Amber Kell

I bought this a long time ago and only just now got around to reading it. I wish I could say that I should have read it sooner, but I can't. It was awful.

Jay, the main character, was an annoyingly perfect Gary Stu. He was gorgeous and better at everything than anyone else, including upper-level students and his professors. He had the magical power of three people, he could speak perfect Gnome, he could bond with an unheard of number of gnomes, he could see people's magical signatures, he show more could put together a persuasion potion better than his teachers, he instantly attracted the attentions of the most beautiful girl at school. The list went on. He repeatedly worried about alienating other students because he knew so much more than they did, but he needn't have worried – everyone liked him, except the one cardboard bully.

Personally, I thought Jay was an ass and a snotty know-it-all. He spent much of the story mentally grumbling about how he already knew everything the teachers were explaining and wondering why he was even at the school. At one point, he was asked to demonstrate a persuasion potion and told to use one of his fellow students as a guinea pig. After everyone agreed that the (male) student was heterosexual, Jay told that student to kiss him, which he did. Like I said, Jay was an ass. But, since he was so perfect, wonderful, and gorgeous, the student's only reaction later was to comment that Jay was a good kisser.

The story had enough elements in common with the Harry Potter books that I did some checking to see if this was actually P2P fanfic. I couldn't find any evidence of that, but, yeah, there were a lot of elements in common. Jay was an orphan whose parents gave their lives for him. Devin, Dean, and Dan were identical triplets who were often confused for each other, much like Fred and George. The gnomes seemed a lot like house-elves. Michael Dragonspawn was basically a Harry Potter slash fic version of Gilderoy Lockhart.

At least one fantasy cliche seemed to be thrown into the story just because – although Harry (I mean, Jay) mentioned that “names have power,” this little detail was never used in the story, beyond allowing him to prove, once again, that he could do everything better than everyone else.

Werewolf soulmate cliches were everywhere, as well. The instant Jay and Thomas met, they could barely keep from humping each other in public – they were, of course, soulmates. Sex was required to finish the bond (by the way, only penetrative sex counted). Reminiscent of the rules in Eileen Wilks' World of the Lupi urban fantasy series, Thomas would be forever bound to Jay if they had sex, unable to ever have sex with anyone else, while Jay would still be free to have sex with whomever he chose.

Well, that wasn't entirely true, because Thomas was also afflicted with insane (and cliched) jealousy. If Jay were to sleep with someone else, he would kill that person. Heck, he came close to attacking the student who kissed Jay under the influence of the persuasion potion. He didn't even like it when Jay comforted a student who was distraught over the deaths of some gnomes. Never mind that neither Jay nor the student were doing anything even remotely sexual. Jay, by the way, thought that Thomas' constant jealousy was amusing and possibly even cute.

When Jay first met Thomas, he was fine with the idea of dating him or even living with him. He would especially have liked to have sex with him. Yes, he practically jumped for joy at the idea of having sex with a perfect stranger. But he absolutely didn't want to be bonded to Thomas. Until he suddenly did. Like the writing itself, the story and characters' emotional progression (ha!) were choppy and awkward.

I couldn't connect with any of the characters, and the “emotional” moments left me numb. The sex happened too suddenly to be sexy. All in all, this novella turned out to be a great big failure for me. I'd say that I don't plan to give the author another shot, except it looks like I have another one of Kell's works in my collection. This is why my e-book shopping sprees are not always a good idea.

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

Two stubborn men clashing, fighting to see who is more determined to win—or hold out, as the case may be—can be quite the spectacle. And personally, when it is well done, I have to admit I enjoy watching them struggle for superiority… In this story, Rain has good reason to remain quiet, and Greg has a need for him to break his silence; he sees it as a sign of trust from Rain to open up. I can totally understand each man’s side of the argument, so I sat back and watched the fireworks show more go off in anticipation of finding out how Rain and Greg would manage to settle their differences.

