Do You Feel What I Feel edited by Jae and Fletcher Delancey

Do you feel what I feel: A Holiday Anthology by Jae

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Book received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review

12 short stories by 12 different authors. A mix of authors who I have read before with authors who I have yet to sample. And a short story is something like a sample, an appetizer instead of a full meal. All 12 stories have a holiday theme. Not sure if that means that they all take place in December; all involve Christmas; or what exactly (ETA: I was going to adjust this after I read the anthology, but I still don't know if everything takes place in December, though I know not all involve Christmas). I know 4 have Christmas or Claus in the title. And one has lots of snow in the story itself, though never mentions Christmas or any holiday (though that's also the story with the ultra-right wing Christian fundamentalist family).

S. Claus by Blythe Rippon
North Pole, World Travel, Magic, Talking Caribou, Santa Claus; Solo POV

Selene Claus is Santa Claus' sister. She's quite jealous of Santa and sees him in a negative light. She plans to 'get back' at him by making him look bad in the eyes of the world. She plans to do that with magic, and a talking caribou - Rudolf's granddaughter Lara. Complicating Selene's plans is the appearance of Zaida, Santa's wife's sister.

There's not much to the story but I rather enjoyed it. I've slowly lowered my rating from my initial enthusiastic rating, and hopefully I'm 'close' to where I should be with my rating (should be as in my real rating for the story).

This is potentially an 'age gap' story, but Zaida's age was never given. If I understand correctly, Selene's about 100. 50 in a photo that might itself be 50 years old.

Rating: 4.88

This Thing by Jove Belle
Age Gap; Single Mother; Tattoo Artist; Reality Star; Multiple POV

I've gone the opposite direction with this story, raising the rating a little after my initial low rating.

So, there's this 'Beth' and a 'Willa'. Beth is a tattoo artist & Single mother who, on a dare, asked out a reality show star (who is also, presumably, at least 8 to ten years younger than her). That reality star being Willa. Who works in her parents gun shop and on her parent's reality show. Apparently they, the parents, signed up for this show when Willa was in high school. She's college age now (I forget if it was worded as 'college age' or 'in college now'), and so has more on-camera time. Which was apparently important to note in the story.

Willa's family is ultra-religious and conservative (I don't watch reality shows myself, but the few that I've heard mentioned, here or there, always seem to have that pattern - ultra-religious and conservative, at least the family focused ones (though even as I write this, several people pop into my brain - hard to know if they fit the pattern without watching the show, but I think there might be some that don't fit the pattern). Willa's ultra-guilty about spending time with Beth, but just loves doing so. Plus she also really loves guns.

I know I've mentioned something about age up above, giving the impression that we are reading about two mature fully functioning adults but . . . both of the main characters read as if they are lustful 15 year olds. Not even just because of their thoughts/words/actions between each other, but also their interactions with others. Like, for example, Beth seems weird in relation to her tattoo shop boss, oddly . . . wishing for her approval and feeling a couple of words expressed to her by this boss as if they were her 'graduation'. Weird.

I did not like the story, though I normally like the work I've read by this author.

Rating: 3.10

December 6 2017

Red Suits and Second Chances by Eve Frances
Office Party; Transgender: MtF; Toronto; Canada

An office has a Christmas party. Gina finds a coworker, Felicia, attractive but doesn't know if she should do anything with this thought. Gina is made aware of Felicia's thoughts. The end.

Rating: 3

December 6 2017

A Gift of Words by Patricia Penn
Boston, Demons

Something called the 'Fianna' defend humans against rival demons. Yet another story involving two women who find it 'wrong, but feels so good' to be with another woman 'that way'. bah. I looking for nice holiday stories, not guilt-tripping women tentatively pawing at each other, while knowing it's 'wrong'.

The two female demons stumble upon a Christmas fair in Boston while attempting to locate rival demons. While doing so, one becomes bedazzled by the decorations, while the other becomes shocked by watching two women publically kissing each other.

I believe the story might take some time around 1993? Well, I think some part of it is, and some other part is set in 1996.

I've no idea if this story is some kind of stand-alone, or if there is some series connected to it. It is quite . . . good though.

Rating: 4.94

December 6 2017

Snow, With a Chance of Love by B.A. Caldwell
Librarian, dog, snow-storm, Portland, Graduate Student, Humor

The story opens with a woman gazing about her torn up apartment. Her own apartment. That she herself tore up. Because she was looking for a missing library book. She starts putting stuff back together, sad that she can't find the book. Her dog wakes up and wanders over. She begins petting the dog then glances over to his bed. And spots the book in that bed. All chewed up.

There's a snow storm about to hit and the main character (it's easier to remember people's names and stuff if I don't read about 20 short stories in a row before being able to do reviews, mmphs) wants to get some entertainment from the library. Otherwise she'd put it off.

There's a good bit of humor here. And great chemistry between 'Dream Librarian' and the main character. Fun story.

Rating: 4.80

December 6 2017

Crossroads by Ruth F. Simon
Religion, Christianity, Family, stuff, Nurse, Accountant?

At the advanced age of 29 the main character in this story has come out to her family during Thanksgiving meal. At the part where everyone was supposed to go around saying what they were thankful for. Whereupon her father very aggressively lectured her and told her to leave and never return until she has repented her ways. Her father, by the way, is a Pastor.

Lots of conservative religious people in this collection.

Right, so, that was prior to the start of this story - that revelation and banishment. Now father has cancer and the main character is the only one capable of taking the time to try to help. And she tries to do so.

Meanwhile, because hey why not, that main character struck up a friendship with one of the nurses in the hospital, and there may or may not be more there (it's hinted at).

Rating: 3.33

December 6 2017

More than a Holiday Romance by Chris Zett
30s; Advent Calendar; Doctor; Professor

For 12 years two women traveled together during the summer as travel friends and fuck buddies. At least from end of college to before last summer. When one of the two had wanted to have an important discussion and the other cancelled at the last minute.

Now the one who cancelled has been sending postcards from their trips as a kind of Advent calendar kind of thing. And the other isn't sure how to handle things.

Interesting story.

Rating: 4.35

December 6 2017

We Wish You A Merry Christmas by Lyn Thorne-Adler
Fantasy; Christmastime; Elves?

I've literally no clue how to rate this story. It just . . what the . . . what did I just read?

Rating: WTF?

December 6 2017

Sadie and Rosa by Alison Solomon
Hanukkah, 70s, Family

Two old Jewish women fight over coming out to their family.

While it is nice to see another religion in the mix, the story itself was just average.

Rating: 3.20

December 7 2017

Kicker's Christmas by Lois Cloarec Hart
1917, Canada

This and the next story in the collection would probably have been better read after reading the book/series associated with them. I'm sure both could have been 'neat' and or 'interesting' additions - additions to the story. But both were crowded with people - one even had an odd little brief POV jump to one of the side characters for like 2 seconds that I'm sure is better understood by those who have read the series - and both had story lines that add to the original series/books instead of being stories all by themselves (for the most part, both could be read by themselves, both, though, seem tightly tied to previous works that I've not read).

This specific story here involved Kicker and . . . um, I think it's Maddie preparing dinner, learning of Clarence being hasseled for not being in the war (which pisses off Pudge), though he's not off fighting because of a heart condition not because he is a coward; Seamus arrives, mentions there's a guy at the train station, the women wander off to get him, etc. etc. Oh, and Kicker and Maddie think of their life together.

If you enjoyed this short story, you might want to read Lois Cloarec Hart's Kicker's Journey, the novel in which Kicker and Madelyn met and fell in love.

Rating: 3.43

Just a Normal Christmas by Caren J. Werlinger
Christmas; Big party, Cats

As noted above, this story is also a continuation of a series/book.

The story opens with Jules and Kelli arriving back at their home after a longish journey - they'd spent Thanksgiving with Mae, Brooke (don't recall if it actually is Brooke or not) and Ronnie. Jules has invited that gang to pop over for Christmas. And, before the story is over, many more pop over, including Kelli's dad, sister, coworker Toni, and friend Donna. Toni being the super clumsy klutz, while Donna's the one who briefly gets a turn at the POV controls (and recently finalized her separation with . . . whoever she broke up with, Elaine or something like that).

Interesting good story. Best part were Holly and Mistletoe. The cats.

If you enjoyed this short story, you might want to read Caren Werlinger's Turning for Home, the novel which introduced Jules, Kelli, and their family and friends.

Rating: 3.75

December 7 2017

Chatting with Charlie by Catherine Lane
Gym Teacher

A gym teacher reflects on her life and is super depressed until a former student gives a speech.

Rating: 3.12

December 7 2017

OVERALL
S. Claus by Blythe Rippon: 4.88
This Thing by Jove Belle: 3.10
Red Suits and Second Chances by Eve Frances: 3.00
A Gift of Words by Patricia Penn: 4.94
Snow, With a Chance of Love by B.A. Caldwell: 4.8
Crossroads by Ruth F. Simon: 3.33
More than a Holiday Romance by Chris Zett: 4.35
We Wish You A Merry Christmas by Lyn Thorne-Adler: WTF?
Sadie and Rosa by Alison Solomon: 3.2
Kicker's Christmas by Lois Cloarec Hart: 3.43
Just a Normal Christmas by Caren J. Werlinger: 3.75
Chatting with Charlie by Catherine Lane: 3.12
Overall: 3.8072727272727272727272727272727

So, top three reads: 1) A Gift of Words by Patricia Penn: 4.94; 2) S. Claus by Blythe Rippon: 4.88 & 3) Snow, With a Chance of Love by B.A. Caldwell: 4.80

Sadly, in terms of finding new authors to read, I've already read all but one of Rippon's books, Penn has just one more short story in a different collection for me to read, and Caldwell, apparently, has nothing at all else I could read. mmphs.

December 7 2017



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Love at First Write by Jae

Love at First Write by Jae

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Book received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review

This anthology contains four short stories written by Jae. All four stories involve at least one writer, some involve two (like the first story, 'Romance Bet', involves a reporter and a best-selling romance author). One of the four stories is also part of a series, the Shape-Shifter series. And at least one of the short stories has been previously published prior to this collection - 'Sex Sells' previously appeared in Finding Ms Write.

