Review of The Gleams from a Remoter World by Fiona Glass

Rating: 3.75 stars

Chris Mullens is a reporter/investigator for The Paranormal Times and he is slowly coming to the realization that the years have been piling up behind him while he has stayed relatively static. He has remained at the same job for over 10 years, with no social life or partner to speak of. He lives with Jo Perry, his co worker at The Paranormal Times and has been her intermittent bedmate when she wants it. The book he meant to write has never been started and lately all the leads he has followed for paranormal activity have not panned out, either they were hoaxes or just someone’s overactive imagination. The one thing Chris has decided he wants is to win the coveted Moondust Award for the first journalist to prove the existence of ghosts and the next case their editor hands them just might do the trick if its authentic.

Their editor tells them that in the village of Kilveenan, off the coast of Galway in Ireland, there is a church said to be haunted by the ghost of a dead priest’s son, but the twist is that the son supposedly died in the Great War, so why is he haunting his father’s church? Chris readily accepts the assignment and is eager to be off, Jo Perry, his journalistic partner for the story, seems less so. In fact she is starting to sound as though writing about paranormal events are the last thing she wants to do. When the unhappy couple arrive in Kilveenan, they discover it’s not the church that is haunted, but the priest’s house next door and by a spirit so filled with rage that just for Chris to enter the cottage puts his life in jeopardy.

The more Chris investigates the cottage’s history, the more evidence he uncovers that involves, murder, murky family relationships, and a son that never returned to the battlefield. And what little relationship he had with Jo is disintegrating the longer they stay in Ireland. When Chris and Jo meet up with Paulie and Bill, a gay couple on holiday staying at the same inn, Chris’ attraction to Paulie confuses things further for Chris, just when he needs all his attention to be focused on his investigation. The ghost in the cottage is shaking Chris to his foundations, tearing him apart in every way. Will he survive his ghostly encounter?

Gleams from a Remoter World has so many lovely elements to it, especially at this time of year. The first thing that attracted me to the story is the setting. I love Ireland and when a story is situated in a coastal village, you have my attention. But even better is when the village and it’s inhabitants are so beautifully described that you feel a part of the place itself, then mark me down as a happy camper. I loved Glass’ vivid portrait of life lived at the edge of the ocean, cold, wet winds whipping up the cliffs, moisture clinging to every surface. The rain hitting you so hard it pummels you. I loved the variety of people we meet (thank goodness, none are of that Irish leprechaun variety, twinkling eyes sort of thing), more of the brusk common sense type of folk. Had this been a travel guide I would have been booking a flight out immediately. off to see Kilveenan.

I am unfamiliar with all those ghost hunting shows or the people who track down paranormal happenings, so I don’t know anything about the equipment they use. I can see the running around ruins and graveyards (done that myself a time or two) and again the author’s gift for describing the Irish landscapes and buildings give the reader an immediate closeup feeling to the scenes underway. I loved the ghost story here that incorporates all the good elements of a murder mystery, familial relationships, and a love affair that was hidden. The author did a wonderful job of building the suspense with the ghostly apparitions, the drops in temperature that herald the appearance of the angry spirits, the change in color of the surroundings when history unfolds before Chris’ eyes. Also realistic is the boring, tedious research that had to be done into the background of the church and the Anglican priest who presided over it and its members. Fiona Glass made this part feel so very authentic, right down to the dusty tomes and hard to read signatures on ledgers. Again, the author brought this element to life for the readers to the point we could almost breathe the musty air of the small town offices they had to visit for their information.

And then there are the characters of the story and my main quibbles come forward. I can pretty much narrow down my issue with this story to two words: Jo Perry. Chris Mullen, his interaction with the paranormal, and his interest in Paulie should be the main focus of the story. But Jo Perry keeps interfering in almost every way possible, including my enjoyment in the book. This is a m/f story that becomes a m/m story as Chris is clearly bisexual, which is just fine. But the problem is with the amount of time she figures in the story, which is too predominate for my taste and the fact that she is inherently unlikable. Jo Perry is supposedly a long time friend/partner of Chris, they graduated from the university over 20 years prior but does she act like a friend? Not in any way you would recognize. She is distant, dismissive, uses Chris as a sexual partner when it is on her terms but possessive when he looks elsewhere. She is rude, bratty to all about her, treats Chris like a doormat, and it turns out she is homophobic to boot! All of this would have been fine if first she had taken up less of the story, and secondly, the author had the other characters around her react to her behavior in a realistic manner. That did not happen unfortunately.

Then there is the character of Chris Mullen, who I happened to like quite a lot. He is a quiet, thoughtful person whose good nature and calm demeanor seem to make it easy for Jo to take advantage of him. Chris apparently dislikes confrontation to the point of submerging his wants almost completely in deference to other peoples needs and expectations. While some might attribute that to a “lack of backbone”, I can see the glimmerings of a different take on his behavior altogether, such as an inclination towards depression. Two much of this book involves conflicts between these two characters of Chris and Jo instead of centering in on Chris, Paulie, Paulie’s long term partnership with Bill who is suffering from full blown AIDS, and Bill, who I was sure realized that Chris was attracted to his partner. What a wasted story element. This awkward triad had so many interesting elements going for it. Apparently Bill has been suffering from AIDS for three years and this was a “last vacation” for them both. I wanted to know when was he diagnosed with HIV? How had that effected Paulie? When you have a ghost filled with rage, how interesting would that have been to contrast that with the rage/anger of Paulie? Or even Bill? Like I said, a missed opportunity to concentrate on people I wanted to know so much more about than Jo Perry.

We are given one or two hints to explain their behaviors. She is bitter about a divorce, he is “depressed” but neither explanation is gone into detail, and it never redeems her behavior. This is especially true when it turns out that she is homophobic to the point of rudeness and anger, attacking Chris for his bisexuality and the other men for their gay partnership (even one that is critically ill!). Chris’ depression is mentioned once or twice, but it is clear that he has never done anything about it. Then there is the weight around his neck (and the readers) in the form of Jo. Towards the end of the book when she has left (of her own accord by the way), Chris’ boss mentions how much Chris has moved forward in the last several weeks. Does no one in the UK come right out and say “Well, thank god, that soul sucking monster has left the building?” Is that not “done” over there? And for one final blow, literally, to the reader and Chris, on her last appearance, she smacks Chris a hard one across the face when she takes insult over something innocuous he said that she misconstrued. But does he finally let her have it, at least verbally? No, she has her homophobic way one last time. Little by little this character interaction just leached away my good feelings about this book, leaving me with a sour taste in my mouth over abusive behavior given its own reward in a manner of speaking.

