January 2020 – Love is Love Reviews

Review: Remember Him (Honey Bay #1) by Steve Milton

Wasn’t hooked, didn’t care. DNF 55%.

2 out of 5 stars

Kindle Unlimited. 153 pages. Published December 23rd 2019

Blurb:

Baxter Rawlins: a real heartbreaker.

He broke my heart ten years ago.

Back in high school, Baxter pretended he didn’t know me. I was a skinny, plaid-shirt-wearing nobody. I was openly gay, but nobody even cared — except Baxter, when he wanted a hookup. That was all a nerd like me could expect from the star quarterback and prom king. He treated me as his shameful secret.

I’ve stayed away from Baxter for a decade now, even when he came back to visit Honey Bay.

I’m older now. Wiser. I know I deserve better. But I can’t stop thinking about those fleeting moments in Baxter’s arms.

Andy Silver: my one weakness.

Every time Andy smiled at me from under his floppy hair, I couldn’t help myself. How could a nerd in wire-rimmed glasses be so hot?

It was a high school fling. I spent ten years running away from it. My parents never would have understood who I really was. Disappointing my father was out of the question. I couldn’t live the life I wanted, even if I loved Andy more than he ever knew.

Bumping into Andy ten years later was the shock of my life. That shy nerd is a celebrity now? And he works out? I shouldn’t dwell on how much I miss being with him, even if every sight of him sends me there.

My parents sent me to Honey Bay for business. I might just stick around for a second chance at love.

Remember Him is a 42,000-word small-town second-chances gay romance. On their way to a feel-good happy ever after, a jock and a nerd dodge windmill blades, fog up the windows, and discuss the fine points of timber, lumber, and plain old wood.

Likes:

Two classic tropes – second chance at love and jock/nerd.
Baxter realized how much he hurt Andy.
Baxter is no longer the big man in town.
Andy’s new lifestyle.

Dislikes:

Andy and Baxter acted like teenagers.
Neither man was particularly interesting.
Despite first person POV, the story lacked depth.
Lots of little inconsistencies.
No reason given for why Baxter was afraid of disappointing his dad.
Andy’s nerdy/geeky/dorky/quirky/cuteness got old fast.
Unexplained celibacy.

DNF 55%

I didn’t hate this book. Most books I DNF because I can’t stand them. This one I just didn’t want to keep reading. Put simply, I wasn’t hooked. Not by the characters, the plot, or a desire to see how it would all turn out.

To be fair, before I get into my many complaints, I will say that the plot itself isn’t bad. It’s got two classic tropes – second chance at love and jock/nerd pairings. Plus, Andy isn’t the skinny nerd he was back in high school. He’s got muscles now! And I do love when an ugly duckling grows up into a beefcake.

Even better is that Baxter is well aware of how much he hurt Andy, without needing to be told. He apologizes numerous times, and even came to town with a gift for Andy, even though he didn’t know if they would see each other. It really showed just how much Baxter never forgot Andy. The only forgetting was done by the townspeople, who no longer treat Baxter like he’s the prom king golden boy.

On the downside, this book suffers in the same areas as a lot of other self-published books. The line editing was good – no spelling errors or missing punctuation – but the story needs a good editor and some honest beta readers.

Despite being first person point of view, the story lacked depth. Andy and Baxter haven’t seen each other since high school. I was expecting lots of emotional turmoil. I was disappointed. The story didn’t delve into either man’s emotions. It made for flat, bland reading.

Andy and Baxter were twenty-eight and acted like teenagers. Dick jokes galore. I understand that they haven’t seen each other since high school and it’s easy to fall into old habits. The immature joking would have been fine in small doses, but it was constant. Neither man felt like an adult.

Andy was especially cringy. I felt like I was constantly being beaten over the head with how awkward yet adorkable he was. I didn’t find him adorkable. His ironic thumbs up and constant eye rolling got annoying fast. It also didn’t feel realistic. Yeah, he’s a nerd, but he’s not the socially awkward guy he was in high school. He’s a well-liked fixture in the community.

Baxter was fine without actually making it to ‘likeable’. He’s terrified at his dad finding out that he’s gay and lives in fear of being a disappointment. But it was never explained why. Baxter basically let his dad plan his life. He never tried to do anything other than follow orders to get a business degree and join the family business. He even married a woman as camouflage (which I think is a really shitty thing to do and didn’t improve my opinion of him).

