AnnaLund2011

I am so excited to have author Cody Kennedy visiting my blog today! It has been a long month of touring for him with his book, Slaying Isidore's Dragons, and this is one of the last tour stops—see all the other stops here, every one is FULL of useful information and facts. Especially the first one, the kick-off of this book tour, is near and dear to my heart. Don't miss it.

Go here:

Cody Kennedy talks about authoring.

Delicious revisit with a couple of favorite boys, Nathan and Owen, a couple of years down the line. I was very glad to see some more chapters about these boys, as I wasn’t finished with them last time. In this story, they’re trying to get hitched, and both hilarity and three seconds of angst appear. My favorite dosage.

It’s a fine little book, indeed.

I’m hoping these two stories will be joined in one, single book of sweetness in the future, (the first book was called The Dating Game), because they are really two parts of a whole.

Oh, and beware, the drunken proposal. That made me laugh out loud.

Self-published, and both well-written and well-edited—the combo is as sweet as it is unusual.

Kudos, Northcote.

Again.

***

I was given a free copy of this self-published book from the author, who is a Twitter friend. A positive review wasn’t promised in return.

We need more little books like this one.

Books that show us what it might feel like to be different.

Books that can open our minds a little bit.

Very sweet short story, which could have benefited from adding the double amount of words, but it was uplifting and really cute, only the ending was a bit rushed.

Recommended also because there are so precious few books about transgendered.

***

I received an ARC of this book from the author, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.

Short story, some 12k words.

On preorder, available July 1^st 2015

What a ride! What an amazing story. I’m still reeling. And so full of hope, for the future, for the future of these boys, all our boys.

In this story, as is the usual fare with Kennedy, there is action; there is no time to relax, no time to slow down, things are happening all the time, and in so many layers, it takes all my concentration to keep it together. And I love it. I just simply love it. I roll in it, I run with it. I revel in it.

I feel I know these people, already after a few chapters. It is as if I am running beside them, seeing what they are seeing, feeling what they are feeling. It is almost overwhelming. I scream, and I scare the cats. I giggle, and I wake Mr. Anna.

Kennedy must be the king of purple prose, and yet, somehow, here, it just works; it doesn’t become ridiculous, it just becomes powerful and full of awe-inspiring, foreign flavors.

And then another bomb goes off.

Why am I not surprised?

While reading until my iPad hits my face, I realize, just as I am falling asleep, that there is so much more to this story than meets the eye.

There is the careful choosing of words. The loving turn of phrase that won’t scare a potential victimized reader. Words are of such vital importance to young survivors; those of us who have never lived through abuse, can never quite understand how loaded a simple word can be.

And then there is the momentous message to abuse victims and survivors that there is a future, also for them. That there is hope for sunshine and love, in all our futures.

It is uplifting. It is caring. There is hope.

And then another bomb goes off, yeah?

This book had me sitting on the proverbial edge of my seat, jumping with excitement, smiling with bliss, and feeling the love between the two young men grow and blossom. (See? I have achieved some purple myself). I cry me an ocean, too, for good measure.

The way Declan and Isidore discover each other is beautiful, loving, enriching, sweet, and so sexy. Without ever going into the exploitative and crude, the physical love they explore is simply beautiful. They are both on the older side of their teen years, at eighteen and seventeen, thinking about their bodies and discovering a new sensuality, and the way Declan gets frustrated with his dick makes me scream with laughter. So many good feels, here, too.

There is no way I can review this book without drawing parallels to Omorphi, Kennedy’s other long novel about abused youth. The similarities are of course there, but what really strikes me is the difference between them. The main character in the first story, Christy, is a survivor of abuse. In Slaying Isidore’s Dragons, Isidore is still a victim, and he is still living with his abusers. There is such a huge difference in mindset.

Now, there is a special talent to be able to describe and write about this kind of abuse, without either falling into the exploitative, or brushing over the sad facts. Here, none of those things happen. There is truthfulness in these pages, but most of all, there is hope. Awe-inspiring Hope. It makes the reader understand what goes on inside the mind of an abuse victim.

