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Posts Tagged ‘Total-e-Bound’

Doctor, Doctor by H.L. Holston

Posted in Authors: G-I, B-, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on April 4, 2013 | 3 Comments »

16247796Title: Doctor, Doctor
Author: H.L. Holston
Length: 38 pdf pages
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B-

Blurb:

Daniel Stewart, Chief Petty Officer and dedicated Corpsmen, works at the Naval Hospital in Naples, Italy where he carries around two big secrets: one, he’s gay; and two, he’s in love with a very sexy Navy doctor, Ryker Kincaid, who he’s been having an affair with for a year. Yes, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell may be gone, but military rules that prevent officers and enlisted from dating are still in place. Ryker and Daniel have to keep their relationship hush-hush or face discharge.

When Ryker elects to leave the Navy after his current tour is up, all of Daniel’s future plans for their careers are blown to bits and causes Daniel to spiral out of control. Will Daniel’s rash decision cost them everything or push their relationship to the next level?

Reader Advisory: This story has been previously released as part of the Emergency Servicing anthology by Total-E-Bound

Review:

This is a re-release of an anthology story, but I’d not read it before. The blurb pretty much sets it up. The two men work at a naval hospital in Naples, Italy, with Ryker being Daniel’s superior. The rules say they should not even be friends, let alone lovers, but they have a pretty decent boss, and the two men are neighbors so no one finds it all that odd that they hang out. Soon both men have to make some career decisions. Stay in the navy or leave. If they stay, a request to which base next. Daniel just assumes that Ryker is a lifer like him, and that they’ll resign up and try to find posting near each other. However he gets a rude awakening when the boss, oblivious to their relationship tells Daniel that Ryker is considering leaving the Navy and he should try to convince him to stay.

Needless to say, Daniel is not happy that Ryker didn’t share this information with him before, and they have to “talk”. Not something either man really enjoys, but when they finally get to it, Ryker tells him he’s tired of living in the closet and in fear for their jobs, he then accuses Daniel of not wanting to come out of the closet, which hits a bit close for comfort. He runs off to his best friend’s place on his motorcycle, only to crash on the way there.

I enjoyed the story quite a bit. I liked that neither man was all that touchy feely. They loved each other but it took a bit of a blow out for either one of them to admit it, and both were pretty good at avoiding the big issues. You only get Daniel’s perspective in this story but his emotions and insecurity came through loud and clear. He knew his parents would not be supportive of him being gay, especially his dad, but he loved Ryker as well. He’s somewhat older than Ryker but Ryker is out with his family making him less afraid to want the openness of a relationship outside of the military.

There is a sweet ending/epilogue which was quite touching and the sex between the two men is sizzling hot, Ryker being the more dominant one it seems in the bedroom. I enjoyed the setting as well and that bit of insularity you have being a foreigner and mostly spending time with your own kind. It’s definitely worth reading.

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In the Name of the Law by Sue Holston

Posted in Authors: G-I, B+, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on July 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Title: In the Name of the Law
Author: Sue Holston
Length: 46 pages, 15,026 words
Publisher: Total-E-Bound
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Rating: B+

Blurb: Baltimore police detective Mitch Dawson is in love with his partner, Ivan Stanislav, but will fate intervene before Mitch can reveal the truth?

Mitchell Dawson is a detective with the Baltimore Police Department’s Vice unit. He’s hard-working, dedicated…and carrying around one big secret—he’s in love with his very straight, engaged-to-be-married partner, Ivan Stanislav. Then Ivan’s fiancée dumps him and too much alcohol leads to Mitch and Ivan sleeping together. The next morning, Mitch figures their friendship and partnership is over, but surprisingly Ivan doesn’t bring up their encounter. On the outside, life continues on for the duo. However that night changed everything for Mitch.

When Ivan is shot and nearly dies, Mitch realises he has a choice-keep quiet and eventually watch Ivan fall in love and marry someone else, or tell Ivan the truth and reveal he’s been in love with his partner for years, hoping the other man might feel the same. Will Mitch risk it all for love?

