I really liked this. Tanner's voice was no unique.
What dropped the rating for me was the resolution: (view spoiler)[It didn't seem fair that3.5 stars
I really liked this. Tanner's voice was no unique.
What dropped the rating for me was the resolution: (view spoiler)[It didn't seem fair that Tanner lost a friend in order to gain a boyfriend. (hide spoiler)] I would have liked to see it end differently. The ending was very realistic, but sometimes I don't want realism. Sometimes I want everyone to get a HEA.
I also would have liked to see Japeth's POV. (view spoiler)[Maybe things would have ended between him and Roz without Roz getting hung up on Tanner, but we don't know that. Maybe Roz was the love of his life. I also thought that some of Japeth's frustration with Tanner at the end might have been put in to make the reader dislike him, but it didn't work for me. Because Japeth had spent a long time being one of Tanner's only two friends, and the only one with the patience to live with him. I totally understood his moments of frustration and spite.
I really, really liked this, but it feels like Japeth lost everything here -- his best friend, his boyfriend, and the place he was living -- through no fault of his own. (hide spoiler)]...more
I wasn't sure what to expect when I went into this, but I was really impressed.
The world-building here was phenomenal. The aliens were so wonderfullyI wasn't sure what to expect when I went into this, but I was really impressed.
The world-building here was phenomenal. The aliens were so wonderfully alien -- not just humans with a few tiny differences. They were anatomically different to the point of incompatibility, but they were also culturally different. Different rules, different nuances, and a language that didn't always translate into the scope of human ideas.
Liam is a human linguist and a trader on behalf of his military superiors, on Ondry's planet. Trade is not just about buying and selling to Ondry's species. It's about social status and pride and standing and a whole lot of other things that Liam still struggles with, even after doing this for years.
Liam likes Ondry, but, when he winds up as Ondry's palteia (waking up chained to a bed) he has no idea what to expect since the word doesn't translate and when Ondry tries to explain they hit a wall of cultural misunderstandings. And Liam's got some of his own issues to deal with before he can understand what Ondry is trying to tell him.
While this book relied a little on the "Humans are evil and aliens are wise and noble savages" (yeah, I'm looking at you, Avatar) it more than made up for this with all the intricate word building. Both MCs struggle to understand and to be understood. You wake up chained to someone's bed and it's not sexual? Well, that's Liam's issue to get over, or is it? Because Ondry might not be compatible when it comes to sexual organs and the places they will go, but he's willing to experiment to make Liam happy. And he has a tail... :)
This was a great book. You should read it. ...more
Maybe I was in the wrong mood when I read this, but the humour just didn't work for me in this one. I did love the energy and enthusiasm, but it wasn'Maybe I was in the wrong mood when I read this, but the humour just didn't work for me in this one. I did love the energy and enthusiasm, but it wasn't quite enough to carry me through all the suspension of disbelief required for this one.
I'm in the minority here, I know. I liked it okay, I just didn't love it.
Weirdly, I would have liked there to be less sex and more investigation. ...more
A deceptively simple retelling of the Russian folktale Vassilia The Beautiful. I said "deceptive" because while on the surface it's a quick4.5 stars.
A deceptively simple retelling of the Russian folktale Vassilia The Beautiful. I said "deceptive" because while on the surface it's a quick sex-change so that now Vassilia is Vassily, and old Russia is a futuristic space colony, it really is better than that. No cheap substitutions here. The story stands on its own, despite its origins. Most importantly, the book retains that dreamlike sense of a fairytale, while at the same time the characters are vividly drawn.
Vassily and Sumerki are wonderful, and the supporting cast is well-drawn. Of course I didn't much like Vassily's mother, but if people didn't recklessly remarry in fairytales, where would all the step-evils come from?
Also, I love Baba Yaga! I was never sure as a kid how to take stories with Baba Yaga in them, because I could never decide if she was supposed to be a scary, evil witch, or the most awesome character ever. In this book, she's both, and I love her!
Side note: The cover is beautiful. Vassily is gorgeous. ...more
This was so much fun! A great story, fantastic world building, and actual real character growth. I was very surprised by the ending as4 stars plus 1.
