Elfflame

I haven't read something new that caught me like this since Dark Lover that wasn't a male/male romance. I'm such a huge fan of dragons, that the legend at the beginning of the book just pulled me right in, and I love the modern world she built around this new race. The characters are interesting, and distinctly real, and I can't wait to see where the rest of the series will go. Definitely a keeper, if you like fantasy romance.

The story itself is unfinished, and given the date on the last update, unlikely to be so. Truly, I think the best ending was to rescue him, and leave the rest for a sequel. I think the story suffered from a lack of knowledge of how some things work, and an uncertainty of how to finish the story.

It's worth a read, though be wary that it just stops abruptly. If she ever publishes more, I will definitely pick it up again.

I wanted to like this, I really did. But between editing issues that were of a fairly basic nature, a thesaurus complex, and the feeling of someone trying to Twilightify Underworld by the end of the story, I won't be picking up the next.

And just a clue for writers? When you use your sole non-white character as a traitor? That's bad and even racist writing. Don't do it.

I loved this book, and I wish they'd managed more of this series. As there is, there are only a handful of them, but this one was the first I picked up.

The stories all center around the Kennedy brothers: Joseph, John, Bobbie and Teddy, and their father's quest for glory through his sons.

I don't remember the stories specifically, as it's been quite a while since I read it, but I do remember loving the book overall. Some of the stories are definitely better or more interesting than others, but just the thought of a world without a President Kennedy is fascinating enough. As is a world where Joseph was the first President Kennedy, or where the Kennedy line had continued after John.

Even if you don't know much about the Kennedy family, if you are interested, it's well worth reading.

I'm so very glad to be finished with this book. It is not horribly written, but nor was it a joy to read. It was based on fairy tales, and sat on my shelf for some twenty-odd years, so I figured I needed to give it a fair shake. I really did want to like it. The writing itself is excellent, but it is incredibly hard to enjoy it much. It's like being hit with a hammer time and time again, the hammer, of course, being Tepper's message. I think I'll stay away from her books from now on.

I can appreciate her message. she's writing about a cause that very much concerns me. The fact that humans overuse, overpopulate, and do not think, or choose to blame anyone but themselves. But the way she goes about telling her message seems to belie her point–that we destroy beauty by our greed and inherent darkness. That we revel in our darkness, and therefore deserve what we get. So she goes on to tell us a horrifically dark story about the death of Beauty. How is that any different from what she is condemning?

Beauty herself is an interesting character, but only vaguely, and it is only the fairy tale parts of her life that truly interested me. I will say that I did enjoy how Tepper manages to set her and her fairy tales into the real historical world in a believable way. The other characters in the story were either blank slates for Beauty to decide how we should feel about them, or so abhorrent as to repel.

Tepper's knowledge is obviously quite good, but she's like the student who stuffs their paper with three times the amount of sources, and repeats their point more times than any teacher would ever think necessary. The imaginary world Beauty finds herself in for a time, for instance. Very much a rationalist construct, but it felt incredibly out of place in this fairy tale-driven story. Though too, so did her time in the present and future. Then there was Tepper's long list of fae and creatures of the fairy realm that she suddenly dumps on us at the very end of the book. Sure, we have met some before that time, but the list seemed to come from nowhere and was entirely unnecessary to the story itself.

The time travel aspect, especially to the dark future that Beauty is dragged to, seems entirely too much. Coming at the point of the story it does, so close to the beginning of her story, it seems only to illustrate her point of “People are bad.” Worse, she then goes on to point out how horrible writers are for writing dark things in their stories, thereby causing us to become immured to these horrors. What, then, is her point? Isn't this what she herself is doing? To me, it feels like a rant drawn out far too long, with no true purpose but to scold everyone who will listen.

Read it for the fairy tales if you must, but otherwise, I just wouldn't recommend it.

This one's been on my list for a very long time. Found a copy with Chris Lee reading this morning, so I had to listen. I definitely recommend.