The Romance Bet
Reporter, Romance Writer, Bet, Solo POV

Story consists of a reporter talking with a romance writer. The reporter has never read a romance book, at least not a contemporary romance book, and is disdainful of the genre. She accidentally lets this information slip while talking to the romance author. One thing leads to another and a bet is made - since 'anyone' can write a romance novel, the reporter has a month to do so. Well, a novella - for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), since that requires 'only' 50,000 words for 'victory' (and 50,000 words, apparently, is a novella not a novel, despite the November writing event being called a novel writing event). 50,000 is, roughly depending on different factors, about 125.6 pages (if the font size is 12, font is Times New Roman, and there's single spacing (all other factors the same, Comic Sans would make it a 141.9 page book; Arial - 111.1 pages; Calibri - 105.1 pages; Courier - 138.1 pages; Verdana - 134.7 pages; it would be neat if I could write those little factoids in the font I'm writing about, but I don't know how).

Distracted myself with the idea of reading a 50,000 word book written entirely in Comic Sans. Where was I?

Oh, right, so a bet is made. The journalist, who has never even read a romance book, will write one in a month. because 'anyone' can.

Interesting enough story. I didn't really like either character, but interesting enough story.

Rating: 3.78

December 6 2017

Sex Sells
This is the story I'd previously read. I'll insert here the review I'd written for that read.

Writer, Editor, Solo POV
A woman is in public talking on the phone – specifically with her editor. She’s thinking of how to kill someone (then saying so loudly – again in public). Editor mentions something about how those books that include romance tend to sell a lot more copies than books like what the author currently writes (mysteries). They discuss this. Then fumbling over what a ‘date’ means.

Neat story. I want more stories involving these two characters. I like them. Sadly this is more of a snippet than anything else. It’s not even really a full short story. More of a snippet.

Rating: 4.15

January 18 2017

Rating: 4.50

December 6 2017

Overall rating: 4.325

The Snow Liger
Writer, Investigator, Shifter, Solo POV

Griffin, the liger shifter, and Jorie, the writer, live in snowy Michigan - as the story puts it, it's either snow time or it's about to snow time in Upper Peninsula Michigan. This is another story snippet as opposed to full length short story, but it's quite good and interesting. And, frankly, probably a lot more interesting for someone who has read the first book in the series than someone who's read nothing in the Shape-Shifter series. There just are 'things' that need to be known that aren't reinforced, that are just touched on. Like, for example, this story mentions that Jorie is a Dream Seer - said in passing in the same way that the next story happens to mention that one of the characters can read the other character's mind - said in a joking manner not to be taken seriously, I mean. Except, Jorie is in fact a Dream Seer. She can 'see' things through dreams.

The fact that Griffin is a liger (her father is a lion shifter, her mother is a tiger shifter; they don't actually use those words, but other words something like Puwar for the tiger shifter . . . or something like that) and therefore has cat like tendencies is probably something a reader new to the series can pick up relatively quickly.

But still, more of a nice little glimpse into the further lives of Griffin and Jorie for those who've read the series instead of an introduction for new readers into the series.

Rating: 4.48

December 6 2027

Blind Date at the Booklover's Lair
Writer, Hypnotherapist, Bookstore, Blind Dates, Solo POV

It is rather unfortunate that this story starts off with me disliking it out of the gate. Why? Because I really, and I mean really, dislike that pushy 'best friend' who barges in and demands that the main character go on a date. A blind date. In an hour. This is the same best friend who had set her up on a date a month ago with someone horrible; and had previously set her up with Lisa, the main character's horrible ex. I really dislike Chi Lo.

Well, no matter, that was relatively easily gotten past.

The main character has two names, one of the reasons I keep calling her 'main character' - she uses a pen name on her books, and then there's her actual name. Though it's something like the difference between Tricia and Trisha (or Trish). I'm going on and on because I couldn't actually remember the main character's name. heh. mmphs. Right, on with it.

Chi has set Tricia up on a date at Tricia's favorite bookstore. She's to meet a Jenny in the LGBT section and she'd be holding a particular author's book (not Trish) - and that's how she'd know her. And so that's what happens - Tricia very reluctantly changes and goes to the bookstore. Scopes out the woman in the LGBT section. Finally wanders over and introduces herself - they have coffee, etc. etc.

I wish to learn more of Jen and Tricia's story. Was a great humorous story.

Rating: 4.78

December 6 2017

OVERALL
The Romance Bet: 3.8
Sex Sells: 4.15 + 4.50 = 8.65/2= 4.325*
The Snow Liger: 4.48
Blind Date at the Booklover's Lair: 4.78
Overall rating: 4.34625

* admittedly I was going for the 4.33 overall rating, so I put down whatever would get me there for the second read rating.



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Love Spell by Bridget Essex

Love Spell: Tales of Love and Desire by Bridget Essex

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a collection of previously released short stories, most of which (all but one) had been released separately on their own previous to this publication (and some had appeared in other single author anthologies . . . I think).

I've read two of the stories previously, 'Moon Dance', and 'Falling for Summer'.

Moon Dance
Outdoors, shifters, wilderness, Halloween

A woman visits a cabin in the woods where she had . . um . . I don't really remember now. Just that two women had been a couple, one poofed, turns up again (view spoiler)[as a werewolf (hide spoiler)].

I originally rated this story a rating of 3.6 back when I read it in the anthology Wicked.

At the time, my review for the story was:

Camping, Werewolf, Shifter

Essex sure is obsessed with wolves.

So, a couple are perfect for each other - they've been together for awhile. One night, around Halloween, one of the pair darts off on a run through the woods (they had been camping). When she finally gets back, she's flustered, and immediately packs up. Forces a return trip home, packs up there was well, severs all contacts, and disappears.

It's a year later, and the other member of that coupling (former coupling), is at that same park again. For more camping (by the way - I'm fairly certain the word 'camping' was used several times - yet the campers apparently 'camp' inside of cabins. Confusing). I guess 'cabining' isn't a thing. Or, I mean, a word.

The woman, naturally, is sad. Stuff happens (including graphic sex - between two women). The end.

Not the best wolf story I've read by Essex.

The Halloween Party
Halloween, Possible Vampire, age-32

A woman has spent a good deal of time being dateless, sexless (well, I mean, without sexual relations), and busy working at her internet advertising firm she owns and runs. She's both not had luck with dating (prior ex hooked back up with the ex-girlfriends ex; one before turned out to 'actually be straight'; one before that said something along the lines of 'it's not you, it's me' (I might have the order wrong); and not have time to date. So, it's been a year.

Her friend, Genevieve, is super into Halloween, to the point she has year-round decorations up (reminding me of another Essex character who had year-round Christmas decorations up) - but it is actually Halloween now and she's throwing a massive party and wants Sam, the main character, to come to the party. Sam's super reluctant but finally gives in. One of her excuses involved not having a costume, which is how she ended up 'borrowing' Gen's vampire countess costume (which has a super short skirt, horrifying to Sam but . . . she wears it anyway).

Three seconds after arrival, Sam has torn her skirt - so she pops into the bathroom looking for some way to pin up the skirt. A few seconds before the skirt accident Sam had been eyeballing another woman 'from across the room' (that old cliché). Before you can say 'squirrel', the bathroom door opens, that other woman makes some kind of 'oops' noise, then continues in and closes the door. She indicates she has some pins that she can lend Sam. Seconds after the door closes (actually, now that I think about it, she might have closed the door before realizing someone else was in there), it is determined that the door is now stuck - that they are now stuck in the bathroom.

They, Madison (that other woman), and Sam have a passionate graphic sexual encounter in said bathroom. Repeatedly Sam makes a comment, in her brain not outloud, about how cold Madison's skin is. And how sharp her teeth are. And how non-reflective her body is in mirrors (as in, not appearing in mirrors). Oh, and Madison is also wearing a vampire costume.

Fun times.

4.25

The New Year's Party
Boston, Holidays, New Years, Writer

A writer whose relationship with a woman named Shane broke apart 10 months ago is dreading going to her sister's New Year's Party because her sister invited Shane to the party. She, the writer, has decided not to go to the party . . . wait - when I say 'writer' I don't mean that this is the person narrating the story to us "I walked outside" . . . no, I mean that Juliane is, by profession, a writer, and I couldn't remember how to spell her name so was trying to use something else to identify her by. Right, sorry. Juliane had decided not to go the party, but decides to get some hard liquor. Runs into someone who will be at the party, gets talked into going to the party. It's snowing hard in Boston. Stuff happens. The end.

Point of confusion 1) It's probably my reading, but I initially read it as Shane and Juliane had been together for 10 years, then later learned it was just three months they were in constant arguing fights, sorry, relationship. When I'd misread things and thought that it had been a 10 year relationship, I thought the sister was stepping over the line in inviting Shane, but ... there are ways to see that being vaguely . . . acceptable - but inviting Shane to your party, making your own sister uncomfortable, because of a 3 month relationship that had occurred 10 months ago? Really? Fuck her (the sister). 2) if the author had intended for the reader's emotions to be impacted by this story, good job. Waves of rage and anger probably weren't the emotions intended though, but whatever.

I did not like this story.

Rating: 0.5 stars

November 25 2017

The Valentine's Day Party
Boston, sub-teacher, second-chances, rainy/muddy, dog, sexually explicit, 20s, Valentine's Day

Two people knew each other at college. They hooked up for a week - then one realized 'oops, my parents are right, I'm straight'. They meet up again 7 years later when both are called in to sub teach the same class (an accidental double booking). They teach, it's valentine's day, one says 'for real' way too much, other is a condescending bitch. They have sex. The end.

Rating: 3.15

November 2 2017

Falling for Summer: A Novella
Romance/erotica/age difference/small town/sexually explicit

A woman, Amanda, returns to Lake George NY where her sister drowned when Amanda was 17. It's 20 years later.

There's stories that a masked serial killer has been terrorizing the area and campers. Seemingly targeting people in the middle of sex. Amanda gets 'busy' with her dead sister's best friend, suddenly . . .

Wait, no that's Jason and Friday the Thirteenth, not this story. There is a dead person, and Amanda does get 'busy' with the dead sister's best friend, but there are no serial killers in this story.

I read this story in 2015. I have not yet reread it. I probably won't. I originally gave this story some super high rating (close to 5 stars), then kept picking at the rating. At the moment I see that the story rests on my 4.25 shelf.

