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Archive for the ‘Romance’ Category

Yours by Kim Alan

Posted in Authors: A-C, B, BDSM, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on May 23, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

BelladonnaTitle: Yours
Author: Kim Alan
Length: 7,300 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary BDSM
Rating: B

Blurb:
Kyle is a lost boy. “Freed” for his own good, he’s doing his best to follow through on promises made. But he’s struggling, there’s no doubt about it. That is, until he suddenly finds himself in a place he least expected.

Beau is an independent man, answering to no one but himself. If he’s lonely, it’s a small price to pay. That is, until a beautiful, lost young man stumbles into his bar on Valentine’s Day. He can’t turn him away. The boy needs him. Or is it the other way around?

Review:
This story seems longer than its short length thanks mainly to a situation steeped in emotion and a clever twist which I saw coming but was still enjoyable when it came. Kyle arrives in a leather bar late at night after being dumped 10 miles from his house by an irate, now ex, boyfriend. He’s nervous but has no phone or wallet so he asks to use the phone. The barman is very attractive and Kyle can’t keep his eyes off the gruff man. The attraction is mutual and although the kid isn’t his type at all, Beau the barman, can’t help but offer assistance.

The first part of this story grabs you and the emotional intensity carried me through to the end of the story. It’s difficult to write much without giving away the twist in the story but I was caught up in Kyle’s uncertainty at entering the bar and embarrassment at the situation he found himself in.

Beau is suffering from a broken heart after he split from his last lover. He’s unwillingly attracted to Kyle and I loved the little details in the writing which ramped up the lust and sexual tension he feels for Kyle. He listens in, almost reluctantly to Kyle’s story of how he arrived in the bar and is drawn to Kyle’s story.

There’s a BDSM element to the story. Kyle is submissive and has been in a BDSM relationship in the past. The sex scene between them is very tame for BDSM but contained a tenderness that I found very appealing. The ending brought a smile to my face.

Overall, if you’re looking for something very short but packed with emotion, then this would be a good story to pick up.

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When Darkness Falls by KC Grim

Posted in Authors: G-I, D+, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , on May 22, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

whendarknessfallsTitle: When Darkness Falls
Author: KC Grim
Length: 7,467 words
Publisher: JMS
Genre: m/m Paranormal Romance
Rating: D+

Blurb: Shadow Chasers are dark and mysterious creatures of the night, among the oldest supernatural beings walking the earth. Their strength and ability to manipulate the darkness makes them powerful, but everyone has a weakness.

Jet is no exception. He’s always used his good looks and sex appeal to his own advantage. Never being the settling down type of guy, Jet is content with loving both men and women and then leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake.

After jilting one too many lovers, Jet suddenly finds himself banished to the farthest reaches of the world, the Arctic Circle. Can a creature who has existed for centuries locked in darkness survive in the land of the midnight sun?

Review: You know, unfortunately this story started off on a bad foot for me. One of my pet peeves is when the blurb gives more information about the story than the story itself. I finished the story feeling like I’d just been caught in a small worldwide, with the pace moving incredibly fast with little to no transition between scenes and knowing hardly anything about the characters but a few superficial facts. Then I read the blurb again, and much more of the story fell into place for me. But, that’s not a good thing. The story should be able to stand by itself.

The basis of the story is a love triangle between Jet, a shadow chaser (a supernatural being whose power comes from the darkness), his best friend and jilted lover Roderick (who is a vampire), and the human who rescues and nurses Jet back to health after Roderick and his whole team turn against him and try to kill him. Holton (the human) is perhaps the most perplexing because we know very little about him, only that he’s nursing a broken heart. Really, that’s pretty much the whole story — what, with proper explanation, character building and deeper plotting — would have been a novella or a novel condensed into 20 pages by rushing the scenes (at breakneck speed), jumping large pieces of plot and not really exploring the characters at all but for a few sentences about them.

I’m afraid that I just can’t recommend this story at all. I’ve never read anything by this author before, but I hope that their other stories slow down a little and allow the story time to unfold. To be completely frank, this story seemed much like a storyboard. The five or six major scenes of a larger story written down and then bunched together. I was so confused while I was reading it with the story jumping around all over the place and not giving us many clues about what was going on. And while, at the end, I finally understood what happened in the story, it missed so much that should have been there: getting to know the characters, understanding their motivations.

So, no I’ll have to say that you should skip this one. I’ll definitely give the author another go though, and hopefully I’ll have a better experience with their other stories.

