Review: Sensei by Karenna Colcroft

Rating: 3 stars

Isao Nakamura is a five hundred years old vampire. He operates a dojo in a neutral territory surrounded by a vampire clan he is at odds with. Isao feeds only on the criminals he comes into contact with and saved many a innocent from the attacks of the vampires around him. Now his actions threaten the fragile truce he has lived under and all those he has come to care about, including his new adult student James. James is unaware that his Sensei that he has come to love is a vampire. Isao returns James’ affections, a perilous idea at best. Can the Sensei protect James and his dojo or will he lose everything in a final battle?

This is a short story of 73 pages and unfortunately Sensei reads as though we are given just the first several chapters of a much longer book. The characters are interesting and in Isao Nakamura’s case, we are given to understand that he was once a ninja and that all the ninjas were turned to increase their warrior skills. But that is our only glimpse of an intriguing backstory and except for one more throwaway sentence, it is forgotten. Colcroft gives us a vampire clan and again just a marginal understanding of the universe in which they exist. The small details the author does give us definitely piques the interest for more of her universe making and vampire history but since an overall picture is lacking, it brings the story up short literally.

James is a human without layers or history and that also brings down the interest in the Isao/James union. Another vampire and former lover of Isao keeps asking the Sensei why James? What’s so special about him? But the author never gives him or us a good answer to that question. Again the short length of the story has also hurt her characterizations.

This is a quick read and ends in a HFN with no expectations of a HEA, at least as far as I can tell, Perhaps the author has a sequel planned, but to bring me back to the table, she will have to bring more history, a more throughly realized universe and characters to the story before I visit here again.

Cover Art by Deana Jamroz is ok. The design is just ok, but could have been so much better.

Review: The Mayfield Speakeasy by L.A. Witt

Rating: 4 stars

Walter Mayfield’s life is quite the balancing act. The Mayfield Speakeasy, owned by himself and his brothers, is neutral ground in an area subjected to continual turf wars by various gangs. It is only due to Walter’s reputation as an honest man and his diplomatic skills that the gangs check their grievances and guns at the door of his establishment. The same goes for the cops, Vice cops that is. For Prohibition is in full swing and serving liquor to the sounds of easy music is the name of the game for The Mayfield Speakeasy. The balancing act also includes keeping his volatile brothers in check and the liquor flowing. But that all changes when Detective Joe Riordan comes through the door.

The bodies of three women have been dumped in the river and the only connection between the three is Walter’s brother, John. Detective Joe Riordan and his partner are there to get information and to find the murderer. And they are going to start with asking questions of Walter. As the investigation gets underway, Joe and Walter realize that the other man is gay and act on their attraction to one another. But the gangs soon notice that the cops are continuing to hang around and soon the delicate juggling act is threatened by the murder case as well as Joe and Walter’s ongoing relationship.

As the case hits closer to home than either man expects, it is a race to catch the murderer before everything threatens to collapse under the investigation, from The Mayfield Speakeasy to the new burgeoning love affair of Walter and Joe’s.

The Mayfield Speakeasy is a short story of 62 pages and L.A. Witt manages to cram a lot of historical flavor and plot into such a short length. She starts off the story in a very “film noir” manner . Here is Walter as he views his club:

The O’Reilly brothers and their goons liked to put back some bootlegged whiskey and smoke cigars–those Cuban cigars that cost way more than the cheap ones everybody else had to make do with–while that pretty dame in the red dress sang next to the piano. That was Shirley. She was new here. She’d be Walter’s sister-in-law soon, if Billy didn’t mess things up.

There are plenty of dames and gangsters and bodies floating in the river. And into this speakeasy of Walter’s walks Detective Joe Riordan. Cue the music as Walter walks over to the table the cops are sitting at:

Music still played, and Shirley was still singing in that pretty voice of hers, but nobody was talking. Nobody except Walter. “Name’s Walter Mayfield,” he’d said. “I don’t want no trouble.”

