Review of Inspiration by Henrietta Clark

Rating: 5 stars

Nolan’s mother is having open heart surgery and it is scheduled to happen over the holidays which means Nolan is going to Chicago for Christmas and leaving his lover, Benji, behind in Scotland working on his novel. Definitely not an ideal situation for anyone but what is Nolan to do? Benji hates Chicago, swears Scotland is his muse and the next part of his book is due to the editors. Benji knows he’s being a “wanker” and doesn’t want Nolan to go but realizes that this year Nolan will spend the holidays in the States and Benji will spend them alone.

But before leaving, Nolan prepares an advent calendar to get Benji through the long 3 months without him, and maybe help Nolan get through it too in a very unique way. As Benji starts to find each advent surprise Nolan has left him, he starts to learn more about himself and the man he let leave for the States alone to face his mother’s traumatic surgery by himself. Benji may just learn that his source of inspiration resides not in a place, but in a person he loves more than he realizes.

Run, run right now and go get this book. I have no idea who Henrietta Clark is but I now adore her and will be looking for anything else she writes. Her characters grump and grumble, are selfish, and charming and so totally real that they scampered off the page and into my heart from the first paragraph of this wonderful story. Benji is a grumpy, large old (albeit goodlooking) codger who lives in Scotland, the heart of his muse he thinks. Benji is very much set in his ways, his thought processes following the habits laid down by his body. It is remarkable that he let Nolan in past his defenses to begin with but Nolan’s assault on Mount Benji was thorough and well planned. I only wish that Henrietta Clark had given us a little more of Nolan’s determined courtship of Benji, it must have been a hoot. But could I imagine it from the small glimpses she gave us? Why yes I could and I loved what I saw.

Nolan is a shear delight. Totally American, he is slight where Benji is large, humorous and outgoing where Benji withdraws like a hermit crab into his shell. Nolan sees the best about everyone and every situation, and he is exactly what Benji needs and wants, even if the man doesn’t realize it at first. And little by little, as each advent gift shows Benji just how well Nolan knows his irascible lover, Benji also discovers that Nolan has been his real muse all along and spending the holidays without his love is becoming increasingly unbearable. Yes, I have seen this plot before, but with her rich descriptions and wonderful characterizations, including Nolan’s mother, Clark makes this storyline sing again and just in time to deliver that much needed holiday cheer and joy that I look for in a story at this time of year. I am sure Santa will be adding Henrietta Clark to his “nice” list for giving us such a wonderful story.

Review of Eight Days by Cardeno C

Rating: 5 stars

Maccabe Fried and Josh Segal have virtually grownup together, curtesy of their parents who are the closest of friends. They have spent their vacations together, celebrated the Jewish holidays together and even attended the same schools. And through the ages, one thing never changed, they were always the best of friends even though they had nothing in common. Maccabe was obsessed over baseball, sure in his knowledge of himself that one day he would play in the major leagues and become one of the best players ever. Josh, on the other hand, had absolutely no interest in sports. Josh loved his legos, and books, and the snow globes that Maccabe bought him every year for Hanukkah. But somewhere as both boys aged into their teenage years, things changed. Maccabe started noticing Josh in a way he usually noticed girls to his total amazement. And Josh? Well, it turned out that Josh had always had a crush on Maccabe.

A revelation turns into a stolen kiss which morphs into a hidden love affair that lasts several years. Hidden because Maccabe is still obsessed over having a career in baseball, and everything else comes second, including Josh. As Maccabe climbs from college baseball and into the minor league, things remain the same, not even their parents know they are a couple. And Josh decides he is tired of hiding their relationship. One night Josh explodes, yelling at Maccabe that either Maccabe tells everyone that he is gay and they are a couple or it is over. Maccabe hesitates, Josh is devastated and runs away before Maccabe can stop him.

But Fate is not through with either of them, and it is the season of Miracles. And it all starts one night at Hannukkah.

Eight Days is that most wondrous of holiday stories that combines laughter and angst in equal measure and the final product is a story I will return to year after year. While not Jewish, I have always enjoyed the few Jewish stories of Hannukkuh that appeared at this time of year, usually the Bellski series from Astrid Amara. But Cardeno C has given us a classic tale of two families and their sons, Josh and Maccabe, and the traditions that bind us together. I will let you know right off the bat, that my daughter knew a Maccabe all through elementary and middle school. Baseball obsessed, he devoted all his time to the sport and went on to play minor league ball and I can see him in Maccabe so clearly. Cardeno C understands adolescence and teenagers. The author grasps that what can come across as self absorbed is sometimes just a focus so strong that it can obliterate everything else on the outskirts, even people who love you. When you are that young and that centered on one thing, you can come across as a bit dense, and self centered just as Maccabe does, but that is the beauty of his character. He is absolutely realistic in every way. I felt I knew him intimately because he was a realistic kid. The same with Josh. Young, more orientated inward towards puzzles,school and chess. Just take a quick mental trip back to a class of yours and you will find that a “Josh” pops into your head almost immediately. C Cardeno gets every facet of their lives perfectly, right down to their very distinct voices she creates for each of them. Perfect characterizations in perfectly realized situations, how I adore this story.

