacen returns to his hometown after being savagely beaten by an ex-boyfriend he met in college. His family gathers to support him. And to his surprise, so does Kayne Henderson. Kayne is now divorced and has a young daughter. Homeless,they both live with Micah and his partner, Sammy. When Jacen’s ex eludes the Melbourne police, everyone fears he will show up to threaten Jacen again so Kayne and his daughter move in with Jacen to protect him. But Kayne is hiding a secret, one he has carried since graduation. When the secret comes out, it will shatter friendships and leave Jacen vulnerable. Can both men accept change when it leads to a future both want with all their hearts?

One Last Kiss Goodbye was a lovely story of unrequited love fulfilled at last with an Australian touch. Nielson has done such a great job with her characterizations that each and every one comes off as a realistic portrayal of young men conflicted about their sexuality, driven to act under stress and duress that will seem so authentic, so real to the reader that they capture our sympathy and hearts immediately.

Jacen Ives is sweet and loving portrait of a sweet, smart young man who separates himself from his family and support system because he just can’t stand to remain and watch Kayne and his girlfriend. You have to remember these are the actions of a 15 year old who has jumped ahead in school to graduate with older kids but still has the emotional maturity of his actual age. In fact, as the story ends, Jacen is only 21. Nielson understands Jacen’s emotional age and stays true to that level of maturity throughout the book. In moving away from family and friends, Jacen takes away his security and emotional backing as well. It is easy to imagine a 15 year old on his own for the first time, homesick and grieving over the loss of Kayne being vulnerable to someone who will abuse him in a relationship. Each of Jacen’s actions are completely comprehensible, including his quickness to tear up given his bruised emotional and physical state of being. Kayne is another character who jumps to life complete with his many frailties front and center. With Kayne, Nielson gives us insight into a man who was a 14-year old confused about his sexuality and afraid of his emotions, so much so that he acts “straight” to all around him with grievous consequences. Here again the reader must keep in mind that Kayne is only 3 years older than Jacen, and his actions reflect that as well. These are two sweet and compelling young men struggling with the repercussions of past actions in their present day reality as well as the feelings they still have for each other. You will root for them with all your heart.

The things that did bother me about the story might have more to do with the difference laws in the United States and Australia. There are certain events that take place that if they had occurred here in the States, they would have tagged as a hate crime and the participants jailed. Also what is described as vandalism here would be classified as an attack, a destruction of property, as well as a hate crime, more serious offenses. So I think my confusion here is due to the author being Australian with differing laws and not the fact that the events are considered less serious. I am not sure if Australia has a hate crime law in effect there. The other quibble has to do with Kayne’s daughter’s name. Jacen is extremely smart so how does he not get the significance of her name? Also the ending seemed a bit rushed. The book is only 125 pages so the length did not seem to match the bigger story contained within. I enjoyed my time spent with Jacen and Kayne. I think you will too.

Cover: I loved this cover. Art by Reese Dante and photography by D.W.S. Photography, it is sheer perfection. The ages are spot on, the models sweet faced and sensual.

Review of Full Circle (Sanctuary #5) by RJ Scott

Rating: 4.75 stars

Manny Sullivan has always been the “ops” in Operations, the person at the center of all of Sanctuary’s communications and intelligence. As he is running a systems check of all Sanctuary computers and surveillance cameras currently in use on the Bullen case, he spots Josh Headley, son of an important witness, away from the Sanctuary house he was staying with his mother and handlers. In fact the house Josh is sneaking into is the home of a prime suspect in the case and Josh’s interference can ruin everything the Agencies have worked so hard to compile against the Bullen family. Manny is not just a IT genius, he is also a seasoned agent and he is the one to go and retrieve Josh Headley before his unauthorized visit derails their case.