Original review:

I don't actually recall if the other main characters in the stories I've read by Essex are as unstable emotionally as they have been in the two stories I've read today, but I've a vague recollection that it is something of a theme (one was a lonely woman, waiting for her knight in shining armor, other was a woman in a bad relationship, tired of being taken for granted). Not so much unstable, just overly emotional. Maybe. Well, the one in Wolf Queen was. And the one in this one is. Though both have their reasons for their unstableness. I'm not sure unstableness is a word.

So, Amanda has returned to her home town after 20 years. To punish herself. It's been twenty years since her sister died. When the sister was ten, and Amanda was 17. For a while Amanda had monthly nightmares. Recently it's been weekly. She blames herself deeply for the issue. So, naturally, she's overly emotional.

So, this overally emotional woman arrives at Lake George to mourn her sister Tiffany, and punish herself. Arrives to find a woman slide out of the water and grin at her. Then realizes and or remembers that Summer, the name of the woman, was one of Tiffany's friends. So she's abrupt and rude to Summer. And bitchy.

hmms. I guess this is the sex one. Read two stories by Essex today. Both released this month. The other lacked graphic sexual activities. Unless I just missed them somehow. heh. This one isn't lacking said graphic activities.

hehe. Oops. Accidentally started laughing during the sex scene. Then continued, maybe, because I had started laughing. "Summer tastes of exactly that: summer. She tastes of green grasses . . ." and that's when I started laughing. She tastes like grass. Like . . . grass. hehehehehehe. How'd the rest of the sentence go? Don't know yet. Haven't been able to read it yet. hehehehe. Moooo. 'ooh, you taste . . taste like *licks, gobbles* ooh, like like grass, lovely grass . . ..' Bah. I be insane.

Bah. Another long drawn out story about how being gay in a small town was just not done and . . blah blah blah. mmphs. I just read that. I don't need to read it again. Even if it is true to life, I don't need to keep reading it over and over again.

Sugar Moon: A Novella
Wolves, Shifters

A group of travellers - wanderers who . . . um . . wander, are named the Maja. One of them, Elise, is heading towards the place where the Maja meet up with each other once every month.

Along the way she feels like she's being watched, flees, stops by a lake, strips naked and floats in cold lake water, is almost drowned by the ghost of her mother who whispers things about 'listen'; meets another woman who seems incapable of saying anything but 'listen' (okay, not really, but she also says it repeatedly) . . . and other stuff happen.

Also there are wolves and werewolves.

Rating: 3.88

November 22 2017

Ratings:
Moon Dance - n/a (if I use my first reading rating, this would be 3.6)
Halloween Party - 4.25
New Year's Party - 0.50
Valentine's Day Party - 3.15
Falling for Summer - n/a (if I use my first reading rating, this would be 3.75)
Sugar Moon - 3.88
Overall:
counting the prior read ratings: 3.188
not counting prior reads: 2.945

This book confuses me. I entered it expecting werewolves, or, at least, something relating to fantasy. Oh, and romance, of course. What did I get? Two out of six stories involve werewolves (first and last story). One story involves vampires. The rest? Just plain contemporary lesbian fiction romances. No fantasy elements in those other three stories.

Disappointing, especially as the book itself says 'Escape into the magical, passionate pages of LOVE SPELL." Oh, and no, there are no love spells in this book.

Story 1: Moon Dance - camping, one of the people involved is a werewolf.
Story 2: The Halloween Party - vampires. fantasy stuff.
Story 3: The New Year's Party - contemporary romance set at New Year's Eve time. No fantasy stuff.
Story 4: The Valentine's Day Party - contemporary romance set at Valentine's day time. No fantasy stuff.
Story 5: Falling for Summer - contemporary romance involving a woman and a much younger woman who was the best friend to the other woman's now dead sister. No fantasy stuff.
Story 6: Sugar Moon - mix of witch and werewolf in same story. Has fantasy stuff. (basically this one story fulfills that 'werewolves, witches, and more!' from the synopsis, though that kind of implied that all of the stories would be 'magical'.

November 25 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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All You Can Eat: A Buffet of Lesbian Romance and Erotica

All You Can Eat: A Buffet of Lesbian Romance and Erotica by R.G. Emanuelle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Appetizers

Fresh Fruit by Ashley Bartlett
CA

A woman lingers near an orange tree. Starring at it. Because part of it is hanging over public property, and therefore free to be sampled (the part over public property). But the owner of the tree keeps removing the oranges before they are ripe. So the main character is standing there. Starring.

A voice behind her calls out. Wants to know what she's doing there. Writing reviews of stories would be easier if I remembered people's names. mmphs. Right, well, the main character and the non-main character are both of the 'boi-ish' type of lesbian set. And they have a quite interesting time exploring the concept of whether or not they are both interested in the other while one tells the other about 'fruit maps' (apparently fruit hanging over public property is 'fair game' to be 'gathered').

Rating: 4.62

20170604

The Luscious Tarte aux Fraises by Historia
HF, France

Not sure exactly when this story occurred, but it occurred at some point in time in France. In a time when a 'Gypsy girl' would be hanged until dead . . . potentially only because she was just too pretty (the woman in the pillory has that thought - that she didn't have any real idea why the woman was hanged, beyond the fact that people have a tendency to destroy any and everything that is pretty and/or brings joy to people).

Right, so, the main character spends the entirety of the story locked in a pillory in France for the crime of theft (she stole a pie because she knew that it was the kind her female friend likes and she wanted to make her smile). The woman is married and has a child. She also has these odd feelings for her friend, Jeanette (she, the main character, being Marie - if I'm remembering correctly). And, apparently, Jeanette might have some of these similar feelings.

sex - sex between two people did not occur in this story. I word that in the way that I did because a certain amount of . . . self-pleasure occurred (and I word that that way because the self-pleasure occurred by a person locked in a pillory .. . which makes self-pleasure difficult).

Rating: 4.89

20170604

Whining and Dining by Jae

The main character comes from a long line of great cooks, but is herself the kind who might accidentally burn down the house just by looking at her stove. The story opens with that woman calling up a friend for help - apparently she's told someone that she can, in fact, cook and well . . she needs help.

The friend comes over. Stuff happens. And the chemistry between the two burned off the pages and made my fingers warm . . . wait, I read this story on an electronic device, I probably should check to see why it is overheating.

Good solid abrupt story.

sex: Barring people's thoughts about lingering looks at asses and kissing, nothing of an actual sexual nature occurs in this story.

Rating: 4.88

20170604

Burn by Rebekah Weatherspoon
married, partner drama

I know what writing looks like when it is in first, second, and third person point of view. But . . . I have no idea what I just read is called. The main character is a hard working woman who is married to another woman. There's trouble in the relationship, though, because main character is kind of an asshole - the kind who takes out outside problems on a spouse (like a bad day) while also riding the spouse about certain things (like looking for work). That main character, who I'm sure was given a name though I didn't catch it if I did get given it - is, as noted, the main point of view - which is in first person ('I didn't like seeing you cry . . . .').

And that right there, that sample, is what confuses me. There's one point of view in the short work - the first person character. Two other characters 'appear' in the story - the wife, and the sister of the wife. The wife? Gets talked about as 'you'. No, not ''I told you that I don't like cheetos!'' but in a 'I didn't like seeing you cry . . . ' way. The first example is conversation, the second is the main character thinking of their wife . . . as you.

What the bloody hell is that described as? The story is a mix of first and second point of view . . . except the second isn't a real point of view. Nothing is from that second point of view - everything is from the asshole working spouse, nothing from the out of work spouse (the 'you' in the story).

It bloody annoyed me, like nails running down a chalk board annoyed me, to read passage after passage that included 'you'. I'M NOT IN THE FUCKING STORY! Get me out of your fucking story.

Right, so, that's the last one I read in this specific reading session and ends this section of the book (the first section of the book).

sex - nudity and the state of arousal of the other party was indicated. Stripping of underwear occurred. No actual sex is graphically described, though 'sex' was about to happen when the story concluded.

Rating: 1.50

20270604

Entrées
Tomato Lady by Cheyenne Blue
Australia, farmer

A story set in Australia starring a woman called the 'Tomato Lady', Sadie, and Erica. Sadie is the star of the show, as in point of view. She and Erica have created a friendship of sorts and this story here is about whether it might go further (like finding out if Erica actually likes women sexually).

First problem for that 'anything more' was already stated - Sadie can't tell if Erica is really flirting with her or not. Second problem? Erica's a sophisticated looking lady drives a Lexus while Sadie is continuously dirt covered - with some parts permanently 'stained', and tends to wear clothing that isn't the best (since tomato's stain) - like when she's telling this to herself (or the reader) - she's wearing barely there cut-off shorts (forget the exact wording now, something like bareist as possible or . . no that's not even a word) and a singlet.

I've no real idea of the ages of the people in this story though, based on the story, Sadie can't be that young - needing time to buy, build up tomato place to point of being 'Tomato Lady'; and Erica keeps repeatedly being described as being 'older' (older than what, dirt?).

sex - vague recollection that I first became aware of this author from seeing their name in erotica story collections. I believe. On the other hand, after reading the introduction, I wasn't really sure what to expect erotic-wise with 'Entree' stories (since the heat is supposed to build from one section to the next).

I suppose it depends on levels of graphicness, what people expect, or something like that. Seemed somewhat more descriptive waxing lyrically about an orgasm than the sex act itself. I mean, there's a bare white breast, some fingers did some stuff (I think). Lots of kissing, I know. Very vague impression given that one 'went down' on the other - and I mean very very vague.

I've read sex acts where I've no clue what is going on, and I've mentioned that in the past, but in those occasions it was because I literally hadn't a clue what all the limbs, body parts, and the like being tossed around were actually doing (didn't help, in one occasion, that people were talking and the author had one of the characters cock their head, so now I had a cock in there as well). Here? Well, not a flurry of body parts, no. More just super vagueness. Got the impression that sex occurred.

Rating: 3.73

20170605

East Meets West by Karis Walsh
Cowgirl (Rancher), Indian (from India), Doctor, Texas (San Antonio)

A classic cowboy and indian story set in Texas. Except the cowboy is a cowgirl (or at least a rancher), the Indian is someone from India, and I do not actually know what 'a classic cowboy and indian story' would be.