And how I loved the adult Maccabe, so self assured that he almost comes across as arrogant, Maccabe has matured into the man he was meant to be and the one Josh needs so badly. Sigh. And finally we get the ending they both deserve and the one we have been waiting for. I love Eight Days and am putting on my Advent list of stories I reread every holiday season.

Available at Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and All Romance.

Review: Crucible of Fate (Change of Heart #4) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 5 stars

Domin Thorne should be on top of the world. He is the semel-aten, the leader of the werepanther world, ruler of the city Sobek in Egypt, the capital of the werepanthers. At his side are his new mate, Yuri the former shersuru of Logan Church as well as Mikail, Crane, and Taj from his former tribe, courtesy of Logan and Jin who knew it was crucial to have people he trusted around him as he began his rule.

But the tasks before him are even more formidable than he had imagined. The old priest who supported him has died, and the new priest is intent on undermining his authority. Crane is homesick and both Yuri and Mikail are not acting like themselves. And Domin finds himself short tempered, and impatient with the pace of change in the rules and regulations he wants implemented. Then his ex shows up just as a servant tries to kill him, and Yuri goes on a goodwill mission that turns deadly, and faced with his loss, Domin realizes that he truly loves Yuri, the only one to love him deeply and forever.

As his enemies gather all around him, Domin must prove to himself and all of Sobek that he is truly the semel-aten Logan believes he can be if he is to save those he loves and the werepanther world so desperately in need of change.

I hope that Mary Calmes intends to continue this series because with each book, it gets stronger, more deeply layered and complex. Crucible of Fate picks up after the events of Honored Vow, and the fight in the arena between Domin and the former semel aten, Ammon, a circumstance planned by Logan. Now in Sobek, the werepanther capital city in Egypt, we are given a Domin in crisis mode, inside and out. Everything has changed for Domin and it is overwhelming him on every front. Domin has a mate in Yuri and it is so new for them both that neither has adjusted to their new status. Yuri has always loved Domin, but Domin’s feelings for Yuri are still so brand new, bringing with them a measure of insecurity. Logan gave permission for several close members of his tribe to go with Domin to insure his safety and to insure he would have people around him he could trust but none of them are acting like themselves. Even the goals he wants to set for change within their society seem to distant to enact. Mary Calmes gives us this wonderfully volatile man puts him down within an equally volatile framework and lets the explosions start to happen.

The author places characters we have come to love into situations where their interpersonal relationships must expand and grow to their potential or all will be lost. And it’s not just Domin who must change, but Crane, Mikhail, Yuri and the entire court of Sobek. It’s wonderful because we get to see the start of a social revolution but from the person’s view point who is planning it all. Just a lovely touch. As this author has done in the past, she takes the facts she has given us and then uses them to turn everything we know on its head by the end of the story. All the little twists and turns she throws into the story takes Domin into a place I did not see coming, and I loved that.

And it’s not just the wonderful characterizations that greet us like old friends, but the vivid descriptions of Egypt, from the palace to the catacombs that help the reader visualize each and every scene our beloved werepanthers find themselves in. But no matter how wonderful the settings (and they have been outstanding, especially Mongolia), it is the characters that continue to bring all of us back for more. I never thought I would come to love Domin as I do when I initially met him. Then he was a bully, and a bit of a thug, deserving of a smackdown, which he got and then some. But over the series, we have watched Domin evolve into a man of honor, worthy of both respect and love. One of the true pleasures of this story, is Domin and Yuri’s story, watching their relationship deepen, strengthen and finally reveal itself as one between true mates. It is just so rewarding and satisfying, I can’t wait for you to experience it yourself.

In fact you won’t find a quibble here. Just the plea for another book. Ilia, Jin and Logan’s son is introduced here, and while not giving you any spoilers, let’s just say he is worthy of his own series. Crane has a wedding coming up, and so much more is on the horizon for them all that their story cries out to be heard (yes, that would be Danny’s voice we hear). So here I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping the future will bring us more in the Change of Heart series. Until then I will return to the beginning and start over with Jin and Logan. Don’t miss out on any of them.

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

Change of Heart (Change of Heart #1)

Trusted Bond (Change of Heart #2)

Honored Vow (Change of Heart #3)

Crucible of Fate (Change of Heart #4)

Review: The Legend of the Apache Kid by Sarah Black

Rating: 4.75 stars

Dr. Raine Magrath is lazing about in a hotel hot tub when he sees young Apache Johnny Bravo and his grandfather by the side of the pool. Johnny is in town for his first film festival and to meet with a man about the independent film Johnny has made. When Johnny joins Raine in the hot tub, they make an immediate connection with each other and Raine asks Johnny to look him up in Taos if he ever visits. Then Johnny and his grandfather disappear and it is another year before they meet again.

When Raine walked into The Peaceful Bean to get his morning coffee, he was surprised to see he knows the new guy behind the counter. It was the Apache film maker he had met a year ago at the film festival. Johnny Bravo was in Taos and it looked like he now lived here. Johnny had gone home with his grandfather until the cancer killed him and then went looking for Raine. The connection they felt at their first meeting is as strong as ever and getting stronger with each passing conversation. And when Raine takes him home to the family ranch he shares with his father, he semi jokingly introduces Johnny as his new boyfriend, something that becomes reality. With the arrival of Johnny’s 8 year old cousin, Weasel, the men start to form a family, cemented by love of the land, history, family, and each other.