L.A. Witt does a fabulous job of bringing the Prohibition era to life in the form of The Mayfield Speakeasy, you can almost taste the smoke and hard liquor. But the short length brings its own issues, primarily that of lack of character development and depth of plot. The men jump into bed even with all the dangers surrounding such actions. And Billy and John, Walter’s two brothers, need fleshing out for their roles to gel and their animosity towards each other to feel real. The mystery too needed a little more length so that you don’t see the identity as soon as you do in the story.

But still, within these 62 pages, the 30’s come to life once more as the liquor flows illegally, and so does a love that dares not speak its name. While it takes time for the affection to build between Joe and Walter, the reader will enjoy every moment from the smokey beginnings to the end.

Cover art by Trace Edward Zaber. Great cover, looks as though it just came off one of the dime store novels of the era.

Dreamspinner Press Advent Story Roundup

The Ghost of Mistletoe Lock by Amy Rae Durreson

Rating: 4.25 stars

DSP: After lonely divorcé Isaac leaves his job as a banker to work as a conservationist on a country river, he gives up on finding the love he always wanted. Then he meets flirty jeweler Ryan and assumes Ryan’s out of his league, but Ryan’s just as lonely as Isaac. Ryan also has the housemates from hell, and when he storms out of the riotous Christmas party they forgot to warn him about, he soon finds himself lost in the snow.

Ryan passes out in front of the lock cottage where Isaac lives, and once Isaac brings him in from the cold, they finally have a chance to get to know each other. But when their insecurities get in the way, it’s up to the ghost of Mistletoe Lock to ensure they give love a chance

I really enjoyed this unusual tale by a new author for me, Amy Rae Durreson. It starts off with the haunting (literally) death of a young mother in the lock and then forwards to the present where a young British man is leaving his shoppe for the evening after having helped his last customer, a rough looking man looking for a present for his mother. It is Christmas eve and the party at his house sends him off on a path down the river and a meeting with a ghost and his destiny. Durrenson has a lovely way with descriptions and her settings come alive with the cold beauty of the locks and river on a moonlighted Christmas Eve. Whether it is the Aga warmed old lock cottage or the vivid descriptions of the men themselves, her vision of her story is so clear that it conveys itself to the reader with the same ease and clarity. I loved both Ryan and Isaac, and found the ghost Emily haunting in her pain. Christmas ghosts abound through literature, the season always bringing with it the joys of family and friends as well as our losses. Durreson has added so very nicely to that tradition. I look forward to other stories from this talented writier.

Traditions from the Heart by Bru Baker

Rating: 4 stars

DSP: When Aaron finds out Ben is missing out on some important Christmas traditions to be with him, he starts thinking of ways to give Ben new ways to observe the holiday. Can a homemade bear, a friend-made video, and a sock-eating goat become the traditions that keep Ben and Aaron together?

I adored this story. It has everything I look for as a Holiday story. It is warmhearted, sappy, contains family, love and Christmas traditions that I can relate to all rolled into one sexy and fun holiday tale. Baker has a terrific way with the characters and the part about the stuffed cat was fun and kept me smiling. It was lighthearted but still contained enough of the season’s melancholy memories that it rang true there as well. Like I said, I loved this one and you shouldn’t pass it by.

Bless Us Everyone by Gina A. Rodgers

Rating: 3.5 stars

DSP Blurb: Edan has spent the past five years hiding in his home, living with the ghosts of his Christmases past and unable to allow for the possibility of a future. So when his vibrant and sexy neighbor, Tim, barges into his life with a stepladder and a plate of cookies, Edan finds himself living for the present. But can he let go of his bah humbug ways and accept this second chance as the gift it is?

Cute story about a man whose past has made him isolate himself inside his house for years until a new neighbor draws him out, and into a relationship. Nice characterizations combined with heart and warmth. A lovely story for the holidays.

Lucky by Ana Bosch

Rating: 3.25 stars

DSP: Ever since Martel Heller rolled his first dreadlock, his love life has been blessed. For seven years he’s had the luxury of cherry-picking the hottest men available. But when the dress code at his new job forces him to hack off his lucky locks, his good fortune comes to an end.

