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Posts Tagged ‘Kate Roman’

Salamander Moon by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, B+, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , on October 10, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Title: Salamander Moon
Author: Kate Roman
Length: 8,200 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m paranormal romance
Rating: B+

Blurb:
In the heart of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, florist Rhyan Hall accidentally outs himself as a salamander shifter to his crush, hunky ceramicist Mike Chen. But can Rhyan trust Mike with his secret? And in the midst of the town’s autumn moose festival, will Mike find a way to share his own true nature?

Review:
Rhyan is a salamander shifter who needs to wet his skin at least every two hours or he spontaneously changes into a salamander. After a spate of recent burglaries in town Rhyan has rigged up an elaborate burglar device which he accidentally sets off when Mike, the guy Rhyan has been crushing on, asks him out for coffee. Trapped in the device, Rhyan is helpless when the change overtakes him, leading to Mike discovering his secret.

I’m not a huge fan of shifter stories but this one proved to be a delight. Rhyan’s dry sense of humour shines through the narrative, as he realises the game is up and, since Mike was with him when he changed, there’s no way he can hide his shifter status from Mike. I had great fun imagining Rhyan as a talking salamander, and thought the author had done a good job in adding in little details of what being a salamander felt like for Rhyan.

Most of the story is focused on that awkward situation, followed by a first date.  The interplay between the characters was fun and lighthearted and we managed to find out lots of information about Rhyan in a way that wasn’t at all info-dumpy. His mortification at shifting in front of guy he really liked made Rhyan very endearing as a character and I enjoyed his good-natured embarrassment which warred with a certain pride in being a unique creature. Mike is more of an unknown quantity, but there were enough clues about him that I’d pretty much guessed the twist at the end of the story.

Having read a few ‘unusual’ shifter stories in the past, I find they work best if the shifting is used for comedic effect. It certainly worked with this story which managed to be cute, funny and entertaining and I’d recommend it to those who like shifter stories and are looking for something lighthearted with their Halloween scares.

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Man of the Cave Bear by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, B-, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, tagged , on September 12, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Title: Man of the Cave Bear
Author: Kate Roman
Length: 13,300 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m fantasy historical romance
Rating: B-

Blurb:
To attain manhood with his clan, Taran hunts a savage, one of the fearsome bear-like beasts inhabiting the mountains above his home. From infancy, Taran’s been taught to fear and hate them, but Taran’s savage, Roke, has other ideas, and after a night of passion, Taran cannot bring himself to kill his new companion. Instead he returns to his clan with a lie on his lips and an ache in his heart. But when the clan discovers Roke near their village, they take to the warpath. Torn between his clan and his heart, will Taran leave everything he’s known for a love he could never have imagined?

Review:
I like the pun in the title from Clan of the Cave Bear, the book by Jean M Auel, because this story does have a slightly similar setting of prehistoric times with added pterosaurs. It tells of Taran who specialises in cutting quartz into knives and other implements. He’s just turned 18 and the rules of the clan say that in order to be a man and marry he must venture out into the wilderness an kill one of the savages who live in the hills outside their village. Taran has never killed anything in his life and plans to return after three days having failed his quest and be left alone to live a peaceful life. However, he meets Roke, one of the savages and finds out that he is not the beast that the village elders claim the savages are.

I rather enjoyed the unusual setting to this story with a character who felt out of place in his own village. Taran is kind but also very proud of his ability to fashion knives from quartz. He’s also stubborn minded and even when he’s absolved from his quest, he resolves to prove himself and disappear into the wilderness for three days. However, he’s also sensitive and realistic about his chances to kill a ‘savage’. When he meets Roke, I enjoyed the way that his preconceptions were destroyed by Roke’s gentleness and the scenes with them together were hot but also did well in showing a growing regard. It’s quite hard to show something like this when neither of them can communicate well, but I was satisfied with an ending where their feelings may have seemed sudden in other situations.

