Title: Three of Swords (Precog in Peril #1)
Author: Theo Fenraven
Cover Artist: Theo Fenraven
Publisher: Voodoo Lily Press (self)
Buy at Amazon
Genre: paranormal
Length: 37k words

An old houseboat, a hot young guy, a couple of murders, and more mysterious keys than you can shake a stick at: this is what awaits Gray Vecello after his grandfather, Graham, is killed picking up high blood pressure pills.

A letter Graham left behind sends Gray and his unexpected ally, Cooper Key, on a journey downriver in an attempt to unravel the mystery surrounding an unknown treasure. On the way, they encounter both friends and enemies, one of whom will target Gray and Cooper for death. One thing working in Gray’s favor: he has the sight, just as Graham had, but will it be enough to save them both?

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First off, I loved the title. Precog in Peril? Shouldn’t he see whatever it is coming? Maybe—it’s an unpredictable gift.


Gray opens the story at his grandfather’s funeral. He never much liked the old coot, but he feels somewhat responsible—what if you saw something coming and didn’t say anything about it? Gray has the Sight, but he doesn’t entirely trust it and hasn’t always acted on what he sees.

The old man had some talent in that direction as well, and also had an old houseboat with a young tenant, both of which he left to Gray. Cooper, eighteen and missing a few basic skills for getting along in life, knows how to run and maintain the boat, so Gray, a hairdresser by profession, lets him stick around, and besides, he’s hot and gay.

The story unwinds in a series of clues, which makes me want to take a stick to the old man—he knew a lot but didn’t share it, even though Gray “was his favorite.” The reasoning seemed both plausible and flimsy, but done is done and now Gray has to sort out what’s going on, with Cooper’s help. They journey up and down the waterways of Minnesota in search of the next puzzle piece.

I liked Gray; he’s both cynical and open to new experiences, being willing to dump his entire life when something intriguing comes along. Cooper isn’t such a vivid personality—his background hasn’t left him as worldly as might be expected, and he’s everyone’s tabula rasa. Convince him he is or could be something, he’s all over it, but he doesn’t really decide values on his own. This includes his relationship with Gray, which is basically a done deal once a third party told him it would happen.

The writing style is smooth but the development is uneven to the point of not being a romance. Cooper’s a trusty sidekick, and he’s going to be essential to the larger story but the real plot is Gray’s abilities and what he can or should do with them, and how to stay alive and free while doing it. The psychic set-up has some standard elements such as being unreliable, tarot-assisted, and that it’s helpful to have a spirit guide. What’s new, or at least new to me, is the structure of the psychic plane.

This story is definitely Act One of a larger arc, since an immediate threat is more or less resolved by the end of the story, but the larger mystery has yet to be completely identified, let alone solved. Hints of a shadowy organization who’d like to exploit Gray’s talents disturb his composure, and the few allies he’s collecting may not be enough help.

The set-up and the setting are interesting enough that I’ll be on the watch for the next installment. So far the plot and relationships haven’t been totally gripping, but the author may uncork something startling in the next segment. 3.5  stars

A picture is worth...

Aw. Just aw. And if anyone wants to share 100-1000 words, send 'em along. (Directions here.)

Cartography for Beginners by Jenna Jones

Cartography for Beginners by Jenna Jones
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: GLBT, Erotic Contemporary, M/M
Length: 394 pages (105,700 words)

At the age of fifty-one, Leo Bellamy from Chiaroscuro and Something Beautiful has to do what he never expected: start over. Leo has been mourning the end of his long-time relationship for over a year. It takes the death of a close friend to convince Leo that he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life being bitter. It's time to move on and find a love that will last. Leo accepts his friend Stuart Huntsman's invitation to visit him in London, where Leo's friends hope he will find a holiday romance that will kick start that "moving on" business.

Meantime, Stuart has been tentatively rebuilding his relationship with his estranged children. For twenty years Stuart thought his children were better off with him, and it's a shock to learn they don't feel the same way. Stuart doesn't think he's good for anyone -- and certainly not for Leo, even if he and Leo call each other daily and Stuart is always a welcome guest in Leo's home.

There's no road map to true love and it's easy to get lost along the way. But with patience and understanding, Stuart and Leo may find their way to each other.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jenna Jones has written a big, sprawling story, filled with many characters lovingly remembered from two other sizeable books (Chiaroscuro and Something Beautiful). If you are coming fresh to Cartography for Beginners, a map may feel like a good idea. Stick with it, who loves whom, who loved whom back when, and who can’t stand whom now does come clear eventually.