This was so much fun! A great story, fantastic world building, and actual real character growth. I was very surprised by the ending as well. Usually when the hot boy gets abducted by the manly pirate, there is some smoking sex (which this also has in spades), a battle at sea, and a HEA for the pirate and his boy. Here, it's different. It leaves the way open for a sequel, which I will totally read, but it's not exactly a cliffhanger.
Things are resolved, as well as they can be for now, (view spoiler)[ but at the end I'm with Exit, wondering if he'll make his way back to the island full of pirates. (hide spoiler)] What I liked most about this is that Exit isn't running from a bad situation and falls in with a bunch of pirates who turn out to be the solution to all his problems. Exit's got friends at home who love him (and I really wanted to see things progress with Vin). Whatever the outcome, either his old friends or his new ones were going to get hurt. It made the ending very bittersweet.
It's online fic, so in parts it could really use an editor to tighten things up, but the sheer energy of the story made up for any issues with pacing or typos I had. If this was a professionally edited work and traditionally published I might have dropped it a star for that, but I didn't. While a traditional publisher might have fixed a few of the issues, the creativity and exuberance of this story more than make up for it.
This story has such a great cast of supporting characters. I loved Vio, particularly, but the extra star is for the Admiral, who was crazy awesome and hilarious and makes me want to be a pirate wench. I don't care if he's in his seventies. The man can shiver my timbers any time. ...more
You know those times where you buy books and they're...meh. They're okay, but they're not what you wanted. There's no emotional puWhat a sweet story!
You know those times where you buy books and they're...meh. They're okay, but they're not what you wanted. There's no emotional punch. I've been reading a few of those lately, and not loving them. Luckily there is some fantastic free stuff online, and luckily my GR buddies keep finding it!
This is a lovely story (and sexy as well) about Oakes, a 19 year old student on his way home to his mother's funeral. On the bus he meeds the most extraordinary, unlikely boy called Aspen.
And that's it really. The story's not original, but the language is great and the emotion is so very, very real.
I think what I really loved here was (view spoiler)[how Aspen ended up staying with Oakes' dad. Did not see that coming, but it was so perfect for the story. (hide spoiler)]
It's a story that starts with sadness and ends with hope, as simple as that. And it was a beautiful journey. ...more
This free, fun, and surprisingly sweet story is all about the tentacles. But more than that, it's all about the boy with the tentacles -- Kip -- who iThis free, fun, and surprisingly sweet story is all about the tentacles. But more than that, it's all about the boy with the tentacles -- Kip -- who is lonely, unloved (except for his sister, who's off to join the Peace Corp) and still suffering from being rejected by Aniket, his high school crush, when they both realised the same night he was a tentacle monster. Then, years later, Aniket walks back into his life.
Most tentacle stuff I've read -- crap, does that make me a fan? -- is all about the alien non-con, but not here. Here, the monster is just a sweet young guy with some unusual biology.
Read this one, guys. It's super short, super fun, and has some seriously hot scenes going on. Check this out even if you don't like tentacles, because Kip is such a lovely character that it won't take you long to see past them.
Nope, I'm not crying. Move along, nothing to see here.
This free short packs an emotional punch. It lost me a little toward the end (view spo3.5 stars
Nope, I'm not crying. Move along, nothing to see here.
This free short packs an emotional punch. It lost me a little toward the end (view spoiler)[with the big time shifts and the stuff with the soldier's mother, it just felt unnecessary, and I would have preferred more depth and less "telling" if that makes sense, but that's often the issue I have with short stories -- something always has to be condensed (hide spoiler)] but the actual end-end: perfect.
Read it. It's free, the narrator has a wonderful voice, and it's lovely. ...more
Oh my! * fans self* Okay, lets talk men with guns.
The Inquisitor...3.5 stars
The world-building here is fascinating. The Inquisitor follows on from ThOh my! * fans self* Okay, lets talk men with guns.
The Inquisitor...3.5 stars
The world-building here is fascinating. The Inquisitor follows on from The Machinist, which was in the first Weight of a Gun volume. In it, we learn a little of Avery's background, a little more about the monsters that attack the human enclaves, and there is, naturally, some very hot scenes with gun play. I really like Avery as a character -- he's a fascinating man in a fascinating world.
