Mexican Heat by Laura Baumbach & Josh Lanyon

TITLE: Mexican Heat
AUTHOR: Laura Baumbach & Josh Lanyon
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: Novel (roughly 78k)
GENRE: Gay erotic romantic suspense
COST: $5.50

Detective Gabriel Sandalini has been deep undercover in the Botelli crime family for eighteen months, all in hopes of orchestrating the biggest drug bust in history when the Botelli family joins with the Sanchez family. When he discovers an amazing one-night stand is actually Miguel Ortega, the Sanchez’s second-in-command, he starts panicking about blowing it. The merging of the families starts to twist in directions he didn’t expect, and Ortega turns out to be the one person he can rely on…

NOTE: This is a review originally written for Uniquely Pleasurable.

If there is one thing Mexican Heat has, it’s atmosphere. Rich, warm details spring forth from the very first paragraph, with no sense left untouched. The authors immerse the reader in the seedy underbelly of Italian and Mexican drug lords, refusing even a gasp for breath until that’s all the reader knows. The same extends to the colorful cast of personalities. While many of the secondary characters seem straight out of a multiple other mobster stories, they do so with style and brilliance. They might be familiar archetypes, but that makes them no less entertaining.

Just as entertaining are the two leads. Gabriel Sandalini is a self-confessed adrenaline junkie, with a mile-wide independent streak and drive to match. In many ways, Miguel Ortega is the antithesis – urbane, patient, with a silver tongue and experience to curb his more spontaneous impulses. There’s a spark whenever these two get into a room together. Even though it takes a while for anything physical to happen between them once they discover who the other is, the actual culmination is secondary to the tension brewed in the interim. Put them together, and the scene seethes. Their chemistry is as passionate as either culture could ever hope to be, and it’s this red-hot fire that carries the bulk of the book.

I had a little bit of difficulty getting into the story, though. The book is divided into two parts, and the first seems far more overwritten than the latter. Lines like, They were playing his song all right, and the name of that tune was danger., seem heavyhanded and a tad cheesy. There’s a lot of that in the beginning, and it made for some bumpy reading until it smoothed out. It’s not helped that editorially, the first half isn’t nearly as clean as the latter (there’s an instance where Gabriel gets called by his real name by the mobster daughter instead of by the name she knows him as [Giovanni], for example). I did find it curious that the lavish prose of the first half comes in Gabriel’s perspective, while the cleaner, smoother prose of the second comes in Ortega’s. It felt like an odd choice, and I’m not sure if the inversion was deliberate or not. It might be meant to mirror Gabriel’s more dynamic approach to life and Ortega’s control, but again, I’m not convinced. It was stark enough for me to notice, though.

What sucks a reader in, then, is the heat between the two leads and the non-stop, unrelenting action that keeps the story barreling forward. I have to admit the suspense didn’t work for me as well; I saw one of the biggest plot twists coming from as early as the second chapter. But reading it as action-oriented hot romance? Oh yeah. Delivers in spades. Even when it switches gears in the second half of the book, its breakneck pace keeps the heroes’ relationship devastatingly intoxicating. That’s the true appeal of the book for me.

Readability	8/10 – The second part is much easier to read, and cleaner, than the first part; sometimes, the overwriting of the first bogged me down
Hero #1	7/10 – Likeable and realistic, but I wondered more than once just how bright he really was, and if that made it viable for him to be doing this kind of work
Hero #2	7/10 – Appropriately enigmatic, but sometimes his over-the-top dialogue – while in character – felt too much Spanish lothario
Entertainment value	8/10 – Though the suspense wasn’t as effective since I saw quite a bit coming from the beginning, the action and constant forward motion of the story, as well as the hot chemistry between the two, more than compensated.
World building	9/10 – Vivid and rich with detail
TOTAL:	39/50

Schedule status

My life has gotten insane, and only promises to get worse in the next couple months. So to take some of the stress off myself, I'm lifting my usual Monday-Wednesday-Friday review schedule. I'm reading as much as ever; it's getting on the computer to write reviews that's proving impossible. I'll post reviews whenever I can. If that means more reviews than 3 in a week, great. It also might mean only one.

Depends on just how insane things really get around here. I swear it's worse than Christmastime...