Leo Bellamy, who has been part of a committed couple (apparently he was a lot more committed than Adam was) for almost his entire adult life, is still grieving the relationship, yearning for Adam to come back. Everyone around him urges him to cut loose a little, kiss someone for giggles, something he’s really not ready to do. His few attempts fizzle out, because his heart isn’t in it, or because his heart is somewhere else and he hasn’t found it again. In his early fifties, Leo is convinced he’s beyond being found desirable by someone new. His buddy Stuart, whom he speaks to morning and evening, is willing to be a friend with benefits for a while, but has his own doubts about ever being able to sustain a relationship. Stuart’s track record is dismal, true, but he’s reached the point of sending the beautiful boys home untouched because they can’t make decent conversation afterward.

If the story focused more completely on this couple, who wind their way through loss, grief, growth, and finding family and love once the bloom of youth is gone, it would be a complete and fine story, but that isn’t all that’s going on. Leo’s son Dune is finding his way again after a disaster one book ago, and is in love with the irrepressible Micah. Ben and Jamie have their own established couple troubles to work through, and “the Moms” (Frances and Ocean) are moving across the country, although Frances always has time to help Leo through his troubles. Approximately half the characters have slept with the other half at some point, which gives an unusual vibe to the story, but there don’t seem to be a lot of hard feelings, except toward Adam, the decamped lover, and toward Stuart, which seemed overblown in some cases.

While Stuart and Leo were charming, especially in the way they helped and supported each other through some life traumas without being willing to admit to themselves or each other that they’d really found a love that could last, the secondary characters were a more mixed bag, ranging from Dune with his complicated feelings to the slyly bitter Joelle and the horrendous Emily. Where their stories appeared in a complete arc, they were more understandable, otherwise, the bits and pieces took a while to sort out. Ben in particular was very hard to like—whatever points he earned for the purity of his motives get taken away for the execution, and the only sympathetic female of Leo and Stuart’s generation was also gay. Adam in particular was a mystery—he was characterized as the sort of person that doesn’t stick a twenty-eight year relationship, raise a child and coach his soccer team (which he did), but more like the guy you dump once you realize what a sleazeball he is, about a month after you meet him.

I enjoyed the novel, but found it cluttered by too many secondary characters all trying to get their stories told, without having the background to care about them. Someone who has read the first two books will know where these people have been and why they matter, but I found them to be a distraction from Leo and Stuart and their immediate issues, which goodness knows, they had plenty. Being older lovers, they have more experiences and time to collect some really spectacular baggage, and I enjoyed watching them work out a relationship. But Cartography for Beginners may not be the place to start with these characters if you like being clear on all the character arcs. 3.5 marbles

A Picture is Worth...

Sorry for missing Thursday, I wasn't feeling well and wasn't online much, but that's no reason for you guys to miss your weekly treat.

Now doesn't he look like about the most dangerous thing on two legs? And does anyone have a little ficlet or excerpt that might go with him? (Directions here.)

Man-Hunt by Angelia Sparrow and Naomi Brooks

Title: Man-Hunt
Author: Angelia Sparrow and Naomi Brooks
Cover Artist: Trace Edward Zaber
Publisher:  Amber Allure
Genre: Historical
Length: 14k words

June is too fine a month for a man to die. So when Thomas Lanton is informed that he's finally facing execution for the murder of his brother-in-law, he manages a prison break and flees.

For a while, Thomas's good luck holds out, and the attractive and lonely farmer in whose barn he hides takes a serious liking to him. But as Thomas soon discovers, not all chains are made of iron, nor all prisons built with stone. Indeed, sometimes blue eyes and soft words can be as effective as bars, and love can be too heavy a piece of baggage to take on the lam...
******

We first meet our POV character Thomas, after he’s escaped from prison, about a week ahead of his date with the electric chair. Running like a fox and using the same tricks to evade the hounds, he finally holes up in a barn, where he figures he can exchange some chores for a meal and some clothing—he left his prison stripes miles away for the hounds to bay at.


Unfortunately he can’t liberate anything that fits, so Hank finds Thomas in a horse blanket and a shirt that can’t button across him, which is fine by him. Thomas has more needs than just a pair of trousers, which would only get in the way anyhow, and the two of them are getting it on in almost no time at all. What follows is a quick exploration of sex, farm chores, and maybe even finding out about love.

The authorities of course want to find Thomas and let him “ride the lightning” for the death of his brother-in-law, harsher justice than a drunken brawl gone wrong really merits. They’re combing the county, and there’s only so many places to hide. Thomas doesn’t try to plead innocent to Hank—he doesn’t try to plead anything but being a tough man in hard circumstances, and that he can be a nice guy to have around. Hank find this pretty convincing.