Josh Headley’s entire life has been turned upside down by finding out that not only is his father a bad cop, his father also murdered an innocent women for the Bullen family. That his father said it did it to protect his family matters not at all. In the witness protection program set up by Sanctuary, Josh is finding inaction and safety a bitter pill to swallow, and then he finds out that his boyfriend was using him too per the Bullen family instructions. He breaks out of the safe house intending to make his ex-boyfriend pay and to get additional information. To his amazement, a small but lethal Sanctuary agent appears to pull him out of the house and bring him back to Sanctuary headquarters.

Manny Sullivan and Josh Headley have a lot in common, both computer geniuses, both have troubled background, and both are gay, a fact that neither man has missed. Close quarters during a surveillance operation feeds a mutual attraction until it flashes out in a moment of lust and need. But one man is consumed by his job, the other destined for the witness protection program. As the Bullen case draws to a close, what does the future hold for Manny Sullivan and Josh Headley?

With Full Circle, RJ Scott brings the investigation of the Bullen family to a close and gives us a 5 star couple to finish it off. Scott’s wonderful talent for characterizations shines with both main protagonists. Manny Sullivan has been an ingratiating popup character throughout the series and now he gets the leading role we have been waiting for. Manny Sullivan created a new life for himself including a new name when Jake Callahan hired him to work for Sanctuary. His family’s Mafia connections lead to the death of his parents and sister, leaving him completely alone at a young age. Using only his ingenuity and high IQ, Manny finagled a interview with Callahan at MIT, was hired, and never looked back. Manny is a wonderful mess of contradictions, small, introspective, highly confident in his abilities in a variety of subjects from computers to guns, and until now, content to be alone with his computers or with his Sanctuary coworker family. He needs an equal and Scott gives one to him in Josh Headley. Scott has created in Josh Headley a mirror image that causes Manny to rearrange his thinking and outlook.

Josh Headley is a wonderful character, equal to Manny in so many respects. Here is a young man who idolizes his father and loves his mother with a bright future ahead of him until it all explodes as his father is arrested for murder and it turns out that his father has been a corrupt cop on the payroll of the Bullen crime family for over 20 years. Josh has lost everything and is forced into hiding with his mother. a situation he intends to get out of. Josh is bitter and sullen even before he finds out that the boyfriend he was forced to leave behind was in fact just using him for information for the Bullens. Scott makes Josh very real in his distrust of others, hatred for his dad along with the pain of a son who remembers the loving father in his family memories. Josh is hurting and lashing out, something we can all relate to and empathize with. In fact, he is one of the most relatable characters in the series, pain filled, frustrated, tired and bitter. Josh is taller than Manny but doesn’t see that as an advantage over Manny. This is not a case of true love but rather an attraction built on physical need and the recognition that their mental intellects mesh rather well. I really likes how true that felt. Looking at their backgrounds and their present realities, neither man is a candidate for a “instant love” relationship and the author doesn’t make the mistake of trying to give us one. Instead, Manny and Josh are realistically looking at what is possible for the future for them. Every part of the Manny/Josh duo just smacks of authenticity. Scott also brings back Morgan and Nik from Guarding Morgan, the first book in the Sanctuary series and the one that starts off the Bullen investigation. A perfect touch in a story bringing all events and people full circle.

Full Circle also brings to a close case of the Bullen crime family that started in Guarding Morgan. During the investigation into the Bullen family activities, several Sanctuary agents have been shot, evidence has been tampered with, people have vanished, each new lead taking them to new crimes and new accomplices until it ended with uncovering a FBI mole that had acted as liaison to Sanctuary in Clear Water, Sanctuary #4. Scott neatly ties together all the threads from each book into an ending deserving of such a convoluted investigation. I wanted to see the Bullens brought to justice and Scott delivered that in spades.