To make matters worse, if Martel shows up at the company Christmas party alone, his creepy coworker Phil will know he’s single. As a last resort, Martel enlists his best friend, Felix, a fashion photographer, to hook him up with a model. Then plans fall through, and Martel ends up stuck at the Christmas party with the last person he expects—but as the hours pass, he wonders if he’s finally learned what it means to be lucky.

I actually came close to giving this story 4 stars but in the end the main character was such an unrepentant jerk right up to the last pages that I remained more frustrated than affectionate towards Martel. I liked the concept that Martel felt his luck resided in his dreads and that once they were cut off due to an employee dress code, his luck was lost. Now I do wonder about any company being able to enforce a “dread free zone”, especially as dreads can be pulled back and secured or kept “neat: in so many other ways. Really the AACP or ACLU would have been all over this here in our area. But ok, even given that, there are other things about Martel that just leaves the reader cold. When you make your main character a jerk and tell the story from his pov, then there should be some redeeming characteristics that allow the reader to understand or make concessions for his, in this case Martel’s, behavior.

I never felt we got that. Instead we come to love Felix, Martel’s best friend who he treats poorly in so many ways. Read this for Felix and for the ending, otherwise, I would recommend you skip this altogether.

On The Rocks by Ari McKay

Rating: 3.5 to 3. 25 stars

DSP:

For years, Mal has given Aidan a little piece of the world for special occasions in the form of unique rocks and fossils—until the year he gives Aidan a piece of the moon instead. Aidan has treasured every gift: in a world of impersonal relationships, they’re the one reminder he has that somebody out there cares about him for who he really is. Then through a twist of fate, their relationship goes beyond personal and into intimate, leaving Aidan shocked and set to run the other way. Despite his feelings for Mal, past experiences have convinced Aidan that he’s a failure at relationships, and he’s afraid to trust his heart. It just might take a Christmas miracle for Aidan to find the courage to love.

I actually liked this more than I think it deserved. I think that perhaps it is due to the fact that when Aidan finally realizes what he has lost, he goes into therapy to try and fix himself first before trying to establish a relationship. That realistic touch alone elevated this story for me. I liked Mal and Aiden, although Aiden had to grow on me because of his self centered personality. But with the concept of rocks as gifts which totally appealed to someone who has always picked up stones everywhere I go, to the idea of someone getting help to solve serious issues. Well, kudos to McKay for handling these elements of the story so well.

Bianca’s Plan by B.G. Thomas

Rating: 3 stars

DSP: Bianca worries that her daddy, Gavin, is lonely and decides he needs a boyfriend for Christmas. So she enlists her father’s best friend, the straight and unattached Curtis. Gavin has a Christmas wish, too, and Curtis setting him up on disastrous dates isn’t part of it! Meanwhile, Curtis finds life becoming complicated as he tries to please Bianca, make Gavin happy, and fend off his own unexpected mixed feelings. Will anyone’s wish come true?

I thought this was a very cute story. I have to admit that a story plot line that has a daughter or son setting their father up for a romance has always appealed to me. And Thomas has one wonderful character in the mischievous and plotting little girl, Bianca. She is absolutely adorable and believable as a 10 year old little girl who sees so clearly what is right before her Dad, that Curtis is perfect for them both. Bianca wants two dads and a husband for her father and proceeds to get what she wants. All the characters within the story have some depth to them, although I would wish for a little more realism. But one sentence tanked this story for me. When virgin Curtis (virgin to gay sex that is) and Gavin finally realize they love each other, they jump into bed to have sex (no problem here) but then they decide not to use either protectuion, no condoms, or lube. Why? Because as Gavin tells Curtis, they don’t need that stuff.

“Not this time,” Gav told him. “Nothing fake. It has to all be real.”

So condoms and lube make have sex be less real? Uh, does STD’s and pain make it more memorable? Hmmm, maybe it does at that but not in the way I think the author intended. That sound you hear? The rating falling through the floor. 3 stars because I liked Bianca.

