A Cambridge Fellows Q & A with Charlie Cochrane

When I finished All Lessons Learned I found question after question popping into my mind for the author of this remarkable series. Primarily, what happens next? Or is there a next for our beloved Jonty and Orlando? Over the course of the series, I feel like I have walked the paths of Cambridge, gone punting on the river, watched honey buzzards in the sky and ridden the marvelous Flip-Flap ride during the Franc0-British Exhibition in the White City. All that was all due to Charlie Cochrane’s ability to bring us right into her story as though we were physically there ourselves.

So I scribbled off some questions about the series and here are her replies. One more thing mentioned in a comment previously is that she is thinking about writing a 10th book to finish the series off completely. So here we go:

Scattered Thoughts: What pushed you forward to right one more book after All Lessons Learned (not that I am complaining)? After the epilogue which I found to be bittersweet for the couple, what prompted more in the series?

Charlie Cochrane: “Two things. Fans asking when another book would come out and Jonty and Orlando whisering in my ear saying “write me, write me”. It always feels like coming home when I’m back with them. (If that makes any sense.)

Scattered Thoughts: And I say bittersweet because of the time frame. They had stayed hidden for so long and change is in the air just not soon enough.###

Charlie Cochrane: “I know. Ironic, isn’t it? Mind you, Orlando wouldn’t like the modern day so maybe it’s as well. Can you imagine Jonty dragging him to Provincetown?”

Scattered Thoughts: Do you have a favorite book of the series? And if so, why?###

Charlie Cochrane: “Maybe Lessons in Trust because of the White City. I had books about it and an original programme from the Anglo French exhibition which was constantly at my side when I wrote it. Also Lessons in Power because it deals with poor Jonty’s past. And has rugby in it.”

Scattered Thoughts: And do you have a prompt, either a historic artifact or location that you build your books around when you are getting started?###

Charlie Cochrane: “Usually a location, so Jersey, or Pegwell Bay or Bath or – in the case of the one I’m writing at present – a thinly disguised Cliveden house.”

Scattered Thoughts: I have to ask because I know I am thinking it so others are too. Any chance of “lost cases from the Cambridge Fellows mysteries” popping up? Stories out of sequence from the books already published. You know we just hate to let Jonty and Orlando go.

Charlie Cochrane: ” I think it’s entirely possible that lost cases will pop up. I have one buzzing at the back of my mind. Also lost scenes/snippets. I want to post something for Mothering Sunday, maybe a letter from Mrs. Stewart to Jonty when he was young. Still getting my thoughts together on that.”

Scattered Thoughts: And do you have any new series in mind for the future?

Charlie Cochrane: “New series? Maybe. I’ve just completed a contemporary cosy mystery (think Midsomer Murders but with a gay detective) and will be trying to find the right home for it. If it succeeds, I could see me writing more.”

Scattered Thoughts: I love a good cosy and can’t wait for this one. Thank you so much for such a wonderful series and taking time to answer my questions.

To learn more about Charlie Cochrane, her books and stories, visit her website and blog listed below.

You can find many free stories by Charlie Cochrane at Charlie’s Free Fiction group. Or visit her website

Her last release, Promises Made Under Fire, Carina Press February 2013, is also available from Amazon and All Romance.

Review: Lessons for Survivors (Cambridge Fellows #9) by Charlie Cochrane

Rating: 4.75 stars for the book, 5 stars for the series

Cambridge, 1919. It has been a year since Orlando Coppersmith and Jonty Stewart emerged from the Great War and reunited. Now back at St. Bride’s College, Orlando prepares to be inducted as Forsterian Professor of Applied Mathematics and needs to have a lecture prepared for the honor, a lecture he is having problems writing. Jonty Stewart is by his side as normal. Jonty recognizes that Orlando needs a distraction, and along it comes in the guise of a murder mystery. This murder mystery also comes with a time constraint. It must be solved in a month’s time or the suspected murderer will inherit a fortune and no one will be able to stop it.

Then with a lecture to write and a murder mystery to solve, on top of it all Orlando is made head of a committee to investigate a crime of plagiarism that involves their collegiate nemesis Dr. Owens from the college next door. Dr. Owens has never forgiven them for solving the Woodville Ward case and has threatened to out the couple if the case against his protege continues. But the biggest fight for the couple is against Orlando’s predilection for depression and his uncertainly about his ability to not only finish the lecture but solve the mystery as well. Jonty knows that this case is just what they need to shore up Orlando’s confidence in himself and to spice up the routine they have gotten into since their return. But the closer they get to the mystery, the larger the mystery gets until even Jonty starts to doubt their ability to solve it. They have survived the war, now they have to survive their return and find the peace they are searching for.

