The Traitor And the Chalice by Jane Fletcher

The Traitor And the Chalice by Jane Fletcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


For whatever reason, I do not seem as interested in writing reviews for Fletcher books. Not sure why.

So, the story continues here in part two of the series and . . . I come immediately to why I didn’t write anything – the only real thing I wanted to say was something too spoilery to say so . . . (view spoiler)[This book here works quite well as an end note on the duology, except, you know, this isn’t actually the end book on a 2 book series so . . .. (hide spoiler)]

Tevi and Jemeryl continue on their ‘quest’ to find this chalice thingie – separate but close. Portions of the book take place in a city that includes an encampment of . . um . . herbal sorceresses . . . I’ve forgotten now what their specific title is/was; in several locations outside the Protectorate, when they were chasing someone, then random running around that includes a spot of time inside mountains with small people.

By the way – that’s one of my main problems with the book – how they kept just almost catching the person they wanted to catch. But kept failing. Then capturing. Then losing. Then . . bloody hell. Gets tiring, it does.

But still, enjoyable enough book. And what I said in the spoiler above is why I haven’t gone on to the rest of the chronicles, despite already owning them. Seems pointless.

Rating: 3.75

January 24 2017




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Stubborn as a Bull by D.L. King

Stubborn as a Bull by D.L. King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My first story by this author, and second by this publisher.

First off I need to note that it's possible I mildly overrated this story based entirely on a specific scene involving a lap dance. With that out of the way . . .

This is a story with three point of views, but mostly told by way of the bartender Kat. She isn't the stubborn one, that'd be Lil, a restaurant owner who has shown a certain desire for Kat which Kat has steadily rebuffed (and, at first, didn't even recognize as flirting). The third point of view comes from Kat's best friend and married straight woman named Carla. Her profession wasn't given.

I liked the story, though I didn't think I would at the beginning. There's an odd mix of tell and show going on here - at least enough so that I noticed - I don't always notice things like that. Like - Kat's a player, she goes out with three different women in the story (not at the same time; not while dating the others), and one of those involved an outing with a woman who works as a stripper - there was some rather nice detailed graphic action shown - involving a lap dance - but then the rest of the night was bascially 'we then fucked some more and then afterwards had tea' kind of telling. *shrugs*

Those who don't expect or want a bit of spanking should know that a bit of that occurs, somewhat unexpectedly, during the first date/encounter.

Hmm. Not sure what else to note. For months Lil has been flirting with Kat while Kat was working a as a bartender - Kat didn't recognize the flirting as flirting until her friend told her - and the reader learns all of that in the first few paragraphs of the story. Kat then proceeds to be a player (as in, several dates with various women), Carla eats at Lil's place, then there's party at Carla's place. And other stuff happens.

Rating: 3.71

January 16 2016



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Carolyn for Christmas by Lucy Carey

Carolyn for Christmas by Lucy Carey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Neat to be in Ireland and to see Irish lesbians. Less neat to see a homophobic horrible family. And the reason behind the long time rivalry was kind of stupid (though, sadly, understandable - stupid, but understandable - the part the two women involved played).

Rating: 3.33



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Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I knew that this book told the tale – one that almost got lost to history – of the real life women who worked at NASA during the space race. (I also knew this was about African American women, since that was in the book title). What I didn’t know, though, was that the story was more – it was the story of these women who were instrumental in the space race, and told the tale of NASA itself, at least from its beginnings long ago when it worked as the NACA (1915-1958; National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), up to the early 1970s (though the ‘more’ section after the end of the book brought things up to the 1980s).

Well, no, not from 1915. More from shortly before WWII up to the early 1970s. WWII, you see, saw a deep demand for workers – that eventually included those who weren’t lily white men (first with white women – who worked as ‘computers’ (with a very rare exception here or there who worked as engineers or scientists), then with those who weren’t lily white – ‘colored’ men and women. The women, even though many came to the agency with roughly the same education and training, and many times a lot more experience, coming in as ‘subprofessional’ ‘computers’, while the men most often came in as engineers.

The book follows some of the very important women who came in during WWII, worked at NACA until the USA was humiliated by sputnik, and NASA was created in 1958 (incorporating ‘all’ of the various US groups who had been working on space ‘stuff’). Then continues the story from there until . . well, I already said. I’m repeating myself. Heh.

A rather informative and interesting look back on history. Telling the story of those African American women working as professionals at NACA/NASA, and telling the story of the time – of the civil rights action going on at the same time as these scientific advancements were occurring. Also with a mention of how important Star Trek was (what with the third in command, as Martin Luther King, Jr. saw it, being a black woman (and how Nichelle Nichols had to be talked out of leaving the show by King).

NACA -
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

NASA –
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
January 24 2017




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Bitten by Eden Darry

Bitten by Eden Darry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is both the first work I've read by this author, and the first work I've read put out by NineStar Press (which I've known about for a year or more but hadn't tried until just now).

Gray Davis (sorry, Doctor Gray Davis) is a medical doctor who has spent her life working hard to get where she is now - a practicing doctor in line (she hopes) to be made a partner. She's, except for two relationships way back when, has mostly stayed away from relationships and the like, instead focusing all of her energy on work. A friend, whose name doesn't really matter, badgers Gray to finally take a break, to take a vacation. Reluctantly she agrees - and heads off to a LGBT themed retreat at an island in the Carribean.

Beau Pickford is a player, always has been, always plans to be - ever since . . . well, I didn't pick up exactly, but there was mention of a love lust towards a neighbor when she, Beau, was 10. She routinely goes on these lesbian retreats to have some fun. She has her eyes set on one specific woman who she pomptly sits next to on the plane heading towards the islands.

Brody Douglas is a player, the male kind, but he is also married and his much younger wife (of around 28) and he (who is around 53 or something like that) are also on this same plane that Gray and Beau are on - heading off on an aniversary vacation. He's feeling quite poorly, though, but he needs to go on this trip.

Gray meets and and interacts with Beau when Beau slumps into her on the plane, somewhat literally. Hitting her with her arm and leg while trying to sit in the tiny plane seat. Gray is both instantly attracted to and repulsed by Beau - attracted to the woman, repulsed by the 'obvious' player vibes coming off of her. They talk on the ride to the island.

Gray meet and interacts with Brody when he stumps hurriedly down the plane aisle, and darts into a bathroom. She hurried after him, she is a doctor after all. The plane, and this part is important to note, is still on the ground - they can still boot Brody from the plane. And the flight attendent did ask the doctor's oppinion . . . probably against her better judgement, she allows the man to continue on the flight.

And so - the plane arrives, 'everyone' heads off to a hotel (except for Brody and Celia - the wife - who head to a hospital). Gray and Brody mingle, visit one or two locations, mingle more; Brody continues to get worse. Gray visits him. Later, much later, screams erupt.

Did I mention yet that this is a zombie story? No? Well, this is a zombie story. Quite interesting mix of lesbian romance/horror/zombie story. I liked it well enough.

Of note: I mentioned the three, Brody, Gray, and Beau, because all three have their own point of views expressed in this story.

Rating: 3.70

January 16 2017




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