Velocity by Amelia C. Gormley

Title:Velocity (Impulse #3)
Author: Amelia C Gormley
Cover Artist: Kerry Chin
Publisher: Amelia C Gormley
Amazon Buy Link:  Amazon
Smashwords buy Link: Velocity
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 210 pages



Reaching Optimum Speed

For Derrick and Gavin, the holiday season is filled with the promise of new beginnings. Gavin’s officially moving in, and after the new year, they’ll begin house hunting. But they both know all the talk of gift exchange, whose holiday ornaments go where, and what repairs and remodels will be needed to put Derrick’s house on the market is only a smoke screen.

Before the holiday season is over, Gavin will have the final verdict on whether or not his dangerously delusional ex, Lukas, infected him with HIV. No matter how good Gavin’s chances appear with the three-month hurdle already passed, neither he nor Derrick know what the future holds for them.

The holidays have always been a time of loss and mourning for Derrick, but now he has to stay strong as Gavin’s own fears and doubts assail him relentlessly. And when Lukas returns, unexpectedly penitent amid troubling revelations, Gavin has to ask himself whether he can offer Derrick the future he truly deserves, or whether these first few months of happiness are the best they will ever get.

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All the tensions and concerns that have been building through the first two books come to a head here—this is a trilogy like Lord of the Rings is a trilogy, a great big book in manageable sections, with small plot arcs that resolve internally and an overarching arc for the whole. Read the first two—they are good. (Reviews for Inertia here, and Acceleration here.)


Where Derrick has been hesitant and inexperienced, now he becomes a pillar of strength for Gavin. He’s sweating out the final months before he can feel confident that his awful ex hasn’t left him with life-long problems, and he’s having a bit of a problem believing in Derrick’s constancy.

I do love both these guys—they have their places of strength and their places of weakness, and they dovetail so nicely. Watching them work stuff out warmed the coggles of my heart. They do communicate pretty well—fits and starts, sure, but they are talking. Derrick doesn’t always realize that volunteering information would be a good thing—one instance comes back to bite them, but no Big Misunderstandings arise out of silence.

Lukas, the awful ex, is back to yank everyone around. He’s a manipulator down to his toes, and demonstrates how he managed it so well and so long. Watching Gavin jerk around as if his strings have literally been pulled is both painful and fascinating—their relationship would best be described as abusive, and that leaves a mark. Gavin finds his backbone and his strength, so watching him break away from his old mindset, with Derrick and friend Andi’s help, is very satisfying. Some things about Lukas are never quite clear—although short of beating the truth out of him, his motivations will probably never be known.

I was also interested in the bit of Jewish philosophy Gavin mentioned, which helped explain how Lukas could exploit Gavin so thoroughly—in a way, it was using Gavin’s strength and weakness against him. It’s also one of the few stories I’ve read where the Jewish background of a character is more than candles and latkes.

A lingering issue of Derrick’s also resolves, although he’s treating the hockey-related harassment as more of an annoyance than a danger, it’s quite possible he’s really wrong. Neither Gavin nor I were quite as trusting—if you go to a fight it’s possible a hockey game could break out, so the situation devolving into violence seemed far too possible. This section had the one breakdown in the otherwise seamless prose, but one public service announcement in three volumes that could have been one big lecture isn’t a big blit.

Once again, Derrick and Gavin’s friends rally for them. Hannah gets to shine in a subplot, and her husband Devon is a really good guy, even if he doesn’t understand his wife and she’s annoyed how his inner Neanderthal got out again. Their acceptance of Gavin, and his friend/confidant Andi’s reactions show us how the men are blending their lives, as their chosen families expand to include them as a couple. The holiday scenes at the end were very charming.

The sex, as we’ve come to expect from this author, is both very hot and driving the plot. Derrick is anything but the inexperienced man Gavin first decided to seduce. He’s not only following Gavin’s directions, but taking the lead when he wants it, and also when he thinks Gavin needs him to do that. Very hot. There are D/s elements, but not so overwhelmingly so that a non-BDSM reader (like me) is put off. Once scene did make me squirm in a not-good way for a moment, but YMMV on this.

I’ve enjoyed following this work from its beginning two books ago to the last kisses and the promise of a new, joined life for Derrick and Gavin. All three books are warmly recommended for readers who like a layered, character-driven story with some heat. 4.5 marbles

Dead in L.A. by Lou Harper

Title: Dead in L.A.
Author: Lou Harper
Cover Artist: Lou Harper
Publisher: self
Genre: paranormal
Length: 80 pages

Trouble comes in deceptive packages Still recovering from an accident that left him emotionally and physically battered, Jon's goal is to lead a simple life, free of complications and attachments. His new roommate— a happy-go-lucky bookworm— seems to fit into his plans fine at first. He doesn't find out till later that Leander's also a psychic, specializing in finding lost pets.

