Deanna Wadsworth

I think after the first book I have come more to terms with how Michael and Jazz think and what drives them. I just can’t understand why the men in these books are always eaten alive by their pasts and not concentrating on the good things they could have in their futures. Anyway...the sheriff is becoming one of the best characters in this series. He is a hoot! The mysteries in the first book as well as in this one are very good. This one had a surprising end and kept me reading. I finished show more it in one sitting which isn’t unusual but I usually try to drag it out with characters that I really like. show less

A great follow-up to last year's funny and entertaining story about Pip and Erik, two of Santa's elves, this year's installment of the happenings at the "Naughty North Pole" had me fascinated. Not just because Santa himself is one of the two main characters and the one to tell the story. Mainly because of the underlying emotions, the depth of the issue between the two men, and Deanna Wadsworths's ability to use her humorous style to ensure the tone remains mostly light. This makes for the show more perfect mix as far as I am concerned, and ensures this is a Christmas story with some depth as well as considerable entertainment value.

Santa, or Nick, is lonely and has yearned for Jack Frost for centuries, Not that he would admit it, he feels far too rejected and wounded. Jack is the one man who seems determined to snub, ignore, and even resent Nick. Santa makes every kid's wish come true (that is his mission, at least) is deeply unhappy and neither wants to admit it, nor does he have a clue what to do. Instead, he focuses on making Christmas even bigger, even better each year, hoping that, one day, Jack will come to love it as well. Love him as well, because he is Christmas, so he thinks Jack feels the same way about him as he does about the holiday.

Jack Frost is a badass, dresses and behaves like a biker, and has quite the reputation for sleeping with everyone he gets his hands on. The things he says can be truly hurtful, but I had a feeling it might all be a bit of an exaggeration. Being the guy in charge of winter he is naturally cold, and that includes his heart. We don’t find out why he behaves this way until the last third of the story, but there are hints before then. Figuring out what is going on with him adds a nice touch of mystery to the story.

This world takes a few liberties with Norse sagas and the Western view of what goes on at the North Pole, and the result is a humorous, if somewhat unusual, look at elves and Santa Claus. If you don’t mind the legends you think you know getting a little mixed up, if you like the idea of Nick and Jack getting a little kinky, and if men who have been lonely for centuries finally reconnecting is what you’re looking for, then you will probably like this short book as much as I did.




NOTE: This book was provided by Decadent Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

Supernatural associations always make me smile. The assumption that supernatural beings are like humans in that they need organizations for various reasons is funny on its own, but since they are working with superhuman abilities, there is usually some surprise, extra effect, or unique hilarity when they get going. Sometimes I just need some humor in what I read, and the release of a significantly extended version of ‘A Cupid’s Wager’ was exactly what I was looking for. I absolutely show more loved the short version of Lio and Ethan’s story and always wanted more – thank you, Deanna Wadsworth, for making that happen!

The first sixty pages or so are pretty much the same as the original novella. But there is a prologue that adds context, and I had forgotten a lot of the fun little details, so it was very entertaining to read it all again. Just imagine hordes of little cupids running around, all descendants of the love god Eros, and having them organized in the Inter-Dimensional Association of Cupids (IDAC), of which there is also a much-less-well-regarded gay division. The whole setup made me curious about how the old pantheons dealing with modern life would work. The interdepartmental politics are scarily human in the way the people in charge of straight love try to lord it over the guys in charge of any other kind of love. Then there is Lio, clearly not one of the most talented members of this group, who gets in trouble with a serious Aztec wind god named Éhecatl, now known as Ethan – I was chuckling just as much as the first time as it all came back to me.

Lio, short for the much more serious name Philomenus, gets himself into trouble when he shoots a gay lust arrow at a human who was Ethan’s intended “victim”. And since Ethan works for the straight division, and his arrow was a “true love” arrow, Lio’s misstep is doubly serious. But his problems don’t end there – he also has a hopeless crush on the sexy guy with all his tattoos and piercings – as Lio puts it, Ethan is “an ancient warrior gone Goth”. Then Ethan finds an illegal “gaydar” on Lio, and with the rules of both the gay and the straight divisions of the IDAC clearly broken, Lio has to find a way to talk himself out of the mess he is in or face his bosses taking his quiver. What he comes up with is risky, daring, and leads to more revelations than either Lio or Ethan are ready for.

But that is not where it ends, because in this longer version of the story Lio faces the consequences of having “misplaced” an arrow. Apparently there are strict rules about the use of arrows, there is a whole department devoted to keeping track of them, and anyone who comes up short when the “arrow counters” notice is in more than trouble. To the point of legal proceedings, arrow privileges being withdrawn, and who knows what else. And, of course, with Lio being Lio and a big believer in the idea that love is love, this is not the first arrow he has “lost”. With the powers that be on his heels to the point that not even Ethan can help (not that Lio would let him), what follows is an action-packed, suspenseful, yet always entertaining tale about the political machinations at the IDAC, several of the old and powerful gods from multiple pantheons all over the world, and one determined little cupid’s fight for what he believes to be right.

If you like modern-day, humorous extrapolations of ancient mythology, if you want to find out what a minor cupid and a major love god get up to when they fall in love without wanting to admit it, and if you’re looking for a read that is as funny as it is hot, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did. I am still laughing!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less

I had never read anything by this author but when I dug around in my “treasure chest” of books, I see my two friends have several of his books including the next in this series. I liked the characters and the plot but the title is a tad misleading and there were parts where I became a bit bored waiting for the action to go on and less talk. I can say that it often made me laugh and sometimes there were elements of slapstick comedy in the midst of dramatic and/or dire situations. That show more took some getting used to. Overall, it was a fun read. Rather like watching an old 1930's comedy murder mystery movie. Will certainly go on to book #2 in the series. Oh...and Mr. Pickles Furryton, the Third... was simple adorable. (Meow) show less