In Lessons for Survivors, Charlie Cochrance brings us into the lives of our favorite couple one year after the events of All Lessons Learned. On first appearances, things seem delightfully back to normal. Jonty and Orlando are back home at Forsythia Cottage with their needs being taken care of by Mrs. Ward and her grandaughter. Jonty has resumed teaching Romantic Literature and Orlando is being made Professor of Applied Mathematics at St. Brides. Ariadne “Peters” Sheridan is back at the college too, her new husband taking the place of Lemuel Peters, her brother, as head of the college. But just as the battles of WWI has left its scars across the landscape of Europe, so too has it left its marks upon Orlando and Jonty. Both men bear physical scars from their time on the front but they also brought home internal scarring as well. Cochrane does not dwell on this any more than Jonty and Orlando do but with subtly and discretion so appropriate to this pair we learn that Jonty is prone to flashbacks of the fighting and Orlando has nightmares and wakes up crying in remembrance. Orlando has also lost his confidence, both in himself and his abilities due to his experiences in WWI and the fact that he is prone to depression is never far from Jonty’s thoughts and ours as well.

And it is just that sort of details in Charlie Cochrane books that I find so compelling and right. After nine books and several independent stories, we know these men intimately due to her extraordinary characterizations. Jonty and Orlando are not the type to give in to over sharing of any trauma, or complaining about their time on the front or their experiences in the trenches, instead they would internalize them, speaking of them only when necessary, and then probably only to each other. And these brief glimpses of how they are haunted by WWI are exactly what we would expect from them.

While some things are back to normal at St. Brides, there are several gaping holes in Jonty and Orlando’s lives now as Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have passed away from influenza and it is their absence that is so greatly missed, not only by Jonty and Orlando but the reader as well. They were remarkable personalities and they are often in our couples thoughts. Cochrane ties their deaths together with the awful events of WWI forever in our minds as well as Jonty and Orlando’s, bringing the enormity of loss that occurred down to a personal and definable level. And while we recognize just what we have lost by the Stewarts passing, Cochrane delivers a older, wiser and quite funny Lavinia Broad and her family to take their place in Jonty and Orlando’s lives and our hearts. It follows just as it would in real life and further illustrates the care and art that Charlie Cochrane brings to her writing and this series.

And let’s not forget that wonderful, light hearted and ebullient banter that is a hallmark of Jonty and Orlando’s relationship. It is as quick witted, warmhearted and as lively as ever. How I love listening to them love each other through snort and snark. They are equally at home in a Noel Coward play or a Sherlock Holmes and Watson mystery, although Orlando would hate to hear it. The author gives us a wonderful mystery here too, one of the best of the series. It comes complete with dead triplets, a happy widow, missing jewels, and a tragic family history to undercover. It will take everything Jonty and Orlando have at hand and more to solve this one and its resolution at the end with leave the reader as well as Jonty and Orlando with a cat’s cream face to show for it.

The angst of the last two books is missing here and that’s just as well. Its time for the painful events of the past to subside and happiness and contentment to take their place, though the memories will always be there. If I have a small quibble with this story, it is that it ends a little too abruptly. I would have wished for one last scene in Forsythia Cottage or in their garden, perhaps having tea or maybe some sherry. Ariadne and Dr. Panesar would be expected shortly. Ariadne to discuss her beloved planarian worms and Dr. Panesar his latest thoughts on time travel. And in the meantime, Lavinia has phoned to discuss the exploits of her son, George with his favorite uncles and ask their opinion. That is how I leave them in my heart and mind, happy, together, surrounded by friends and family in the life they built together , pain and traumatic pasts not withstanding, to arrive at their happy every after, including the occasional eye rolling, snort and kicked shin to prove it.

I do hear the rumors of a 10th book might be planned. If so, I will be “over the moon” in joy but if this is to be the last book in the series, well, I am happy here too. Thanks for a most wondrous series, Charlie Cochrane. Like the Flip-Flap, it has been a most excellent ride.

The new cover design by Alex Beecroft underscores the fact that this book was published by Cheyenne Publishing and not Samhain Press as the others were. It is still as much a delight as the others, just lovely.

For those of you for whom this review is your first introduction, please start from the beginning. Take your time getting to know these remarkable men, delve into life and times of England in the 1900′s. It starts out with all the joys of a slow promenade and then picks up the pace with each succeeding book.

It is an extraordinary journey. Dont miss a page of it. Here are the order the stories were written and should be read to fully understand the relationships and events that occur:
Lessons in Love (Cambridge Fellows, #1)

Lessons in Desire (Cambridge Fellows, #2)

Lessons in Discovery (Cambridge Fellows, #3)

Lessons in Power (Cambridge Fellows, #4)

My True Love Sent To Me

Lessons in Temptation (Cambridge Fellows, #5)

Lessons in Seduction (Cambridge Fellows, #6)

Lessons in Trust (Cambridge Fellows, #7)

Once We Won Matches (Cambridge Fellows, #7.5)

All Lessons Learned (Cambridge Fellows, #8)

Lessons for Survivors (Cambridge Fellows, #9) – released by Cheyenne Publishing.