I enjoyed the story, with some confusion, since it’s set in some nameless place and uncertain time. Some of the slang says ‘twenties, some says ‘sixties or ‘seventies (just because a word is older than you think doesn’t take away its associations), and there’s Model Ts and implications of Dust Bowl so this story is also lost in time. It’s a time and place where a few whittled wooden spoons can bring cash enough for a bag of flour. A few things brought sideways looks from me, such as the lightning speed of getting from death threats to the promise of sack time—less than a page. Not that Thomas couldn’t just take what he wants from his much smaller host, but he’s been in prison and knows more than he’d like about taking vs. giving.

The book has lots and lots of sex, which drives the plot, but surely there’s something around the homestead that works better for lube than spit.

Thomas and Hank are good together, settling into a rhythm occasionally disturbed by lawmen coming to hunt for the condemned killer. Bloodhounds and talkative shopkeepers fill them with fear, and there are only so many ways to elude them and stay together.

The story has what might be considered a “happy for now” ending given the alternatives, or maybe a “happier than it could have been.” Starting with the darkness of avoiding Death Row, the possibilities of “handholding in the sunset” endings aren’t there, and the authors don’t try to shove in anything that discordant. It’s perfect considering what came before.

I just wish I’d felt more grounded in time and place, and seen more development between the men. Hank became a perfect “farm wife” almost instantly, as if clean barns and the possibility of sex without condemnation overrode any trust issues he might have entertained. There was no transition from fear to willingness, and they went straight from introductions to trust, or behaving with trust.

Read this story with an eye to the language—it’s perfect for the characterization and sets the mood, and hold tight to the promises of the ending. 3.75 stars

Going for Gold Ed EM Lynley

Title:Going for Gold
Author: various, Ed. EM Lynley
Cover Artist: Deanna Jamroz
Publisher: MLR Press
Genre: contemporary, sports
Length: 117k words


It's not hard to see the outward appeal of the Olympic Games: watching the fittest and most-accomplished athletes in the world compete—generally with fairly skimpy uniforms. Voyeurism aside, there's nothing sexier than a beautiful body running, jumping, swimming, rowing, and a couple dozen other activities. Who wouldn't take the chance to enjoy the spectacle?

But the Olympics are more than just a chance to watch athletes at the peak of physical perfection. Every competitor at the Games has a story behind why they run or jump or swim, and why they compete. How they got to the Games, and what they sacrificed along the way to make the cut. To spectators, they may perform superhuman feats, but each and every one is human in the same way we all are.

In this collection of stories, you'll find there's a lot more to competing at Olympic level than being the best in one's field. Expectations and pressures from family, friends, coaches and country add up, and sometimes it's only the love of the right man who can make the effort worth it. And sometimes, love is more important than going for gold.

Including:
Hot Shots by Michael P. Thomas
Into the Deep by Nico Jaye
The Quad by Kelly Rand
Lightning in a Bottle by Sarah Madison
Swimming the Distance by Annabeth Albert
Shoot for the Gold by Whitley Gray
An Olympic Goal by K-lee Klein
Tumbling Dreams by Kaje Harper

Review
I enjoyed this collection: I love the Olympics, I love stories with depth and development, I love stories where I might learn something, and of course, I love the hot guys. Every story delivered on most of those goals, though with some different strengths. Averaging around 15k per story, these are all longer than I typically find in anthologies, and with correspondingly more meat. The early stories had me thinking “okay” but after a brief warm-up, my socks were knocked completely off.


Hot Shots tackled shooting sports, and this offering from Michael P. Thomas, a new to me author, nearly put me off the whole collection—I wouldn’t have chosen it for the lead off position, because it had the one character I found horribly annoying, compounded by not finding out his name until a third of the way through. Bo, a self-confessed athlete groupie, is only interested in sports in order to cuddle up to the other sportsmen. Even in a piece intended as humor, his assumption that he can get good enough at any sport in six months to even stand next to athletes who have been perfecting their technique since before they started shaving didn’t set well. Bo does some learning, growing, and falling in real love, and the story did grow on me by the end.

Nico Jaye is another new to me author: Into the Deep pairs an American diver with a London local during the Olympics, and while the story was pleasant, it had a flavor of “The Virgin Gazillionaire’s Private Pool” about it. Heavy doses of coincidences and overly extreme characterizations detracted from bartender Blake’s very real doubts about getting involved with a foreigner, and the whole was sweet but trite.