It shatters me to see how this new life, when saved from an abusive environment, can be so overwhelming that the victim is ready to go back to the abusive home, just to get to a place where everything makes sense.

This is a book with really difficult themes, and it is striking how it can ring true in all its horrid details, while still giving hope and showing a way out. This book may very well be saving lives, and giving hope.

It is interesting how well the double POV works, where we see things mostly from the eyes of the boyfriend, Declan. I don’t think we could take seeing it all from inside Isidore’s mind, but the short interludes that we do get to see are so revealing. Thank you for showing us how completely different the same scene may seem to the victim.

Now, I also want to tell everybody about how much I adore Sorcha, Declan’s mother. She is a powerful, gorgeous, strong, beautiful, and loving woman. I love all those things in people, but I especially appreciate them when they are attributed to a woman in an m/m setting. This is finally happening more often, but I still want to say thank you for this: thank you, author, for a strong and good woman. Mothering is not easy, and she does shine a light. The fact that she was also an Ambassador in her own right, makes my heart sing. A real woman. Somebody with both a job and a career. Not only, she is also absolutely hilarious, and a good belly laugh really makes life worth living. The healing value of humor is well known, but is even more so to a victim of abuse.

It is important for me to see that the story in this book actually rings true in the ears of the intended readers, i.e. young survivors of abuse; youth who, through this novel, can visualize a potential future, a possibility of a decent life, of love, of happiness. Reading young Timmy’s review of this book, I see the story through his eyes. See his review here.

It is true. This story brings hope. It shows the path forward, it shows the possibility of future.

This is top notch.

On my Top-Read-Of-2015 shelf.

Well done, Kennedy. I just realize that I have written the word “hope” nine times in my review. That must mean something.

You pass with flying colors.

Five shining stars.

***

I received an ARC of this book from the author, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.

What a ride! What an amazing story. I’m still reeling. And so full of hope, for the future, for the future of these boys, all our boys.

In this story, as is the usual fare with Kennedy, there is action; there is no time to relax, no time to slow down, things are happening all the time, and in so many layers, it takes all my concentration to keep it together. And I love it. I just simply love it. I roll in it, I run with it. I revel in it.

I feel I know these people, already after a few chapters. It is as if I am running beside them, seeing what they are seeing, feeling what they are feeling. It is almost overwhelming. I scream, and I scare the cats. I giggle, and I wake Mr. Anna.

Kennedy must be the king of purple prose, and yet, somehow, here, it just works; it doesn’t become ridiculous, it just becomes powerful and full of awe-inspiring, foreign flavors.

And then another bomb goes off.

Why am I not surprised?

While reading until my iPad hits my face, I realize, just as I am falling asleep, that there is so much more to this story than meets the eye.

There is the careful choosing of words. The loving turn of phrase that won’t scare a potential victimized reader. Words are of such vital importance to young survivors; those of us who have never lived through abuse, can never quite understand how loaded a simple word can be.

And then there is the momentous message to abuse victims and survivors that there is a future, also for them. That there is hope for sunshine and love, in all our futures.

It is uplifting. It is caring. There is hope.

And then another bomb goes off, yeah?

This book had me sitting on the proverbial edge of my seat, jumping with excitement, smiling with bliss, and feeling the love between the two young men grow and blossom. (See? I have achieved some purple myself). I cry me an ocean, too, for good measure.

The way Declan and Isidore discover each other is beautiful, loving, enriching, sweet, and so sexy. Without ever going into the exploitative and crude, the physical love they explore is simply beautiful. They are both on the older side of their teen years, at eighteen and seventeen, thinking about their bodies and discovering a new sensuality, and the way Declan gets frustrated with his dick makes me scream with laughter. So many good feels, here, too.

