Lost & Found by J. Holland - which I liked so much I've read it twice so far.
Genre: Fantasy, Asexual Fiction, Lesbian Fiction. Romance.
POV: Multiple.
Sex: no explicit sex (well, no sex at all; there is cuddling though).
Main Characters: Two women, one asexual, one lesbian.
Length: 47 pages
Publisher: Less than Three
The short story, it's slightly less than 50 pages in length, is about a selkie (simplistic: wereseal - seal instead of wolf in werewolf) who finds herself stuck as a human when her seal skin is stolen. She ends up living with another woman who takes her in when she sees her cold and homeless. hehe - I did that on purpose. Fiction that involves two women - must use something other than pronouns to indicate who is being talked about. heh.
The first time I read the story I came up with this review:
*I received this book from NetGalley, and Less Than Three in return for a fair review.*
I'd probably have to check my asexual shelf to be sure, but, even without doing so, I am fairly certain that this is the best asexual fiction short story that I have read. I just loved it, I did. The characters were well constructed - mostly the two mains, though there was some meat on the bones that made up the side characters, the story was solid, the descriptions were sound. Lovely story.
An overweight woman, Lorelei, finds herself bent over gasping and seriously considering that she might be dying. She isn't overweight in a 'thin woman looking in a mirror "my ass is so large"' but overweight in a woman acknowledging that she's overweight, at least according to the BMI (Body Mass Index). She's the owner of a bakery and she's put on the pounds testing food and getting her shop up and running. Running - that's what she had been attempting to do - run.
I have, in fact, read stories that involved people dying fairly early into the story (or, it turns out, they had been in the process of dying, and the story was the rapid firing, albeit last, of neurons in the brain). But no, this is not that type of story.
She did find herself on the sand though. And as she was wiggling, her hand whacked something painfully. Driftwood. She has driftwood furniture. She likes driftwood. Eagerly she pounces on the wood and . . . wait, no, this is an actual treasure chest. Buried in the sand. She eagerly digs it up and flees with it.
Meanwhile a woman named Nerissa is rushing to her job - a job she's almost late for. She works at the library and it is a 'make work' type job. She works a few hours there - I just about said much stuff, but, I'll let others read, eh?
Nerissa, at the end of her work day, returns to her favorite beach. She's horrified to discover that her chest had been stolen. How will she return home? Her skin was in there - the one that allows her, a Selkie, to turn into a seal and swim in the ocean.
One thing leads to another and Nerissa and Lorelei encounter each other and grow close.
Lovely story.
Rating: 5+
March 24 2017
The second time I read the story, I again loved it and gave it rating of 5+ stars. For the record, my ratings got kind of 'messed up' due to mushing my extensive multi-point system into GoodReads 5 star system. So I have works that can end up being rated 5+. That's not the highest rating I have, though, I also have a 6 star shelf - reserved for: the best of the best - and only rereads can apply. Which I mention because I did not place this story on my top shelf of 6 stars. Oh, and that'd be 6 stars on a 5 star scale. Not a 6 star scale. As I said, my ratings got messed up.
Right, so, the second time I read the story, I put this into the review box:
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 at Goodreads, but what is the book's actual rating? 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
5
There was just one story I rated 5+ (and none rated 6), but there are four that I rated 5 stars. Well, at least according to the number of stars that I click on at GoodReads. But not all of them are literally rated 5 stars. So...
I start with the one I read twice - Welcome to Your Afterlife by Stephanie Rabig.
Genre: Fantasy, Asexual Fiction, Bisexual Fiction. Romance.
POV: Multiple
Sex: no explicit sex (even though one of the characters was turned into a succubus and forced to feed off of sexual energy).
Main Characters: Two women, one asexual, one bisexual.
Length: 39 pages
Publisher: Less than Three
First review:
*I received this book from NetGalley and Less than Three Press in return for a fair review.*
This is the first story I’ve read by this author.
I am not sure why exactly, but books/movies/things with this type of theme end up being quite interesting to me. Two things, actually, though one of them is a newish realization. Put the two together and . . . well, I won’t say that it would be guaranteed to be liked by me, but there’s a good chance it would. The two things? Books focused on ‘another level’, on ‘the next life’ or the ‘life in between’. Like here, and in the film ‘Defending Your Life’, and in a few other works here and there that I’ve read (heck, even that somewhat cheesy ‘Heaven Can Wait’ film). That was one, what is/was the other? Works involving asexuals.
