Austin Chant

Mini Reviews: September Reads

05:22

I'm starting a new feature on the blog - Mini reviews. I'll try to make make a monthly post with short reviews of a couple books I have read in the past month (or even before) but for which I haven't written more elaborate reviews.

This time I will review four novellas I read in September: The Layover by Roe Horvat, A Taster of Honey by Rose Lerner, Peter Darling by Austin Chant and Jigs and Reels by Leigh M. Lorien.


Title: The Layover
Author: Roe Horvat
Genre: MM romance

Author links: Website / Facebook / Goodreads
Purchase links: Amazon / Kobo / Dreamspinner Press

My rating: 4.5 Stars


Review

This is a very powerful debut, very European centered, topical on the issue of LBGT rights (in Slovakia and across EU in general) It is also a tender love story, which packs a punch in a short format.
I basically loved everything about it - solid writing, interesting and realistic plot, complex characters. Ondro is defensive, sort of just passing through life without really living it, Jamie, is in a bit of a similar situation, trying to be more outgoing, reckless if you want. 
They form a deep connection over some some usual circumstances and it didn't feel forced or rushed, it was just right for them. I really appreciate that he author kept it real, there is no glossing over the hard aspects, no miraculous reconciliation with homophobic family, just moving on without them into a future shared with a person who loves them for who they are.


Title: A Taste of Honey
Author: Rose Lerner
Genre: Historical mf romance

Author links: Website / Facebook / Twitter/ Goodreads
Purchase links: Kindle / kobo / nook /iBooks

My rating: 4 Stars
Review

This is a historical erotic novella, full of deliciousness. It's rich in food detail that will make you crave all the Victorian desserts. We have two characters who want to be together but neither feels truly worthy of the other. I liked how it was the heroine who she took the imitative despite her doubts and fears. Mr. Moon is a lovely beta hero - a virgin who is opens himself to carnal pleasure and love. I feel the sex scenes were a bit too much for such a short read and would have preferred more character development (especially insight into their background and motivations). Still, fans of the series will no doubt enjoy seeing Mr. Moon get his HEA after his disastrous misadventures in courtship in book 1.


Title: Peter Darling
Author: Austin Chant
Genre: Retelling, trans romance

Author links: Facebook / Twitter / Smashwords / Website
Purchase links: Amazon
My rating: 5 Stars


Review

To be completely honest I don't feel fully equipped to review this story. It's both magical and painful to read at times, profound and mesmerizing. It made me feel all the feels without going into  melodrama. Austin Chant is a master story teller in this trans retelling (re-imagining) of Peter Pan. The story is made up beauty and emotion and so much fragility that it makes my heart ache. Peter's (and Captain Hook's) journeys are all about finding yourself, your place in the world, someone to share happiness/hardship with. The story has a lot to say about family (birth and chosen one), friendship, building relationships. I can't recommend this book highly enough.


Title: Jigs and Reeels
Author: Leigh M. Lorien
Genre: Contemporary m/m romance, Musicians

Author links: Twitter / Facebook / Blog / Goodreads
Purchase links: Publisher / Amazon / Kobo

My rating: 3.5 Stars
Review

This s sweet mm romance about two musicians in renaissance fairs band falling in lover. It's a quick, fluffy story about finding and keeping the joy in your life. The plot is focused on the choice between what you should feel and do and what you real feel and want to do with your life. It's gives a strong encouragement to go after your dreams without being preachy or going overboard with positive message of "You can do anything". We see the hardships, the difficult choices but also the joy and freedom and it's heart-warming. A bit of a rushed ending and less tension/conflict that I would have liked, but overall it's a nice, solid romance.


Friday Favourites

Friday Favourites # 20: Rose Lerner

00:08

This is my 20th Friday Favourites post and after a short break I'm happy to be back with the lovely Rose Lerner as my guest today. Check her favourites and read an excerpt from her latest release, a novella in the Gambled Away anthology of historical romance. She is also an ebook copy of the anthology to one lucky winner, all you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy!





