Kirby Crow

This was a wonderful novella! A touching romance that is almost derailed by circumstances. Russian exchange student Pasha is falling for the elegant and self-assured Nigerian, Max. When Pasha suddenly finds himself on verge of being sent home, he sets on a desperate course of action to stay in the U.S. and college. But, he finds himself torn between what he could have with Max and harsh reality.

The story is a bit cliche, and predictable. In fact, Pasha even points it out! That alone show more overcomes the "been there, done that" element of the story and how Pasha intends to pay his tuition. So why 5 stars? Pasha and Max are not typical romance protagonists, nor are they WASPs. Though both men are college students, Max is a more mature 28 and Pasha only 19. This is reflected in their interactions. Max appears to be controlling their relationship, but is he really the one with the power? These characters are so engaging, I would happily read a novel about them, or at least another novellas. Though sex does occur in the story, it is not graphic. The erotic scenes are understated and very moving, with enough explicit detail to satisfy most readers. My only criticism is that while the story has some resolution, the reader is left wanting more. Pasha and Max are from different countries, different cultures, and I wonder where their relationship can go once college has ended? Overall, highly recommended! show less

A fantasy with a bit of romance. Scarlet is a pedlar (who wears the traditional red coat of his profession) who travels around Byzantur for business and comes home to his parents and sister as often as he can bare to stop traveling. One day when he comes home, he learns that a nearby mountain pass is being held by bandits led by a strange white-haired man named Liall and called the Wolf. (Yeah, there's a Little Red Riding Hood parallel; nah, it doesn't really work. But the story doesn't hit show more the conceit hard enough for it to matter that it doesn't really work.) Liall tries to joke with Scarlet, demanding a kiss for passage over the mountain. Scarlet refuses, gets prideful, and starts trying increasingly elaborate plans to sneak past Liall's blockade, all of which fail. Meanwhile, Byzantur is rapidly descending into civil war, with ethnic factions fighting and Scarlet's faction almost certainly on the losing side.

The story carries two main tensions: first, the brewing civil war and Scarlet's attempts to convince his family to move out of Byzantur, and second, Scarlet and Liall's feelings for one another. Both of these tensions just bubble along under the surface while the story is busy world building, developing characters, and following various little bits of action. One is not surprised when these tensions boil up (if for no other reason than that the jacket copy telegraphs it), but it's lovely to watch it all unfold, especially Scarlet's feelings for Liall, even more so because his angst is very much about personal identity and very little about societal questions of propriety or masculinity or similar.

A slim first entry in a series, but one that packs a whole lot of interesting stuff into its pages. I find myself daydreaming a bit about this world, and I'm excited to get on to the second volume soon. Recommended. show less

I really liked this story about an "Irelander" who is taken prisoner by a raiding Viking jarl.

Aleyn battles his attraction to Ranulf with everything he has - hiding behind the fact that he's been taken against his will. Strangely enough the much stronger man doesn't force him to do anything he doesn't want - other than accepting the pleasure he gives him.

Another interesting aspect of this story is how the two different value systems of the fiercely independent Irish prisoner and the show more "survival of the strongest" Viking conqueror clash. This adds another layer of struggle to the story which makes it feel more real. show less

This is one delicious gay interest historical fantasy romance! I, too, wished that the story could have the high-quality covers it deserves as well as an editor versed in the proper use of dashes and italics, but I don't have a bad word to say about the actual substance of this book. The characters are interesting, and the flying sparks, the attraction, between Scarlet and Liall feels toe-curlingly authentic. Plot-wise, I thought the story was well-built and rarely sidetracked unnecessarily, show more its funny and sad elements were nicely balanced and on the whole amounted to a very entertaining reading experience.

If I was to change something in the book, I would strip down the fantasy elements. Personally, I'm not a big fan of extensive world-building - I find I don't have the patience to learn very many strange names and remember bits of folklore, and so I was sometimes a little overwhelmed. I think the story was strong enough and interesting enough to stand on its own without quite so much attention to detail. Especially since some of the odd bits of culture ended up being loose threads (such as the Hilurin superstitions about literacy), I felt that they could have been culled without considerably damage to the story.

That said, I really enjoyed myself with this book and am definitely interested in what happens next. Scarlet and the White Wolf was in many ways an intense and pleasantly surprising read. Finally, I just want to make it known that I think Scarlet is a sweetheart, but can't find a good place to stick it in, so here it is at the very end. show less