There is no way I can review this book without drawing parallels to Omorphi, Kennedy’s other long novel about abused youth. The similarities are of course there, but what really strikes me is the difference between them. The main character in the first story, Christy, is a survivor of abuse. In Slaying Isidore’s Dragons, Isidore is still a victim, and he is still living with his abusers. There is such a huge difference in mindset.

Now, there is a special talent to be able to describe and write about this kind of abuse, without either falling into the exploitative, or brushing over the sad facts. Here, none of those things happen. There is truthfulness in these pages, but most of all, there is hope. Awe-inspiring Hope. It makes the reader understand what goes on inside the mind of an abuse victim.

It shatters me to see how this new life, when saved from an abusive environment, can be so overwhelming that the victim is ready to go back to the abusive home, just to get to a place where everything makes sense.

This is a book with really difficult themes, and it is striking how it can ring true in all its horrid details, while still giving hope and showing a way out. This book may very well be saving lives, and giving hope.

It is interesting how well the double POV works, where we see things mostly from the eyes of the boyfriend, Declan. I don’t think we could take seeing it all from inside Isidore’s mind, but the short interludes that we do get to see are so revealing. Thank you for showing us how completely different the same scene may seem to the victim.

Now, I also want to tell everybody about how much I adore Sorcha, Declan’s mother. She is a powerful, gorgeous, strong, beautiful, and loving woman. I love all those things in people, but I especially appreciate them when they are attributed to a woman in an m/m setting. This is finally happening more often, but I still want to say thank you for this: thank you, author, for a strong and good woman. Mothering is not easy, and she does shine a light. The fact that she was also an Ambassador in her own right, makes my heart sing. A real woman. Somebody with both a job and a career. Not only, she is also absolutely hilarious, and a good belly laugh really makes life worth living. The healing value of humor is well known, but is even more so to a victim of abuse.

It is important for me to see that the story in this book actually rings true in the ears of the intended readers, i.e. young survivors of abuse; youth who, through this novel, can visualize a potential future, a possibility of a decent life, of love, of happiness. Reading young Timmy’s review of this book, I see the story through his eyes. See his review here.

It is true. This story brings hope. It shows the path forward, it shows the possibility of future.

This is top notch.

On my Top-Read-Of-2015 shelf.

Well done, Kennedy. I just realize that I have written the word “hope” nine times in my review. That must mean something.

You pass with flying colors.

Five shining stars.

***

I received an ARC of this book from the author, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.

Wow. Simply wow.

This was better than good. This was dang good. Actually, this is the first time I’ve read about an open relationship that I actually believe in. And then see it turn into a ménage that is truly believable, to boot.

Well done, oh well done. I wanted this book to go on forever and ever. I tried reading it slowly, to make it last. It didn’t work.

Even the sexytimes were smashing, (and I have gotten to a point where I’m quite blasé about those, so that is really saying something).

Amazing book. Full of hope and redemption, goodness and support, love and kindness. And understanding.

Just. So. Good.

Five shining stars. 

***

I bought this book with my own money after a smashing review from a trusted friend.

I won a copy of this book in a blog tour event, so I went blind into reading it, having no idea what it was going to be about.

Well, for one thing, it was too short! I really liked the characters, but everything happened so fast, and they fell so hard it was a little bit disconcerting. It is more an outline, a first draft of a story. They needed more flesh on their bones.

I liked viewing things from both sides, as the POV shifts were done really well (and I usually don’t like POV jumping at all).

I’m just not sure this is how things work in real life, but I am glad someone is writing about it. It made me think. It made me angry at the reactions. It made me scared for Taylor’s safety. What really got to me was the attitude in the gay circles. Talk about small-minded fools.

There was a bit too much explicit sex in it for my personal taste, but your mileage probably varies. It could have gone one more time through the editing process, but on the whole, it is a nice short story about a different kind of life. And of how we should all just start accepting people as they are.

I might have to check out these authors and what they’ve written outside of this story. I like their courage. I applaud them for writing this. Four stars for courage and insight. 

***

I won this book on a blog tour, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.