As a long-time science fiction fan, it's hard for me to find something new that really draws me in or doesn't feel like the same old thing. This one does. I couldn't put it down every time I got a chance to read. The races that Ms. Forester has created are unique and fascinating, and I already can't wait to learn more about them, which I have every confidence we will. I'm also looking forward to learning more about Reagan's past, because I have a feeling the secrets she's hiding are going to cause all sorts of wonderful trouble. The bureaucracy of the city is fascinating; how all of it works, from the different levels for different classes from poor to rich, to the co-existing legal and not-so-legal groups in charge of it all. Reagan and Drake are such solid characterizations that even when they do something odd, it doesn't feel out of character in the least, and I love how she highlighted their different parts of the story by using two different point-of-view voices, hers in first, and his in third. I can't wait to see what they get up to in the next book, and I am very curious to find out who is behind the illegal Ash.

As an e-book reader who has read a lot of self-published works that way, I have to say I was impressed with how very polished this book is. Especially for a first book. So many feel as though they didn't bother getting edited at all, but this one reads as though it were professionally edited, and I very much appreciate that. I'm looking forward to reading more by her in the future.

One of my favorite male/male vampire romances so far. Highly recommended.

For a complete review, see my blog post here.

I do enjoy SM Johnson's writing style, but I still cannot fathom why Jeff is the first-person POV when it's really Roman who is the MC. I would probably enjoy it far more if he were the “I” POV. In the first book, when Jeff randomly showed up, I was confused. In this one, he disappears for half the book, and is unconscious for part of it.

On the other hand, Roman's a fascinating character. I love his grandmother, and that he's strong enough to let go when the people he cares about need it. And that he's there to support Van as much as she needs in whatever way she needs.

I do wonder if these books could have just been one big book. It's a contiguous story. Otherwise, Dare didn't need to be in this book at all, as much as I liked him. Though I do wonder if he'll be back in the third book. Jason feels more like a substitute than anything else. I suppose I'll see at some point, but I doubt it will be any time soon, as I don't feel the itching need to buy it to find out.

When you read a sentence “let's start again” with someone commanding someone else to use a dildo... I'm sorry. That's not sexy.

Not interested in finishing this one.

After finishing this book, I will say that I definitely need to check out more of Ms March's books, as I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I just spent the last few minutes buying a bunch of her ebooks on Amazon for that very reason.

The plot is very familiar. Guy can't have the guy he wants, so he goes to a male prostitute instead, the prostitute falls for him. Everyone is unhappy. The prostitute leaves, the guy realizes the prostitute is who he wants, happy ending all around.

But the story goes well beyond that simple plot. The characters are real in a way you don't often see in this kind of m/m romance, and thought is given to the timing of the story as well. Though it has a happy ending, both men are quite aware of the realities of pre-Victorian England, and what could happen to them should their preferences be known.

Jasper and Nate themselves are men you can feel empathy for, and want to, despite how stupid they both can be. Jasper even manages to walk away, despite his feelings, because he knows it's for the best. And perhaps it is, because it gives Nate the chance to understand just what Jasper's come to mean to him.

Definitely one for M/M fans, particularly those who like Regency or Victorian romance.

I've wanted to read this book for years, but because I've been such a poor reader for so long, it took me a while to finally buy it and read it. In fact, it was only when the new edition went on sale that I got myself a copy. I wish I'd read it much sooner, and I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series. And I can promise that now that I'm reading regularly again, I won't wait another five years or so before I buy it.

I'm a big fan of fantasy in general, and Tan definitely does an excellent job of pulling you in and keeping you interested. Kyle's journey to figure out who he is in a world of magic that he didn't even know existed draws you along. The details are excellent, and you can tell she knows the Harvard campus and environs very well. You can also tell that she is not only fond of Tarot, but knows how to use them well, as the way Kyle learns them feels real and not cliched at all. As a huge tarot fan, I will say that bit especially pulled me in. I look forward to reading more about the cards in the next book, as I'm sure she has plenty up her sleeves regarding them.

Tan is a huge Harry Potter fan, and says so in her author's note at the end. If you can see JK Rowling's influence in many of her choices in this world, but she also makes it her own, showing us things she is obviously well-versed in and loves. Her characters do not feel take-offs of the Harry Potter characters in the least, nor does Veritas feel like Hogwarts-gone-college.