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Torque (Drag & Drift #2) by Chacelyn Pierce

Posted in Authors: P-R, C+, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on May 21, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

TorqueTitle: Torque (Drag & Drift #2)
Author: Chacelyn Pierce
Length: 38 pdf pages
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: C+

Blurb:

Rance is thrilled to finally meet his friend’s roommate he’s been eyeing via social media. One problem, the feeling isn’t mutual. Hudson wants nothing to do with him and the street racing world. If Rance is anything, he’s tenacious, and he soon realizes that Hudson’s attitude is nothing but a shield over his heart. Winning a race is easy but earning Hudson’s affection might prove to be the toughest challenge yet.

It’s no secret, Hudson Maas doesn’t trust easily, and over the years he’s created a thick armor over his heart to keep from getting hurt again. It shouldn’t matter, Rance isn’t his type and no guy in their right mind would want to date him with his disability. Situations soon demand Hudson must trust the one man he shouldn’t. However, depending on Rance seems to go a lot further than a ride home.

Review:

Part of my rating for this story is based entirely on my own personal reactions and not based on the writing. Hudson is dragged by his roommate to a drag race, so not his area of interest. Then to top is off she tries to set him up with some racer. Hudson’s greeting is rude to say the least. Having had some rough experiences with men who either found his limp off-putting or just want to be with him because he has a decent job, he’s overly cautious. When the cops come to bust up the illegal street racing, which was Hudson’s fear, he’s forced to go with Rance as his roommate is dragged off by her boyfriend.

Hudson continues to be annoyed, assuming Rance is a ne’er-do-well racer. Rance is determined to show that he’s different as he is a rich businessman running the family’s import-export business, and reckless car racer on the weekend. Eventually Hudson succumbs to his charms, of course. My issue arose with how everyone just seemed to bull doze over Hudson. His roommate, takes him out in the country to a race, where he has to walk long distances over soft ground with a cane thus leaving him nearly debilitated when they get there, and then despite what he says, Rance just ignores most of it and pushes and pushes until Hudson gives in.

I find those kind of characters extremely annoying because they seemed completely disregarding the person’s feelings and interests all in the names of getting them laid (or a boyfriend). It comes across as very disrespectful to me. *shrug* Here’s where I said I had issues which many other readers will not. It’s not obnoxious but I thought his roommate was not very caring about him other than to hook him up. I also don’t get the fascination with street-racing.

While this is book #2, except for a brief reference to the couple in the first book and their connection to the roommate you could read this as a stand-alone. I liked that Hudson wasn’t your typical m/m hero, having a damaged leg and not being your usual definition of a hot guy. The writing style is easy to read, and so while I did enjoy reading this story, it’s unlikely to be something I would return to again.

In a dangerous paranormal world, a police detective finds it takes a near un-death experience to express his feelings for his vampire partner.

When you’re a cop in Undertown, where things that go bump in the night live, fight, and devour one another in their constant battle to exist in a human world that reviles them, falling in love should be the last thing on your mind. But for human Detective Gage Roberts, a near death experience and a heroic rescue by his vampire partner Jensen Holm brings repressed feelings exploding to the surface. Will Gage put his macho defenses on the line and take a chance on the love of his immortal hero?

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Die for You by A. Sangrey Black

Posted in Authors: A-C, B-, Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , on May 20, 2013 | 1 Comment »

die for youTitle: Die for You
Author: Sangrey A. Black
Length: 11,000 words (35 pdf pages)
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: m/m paranormal
Rating: B-

Blurb:

In a dangerous paranormal world, a police detective finds it takes a near un-death experience to express his feelings for his vampire partner.

When you’re a cop in Undertown, where things that go bump in the night live, fight, and devour one another in their constant battle to exist in a human world that reviles them, falling in love should be the last thing on your mind. But for human Detective Gage Roberts, a near death experience and a heroic rescue by his vampire partner Jensen Holm brings repressed feelings exploding to the surface. Will Gage put his macho defenses on the line and take a chance on the love of his immortal hero?

Review:

This short was set in an interesting world, where the paranormal are the everyday and special police forces enforce the law. Gage is one of those cops who has been partnered with a vampire and are now facing a major battle that is pretty much unwinable. Gage is badly injured and nearly dies, but his partner saves him by sucking out the poison and both of them nearly die, or die more. The experience makes Gage determined to tell his partner how he feels about him.