Publisher Note: This story has been previously released as part of the His Hero anthology by Total-E-Bound

Review: Mitch has been in love with his partner on the force (Vice) for years now, ever since they became partners on the same beat. The problem is that Ivan is about to marry the love of his life, a woman. Even worse than having to watch the two together at their swank engagement party is seeing just how much of a shrew the woman is. Will Mitch ever have the chance to tell Ivan how he feels? And should he?

This is a well written story, and the first story I’ve read by this writing pair. I think they pulled off the unrequited love bit quite well. It is definitely a situation that can take over your life and I think the authors made good choices about how to pull it off. They didn’t turn Mitch into a dick because of his out of control feelings, and they gave Ivan a good amount of both loving brother/partner and enough of a sex-god reputation to not steer him too far into too nice or a man who would take advantage of his friend. I liked that much of the story deals with the unrequited feelings without pacing the plot too fast. The amount of time that they spent with the two as friends works because that’s a difficult situation to get out of, and I liked that it felt realistic.

Right off, with these two guys being cops, I knew that someone was going to get hurt in some way. It is sort of Occam’s Razor when it comes to stories about cops — someone is going to get hurt because in choosing a catalyst for the characters to come together, a dangerous situation in a high danger job makes sense. But I was also happy how and when it was placed in the story. It comes at a time I didn’t expect, offering a type of situation that I really like to see, which allows the characters more time together without a pretty, homogenous ending.

There was one thing that bothered me a bit. Ivan is shown to be straight his whole life. Now, this could either be true, or he could secretly have had feelings for men as well, as Mitch does as a bi man (though he’s open about it). The problem was that when they do eventually get together, Ivan seemed a little too experienced for me. Also, he seemed to accept the change from straight to bi/questioning/gay (whatever he really is) without much thought or angst, at least seen by the reader. For a story that had so far been quite realistic to me, I found this a little off, but not enough to mar my enjoyment of the story. I’ve avoided saying some things about this because I don’t want to spoil anyone — but I think that any reader could probably see this when they read it and understand what I mean.

I’m not sure if this is the first story these authors have written together, but I’m pretty sure they’ve only written a few. They seem to work together well if this is any indication and I’ll definitely look forward to other stories they may write. Very well done :)

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My Subby Valentine by Amber Kell

Posted in Authors: J-L, BDSM, C+, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on May 23, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Title: My Subby Valentine
Author: Amber Kell
Length: 19,301 words (85 pdf pages)
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
Genre: m/m BDSM contemporary
Rating: C+

Blurb:

When Kit loses a contest and approaches a dangerous Dom for submission, he learns that the man he lusted after from afar is a lot more complicated than everyone thinks. Mason Briggs doesn’t quite know what to do with the persistent submissive. Kit looks at Mase like he’s everything good and right in the world. After a murder accusation and trial, Mase just wants to protect his heart. What is he going to do about the sweet submissive who keeps walking through all of Mase’s boundaries as if they aren’t even there? When someone tries to tear the couple apart and threatens Kit’s safety, Mase has to decide if he wants to go back to a life alone or fight for the man he’s falling in love with.

Review:

Once again, while this story has the word Valentine in it, there is no mention of the holiday in the text, so I hope the name doesn’t scare anyone off. Mase is a big bad Dom at a local club, but he only plays at the club and has a reputation for being remote. One evening, it appears Kit loses a bet with some other subs and approaches Mase. Despite being attracted, Mase knows to do anything with a drunken sub is irresponsible, so puts him off with promises of a date, but no intention of following through. Only things are not quite what they seem in this story.

Kit didn’t lose, in fact he had to drink enough to “win”, in his opinion, the chance to approach Mase. And Mase has his reasons for not having a permanent boy, or even taking one home. It seems his last sub couldn’t handle the lifestyle on top of being manic-depressive and killed himself. The young man’s family tried to have Mase tried for murder, however he was found innocent and is starting over in a new city, but a reputation follows you.