So, after all that, it does have a wonderful and wonderfully realistic ending, a HFN that is in keeping with the final two characters I think. It also left me very conflicted over the rating. So much of this book is deserving of a 4 rating or higher from the settings to the paranormal mystery to even the character of Chris Mullen himself. But it is dragged down by the repellant persona of Jo Perry and her over the top involvement in the plot and her overextended presence on the page. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to pull up a chair next to Fiona Glass, hand her a red pencil and a glass of cabernet and talk about this book! Because really this is ¾ of a wonderful book. Oh well, in any case I will certainly be looking forward to others Fiona Glass writes but color me divided when it comes to Gleams from a Remoter World.

Cover art by LC Chase. I like the gray color tones and the ruins in the background, perfect if you are looking for ghostly ambience for the book cover.

Review of Mine by Mary Calmes

Rating: 4.75 stars

Trevan Bean and Landry Carter have a relationship that not many understand but that words for them completely. From the first time Trev saw Landry two years ago at a party, they have been inseparable. Before Trev Bean came into his life, Landry Carter was a troubled young man. He was repudiated by his family for being gay and tumbled into a mess of low self esteem, depression and endless anonymous sexual acts. Then one night, everything changed, Trevan Bean saw him, picked him off his knees, took him to Trev’s home and told Landry he belonged to Trev alone and no one else. From that moment on, Landry began his recovery from pathetic mess to functioning happy human being, at least most of the time. As long as he followed his routine, and knows that Trev is always there, he can run his jewelry store and create the gorgeous things he is becoming known for and be content knowing he is loved.

Trevan Bean, half Cuban half African American, is a complicated man. He comes from a loving family who have depended on him since his father died. To help out his family, he became a money runner for a gambling mob, a job he has to this day. And while Trev has never carried a gun or had to hurt someone, Trev knows it is an illegal job, full of dangerous people and accepts the risks he has to take to make money. Trev plans on buying a restaurant someday and he and Landry have been saving to buy their own house in the not so near future.

So far, he and Landry have been balancing all the complications in their lives and it has been working fine. Until Landry’s youngest brother shows up out of nowhere and wants Landry to come home to see his ailing mother. And Landry starts to unravel. Then one of Trev’s runner associates ends up in a hospital, beaten by a rival mobster and Trev’s job is thrown into chaos by a gang war. Not only is his safety threatened, but so is the wellbeing of everyone he loves, including Landry. Their carefully maintained balancing act is demolished, their lives in jeopardy and it will take everything they have and more to make sure they come out of this mess with their relationship intact and their love stronger than ever.

I just loved this book and think it is one of Mary Calmes strongest stories yet. The characters she has created are two of the most complicated and damaged people she has ever produced. One, Trev Bean, is an interracial mobster with his own slippery morality, a strong code of loyalty and an unwavering love for Landry Carter. He is aware that Landry has some serious emotional problems that can cause Landry anxiety, manic behavior, and even result in self destructive acts. But Trev also knows he is the key to Landry’s stability, and whether he is an enabler or not, Trev will do what he thinks is right to keep Landry safe and happy. Trev is under no illusions about his own morality or mental issues as well. He accepts it all as it comes with a forthright manner and calm demeanor. Just an amazing protagonist, compelling in every way.

Landry is also as damaged and riveting a persona as Trev, the yin to Trev’s yang. He is the flickering flame to the earthen rock that is Trev. His instability, his is a luminescence which will burn too brightly unless contained by Trev and a strict routine, His emotional problems are never given a diagnosis but OCD is mentioned briefly. He is just as likely to flair with anger as he is with passion and you can see as a reader how badly Landry has needed someone like Trev in his life to bring him the balance and limitations he has always needed so badly. For some, these two men represent an unhealthy relationship, something even Trev recognizes. But what they have together also works for them, and they will fight to keep each other and their relationship intact. Convoluted, messy, passionate, occasionally crazied and absolutely committed, what an amazing relationship to bring to life in this story. And Mary Calmes does bring it vividly to life in every possible way. These characters cry, threaten, have hot, passionate sex, and tender moments and we are there with them through every event, every step forward, and all threats to their happiness. I loved both men from the start, and by the end of the book, hated to let either of them go.

And there are other fascinating characters within Mine that I wanted much more of, the most visible and intriguing of them is Conrad, a hit man’s hit man, an enforcer so dangerous that just his name means protection. Conrad doesn’t have many he counts as friends but Trev is one of them. The man remains an enigma even as his very presence adds weight to the events that occur within the story. From what I understand, this is a stand alone story so we cannot expect to see these characters again. And that is a shame for these are such interesting, gripping people and we have become so invested in their lives and happiness that wanting to know more about them and their future is a given by the end of the book.

I only wish we had a little more exposition at the end, a little more resolution to the dramatic events they had just gone through. But perhaps that’s just being greedy and not wanting the story to end. If you like unusual main characters, if you like your protagonists with a twist as well as love, pick this book up and be prepared to not put it down until you are finished. It is that good!

Cover: Reese Dante’s beautiful torso with the all important L tat is gorgeous. My only complaint and to be honest I am not sure how it could have been done, is to have made that skin color more in line with the racial makeup of Trev’s caramel or dark bronze coloring as he calls it. At any rate it is gorgeous and sexy and so very hot.

Review: Love Comes Silently by Andrew Grey

Rating: 5 stars

When artist Ken Brighton moved himself, boyfriend, and adopted daughter, Hanna to Pleasanton, Michigan, it was because Ken thought the rural environment and schools would be a wonderful place to raise Hanna and he could paint with inspiration all around him. Instead, Hanna is diagnosed with pediatric leukemia and all his time, energy, and attention is focused on his daughter to his boyfriend’s dismay. One day, his boyfriend Mark announces that their relationship is over, Mark is sorry about the timing but he needs more than Ken is willing or able to give. Now Ken is left totally alone, raising Hanna by himself,hoping that she will be able to beat the cancer and feeling so despondent that he has stopped painting. Then mysterious care packages for Hanna start to arrive on his doorstep, bringing joy for his daughter and hope back into their lives. If only he knew who was responsible.