Rain is a passionate photographer. When he focuses on his subject, he forgets where he is and doesn’t see anything else. This explains his predicament and the problem with the pictures he has taken when all he was looking for was a few images with crows. Since he is alone, and doesn’t want to endanger any of his friends, he decides to hide with Greg, a Dom he spent an unforgettable weekend with a while ago. The only problem is that Rain is a commitment-phobe, and Greg wants a relationship.

Greg is a Dom, and not the by-the-hour kind. He believes in the lifestyle, and wants Rain for himself 24/7. You can see the problem coming, right? As soon as Rain walks into his house, Greg believes it is a commitment, and with Rain being dependent on being allowed to stay, he isn’t honest about not wanting the same thing. Of course, Greg finds out, and yes, the “punishment” is tension-filled and super hot. But Greg is also protective and has a few “friends in high places”…

If you like stories about overpowering Doms who stride to their sub’s rescue, if you like it when the sub in question doesn’t exactly fall over himself to please the Dom, and if you’re looking for a read that is full of tension (sexual and otherwise) and very hot, then you will probably enjoy this novella. show less

With an interesting variation on shifter lore, this is the story of Shaun - a human father who finally gets custody of his half-werewolf son, only to find himself at the center of attention of a most gorgeous male specimen – Grant, the area’s pack alpha who “can’t be gay” because he’d lose it all if he admitted to being interested in Shaun. I fell in love with the characters right from the start, and while I wanted to shake Grant more than once (he needed to wake up to reality show more big time), Shaun was almost too perfect for his own good. The focus of this story is firmly on both men, Shaun’s son, and a few pack members who begin to play a role in their lives as they struggle through their issues.

Shaun is just such a great guy. He is dedicated to his son, Kyle, and clearly heartbroken that he went away when his mother found her true mate. All the nonsense about Shaun having to stay away so he wouldn’t bond with his son really got in my nerves. But Shaun wanted to do the right thing for his son – and at least the mother wasn’t cruel and kept Shaun in Kyle’s life – always at a distance. Well, all of that is over, and Shaun finally gets to be the hands-on father he’s always wanted to be – with a hormonal teenage half-wolf on his hands. I loved how he handled the problems that came up!

Grant, alpha or not, is an idiot. Sorry, but he’s old enough to know better. On the other hand, being around three hundred also means he comes from a time when being gay wasn’t even accepted by humans, and werewolves (in this world) are even more “traditional” – not to say backward. Nevertheless, he should have moved with the times. Instead, Shaun has to drag him, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. It’s a good thing Grant’s beta has more sense than Grant himself and adds his two cents. Once Grant gets the picture I liked him a lot better.

If you like stories about werewolves who are quite firmly in the closet, if you want to know more about how a human deals with a half-wolf teenage son, and if you’re looking for a read that is funny, touching, and full of sexual tension (not to mention hot action), then you will probably like this novella. show less

Getting two men to work together well in a relationship can be a challenge. But trying it with three, in real life even more than in fiction, is almost impossible, it seems to me. Well, there is always great physical attraction, and, of course, the seemingly ever-popular one-night or temporary threesomes. But a true triad? One that lasts over years? Very, very rare and, what's more of a deterrent for many, very unlikely to end well.

Not so, however, in the case of the three men in this book. show more Payne and Brax have a loving relationship, and even if Payne's past keeps interfering in how far they can go with each other, their love is complete. It isn’t until they meet Flame, an artist, that they open up even more and get to know not just him but each other better, and from a different perspective than before. They are both attracted to Flame, and the quirky man makes them ask questions and see things they've never noticed before.

More than that, though, Flame faces a serious challenge himself, and that fact brings out the protector in Brax and makes Payne reconsider his priorities in life. I loved how they managed to approach a horrible situation with a lot of courage and willingness to learn and rethink their own relationship, priorities, and, ultimately, what they wanted out of life with each other.

This is not just a great love story, but also one about re-balancing your life and finding new support where you'd never have looked before. If you like stories about complicated relationships and men dealing with their pasts, if you enjoy reading about three men learning to redefine their priorities and their relationships, and if you're looking for a read that will most likely make you think about the way you live your life, then you will probably like this novella. I thought it was as hot as it was thought-provoking.




NOTE: This book was provided by Total-E-Bound for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less