The Roommate by Teegan Loy

Rating: 3 stars

DSP: Ryan’s finally home after a long week of hiding in a hotel while his boyfriend’s parents visited. He isn’t happy that Jordan hasn’t told his parents he’s gay but believes Jordan when he promises to come out. When Jordan’s family ends up on their doorstep after a winter storm shuts down the airport, Jordan introduces Ryan as his roommate, leaving Ryan horrified and hurt. Jordan’s little sister notices and tells Ryan she’s going to ask Santa to make him happy… but does Ryan’s Christmas wish have any hope of coming true?

Teegan Loy has written a love story for the holidays both cute and frustrating. Loy’s characterizations are so good that you fall in love with Ryan immediately. And the fact that Ryan endears himself to the reader from the start (really that cooking scene is hilarious) that when his live in boyfriend hurts him by pretending to his family who has helped him move in Ryan’s apartment, then the story looses its joy and momentum. Hard to root for somone’s love affair when you have a main character not as fully fleshed out as the other who is coming across as a jerk. The author never gives us enough backstory for Jordan’s fear of exposure to make any sense, especially after meeting his family. All we see is a man who continues to reject his loving partner who has gone out of his way to make things easy for his love and gets kicked repeatedly for his efforts.

Yes, there is a happy ending but I am not sure I ever believed it. Loved Ryan though.

Soups and Diners by Alex Whitehall

Rating: 3 stars

DSP: Two days before Christmas, just after his best friend’s wedding, Max is in a diner when he’s joined by Stan, another wedding guest. Getting to know each other ensues with some awkwardness, teasing, and fun conversation. They seem to hit it off, but Stan has reservations, wondering if Max is too good to be true, and Max has a history of bad boyfriend choices. Will meeting each other be a Christmas miracle—or a prettily wrapped present that’s really an empty box.

Nice story. But to be honest, I forgot about it as soon as I was finished. Nice people, nice story, nice ending. Nothing memorable about any part of this tale so I would give this a pass on that rationale alone.

Old Flames by Davi Rodriquez

Rating: 2.5 stars

DSP Blurb:

There’s something to be said for old flames. NYPD Sgt. AJ Cooper seems to think so. His ex, Brad Meyers, dumped him to work on getting a starring role in a Broadway show, leaving AJ confused and betrayed. Five months later, while patrolling Times Square, AJ sees a giant advertisement for Brad’s show and misses what they had… and then he sees Brad.

AJ grouchily agrees to meet Brad in Central Park the next evening, but he doesn’t realize what he’s in for. AJ might regain everything he lost five months before—or he might lose it all over again.

I thought this story had real potential. I liked NYPD Sft. AJ Cooper as he seemed like a fairly realistic New York Cop right until his ex showed up and the story fell apart. There is not much to the character of Brad Meyers, no layering or depth to explain Cooper’s feeling for him. There is also no real explanation as to why AJ was dumped after a long term relationship. So why are we expected to believe that a smart cop would take this guy back? We don’t believe it, and there is no passion, no credible love between the two to overcome such a wildly unlikely turn of events. No amount of elf dust would let someone suspend their belief for this one.

The Perils and Pleasures of a White Christmas by Emily Moreton

Rating 2.5 stars

DSP: Despite the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, FBI Agent Drake and his Army officer partner Tim keep their relationship under wraps for the sake of Tim’s career. Though they’d rather be open about their relationship, the sex and friendship make up for having to hide. Then holiday stress kicks in with a triple whammy of bad luck and they’ll have to focus on each other to find the cheer in the holiday furor, even if that means coming out.

Actually, this reads as a snippet from a much longer story and has very little to do with the blurb above. Basically it is an afternoon/night in the relationship of Drake and Tim where the power goes out and they spend it in bed having sex. That’s it. No angst, no questions about their jobs or closeted status, nothing. Just two men who love each other staying warm under the blankets when the power goes out in their building. It as though the author (who I love btw) has said “here is a bit from a book I am writing, what do you think?”. And the answer is well it’s a lovely part, like the couple. Where is the rest of it?. So that’s what you should do, wait for the rest of it. There is just not enough here to warrant reading it.

