K. D. Sarge

Oh this was so so sweet. There's no sex and almost no talk of sex, just a lot of kissing, but it so wasn't necessary. I loved it so much that I think it's the story I'm going to read to my 19 year old to introduce her to the genre. She's realy into gay rights (there are a lot of people in her family who are gay) and has been confused about my obsession. She said she's willing to listen to me read one (she doesn't read herself much) and this is just a perfect intro.

The two characters are show more adorable, the romance is believable if a bit fast, the danger and excitement are exactly the right amount, and I even almost sort of bought how the families dealt with it by the end. There are very loose similarities to Romeo and Juliet, but as the title says, it's not a tragedy, just almost. :)

Read it, you'll love it.

This story is available free as part of [b:Don't Read in the Closet: Volume Four|13402845|Don't Read in the Closet Volume Four|Megan Derr|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326084157s/13402845.jpg|18634744]. show less

*possible spoilers*

I honestly don't know how to write a review for this book. How do I write a nice coherent review for a book that made me literally squeal multiple times, for a book that had me sneaking extra breaks at work just to read it?

Well first, let me start out by pointing out the one and only thing that I didn't like about this book. And it's a purely subjective thing: I don't like sci-fi. I never have. So some parts of this book were very hard to "get". The poisonous planet, the show more friends that act like humans until you read a mention of fur and paws and remember that they aren't... the fact that a good chunk of this book takes place on a spaceship that the main characters live on... Sometimes it was hard to understand all of that.

However. None of that could take away from the sheer *awesomeness* of the storyline. It's very easy to understand what Taro is going through in the beginning... This wonderful, totally bad-ass Marine named Eve takes him under her wing, gives him everything he needs and more, and plans out a solid future for him. A future that he doesn't want, and that is basically against his personality. But how can he tell her that, when she's given him so much? It's easy to identify with that, and to feel the struggles that Taro goes through.

Especially when he realizes he's fallen for Rafe. Rafe, who is labeled as "baggage", "NAVU" (No Actual Vertical Use)... Rafe is exactly the opposite of that solid future Taro has been working towards, but he quickly realizes that Rafe is also exactly what he wants.

Taro and Rafe are.... amazing together. They bring out the best *and* the worst in each other, they bicker constantly and can't help pushing each other's buttons, and they just fit so great together.

And this review is getting pretty long. See, I knew this would happen! Basically, this book is awesome. There were times when I really really hated Eve, for the way she treated Rafe, and especially the way she talked about Rafe to Taro even after she knew they were together... And yet if I tried just a little bit, I could see where she was coming from. I was rooting for Taro the whole way, and yet I sometimes got frustrated at how he would always keep his real feelings to himself... Which is why I cheered outloud when he finally got it all out, yelled at Eve and finally said everything that he'd been holding in the entire book. That was *awesome*.

I will be re-reading this book. Multiple times. A friend joked that I should just start re-reading it right now, and I'm seriously considering it. That's how much I love this book. show less

Knight Errant is a sweet, though action-packed, coming-of-age/gay/space opera/romance, in which the gay part is much less important that the coming-of-age part. The love scenes are not at all explicit for anyone who would be uncomfortable with that but quite apologetically same gender, which I consider a plus. While I am not a huge romance fan, this is well-written with plenty of space opera adventure to keep you entertained.

My one complaint was that the novel gets off to a slow start. I show more found myself not caring that Kintaro Hibiki (mostly called by his nickname of Taro) was kicked out of a low-life gambling club, and the author seemed to go on a bit about how Taro's adopted "sister" and savior, Eve Marcori, always saved small children and got kicked out of the space marines for doing so. However, once you get past the first couple of chapters the action starts rolling and, even more importantly, you get drawn into the characters for whom you start cheering.

Taro is devoted to Eve who now owns and captains a space freighter. He has no desire to go to college or follow in Eve's footsteps as a space captain. However, he won't disappoint her by telling her that or by telling her that he is gay. He represses almost all of his own personality to try to fit into her vision of what his dead mother would have wanted him to be. The problem is that it isn't whom he is.

Then they rescue another young man, Rafe, who was a former pleasure-slave. Eve had freed him from slavery but being a courtesan has seemed to him to be the only way to make his way in life. He really isn't good at much of anything else--or so it seems. Besides that, Rafe likes pleasing and giving pleasure to other people if it can be someone he likes or cares about. He hasn't minded his way of life as long as he could choose who he was with. The budding relationship between Taro and Rafe, with its misunderstandings, some of them deliberately fostered by Rafe, and its snarky dialogue is quite well done.

Taro decides to find a way to get rid of Rafe largely, though he doesn't admit it to himself, because he is strongly attracted to him. Unfortunately, Taro has a way of finding himself in deep trouble, and his attempt to rid them of Rafe lands the two of them kidnapped and stranded on a poisonous planet. There Taro begins, with Rafe's help, to see that he can and must stand up for whom he is and what he wants, even against Eve who only wants the best for him.

Through space explosions, gambling, bar fights, more kidnappings, and a gradually deepening relationship, Rafe comes to value himself as more than a pleasure-giver and Taro comes to realize that he must be who he really is. The novel is literately written and a pleasure to read. If you hang in there past the slow start, this is a book you will thoroughly enjoy.

This is a four-and-a-half Star novel. show less

„I hate you, I love you
I hate that I love you
Don't want to, but I can't put
Nobody else above you.”

Some people would call this an enemies-to-lovers story, but I prefer to use the lyrics above. :)
A very gay boy and a supposedly straight academic white boy. We see their relationship unfold from Lukas’ POV, he’s a hardworking straight-A student. Alan is smart and witty and he has a comeback for everything. They have to work together on a school project, and Alan is NOT happy about show more that…

Almost through the whole book I felt that Alan was verbally abusing Lukas, and Lukas just silently endured it. It’s reverse-bullying. Stereotyping works both ways unfortunately. :(
I just wanted to shake Lukas, he should have raised his voice at least, or throw something, but he remained calm all along, and somehow, despite all the hateful words, ha fell in love with Alan. And it was reciprocated from the beginning I think, but of course Alan fought hard.

I loved this book very much, though the ending was a bit over-the-top. show less