1. Favourite place

My couch, definitely. It's purple and fuzzy and the warmest spot in the house.

2. Favourite food and drink

No, I have so many! Potatoes, maybe? Especially latkes. And I would say 99% of the time I drink water, but I am also a big fan of strawberry lemonade or a Dark and Stormy.

3. Favourite music/genre/artist/song

This changes every week, but right now, The Mountain Goats, "Cry for Judas." What a good song.

4. Favourite movie/TV series
Star Trek: the Original Series.

5. Favourite hobby besides writing, if you consider writing a hobby

I don't consider writing books a hobby--it's definitely a job--and so is cooking, my next favorite thing to do after writing and what I do at my day job. So I'd have to say my favorite hobby is fiction of all kinds: movies, novels, TV. I just love stories. I love digging into a world and pulling it back over me like a blanket, especially if I have a friend or two to dig in with me. I love the emotional roller coaster ride and the jokes. Fiction is my jam. Nothing else will ever come close, whether I'm creating it or consuming it.

*** *** ***

Rose Lerner's latest release is All or Nothing, a novella in the historical anthology Gambled Away which came out earlier this month. Enjoy a sexy excerpt from the story next. 



Blurb



Get revenge. Pay a debt. Save a soul. Lose your heart.

Spanning centuries and continents, five brand-new novellas from beloved historical romance authors tell the stories of men and women who find themselves wagered in a game of chance and are forced to play for the highest stakes of all: love.

“Gideon and the Den of Thieves” by Joanna Bourne

London, 1793 – Soldier of fortune Gideon Gage has come home from halfway around the world, fully prepared to face down a ruthless gang to save his sister. But there’s one member of the gang he could never have been prepared for: fascinating Aimée, driven from her own home by the French Revolution and desperately in need of his help.

“Raising The Stakes” by Isabel Cooper

California, 1938 — When the flute she won in last night’s poker game unexpectedly summons an elven warrior bound to her service, two-bit con artist Sam takes quick advantage. With Talathan’s fairy powers at her command, her shakedown of a crooked preacher is a sure thing…but would she rather take a gamble on love?

“All or Nothing” by Rose Lerner

England, 1819 – Architect Simon Radcliffe-Gould needs someone to pose as his mistress so he can actually get some work done at a scandalous house party. Irrepressible gambling den hostess Maggie da Silva would rather be his mistress, but she’ll take what she can get…

“The Liar’s Dice” by Jeannie Lin

Tang Dynasty China, 849 A.D. — Lady Bai’s first taste of freedom brings her face to face with murder. A dangerous and enigmatic stranger becomes her closest ally as she investigates the crime, but can she trust her heart or her instincts when everyone is playing a game of liar’s dice?

“Redeemed” by Molly O’Keefe

Denver, 1868 — After agonizing years in the Civil War’s surgical tents, Union doctor James Madison has nothing left to lose. But when beautiful, tortured Helen Winters is the prize in a high-stakes game of poker, he goes all in to save her—and maybe his own soul.

Here's the anthology website: https://gambledaway.com/  
Purchase link: Amazon


EXCERPT


"Let's make this simple," Henney said. "You double your stake, you win. You lose your stake, you owe me twenty guineas. Seem fair?"

Simon nodded, fighting the impulse to stake all his fish on one card and have it over with. But he was as likely to lose that way as win, and he couldn't give up twenty pounds so quickly.

Of course, in faro you generally were as likely to lose as to win. That was why it was so damn popular—better odds than most games of chance. He'd watched Clement play for countless hours, when they were in school. It had felt peaceful when it wasn't his money at stake, cards and coins moving and changing hands, talk washing over him.

Now the cards were in his hands, and it was his money, and it didn't feel peaceful at all. He steeled himself and put six sad, gasping little fish on the figure card with a blue cross, which he remembered dimly indicated a bet on the ace, deuce, and three. One of Miss da Silva's trailing ringlets brushed his arm as she leaned over to inspect his bet.

