Gloria's Inn by Robin Alexander

Gloria's Inn by Robin Alexander

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


There is a high likelihood, however it might break my own rules (Eta: That I don't judge an author, good or bad, based off of just one book), that if I had read this book first, I would never have read another book by Robin Alexander. Which would be very unfortunate as I've mostly loved everything by her (which is why I have that 'don't judge based on one book' rule). But this book? Good grief.

The only reason this book didn't [eta: initially] get a 1 star rating was the bits of humor scattered here or there that actually got me to laugh. From beginning to end this book frustrated me. Literally, if this hadn't been an Alexander book I wouldn't have been able to make it past that mess that was the opening of this book. Granted there was a patch there immediately thereafter that was fun and amusing but . . . gah. This book.

The women in this book acted like they were college freshman at spring break trying their damndest to get onto 'Girls Gone Wild'. Gah. The first batch of visitors literally sexually harassed the inn owners, Adrienne and Hayden. They both liked and disliked it, but they didn't want to piss off their guests so . . . gah. Second batch of visitors turned this into a weird stupid crime caper.

Despite what I said earlier, I'm seriously considering dropping this back to say, 1.5, just so I can click on 1 star on GoodReads. Have 0.5 for humor.

And to think this, and the two sequels I already own, are the last books currently in print by Alexander that I haven't yet read. I think I'm going to go be ill. There are actually 4 books, now that I look into it, that I haven't read by Alexander. Two I don't own, then the two sequels to this book, that I already own.

ETA: Noticing that I have already rated one of Alexander's other books 2 stars, gazing upon it, gazing upon this book, thinking about it hard, I will in fact lower this book to 1.55.

Rating: 1.66 1.55

July 31 2017



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Three Wishes by Debra Dunbar

Three Wishes by Debra Dunbar

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was actually a lot more interesting than I had expected. And I'm not exactly sure what the TSTL comments about the female lead was about. TSTL normally involves a series of repetitively stupid acts that puts the individual into constant danger of injury and/or death. And while the angel in this story faced a few dangerous moments, they didn't really rise to TSTL status.

She was kind of naive about humans though. And she never did learn how to use a revolving door. But there were reasons, and stuff.

I wasn't really sure how I'd feel seeing a book that starred Dar, as he isn't exactly my favorite character in the Imp universe (I don't dislike him or anything, I just didn't think I'd want to read a book with him in the lead). I can't say that I was 'pleasantly surprised' because I saw Dar and Astra together in a later Imp book, so I knew there were some interesting bits there. Which leads me to note that I found the way I read things to be more satisfying - as in, reading all of the main Imp books, then reading this side book for several reasons - I'm not distracted by whatever is going on in Imp land, nor did I read this then be faced with the very tiny scene in the Imp main line book that saw these two interact further along chronologically than this book. As in, I wasn't disappointed in the tiny snippet extra scene in that later book, because I read it first, and it was something of a prequel, then, to this book.

Right, so - can you read this book on it's own? Can you read it without reading the Imp books first? Not really. You could read this whenever it falls chronologially, but I'd recommend at least reading whatever Imp books occur before this one (just look at the Imp World series list for that).

So if you have read the Imp series before this, then you already know that Dar, the demon and brother to the lead of the Imp series, had decided to go vacation in Chicago. And if you have already read the entire Imp series, currently, published, then you've also already interacted with Dar and Astra in an Imp book.

Well story - Dar's wandering around the streets of Chicago when an Angel swoops down chasing another demon. After losing track of that other demon, she turns her sight on Dar and follows him. He knows she's there, she wasn't exactly subtle, and leads her around, teasing her. Angels normally kill any and all demons encountered on earth (which you, the reader, would have known if you'd been reading the main Imp series), but Dar has immunity - as long as he doesn't do certain things like kills humans. Immunity for being in the household of the Iblis (long story).

Eventually the two meet. Parts of the book are from Dar's point of view, part from Astra, and about 0.5% is form a second demon's point of view. Astra has been on Earth, watching over Chicago, for the last 100 years, but her time is nearly up and she's only days away from returning to her Angel homeland. Other than her flying around (which Angels aren't really be so open about doing), she's been a good little angel - but now she's thinking of trying out some sins in her last week. As it will be her last chance to do so. Before her return. And as luck would have it, so to speak, Dar's there to tempt her (though that isn't what she had meant when she thought of trying out some sins, more like trying food and stuff like that).

Well, during the early stages of chasing, flirting, bantering, Dar and Astra mention this other demon Astra had been initially chasing. A demon that keeps blinking in and out oddly. For reasons, Dar helps with Astra with this investigation. Which includes visiting a cyber security conference - quite important but specifically mentioned so I could note that those who've read the Imp series also might recall that Wyatt, at some point, went to a security conference in Chicago . . . and he does pop up in this book.

For all those wondering who the hell all these people are, Wyatt, Dar, angels and demons, well, I did say that I'd recommend not reading this book as a stand-alone. To read the other Imp books first.

Oh, one final note: Gregory (aka Michael) and Samantha flirt a lot about sex, even have versions of it (mostly the spirit/angel kind), but don't seem to actually get graphic about it. Well, there are a few bits of graphicness in this book. More than in the Imp series books, less than what you'd see in an erotic novel.

Rating: 4.45

July 31 2017



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Flight by Kate Christie

Flight by Kate Christie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As long as you enter the book knowing that it isn't a lesbian romance, and, for the most part, borderline not lesbian fiction (heck, most of the book sees the female main character dating and fooling around with a man), and instead see the book as a slice of life, coming of age, with a bit of 'questioning' then you might be like me and enjoy the book. Just, seriously, don't think of this as a lesbian romance.

So....

Ashley Lake is from the north, she seems to remind people constantly (at least as often as someone points out that she is from the south - which will immediately cause her to say 'I'm actually from Chicago' (or just from the north). Of course she's lived all but three years in a suburb in Tennessee, and but still, she doesn't see herself as Southern. She only lived three years of her life in the north because her family came back from a visit to Disney World on a plane - a plane that crashed on landing. Killing everyone but for her. So she went to live with a relative, the only one who could get past their grief to take care of the child. And while Selma wasn't from the south either, at some point she got talked into moving there to head up a library. So, Ash goes to live in the south for 15 years of her life.

But now Selma is dead, and no this isn't a spoiler, this happens before the beginning of the book. The book opens with Ash puttering around in her home, the home that used to be Selma's. Just . . . kind of stuck in grief. Her aunt had gotten ill, with Cancer, while Ash was in the last year of High School, and so she, Ash, spent the year watching her aunt die. While also avoiding or, by circumstances, being avoided by those things that had made up her life until now, that had given her life purpose - namely competitive running (she dropped off the team either before or near the beginning of her senior year), and her best friend forever, Austin (or is that Austen? I can never remember when it's a person's name) - though there Austin is gone because he left after high school graduation (he's a year older) to join the Navy.

The book opens with the above, as noted, and with Austin back. He immediately asks that Ash join him in New York, to move there. To spend a year doing something other than college. So Ash, impulsively, agrees.

So . . . they drive to New York. Austin wanders around doing his thing (he has a waiters job, and is big in doing gay stuff, what with him being gay - reason he's out of the Navy now, they kicked him out for it), while Ash tentatively explores this gross, dirty, disgusting city. Living her life. A slice at a time. Deciding she should probably do something to make some money but doesn't want to be indoors, so becomes a bike messenger. Continues her running. Wanders. Hangs out with her gay friends. Dates a man with super long hair. Never once questioning, despite having a gay best friend and an aunt quite open to the concept of LGBT stuff, that she herself might be anything but straight.

Eventually hangs finds a running buddy, a cousin of someone she works with/for. Meanwhile Ash continues to date Drew, the man (as opposed to Drew the woman, Drew is one of those names easily used by either gender, see Drew Carey, Drew Barrymore). Life happens, continues.

That's what most of the book is about, the above. See, not a lesbian romance. Can't say it isn't a romance, since most of that time sees Ash dating Drew, but . . . well, *shrugs*.

An interesting enjoyable book. That ended far short than I expected. Since the book opened with the main character at age, I think, 38 or something like that. And the book didn't get anywhere near that age by the end. (view spoiler)[The book barely got a year of Ash's life - from age 18 to 19. Where was 19 to 38? What the fuck was that prequel about, then, if the book ended with her being 19? Books normally catch up with flashbacks/prequels, not fall 20 or so years short. And, as far as I know,
this is the only Ash book.

Oh, and yes, by the end, (view spoiler)[Ash is a lesbian and has a girlfriend, and they both love each other (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Rating: 4.50

July 30 2017



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Natural Family Disasters by Jae

Natural Family Disasters by Jae

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book contains five short stories which are directly connected to the novel Second Nature. All of the stories take place after the action that occurred in that novel.

'Bonding Time'
Jorie and Griffin live together as a couple. Learning about each other. Content.

'Coming to Dinner'
Both Jorie and Griffin's families come to dinner and meet each other for the first time. All three of Griffin's sisters attend, include their mates, plus both of Griffin's 'father's' attend and her mother. Jorie's extended family, at this point, only includes her mother Helen.

This was a great humorous Christmas story. Quite amusing and touching.

rating: 4.64

'Babysitter Material'
Brian and Gus babysit one of their daughter's cubs.

