A picture is worth...

This picture reminided me of Spokes by P.D. Singer, which I recently read (again), reviewed (finally), and enjoyed greatly. What does it make you think of?

Tell us in 100 to 1000 words (drabbles are fine, really) and send your news along too. See How Thousand Word Thursday Works for details. 

Playing Around by Ingela Bohm

Title: Just Playing

Author: Ingela Bohm

Purchase at Amazon  

Purchase at Barnes and Noble

Cover Artist:  unknown

Genre:  recent historical

Length: 98k, approximately 315 pages

Formats:  epub, mobi

Michael and Jamie seem fated to make music together. But the thrill of playing soon turns into something more, something neither of the young men can handle. Unable to just stay friends, their only option may be to avoid each other completely. But when things start moving for Jamie's band, a decision has to be made: either this is goodbye, or they risk everything and let Michael join.

~*~*~*~*

I both enjoyed this book and was irritated by it. Michael and Jamie come together as teens and explore their sexuality together while simultaneously trying to deny the hell out of it. It’s 1975, and gay as an idea hasn’t ever been part of their world until they find themselves touching and running, and touching again.

First off, the language is beautiful. It's textured and poetic, sometimes surprising.

However, all the gorgeous imagery and the lovely language are here in great oversupply. The book is huge and doesn’t resolve the couple—that’s for the second in the series, which I knew going in. The trouble is that the pacing of the story and the development of the characters is slow, slow, slow.

The story is not well anchored in time in the beginning. Hints of period show in the mention of Moody Blues songs as if they were new, but are contradicted by out of period slang, and it isn’t until 1975 is explicitly mentioned do we know for sure when we are. At that point it becomes easier to cope with the main characters’ denial of their sexuality, since circle jerks are “just what guys do” and gayness has nothing to do with them.

Close to 100,000 words doesn’t change this initial condition as much as I expected.

Jamie and Michael come together over a mutual interest in music, and from working together, they have opportunities to come closer. Michael has no self-confidence in his playing or his voice, and Jamie can prop him up only so far. When trouble between them has Michael backing away from his music in a very tangible way, the scene did make my heart hurt. When he’s sucked into the fledgling success of a band Jamie’s in, he still has no self confidence, and he never does get any. Nor does he have a lick of sense: if the band depends on him recovering his bass playing chops, you’d think he’d practice.

So, the external plot doesn’t advance, because they aren’t doing much to advance it.

The romance arc advances in spots, only to be dragged back, because these guys don’t talk. The excuse “It’s 1975” only flies so far when one character is drinking himself to extinction and they all act like David Bowie never existed. If Michael’s fey and beautiful, he’s in an era where flashy androgyny has precedent and makes bank. (Ziggy Stardust came out in 1972.) These guys don’t talk to the point where Jamie can write a love letter and then Michael reads it and completely disregards it, preferring to ache silently and moon over Jamie and worry that Jamie doesn’t reciprocate his feelings.

One scene I had real hopes for was the party scene: several things happened that showed promise for plot advancement, and then—gone. I actually snarled at my Kindle there.

The whole book is like this: something happens that should advance the romance or make the characters grow, and then nothing come of it. They have to fight for the same bit of advancement two and three times over, and the book is bloated for the repetition. Every single scene needs to do something to grow the characters or advance some part of the plot, and every scene is three steps forward and two and three quarters steps back. Sometimes three steps back. It’s extremely frustrating, because it is all written in language that flows beautifully. This disguises how little actually changes.

They do have sex, though, and promptly deny it, or ignore it or tell themselves comforting lies about it, and then do it again and deny it again. And again.

There is enough actual story in here to support about half the current word count. All the words are beautiful, but the substance of story is change and growth. 2.75 marbles

Coming this week

We had a great week last week! We reviewed Z Allora's With Wings and Parts 1 & 2 of Carolyne Chand's historical serial, The Knife of Narcissus. That made for an eclectic week, but launched me on a theme.

I sure didn't plan it, but I have another rock and roll mm book coming at you, this time Ingela Bohm's Just Playing. And because playing can be so many things, I also have an anthology of baseball stories, Playing Ball, with some familiar names: Shae Connor, Margaret Labbe, Kate McMurray, and Kerry Freeman.  And that's why I'm sending Mr. Tightypants out as the face of this post. We'll see what else I find for Thursday's picture worth a thousand words. ;)

And as an extra treat, we're getting a guest post from Z. Allora, who has some insights on the antics Dare and Angel got up to while they were in Bali. Fascinating! Plus an excerpt -- hot!

With Wings (Dark Angels Book 1) by Z. Allora

Title: With Wings (The Dark Angels Book 1)
Author: Z. Allora
Purchase at Amazon
Cover Artist: P.L. Nunn
Genre: contemporary, rock and roll
Length:
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf

The lights go down and the stage lights up. The Dark Angels have arrived. With his come-hither voice and body made for sin, lead singer Angel Luv draws lovers like a magnet. And when he caresses and taunts shy guitarist Darius Stone on stage, well…it’s an act, right? But every touch lights a fire, and every flirtatious glance chips away at Dare’s certainty that he’s straight. No one else has so captured his imagination.

Temptation beckons. It’s hard not to notice the want in Dare’s eyes, the way he stares when he thinks Angel’s not watching. One wrong move might scare him away, but a work trip to exotic Bali might be the perfect place to let Dare explore his sexuality, with none to be the wiser. But their “friends with benefits” pact has an expiration date, that just might sour their friendship.