The sex scene needed work. It’s not always easy to get it right. For me, words like ‘dickhead’ are a weak insult, not an actual description to be used in smut. Don’t even get me started on ‘cockshaft’. Also, both men are gay but for whatever reason, neither of them was ever with another man in the 10 years they were apart. But don’t worry, despite never having sucked a dick in his life, Baxter is fully capable of deepthroating on his first try.

My final complaint is about all the little inconsistencies and things that don’t make sense. There’s a fair amount of things like rolling down the car windows although they were rolled down just a few pages prior. Baxter also drove his car from New York City to Florida just on the off chance he saw Andy. According to Google, that’s an 18 hour trip. That’s just plain stupid.

Overall, it was the little things that sunk this story. I stuck with it as long as I could, but there are so many better books out there, I couldn’t justify spending the time to finish it. Which is a shame because I think the author has talent. They just need better editing.

Review: His Consort by Mary Calmes

Hooked me with the deep world building. Sadly, all that world building took time away from the romance.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 284 pages. Published November 20th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

A new life in New Orleans is all Jason Thorpe had hoped: his quaint little store attracts a devoted staff and his warm, loving heart grants him a loyal circle of friends. He’s perfectly content, having left behind the chill of a confusing and danger-filled night in Washington, until he discovers something unbelievable lurking in the steamy darkness of the shadowy streets of the Vieux Carré, something that turns out to be terrifying… and utterly mesmerizing.

The prince of the vampyrs, Varic Maedoc, is visiting New Orleans when he finds out the man who once helped his counselor is there in the Quarter. He thinks to simply meet and thank Jason—until he lays eyes on him. Varic’s devoted himself to protect the honor of his race, and he’s never wanted a mate before… but he immediately knows he must have this man, and no one else will do.

Varic may want to bring Jason safely into his world, but someone who doesn’t like the human’s soothing influence on vampyrs has deadly plans that would disrupt Varic’s dreams. Now, unable to tell friend from foe, Jason finds himself wondering how to hold on to the prince’s heart when he’s fighting for his life.

Likes:

Got deep into the world of vampyrs, from their origin to their current political status.
Jason is an interesting character.
Good supporting cast.
Jason had the military training to keep up with the threats of violence.
Captured my attention from the very start.
Good smut.

Dislikes:

Varic wasn’t a very interesting character.
The romance wasn’t as interesting as the rest of the story.
From the blurb, I thought the story would be told half from Jason’s point of view and half from Varic’s, with them switching off. Instead it was all from Jason’s point of view.
Vampires feeding off each other doesn’t make sense.

I’m not a huge fan of first person point of view books, but this book was written so well that most of the time I didn’t even notice. I really enjoyed Jason as a main character, from his instant action the moment he heard a scream in the woods to his acceptance that vampyrs were real. Best of all, Jason’s military experience give him the training he needs to deal with the threats that come at him all through the book. I hate characters who have no training who somehow manage to outwit trained attackers.

Despite being ex-military, Jason wants to live a gentle, quiet life. His kindness makes it easy to make friends, including multiple vampyrs. Jason’s desire to know a lot about vampyr culture and society might be a snore to some people, but I really enjoyed the info, even though it had no point in terms of plot.

I liked Jason’s delve into vampyr society – and the role he came to play in it in New Orleans – and was almost disappointed when Varic finally appeared in the story. Because it took a while for Varic to actually show up. He gets mentioned a few times, but it isn’t until the end of chapter five, which was 38% into the book.

Then it’s the usual insta-lust, which I don’t mind. But that quickly turned into insta-love. It doesn’t matter if even the characters realize it’s fast, I’m still not a fan of insta-love. At least the sex was hot.

Varic is very alpha male. He’s a vampyr prince, old and used to getting his way. I was a little surprised at how submissive Jason turned out to be because I hadn’t seen many signs that he’d be willing to let Varic take the lead in their relationship. Jason doesn’t lose his personality, he still does what he wants and challenges Varic, but he is overly accommodating.

Honestly, their relationship didn’t have much time to develop. Eight chapters in and they finally get together. They had less than half a book from the first time they had sex to merge two wildly different lives. Varic doesn’t even live in America! And Varic, for all that he’s a vampyr and a price, doesn’t get much in terms of character development, because everything to do with him centers around developing the relationship. I know more about some of the side characters than I do about Varic.

