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Dinos RULE!Making them fight is always way more fun than just walking them around. Sure, when adults are spying you're all like humdeedum. But as soon as the coast is clear, it's mash potato tar pits and broccoli forest ravaging. So, I approve of Brandon and Alex's adorbs bonding. Totally cute. Like fuck, let me stick my hoarded Lucky Charms' marshmallow stars all over them--sweet and delicious.
Dinosaurs fucking meant something.
Plus, Brandon's whole backstory is way too heavy to just layout and then expect it to all work out fine. The pace with the guys was totally reasonable and that pull between want and fear--perfect. There's nothing like eager virgins and the quest to lose it that has one rooting for the best possible outcome for both Alex and Brandon. Which btw, is awkwardly perfect. So, with all the seriousness underlying the story, I get that the levity provided by Mark's antics and Blake's oblivious good-heartedness is crucial, but I felt like in parts they were too strong and pushed our protagonists, our heroes into wallflowers. Problem? Too many characters! And I hate to say since I loved all of them, but it cacophonous. Alex and Brandon's story gets pushed out of the limelight much like their shyness pushes them to the corners of rooms because the bolder and flashier friends hog it. Mark and Deacon, nice to see them again, but they run roughshod over their BFF and little brother multiple times. And Blake... he's awesome and steals the show with his earnest, uncomplicated and inspiring actions. So, how do I rate this? No clue. I liked it. A lot. Just wish that Alex and Brandon were stronger than the secondary characters. 3.5 StarsFavorite quote:
Sometimes he felt like he was nothing except wasted potential.
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Renaissance.Learning to be oneself again after being part of a pair takes work. It isn't so much that you've given up who you are, but rather you can't see how that which was once a piece of something else can be self-sustaining again. Oliver has lost his world. He wants just one thing--that last moment. Alas, time stops for no one.The dark collector is suddenly everything: rival, master, catalyst, and more. What happens when their paths cross is quite exquisite. Rare and tender. Each moment pulling Oliver further. Until he's ..., no you have to read it. I can't tell you. So the greedy part of me would say, only four stars, but it was a beautifully plotted short story and deserves every star. The ending is perfect.Favorite quote:
How can this stranger , whose name I don’t even know, see me if I can’t?
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Understated entertainment.A wee slice of life in the English countryside just after WWII. All the silly and irrelevant gossip that acts as the sole diversion of Puddledown is driven into a frenzy when a most singular event occurs--MURDER.Nice cast of characters that would easily support future jaunts through the woods and down the main street of Puddledown. Hugo is a man burdened by never having served and questioning himself on more than one point. Tommy is the new groundskeeper of the neighboring estate and second witness to the gruesome finding. What unravels is a cozy mystery with just enough gore to shock one's sensibilities. A madman on the loose and Hugo is determined to find out whom is responsible. Secrets are revealed and lives changed. A fun whodunit to laze away part of an afternoon reading. Off to Book 2.Favorite quote:
Such men— such strong, virile men— had neither time nor patience for pallid, bookish types, who pinned all their hopes on two lines of Greek, illicitly translated when they had been forbidden from doing so.
3.5 Stars
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This was clever. At first, I was just puttering along getting a feel for it and sightseeing when I realized that the way the story is written actually makes the reader the frickin' mark in a shell game. You think you're paying attention following along and when you go to turn it over--Slap! Wrong. You were deceived. Distracted.The weaving of mythologies is really well done. The shredding of tropes was amusing, but maybe a tad heavy-handed. Overall, fun and smart. Btw. Don't feel bad as the reader, everyone gets played. Smile and enjoy the trick. Favorite quote:
Despite being tricksters, Coyotes are very serious when it comes to the Feud, and they wouldn’t have one they believe to be weak-blooded playing their game.
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Utterly charming, super-English character study of a diamond-in-the-rough Dom and the posh sub that agrees to show him the ropes by tutoring him. Of course, there's a slight hitch to this magical carpet ride and that's the DENIAL. To be fair, Jeff comes by it honestly, and he's just ignorant--not an ass, which can't be said about others. Luckily, Eddie's true enough to himself for both of them and drags Jeff to the truth. Okay, leads him by the dick to the truth. Sweet GFY. Overall, big smiles with some Kink, with a capital "K".
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This is the kind of story that makes me feel like life has sped up so fast and in the never-ending quest to keep on top of things we've lost sight of really important things. We've become impatient and intolerant of those who don't work/act/contribute to our preconceived ideas of right and acceptable. We've become callous and forgotten how important kindness is. Ethan suffered a traumatic brain injury and was significantly impacted as a result. He's an amazing character. I spent half the story wishing I knew him and the other half wanting to cry. But, things happen to all of us and it is important to live for now and forward--not backwards. Carter has Tourette's Syndrome and deals with the alienation of its symptoms on a daily basis. Mostly, its just easier not to interact. His frustration was palpable. And I'd be anxious mess in his place. There's no changing either of their lives. This is as good as it gets. I spent a good portion of this book in awe of both of them and wanting to cry at the same time. It wasn't that I pitied them, but that I wished things weren't so hard. And the challenges in the story, well, they are emotional time bombs. Ethan's family's, wow, just great. Even Elliot, conflicted and teenage hormonal as he is and cruel at times is still great. And I guess that is one of the things I liked most about the story, there were illustrations of how a person could both be good and mean. How each of us has the potential to be an agent for both. So, which one do you want to be?
“What music do you hear?” Carter asked.
Ethan looked at him. “Yours,” he said, as if Carter should have known.
One final note: I avoided this book for a while because I was really afraid of it taking advantage of the two characters' states of being and using it without regard, sensationalizing it, and ignoring the complexity of each Ethan and Carter's lives. I shouldn't have. Overall, emotional story of two marginalized characters struggling to get their HEA.Favorite quote:
Carter adjusted his previous assessment to count this night as a thousand and one times better than predicted.
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Grit, and bear it.Western devotees will be pleased with this one. The sense of place is perfect; you can taste the dust in your mouth and the crap whiskey burning it's way through. Just like the settlers here, you've got to fight to get that ending--No free lunch here. You gotta want it and be willing to suffer for it.Elijah is a wonderful MC. At a time when a physical impairment was a severe disadvantage he does the best he can, but life is not easy and honestly, it can be downright cruel. He takes what he gets because he knows no different and wishing wouldn't change anything. But... then there's a bright spot, and frankly, it looks too good to be true. Grady. He's the quintessential western male. Driven and bending rules to make enough to live. He's not perfect, but he has clearly defined morals; one can nudge the line, but not obliterate it. Grady knows who he is and what he wants. And he's got his eye on something.
The hardest part in breaking a skittish horse was staying patient while it tired itself out.
This is a gritty story that doesn't shy away from the ugly realities of life. This is not sanitized for your delicate sensibilities, but it is powerful and grim. And each small success is worthy of celebration. Elijah and Grady's fates, like everyone, are held in a delicate balance. More than a couple breath-holding moments here and sighs of relief. Loved the characters (even secondary and tertiary ones), the setting, and the plot, which didn't rely on any overwrought events. There is a good deal of drama in the story, but it never approaches melodramatic. Overall, a true to form western that deliversFavorite quote:
“Sometimes you gotta cut the past loose,” Grady said, “before it drags you down.”