Former singer Patrick Flaherty knows something about pain, and the loss of hope. He was once a famous singer but an accident changed all that and plunged him into a world where he would never speak or sing again. Devastated Patrick retreats into silence and the small house he bought from his mother. Then he notices his new neighbors and watches the changes that occur next door as the months go by. When he realizes that the young girl whose father dotes on is critically ill, something changes inside him. He slowly reaches out to Ken and offers a small measure of assistance when Ken needs it. The closer he becomes to Ken and Hanna, the dreams he once had of love and family start to come alive once more. Ken’s goodness is only matched by his attractiveness and Hanna is a joy in every way. It hurts to watch her illness progress and as Patrick tries to make life easier for his neighbors, his involvement in their lives sparks him to life once more.

Ken knows he is foundering, just the thought that he might lose Hanna to this disease is killing him. The only bright spot in their lives is their silent neighbor, Patrick. Always there offering help, shoring Ken up when he needs it the most, his silent presence sometimes all Ken needs to keep from breaking apart all together. Slowly a relationship starts to form between Ken and Patrick. When Mark wants to come back into Ken’s life, will Patrick find a way to communicate his love to Ken? And does Ken have anything left over to give and is it Patrick he wants to spend his life with?

Andrew Grey had me from the very first scene as Ken races with fevered Hanna to the hospital and gets a silent assist from an unknown man who turns out to be Patrick. A father’s fear over his daughter’s illness and the terrifying race to the hospital over snowy roads to the Marquette hospital leaps from the pages and into our hearts. From that moment on, our sympathies are engaged in this small family. Ken’s heartbreak on hearing Hanna’s diagnosis is our heartbreak, his tears are ours as he sits alone in the hospital. This is every parents worst nightmare come to life. We cry along with him every horrifying step of the way. From diagnosis to each treatment young Hanna has to endure, the loss of her hair, and the pain and exhaustion that is part of the tole cancer is taking on her body. Andrew Grey gives us an accurate portrayal of a child with cancer without yielding to the temptation of saccharine, overly dramatic scenes that a child in distress could bring to the story. Instead, Grey gives us a realistic depiction of a father dealing with his daughter’s critical illness. Ken’s total focus is on Hanna, as it should be. He can’t paint, household chores are forgotten, along with his own meals. Only Hanna and cancer exist for him. And we get that, absolutely.

Grey’s characters felt so real, became so compelling that I forgot at times they weren’t alive. And while our attention is drawn first to Ken and Hanna, who I adored, Patrick slowly turns our gaze on him. Wrapped in silence, Patrick has retreated in every way from life. He has taken up wood working as a career, perfect as it allows him to continue to live in isolation. But his silent life is broken into shards when Ken and Hanna move into the neighborhood. Hidden in his house, Patrick watches all three move in and then Marc move out. He helped the first night that Ken took Hanna to the hospital and watched as the joyful little girl turned weak and her beautiful hair falls out. And he determines to do something, anything to help them, and in doing so, helps himself to live once more. Beautiful, just beautiful. How I loved watching Patrick emerge from his self imposed isolation through his kindness to Hanna and then face his growing attraction to Ken. Andrew Grey does a great job of contrasting Patrick’s stumbling journey back to life with the ups and downs that Hanna is subjected to during the treatments for cancer. We are afraid to rejoice too much for each character, fearing that one or both would stall in their progress to health and life.

No quibbles here. I think that Love Comes Silently might be one of my all time favorite Andrew Grey books, and that is saying a lot when you look at the bounty of books he has produced. If you are a parent like I am, this will hit you doubly hard. And then the joy at the end is also increased two fold. If you don’t have children, you will still love this book as much as I did for the stories of lives reborn, dreams recaptured, and life promise renewed once more. Please pick this one up and fall deep under the spell of Ken, Hanna, and Patrick. I know you will love them as much as I do.

Cover: L.C. Chase has captured moments of this terrific story beautifully in the elements of this cover, especially the vibrant pink child’s hat.

It’s Almost Halloween and The Week Ahead in Reviews!

The leaves are starting to turn some startlingly beautiful fall colors, crimson, rich golds and brilliant shades of orange. I love this time of year. I love pulling out favorite sweaters and my feet love the warmth of my Uggs and my winter slippers. My morning coffee tastes better when the first sip is taken outside watching the birds start their morning trips to my backyard feeders.

My pumpkins were carved and what a time that was. The wild weather during the growing season has made for some unusually thick pumpkins, great for professional carvers. Not so great for the amateur. Not only did I manage to destroy all the little carving implements I bought for pumpkin carving, I also broke 2 kitchen knives, bent a steak knife and ended up swinging a huge thing that looked like it should have been carried by Jim Bowie in the wilderness. I am talking hours here, folks! So what should occur when I put it outside? Well overnight and into the next morning, I had visitors that appreciated my pumpkin on an entirely different level. They ate it! Sigh. Oh well, at least someone enjoyed my efforts.

There are so many great books being released now that I am getting a little overwhelmed, but in a good way. So this is my schedule for next week. If it does play out this way, well chalk it up to my Fall crazies and Halloween overload:

Monday: Love Comes Silently by Andrew Grey

Tuesday: Chase The Stars by Ariel Tachna

Wednesday: Mine by Mary Calmes

Thursday: Gleams of a Remoter World by Fiona Glass

Friday: Torquere Sip Short Stories

Saturday: Theory of Attraction by Cleon Lee and Just A Summer Fling by Lily Grace

Any how that’s what I am aiming for in addition to pulling out my witch’s costume and putting new feather in my hat! The ghostly jester skeleton is hanging in the breeze and the raven is soon to follow. So much to do……

Review: The Celestial by Barry Brennessel

Rating: 5 stars

Life can be hard on a farm, especially if the only two full bodies people are yourself and your Ma. Nineteen year old Todd Webster Morgan is acutely aware of this fact as he watches his Ma work from dawn to dusk just trying to make ends meet enough to support the two of them and her crippled younger brother returned from the war. Uncle Ned fought for the losing side and came home with half his leg gone and his personality turned bitter and acrimonious. Todd Webster does what he can but there are no jobs to be found on the far outskirts of Sacramento where they live. Then Uncle Ned mentions the money to be made mining for gold in the Sierra Nevadas and Todd Webster sneaks away in the dead of night determined to make enough money for them all.