The story also had a good mix of thoughtful moments and action scenes, although the part with the pterosaur was a little far-fetched for my liking. Still, it added a frisson of danger to the idyll created by the two men. The scenes where Taran returns to the village didn’t work quite as well for me, especially as I couldn’t quite work out whether the village elders were deliberately covering up or just refused to listen to Taran. Also, during the story Taran worries about the villagers coming to find him and Roke if he doesn’t return after three days, but then once the story ends he stops worrying that they will try and find him. Perhaps the villagers just assume that Taran will die in the wilderness without the protection of the village, but that isn’t made clear.

Those niggles weren’t enough to spoil my enjoyment of this story too much though and if the thought of a hairy Neanderthal type hero doesn’t put you off then this would be a book I would recommend as a bit different from the usual contemporaries.

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The Cupid Caper by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, B-, Contemporary, Fantasy, Romance, tagged , on May 28, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Title: The Cupid Caper
Author: Kate Roman
Length: 18,500 words (61 pdf pages)
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m fantasy
Rating: B-

Blurb:

Eros Omnia — Ross to his friends and Cupid to the rest of the known world – is having a bad day. With just one more set of arrows to shoot before he can move up to Mercury’s vacant position, Ross loses one of the arrows and worse yet, uncovers a plot implicating two of the oldest gods on Olympus. At the same time, one of those arrows shot true in the finest ass Ross has seen in an eternity. With a little cunning, some bravado and the most beautiful mortal he’s ever laid eyes on, Cupid’s aiming to make his worst day turn out to be the best yet…

Review:

For fans of Greek, or in this case Roman mythology, this was a cute story that suffered a bit from a rather convoluted story-line, but the basic romance between Ross and Tony was very cute and made up for it. Ross, aka Cupid, is not thrilled with his job, and Mercury’s job is coming open and he’s been more or less promised it if he can do one more job. Tony and his girlfriend Kristen are the targets. He has no problems hitting tony, but thanks to an annoying pigeon, he fell and broke all of his arrows but one, and that arrow is intercepted and put in a safe at Kristen’s place of employment, leaving Ross desperate to fix the situation and not get in trouble with his boss, or lose his promotion.

However, once he realizes that Tony and Kristen were on the verge of breaking up and he finds Tony’s hidden “The Joy of Gay Sex” in the closet, he starts to wonder if there is something funny going on, especially when Mars and Hercules start harassing him and he sees Kristen with Icarus. This was where the story gets a bit convoluted, as it seems Ross has been set up to take down Icarus, but Tony is just such a nice guy, who Ross was instantly attracted to, he can’t ruin his life by hooking him up with his now recent ex.

It was cute to watch Ross have to dance around the reality of what was going on, especially when the epic throw-down in the parking lot happens with the whole gang and Tony sees things he shouldn’t, however Ross is in no position to reveal the truth or they’ll both be killed. I also enjoyed watching Ross to try to get the last arrow back, and getting in trouble along the way or side-tracked by Tony and sex. It’s done with a light hand and has humorous moments, including a recurring role by the annoying pigeon, who I think has a crush on Ross.

So if you like ancient mythology brought into the modern-day, I think you’ll like this story a lot, even if the premise was a bit convoluted. It was still a fun read, and even though you don’t get to know much about Tony, he was just a smart nice guy who was prepared to deal with Ross’s vague stories, to be with the man he loved. So all around, cute and fun and sexy.

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Crankset by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, B+, Contemporary, Romance, Sequel, tagged , on January 31, 2012 | 8 Comments »

Title: Crankset
Author: Kate Roman
Length:  42 pdf pages, 11,000 words.
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Rating: B+

Blurb:
San Francisco bike courier Matt Robinson wishes he and his boyfriend Jason had more privacy, sure, but their quiet, curtained-off living room in the Mission District is all the two of them can afford. Besides, it’s safe and homey, two things Jason missed during his tour in Afghanistan. But when the two boys run afoul of their roommates and a rent increase, will Matt let Jason talk him into a risky move to the Sunset District? Or will Matt’s big mouth land them both out on the street?

