Brief Encounters

Title: Decadence
Author: Lissa Kasey
Length: 4,198 words (12 pdf pages)
Publisher: Xara X. Xanakas (free at All Romance e-books
Genre: m/m paranormal
Rating: C

Blurb:

For vampire Gabriel “Gabe” Santini, being in love with the only trained male witch in a female dominant society is not an easy thing. Seiran Rou has more issues than just a phobia of commitment. A recent rash of attacks and harassment at school has left him withdrawn and edgy.

Making a cake for his mother was never really about making Tanaka Rou happy, and Seiran wears his heart on his sleeve as he tries, yet again, to please her. But Gabe has an idea how to put a much needed smile on Sei’s sweet face. Starting with “helping” make the frosting and showing Sei that pastry can be more than a little decadent…

Review:

This is in essence a teaser for a novella Inheritance which is coming from Dreamspinner Press in October. It is also a little slice which requires you to read the blurb, as much of the back story to the couple is in the blurb, although even then I was left with more questions than answers. Gabe is watching over Sei who has been attacked, beaten and nearly raped while living on campus and has now moved to his own apartment. Although they seem to have a relationship of sorts, Sei keeps refusing Gabe’s requests to visit, however when he sees Gabe trying to shuffle grocery bags, he makes a move to help and Sei agrees reluctantly to let him come in.

There is then some sexy fun with icing and you get to know a bit more about Sei, about his OCD concerning neatness, about his uneasy, if not outright hostile, relationship with his mother, and about Gabe’s love for him. However you never discover why Sei was bullied and attacked so brutally or why Sei seems quite happy to have Gabe there and they have a good time, but yet was so reluctant to allow him to come over.

I’m assuming many of these questions will be answered in the novella. What is Gabe’s role within the community of witches as a vampire? How did he and Sei meet? What was happening with Sei at the school to cause such terrible incidents? If this story is meant to be a teaser, it certainly does that.

I found the writing style accessible and pleasing, and both Gabe and Sei were intriguing characters I would have liked to learn more about, but as a complete story this is lacking in that the plot is merely one scene of the couple with some hints about the real story and their background. This may encourage readers to pick up the complete story when it is released.