Poor Boy by Jaime Samms

TITLE: Poor Boy
AUTHOR: Jaime Samms
PUBLISHER: Freya’s Bower
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 32k)
GENRE: Gay contemporary romance
COST: $4.99

Just because he has money, doesn’t mean Roy’s life is a good one. His parents blame him for his brother’s death, blame he most readily accepts, and when one demand too many is made of him Roy decides to abandon the wealth that has always protected him. His addict boyfriend isn’t as interested if Roy won’t put out sex or cash, so Roy takes off, ending up on the other side of the tracks in the company of a street hustler named Scooby. With no money, no friends, and nothing else to fall back on, he’s left to try and survive. And if he can save Scooby at the same time, even better…

Poor Boy is an edgier read than most m/m romance out there. It doesn’t even read as a romance for a good part of the story; both leads are just trying so desperately to survive that any real romantic development is abandoned in favor of heaping more and more trials upon them. It gives them a lot of potential problems to work through, but unfortunately, while there is an HEA, I can’t say much of it really worked for me.

My primary difficulty lies with the two main characters. Roy is an affluent young man with a savior complex and a guilty conscience larger than Texas. These drive almost every decision he makes, but ultimately, he makes some clearly idiotic choices – as well as unexplainable – that only exacerbate an already awful situation. Though the story is told in 1^st person from his perspective, I was never able to emotionally connect with anything he was able to go through. In some sections, the POV was so deep that crucial details explaining what his motives might be were missing, gone most likely because they’re so ingrained in the character’s identity. In others, information gets dumped awkwardly and distances me from involvement.

On the other hand, Scooby comes across as a selfish user, and I never understood what exactly the appeal was. An explanation is given – that Roy feels the need to save him – but Scooby’s actions speak louder than words. It’s realistic, but so realistic that I just can’t buy any sort of real connection. The effect is worsened by the fact that Scooby and Roy never actually solve their problems. All those problems that get heaped upon them by their choices get erased by either events that happen off the page or the actions of others. It’s all circumstantial, random events that just so happen make it possible for them to be together. Just like the random events that make it possible for them to meet in the first place. That might have been intentional on the part of the author, but for me as a reader, it fails to engage me emotionally.

That’s not to say there isn’t definite potential in this novella. The author has some very sharp prose in more than one place, and paints enough vivid pictures to give a real feel for the difficulties Roy is having slumming. Her dialogue rings mostly true as well, which just enhances the harsh reality of her world. It’s a great combination when it works, and does so often enough to draw it to my attention. It just didn’t work for me on a structural level, feeling like the author got 2/3’s of the way through the story, thought, “Oh, I don’t know how they can fix this,” and then decided to have somebody else eliminate the problems for the two heroes instead. It resolves their issues, that’s for sure. At the same time, it disconnected me even more and resulted in an unsatisfactory read. However, it’s still a memorable read, because of the author’s more realistic approach and glimpses of her talented voice.

Readability	7/10 – An awkward beginning and a few awkward sections scattered throughout hold back some promising prose
Hero #1	4/10 – It’s hard for me to empathize with a character who makes so many unexplainable choices that clearly led to his and other’s problems
Hero #2	4/10 – A user, I never understood the appeal
Entertainment value	5/10 – Explanations came too late to garner empathy for the characters, with too many cases of incidental action to resolve problems
World building	8/10 – The grittier underworld is very well played out.
TOTAL:	28/50

Suburban Secrets by Kim Amburn

TITLE: Suburban Secrets
AUTHOR: Kim Amburn
PUBLISHER: Wild Rose Press
LENGTH: Novel (roughly 75k)
GENRE: Romantic suspense
COST: $6.00

Recently divorced Lindsey Dameron is desperate to get back on her feet, taking a job with a private investigator even though she doesn’t know very much about it. A routine assignment to catch a man’s infidelity turns her into a witness to murder, but when the mistress goes missing, and her husband shows up at the agency trying to hire them to find her and clear his name, everything goes to hell. Ethan Wayne is the last thing Lindsey needs in her life, especially since he’s a lawyer like her sleazeball ex-husband, but right now, they are all the other one has…

This romantic suspense novel is a nicely paced, nicely plotted entry into the genre. It starts out with clear, tight action, and escalates true to form as the story progresses, with twists and turns tightening the nooses around both Lindsey and Ethan’s necks. It’s not nearly as unrelenting as it could be, but there is never any doubt these two are in danger, with a great deal to lose should they fail. Sometimes, Lindsey and Ethan make truly dumb choices that end up screwing themselves over, but since that tends to be a common reaction in a lot of romantic suspense, I’m mostly forgiving of them.