Jon's a skeptic when it comes to the supernatural, so he's convinced Leander's a nut job. Jon's beliefs are challenged when Leander has to track down a missing teenager and he ropes Jon into assisting him. Soon the two of them are knee-deep in a decades-old murder case. The hills and valleys of the City of Angels hold many buried secrets, and Leander has a knack for finding them.

Jon's hopes for a trouble-free life go out the window as he's drawn deeper into Leander's psychic sleuthing. Digging into the past poses many dangers, but the biggest risk Jon faces is putting his bruised heart on the line.

Warning: Men loving men, skeletons, and an unlucky Chihuahua.
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I was charmed by this set of stories, featuring a bereaved gay man with a complicated past and a low key but generally happy psychic who moves in, initially as a roommate. In spite of Jon’s best intentions, he gets engaged first in Leander’s cases, and then with Leander. Overcoming his skepticism is a bit of a hurdle, but Jon’s intrigued, and then involved.


This seems to be the first in a series of shorts, and we see two complete cases and snippets of others. In the course of Leander’s investigations, ranging from finding a misplaced purse dog to discovering an awful secret, details of the two men come out, and friendship grows.

I enjoyed the style, in first person told by Jon, who’s as loath to give up his secrets as the stray bones are. Trusting in Leander comes hard, because Jon has reason not to trust himself. To call them lovers at this point is a stretch; they’re more like friends with benefits, but the undercurrent is that there could be more.

What this set of stories reminded me of, more than anything, is Sherlock Holmes, because of the mystery arcs and the friendship that is allowed to bloom with time and the small unfolding of details. Nothing felt rushed or forced, and if the two men grow to a more intimate and emotional bonding, that’s fine, and if they remain on this level, it’s a nice spice for the psychic mysteries. More stories will tell. ;D

Leander has to be one of the sweetest and most level headed persons ever, which is both a relief and a puzzle. This is a man who knows if the last person to handle his teacup was angry, but it doesn’t make him bitter or withdrawn. I don’t understand it, but I like it, and wonder how he came to this very sane state when he has to be buffeted by daily life. Jon has fresh grief and has yet to come to terms with it, but exposure to Leander may file some of the sharper edges away.

The author has combined two types of story arcs here –there’s the complete in one segment plot lines, and there are some that remain unresolved, possibly for next time, which will provide a type of continuity. This provides both reading satisfaction for the completeness and a sense of anticipation for the next tale. Which, BTW, Ms Harper, I would like to read! 4.25 marbles

The Little Crow by Caitlin Ricci

Title: The Little Crow
Author: Caitlin Ricci
Cover Artist: Tabatha Heart
Publisher: self
Genre: paranormal
Length: 25k words


Detective Jamison Landry knew his job was never going to be easy. He’s dealt with the worst criminals imaginable and believes in his work and the community he serves. But he’s never met someone like Mal before. The mysterious man keeps him guessing, both confuses and excites him and Jamison isn’t sure how he feels about him. Things turn from unusual to downright strange when people start insisting Mal isn’t quite human. And Jamison’s creepy dreams of crows and graveyards don’t make things any better for him. Will Mal stay around long enough for Jamison to figure out his secrets or will this stranger leave him wanting more?

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After finishing this story, I was left with the distinct feeling that I had not read a complete story arc. Beginning at a raid on a cult’s quarters and rescuing their bound captive, and ending on a highly ambiguous note, I followed along with the gathering sense that all was not as it should be, but was not left with any demonstration of what to do about it or why. Jamison Landry, the MC, was not having as easy a time putting the clues together and has equally little resolution.


Jamison is faced repeatedly with strange things happening around the man he rescued, but such peculiar events as his captain insisting Jamison host Mal in his own home, or having the secrets of others laid bare to him, aren’t making him worry. He’s understandably slow to decide that Mal’s influence might be causing this. Unfortunately, he also seems very slow to realize that strange things do happen around Mal, and his sense of alarm is so blunted as to be very frustrating.

Even when he’s provoked to the point of shooting, it’s very difficult to feel Jamison’s emotions—we are told them, but the sense of being in his head just isn’t there. What should be creepy and frightening is then more annoying, because the signals that he should be feeling various emotions are there but the actual feeling is not. Jamison was very difficult to connect to because of this, even though he’s the POV character.

Mal is much easier to read and to connect to—his offers are sincere if occasionally horrifying, his moods easily read. He wants what he wants and he’s not accustomed to being denied. “You shouldn’t have freed me,” he tells Jamison, and Jamison never wonders why.