She did not, it turned out, smell either like orange-flower water or violets. Tuberoses burst in his nostrils—heady, carnal, and narcotic. Cloying, even, in the way smells were in bed, arousing because they were too strong. He remembered, with great force, that the delicate white blossoms' scent was said to be most powerful at night. He shut his eyes and breathed in.

"I'll lay you a guinea Radcliffe-Gould's cock stands within five pulls," someone said quite audibly.

'Pull' meant a draw of two cards, one laid to Henney's right and the other to his left. If Simon's bet matched the first card, he lost his stake, and if it matched the second, he won.

But Simon immediately imagined Miss da Silva's hand round his cock.


Author Bio and Links: 

I discovered Georgette Heyer when I was thirteen, and wrote my first historical romance a few years later. My writing has improved since then, but my fascination with all things Regency hasn't changed. When not reading, writing, or researching, I enjoy cooking and marathoning old TV shows. I live in Seattle.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Anthology

Review: Gambled Away - Anthology of Historical Romance

01:39

Title: Gambled Away: A Historical Anthology
Author: Joanna Bourne, Isabel Cooper, Rose Lerner, Jeannie Lin, Molly O'Keefe
Date of publication: 31 May 2016
Genre: Historical romance, novellas

Anthology Website
Add on Goodreads

My rating: 4.5 Stars



Blurb

Get revenge. Pay a debt. Save a soul. Lose your heart.

Spanning centuries and continents, five brand-new novellas from beloved historical romance authors tell the stories of men and women who find themselves wagered in a game of chance and are forced to play for the highest stakes of all: love.

Gideon and the Den of Thieves by Joanna Bourne

London, 1793 - Soldier of fortune Gideon Gage has come home from halfway around the world, fully prepared to face down a ruthless gang to save his sister. But there's one member of the gang he could never have been prepared for: fascinating Aimée, driven from her own home by the French Revolution and desperately in need of his help.

Raising The Stakes by Isabel Cooper 

California, 1938 - When the flute she won in last night's poker game unexpectedly summons an elven warrior bound to her service, two-bit con artist Sam takes quick advantage. With Talathan's fairy powers at her command, her shakedown of a crooked preacher is a sure thing...but would she rather take a gamble on love?

All or Nothing by Rose Lerner

England, 1819 - Architect Simon Radcliffe-Gould needs someone to pose as his mistress so he can actually get some work done at a scandalous house party. Irrepressible gambling den hostess Maggie da Silva would rather be his mistress, but she'll take what she can get…

The Liar's Dice by Jeannie Lin

Tang Dynasty China, 849 A.D. - Lady Bai's first taste of freedom brings her face to face with murder. A dangerous and enigmatic stranger becomes her closest ally as she investigates the crime, but can she trust her heart or her instincts when everyone is playing a game of liar's dice? 

Redeemed by Molly O’Keefe

Denver, 1868 - After agonizing years in the Civil War’s surgical tents, Union doctor James Madison has nothing left to lose. But when beautiful, tortured Helen Winters is the prize in a high-stakes game of poker, he goes all in to save her—and maybe his own soul.


Review by Ellie



I'm not much of a reader of anthologies, the multitude of voices and writing styles is rather distracting for me than enjoyable. So, I was hesitant to pick this one but then two of my favourite authors, namely, Rose Lerner and Molly O'Keefe were in it, and I decided to give it a try. 

I ended up enjoying most of the stories, loving some of them and I only left one unfinished. 

All or Nothing by Rose Lerner - 4.5 Stars

What a unique and hedonistic story!

The writing was impeccable as I have learned to expect from Ms Lerner and the story itself packed so much emotion and complexity in such a short format.

Maggie and Simon had strong distinctive voice which I loved very much. They both stood out with their complexity, being a little lost and a lot of in love/lust. He  was full of good intentions and yet, failing to really follow them through. his vulnerability, his indecision, his bad decisions and fears, all these made him real and easy to relate to. I liked how he was portrayed as being comfortable with certain aspects of his sexuality and at the same time he was still exploring (or rather, was afraid to explore) others.