I have met Kelly Rand’s evocative prose before and enjoyed it here again in The Quad, the only story set in the Winter Olympics. Her skater needs the confidence to land the quad jump in competition, and finds support from the most unlikely quarter. This story unrolled beautifully, playing with Kevin’s confidence in his skating and in his personal life, and the man who steps in to help him doesn’t promise more than he can deliver. As she has done before, Kelly Rand leaves the characters standing on the edge of dazzling possibilities. Very well done.

Sarah Madison’s thorough understanding of horses and equestrian competition shines brightly in Lighting in a Bottle, where she focuses more on the lead up to getting into the Olympics than on the big event. Her protagonists have a complex and not entirely happy history when they are thrown together again to prepare Jake and his horses for competition. I absolutely felt like I was in the barn and in the jumping ring with the competitors, and rooted hard for Jake and Rich to make a go of both their relationship and the competitions, and to untangle the complexities that plague them. I still have no idea what the name of their particular event is, involving both dressage and jumping, but the story is so good I almost don’t care.

Distance swimming and the perils of being out publicly are the focus of Annabeth Arden’s Swimming the Distance. Bohdan Petrov is torn between love for his partner, Kyle, and being open about it as Kyle would like. Bohdan’s performance in his 1500 meter race is at stake as he repeatedly denies being gay and/or in a relationship. The ups and downs of his performance and his relationship provided some satisfying reading, although I was a little distracted by formulating my own replies to nosy interviewers.

Back to shooting sports again with Whitley Gray’s Shoot for the Gold, where marksman Matt Justice beans himself on some scaffolding at the Olympic Village and has to deal with the residual effects of the injury. He’s severely limited in treatment options unless he cares to disqualify himself from competition, but sports doctor Levi Wolf, who’s carrying baggage of his own, has some non-pharmacologic treatments (not that, get your minds out of the gutter!!!) that can keep Matt competing honestly. Professional ethics, past history, and personal attraction conflict here, adding a nice dimension to the story. This is another new to me author, and I’ll be checking out the back list.

In An Olympic Goal, K-Lee Klein examines the conflicts between playing for a professional team in one country and a national team in another, and adds the complication of one’s lover playing for the other country. This sounds like a lose/lose proposition on a couple levels, but the Swiss and Spanish football (soccer) players turn it into a win for everyone somehow. Soccer is one of those “wake me up when it’s time to cheer” sports for me (yes, I am aware this is blasphemy in some quarters) but I remained interested in the conflicts and the lovers, if not the sport.

Tumbling Dreams was the story that had me sniffling and rereading immediately, and is an amazing finish to a great collection. Kaje Harper’s gymnast Tyler has a berth on the Olympic gymnastics team, a threatening injury, and a roommate whose heart breaks silently and repeatedly with every backflip and vault. Eli’s living in quiet desperation, both wanting Tyler to achieve his dreams and to back away from the sport, and for Tyler to want him as more than a friend but not if every morning brings a fresh chance to destroy himself while Eli has to watch. Densely layered and slightly tragic, this story doesn’t wrap everyone and everything in gold.

The book did have a couple of formatting issues that cut severely into the reading experience. While certainly not the authors’ fault, the construction of the MOBI file did not permit jumping to the table of contents. Come on, MLR, this is pretty basic. Also not the authors’ fault, and maybe not even the editor’s choice, it’s hard to say, but the trademark acknowledgements at the beginning of each story felt like a great big slap in the face. Yes, it’s legal jargon and has to be there, but no, I did not appreciate the big jolt out of the reading mood between stories. Stick it at the front where I can get it over with or at the end where I can admire the legal thoroughness instead of after each title where I get knocked out of the story before I even start.

Between a couple of just okay stories and some irritating publisher’s choices, I can’t say this is a gold medal read across the board, but there are certainly a lot of winning stories in this volume. Warmly recommended. 4.25 marbles

A Picture is Worth...

Are these guys dancing? Or fighting? Or...? Tell us in 100 to 1000 words and I'll post it here with your info, and in the meantime, lets drool!  (See How Thousand Word Thursday Works, upper left).

Oscar's Soul by Missy Welsh

Title: Oscar’s Soul
Author: Missy Welsh
Cover Artist: Trace Edward Zaber
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: paranormal
Length: 7k words



Satan, himself, has discovered love in the form of a beautiful young man whose soul he's been forced to reap. The poor devil's desperate for sweet Oscar's affection, actually does get it and more, but then The Big Man Upstairs wants Oscar up where he truly belongs. Now, Satan can't say "no" to his boss...or can he?

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The story, which is very short, is a quick and mostly light-hearted read. Satan falls in love with a soul he’s collected in one of the deals even he admits is a bit passé. Wondering if he should fire the devil who made this soul-for-success bargain, Satan comes across as a businessman, even putting on his cloven hoofsies and red skin for a day of work terrifying the new shipment of the damned the way most men put on suits.