'When the Cat's Away'
Jorie and Griffin live together. They also happen to have three cats living with them (all three of whom started off as Jorie's cats). And yet . . . there is a mouse in the house! Story is about the attempt to tackle this massive breach in security.

Rating: 4.45

'Plus One'
A rather neat and interesting story about Jorie's 15th high school reunion. Griffin attends as Jorie's plus one.

Many old . . . friends would be too strong, many old acquantinces are meet, plus one or two friends of Jorie's. Including . . . Shannon Quinn. Oh, and Griffin has an odd reaction to the buffet food.

(view spoiler)[After learning that Quinn from the book Jorie was writing in Second Nature was based on a real woman, and learning that Quinn is actually in fact a Puwar . . . and meeting her and seeing her personality, I really want to read Quinn's story now. Alas, that seems high unlikely now, eh? mmphs. *whimpers* (hide spoiler)]

Rating: 4.77

July 28 2017



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Exodus by Debra Dunbar

Exodus by Debra Dunbar

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Okay, so book 8, the last one available for me to read in the main series line. Ah, I’ll start with that.

This is a series that has many many ‘other’ side books that got published along the way. I’ve read none of them. As such I can’t really say how much I missed by not reading them, but I can say that Sam, as the main character, likes making a lot of references to stuff that occurred to other characters which I assume got detailed in other books. Like Dar suddenly found himself in Chicago doing stuff with an angel – mostly mentioned and unseen (but for glimpses) in the main series, but there’s a book that showcases the two of them – Dar and . . . I think it is Astra. And the ‘half-elf half-demon’ woman, Wyatt’s sister, also has her own series – and is largely only seen in glimpses in the main series line. And there is one or more stories involving Nyala (Wyatt’s other sister). So the series Imp, has at least three series that are involved – Imp itself, Half Breed (Amber, the half-succubus half-elf), Northern Wolves (I’ve no idea who all appears in this side series – oh, I think it might involve that wolf pack up in Alaska that Sam bumped into in one of her books) – and stand-alone stories involving side characters (so, three series plus, as noted).

Enough of that. This book here – Exodus. As everyone knows, the Exodus refers to the time when Moses led his people from their slavery in Egypt to their freedom in the desert. Wait, no, that’s not what this book is about. Let’s try that again.

This book, titled Exodus, does involve a migration, though it involves the migration of elves, not Moses people. This is a story line that actually continues from the prior book – which reminds me – yes, read all the Imp books in order – in which the Elves laid the groundwork to migrate to Earth.

At the same time that Elves are sneaking across the border (so to speak, though Sam does make a joke about building a wall around Hel (where both Demons and Elves live (as well as others like Dwarves and some humans)), civil unrest continues in Anaru (however the Angel spirit realm is spelled). This leads Sam to spend time in this book trying to find people to help her with the elf issue (finding and deporting them), and the Angel war issue (trying to create an army despite the fact that no one in Hel actually cares that she’s called the leader of Hel among the Angels).

So, Sam’s hoping around on earth (Iowa, France, Iceland), in Hel, and in the Angel realm doing stuff. Oh, and there’s both a cute baby dragon, and a less cute adult dragon in the book. Fun times. Sad that I now have to wait for book 9 – if it actually exists, the series page on GoodReads lists a book 9 and 10, though no covers, no dates, and no information really, about those books – to appear. Or I could read the side books. Maybe. Problem there is that I like Sam. I’m not sure I’ll like Amber’s stories, or any of the others.

Rating: 4.75

July 28 2017




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Manhattan Moon by Jae

Manhattan Moon by Jae

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Manhattan Moon stars a psychiatrist who works in an ER and a nurse who works in the same ER. Though everything is from the psychiatrist’s point of view.

Shelby Carson, the psychiatrist, quite fancies Nyla Rozakis, the nurse. But there are some major problems with attermpting to date her. Among them the part where she doesn’t even know if Nyla is interested in women, or, more importantly, in her. Actually, there’s also the part where they work together and Nyla is lower down the hierarchy at the hospital – that’s a tough roadblock to overcome. Oh, and Shelby is a shifter, something like a werecoyote (I’ve lost the part where the exact Wrasa name for that creature was mentioned). A Wrasa. And humans and Wrasa do not date. Well, except for Jorie and Griffin, but that’s different, since Jorie is a dream seer (and yes this long short story occurs after Second Nature, and Shelby knows about Jorie and Griffin).

Shelby and Nyla work the Halloween shift at the hospital. Those familiar with the concepts inherent in the Wrasa storyline might be confused by one specific aspect. Wrasa have always been described in a way that makes it seem as if they couldn’t work in something like a busy, hectic, loud, adrenaline charging ER. Well, the night Shelby and Nyla face, that Halloween, and the other days and nights they face aren’t exactly calm moments of peace. No, quite hectic and crap. The reason why Shelby is the only Wrasa working in an ER is quite simple really – she has massive problems shifting. So she doesn’t suddenly become a coyote every three seconds, no, she’s able to keep herself looking human. And therefore continue working in the ER and do other stuff.

That other stuff includes the part where Shelby finally, with much nervousness, gets up the nerve to ask Nyla out. She accepts and they go to the movies, which Wrasa normally don’t do, so they should be safe, right? Since humans and Wrasa aren’t supposed to have relationships. Except Shelby’s neighbors are there! And stuff.

Cute neat almost 100 page short story. Rather liked what I read, including the tiny drops of Greek culture (since Nyla and her grandmother are Greek). And, most importantly maybe only to myself, I actually liked this story more than I did the first time I read it (and yes, this is yet another reread – at this point I think I’ve reread more stuff by Jae than any other author).

Last comment: Jorie and Griffin are mentioned in this book, but do not appear. No characters from other Shape-Shifter stories appear in this book.

Rating: 4.82

July 28 2017




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Second Nature by Jae

Second Nature by Jae

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Four years ago I read this book for the first time. And now, seemingly randomly, I decided to reread this specific book (then proceed to read everything up to but not including the ‘True Nature’ book and spin-off short stories). Which reminds me – the short stories I read were great but . . . you really need to read Second Nature to be able to fully appreciate those short stories.

So, Second Nature. Second Nature contains multiple point of views, though the main characters, the two most important, are Jorie Price and Griffin Westmore. Jorie is 100% American, though has Asian features (she was adopted by her American parents when she was 3); while Griffin is . . . different. Jorie is a novelist, ‘famous’ for some books that cross over to several different genres, while still including heterosexual characters, though her latest book, still in the writing stage, involves lesbians. Which is where Griffin and the rest come in. See, Jorie works with a beta reader (at least more than one, though it is unclear if this current book only involve Ally or others as well), and that beta reader has noticed certain things in the chapters she has read that has lead her to report the issue to ‘the Council’.

The ‘things’ spotted? Well: 1) book involves shifters; 2) there are a bunch of shifter books out there so, why is it an issue?; 3) the story, characters, description of ‘everything’ seems really spot on to the ‘real world’ of the Wrasa – the world of the shifters. For you see, there’s this group of people who live alongside humans (well on the same planet) who just so happen to be a separate species. One of their forms, though, is close enough to human to pass. The shifters ‘shift’ from one form to another, two forms, human like and some animal like creature that usually gets ‘seen’ as something namable by humans (as in, a shifter who shifts into a bear like animal isn’t really shifting into a bear, but the creature is close enough to a bear to be seen that way (not werebear, but Maki). Oh, and they are not ‘were-something’, they are shifters – they are not humans who have been cursed, bitten, or whatever, they are a separate species.

Right, got distracted there.

Jorie’s book is problematic. How’d she get that information? What’s going on here? Is someone telling her things, is there a traitor Wrasa? The Saru, those people who operate as the Wrasa law enforcement officers, send two people to investigate. Cedric Jennings, a Syak (what humans would see as a werewolf), and Griffin Westmore (an Antapi – which literally means ‘both’, or hybrid, Griffin is half Kasari (which correspond to ‘lions’), and half Puwar (corresponds to tigers). Cedric has been tasked to investigate Ally, the beta reader, while Griffin investigates Jorie. Their task is to find the traitor feeding information to Jorie (she just knows too much for there not to be a traitor).

Certain problems pop up along the way. Like the part where Griffin’s nature, half-Puwar, and half-Kasari, cause issues for her (both in that other Wrasa see her as lessor (or, at least, Griffin sees them seeing her that way), though more in terms of the fact that Kasari are very big on families and living in prides, while Puwar are much more solo-type cats (think real-life lions vs. real life tigers). Mostly, though, the problem is that both Jorie and Griffin end up finding the other quite . . . attractive.

Great, outstanding book. Better read in book form than in dribblings in my review. So I’ll stop that now.

Rating: 5+

July 28 2017



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Kingdom of Lies by Debra Dunbar

Kingdom of Lies by Debra Dunbar

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It is easier, in its way, to just rate series books instead of putting anything in the review box. Mostly because, after a certain point, everything you could say is likely spoiler-y for the series, and maybe for the book itself.

But let me see, ‘Kingdom of Lies’. What happened here . . . hmms.

The book, as expected, bares some connection to the book description on GoodReads. More vague than exact, more misdirect than revealing what exactly is going on. But . . . whatever.

