Cat Kane

Maybe it’s only my impression, but I see a bit of the Beauty and the Beast in this story.

Randall is the faithful servant of Gage, a strange man who lives in an isolated ranch. Randall serves him in all his desires, and when I say “all” I mean “all”. It’s obvious that Randall is in love with Gage, but Gage doesn’t want to allow himself to love Randall back, since Randall is a mortal. When Gage welcomed the then little child Randall in his life, he didn’t know, or better, he show more didn’t expect that the man would become more than a ward for him. Gage is demon and he is used to loose everything he loved in life, and so maybe he thinks that, if he doesn’t love Randall, then he will not loose him. But it’s clear that Gage failed, since even if he doesn’t admit it with himself, he is already in love with the man.

When Randall takes home a “puppy”, Gage knows that Randall has something else in mind. Dominic, the “puppy”, is a young werewolf that was hunted almost to death near their property. Randall convinces Gage to allow him to heal and nurture back to health the boy and then maybe, give him a job on the ranch. Gage is jealous, even if he doesn’t want Randall’s love, he not even wants for him to love someone else. Yes, it’s a bit egoistical from his side, but no one ever said that love is something logical. And so, instead of trying to remove Dominic from Randall, Gage decides to seduce the young werewolf. I don’t think the real intention of Gage is to have a ménages among the three of them, but it’s exactly what it happens: Randall loves Gage, but he knows that he can’t give him all he needs, and so he introduces Dominic in the equation to have a substitute for himself; Gage loves Randall and he doesn’t want to loose him to Dominic, and so, he thinks, if he bounds Dominic to him, he will not loose Randall; Dominic loves both Gage and Randall, for different reason, and he is more than happy to be in the middle of them, after all, wolves are pack animals.

The story is almost all concentrated in few days and spent all inside Gage’s ranch. It’s nice, but I wouldn’t have minded to have a little more info on the background of both Randall than Dominic. Also Randall and Gage’s life together, before Dominic’s arrival would be an interesting topic for a prequel of this story.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0033AHM3C/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 show less

Have you in mind 'The Kid' by Charlie Chaplin? the scenes where they look at the window of a restaurant at the people eating? (Hope to remember well, cause I see it many year ago)... Jase, the main character of this short story is in a similar situation. He is twenty three years old and has nothing: he has lost his work as dishwater some days before Christmas, he lives in an old and cold one room flat and he has no family to spent Christmas with. And even if his family would be still around, show more his past Christmases are nothing to remember of.

So on Christmas Eve he is outside a big department store looking other people hurry to make their last Christmas shopping and he is fantasizing about how could be a very family Christmas. Then he sees an abandoned chart full of Christmas bag and he takes it: not to steal it, but only to pretend to be like all the other people around him. And in fact he follows the chart's owner till home and gives him back his bags. But Riley is a very cute and young guy, and Jase has not heart to tell him the truth, not when he has the chance to spend an entire day with him. He wants to steal another bit of that Christmas he has never had.

Jase is a good guy born in the wrong side of the town. Maybe If he had had a chance in his life he could be a better person, and instead he is only a poor guy who tries to pass the Christmas season without hunging himself for desperation. Riley is not in a better situation, living with his aunt after being abandoned by his mother and trying to make a perfect Christmas for his three nephews. But Riley has also a big heart and the naivete that only the very young and still innocent people has. He is sweet and warm.

I like this short story (50 pages) cause its tender and heartwarming, without being too sugary. There aren't 'Christmas' miracle in it, but only the love of two men who find themself under the Christmas Tree...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013ZA0DS/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 show less

Best Laid Plans is a truly sweet romance with a little erotic taste. Liberally inspired to "The Wedding Planner" movie, it tells the story of Elliot, a man too good to be true. Not overly handsome, Elliot is a catastrophic wedding planner; actually he is not so bad, but everything seems to plot to ruin the wedding he plans. On his personal life, Elliot is no much more lucky: he always seems to have to prove himself, at work and with his family, and being gay is only another one of his show more failure in front of his family; plus working as wedding planner seems like an hobby to his parents, who are waiting for him to put his mind on the right path, both for work than for life style choices...

When one of the most sought soon-to-be married couple choices him to plan their wedding, Elliot takes it as his last chance to prove that he is good at his work. Veronica and Dylan are the perfect couple, young, wealthy, beautiful... maybe even too much beautiful, since Elliot seems unable to not stare to Dylan, and Dylan seems a little too bit interested in him. When Elliot and Dylan start a clandestine relationship, Elliot is eat alive by remorse, above all since Veronica seems a so nice girl. But the strange thing is that Veronica is not at all against the idea the Elliot spends a lot of time alone with Dylan...

The story is more romantic than angst, probably since it's true that Elliot is not so comfortable playing the role of the who ruins families, but it's also true that he doesn't protest too much when Dylan makes his move with him. On the other hand Elliot is so absorbed in planning the perfect wedding that maybe he refuses to see the obvious signs around him. Dylan maybe doesn't say the things as clearly as they are, but he even plays the role of the devoted fiancee... so yes, he is guilty of omission, but he is not a liar.

The story is not very long, less than 100 pages, but it's light and enjoyable.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/408971.html show less

Read as part of [b:Under This Cowboy's Hat|1641138|Under This Cowboy's Hat|Rob Knight|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348518938s/1641138.jpg|1635468] Anthology

As this new version is SO extended —175 pages against 66 pages on my original copy of the anthology (pdf version)—, I believe it's fair to consider the new version a different work, beyond the title, characters, and plot's core.

That's why I decided not to apply my rating for the short story, to this novel.