Rena followed her parents/family's 'advice' until she couldn't any longer - until she was in the USA with a medical degree and now they wanted her to come home to become a housewife in an arranged marriage. So she finally defied her family (though that might be wording things wrong, since she 'had no problem' with the advice about her life goals until it clashed with her desire to not be in an arranged marriage, not go to all that trouble for an advanced degree/education only to abandon it once married, and her desire to be with women not men). And so now she's there in San Antonio Texas. Estranged from her family.

While on one of her rare outings with co-workers (her issue - she'd rather be home), Rena notices several things - yet another restaurant in Texas that just had to have chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy on the menu, gorgeous woman. Rena takes a long look at this woman, long look. Until she spotted that woman getting the chicken fried steak - but hey she's still ggg . . the woman is saluting her with her drink. And so Rena returns to her group, estranged from her family, still lacking confidence to actually do anything with women.

Liz, the rancher woman wearing the old boots with the silver chain on them, followed Rena when she left with her group. Introduces herself, sets up a date. Then a date occurred.

Sex - graphic, interesting. Somewhat surprising considering - first date, timing of the 'pounce', etc.

Rating: 4.48

20170605

Dessert Platter by Victoria Oldham
Public Nudity, Objectification, Blindfold, Audience

Names, jobs, careers are not important in this story, sure names were given, some physical characteristics were also given (much more important), and some information on the current status of the relationship (still new . . . though it's been 'months').

I'm confused as to why this story in particular is in the Entree section. The entirety of the story is eroticism, graphic - very graphic eroticism. Public nudity, public . . . touching/groping/teasing/and yes, sex. Plus private sex.

Something about my tags:
Public Nudity - two girlfriends meet at a classy upscale brand new lesbian restaurant. Super high class, super high quality. One of the girlfriends, the lead in the story, Teresa, hurried to her girlfriend, Cree, who she spotted talking to a chef. The chef wanders away. Teresa and Cree talk. During which Cree causally runs her hands along Teresa's body, and . . . does something or other to the nipple (what, a bunch of other stuff occurred as, I just recall 'something' occurring out there in the dining area where Cree pinched, teased, touched, caressed or otherwise did something to Teresa's nipple). Mind, Teresa and Cree are meeting in the open in the restaurant (I'm not exactly sure where, in the dining area?).

Teresa and Cree talk, as noted, then Cree leads Teresa back to a private room set up a little oddly. Well, table, chairs, lots of pillows. Cree then blindfolds and strips Teresa completely naked and puts her onto the table because one of her fantasies is to eat Teresa. Actually, that was a fantasy, but the reason 'we' are all here is because Cree has a fantasy of watching group activity.

Public nudity? Wasn't I supposed to be talking about that? But they are in a private room, so . . .. Shortly after Teresa is in her position stretched out on her back on the table, naked and blindfolded, people come in. Or the sound of people. Then stuff beings happening to Teresa's body - as in plates and stuff are getting placed on her. But I just wanted to note the public nudity part not convey the entire story here.

Oh, I went to put more tags down here in the review section and I notice I already covered all of them. Public nudity - women stripped in public setting with an audience; objectification - woman is used as a 'serving tray' - and at one point the blindfold is removed and Teresa looks around, and realizes that people aren't really looking at her. She's just where the desert had been resting; blindfold and audience are kind of obvious.

Sex - see the entirety of my review above. Or - yes there is sex, graphic detailed sex. More eroticism though depending on definitions. And what counts as sex.

I probably rated this story quite poorly, right? I mean I noted that names and all that didn't matter. Given, not matter. Then proceed to mention how the story is basically just a really long erotic scene filled with eroticism of an erotic nature (okay, I failed, I wanted to use various phrases of that word but . . . failed). Well, let's look down to see what I rated this story *points down*

Rating: 5.25

20170605

Appetizing by Cheri Crystal
Nurse, Butcher

A woman visits a supermarket/deli. Spots a mouth-watering gorgeous woman behind the counter. Drools a little. Can't keep her eyes from wandering lustfully over the woman's curves, plump ass, full breasts. While falling into her eyes the woman realizes that the counter/butcher woman is also checking her out and rather aggressively flirting with her.

That woman behind the counter writes her number on Reba's package of meat (I only recall Reba's a little scene that occurred wherein Jackylyn (sp?) asked Reba what her name meant, looked it up online and came back with an answer that made Reba think of bondage and whether or not the comments being made might include that in actuality). Stuff. (ran out of characters while writing this mini-review)

Rating: 3.65

20170608

Sugar and ’Shine by Andi Marquette
PoC, Alabama

While painting the place she'd be selling shortly, a woman from her past drives up. Both had feelings for the other in high school - neither expressed it. Probably because Sunny had been seeing, not dating but 'seeing' Antoinette, Alexia's sister. Sunny being the painting one, Alexia being the woman who drove up. Alexia is also the woman of color and the one from the rich part of town (while Sunny comes from the poor part of town).

Both are back in town briefly for a class reunion. Both wiggle next to each other.

Sex: There's at least kissing but I forget now how graphic things got. Hazard of reading, making note of my rating, then not actually doing my mini-review until days later.

Rating: 3.32

20170608

Dessert
Vanilla Extract by Jove Belle
chef

Two women have a second date (one isn't clear if the first 'date' can be called a first date or not). They had meet at a wedding - one of the character's (Elana) brother married her ex-girlfriend. The other woman was there as the caterer (Kelly).

Kelly arrives at Elana's place, to start the story, to find that Elana wanted to 'return the favor', or something like that. In that Kelly feed Elana cake. So Elana is attempting to make a cake - poorly. Kelly is quite horrified to see that Elena is using cake mix and imitation vanilla extract (and other cheap products). So one thing leads to another and . . . they end up at a store to get 'the correct ingredients'.

Back at Elana's place, stuff being mixed (by hand), oven on, cooking begins . . . when suddenly one pounces on the other and they almost burn the place down.

One 'issue' that I'm not sure is an issue or not - the P.O.V. seemed to switch between Elana and Kelly somewhat randomly. I mean, one second you are inside Elana's head as she's frantically attempting to figure out how to remove her own pants, then gasping as she feels fingers; the next you are in Kelly's head (not sure if they specifically switched right there but that's what I mean by random switches).

Sex: Wild passionate graphic sex occurs.

Rating: 4.73

20170605

Smorgasbord by R.G. Emanuelle
Artist, writer food column

An artist, Renee, messes around on an art project. She's quite frustrated with it - there just seems to be something 'off'. So she takes a break and goes to an art show that she didn't really want to go to but will distract her.

While at the party, Renee spots an attractive woman out in the garden area. Proceeds to leave, get food, bring food back and introduce herself to the woman by offering to feed her. Delilah Ramsey, food columnist, is the other woman.

I'm not 100% sure how this occurred, exactly, I mean it seemed like a sudden and odd line of events, but one thing leads to another and Delilah is now naked on Renee's table. Being 'painted' with food. As part of Renee's project.

Sex: graphic depictions of a sexual nature do occur.

Rating: 4.36

20170605

Crème Brûlée by Sacchi Green

Two older women reconnect after a year apart.

Rating: 3.12

20170608

Turn the Tables by Yvonne Heidt
HF, Rome, Gladiatrix, Senator's Wife

A Senator's wife, who is more powerful than her husband (because of who her father is), has an arrangement with her husband. She plays with women, he has his own secrets.

The story opens from the point of view of 'The Lioness' (Leonita) down on an arena floor. Having just defeated/killed her opponent. Her last fight. For her benefactor, that senator's wife (Flavia), has purchased The Lionesses freedom.

A mix of eroticism, romance, and graphic displays of sex. Mixed further by seduction through sensual eating.

Flavia's body tightened, her toes curled, and she reached a space where there was no thought, only colors and feelings

sex: Yes. Graphic and intense.

Rating: 5.5

20170608

OVERALL
Fresh Fruit by Ashley Bartlett: 4.62
The Luscious Tarte aux Fraises by Historia: 4.89
Whining and Dining by Jae: 4.88
Burn by Rebekah Weatherspoon: 1.50
Tomato Lady by Cheyenne Blue: 3.73
East Meets West by Karis Walsh : 4.48
Dessert Platter by Victoria Oldham: 5.25
Appetizing by Cheri Crystal: 3.65
Sugar and ’Shine by Andi Marquette: 3.32
Vanilla Extract by Jove Belle : 4.73
Smorgasbord by R.G. Emanuelle: 4.36
Crème Brûlée by Sacchi Green: 3.12
Turn the Tables by Yvonne Heidt: 5.5


Overall
: 4.156153846153846



View all my reviews

Behind the Mask: A Superhero Anthology

Behind the Mask: A Superhero Anthology by Tricia Reeks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in return for a fair review.*

Holy Angst Batman! This sure is an angsty bunch of stories. Super depressing. Anyone who decides to become a hero is stupid (judging by these stories). These are stories of the lives behind the mask. The mask of superheroes. Turns out superheroes have crappy lives, who knew, eh (maybe anyone who has watched most superhero movies and seen how angsty and depressing superheroes are)?

Cat Rambo: Ms. Liberty Gets a Haircut
FF; All Female Super Team

A group of all female superheroes boredly do stuff. Like bicker amongst themselves, interview potential new team members, fight others (and have the fight be basically described in the story in the super exciting way of one liners like 'fought parallel versions of ourselves').

One is a cyborg, another is an alien, another is a shape-shifting blob, another is 'the brain', etc. Two of them flirt with the idea of dating each other and then do. Hence my 'FF' tag.

Rating: 3.21

April 13 2017

Kate Marshall: Destroy the City with Me Tonight
Amnesia; Mental Illness; Forgetfulness

Apparently superheroes and super villains are a disease. A virus. One that can be sexually transmitted. And, as seems to be a common theme in this book based on the few stories I've read so far, being a superhero or villain is a super depressing angsty life to have. A curse, not a benefit.

Rating: 3.12

April 13 2017

Keith Frady: Fool
Super villain; mad scientist; secret lair; Tropical Island; volcano; robots

Just in case you didn't know - superheroes aren't the only ones with crappy, depressing, angsty lives - super villains also are super depressing people. The one here. Dr. Entropy who lives in a volcano on a tropical island building 'death machines' and stuff like that (also robots). He's inches away from pushing a giant red button that may or may not actually be connected to anything, though he believes that if he pushes it he will end all life on earth (well, at least human life). He is weirdly reluctant to push the button, though, and keeps monologuing. And doing even more monologuing. While starring up to see if anyone will stop him. Then more monologuing.