Oscar is unlike anyone Satan’s ever collected; it wasn’t even his own deal with the devil that got him into this mess. He’s sweet, gentle, adorable, sexy, virgin even, and Satan is smitten hard and thoroughly. Oscar is just as smitten—this is as complete an insta-love as you’ll ever see. It’s cute and fluffy, and even if the two come across as love-struck fourteen year olds, it makes you say Aw!

Of course there must be a twist and revelations or there’d be no story, and here the first reaction is more AW!! Isn’t that cute? And there is an HEA, which for a guy like Satan, whom Oscar would rather call Stan because it’s friendlier, can be a very long time.

And, if this was all I ever had to think about for this story, I’d still be saying aw! But, since I have to write a review, meaning I have to keep thinking after I’ve stopped reading, this story changes tone. What was cute and funny became disturbing.

Some things don’t go together ever, like herring and chocolate sauce, and for me, the twist should not go with everything else in the story. Thinking about that at anything other than the most surface levels is actually making me kind of queasy and may be deeply offensive for others. Explaining further without spoilers is beyond my skill, I’m sorry.  But just as Satan doesn't always answer to Stan, Oscar doesn't usually answer to that name either and there's at least one ass where Satan spooge just doesn't belong. Highlight the gap if you want something spoilerish but explaining my reaction.

I’m left with having read a cute story that I wish I’d never seen. I’d recommend it for people who can compartmentalize their thinking better than I can. Rating is a problem. My first reaction, when I was still at the warm fuzzy glow stage, was a 3.5. My second reaction, at the queasy stage, is some large negative number.

Apologies to everyone on this one, but queasy wins for me. No rating.

Earthly Desires by Leta Blake and Keira Andrews

Earthly Desires by Leta Blake and Keira Andrews  

Series: Tempting Tales
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Genre: GLBT, Paranormal
Length: 92 pages



Cursed as an infant with a lack of physical and emotional gravity, Prince Efrosin can’t keep his feet on the ground or his head out of the clouds. Laughing his way through life, he’s never been weighed down by love and lust.

Then one fateful day, his tenuous tie to the earth is severed and he blows away on the wind. He’s rescued by Dmitri, a handsome young woodsman who suffers from a mysterious curse of his own, and the two strangers are irresistibly drawn together. Experiencing sex and love for the first time, they dive into a delightfully sensual and passionate affair.

But the evil witch who cursed them is planning her ultimate revenge. Efrosin and Dmitri must fight to find their fairy tale ending and live happily ever after.


Cryselle’s Review:
You know you’re in land of magic and strange happenings from the very first sentence of Keira Andrews and Leta Blake’s Earthly Desires.

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom at the edge of what was and what could never be. At the center of this kingdom was a castle, and within this castle was a king. Inside this king was a terribly selfish heart.


The king actually has very little to do with the rest of the story—we’re far more concerned with his son, Prince Efrosin, whose lack of gravity and gravitas has him unacquainted with walking on the ground or with deeper emotions. Growing up unable to feel more than amusement or a sort of gleeful terror, he’s missing out on most of the human experience. He has to remind himself that other people react differently than he does, a lesson drummed into him over and over by his faithful servant Geoffry.

Ever in danger of floating away, Prince Efrosin does sail away on a puff of wind when he turns eighteen, and fetches up in a tree on Dmitri’s land. The complete opposite of Efrosin, Dmitri has been weighted down by too much responsibility and is astonished by this hot young man who laughs at everything. They become lovers, and become a bit more like each other. Efrosin could never become a good king without empathy, and until he has a reason to stop laughing, he’ll never learn it.

There are sweet moments, hot moments, terrifying moments, and a highly satisfying ending for the young men. The explanation for why each of them was cursed is a bit muddled, taking elements from a good half dozen stories and combining them into an evil excess, but gives the pair something to triumph over.

The story is sweet and cute, but not entirely focused; even steady Dmitri can’t seem to care about time when the lives of children are at stake. Still, evil threatens and good must try to vanquish it, even at great cost, and even the curses of the wicked might be averted if one’s heart is pure.

This was a charming light read, and if you’re in a fairy tale + hot sex mood, Earthly Desires might be exactly what you’re looking for. 3.5 marbles

A picture is worth...

What's up with roller man? Who's he talking to and about what? Have 100 to 1000 words to tell us (honest, drabbles count) send them on. See How Thousand Word Thursday Works page, and the rest of us will sit and drool.

Current Goodreads Giveaways

This is the best updates I could find of GLBT romance giveaways currently offered on Goodreads. All are paperbacks.