I’m not quite as forgiving of the romance. While the plotty part of the novel works for me, the growth of the relationship between the two leads doesn’t to the same degree. Both characters have led pampered lifestyles and are now thrust into less than perfect worlds, struggling with bills, struggling with self-image. It makes them more relatable, but at the same time, Lindsey’s preoccupation with keeping her house – her sole financial reason for pursuing the case of Ethan’s missing wife – annoyed me. I also wasn’t keen on how swiftly they came together, even though I recognize that’s the standard in this type of story. It’s not so much the fact that Ethan is still married as it is that it feels like neither party is really ready or in a place where such serious feelings feel real or organic. It feels more forced, and as such, distances me from the more emotional aspects of the story.

That being said, though, there is absolutely nothing stopping me from enjoying this as a straight suspense. The solution to the mystery isn’t exactly unexpected (I guessed it pretty early on) and there’s one case of a deus ex machina in the middle of the climax, but even with those drawbacks, I was swept along. This deserves solid marks for providing swift pacing and enough twists to make it enjoyable.

Readability	8/10 – Even and true to genre, the suspense escalates nicely as the story progresses
Hero	7/10 – Solidly written and consistent, but he’s a little too old-fashioned to hit all my buttons
Heroine	6/10 – A tad on the skittish side considering how much she goes through, and I found some of her materialism a bit much
Entertainment value	7/10 – Solid suspense, and if the romance isn’t something to write home about, it’s certainly not cringeworthy
World building	8/10 – Some really nice details surrounding Lindsey’s lifestyle, only Ethan’s leaves a little to be desired
TOTAL:	36/50

A Leap of Knowing by Dani Harper

TITLE: A Leap of Knowing
AUTHOR: Dani Harper
PUBLISHER: Cobblestone Press
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 29k)
GENRE: Paranormal erotic romance
COST: $4.99

When veterinarian Morgan Edwards visits Wales, her grandmother’s country, for the first time, she is struck by both its beauty and the mystery of the black mastiff that seems to be following her tour around. The last thing she expects is to see it again back in rural Washington, or to have it rescue her from a dangerous robbery. She doctors it back from its life-threatening injuries, but when the dog disappears, leaving behind a naked man with a fantastic story, she has no idea what to believe anymore…

Captivated. That’s what I was. From the opening when Rhys is fleeing the Romans determined to kill him, to the ending when…well, I don’t want to spoil anybody. But this short novella is a wonderful example of Dani Harper’s light, romantic touch, with a world that’s incredibly easy to disappear into.

Both Rhys and Morgan are strong characters in their own right. Rhys is the epitome of the strong, protective alpha that typifies a lot of the Roman area heroes, even when he walks in the twenty-first century. Morgan is smart and resourceful without ever feeling unrealistic. When she first spots the mastiff in Wales, her empathy toward the animal makes it incredibly easy to like her. That feeling only grows as she returns to her native habitat. The world of veterinary medicine jumps from the pages as much as Rhys’ ancient world did, and as much as modern day Wales did. My only problem with Morgan comes when Rhys tells her his story. Like any practical woman, she doesn’t believe him. That prevails for quite a long time, again realistic, but in light of the facts that she is presented with, I got mildly frustrated that she was being so stubborn about it.

But truthfully, that’s a mild concern. The story carries a gentle sensuality throughout its virtual pages, and the author weaves her spell with careful word choices and even more careful plotting. It’s further proof of the talent she displayed in her shifter novel, Heart of the Winter Wolf, with depths of genuine emotion. I bought her Christmas story when it came out but never got the chance to read it. I think it just got bumped up a ton of places on my TBR pile.