Rating: 3.03

April 13 2017

Seanan McGuire: Pedestal
Paparazzi

Paparazzi really are scum of the earth.

A young superhero attempts to go out in civilian clothing to get some stuff, like ice cream. You know normal human level stuff. She's afraid to go out, though, because, like how I started this mini-review, paparazzi are scum - as in, there are people who will thrust cameras in her face and take her picture.

Well, a blogger stops inches from her in the ice cream aisle and taunts her, then takes her photo. Posts it. Then, because the blogger left 'location' on - a giant squid appears and starts destroying the supermarket and the superhero has to fight the giant squid. Meanwhile the blogger continues to taunt her. Because, well - scum of the earth and stuff. I can seriously see an advantage of being a super-villain in this universe. I wanted to rip the blogger's balls off.

Of note: I believe this story falls within the same universe as McGuire's superhero series (Velveteen vs.).

Rating: 3.45

April 13 2017

Aimee Ogden: As I Fall Asleep
Mental Illness; Background LGBT Character*

A woman destroys a secret lab. Smashing computers and stuff. Beating up her former side-kick who, it appears, has turned traitor.

Story reminded me of one I'd read by Jude McLaughlin, the one where a reporter interviews an old retired superhero. Well no reporters here. Just an old ex-superhero with diminished mental abilities due to aging.

* The other woman in the story mentions how she had been on a date with a cute woman when she had to get involved in the action in this story

Rating: 3.7

April 13 2017

Jennifer Pullen: Meeting Someone in the 22nd Century or Until the Gears Quit Turning
Cyborg

A man meets a woman. Flirts. Dates. Marries. Time passes. Babies attempted to be born - fail. More time passes. Kind of both boring and annoying.

My greatest problem with this story is the part where it is set in the future and there kept being little comments here and there like 'what do you expect, hover-chairs, just because we live in the future?' Um, you don't live in the future; you live in your own present. But, meh, whatever. Close behind that 'greatest problem' would be the blunt style of the story. (Then there's the part where no superheroes are actually characters in the story).

Rating: 3.0

April 13 2017

Michael Milne: Inheritance
PoC, Family

A boy of a failed marriage grows older. His mother is an accountant. His father is . . . a superhero (and mostly absent father). The boy himself has 'inherited' super powers himself and attempts to fit in as best as he can. The mother, divorced from the father, dates others, marries others, many others. The end.

Rating: 3.39

April 13 2017

Lavie Tidhar: Heroes
Berlin, Spies, Cold War

Two superhero powered spies sit around in a room watching one of the gates into/out of East Berlin while waiting for the arrival of 'Medicus' - an ex-NAZI 'superhero' who was still in East Berlin when the Soviets took over back during WWII and then worked for them. The two spies, one from the USA, one from the UK, fight Jewish superheroes to 'help' the ex-NAZI go into US control.

Rating: 3.42

April 14 2017

Nathan Crowder: Madjack
Music; Aliens

A female musician plays on stage, suddenly she just 'knows' her father is dead, and everyone within, if I recall correctly, 30 rows begins crying (for this musician has emo power - sense others emotions/project emotions onto others).

Quite interesting and good story - I want more. So far it is/was the best story in the collection.

Rating: 4.30

April 14 2017

Patrick Flanagan: Quintessential Justice
Sidekick/support

This story is set from the point of view of a sidekick/support person – not a Robin type but more of a Alfred type. The kind of person who help get coffee, not the kind who will help fight bad guys.

Well there’s this superhero dude who is named QED. He goes about his day and the support person follows along behind. Constantly suppressing, and occasionally letting her eyeballs roll hard. For, you see, QED is a pompous type who needs constant reassurance and constant praise – so much so that there are paid ‘plants’ in the crowds who will cheer for QED. Oh, and once, the superhero actually does get into a fight with a villain.

Not a super exciting story but . . . there. And read.

Rating: 3.10

April 17 2017
Stephanie Lai: The Fall of the Jade Sword
Melbourne, Australia, Steampunk

A young Chinese woman grows up in some steampunk like Melbourne in some unknown date. She reads of a hero bouncing around named Jade Sword. She, the young woman, is not Jade Sword. She reads 'Art of War'. She sits on someone else's steam-bicycle and gets chased for her troubles. She falls off a roof. A few confuse her with Jade Sword. The real Jade Sword interacts with her, but it is unclear if the young woman realizes, in both encounters (one 'in costume', one 'in civilian guise'), that she has encountered Jade Sword. Refuses to be trained by Jade Sword. Or doesn't. Bloody confusing story.

Rating: 2.7

April 17 2017

Carrie Vaughn: Origin Story

A woman gets stuck in a bank robbery/hostage situation and expectedly recognizes the supervillain.

Nice enough story. Certain issues with it that I can't recall now beyond feeling that I had certain issues with it.

Rating: 3.73

April 17 2017

Ziggy Schutz: Eggshells
Young Adult

A young woman slip and falls, knocks her head against the ice. Has trouble remembering things. This symptoms go on long after they should have 'stopped' but she doesn't tell anyone and just continues on.

Quite a nice story really.

Rating: 4.55

April 17 2017

Chris Large: Salt City Blue

A rich powerful woman likes hanging out at bars. As a consequence, she begins glowing.

Interesting story.

Rating: 3.89

April 17 2017

Stuart Suffel: Birthright

A young woman in something like 2021 A.D. wanders around on motorcycle. Swims. Does stuff. She's elaborately described in the beginning - the thing that makes her a mutant - I couldn't make heads or tails of the description. So . . . she's different. And is the daughter of a 'birdwoman' - both mutated by the 'Darwin bombs' that had been dropped.

And . . . um . . not really sure what all else to say.

Rating: 3.50

April 17 2017

Sarah Pinsker: The Smoke Means It's Working
Sidekicks

A woman you wants to, someday, become a sidekick has gone to a special school so that she can operate a robot. Specifically a robot that helps wander wreckage, find people, and attempt to say to save them (as in, here's someone under debris, lift debris, lift person, carry person to an EMT person).

Neat story.

Rating: 4.15

April 17 2017

Keith Rosson: Torch Songs
Supervillains; carnivals

At a carnival several 'oddities' sit in a tent. People wander and stare at them. One used to be a supervillain, but is now just a shrivaled up thing. The point of view is with this 'thing', this 'Madam' of many names.

Interesting enough story. Deeper than my rating my suggest. But ultimately fails as being just a snippet. A snippet that ends with a cliff-hanger.

Rating: 3.30

April 18 2017

Matt Mikalatos: The Beard of Truth
Superheroes; Slice of life

A man, while driving around one day, suddenly realizes he has a superpower - the ability to, just by existing, get people to tell him the truth. Out-pourings of truth (though it seems more like - 'gets people to tell him super depressing things, while truthful, they are also the darkest things the person thinks is 'the truth').

Apparently people can just suddenly get superpowers. And, as part of that, they have to call a specific number. So he does. And stuff unfolds.

Just a small slice of life type story. Oddly satisfying for all of its shortness.

Rating: 4.15

April 18 2017

Adam R. Shannon: Over an Embattled City
Alternate Timelines/earths

A young woman of about 16 heads into the city, the city of New York, to . . . do many things. It is hard to say without being all spoiler-y.

She remembers another city, another time. She's like a character I read in something else, someone who had reached into their pocket and pulled out a coin. Had that years date on it. But some other guy was the head on the dime, the 10 cent piece. And that was how he knew he had slipped from one reality to another. Just like him, the lead character in this story 'slipped' from one reality to another - unlike him, the reality she came from is slowly disappearing - it's less of an alternate time/world/universe, and more of a reworking/unmaking/remaking of a specific time-line.

Neat story.

Rating: 4.22

April 18 2017

Kelly Link: Origin Story
Waitress

A waitress rolls around some ruins with the guy who she grew up with. Whose name is, apparently, Bisquit. Oh, and he's a superhero. He's in town for a parade. She's there because she lives there with her mom.

Weird and strange story.

Rating: 3.00

April 18 2017

OVERALL
Cat Rambo: Ms. Liberty Gets a Haircut: 3.21
Kate Marshall: Destroy the City with Me Tonight: 3.12
Keith Frady: Fool: 3.03
Seanan McGuire: Pedestal: 3.45
Aimee Ogden: As I Fall Asleep: 3.70
Jennifer Pullen: Meeting Someone in the 22nd Century or Until the Gears Quit Turning: 3.0
Michael Milne: Inheritance: 3.39
Lavie Tidhar: Heroes: 3.42
Nathan Crowder: Madjack: 4.3
Patrick Flanagan: Quintessential Justice: 3.10
Stephanie Lai: The Fall of the Jade Sword: 2.7
Carrie Vaughn: Origin Story: 3.73
Ziggy Schutz: Eggshells: 4.55
Chris Large: Salt City Blue: 3.89
Stuart Suffel: Birthright: 3.50
Sarah Pinsker: The Smoke Means It's Working: 4.15
Keith Rosson: Torch Songs: 3.30
Matt Mikalatos: The Beard of Truth: 4.15
Adam R. Shannon: Over an Embattled City: 4.22
Kelly Link: Origin Story: 3.00
Overall ----------------------: 3.5455

April 18 2017



View all my reviews

Aftermath by Various

Beyond the Garden by S.Y. Thompson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book here is the second in a row that involved a character named Lilith. I mean, the same Lilith who was the first female. Different author, different character level (as in main vs barely there side character), different interpretation (one’s an evil woman who is the mother of succubus and other demons (I’ve heard/seen other descriptions that list her as the mother of vampires, but I am uncertain if that was included in the prior book), while the other version is . . . well, less evil, though not necessarily good).

So, this Lilith, the one in this book here, is one of the two main characters. Her and a ‘Dana’. The two first meet when Lilith teleports (yes this version of Lilith is also magical) to Istanbul from Maine. To kiss a little girl. After kissing the sleeping little girl, Lilith runs into a confrontation in an alley. She doesn’t particularly desire to get involved, but notices that it appears to be men attacking women. And she doesn’t like that. So she gets involved. And easily kills them (this version is also super strong and a martial artist type). One of the two women being attacked, though, is dead. The other is Dana. Lilith helps Dana arrange to get back to the states.