The story arc here is “Mal is one strange dude” which isn’t complete. Subplots are introduced, such as tension with Jamison’s detective partner, Carter, and a cold case for them to investigate, but don’t venture past the initial mentions towards the end of the story. All in all, this read like the introductory act of a much longer book, and it ends with nothing resolved.

The beginnings of the second book are included at the end, which makes it even more clear that development and resolution of the plot and subplots take place elsewhere. The story is not billed as a serial novel but probably should be.

The setting could be Anywhere, USA; there aren’t any clues aside from a quick reference to the automobile industry to place the story. The police department seems big enough to have several distinct departments, but everyone does everything until someone has a jurisdictional snit, which feels handwavy. These things would be easier to overlook with a complete plot arc to occupy attention.

I’m interested enough to want to know how this plays out, but I really want the entire story in one volume before I pick it up again. 2.5 marbles

We All Scream by Elias True

Title: We All Scream
Author: Elias True
Publisher: Self
Cover: Robin Ludwig Design
Genre: Erotica
Length: 22 pages

A massive storm is brewing and Seth is ready to head back home. But when he sees an unrequited crush from high school driving an ice cream truck, he must pursue. When they meet, Seth flirts and finally gets what he craved from Aaron all those years ago – and much more – in the back of the truck as they wait out the storm of the century.

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We All Scream by Elias True is trying to straddle that line between erotica and romance. Seth is pondering a newly acknowledged attraction to men, something that simmered in his past but never quite surfaced except in small encounters of the quick look and glance away type with a school friend. Maybe he was kidding himself about girls all along, he thinks.


A chance meeting with Aaron, now grown and driving an ice cream truck lets Seth admit his feelings to himself and to Aaron as they drive around in the ice cream truck during a bad storm. The storm and their own desires bring them to a halt, where they make the most of the scant room in the freezer compartment, and confess a few things about the past.

The sex scenes are fine, and the setting is certainly novel. Where it becomes muddled is that while the guys could certainly have sex now that they’ve met again as adults, there isn’t nearly enough development to have them declaring love now. Love isn't evident, it feels thrown in just to be able to call this a romance. The plot, what there is of it in the current day, is the sketchy sort suitable to erotica. The author handles Seth’s character development and his introspection about himself and the past with enough skill that the near absence of relationship development is either an oversight or a guy thing. “Meet you for the next storm” would be a lot more believable than “I love you.”

The ending is HFN but without any real emotional satisfaction when a declaration of love is met with less joy than a round of golf would get. Considering the devastation of the storm and the novelty of their emotions, the ending has very little punch, and it's all provided by the idea in the last line. We All Scream probably works better as erotica; Elias True shows lot of writing skill in search of its genre. 3 marbles

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

Top Mark by Graeme Aitken

Title: Top Mark
Author: Graeme Aitken
Cover Artist: Tane Cavu
Publisher: self
Genre: contemporary, not romance
Length: 7500 words

It was strange at first for Mark, dating a guy with the same first name as him. But ‘the Marks’ developed nicknames for each other. Mark became ‘Top Mark’, a sly nod to his role in the bedroom.

But after seven years together, Mark hasn’t had much opportunity to be on top lately. There have been a lot of conversations avoided, unexplained absences, and some very unsettling phone calls.

From the author of the very popular Sydney based novels 'Vanity Fierce' and 'The Indignities', comes this new e-book short. In his trademark sexy style, Graeme Aitken explores the intricacies of a modern gay relationship with wit, insight and empathy.
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Cryssy found another not-romance, so HEA-requirers may want to move along. This one isn’t a slice of happily ever after, it’s more what happens when the romance goes stale.


Mark and Mark are an established couple with habits, quirks, and ways well known to each other, and that may be half the problem. They’ve been together seven years, and in spite of being able to give each other some space (strict monogamy-requirers may want to exit stage right as well) they may still have more togetherness than one of them wants.

Top Mark, our narrator, calls his lover Marx, partly as a joke, partly to differentiate them, something that doesn’t always work. The name conjured up a quote, which grew more and more ironic as the story progressed. “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”

Unfortunately, Marx has little ability and great need—the depth of his reliance on others is crystal clear to everyone, including his lover, though everyone seems to accommodate him. Marx has no trouble raiding his lover’s wardrobe permanently and accepting lavish gifts from mommy, no trouble at all prolonging his college experience far beyond the bounds of reason, no trouble taking without giving.