Review:

Although this story is a sequel to the delightful Chainbreaker (which I reviewed here), I don’t think you’d need to have read that one to understand what’s going on in Crankset. This story is longer but has the same ingredients of a sweet and sexy relationship between the two main characters, and a colourful cast of background characters. I liked it almost as much as the first story, although it didn’t have quite the same impact.

Crankset opens with a scene that beautifully sets up the main conflict. Broke as usual, Matt has found a free sofa on the street and is determined to get it back to their shared apartment despite Jason’s misgivings about the orange plaid and possibilities of resident bugs. However, when they get there it turns out that Ricky has already bought a new sofa with her recently increased salary, and is also talking about putting up the rent. While she justifies by saying rents are rising all over the trendy Mission district, Matt sees it as a personal affront. Like him, I couldn’t help reading into it that Ricky was now sick of having two young men sleeping behind a curtain in the living room, and was trying to elbow them out of the way just like she does with the sofa.

Matt and Jason are as sweet together as ever in this story, and while Matt’s more aggressive approach to life results in a small amount of conflict between them, their relationship is never under threat. Indeed, the very reason Matt opposes Jason’s idea to move to another area is because of how protective he feels towards his Gulf War veteran boyfriend. He’s worried that unfamiliar surroundings could trigger another attack of post traumatic stress, although Jason is clearly much more stable now.

As in Chainbreaker, the vibrant surroundings of the Mission are beautifully observed, with plenty of arresting details woven into the narrative. I particularly  loved the way Matt observes the neighbours across the street from the safety of their rooftop:

He watched a purple-haired guy with thick, black-rimmed glasses lean out of a fourth-floor window to water a flower box. Almost immediately, the water dripped out the bottom, glittering in the sun. Someone yelled from the street.

These details bring San Francisco vividly to life, yet are deftly fitted between the dialogue so you never find the description intrusive. Another aspect that’s just as strong are the fun sex scenes, that Roman skilfully integrates within the plot.

The reason I wasn’t quite so taken with this story, though, were the other characters. They are all female (apart from one token prospective housemate), and with the exception of Ricky I couldn’t find a huge amount to distinguish them. Perhaps there were just too many of them for me to cope with in such a short story. Mama Yung, who I loved in the first story, was woefully underused, although she does get one of the best lines.

It’s difficult when reviewing a sequel as you can’t help but compare to the previous book, yet I think on its own merits this one is a great read. It has a touching and sexy romance between two likable leads and the setting is vividly realised. I was going to give it a B as I’d given Chainbreaker a B+, but I think it’s actually worth more than that and I probably should have given Chainbreaker an A-!

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Search for the Yeti by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, C+, Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , on January 15, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Title: Search for the Yeti
Author: Kate Roman
Length: 5,800 words (22 pdf pages)
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary paranormal
Rating: C+

Blurb:

Bryan’s research into yetis leads him deep into the dark, magic heart of the Pyrenees, where myths about snow and ice are still serious things. And it leads him to Nic, an Italian mountaineering guide. But when Bryan’s obsessive search threatens to tear them apart, will Nic’s courage — and the magic of the Pyrenees — be enough?

Originally published in the Legendary Creatures Taste Test

Review:

This story jumps right into the fairly new relationship of Nic, a mountain guide, and Bryan, an American doing his thesis on yetis and general mountain mythology, who is in the mountains for one last stint before he finishes his thesis and returns to the US to take over the family business. He and Nic hit it off right away, except for one thing, Bryan’s obsession with the yeti - with finding evidence of it. They usually end up arguing, which ends up in hot sex, which ends up with Bryan going off to find his proof and coming back empty-handed, and it starts all over again.

It’s happened again, and this time Nic is guiding another group when he sees that Bryan has gotten himself in trouble and bad weather is coming in. The leader of Nic’s group refuses to help Bryan, so he leaves and goes after him himself. The ledge they are on collapses and they find themselves in some kind of cave, luckily unhurt, but unsure if they will be able to escape alive, so they cuddle up in Bryan’s sleeping bag for some true love confessions.