Her cast of characters are intriguing. Kyle, the affable main character and hero-to-be is sweet and interesting. Alex, his best friend, who seems a lazeabout, but actually gets Kyle through the initial phase of suddenly becoming a college magical student and helps him understand all the new things around him. Jess, his girlfriend, whom I hope to see more of in the next installment, who teaches him a great deal about magic, sex, and sex magic. And no, I'm not going into the others here, but suffice to say, she's got a great cast here, each of which feel like they have their own stories, and all of which I look forward to learning more about as the series continues.

Definitely recommended for Urban Fantasy fans, Harry Potter fans, and even Percy Jackson fans. It does have sexual situations, though, so if that's not for you, be warned. Overall, I loved it, and can't wait to read the next.

I've been going through a phase the past few weeks where I've been scouring online for any good free fiction to read, and this was one of the ones that I found that I did more than glance at. By the time I'd finished the second chapter, I was hooked. The author's grasp of characters and setting are amazing, and she really makes you care about these characters.

Slyvan and his master are both very unique characters. Finding m/m fiction is difficult enough. Finding m/m fiction with true BDSM elements that aren't rape fantasies are even more difficult. But this story goes even further in creating a real situation with characters whose dilemmas are real and imperfect and she makes you feel for them.

I would say I am amazed that this hasn't been published, but as you can see, this isn't the sort of story that you see a lot of. Whether that be because publishers don't want to take a chance on these subjects, or because the author feels uncomfortable about sharing them and doesn't think she could sell them–whatever the reason, I can see why this one would be a hard sell. But I hope it does, someday, because if anything there needs to be more like this out there.

Definitely the best of the stories I've read, and some have been quite good, so that is saying a lot.

ETA: I have posted another review here, for those wanting a bit more detail.

Story is incomplete, but lovely as far as it goes. I hope she someday finds her muse again and finishes this one.

I can't even begin to say how much I enjoyed this series, but I will try my best. Though at first, I was uncertain, as Lia grew, so did my love for her, and for the world around her. The story has a wonderful slow build through the three books, and by the final book, I was hard-pressed to put it down. I've spent the past day wanting nothing else but to read.

As a long-time fan of Fantasy, this hits on so many of my loves. Magic, intrigue, and romance, all intertwined and subtly crafted. Wheeler keeps you guessing from moment to moment, and makes you love characters without even knowing their names.

Lia's story of love and faith, pulls you along, and you can't help but want her to succeed, whatever that means, and it is truly amazing to watch her succeed despite everything thrown at her. Despite the disparity of odds, the story never seems forced or false in the least. The only slight blot is the obvious secret kept until the last moment of the second book, when her true identity is revealed.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a good fantasy book, especially those who have enjoyed Hunger Games or Harry Potter, though the story itself does not take place in our world, but another. For fans of fantasy, this is definitely one of the best.

And thank you to Dorri, who recommended this one to me. Definitely worth the read.

I enjoyed this so much I immediately had to go and buy the sequel. I love Natasha's style. Always have. But I have to say that this one is truly unique. I've always adored her Vampire stories, and her non-human stories in all formats, but this one feels like so much more.

John and Michael are both intriguing characters in their own right, and make you want to know more about them and what made them the way they are at the beginning of this story. Michael's obviously been searching for something more, even if he doesn't know it, but John's not been given enough time to even think about searching for more. He's so on automatic that the climax scene takes him fully by surprise. I look forward to seeing what happens next in their story.

Absolutely gorgeous story, I highly recommend it to anyone who like m/m pairings and vampires.

I am a huge fan of this series, but I think this may be my most favorite of the series so far. Juro is a sweet man who doesn't deserve what has been done to him by his ex. He and his child are lovely, and when they meet meet Shig and his children, everything changes for the better for them.

Juro is the perfect representation of what it feels like to be Ace in a sexual world. His confusion and worry and anxieties, which were only fed into by his ex, are so real. Shig is so wonderful with him. Never pushing and always reassuring him in everything they do together.

Also, while it was mentioned in previous books, this highlights the way the people in this story age. Seeing children under seven as just children with no sexual characteristics is so very refreshing, and Sophie does a great job of showing just how simple this keeps children's lives, set apart from the ridiculous idea that they need to pick partners before they're done being children. If you are looking for a story about non binary characters, this is a highlight of this series, and especially this book.