But if Todd Webster Morgan thought life was tough before, he was unprepared for the realities of mining for gold high in the mountains. Cold, dirty and hungry most of the time with little to show for it, Todd’s claim abuts that of a group of Irish miners with whom he has struck up a friendship with one of them. One had to be wary of others all the time as claim jumpers and thieves were rampant as Todd knew all too well. Then one night, tragedy struck the small encampment. A celestial, as the Chinese are called, has been murdered on the mountain and Todd Webster’s friend accused of the killing. In just one moment, everything goes wrong and soon Todd is running for his life. In the middle of all the confusion, another celestial comes to help Todd when he needs it the most and his name is Lao Jian. The two young men escape and start heading back towards Sacramento, running from anti Chinese sentiment, jumping box cars and escaping from robbers while finding love along the way.

The Celestial is an impressive and remarkable story of a young man finding his way during life in California in the 1870’s. Barry Brennessel skillfully brings to life an explosive period of time in American history through the characters of Todd Webster Morgan, his family, and his lover, Lao Jian. We first meet up with Todd Webster Morgan on the mountain side high in the Sierra Nevadas where he and others are mining for gold and not having very much luck. Brennessel’s vivid descriptions of the setting and the activities on the mountain make us feel the cold and misery of the campsite, the bad food and dirty conditions. Mining for gold was hard, back breaking work. People have rushed out there to try their luck thinking their fortunes are assured only to lose all their money and sometimes their lives in the effort. Claims for the land had to be filed and the paperwork in order as a claim was in danger of being “jumped” and confiscated all the time. Those that didn’t mine, preyed on the miners in a number of ways, looking to take their money. Far the the glamorous rumors of gold floating in the waters, the author paints a gritty portrait of miners barely surviving under close to intolerable conditions. Over and over, throughout the book, Brennessel brings the era to life right before our eyes. From the Chinatowns to the boarding houses Todd Webster rents a room in, we feel as much a part of the times as the characters. The author has clearly done his homework, from the tools to the laws yet n0t once does it come across as a history lesson. Just an outstanding example of historical writing at its best.

Barry Brennessel made another wonderful choice when he decided to tell the story from Todd Webster’s POV. At nineteen years of age, Todd is “a man” as he often reminds others. But to the reader his young age is still so readily apparent. Todd misses his mother and uncle, and repeats his mother’s sayings often, especially when Todd Webster is trying to do the right thing by others. Todd can still marvel at new sights before him yet still shoulder the burden of responsibility of someone older due to the times.I loved “seeing” each new town, experiencing it as Todd Webster and Lao Jian live it. Todd Webster (both of his first and middle names are important to him) has been frugal with his funds as he doesn’t spend it on drink and “hors” like the others on the mountain are doing. And he is advised to be quiet about the amount of money he has by his friend thereby giving us a very accurate picture of life on the mountain and the lawlessness of the area during those times. These are wonderful characters that populate this story. Lao Jian is as alive as Todd Webster, although we only see him from Todd’s perspective. Lao Jian’s quiet yet proud manner is a strong complement to Todd Webster’s somewhat impulsive prickly youthful attitude. It is easy to see what attracts them to each other, an attraction that grows into love along their journey. Everything about the characters seems “right”. Their speech, clothes and actions are grounded in history yet all come across as totally believable in every way.

Lao Jian and the other celestials we meet have been brought to America to work on the railroad and end up in camps on the outskirts of town when their labor is no longer necessary. The same arguments heard today over illegal aliens taking away jobs from those who “rightfully belong here” have their foundations, in part, laid out during this time period. Discrimination against the Chinese makes its impact felt as Lao Jian is barred from certain establishments and expected to ride outside of the stagecoach and we are as angry as Todd Webster over these actions. Anti-Chinese sentiment was far spread in that region, the author skillfully brings to life the racial intolerance of the period but shows us the whole measure of the human response from outright hostility to indifference to those to filled buckets and formed lines to help put out the fires in Chinatown.

Barry Brennessel handles his characters sexuality with the same deft touch he displays throughout the book. Todd Webster is aware that he doesn’t look or yearn for women the same as others do and at nineteen he is a virgin as much emotionally as he is physically. Away from home, he starts to look at certain men differently without acting upon it. That is until he meets Lao Jian. Lao Jian is only slightly more experienced than Todd Webster and their first sexual advances towards each other is tentative and earnest. Don’t expect any hot sexual scenes here. What does happen between the two is more of the kisses, fumbling nature and the rest is “offstage” and private which is in keeping with the nature of these two. Also in keeping with historical accuracy, the forbidden nature of their “sexual congress” is mentioned as is Todd Webster’s initial confusion over his sexuality. But he comes to grip with it as Todd does everything else in his life and the way in which the relationship is handled makes sense in every way.

I loved the ending of the book which culminates in letters written between Todd Webster and his mother, and then his correspondence with his great grandson. Through the letters, we learn of the changing times and the life Todd Webster Morgan and Lao Jian managed to achieve together. I will admit to reading those last chapters several times, mostly with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart. If I have a quibble with this book, it is that it passes all too quickly in 180 pages. Barry Brennessel packs a lot of life as well as history into this superlative story. Do not pass this book by. If you are not a fan of historical writing, this might make you one. If you are one already, this book will climb to the top of the pile. This book was a Finalist, 2012 Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association Literary Contest. It deserves that recognition and so much more.

Cover: This cover by Winterheart Designs will be one of the best of the year. Just outstanding from the design to the sepia tones. Loved it.