The relationship was so rushed that the few minor misunderstandings are quickly and easily overcome with an honest and open heart to heart talk. Which felt very strange for two men with lots of baggage to be having so soon into their relationship.

My biggest complaint is about how vampyres feed. It’s illegal for them to feed from a human unless they’re mated or married to the human. This means that vampyres feed from each other, which makes no sense! If a vampyr ingests blood to get nutrients, and they then use up those nutrients, their blood should not have enough nutrients to give to another vampyr for feeding. It’s a little point, but it bugs me because it doesn’t make sense. It’s a closed loop with no fresh input of nutrients.

Overall, I think this book would do well as the first in a series. The relationship between Varic and Jason could use a lot of additional page time, and the book was so full of world building that it would almost be a shame not to see what else is going to happen.

Review: Cataclysmic Shift (The Aloysius Tales #3) by Tara Lain

A disappointing story for my favorite character of the series.

3 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition, 201 pages. Published September 13th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published July 23rd 2013)

Blurb:

An Aloysius Tale

Aloysius, the magical black cat and powerful witch’s familiar, isn’t afraid to go into battle to protect his master, but the outcome of the fight turns his feline world upside down. A direct hit of magic steals not only his memories and power, but even the body he’s lived in for several centuries. When he wakes up naked on the floor of a veterinarian’s office, it isn’t as the cat Aloysius, but as the sixteenth-century French gentleman Alain Bellarose. And when Alain sees sexy and enigmatic veterinarian Luke Elliott, he decides he’ll make the best of his time as a human.

Luke is a man with secrets who generally prefers the company of animals—though the flamboyant boy who washes his face with the side of his hand and tries to lick his own privates might prove an exception.

Meanwhile, Witch Master Killian Barth and his secret weapon, Sammy, struggle without Aloysius’s power to draw on. Two evil females are circling, and seeing the coven’s weakness, they’re about to move in for the kill. When Alain’s memories return, he’s faced with the ultimate dilemma: protect his community or stay with the man he loves.

Likes:

Pets.
How everything was wrapped up in the end.
Good smut.

Dislikes:

How unimpressive Alain was.
Luke’s past was cliché.
Wasn’t hooked.
Constant reminders of how handsome and gay the men are.
Tone felt sophomoric.
Never felt like the stakes were high.
Little magic.
No new world building.
Selective amnesia.
Overuse of pet name and dumb swear words.
Significant chunk of the story was about Killian.
Luke’s timeline doesn’t feel right.
Luke’s questionable choices.

Aloysius has been my favorite character for the past two books, and I was really excited for his story. I set the bar higher for this book, which I now regret because overall this book is a bland disappointment.

As a cat, Aloysius is fierce, cocky, self-assured, and a force to be reckoned with. As a human, he’s a basic twink. Alain’s not a bad guy, but he’s not memorable the way Aloysius is. I think a big part of that disconnect is that Alain’s amnesia took away a lot of his agency. With no memory of who or what he was, no money, and no clues about his past, he attached himself to Luke like a limpet. He was never really given the chance to be anything other than a weird boyfriend who got the occasional overwhelming urge to protect.

I feel like neither Alain nor Luke grew or changed much during the book. Though, to be fair, they weren’t the only focus. This book is the final one in the trilogy, and it needed to wrap everything up. That meant a lot of time spent with Killian and the gang, including a significant amount of time in Killian’s point of view.

Luke wasn’t a bad character either, if you ignore his clichéd past and how his timeline in New York working for Nicky and going to vet school doesn’t seem to add up. Pets are a good way to win my affection, and Luke being a vet was nice, as was Alain’s ability to speak with the animals. Like most Tara Lain novels, the smut was good, and there was a lot of it.

This book didn’t hook me at all. I put it down and forgot about it for a few days. The stakes never felt high, even when Killian was fighting the European witches. Never once was I worried about any of the characters, despite some dicey situations. The tone also didn’t work for me. I can’t explain it well, but it reminded me of high school. Maybe because it felt like I was constantly being reminded of how handsome the men were, like their appearance was the most important thing in the world.