The description mentions that Sam owes a lot of favors, and retrieving a gem will wipe out all of her favors. Well . . . that’s kind of incorrect. She does owe a lot of favors, a bunch to a sorcerer, and two or more to a mage. It was the task for the mage, not even mentioned in the book description, that would wipe out her favors . . . to the mage, not to the sorcerer. And that retrieving of the gem? Her initial bargain would have that task wipe out 1 or a few favors owed to the sorcerer. Though both the gem itself, the nature of it, and the bargain changes over the course of the book. And by changing nature, I just mean that the sorcerer both lied, and didn’t provide enough information to Sam, not that the gem literally changed. But yes, that is one of the plot lines in this book. Sam doing stuff to reduce her favor debt load.

Meanwhile she’s also ‘playing’ with dragons, angels, and other demons (well, (view spoiler)[technically she isn’t a demon any longer (hide spoiler)]). And while the teaming up of demon and angel to close gates is in fact a plot line in the book, it is also not a very detailed or . . . anything like that plotline.

Bah. This is what I get for trying to write something for a book I read a while ago, both in time and in other books read since then. Mmphs.

Good book. Loved it. Off to put 8 words or more down for the sequel.

Rated: 4.75

July 28 2017




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Unlikely Match by Fiona Riley

Unlikely Match by Fiona Riley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

I had every intention in the world to complete this book before it popped up for sale. And everything looked like I’d succeed. I was at 67% and had five days left. And I just stopped. For reasons. The most important one being that, while it is true I could easily have ‘powered through’ the end of the book, the last few percentage points, and then slapped up some quick review, I didn’t actually want to do that. I didn’t want to power through. I wanted to give this book a better chance to succeed with me. So I put it on pause. Still fully intending to complete the book before the 20th of June. So, here I am, the 24th of July and . . . well, I’ve finally restarted the book. And completed the last 33% in a few hours.

There were elements of the first book in the series that I enjoyed. Still, I didn’t like the book as much as I thought I would have, or as much as others did. So I had figured that it’d be a while before I tried another book by this author – I don’t stop reading after just one book. But then I spotted that this book here, and now I’m talking about ‘Unlikely Match’ not ‘Miss Match’, starred one of the characters who I thought was interesting in the first book, Shelly (plus another character from that book who hadn’t really made a massive impression on me – Claire). So I decided to go ahead and leap into another book by this author. Despite my somewhat tepid response to the first book.

Some of the problems that I had from the first book continued into the second. Namely the part where I still, no known reason why, had a massive amount of trouble keeping Lucinda and Samantha separate in my mind. Figuring out which was which. They just kind of merged in my mind. And quite frankly, they were kind of evil in this book, well Samantha was. In the old men from ‘Trading Places’ kind of evil. The ones who, as kind of a lark, manipulated two men into trading places for just a bet. I think the bet was for just a quarter at that. Why do I say that? Well, that’s what happened here, in a way – Samantha manipulated things to ‘force’ two people together who she thought would make a perfect match, despite how one of them never asked her to do so, and thought match making was stupid (or something like that) – and then that manipulation kind of continued, here or there, nudges, pokes, etc. And not just by Samantha. Shelly kind of got into that as well, maybe by accident. Like when Claire had come by to say that they can’t keep seeing each other because Shelly was Claire’s business client – and that got pushed aside by Shelly’s need to be close to Claire and hump her. But let’s move on from that.

I liked, for the most part, both Shelly and Claire in this book. They had some great scenes and dialogue, cute, sweet, humorous, touching. They also had some vaguely gross scenes, but that’s probably just me. I mean, maybe it’s just me that finds it kinda gross that someone would masturbate while thinking about the other woman and then – without in any way cleaning her hands, using that same hand that hand just been playing with herself, manipulating herself, gotten all slick and wet . . . that same uncleaned hand was then used to . . . . pet the cat. You know how cats keep themselves clean? By running their tongue over their body. I’m becoming vaguely nauseated as I’m mention this issue. So, I can’t continue. Please draw the correct conclusions as to what would happen next after basically wiping your pussy juices all over your furry cat who keeps themselves clean by use of their tongue.

Right, sorry. I had meant that paragraph to go ‘For the most part, I liked the two main characters in this book, Shelly and Claire, and, again for the most part, enjoyed their story. The thing that caused me to take a break for a month? Lucinda and Samantha. Why did they have to be in this book? They ruined things for me. I didn’t want to ‘break away from the action’ to go and visit them, who seemed to spend most of their time being lovey-dovey and dancing while planning a . . . big event (is that event a spoiler? I forget now, so I be vague).’

So: 1) liked Shelly and Claire; 2) liked Hedy the squeaking purring fur-ball cat; 3) there was sex, it was graphic, and occasionally it was gross (see my comment regarding cat earlier). AND 4) it did actually help me like this book more by giving myself time to pause and then restart. Maybe I didn’t really need a month pause, maybe I did.

Last thought: so the third book in this series involves the firefighter, Sasha, who has appeared, briefly, in this book here (and might have appeared in the first book). Hmm. She was kind of described as being strong and butchy looking. Why is the woman holding the fire-extinguisher on the cover wearing a tiny red dress and wearing high-heels? Right, sorry, I’m probably wrong in my recollections, and/or that’s supposed to be Abby holding Sasha’s fire-extinguisher. Oh, right, was going to say: I’m less excited about reading Sasha’s story.

Rating: 3.75 (which is an almost full star increase from my rating for the first book in the series)

July 24 2017




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True Colors by Yolanda Wallace

True Colors by Yolanda Wallace

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

Characters
This book stars two young women, both of whom have their own point of view shown in the book.


Taylor Crenshaw

Taylor is a twenty-five year old young woman who is both the daughter of the current President-elect of the United States of America, and completely opposed to most of the President-elect's political platform. Taylor's parents are right wing conservative Republicans. Taylor is a left-wing Democrat, and, for that matter, openly lesbian. The parents and Taylor have their differences (including the part wherein the parents didn't approve of Taylor's college major, so Taylor had to pay for it herself, plus her graduate program), but both parties are attempting to 'live' with each other. As the book opens, it is days away from the inauguration, and Taylor is attempting to have a last fling before shutting herself up/off for four years. That's the plan at least. As noted, her point of view is represented in this book.

Taylor has the odd and annoying habit of talking to herself out-loud.


Roberta 'Robby' Rawlins

Robby's age wasn't given (yet), but she's likely close to Taylor's age. Robby and Taylor first meet at Robby's job at an antique store. But, unknown to Taylor, Robby also has two other jobs, both of which might cause issues for Taylor: Robby works on a political blog (anonymously authored, and called 'The pH Factor'); and works as a go-go dancer.

Has porcelain features.

Characters which may or may not be of importance in the book
Steven Alesana is Taylor's Secret Service agent. He is very large. Former Army sergeant.

Miles Osgood is the owner of Osgood Antiques, and the boss of, and friend to Robby. Is gay and fancies Steven.

Terry Crenshaw
Taylor's father and current President-elect. And yes, I've already had issues attempting to read a book that includes a 'Terry' and a 'Taylor'. I've seen both names used interchangeably with men and women, and both are similar enough to annoy me.

Thomas Jefferson 'TJ' Crenshaw
Son of Terry & Tina Crenshaw. Brother, and friend, of Taylor Crenshaw.

Christina 'Tina' Chrenshaw
Mother of Taylor and TJ. Wife of Terry. First Lady.

If you spot a character with a name that starts with T, there's a good chance they are somehow connected to the Crenshaws. Shesh. hehe. Terry, Tina, Taylor, TJ. mmphs.

Sheridan Kincaid
Daughter of a conservative, rich, politically powerful family based in Richmond Virginia. Like Taylor, Sheridan is also a lesbian. Possibly unlike Taylor, Sheridan is less . . . blunt, open, about 'the lesbian thing'.

Candy Ferrell
'Wife of [Taylor's] biggest campaign contributors.' '[P]ushing sixty'. Is either a closeted lesbian or a bisexual based on her rather bad attempt to seduce Taylor.

Lieutenant Harper Hutchinson
Medal of Honor winner. Daughter of a 'recently retired' five star general (which is impressive since General Omar Bradley died in 1981. Which is important since he was the last living 5 star general, and that specific rank was retired upon his death; the US Navy version, Fleet Admiral ('five star flag officer') has not been in active use since the death in 1966 of Chester W. Nimitz).

Other Secret Service Agents of Note
Ethan Moss and Lily - other agents who shadow Taylor.

Portia Thomas
Friend of Taylor's who asked her to attend a ball, and Taylor returned the favor by inviting her to her father's inaugural ball.

Story and review
Two women date. One comes from a prominent family, so prominent that her father is the President of the United States of America (or President-elect in the first part of the book). The other? Story isn't clear, but she comes from 'the wrong side of the tracks', or at least that's what she said when she talked about her relationship with the first woman she loved. Or, in other words, two women who come from different worlds. One originally from Richmond Virginia (this being the 'wrong side of the tracks' Robby), the other originally from Missouri, both currently living in Washington DC (with Taylor being the 'prominent family' one).

They actually have a lot more in common than seemed to be expressed in the story. I mean, beyond just the part where both are lesbians. There's also the part about great mounds of debt; both seem quite capable of insta-lust/love. And I suppose some other things here or there.