Review: The Gravedigger’s Brawl by Abigail Roux

Rating: 5 stars

When Dr. Wyatt Case admits to his best friend and co worker Noah Drake that he had been hiding under his desk rather than face the acting head of Board of Trustees of his museum about the low attendance, Noah suggests a lunch break to a new bar near their work. Noah had met the bartender over their mutual love of old motorcycles and thought both the bar and the bartender were just his boss’s type. The Gravedigger’s Brawl was situated in an old Victorian house in an area called The Fan and the minute Dr. Case enters the bar he feels an affinity for both the bar and intriguing bartender with the kohl ringed eyes called Ash Lucroix. Ash with his Gaslight dress, finds the history professor with his leather patches and loafers adorable and just as intriguing in his absent minded professor sort of way. The two men share a love of history, and their attraction to each other grows every time they see one another.

But there are strange noises are starting to be heard from all corners of the bar, sounds coming from empty floors and things are happening at The Gravedigger’s Brawl that cannot be explained by old appliances and faulty wiring, Then Ash falls and hits his head and no one believes his explanation about a strange man standing directly behind him. Their friends think it is just all the spooky Halloween decorations and stories they have been telling but Wyatt is not so sure. His research leads to some disturbing things that happened in the house that is now the bar. Can the evil Wyatt has read about be coming back to life? The answer to that question might mean life or death to all involved at The Gravedigger’s Brawl.

Wow, what a wild, spooky ride Abigail Roux turned out and just in time for Halloween. Abigail Roux delivers a loving tale of romance wrapped in the gossamer threads of a spider’s web of murder most historical, evil deeds and ghosts determined to live once more. Abigail Roux knows how to build a suspenseful atmosphere in her stories. And here she starts weaving the threads of ghostly happenings and otherworldly beings right from the start and the first bang heard from above. The author takes the usual mindset of the average person’s take on ghosts and hauntings then gives that outlook to most of her characters. From that standpoint the author starts to play, and ups the anxiety level for each person as more and more unexplained things start to go wrong at the bar. You know the drill, the uneasy laugh you might cough up as the floor squeaks above you and you try to remember where your friend was and when was the last time you saw them. She plays on our logical disbelief on all things supernatural and then makes them a reality for all involved. Are we scared close to the end for our favorite characters? You betcha we are!

I just love the main characters here, a gang of six, actually four with two on the edges who vibrate with life lived very distinctly on their own terms. Starting with Dr. Wyatt Case, a true absent-minded professor whose love affair with history and his museum has seen every other part of his life slide slowly into the dust. He even has the suede jacket patches and loafers to prove it, good thing he is also cute and adorably naive when it comes to personal relationships. Another thing in his favor, he has his best friend looking out for him. That would be professor Noah Drake, lithe, handsome, intelligent and as socially active as his boss is static. A meeting with a fellow motorcycle enthusiast who just happens to be a bartender at a bar owned by a man Noah has been dying to get to know better gives Noah the idea of a way to bring both couples together. The bartender would be Ash Lucroix, quirky, preferring his Gaslight inspired suspenders and matching tongue studs (hot, hot, hot) when performing his flair on top of the bar with Ryan, the other bartender. Ash’s ex boyfriends have not always measured up to his expectations and when his attraction to Wyatt turns into a relationship stumbling block for both of them, it is his nature that helps retrieve the situation, along with some very realistic groveling from Wyatt. And throughout all the missteps, the arguments and very hot sex, I always felt that these two were real. Their goofy, fumbling, drunken walk home had me in stitches because who hasn’t been there and done that, at least once. And Abigail Roux captured that beautifully in every hysterical detail. Even when they were on the outs and their relationship shaky, it never felt less than authentic. There is also Caleb, the English, grumpy Goth that owns the bar and eventually Noah’s heart, Delilah in her leather corsets and hooker boots, and Ryan, into leather, whips and Delilah. One after another, great characters march across the page, spouting quick, snappy dialog and living life very much on their terms. I loved them all and have a very new appreciation for tongue piercings.

And finally, there is historical Richmond where Abigail Roux lived for several years and the ghosts that haunt that region and beyond. With Roux, the setting is always as almost as important as the characters themselves. The author’s intimate knowledge of the city and its settings adds so much flavor and ambience to the story that it acts almost like another character within the story. Ash’s apartment lives for us because Abigail Roux lived in such a one herself for two years. And I have to admit I was desolate to find out that The Gravedigger’s Brawl was just a glorious figment of her imagination, so vividly did she describe it. The ghostly tales and hauntings within the story, with few exceptions, are real as well, which is not surprising in an author as dedicated to doing her research as Abigail Roux.

I don’t know if The Gravedigger’s Brawl is a stand alone story or a start of something new. The possibility of a new start gives rise to my hope that this is not the last we have heard of this quirky, wonderfully endearing group of six people. Maybe if we get enough voices together we can see a haunting revival next Halloween. In the meantime, gather your candy corn, eyeball chewing gum and all the ghostly accouterments and settle down with this wonderful book, perfect for Halloween or any time of the year.

Cover art by Reese Dante. Reese Dante gives us a wonderfully evocative cover, perfect for the story within.

Thank you, Nationals and the Week Ahead in Reviews

Well, as everyone knows by now, the Cards rallied and the Nats lost. But oh what a season they gave us! The Nationals had an outstanding year, giving the city something we haven’t seen in close to a century, a winning baseball team in DC. We have Davey Johnson, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Jason Wurth, Gio Gonzales, Ryan Zimmerman and all the others to thank for all the glorious play, the unbelievable pitches, the outstanding hits and the high drama of the outfield. It was great! And now we have all winter to dream of the return of the Boys of Summer. Great job and thanks for the wonderful memories!

The weather seems more like November than mid October these days with our first frost occurring on Friday. A portent of a hard winter to come? Perhaps. We didn’t actually have a winter last year but I just hope Mother Nature doesn’t feel the need to make up for that and give us the snow and ice for two winters. At any rate, the plants are getting mulched and the gardens prepared, just in case. The generator is in, new roof on and gutters as well. I hope we are prepared but you never know until it comes. At least I have lots of books to read and pumpkin spice coffee to drink. Sigh.