Readability	9/10 – Sweet, lovely, and swift
Hero	7/10 – Stalwart and true
Heroine	7/10 – Smart and resourceful, though her own practical side drags out the ending slightly
Entertainment value	8/10 – I got swept up in the romanticism of this whole little story
World building	9/10 – There wasn’t a culture in this that wasn’t fully realized
TOTAL:	40/50

Passion of Madeline by Robin Gideon

TITLE: Passion of Madeline
AUTHOR: Robin Gideon
PUBLISHER: Total-e-bound
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 29k)
GENRE: Historical ménage erotic romance
COST: ₤2.49

When Cole Darden and his best friend Hawk set out to rescue a woman who has been taken by stagecoach robbers, they don’t expect the fierce attraction they feel for the voluptuous Madeline LaFontaine. Saving her from rape and murder is easy; not falling head over heels for her is not…

This novella suffers from “it’s all about the trailer” syndrome. You know what I mean. You see a trailer for a movie in the theater, and it sucks you in and makes you all excited about it, only to discover when you actually do go see the movie, the trailer showed you all the best bits, leaving you with nothing else to enjoy. In this story’s case, consider the excerpt as its trailer. It was a bright introduction to two sexy men, out to rescue a damsel in distress, complete with action, motivation, and a singular perspective. The novella turns out to be a lovefest for a heroine too flaky to make up her mind and too irregularly drawn to be relatable, with headhopping galore and prose that doesn’t know the definition of the word subtle.

The problems start out with primary characters that make me roll my eyes because they’re so over the top. Cole is supposedly a regular studmuffin in the Wild West:

…For some, Cole was an addictive narcotic that had to be experienced again and again and again. For others, he set a standard for performance that they realised could be matched by no other man. And since it was abundantly clear that Cole was not on the marriage market, they were resigned to having luscious memories of several hours of blissful delight in his arms, but nothing more permanent than that. Often, when these women made love with their husbands, they closed their eyes and fantasised of Cole. He’d been told as much often enough, usually murmured under the breath by a former lover at a cattleman’s ball while the husband smoked cigars and drank port with other rich men in a separate room.

Some of his ex-lovers felt guilty for fantasising about Cole while in the arms of their current husbands. Others accepted their fantasising about Cole as an after-effect for having experienced his sensual charms. None of his ex-lovers, however, regretted their time with him. None regretted sharing their passion with him. And their numbers were legend.

There’s more, like when Madeline spies his hard-on later, and the reader gets pounded into her head – over and over – just how massive it really is, but already, I’ve decided Cole is one of those men who loves women too much to ever settle down, an opinion that doesn’t change throughout the course of the story, even though I get told – not shown – that he’s changed. Hawk, thankfully, comes across as better than his best friend, but Madeline is another mishmash of types that drive me around the bend, flipflopping and inconsistent. It’s best seen in this particular line: He’s a heathen, a barbarian! I hate him! thought Madeline, but she really didn’t mean it as she swooned, her tongue playing with Cole’s.

The prose is riddled with over the top phrasing, too, like the hyphenates the author seems to prefer: passion-swollen labia, and lust-addled disorientation, and passion-lubricated lips, and perspiration-moistened body, and the list goes on. It pulls me out of the story and makes it seem very old-fashioned. Toss in the fact that this isn’t really a ménage until the end, and I’m left wondering why I bothered to finish it at all. Madeline sees both men throughout the story, though never at the same time and never tells the other about what she’s doing with his best friend. It makes her flaky and unlikable in my book, and with that many strikes already against it, this book is a barely finished for me.

Readability	6/10 – About as subtle as a sledgehammer
Ménage	3/10 – Not a ménage in the true sense for most of the story, and thus never seems believable
Characterization	4/10 – Two of the three characters really drag this down
Entertainment value	2/10 – Can’t enjoy the romance because the heroine is a flake, can’t enjoy the drama because it’s never given any chance to really build
World building	6/10 – Starts off promising, and the landscape detail is nice but none of the characters feel authentic
TOTAL:	21/50

Graphic Intentions by Patricia Oshier Bruening

TITLE: Graphic Intentions
AUTHOR: Patricia Oshier Bruening
PUBLISHER: loveyoudivine
LENGTH: Novella (roughly 20k)
GENRE: Gay contemporary erotic romance
COST: $3.50

Scott Delaney has writer’s block on his latest adult graphic novel…or at least, he did until he saw the gorgeous and scarred Derek in his favorite coffee shop. Inspiration hits, but when he discovers the man who has captured his imagination is also gay, all bets are off…

While the blurb on the publisher’s website promises drama and scarred characters, the reality of what the story offers is slightly different. Both men are scarred, yes, physically as well as emotionally. But the facts of their problems and tortured histories are never clearly delineated until it’s too late to care. We get bare bones of what Scott went through earlyish, but Derek’s issues don’t get elaborated on until the end. The end result of that, then, is a pair of lead characters I know little about before they’re swearing undying lust for each other. I have a few details, but nothing that makes me invested in them to care enough about the fact that all of a sudden, they’ve met a man who has them in a state of constant arousal.