But this is not the end of the Sanctuary series as RJ Scott leaves us with an escape and promise of more to come from Sanctuary and its agents. And for that I am grateful. There are several mentions of my favorite couple, Dale (a Sanctuary agent) and Joseph, a Navy seal, whose sister’s murder started the investigation. Manny mentions that Dale received a text from Joseph saying he was going deep with his unit for an unknown amount of time. They have a HFN relationship, the only one possible given their responsibilities, but Scott has given us an indication that there is more coming for them. And Jake Callahan, the owner and CEO of Sanctuary is due for his own story as well. So while it is goodbye and good riddance to the Bullens, more Sanctuary tales are on the horizon. I can’t wait!

Cover: Reese Dante delivers another great cover for Sanctuary, those models perfectly fit Manny and Josh. Great details all around.

Sanctuary Series in the order they should be read in order to fully understand the Bullen Family conspiracy and the characters involved:

Guarding Morgan, Sanctuary Series #1 – rating 4.25 stars

The Only Easy Day, Sanctuary Series, #2 – my review here

Face Value, Sanctuary Series #3 – my review here

Still Water, Sanctuary Series #4 – my review here

Full Circle, Sanctuary Series, #5

Review of An Honorable Man by Edward Kendricks

A Happy Fourth of July to everyone from the United States, no matter where you might be right now. And to all of those people still without power here in MD, VA and DC, my thoughts are with you, I know exactly how hot, how frustrated and how desperate you are feeling. I was there. I hope with all my heart this day finds you with your power back on, your bodies cooling off, and your minds and hearts feeling replenished.

Rating: 3.75 stars

Paxton Boyle and his twin boys are out rock hunting when they run across a human bone, a find that causes Pax to switch from father mode to forensic scientist and call in the police. One bone leads to another and before long an entire skeleton has been unearthed and sent to Paxton’s lab. As Paxton works to establish identity, one thing is immediately clear, the person was murdered. Then the cadaver dog and its handler turns up more bones, and then another. And the race is on to find a serial killer before they strike again.

And as Pax’s work hours lengthen, he must find someone to watch his boys after school and on the weekends he is working. Pax’s wife walked out of them 2 years ago and with his housekeeper’s daughter expecting her first child, he turns to Jordan Leonard, the boys schoolteacher and friend. Pax and Jordan have established an uneasy friendship since the Boyle family returned to town. Years ago, Pax and Jordy were lovers in college, happy until Pax’s father broke them up by forcing Pax to marry a business partner’s daughter in a merger of families and businesses. A heartbroken Jordy left college immediately and Pax had not seen him since their bitter parting until Pax, Jenny and the kids returned to their home town.

Pax and Jordan still have feelings for each other but Pax is an honorable man and still considers himself married, despite Jenny’s absence. And for Jordan, Pax’s betrayal of their love still hurts after all this time. As more and more bodies are found, Pax’s longer hours bring Jordan closer into their family circle and their attraction to each others gets stronger. How much longer will Pax be able to keep to his promises to stay an honorable man?

Edward Kendricks did a wonderful job of weaving the story of a past love rekindled with a forensic tale of murder. He skillfully builds the anticipation and interest as first Pax and his boys (what charmers) find the first bone on a rock hunt. Then as more skeletons are unearthed, it becomes clear that the police and Pax’s forensic unit have a serial killer on their hands. Theories are bandied about and clues discovered as the story continues, spending as much time in Pax’s lab or with the police officers hunting the killer as it does with the romance of Pax and Jordan. I liked this technique but for others it might take too much time away from the love story of the two main characters. Kendricks does tie the two together in a neat twist that I loved, plus I enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of the book.

The love story, I think I had more problems with that section of the plot. I did get the part where Pax was not brave enough and perhaps old enough to stand up to his father when the and Jordy first got together. But Kendricks didn’t give me enough of the mature Pax’s feelings about Jordy to make their sudden romance entirely believable. Same for Jordan, a character I really enjoyed. Jordan left that college he attended with Pax for another, completed his degrees and came home to teach, his bitterness over Pax’s cowardliness still very much alive years later. But the author tells us they have become friends since being reunited at a parent/teacher conference but gives us little evidence except for the fact that Pax leaves the boys in Jordy’s care when necessary. Neither man has ever talked about their previous affair nor is neither man out to the community. This is not a “gay for you” story as both men are definitely gay from the start. But both Pax and Jordy seemed lacking a few layers to make both men totally believable in the context of the story. Who did I believe in? The boys. I loved Denny and Danny. With spot on dialog and wonderful characteristics, Kendricks needs to make those boys the main characters of a series of YA novels. They would be a hit! With their passion for rocks and bones, especially fossils, those 12 year olds were easily the most authentic personas here and maybe this generation’s Hardy Boys.