Playing With the Big Boys...3.5 stars
Okay, I love me some Scarlet Blackwell, and here she delivers her specialty: hot alpha bastards taking what they want. In this case, they're taking Caleb Baker, a cop who stumbles across their smuggling operation. For some reason though, I didn't love this as much as I should have. Maybe I've reached saturation on dub-con at the moment, because this really should have pushed all my buttons in all the right ways. I think I would have liked to see some real character development though. The problem was, I never felt that Caleb was in actual physical danger, when -- holy crap, the things they were doing with guns, I should have.
Benjamin Pepperwhistle and the Fantabulous Circus of Wonders...5 stars
This is the one I was sure I'd hate. I figured it would be too cutesy or quirky or something...blame the title. But, wow, just wow. I loved this. Way to ramp up the sexual tension! This was actually the story where the least happened, sexually, but the pay off was well worth waiting for, for both Benjamin and me. The smell of the black powder, the sensation of bullets thudding into the wooden target that Benjamin is strapped to...the other stories were about people playing with guns and liking gun play, but this...this was on a whole different level. For the record, I don't like guns, but Benjamin sure did, and it was, literally, smoking hot.
The scene where (view spoiler)[Benjamin cums when Cole fires the last bullet -- fucking hell! (hide spoiler)] Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to fan myself some more. ...more
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did. The idea is fantastic -- a high school jock finds out that a boy in his class is prostitutiI wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did. The idea is fantastic -- a high school jock finds out that a boy in his class is prostituting himself for cash. And he has cash... Sexy good times, moral ambiguity and a shitload of angst ahead!
Except I just couldn't connect to the MC Mike. I didn't hate him, I just didn't care very much about him. I actually liked Jason a lot better, teenage angry mood swings and general assholery included. Because I got Jason. I understood a bit of where he was coming from. I understood his self-destructiveness, his pride, and his sheer mercenary streak. And maybe I hung around with kids like that in high school...
I really did enjoy the first half of this book, but the second half lost me. (view spoiler)[Mike is what...18? And he didn't graduate high school... And suddenly he's making a fortune in New York in a job he is not qualified for and has no understanding of? I mean, I know a lot of people did a lot of coke in the 80s, but really? To be honest it all felt a bit soap-opera. Spurned prodigal son is cast out of home, only to return later with money and power dripping off him. I would have liked it a lot more if Mike had got a normal job. (hide spoiler)]
So I really enjoyed the first half of this book, but personally found the second half to be a let down. But maybe you'll like it more than me! ...more
Why did this take me so long to get around to reading it? It's been on my kindle for a while, but I just kind of ignored it. Well, today I was home siWhy did this take me so long to get around to reading it? It's been on my kindle for a while, but I just kind of ignored it. Well, today I was home sick so I decided to stay in bed and read. You know, just a chapter...famous last words for me.
The world building here is phenomenal. So many wonderful, intricate details of a world that in many ways in familiar, but is also wondrous, and magical, and imaginative. I don't know what I expected when I read the blurb -- but it wasn't steampunk superheroes, scheming politicians and a world on the brink of social revolution.
And what a fantastic read this was! I love Dorjan and Taern. Dorjan had the whole lonely superhero thing going on, and Taern was just wonderful -- full of pathos in his own way, but also full of humour and mischievousness.
My favourite character, though, was Areau -- Dorjan's ... well, best friend doesn't seem adequate to describe him. He was Dorjan's best friend, before Dorjan's first act of heroism condemned him to be broken by the government. Now he's Dorjans best friend as well as maybe his worst enemy. He's certainly his own worst enemy. Redeemable? Maybe. I had to keep reading to find out.
There were things in this book I didn't love. Sometimes Dorjan was a little preachy. For a guy keeping his head down in politics by pretending to be an idiot, his speech against homophobia felt a little reckless, and forced. As did the constant taking in endangered kids. I know he's a hero and a good guy, seriously, stop hitting me over the head with it. These were minor quibbles though. I just like my heroes a bit darker, maybe.