The description on GoodReads is basically good enough to tell what the short story is about (and yes, it is a rather short story). Young woman, barely past legal drinking age at twenty-two, drops dead form a heart attack (which isn’t seen in this story here). That young woman being Abigail Campos, and the asexual of the story. The other point of view/main character would be Renata – who is also the first person presented to the reader.
Renata works in this ‘afterlife’ area. She processes the newly dead and helps them transition to the next stage. She is also, 1) a banshee, 2) dark skinned, 3) bisexual. She is described as being a quite nice woman with a somewhat strongish need to touch others (which is something that comes up for various reasons).
Abigail’s back story, as in her time alive, is touched on, mostly her family situation though. I do not wish to go to deep here as there should be some things left to the reader to find out, eh? Heh. One thing of importance, though, is that Abigail is asexual. ‘Ace’ as she likes to call herself, or her sexual orientation. Looking some things up, Abigail appears to fall into the . . . where was it, ah, ace of hearts – romantic asexual as opposed to spade, aromantic asexual. Oh and, she doesn’t like being touched.
So then, the plot line. Abigail has died prior to the start of this story. She winds up in a very plain room with a woman named Renata sitting on the other side of a desk (as I write this, I cannot actually recall if there is a desk in that room). The dark skinned woman notes that she is there to help Abigail’s transition. Apparently people transition from one existence to the next, though they remain ‘themselves’ until they either go through reincarnation and return to ‘the surface’, or fade away completely due to lack of energy. If and when they reincarnate, the person being reborn does not have memories of their past, but while they are in the ‘afterlife’, they are still ‘themselves’. Modified, though. Since they need to ‘feed’ and or ‘get energy’ to sustain themselves (or get books, and the like).
There are various ‘things’ that people can become during the afterlife, and I realize that saying that they ‘remain the same’ isn’t exactly correct. I meant that they retain their memories, mostly continue looking like themselves for the most part, and the like. They just also become something in addition. Like ghosts, or vampires, or banshees, or fae, or reapers, or incubi, or succubus.
So, what have they decided to make this asexual who has come among them? Why a succubus, of course. A great deal of time is spent attempting to change this designation (both by the 'transition helper' and by Abigail.
I rather liked the world that has been created here, and the people that inhabit it. Wish the story was just a tad bit longer, though it is fully formed. Just super short. Also wish to read more about the universe and people involved.
I would rate this one somewhere around 4.75 to 4.95.
August 1 2016
The second review:
Three reasons why I decided to do a reread of this short story: 1) I loved it the first time I read it but my reaction appears to be mostly unique among the readers of the story (who were at best ‘meh’ and at worst giving it half stars (as in only a half star) in rating; 2) I just read another short story which reminded me very much of this story and wanted to refresh this story in my mind (that would be Aidan Wayne’s ‘Making Love’); 3) it’s a short story of only 39 pages, it’s not like this would take me ages to read.
Hmm. Story opens with ‘It was hard to foretell death when everyone around whom you spent time was already dead.’ Oddly put, that. Past that first line, though, and I feel like I’ve come back to a restful comfortable place. The world of Renata – in an office, processing dead people.
Hey, I’d actually forgotten that Abigail was described as having tattoos and short hair with green tips. An oddball, to be sure. I like oddballs.
It is a rather short story, I realize. Maybe that’s what’s the hold up with others liking/not liking? No matter, I’ve read again – again loved the characters, place, and story. Again give 5 stars.
December 13 2016
And now the stories I read just once, all three of them.
I'll start with the last short story in this 5 and 5+ rating area, and leave the novel length work for last.
The Faerie Godmother's Apprentice Wore Green by Nicky Kyle.
Genre: Fantasy, Asexual Fiction, Aromantic Fiction. (not a romance)
POV: Solo
Sex: no explicit sex (nor is there any coupling going on).
Main Characters: One asexual/aromantic woman.
Length: 54 pages
Publisher: Less than Three
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Less Than Three Press in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first story by this author that I have read.
It is difficult, in its way, trying to figure out what to put in a review for a story that is only 54 pages in length. If it was a mystery there are things I could mention, characters, setting, what type of mystery, how well everything was depicted. But this isn’t a mystery, but a fantasy. Granted there are two things of note regarding mystery and mysteries – (1) an investigation does take place; (2) the investigator and investigation was actually of a higher quality level than many a mystery I’ve read. And yet, I still would hesitate to fall back on calling this a mystery. To a certain extent that’s because this is a fantasy in a fantasy land and no one died. You can have mysteries without death and you can have mysteries in stories that involve fantasy, but it is not exactly tremendously common.