And that leaves me with the ending that had far too many loose ends. I hesitate to tell you what exactly remained unfinished as that enters spoiler territory and perhaps Edward Kendricks plans a sequel to finish the mystery he started here. All good mysteries have the same basic elements: who, what, when, where and why. Not all those questions are answered leaving this reader a tad frustrated. AT 143 pages (story alone), the ending came with a rush, which was surprising considering the time the author took getting us to that point. I think you will feel a little shortchanged by this story, I know I did. But the parts that irked me are balanced by the portions that kept me enthralled and totally entertained. And that’s enough for me to give this a recommendation.

Cover: Reese Dante was the cover artist. The cover is great, it contains all the elements of the story in an appealing design.

Review of Just What The Truth Is by C. Cardeno

Rating: 5 stars

Ben Foreman has been in the closet for his entire life, settling for making his parents happy rather than living his own life. In fact, for a while, Ben’s denial of his homosexuality and his efforts to comply/defend his parents values, that is cost him his best friend, Clark, and his younger out and proud gay brother, Noah who happens to be Clark’s partner. So yes, his life was complications piled on top of lies, repeat, and the stress was getting to him.

Then Micah Trains, litigator extraordinaire, joins Ben’s firm and all Ben’s carefully built walls come crashing down around him. Micah happens to be both gorgeous and gay and attracted to Ben. Ben sees in Micah someone he wants to spend the rest of his life with, no matter what his brain is saying. As one date leads to another, Ben keeps messing up the relationship until Micah breaks up with him. Faced with Micah’s loss, Ben must finally choose who he is going to be and how he will live his life, by his parents standards or his. It’s time Ben decides just what the truth is!

I loved this book! C. Cardeno kept me frustrated with Ben, laughing with him and sometimes sobbing right along with him on his journey to self awareness and a life worth living in every respect. C. Cardeno’s characterizations and spot on dialog were so wonderfully executed that the story zipped along and I was finishing the end before I knew it. Ben is so messed up at the beginning that it would be easy to write him off as a passive character who has not grown up enough to challenge his parents views and it shows how much he has lived in fear of their disapproval. It is extremely helpful to the reader’s understanding and ability to empathize with Ben that the story is told from his POV. In fact is almost becomes imperative that we understand where Ben is coming from so we don’t give up on his character. Just when we are getting a little too frustrated with Ben’s lack of progress with the decisions he needs to make, Ben’s is right there telling us in an aside that he is plenty frustrated with himself too. While this literary ploy might be considered too “cutsey” in other stories, I find that it worked well here and helped to pull the reader into Ben’s mindset and emotional state.

And the other characters C. Cardeno created to assist/love Ben into making the life adjustments necessary to become a whole man happy with who he is? They are just so real, so alive that they jumped off the pages at you. Whether it is Noah, Ben’s sarcastic and embittered gay brother or Micah’s hysterical parents, especially his mother, they all come across as someone you have met in your life or heard about. Each with their quirks, flaws, and many other human qualities front and center to be fully enjoyed and celebrated. The scenes with Micah’s mother and sister alone had me spewing across the Kindle and searching for papertowels to clean up the mess. I still giggle thinking about them. Priceless. And then there is the very real emotional cost of repressing your true self for so much of your life that no one knows who you really are including yourself.

