January 25, 2017January 24, 2017 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “The Haunting of Timber Manor” by F. E. Feeley Jr.

*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+.

*This review is cross-posted at Otakus and Geeks.

Daniel Donnelly has sadly lost his parents in a terrible accident. He gets a phone call from his estranged aunt who tells him he is now heir to a fortune and a house called Timber Manor. On the way there, Daniel has to pull over in a huge storm and Sherriff Hale Davis – a native of the town near Timber Manor – helps him out. But the manor holds a dark and powerful secret that puts Daniel’s life in great peril

While Daniel and Hale make a good couple and you’re rooting for them, the novel makes a great ghost story. The tone is perfect for curling up in a blanket and reading this on a stormy night.It was good to have the story switch perspectives to get everyone’s thoughts on what’s happening but I feel the supernatural story development had more care put to it than the romantic development. Daniel and Hale have that insta-love thing going on that will bug you if that’s an aspect of romances that bug you.

And can Francine get a spin-off series!? PLEASE!!

Giving this a 3.7 out of 5.

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January 24, 2017 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Jackass Flats” by Julia Talbot

*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

*This review is cross-posted at Otakus and Geeks.

Tate is a 30 something cowboy who believes the best days of his life are behind him.He spends his nights getting hammered in bars and one night a young soldier named Dave helps Tate bumble back to his apartment. The two become close and form a relationship but Dave’s military life poses a threat to their relationship.

Mild spoilers so skip this paragraph if you wanna avoid them but around 30% in, sudden gay married friend is sudden! I mean, geez what an asshole…

Anyway, other than the out of nowhere dickweed friend, the story felt well paced and very realistic. Dave and Tate take things slow at Tate’s request and the patient way they come together is refreshing to see. Their chemistry goes beyond a ‘hookup-turned- relationship,’ their feelings come through the pages. Yes, of course there are some steamy scenes but just having Tate and Dave interact with each other left me with a happy feeling when the story was done and I wouldn’t mind reading more in this series or by this author. 3.9 out of 5.

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January 19, 2017 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Whiskey Business” by Avon Gale

*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+.

*This review is cross-posted at Otakus and Geeks.

In order to get his hometown some much-needed money, Ryder Waites is selling his family’s whiskey recipe to a company named Bluegrass Bourbon. To seal the deal, he has to convince a hard-assed representative from the company; Adam Keller. Keller is out to prove he can get by on his own merits and not rely on his rich family’s money and reputation. As the stuffy Adam audits the distillery, their attraction grows. But Adam doesn’t want to get attached as this is supposed to be a quick business trip and nothing more.

At 17% I had snorted laughter out loud at the sentence “That sort of dislike-to-lovers thing only happened in Harry/Draco fanfic.” I have read way more of those than I care to admit before I grew out of that to… Well, books like these.

The story generally follows that formula, though. Couple meets, instant attraction, hot smexy times, misunderstanding, reunion and resolution. What sets this story apart is the setting. The town of Gallows Grove feels like the real star here with its fun residents and pun laden business names. The writing gives this place real heart and makes it come alive around our two very likable leads. A perfectly serviceable romance with a fun setting, I give this a 4 out of 5.

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December 12, 2016 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Spell Cat” by Tara Lain

*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

*This review is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

Professor Killian Barth teaches the history of witchcraft and has a unique perspective on the matter considering he is indeed a witch. He is the most powerful male witch to come along in generations. Keeping his identity a secret from regular humans, he catches the eye of the quantum physics professor; Blane Genneau. Their attraction is instant but Killian is being forced to marry another witch, Lavender, in order to save the witch race by pumping out magical children. But not only is Killian gay, Lavender is in love with someone else, and Killian finds the magnetism between him and Blane is too strong to resist. There’s also the added rub that if a witch sleeps with a human, it will drain the witch’s power away. Can Killian find a way to not only be with the one he loves but overcome prejudice against humans, find a way to save his race, and convince a man of science to believe magic is real?