I can't say enough how much I love this and this series. If you are on the spectrum at all, I highly recommend this wonderful romance series. I can't wait to read more.

I loved this book. Taro's harder to take than Sota with his indecision, but then, being an adult complicates things a lot more. And once you understand why Taro is as hard-edged as he is, you can't help but empathize with him, even if you do want to smack him in the face. Ryuu, on the other hand, is a total love, and Taro's very lucky to have found him. They make a couple you just want to curl up and read tons of stories about.

If you haven't read the first, it's just as great as a stand-alone. If you have, it's an excellent follow-up to Sota and Masa's story. And definitely check out the short story as well, which takes place along side this book, telling what happens after Sota and Masa's story ends.

I love this world, I love these characters, and I can't wait to read Miki's book. :D

Holy god, the twists and turns! This did NOT go where I expected, and it certainly didn't end where I hoped it would, and lots of people need to be shredded into tiny little pieces.

I can't wait for the next book.

Before I explain my rating, I must admit, I am not the target audience for this book. I would say teen girls would probably enjoy this story just fine, but as a writer, I feel that even if a subject is juvenile, it will last far longer when written well. This, unfortunately, is not. The story itself is not horrible, in fact, if I could give half-stars, this would be 2 1/2, because it has the seed of something interesting, or I would never have been able to finish it. I will not be picking up the Elite, however. One book was more than enough to tell me this is not the world for me.

The main character is somewhat interesting, as is the world, but I fell that a good editor would have helped both (and in doing so, the plot) in being far more interesting to the reader. She's a typical teenager (even though she shouldn't be, given the caste system she supposedly has lived under her whole life) who wants only to be with her (secret) boyfriend, even though she knows why she shouldn't. It's not atypical, and works well enough for the character, but I feel that it would fit far better in a modern-day story, rather than the futuristic dystopia that Cass is trying to shoot for here.

Her family and neighbors are little more than stock characters–mother and father taken almost directly from Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice but for their names. Her siblings are little more than a token to show that she's from a lower-class family. Even their names seem too obvious and not at all thought out, particularly their surname, Singer. Are all families in this world named for what their ancestor was known for? If not, it feels overly pointed, and quite unnecessary. Far more interesting to make their name something more unique or drawn from today's pop artists. Lennon. Shelton. Spears. Something more than Singer. The neighbors are barely mentioned at all, aside from her boyfriend, and his family is only mentioned in connection to him. There's no depth at all to these characters. They don't exist without her notice, and so are nothing to the reader, even though we know she must have known them her whole life.

The Selection itself is like a castrated Hunger Games. The girls all leave wealthy and better-off, if not happy, and one of them will become the next Queen. She tries to give it a bit of bite by adding the love triangle, but really all it does is make you shake your head at the teenageness of it all.

She simply does not act right for someone of her class, and the excuses the author gives for her actions do not ring true. And there are other moments. The maid's fright when it comes to the Rebel attacks on the castle seem far overblown for what she experienced, which granted, ended up being quite bad when she finally explained it, but the way it was initially explained gave far too much background that was unnecessary before we got the truth of why she was so scared. There are secrets being kept all through the novel, and yet much of the time, the author seems unable (or possibly unwilling) to share them in a way that seems to help the story along. Instead, she focuses on the banal love triangle, and never gives us the true impetus to care about these secrets. Perhaps the sequel will do so, but I for one won't find out.

I would not recommend this to anyone over about the age of 20.

Ugh. Couldn't finish.

I borrowed this book from my mom far too long ago, but I always intended to read it, and I was not disappointed in the least. Though it is a mystery, the murder mystery is actually in the background and another curious puzzle takes place in the foreground, the central part to everything else. The author keeps you guessing as she disproves one theory after another, until you begin to wonder if you will even find out at all. I won't spoil it except to say that you do finally find out the truth at the end, and when you do, all the pieces come together, and everything makes absolute sense, the way a perfectly wound mystery should do.

Now for the meat. Don't read beyond this point if you do not want to be spoiled.