In fact C. Cardeno has laid out a beautifully realistic book of one’s man’s journey to a happy fulfilled life, and the pitfalls he encountered or put up himself that had to be overcome before he could achieve his goals. As I said I loved this book and I think you will too. Don’t pass it up.

Cover art by Paul Richmond. Lovely cover, perfect for the story.

Other Books in the Home Series. It is helpful to read them in order but not necessary to enjoy the books:

Home Again (Home Series #1)

He Completes Me (Home Series #2)

Where He Ends And I Begin (Home Series #3)

Love At First Sight (Home Series #4)

Just What The Truth Is (Home Series #5)

Review of Places in Time by C. Cardeno

Rating: 4 stars

Actor Ethan Baker arrives home to find his current girlfriend breaking up with him. Not a surprising action, merely the last in a long line of girlfriends who never seem to stick around. Being voted “Sexiest Man Alive” twice isn’t enough to guarantee happiness in a relationship. So he calls his best friend, Jude Harrison, to tell him about the breakup and that he will be right over. Jude has always been the constant in his life, the spare guest room that Ethan has taken over as his more a home than the modern marble monstrosity he was talked into buying.

On his way over to Jude’s, fate literally intervenes when a mysterious woman appears and shows Ethan his and Jude’s relationship from another perspective. When Ethan watches his past go by, can a self absorbed actor realize the truth in front of him and the real reason Ethan’s girlfriends never stick around?

Places in Time is a short story in the Dreamspinner Time is Eternity series. This is C. Cardeno’s version of A Christmas Carol when the Fates decides to stage an intervention, their way, after Ethan has hurt one more girl in his obliviousness, of shaking Ethan out of a destructive pattern into a chance for love.

Ethan Baker just cracked me up, with all the snarkiness, flippancy, and self absorption you might see in a actor of his status. Yet, as C. Cardeno has drawn him, he also has a wonderful sense of humor and loyalty that makes him a winning character. Some bits of this story are truly funny when Ethan doesn’t quite get the message the woman intends when they visit a certain scene from his past. To her utter annoyance, he start critiquing the actions instead of absorbing the message. It’s enough to make her stamp her Manolo Blahniks! Jude Harrison’s character is revealed through the trips to Ethan’s past and the final ending will make you smile and laugh even if you know what is coming. C. Cardeno has done a wonderful job with this story and this earns a big “don’t pass this up” from me.

I love this cover for the series. Sheer perfection.

Weather Note and Power Status: Yes, we lost power again last night and just got it back again. Almost wussed out and burst into tears. But didn’t, just thought really hard about it. There are still so many that haven’t gotten their power back for even a short time and I know that they must feel so forgotten and at the end of their endurance. Our temperatures are still in the 98 to 100 degree range and almost 100 percent humidity. There is a reason I never moved into states with hot weather and yet it seems that global warming has brought it to me and the rest of the Marylanders. So keep those of us in DC, VA, and MD in your thoughts. Colorado too. Oh and Happy Canada Day to our friends to the north!

Review of Hawaiian Gothic by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane

Rating: 4. 5 stars

Gregorio “Ori” Reyes has just arrived home in Hawaii after doing time in Leavenworth and given a dishonorable discharge from the Army for his crime. In disgrace with his military oriented family and with dwindling funds in his pocket, Ori has come home for only one reason. Kalani, his boyhood friend, the reason he joined the Army and the only man he has ever loved. Thoughts of Kalani were his constant companions in Iraq and his images haunted Ori’s nights in Leavenworth. Everywhere Ori looks Kalani appears, which is crazy. Because Kalani is lying comatose in a hospital bed on Honolulu. Kalani had been attacked by a gang of men and left for dead while Ori had been in prison. And now feeling guilty and grief stricken, Ori has returned to Kalani too late to tell him how much he loves him. Or so Ori thinks.