But Johnny has another love, film making. He’s a genius at it and Hollywood is beckoning by the way of the Sundance Festival. And when he begs Raine not to put any chains on him, Raine knows that for them to succeed, he must be prepared to let Johnny go and chase his dreams. When Johnny heads off to the Sundance Film Festival, the welcome his film gets is overwhelming with offers to work out in Hollywood. It’s everything he has dreamed about or is it? With Raine and his family missing him back in Taos, Johnny must decide where his dreams really lie.

OK, right off the start, I will tell you that I want to take a black marker and eradicate that awful blurb for this remarkable book. Why? One, Johnny is in no way an “airhead” bur rather someone focused more on the quality of film he makes and less on its marketability. What a disservice the person who wrote that did to Sarah Black’s characters and this story. *Shakes head* Alright. Rant over, now that I have gotten that off my chest. The Legend of the Apache Kid has all the qualities of the best of Sarah Black’s writing. Her characters of all ages are so well crafted, so beautifully put together that I feel I have run across them in my travels out west for truly Sarah Black has one of the strongest regional voices for our western states that I can remember.

These people rise up from the pages of this book covered in the dust of their ancestors, history percolates through their bloodstream, and who they are is so strongly tied to the land they walk on that they are as much a part of the landscape as the weedy scrub sage, twisted juniper and alligator pine of Carson National Forest. From their dialog to their rides (either horseback or truck) the characters exude authenticity of location, the author’s love of the southwestern desert and the native american tribes who belong to it. Sarah Black knows this land and its people intimately and it translates her love and knowledge into her stories, characters and locales. If she has an old man talking and walking in her scene, then that character moves and sounds like an old man does. When the bored and sullen Weasel is left by himself for a few precious moments in his first introduction to Raine and Taos, he carves his initials into the shop’s small table because that what small sullen boys with a pocketknife do. To write like this, your knowledge of people cannot be superficial. You must have the ability to see beneath the surface, to get under their skin and somehow burrow into peoples thoughts and emotions to bring forth characters as real as these.

Equally remarkable is the dialog and narrative of the story. It is both weighted with emotion and yet as dry as the desert air. It is elegant in that spare western way rarely heard outside the region. You could give me anonymous samples of writings, and I could pick out Sarah Black’s signature voice in an instant. Although I dislike taking sentences out of context, this is one such example:

“He leaned forward and kissed me, light as a hummingbird on the side of my mouth. “Later, Raine.” He climbed out of the tub, grabbed his clothes, and pulled the old man’s jacket over his shoulders. The snow was falling on his hair, but he didn’t hurry, just followed the man, wet bare feet on frozen concrete. I closed my eyes so I didn’t have to watch him walk away.”

I put that out there, loving the feeling it evokes within me and still feel I have not done this author justice because there is so much beauty to be found everywhere within this book. There is the author’s considerable knowledge of the history and her appreciation for the differing Native American tribes and their cultures. In fact, her love for and curiosity about all cultures comes shining through each and every story. A particular delight of mine is to see what new element of Americana she will bring into a book. In Marathon Cowboys, it was bathtub Marys. Really I had no idea. Check them out. Here it is the green Earthship homes built in communities out west. Yes, I had to look them up and darn it if I can’t stop thinking about them and the need for green sustainable living ever since. Sarah Black has given me a real itch to go out west and visit one to see and experience them for myself.

So why not a 5 star rating? Well, that would be the ending and really, I need to just give it up when it comes to Sarah Black. If anyone reading this is already familiar with Sarah Black’s books, then you know what I am talking about. The ending of the book just comes to a gradual stop. There is no epilogue, more of a “this is where it needs to end naturally” sort of thing. It’s not rushed, nor is it drawn out, it just is. In some of her stories it drives me crazy my need to know more is so great, in others it’s just fine because it is in tune with the story and characters. And truth be told, she is never going to change that, so I just need to let it go. And yes, it works here, it ends well and brings the story back around full circle. But damn it , I just wanted more. More of these characters, and more of their story and so will you once you read this. It enters your bloodstream as it did mine and won’t let you go. And you will be ok with that. It’s a Sarah Black story after all.

Cover: Paul Richmond was the cover artist. The colors he chose are perfect for the story as is the illustration. The background graphic is the poster for Johnny’s film.

Read my review of Marathon Cowsboys here.

Read my review of Border Roads here.

Read by Author Spotlight on Sarah Black here.

Review: Infected Lesser Evils #6 by Andrea Speed

Rating: 4.75 stars

“In a world where a werecat virus has changed society, Roan McKichan, a born infected and ex-cop, works as a private detective trying to solve crimes involving other infecteds.”

When Roan gets a call from the police about a shifted Infected at Club Damage, that there are injured people, and the cat cornered in the club bathroom, he heads out to investigate and take down the cat. But almost immediately Roan realizes there is a larger problem than just an infected cat on the loose. The cat is dying and smells off, it has almost a chemical aroma to it. Then another cat shifts out of schedule and dies and then another. The autopsy reveals a chemical in their bloodstream, a new drug that forces the Infected people to shift early and die. Roan and the police force realize that someone has targeted all Infected’s and it’s up to Roan to find that person before they have a wave of cat deaths throughout the city.