Right, enough of that. There is this village, see, called Styesville. It’s a time of changing seasons and the ground and everything is kind of wet and muddy. Which is good because there’s this dragon that, for no known reason, has taken a liking to wander by every once in a while and breath on things. This isn’t normally good, since there is fire involved with the breathing. Things are only singed, though, because of the wetness. Well, some of the sheep and the like aren’t exactly fairing well, but for the most part the danger is a bit of ‘singe’ getting on stuff.
Still, dragon around, and stuff, so the villagers have put the call out for some help from those that bounce about on horsies while wearing a lot of metal, and carrying pointy-things. It’s been a short while, oh, about two months, but alas, no knights appear to be turning up. A stranger did turn up, but that cloaked person came to the village under the power of their own two feet, and apparently lacking things like weaponry and metal protection. This stranger would be the lead character in the story, a person going by the name of 'Dea'.
Without anyone taking much notice of Dea, an investigation is conducted. Relatively quickly, certain things are noted. Neither the mystery, nor the cloaked figure are exactly what they seem. I’m not exactly sure why I’m being all careful here, anyone reading this review has access to the book cover. But I retain an air of mystery.
The story flowed smoothly. I rather liked Dea, the fantasy world that has been created, and the stories that are told. I’d love to see more of both this world and more of Dea’s time in that world.
[the next paragraph flows more naturally when read at the review's original location - GoodReads]
One last bit before I move on. One of the shelves I use is LGBT. It is true that one of the characters in the story has an opinion expressed about them that they neither confirm nor deny, said opinion being that they, the woman in question, prefers the company of woman – romantically. Well, that is not why I stamped ‘LGBT’ on the book. No, that’s because of the main character. Another review already mentioned the issue, but if you haven’t read that review – the main character in this story, Dea, falls within the LGBT framework. Though more when people recall that LGBT, elongated, includes more letters. LBGTQIA. Dea falls under the less talked about A category. And no, that doesn’t mean that Dea is an ‘Alley’, but an ‘Asexual’ (though I do not wish people who just took a biology class and then see this review and become confused, I am not referring to asexual reproduction here).
A highly entertaining story. Much recommended (there’s a slight issue of a 54 page story with a $3.99 price tag, but I’ll just mention that in passing *mentions* then move on).
Okay, I already said ‘one last bit’, but really, this time I mean it – one last bit – this story involves dragons, mysterious strangers, a fantasy world, magic, asexuals, and the magic of faerie godmothers (oh, sorry, forgot one that I really wanted to mention – a good nice bit of pleasant humor). A lot of those are less commonly seen (though known about). Though that just might be my own luck/reading habits that lead to me not seeing a lot of dragons, asexuals, and faerie godmothers (though I did just read one book that had faerie godmothers, strangely enough).
March 31 2016
And now
Perfect Rhythm by Jae
Genre: Asexual Fiction, Lesbian Fiction. Romance
POV: Multiple
Sex: explicit sex.
Main Characters: One asexual (sexual orientation) woman (Holly); Two lesbians (romantic orientation - Leo and Holly). One lesbian (sexual orientation - Leo).
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
I received an ARC of this book from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
This book stars two women (and yes you see both of their point of views) who have at least two specific things in common that are important to the story: 1) both are from the same small town in Missouri; 2) both are romantically interested in women. There’s also one very important difference, though, that is important to the storyline: one of the women, Holly, is not sexually interested in anyone – she has a separation between her sexual desires (no one) and her romantic desires (women). As opposed to the other lead character, Leontyne, who does not have this separation between sex and romance.
But, with that mentioned up front, let’s dive into the story.
Leontyne Blake, 32 or 33, is a famous musician, a ‘pop star’ as the description puts it. For the past, oh, 14 years she has worked hard at being at the top or near the top of the music scene (in her genre) and has found fame, fortune, and Grammys. As the book opens, Leo, who goes by Jenna Blake professionally, is performing at the last city on her current year long music tour. She barely made it to the end, and really needs a break, a vacation, something. Her manager, though, wants her to immediately start on a new album, become a judge on a music reality show, and then, thereafter, go back on tour. They bicker. It’s kind of a common trope in music related books that the manager is a controlling dick who basically treats his/her ‘talent’ like children. To be fair, there are famous examples in real life of controlling managers (see: Elvis), but it seems to be the only version seen in fiction (at least that I’ve read). Well, as they bicker, and before they come to some conclusion, Leo/Jenna gets a phone call. From her mother. Who she hasn’t seen in five years. The mother informs Leo, tentatively, that Leo needs to come home because her father had a stroke. And so – Leo returns home to a small town in Missouri.