For free stories in the Cambridge Fellows Mysteries universe and more about the author, visit the author’s website.

Review: Velocity (Impulse #3) by Amelia C. Gormley

Rating: 4.25 stars

Detroit handyman Derrick Chance and his lover, Gavin Hayes’ relationship has come a long way since they first met but many obstacles loom on the horizon, each with the power to destroy what they have built and split them apart for good. Gavin is still waiting for the results of his HIV test since he learned that his ex boyfriend may have given him the disease during one forced encounter between them. Derrick is facing not only moving from the only home he has ever known but he has been outed to his local hockey team and someone is sending him threatening messages.

Already full of self doubt, Gavin’s insecurities bloom and his self worth plunges when his ex, Lukas, returns and wants to involve Gavin in his rehabilitation to Derrick’s consternation. And the biggest issue? Although Derrick has professed his love, Gavin has held back his declaration. So many issues and the holidays are just around the corner. Can Derrick and Gavin let go of their respective pasts and move forward into their future? Or will the past continue its hold and break them apart forever?

I am going to presume this is the last book in the Impulse series by Amelia C. Gormley and I think this is a wonderful way to see Derrick and Gavin out. I did have a few issues with this book but those will be addressed last. One constant in this series has been the wonderful characterizations the author brought to her stories. From the moment we meet lonely Derrick Chance we realize that there is something very special about him. Traumatic circumstances came together at a developmentally important stage of his young life that helped to isolate this man from the normal societal milestones. Derrick was left to the care of aging grandparents who later passed away leaving him alone in their house, earning his living by repairing appliances as out of date as he is and doing minor house repairs for neighbors close by. Here is a man caught in stasis and the author makes him not only relatable but endearing in his way.

Gavin is almost his opposite. Experienced sexually and socially for all it did him, Gavin’s self image has been battered by an abusive ex to the point that he trusts no one, with the exception of one friend. And for two books we have watched Gormley slowly bring these two men with their divergent backgrounds together in a way that has seemed not only realistic but true to the core of her characters personalities. And while most of the battles fought were internal, the last book Acceleration ended with problems from the outside of the relationship starting to press in on the couple.

There are several main issues at work here and Gormley treats them all with sensitivity and compassion, from homophobia to conveying accurate knowledge and clinical histories of HIV and domestic violence . First there is the problem of homophobia rearing its ugly head at Derrick’s local hockey team. Now out to his teammates, someone within the team has been threatening Derrick, demanding he quit or suffer the consequences, following that up with destruction of personal property and more. I loved the way the author dealt with this issue as she went in a direction different from most authors. Given that homosexuality and sports are in the headlines these days, the manner in which this was resolved felt authentic and timely.

Secondly, there is the subject of domestic violence and awareness of the victim mentality that those who have been subjected to DV carry within themselves. This accounts for a larger portion of the story and again Gormley has done her homework, putting forth not only how domestic violence affects its victims but how it can manifest itself in their behavior and reactions to others. Much of the information is imparted between conversations with Gavin and Hannah,a victim, as she relates her circumstances and following actions. I applaud the author’s efforts to get this information accurate and out there but unfortunately, this element of the story came across as more of a information dump. Also, Gavin’s interactions with his ex Lukas are drawn out too far. He knows that Lukas is a liar and manipulator and yet he believes his story instead of Derrick’s? While it might not be implausible (yes, we get it, Gavin has a DV victim mentality), as he reverses himself immediately it just doesn’t ring true with coupled with his other actions.

What does seem real and gritty and painful are the emotions that roll through Gavin with regard to his possible HIV status, his wavering about the test results, and his confusion about his future. Gormley really seems to have a window into the thoughts processes of a person in this awful predicament and it comes across to the reader as painfully read in every aspect. Then you hook DV with the possibility of HIV and have the same individual responsible and yes, there is a very good reason that Gavin is an emotional mess.

Another element that surprised me was the depths of pain and humiliation that Gavin requires to be sexually satisfied. In one scene, Derrick supplies a huge amount of said bdsm elements to their sexual play without discussing it with Gavin first. No setting of safe words or limitations, just moving right into the scene without too much preparation. And this, I will admit, bothered me on a couple of levels. At this point, Gavin has not trusted himself to tell Derrick he loves him or trusts Derrick to go with him to get his test results. I had assumed, perhaps wrongly, that trust is a huge element in such sexual play and that if he did not trust Derrick in these other areas, than it must be lacking here too. But after such thought and discussions, I can see Gavin separating his trust issues into compartments and that trusting Derrick sexually (and physically) was different from trusting him with his love and HIV status. I just am not familiar enough with bdsm to be knowledgeable but it did bother me to a degree while I could still see why it was necessary to Gavin’s character.