I seriously thought I would never read another vampire book again in my life.

Right?!

And there goes Walker, writing me one that I just fall into and roll around in and fall in love with and just simply adore.

Damn. Double damn.

How is it that vampire lore can actually be explained in a hilarious half page, Q&A setting? That had me giggling like a loon. Joyous, crazy, and totally sweet. And a most excellent way of sending the reader out into the story. Well done.

Then I cracked up (so bad I woke Mr Anna) while reading this line:

“You know, there’s a joke in there somewhere. A Highlander, a Viking, and a Samurai walk into a bar.”

Or, what about this one:

“Okay. So you’re all ancient, and I’m twenty-nine.”

“Well, that technically makes you the oldest here.”

I loved the nod in the “They always asked ‘Why?’ and ‘What are you going to do to me?’, then lastly, ‘What the fuck are you?’

Oh dear me, but this was so good. And by all that is holy there is a lot of well-researched facts in here, too. From Egypt and mummies, to Scotland, Japan, and my own old Viking shores. So much research. 

I loved that we got a tour inside both heads a bit, for once head-jumping felt good. Informative. Not confusing. (I am easily confused). Two POVs, third person, really well done. 

There was serious friendship happening, also between the secondary characters, and I love a group of buddies like these.

Walker, Walker, you do this so well.

What? There is more?A book #2? 

Even if this one was so perfectly rounded? 

Well, that is excellent! 

More Cronin and Alec!! YAY!

*** 

I was given an ARC copy of this book by the author. A positive review was not promised in exchange.

This didn’t work for me, probably because of the way Casey’s past abuse was handled. I couldn’t work my brain around the hurt/comfort parts. 

Not a book for me, but your mileage may vary. Everybody else seems to love this.

The language is amazing, this is a seriously skilled author who can build images with words, so vivid that you can almost feel the breeze in your face and hear the ocean at a distance. It did feel a bit rushed at the end, however, and there was so much drama I could hardly keep all the threads together.

Australia as a backdrop is amazing. More of that. Will most certainly read more of this author, I adored The Shearing Gun.

***

I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher, Dreamspinner Press, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.

Ah, Nico Jaye’s usual fare of sweetness and sexy times. Great and entertaining.

But in this story, suddenly there is a real narrative thing happening, and I find I can finally see her strong writing skills. I want more of this side of Nico Jaye, I want more stories with backbone and depth, because this is brilliant. Just brilliant.

(I just wish an editor had cut through the dime-fiction expressions of glancing up through his lashes and becoming impossibly stiff, because it would bring it all to the level of exceptional).

More and longer stories from Nico, please! This begs for more. It was both beautiful and delicious.

***

I was given a free ARC of this book from the publisher, Dreamspinner Press, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.

Publishing date: 18 March, 2015-03-12

A short first book in a series. Sci-fi and strong woman lead, what’s not to like? Oh, and it’s actually M/F, and it’s been a long while since I read that.

The world building is stellar, and I am amazed at how much you can show in such a short story (some 45 pages).

Here’s from the blurb:

Chosen to lead Gaea's Ark, humanity's first deep space settlement ship, Gemma is awakened from 19K years in stasis to find her mission gone horribly wrong.

And it is just as cool as it sounds.

I have book 2 and 3 lined up, and will be reading them too, soon, when I hear that book 4 is out. I am terrible with Works in progress, and usually stay far away from them until they are finished. But, you see, this time I won the book! So I couldn’t very well not read it, could I?

And now I’m sitting here wanting and screaming for this story to be ready, so I can dive in and read until my eyes bleed.

I am hoping that, at one time in the future, the author will put these books together into a cohesive, single book. Because this chopping up in several installments is not my cup of tea at all.

Great language, great exposition, a very interesting alien world, and a strong, cool woman at the helm.

Yeah, I can safely say I loved this. Please, author, make more words?

***

I won a free copy of this book from the author, and a positive review wasn't expected. I just can't help myself. 