Holly Drummond, 29, is an in-home nurse. Her current patient is a man named Gil, and she has become quite close with him and his wife. Gil is also known, or I should say has been mostly referred to by others during his life, as Dr. Gilbert Blake, or Dr. Blake. Not Gil. Certainly Gil's daughter, Leo, never called him Gil. Yeah, I’m kind of dragging that out – Holly and Leo meet because Leo returns home, and finds Holly in her childhood home, being the nurse.
Holly and Leo meet badly, so to speak, due to a misunderstanding on the part of Holly. In any other book I’d say ‘then they became friends, then they became lovers’, but that’s more complicated here – see . . . oh, I didn’t use the word yet, well the asexual nature of Holly. (Is there sex? Is that a spoiler? I’m not even sure if the inclusion or lack of sex is a spoiler so, to keep things spoiler less as possible ->yes, there is sex. There’s even a warning before the chapter begins informing the reader that graphic sex will occur in that chapter (chapter 22). And to skip it if they didn’t wish to read that. Two problems with that warning – somewhat important story related ‘stuff’ occurs in that chapter that isn’t related to sex; and the warning says to skip to chapter 23 . . . which, and I can’t check now and I’m going by somewhat faulty memory, also includes graphic depictions of sex (well, there and/or later – without warning).
So, that’s the book – two women meet, both have the same type of romantic desires (towards women), both have even dated the same woman (‘dating’ isn’t exactly the right word). Both have even had sex before this book started. One, though, does not have sexual desires, while the other does. So, it is, in theory, a standard celebrity-‘commoner’ romance – with the added twist of one of the characters being asexual.
What else is there to say? Well: I enjoyed the book. Not my favorite book by Jae, but up there.
In terms of ‘words’. Oddly, there were more words, mostly medical in nature, which I didn’t recognize, than there were words related to sexual orientations and ‘stuff of that nature’ that I didn’t recognize. Hmm. Poorly created sentence. There were terms in the book I had to look up, 99% of them were medical words. One was sexual/romance/’stuff’ related: I did not previously know the word ‘queerplatonic’, though I’m fairly certain I’ve seen several books that had that type of relationship in them.
What else, what else . . . yep, that’s what I wanted to say. *nods*
Rating: 4.92
September 6 2017
Oops. There's another novel here on this '5 stars clicked on at GoodReads' section.
Finding Your Feet by Cass Lennox
Genre: Asexual Fiction (Demisexual Fiction), Transgender Fiction, Biromantic Fiction. Romance
POV: Multiple
Sex: ...
Main Characters: One asexual (sexual orientation) woman (Evie); One heterosexual man (sexual and romantic orientation (who happens to also be transgender - Tyler). One biromantic (romantic orientation - Evie).
Length: 257 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
I decided to try a book where there likely wouldn’t be much if any – likely no sex in it. So I tried a book where the main character was both asexual and aromantic. I relatively rapidly grew tired of that book so moved to another asexual lead character, but this time they are asexual biromantic.
That’s one of those things to be reminded of immediately – asexual does not mean that the person never absolutely never has any type of relationships and that they live their lives happily alone. Though it can mean that, depending on the individual. Though even if they are asexual and aromantic, they might end up in some kind of relationship (which I mention because one of the ‘couples’ in this book does include someone who self-describes themselves as asexual and aromantic and yet are in some kind of relationship with someone who uses plural pronouns (referring here to Sarah and Bailey) - [ETA: I've since learned that this type of relationship is referred to as 'queerplatonic', though I assume that wasn't used in the book - or I missed it]).
Evie, one of the two main characters, has had relationships in her past – and is asexual. She’s had relationships with both men and women (not at the same time . . . I think), hence calling herself biromantic. Biromantic instead of bisexual because she’s asexual, in her sexual orientation, and bi - in her romantic orientation. She’s also a perfect example of someone who is both asexual and has sex – and, for that matter, is sometimes even quite eager ‘for it’. Eager might be pushing it, but sometimes it seemed that way. In general vague sense there are two types of asexual –in column 1 we have those who are ‘sex-repulsed’; and in column 2 we have – ‘I’ve forgotten the term’ (oh, I think ‘sex-positive’ gets used). Sex-repulsed asexual, as might or might not be obvious, want nothing to do with sex – at all. Sex-positive asexual doesn’t particularly want sex . . . except in certain situations; either they are willing to have sex because their partner wants sex, but they themselves will ‘get nothing’ out of it; or they actually will ‘get something’ out of it because they fall into the ‘demisexual’ category – someone experiencing ‘sexual attraction’ because they have developed, first, an emotional connection/attachment to someone – a somewhat better definition is actually used in this book by Evie to describe herself. Yet she doesn’t actually use the phrase ‘demisexual’ (unless I missed it). But that is what Evie is – demisexual and biromantic.