There's really not a whole lot to say here - Taylor and Robby meet when Taylor stops in at Robby's place of work (her antique store job, not her go-go dancing job). Taylor likes the look of Robby and so they date. Meanwhile Robby has secrets she's hiding from Taylor, like the part where she's using Taylor to get stories she can post to her political blog. And the go-go dancer thing. I'm sure there are other things as well.

There were a ton of people to follow, though there were just two points of view, Robby and Taylor. Sadly, though, most of the side-characters (with exceptions) are much more interesting and believable than Robby and Taylor who seemed destined to do everything in their power to mess up their lives and stuff.

I had certain 'issues' with the book that added to my disconnect from the book, that pulled me from the story. Like an incident involving blog posting. At around 37% into the book, Robby gets Miles to post a blog story for her while she is with Taylor. To 'throw Taylor off the scent', to get Taylor to not think that Robby is the blogger reporting on Taylor's life. Several issues with that - like, say, the fact that scheduling a blog post exists (even if the whole point was to have someone post from a specific location (which wasn't the case based on context, since Robby asked where, after the fact, Miles had posted from), then you can still set up a scheduled post from there (tracing that seems iffy, but whatever)). As noted, it was something that pulled me from the story and caused me to take a break from the book. Then there were other things. Like the soldier who had won the Medal of Honor award? Lieutenant Harper Hutchinson.

Beyond the part where the military women in this story seemed much more interesting than either of the main characters, referring to Harper and Portia here, there's some odd bits that turned up regarding Harper. Like the part where she's a Lieutenant in the Army. Who, context revealed, never graduated college. Vaguely confusing, that. A lieutenant who hadn't graduated college? There's a piece missing there, I'm sure. It can happen, just . . . a piece missing. Then there's her father. Described as 'recently retired five star general'. I'm noting things here that pulled me from the story. There was no reason to make Harper a lieutenant, but she was, so that pulled me from the story. No reason to make her father a five star general, he could easily have been listed as a four star general. Easily because they still exist. The last five star general died in 1981 (Five Star Generals still exist, heck, there's actually a level above that that also technically exists (General of the Armies, though the only one who held that rank while being alive, though not on active duty (I believe) was General Pershing, promoted to that rank so that he'd still be above the newly created 5 star generals)). See, I went and spent time looking crap like that up for a character that has no impact at all on the story - the father I mean. Could have been a four star general but nooo had to make it be a five star general. Pfft.

Robby and Taylor's personalities were weird. They seemed to bounce between thoughts and feelings with no sense. Falling into and out of insta-love/lust/hate/friendship. 'You betrayed me!!!' While also being super quick to jump to conclusions (both of them - Taylor says a specific thing to Robby, Robby then thinks that all of her secrets had been revealed and that she was forgiven and so didn't need to mention certain things because Taylor already knows them. I had to read that section three times because it bloody confused me - both why Robby would think that, then just what the fuck Taylor actually told her ((view spoiler)[The words spoken, between quotes, conveyed the idea that Taylor had not said anything about the blog. But the words in the paragraphs don't make sense unless she did say something about the blog (as in, Robby thought to herself something like 'she heard everything that Taylor said. About finding out all about her. And Steven found out she was the ph factor blogger, Taylor knows? And forgives me? yay!) Except those words didn't get spoken out loud - but could be construed as being conveyed by the thoughts made. But if they hadn't been stated out loud, why would Robby leap to what she leapt to in her thoughts? Even after the many times I read that section I still haven't a bloody clue if the blog was mentioned or not. And no, the events that occur later do not set my mind at ease about it. Because the events that unfold later are stupid. The blog posts got made at a certain coffee shop. A shop with a specific name (good thing it wasn't one of the 18 million Starbucks, or other chains, eh?), that happened to be on Robby's coffee cup. EVIDENCE!!!! Of note: Robby like’s coffee. The coffee shop is near to Robby's apartment. Obviously, then, having the cup means . . . . she's capable of walking a few minutes nearby to get coffee? Oh, no, sorry, both Taylor and Steven instantly know that it means that Robby is the evil betraying blogger. WTF?) (hide spoiler)].

I may have lost that last paragraph. Okay, I know I did. Sorry.

Then there were certain other things that pounded against my head that caused me issues - 25 year old daughter uprooting her entire life to move to Washington DC, forced to do so by her parents, to change graduate schools . . . and this is the same woman who has been forced to pay for her own education? Seriously? She uprooted herself from the college she's paying for to go to one in Washington DC? Hell, Trump's kid is still going to some elementary school or whatever in New York. She's not on good relations with her parents, they dominate and control her life, and she pays for it. Literally, money-wise. She has mounds of student loan debt now. ? Oh, and then there's the weird Sheridan issue. Is she evil? Good? Grey (something in-between)? Well, her own words paints her as an evil bitch, yet Taylor seems to like her and trusts her despite her own words. Insta-friends. WTF?

Oh, and I might as well mention sex. Yes yes, there's a bunch of graphic depictions of sex, but I'm mentioning it now for: surprise strap-on sex! Surprise BDSM! Gah. pfft. Thanks. Just pull me out of the story why don't ya. Yeah, both of these are things that occurred under the control and direction of Robby, they surprised Taylor and . . . . she liked it. But still, she wasn't exactly given much chance to put a word in one way or another about whether she wanted anything to do with it. mmphs.

Stupid bloody politics. If it wasn't for a section that occurred, I'd probably rate this book lower ((view spoiler)[and I should probably drop the book down .25, remove the .25 the political run story line added, for the way the book ended (hide spoiler)]). But it held my interest because of it. Especially the 'should she or shouldn't she'. And . . . spoiler. (view spoiler)[should she run for office? Plus the part that showed what kind of candidate she'd be, Taylor, if she ran for Congress. Laying it out on the line - who she is, what she believes in, vote for her or not. Lesbian liberal (hide spoiler)]

In theory I can understand the interest in mixing Taylor and Robby. But Taylor and Portia, or Taylor and Harper looked a hell of a lot more interesting than Taylor and Robby. Hell, Taylor and Lily (the secret service agent), who had no chemistry, would have been more interesting - though only because I could then mention the HBO show VEEP. The romance between Taylor and Robby, though, just was not at all believable. Lust? Sure. Fling? Sure. Romance? No. They had roughly zero chemistry.

Funny thing there - I'd watched the first 3 seasons, took long break, watched season 4 and 5 while reading this book here (not literally at same time, I was in between pages while watching). The really rotten bitchy, self-centered woman that is the main focus of the show, you know, the VEEP, has a daughter on the show . . . who turned out to be a lesbian (shocked the daughter it did), who ended up in a romantic relationship with her mother's secret service agent.

I might have liked the book more if not for VEEP. Possibly. Because a lot of the 'evil parents'!!! was more . . . in theory than in reality. The mother on VEEP showed what an evil bitchy mother is like. This book? Daughter and parents have different political views. Like daughter is pro-lesbians and LGBT stuff, father, the USA president, is all like - they shouldn't marry!!! Conflict. But that was most of what was in the book - yeah, that's a major thing to have to deal with, but it rarely actually got seen in the book (hell, the father kept doing things that seemed downright accepting of LGBT people, where was the evil?). And I'm saying all of this, while now admitting that the daughter on the show is paper thin personality/story/character/etc. Still more interesting story than what I read in this book. Hell, now I want to read the book form of her relationship - there was a whole lesbian fiction book like relationship shown in one specific episode (the relationship is over more than one episode, but one episode showed, through the documentary, the whole relationship) - meeting, being asked out, noting not lesbian, realizing lesbian, having the best sex ever, loving life, meeting her parents, being introduced as a work friend, relationship now over, heartache, months pass, begging, apology, reunion - sounds like a lesbian fiction novel, eh?). bah, lost track of myself again there.

I’ve rambled. Too much rambling. Too much about VEEP.

Rating: 2.75

July 24 2017



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Mountain Chicken Roundup by Ruby Grandin

Mountain Chicken Roundup by Ruby Grandin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Odd the things you randomly decide to read.

So I'd read both Bridget Essex and Natalie Vivien before, but have not read any of the other authors listed on their publishing website (Rose and Star Press). So I just looked at their profile pages on Goodreads and noticed that this specific one had three stories on Kindle Unlimited (third is a combination of 4 other previously published short stories).

So I decided to try the chicken one. Since it's super short. And apparently involves chickens.

Synopsis: Delia Carpenter goes for a walk in Maine. Comes across a chicken by the side of the path. Collects the chicken and brings it to a ranger station only to find more chickens (and an 'incredibly attractive new ranger'). The new ranger, Avery Harper, and Delia Carpenter then go out on a quest to gather up more chickens.

... So, Delia was born in Michigan and is named after a favorite cow. .... likes baby sheep, lambs, though adult sheep are stupider than dirt . . . so goes on walks near a sheep farm near her home and job in Maine . . .

This is a really random stream of conscious story. Really way too many words to convey the idea that a woman went walking and came across chickens. Shesh. And I haven't even got to the chickens yet. .... talks to herself . . . what said could have been funny but flatly delievered (like rest of story) . . . Delia late
thirties, Avery looks same age as Delia.

Cute quick story.

Rating: 3.24

July 21 2017



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Falling into You by Ruby Grandin

Falling into You by Ruby Grandin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My second story by this author. Read entirely because it is super short and on Kindle Unlimited. Plus the first I read wasn't bad so . . ..