The book then proceeds to show some scenes from both of their prospective before returning them together again – on the hunt for the Garden of Eden (though all Dana knows is that the woman who helped her wants a diver, and since Dana is both an advanced diving instructor and a scientist, she agrees to help Lilith). The hunt takes place in the Middle East.

Lilith/Lillian (she goes by Lillian at the moment – or during the course of the book) has a personality that is quite off-putting. But then something clicked in me and I actually decided to add 0.25 stars to the book. For Lilith really is like a different intelligent species in a way, first female human, but she’s also immortal and, while there are people in the Bible who are said to have lived hundreds of years (I think 600 might have been the max), all of them are dead now. But for Lilith. Who continues on. Alive. So she really is like an alien creature living amongst us.

I should probably remove that 0.25 for other issues though. Things in the book that seem vaguely . . . off. Like – she has the power to have her helpers basically remain immortal – at least so far that’s been the case. Yet she keeps going on and on about how she can’t allow herself to love because ‘they will die’. Um. What? She has the bloody power to grant a certain level of immortality to another – see her ‘helper’ women. So . . . what exactly is she belly-aching about? Hell, one or more of these women even used to be ex-girlfriends (well, one at least), so it’s not like there is some issue with dating your help and/or granting this ‘power’.

Right, whatever. The point of the book is that two women meet – one is searching desperately for a way to kill herself (hence the hunt for the Garden of Eden, which apparently has some artifact that will allow her to kill herself); while the other is attempting to get over the fact that her best friend – from childhood – died during their vacation. Oh, and both have a certain lust for the other. A vaguely odd and unexplainable (and unexplained) spark between them (re: unexplained – unlike everyone else on Earth, Lilith/Lillian can’t ‘read’ Dana – sense her emotions; no explanation was ever given for this issue).

Interesting enough book. Certain issues here and there. Kind of dry and stiff. Even while exciting things are done/found, like excavations; finding their convoy caught in a cross-fire during war; etc.

As a side note – why are the Goddesses always depicted as being, on some level, insane? Like here. Or in that Hot Damned series. And elsewhere. Granted, Gods and the like can be depicted that way as well, but it seems near 100% of the time, the female creator types are depicted as some level of insane. Just a random thought in passing.

ETA: oh, one last thought that I was going to quickly mention. I like the other cover of this book more than this cover here - 'this cover here' being the one with the woman dangling off the front of a boat in a bikini (in case the cover gets changed on me). While there are at least two different occasions that 'boating' occurs, I do not believe either included anyone in bikinis and . . . the cover gives the wrong impression of what this book is about.

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

- Genesis 1:27 New King James Version - this, it is noted in a Wiki article on Lilith, is implying that Lilith was made at the same time as Adam from the same materials - and later Eve was created from bits of Adam. (Not exactly that Lilith was, but that a woman was - since there are two mentions of creation, and the first, the one above, already makes mention of both a man and a woman before mention of creating Eve from Adam - implication being that there was a woman made at the same time as Adam's creation).

Rating: 3.50

March 21 2017



View all my reviews

Lesbians on the Loose: Crime Writers on the Lam edited by Lori L. Lake and Jessie Chandler

Lesbians on the Loose: Crime Writers on the Lam by Lori L. Lake

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I see I did things wrong with this book - I read the last two stories before any of the rest and 1) they were damn fine stories and b) detective stories. Going from them to the rest of the book is something of a let down and - makes me aware that the book isn't actually called and/or have 'Detective Fiction' on the cover. This is not a collection of detective/investigative fiction, this is a collection of Crime fiction. Difference? Whether or not anyone is investigating anything.

More specifically - a crime story can be 'just' about someone committing a crime. There's no mystery about who did something crime like (or will, many of these include planning stages); there might be mystery as to whether or not they get away with it, but that specific mystery thread might not always be followed.

Sims & Chandler stories involve criminals doing something. Forrest, Redmann, and Thompson involve detectives detecting (though one also includes the POV of a criminal). Marquette also has a detective detecting, but an amateur detective. And, to somewhat confuse things, Taite has a police officer who becomes a bounty hunter. While some of the stories, like Vogt's, follow the victim's point of view.

Some others have police as characters detecting, but in a somewhat unofficial capacity (like Hardesty's story has a police officer heading to a completely different state to try to help in a murder investigation - as a favor not in an official capacity). Others involve Private Eyes.

Another solid collection of short stories.

Elizabeth Sims: Untold Riches
Banker; Age Difference

An older woman lusts after a younger as both train to become bank tellers. One does something stupid and the bank reacts like you'd expect the bank to react. Both express words indicating that the bank is stupid for reacting that way.

Then a crime occurs.

Rating: 2.88

March 15 2017

Carsen Taite: Colt .45
Police; Bounty Hunter; Dallas Texas

A woman recovering from being shot in the line of duty, as a police officer, turns in her badge, gun, and 'stuff'. Then goes and gets drunk. While getting drunk she gets a business card that leads to new job.

She works that new job.

I believe this is technically a prequel to that Luca Bennett series.

Rating: 4.34

March 15 2017

S.Y. Thompson: Tough to Crack
Police; Murder investigation; Kidnapping

A homicide detective works on a case that is too close to home. One of those cases investigators want to work, but shouldn't - because the investigator has a personal connection to the case. In this instance, the homicide detective had, at some point in the past, dated the murdered woman.

Rating: 4.65

March 15 2017

Andi Marquette: The Falcone Maltese
Young Adult; School; Budding lesbianism

I wish to note something first - the beginning was a little confusing. At first I thought there might be three people involved as Fred and Nattie talked - because both had their names constantly mentioned (Fred said this, Nattie said that) except when not.

Nattie took her biology book and notebook out of her locker. She feigned only passing interest but she thought immediately of Jo, Mrs. Falcone's daughter, and one of Nattie's classmates.

- going by wording like found here, I thought there were three people involved. Nattie, Fred, and some third person. Because, the wording switches from 'she thought' to 'Nattie's classmates'. If we are going to be using words like 'she thought' then that second one should have been 'her classmates'. Or . . . something. Me thinks. Bah.

Despite that initial issue, I rather enjoyed this story. Unexpectedly. Since it is set in a school with 'juniors' - so . . . *thinks* people around the age of 16 to 17. You know, young adults. Not even out of high school yet.

This is the case of the dognapped dog - and a young woman who lusts after a fellow student and is talked into helping investigate the case. Apparently that young woman, Nattie that is, had previously investigated stuff - and gotten into trouble for it. So this would be her second case. Curious to see if there is some series this story corresponds with.

A solid entertaining story.

Rating: 4.727

March 15 2017

Linda M. Vogt: Roar
Victim POV; Portland; Oregon; Based on True Story

I initially thought I might not like this one, since we enter a third type of Crime Story - from the point of view of a victim. Despite expectations, I actually found this to be pretty intense and interesting.

Then found out it was based on a true story. Which is creepy.

Rating: 3.98

March 15 2017

V.K. Powell: Just Deserts
Police; Paedophile

I think I'm okay with the fact that I can't spell pedophile.

A strong case has been made against an evil man who has been abusing kids. It's not spoiler-y to note that the jury comes back with a not guilty verdict - since that's the starting off point to the story. One of the people who helped make the case is super pissed off.

The police stories in this collection tend to be better stories. And this one was well written - for what it is, but . . . (view spoiler)[the police officer doesn't really matter in this story. She just happens to observe things that occur (hide spoiler)].

Rating: 3.4

March 15 2017

Kate McLachlan: Seasons of Deception

Oh! I finally remembered what this story was. hehe. Reading a story. Making a short little note that consists of a name and a rating. Then trying to remember the story later to write something up. mmphs.

A woman spots a next door neighbor doing stuff. The neighbor is the neighborhood 'kid', though he is 74. Suddenly he starts acting weirdly. The main character woman is concerned and investigates.

Well enough story for what it is. And it is, as far as I recall, a complete story not just a snippet. But . . well, a 3 star rating on Goodreads really isn't a bad rating, per se.

Rating: 3.09

March 15 2017

Lori L. Lake: An Age Old Solution
Posing as old people; blackmail; arson

Two women mosey down the street - they look super old and stuff. Because that's their intention. They aren't, but the random people around aren't supposed to know that. One of the women is being blackmailed and the two are attempting to 'right things'.

Rating: 2.50

March 15 2017

Lynn Ames: It's a Dog's Life
Dog

I like how I try to read these stories without paying attention to which author actually wrote them (with exceptions, like I knew going in that I was reading Redmann, and/or Forrest (I kind of got the book because of them)). I say that because I've now read two Marquette short stories, and rather liked them, even though the one novel I've read (first) I didn't particularly care for.

But this is Ames? Well - if you look at what I've rated Ames stories in the past you would see . . . nothing. Because I couldn't finish the one story (full length novel) I tried to read by them. And while I knew this story here was by Ames, I didn't really remember until I finished and went to look at the author name so I could know which author to put down in my notes with the rating.

This was a neat story - told from the point of view of two dogs. Yes, dogs. The kind that walk around on four legs, are furry, and woof and stuff. The two dogs in this story meet an older woman while out and about (on the end of the leash of 'Mama' - their human). Mama's kind of tense, but the doggies are happy enough to be near this older woman. Mama's tense because that older woman is obviously homeless. Doggies happy enough to be near homeless woman because she has kind eyes.

Naturally . . . . well, this is a story told from the point of view of two dogs, so there's no 'naturally' here. hehe. The two doggies decide to try to help the homeless woman. Which proceeds to be the 'crime' in the story - 'stuff' is going missing from the human's home and she's flustered (see: dogs doing weird stuff). I won't go any further or spoil stuff (though feel the need to mention . . .nah, don't want to spoil stuff).

Cute story.

Rating: 4.15

March 15 2017

Sandra de Helen: Motel Noir
PI, Police; murder mystery

A private detective checks into a hotel room only to find a dead body in her closet. Unlike most such situations, the police do not immediately suspect her, the PI, of having killed the man. So the PI doesn't have to investigate to clear their name, keeping one step ahead of the police. Instead she asks and is allowed to help investigate. Because, hey, there was a dead body in her room and she's bored. The police are willing, mostly, to allow her to assist because it is a very small police department. I think they might have two or three people in it.