There are some issues with editing, and I think that certainly some areas could have been streamlined and made more concise. But in the end, Velocity is a wonder of a book and a marvelous way to complete Derrick and Gavin’s journey to a full partnership and loving relationship. The ending was just perfection and it left me smiling long after I put down my Kindle. If this is your first time meeting Derrick and Gavin, go back to the beginning Inertia and see how it all began. Then proceed immediately to Acceleration as their relationship and events pick up speed and finally to Velocity where it all comes together with emotions on high. I really cannot recommend this series enough. Amelia C. Gormley is a amazing author and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Here are the books in the order they were written and should be read to understand the characters and their relationships:

Inertia (Implulse #1)

Acceleration (Impulse #2)

Velocity (Impulse #3)

Cover art by Kerry Chin. I love these covers. They are lush and different and just amazing.

Review: Wake Me Up Inside (Mates #1) by Cardeno C

Rating: 4 stars

Zev Hassick has always been attracted to Jonah Marvel from his first memory of the man. They were children and Jonah was a toddler playing in his backyard. It was Zev’s first shifter change and his travels brought him near the Marvel home. But it was toddler Jonah that brought him closer and the child too sensed the connection, coming over to play with the wolf pup. From then on, they were inseparable as time and again, Zev worked to attend the same schools as Jonah, pursuing a relationship with the human that was frowned upon in the shifter world.

Then Jonah goes away to college to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, putting a strain not only on their relationship but on Zev as a shifter in need of his mate. As the son of the Alpha, Zev was expected to find a female shifter and mate, not only to produced progeny but to remain healthy. But Zev has never been attracted to anyone but Jonah and it wasn’t until high school that he realized that it wasn’t just a deep friendship he had with Jonah but a mate bond. But Jonah’s humanity and college goals stopped Zev from claiming him, also from even telling Jonah that he was a shifter.

Now Jonah is about to graduate from college and its time for all the secrets to come out. But Jonah isn’t well. He feels like he is losing his mind. And his father’s behavior is unsettling. Not all the secrets belong to Zev. Will Zev and Jonah’s relationship be able to withstand the tumultuous events on the horizon or will the secrets of the past tear them apart?

Wake Me Up Inside is the first book in the Mate series from Cardeno C and I can’t wait for more. Cardeno C has a straightforward narrative that delivers the story in a manner that makes it easy for the reader to follow the timeline of Jonah and Zev’s relationship as it grows from childhood to adult. There are just enough flashbacks to explain their history without it overwhelming the story. I found the flashback to Jonah and Zev as toddlers especially endearing. Take a good long look at that marvelous cover and it gives you an accurate picture of a scene in the book. Boy and wolf pup and Jonah and Zev, always together no matter the form Zev is in. How does that idea not draw you in?

It is the characterizations that make or break a story for me and in Zev and Jonah we get two characters to connect with immediately. Zev is wonderful as a shifter with huge expectations placed on his shoulder by his father and pack at an early age, The author lets us watch as Zev shoulders these responsibilities with ingenuity and grace as he ages. He accepts his role as future Alpha and then makes it his own. Zev is just a lovely creation and he was easy to relate to. So was his mate, Jonah who had plenty of problems of his own. His father was full of secrets and extremely overprotective. But his ease at accepting his sexuality and his own depths of compassion and responsibility made him a perfect match for Zev and the reader.

I liked the concept of the shifter society as one held back by its own traditions and isolation. I just wished it had been explored a little more throughly. We get bits and pieces of shifter law and lore but establishing a firmer back story for the Pack governing structure would have helped at the end of the story when all sorts of leaders and governing agents appear at of nowhere. The same lack of back story popped up again towards the end when an unexpected pair bonding becomes an essential part of Zen and Jonah’s story. It is not much of a spoiler to tell you one is a vampire and until that is revealed I had no idea that vampires were part of this universe. I wish that had been folded into the story earlier on so its appearance would have been less startling and made more sense.

My few quibbles aside, this is a terrific addition to the current wolf shifter fiction available. I hope that each new story will give us more information about the Mate universe Cardeno C is creating. I anticipate that Zev and Jonah will make a reappearance and a certain couple gets their story told.

Cover art by Reese Dante. This was a Best Cover of 2012. Just look at the pictures, the composition and its relation to the story within….all perfection. I never tire of looking at it.

Review: Spot Me (Work Out #1) by Andrew Grey

Rating: 4 stars

Dan’s life is in flux and not all of it of his choosing. He just turned 40 and his partner of 10 years up and left him for a much younger man. Luckily for him, he has a best friend Lonnie and his wife supporting him and helping him back into the swing of things, including a workout schedule at their local gym. While working out, he happens to see Gene Harper, a competitive bodybuilder, working out near him and almost collapses in a fit of lust. But his mind tells him that someone that gorgeous would never want a older man like him, and he turns away, not noticing his interest is returned.