Maggie was his opposite in many respects - open, easy-going, not ashamed or afraid of her sexuality and desires, yet she hid her own fears and vulnerabilities behind the mask of a fun-loving, unrestrained and uninhibited young woman who is freely enjoying herself with not shame or regrets.

Ms Lerner explored the inner world of the characters with great mastery and making them open up to one another was the way to bring them together.

The supporting characters were also very well developed and had a very strong presence in the story giving it further richness and depth.

Simon and Maggie's story does not have the perfect romance HEA, but it has the perfect ending for them - the promise of a relationship that based on honesty and openness, but is still a work in progress. 

Redeemed by Molly O'Keefe - 5 stars!

This was my favourite story in the anthology.

It can be seen as part of her cycle of historical romances including Seduced and Tempted, though you don't have to read those (but you totally should) to enjoy it.

I'm blown away by how much depth and intensity Ms O'Keefe brings into this story. She explores the the consequences of the Civil wars on the survivours on both sides of the divide.  Ms O'Keefe capture perfectly the sense of loss and desperation in the aftermath of a war. Nothing is like it was before and no one is left unscathed and unchanged.

The issue of addiction were also quite realistically represented in my opinion and though I have no personal experience with it, the portrayal felt tangible and real to me. It was treated with compassion and without judgement which I really liked.

I'm really surprised how much emotional punch this story packed in just a few pages - intensity and depth of character development seem to me to be the trademark of Ms O'Keefe's writing. 

It's a really intense, somewhat dark story but also hopeful and it ends with the sweetest, most perfect HEA for two troubled souls who deserve it so much.


Jeannie Lin and Joanna Bourne's stories are set in the worlds of other series of the authors and feature characters from them. I haven't read either but that did not spoil my enjoyment of both stories.

The Liar's Dice by Jeannie Lin - 4 stars

This is a tender and sweet romance, rather the promise of a romance. It's very atmospheric of old-time Japan and the whole world building was really good. I loved the writing and the voice of Lady Bai was so strong and rich and a pure pleasure to read. The story gives us just a touch of romance - beginning, the thrill of meeting someone and being enamored with them, the sweet anticipation of good things to come. All this is all interwoven in a simple but engaging criminal plot, which keeps you engaged in the story and allows the characters to truly shine.

Gideon and the Den of Thieves by Joanna Bourne - 4.5 stars

I enjoyed a lot about this story but also felt the pacing was off sometimes. The concept was interesting to me - she is part of gang of criminals but has the special status within in. She is the person who determines the values of the goods they steal and sell. He knows a thing or two about gangs and fighting and faces her gang while trying the free his sister.

I have to say the plot is quite complex, perhaps a bit over complicated, considering it's a short story/novella. I felt somethings were left unexplored and the story often took the reader in unexpected directions. I liked the writing and found the characters, not just the main ones but the supporting as well, rather intriguing. It makes me wish this was a full-length novel.

As I said earlier I haven't read any of the books in the series in the universe of which this story is placed and maybe if you have read them, you would enjoy it more than me.

Still, it was quite pleasant and entertaining and made me want to read more books by this author.

Raising the Stakes by Isabel Cooper - No rating/review 

I read just the first few pages of the story and couldn't really get invested on the story. I may try it again some time in the future.


Overall, this is a recommended anthology of diverse historical romances by some of the best authors in the genre. 

Purchase link: Amazon

Favourites

Review: Lively St. Lemeston series by Rose Lerner

02:17

This is a joint review of the first three books in the Lively St. Lemeston series of historical romance by Rose Lerner which I binge read in a week some time ago.

In short: I loved everything about these books!

Title: Sweet Disorder (Lively St. Lemeston #1)
Author: Rose Lerner
Date of publication: 18 March 2014
Genre: Historical romance

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Add on Goodreads

My rating: 4 Stars


Blurb 

Political intrigue could leave his heart the last one standing…alone.

