Stephani Hecht

A really good start. I loved the interactions between Donny and Proctor. The problem I had was the pacing. About 2/3 of the way in it seemed like the author remembered she had to wrap the story up and the race was on to the finish. All the wonderful interactions between Donny and Proctor became short and lacked the insights we had enjoyed previously. Still a good story, but it should have been longer to keep the quality of the narrative.

This may be a short story in terms of number of pages but it had the emotional impact of a much longer book on me. The background of the characters, their past and current issues as well as the type of people they are comes through loud and clear. I found myself totally absorbed in their world after the first few pages.

Duncan, a dragon shifter, has been the prisoner of a cruel sorcerer for ten years. Unfortunately, or so he thinks, he has fallen in love with the sorcerer's son, Trent. Their show more confrontation after the father's death is expected, the result isn't.

Trent has suffered under his father's rule almost as much as Duncan has. I loved that he'd resisted the lure of evil and turned out to be very honorable.

Dragon's Eye is not just a story about a treasure lost to Duncan. For me, it was just as much the story of two men from very different worlds, who are supposed to be enemies, dealing with the fact that they love each other and are meant to be together. The integration of both the 'adventure' side and the 'love story' aspect was what made me like this tale so much. That and the great descriptions and occasional slightly tongue-in-cheek humor. I'd love to see a sequel for this one!



NOTE: This book was provided by Total-E-Bound for the purpose of a review. show less

Dear God, I want to give this a higher rating. I love what there is of it but, as the author has done in every other book in this series, it's not enough. The characters aren't explored quite enough to make me invested in their story, their interactions aren't quite involved enough to be satisfying, the plot threads aren't quite developed enough to be meaty and something you can sink your teeth into. And it's extra frustrating with this book because there were some fantastic opportunities to show more really explore the MCs relationships - both with each other and the people around them, to get into the difficulty of coming out at the top of your career, how a newly discovered HIV status effects the MCs relationship as well as well as how Zimon copes with the revelation and the fact his secrets are now no longer secrets.

This is the 'not quite' book for me. It was so close to being perfect, but just didn't get there. show less

Cup Check by Stephani Hecht is a novella at 21,431 words published by eXstasy Books, and it features two alternating third-person viewpoints. Other than more typos than I’m used to, I have no problems with this tightly written story that features vivid, insider-view details about the hardscrabble world of semi-professional hockey (the title refers to whacking a player in the groin with a hockey stick, which is what happens to one character by an opposing player).

The conflict centers on the show more secret attraction between openly gay Sergei and the deeply closeted team captain Kip. Kip’s reasons are compelling for keeping his sexual orientation a secret so as not to wreck his sports career. The author provides enough contrast between his precarious position as a supposedly straight guy and the harsh experiences of gay teammates Sergei, Devon, and Trey to make Kip’s problem believable and relatable. In the meantime, the mutual lust between Sergei and Kip (especially after their surprise meeting in a gay bar) is very hot, and their growing affection for each other ensures the reader’s emotional investment in their story.

The story opens on a high note of action in Sergei’s viewpoint as his new team the Hawks plays his old team the Cougars, comprised of some viciously homophobic guys who once made his life a living hell. Though Kip (whom he’s lusted after from afar) tries to protect him, Sergei gets whacked in the groin out on the ice and one of his teammates gets an even worse injury, but Sergei is able to score. Clearly, when the Hawks and Cougars meet again in the playoffs, it will be a grudge match.

Later, Sergei is stunned to run across Kip in a gay bar. The two have a violent argument, followed by a struggle for dominance in the rainy parking lot, which turns into hot, anger-fueled sex. Sergei realizes he wants a relationship with Kip, but not a secret one. He has been through too much already at the hands of his former teammates and his disapproving parents after coming out publically in hopes of helping other gay young people. Meanwhile, Kip needs a way to sort out his priorities: love or career. With the playoffs game approaching, he may find the decision made for him.

Val for AReCafe show less