The best part of this story was the description of the mountains and the weather and cold, and Bryan’s legends of the mountains. I loved that, and even though I hate winter and cold and would never go there if I could help  it, :-) I appreciated what a great job the author did of setting the scene. There is a twist ending which, I’m not sure I loved, and I think I got more caught up in the setting and the mountains and maybe the legends, that I felt less connected to the guys. Perhaps as well, you didn’t see them interact all that much until near the end, it was mostly from Nic’s explanation of how they met and their life as he is the narrator of the story. That kind of distance, where I’m told of the passion through memory, rather than seeing it happen first hand (of a sort) made me feel more distanced from them as a couple.

I think my dissatisfaction with the surprise ending took away some of my enjoyment of the story as a whole. Others however might find it enjoyable though, so that is rather a personal thing.  I just wasn’t sure it fit the mythology as Bryan had given it. It was still an interesting story with some interesting tales within the story, especially for those with an interest in the yeti mythology.

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Chainbreaker by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, B+, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on November 22, 2011 | 8 Comments »

Title: Chainbreaker
Author: Kate Roman
Length: 35 pdf pages, 8,100 words.
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Rating: B+

Blurb:

San Francisco bike courier Matt Robinson only cares about one thing in this life, his boyfriend, Gulf War veteran Jason Hicks. When one of the other couriers starts pushing Jason around, Matt puts everything on the line to protect his man, even his job, and finds out his sweet, broken blond is a lot tougher than he looks.

Review:

Even though this was released nearly two years ago, I dug it out because I was intrigued by the blurb to the recently released sequel Crankset (review coming soon). I must say, I’m really glad I did. The plot of the story is fairly straightforward and the blurb just about says it all, but Chainbreaker is a delightful slice of life story. It’s also one of those stories that actually improved on the second read through, which is always a pleasure.

The story is told from Matt’s point of view, and opens with him racing back through the streets of San Franscisco, to get back to his boyfriend who works behind the counter at Royal Cycles. We’re given a few brief paragraphs of background to the couple, who have grown up together and been in love since they were sixteen. Unfortunately when their parents discovered this, the two were split up and Jason sent to military school, and then on to Afghanistan where he was injured in service. I feel it would be a spoiler to give the details of exactly how, as I loved the way the story delays the reveal. Let’s just say for now that Jason has a permanent physical disability, but Matt loves him just as much as ever.

The strength of the bond between these two young lovers is never called into question. Indeed, it is this that allows them to cope with their poverty with good humour. They may only have a curtained off alcove in a one bedroom flat shared with three women, but they really seem to enjoy the little things in life: the buzz of the city around them, eating good food and their healthy sex life. I was pleased that while Kate Roman doesn’t sugar coat their poverty in any way, she also doesn’t make it a source of angst for them. I also loved the way the Mission district of San Francisco is portrayed: the city streets and all the diverse secondary characters come alive through the prose. In particular, Mama Yung, the chainsmoking, seventy-something owner of Royal Cycles is a real delight.

Normally I’m not so keen on romances where there’s no conflict between the lovers, but this time it really worked for me. In part this is down to the strength of the writing, but I think it’s mainly the characters. While both young men are clearly very nice guys, they also felt utterly real. Their teasing banter is cute without ever being sugary – a fine line to walk but Kate Roman makes it look effortless. It helps that Matt lashes out when one of the other couriers makes fun of Jason’s disability, and it is this that drives the main plot conflict. A little protectiveness is always an admirable quality in a character. Indeed, Matt really does cherish Jason, seeing him as a precious gift who was returned to him.

This is one of those stories that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, while giving a fascinating portrait of a vibrant city. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a story that’s low on the conflict, but high on the love quotient.