The main mystery in this story isn't directly about Anna at all, though she is one of the three central characters. Rather, it is about her daughter, Swanny, who is her favorite child. Swanny receives a note that states she is not her parents' child, and is horrified. Anna refuses to say that she is adopted, and being the stubborn woman that she is, takes the note and rips it up, then burns it in the fire. After this moment, there is a growing tension between the two, though Swanny still seems to love her mother, despite everything. It is only after her mother's death, when she uncovers a stack of journals written by her mother since the year of her birth, that things are uncovered.The journals themselves are as important to the plot as Swanny, Anna, and Anne, who is Anna's granddaughter by her other daughter. Each plays an important role. Anna as the writer of the journals which, when carefully interpreted (they are written in her native Danish, though by the time she began to write them, she is living in England), begin to unravel not only Swanny's parentage, but also the truth behind a murder that happened right about the time Swanny was born. Swanny as the lost girl, searching in vain for her true parentage, which is revealed by her niece only years after Swanny's death. And Anne, the narrator of the story, who puts all the pieces together, and finds out Swanny's full true parentage only after she and her husband have long since given up looking for it.The mystery of who Swanny might truly be will keep you guessing. Each possibility quickly struck down with proof that it cannot be true, and soon a new possibility takes its place. Again, I won't say who we learn her parents to be. For that you will have to read the book, but I will say that despite the fact that her parents' stories are told throughout the book, I never once guessed until the truth was revealed.The characters both main and minor are fascinating. Not generally kind, though they can be, but each with whims and needs of their own that lead us to the inevitable conclusion of Anna's story, then Swanny's, and ultimately Anne's.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the fact that it is genealogy in novel form, and because the story was so unique. The fact that Anna and her husband are Danish only made it more interesting for me, as she is about the age my own Danish great-grandparents would have been at that time, or perhaps a little older. For me, this pushed me into a world that I only partially know, and each little detail only made it that much more interesting. It almost makes me wish I could read more of Anna's journals, as the people in the world of the story can. It makes me want to see the movie “Roper,” and the follow-up production that came about because of Anne and her friends' investigation into the Roper murder. This world just feels real.

All in all, I would give this four and a half stars if I could. I highly recommend it to people who enjoy mystery and this time period.

I did enjoy this story, but it felt rushed at the ending, and top-heavy, like once Beauty got to the castle, the author no longer knew what to do with the story. And the ending felt unfinished. Yes, happy fairytale ending, but just not complete somehow.

I did love the mention of the library with every book that will ever be written. I'd love to have one of those. And I thought the characters were all quite well drawn. Each of them felt real.

McKinley can paint a picture with words when she wants to. But somehow, I get the impression that she hadn't quite figured out the entire flow of her story. Not a bad read, but not particularly a keeper. Definitely not what I was hoping for.

This and the whole Slave Breakers series are one of my all-time favorite male/male series. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes D/s or slave stories.

My full review is here: http://aslashreadersdiary.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-slavebreakers-by-maculategiraffe.html

I stumbled across this book a year or two ago looking for something new to read, and while I'm not the fastest reader, I have to say this one kept my attention. Often I set a book down and don't come back to it for days or even weeks or more, which makes getting back into the story difficult, but this one had no problem pulling me back in each time.

It's one (very small) part science fiction (due to the aspect of time travel), one part mystery, one part historical (covering mostly victorian times, but also the attack on Coventry in World War II), one part farce, and one part romance. That description might lead you to wonder how such a storyline could even work, but somehow, Willis makes it work, and you can't help but enjoy the mystery, as well as the wry humor of the main character, Ned, who is hiding out in the Victorian era to keep away from a madwoman who wants him to find one of the most hideous artifacts of all time.

Even when the characters are comical, they lend so much to the feel of the time Ned is in, and his quest to figure out what happened to the Bishop's Bird Stump gives the story a sense of urgency that might not have worked with any of the other aspects of the story.

If you're a fan of soft science fiction, or romance that features plot (and a central male character over a female one) over passion, I highly recommend this. Even more if you're a fan of science fiction and mystery, because that is exactly what this is. A sci-fi mystery with a twist.

I look forward to reading my way through the rest of her works. If they're all as fun as this one, I know I'll enjoy them.