Chaser by Rick R. Reed ends September 24	The Jetsetters by David-Matthew Barnes ends September 14
Sin and Seduction by Allison Cassata ends October 4	The Disciples of Goedric Trilogy by Jeffrey Jude ends October 11

Emerging Magic by Angela Benedetti

Title: Emerging Magic
Author: Angela Benedetti
Cover artist: Alessia Brio
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: Urban fantasy

Formats Available: Mass Market Paperback, ebook
Series: Sentinels #2
Length: 290 pages
Publisher: Torquere Press
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher, Goodreads, Amazon,

Rory’s mother took him to psychiatrists, let them circumscribe his life, let them give him drugs, while knowing all along there was nothing wrong with him. When Rory finds out, he’s angry and confused and just wants to get away for a while. His mother’s betrayal plus another kidnap attempt make a visit to the father he hasn’t seen in ten years seem like a great idea.

When Rory, Paul and Aubrey get to Seattle, though, it’s obviously not going to be just a normal family Christmas. Someone north of San Jose tried to kidnap Rory twice before they left, and it’s too much of a coincidence that Nathan, Rory’s dad, has magic talented friends. While Rory tries to reconnect with his only other family, Paul is trying to figure out whether anyone in Nathan’s group is after Rory. They definitely have secrets, and at least one of them has been playing around with things he doesn’t understand. The local fey are after him, and elves aren’t known for caring too much about collateral damage.
And there’s a master wizard in the area who’s up to something big and would really like to have Rory’s help….

 See the first installment of Rory and Paul’s story in A Hidden Magic: Sentinels Book One.

Guest Review by Cryselle

I’ve been waiting for this book for every minute since I finished A Hidden Magic. The Sentinels universe, as well as Paul and Rory, had way too many possibilities to leave it at one lone novel, and my (im)patience has paid off at last. Magic exists here, though not everyone believes in or perceives it, and humans are considered low on the magical power scale.


Spoiler for book one, sorry, but we left Paul bereft of his magic—the only way he saw to accomplish a greater good. Rory, his new lover and possessor of magic beyond most mages’ dreams, is there for him during this time of adjustment. Paul in turn is a bulwark for Rory as he processes the monumental betrayal that is the reality of his mother’s protective instincts gone berserk. Left defenseless against magical attack and confused why anyone would try, Rory’s had more adventure than he could stand in A Hidden Magic.

Matters don’t stay peaceful for long in Emerging Magic. Having fended off two attempts on another abduction, Rory figures that getting away from his usual haunts is good, getting away from Mama Manipulation is really good, and reconnecting with the father who left during his youth is the best reason to leave town. If at the same time Rory and his magically talented friends can track down the rogue mage calling himself Aziraphale, better yet.

This is very much a sweater to ball of yarn story—tug on one loose end and a row comes loose, followed by a sleeve; another tug, and there goes the neckline. Each small yank reveals another skein of the truth, but until all the major players are gathered together to find out exactly how deep in hot lava they stand, Rory is the center of several plots devised by persons of greater or lesser integrity and good will.

Trusting his own instincts is something Rory is ill-equipped to do, though he’s working hard to develop his own judgments. Paul is wise enough to not step into the judgment vacuum, but cares enough to pick up the pieces should they go smash, and fortunately, Rory has enough strength and enough trust in the trustworthy to keep most of the Pacific Northwest from turning into wasteland.

Several delightful characters from the first book return here, from Azzy the junk-food-junkie pixie to Willowen, an elf of enormous power, boundless curiosity, and caustic words for the terminally stupid. Aubrey, a centuries-old mage, and his apprentice Cal, who is the only one who can curb Aubrey’s stinging teaching methods so that the students actually benefit, have a large supporting role. They bring a mordant humor plus a good look at a loving relationship between the magically unequal.
The story is a lovely mix of new relationship between Paul and Rory, a huge dust-up among the magically gifted and those who wish they were, and mages who think they have a Grand Plan for saving their corner of the world all the while riling beings whom it does not do to annoy. The ending wraps matters justly and ethically, if not always happily, an excellent choice on the part of the author, who understands that fairness doesn’t mean everyone’s pleased.

My niggles: a few issues wrap more smoothly than perhaps they should, and Rory’s sense of self-preservation ought to make him question everyone and everything, though he remains dangerously trusting in some directions. Every time he brushes his hair he has reason to remember how others would use him for their own purposes: an elven lady grew it to his knees for her pleasure, not for his. Naïve perhaps, but Rory gives the readers incentive to talk back to the book, and a facepalm moment or two.