I enjoyed the banter between the two partners, Gage calling him Bunnicula. Jensen is a religious man who hates swearing, and Gage is kind of a manly man who hates talking about feelings. When Jensen takes him back to his house to recover, he tries to put off Gage’s advances, believing it’s due to the blood sharing, however Gage soon puts his mind to ease by revealing he’s been lusting after him since they met.

I wouldn’t have minded a bit more information about how Gage came to work for that particular police force as he mentioned being dumped there. You do get a bit more information about Jensen as Gage explains his background, but despite being Gage’s point of view. There’s also a bit of a revelation that Jensen is submissive when it gets to the sex. The only thing that kind of irked me was Gage’s constant reference to chick flicks and chick lit as something too girly for him, but it wasn’t a major annoyance.

If you’re looking for a vampire story set in a different world, it’s an enjoyable quick read but I think there was a lot more of the world that had potential to be fleshed out.

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Witness Protection by Derek Adams

Posted in Authors: A-C, Contemporary, D, Romance, tagged , on May 17, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

WitnessProtectionTitle: Witness Protection
Author: Derek Adams
Length: 15k words
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m Contemporary Romance
Rating: D

Blurb: Ex-con Tony Bradshaw drops into a convenience store on his way home after work, looking for a loaf of bread. What he finds instead is trouble. Overnight, he becomes the star witness in the murder trial of a major mob enforcer. Death threats quickly follow, and Tony’s life is completely disrupted.

Tony is hustled off to a secluded cabin in the woods with bodyguard Alec Dubinski, a handsome young detective who at first appears to be a complete homophobe. Relations between them start off poorly and soon hit rock bottom during a drunken stupor. But after Alec apologizes for his unacceptable behavior, the sexual chemistry between the men can no longer be ignored. A night of unbridled passion leads to a declaration of their growing affection for one another.

Their idyll in the woods is brought to a halt, however, when their hideout is brutally attacked by mafia henchmen. What sacrifice is Tony willing to make as he attempts to save the man he has come to love?

Review: It wasn’t until I finished this story that I checked and realized I haven’t actually ever read anything by Derek Adams before. I have plenty of his stories, but I’ve never gotten around to reading one of them. Now, I can’t say that my feelings about this story have any bearing on the quality of writing in those other stories, but I suspect that had I read anything by this author before last week, when I decided to get this from Amber Allure for review, I might have taken a pass. And honestly, I wish I had.

Tony Bradshaw has had a rough life. Problems at home manifested in his juvenile delinquency at an early age. And once he’s in the system, it’s almost impossible for Tony to get out of it. Criminal habits and a harsh reality of his place in society result in a vicious circle, of a world that continually admonishes Tony for his lack of worth while at the same time actively helping him to fail. Bad behavior and stupid choices as a teenager lead to his need to rob, steal and sell his body to survive as an adult. Tony is the first to admit that while he may have had few choices at that time, it doesn’t negate the fact that with the choices he did have he always chose the worst ones. And Tony knows even more how your image can control who you are and the choices you have.

Tony is on a first name basis with many of Seattle’s cops, and the older cops that know him by name and reputation seem to delight in reminding him that while he has his life together now they’re just waiting for him to slip up so they can remind him of who they know him to be. Having such a bad reputation with law enforcement makes it even harder for Tony to bear what is happening to him now. What Tony thought was a small altercation on a dark street corner turns out to be the smoking gun that cops need to bring down one of the key components of an organized crime ring. He’s in real danger and an obvious target before he can testify in the trial. Now that Tony is an honest citizen, he does his duty and tells the cops what he saw. The cops, on the other hand, only grudgingly give him protection. They send him and a cop by the name of Alec to a cabin in the woods until the trial can be brought together. Tony’s reward for his candor is a one way ticket into WITSEC.

What was a somewhat unoriginal plot (which is pretty obvious from the blurb) was made even worse by choppy writing, superficial characters and a plot that never really went anywhere. By that, I mean that several factors came together in an unfortunate way. The writing itself relies heavily on summary instead of in an active scene, and we’re given several info dumps. There are also large gaps in time that end up being gaps in plot because of the lack of transition between parts of the story and in character growth. Most frustrating for me, aside from the lack of growth in the characters, was the stilted dialogue that seemed like something the characters would never say. Also, without showing any of the internal process, one of the characters makes a drastic 180 that really kind of baffled me. Also, I was immediately turned off by the first sex scene which is pretty blatantly dubious consent. Not that I have a problem with dub-con itself, but it does really bother me when the character who has dubious feelings is ultimately like eh, what the hell… it’s no big deal and then the whole issue is ignored. Call a spade a spade and address the issue. And last, I was curious to see how the author would write the end scene. It’s pretty obvious from the blurb what is going to happen. Ultimately, I found the ending completely anticlimactic and the characters actions so apart from their real person that I just really couldn’t understand them at all.