Here is the week ahead in book reviews:

Monday: Steamroller by Mary Calmes

Tuesday: Texas Heat by RJ Scott

Wednesday: The Gravedigger’s Brawl by Abigail Roux

Thursday: Rocking Out by Emily Veinglory

Friday: Three of Swords by Theo Fenraven

Saturday: Theory of Attraction by Cleon Lee and Just A Summer Fling by Lily Grace

Review of Fallen Sakura by April Moone

Rating: 2.75 stars (and that’s generous)

Sitting in his favorite spot, Manga artist Kobayashi Haru is watching the cherry blossums fall when he spies Sakurai Aki near him. Sakurai Aki’s cool beauty is mesmerizing and soon Haru is trying to engage the man in a conversation and asking for his phone number which Sakurai reluctantly gives him. Hokayashi Haru knows he falls in love easily and is just coming off a bad relationship but something about the withdrawn Sakurai draws Haru in and captures his affections.

But Sakurai Aki seems to be straight and Haru tries to hide his feelings even as their friendship progresses forward. Haru is forthcoming about his feelings, his friends, his family, even his ex but Sakurai remains a mystery. Sakurai doesn’t offer any information about himself to Haru and Haru accepts this even when their relationship turns sexual. Haru starts to think he has found his perfect man in Sakurai until his past is revealed to Haru in a manner unspeakably painful and shocking. Feeling betrayed , Haru cuts off the relationship and all communication with Sakurai Aki, listening to his friends. But his heart has a different idea when Sakurai returns to him asking for forgiveness.

What a mess of a book. I was really looking forward to this as a Japanese setting and characters hit many of my buttons but I can say that this entire story is a real miss in almost every respect. What I can’t figure out is where to place the blame? It’s not with the plot, that’s ok. It’s not even with the secondary characterizations or even the character of Sakurai Aki. The whole blighted mess falls directly on the shoulders of the main character of Kobayashi Haru. This character and the author’s viewpoint is the issue here.

Take one hot mess of a main character and tell the story from his POV. This can work if the character’s problems are part of the storyline. Great books are full of characters full of faults, compulsions, and phobias if that is used to the plot’s advantage and makes sense within the whole of the story, whether you are dealing with hubris or redemption or both. It can be used effectively in humorous stories full of whacky characters doing wonderfully crazy things or books about society and cultural expectations. I am sure that just reading this brought a number of books to mind in every genre. Whether the characters are flying over the cuckoo’s nest or having sex in the city, solving crimes and chasing pigs about the English countryside, I normally take these creations to heart with all the appreciation and verve of a starving woman at Thanksgiving dinner.

None of that happens here. Let me give you a list of Haru’s characteristics and I think you will get an idea of where I am going here. Kobayashi Haru is:

A 28 year old Manga artist, supposedly shy with a predilection for relationships with men who beat him, abuse him, are into rough sex and pay no attention to his sexual needs. Haru is also a binge drinker with limited friends. Actually he has one friend, Jeff his American co worker and his Japanese wife. They are rightfully concerned about him but he disregards their advice and assistance. He talks to his dead mother (his father left early on) and while he says he is ok with his sexuality, it comes across as a timorous acceptance of his gayness. Haru feels that the beatings inflicted upon him by his latest boyfriend were his fault, and while Haru can’t stand to have his ex’s name mentioned, he wants to talk to him and explain the event that precipitated their breakup. And that breakup? Kenichi the ex boyfriend becomes jealous about not being invited to a party, so he beats and kicks Haru unmercifully until Jeff intervenes and then spits on Haru before leaving Haru broken and crying on the floor, not for the first time. In addition to being a victim of domestic violence, Haru also has all the emotional maturity of a teenager who throws tantrums, throws money in his friend’s face (a serious cultural no no) upon hearing advice he knows to be true and then starts drinking himself into a stupor all over again. This guy doesn’t need one 12 step program, he needs a gazillion of them to cover all his issues.

Right about now, you are probably thinking either that Haru needs to find a therapy group to attend 24/7 to work on his issues or that we will be looking at a serious take on domestic abuse within the Japanese culture or at least domestic violence within the gay community, an under reported crime no matter the country. Nope, not at all. You see, Haru is supposed to be a “happy, positive, naive” man child character that all look at with adoration and love. All the serious issues and character flaws are given light hearted treatments that never addresses the serious nature of the problems this character has been endowed with. The significant question as to why Haru needs to fall in love quickly with men so obviously damaged, why he lets them treat him in an abusive manner? All brushed under the rug with a simplistic “oh I deserve better” epiphany at the end. The binge drinking and immaturity? Nope, never addressed. And the fact that he relentlessly pursues an emotionally withdrawn “straight” man in Sakurai Aki? I think we are supposed to find that commendable, that he goes for what he wants even though it is also stated that Haru is intensely shy. *head desk*

Believe it or not, it actually gets worse. When Sakurai Aki’s “secret” is revealed, Haru is shocked to find out that Sakurai is gay even though Sakurai never said that he was straight. This was an assumption on Haru’s part and a strange one after they have made love innumerable times with Sakurai being the most attentive and tender lover Haru has ever had. You see, Haru thought that turning “straight” Sakurai Aki gay meant that Haru is special. So finding out that he was gay all along somehow negates that “specialness” for Haru. And the rest of the secret? Well, lets just say Haru’s blithe disregard of condoms, to Sakurai’s dismay, was not a good idea at all, but was in keeping with his emotional immaturity. Haru wants Sakurai when he thinks he’s straight? And is upset to find out he’s gay? Emotional immaturity and teenage expectations seem to reign supreme here.

You won’t find this hard to believe but the character I liked (other than the reasonable Jeff) is Sakurai Aki. Had he been a real character, I would have been telling him to report Haru as a stalker and giving him cab money out of the city, along with the advice to “run, just run”. But no, this is a HEA which begs more questions as to why than I have space to answer. Mostly, I want to know what the author was thinking. How do you bring up all these issues and imbue your main character with all these serious flaws and not address them? And no, “I like me, I really like me” is not addressing them. The spitting on the face? Serious cultural taboo not dealt with in a book that makes a big issue of the American character’s intentionally incorrect Japanese terminology. I did some investigation and found that domestic violence in Japan is a growing problem not addressed by laws and regulations but that was never brought up here either. All in all I am just floored by April Moone’s cavalier treatment of so many serious issues. This is the first book by April Moone that I have read so I have no other reference to judge her writing by to see if this is a typical story of hers. I certainly hope not. I wouldn’t wish this book on any reader that I know of.