Gene Harper is 28. He is a competitive body builder tired of meeting men who can’t see past his physique. When he meets Dan, he recognizes the man’s humor and intellect that just happen to go along someone shy and inherently self effacing. Gene knows what he wants and that is Dan, if only he can get Dan to realize it and see past his insecurities. As they work out together and get to know each other better, the more Dan starts to trust that Gene means exactly what he says. When Dan’s old boyfriend wants back in the relationship, will Dan seek safety in the past or go forward into the future he has always deserved?

At 95 pages, Spot Me is a quick read and a delightful introduction into another Andrew Grey series. This series revolves around a gym and its clientele, in this case a bodybuilder and computer programmer. It is also a case of May December romance as well. Dan is coming out of a long term relationship he is just starting to realize was borderline abusive. His ex so dominated Dan over the stretch of their relationship, including in the bedroom, that he demoralized Dan in more ways than he knew. Dan is full of insecurities, hyper aware of his age and afraid to go forward when romance comes calling. I understood Dan immediately and thought Andrew Grey did a great job in creating this character.

Gene Harper is more of a unknown. He is an IT recruiter as a profession and a competitive body builder by passion and sport. At 28, he has had an unusual amount of success in his sport but dislikes the attention it brings from men who can only see the body and not the man inside. I have little knowledge of the sport of body building but Gene professes that his goal is to become the first Mr. America without using chemical enhancements and that startled me. Aren’t steroids banned from use? So aren’t all bodybuilders supposedly “chemical free” to start with? Yeah, yeah, like the world of professional bike racing, that is not the case but it still struck me as odd. And really if you are a competitive body builder, don’t you expect people to judge you on your body? That just seemed so naive that it lessened my believability in the character. Gene tells Dan some of what it entails to train for his sport and that includes the constant weighing and a rigid diet, but I knew a woman who was into this sport and her regimen was far more intense that what was reported here. Again, perhaps it was the length that determined the lack of accurate bodybuilder requirements, sacrificing them for the romance between the men.

It is hard although not completely impossible to build a believable romance between such diverse characters and Grey comes close to achieving it here. This is a sweet story between two men who deserve a happy ending. The story ended abruptly but I think it is safe to say we will be seeing this couple again throughout the series as that is Andrew Grey’s style. I would like more time to get to know them better and this was a good way to start.

Cover Design by Mara McKennen. Very sexy and speaks to the bodybuilder within.

Here are the books in the order they were written and should be read. The last is a compilation of all the stories in the series.

Spot Me (Work Out, #1)

Pump Me Up (Work Out, #2)

Core Training (Work Out, #3)

Crunch Time (Work Out, #4)

Positive Resistance (Work Out, #5)

Personal Training (Work Out, #6)

Cardio Conditioning (Work Out, #7)

Work Me Out (Work Out, #1-6)

March Came Roaring In Like a Lion and the Week Ahead in Reviews

Remember last March in Maryland? The sun was shining over plants newly emerged from the ground, our temperatures hovered in the high 70’s after experiencing absolutely no winter at all. Birds were nesting, the butterflies were flying, and thoughts of picnics and outdoor barbecue dinners molded our grocery lists. Even now I can bask in the memories….

Now switch to present day and the snow flurries I saw swirling around in clear defiance that it was March. It was cold and dark clouds made sure the sun never made an appearance. I stopped to look at the pansies with their smiling faces at Good Earth and thought “not in a million years am I hanging around outside to plant you so bugger off”, channeling some Brits I know. Those of you in the middle of huge snowstorms or still in recovery from the same are probably wanting to smack me over such piddling weather. Me too. I do realize it could be so much worse but this dang climate change has upped our expectations for March beyond all reasonability, hence the whining.

On the other hand, it does give me time to spend with plant catalogs, and go to a whine oops wine and cooking demonstration like I did yesterday. Had the weather been gorgeous, I would have been outside and missed a Mahi Mahi cooked in a buirre blanc sauce to die for, a lovely Coq au vin and a porc du rose, just a lovely 3 hours spent with nice people, great wines and food and a very funny Chef Read. So highs and lows, cold and hot, one friend moves away and I get the chance to meet others. Life, the weather and changing climate keeps springing changes upon us whether (ha!) we are ready or not, usually mostly not. Hmmmm,..rambling here again.

So where were we? Ah yes, the week ahead. Hopefully that will see the Caps win, the Nats all heathly and happy in Florida, honestly don’t care what’s going on with the “Skins, and new recipes to try out. I will be finishing up the Cambridge Fellows Mysteries series this week and it will be sad to say goodbye to Jonty and Orlando. Look for a post full of Q & A with Charlie Cochrane to post the day following. She was wonderful in answering all the questions that kept popping into my brain as I finished All Lessons Learned. We have a mixed bag of new and familiar authors here, something for everyone I believe. So here is the way it is scheduled so far:

Monday, March 4: Spot Me by Andrew Grey

Tuesday, March 5: Wake Me Up Inside by Cardeno C

Wed., March 6: Velocity by Amelia C. Gormley

Thursday, March 7: Lessons for Survivors by Charlie Cochrane

Friday, March 8: A Cambridge Fellows Q & A with Charlie Cochrane

Saturday, March 9: His Best Man by Treva Harte

So there it is, a really good week ahead. Now if just those blasted snow clouds would go away I might just think about planting some pansies….