Solid enough story. Even if a little . . . flatish.

Rating: 3.45

March 16 2017

Jen Wright: Lost
Wilderness; camping; vacation; action/adventure.

This is the closest story in the bunch, if I recall the other stories correctly (I did just finish another short story collection and are reading two others at the same time), that involves the 'women getting into trouble in the outdoors' type of mystery subgenre.

Here one of the women is a police officer on vacation (with her gun) and the other is a psychiatrist (or psychologist; don't think it matters, here, which). They do stuff like fish. Paddle around in canoes. Fish some more. Sleep on the ground in tents. Both are lesbians but one is in a long term committed relationship, while the other is perpetually single - both are in their 50s.

All is going well until, while fishing again, another canoe fast approaches with a man and woman yelling in it. Before anyone leaps to any conclusions - they are the mother and father of a missing teenager - someone who had 'stepped into some bushes' and never returned.

Cop and psychologist help in the hunt.

Solid enough story.

Rating: 3.47

March 16 2017

Sue Hardesty: A Fine Mess This Is
Police; Native; Los Angeles; Arizona

A woman is awaken around 11 am by her ringing phone. She tries to ignore it but it keeps ringing. Then, trying to get it, she knocks it onto her dog. She still tries to ignore it (with pillow over head) but it continues to ring and the dog is now barking.

Her dead lover's family needs help - one of the youngsters is in jail for murder. The woman agrees immediately to head off to Los Angeles to help. And does.

Not really sure how much more to say. I could mention that she, the young woman, is half Apache. Has a girlfriend, current, who is half Irish and half Mexican (so hot-headed and stubborn about it - both of their interpretations of what that means - hot-headed from Irish, stubborn from Mexican background). Basically the girlfriend is an emotional basket-case whose emotions flip from one extreme to another without much notice. Alternating begging, to crying, to screaming, to . . well, you get it. She's not really in the story, though, since she's left in Arizona while Main Character is off in LA getting her dead lover's nephew off.

Another relatively solid story.

Rating: 3.53

March 16 2017

Jessie Chandler: Sweet Spring Revenge
Criminal; Blue collar

There's no real way to describe this story without giving away everything about the story.

A woman working three jobs to try to make ends meet uses a very bad car. That she has a great warranty for - in that the car dealership has to cover everything. Very bad in that it appears to be a one man dealership and he is a cheap handsy/gropy bastard.

One snowy night the woman decides to get even for all the times he offered to have sex with her - by grabbing her breast and stuff, that kind of offered.

I might have been tougher on the story than I should have been since I was still in the mindset that I was reading a collection of detective stories. And there's no mystery here. Just a spur of the moment crime.

Rating: 1.00

March 14-15 2017

J.M. Redmann: The Curious Case of the Disappearing Dildos
New Orleans; writer; mystery

A writer is asked, by a friend, to help on the case of the 'missing sex toys'. While the writer does write mysteries, she doesn't solve cases. But she's lured out of her house by the offer of food and the lack of 'no' being taken as an answer.

Quite good story.

Rating: 4.80

March 14 2017

Katherine V. Forrest: Jessie: A Kate Delafield Story
Police; missing person; murder mystery

Kate Delafield helps a friend, a sheriff, attempt to locate a missing friend - feared dead. Solid mystery and story.

(Notes: Walt - 64; Velma - nearly 50; Jessie - '52 years of hard living')

Rating: 4.70

March 14 2017

OVERALL
Elizabeth Sims: Untold Riches: 2.88
Carsen Taite: Colt .45: 4.34
S.Y. Thompson: Tough to Crack: 4.65
Andi Marquette: The Falcone Maltese: 4.727
Linda M. Vogt: Roar: 3.98
V.K. Powell: Just Deserts: 3.40
Kate McLachlan: Seasons of Deception: 3.09
Lori L. Lake: An Age Old Solution: 2.50
Lynn Ames: It's a Dog's Life: 4.15
Sandra de Helen: Motel Noir: 3.45
Jen Wright: Lost: 3.47
Sue Hardesty: A Fine Mess This Is: 3.53
Jessie Chandler: Sweet Spring Revenge: 1.00
J.M. Redmann: The Curious Case of the Disappearing Dildos: 4.80
Katherine V. Forrest: Jessie: A Kate Delafield Story: 4.70
Overall: ---------------------------------------- 3.64467



View all my reviews

Women of the Dark Streets: Lesbian Paranormal edited by Radclyffe and Stacia Seaman

Women of the Dark Streets: Lesbian Paranormal by Radclyffe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Interesting how many authors in this collection I've already read/sampled before.

Things are not as they seem. About the fifth time I was about to write that for a story section, I realized I should just put that up here. I'm sure there's some story where this phrase doesn't work, but so many of the stories use it as bedrock - as foundation.

A ghost that doesn't realize they are a ghost. A mortal human not realizing she's talking to a ghost (different story from that first sentence). Werewolves, vampires, fairies, insane women, and the one story I can think of off the top of my head where people go into it knowing about 'the creatures of the night', the 'not as they seem' would be the human mortal human who is 'not as she seems' - human and mortal, yes, but she's also undercover trying to 'bust' the 'bad people'.

Several occasions we have people who suddenly realize they knew the other(s) from some past life (or lives). Mixed in with two travel related stories (well, the first two stories in this volume are travel related) - one involving a train accident and the search for terrorists; other involves the TSA and how, while it appears they are really really incompetent, there's a reason for that.

I suppose 'Full Moon Weekend' wouldn't fall into the 'not what they seem' - since it involves two women, a shifter and a human, but both know of and intimately know each other. And nothing 'surprising' pops up - other than just what one of the women can shift into. Which is neat in and of itself, but not really the type of 'surprising' indicated by 'not what they seem'.

Several historical fictions mixed with fantasy - like Faraday's 'The Trickster Codex' set in, I believe, the 1940s and having a noir vibe; and Buck's 'Forget Me Not' set in the 1890s - and one of those ghost stories.

Devils, vampires, wolves, cheetahs, dolphins, turtles, several horsies (one story has that woman who can shift into basically anything, so she shifts into a horse, another has two 'skin walkers' who can 'control from a distance' animal familars, like horses), succubus (succubi?), demons and a whole host of ghosts wandering in and out of these . . . what is it, 16? stories (23). Many of which touch on death and grief; many of which touch on immortal lives.

The Stories
Merry Shannon: Lucky Number Seven
FBI Agent; terrorism

Hard to say exactly what's going on in ths one without giving everything away immediately. Though it is fairly obvious from the beginning what's going on.

A bombing occurs on a train. An FBI agent and a rider from that train try to track down the terrorists. Then reports come in regarding another attack that will occur shortly.

Rating: 4.33

March 11 2017

Sam Cameron: Come to Me
TSA; Demons (angels?); lawyers

Apparently there's a reason the TSA seems so incompetent - it's on purpose, because they are actually screening for more than they said they were - for demons and the like. Main character works as an agent collecting the 'captured' creatures. Not everything is as it seems, though, perhaps - including that attractive woman who shows interest in main character.

Rating: 3.30

March 11 2017

Meghan O'Brien: Full Moon Weekend
Shifters; Fantasy; vacation; public nudity

Eve Thomas and Selene Rhodes from Wild are back for some more action.

Eve and Selene head into the woods for a weekend of, as it is put in the story, nakedness and fucking. Eve wishes to prove/show to Selene that she no longer needs to be locked down/restrained when the moon is full.

Interesting little story. Certain amount of graphicness to the story, but a certain bit less than expected considering author (and how erotic some of her stories can be) and expressed nature of the weekend (a fuck weekend).

Rating: 3.75

March 10 2017

Jane Fletcher: Tempora Mutantur
doctor; professor

A woman almost dies from swine flu. Ever since then, ever since that occasion when 'she should have died', she can't stop obsessing over the doctor. She keeps having this odd dreams, involving volcanoes, large ships, etc. And doing everything to catch glimpses of said doctor.

There's more than meets the eye.

Rating: 4.99

March 10 2017

Jess Faraday: The Trickster Codex
Private Investigator, Los Angeles, 1930s (or 1940s), Noir

Amelia 'Amy' or 'Mel' Archer - private investigator. Poor. Gives only food of day to dog spotted on street. Very skinny - more because can't afford food than for fashion reasons. Doesn't get much work because of 'that bastard Philip Marlowe hanging around' (apparently Marlowe had worked for her, then left and stole all her clients and contacts). Former WASP fighter pilot - shot down over enemy lines. Had been best in code class, but kicked out for lack of balls and dick.

Gets a case from Lorena Claw ('five and a half feet of gorgeous, with shoulders like a general, black hair and eyes, and skin like red desert clay'), a 'civilian consultant currently overseeing a project involving a new kind of code' ('Dr. Lorena Claw, Adjunct Instructor of Navajo Language at USC.') Claw has some transmissions using the code, but can't determine what is being said so wants Archer's help. The Feds get involved.

And then . . . um, what?

Interesting, intriguing story. Didn't go anywhere then fizzled away like a cloud of cats.

Rating: 3.79

March 10 2017

Victoria Oldham: For all Eternity
Professor; Demons (view spoiler)[succubus (hide spoiler)]; Italy

An american professor teaches at a university in Italy while living on a houseboat. Nightly she dreams of a woman ravishing her. She wakes up covered in evidence of her dreams.

At the university, her class is about how women are treated and myths and the like - badly.

This story here doesn't exactly help in that specific situation.

Rating: 2.15

March 12 2017

Karis Walsh: Solstice
Shiters/Werewolves; Soldiers/Resistance; War

A young werewolf woman, an alpha, is tasked by her General to go to a specific location and kill Leo - the hated leader of the other side.

She seduces a young female guard to try to help her get inside. Though she finds more than she expected.

Rating: 4.25

March 12 2017

Valerie Bronwen: The Other Side of the Mirror
Death; Grief; Alternate Worlds

A woman finds herself in the unfortunate circumstance of having her life utterly shattered by a young college student who was driving while texting. Because of the accident she: lost her wife; lost her baby; gained hallucinations.