Review: Beau and the Beast by Rick R. Reed

Rating: 4.5 stars

Beau is a street artist barely scrapping painting portraits of tourists by on the pier in Seattle. On a good day, he makes enough selling his portraits to get a room in a hourly motel for the night and some soup for dinner. And on the bad days? Well, the doorways of shops are his home and hunger his companion. On this night, Beau’s feeble luck runs out. He is late leaving his customary location on the pier and is making his way back the alleyway where he will sleep when he is jumped and brutally attacked by a gang of thugs. When Beau awakens, he is bandaged and alone in a luxurious bed unable to remember what has happened to him. Then a terrifying figure opens to the door to the bedroom. The man’s form is huge and formidable but it is what he is wearing on his face that frightens Beau. The man is wearing a hood and the mask of a wolf, all Beau can see are his eyes, eyes that ask Beau to trust him.

When Beau can talk, he finds out that the man rescued him and brought him home to heal from the attack. When asked his name, all he says is to call him “Beast” because that is who he is. As Beau heals, the two men grow close but the “Beast” will disclose little of who he is. Beau yearns to know more about the man behind the mask, the man he is falling in love with. When faced with the reality behind the Beast’s mask, will the burgeoning love Beau feels for the Beast be destroyed or is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder?

Beau and the Beast is Rick R. Reed’s version of the timeless tale, “Beauty and the Beast,” by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. Rick R. Reed has remained true to the original story while still putting his own touches to a tale renown for its storied love affair and message of the heart. The concept of love being so strong that it can overcome all obstacles including a hideous visage is so profound, so awe inspiring that we have seen version after version of this fairy tale, from the animated Disney movie to the wonderful television series Beauty and the Beast from the 80’s. Now Rick R. Reed adds his book to the list of renditions and it is a most welcome one.

Reed’s love for this story carries through his version in every aspect. The author depicts Beau’s harsh life with vivid descriptions, bringing us close to the young artist barely making it through life. And Reed’s Beast is both enigmatic and majestic beneath his wolf mask. The author’s gifted narrative pulls in the reader so throughly that you can feels the loneliness of the lives they lead and how fear is keeping them back from the love they are starting to feel for each other. It is so easy for their emotions to become yours. Rick R. Reed’s Beau and the Beast is both haunting and lovely, doing more than justice to the original that inspired him.

I have read other books by Rick R. Reed but this is the first that I have reviewed, a fact I can’t understand as I have always enjoyed his writing. So look forward to more of this author’s works to be reviewed here. They range from the humorous to the dramatic, and I will be reviewing both. If you are not familiar with Rick R. Reed, definitely start here. You won’t be sorry. My only quibble with this story is I wished for much more as it is only 62 pages long. A perfect length, however, for a winter’s eve or afternoon before the fireplace, to revisit a fairytale reborn once more.

Review of A Great Miracle Happened by Kim Fielding

Rating: 4.75 stars

Jude Bloch is sitting at his usual table at the coffee shop in Chicago, far away from his family in LA. He has done his shopping for Hannukah, mailed his presents and is now free to work on his dissertation but is having little progress. Until the door opens up and the wind blows in handsome chef Mac Appel to share his table in the crowded shop. A casual conversation slides into a one-night stand that turns into a series of meetings each man starts to anticipate and treasure. At the end of eight days, a miraculous change has occurred in Jude’s holiday outlook and love has found it’s way into his heart.

I am still thinking about this story days later, amazed at how the story affected me by the end of Jude and Mac’s tale. When Kim Fielding’s story opens upon a grouchy Jude sitting by his lonesome at a table, I was not prepared for what a charming gem of a story this turned out to be. I loved Jude Bloch, and it’s from his POV that the story is told, so we get a very clear vision or so we think of Jude and his feelings of the holidays and relationships. Mac Appel is so full of life and joy that he pulls the reader in at the same time he is having the same effect on Jude. He quickly endeared himself to me as well.