Unfortunately, the more our narrator tells us of the evolution of their relationship, from the days of their starting out to the more recent events of the last six months, the more the two men diverge. The more Marx clings to the perks of adolescence the older Mark seems by comparison, until the six-year gap looks like a chasm, but it’s one of responsibility more than age. And yet the tighter Mark clings.

The troubles between them unfold in small steps, each little detail piling on as Mark describes, with a certain naiveté, the recent goings on. Unsettling phone calls are almost the least of it, though providing a certain note of both humor and WTF.

Both Mark and Marx will provoke a lot of strong feelings, though Aww! won’t be among them. The ending will make you think and ache; there is no happily ever anything here, but it’s beautifully drawn misery. 4 marbles

Benedetto Casanova, the Memoirs

Title: Benedetto Casanova, the Memoirs
Author: Marten Weber
Cover Artist: Adam Bouska
Publisher: self
Genre: historical
Length: 414 pages


No doubt you have heard of Casanova, the famous womanizer, and maybe you have seen the movie, or read the account of his life. But did you know he may have had a gay brother?

Benedetto, a few years Giacomo’s junior, was pressed into service of the Church to follow the famous lover of women through the courts of Europe. On the way he had amorous adventures with countless men, but, unlike his brother, fell in love and kept alive a romantic relationship with a strapping German soldier over time and distance.

His "memoirs" were discovered only in 1881, when an English traveler rummaging through a private library in Rome found them glued to the pages of a book. They were written in Italian and have never before been published in English. Marten Weber delivers a wonderful "translation" of this challenging text, full of linguistic cunning and his usual talent for breathtaking eroticism.

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The set-up of this novel mirrors historical memoirs after the scholars have had a chance to translate, annotate, and comment. The ruse is extremely well done: the book could easily be mistaken for a real memoir, complete with forwards and translator’s notes, and little breaks in the text where “a fragment of a page” has been lost. The style is chatty and a bit rambling – Benedetto more or less follows the course of his life, stopping to make pithy observations of the human condition, the Church, the treatment of men of “his species,” politics, or a fine dish of rhubarb.


His adventures are many—Benedetto is recruited by the Church to follow his more famous brother around, spying on his activities. Italy is not a united nation at this time in history and the Papal States are a political entity, not a philosophical organization. Who allies with whom matters greatly to the Pope’s political sway, and Giacomo is feared to be organizing political upheaval.

The famous womanizer seldom appears on the page with Benedetto, who is having a great time on the Pope’s payroll, although they do interact indirectly, whether it’s chasing through Venice or Benedetto’s secret assistance in springing Giacomo from prison, a good deed that goes completely uncredited, as Giacomo “rewrites history” to take all the credit himself. One can hear the irritation and the pride over the famous brother’s exploits everywhere but with the ladies. He contrasts his brother's sexual escapades disdainfully with his own: relations between men are purer in his eyes for not carrying the baggage of titles, money, social position, or children.

Mirroring Giacomo’s memoirs, Benedetto frequently mentions his exploits with the legion of men who are willing to break with convention—seldom do six pages go by without at least a mention of a handsome shop boy or a willing soldier, although a few of his chosen companions stay with him for months or years, and he is fond of them and their talents. Benedetto claims to love, but conflates it with sex, although he clearly can perceive a more emotional attachment. Anything resembling constancy to one lover, no matter how dear, simply does not happen in this story: he’s far more likely to have a third, or a fourth, man join him and his beloved.

The endless gossip and rubbing elbows with the movers and the shakers of the day comes with catty asides which range from hysterically funny to scathing to revolting, and feel in the style of Samuel Pepys. It’s engaging: we see with the eyes of history but Benedetto just had a conversation, and sometimes his conclusions are entertainingly wrong, such as his dismissal of Handel’s music in favor of Porpora. His observations on daily life run the same range; one feels immersed in the period. Unless...

Where I was less than pleased with the book was the typography of the dialog. The book is very light on dialog, relying instead on exposition, which suits a memoir of the “period.” What little there is uses nothing as mundane as a quote mark, relying instead on dashes to set off the lines. Ignoring modern convention may have been a nod to the eighteenth century, but it is an unpleasant jolt for the reader, and the periodic drops into modern slang break the spell entirely. The French are “touchy-feely,” a prospective partner “shakes his package,” and the reader is forcibly reminded that this is a novel after all. The “translator’s note” at the beginning indicates that this is intentional, but I do not thank the author for it; it feels sloppy.

My reservations aside, this was an enjoyable and amusing read, with a side of education slipped in, and even incorporates a romance, allowing for the proclivities associated with the name “Casanova” which Benedetto possesses in full measure. I think the blurb’s claims of “breathtaking eroticism” are overblown, but it was good fun. 4.25 marbles