Synopsis: Astrid Jones (crazy blonde hair; skin the color of the underside of an orca, the kind of consumptive Victorian aesthetic look; in 'decent shape'; office admin) runs into the same woman a few times and thinks her unlucky life might be improving in the luck department. That other woman is named Molly Perkins (blue-haired, and blue-eyed; 5 foot 2 inches. cute pink sundress; yoga instructor).

Okay okay - Astrid is racing to get to her friend, Jon, so he can cry on her over the latest boyfriend to dump him. Not paying attention, she crashed into Molly. And then immediately continued on her way (well after aplogizing profusely and handing over a gift card, but before she could get a name, even as the woman appeared on the cusp of asking her out . . . it seemed to my eyes).

It's clear that this story was written by the same person who wrote the other story I read with this author by-line. I mention that so I can then say - this story seems to be about a 100 times more competently written. The dialogue doesn't seem stiff and flat, and is acutally quite funny. And yes, I did laugh while reading this here story.

Cute fun story.

Rating: 4.38

July 21 2017



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Love's Someday by Robin Alexander

Love's Someday by Robin Alexander

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


While returning from vacation, two couples bounce along in an automobile. Two get hungry so they stop - as 'luck' would have it, they end up at an '80s themed place that constantly plays 1980s music videos. They eat, they watch the videos, eat, talk, mention that one particular one had been a favorite, gaze closely at it, grow confused, gaze at one of their members, gaze at the video . . .. Come to the realization that one amongst their party had been a musician back in the 1980s without telling any of them. This, naturally, causes some conflict.

They drive home. They try to adjust to this new information about this friend that one has felt to be her partner/wife, while the other two had thought of as a friend. Information that hadn't been conveyed in 5 years of knowing each other.

Ashleigh and Erica live together as partners/wives. Erica works as a VP, and fairly rapidly as the President of the family business (which has something to do with maintaining trucks or something, I never got a clear idea of what they actually were doing there). Ashleigh works in a doctor's office as something like an administrative clerk type.

Katie and Drew are the other couple who had been on that trip. They've been together 10 years (or is it 7? I get confused). Katie works with Erica at that Barret family business place, while Drew is a stay-at-home domestic type.

While Ashleigh is the lover of Erica, and Katie is the lover of Drew, they can also be broken down into friend groupings - Erica and Katie are close friends; Ashleigh and Drew are close friends. Important for reasons. Like occasionally information gets conveyed between Ash and Erica through the other two.

Right, so - Erica's feeling massive waves of betrayal because Ash didn't tell her about her past. Ash is freaking out because her past has been found out. And Drew, being a nosy busy-body, has tracked down the other band members and kinda accidentally contacted them. Then started emailing. Then . . . well, eventually Drew and Katie find themselves meeting the band. Revealing certain information they maybe shouldn't.

Drew, being the type of woman she is, can't keep information about meeting the band from Ash. One thing leads to another and Ash actually calls one of the band members - a woman who had been a close personal friend before Ash ran away from the band. Ash and the other three friends meet the band (well, two of them). Time passes. More meeting and stuff. Purposefully leaving some things out.

Eventually the conflict between Ash and Erica reaches the point wherein Ash packs a bag and leaves. Months pass with them separated. Are they done? Will they get back together? Complication - the other love of Ash's life is a band member - Alex, though Ash's heart was broken by Alex's actions, reactions.

This book has an obvious feel of being a book by Robin Alexander, but many of the things I grew to see, to expect to be a part of an Alexander book are not here. Like humor - there's at least one point where I laughed, but this is not a humor book. Family plays their part in this book, but not in the 'normal way' that they do in an Alexander book (not exactly sure how to convey what I mean). No old women making weird and possibly racist comments. Book does take place in Louisiana though, so there is that. Also, I do not think I've cried as much as I have with an Alexander book before (may or may not mean anything that I actually used that word instead of my normal hiding behind saying things like 'tear-y eyed' or 'an issue with my eyes' like I normally do).

This is one of those books that built on itself. I was never in danger of tossing it or stop reading it, but I hadn't really noticed how interesting and good it could turn out to be until later in the reading. Part of that is because it's an atypical Alexander book; part of that is because there are four point of views in this book (Ash, Erica, Drew, Katie); and part of that is because scene/point of view changes were not clearly marked - as in, the only 'breaks' in the scenes/action that occurs is when a chapter break would occur. Otherwise things just ran together.

Well. Long and short, I enjoyed the book. Somewhat against my will, I did.

Rating: 4.75

July 21 2017



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Breaking Legacies by Zoe Reed

Breaking Legacies by Zoe Reed

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I was going to start off whatever I end up writing here (a review, a mini-something or other) by noting something like ‘I saw everyone and the billy goat too just loving this book so I added it, but then didn’t read it for a longish while’. Except, looking at things now, most people read and loved the book long after I got the book. I believe it might have been Luce’s review that lead me to consider the book. And Starsandsun who reinforced my decision to add the book to my pile. Then everyone else came along after that with high praise (well, with high ratings at least), with one exception. 21 friends have read and mostly enjoyed the book, to an average rating of 4.76. Both an inducement to try the book and an impediment (as in, what if I don’t like it?).

And yet . . . still took me 9 months to read the book. I’d make some vague comments about fantasy being something I entered more as an adult than as a kid growing up (though my first beloved book was a form of fantasy, I mean it had a vampire and everything!, course the vampire was actually a bunny, but still, talking about Bunnicula), and stuff of that nature, but that’s really boring, so I’ll just leave it at ‘I don’t know why it took me so long to read this book, maybe the length?’

It’s possible that everyone who would be interested already knows about the book and/or have read it, and probably written reviews about it. So what’s left for me to say?

The story stars two young adult women, though it isn’t always easy to remember they are young. I say ‘two’, but it is entirely from the point of view of one of them – Kiena. And that’s what she normally tells people when they ask her name, just Kiena. For, if she told them her full name, she’d reveal something she really doesn’t want to reveal. For her father was a traitor and was killed in a rebellion he started and lead. And so, she’s just Kiena, not Kiena Thoan (hopefully I got the last name spelled right).

The book opens with Kiena hunting with her dog, her constant companion. When she returns home she spots the cottage filled with soldiers. She worried less about herself and her mother, and more that her brother, the thief. Thief of sweets, just can’t stop stealing sweets. But no, they are there for her . . . to give her a task from the King. Kiena knows two things at the same time, her child-hood friend, Silas (now Sir Silas), thinks he is doing a good thing for Kiena, but Kiena knows that he’s basically given her a death sentence. For, you see, the princess has gone missing and the king wants her tracked and found.

Before I recount the entire 442 page book in my review (and no, I’ve barely scratched the beginning of the surface), I’ll dart away. I went in with basically the knowledge that the book was a fantasy and that everyone, seemingly, loved it. So I had even less knowledge than I’ve already conveyed. Is it easier to read with little or with a lot of pre-knowledge? No idea, but I’ll leave things at an ‘everything can be fresh’ level for others and not reveal too much more of the book.

The story was a lot more angst-y and dramatic than I expected. And the ‘hero’ was a lot more . . . . well, I said I wanted to leave things ‘fresh’ for new readers. (view spoiler)[a lot more hesitant to do things and about their own abilities; separately: why the hell is this super super good archer . . . almost never actually use her bow and arrow in combat? Instead trying to use a weapon she really sucks at (sword)? Tis true that she had other means, but . . . even when it was an opportune moment for her to at least use her bow once, she didn’t – like when she and her companions arrived at a castle, she told a fellow archer that they (her and them) will take out the other archers, and that other archer started to do so. Kiena? Didn’t touch her bow once during that fight. Weird. She also didn’t want to use it in a competition. From being super good with a bow and using it always in the beginning of the book, by the end she never used it as if it was an evil entity that should never again be touched. Quite . . . confusing that; also separately – WTF happened to Maddox the falcon? Both in – a hunting bird that always ran away during combat? And literally, did the poor bird explode at some point? Because, after a certain point, no more mention of bird (granted there were a lot of reasons, reasonable reasons, for how they could have lost the bird but . . . I don’t recall any mention of the bird’s death or loss), (hide spoiler)]

Before I distracted myself with random spoiler-y things, I was going to mention: a few moments here or there were tear-y eyed moments, though, oddly, I felt more that way in certain moments than in ones I would have expected to feel that way. Though I might be remembering my reading experience wrong.

Right, so, kind of didn’t say anything and now my head hurts so I’ll depart.

Rating: 5.0

July 20 2017



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Lost & Found by J. Holland

Lost & Found by J. Holland

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the second time I've read this short story. Freed from the weight, if any, that bears upon me when required to do reviews in an ARC situation, my mind can wander free. Okay, that's stupid - I don't allow ARC's to weigh me down or keep me from rating/reading/reviewing however I want.

Right.

I love the people in this story, and the story itself. While it's a tiny little thing, a short story, and while I feel as if the story probably shouldn't be rated so highly, it's hard for me not to do so. Especially as the actions that unfold are so fun to watch unfold. Especially as some of said actions actually cause me to become teary-eyed. And so I'm left, once again, rating this five stars on Goodreads.

But what else? It's five according to the number of stars I click on here at Goodreads, but what shelf do I put this on? 4.75? That's still considered five stars (by me). 5? 5+? 6? It is a reread, and therefore the six star shelf is now available for occupancy for this specific story (and all rereads).