Kit doesn’t care about his reputation, and is determined to worm his way into Mase’s life. When it looks like vengeful family members from the past start threatening not only Mase’s peaceful existence, but Kit, he soon moves the young man lock, stock and cute dog into his home, giving Kit the opportunity to prove himself indispensable and Mase the opportunity to prove himself unsuitable. Of course, the cute twinky sub always wins.

I have to confess that the identity of the stalker kind of caught me off guard and a brief sentence or two was thrown out as to his motives, but it seemed a bit convoluted and coincidental to me, and thus seemed more of a device to get Kit moved into Mase’s house within days, rather than a real subplot to the story.

Still, despite a bit of insta-lust that might be teetering on the border of insta-love, it was a pleasant enough read. It’s really more of a BDSM-lite story. They discuss more extreme activities but as it only takes place over a few days they don’t get that far. As well, I liked Mase’s reticence to push a sub too far, and also his fear of taking on a newbie who may not react well to the lifestyle and thus have him in the same position again. However despite Kit’s seeming airhead twinky demeanour, he had a good head on his shoulders and got Mase to look at things in a less paranoid manner.

This story fits a certain trope which is hard for me to describe. There are certain hallmarks to this type of story that I do enjoy on occasion with spunky subs and more stoic, yet deeply caring, Doms. It’s well done on that front, and Kit’s dog is cute, but the stalker sub-plot kind of took away from seeing Mase work through his fears about having a sub again. I think that could have been a story unto itself which ended up feeling a bit rushed as the stalker plot took up space.Despite this, I still enjoyed it and it was a fun quick read, that despite the stalker, didn’t come across as overly angsty.

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Going With My Heart by Stephani Hecht

Posted in Authors: G-I, B-, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on May 21, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Title: Going With My Heart
Author: Stephani Hecht
Length: 17,971 word (79 pdf pages)
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B-

Blurb:

Sometimes your past can intrude itself into your future?and even kill the chance for your ‘happily ever after’. Four years ago, Brody thought he’d finally found his happily ever after in his best friend, Dale. All those dreams were shattered, however, when Dale left to join the Air Force, leaving behind a broken hearted Brody. Dale knew from the moment he left Brody that he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. Now, he’s back and trying to make amends. Not only does he have to deal with his own disapproving father, but Brody isn’t ready to forgive or forget. Will Dale manage to convince Brody that he’s here to stay this time? Or will Dale be the one suffering a broken heart this time?

Review:

While these stories appear to have come out at Valentine’s, there is no particular Valentine’s theme to this story. Dale is back and has to convince his ex-boyfriend that he had a good reason for running out on him four years ago and joining the military. Needless to say Brody is not overly thrilled to see him back, but does agree to listen and is rather shocked by the measures Dale’s father was prepared to go to in order to break them up, perhaps as far as murder.

There’s not a lot of plot to the story, just the two guys slowly getting to know each other again and Brody finding out the truth of Dale’s desertion. Having been raised in an abusive household with a mandate that he would join the military as all of his relatives had done in the past, meant when his relationship with Brody was discovered, all hell broke loose and Dale believed he was protecting Brody by leaving. I always try to remember that at 18, you tend to take things at face value so his reaction given his father’s history was probably in character, if hurtful to Brody.

There were a few secondary characters who were nice additions to the story. It starts with Brody’s teenage neighbour who has no problem telling Dale off and then sits back to watch the fireworks when he finally works up the courage to knock on the door. As well, Dale’s flamboyant best friend Remi had Dale’s back and was a fun character who I hope the author will write a story for someday. There was also that fulfilling moment, when confronted by Dale’s father in a restaurant, Brody lets him have it and tells him exactly what he thinks of a man who abuses his wife and family. One of those “you go” moments.

So this is fairly typical of the author’s style. It’s easy to read and the characters are likable. I was even content with the amount of groveling that was done. When you’re in the mood for not too angsty, with a definitely HEA, it’s a nice choice. Hopefully there will be a sequel.

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In Teddy’s Arms by K.M. Mahoney

Posted in Authors: M-O, C, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on March 21, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Title: In Teddy’s Arms
Author: K.M. Mahoney
Length: 11,675 words (40 pdf pages)
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: C

Blurb:

Everything Teddy has ever wanted is right in front of him, if only he can find the courage to reach out and take it.