There were a other little things that bugged me, like the overuse of the pet name ‘kitten’ and swear words ‘shitfire’ and ‘she-it’. There was little magic outside the occasional fights, no new world building, and no inclusion of the larger witching community. Not to mention Alain’s selective amnesia. He completely forgot who he was, used old-fashioned words and phrases, but remembered what plastic was.

My final complaint was about Luke’s questionable choices. He lived in fear of being found by Nicky, but didn’t move out of New York. He also didn’t have any sort of protection. I know that guns are illegal in NYC, but what about a taser? Pepper spray? A baseball bat? Hell, even a basic self-defense class. But no. That would have gotten in the way of valiantly standing up to the bad guys and saying he’d die. Literally.

“And what will you do to stop us, human?”

“Die.”

It was a good thing that moment came near the end of the book, because I was so done. I know Luke was a human standing up to powerful witches, but still. Done.

I wish I had more good things to say about this book. And honestly, it wasn’t terrible. I finished it. But it wasn’t anything better than ‘just okay’. At least the ending wrapped up well and everyone was happy.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Spell Cat (The Aloysius Tales #1), Brush with Catastrophe (The Aloysius Tales #2), Cataclysmic Shift (The Aloysius Tales #3), and the series review.

Review: Brush with Catastrophe (The Aloysius Tales #2) by Tara Lain

The mystery kept me hooked. The rape made me hate the book.

3 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 222 pages. Published April 14th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press (first published September 30th 2012)

Blurb:

Sammy Raphael is a crappy witch, and on top of that, he can’t seem to get a boyfriend. Where other supernaturals can bring down lightning and manifest wealth, Sammy can paint. Granted, the “prophetic” paintings he creates at night always come true, but they never predict anything important. Sammy feels like a total loser with a worthless ability.

One night he paints a gorgeous guy who turns out to be his secret crush, the human Ryder, but Ryder’s changed so much he’s almost unrecognizably beautiful. Then Sammy paints an angel who turns out to be a witch. But is that witch also a devil—a devil who can bring down Sammy’s whole community and everyone he loves? And why the hell does Ryder keep changing? Aloysius, the black cat familiar, always backs a winner. So why is he backing Sammy?

Likes:

Aloysius.
The mystery surrounding Ryder and Lucien kept me hooked.
Good smut.
The occasional points of view from Ryder and Lucian kept me curious.
Good to see the changes in the witching community since the last book.
Sammy’s powers were interesting.
More magic than the last book.

Dislikes:

Sexual assault and rape.
Sexual assault and rape that weren’t addressed.
Main romance didn’t start until halfway through the book.
Romance between Ryder and Sammy went from 0 to 60 in a flash.
Time jump between books not addressed at first.
Ryder constantly turning to sex instead of answering Sammy’s questions.
The romance felt like a subplot.
I don’t think it would be a good reread.
Lots of little inconsistencies.

After my horrible experience rereading Spell Cat, I was a little hesitant to read Brush With Catastrophe. To my surprise, I enjoyed the book. Sammy was relatable and his powers were cool. Best of all, I was hooked by the mystery surrounding Ryder and Lucian. Finding out who they really were and what they were up to was what drove my interest in the book.

The romance is wildly different from what I’m typically used to, and not in a good way. Sammy spends literally half the book with Lucian, with Ryder solidly in the ‘straight and completely untouchable’ category. Right up until that changes. When Lucian’s kicked to the curb and Ryder’s suddenly available, there’s a lot of sex, but little romance. No flirting, no getting to know each other as lovers, and no internal conflict. Just boom, they’re together, and the only problem between them is Ryder’s family issues.

Credit where it’s due. The sex is hot. And there’s a lot of it. So much so that Ryder uses sex as a way to distract Sammy when he starts asking questions. That got annoying fast.

You can’t talk about the sex in this book without bringing up the sexual assault and rape. Like in Spell Cat, the sexual assault goes unpunished. Hell, it’s practically unmentioned after the fact. As is the rape. It’s my least favorite thing about Tara Lain as a writer. This is not the first book where the main character is sexually assaulted and it’s not dealt with. But it’s especially noticeable in this book.

Spoiler

Sammy’s not without his faults, but I liked him. Does he do some stupid things? Sure, but it’s established early on that he has low self-esteem and is desperate for a boyfriend. There are a ton of red flags with Lucian, but I don’t fault Sammy for staying with him. Lucian knows how to turn on the charm. Even Killian fell for the act.

