Alex Beecroft

3.5 stars. Alex Beecroft is a beautiful writer, with interesting plots and well-developed characters. But all of her books that I have read left me somewhat dissatisfied with the love story, and unfortunately Foxglove Copse didn't do anything to change my opinion.

There are some serious problems in the small seaside town of Porthkennack, including animal sacrifice, bullying, suicide and smuggling. In the midst of this mess Sam Atkins arrives in his small van and finds himself both accused and show more potential hero. Fleeing from a stressful job and his emotionally abusive family, his self-esteem is low and he can't quite understand why handsome, easygoing Ruan Gwynn takes an interest in him, nor how Ruan's family can accept him so readily (once the cloud of suspicion is quickly lifted). I love the way Beecroft describes Sam's tentative foray into happiness:

Sam had been running away from pain so long he'd forgotten there was something on the other side of it. He'd forgotten that joy was a thing, and it edged back into his life as though scared it was going to be turned away.

She also understands what it's like to be in the middle of a panic attack:

Trying to force his mind to work was like trying to contain a cloud of panicking bats between both hands. Everything was scrabbling, biting, trying to burst apart and fly out.

Ruan, a natural caretaker, is immediately drawn to Sam, and it's rewarding when Sam realizes he has something to offer the relationship as well. But with everything going on in a short 250 pages, it just didn't work for me for Ruan to start talking about "forever" after one night together. The couple just didn't seem like they were there yet. This was one case where a HFN would have made more sense than a HEA.

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this rating, but given the fact that Ms. Beecroft is on the list of authors I will occasionally try if the plot sounds interesting but not an auto-read, I'm sticking with 3. A glimpse of one of the MCs from book #4 in the series [b:House of Cards|34093924|House of Cards (Porthkennack, #4)|Garrett Leigh|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487206401s/34093924.jpg|55111015] at the end of this story did pique my interest, so good job series authors. Also I like the fact that although this is an MM romance, there are several strong female characters who arguably save the day.

Warning: some very creepy and explicit descriptions of cruelty and violence to animals.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

First I think what needs to be addressed is the fact that the publisher saw fit to split this epic into two separate books and in doing so has done this book a disservice. This needs to be read as one complete story, even the few months I left between reading the two halves was too long. The last scene in book one, by virtue of being the last scene in book one, was given more importance than it required and it wouldn't have if this had simply been another scene or a chapter close.

I used the show more word epic earlier and that is what it is. It's history, fantasy, and the paranormal all rolled into one, with a gentle but underlying love story beneath the surface. Told from the POV of 5 strong but very different characters, all broken in their own way, but all with the ability for greatness.

The descriptions are magical, history and world-building is strong, the plot is well paced (if it was all one book) and intricately weaved, and the characters leap off the page and grab you both round the heart and the throat, because these characters aren't perfect. Of the 5 heroes they all make mistakes, and act out of selfishness, and take a cowards way out on occasions. But they face up to their actions, break the conditioning of society and parental control, fight their inner demons.

Highly recommended. show less

John has just been given a ship and his mission is to stop the pirates from stealing English people and enslaving them. This is how John and Alfie meet. Alfie is assigned to be one of John's lieutenants. Now Alfie knows he's gay. John is not aware of his inclinations. You see, John grew up somewhat super religiously (to combat his father's vile ways) and part of his belief system is to remain chaste. So he's always assumed his not wanting to be with women had to do with that, that he was show more strong enough to overcome his baser instincts. But Alfie draws the strangest reactions from him and he doesn't understand why - and he does not realize that Alfie is gay. So after their mission has been accomplished, Alfie comes clean to John. And John reacts with disgust and anger.

Alfie, not wanting to see John again that first reaction, leaves. It just so happens that his first captain, and the first man he was attracted to, has pulled into the harbour and Alfie talks his way on board. Captain Farrant rebuffed Alfie in the past, but Aflie has matured some and he knows now that Farrant can't love him and that's ok, Alfie has given up on love. So Alfie and Farrant begin an affair (which has some serious complications for Farrant's life).

Meanwhile, after storming out on Alfie, John spends the night reflecting on Alfie's actions in the past and comes to the realization that he actually loves Alfie. But when he returns to their rooms, Alfie is gone. And so John moves on with his life and his next mission, in Jamaica, hunting pirates and the French. While on this mission, John is captured and tortured by the pirates - only to be rescued by none other than Captain Farrant and his crew. So Alfie, currently involved with Farrant, is now face to face with John, who has come to realize that he loves Alfie.

And this takes us half way through the book, maybe 3/5ths of the way through. There's so much more going on here! Stuff happens, Alfie and John are on the same crew on an expedition to the Artic and more stuff happens. It's quite the adventure.