Teddy should really know better than to agree to one of Pierce’s “great ideas,” but he’s never found it easy to say no to his best friend. Which is why he finds himself on the middle of a snow-covered road, heading into the mountains to spend the Christmas holiday in a rental cabin. And, like always, Pierce’s great plan backfires. The cabin is a dump, it’s freezing outside – and then comes the snowstorm.

Pierce isn’t sure how he’s going to handle an entire weekend trapped with Teddy. Sure, the guy is his best friend, but tell that to Pierce’s body. It’s getting harder and hard to keep his hands to himself.

Teddy doesn’t think Pierce is interested in his nerdy best friend. Pierce doesn’t think he’s good enough for Teddy. But the fire’s blazing, the wind is howling, and it’s time for some changes.

Review:

While this is technically a holiday story, Christmas itself does not really play a big role. Pierce and Teddy have been friends since grade school, and their families are super-close as well. This year, their parents have chosen to go on a cruise, and school commitments mean Teddy and Pierce are left on their own for Christmas, when Pierce comes up with this brilliant plan to rent a cabin. Teddy is not thrilled, but can’t deny his best friend, and the guy he’s been in love with for years.

However bad weather leaves them stranded, and Pierce’s plan to invite a bunch of friends to join them is dashed. Teddy sees their friendship deteriorating. They hardly spend any time together and when they do, Pierce has a whole group of people around them. They rarely talk, and despite considering themselves “best friends”, Teddy sees a future where they gradually drift apart until there is only awkward small talk at family events. Part of his decision to make a move it based on this, knowing they aren’t going to be friends eventually anyway, so what can he lose?

Pierce is one of those guys who hides his attraction by sleeping with anything that moves, no matter the sex, and partying and keeping friends around him 24/7 so he can’t cave to his attraction. When Teddy does make a move, Pierce tries to reject him because he feels Teddy deserved better. I quite like when Teddy let him have it over that. I liked Teddy and his decision to take the bull by the horns, no matter the result, however I found Pierce kind of annoying. I wasn’t sure why he felt he wasn’t worthy, sure he was a man-slut NOW, but that was a choice he made, and he came from a good family. It wasn’t a case of a street urchin or ex-con, they’d been friends for years. I didn’t quite get his reasoning.

Even though you get in both guy’s head here, I just didn’t connect with Pierce and why he was behaving as he was, and that he couldn’t see what was happening. At least Teddy seemed to know what was going on. I think that disconnected me from the story. There was an epilogue ten years later which I’m not sure I needed, because the description of their life in the epilogue left me wondering if there was long-term sustainability due to their careers.

The descriptions of the decrepit cabin, the cold, the snow and trying to stay warm were well done, but I just didn’t connect very well with the two characters or feel that delight that two friends finally made it right, however fans of the friends-to-lovers trope will probably enjoy it despite the parts that didn’t work so well for me. It’s worth a read when you’re in the mood for that, without much more to the plot than them working it out.

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With a Little Help from My Friends by JP Bowie

Posted in Authors: A-C, B-, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on November 30, 2011 | 5 Comments »

Title: With a Little Help from My Friends
Author: JP Bowie
Length: 19,000 words (56 pdf pages)
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B-

Blurb:

Drew’s friend Wendy means well, but her attempts to set him up with a new man is driving him crazy—then he meets Cameron—who drives him crazy in a very different way.

When Drew Weston’s six year relationship falls apart, his best friend Wendy is determined to find him a new love. It looks like she’s not going to succeed, until she introduces him to Cameron Murdoch, who is everything Drew admires in a man—both in looks and personality. There’s just one problem. Cameron has never been with a man before.

Drew is only too eager to ‘show him the ropes’ but in doing so finds himself falling in love with the handsome, charming man. The realisation saddens him, convinced that now Cameron is ‘out’ he will be a magnet for every red blooded gay male in the vicinity, and Drew will merely be the first in a long line of lovers.

Or will he?