I'm sure I already mentioned what this story is about in my other review, but if not: a selkie/wereseal finds humans fascinating, and so finds herself spending time near them. Eventually getting an odd job at the library (she gets $20 to put books back on shelves). And then, horrors, after her work day is over she finds that her wooden chest has been removed from her hiding place on the beach. The chest containing her seal skin - that allows her to become a seal and frolic in the sea. Gone. People in the town suspect she's homeless. Well . . . she is now. All but what's on her back and in her pockets were in that chest - most importantly the seal skin, but also most of her money, and most of her clothing (plus odds and ends like seashells). That's one point of view - the selkie.

The other point of view is a chubby young woman who owns and runs a bakery. Her point of view starts with her almost dying on a beach. Or, at least, she thinks she is dying. Opening a new bakery required some testing of her food . . . hence chubby. On the other hand, she has the strength to easily lift and move 50+ pounds of . . . stuff (like sugar and the like). Well, point being that she decided to go running. And almost died. While trying to recuperate, and while flinging her arm out in a 'I'm dying' pose, her hand slams into something solid. A wooden chest. Being that she loves collecting things from beaches, and being that a treasure chest brings back fond memories from childhood, she naturally removes said treasure chest and takes it home with her.

The two women's lives and paths merge when the chubby one (the seal-woman has an athletic build) tries to go running again. And stumbles across a woman swimming naked in the ocean. Naturally . . . she flees, literally, running hard in the opposite direction.

Well, they meet again and the baker human helps the homeless woman. Gives her food and shelter. A bond forms.

Rating: 5+

July 17 2017



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Downtown Delights by Vivian Sage

Downtown Delights by Vivian Sage

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a super quick short story, I blinked and it was done.

The story follows four friends who are 1) female, 2) lesbians, 3) live in Dallas (or near-enough to it). None of them are currently in a committed relationship, though Charlie was just recently (a month ago) tossed out of her own place by her girlfriend. The other three are: Ginger (the rich one with super snotty uptight parents; I believe all three were described as having red-ish hair (calling your baby ‘Ginger’ when you have ginger hair . . . hmms) – Ginger is kind of easily frightened and never knows when someone is hitting on her (I want to read more of her interactions with Jess the bartender)); Regan is the blonde who starts off the story as the POV, is from Dallas, but her parents are from the part of the south known as the ‘Deep South’ and has a mix of their accent and a Texas accent that seems to drive women wild with lust; Charlie, already mentioned, may or may not be someone ‘of color’ since there was a comment about Ginger placing her hand on Charlie’s and how their differing skin tones were so different (hmm, that’s not close to what was said, mmphs), as noted she had been in a committed relationship with an ‘AJ’ before being kicked out of her own place, she also has her point of view pop up here and there; Lucy is something of the odd ball out, probably unintentionally, she doesn’t have her point of view appear, nor is she ‘with the gang’ on several of their events (like going to a bar), she’s constantly late everywhere and may or may not be a Latina.

Going by the descriptions in the book, and the book cover, I believe I have it correct in my mind: two white women (blonde, red-haired), two ‘POCs’ (1 Latina, 1 dark-skinned woman (I didn’t get enough to know more than ‘dark-skinned’).

The story opens with three of the four friends waiting for the fourth to arrive at a hotel. All four are there to attend yet another gay wedding. Naturally, considering I already indicated this was the case, Lucy is the one that’s late.

At some point during the reception or the party after the wedding (if that has a different name than ‘reception’), Ginger notes that she needs one of them to go with her to a charity gala (backstory: her parents basically refuse to acknowledge that Ginger is lesbian so she takes every opportunity to thrust lesbians at them, pretending that her friends are actually her dates). No one wants to suffer being near the parents, though, so they decide to have a contest – the last one to find a date to go home with at the bar will be the one to go with Ginger. It’s not as ‘frat-boy games’ as it sounds.

Don’t want to reveal everything, and haven’t really revealed much, really. I do not really know Lucy’s character well enough to make a comment, but the other three friends seem like interesting personalities/people.

I actually do look forward to the sequel. Which, apparently, should have already appeared since it is mid-summer 2017, and that’s when part 2 was supposed to appear.

Rating: 3.95

July 17 2017




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Fine or Punishment by Mira Margrave

Fine or Punishment by Mira Margrave

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The book (or potentially just the sample) has two major flaws that might, unfortunately, keep people from trying the book. What with a billion and one options out there that are either free or on Kindle Unlimited, and what with this being a new author. I can easily see someone seeing those flaws and skipping this book. I know, I did. I mocked it, put it out of my thoughts for hours, but it kept popping back in there and I eventually got the book and read it. That’s where the ‘unfortunately’ comes in, as the writing is quite compelling otherwise.

The flaws?

1) It may or may not be considered a minor thing, but when, as noted, there are a ton of options out there, and nothing to keep people interested otherwise (already established author; a ‘name’ dipping their toes into writing, etc), then even minor flaws in samples can push people away. Right, I should have just mentioned without this big lead-in. Now I feel stupid. Heh. The flaw? Heck, it might not even be a flaw ‘somewhere’ (wherever it is that has ass spelled like arse 90% of the time), if that somewhere also interchanges the words ‘library’ and ‘bookstore’ for each other. Since that’s the flaw. One of the main characters, Violet Weston, is a librarian. Who either works at a library or a bookstore. Considering that bookstore only actually came up once (and, again unfortunately, blaringly in the sample section), and considering other aspects, yes she’s actually a librarian who works in a library not a bookstore. As noted, potentially a minor flaw. But one that could be spotted and expected to reveal that there will be many more flaws throughout.

2) The situation/set-up is absurd. Librarian Violet Weston is in some way repressed, shy, and deeply desirous of keeping herself out of the spotlight of her small town. Naturally, then, if she has certain itches she wished to scratch, she’d have to break out of herself a little to do so. So she hired a ‘prostitute’. Meh, fine. But . . . she has the prostitute turn up at her work? Seriously? She’s the head librarian in a small town. A town filled with gossips. And the sacred cat librarian had a prostitute turn up at her front door of her work? And then use code words so . . . common the situation that actually unfolded was almost guaranteed to happen? (‘I have some overdue library books’ – not exact phrase used, and yes she was listening for a phrase but it was a common variation on that. Of course no ‘real’ library patron would turn up just as the library was closing and say something to the librarian like ‘I’m sorry, but my books might be a little bit overdue’). Mmphs.

Right, so. Reasons why I initially turned away from the book. For a really short time. Looking at my comments and updates, I made a ‘mocking’ comment about an hour before I made a ‘read 37% of this story’ comment. So probably an hour between tossing the book and getting and reading 37%.

Because it was, in its way, an intriguing set-up. And, actually, both main characters seemed interesting enough to overcome any and all flaws (and, oddly, most of the flaws of the book are contained within the sample (there’s the part wherein she didn’t lock the library door after closing hours, but that might be in the sample, and like all the other not-mentioned flaws, are ‘reasonable’ in isolation, though build up, all together with each other, to a certain level of incompetence – unexpected)).

A librarian sets up a ‘date’ at her work. Her ‘phrase to make sure is ‘her date’’ is used by the attractive woman who turned up (that’s another of those odd little bits of flaw – why would the librarian just assume that the ‘not dressed like an escort’ who happened to turn up roughly at the same time the prostitute was supposed to turn up, was the prostitute, because it’s a small town and she didn’t recognize her? But then this leads back to ‘why turn up at the library’ instead of setting up the event somewhere outside of town – as should be expected one of biggest town gossips was right there when the other woman turned up. Sooo. Right, got confused and incoherent there.

Librarian sets up date at library. An not especially young woman turns up and uses a few words here or there that leads the librarian to suspect they are the prostitute (though mostly the fact that she did turn up, and isn’t someone she knows is the real ‘triggering’ event to lead to ‘must be prostitute’). The young woman mentions that she might have failed to turn in her books before they became overdue. By this point, by the way, the ‘old gossip woman’ had been forced out the door. So the librarian is then able to start making some vaguely odd comments, flirty comments. About taking punishment seriously, and there will be more than just monetary penalties.

Librarian then leads the woman back to her office. Whereupon the book turns to a new chapter and we are now in the library patron’s point of view. And we learn why this non-prostitute is going along with this odd situation. Namely – the librarian is super-hot, and she hasn’t exactly been hit on in a longish while. That and she really just expects, if the librarian isn’t really flirting with her, a stern lecture.

Not really sure how much further the sample reveals as by this point I’d switched over to the full book (which, for all I know, removed the bookstore flaw, but I didn’t reread to see).

This is one of those books that I occasionally stumble across and if but for a bit of luck here or there, probably would never read. I mean, one of the main themes is ‘spanking’. I do not normally go out of my way to find and read spanking stories. And, to be fair to the story itself, this is a lot more than a spanking story (and a lot less than a full book, since this is just a little over a 100 pages in length).

I oddly rather liked the story. And while it did end ‘mid-scene’, by that point I was happy with what I had read. Or, more accurately, I was on the train and there’s only so many mentions of orgasmic sexual activities before I get uncomfortable reading such on the train (it’s actually something of a statement of how compelling the story was to me that I actually started to continue to read it on the train, and then read the sex stuff; something I’d normally not do, at least on the train).