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Mad Dogs and Englishmen by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, B, Historical, Romance, tagged , on August 23, 2011 | 7 Comments »

Title: Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Author: Kate Roman
Length: 6,800 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m historical
Rating: B

Blurb:
Timothy Green, a senior aide to England’s ambassador to Italy, is finding the heat of Naples hard to get used to. His sense of duty won’t allow him to join the under-secretaries on the beach, but one afternoon he follows an errant bulldog to a beautiful fountain. There he meets a young, gorgeous Italian painter, and for once his sense of duty takes a back seat. He spends the afternoon in Cosimo’s arms, and the next day, when he sees the same bulldog in town, he can’t help but follow it a second time. Duty is duty, but Cosimo is something else, and Timothy knows he can’t live without his newfound love.

Review:
This was a charming historical short set in 1952 which follows Timothy who is an aide to an English ambassador. He’s currently in Naples and finding the midday heat oppressive. Because of his relative position in the hierarchy, he feels he can’t go the beach with the rest of the secretaries, so he heads off to find a local tourist spot. After following a dog he finds himself in a hidden courtyard where he meets Cosimo, a local painter who shows Timothy the best way to pass the time during the siesta hours.

The story is taken from Timothy’s point of view and he’s a very sympathetic narrator. I really enjoyed seeing this buttoned up guy with his stiff upper lip become undone first by the heat of Naples and then by the freedom to be himself that Cosimo shows him. The difference in their attitudes is enough to give a flavour of the Italian personality verses the British, but manages to avoid the trap of stereotype. Timothy’s breathless anticipation and the war that he feels between his desires and his position as a diplomatic aide during the sex scenes was nicely done too, adding just as much to the historical setting as the descriptions of Naples.

If I have any niggles about the story it was that the ending was just a little convenient and therefore slightly forced. However, that was just a minor point in what was a well written, evocative and very enjoyable historical story. If you like this era and want to read a story with the unusual setting of Naples, then this will be for you.

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Kereru Rising by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, B, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on June 20, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Title: Kereru Rising
Author: Kate Roman
Length: 12,300 works (46 pages)
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B

Blurb:

The happiest time of Jay Bridgeman’s life was the year he spent as an exchange student in West Auckland, New Zealand. Newly-divorced, he can’t wait to escape frozen Michigan to attend his high-school reunion on the other side of the world–and hopefully catch up with the best friend he ever had, Eru Kauri. But their worlds seem farther apart than ever. Jay can’t seem to find a way back — until Eru shows him the way forward.

Review:

Following his quickie divorce from his social-climbing wife, on a whim Jay heads to the high school reunion in New Zealand where he was an exchange student. Once he arrives, he wonders what he’s thinking. He knows the odds of Eru, the boy he lived with in New Zealand are slim, although he admits to himself that he always lusted after Eru, even then. He also tries to find his foster family who have moved away. Despite wondering if he’s made a gigantic mistake, he goes to the reunion, and by chance runs across Eru in the parking lot, who is over-joyed to see him. They skip the reunion, and head back to Jay’s hotel to catch up, and before long Jay is having his first sexual experience with a man.

It is soon clear that Eru was attracted to Jay as well, and the two men’s joy at being back with each other is very clear. It’s told from Jay’s point of view, so you only get to know Eru from Jay’s memories, and what is revealed in the story. I found Jay a bit of a scatterbrain. Although he’s a lawyer he tends to drift off into his own thoughts, and tune out the world, which I found rather annoying at times, he seemed younger than his years as this is the 15 year reunion. This is a definitely a HFN ending. The next day, they discuss Jay moving to New Zealand, however there are no declarations of undying love, and it’s something they agree to look into as an option, which I thought was realistic, rather than just up and saying “I’ll move, and we’ll live happily ever after.”

The setting in New Zealand is lovely as well. I don’t know if the author has been there or if it was all made up, but it sounded wonderful with the beach and the forest and even the different parts of the town from run-down crime-ridden areas to lovely homes in the suburbs, along with giant ferns and the wild-life. It definitely makes you want to visit. If you are tired of stories set in Generic-ville, North America, this is a lovely taste of the exotic for those of who live on this side of the world.