But definitely read this book. It's fantastic. And the action at the end is breathtaking. ...more
Well, if I didn't have a medical fetish before I started this book, I certainly do now! My next doctor's visit will be interesting, that's for sure.
TWell, if I didn't have a medical fetish before I started this book, I certainly do now! My next doctor's visit will be interesting, that's for sure.
The scenes in this are absolutely hot. I would have liked to see more interaction between the characters and the outside world, but that's only a tiny nitpick.
I was totally not going to get suckered into reading anything today, and then this started showing up in my feed. Well, I thought, I'll just read a chI was totally not going to get suckered into reading anything today, and then this started showing up in my feed. Well, I thought, I'll just read a chapter and see how it goes.
Famous last words.
Loved it, and couldn't stop until I was finished. The sex was hot, and, unlike in a lot of free online stuff, there was a shitload of character development. I loved Niles, and his reasonable insecurities about the status of his relationship with Rylan. At the beginning I wasn't sure if I liked Rylan too much -- I has the same concerns as Niles did -- but Niles was a bit of an unreliable narrator in that respect. Hell, even his own family knew how much Rylan loved him. But there was just the right balance of angst here and it wasn't drawn out. When Niles finally got the courage up to ask what Rylan thought about their relationship, Rylan told him.
For that reason, I loved the condom scene. (view spoiler)[Okay, so both boys were stupid for not using condoms before they'd figured out if they were exclusive. Niles, finally realising this, turns up at Rylan's place with a condom. Rylan sees it and tells him to get the fuck out. Niles was gutted, but that's when it fell into place for me: Rylan's exclusive and always had been. Niles just doesn't know it. (hide spoiler)]
Usually precocious kids annoy the hell out of me. Too much cuteness gets me right in the gag reflex. There was a prime contender for that in this story: Niles' nine year old sister Kya. But she was all kinds of awesome. Tough as nails, and smart as hell (view spoiler)[when she was diagnosed with cancer and lost an eye. (hide spoiler)] She was also sweet and wonderful.
Which brings me to the rest of Niles' family: his parents and teenage sister Matilda. All families should be like this. Seriously. I loved that Niles never came out to them, but they've adopted Rylan as a second son. And I loved that Niles almost freaked out when his mother referred to Rylan as his boyfriend. Too much awesome, when so often m/m fiction is reliant on the homophobe parents to ramp up the angst.
We don't know that Rylan's dad is a total homophobic asshole. Maybe he's not, really, but Rylan doesn't want to come out to him. Their relationship is precarious enough without throwing that in the mix. And I liked that Niles got this. Yep, another chance for some cheap angst smartly bypassed. And Rylan's mother -- wow. How nice (you know, not nice, but refreshing?) to see no quick fixes there. And the flashbacks to those moments of teenage humiliation. You know the ones. Where you suddenly realise that your friend's family situation is really fucking awful, but you all ignore it because that's what kids do to protect their friends. That really struck a chord with me.
I loved the guys' friends as well. They were all doing their best to be cool and grownup about Niles and Rylan, but there were some sweet, awkward straight boy blushes.
The only thing that drops this for me was the ending, and it's totally my personal opinion. I didn't need the big declaration of love and commitment at the end. I could certainly appreciate why it's there, but I didn't feel it.
This book was great, and better than a lot of the published stuff out there. You should check it out. ...more
This is a super-fun, super-sweet (and super-hawwt!) story about two guys with sixty-five hours to make the deadline on an advertising project. One is This is a super-fun, super-sweet (and super-hawwt!) story about two guys with sixty-five hours to make the deadline on an advertising project. One is out and proud, and one is straight. Or, I should say, one is out and proud and he thinks the other one is straight. He's got issues with his gaydar, but everything else is in perfect working order.
Check this out, because it's fun, it's free, and it will make you smile.
Logan takes Harry to meet his family for Christmas, but he's not out, so he introduces Harry as his "life coach". Yeah,Oh Logan, you are so clueless!
Logan takes Harry to meet his family for Christmas, but he's not out, so he introduces Harry as his "life coach". Yeah, because everyone's going to fall for that, Logan.
