Off Screen
by J.A. Armstrong
Pages: 86
Date: March 12 2015
Publisher: Author
Series: Off Screen #1
Review
Rating: 5.0 of 5.0
Read: June 4 2015
I wasn't sure what to expect with this short story. Everything seemed to indicate, everything being the reviews and the description, seemed to indicate a "sweet slow story". With some seeming to imply sappy sweet, overly sweet. Maybe sickeningly sweet.
All of which through me off guard for when I actually read the story. I mean, bloody hell. I think I might be a little in love with Em and Addy myself, and I'm just the reader reading a fictional story. And a "sweet slow story" doesn't lend itself to imply in my mind "exciting graphic sex scenes."
This was a fun little story on many levels. I got the next three stories in the series before I even read this one. But now I'm kind of scared to read the next one. I mean, I read this one, I don't want to be let down. It could be said that I'd always have this story, if any future one disappointed me. But that isn't the fear. The fear is that something would be done or said that would cause me to reinterpret this story in a displeasing way. But enough of that, and enough of this "review".
The Red Carpet
by J.A. Armstrong
Pages: 103
Date: March 19 2015
Publisher: Author
Series: Off Screen (2nd in series)
Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Read: June 4 2015
Another in the Addy & Em series completed. Another lovely little story. So, why four instead of five stars? Boils down to sex. Too much of the story was turned over to that. I didn't really have a problem with that in and of itself, more the percentage of sex scenes vs story scenes. Which basically means that this might have been another five star effort if it was something like a 155 pages instead of 105 (or however many pages it is actually). With the extra fifty pages filled with story scenes.
Balance is important. On the other hand, the level of potential drama and angst gets cut down when fewer pages are giving over to story scenes. I certainly wouldn't want to ramp up drama or angst or whiny-ness or anything like that. There's a certain amount of tension in this specific story, a certain amount of drama, but the right amount. hmms. I guess they could have had a pool party. Or gotten a cat. I don't know, just some extra bunch of story scenes to balance things out. hehe.
Dim All The Lights
by J.A. Armstrong
Pages: 80
Date: April 22 2015
Publisher: Author
Series: Off Screen (3rd in series)
Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: June 4 2015
Another good story. Another one where the sex scenes overbalance the book. Though this time there is a layer of . . . . I guess the best word to use would be "disappointment."
A problem with reading these short stories all in, more or less, one go is trying to remember exactly which event happened in which story. I know this one has Addy and Em going on the road to promote their new show (Addy as writer and producer, Em as actress on the show). Ah, one of the "disappointments" I was thinking of actually occurred in the previous story. Ok then, so the disappointments in this story involve miscommunication, overhearing things - incorrectly, etc. etc. Mostly miscommunication.
It's all well and good to be better at communicating through touch, but some thoughts and ideas actually require words to be used. Love it or hate it, but Em seems to communicate better through touches, and showing, and less on words, and while Addy is better with words, she still allows herself to become distracted from problems through touch, sex. So some issues build over time.
I suppose the only other thing I could note in this rambling "notes to self" is that Tam has her own girlfriend in this story, though she keeps constantly pointing out that Chris (it's Christine, right?) isn't her Em, and she knows that she, Tam, is not Chris' Addy. As in they love each other but not love each other. Tam and Addy kind of look at each other at this point when Tam tells Addy this and apparently the message is conveyed. I didn't really get it, but whatever.
Writer's Block
by J.A. Armstrong
Pages: 91
Date: May 17 2015
Publisher: Author
Series: Off Screen (4th in series)
Review
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Read: June 5 2015
I've been quite happy that I've been able to find something to put in this little box so often lately. But, I don't know what to put here now.
Part of the story takes place with Em and Addy apart, part of the story takes place with the together. What I write will be spoiler for series, but not for this story. Heck, the first chapter title "gives it away". And so . . ..
Story opens on Emmie and Addy's wedding. They get married in a wheat field, apparently. Tam and Chris are there. As are Em's parents, brothers and in-laws. If anyone connected by blood to Addy was at the wedding, I didn't notice them being mentioned. Only thing I noticed was some off-hand comment about how Addy's father was quite angry at Em at some point. It's not actually mentioned, so I guess I just have to assume that Addy's family isn't "alright" with the marriage.
Right, so. They marry. Honeymoon. Shortly thereafter Em's off to London and Paris for a part in a movie, while Addy's back working on that show titled "Off Screen" (I never did mention the show, and not sure why I would now, as a reader should already know about - as in I hope no one's reading this here review before starting the series). The show involves two women in love with each other in the 1950s. It was a love letter from Addy to Em. Hollywood being Hollywood, the higher ups at the show forced Addy to add a man as a beard, a husband to one of the woman on the show. I mention all these to note 1) Addy has writers block; 2) a week into that block the higher ups come over and say that the man and woman married on the show will have an intimate moment. Addy is quite pissed off by the suggestion.
So, this story circles around (1) marriage; (2) whether or not Tam and Chris have some kind of relationship or not; (3) Addy and Em separated by work (first with Em in England and France, then later with Addy suddenly getting inspired to write something or other and therefore being something of a ghost in the house when Em returns); (4) problems with work, i.e., the show.
Another good addition to the series. More balanced this time, sex and story scenes. By the way, I know that what they have is "love" not "sex", and that Addy has several times noted how they don't have sex. I get it. I'm going to call it graphic sex as graphic love could be an intimate a candle light dinner, or anything and everything.
As I conclude the last story currently available in the series, and foresee a longish break before another story pops up, I note that if this had been packaged together as a book, I'd probably have rated the whole thing as 5 stars. As all the imbalances I kept noting in my reviews of other parts, would not have been there. Would have been a lovely coherent balanced story. As it is . . . I'm not really sure what I'm reading here. Was there some plan at some point re: serialized novel? Or was it always going to be a series of interconnected short stories? Long short stories. I think the shortest was about 80 pages. As of now, the whole work is 360 pages in length.