Once again, Aloysius was awesome. He’s undoubtedly my favorite character. Seeing Blaine and Killian again was fine. I don’t particularly care for them, but with how prominent they are in the coven, it would be hard to leave them out.

I do think a lot of the magical culture has been improved on. There’s more of it, for one. More magic, more time spent discussing issues in the magical world, and more people in the coven. Seeing the changes made to the community since the last book was nice. I would have preferred to know about the one year time gap between this book and the previous one sooner than at the 37% mark, so it would have been easier to put things in perspective.

There are a bunch of little inconsistencies and things that don’t make a lot of sense. Like when Ryder comes back from summer vacation with his big change, and even his eye color is different. Everyone just accepts it like it’s no big deal. You’re telling me that Ryder didn’t even bother wearing colored contacts to at least make his transformation seem normal?

When I’m reading a really good fantasy novel, it’s easy to know which authors spent a lot of time with their world building, and which ones didn’t. This book, and the previous one as well, did not feel like it was fully flashed out in the author’s mind.

Spoiler

Sadly, like the previous book, I don’t think Brush With Catastrophe would make a good reread. The romance alone isn’t strong enough. With the mystery surrounding Ryder and Lucian gone, the book lacks a hook.

I hope the final book in the trilogy will be good. Or at least has no sexual assault. With Aloysius as one of the main characters, I have high hopes.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Spell Cat (The Aloysius Tales #1), Cataclysmic Shift (The Aloysius Tales #3), and the series review.

Review: Spell Cat (The Aloysius Tales #1) by Tara Lain

This didn’t work as a reread.

2 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 201 pages. Published October 31st 2016 by Dreamspinner Press (first published March 19th 2012)

Blurb:

When Killian Barth, history professor, meets Blaine Genneau, quantum physicist, they ignite their own big bang. But sadly, Killian walks away. He doesn’t do physics professors. In fact, he doesn’t do humans, because Killian is the most powerful male witch in 10 generations and, though gay, he’s expected to save his declining race by reproducing.

He can’t even have sex with Blaine, because he’s been taught that sex with humans depletes his power. But if that’s true, why can young human, Jimmy Janx, dissolve spoons with a thought? Somebody’s a lying witch.

With his powerful cat familiar, Aloysius, on his shoulder, Killian brings the lightning against deceit and greed to save Blaine from danger and prove love is the greatest power of them all.

Likes:

Aloysius.
The non-romantic plot.

Dislikes:

Insta-lust.
Can’t keep my attention.
Killian ended up sounding whiney.
Nonconsensual BDSM.
Random POV changes.
Not much magic.
No world building.
Killian doesn’t feel like a master witch.
No real romance.
The characters feel 2 dimensional.

This was a reread for me. I remember liking the book, which was why I was so surprised when I couldn’t get into the story. After finishing the book, I realized that I dislike almost everything in it. The only exceptions are the cat, Aloysius, and the non-romantic plot involving the witch community.

The first thing that really turned me off was the insta-lust. This might have been the most extreme example of it that I’ve ever encountered. Added into the mix is Killian’s lack of experience with love and long romantic relationships. It makes him act like a teenager, including the “No reason for him to exist” moping when his on again/off again relationship with Blaine is off again.

Their relationship was fueled by lust and didn’t go much farther. There was no building of their relationship, none of that feel-good falling in love. They spent very little time together that wasn’t having sex or trying desperately not to have sex. Sure, they confessed their love, but I didn’t see it. It felt more like they decided they were in love because that’s what the plot needed.

Killian’s attraction to Blaine was based a lot on the fact that Blaine liked him without knowing that Killian was the Witch Master. Basically, Blaine was the first person to be nice to him without an ulterior motive. That’s not the building blocks of love. It just highlighted how sheltered Killian was.

Killian doesn’t act like a Witch Master, or much of a witch at all. The magic in this book is basically just a plot device, and a boring one at that. There’s no world building, no explanation of why witches exist, and no exploration of the witching community at large.

I have liked a lot of Tara Lain’s books in the past, but there is a trend in some of her books that I just hate – sexual assault that goes unpunished. Off the top of my head, I can think of two other examples besides this book that include sexual assault where the character doesn’t report the matter. Killian basically does the same thing, so instead of putting that down to his character, I put that on Lain. Killian had the power and position to punish his attacker, who tuned a consenting sexual encounter into a nonconsensual one involving BDSM. It’s the lack of punishment that bothers me so much, and the fact that it feels like a pattern in Lain’s writing.