Review:

This short story played on a couple of themes that both make me crazy and appeal to me. Drew has not been apart from his ex for long but his friends parade an endless stream of losers through his life, intent on getting him coupled up again. This is the theme that makes me crazy. What perhaps makes me crazier is characters who let it happen and don’t put a stop to it if they really dislike it. They seem to think if they confront their friends they’ll hurt their feelings, but if they are truly your friends you should be able to be honest with them, and what kind of friends think you are nothing without a man, or know you so little that they hook you up with people who are completely incompatible with? Rant over. So I found Drew’s friend Wendy extremely off-putting with her pushy ways.

On the other hand, the experience of someone newly out and exploring life as a gay man appeals to me, and thankfully Drew and Cameron away from Wendy were a great couple. Drew was willing to ease Cameron in slowly to gay sex and didn’t push for more, although his insistence that Cameron would eventually want to play the field got a bit tiring. On the other hand I loved how he stood up to Cameron’s ex/best friend when she essentially tried to push them apart. He wasn’t mean about it, but he gently put her in her place without causing hard feelings. If only he’d done that with Wendy. :-)

I also have to say that I was rather pleased with the ending, where everything did not work out for Cameron with his family. I know we all like to see a happy ever after for characters in romance and we want their life to be perfect, and it’s nice to have parents or other negative characters “see the light” but I think it’s a bit of a rosy view of life. Many families don’t come around, many friends do vanish forever and while it’s not as uplifting to see that happen, I think it’s more realistic. So I appreciated that the author didn’t try to wrap everything up in a rainbow ribbon for the couple.

So on the whole the set-up is not one I enjoy with friends who seem to think you are nothing without a significant other in your life, thankfully once he met Cameron, that activity fell by the wayside and you could focus on the two men. I enjoyed that part of the story a great deal and think it is definitely worth a read.

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Taking Care of Charlie by Amber Kell

Posted in Authors: J-L, C+, Contemporary, Romance, tagged , on July 19, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Title: Taking Care of Charlie
Author:  Amber Kell
Length: 16,400 words (45 pdf pages)
Publisher:  Total-e-Bound
Genre:  m/m contemporary
Rating:  C+

Review:

Charlie is surprised to discover the love of his life isn’t is straight as he always thought.

When Charlie moved to the big city to get away from small town life and explore his sexuality, little did he know the man he’d always yearned for didn’t just happen to move to the same area.

Marcus James had come to continue his lifelong goal of taking care of Charlie.

Review:

This is a friends-to-lovers story with a twist, one of the men is GFY, but he knows it and is just waiting to take action. Marcus is six years older than Charlie, and has been looking out for Charlie since he moved to their small home town at the age of 16. He’s always known Charlie was the one for him, but until he felt Charlie was old enough, and had his chance to sow his wild oat, Marcus has been dating women and saving his gay virginity. (If such a thing exists.)

He followed Charlie to San Francisco, in part to finish his medical degree, but mostly to keep an eye on art student Charlie. They meet regularly for lunch and Charlie has a difficult time as he’s been in love with Marcus since he was ten, but seeing Marcus date a string of gorgeous women, he’s tried to accept the fact that it will never be. However when Charlie’s current live-in boyfriend beats him badly, again, he calls Marcus for help. Marcus decides he’s had enough, he’s taking Charlie home and going to reveal his feelings, to his current girlfriend’s dismay.

The book is told in alternating points of view. Charlie is young and optimistic, but he’s also realistic. He knows he was stupid to go back to his current boyfriend after the first beating, but he’s grown a back bone and is not going back, even if Marcus hadn’t helped him. He also has been coping with his love for Marcus and finds the lunches difficult, but can’t stay away. I found Marcus more difficult to like with his more paternalistic view of Charlie. I didn’t dislike him, I just found him a bit odd. When he decides to go for Charlie, he’s quite happy to have all his coworkers know he’s “turned gay”. No problems despite having had several girlfriends over the years. I found the concept of him knowing he’s attracted to Charlie, but refusing to act on it with any man for many years rather unbelievable. But it’s fiction.