And I do mean constant. I haven’t read about this many straining zippers in such a short word span in a long time. Both men obsess over their arousals long before they realize the other one is gay. Oh, there’s another overused phrase. “To his crotch.” As in, blood rushed to his crotch, and sparks shot clear to his crotch, and sending sparks of pleasure straight to his crotch, and sending hot sparks clear to his crotch, and sparks rocketing down his spine to his crotch, and…there’s more. At least three more instances of things shooting to somebody’s crotch. So can you really blame me for being bored to tears by the one thing that tries to hold the story together for the first sixty pages?

The few attempts at drama are silly and contrived. For instance, their amazing first date gets cut short when Derek walks out of the bedroom to find Scott hard at work, and Scott snaps at him that he’s standing in his light. Derek takes it hugely personal and promptly leaves. There is more at the end with their histories, but again, the execution is clumsy, and it’s really a matter of too little too late.

Perhaps my expectations are too high with recent excellent reads, but in the end, this short novella is simply too repetitive and unsophisticated to hold my attention.

Readability	6/10 – So many straining zippers in such a short space had me losing interest very quickly.
Hero	4/10 – Promise of depth gets shortchanged for focus on sexual needs
Hero	4/10 – So much like the other hero that they might as well be interchangeable
Entertainment value	3/10 – Without knowing either man well, and with the leap into “I must have you” almost immediately, I’m left bored more than anything else.
World building	5/10 – Certain aspects strain credibility and the information dumps about the men’s history at the end make this clumsy
TOTAL:	22/50

Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen

TITLE: Whistling in the Dark
AUTHOR: Tamara Allen
PUBLISHER: Lethe Press
LENGTH: Novel (roughly 106k)
GENRE: Gay historical romance
COST: $8.00 (ebook at AllRomance eBooks), $14.58 print

Sutton Albright searches for a new life for himself in New York City. Getting wounded in battle cost him his future in music, then getting discovered as a homosexual cost him his college career. He’s at the end of his limits when he stumbles upon a job as an errand boy for a small diner, but the world in which he finds himself thrust offers new hope, new life, new choices. Jack Bailey is at the center of that new world order – gregarious, charming, quicksilver. On the surface, they don’t have much in common, but the world is changing, and unsurprisingly, so are they…

I’m the first to admit that historicals are not my preferred genre, but if I had to pick an era/place that does tend to work for me more often than not, it’s the first half of the 20^th century in the US. I usually gravitate toward forties noir-type stories, but earlier periods work, too. Simply put, Whistling in the Dark is one of the best examples of historical romance that works for me that I’ve yet to find in ebooks.

There is a melancholy nostalgia to the story, in the pacing, in the prose, in the plot. Like the world the story depicts, the lives of the characters stand on the brink of change, propelled forward by passions they can’t contain and desires they don’t wish to ignore. Sutton grieves for his music, and when he is given the opportunity to play again, there is an innocent joy about his newfound fervor that is in a lot of ways representative of the period. Jack is the more jaded of the two, but he, too, has an innocence to him that would be impossible to realistically find in modern settings. Together, they dance along, trying not to miss a step. The fusion of their lives creates something new and wondrous, and it’s a credit to the author that it’s as seamless as it is.

Surrounding Jack and Sutton is a wealth of memorable characters, from the adorable Ox to the irrepressible Theo. Part of the reason I’m sure I got swept up in this is how easily I believed almost every personality. When Jack and his buddies swing through their nights in search of a few moments of fun, I joined them, totally and utterly. It was a completely immersive read; half the time, I felt I was sitting next to Theo, watching and joking with him as the events unfolded.

There is nothing graphic in the romance, so anyone looking for eroticism will be disappointed. What there is, however, is plenty of genuine emotion. Friendship. Camaraderie. Need. Hurt. It’s never too heavy, never too histrionic. Jack is all about false fronts when the story opens, laughing and joking his way through life and its problems, so it takes a little bit longer to get a true feel for him than it does Sutton. But when you do, it’s just as rich and satisfying. His growth in the latter half of the story made it impossible for me to put the book down. I absolutely had to sit and find out just what each of these young men were going to do for each other, how they were going to be made more simply through their association.

