Monday, September 19, 2011

Becoming the Spoils by J.L. Merrow

TITLE: Becoming the Spoils
AUTHOR: J.L. Merrow
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: Short story (roughly 7k)
GENRE: Gay paranormal erotic romance
COST: $1.49

When he decides to investigate vampires, journalist Frank finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he gets himself thrown into a basement with a hungry, but hot, vamp…

I’ve had some mixed reactions to some of this author’s work, but one thing I can usually count on is strong writing. That’s the foundation for this short but charming story about a journalist who decides he wants to investigate vampires, only to get picked up and thrown into a locked basement with one that hasn’t fed properly in a while.

Told in 1st person, this is a quirky little tale about Frank and Victor, and how they manage to survive not only each other but their temporary imprisonment. Frank is smart alecky and fun. His voice carries the story through, the humor strong and quick. I’m hard-pressed to say much more about him, though, as this is a tale meant for a good laugh rather than anything deep and meaningful. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but with Victor rather lacking in the personality department, it meant the only thing I remembered about this short a few hours later was the ending.

It’s sensual when it needs to be, but even the sex plays into the humor more than eroticism. It’s also more than a little quirky as a result. I have the feeling that if it had been longer, I would’ve had much less difficulty remembering more than I did. But standing on its own like this, there’s just not enough for me to sink my teeth into.

Readability

8/10 – Quick and engaging

Hero #1

7/10 – Charming with a sense of humor

Hero #2

5/10 – Entertaining, but the focus is on the narrator

Entertainment value

6/10 – Amusing, but a few hours after I’d finished it, I couldn’t even remember exactly what it was about

World building

5/10 – Not bad for such a short story, the primary focus is on the humor and narrator, though

TOTAL:

31/50

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