Another aspect that didn’t work so well was Charlie’s boyfriend. Once Charlie leaves, even after Marcus beats him badly, he’s still calling him and threatening him, and eventually goes after Charlie to get him back. He was a bit of a caricature of the crazed evil villain, with Charlie rescued by a white knight, aka Marcus.

So on the whole, for people who like caretaker or friends-to-lover with a dash of a gay-for-you storyline, it’s a good choice. And as I said, I liked Charlie a great deal. There are potentials for spin-offs here, especially with Marcus’ best friend and perhaps with one of the police officers who came to their aid at the end, so I imagine there will be more set in this world to come which I will most likely check out.

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A Prideful Mate by Amber Kell

Posted in Authors: J-L, C-, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , on July 14, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Title: A Prideful Mate (Supernatural Mates #2)
Author: Amber Kell
Length: 18,800 words (58 pdf pages)
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
Genre: m/m supernatural (shifters)
Rating: C-

Blurb:

When a lion and a jaguar shifter fall in love, the fur flies.

After having two boys of his own, Kevin, a werelion, is ready to find his mate. Searching on a shifter online dating service he finds Payce the werejaguar of his dreams. When someone tries to hurt the man who would be his mate, Kevin shows his new lover what he’s willing to do to keep the supernatural mate of his dreams.

Review:

Once again, the blurb describes the story. Kevin has two sons with female Tia, but knows his mate is a man. Scrolling through the shifter dating website, he sees Payce and knows he’s it. Within a couple of days they are together and making like monkeys, um, cat-shifters. Payce is a jaguar, who sometimes has trouble holding his human form when he gets upset, but Kevin is instantly smitten, and they are perfectly matched in the bedroom with Kevin being more dominant. Within 90 min, Kevin has put his claiming bite on Payce, who is a bit more reluctant given that jaguars are not pack animals, and he’s not sure what this all means, except that he knows Kevin is his mate.

When someone tries to kill Payce, Kevin whisks him off to the compound where a series of innocuous comments by Payce cause Kevin to jump to conclusions. “I don’t know about kids” turns into “You don’t love me and my kids, fine, but I’m not leaving them”. Whoa, buddy, slow down. Up until the bitter end, Kevin finds ways to pout about nearly everything Payce says.

There is a big show-down with the bad guys out to get Payce and every shifter in existence. Of course both the lions and wolves from the previous book come to rescue one of their own (or two I suppose), but it’s pretty anti-climatic and the whole reasoning for the hatred of shifters (a shifter stole my mommy away from me, and daddy beat me) seemed a bit one-dimensional and cartoonish.

The sex was hot and all of the familiar tropes are there, and besides Kevin jumping to conclusions every five minutes, he was lovable and friendly and the kids were cute. I didn’t care for it as much as the first, it just seemed too easy and too fast, see picture, claiming bite within the day, attack by bad guys, solved within 6 hours. The end. My head was spinning. I will however likely read book three coming next week with the bear shifter town sheriff and a human. When I want something fast and light they seem to fit the bill.

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From Pack to Pride by Amber Kell

Posted in Authors: J-L, C, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , on July 7, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Title: From Pack to Pride (Supernatural Mates #1)
Author: Amber Kell
Length: 19,000 words (54 pdf pages)
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
Genre: m/m supernatural (shifters)
Rating: C

Blurb:

When a wolf shifter joins a pride of lions, the fur flies.

When Adrian is sent to live with the lion pride for his own safety, little does he know that the pride alpha is already culling him from the pack. With one picture, Talan knew Adrian was his mate.

Now he has six months to persuade Adrian to stay in his pride forever and keep a psychotic wolf from killing him.

Review:

The blurb here pretty much tells the whole story. Adrian’s brother offers him to the lion pack for two reasons, to cement shifter political relations as he realizes they are going to have to stop fighting amongst themselves to stave off human encroachment, and because the new wolf in the pack has a hate-on for Adrian. In a week, when Adrian turns 25, the other wolf can challenge him. Adrian actually took his lot in life rather well I thought, he agrees to go, especially when he finds out if he’s unhappy in six months, he gets to leave. He’s a bit nervous though, not having dealt with lions, and not having being away from his pack before.