Holden is also having a very bad day. He is beaten up by one of his john’s and needs Roan’s help to get back to his condo. But his john is not finished with him yet and an already anguished Roan takes on the role of an avenger something that is happening in greater frequency. Because the infected population is not only being targeted by a drug pusher, a serial killer is hunting them down as well. As Roan tries to find the supplier of the poisoned drugs and track the killer with Holden’s help, he also has to deal with increasing migraines and the fact that the lion just might be taking over. It’s almost enough to make Roan want to die if the virus would let him.

Lesser Evils is the sixth book in the Infected series that remains one of my all time favorites. This is quite simply a mesmerizing saga at every level starting with the central premise of an out of control virus. The virus is spreading throughout the human population with the disastrous effect of changing those infected into beings no longer completely human before killing them. The origin of the virus is unknown, although the speculations include the most favored “secret government agency trying to build a super soldier” one. But it could also include a feline virus not unlike the avian or swine bug run amuck. I love the idea of a nebulous background for the virus although it remains to be seen if the author leaves it this way or has something totally different planned for us and Roan. Trust me, it would be just like Andrea Speed to have some utterly confounding explanation just lying in wait for us in future books.

The Infected series also includes some of my favorite characters, again starting with the heart of the series, Roan McKitchen. He is an Infected child, born of an Infected mother instead of someone infected after birth. Roan is also the only known child to not only survive but thrive with the virus inside of him. But thriving physically is not the same as surviving emotionally or mentally and Roan continues to battle both his emotions and mental state as the virus mutates within him. And it is this constantly changing state that Roan finds himself in that speaks to so many fundamental questions within us. What does it mean to be human? Is who we are internally, in our mind and soul tied to who we are physically? If who you are physically is no longer within the realm of human specifications, does that outsider status remove you from the human condition and people all around you to the extent you can’t relate to them any more? Question after important question is brought up but the answers are constantly evolving as is Roan. I love the high level of complexity here and the fact that with each book, who and what Roan is becoming more bewildering and convoluted as well.

Just as there are no “reasonably” simple human beings, you won’t find them within these pages either. This includes Holden Fox, another favorite. Holden started out as a high priced hooker but now seems to be evolving into Roan’s investigative partner and fellow vigilante when necessary. He is not just familiar with the dark underbelly of society, but is a top denizen there. His outlook is a needed contrast to Dylan, Roan’s artist husband and part time bartender. Dylan, another beautifully layered portrait, loves Roan and is trying to accept the changes he sees in him. Dylan also is in the unpleasant role of being the one man who can never quite measure up to Roan’s true love, Paris Lehane and now must live with a ghost always present in their relationship. And then there are all the characters that circle around Roan, from the hockey players (Grey, Scott, Tank…all memorable) to Seb and Drop Kick, the police officers Roan works with. There is no such thing as a cardboard character in a Andrea Speed novel.

Lesser Evils tackles several problems at once, much the same as the other stories. One strand that is running through the last few books is that there seems to be a mysterious organization, perhaps one with white supremacists, that is targeting Infecteds, trying to wipe them out by various methods, in this case by poisoning a favored club drug. Only those infected by the virus die and die horribly. So Roan, the police, FBI and others are trying to track the source of the drug to its manufacturer in a race that also includes a antidote as more and more die on the streets. In addition, someone is hunting the Infecteds like big game and the police with a couple of exceptions don’t seem to be taking this as seriously as they would if the serial killer was hunting “people”. This infuriates Roan as he starts to feel like he must take the “savior” role he has always avoided.

As Andrea Speed pulls all these threads together, she also weaves Roan’s torment over his changing physical and mental state into the pattern as well. The lion inside is coming out more and more and Roan is struggling with his emotions and temper to the point he thinks Dylan is in danger. We feel his anger, the level of his depression and even his rage at those who remain unconcerned and removed from the plight of the Infected. The author forces us to think about what makes us who we are as Roan loses the certainly we take for granted. The virus also seems to be protecting him in startling ways even as it is morphing him into something the world has never seen before. And with increasing dread, we “hear” as the government starts to talk about making Infecteds register themselves, which sounds like a precursor to concentration camps, for their own good of course. As I stated, so many elements are in play here, and the future for all is becoming increasingly muddied. Especially for Roan, our most reluctant of heroes but for which race?

For even as Dylan reminds Roan that he is still human, and we know he is not, and Holden abjures Roan to renounce the human race and accept his non human status, Roan in his anguished, drugged state tries to find a median ground that probably does not exist. And we are there with him for every angst ridden step he takes in the journey before him and the rest of the world. And that is the cherry on top. The tantalizing glimpses that Speed allows us to see along Roan’s path. It’s these small windows that open up into a possible future for Roan and the other Infecteds that give me shivers and make me undeniably one of her biggest fans even when she leaves me and all the other readers hanging as she does here in Lesser Evils. Yes, even as we find out the new mutations the virus has caused in Roan, it also has a debilitating effect on him that turns into a cliffhanger at the end. *Head desk*. Roan pulls out all the deepest emotions in the reader because he is so well crafted, that he becomes real to us which makes the cliffhanger at the end so frustrating because we need to know what happens next. Sigh.