Nick Dymond enjoyed the rough-and-tumble military life until a bullet to the leg sent him home to his emotionally distant, politically obsessed family. For months, he’s lived alone with his depression, blockaded in his lodgings.

But with his younger brother desperate to win the local election, Nick has a new set of marching orders: dust off the legendary family charm and maneuver the beautiful Phoebe Sparks into a politically advantageous marriage.

One marriage was enough for Phoebe. Under her town’s by-laws, though, she owns a vote that only a husband can cast. Much as she would love to simply ignore the unappetizing matrimonial candidate pushed at her by the handsome earl’s son, she can’t. Her teenage sister is pregnant, and Phoebe’s last-ditch defense against her sister’s ruin is her vote—and her hand.

Nick and Phoebe soon realize the only match their hearts will accept is the one society will not allow. But as election intrigue turns dark, they’ll have to cast the cruelest vote of all: loyalty…or love.


Review


This is one of those rare historical romances that are not about dukes and ladies and ballroom dances but rather about more common ordinary people and how politics affect their struggles to find a respectful place in life.

The heroine, Phoebe, is an amazing character whom I loved so much. She is a somewhat overweight widow, writing stories for a living and trying to cope with living on her own. She is strong and independent but also caring and deeply connected with her family (her sister, to be precise) and ready to sacrifice herself for her sister's well-being and happiness.

Nick is an ex-army officer, wounded and using a cane, a young man who is not sure of his direction in life. Throughout the story we see him as a kind man, a little lost but ultimately noble and true to himself. Like Phoebe, he is bound by family obligations and his own sense of duty, but also fumbling around to find his own happiness and the right way to move on in life.

The romance was unexpected for both of them, it was not something they were actively looking for, but it felt so right and it was the thing that they both needed at that moment. It develops against the background of Tory/Whig political struggles which add yet another obstacle before they could be together.

The complications before Phoebe and Nick coming together were numerous and seemed impossible to overcome, yet they did overcome them in a way that worked well for everybody as well. It was a fitting happy end, realistic, fraught with difficulties and sacrifices but all the sweeter for that.

The story has a strong cast of strong supporting characters, each with their own story, adding richness and depth to the plot, making it real and easy to relate to.

I loved the twist and turns, the unexpected changes kept taking me by surprise and I absolutely enjoyed them all.

The writing it beautiful as well, not too flowery but rich in historical details, with a refreshing sense of humour. It was a pure delight following Phoebe and Nick's romance and I whole-heartedly recommend this book to all lovers of historical romance.

Purchase links: kindle / kobo / nook / iBooks / samhain / all romance


Title: True Pretenses (Lively St. Lemeston #2)
Author: Rose Lerner
Date of publication: 13 Jan 2015
Genre: Historical romance

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Add on Goodreads

My rating: 4 Stars
Blurb

Never steal a heart unless you can afford to lose your own.

Through sheer force of will, Ash Cohen raised himself and his younger brother from the London slums to become the best of confidence men. He’s heartbroken to learn Rafe wants out of the life, but determined to grant his brother his wish.

It seems simple: find a lonely, wealthy woman. If he can get her to fall in love with Rafe, his brother will be set. There’s just one problem—Ash can’t take his eyes off her.

Heiress Lydia Reeve is immediately drawn to the kind, unassuming stranger who asks to tour her family’s portrait gallery. And if she married, she could use the money from her dowry for her philanthropic schemes. The attraction seems mutual and oh so serendipitous—until she realizes Ash is determined to matchmake for his younger brother.

When Lydia’s passionate kiss puts Rafe’s future at risk, Ash is forced to reveal a terrible family secret. Rafe disappears, and Lydia asks Ash to marry her instead. Leaving Ash to wonder—did he choose the perfect woman for his brother, or for himself?

Review 


This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone, set in the same universe as the first book but not closely connected with it. This is the most unusual historical romance I've read, even though I haven't read that many.