“A fallen blossom does not return to the branch; a broken mirror cannot be made to shine”. —Japanese proverb. This proverb opens the story Fallen Sakura. It’s too bad that the author did not take it to heart. Or maybe she did not understand it. For this broken mirror was shattered from the start and nothing that followed could ever put it right.

Cover: Beautiful cover by Anne Cain. This book does not deserve it.

Review of Sidecar by Amy Lane

Rating: 5 stars

It was cold even for November as Josiah and Casey Daniels motored home down Foresthill Road and it was getting dark. So it took them a while to notice the young boy shivering by the side of the road. They stop the motorcycle with its sidecar and Casey climbs out to investigate, already knowing what he will find. The runaway’s lips are blue, his limbs are too thin, and he is wearing way too little clothing for that time of year. As Josiah watches from the motorcycle, Casey takes one look at the small lost, pinched face and remembers another day 25 years earlier. Once glance back at Joe’s face tells Casey that Joe is remembering that day too.

The year is 1987 and Josiah Daniels is on his motorcycle heading home to Foresthill, the ramshackle house on 20 acres he has just purchased. He’s just come off 3 twelve hour days at the hospital where he is a nurse and he’s bone tired. It’s so dark that he almost doesn’t see the young man shivering on the side of the road. He stops and climbs off, slowly heading over to the small figure, holding his hands out with his leather jacket extended and tells the boy to take it and put it on. It takes some convincing but eventually Joe gets the boy wrapped up and on the back of the hog and they motor to his house. Joe has found another stray to rescue but this one will end up changing his life forever.

When Casey first saw the huge pony tailed biker come towards him back on the road, fear was the first emotion he felt, and then despair, as he had no energy left to run. But the biker, Joe, just takes him home and feeds him. Joe gives Casey food, and shows him the bathroom so he can take a bath and gave him chemicals to use that would combat the lice on his body. And Casey waits to pay the price but Joe never asks for anything in return. Instead Joe offers Casey a home, a place to be safe, finish school, actually be happy after having his parents throw him away for being gay.

Joe’s solitary life starts to fill up with people upon Casey’s arrival. There’s Casey, the social workers, the dogs, and then the cats and Casey’s friends and so many more, year after year. For Casey, happiness means Joe as his crush turns into love as he matures and ages. For Joe, Casey means happiness for him as well. But Joe doesn’t want to feel like he is taking advantage of his position in Casey’s life, so accepting that Casey wants him as a grown man is hard. Harder still it coming to the realization that he wants Casey just as badly as Casey wants him. Nothing in their relationship has ever come easy and moving it to the next stage will take compromises and adjustments neither has had to face before.

Amazing, just absolutely amazing. Amy Lane has given us some memorable books in the past, and with Sidecar, she has done it again. Sidecar is one of my favorite books of 2012 and it will be one of yours too. Just looking at the cover gave me goosebumps at all the emotions it evoked in me. From the sepia tones of the drawing to its central figures connected by love and steel motoring down a forested lane heading towards the light, the tears started to well up even before I even got to the first page. And then the story began and oh what a timeless story is it.

Amy Lane gives us a love story that had already stretched over 25 years when we first meet Casey and Josiah Daniels stopping to rescue a runaway by the side of the road. Then we go back to the beginning of their relationship to that same road, almost at the same spot where Joe meets Casey for the first time under the same circumstances. I will tell you now, grab that box of tissues and don’t let them go, maybe get a second box. You will need them.

Amy Lane is known for her powerful characterizations and equally powerful storylines. Sidecar is full of people who will make you laugh and cry and shake with the repressed desire to knock a few heads together. Everyone you meet within are such fully actualized human beings that it becomes easy to forget yourself in their lives and problems. This story sucks you in and refuses to let you go, even after it is over. Each chapter is a song title from 1987, the year Joe and Casey meet. Lane explains that certain songs will always conjure up memories associated with them for people as I can certainly attest to. Songs are such a great way to bring back those times and places by making the songbook tie in with the locale. 1987 meant big hair, pony tails, Dirty Dancing, U2 and The Joshua Tree album. We had Good Morning, Vietnam, George Michael’s Faith and AIDS looming on the horizon. And then we have the lost children, those thrown out, thrown away by parents, by the church and others because they were gay. Amy Lane brings the plight of the gay kids tossed out like so much garbage home in the character of Casey and kids like Stacia hardened beyond their years given temporary shelter by Joe because it was the decent, good thing to do. I appreciate that Lane gives no easy answers to be doled out here as solutions. Yes, Casey makes it, but others in the book don’t, too emotionally and physically damaged by what they have gone through to survive.

There is also plenty of humor to go with the tears, from their dogs Rufus and Hi Hi Huxtable to the goober hunting nephew of Josiah’s. This is a beautifully balanced story, so the author will give you satisfaction to help cover over the unfairness, and something to smile at while recovering from you last sob. I am thinking of one scene in particular where Casey has found an old stash of weed and proceeds to get high only it doesn’t turn out like he thought it would. I won’t spoil it for you but it is a classic Amy Lane rollercoaster of emotions delivered in a succinct scene. Like I said just amazing.

There is not a single misstep in the way Joe and Casey’s relationship grows and changes either. From Casey’s early attempts to sneak into Joe’s bed and Joe’s kind rejection to the slow realization that Casey has come to mean so much more to Joe than he could ever imagine and the consequences of that love. And there are consequences. For Joe starts out dating women as he is bisexual in nature. Joe wants a family badly and being with a woman in 1987 would make that so much easier than to love Casey. Loving Casey would mean that Joe might have to give up his dream of children, a powerful loss that Lane makes us feel acutely. Joe gives Casey and a teenage date the “condom talk” in a way both heartrending and honest that hurt as I read it. Lane gives us firstrate entertainment even as she informs, she gives us pain and loss then gives us love and healing to counteract them.

It is also rare that we get to see our characters live and grow over a 25 year period to arrive safe, secure, and still so madly in love. Amy Lane gives that to Josiah and Casey and then to the reader as well. How much do I love them both. How much do I love this book. And to remember all I need is that cover and maybe Livin on a Prayer….

Cover Art by Shobana Appavu. What a remarkable cover, one of my favorites of the year as well.