As I have commented on how much I dislike cliffhangers in other books, so that is the reason my head pounded when I found it here. So as we wait for Dreamspinner Press to bring out the next in the series and for this situation with Roan in the hospital to be resolved, I will placate myself by going back to the beginning and starting to read the series all over again, looking for new clues I might have missed, and uncovering elements the author may have hidden away. So even with the dreaded cliffhanger in place, grab this one up. Or if you are new to the series, go back to the beginning and become acquainted with one of the most complex and enthralling characters to cross a page.

Andrea Speed also compiles a playlist for each book. They can be found at her website In Absentia. Here are the books in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters and the saga:

Lesser Evils

Cover: Cover by Anne Cain is just magnificent. The cover art is available for download as screensavers at Andrea Speed’s website.

It’s Thanksgiving and the Week Ahead!

Hard to believe I will be cooking away starting Wednesday. I have pies to bake, and a fresh turkey and stuffing that need my attention. There are some last minute things to get like the pears and baby arugula for the salad. I know it never gets eaten as the focus is on the bird so it will only be a small salad this year. The mashed potatoes and fresh green beans are the domain of my mother and the mango cranberry relish is being supplied by my daughter and her husband. Things are looking good and I can’t wait to start smelling those wonderful aromas that mean family, closeness, and Thanksgiving.

This is going to be a great week here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words. We have some terrific books and Riptide Publishing is visiting for a guest post on their Warriors of Rome blog tour, Love Spartacus or strapping gladiators in leather? Don’t miss this one. On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I am blogging about novel playlists, authors and the importance of understanding the music central to a character. Trust me, it’s not as dry as it sounds when we are talking about bands like These Arms Are Snakes or The Flying Burrito Brothers!

So here we go, a little percussion please:

Monday, 19th: Knitter In His Natural Habitat (Knitting#4) by Amy Lane

Tuesday, 20th: Warriors of Rome Blog Tour, Guest post by Sam Starbuck

Wed, 21st: Review of The City War by Sam Starbuck

Thursday, 22nd: Lesser Evils (Infected, #6) by Andrea Speed

Friday, 23rd: When It Comes to Understanding People or Characters is Music the Key? Thoughts on Novels and Playlists

Saturday, 24th: The Legend of the Apache Kid by Sarah Black

For all the Americans, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. For everyone else, be happy and safe too!

Review of Ghosts in the Wind by Marguerite Labbe

Rating: 5 stars

Dean Marshall and Andrei Cuza have been together 10 years, a anniversary they just finished celebrating. These years together have not come without their own difficulties and challenges, especially with regard to Andrei’s Romany tribe who had disavowed him. Then there is the stress of Andrei’s job which to find and rescue abused and stolen children. But they are happy and their love stronger than ever, as is the expectation they will spend the rest of their lives together.

But fate and an enraged criminal change all that. As Andrei races to save a group of abducted children, Dean stops to help a women and her children stranded by a flat tire by the side of the road. Unbeknownst to her, the woman’s estranged husband has followed her intent on retrieving his children. The encounter ends with the man killing Dean and his wife and fleeing with his children.

When Dean wakes up, he is standing by a sheet covered body, watching as paramedics rush about the scene as policemen take notes. He doesn’t understand by they won’t listen to him until a young girl appears and tells Dean that he is dead. Her name is Ileana and she is Andrei’s dead sister come to help Dean because she didn’t want him to be sad. While still not accepting the truth, Dean knows he has to get to Andrei because the two missing children need his help, so Dean sets off to figure out how to accept his new status with Illeana’s help.

Andrei is shattered when he gets the call about Dean’s murder. Everyone in his life either rejected him or left him until Dean and now he is dead. Andrei believes his life is over until Dean and his little sister appear before him. Andrei has been haunted by ghosts all of his life and one of his biggest regrets is that he feels responsible for his sister being caught in limbo unable to move on. Their sibling love was so strong that when her illness killed her, she didn’t want to leave her brother alone and she didn’t understand the ramifications of staying in limbo. For those spirits who linger controlled by the strong emotions they held in life are hunted by Jackal Wraiths who consume the souls of the spirits they hunt. A spirit only has so many chances to move on before they are stuck in perpetual limbo something the little girl never understood.

Now between his grief, rage, and his guilt, Andrei’s love for Dean and Illeana must prove to be the emotion to rule his actions. Dean is insistant that he not move on before the children are found, Illeana won’t leave Dean or Andrei and the strong emotions swirling around are sure to bring the Wraiths if the trio is not careful. Andrei must figure out not only how to catch the murderer and bring the children to safety but how to say goodbye to the only man he has ever loved before the time runs out for all of them.

This is listed as a Bittersweet Dreams title, a genre I usually stay far away from. Lucky for me and you, that would be the last place I would list this book. In fact bittersweet is a word that would not ever come to mind when I think of this amazing story of love, its all encompassing and enduring nature. Timeless love is perhaps more accurate, because it doesn’t matter whether it is the love you hold for your partner or the love of a sibling, not even death changes the power and depth of your feelings for them. Above all else, this story is about love.

Marguerite Labbe pulls you into Dean and Andrei’s relationship right from the start. Dean and Andrei are waking up and move right into a sensual scene of morning sex, that is hot and loving and feels so true for two men in an established relationship. We get descriptions of their little mannerisms and small details that heighten their commitment to each other as well let us know that sex plays an important part of their lives. I fell in love with both characters immediately without having the background knowledge that will come later in the story. I felt how deeply they loved each other which made what follows all the more shattering.