But Fielding is such a gifted writer that she crafts a story that slowly peals back the layers Jude has built around himself by allowing Mac to do the skillful filleting of Jude’s barriers, the perfect occupation for a chef. And little by little, we start to see Jude as Mac does, a person who needs people but has been so disappointed by them, especially his family. As Mac surreptitiously starts courting Jude, we see the lonely doctoral student start to reconnect with all around him. By the time the story has come to its conclusion, it is humming with joy and the promise of a wonderful future for them both.

I can’t recommend this story enough. Heartwarming, gentle, a true gem of this season and every year after.

Review of Silver Publishing Holiday Short Stories- Someone Like You by L.M. Brown and An Unexpected Gift by Ashlyn Monroe

Review: Someone Like You by L.M.Brown

Rating: 4 stars

Todd Hunter and his boyfriend, Deacon Jones, had been inseparable right up until Todd went away to the university, then all communications from Deacon stopped. Now Todd is home on break and is determined to find out why Deacon hasn’t called or replied to any of his emails. For Todd, Deacon is the “one and only” and he thought he was that for Deacon too.

While Todd has been away, Deacon has undergone several major upheavels in his life, and he has held them all back from Todd. Todd is “the one” for Deacon. Now Todd must figure out what has gone wrong with Deacon if the young men are to find their HEA.

Someone Like You is L.M. Brown’s twist on boy from the wrong side of the tracks storyline, and I think the author did a lovely job with it. Brown’s two main characters, Todd Hunter and Deacon Jones are vulnerable, likable and very easy to relate to. Brown’s story is as much about family expectations and obligations as it is about a first love that also is the one that lasts.

Too often when a story has young men finding their “soulmate” early, the notion seems a little too much like a teen crush than a love to build a relationship on, but L.M. Brown does a credible job of making us believe that just perhaps the love Deacon and Todd feel for each other will be a love to last their lifetime. And Brown does it all in just 89 pages.

So if you are looking for a sweet holiday story, one that is quick to read and yet leave you smiling into the evening hours, this is one for y0u.

A Most Unexpected Gift by Ashlyn Monroe

Rating: 2.5 stars

Aarika Marshal has a mischievous mind, and when she decides to give her boyfriend, Rafe, a most unusual gift on Christmas Eve. Aarika decides to give herself a sexy gift too, all in the same package. The gift in question is her bi-sexual best friend Clara who has long held a crush on Rafe. When Rafe’s twin brother, Rhett joins in, the shenanigans kicks into high gear and it will be a very smutty Christmas for all.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This title contains multiple sexual situations, including MF, FF, MFM, and MFF. Not M/M

“Clara laughed as Aarika pushed her into the closet. “Shh, he’ll be home any minute,” Aarika warned her best friend. “Push your boobs up so he gets a good look.”

That opening line pretty much indicates how the story, and what little plot there is, will go. Aarika decides to have her best friend have sex with her boyfriend, Rafe and herself too. She prepares her “surprise” but is surprised in turn when Rafe turns up with Rhett in tow. This is our introduction to Rhett, who looks over his brother’s girlfriend’s body:

“You told me she had a smokin’ body, bro, but I think you left out just how nice her tits are.” Classy, so very classy, and a perfect indication of what little character Rhett has. In fact, all the people involved come across as mostly one-dimentional characters. And the plot is as simplistic as the men and women involved.

And from that scene the story goes downhill from there. For Christmas, we are given wooden characters, silly dialog and a plot that would grace a 80’s porn flick. If this was your Christmas wish, then Ashlyn Moore has delivered just the short story for you at 34 pages in length. But for me, I have higher expectations for my holiday fare and at 34 pages, this one was 34 pages too long.

Review of Wish List by J.J. Cassidy

Rating: 4.5 stars

Berg Pedersen is newly out of the army and standing on the steps belonging to a man he has been seeing secretly for sometime. Berg is shocked and disheartened when the man’s wife opens the door, he had no idea that the guy was married and had a child. Beaten down, Berg has no where to go and its Christmas Eve. Then a man asks him if he is ok and if he would like to come in out of the cold and get warm.

