Caitlin Ricci

Christmas miracles usually come without any strings attached, but in “One Wish” I got to see a slightly more “realistic” version of things. I know, I know, there is nothing “realistic” about miracles in the first place, but having a price to pay for a wish to come true and having choices to make does somehow feel more like reality than a “pure” miracle. Giving Callen an option and then asking him to choose his own future means he has something to say over the outcome – show more something he has missed since the accident that paralyzed him. Regaining control is something he is in urgent need of!

In some ways, this story is like the classic ‘Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens: Callen is a man who hates Christmas, he gets shown his Christmas past that caused all of the issues, he gets a wish that might fix the problem, and he gets to see a second version of his Christmas present with the wish granted. But after that, ‘One Wish’ diverges from the original and takes some very unexpected twists and turns.

I liked what Caitlin Ricci did with the tale. Callen hates his life in a wheelchair and teaching him to accept what has happened and deal with it is a huge task. Harry, the elf sent to help him, is a cute guy and he has some very helpful hints and tips – based on his own experience. But in the end it comes down to what Callen wants and what he is prepared to sacrifice, and I think that is the real strength of the story.

If you like Christmas miracles of a slightly different kind, if you believe that giving up is never an option - no matter how bad things seem to get, and if you’re looking for a read that is sweet, funny, and touching, then you will probably like this short story. I think it’s charming and unexpectedly thought-provoking!


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

This sequel of ‘To the Highest Bidder’ is set eight years after Thierry and Monroe get together, and I loved the fact that I got to find out more about Thierry’s somewhat elusive older brother. The story of Corbin, a high-priced companion, and Emmanuel, a hired killer sent to assassinate Corbin, could have gone many different ways. The fact that the author decided to have them fall in love makes this a romance, among other things, and I have to say, it is one of the strangest, most show more complicated, and therefore most fascinating ones I have ever read about.

Corbin and Emmanuel are very different men, and not just because they are members of separate alien species. The way they think and what they want from life – or believe they want – is so utterly different that the physical variations pale in comparison. Both of them struggle to understand even the basics about each other, yet they are clearly fascinated with who and what the other man is, so they persevere in their quest of figuring out what to do about their attraction. With each of them having a moral code that causes issues for the other, that is not an easy feat. But the final solution they come up with is all the better for all their struggles, and even though I was ready to smack them so they’d be less stubborn, I have to admit that, in the end, their lack of flexibility (up to a point) actually helped them figure out the best possible deal.

Corbin is an aspasian, and he is proud of the fact that he can help people and make them happy. Every time Emmanuel calls him a whore it hurts Corbin deeply. He loves his job and while he wants someone to love as well, he can’t see himself giving up being who he is – and that includes having sex with some of his clients. But as he gets to know Emmanuel better, and as they go through a few crises together, Corbin begins to change. He no longer craves intimacy other than what he shares with Emmanuel, but he still can’t see himself doing anything other than being a companion.

Emmanuel is a bounty hunter who kills for money. He may tell himself that his targets deserve to die, but it is still a brutal job. It is part of why Emmanuel is emotionally closed off to the point that he doesn’t even know how to open up to Corbin. Not that he wants to – he hates the fact that Corbin “cheats” on him with other men. I didn’t think he’d ever get over that part of Corbin’s job, and it was very clear that any compromise, any change Emmanuel would make to his life, would have to be met by Corbin agreeing to a change it might be impossible for him to make.

If you like stories about aliens who are more stubborn than seems possible, if you want to find out more about two men who have moral codes that seem unalterable yet they are so attracted to each other that they have to find a way to live together, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, full of conflict between the main characters, and very hot, then you will probably like this novel. It’s a great sequel to the first book in the series, and another interesting look at the planet Wish and those who live there.


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

Corbin Leroux is an Aspasian, a high-priced companion on the planet Wish. He's good at what he does, and that brings him some of the best clients. They treat Corbin well, and he returns in kind. Which is why Corbin never expects one of them to hire someone to kill him. Emmanuel Leoniste has no problem killing those he thinks deserve it. And whores like Corbin fall in that group. Corbin offers to hire Emmanuel to protect him, hoping he can use money to entice him. Emmanuel agrees, though he show more makes it clear he doesn't approve of Corbin's work. As Emmanuel gets to know him, he sees that maybe "whores" like Corbin aren't all like he thinks. He's soon forced to face his own ideas about intimacy...and about Corbin too.

I rather liked To The Highest Bidder, the first book in this series. While Corbin is in the first book, it's more about his younger brother. We get bits of Corbin's motivations in the first book. But I felt there was more to him when I read it. The chance to come back to Wish and learn more about Corbin was a welcome one.

Corbin doesn't expect a relationship any time soon. And the idea wouldn't even occur to Emmanuel. Two reluctant men make for quite the slow burn. But the story has no problem staying engaging. And I am again impressed with Caitlin Ricci's development of this world and characters. I am not sure if there's another character to focus on, but I wouldn't mind more stories set in this world at all. show less

‘Safe Haven’ is the story of Blake, a lonely, deeply hurt man in his late twenties coming out of his shell after twenty years of secreting himself away from the world. He takes daily doses of a sedative just to keep him vaguely functional, he finds it almost impossible to interact with people other than his uncle, and he has not left his house for all that time. What Blake suffered as a child of seven would drive anyone into seclusion – or being institutionalized if their circumstances show more were less financially secure than Blake finds himself after his parents’ death.

While the realism of the timeline may be questionable - based on what I know about deep trauma and agoraphobia it can’t be “cured” within mere weeks – this is fiction and I found the basic premise of this novel interesting and convincing. More than that, the writing makes this book a compelling journey and the mix between self-discovery, awakening of previously unknown emotions, and a newly found curiosity about the world had me pulled into Blake’s account of what happens with his three new bodyguards and why he begins to change once they tease him into opening up.

Blake has a list of issues that prevent him from leading a normal life. Thanks to his inheritance and his talent for game development, however, he has managed to set up is life in a way that makes him feel (mostly) safe. Nobody other than his uncle gets to see him. His rooms can be hermetically sealed off from the rest of the house, and the constant presence of a bodyguard ensures nobody can “get at him”. The people he works with, including his therapist, have accepted his “condition” – but all of that changes when Blake’s old bodyguard retires and his uncle hires a team of three to replace him.

Malcolm, CJ, and Rex are more than a professional team - they are a stable, committed triad. Blake has no idea what that means or how to deal with it, and watching them interact via the internal security system only makes him more curious. But what throws him is that all three men are curious about him, push his boundaries, and entice him to want to find out what it’s like to have friends. This curiosity finally brings out Blake’s need for human interaction and physical touch – a very slow process with many, many setbacks. But in the end, Blake falls for each of the men in a different way and it is those newfound emotions that ultimately drive him to makes some changes.

If you like complex characters who go on a journey of self-discovery they never signed up for yet can’t resist, if you think that curiosity and blossoming love are powerful motivators, and if you’re looking for a read full of drama, setbacks, real fear, suspense, and a great message of hope, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. I found it to be a compelling read and an intriguing fairy tale-like story about the power of love at the same time.


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