My final complaint is how two-dimensional the characters are. Power hungry women, faux Russian mobsters, creeps, and college students. Looking back on the book, it doesn’t feel like any of the characters had depth. The worst was Jimmy, not because he was 2D but because he didn’t sound like a college student majoring in physics. Not when he says things like “Jeez” and “I can’t believe you still loved me when you thought I might be the death of everything you hold dear.”

I wanted to like this book. I did before. But I need the romance to be more important than the lust. Because I knew what would happen with the plot, the curiosity that fueled my interest was gone. I’m going to assume that the question of ‘how will this relationship work’ was what made me like the book the first time. I hope the next book in the series will be better, but my excitement for it has dulled significantly.

Be sure to check out the reviews for Brush with Catastrophe (The Aloysius Tales #2), Cataclysmic Shift (The Aloysius Tales #3), and the series review.

Review: Thor (Misfit Shifters #2) by Cheyenne Meadows

This book was different, in some good and some bad ways.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. 100 pages. Published June 22nd 2019 by JMS Books LLC

Blurb:

Thor, the winged lion guardian of the Bluebird Valley Preserve, is dying, and too weak now to sustain his powerful magic which protects the land and inhabitants from harm. There’s only one way to save himself and that’s by sacrificing Zach.

When a gut feeling lures Zach back to the preserve, he answers it. Despite his tragic breakup with Thor a decade earlier, he knows he must step in to help the man save the preserve, even as Thor does his best to deflect him at every turn. But Zach can out stubborn a mule.

As a winged horse, Zach is more than just a pretty face. His special abilities pale, however, compared to what happens when he and Thor come together. What Thor doesn’t count on are new and old enemies forcing his hand — and Zach’s persistence, not just in saving him and the Preserve, but in stealing his heart, as well.

Likes:

We get Thor’s story.
More mythical creatures being introduced.
Explanation for how the preserve keeps humans away.
Zach’s determination to fight for love and for Thor’s safety.
The lynx, Lavender.
Zach’s unique tastes in home décor.

Dislikes:

Thor’s attitudes.
The introduction of gods made the story feel a little wonky.
The extra bit of faux drama at the end, when it was obvious nothing bad was going to happen.
The side plot and the romantic plot were basically one and the same, and the story lost momentum when the romance angle was finally sorted out.
Zach’s lack of response when he found out why Thor pushed him away.

I was really glad to see that Thor was one of the main characters of this book. He’d piqued my interest in the last book, since he was the first non-normal animal shifter we got introduced to. It should have been a dead giveaway that there would be more mythical shifters to come when a unicorn and centaur were also seen living at the preserve.

I liked that Zach’s shifted form was a winged horse, and even though it was weird, his parentage was also interesting. However, I wasn’t sure how I felt having random gods show up in the story. Even after finishing the book, I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It’s not the gods themselves that bother me, but rather I feel like the world should somehow be different if there are going to be minor and not-so-minor gods popping up randomly. The fact that most of the residents of the preserve seemed to have no idea that gods existed makes the whole gods angle feel like it was tossed in without much thought to how it impacted everything else.

Zach was definitely my favorite character in the book. He’s funny, especially with how he decorates Thor’s cave. But it’s his determination to save Thor, despite being pushed away without explanation a decade earlier, that really won me over. Thor on the other hand did a lot that annoyed me. The first being that he didn’t talk to Zach about why he refused to continue their relationship. Thor just made unilateral decisions for both of them. And when Zach realized the reason behind Thor’s attitude, there was almost no reaction. I would have at least liked to see a talk between them about how open and honest communication is a must.

There was a little bit of extra, and in my opinion unnecessary, drama near the end of the book. It happened suddenly and felt like someone had decided the book needed one last spurt of excitement. To me, it was obvious that nothing bad was going to happen, and I’m a little annoyed that it took the intervention of outsiders to get Thor to realize he and Zach should be together.

Overall, I had fun reading the book. The last few chapters felt a little slow, since without the push and pull over the romance, there wasn’t much of interest happening. I can’t help but wonder if there will be even more mythical creatures and gods appearing in later books, or if things will return to more ‘normal’ animal shifters. Either way, I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Be sure to check out Mitch, the first book in the series.