Talan, the lion alpha can’t wait for him to get there, and is very clear about warning everyone off. Adrian is his, fated mates, end of story. Adrian’s not too upset about the concept, although being permanently mated makes him hesitant, and of course when the bad wolf comes looking for Adrian, all hell breaks loose, sort of.

This is a very typical shifter story with all of the standard tropes you see. Adrian is smaller, smart, feisty and likes to bake, Talan is your typical alpha male. You do get details about the different shifter cultures. In wolf culture everyone shares chores like hunting and cooking, and they live a very basic lifestyle. Whereas with lions, the girls (Talan’s 6 sisters) do all the hunting and cooking and the men … eat and play video games. OMG, they’re totally American. LOL

There is the usual misunderstanding, where Talan wants to protect Adrian, and he wants to fight his own battles and is able to do so, much to everyone’s surprise, but on the whole, this is a pretty typical shifter story with a few twists.  It’s not high art, but when you are in the mood for some familiar tropes ,and an easy read with likable sexy characters, it’s a good choice. I know one of the lion shifters from this book, Kevin, gets his story next. I’ll definitely check it out, when I’m in the mood for pure entertainment.

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Dragon’s Eye by Stephani Hecht

Posted in Authors: G-I, B, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, tagged , on May 6, 2011 | 6 Comments »

Title: Dragon’s Eye
Author: Stephani Hecht
Length: 15,000 words (42 pdf pages)
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
Genre: m/m fantasy paranormal (shifter)
Rating:  B

Blurb:

After a decade of living under the iron rule of a sorcerer, dragon shifter, Duncan Moore finally has his chance for freedom. With his former master dead, all Duncan has to do is steal the very thing that has been holding him captive all these years, his dragon’s eye. The stone holds his magic and his dragon self and without it, he can never go home again.

What should be an easy theft turns complicated when he finds that someone has beat him to the eye and he has no idea where it could be. To add to things he suddenly finds himself teamed up with the dead sorcerers’ son, Trent. For years Duncan has longed for Trent, but had never dared act on his desires. Then one night of passion between the men changes everything and Duncan realises that he could lose something far more valuable than his dragon’s eye, he could lose Trent.

Will Duncan be able to save them both? Or will he have to make the ultimate sacrifice?

*This story has been previously released as part of the Stealing My Heart anthology by Total-E-Bound

Review:

While the concepts of this story are not all that new, a dragon who is forced to serve an evil sorcerer because he controls his essence, I found the characters likable and fresh, and I was cheering them on. The story starts upon the death of the evil sorcerer, so you don’t have a lot of background about how he captured Duncan, or what happened to him beyond some of Duncan’s recollections, but the story is not about that, it’s about Duncan getting his freedom back with the help of an unlikely source, the sorcerer’s son.

Although Duncan and Trent never really interacted much during Duncan’s time enslaved by his father, they have always been attracted to each other. Duncan is needless to say, less than trusting when Trent declares his intention to aid Duncan. However a dramatic rescue from assassins sent to kill them both, gives Duncan no other option but to work with him, and the physical attraction they both feel doesn’t hurt.

I was a bit annoyed with Duncan’s attitude about his family. He’s been out of touch for ten years because he assumed his brother, now the head of their dragon clan, would shun him because he lost his dragon’s eye. When he finally turns to them for help, he is told that wouldn’t have happened. So he kind of spent ten years in hell when he didn’t have to. However it’s intimated that under Duncan’s father’s reign, things were not quite so easy-going.

There is a dramatic show-down with another sorcerer where Trent tries to get Duncan’s eye back, and perhaps a break-down in the animosity between dragons and sorcerers, who traditionally hate each other, thanks to Duncan and Trent being mates. As I said, while perhaps not a new concept, I really liked both men and the sex when they finally get there is very hot and steamy.

I would be curious if the author has any plans to further the story as the dragon leader asks Trent to help them find some dragon eyes that have been stolen from others. I would definitely tune in again to read about Trent and Duncan’s adventures helping other dragons gain their freedom.

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