The hardest part about finishing this story was being jerked back into the present. I was that absorbed into the setting. It’s a heartwarming, endearing read, reminiscent of innocence long gone, and sets the bar high for others in its genre. Correction. In any genre.

Readability	9/10 – With the exception of the ending going on too long, it still amazes me that this was over 100k for as immersed as I got into it.
Hero	9/10 – The romantic in me wants to hold Sutton close and keep him safe
Hero	8/10 – It takes a little bit longer to get a real bead on Jack, but when you do, it sticks.
Entertainment value	9/10 – Until the ending that seemed to go too long, I was lost in this world and these men’s lives.
World building	10/10 – This is how I like my historical writing – deft, immersive, so unobtrusive you don’t even realize you’ve disappeared into the scene until you have to re-emerge
TOTAL:	45/50

Strands of Sunlight by Anya Bast

TITLE: Strands of Sunlight
AUTHOR: Anya Bast
PUBLISHER: Ellora’s Cave
LENGTH: Novel (roughly 67k)
GENRE: Fantasy erotic romance
COST: $5.95

Indentured when she was orphaned, Rhiannon has always known she was a little bit different. Her mother was a Healer, with magic flowing through her veins. But in the peasant society Rhiannon lives in, magic is seen as dangerous, driving her to suppress her own natural abilities. Tristan, the Prince-Successor of Galland, arrives out of the blue and buys her servitude, explaining that he is taking her back with him. What he doesn’t tell her is that she is supposed to fulfill a prophecy to kill his greatest rival, but it doesn’t take long for the attraction that simmers between them to shape the future neither can escape…

Ah, Anya Bast. I suppose it’s better to admit upfront that while this is my first review of one of her books for this blog, it was not the first book of hers that I had read. Her Berkley books are autobuys for me, and have been since Witch Fire. I’ve slowly been delving into her Ellora’s Cave stories, and I know this came out last September, but my TBR list is so insane at the moment that I only just recently got a chance to read her latest work there.

The world Bast paints in this novel is not necessarily a pretty one. The Dawn of magic has given a lot of people new gifts, gifts that scare some, thrill others. People are killed for being different, including Rhiannon’s mother. Rhiannon is raised in that same peasant society, with only a crippled neighbor as sanctuary, indentured to a woman who beats her. So when a mysterious man of obvious rank arrives and buys her servitude, with only the provision that he is taking her back to his homeland, she is naturally suspicious. It’s not until they’re far away that Rhiannon learns he’s the Prince-Successor, and that she’s essentially being freed from service. Her reactions at first are quite believable. She’s resistant to Tristan’s attractions, even though she’s hungry for it, and she refuses to believe the best. This attitude prevails after she arrives, but all too quickly, she adjusts to a lavish lifestyle very different from the one she grew up in. I loved Rhiannon at the start, and thought her strong and determined, but her swift turnaround later in the story wasn’t nearly as believable. She also has a few moments of TSTL that strain my liking of her, but those come later in the story and to provide details would spoil too much when the book thrives on twists and turns.

There are actually two potential heroes in this, with a couple ménage scenes as well, though the overall HEA is definitely not a threesome. Tristan is the dark and brooding man of rescue, while Gareth is his blond, sunny dispositioned best friend who falls in love with Rhiannon all too easily. Rhiannon is attracted physically to both, and her seesawing between them provides a large part of the romantic tension for a while. I liked both men, but for different reasons, though neither would be my ideal romantic hero. Tristan is dark and dangerous, willing to take and seduce and hurt Rhiannon when he feels he has to. Gareth treats Rhiannon like she’s something precious, which she actually needs sometimes, but that attitude, too, becomes grating after a time. It’s never enough to make me dislike either man, though, and my interest in seeing the romance resolved remains fervent for most of the book.