Evie is from York England and is 26. Her job just suddenly poofed on her, due to the company closing (or something like that), and so she has to find something to do for the next few months – she had already set herself up to go get an advanced degree at a university in Toronto, but she can’t just go there early (Visa issues). She can, though, go over early to scope the place out on vacation, to then leave then come back on an education visa. Which she decides to do.
Strangely this book and the one I had started and stopped begin the same way – waiting next to a baggage carousel waiting for a suitcase to appear, and with some vague worries about whether it really will arrive, etc. etc. But it does arrive, and so Evie’s freed to exit and . . . see a sign and stuffed Godzilla for her. For she’s going to be staying in Toronto with her Tumblr friend – Sarah (who goes by ‘Greybeard’ on Tumblr, while Evie goes by Queen Evazilla). They found they had some mutual interests – namely . . . um . . . drawings? Manga? Well, that and asexual stuff. That’s one of the things Evie’s over for, well not specifically asexual things, but for Pride events in Toronto (and to meet up with some other asexuals).
Evie’s second or third day in Toronto finds her being talked into playing on a dance machine with Sarah – in competition with Sarah (since Bailey, Sarah’s roommate who appears to be vaguely more than that, doesn’t dance). Turns out that the dance machine ‘thingie’ was being used to audition people for a dance competition between two dance studios who would take ‘non-professional’ dancers, match them up with teachers, teach them for a week, then have a dance-off during Pride events. This is how we meet the other main character and main point of view – Tyler Davis.
Course Evie and Tyler’s first meeting is a classic ‘meet bad’. The two heads of the dance studios are congratulating Evie on her ‘top score’, inviting her to join the event, and then arguing about who she would join. Evie begins to tell them that she didn’t realize that it was a competition, an audition, (well tell a third person who stepped up while the dance studio heads fought each other over her), when some man stepped up and said she’d do it.
”I’m very sorry,” she started, “I didn’t really know about-“
“She’ll do it.”
Startled, she looked over to see the lean, grumpy dancer at her side. When did he get there? He was her height, with dark curly hair and light-brown skin, and he glared at her as though she were some kind of idiot. But he had to be one of the most gorgeous men Evie had ever found abruptly standing next to her-not that she was an expert on the matter.
And like all vaguely good looking men, he came with entitlement and an apparent inability to mind his own business. Or perhaps he was just as rude as his boss.
Time to end this nonsense.
“She can speak for herself,” she said, crisply enunciating every syllable.
His eyebrows raised. “Sorry.”
Heh – I didn’t mean to quote all that, I did because it included a description of the other main character. Well, meet badly, as I said. Though she agrees to do the competition, though she didn’t immediately realize she was agreeing to dance with the arrogant self-entitled man. But with the fun looking gay man who was also there. Since Tyler, who is also Sarah’s friend, sounded ‘fun’ in Sarah’s descriptions.
Tyler Davis, meanwhile, is a 100% straight black (biracial) man of 25. Why is he working at a Queer Studios? Well, he is also transgender. He is FtM.
The book was interesting and fun. Deeper and more mature than expected.
One bit of annoyance - Evie has something of a . . . difficult relationship with her mother and there's a moment that occurs, via emailthat could change the relationship. She's in Toronto, mother is in York, though, so . . .. But then Evie heads back to York for a few months before returning to Toronto and . . . any type of scene with her family (good bad mixed indifferent) simply isn't shown - the reader is just told that certain things happened. That's the annoyance bit.
Rating: 4.80
May 23 2017
---
And now I'll mention four other works that fall slightly below the 'favorite' line (and not mention the . . . um, I've closed the page, darn - 3? 5? others that fall even further away from favorite status)
I'll start with a two book mystery series set in Australia that was released in 1999 to 2000. The 'Lenny Aaron' cat detective series.
Cat Catcher by Caroline Shaw
Genre: Asexual Fiction. Mystery. Private Detective
POV: Solo
Sex: None
Main Characters: One asexual (there are hints that she might also be either aromantic or lesbian romantic).
Length: 330 pages
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
‘Cat Catcher’ is my first book by this author.