One of the hallucinations is associated with a hated mirror - but one that had also been beloved by her wife - so she can't get rid of it.

Rating: 4.89

March 12 2017

D. Jackson Leigh: Skin Walkers
Skinwalkers; Natives

A professor has gained certain fame as a myth-buster - best-selling book; grant money; etc. She has been hired to try to figure out what is going on with a 'gathering of wild horses' event conducted by the government.

Another 'more than meets the eye'; and another 'lives entertwinned through more than one moment alive'.

Rating: 3.89

March 12 2017

Rebecca S. Buck: Forget Me Not
Historical Fiction (1890), (view spoiler)[ghost story (hide spoiler)]

A woman wanders she knows where not, for she's distracted by 'needing to breath' and eventually drunk. She winds up hiding in a church graveyard when she hears a voice. Telling her 'you are like me'. She has a conversation with that woman that goes along with the voice.

There's this hypnotic pull to the story that I'm not sure I'd feel any other time, so my feelings for the story and my rating are probably slightly dislodged from the norm.

Rating: 4.69

March 12 2017

Nell Stark and Trinity Tam: The Others
Werecheetah, shifters, vampires, BDSM, undercover

A side story to the Stark & Tam series - as in it follows two side characters instead of the main characters in the series. Judging by copyright dates, and the actions in this here story, this is probably something like a 3.5 story. And instead of starring Valentine Darrow & Alexa Newland, it stars Olivia (human) and Abby (werecheeteh). Well, more stars Olivia.

Story shows Olivia going undercover to try to 'take down' a presidential candidate. Goes to that fight club that appears in the Everafter series. If any other characters from that series pops up, I didn't recognize them.

For what it is - interesting snippet that I want to see concluded, see more of. And I have a vague recollection that while 'something' turns up in book four that is vaguely connected, the story line itself - with Olivia 'doing stuff' didn't really go anywhere in book 4. But I can't really go by memory - right or wrong memory, but what's going on in this here story. And, for what it's worth, I'd give this somewhat incomplete story a rating of 3.78.

Rating: 3.78

March 13 2017

Ronica Black: Emily
Horror; Psychological; Psychologist

A messed up young woman does evil things so that she can 'see Emily' again. Unleashes bad stuff. Sees psychologist. May or may not rape herself, depending on how you interpret the story.

Rating: 3.50

March 13 2017

Rebekah Weatherspoon: Study Break
Vampires, college students, dominance/submission, rape (at best I could call it 'dubious consent', though I'm not sure I could go so far as to call it 'consent while unable to actually be of sound mind to give consent' since consent wasn't given - more lack of any kind of safe word (if such a thing exists in their relationship, fuck, this is supposed to be my genre/tags section, not me writing shit section).

I've liked everything I've read by Weatherspoon, but know/knew that 90% of what she puts out were the kind of thing I didn't want to read. Like that vampire series. I assume that this short story here is somehow connected to that series (sorority, vampires, d/s), but no idea how connected. Nor do I care.

I knew I wouldn't want anything to do with that series, but because this short story was in a book I already owned, and because I've liked everything I have in fact read by Weatherspoon, I figured I'd go ahead and read this very short story.

And now I feel ill.

I do not like mixing dominance/submission games with paranormal creatures (which themselves have 'erotic' features associated with them - like here wherein being feed upon by a vampire causes instant and multiple orgasms).

I assume I would understand the story more if I had read at least the first vampire book. As is - it is confusing. The main character's father is the ultimate demon? Something like that? Yet she is human? And has been given by him to his 'most powerful' . . . something. Subordinate? Who happens to be a vampire. Who feeds on her. And one other (at least) - people who have been 'trained' to be feed upon. Apparently 'allowing a creature to bite you and suck on your blood while you experience multiple orgasms' is something that you need to be trained for.

Meanwhile the main character, a freshman, has apparently found a junior to be her 'mistress' who 'controls' Benny as 'Bunny', her pet bunny.

Benny is quite shy and doesn't want to have anyone there when she is feed upon, and doesn't want to be there when her mistress is feed upon. But she doesn't get a choice. Because. You know, Mistress and shit. Then, after being forced to watch, she's basically raped by the Mistress (the concept of consent flew out the window before this story evern began - really, the father gave her to a vampire? Fuck that. And fuck this series; then, by her own choice, she 'takes on' a Mistress, a human, who has her do things that blow far past her limits, then fucks her when her limits are blown and she is not of sound mind to consent or not consent, hence my 'rape' comment above - and my 'I don't like mixing dominance/submission with paranormal creatures' comment - too much fucking 'magical compulsion' floating around to keep anyone sane).

ETA: same sorority, I believe, different characters. Though 'Ginger' mentioned but not seen in the story here might be dating the vampire in this story - and Ginger is the main character in the first book. Ah - Cleo and Benny of this short story star in book two of the series, so this is something like 1.5 in that series.

Rating: 0.75

March 10 2017

Lesley Davis: Away with the Fairies
Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Fae, Tavern

This is the story wherein I decided to go back to the beginning of the review and add that 'things are not what they seem'. For here we have yet another 'things are not what they seem.' And it is also one of those where humans do not factor. Everyone in it is a vampire, werewolf, or fairy (as in the fae kind). There's a bit of misdirect, though, that allows that 'things' line to be stated yet again.

There's this tavern, see, which is on something like neutral ground. Three factions can and do meet there - though mostly the werewolves and the vampires visit. There's a reason the fae tend not to do so - and it is indirectly revealed in the story.

The werewolves and vampires are the more aggressive of the three, though it is currently mostly a time of peace. Though news of a possible invasion surfaces. So the fae visit the tavern.

Good interesting solid story.

Rating: 3.77

March 13 2017

M.J. Williamz: In the Bell Tower
New Orleans, Vampire, Erotica

A woman from Spokane visits New Orleans. And a vampire drops onto her. They hump. The end.

Rating: 3.63

March 13 2017

Sheri Lewis Wohl: Bloodstone
Magic; Parallel worlds; wizards

A woman finds out she wasn't actually born in New Haven CT, but on some other planet. And her parents guarded against the rising of an evil wizard like dude. And now she's in danger and has to fight evil wizard like dude.

A story with a strong feeling of being a full story - beginning middle end. Even prologue. With touches indicating it is connected to some wider universe/series. Still, 'only' a 3.83 or so story.

Rating: 3.83

March 13 2017

L.T. Marie: Plagued by Darkness
Blind; Vampire

Would have been close to 5 stars if it hadn't ended abruptly. Seemingly mid=story.

Rating: 4.29

March 13 2017

Joey Bass: Recyclables
Professor; Police; Vampires; Mystery

Would have been close to 5 stars if it hadn't ended abruptly. Seemingly mid=story.

Rating: 4.29

March 13 2017

Shelley Thrasher: The Orient Express
Travel; Vampires?; Europe

A woman takes a ride on the Orient Express some time while the Vietnam War was in progress.

She fantasies about all the people around her while she rides along.

Then an event occurs while she attempts to sleep that may or may not have happened. Though it left visible scars in the morning.

Rating: 3.99

March 13 2017

Winter Pennington: Eris
Vampire; Fae; BDSM

A vampire that feeds on lust and sex and the like beats up a woman who just wants to be touched. Then fucks a fairy.

This story is connected to that Kassandra PI series.

Rating: 3.00

March 13 2017

Yolanda Wallace: Blood Moon
Vampires, Vampire hunter, Savannah Georgia, Halloween

A vampire hunter, who immediately lets you know she's no Buffy (scrawny thing - Buffy), nor a Bella type. No, she's a cold blooded killing machine of vampires.

It's Halloween in Savannah and she goes hunting.

Rating: 3.63

March 10 2017

Mel Bossa: Contrition
Mental Illness

A mentally ill woman masturbates while reliving her time [with] (view spoiler)[killing (hide spoiler)] her (view spoiler)[cheating (hide spoiler)] girlfriend.

I was being somewhat flippant because I didn't know why the story was in the book.

And, did you know there's a character limit to reviews? I ran out of characters. See below.

Rating: 0.01

March 13 2017

L.L. Raand: Deadly Glamour

Another story which appeared solid until ending abruptly and therefore losing major rating point.

A fairy princess, heir to the throne, has done a runner. A hunter is sent out to retrieve her.

Rating: 3.62

March 14 2017

Clara Nipper: Fresh Meat
Roller Derby, obsession, sex, nurse

A nurse patches up a woman who is badly bruised. The nurse assumes that the woman is an abuse victim and tries to help. Become bitchy when the woman refuses help. Turns out that woman wasn't abused - she got the injuries from roller derby.

Nurse develops this odd obsession for roller derby. Specifically the team that woman was from. Though she's not specifically interested in that woman.

A story that annoyed me - to a certain extent. That obsession with roller derby. The way that woman was acting - the way others in the story were acting. Then sex occurred and my brain imploded. So, whatever.

Rating: 4.78

March 10 2017

Overall
Merry Shannon: Lucky Number Seven: 4.34
Sam Cameron: Come to Me: 3.30
Meghan O'Brien: Full Moon Weekend: 3.75
Jane Fletcher: Tempora Mutantur: 4.99
Jess Faraday: The Trickster Codex: 3.79
Victoria Oldham: For all Eternity: 2.15
Karis Walsh: Solstice: 4.25
Valerie Bronwen: The Other Side of the Mirror: 4.79
D. Jackson Leigh: Skin Walkers: 3.89
Rebecca S. Buck: Forget Me Not: 4.69
Nell Stark and Trinity Tam: The Others: 3.78
Ronica Black: Emily: 3.50
Rebekah Weatherspoon: Study Break: 0.75
Lesley Davis: Away with the Fairies: 3.77
M.J. Williamz: In the Bell Tower: 3.63
Sheri Lewis Wohl: Bloodstone: 3.83
L.T. Marie: Plagued by Darkness: 4.29
Joey Bass: Recyclables: 4.29
Shelley Thrasher: The Orient Express: 3.99
Winter Pennington: Eris: 3.00
Yolanda Wallace: Blood Moon: 3.63
Mel Bossa: Contrition: 0.01
L.L. Raand: Deadly Glamour: 3.62
Clara Nipper: Fresh Meat: 4.78
Overall Rating: --------------- 3.77435



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