Review: Mitch (Misfit Shifters #1) by Cheyenne Meadows

A fun start to a series. Love the concept of the preserve.

4 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition. Published March 23rd 2019 by JMS Books LLC

Blurb:

Running into a winged lion shifter was never in Mitch’s plans. But Bluebird Valley Preserve has more surprises in store, including wildlife and shifters, most of whom Mitch never knew existed. As a caracal shifter, Mitch is used to oddities. The chaos, he can handle. Calix, the saber-toothed cat, is what knocks him off balance.

Calix is a vet and a physician. Great in theory … except he can only diagnose, not heal. Still grieving, he vows to protect his heart from another crushing blow. Then, he saves a caracal shifter from the flood waters. When he sees Mitch, he struggles with leaving the past behind and making a future for himself which includes Mitch.

Raging waters and mudslides threaten, leaving the whole preserve at risk. Mitch puts his life on the line to rescue Calix. But, it’s Calix’s heart Mitch finds the most challenging and worthwhile to win.

Likes:

So many types of shifters.
Mitch.
The plot.
That everyone at Bluebird Valley Preserve is a little weird.
Great side characters.

Dislikes:

No idea how long the book is. No indication on Goodreads or Amazon.
The slow burn felt very slow.
The momentum died off near the end.
Lots of things left shrouded in mystery or glossed over.

I’ve read shifter stories by Cheyenne Meadows before, specifically her Shifter Hardball series. They had their problems, but I didn’t hesitate to pick this book up, and I’m glad I did. Despite the slow start, loss of momentum, and smut crammed in at the end, it was a good read.

Mitch has never been to the Bluebird Valley Preserve before, and the reader gets to explore it as Mitch does. I loved the variety of shifter species, from squirrel and chipmunk to elephant and moose. There were even a unicorn and a centaur, two creatures that I’ve never seen in relation to shifter books before.

And with the variety of shifters came some great side characters. Especially Cain and Kitt. Best of all for a series, there’s plenty of characters who seem to be perfectly set up to have stories of their own. Looking at you, Nate.

I really liked Mitch. He was relatable – just a guy looking for a place where he could be himself without everyone worrying that he would blow something up. I wish there had been more description of what his caracal form looked like because I wasn’t familiar with those. As for Calix, I liked him fine. He didn’t really leave much of an impression, other than as a man choosing to be alone because of past emotional trauma.

My lack of opinion of Calix was not helped by the fact that he didn’t show up until chapter 7, 27% into the book. Even then, Calix and Mitch didn’t start to develop real, non-lust based feelings for each other, let alone act on them, until chapter 16, 68% into the book. Then there are reasons why they can’t be physical, which quickly became annoying.

Things really slowed down for the last eight chapters because Mitch gets injured and is forced to be idle. It allowed the romance to bloom, but it wasn’t the most interesting part of the book.

I wish more info on the preserve and shifters in general had been provided. I’m hoping more will be in future books, but I’m a nerd for world building. Mitch’s unusual abilities are glossed over, as is who funds the camp and a lot of things about the camp. It’s not too noticeable when reading, but looking back, I have a lot of questions.

My biggest question is how long the book is. There’s no page count on Amazon or Goodreads. It felt like a full length book, but maybe that’s because the ending got slow.

I’ll definitely pick up the other books in the series. So far, I like this book better than the Shifter Hardball series. It seems as though Meadow’s style is getting better, which is nice.

Be sure to check out Thor, the second book in the series.

Review: Hex and Candy (Strange Bedfellows #1) by Ashlyn Kane

Good characters and an interesting plot.

4 out of 5 stars

Ebook. Dreamspun Beyond #26. 214 pages. Published August 21st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

True love’s kiss can break the curse. But then what?

Cole Alpin runs a small-town candy store. He visits his grandmother twice a week. And sometimes he breaks curses.

Leo Ericson’s curse is obvious right away, spiderwebbing across his very nice body. Though something about it worries Cole, he agrees to help—with little idea of what he’s getting into.

Leo is a serial monogamist, but his vampire ex has taken dating off the table with his nasty spell, and Leo needs Cole’s companionship as much as his help. When the hex proves to be only the beginning of his problems, Leo seeks refuge at Cole’s place. Too bad magic prevents him from finding refuge in Cole’s arms.