After one of his visits to Kalani’s bedside, Ori’s visit to a gay bar ends with him taking a guy home. As things heat up, a loud noise stops the proceedings and Kalani appears. Or actually Kalani’s spirit appears although he feels so very real to Ori. While his broken body remains in the hospital, Kalani visits Ori, the man Kalani has loved even if he wasn’t ready to accept that it was romantic love. Unsure why Kalani is able to physically appear to Ori, neither man wants to question the miracle until Kalani starts getting attacked in the spirit world. Together Ori and Kalani must explore the secrets of Kalani’s past and venture forward into Hawaii’s ghost world to set Kalani free, either to return to his body or join his ancestors in the clouds. Something must be done quickly or Kalani will be condemned to everlasting pain in between.

Hawaiian Gothic is an remarkable story. From the start, authors Belleau and Vane submerge us in the Hawaiian culture beginning with the language of the islands flowing throughout the dialog. It mingles effortlessly as one would expect from a local speaker. Belleau and Vane actually created an Hawaiian Gothic glossary of Native Hawaiian and Hawaiian pidgin terms used in the story. It can be found here. And there’s the locations. The Hawaiian settings are so authentically rendered that I would think that the authors are natives themselves, right down to hidden beaches and non-touristy sites. I almost felt like I had to wipe the sand off my feet at times so complete was my immersion in the islands.

The next outstanding elements in the book are the Hawaiian creationist myths and beliefs that swirled and rolled like the waves of the ocean around all the characters of the story, especially the main ones of Ori and Kalani. Here the Hawaiian myths rise up and become real, able to rip one apart like the flashing teeth of a shark or the mandibles of a caterpillar or sooth like the lomilomi. Before I started this book I was only familiar with one of the Hawaiian creation myths. By the end, I was seeking out more resources so fantastic, so addictive did the Hawaiian gods and stories become. Great job by the authors in seamlessly fusing mythic and contemporary worlds so that both stood on equal footing with the reader as far as realism and tone. The authors almost did too good a job with their descriptions so frightening were the keuwas, Hawaiian dead hungry souls, that the very thought of them lingered on into my nightmares that night.

Belleau and Vane give us great characters to inhabit a great story. Ori is especially believable. He is a former Army Ranger and MMA fighter (that’s mixed martial arts for those of you unfamiliar with the MMA) who has completed two tours of duty in Iraq. He is a victim of PTSD, ashamed of his discharge, isolated from his family. He feels he has little future and helpless, especially with Kalani comotose. He hid his love for Kalani and ran from him rather than force Kalani to face it for what it was -romantic love. It was so easy to empathize with Ori and I became invested in his character early on. Kalani is a little more of a mystery as the book starts and then the reader becomes more familiar with him as Ori’s memories of their shared past surface and you come to love him as much as Ori does. All the secondary characters are as fully realized as Ori and Kalani, giving the story the depth it needs with all its complicated layers of flashbacks, memories and spirit worlds.

So why not give this story 5 stars? Well, it certainly came close and I am still debating the rating even now. But I am still quibbling over two things. One concern is an m/f/m element here that was required for the exposition of a plot point. But for me its extended narrative went on too long and removed us from the main storyline unnecessarily. Plus I know that for some readers any m/m/f or combination thereof is not something they want to see in their m/m fiction. And usually I would agree with them. But I absolutely understood its inclusion by the authors here. My second quibble involves the numerous flashbacks used by the authors to highlight certain elements of their story. Did it work well in most instances? Yes. Most of the time it was a satisfactory method to better understand the main characters pov and history. But then its continued use and varied time frames (1988, 2004, 2010, 2009, etc) started to become a little irritating and less effective, distracting rather than contributing to a captivating and addictive storyline. And trust me, this is such a great story that nothing should ever divert the reader away from the saga at hand.

So pick up Hawaiian Gothic and visit the islands. Whether you be Malahini or Kama’aina, this story will have you ohana in no time. Make no mistake Hawaiian Gothic is da kine or the best in every way. Aloha!

Cover. I love this cover by artist April Martinez. Its beautiful from its model to Hawaiian cloth. Perfect for the story.

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