Rory’s personal and magical growth and the machinations around him that provoke it are the primary focus of the tale, although the romantic aspect is indispensable and important. Paul’s role is supportive and contradictory: what he would do as a lover is not what he can or should do as a Sentinel. His and Rory’s physical relationship is mostly fade to black and when not, couched in language more poetic than earthy. It’s a joy to watch them learn each other—their relationship is only weeks old in their timeline and they still have a lot to work out.

This universe is rife with characters who should have stories: Aubrey and Cal are strong supporting characters here but could easily star in their own book, and Manny, left behind in San Diego, needs face time. The Sentinels universe has endless possibilities both romantically and magically. The series currently has two novels available in ebook and trade paperback and several e-shorts; I hope Angela Benedetti is busy plotting the next installment.  4.5 marbles

Lashings of Sauce -- anthology

Title: Lashings of Sauce 

Author: Ed. Josephine Myles

Cover Artist: Alex Beecroft

Publisher: JMS Press  

Genre: Anthology

Length: 78k words

We Brits love our sauce, whether it's what we lash on our food, read on our seaside postcards, or write in our stories. Come and enjoy a buffet of tasty LGBTQ treats!

From marriages to reunions, via practical jokes and football matches, to weresloths and possibly the oddest Tarts and Vicars party in the world, join us as we celebrate the UK Meet in the best way we know: telling the story.

As a follow-up to the critically acclaimed British Flash and Tea and Crumpet anthologies, our talented writers bring you sixteen stories about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and genderqueer characters enjoying what Britain and mainland Europe have to offer, with their wonderfully diverse range of cultures and landscapes and some incredibly colourful and quirky people.

This anthology is a souvenir of the 2012 UK Meet, an occasion for GLBTQ supporters to get together in a relaxed setting to celebrate and chat about the fiction community they love. Funds from the sale of this anthology will go towards future UK Meets, to which all are welcome

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With seventeen authors, ranging from my most auto-buy of auto-buys to completely new to me, I read this anthology with a happy smile on my face. Covering a wide range of LGBT and without the constraints of **heat! Give us more heat!**, the UK MAT authors have provided a stunning display of talent.

A mini review of each story will make this post huge, so take it as given that I enjoyed each story, and the ones I mention here had something special, even considering the standard set by Jordan Castillo Price in the lead-off story, “Post Mortem”, where a humorless bureaucrat finds his sexy side under the attentions of a delivery man. I found this story to be one of the weaker offerings (weaker being relative in this collection) and worried a bit about what was to follow. A needless worry, because the very next piece, “Dressing Down” from Clare London, explores the allure of cross-dressing, something I haven’t read much of, and makes it both naughty and very appealing.

JL Merrow—how I love thee! Getting a couple of genres tucked in here, and some HEA’s in several directions, she made me laugh all the way through “Et Tu, Fishies?” Don’t talk to the weirdo upstairs, she says... Best thing Marty ever did. Charlie Cochrane also provided chuckles with a shifter story the likes of which I never did see, from an occasionally slow-moving and upside-down POV.

A few stories are *trans. One from Elyan Smith, a new to me author, is m to f, and both charming and painful. One small normal interaction with another person becomes important in a way most of us cannot begin to imagine. Zahra Owens takes a longer timeline for a complete transition from f to m, detailing a relationship that spans the POV character’s adult life. Difficult, but happy, and with some bittersweet moments that tell us humans have a ways to go yet.

BDSM is not one of my usual preferences, but Anne Brooke’s “School for Doms” was one hot number. Told from the POV of a sub teaching a class for newbie doms, it focused on the more psychological and sexy elements, and promised an HFN with some staying power. Rawr.

Not every story here has explicit sex in it, and the “sweet” ones would be forced and contrived if they had sex shoehorned in. The table of contents codes the stories for heat, but I found the stories with the emphasis on the love rather than the sex to be completely enjoyable, and missing nothing for closing the door in the reader’s face. Josephine Myles’ story “Dragon Dance”  was one such, and given the youth of the MCs, I was glad for it. (They were still of age, but barely.) The two young men have to find a way to be together that meshes with their Chinese but living in England families.

The few ff stories here are of the fade to black variety. One, Emily Moreton’s “Social Whirl,” let us watch the slow disintegration of a relationship, counterpointed with the spark of interest from another woman whom the narrator keeps tripping over at the various functions she attends.

In the way of anthologies, the stories vary, but here they vary within a small, high range. Not all of the authors are UK based, but all are skilled storytellers, and all have offered something not easily found elsewhere. If I haven’t mentioned a story, it’s for room and not for enjoyment, because this collection was a pleasure from start to finish. 4.5 marbles

A Thousand Word Thursday Excerpt from EM Lynley

An excerpt from Italian Ice by E.M.Lynley (a 4.5 star read at Jessewave's and also 4.5 marble review here. Thanks, EM!