Cole’s never had a boyfriend, so how can he recognize true love? And there’s still the matter of the one responsible for their troubles in the first place….

Likes:

Good characters.
The plot caught and kept my interest.
How Cole loves his family while still being different from them.
Cute and fluffy.
Hint of suspense and mystery.

Dislikes:

Some things weren’t explained/fleshed out as well as I would have liked.
Abrupt ending.
It felt like the penalty for being a douche either wasn’t very steep or didn’t exist at all.
Lack of setting. I had no idea the book was set in Canada until 20%.

This book caught my attention from the moment I read the blurb. Breaking Leo’s curse and falling in love along the way was definitely fun to read about. Cole was my favorite character of the two but I liked Leo as well.

I am a sucker for characters who are different from their family or who don’t have traditional abilities. So Cole was definitely the kind of character I like to read about. And Leo was a great character to follow as he learned about the obscure world and all it contains. Though I am a little disappointed that he wasn’t more interested in learning about it at first.

There were a few times when I wondered if this book was maybe the second or third in a series. I just got the feeling like I was supposed to already know some things, and because of that they weren’t explained very well. It wasn’t anything too big, but I am a fan of world building, and I had questions. Beyond that, I had no real grasp of the setting. Things like how big the town was or where everything was in relation to each other would have been nice to know. There were a number of times when the story surprised me because it turned out that what I was imagining was completely different from what the author had in mind, but the description didn’t happen until later.

There were a lot of times when Leo or Cole would interact with a side character and their relationship wasn’t clear or I had no idea what the character looked like. I would have liked to see Leo and Amy actually become friends. That seemed a little rushed, especially given how important their friendship was.

For an author I’ve never read before, I am happy with this book. None of the problems were big enough to keep me from enjoying the story, and I’ll definitely read the rest of the series when it comes out.

2020 Blog Changes

The short version:

I’ll be reviewing a wider range of gay romance books. Specifically fantasy and science fiction.
The name on the blog will change. It’s still me, I’ve just rearranged my pen names.
The blog’s web address will change from maylacer.home.blog to LoveIsLoveReviews.com

The long version:

I began this review blog as my 2019 New Year’s resolution. It was the second time I’d tried to start a review blog. The first time, I didn’t go about it the right way. Without a consistent posting schedule, I ended up only posting a handful of reviews.

I learned from my mistakes, and did my best over 2019 to post regularly. I didn’t always succeed, but I’m proud that I kept with the blog for the entire year. I’m looking forward to making the blog even better in 2020. Which means some slight changes.

First, a new domain name. Gone is wordpress.com/maylacer.home.blog. Up now is LoveIsLoveReviews.com. The layout of the site will also change, but the overall content won’t. I’ll still be posting two reviews a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The final change is in the pen name. When I began thinking of writing gay fiction, I knew I wanted multiple pen names. I had this idea, that on hindsight was completely unrealistic, that I would separate my writings and reviews into three categories – contemporary, fantasy/science fiction, and BDSM. That way it would be was for readers to go straight to what they wanted.

There is still a part of me that thinks it’s a good idea. But that part is small. The rest of me has come to the realization that I am not the overachiever I was back in college. Back then, I had no life. I went to class, worked, and slept. I didn’t party, my social life was limited, and I lived with the fear of student loans over my head. Oh, and I was miserable.

I don’t want to go back to the days of feeling trapped by my obligations. Writing and reading are fun for me, and while I would ultimately like to monetize my blog and make a career out of my writing, I never want to lose my passion.

I currently have two pen names for gay romance. I use May Lacer for my short erotica stories, and want to keep that name for that alone. June Jadus is my first pen name, the one that has deep meaning for me, and the one I ultimately want associated with the many books I will one day finish writing.

I also want June Jadus to be associated with my reviews. So from now on, that’s who is in charge of the blog. It’s nothing but a name change. The person behind the keyboard is still me, no matter the name. May Lacer will get her own, smaller blog, where the focus is on the erotic short stories. That blog will come soon.

Finally, I’d like to thank all of the people who have been following this blog and liking the posts. Knowing that there are people out there who are aware of my blog has given me the confidence I need to keep going for the next year. Thank you all so much, and I hope you enjoy the reviews to come.

Happy 2020!