Right, never did mention: there are other characters, the side ones have a little more ‘meat on their bones’ than might be expected, though still being somewhat bone-thin characterizations (Shelia the other librarian, Mrs. Burke the noisy old woman, Jade the best friend from high school, etc.). And both of the mains seemed, while not fleshed out, full of interesting tid-bits. That other main character, by the way, is one Candace Kane, freelance computer . . . person (programmer? Maybe programmer). Both of the women, though I might be wrong about this, are in their 30s. I think. And yes, Candace . . . Candy . . . ‘Candy Kane’ was one of the reasons the librarian thought she was dealing with an obvious prostitute (she’d already determined that the woman was her prostitute, though, before she asked the patrons name and got ‘Candace Kane’; to be fair to Candace, it is her name).

Rating: 4.17

July 17 2017



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Midnight Couch by Jae

The Midnight Couch by Jae

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A short story by Jae, one of my favorite authors. About Dr. Christine Graham, a psychologist, and host of a late-night radio show, and Paula, a technician at the radio station. Despite my arrangement there, this is from Paula's point of view, and her lust for the good doctor.

This is another of those stories I picked up free then took a long while to read. See, I did say that characteristic even occurred with authors I've read before's work. Not sure when I picked this work up, though it is possible I got it Feb. 2017.

Christine, it'd appear, is Scottish. Or, at least, she has a 'slight Scottish lilt'. She's also 5 feet tall, but I didn't mean to go into 'describe' mode. I just wanted to note the Scottish part.

Paula, as noted, lusts for Christine, but cannot get her mouth to form words that would convey her interest (like, say, asking her out), despite many many opportunities to do so. Including massive chances put forth by Christine to give Paula openings (course Christine could ask but . . .).

Cute story. Passed the time. Too bad it ended when it did and I have no more Paula and Christine to read (I assume, another short story I'd read by Jae turned out to be had later been expanded to book length, though I don't recall any books that involve these characters).

Rating: 3.8

July 16 2017



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Just Juliet by Charlotte Reagan

Just Juliet by Charlotte Reagan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is another of those books I pick up free then take forever to actually get around to reading. I'd say that the slowness is due to massive piles of books on my TBR pile and books by authors I'd never read before take longer to try, even if free, but the same slowness to read applies to books I acquire for free by authors I've read before. Well, this time I know, since I can check, that I got this book for free on September 20 2016 - only took me until July 14 2017 to begin the book.

What's this book about? Well, largely this is about a high school student who sees themselves as being somewhere around the middle part - not popular, not total outcast (though it's confusing as she uses 'outcast' for herself a few times, while also making comments about how she's on the popular side of things a few other times), but middle. She's dating a football player, though doesn't like football herself, and has a bunch of friends. Lacey is her best friend since pre-school days.

She's something like the token black girl in school, Lacey that is, though another friend, Georgina, is also of darker coloration. Lacey is a cheerleader and popular, but doesn't actually like hanging out with the cheerleaders and is popular enough to do whatever she wants - which seems to be to hang out with people like Lena - the star of this book. Georginia is the token 'got pregnant young' girl. She had her baby and has an on again/off again situation with the baby daddy. Kiki is a petite Asian girl who is really into math, and doesn't talk much. That's the table of friends Lena has - until a new girl turns up named Juliet James.

Lena just can't stop starring at Juliet. Watching her, wanting to be near her, gazing upon her. Eventually the two even get around to talking to each other, and then becoming friends.

Becoming friends with Juliet leads Lena into a world she knew about but didn't have a personal connection to. One occasion, if I recall correctly it's the first day that opens the book, Lena gives Juliet a ride back to Juliet's house because it's pouring rain and it'd be a while before someone comes along to get Juliet. This is where we get to that 'into a world' part. For one of the first people Lena meets when she enters the James house is a man named Scott. Who, eventually, has someone yelling at them from another room. Saying things like 'baby' and the like. That individual eventually appears in visual range and proceeds to do two things - complain about being hungry, and kiss Scott. Lena is kind of frozen there in place when this happens, and Juliet gives off a kind of wave of annoyance at Lena's reaction. Scott, by the way, doesn't live at the James house (though he spends a lot of time there), no, he's dating Lakyn, Juliet's cousin (who does live at the James' house - do to horrible parents who lead to 'Mr. James' taking in Lakyn).

Really quickly it turns out that Juliet is like her cousin, in that she likes the same sex, sexually and romantically.

The book follows along as Lena processes this information and comes to a certain conclusion. That takes a really long time to get to. That conclusion? Well, she's not a lesbian. She's found men way too attractive and fun to be around to be a lesbian. Juliet, though, isn't a guy, nor is she the kind of person she is normally attracted to - which tended to involve square jaws and stuff, and have penis's. That certain conclusion? It's possible, maybe, that she might be bisexual. And no, that's not the conclusion of the book, this 'conclusion' occurs . . . hmms, well, some way before the half way mark.

Neat book. I'm having trouble seeing at the moment, though, so everything is kind of blurry and gibberish-y. So I'll just go to the rating and date part. Blurry due to being blind. From poor seeing ability. bah, fine, I broke my glasses. And can't see. So blind. So can't write.

Oh, right. Remembered something as I was adding this to my reviewed shelf and spotted the other shelves I've used - ages 13-19. Most of the people in this book, well Lena and friends, are around 17 to 18 for most of the book, but the book does follow them (through epilogue) to age 23. Hence the 'age-20s' shelf. Free-ebook. Self-explanatory. Bisexual - Lena. Young Adult - *nods*. Lesbian Fiction - well, Juliet's the lesbian there. LGBT. LGBT-Coming Out - in connection with the Questioning shelf - applies to Lena, though stories about the others coming out also plays role. LGBT-Gay - Scott & Lakyn.

Rating: 4.58

July 15 2017



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Thaw by Elyse Springer

Thaw by Elyse Springer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


mmphs, there's always all this kissing in Asexual romances. eww (they want to show intimacy, they don't want/enjoy sex, so . . . lots of kissing; I'd rather fuck than kiss, and I don't really wanna fuck...)


Series: Seasons of Love; Can you read this book without reading any other book in the series? Like I said about the other book I've read in this 4 book series - yes. Though there might be things you'd miss.

I've now read books 2 and 3 - both books include as characters (in level of importance in book 2): Abby (Abigail), Brie (Gabrielle), Nathan, Sara, Tony, Jason. Jason and Tony are barely in book 2; Jason is barely in book 3, though Tony plays a much larger role (at least compared to book 2). Sara stars in book 3; plays a much smaller role in book 2 than I'd have expected. Nathan is Abby's friend, and plays a large role in this book; and is Sara's friend and plays a large-ish role in book 3; Sara, herself, is also Abby's friend and is turned to a few times. Oh, forgot there was a very brief appearance by Laura - she stars in book 3; did Abby's make-up once as a favor in book 2. Brie stars in book 2 and is barely in book 3 (and by star, I mean love interest, this is all Abby's POV show). Abby stars in book 2, and is much less of a part of book 3 than might be expected. I believe I called her something like 'one of the barely seen friends' in my review for book 3. Wow, this paragraph is downright exciting.

Abby is 29 (just like Sara was 29 in book 3; I suspect that if I read book 1 and 4, the two stars there will be listed as being 29 . . . heh, maybe). She works in a library in Brooklyn, and lives in a shoebox apartment with a roommate named Jena. The book opens with her being slutted up, sorry, with her having massive layers of make-up slapped onto her face (by Sara the diner waitress/manager (her job wasn't mentioned in this book, beyond a brief 'stopped by Sara's diner' type mention), and then with a very much 'barely there' dress pulled from Sara's closet (which is vaguely amusing considering what is found in her closet when book three stars Sara - not exactly that type of clothing). Why is she getting all . . . . um, slicked up? As a favor for her friend Nathan who has to go to a charity gala and his rich boyfriend has a meeting or is out of town or something. And Nathan doesn’t want to go by himself. Though he barely pays attention to Abby at the actual party.

Abby, who has quite low self-esteem about her own looks, is hit upon by two people – a man, and a woman. Oddly enough, the man is Tony. Nathan had made some similar comments when he laid eyes upon the dressed up Abby, so when I realized that it was Tony who had approached Abby, I assumed it was something similar. Since Nathan is gay. And Tony spends most of book 3 looking for his ex-boyfriend Gee. Except . . . Tony is serious in his flirtation. Sooo, another bisexual. World be crowded with them. The woman? Gabrielle.

Everyone’s dressed up nicely at the party. Including Gabrielle. But the red number she’s wearing is super alluring and attention getting. She looks, as someone might say, ‘model hot’. Well, I said that that way so I can then say, which is fitting since Gabrielle works as a model. Abby’s eyes are on Gabrielle almost immediately upon seeing a flash of red at the corner of her eye. Of course, as is fitting (that word again!), Abby’s first view of Gabrielle is of her in an angry little argument with some man.

Later, near the end of the party, Gabrielle and Abby dance, and that angry man glares at them as they do. Reoccurring theme, that – angry man glaring at Gabrielle and Abby. He’s a massive dick, that Darren.

Right, so, Gabrielle and Abby flirt, date as the weeks unfold. Meanwhile Abby’s library branch faces possible closure. And, there are several (many?) scenes in which Abby voluntarily goes near her mother so her mother could scream at her and berate her for doing stupid stuff like get a library degree (you’ll only get to work a few years, a decade, with a degree like that!), and/or for allowing herself to be asexual.