As I mentioned in my last review, the one for ‘Slingshot’ by Carsen Taite, I’d accidentally left ‘Cat Catcher’ at home one day and had to find something else to read. Which I mention because I then accidentally read another lesbian mystery book. Instead of doing the smart thing and reading something else, like, say, a nonfiction book.
I mention all that because there are similarities between the two situations in the two different books written roughly 13 years apart that will make writing a review more difficult than it should have been. In short – two young women who work in non-traditional areas of private investigation, with L first names, both ex-cops who left the police force after incidents that caused them injury, and when both found police work just too tough, and . . . um, I believe there were other similarities but I forget them now. Just recalled another similarity – both have addictions – Luca to gambling, Lenny to pain killers.
Characters
Helena ‘Lenny’ Aaron: Lenny is 27 and is an ex-cop. The story of why she is an ex-cop unfolds in little snippets throughout the book. Important as that story is to the development of Lenny’s character, it all boils down to: she was on a case to catch someone of some prominence. They couldn’t get him for the illegal crimes he committed (drugs? I forget now), so they were going to get him for tax fraud. They found evidence. People died. Lenny got viciously injured, and lost her nerve. And now she works as a cat detective, sees a shrink weekly (I rather dislike that psychologist, several reasons, but the most important one is one he even admitted – he just says things just to get rid of his patients), and is addicted to pain killers.
Plot/Mystery
Throughout the book, Lenny hunts down various missing cats. Some she finds dead, some alive. Oh, and that’s something I was going to mention – for a book about someone who hunts cats, there sure were a lot of dead cats in this book. Right. Plot/mystery.
A Kimberly Talbot contacts Lenny. Lenny ducks her twice, but eventually Kimberly forces herself inside Lenny’s office. I pause for a moment – Lenny sure is judgmental, throughout the book Lenny makes disparaging remarks about almost everyone she encounters – Kimberly has great legs, great breasts, and horrible bull-dog face, therefore she’s ugly.
Right. Kimberly wants her missing cat found. Oh, and her mother has received some horrible letters threatening to kill her (the mother). Lenny notes that she doesn’t do that kind of investigation, though she’ll look for the cat.
One thing leads to another, and Lenny does in fact do that kind of investigation – she ends up living in the Talbot home to look for the cat, and while there, investigate the threatening letters.
The investigation and mystery are all rather well done.
Romance
There’s something of a lovely romance in this book. Between Lenny and Cleo. They go from being bitchy towards each other, to trying to dump each other, to a growing attachment. Quite nice. *nods*. That relationship between Lenny and Cleo. I might or might not have mentioned this point yet, but Cleo is a Siamese kitty cat.
Oh, between Lenny and other humans? Well, she does have flirtations with a man (the next door porn shop owner – more that man wishing to be with Lenny, and Lenny wishing that man would leave her alone), and several women (Vivien Talbot and Kimberly Talbot); but flirtations are all that occurs.
Overall
I do not know Australian noir. I’ve seen one or two films that may or may not be in that genre, and are from Australia, but otherwise I do not know Australia’s version of that noir genre. I say this because this book stresses that it is noir. It even has Noir written on the book’s spine.
I’ve a certain awareness of American noir. Having read several of the popular books of the genre, by such authors as Dashiell Hammett (The Thin Man, The Maltese Falcon), Mickey Spillane, and Raymond Chandler. They involve grim private dicks. Who have addictions, mostly to drink and to women. And dames in specific type of dresses. And everyone carries guns all the time. And smoking, lots of smoking. And the lead character, who is a private dick, has a kind of grim depressing view of the world around him (yes, almost always him).
Well, if I was going to label this book a cozy mystery, of which I’ve read a fair number, or a noir, I’d probably lean towards noir. Even with a private dick who hunts cats for a living. Way too much violence, addiction, depressing thoughts, and the rest for this to be a cozy.
I do not wish to give a wrong impression here – I rather enjoyed the book. Lenny is somewhat hard to take, but overall an enjoyable experience had by me. Unfortunate that there are only two books in the series, and something like only 8 or so people have read them.
Pressed, I’d probably give the book a rating of roughly 4.35 to 4.45 stars.
April 22, 2016
The second book in the series is: Eye to Eye by Caroline Shaw
Genre: Asexual Fiction. Mystery. Private Detective
POV: Solo
Sex: None
Main Characters: One asexual (there are hints that she might also be either aromantic or lesbian romantic).
Length: 314 pages
Publisher: Bantam Books
The second and last book in this series (and, apparently, by this author).