We have a Jewish hustler hero and a heroine who needs a husband to able to access her inheritance money.

This story shows us the other side of politics - the world of Tories and the politics of the rich and influential. It offers a nice contrast between the heiress Lydia, well established in her world, rooted in her home, with clear sense of who she is on the one hand, on the other, we have Ash, a Jewish man in disguise, drifting around England, with no past and no home.

Their romance was a truly challenging and eye-opening journey for them both, a discovery of what it means to be a brother, a sister, a lover, what the meaning of family is and how to love them, what home is and how to make one for yourself and your loved ones.

Both Lydia and Ash had to change their expectations and plans, give up their presumptions and find their free will and road to personal happiness.Ms Lerner presents the reader with a profound exploration of identity which I found fascinating in the given historical context. 

We have the same exquisite writing as the first book, the same attention to detail, the same depth of character development (with even more intensity) and abundance of plot twists.

Overall, this book was both similar to and different from the first one in the series but it was an equal pleasure for me to read it.

Purchase links: kindle / kobo / nook / iBooks / samhain / all romance


Title: Listen to the Moon (Lively St. Lemeston #3)
Author: Rose Lerner
Date of publication: 5 Jan 2016
Genre: Historical romance

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Add on Goodreads

My rating: 5 Stars



Blurb

When upstairs valet meets downstairs maid, the line between work and play blurs. Lively St. Lemeston, Book 3 John Toogood dreamed of being valet to a great man...before he was laid off and blacklisted. Now he's stuck in small-town Lively St. Lemeston until London's Season opens and he can begin his embarrassing job hunt. His instant attraction to happy-go-lucky maid Sukey Grimes couldn't come at a worse time. Her manners are provincial, her respect for authority nonexistent, and her outdated cleaning methods-well, the less said about them, the better. Behind John's austere facade, Sukey catches tantalizing glimpses of a lonely man with a gift for laughter. Yet her heart warns her not to fall for a man with one foot out the door, no matter how devastating his kiss. Then he lands a butler job in town-but there's a catch. His employer, the vicar, insists Toogood be respectably married. Against both their better judgments, he and Sukey come to an arrangement. But the knot is barely tied when Sukey realizes she underestimated just how vexing it can be to be married to the boss... Warning: Contains a butler with a protective streak a mile wide, and a maid who enjoys messing up the bed a whole lot more than making it."

Review


This is the latest book in the series and I can honestly say it's my favourite. The is an amazing under-the-stairs romance about a valet/butler and a maid of all work and I loved everything about it.

There is so much depth in this story and both the characters of John and Suckey are drawn up with such love and care and understanding by Ms Lerner that the reader can't help but fall in love with them.

The romance follows the common trope of marriage of convenience but it's done so exquisitely and absolutely captivating, that it felt like I was reading something fresh and in many ways unique. Suckey and John feel like real people and their fears and dreams and hopes and mistakes and small victories are easy to relate and understand.

This is not your typical romantic love at first sight, though both hero and heroine were attracted to each other from the beginning. It was in their marriage, in actually living (and working) together that they discover who the other person really is and learn to love and respect them.

On the surface, John and Suckey were such an unlikely couple. He is a perfectionist, hard-working, and ambitious, always trying to do his best. She is much more easy going, not really lazy but definitely not as pre-occupied with her work as he is. Finding a balance between their conflicting natures was fascinating to read. Both John and Suckey had to face their fears and learn to trust the other, to be honest and open about their feelings. It really is a lesson of communication and though set in the world of servants in Regency England and I found it universally relevant and applicable to any love couple at any time of history.

The richness of details about the servants' lives with its joys and troubles made a very engaging, rich story and was a pure pleasure to read.

Purchase links: kindle / kobo / nook / iBooks / samhain / all romance

Overall, this is a fabulous historical series - rich in details, diverse in characters, impeccably written and really engaging. There will be more stories in the series coming, hopefully  soon and you can learn more about them on the author's site.

Flickr Images