Did I not mention that yet? I forget. So, yeah, Abby’s asexual, but not aromantic. She’s actually biromantic. Bioromantic. In love with biology. Pfft. I can’t recall how to spell the word that means that she is romantically interested in both men and women, while, at the same time, being quite uninterested in sex (that’d be the asexual part).

A quite interesting book. There’s an issue where one or the other would suddenly go silent on the other (though I think that’s more of a trick Abby pulls), which is kinda frustrating to read. Go silent as in ignore their texts and phone calls. For days. Or a week or more. Then there’s the issue where the massive ‘conflict point’ occurred, sadness all around and . . . I’m not really sure what exactly I witnessed. The word betrayal was batted around but . . . I’m not exactly sure how that word would ‘fit’ the circumstances of the conflict point. Bah, but never mind.

As noted, good, interesting book. Now if we can just get asexuals to stop slobbering all over each other in books . . ..

Rating: 4.12

July 14 2017



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Imp Forsaken by Debra Dunbar

Imp Forsaken by Debra Dunbar

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I had certain problems with this book. Unfortunately. Part of it was based on the fact that I 'knew' that certain things were just about to occur . . . but not unfold fully until the next book. That and one of the main story-lines in this book seemed . . . stupid.

At the end of the last book gawttt. Oh sorry, that was me pretending I couldn't say anything because that would be spoiler-y, for the series.

For reasons that are clear to people who have read the previous books, and not to those who haven't, Sam finds herself back in Hel with certain . . . issues. Like problems with converting from one form to another. And stuff. Puts quite a damper on her enjoyment with life. Especially the part wherein she appears unable to change her current form. That as . . . well, people kept calling her 'pond scum', and not as an insult, but as what she 'was'.

So, there Sam is. In Hel suddenly. As pond scum. Unable to move. Unable to look anywhere but up (no, the pond scum doesn't have eyeballs, Sam just has certain 'sensing' abilities). Then some elves turn up. Poke at the scum. Scum that is no where near a pond. And looks vaguely 'wrong'. So they capture it and put it into a dungeon. Assuming it's some form of demon. Get annoyed when the pond scum remains pond scum.

Eventually the Elves learn that the pond scum is in fact a demon. Specifically one that is quite . . . unpopular in that specific Elf kingdom. Stuff happens. Magic unfolds. Etc.

Not the story line, though, that I called 'stupid'. No, that's the one wherein Sam, in a prior book, just casually puts her name on a breeding proposal. Just did it. Knowing it'd cause issues. There were some vague threats but . . . stupid plot line. Well, the time of waiting is over, and now Sam will need to spend a thousand years as some assholes play-toy. By her own conscious decision. There already was a massive asshole in the series, Gregory (not his actual name, apparently), but hey, more the merrier or something. Oh - right, that demon Sam's bound herself to via breeding contract, is super high up and is a massive sadistic (literally) asshole.

Right, so, massive amounts of torture and abuse occurs in this here book. Not a fun book at all. I was going to rate it something like a solid three stars until some of the events near the end of the book convinced me to rate it somewhat higher than that.

Rating: 3.58

July 13 2017





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Heat Wave by Elyse Springer

Heat Wave by Elyse Springer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, let’s do the easy things first: This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and this specific book is the third in a series.

The important: Can a reader read this series book without having read others in the series? The quick answer is: of course, since that’s what I did. Are there things that a reader will miss from not reading this book after reading the others? Not sure, but based on what I did read I think that there are certain aspects that they would miss. I felt that way at times, at least.

The book kind of started off in a way that lead me to believe that I might be missing certain things. Like just why the lead (and only POV) character, Sara, had the other woman’s, Laura, phone number in her phone. There might have been something said at the time that she dialed that number, but if so, I missed it. It’s ‘important’ because the two main characters, Sara and Laura, seem as if they don’t really know each other, and yet both have each other’s phone number and are willing to randomly hang out together.

Mind, I know why the two know each other, just not why one had the other’s phone number in their phone. Why did they know each other? Eons ago, seemingly, maybe seen in one of the prior books, maybe not, a woman named Sara dated a man named Robbie. They fell into a relationship easily, and then out of it just as easily. At some point after that, a woman named Laura dated a man named Robbie. The same Laura and the same Sara who star in this book here. Laura’s parting from Robbie wasn’t as easy as Sara’s – Laura walked in Robbie doing the nasty with some other woman.

All of this might seem to be spoiler, and it is in a way, but the kind learned right up front in the book. For, you see, the book opens with Sara boredly wondering what to do that night. Too early to sleep. Her friends Abby, Kathy, and Nathan are all doing something (separately). Maybe she’d sleep anyway? Wait, she had Laura’s number. And so, she randomly dialed, randomly went out with her – and hopefully I’m remembering things correctly, that that is how everything unfolded. Oh, and it was there, when they meet up or over the phone, that Laura mentioned the situation with Robbie and that she needed to drink.

As might be expected from what I’ve written so far, two women who shared the same man at different points in time, both women are . . . . bisexual. What, that isn’t what’s expected? Ah. Hmm. Well, to be fair, Sara is quite taken with the notion that she’s straight. I mean, she’s one of those who pushes herself, challenges herself, knows herself, and she’d think, and thought, that if she was interested in women, that would be something that’d have popped up in her life before she turned 29, which she is now. Laura, on the other hand, might be somewhat off men at the moment, due to the cheating man she was just with, but is strong in her belief that she’s bisexual.

I’ve read a bunch of ‘lesbians who fall for straight women’ stories. This is the first time I’ve landed on a ‘bisexual who fell for a straight woman’ story. I think the closest I’d gotten to that in the past was a story involving a lesbian who fell for a bisexual woman. One who made some cruel and ill-advised remarks concerning bisexuals (that they are on the fence and should get off it already).

Nice to read a book that includes the idea that bisexuals are a real thing. And those who happen to be women and who find themselves drawn to other women, do not naturally and immediately leap from ‘I’m straight’ to ‘I’m a lesbian’. And that is one of the strong topics that crop up in this book – just what, exactly, Sara might be – she had been quite confident in her heterosexuality.

Enough of that.

Sara Walker is a 29 year old woman who works as one of the day-time managers at a diner in New York City. Lives in New York, specifically the Park Slope region of Brooklyn. The book opens with her being currently single, bored, and not really sure she’s happy with how her life is currently shaped. We, the reader, follow her, and only her, through her journey. Her journey that includes bumping into a woman named Laura who flirts with her. Who ‘forces her’ to dance at a bar. Who lures her into ‘kink’ (there is a section wherein the author says something, an afterward or something, about how those on Twitter encouraged her on her quest to write a book involving two kinky bisexuals).

Is it the same sex thing that’s the kink? That seems offensive, in a way. What, no? Oh. It’s the ‘surprise’ BDSM that broke out. Very early in the book. Along with the massive waves of kinky sex. I should probably make that a warning, or something. Some like knowing if a book contains that kind of thing.

Warning: This book contains several scenes of a kinky BDSM nature, and also includes, partially with, partially without that BDSM, public sex.

I distracted myself there, sorry. That’s what the book is about, though. No, not specifically BDSM. I mean, Sara coming to terms with the fact that she’s interested in another woman. And fucking her seemingly nonstop from . . . um, well, fairly early in the book. Thought I’d had a status update after the first encounter but don’t see one. That’s the relationship Sara and Laura fall into, Sara’s ‘experimenting’ and Laura’s ‘rebounding’.

Quite well written book. Had some flaws. Mostly ones that I might have created myself in that I had created a personality in my mind based on the information I’d been given about Sara, and that personality wasn’t matching up with Sara’s actions (like her inability to communicate). After being annoyed about that throughout the book I’ve come to a specific conclusion: I shouldn’t force personalities on characters based on assumptions and . . . well, words on the paper (like the part where she seriously challenges herself constantly, knows her own body, knows herself, etc. etc. The kind who confronts issues, not dives out of the way; except, you know, for communication issues with Laura). Plus the surprise BDSM kind of . . . surprised me – especially how it was handled, and for the part where I didn’t realize the book would include that type of thing. That and the part where I kept pushing past the sexual encounters to get to the rest of the story . . . in the later part of the book. Because I wanted to see what happened next, and the sex was getting in the way.

Sex: Graphic and frequent. With elements pulled from the realm of BDSM. Including such things as blindfolds, control, spankings, orgasm control, and the like. The earlier scenes were much more interesting and exciting than the later, though that comment is softened by the acknowledgement of a lessening lack of interest in reading deeply into the sex acts as the story unfolded.

Series: As noted, this is the third book in a series. I’ve not read the other books in the series, but can make certain observations: It is possible that the Jason from the first book in the series is the same Jason who makes an appearance in this book – lessoned by the fact that his boyfriend is Nathan in this book and Noah in that other book, so maybe different Jason. Abby and Gabrielle are both in the second book in the series and make appearances in this book as well, with Abby being one of Sara’s somewhat infrequently seen friends. Part of Tony and Gee’s story is touched upon in this book, but their story is told in the fourth book in the series – with Tony being a friend of Sara’s in this book here.

Would I recommend this book? Yes.

Rating: 3.98 – my rating was somewhat lower than I expected to find myself due to certain aspects that came up near the end of the book. And how I ‘took’ them.

July 13 2017




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