Review: Adding to the Collection (A Roughstock story) by B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 4.25 stars

Closeted rancher Derrick Stahlman has always had a thing for professional bull riders. Once a year he treats himself to a small vacation to watch the PBR Finals in Reno and get himself laid in the process. This year Derrick has a chance to watch a young bull rider he has been following on the circuit, Stone Haverty. Everything about that small firecracker of a man turns Derrick on like nothing in recent memory. And a specific kind of memory to take back to the ranch and keep him warm is just what Derrick is pursuing.

Stone has been doing well this year and his rides have put him in the money and top 20 rankings. Stone also happens to be gay, although quiet about it because of the PBR sponsors. When he spots that handsome rancher cheering him on from the fan seats in the stadium, he recognizes a kindred spirit, and a big sexy one at that. The men come together for a couple of days of white hot sex and major snuggling before parting ways with a quiet “come see me if you are in the area” from Derrick. And then at Christmas time, Stone appears at Derrick’s ranch and Derrick has some big decisions to make and maybe make his dream come true in the process.

First a little bull rider history. If you aren’t familiar with PBR (here that doesn’t stand for Pabst Blue Ribbon but Professional Bull Riders, Inc.) then you are missing out on a wonderful group of athletes often overlooked outside certain sections of this country. A professional bull rider is someone who has to remain on the back of a bucking bull for 8 seconds. Within that 8 seconds, the rider will be judged on control and rhythm in matching the movements of the bull, and at the same time, the bull is equally being judged for their performance. their athletic ability to buck off the rider with high jumps and unexpected twists. It is athlete versus athlete, rider versus bull but here the riders average around 5’6″ and a hundred and more pounds versus these amazing bulls weighing in at close to a ton or over. Needless to say, it is the bull rider who often comes off the worst in this contest of skill, will, and might, hopefully walking away with no more than a bruised ego and behind to show for a ride lasting less than 8 seconds, sometimes much worse happens. Not surprisingly, this is a young man’s sport with the average age being in their twenties. Countries like Canada, Brazil, Australia, and Mexico each have their own PBR tours and bull riders from all over the world come to participate in the World PBR Tour.

B.A. Tortuga knows her bull riding. B.A. Tortuga also writes some of the best regional voices in the business. Her characters conversations are flavored with colloquialisms that never fall over the edge into parody. It certainly helps that she knows her roughstock and bull riders like the back of her hand too. Here is her description of Stone Haverty:

“Short, lean, but not bird-like, Stone was a little nut-brown dynamo with a pair of blue eyes that looked like lasers, glinting from under the brim of that straw hat. That callused, scarred hand worked resin into glove and rope, up and down, mimicking an action that made Derrick’s mouth dry.”

Two sentences that so fully describe this man you could pick him out of a crowd. Here is Stone’s first impression of Derrick:

“Solid and broad, with hands that would be rough and hard on a man’s skin…This one looked like he didn’t get to town much. Oh, the boots were clean, and the hat was obviously expensive, but the guy scanned the crowd like he was starving, like he had a powerful itch.”

Derrick is a lonely, closeted rancher from California who collects bull riding memorabilia on his annual trip to the PBR Finals in Reno. He accepts that his lot will be that of a man lacking a real romantic relationship in order to live the life he has on his ranch, although he dreams of much more. I loved solid, grounded Derrick and wanted much more of his backstory. Stone too only gives us hints as to what drives him. He comes from a huge family and is the baby of a family of eight brothers but you get the feeling that there is much more to his story than is revealed here. We get realistic glimpses of the hardships that come with competing on the circuit too, the lack of insurance and rootless existence can mean in the long run.

The sex scenes are hot, desperate in their need, funny and totally realistic. I mean you are laughing along with the men as pants get stuck on boots and clothes refuse to fly off the way they do in the movies. And you will hurt with them too as the injuries arrive. These men breath and bleed, laugh and hump so authentically that you expect them to climb out of the pages.

My only quibble with this story is the length. It just cries out for a much longer version so all the requisite back history of these men and their journey to this point in their lives is layered into this story to finish it out. At 60 pages, it is just enough to “wet our whistle” as it were but not enough to fully satisfy. I hope B.A. Tortuga revisits this couple and lets us in on how they are faring. I loved my short visit with them and am ready for the rest to follow.

Cover: Cover illustration by BS Clay is lovely and pertinent to the story

BA Tortuga. Adding to the Collection (Kindle Locations 83-87). Torquere Press.