The common bond that drives everything forward is the prophecy Rhiannon does not want to fulfill. She is destined to kill the man who ordered the death of her father, but since she considers herself a Healer, the entire notion of murdering someone in cold blood is antithetical to everything she believes in. She struggles for a long time against this desire, and the contrast to Tristan’s desires makes for some delicious interplay between the pair. It did feel like several points in the latter half of the book got glossed over for the sake of advancing the story, like some of Rhiannon’s changes of mind. She flipflops a little bit too often to be entirely consistent, and the shifts detract from the overall excellent flow to the book. And while the whole fated-ness of the ending is a little too pat for my liking – especially with the lack of any real explanation as to why – the story in its entirety left me satisfied. The romance is erotic and moving, the drama thrilling. There’s a reason why Anya Bast is favored by so many people. Strands of Sunlight is just further proof of it.

Readability	9/10 – Swift and engaging
Hero	8/10 – Sometimes the tortured vibe gets to be a bit much, but I still loved him
Heroine	7/10 – I loved her in the beginning, but her luster dimmed as the story progressed
Entertainment value	8/10 – Solid romance with an interesting world
World building	8/10 – I was left with some questions that marred my enjoyment of the story
TOTAL:	40/50

The Dark One by Angela Knight

TITLE: The Dark One
AUTHOR: Angela Knight
PUBLISHER: Changeling Press
LENGTH: Short story (roughly 13k)
GENRE: Fantasy BDSM erotic romance
COST: $3.99

Two warriors stumble across each other. One, Kaska of Artane, is the follower of the Dark One, dedicated to war and its spoils. The other, Matia of Ruza, is a Battlemaid with an oath of celibacy. Together, they fight for Prince Britar and his quest for the throne, but their true battles are with their own natures, and their desire for each other…

NOTE: This is a review originally written for Uniquely Pleasurable.

This short story penned by Angela Knight was originally published by Changeling Press by the author under a different name, Victoria Michaels. It was recently placed back into the spotlight by the publisher, which brought it to my attention. I’ve been reading Angela Knight in print for a number of years, and frankly, even though I’m a fan, never thought much about pursuing her e-published offerings. Now I’m beginning to think I’ve been limiting myself too much.

One of the author’s strengths has always been in her commitment to world building. The worlds she creates are always strong and believable, a credit to both her crisp prose and the logic she perpetuates within them. They are not, however, always likeable places. The world created in this short story, for instance, has a faction of warriors that do some seemingly unsavory things upon victory. Followers of the Dark One make sacrifices to their god via anal sex with bound and beaten women, then often claim the woman as their own slave. Though the events portrayed within the story are depicted in such a way that the woman wants it to happen, it’s made more than evident that’s not always the case. Forced seductions such as these are not to everyone’s taste, and if readers are in any way sensitive to this type of thing, they need to stay far, far away from it. However, for those who enjoy rougher erotic scenes with BDSM-style violence and submissive females, the author more than delivers.

Kaska and Matia are alpha to the extreme. Kaska is large, powerful, a warrior to the end, and refuses to bow to anyone except the Dark One and the leaders in the war he’s determined to fight. Matia is a warrior as well, and just as capable and intelligent as Kaska. That the two end up first friends, and then lovers, is hardly a surprise, since they are well matched and ideal for each other. It becomes interesting, then, when Kaska decides to finally claim Matia. For the sake of her honor – and self – they battle it out first. She takes to the submissive role with a great deal of strength, and ends up becoming this fascinating amalgam, a powerful woman who chooses to sexually submit to one particular man. It would seem to be antithetical to her personality, but the author makes it work.

It’s a little odd for me because I honestly got sucked up into the eroticism of the story, even though there were things that should push my buttons. The complete set-up is a little absurd. The Dark One has two penises, for instance. The explanation for why it’s always anal sex is another. Some of the terminology is far from sexy, like the constant use of “anus,” and the non-consensual sex is borderline offensive. Yet, I thoroughly enjoyed this. It’s escapist and fantastical, but I liked the characters, I believed the world they were in, and for rougher BDSM erotica, it’s extremely hot. It’s not a story for everyone, but for those who won’t mind the elements I’ve mentioned, it might be well worth looking into.

Readability	8/10 – Sharp world-building, crisp language
Hero	6/10 – Alpha all the way
Heroine	6/10 – An interesting amalgam of submissive and warrior
Entertainment value	8/10 – Because it completely works as BDSM erotica
World building	8/10 – Even with such a short story, the author’s commitment to what she’s created makes it easy to believe.
TOTAL:	36/50