Labbe does a remarkable and heartrending job of letting us “watch” as Andrei enters a building filled with pedophiles and the children they have abducted. The police are coming but the danger and the anxiety starts ramping up as he reaches the children he comes to rescue. Our hearts are in our throats for Andrei as the danger increases by the moment and the children are so very vulnerable and hurt. Then we turn back to Dean on his way back from a successful business meeting and sees a woman in distress at the side of the road. Back and forth we swing between the men and their disparate scenes, and our stomach starts to get queasy and our eyes to tear because we know whats coming. And come it does. In the splashes of blood, and tears and cries of pain and loss so unbearable that you shatter along with Andrei.

But there is always the presence of Dean and young Illeana to shore us up. So real, so genuine are all the characters including the children, that their situation seems as real as Andrei’s. They pull us back from grief and involve us in the plight of the two missing children as well as their own as times starts to run out before Dean too is stuck in limbo. The author gives us so many outstanding elements, each as complex and expertly executed as the next, in this story. We have the otherworldly strand that involves Dean, Illeana, and the Jackal Wraiths which is very scary as well as vividly described, truly the stuff of nightmares. Along side of this, Margueritie Labbe hauls us into the hunt for the murderer and the missing children. My god, this was so well done. As the police give up on finding the children, Andrei, and Dean know better. And the race is on with just themselves and a friendly detective to continue the hunt which turns into a real knuckle biter itself. Oh and did I tell you a hurricane is coming?

And throughout all this both Dean and Andrei must find a way to say goodbye. Yes, I sobbed buckets of tears with this story,from beginning to the end. But by then the tears of pain and loss had turned into tears of joy and happiness. Yes, you read that right. Joy and happiness about a story of murder and lovers separated by a criminal act. The ending is perfection and one you will treasure, turning back to it over and over again.

Really, this is an exceptional book. I raced through to the end, gobbling up each and every word, heart pounding, pulse racing, and yes, throw in some head throbbing to go along with the red eyes and runny nose. And then I did it all again because I was afraid I had missed something the first time. Yes, you can count on there being another reading in the future. Because this book will haunt you, mesmerize you and leave you thinking once you have finished. Don’t take my word for it. Go buy this book, do it now. Get some tissures and prepare to be enveloped in a love that knows no boundaries, even death.

Cover. This cover by Reese Dante is one of the top ten for 2012. Lush, haunting, just perfect in every way.

Hurricane Sandy Relief Still Needed, Books with a Bittersweet tag and the Week Ahead in Reviews

So on top of Hurricane Sandy, the nor’Easter hit the very same areas with another punch. So I am putting out there once more the name of organizations providing assistance to those in need due to Hurricane Sandy. Please help if you are able, even the smallest of amounts add up to someone being able to eat or have warm clothes.

American Red Cross

Ali Forney Center Housing for Homeless GLBT Youth

ASPCA

Humane Society of the United States

Now turning to books, I have some wonderful books for you this week, including the latest from Andrea Speed, Megan Derr, and Marguerite Labbe. In particular, I wanted to talk about books labeled bittersweet. I think most people see that tag and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction and miss out on some marvelous books. Two in particular come to mind. One is Rodney Ross’ The Cool Park of His Pillow. This is absolutely one of my top books for 2012. It does contains sadness and pain as it charts one man’s recovery from the death of his long term partner. But there is also so much joy, humor and love that it would be shameful to label it bittersweet as it is so much more than that limiting tag. I feel the same way about Ghost in the Wind, the latest from Marguerite Labbe. This story has a definite supernatural bent to it as it concerns the death of a man’s long term partner but in this case the man is murdered and his ghost returns to help his partner move on as well as solve a mystery. Here the grief is palpable, the murder shocking and the suspense agonizing. Dreamspinner Press calls it a Bittersweet Dream. Sigh. I can almost hear the rejections on the wind. Again, definitely not so. Don’t miss this wonderful book either. It’s painful, joyous, suspenseful, and full of boundless love. I have the latest in the Infected series (darn you, Andrea Speed!!!) and a book from KA Mitchell that is not receiving the attention I think it is due. So fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a wild ride of a week:

Monday: Chaos (Lost Gods #5) by Megan Derr

Tuesday: Ghost in the Wind by Marguerite Labbe

Wednesday: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne and Marie Sexton

Thursday: But My Boyfriend Is by KA Mitchell

Friday: Splintered Lies by Diane Adams and RJ Scott

Saturday: Bloggers Choice

So that’s the week unless something changes. Happy reading!

Review of But For You (A Matter of Time #6) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Jory Harcourt finally has everything he has ever wanted. He has his husband, US Marshall Sam Kage, after many obstacles and stumbling blocks. They have their two adopted children, their son Kola and their daughter Hannah, and even a deranged cat named Chilly. They have a house in the suburbs, a minivan Jory loves and their family and friends are happy as well. So of course, this means that trouble is about to barge into their life and turn it upside down.

When Jory intervenes in a neighbors marital dispute by the curb, it figures that the only ones injured were Jory and his minivan. But during his visit to the hospital, the Doctor on call turns out to be someone Sam was involved with down in Mexico during the three years they were separated. Someone Sam has never told Jory about to Jory’s consternation. Then a hitman climbs their balcony of their hotel at the family reunion, and a missing informer may just not be missing after all. With criminals chasing them, and Sam after the criminals and Jory ending up in the middle, things are getting a little bit out of hand yet again. But now Jory and Sam have a family and a normal life and that’s worth fighting for! So the criminals had better beware.