And throughout all these goings on are these two great characters. John with his doubts and coming to find out who he is, and Alfie, going from the naive fool-for-love to a cynic. Even Captain Farrant is an interesting character and I couldn't quite bring myself to hate him. He had his own demons to deal with, one of them being a doctor who thought he could cure Farrant's homosexuality.

Alex Beecroft is one hell of a writer. She totally drew me in and I got so invested with these characters. A truly fine talent and I can't wait to read more by her.

False Colors gets 5 stars from me. I wish this book didn't have to end, it was the best book to start of 2010 with. And if you've never tried m/m romance before (this is NOT erotica) I definitely recommend trying this book. I dare you to not fall under the spell of Alex's excellent writing and a truly gripping romance. It was epic! show less

Rating: 3.6* of five

The Publisher Says:The faeries at the bottom of the garden are coming back—with an army.

Under the Hill, Part 1

When Ben Chaudhry is attacked in his own home by elves, they disappear as quickly as they came. He reaches for the phone book, but what kind of exterminator gets rid of the Fae? Maybe the Paranormal Defense Agency will ride to his rescue.

Sadly, they turn out to be another rare breed: a bunch of UFO hunters led by Chris Gatrell, who—while distractingly show more hot—was forcibly retired from the RAF on grounds of insanity.

Shot down in WWII—and shot forward seventy years in time, stranded far from his wartime sweetheart—Chris has been a victim of the elves himself. He fears they could destroy Ben’s life as thoroughly as they destroyed his. Chris is more than willing to protect Ben with his body. He never bargained for his heart getting involved.

Just when they think there’s a chance to build a life together, a ghostly voice from Chris’s past warns that the danger is greater than they can imagine. And it may take more than a team of rank amateurs to keep Ben—and the world—out of the elf queen’s snatching hands…

Product Warnings
Brace yourself for mystery, suspense, sexual tension, elves in space and a nail-biting cliffhanger ending.

My Review: Exactly and precisely as the book description says it is. Now, anyone who has ever interacted with me knows I'm no fan of fantasy, but there is nothing on earth more useless than a hermetically sealed mind so I tried this out. Fantasy plus men having sex with each other *must* be better than the straight kind.

Well, yeah, of course.

But there isn't any serious sex in here, so unwad your panties you breeders. One little scene, nothing even close to explicit. The point of this novel isn't the zeal of the organs for each other, it's the Hero's Journey. And the Hero has a wonderful journey, from WWII to 1995 in a blink, then living through the birth of our 21st-century world, and meeting someone whose own Hero's Journey is crossgrained to his own. Ben is Indian, living in Bakewell, and working in a bank; Chris is as English as spotted dick, living in Bakewell, and fighting the forces of supernatural invasion as he once fought the Luftwaffe. They aren't instantly obviously going to fit together. And that's the fun, romantic part of the story.

But then there's the fantasy bit, complete with German fairies invading and occupying English Elven territory; an ancient prophecy that demands an English bomber crew be brought to the other world; an air force of modern fighters in the elven lands, ready to rain destruction on...well, anyone; and a princess hostage damsel in distress to satisfy the conventions, one whose seductiveness can straighten the crooked path of a lost navigator.

I've read Beecroft's Hearts-of-Oaky smexy romances, and so I knew what to expect from the prose. It's direct, it's unfussy, and it's effective. (It also needs copyediting, but that's not Beecroft's fault, it's Samhain's...I mean, calling someone "died-in-the-wool"? It's DYED and that should have knocked the publisher's eye out!) I had sort-of hoped for the Age of Sail's smut content, since I like that kind of thing, but was steeled for the mildness of the entry by previous reviews.

The issues for me, apart from the copyediting, were focused around the hanging-together-ness of the plot's big points. Why, I wondered, does it not occur to modern-day Ben (20s) to ask why Chris (late 30s) is SO old-fashioned? It's right completely out of the modern day, the way Chris behaves towards Ben, even after Chris comes out to him. How has Chris managed to live almost 20 years in the modern era and not had more of it rub off on him? How on earth does he live, I mean money-wise? They're niggles. But they're niggles about big points.

But, and this is why I rated this book at least a full star above any other with issues that size, this is a thumping good read, with lots of very interesting urban-fantasy takes on old fantasy tropes, and characters whose happiness I actually care about. Yes, yes, teenaged girls are people too, but I don't care about their Special Uniqueness and Awesome Powers even a little bit. I do care about Ben's. And Chris's. And I want them to have a happily ever after.

Because they're man-lovin' men. For once someone is talking to ME. And I like it. Thanks, Mrs. Beecroft, for doing your usual solid job of entertaining me. show less