To be quite honest, I probably wouldn’t recommend this story — not even if you’re a fan of Derek Adams. I’m sure some people will like this story, but with so many flaws, I think that’s a small percentage of readers. To me, it felt like PWTVP (Porn With Thinly Veiled Plot).

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French Lessons by Pelaam

Posted in Authors: P-R, C+, Contemporary, Erotica, Romance, tagged , on May 16, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

frenchlessonsTitle: French Lessons
Author: Pelaam
Length: 14,100 words
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Grade: C+

Blurb:
When Jesse is caught daydreaming in class, he faces being thrown out or proving his worth during a one-on-one lesson. Is his French up to the standard this master desires?

Jesse goes to French classes with a friend, but soon spends more time having erotic daydreams about the teacher than he does on learning the language.

He is caught not paying attention once too often. Corwin, the class tutor, gives Jesse an ultimatum–a one-on-one lesson to prove he’s worthy to continue or be thrown out of the class.
Jesse accepts the challenge, but is his French up to the mark?

Moreover, is that the only lesson Corwin wants to give him?

Review:
This erotic short was heavy on lustful longing. It tells of Jesse who signed up for an evening French class to support his friend and finds himself lusting after the French teacher. He’d like to make a move but knows it’s not ethical to start something with his teacher and so is holding out for the end of the course. One evening Jesse is caught day dreaming in class and Corwin is not happy. He instructs Jesse to meet him in his office for one to one tuition but Jesse ends up getting more than he bargained for.

The start of this story worked well for me. I found it amusing that Jesse is so lust-crazed over his teacher that he finds it hard to concentrate and the sexual tension is palpable. It also sets the scene for what comes later because it becomes clear that this will be a highly erotic encounter when it happens, and it is. In many ways both characters are living in the present as we don’t find out much about them other than they are attracted to each other, but that worked well within the context of the story, so I didn’t mind that the characterisation was a little flat.

The sex scenes were hot and heavy, but different. The first sex scene is mere erotica, two men getting it on with a BDSM touch. The second scene occurs after the men have had chance to get to know each other a little better and is more romantic, leaving us with the impression that the relationship will grow and develop.

Any niggles I had with the story centred on the ethical side of things. Whilst it was thrilling to see two men so caught up in desire that they throw caution to the wind, and also that Jesse is an adult, I was still a little concerned about them carrying on with each other whilst still in a teacher/student dynamic. This is even played on a little with the BDSM element. However, this wasn’t enough to spoil my enjoyment of the story too much and this was still and enjoyable erotic interlude with a touch of romance.

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Love Over Gold by Glyn Soitiño

Posted in Authors: S-U, B, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on May 15, 2013 | 2 Comments »

loveovergold185Title: Love Over Gold
Author: Glyn Soitiño
Length: 14,100 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Grade: B

Blurb:
Chris and Paul are about to register their Civil Partnership, the closest thing you can have to a same-sex marriage in England. The registrar has been booked, the reception is all laid on, and the invitations are ready to go out. Now, only two weeks away from the ceremony, all that remains is for them to break the news to Chris’ parents. But that shouldn’t be too much of a problem — everybody loves a wedding, right?

Right — unless the father of one of the bridegrooms cannot accept the fact that his son is marrying another man. Chris, an only child, is heir to both the family name and fortune. Clinging to the misguided conviction that Chris’ homosexuality is merely a transient phase, Roger resolves to do whatever is necessary to secure his family’s future. But stubbornness runs in the family — like father, like son — and when things come to a head, well, who knows what might happen?

Review:
Paul and Chris are in love and ready to tie the knot by registering their Civil Partnership. Both are excited about the event, but want to keep things low key. Paul has never met Chris’ parents, mainly because Chris knows his father won’t approve as he’s still clinging onto the hopes that Chris is going through a phase and will soon snap put of it, settle down and marry and nice girl. Chris is also worried about a jinx, where whenever he introduces his parents to a boyfriend, they break up almost immediately afterwards but Paul assures him that love will win out, no matter what happens.

This was a rather lovely story about two men in love. The beginning firmly establishes the relationship and one of the best parts of this story was seeing how well the gel as a couple and how they talk through any problems. The pair have only been together a few months but there’s a sense of rightness between them that made it seem believable that they should take the big step of a civil partnership so soon.