Review: Life, Over Easy: Fragments Book 1 by K.A. Mitchell

Rating: 4.25 stars

John Andrews life was all planned out, had been since he was young and entered the pool for the first time. His life revolved around his diving. He was tutored at home and on the road, his social circle extended out only as far as his teammates and diving competitors, even the most normal rites of growing up passed him by, no dances, no television watching or movie going, nothing but diving and diving competition. Even after winning two Gold Olympic medals, that didn’t change. John was on target to repeat or perhaps exceed his goals at the next Olympics until a accident during training changed his life forever. Now he copes with brain damage, blurry sight, vertigo, and life with a cane as a college freshman, on his own for the first time in his life. But the place inside of him that used to be filled by diving is empty and John doesn’t know how to fill

One accident six months ago changed Mason’s life forever. One deer in the middle of the road, one car crash later and everything he loved and thought he would have forever was gone. Now its Jim Beam and sex that Mason uses to fill the emptiness inside of him, crawling into bed drunk with any number of nameless guys to the consternation and disgust of his roommates and friends. He needs to concentrate on his school work and project but it seems impossible.

Two men, damaged by life’s accidents. When John turns up at the wrong house for a party, they meet and while their first encounter isn’t promising, John and Mason are drawn together even as they hide secrets from each other. John can see auras around peoples heads and he sees two over Mason’s. And Mason? He is seeing and hearing his dead lover. Can both men over come multiple obstacles, including one not of this earth, to find the love both need and deserve? Life is never easy, but this is ridiculous.

I love K. A. Mitchell. She is a “go to” author for me and this book demonstrates why I grab up every book she writes. The characters are unusual to say the least. John Andrews stands out because he is different on so many levels. First of all, he is that driven individual who has been pursuing a specific goal since childhood and succeeding at it. Young athletes are in a category all their own. They deprive themselves of a normal childhood, delaying or denying all together many hallmarks of growing up in order to pursue their dream, whether it be that of an Olympic high diver or other sport. They create a tunnel of efforts, so focused and driven that they seem almost innocent and guileless outside of their sport. Take that goal, that lifestyle away and you have a person adrift in their own life, no longer tethered by long term goals. We see that happen to so many athletes once the Games are over.

K.A. Mitchell takes it one further. John has had an accident that makes him unable to compete. From a finely toned athlete, he now copes with a brain damaged during a 2 story fall. He has vertigo, blurred vision, and has a condition called Synesthesia, a neurological condition where “one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.” Colors can be associated with sounds or words, or music is combined with sounds or specific sights, etc. Mitchell’s vivid descriptions gives us a intimate look at how it must feel when even a short walk turns into an overwhelming cavalcade of colors and sights. John has to deal with the loss of his life’s goal, his new disability, life as a college student, and all the while he feels empty inside because that one feeling of being “airborne”, floating in space as he dives is forever gone. Mitchell makes us feel that loss as acutely as John does. And then she brings it crashing up against an equally deep cavern of loss and pain that is Mason’s.

Most of us have not lived John’s life but I would bet that we all know someone like Mason or lived through a similar trauma. Mason is easily the most identifiable and recognizable of the two men. We can connect with Mason who is drowning in the loss of the man he thought he would marry and spend the rest of his life with. Booze and sex are the fillers of choice for Mason, and we get that. His friends (wonderful characters in their own right) feel helpless to stop the downward spiral, some have given up all together as Mason lashes out at them in his pain. This is all very authentic in the emotions radiating off the characters and the pages of this story.

But then Mitchell takes it an additional step further, journeying into the paranormal. John’s condition lets him see people auras, he knows what they are feeling by looking at the pulsating colors above their heads. And Mason’s dead lover hovers over all the proceedings, alternately angry and amused by being “stuck” to Mason. I have to admit I wish that this element has been left out of the story. It was terrific with just the obstacles they were already facing but then you add ghosts and “auras” and we start tipping over the edge. It is too much for this story to handle, there is just too much to do justice to all the elements involved. Then at the very end, one final piece is added. Mitchell throws in BDSM at the last minute into a relationship that had not previously explored this type of sexuality. It just seems very awkward and out of place. I could see where she was going with it, and that made sense but it really needed to be introduced much earlier in the book and in their relationship. But as it was I just thought it was a tad strange for them to take it to that level at that time.

So those were my quibbles with this story. Too many ingredients to give this a 5 star rating. It was almost there too. Do I recommend this book? Absolutely, these are wonderful characters and their stories are compelling. I wish Mitchell would bring out another book in this series because I like where it is going. Life is never easy, this book reminds of us of that fact. But there are solutions and answers for everyone, and Life, Over Easy reminds us of that too. Pick it up and let me know what you think.

Cover by Natalie Winters, interesting but not as interesting as the story within.

Mitchell, K.A.. Life, Over Easy: Fragments, Book 1 . Samhain Publishing, Ltd..