Review of The Melody Thief (Blue Notes #2) by Shira Anthony

Rating: 4.5 stars

Cary Redding is as deeply troubled as he is gifted musically. A world renown cellist sought after by conductors globally, the front Cary presents to others is that of an introspective, music obsessed young man. But inside Cary is haunted by his past, seeking out anonymous gay sex in disreputable bars and drowning his insecurity and anger in alcohol. Cary has so successfully compartmentalized his life that he has two identities. His real one, Cary Redding the musician, and the other is Connor Taylor, gay, slutty, capable only of rough sex in one-night stands. Cary has so little self worth outside of music that he considers himself a liar, a cheat, in fact a melody thief, someone no one would want to listen to if they only knew the truth about him.

It all changes for Cary after he leaves a bar in the early morning hours. Drunk and smelling of sex, Cary gets mugged and his playing arm broken. He is rescued by Antonio Bianchi, entertainment lawyer from Blue Notes #1. Antonio takes Cary to the hospital and then home with him to recuperate. The problem is that Cary has told Antonio his name is Conner Taylor, his alter ego, and the more Cary gets to know Antonio, the more he wants in terms of a relationship. Antonio wants a real romance between them to as well as Antonio’s son, Massi. Antonio and Massi are a package deal, one that Cary finds he wants. But first he has to tell Antonio the truth and see if Antonio can forgive him for the lies. And Cary still has his inner battle to win over his past and insecurities. Only Cary knows if the melody thief will win out or if he will find the path to love.

The Melody Thief is the second in Shira Anthony’s series that revolves around the world of music, from the conductors to the musicians to the entertainment lawyers who represent them and what a fascinating series it is turning out to be. Blue Notes was the first in the series and in that book the focus was on violinist Jules and lawyer Jason, and Paris. Here we switch locations to Milan, the musician is a cellist and Antonio, an entertainment lawyer who we met briefly in Blue Notes, is back in a lead role. One of the elements that makes this such a rich series, especially for music lovers, is that Shira Anthony comes from a music family, and has a deep background herself as a violinist and opera singer. So when Anthony’s characters wax poetic about ‘Brahms Double Concerto’ for cello, violin, and orchestra or when Cary recalls his emotions when playing ‘Dvorak Cello Concerto in B Minor’,they do so realistically and intelligently. And the reader can’t help but appreciate that it is because Anthony understands the music herself, having practiced and played it over and over again. Her experience gives such depth to the musicians here and the life they must lead in order to rise to the top of the field that our understanding of the discipline it takes becomes much clearer. It is not enough to be gifted, one must also be driven as well. To have the music be an all encompassing part of your life has a price, and Anthony brings this theme throughout her series, as all the characters must look at their lives, past, present and future and balance it out with their obsessive need to play and be heard.

Characterizations are also a strong point with Shira Anthony. Cary/Conner is such a torn, angry young man whose past and his relationship with his mother continues to cast a bitter hue over everything he is and does. Brought up by a widowed mother as driven as he was, all he can recall of his childhood is playing, practice and concerts with nary a stop to celebrate his birthday. And when his mother called his gayness a “perversion” and told him he could not both play and be a monster when he came out to her at 16, then the hurt and anger he felt at her was directed inward at himself. And so the melody thief was born. Someone who lied about who he was, someone who flirted with alcohol addiction, someone who never felt worthy of the acclaim accorded him over his gift, his cello. A complex, hurting man locked into a pattern from childhood, Cary has to continually work on himself to accept the mature Cary while trying to forgive and understand his mother and his upbringing. I loved Cary. Antonio too has his burdens which include major spoilers for the story. But they are as heavy and authentic as Cary’s. Antonio has loved and lost and is much better equipped to deal with relationship issues. He works hard to keep Cary in his life as Cary doesn’t have all the skills to realize that relationships need communication as well as love in the sheets. Massimo, Antonio’s son (with his childhood best friend and her partner) is adorable and just like any other 5 year old I have know. From character to character, we have real, caring, less than perfect people to listen to and entrust with our affections throughout the story.

As she did with Paris, Milan comes alive on our pages too. The small cafes, the walkways and parks, the warmth of the buildings and the age of the city contribute to the overall pastiche of old world charm, art and the music that makes up Milan. It made me want to board a plane immediately to its environs.

There is very little to quibble about here. A few of the issues I saw with Blue Notes, like too many references to “older man, younger man” are missing here, which makes sense given the two men are closer in age. But the descriptions work much better with Antonio and Cary than they did with Jules and Jason. I do wish we had a little more of the music here as we did in Blue Notes but the scores she does bring up are so incredible beautiful that I enjoyed listening to them again as I read the book. The author always includes a playlist for her story. Listed below is the playlist for The Melody Thief. There are at least 3 more books she plans to write in this series. Aria (Blue Notes #3) is coming out in December and features Aiden and Sam who are both briefly mentioned here. I can’t wait.

Pick up this book, settle in,and cue up the iTunes with Dvork, Brahms and Beethoven. I just know you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Cover: Catt Ford was the cover artist and this is perfection from the two models standing in for Antonio and Cary, down to the Italian countryside and Massimo with his airplane.

Here is the series in order they were written. However, they do not have to be read in sequence in order to appreciate the stories and the characters:

Blue Notes (Blue Notes #1) Jules and Jason

The Melody Thief (Blue Notes #2) Antonio and Cary

Aria (Blue Notes #3) Aiden and Sam. coming in December 2012

Shira Anthony’s Soundtrack for The Melody Thief with links found here:

Musical Soundtrack for “The Melody Thief”

Dvorak Cello Concerto in B Minor -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftNQzZ8NkRY&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL9B8486D6CDA7F362 (Yo-Yo Ma, Lorin Maazel)

Dvorak “New World Symphony” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuqyfEyNXQo&feature=related

Elgar Cello Concerto -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM9DPfp7-Ck (and this one is with the Chicago Symphony!)

Bach Cello Suite 2 (Prelude) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSheWcRGbF0 (Mstislav Rostropovich) or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXGLrZMrpuw&feature=watch_response (Yo-Yo Ma)

Brahms Double Concerto – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WKpSDBvn9w (Rostropovitch and Oistrakh, two of the best ever) or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRMeyDdplj4 (Isaac Stern and Yo-Yo Ma)

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