Sammy Goode (–2021)

A really well written, emotional story written for the "Love Has No Boundaries" event. I am so totally amazed at the level of talent shown by the contributors!

This story, while short, still manages to pack quite a punch. I loved the little foreshadowy bits that got my heart racing and my mind going omgOmgOMG! And I must confess to ending up a snotty, sniffling mess. Well done!

So I'll admit to a deep bias on this one. First of all I'm one of the faces behind the event. Secondly, I had the privilege of beta-ing this for Sammy who is a very dear friend of mine.

But let me tell you this, both of those in no way should take away from this rating. It's well deserved. I'm not a fan of historicals. In fact, I yelled at the author for expecting me to beta one lol. However, I should have remembered that she could make it interesting and the characters engaging. She had me show more hooked very quickly!

My only complaint? It's. It long enough! I want more lol. show less

The early sixteenth century was not an easy time to survive. Especially if you were poor, an unmarried woman, or in any way disabled. Miles, aka The Shadow, finds himself in two of those three groups: he is mute from birth and his mother is unmarried and makes a living by "entertaining gentlemen". Miles's start in life is not easy, but when his mother dies from an unnamed disease when he is only nine years old, he is forced into an aristocrat's service - as an assassin.

Miles does what he has show more to do to survive, but killing people weighs heavily on him. His only friend is his master's cook who is also mute. I was uncertain how things would ever get better for him, but rescue does come, if from an entirely unexpected source. Added to the political intrigue around the "assassin business" in London during the time of Henry VIII, this short story is a great snapshot of the times.

If you like historicals, if you want to see how things can get better even for a poor boy in a time there was almost no hope for a future if you were uneducated and poor, and if you're looking for a read with a good balance between suspense, character development, and an unexpected happy ending, then you will probably like this free short story. show less

I really liked this story, but I was annoyed that Shane was the bad guy in this. If I caught my boyfriend in the same position Jaime was caught in, he would be thrown to the curb, and no amount of calling or crying or anything would get me to run back and kiss his butt. Maybe he wasn't actually doing anything but standing there with no underwear on with someone else rubbing your thighs is a BIG no-no for me. And with how Jaime was acting getting Shane all hot and bothered then stopping and show more rolling over to go to sleep and telling him about Jim touching him inappropriately and Jaime not having a problem with it... ummm yeah being caught with your pants down seems a little shady to me esp since Jaime always goes commando, so I'm sorry, but I don't think I would have trusted Jaime either, and I don't think Shane should have gone after him or kissed his butt. Jaime had Ryan call cuz he was worried about Shane, and Ryan had to get him from work?! HELLO! Did Jaime not live with Shane, so it's not like he didn't know where to find him if he was worried or wanted to talk?! I did really like these two together though, and I'm glad they worked things out. I just think Jaime should have gone out of his way to get Shane back not the other way around. show less