~*~*~*~*

This is the second edition of The Dark Angels: With Wings. No idea what the first edition looked like or if this is substantially different, but let me say this: Second Edition Rocks!

Here we have a yaoi-flavored out-for-you story, where Dare isn’t sure at first just what the draw is to this crazy guy who keeps showing up at his little tribute band’s gigs. Angel thinks Dare’s the best guitarist for the Dark Angels, and finds him pretty hot as well. Dare’s slow to warm up to the notion: he has a fair share of the attractive and limber female fans who throw keys, panties, and themselves at the band.


If you want to get all sniffy about ladybits, get over it. There are a couple brief but important to the story sections where a girl’s involved—gay and bi guys very often do have encounters with the opposite sex in RL and in stories too. Dare has to sort out his feelings toward Angel, and Angel’s giving more mixed signals than a drunk traffic cop.

There’s lots of hawtsex between the guys, but their real question is what else is there, and can they keep from wrecking the band while they figure it out. An extended song-writing vacation in Bali takes them away from the familiar things to let them bask in new and different surroundings, and new and different ways of being together. Going halfway around the world for a little solitude seems contrived, but hey,  yaoi.

Besides, the author clearly knows and loves that part of the world, and lets her characters explore and learn this exotic location while exploring the equally foreign landscapes of each other. It’s a great way to have them step away from all that’s familiar, and I challenge everyone to show me any other m/m romance that has a slow loris or even a fast loris in it.

Eventually—and oh I bit my fingernails while they were getting there—some heads get pulled out of asses and some truths shared, and the guys make some great music. Together. ;) The Dark Angels have some more stories coming, which is great, because I spotted some loose ends and I want an encore. 4.5 marbles

A picture is worth...

This pic made me think of a book I recently read, reviewed and enjoyed. Double Up by Vanessa North. What does he make you think of?

If you have 100 to 1000 words for this or any other of my Thursday pics, send it along and I'll post it, and send your news along too. See How Thousand Word Thursday Works for details.  

The Knife of Narcissus by Carolyne Chand

Title: A Knife for Narcissus Parts I and II
Author: Carolyne Chand
Purchase at Amazon
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: unknown
Genre: Historical, ancient Rome
Length: 41k
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf

Lucius Sentius, along with most people in the city of Rome, assumes that the chaotic days of Nero are behind them. Lucius may be only the son of a merchant, but his newly arranged marriage to an older widow will bring powerful connections and a settled life--if he keepshimself on a respectable path. His heart lies somewhere not at all respectable: his lifelong friend Trio, the reserved and serious son of one of the most reserved and pious families in the city. And his new wife, Velleia, has plans and secrets of her own. As Lucius is pushed along the course of duty to family, to his promised spouse, and to Rome itself, he begins to see under the surface of his city, into a net of intrigues, manipulation, and corruption that can carry him upward in status and bring him what he wants...or destroy both him and the people he loves.

Warnings: explicit sexual scenes and language, m/m, m/m/m, some f/m, reference to dubious consent in an historical context, themes of sexual abuse recovery, themes of infertility, non-exclusivity and (consenting and mutual) marital infidelity. And after all that, two HFNs.

Parts 1 and 2
Lucius Sentius assumes the debauched days of Nero are over. Marriage will bring powerful connections if he keeps to a respectable path. That seems impossible when he discovers that his heart lies somewhere not at all respectable. As he is pushed along the course of duty, he begins to see under the surface of his city, to intrigues and corruption that can carry him upward in power...or destroy him. (A serial novel in 7 parts.)


~*~*~*~*

Here are the first two parts of a much larger work—I appreciate that the serial nature of the work was disclosed up front. I’m intrigued now and want to read the rest. Parts 1 and 2 are packaged together, the rest are individually sold and eventually there will be a compilation. I may not want to wait that long.


The ancient city of Rome jumps off the page in all its smelly, imperial glory: the author creates a vivid sense of place and also a vivid sense of attitude. What young boys can play at can’t be tolerated in adult men, though slaves can be used and then sent back to work. Lucius, who wishes his best friend Trio would respond to him with the same ardency he feels, is walking a perilous tightrope. Married to a widow who doesn’t entirely care for the straightjacket of her place in society, Lucius has to first decide his desires and then how to fulfill them. What he wants most is something he’s not allowed to have. Trio (the three part Roman names are usually used shortened) has a very strict sense of propriety—his own desires keep him from reaching out in return, and he’s kind of disgusted at some of what his friend has gotten up to.

If you’re looking for a straightforward romance, this isn’t it. Nero’s death is less than twenty years in the past, with the decadence that implies faded only a little, on top of the historical sense that wives don’t impede a man’s pleasures in other quarters. Lucius gets quite a lot of experience in these sections.

The stage has been set for many adventures—the players are established and many tension lines have been drawn. I’m not a scholar of the period but everything feels very real, so read for the historical drama.

I hate to grade on a partial work, so this is a little tough. I will revisit when I finish the rest, but it’s a good solid 4 marbles to get you started.

Coming this week

The holiday weekend got me--but here's what you can expect coming thsi week.

Last week we had the review of P.D. Singer's spectacular cycling novel, Spokes, and a hottie covered in suds for a prompt pic.

Coming this week, in addition to our Thursday prompt pic, we'll have reviews of the historical serial, The Knife of Narcissus, parts 1 and 2, from Carolyne Chand, and a hot rocker novel from Z. Allora, called With Wings (Dark Angels Book 1). I'm a happy girl.

Keep reading.