But for You is the last book in the saga of Jory Harcourt and US Marshall Sam Kage which started with A Matter of Time novels. And it has taken Jory and Sam and the readers on a long and complicated journey to get to their Happily Ever After. Mary Calmes has had our boys separated on more than one occassion, they both have been shot and injured, miscommunication and sometimes just bad timing has at one time or another interfered in their passionate courtship but eventually Mary Calmes always brought Jory and Sam back together come hell or high water. When the author created Jory Harcourt and Sam Kage, she endowed each of them with such staying power both as individuals and as a couple, that they are often nominated as favorite couple at poll time.

Jory Harcourt has been a memorable persona right from the start in 2009. Full of life, nosy, loyal, and trouble on two feet, Jory captured the imaginations and hearts of readers immediately. How could you not love someone who could turn a mere errand into a disaster with citywide implications in a matter of minutes? Meet someone, have a conversation and coffee with them and have their new friend turn out to be a sought after mobster? That would be Jory. Lovable, klutzy, and way too endearing for his own good. The readers loved Jory immediately. Then Mary Calmes created Sam Kage as his soul mate because goodness knows only someone with the shear mass and attitude of a US Marshall would be enough to keep Jory under control, at least most of the time. But of course, getting Sam to see that Jory was perfect for him was not a easy task, including the fact that Sam had to accept his own “gay” card in order for that to happen. So their meeting, courtship, curtailed courtship, renewed courtship was carried out over a series of books. I can tell you their roller-coaster of a romance caused much angst and heart flutterings along the way. And each time we think their relationship is safe and secure, something or someone comes along to shake them and the status quo up but good. It never mattered how wild the complication or how bad the criminals involved, Sam and Jory (whether Sam wanted it or not) were in the thick of things.

Now comes the last Jory and Sam story and I will be so very sorry to see such an entertaining and adorable couple go. But Mary Calmes has given us a heartwarming portrait of a contented happily married couple with the kids they have always wanted, complete with house, cat and minivan to take with us as we leave them behind. For one thing, it is easy to see that the author is a mother herself. Kola and Hannah behave and talk like real children and I loved them. It doesn’t matter whether six year old Kola is telling four year old Hannah not to lick Chili their cat or if looking at a magnificent hotel fountain makes Hannah need to pee, the children come across as realistic as any child I know. When Kola makes retching sounds when his parents kiss, I was cracking up because I have heard and seen children do exactly that. And when Hannah goes into a 20 minute description about a bug and a leaf, yep that happens too. And then there are Sam and Jory’s reactions to their kids. Trying not to laugh when they know they should be stern? Absolutely. Horrified when someone abuses their power at school and their kid gets hurt? You betcha! All real, all wonderfully familiar, at least to any of us that have children. And I love that they are still as passionate and crazy about each other no matter how complicated their lives get. These great characterizations are why we feel in love with Jory and Sam to begin with.

The Cartel storyline that has carried through all of the books is finished here and loose ends are tied up. Of course, not without Sam disappearing and Jory getting into trouble. It wouldn’t seem like a Jory and Sam story if that wasn’t the case. And all of their family members are here too to say goodbye. Dane and Aja and their kids, Dylan and her kids, Sam’s family and more. Even Aaron (remember him?) and Duncan are here as well. Jory and Sam are hunted by criminals and Sam in turn hunts them right back. There is danger and there is resolution. And in the end, Jory, Sam, Hannah and Kola and even their cat Chili are moving into a new house and happy in their lives together.

Do I have any quibbles? Sure, I wish it would have been longer, I wish I could have had more of Sam and Jory together, more of Sam and Jory with their children, more of……well, you get my drift. But if they have to go, then their creator has done them proud and sees them off in fine Sam and Jory style. There’s laughter, some pouts, tears and lots of sex. Goodbye, Jory. Goodbye, Marshall Sam. You will be missed.

Here are the Jory and Sam stories in the order they were written and should be read:

A Matter Of Time – Books 1 through 4

Bulletproof (A Matter Of Time #5)

Just Jory (A Matter of Time 5.5) find it here.

But For You (A Matter Of Time #6)

Cover art by Reese Dante. Aww, loved it and a perfect way to send them off.

Review: One True Thing by Piper Vaughn and MJ O’Shea

Rating: 4 stars

Dusty Davis has moved to California with his best friends Ru and Erik and their daughter Alice. West Hollywood so far is everything Dusty hoped it would be. He can walk down the street and not draw stares for his clothes or nail polish and their new house is adorable, a great change in every way from Delaware. There is only one thing missing…..a boyfriend. When he watches Ru and Erik cuddle and interact, it only highlights how lonely he really is. But a trip on the sidewalk has Dusty falling into the arms of a gorgeous man, who picks him up, smiles and disappears into the crowd. So Dusty starts to look for him everywhere and when he finds him, Dusty is confused because the man, Archer Kyriakides doesn’t remember him. But that doesn’t stop Dusty from going out with him. But its not the same as Dusty hoped as the man is cold, and completely shallow. Then Dusty meets Asher Kyriakides who is Archer’s twin brother and the mystery is solved. It is Asher who picked Dusty up off the side walk and Asher who has occupied Dusty’s thoughts and dreams since the incident. After Dusty realizes his mistake, he and Asher start to date and it is everything he had hoped for in the beginning. Except that Archer seems intent on causing problems for the new couple every way he can.