I love the character of Logan, even back when he was 100% asshole. Now he's down to about 80-90% on a good day. I still love him though, and mostly I love how Harry gets him. Not that Harry's perfect either...which I think is what I love so much about the Condor boys.
Meanwhile, back in the city, Danny is looking after Harry's place, and Harry's tree. It's nice to know he's finally getting some use out of that botany degree.
Four stars for the fun story, plus one because it's free! Thanks for the Christmas present, Isa! ...more
This book to me, as it slaps me over the head: "Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself?"
Me to the bThis book to me, as it slaps me over the head: "Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself?"
Me to the book: "Leave me alooooone!"
I have a total love-hate relationship for this series. The torture and sexual assaults are so gut-wrenching and visceral that it is actually horrible to read. But I can't stop. Maybe I'm like Mat - looking for a fighting chance. Or maybe I'm like Dougie - hoping for a glimmer of kindness. But holy hell, this was another intense ride.
Hey, Rachel and Heidi, I think I see a tiny little bit of hope you left over there. Stomp on it for me, okay? Yep, that's it. You got it.
In this episode, we get a better look at Nikolai. And I almost want to like him, to believe he's not as bad as everyone else who's had Mat and Dougie in their power, but that's not true, is it? A more civilised monster is still a monster. His logic and his intelligence don't make him a better man. Because while he's being almost kind to Dougie (considering the circumstances...which Nikolai could change, of course, if he really wanted), at the same time he's torturing the hell out of Mat. Which is the logical and intelligent thing: the brothers require different training, after all. See? A monster.
And that's the very clever thing about this series. You think they're only fucking with Mat and Dougie's heads? No way. They're fucking with all our heads as well.
I hate it. I love it. I hate it... more, please! ...more
This book was one of the most hard-hitting emotionally I’ve read in a while, but sometimes it’s okay to stay up late, crying over your kindle and wondThis book was one of the most hard-hitting emotionally I’ve read in a while, but sometimes it’s okay to stay up late, crying over your kindle and wondering if there is any junk food in the house, right?
Two years after being brutally attacked and left for dead, Aaron is a psychological wreck. He can barely function. He doesn’t interact with his own family, and has traumatic panic attacks if he’s touched. Before the attack (view spoiler)[ which included the murder of his best friend (hide spoiler)] Aaron was a confident, popular kid. Now, he hates to leave the house and can’t stand the way people stare at his scars. But he pushes himself to go to college because he’s scared his parents want to institutionalise him.
Spencer is damaged in his own way. Born deaf, Spencer struggles making connections with his peers. This doesn’t stop him from screwing the delivery guy. Encounters like that are fine, as long as they’re over before Spencer has to talk. He’s not a “retard”, but people treat him like one when they hear him speak.
Aaron and Spencer meet at college, and that first meeting is fucking heartbreaking. (view spoiler)[ Spencer, working up the courage to ask someone for directions, touches Aaron on the shoulder. Aaron has a panic attack. Oh, and just like in real life, the words “panic attack” are insufficient. Aaron is fucked up. Every touch takes him right back to that garage where he and Juliette were raped, and he watched them kill her. (hide spoiler)]
Sharing the same computer class (the computer talk was all nonsense to me, BTW), Aaron and Spencer are partnered up for a joint project: the boy who can’t be touched, and the boy who can’t hear. Working via email and instant messaging is perfect for these guys, and very soon a real friendship develops.
That’s the crux of this story: the friendship between two boys who are both profoundly lonely and afraid.
This story is heartbreaking, pretty much on every page, and sweet and wonderful as well. The way that Spencer slowly draws Aaron out is beautiful, and every step that Aaron took made me want to hold my breath in case it went horribly wrong.
There is conflict here — Aaron’s parents don’t approve of Spencer’s dad, a psychologist with issues of his own, treating Aaron — but most of it is internal. And it’s beautifully realised. There are no magic fixes in this book, but there’s hope.
I just want to add that as a relative of a teenage boy with profound hearing loss, it makes my blood boil every time someone treats him like a “retard” just because of his speech patterns. The internet and texting are lifesavers for these kids, and allow them to communicate in a way that would have been impossible a generation ago. That was perfectly realised here with Spencer … and is probably the reason that I immediately fell in love with his character.
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