First off, I have to point out that Lain made Lavender a likable character. It’s so easy to fall into that trope of one of the people in the forced marriage being a complete horror to make the main character look even more put upon. But Lavender is a kind, sweet person and even tries to help Killian whenever she can. That was very refreshing.

While this book was decently written and cute, sometimes it felt a little contrived. It has this fanfiction like quality to it where everyone is too perfect, too pretty, and sex literally tears the skies apart it’s so good. I mean, geez, nobody even had an interesting mole or tattoo… I also would have liked to see the fantasy elements explored more. I know that they’re technically supposed to take a back seat to the romance but there are some interesting concepts here that I felt were glossed over to get the couple where they needed to be. But I do give this book credit for turning a couple tropes on their heads, having some fun characters and steamy romance scenes. 3 out of 5.

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October 31, 2016October 27, 2016 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Timing” by Mary Calmes

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+.

*This review is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

Stefan Joss has been invited to be in his best friend’s wedding. Not only does his boss take this as a chance to take on a sales deal to the trip to Texas, Stefan has to deal with his friend’s brother, Rand Holloway; who has made no effort to restrain his hatred of Stefan. With the chaos of the wedding and meeting with his client, Stefan learns there is more to Rand’s feelings than hatred and his business deal ends up risking his life.

While meant as a romantic mystery kind of story like Mystery of Nevermore, the mystery in this book took far back seat to the romance. Not a criticism, just something I noticed. I can see either adding more of the mystery or taking it out entirely and just having the wedding be the backdrop that brings Stephan and Rand together.

Anyways, Rand as a hard-ass cowboy coming to terms with how he fucked up and will do his part to fix it and Stefan putting in effort too worked for me. I liked them both and I wanted to see them together. The smexy times are prevalent and positively indulgent so if you want a healthy dose of manluvin, this book is more than happy to dole it out along with some romantic sappiness.

When it came to the action/mystery parts, I kinda got whiplash. You’re crusin along in this lovey dovey romance and WHAM! Rape! Murder! Guns!

“Well… That took an uncomfortable turn…”

Even so, I enjoyed this book. You can feel the love all over; even aside for our main pair. The details in describing ranch life (Rand owns a ranch) were written well enough to get a real feel for the setting and I ended this book with a cheesy grin because it was so damn sweet. 4 out of 5.

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August 25, 2016August 25, 2016 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Like Heaven on Earth” by Jaime Samms

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+.

*This review is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

Cobolt Winslow is involved in an unhealthy, long-distance relationship with Calvin Denvers. Calvin infected Cobolt with HIV, which cost Cobolt his dancing career in their ballet company as his body became too weak to put up with such strenuous activity. The only stable person Cobolt has come to rely on Malory Preston; a driver who works for Cobolt’s brother, Azure. As his health takes a turn for the better, Calvin comes back into the picture and Cobolt is faced with choosing between dancing and his growing attraction to Preston.

I cannot go any further without mentioning the naming conventions in this book. Yes, they are a little odd (at least for me) because it was like reading characters from a fantasy novel but this isn’t fantasy. I did get used to it as the book went on.

The relationship between Cobolt and Preston works and makes sense the way those characters are written; even if there are times where I felt Cobolt needed a swat of sense on the back of his head. If a character can frustrate you, he/she is well written.

Other than that, this book is short, sweet, sultry when it needs to be, but standard. Cobolt and Calvin’s HIV status is handled with maturity and not used as a crutch or a lame gimmick to make the characters act a certain way. The dancing was immersively written and the subtle nuances of stage culture were there but not as dark as something like Black Swan. I enjoyed it and by the end I was cheering for Cobolt but – and it’s likely my personal bias here – the attempts to make Calvin a sympathetic character failed miserably. It would take MUCH more than 204 pages for an abusive cheater to redeem himself in my eyes but this is certainly not the book’s fault. I’m betting since this is the third in the “Dance, Love, Live” series (and yes, this novel can totally stand on it’s own), I’m sure Calvin has or will get an entire book to himself to work out his issues. As for this book, a happy 3.5 out of 5.