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Rodeo Night by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, C, Comedy, Romance, tagged , on June 2, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Title: Rodeo Night
Author: Kate Roman
Length: 7,100 words (27 pdf pages)
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating:  C

Blurb:

In order to put off his well-meaning but curious cousins, Clay Garcia agrees to spend a night at la charreada, the Mexican rodeo. But while fending off the advances of his blind date, Lupe, Clay finds it hard not to think about his older ranch-hand lover, Warshaw, and all the things they could be getting up to. Now if only he can slip away…

Review:

This short seems to be set in a world with a few other stories entitled Los Rancheros. Clay is heading out to the rodeo with his cousin, as he promised. To hide his relationship with an older ranch hand on a neighboring ranch, he claimed to have a girlfriend. Then to avoid the pressure to meet her, he claimed to have broken up with her, leading his cousin to try to hook him up with the very willing Lupe at the rodeo, and “cheer him up”. Of course he has no interest in Lupe, or being cheered up.

After scraping Lupe off of himself, he leaves the rodeo and asks Warshaw to come and pick him up, and they spend some “quality” time together in Warshaw’s truck. Because this drops the reader into an existing world, I felt a bit left out of the environment in which they lived, however Clay’s struggle between liking ranching and the traditional macho Hispanic world he lives in, and wanting to be open with his male lover was well done. 

My biggest issue was there is a fair bit of Spanish in the book which is not translated. So from time to time there were whole sentences I didn’t understand, and just kind of went with that I presumed it meant. A few words now and then I don’t mind and I can often pick up enough Spanish to get the gist, but sometimes I felt like I was watching a foreign film with no sub-titles. However other readers who speaks Spanish will not have my issues, or maybe even just readers who don’t mind that sort of thing. It definitely gave you a flavour to the story, with the rodeo and Clay’s Hispanic friends and family though.

This story does not have an ending per se. There is no declarations of undying love, no coming out to family and friends by either man, however the relationship does move forward and Warshaw admits to feelings for Clay, and vice versa. It’s one of those stories where you can see perhaps down the road they will have to make a decision as Clay’s traditional family pressures him to get married.  It’s well written and those who love cowboys will enjoy this

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A Game of Chance by Kate Roman

Posted in Authors: P-R, B-, Erotica, Historical, tagged , on February 23, 2011 | 9 Comments »

Title: A Game of Chance
Author: Kate Roman
Length: 3,300 words (14 pages)
Publisher: Torquere Books
Genre: m/m historical erotica
Rating: B-

Blurb:

When the young Duke of Avon takes a back exit at a masquerade ball, expecting to find like-minded players to share a high-stakes game of cards or dice, nothing can prepare him for what he finds. But in the arms of mysterious Lord Donahue, Sebastian finds this new game is more pleasurable than anything he anticipated…

Review:

Sebastian is bored at the ball and looking for some illicit excitement he’s heard about that takes place behind the scenes. However there is no card game, he quickly finds himself swept up in sex with a stranger. It’s difficult to say if Sebastian has ever considered an attraction to men, however he takes to this first experience with gusto and is quite happy to go along with it. Afterward he’s slightly freaked out and by chance runs into his temporary lover who appears to know who he is.

The entire story takes place over a couple of hours, from Sebastian’s interlude with the stranger to a further interlude in the carriage after he leaves the ball. You don’t know much about Sebastian except that he finds the whole ball and the games people play there a bit of a bore. You know even less about Adam, the stranger, except that he has more experience than Sebastian.

I did find the “coincidence” of how they met outside the ball a bit mystifying, but I suppose it’s one of those plot devices to give the two men further opportunity for a dalliance. The descriptions of the ball and the machinations of a young lady who uses the anonymity of a masked ball to push the limits was well described, and the irony was not lost on Sebastian who intends the same.

When you are in the mood for an erotic piece set in another time with solid writing it’s a fast rewarding read. The sex is hot between the two men and seeing Sebastian go from a bit stunned about what’s happening to an eager participant is enjoyable.

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