Lenny continues 1) her cat-catching work, 2) seeing that Japanese psychiatrist, 3) finding herself investigating more than cats, 4) cleaning obsessively, and 5) popping pills.
Lenny, for those who are coming to this cold (I digress to note that this series is probably better to be read in order, and this is the second book in that series), is an ex-police officer. 'Forced' out by a case that caused her to be severally scarred on her arm, and mentally fragile. It's one of the reasons she went into cat-catching work - the cats might claw her up, but they are not likely to kill her - unlike what she might find in human investigations.
She's both further along her progression to 'getting better' (whatever that might mean), and further down the path to self-destruction (see: popping pills). The 'further along' references the fact that more and more of her cases involve human investigation. And this specific book is about a case at a film school - wherein Lenny goes undercover as a film student to investigate theft and vandalism. A month before she arrives, one of the students is murdered - but she isn't there to investigate that crime (though, of course, she does look into it).
I made several status updates (I think) referencing such issues like: is Lenny a lesbian? Am I reading lesbian fiction? Partly because it had been a while since I'd read the first book in the series, and it took me a little while to regain my understanding of the character. Long and short - it's not 100% certain one way or another. Lenny appears to be closer to being asexual or demisexual ('sexual orientation in which someone feels sexual attraction only to people with whom they have an emotional bond' - reading that definition makes me think she isn't really demisexual). Why do I say this? Because Lenny has very little in the way of sexual desires (close to zero, if possible, some negative number), while at the same time - in this and in the prior book, she does indicate tiny vibrations of desire - all of which are towards other women. There are several occasions wherein in the thought process occurs, and/or she is asked point blank if she's a lesbian, but she always seems to dodge the question (while still allowing herself to realize certain vague attractions to women). So - is Lenny a lesbian? I'll let someone else decide. **(I allowed myself to indulge in this 'lesbian/asexual/not lesbian' diversion because lesbianism comes up a lot in this book - from the downstairs 'about to be married' lesbian couple, to the lesbian affair at the film school, to the negative attitudes of various people to the concept of lesbianism)**
The book is set in Melbourne Australia. Was neat to see the story unfold - and there were neat little bits here and there of Melbourne and what it means to be there (one such scene saw Lenny driving down a specific street, whereupon she thought to herself about how three streets dive in and out of Melbourne - are the major arteries - and what can be found on all three).
I liked the mystery plot - was solid. Several mysteries - some involving cats, some involving theft and vandalism at a film school, and one involving murder.
For those looking for romance - look elsewhere.
I am happy that I was able to read this series, and sad that it is already over - after two books.
I would rate this book somewhere around 4.45 stars.
October 21 2016
And now, the others. I was going to say 'and now the non-series books' but one of them is a series book, just not a series that includes the same main character in each book.
The short story:
Making Love by Aidan Wayne
Genre: Fantasy. Asexual Fiction (Demisexual fiction?). Biromantic Fiction. Bisexual Fiction.
POV: Solo
Sex: None
Main Characters:
Length: 92 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
*I received this book from NetGalley and Riptide in return for a fair review.*
mini-review
Point the first: Sometime after midnight I turned my phone on yesterday and noticed that my request to read this short story had been accepted. I wanted a little something to read for a few moments before turning in for the night, so figured I’d read at least (most?) the first chapter. Needless to say, I read the entire thing in one ‘sitting’ (what, I was actually reclining on my bed, but whatever, ‘one reclining’ just looks odd).
This is the third work put out under this name, and the third work I've read. The other two are MM romances, while this one is FF (and mixes a bisexual (heavily leaning towards females) with an asexual (the things that occur in this story seem to blink at me that she is actually demisexual - especially the word choices. ).
Of note: story involves a woman from an aromatic species that occasionally produces romantically inclined individuals (referring here to the succubus in the story, Leeta) - main character, though is a female cupid named Carla. Who loves love, but is herself something approaching asexual.
Story: Carla works for an organization that attempts to generate love, with the ultimate goal of love matches. Bah. I mean true love matches. She has been steadily attempting to better herself - she's a great shot but isn't very good with Chemistry part.
One day, after a performance evaluation, Carla overhears a conversation between the receptionist (her friend, if that’s important to know) and a strange creature from a species she hadn’t had contact with before. Turns out that it is a Succubus and she’s there to try to set up a meeting with ‘Angel’ (Carla’s boss at Aphrodite Agency). Except Tristan (the receptionist) won’t even contemplate such a request and forcefully demands that the succubus leave. Immediately. Or he will call security.