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June 20, 2016June 13, 2016 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Twisted Dreams: Dreamlands #4) by Felicitas Ivey

**This review has been cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks**

**This book contains adult material and is rated 18+**

After the craziness of Unquiet Dreams, Keno is now a ‘guest’ of the wizard Kheper in the Egyptian lands and was forced to give in to the violent nature of his ancestor in order to save Mason’s life and his own. As the unknown Darkness spreads through the Dreamlands, Samojirou takes Mason, Wolf, and Tholf to rescue Keno while Keno and Kheper investigate the Darkness. But will Keno want to be rescued after taking a life?

Keno’s internal struggle about having to kill is the major part of his character development in this book. His ancestor was discussed in such hushed, ominous tones, Keno never wanted to be anything like him. There isn’t time to dwell or escape his pain for long as he works with Kheper; who turns out to be a pretty cool magician and a man of honor – not at all as creepy as he seemed in the previous book.

With two teams coming at the Darkness from two different directions, we get some really detailed and rich writing. You get a sense of realness to a very unreal world. But darnit, if it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger! Man, do I wanna see the Dreamlands come together to beat the Darkness. I’m sure other cultures along with the Japanese and Egyptians will come into play. More of the Vikings would be cool! It would be such an epic showdown. 4.5 out of 5.

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June 18, 2016June 16, 2016 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Uneasy Dreams: Dreamlands #3” by Felicitas Ivey

**This review has been cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks. The previous books are reviewed here and here.**

**This book contains adult material and is rated 18+**

The siege on Nippon continues as the Trust has allied with the Egyptians and the lords of Nippon must band together to take back their lands. With the conflict intensifying, Mason tries to find a place under Tamazusa’s protection and Keno struggles against the brutal nature of his ancestor as battle brings it seeping to the surface.

In this book, Keno and Samojiro are headed into “annoying couple” territory. This is a personal pet peeve of mine and I’m sure people won’t agree with me; I have read many a series where the couple you’ve wanted to get together for the entire time keep sending the narrative to a screeching halt so they can bone as much as possible. This is not to say it ruins the book but I found myself skipping over their love scenes to get back to the war going on.

Other than that, I love how this book is not perfectly wrapped up for the next installment. As I received this series in a 4 book bundle (and reviewed one at a time so it didn’t take forever to get these books reviewed for you guys), I was wondering if each book would have a self-contained antagonist or an overarching one. All these little threads of manipulation carry through all three books and their effects don’t just disappear. Out of the three, this one is the most tense and ends with characters injured, separated, and floundering as to what to do next. The writing level and style carry through seamlessly and seeing all these different cultures in the Dreamlands is very cool! Very interesting overall. 4.5 out of 5.

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June 2, 2016May 24, 2016 atthequillsmercy

Lenni Reviews: “Healing Hunter’s Heart” by Charlie Cochet

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This book is rated for 18+

Ari Jannsen and Hunter Devin had a forbidden romance which came to a tragic end. As a werewolf enforcer, Hunter was supposed to keep away from a pureblood like Ari. When they were discovered, Hunter was wounded and cast out of the pack, causing a split within the pack that even separated family members. Hunter and his friend, Tristan Hagan, created a new pack but not only is Hunter empty inside without his mate, Ari’s mother, Skyrah, vowed to destroy them even if it means killing kids or her own son.

I have a weakness for shifter romances since they combine what I love about fantasy with a tolerable amount of romance elements for me (believe it or not, I don’t tend to read romances normally…). The dialog was written excellently and although I didn’t read the first book, I was invested enough in Hunter and Ari’s relationship to be interested in what happened to them. However, the time jumps were disorienting and sometimes te cast of characters felt distractingly large. Overall a decent read but I give it a 3.5 out of 5 for those reasons.

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Haunting Hypatia

The Literary Lunacy of a Geeky Librarian

Dreamspinner Press

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