Officer DJ Delaney is off duty for the next two days. He has a kitchen full of food and a tree waiting to be decorated. DJ was supposed to be decorating the house with his boyfriend, but the boyfriend dumped him last week saying he just couldn’t date a cop anymore. So now DJ is looking to spend the holidays alone. Until he spies the cold, wet, soldier standing in the snow next to his neighbor’s house. DJ knows his neighbor is a closeted jerk so he can guess the rest and takes the man in to change his clothes and get warmed up.

As Berg gets warm and changes into dry clothes, DJ sees before him the very thing he has always wanted in a man, and the perfect Christmas gift for himself. His only problem will be getting Berg to believe in a Christmas miracle that landed him in the very place he was always meant to be.

I don’t know what it is about this story and the characters, but I just loved it and them. It has quite a few elements that always make me crazy, like instant love and a plot I have read before but somehow with these men it doesn’t matter. Berg Pedersen and DJ Delaney absolutely fell into my heart from their first appearance. Former soldier Berg, standing there devastated in the snow, clothes and duffle bag getting soaked by the rain. It was such a compelling image, a man absolutely vulnerable and alone on Christmas Eve. And then a stranger picks him up and makes him feel welcome and at home. *sniff* It will get to me every time.

But it is more than that. I loved J.J. Cassidy’s characters. DJ who knows what he wants and sees it in Berg even as he recognizes how illogical and unrealistic that might be. Berg is especially vulnerable, something unexpected in a man who looks like him and has just left 15 years in the Army behind. Berg is also a survivor of the foster system as a child and you combine foster child with gay, and I can see the neglect and pain that Cassidy has imbued Berg with spilling out the longer he stays with DJ. In a short story,69 pages in length, Cassidy gives us two men to love and root for. I especially would love to see a followup story as I continue to think about both of them days after I finished their story. Wish List would be on my wish list for anyone looking for that heartwarming holiday story.

Review of Home Fires by BA Tortuga

Rating: 4.5 stars

Houston, Jackson’s mate, left him several years ago, sure he was ready for city life and not one lived with Jackson in the desert with cactus for neighbors. So Jackson was stunned to see Houston, or what was left of Houston dragging himself to their front door. His mate had escaped from a government agency doing experiments on shifters, and they are after him. But Jackson hasn’t keep the home fires burning just to let the government capture his mate again. He will fight for his mate and for their land because no one is taking Houston away from him again, not even Houston himself.

Home Fires is a raw, rough story that BA Tortuga does so well. Here she gives us the bare bones of a horror story. A shifter was kidnapped along with other shifters, and taken to a secret compound where they were experimented on, tortured and killed. Tortuga gives us only an outline of the torture and experiments and lets our minds fill in the rest, which ratchets the terror up considerably. What we see is the effects of his capture upon Houston’s mind and body, including a barcode tattooed on his body of skin and bones. He has nightmares and is confused. The vivid descriptions of his present appearance are contrasted with Jackson’s memory of his mate before he left him. It works beautifully to let us know just how bad a shape Houston is in now.

Jackson too is a fierce, elemental man. At home in the desert, he is tuned tightly as a man can be who loves his isolation and his independence. The only thing missing from his life has been his mate and now that he has him back, there is nothing he won’t do to bring Houston back into shape and let him become the wolf shifter he knew. Jackson will also defend them both and keep Houston safe, not an easy thing when the government agents and others are looking for them.

Just as the men are pared down to their core beings, so are the wolves within, Houston needs to be claimed again by his mate, and Jackson needs to possess his mate in the most primal of ways. It’s raw, its sexy and at times heartbreaking,

My only quibble with this story is that there really isn’t an end. Some soldiers chasing them are killed in the desert but by others looking for their kin. We never find out what happens to the compound or really to Jackson and Houston. And that was frustrating because these are two memorable characters who make such a huge impact upon a reader, that they story just cries out for some closure for us and for them, otherwise this would be a 5 star story instead of 4.5 stars.

Cover illustration by BSClay. Not sure what the helicopters have to do with anything, they don’t show up in the story. Just confusing.

Story was originally published in 2007, under the title The Call.