Carla overhears this conversation and is confused. The Succubus wants a true love match; isn’t that what Aphrodite Agency does? And so, Carla decides to see if Leeta, the Succubus, would be willing for her, Carla, to try to help her ‘off-the-books’.
Review
I believe I read something somewhere, maybe in the ‘about the author’ section at the end of the story, but wherever – that the author enjoys character stories. Especially if they are minorities. Well, the first story I read by them, ‘Loud and Clear’, involved a cab driver who had trouble reading (due to dyslexia), matching up with a businessman with an extreme form of speech impediment (trouble speaking except in specific situations) – ‘Counterbalance’ also went that ‘minority through disability’ route for one character – John the disfigured man, and though the ‘minority through minority’ route for the man he was matched up with in the story set in Canada – a man from China.
This time we leave behind MM romance, and move to FF romance. With a bisexual character who has dark skin and is from a mostly aromantic species with horns and a tail, hooking up with a rather chubby woman with wings who may or may not actually be asexual.
This leads immediately into one of the few problems I had with the story. It was a fantasy that had a layer missing from the reader. As in, where the heck is this occurring? Some far off land that is unconnected to humans? Well, no, humans are part of this story. In a dimension one step away from the human one but is still adjacent? On the same plain as humans on Earth (the horned, tailed demon walking around, and the chubby winged woman literally flying around visibly (which I mention because she can turn herself tiny and invisible) kind of removes this from ‘on the same plain’ – at least in the sense that people can see them and do not react . . . shocked by them)?
I did get a good sense of being in a small town type atmosphere (though, for all I know, this was supposed to be overlaying, say, Beijing), but I still had that issue of where exactly all of this is supposed to be taking place. Also – added into that layer of confusion – Carla helps Leeta go on some dates, two of whom actually get names, none of whom have their species mentioned. Were they human? Some unknown as yet unnamed species? For ‘reasons’, they weren’t likely to be succubi (re: aromantic for the most part species) or cupids (based on how neither of the women who got names were mentioned to have wings).
Moving past that, which was actually easier to do than I’m letting on – and you get the story itself. There is a high likelihood that I need to reread this at some point when I’m not keeping myself awake to do so, to read, but beside that specific point – I rather loved the two main characters in the story (though everything is really from Carla’s perspective). I just loved the personalities on display. Carla is bubbly, chubby – loves to eat (and has no self-loathing body images); Leeta is ‘lovely’ – she is a succubus after all, but has an abrasive blunt personality (I’d say ‘she is a demon’ after all, but I’m not actually sure if succubi are demons in this specific story universe; I do like how she tempers it, though, while on her quest to find ‘true love’, and in her interactions with Carla).
This is what would be call a slightly disjointed from reality, short and sweet story.
I do need to mention another story, though, that this one here reminds me of. Oddly enough, that story also involved an asexual and a bisexual (both women), and also involved a succubus. Though in that story, the main character is the succubus, and the succubus is the asexual (well, Abigail had been human, died, and was assigned to be a succubus – which she found quite confusing because, asexual; of note: asexual and aromantic are not the same thing – in case anyone was confused by all my mentions of terms earlier (aromantic is a person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others; while an asexual is a person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to others; a person can be both aromantic and asexual, romantic and asexual, or aromantic and sexual). Also, oddly enough, the other main character is also a dark skinned bisexual (though in ‘Welcome to Your Afterlife’, this individual is a banshee; while here in ‘Making Love’, the bisexual dark skinned woman is a succubus).
To a large extent there are only superficial similarities to the two stories. I more mention it not because of the bisexual/asexual/etc. part, but because I wanted to offer it up as an example of a story that had a rather good ‘location’ vibe to it. I felt like I knew where ‘everything’ was located. I knew where I was, I mean. A version of the afterlife that has access to the ‘mortal plain’ (well, need access for the succubi and the like to go into it to feed and stuff (the 'earthly plain' was up some stairs from 'the afterlife').
Bah, I do not know why I’m going on and on about that other story – it’s not exactly going to lead people to this one here, I think it is possible that I’m the only one who actually loved that other one. Hopefully people will try and love this one. Because I did. I do not like being the oddball. :( hehe
Rating: 4.55
December 12 2016 & lightly edited December 30 2016
And finishing up this massive blog post, but not last among asexual works, we come to another novel.
Thaw by Elyse Springer
Genre: Asexual Fiction. Biromantic Fiction. Romance.
POV: Solo
Sex: None
Main Characters: Abby and Brie
Length: 204 pages
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
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 by constantly kissing . . ..
Rating: 4.12
July 14 2017
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