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Reed Acton took one last swing through the room before auction house staff ushered browsers out so they could prepare items for the auction. He went over to the bar set up in the lobby and ordered a sparkling water as he continued to watch people arrive for the auction. As soon as the room was opened, he took a seat in the last row and watched bidders file in.

As was typical at society events, many men wore well-tailored suits. But this was Italy, after all, and everyone appeared to dress an order of magnitude better than in LA, even when going for the casual look. He suspected some of the “less structured” jackets cost more than all of the clothing he owned put together. And the women far outdid the men. They were stunning, and several tried to catch his eye as they filed past into the room. One in particular, a tall, dark-haired woman whose eyeliner technique bordered on that of Cleopatra, actually sat down next to him and tried to make small talk for a few moments, first in Italian and then in French and finally in English. Reed got rid of her by speaking Chinese. She flounced away, clearly offended that he hadn’t been interested, but he kept his eyes on everyone else.

He quickly spotted Marconi, and once the room started to fill up, Reed moved closer to the stage, better to both see the items and keep a closer watch on Marconi.

The room was about half full when the first lot went up for bid. Reed observed the rhythm of the auction, listening to the auctioneer’s voice and watching how the bidders behaved. It was no different from any other auction he’d been to, though the auctioneer said the prices in both English and Italian and bidding was in euros.

He was getting bored with it all as the first item he’d tagged came up for bidding. No one bid on it at first. Not a huge surprise, as several other items had had no takers at the first bid. The auctioneer lowered his price and a balding man in his late forties bid. On the third pass, Marconi also bid, then the first man bid again, with Marconi taking the piece at just under the first bid. The gavel went down.

The second marked item came up for bid about twenty minutes later. Bidding was consistent, and numbers flew as a variety of bidders got into a real competition. In the end, the item went for three times the estimated sale price. Not of interest to Reed, since it didn’t fit the pattern. Marconi had bid early on, been outbid, rebid, and then got out of the action.

The third item, the Cupid, got Reed’s Spidey sense tingling. The first offer wasn’t rewarded with a bid, so the auctioneer lowered the price. The first bid was slightly lower, again by that balding man. Marconi made a last-minute bid just as the auctioneer was ready to award the item, and the bid, rebid situation was played out again, almost identically to the first item.

Now Reed’s attention was on the first man. Who was he? He wasn’t in any of Peter’s reports. Reed hadn’t been paying much attention to him, but he didn’t think the man had bid on anything else. Damn, now he was going to have to figure out who he was. He leaned over to the woman sitting next to him and whispered. She’d seen him here before, but she didn’t know his name. She’d ask one of her friends if Reed wanted to know.

The next item Baldy bid on was the amphora recovered from the shipwreck.

Reed decided to get into the game. He bid on the second pass and noticed Baldy turned around to see who had bid. He shuffled in his seat and glanced around like a lost child. But Baldy didn’t look in Marconi’s direction. If there was anything between them, Baldy knew better than to give the connection away.

Too bad.

Marconi countered, and Baldy bid again. When Reed bid again, he noticed Marconi getting jumpy. He rebid, and Reed was going to let him have the item. He had the information he needed on the bidding patterns. But before the auctioneer finalized the bid and sale to Marconi, yet another bidder jumped into the action, paddle number 472.

Reed glanced over to see who had raised a paddle, and thought he’d have a heart attack.

Paddle 472 belonged to Trent.

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Italian Ice

In this exciting sequel to Rarer Than Rubies, gay romance author Trent Copeland and former FBI agent Reed Action head to Italy for a Roman holiday. What should be a relaxing and romantic vacation is interrupted when Reed’s not-so-former boss asks for his help with a case. Trent's shocked to discover in the six months they’ve been living together in LA, Reed hasn’t been completely honest about his "retirement."

Reed heads for Sicily on the trail of a suspected antiquities-smuggling ring and to find Peter Isett—a former FBI partner he also hasn’t been completely truthful about. Stung by Reed’s dishonesty, Trent questions what else Reed might be hiding. But when he overhears something that tells him Reed's life is in danger, Trent follows Reed to a remote chain of ancient volcanic islands off Sicily's northern coast. Soon Trent is caught up in the smugglers’ web, and Reed must decide between his heart and his mission—a decision complicated by his past with Peter. Reed’s position is perilous: unless he can learn to put the past behind him, he risks destroying everything he's built with Trent.

Buy here.