Review of Lessons Learned, Wishes Earned by Cassandra Gold

Rating: 4 stars

Lachlan Douglas is bone aching tired after spending yet another day as Santa’s Elf. It’s not just that it’s his small size that makes him the perfect man for the job, it’s his position within the store too. But when he has to play Elf to the rich store owner’s son’s Santa, well that’s even worse. Lachlan’s last boyfriend was wealthy and took advantage of him so having to work with another spoiled rich boy is just not something Lachlan wants to do.

Haven Wellesley is not a rich man’s spoiled son. He has worked his way up the ranks, working at every level no matter what the job calls for. And this Christmas, he is going to play Santa for a very special set of people and needs an Elf’s help to hand out presents. That’s when Lachlan realizes that maybe Haven isn’t like the other man, and that together they will find the true meaning of Christmas.

This is a perfect Christmas story, all about not judging others and the true meaning of Christmas. Cassandra Gold gives us two lovely men in need of each other, especially Lachlan who has lost the Christmas spirit along the way. His former boyfriend has skewed his self image and made him very judgmental of others like him. Even while helping out a friend and taking over his Elf duties, Lachlan does it grudgingly. But his views are shaken when Haven asks him to accompany him on one last stop to hand out toys. It’s a very special place and gives the men a chance to connect outside of work. A night of giving to others turns out to be just what each other wanted for Christmas, a chance at love.

Review: New York Christmas by R.J. Scott

Rating: 4.5 stars

Daniel Bailey and Christian Matthews went to the same university and Daniel was even in the same English class where Chris was the T.A. But that is where the similarities between them ended. Daniel was gorgeous, rich, and a bit of a slut. Everything came easy to him, including a trust fund at the age of twenty five and a job guaranteed at his father’s firm. So Chris never expected to see Daniel again once Chris graduated, but life has a funny way of messing with your expectations.

Now years later, Chris is reeling from a series of blows life has dealt him. Chris had graduated and become a teacher, the one thing he had always wanted to be and was great at. But then his boyfriend, a fellow teacher at the private school they worked for betrayed Chris and the fallout cost Chris his job as well as ruined his reputation. The only thing that saved Chris was his best friend offering him work at her bakery. That’s where Daniel Bailey walked back into Chris’ life, not as the rich man Chris expected Daniel to turn out to be, but as a police officer who very much wants Chris in his life. Christmas is a season of miracles, and if it can bring Daniel back to Chris, maybe everything else can be made right too. Everything seems possible in a New York Christmas.

RJ Scott broke out the carols, the mistletoe, and the wassail because this story is permeated with the glow and good tidings of a wonderful Christmas tale. I have certain expectations of a holiday story. It must make me feel good, leave me smiling in joy for the characters who have found love in each other and the season. I love to have some snow (although not necessary), some good deeds, and a couple or couples well on their way to happily ever after. With New York Christmas I get all that and more.

I love RJ Scott’s characters and here she delivers two more wonderful men, reunited after years apart. Time has changed both of them, especially one who seemed destined for a life lived shallowly and at the expense of others. But Daniel surprises Chris and the readers with his depth, charm and commitment, to his job and to Chris as well. I loved Daniel. Chris is another lovely man who just happens to need a Christmas miracle. Fired from the job he loved because of the cowardice of a man he thought cared for him, Chris was almost homeless if it were not for his friend who gave him a job, filling in for a worker out on pregnancy leave. Chris is full of pain over the loss of a career as a teacher and lonely. It is so easy to empathize with this man, so full of goodness that has been trampled on by others. So when Daniel comes back into his life wearing the very uniform that is an emblem of safety, bravery, and wellbeing, you just know that Chris’ life has changed finally for the better. And it has much to the delight of the reader as their relationship unfolds over the next 79 pages.

At the end, there are good tidings, holiday cheer and a couple deeply in love. And that’s how I like my holiday stories and that’s why I loved New York Christmas.

Cover design by BitterGrace Art. I loved this cover, the men are adorable and perfect models for Daniel and Chris.

Available through RJ Scott’s website.

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