Review: Blood Red Butterfly by Josh Lanyon

Rating: 3.75 stars

Homicide Detective Ryo Miller is furious when his murder case against criminal Mickey Torres is derailed by an alibi he just knows has to be fake, especially when the person vouching for Torres is none other than manga artist Kai Tashiro. Ryo is familiar with Kai, having mentally nicknamed him the “Ice Princess” after having been rebuffed by the artist every time Ryo approached him in their local gay bar. He just cannot believe that Kai would ever go for a thug like Torres and that something else must be going on.

After consulting with his partner who thinks they should abandon the case, Ryo decides that he must bust Torres’ alibi by any means possible, and if he has to take down Kai to do it, so be it. But there are more depths and secrets to Kai Tashiro than Ryo is aware of and soon Torres’ obsession with Kai becomes his own putting his job and everyones life in danger.

As far as I know this is Josh Lanyon’s first effort since his return from sabatical and his intention was to write a story that included elements of yaoi as well as contemporary fiction. It certainly looks that way from the cover and from many of the elements Mr. Lanyon folded into his story. As the author of Come Unto These Yellow Sands and the Adrien English mysteries, Josh Lanyon is a “must read” for me. His stories are fascinating constructions full of marvelous characterizations and intriguing plots. His fondness for police detectives or special agents can be found in more than one novel, including one of my favorites, Fair Game. So it was not surprising to find that one of his main characters here is a somewhat surly, overworked, Homicide Detective named Ryo Miller.

The Japanese or Yaoi influence is highlighted by his use of characters of mixed Japanese ancestry and he has certainly done his research with regard to the types of classes Japanese american families send their children to in an attempt to keep their culture alive in their kids. From ikebana classes to attending Nihonjin gakko schools for Japanese immersion studies, from the specific names given to each american generation of youth (Ryo’s third generation is Sansei, Kai’s fifth generation is Gosei), we are enveloped in a cloud of elements to help us understand what it is to be a person of Japanese-American heritage. This is all very beautifully done and adds a very authentic color to the narrative.

I also liked the way the author used a manga story written by Kai called Blood Red Butterfly to mimic the actions between Ryo and Kai with Torres being the incendiary element whose actions can’t be predicted. These are all terrific facets of Blood Red Butterfly that I enjoyed immensely. But ultimately, it was the characterizations themselves that left me unsatisfied throughout the story, and I am not sure if that is due to the yaoi influence or not. The characters of Ryo and Kai just did not have the depth and dimension I have come to expect from Josh Lanyon. I never bought into Ryo’s obsession with Kai, perhaps it was the story length that did not allow it to fill it to its complete development. Torres’ fascination with Kai? Yes, I got that but not Ryo’s to the extent that he would detonate his life,including a job he loved, over him. That case was never made. As to Kai himself? I liked him and what we knew of his backstory but again there was too much missing to really ever connect with him fully either.

So for me this story works on several levels but not enough to connect me with the characters and make me care about their fate. I can’t determine whether this is due to the influence of manga yaoi or not. Hybrids can be tricky things and everything must work in harmony to pull it off and this story falls short of that goal in my opinion. But I am enthused to find Josh Lanyon writing again and hope his time off has recharged his creativity and his enjoyment of his craft. I can’t wait for the next story to come. If you love Josh Lanyon and want to see what he has been working on and enjoy yaoi, then this story will be of interest to you. But if you are new to Josh Lanyon and his stories, then I would start elsewhere to make a start with his stories.

Cover by KB Smith

Cover Art by Faith L.

Cover photo by Reinekke and licensed through Shutterstock

Josh Lanyon’s website

The Week Ahead in Reviews

Well, I hate to throw this out there but this coming week is full of things I don’t like to talk about, mostly doctors appointments. I would much rather dwell on things like the arrival of Spring, plants I want to establish in the gardens, the latest antics of my terrors three, and what knitting projects are in the pipeline. But sometimes I just have to face up to the fact my health takes priority, even over the Caps and the Nats. So if things don’t exactly arrive as scheduled, this is the reason. Just saying.

I want to finish out Charlie Cochrane’s Cambridge Fellows series over this week and the next, so grab onto that box of tissues and be prepared. I also have the latest Josh Lanyon book he self published after his year off. This week I am also posting books from favorite authors like B.A. Tortuga and K. A. Mitchell that were reviewed for Joyfully Jay’s Jock Week. I know you will enjoy them as well. So here is the schedule as planned.

Monday, Feb. 25: Lessons In Trust by Charlie Cochrane

Tuesday, Feb 26: Blood Red Butterfly by Josh Lanyon

Wed, Feb. 27: Life, Over Easy by K. A. Mitchell

Thursday, Feb. 28: Adding To The Collection by B. A Tortuga

Friday, Feb. 29: All Lessons Learned by Charlie Cochrane

Saturday, Feb. 30: Scattered Thoughts On Authors, Conventions and Hurt Feelings

In the meantime I have become familiar with the music of Kaija Saariaho, In “Lonh”, a work for soprano and electronics, Saariaho combined a medieval love poem with bells and bird song to arrive a composition both memorable and eerie. What do you think?

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: