And Hell Itself Breathes Out by A.R. Moler

TITLE: And Hell Itself Breathes Out
AUTHOR: A.R. Moler
PUBLISHER: Torquere
LENGTH: Novel (roughly 74k)
GENRE: Gay paranormal erotic romance
COST: $6.99

In a bid to gain more power, two young men in an exclusive fraternity begin performing blood rituals, leading to deaths that remain unsolved by DC police and the SIS. Two authority figures, Agent John Benchley and Detective Evan Garrett, are working the cases independently until they realize they can get further working together. Then, their working relationship turns into something more…

I’m always excited about finding books that try to do more than the usual romance, but sometimes, they end up biting off more than they can chew.

In a series of short scenes, we’re introduced to a wide range of characters – the power-hungry, greedy fraternity brothers; agents in the SIS, a special branch of the federal government that deals with the odd and the occult; detectives in the DCPD. It gradually narrows down to the primary players, Agent John Benchley and Detective Evan Garrett. When they start sharing notes, things start coming together, but bodies are still stacking up.

The problem with this novel is that it can’t decide what it wants to be, and as a result, never really succeeds at any of them. There’s the paranormal angle, with the ritualistic murders; the police procedural angle, with the careful deconstruction of the cases; the romance, with the slow, steady relationship between John and Evan. It tries, it really does, but the prose isn’t nearly sophisticated enough to pull it off. The scenes are too short and static to build any sort emotional connection, and the constant headhopping and frequent editorial errors (missing prepositions, missing articles, etc.) only added to that disconnect.

Each does have strengths, though. Careful detail is given to the procedural aspect, sometimes too much. The romance sets itself apart from the norm with the gradual build-up. It was refreshing to have two strong leads not immediately jump into bed together if it wasn’t appropriate. The bloody paranormal angle is effectively gruesome (though more sensitive readers might want to be wary). I just wish it had been put together more smoothly, with a better balance so that I could genuinely care. I’ve had better luck with other stories by this author, so I know it can work. Just not in this one.

Readability	5/10 – Headhopping, proofing errors, and short jerky scenes did nothing to create any kind of flow
Hero #1	5/10 – Nice and intelligent, but it took too long for him to form any kind of personality
Hero #2	6/10 – More interesting than John, but suffers from the same lack of focus for too long
Entertainment value	3/10 – The story’s lack of focus prevented any one angle from succeeding satisfactorily
World building	7/10 – The procedural aspects were well thought if a tad boring
TOTAL:	26/50

Re-Ignition by A.R. Moler

TITLE: Re-Ignition
AUTHOR: A.R. Moler
PUBLISHER: Torquere
LENGTH: Short story (roughly 12k)
GENRE: Gay contemporary erotic romance
COST: $2.49

When Griff Rieckert wakes up in a stranger’s bed, hung over as hell and no memory of the night before, the last thing he expects is the calm aid of the gorgeous blond who slept next to him. But Sean Avery is more than he appears, a calm force in the chaos of Griff’s life. Griff is having a hard time coming to grips with the disability that ended his illustrious FBI career, but with Sean’s help, he might finally see a light at the end of the tunnel…

The opening is a familiar one – a protagonist wakes in an unknown bed with no memory of the night before. It’s been a set-up for thrillers, romances, science fiction stories and more, and most often works as a mechanism of providing backstory for the reader while trying to make it organic to the plot. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn’t. In the case of this short story, it’s the former.

Griff’s confusion is clear and realistic, the set-up helping to demonstrate the anguish he is going through as a result of his debilitating accident. It helps considerably that Sean is a warm and wonderful presence. I loved the calming effect he had on Griff’s mindset, and especially liked that nothing happened right away. There was a real chance to see these two interact and get to know each other before it turned sexual. Not too long, considering it’s a short story, but long enough for me to be comfortable with the fact that yes, these two could actually have some sort of real thing starting here. Dialogue was realistic, and Griff’s growth, combined with his reticence due to his disability, helped the fledgling romance just as much.

The tense climax works within the context of the story, but it ends up drawing attention to the story’s biggest flaw. These are complex characters, with complex motivations, and it ultimately feels like there is more story than what is being told here. The ending feels a little too pat and convenient, rushed to fall within a word count, rather than a real emotional destination the beginning promised and the characters deserve. It has a measure of satisfaction, but not the depth that it felt like it should have. So while it’s a pleasant romance, it’s not the truly rewarding read it could have been. It does, however, make me curious if this author has longer work. I think there’s some real potential here, and I’m excited about finding it.

Readability	8/10 – Simple, engaging with realistic dialogue
Hero #1	7/10 – Competent and appreciably bitter about his accident
Hero #2	7/10 – Solid and reassuring
Entertainment value	7/10 – I liked the guys enough to want them to have their romance, I just wished it was longer
World building	6/10 – There’s not a lot of room for it in the short story format when the focus is on the characters, though the one tense climactic scene is very well done
TOTAL:	35/50