The story is about families, Chris’ in particular and although we find out some detail about Paul – his job for example – the focus is mainly on Chris and his parents. Chris’ father is boorish and rather unpleasant, used to getting his way and so utterly frustrated that Chris is gay. This was offset by Chris’ Mum whose lively personality helped save the book from too much nastiness. The twist in the story was one I saw coming but I liked the way Paul dealt with it.

Despite the theme of parental expectation and disappointment, this was actually quite a light read, mainly because of the deft touch with the narrative and Chris’ Mum. Things begin to escalate, and at one point stretched incredulity a little for me, but that soon passed. I also liked the way that the author played a little with convention – the angry dash out in the rain, the crashed car – but turned it on its head so that things were not as they may seem.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story. A British setting is always a plus for me and I liked the characters. If you’re looking for something light and sparkly with a happy ending that will leave you smiling, then I’d recommend this one.

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The Beat by D.J. Manly

Posted in Authors: M-O, C-, Contemporary, Menage, Romance, tagged , on May 14, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

TheBeatTitle: The Beat
Author: D.J. Manly
Length: 13,000 words
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Grade: C-

Blurb:
The beat of love doesn’t always move every drummer in the same way…

The members of Frenzied Water, an up-and-coming rock band, can’t believe their luck when Frank Harold, former drummer for Heirloom, the most famous group on the planet, enters the studio and offers to be their new percussionist. And Johnny, Frenzied Water’s front man, never expects that his feelings for Frank will grow to the point where he needs to know the reason Frank left Heirloom for a less popular group.

One night, after a few drinks with Johnny, Frank finally confesses the reason he left Heirloom—a love affair-gone-wrong with his former vocalist. With the truth out, Johnny believes he has a chance with the sexy drummer if only he can convince Frank to leave the past behind and give their blossoming love a try.

Then a miracle happens, one that Johnny suspects may be more calculated than it appears. His band is invited to be the opening act on Heirloom’s American tour. It’s a dream for a rock group struggling for recognition, but a personal nightmare for Johnny, who wishes Frank as far away from his former lead singer as possible.

But Johnny is not the only one dreading this tour, and when a snowstorm in Denver traps Johnny, Frank, and two members of Heirloom together in a cabin, there will be no escape…

Review:
Johnny’s been in love with the drummer in his band for a long time and tried many times to seduce Frank into his bed. After a night of pot and drink, he finally succeeds only to have Frank claim it was a mistake. Frank had been a member of a famous band, Heirloom, and left after his relationship with the lead singer broke down and so refuses to make the same mistake with Johnny. When Heirloom specifically ask for Johnny’s band to support them on tour, Frank is forced to confront his past and Johnny hopes this will help him put aside his past for good.

There was a lot happening in this story. There’s the relationship between Frank and Johnny, Frank’s past relationship with the lead singer of heirloom, the band stuff involving two bands, a snowstorm, a four way sex scene and another romantic sub-plot. At this word count it was a lot to fit in and I’m afraid it didn’t work too well for me. The story seems to careen from one thing to the next whilst never fully exploring anything and so everything seems superficial and shallow. We never really get to know the characters and as such I didn’t feel too involved in them or their romance. The end is rushed and felt forced so I was left feeling that the story would have benefitted from having more added to it to make a novel, rather than limiting the story to a short.

It wasn’t all bad though. I thought the story had a good grasp of the workings of a band and I liked the way it showed an up and coming band getting a leg up on the fame ladder. The story begins well and I enjoyed seeing Johnny’s desperate attempts to snag Frank for himself and how pleased he is when he manages to get Frank into bed.

If you like stories about rock stars or bands then you may well like this one too. I liked some of it but felt that it could have been better with more detail and greater character development.

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Do You See Me Now by Stephani Hecht

Posted in Authors: G-I, B-, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on May 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

see meTitle: Do You See Me Now
Author: Stephani Hecht
Length: 15,000 words (56 pdf pages)
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B-

Blurb:

Sometimes the best things are right in front of you, just waiting to be seen.

Dax Rogers was a loner in high school, so he kept to himself. Now grown up, Dax has changed a lot. Not only has he made a huge name for himself as a special-effects makeup artist, but he has a whole new look. Then an invitation comes in the mail. It’s the tenth reunion for their graduation and they are having a weekend retreat. When he shows up and sees that Lance, his old high school crush, is there too, Dax is both overjoyed and nervous. Will the men be able to make up for lost time?