What a story, what a beautiful ode to love, in all its forms.

And what a beautiful homage to those who walked before us, to those who could not, where we now can.

Slow love, an uncle with a twinkle in his eye, the sea and rocky cliffs; this is wild and serene, at the same time.

It is sweet and bitter.

It just IS.

It soothed my soul, and also broke my heart in so very many pieces.

Northcote then went on to glue it all together again.

Read this book, if you have loved and lost.

Read this book if you have loved.

Read this book.

Serenity.

***

I was given a free pre-edit ARC copy of this book from the author, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.

Such a different take from the Con Riley we’ve all gotten used to—this story is sidestepping and dancing and singing and I was simply waiting for the bomb to drop.

But there was no melancholy or sadness; there is just life after losing a friend and finding a love.

These boys danced into my heart, and will stay there for a long time. The friendship between contestants is uplifting in this dog eats dog world, and two grown men helping and befriending a 16-year-old girl made me giddy with happiness.

Riley is adding more diverse figures in this story, with a backdrop of London, Cornwall, and Afghanistan. Soldiers, mothers, mansions, and project housing, all in one huge swirl of her paintbrush.

I loved this. I loved the fandom aspect (that not everybody will get, but that’s okay), I loved that Ed (-ward) got whiplash, and I loved the nod to the boy bands out there. I loved that the bad-guys don’t always win, and that smarts can still out-maneuver them.

Yeah. I loved this.

Uplifting seems to be my go-to-word when it comes to Riley’s books. Here it is again.

5 uplifting and shiny stars

***

I was given a free pre-edit copy of this book by the author, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.

A call for information about bullies. 

Info here, make your own mind up.

Anne Rice Facebook February 7th 2015

I had a moment of feeling uneasy with the gritty talk, when inside Alex’s head. He has internalized so much racial denigratory crap that it almost hurt my eyes. It most certainly hurt my heart.

As did the whole book. This story is heartrending. Sad. Full of devastation. Kids and drug dealers. Young people who probably never stand a chance.

And yet.

In the middle of all this misery is a young man of 15, standing tall, doing his absolute best. He mucks it up, of course, because he is only fifteen years old. But he tries. Oh, lord, but he tries. He almost gets on my nerves with how hard he tries.

There is desperation, then group homes, foster homes, fires, guns and then we meet this one, lonely, silent boy, Seb.

There is love, and forgiveness, and beauty in all this harsh and gritty reality.

This book should be mandatory reading in high schools, as it covers bullying, being different, social services, group homes, institutions and more. It covers life, as is, in neighborhoods I have seldom visited. It spoke straight to my heart, breaking it in the process.

This book changes things inside your head. It is, at times, uncomfortable. But most good stories are, if they have important messages.

This one does. Read it.

*** 

I bought copy of this book with my own money, after reading a brilliant review from a teen.

First I was kinda shell shocked by the foreign feeling and the over-the-top-descriptions and the purple prose and the exaggerated states-of-mind and the insta-love and the cheating and the MISERY and the AWESOME screaming and—

—then I realized that this is Bollywood.

And, by DOG™, it is gloriously so.

It actually takes Bollywood by the hand, and effectively tosses it out the window, hitting it out of the ball park, winning by horse-lengths, and scoring for the team. To use some superlative metaphors and similes and a dash of hyperbole and no commas, quite in the spirit.

I think I screamed with laughter at least six times. I’m not sure that the author meant for me to do this, but nevertheless, this was simply hilarious.

It could use several (more) rounds of editing, but hey, where’s the fun in that?

Simply loved the cheek of this book for even EXISTING. Oh, and the cover is deceptively elegant.

Happy days, man. I laughed till I cried. 

***

I was given a free copy of this book by the author. A positive review was not promised in exchange.

I see that Amazon sells this for $3.74 in my region, which I find a bit pricey for some 70 pages. B&N, Smashwords, AllRomanceEbooks all have it at $2.99.