Asher Kyriakides has not been able to get the adorable blonde man out of his mind since they meet on the sidewalk. Then he walks into the apartment he shares with his twin brother Archer and is devastated to find Archer kissing that same cute blonde. Crushed, Asher finds his life stagnating on every level. He is a photographer who is filming porn actors because he needs the money instead of working as a fashion photographer. His brother is running up their bills, partying all night, and in general making Asher’s life miserable when he tries to make his brother act responsibly. It only starts to look up when he starts to date Dusty and even make plans for their future. But Archer means trouble and tries to tear the two men apart. When Archer goes too far, Asher must finally decide between his future with Dusty or his obligation to his brother.

We first met Dustin Davis in One Small Thing which gave us the story of Ru and Erik’s relationship. Dusty had a large role to play in that story and he captured our hearts with his endearing personality and vulnerability. I thought even then that he deserved his own story and was thrilled to see a sequel that followed our small family out to West Hollywood for a new start for all of them. The authors certainly picked the right place to plop down our wonderful quartet of characters and it was easy to envision Dusty flip flopping his way down the Boulevard on his way to a meeting with Asher and a future. Vaughn and O’Shea have given us a character to cherish in Dusty so it is important that his soul mate measure up to the reader’s idea of the right person for him. And the person they chose has readers including myself blowing hot and cold, mostly because of his brother. The authors present us with a problematic package when they created Asher and Archer, the twin Kyriakides brothers who represent a sort of black and white or yin and yang of siblings.

Asher, the good twin, seems to be a lovely match for Dusty. Except that when it comes to his evil twin, Archer, he has all the resolve of a wet noodle. He lets his brother ride roughshod over him time after time, trampling his feelings and even his relationship with Dusty into the ground with no recompense at all from Archer. In fact, no matter how awful Archer behaves, Asher lets him get away with it to the reader’s utter astonishment. I can understand a twin brother’s bond being responsible for absorbing some of the impact of Archer’s actions but there is no answering bond from Archer, it is completely one sided. So on one front, Asher loves Dusty and they appear perfect for each other, than the other passive doormat side of Asher comes out and threatens everything they have built up to date. I won’t go into details here but trust me when I say both Archer’s actions and Asher’s response are so unbelievable that it almost derailed the entire story for me. The only thing that pulled the plot back onto the tracks was Dusty’s reaction and the manner in which he forced Asher to handle the situation. Yes, Dusty is the saving grace, not only in this incidence, but for the entire book.

Archer remained pretty much a one dimensional evil villain of the piece. I kept waiting for some explanation for his hatred of his brother, some bit of back story that would explain his illicit drug use, casual sex, and complete disregard for his brother’s feelings but it never came. In fact, Archer was the major disruption for this story. Had he been removed, the one element of Asher’s character that was not only unbelievable but distasteful as well would have been removed too.

Dusty remains one of my favorite characters. He is irrepressibly positive in his outlook, his buoyant good nature, his huge heart and personality make me smile just thinking about him. The authors have painted such a vivid portrait of Dusty that he leaps laughing and giggling right off the page and into our hearts. Dusty is so gentle and kind (and talented) that you not only want him to be your hairstylist but your friend as well. Dusty is both the heart of this story and it’s saving grace. It doesn’t matter whether he is feeding Alice or having a heart to heart with Michelle, who Dusty is and what he stands for is never in doubt. Give us more Dusty and I am a happy camper. He is a perfect creation and the real reason to buy this book.

Without Archer’s involvement, this is a 4.5 to 5 point story. Take him away, and it has every thing to recommend it. It has not only Dusty, but Ru and Erik and Alice too. It finds Dusty happy in his new job, making new friends (love Michelle), and finally having someone to love and who loves him back for the marvelous person he is. Another new character deserving of our attention and affection is troubled porn actor Josh. I could have used more of him, and so much less of Archer. I liked the ending, although for some reason it seemed for of a HFN than HEA. And again, that speaks more to the characterization deficits of Asher and not Dusty. Because while Dusty is still moving forward with new friendships, new apartment, an ever expanding future, Asher’s career remains that of a porn photographer, which would be fine if he enjoyed and liked it, but it’s not. It’s one he is ashamed of and remains in. When he goes forward, it seems that its because Dusty has pulled him there, not a formula for a healthy relationship. So perhaps Asher too needs some time to grow into the man Dusty deserves. I would love to see a third book in this series, one that reunites Dusty, Asher, Ru, Erik, Alice, Josh and Lane in the not too near future with a real HEA for them all. And please if we must see or hear of Archer again, let it be at his graveside. A perfect solution if ever there was one.

Cover: OK, how adorable is this cover. The model, Austin Anomic (aka Austin Mitchell) is the one who visually inspired the character of Dusty. Read Piper Vaughn’s blog on Austin and his picture with the cover of this book. Austin and the cover of One True Thing are both adorably perfect.

Books in the order they were written and should be read:

One Small Thing – read my review here.

One True Thing

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