Review:

This is a cute little high school geek/jock reunion story with a bit of a twist. Usually the nerd is in IT, this time he’s a special effects make-up artist on a popular zombie TV show. For the last several months he’s been walking past the coffee shop owned by his high school crush, Lance. However Dax has changed. He’s now into Goth, black clothes, spiked black hair and eye-liner. So when he does take the chance and order a coffee, thinking maybe he’s seen interest on Lance’s part, it’s a bit of a bust. Of course Lance has no clue who he is, and Dax isn’t even sure if he read it right.

When the invitation to the high school reunion comes he decides to go and rub their noses in his success. Meanwhile Lance’s sister encourages him to take a break from his business and go and put the past behind him. He came out at prom and the response was not good. They quickly meet up and before long are paired up and facing down the high school bullies of their youth. Only they are finding that not all of them are the same shallow kids and they actually find some people whom they enjoy spending time with, but of course there are still a few jerks in the midst. But both men aren’t sure if this is just a reunion fling, or more.

I liked Dax a great deal. He’s got enough of a snarky attitude to put the bullies in their place. He’s confident now and proud of his accomplishments, but also realizes he doesn’t need to prove anything. Lance is a bit different. He’s been so busy building up his coffee shop business, he hasn’t had much experience with men, and is very shy and unsure, so I enjoyed seeing Dax be the lead in the relationship.

If you like this author’s work, you’ll enjoy this. It ends nicely with a HFN ending and it doesn’t feel cut off or like there needs to be more. The writing is smooth and easy to read and it’s a feel-good story with little angst or conflict. Perfect when that’s what you are in the mood for.

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Before I Wake by Eli Easton

Posted in Authors: D-F, B, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on May 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

blueTitle: Before I Wake
Author: Eli Easton
Length: 8,000 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Grade: B

Blurb:
Nurse’s aide Jonesy is drawn to Michael, the comatose victim of a hate crime whose homophobic parents have rejected him. Jonesey sits with Michael, reads to him, and encourages Michael to wake up. Jonesy may not be the smartest guy in the world, but he knows Michael needs him. And if he also thinks Michael is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, well, Jonesy knows better than to hope for things that can never happen. Michael is lost in a dungeon, a dark and terrifying place. His only comfort is the sound of a man’s voice. Can Michael come back? Does he want to? Maybe Jonesy can convince him that some things are worth living for.

Review:
When the victim of a hate crime is brought into the hospital unit where Jonesy works, he feels immediately drawn to the young man. After seeing that Michael is alone with no-one to care for him, Jonesy decides to do all he can to talk to Michael and spend time with him outside work hours, hoping that this will help Michael to emerge from his coma.

This story is part of the fairy tale line of stories at Torquere and is loosely based on the Sleeping Beauty story. It was a very sweet tale with a likable narrator in Jonesy, who’s one of those big men who frighten people with his size but is really a nice and sweet, if a bit dim, guy who wouldn’t harm a fly. We learn lots about Jonesy through his narrative especially his past living with his aunt and his protective feelings for Michael. Jonesy’s loneliness comes through strongly and makes it all the more believable that he should latch onto Michael, and that he should come to care for him a great deal through the limited interaction that they share.

Another aspect of the story is showing us some of the difficulties faced by those with no support or adequate healthcare provision. As a Brit, used the the National Health Service, it’s baffling to me to see people given inadequate levels of care because they are currently unable to pay for it, and I thought the author had done a good job of showing Michael’s predicament without being too heavy handed about it. Jonesy really does become a modern-day knight in shining armour for Michael and I liked seeing how resourceful Jonesy becomes when faced with Michael’s need.

If I have any niggles about the story it’s that I felt slightly uncomfortable about the sex scene. The scene is written in a way which shows consent between both characters but Michael is still technically asleep/in a coma at the time. The sex wasn’t a necessary scene and could have easily been cut and I wondered whether it had been included because of publisher demands for this series of stories, rather than to forward the plot or characters.

The story ends on a hopeful note. Not really a HFN, but not a sad ending either and part of me really wanted to read on, to find out whether Jonesy’s hopes and dreams would be fulfilled. Maybe the author will write another story with these characters, I hope so.

Overall though this was a sweet story which was so lovely it made my heart ache a little. I really liked Jonesy and was quickly drawn into his narrative. I would recommend this story to those of you looking for a different type of romance but one which will touch your heart.

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