don't be dull, be fannish

"Mind Reader (PsyCop #2.3)" by Jordan Castillo Price

3 stars out of 5

I love Victor. I love how he deals or doesn't deal with his ability to see ghosts. And this was pretty neat, him and the mummies. If it weren't for Crash, I would have given it 4 stars. Also, I would've preferred to see Victor visit the museum with Jacob, to see Jacob geek out about the mummies. Oh well...

"Many Happy Returns (PsyCop #2.2)" by Jordan Castillo Price

1 star out of 5

I'm pretty ambiguous about Crash in the books - pierced/tattooed/goth characters are not my thing. But until now, I have never considered him a slut. Well, now I do. I don't find one-night-stands or unprotected sex with strangers - hey, it's not just HIV, peeps! - hot. This made feel dirty, not hot and bothered. Meh.

"Alpha, Omega (Alpha Omega #1)" by Cassandra Gold, Beth Wylde

3 stars out of 5

A cute short story about two mated were-lions, the alpha and the omega of the Pride, and about the time they switched their usual roles in bed. A bit too sweet and sugary for my taste but it did intrigue me enough to want to read more about these two.

"Checkmate" by Fae Sutherland

3 stars out of 5

For such a short story - just a handful of pages - it packed one helluva punch. Very, very creepy. But I so hoped it wouldn't end the way it did...

"Bourbon Affair (Pentacles of Magick)" by Eliza Gayle

2 stars out of 5

Disappointed. I was willing to give it 3 stars, despite this being a PWP with a lot of missed potential, but then I found out that in the next part, this M/M paranormal romance turns into a M/M/F romance with two butch men protecting a vulnerable girl - *snorts* - and it basically destroyed the one thing I liked about this short story: the special bond between Den and Jake. It was the whole point of the story, after all, that despite the prophecy, Den chose Jake, not a girl. And instead of running with that, the author used it as a stepping stone to a threesome that allowed Den to keep Jake and still fulfill the prophecy - as cheap a way out as I've ever seen. I feel cheated because I actually invested myself in their special bond and the addition of a woman in the next part simply diminishes everything this story established. I wish I haven't read the summary of the next book, it ruined this one for me completely.

"Ink and Paper" by Megan Derr

3 stars out of 5

Too sweet for my taste. Basically a retelling of Cinderella but Enitan was a bit too cliché angsty and Rem just too perfect. I mean, I'm used to Megan Derr writing sweet tales but this was just too sugary.

I think it's time to read a different genre/author.

"An Admirer" by Megan Derr

4 stars out of 5

A gay fantasy story. Kaeck has a secret admirer - and you know, you just know it can't end well, not with Kaeck's crappy luck, so it's like watching a train-wreck in progress and your heart's hurting for him the whole story long because he's just so happy that something's going right for once in his life. Ouch. Well, at least Kaeck gets his happy ending and that's the important thing.

"Caffeine for a Marine" by Kiernan Kelly

1 star out of 5

I should've known this would be a disaster when I noticed the author spelled the title wrong. It's a short jerk-off cliché - first time in a public bathroom, a vulgar ex-Marine calling his lover "boy" - better fit for online porn archives. It left me feeling dirty and disgusted. Thank the gods above I was given it for free. If this is a proper representation of Kiernan Kelly's writing then I won't be reading any more.

"Deliberately Bound (Bound #3.5)" by Ava March

3 stars out of 5

Not bad but as hot as this was, I didn't feel all that comfortable reading about Vincent's reluctance to sub for Oliver. I mean, reading his thoughts, it felt more like guilt-tripping than a genuine desire to sub.

"Render (Beautiful #1.5)" by J.M. Snyder

2 stars out of 5

The main character was just too whiny. Sure, it's easy for me to say, I have never been temporarily blind, I get that, but his blindness wasn't permanent. I could've understood if his fears centered around that, that his condition might be permanent. But he complained about being bored, feeling left out or forgetting what people looked like... For Christ's sake, I wanted to shake him and tell him to stop whining. Awful character. I won't be reading anymore in this series, that's for sure, and I'm starting to think that J.M. Snyder's books simply might not be my cuppa...

"Bound to Him (Bound #2)" by Ava March

4 stars out of 5

It was interesting to see the dynamic changed slightly. I also liked that there was more plot, that Vincent stood up against his father and that we finally met Oliver's grandmother - who wasn't as terrible a dragon as everybody thought, after all. I'm curious where the story will be headed next, only two short stories and one book left in the series.

"Thaw (PsyCop #1.1)" by Jordan Castillo Price

5 stars out of 5

I'm almost embarrassed to call this one a "book" - it's just a few pages long, a really tiny short story - but if I didn't, the numbering on GR and here wouldn't fit anymore. So...

A wonderful Christmas story about Victor and Jacob. Their relationship is the cornerstone of the whole "PsyCop" series and it's simply beautiful, you literally feel how much these two love each other despite their quirks and problems.