Review: Clockwork Pirate by Lyn Gala

Alex hid his unnatural attraction to men for many years. That changes when the pirate Beche takes Alex after capturing his ship. At first Alex believes his fate is death and the only question a matter of how he might die. However, the longer he is on the ship, the more he realizes that Beche hates the world because it is unfair in ways Alex never understood. As Alex begins to respect this strong, independent man, Alex’s dormant desires begin to reassert themselves.

Beche hates the titled classes and their government enforcers. They might have outlawed slavery on paper, but they never came to the islands to free him or his family. Since his skin is black, society has little respect for him. Beche expects no more of this latest captive, but soon Beche begins to realize that Alex is a naïve and beautiful man who values family and struggles with his own place in society. That poses an even larger problem because Beche does not want to send Alex back to a world that will mistreat him, but he has no place for a lord on a ship full of pirates.

Clockwork Pirate is everything I love about steampunk and LG-great gadgets, wildly creative and fantastic characterization. I'm almost starstruck with her range; she's conquered sci-fi, contemporary and now steampunk. If that's not enough to sell you, try this on for size:  GFY and a virgin AND interracial AND AND PIRATES! That concoction right there is full of win. The gift that keeps on giving, I tell ya.

The fact that LG chose an interracial relationship in post Civil War America and that she didn't shy away from the race relations topic made it more compelling somehow. Contemporary issues were deftly woven into a steampunk setting with an injection of swashbuckling adventure all working together to make the experience absorbing. 

Beche is a product of oppression, yet he wasn't depicted as bitter or vengeful, but judged people individually and has an enormous capacity to forgive which spoke volumes about his character to me. His first mate also happens to be the man who wielded a whip against him at the behest of his monstrous father, and Beche considers him family. I'm not sure most could conjure up the ability to forgive to that extent. Make no mistake though, Beche is a pirate captain and capable of ruthlessness, which is how he meets and captures Alex.

"He is so gentle I fear the world will treat him badly."

Alex is tenderhearted and loyal. He sacrifices himself to save his sisters and his crew then finds himself disturbingly attracted to his captor. You see, Alex's father subjected him to aversion therapy for his urning nature, so the hurt runs deep. What I enjoyed most about Alex's character was the dichotomy. He could easily be mistaken as delicate, but he's got a core of steel. He's not worldly by any means despite his margrave title, and he's somehow managed to retain an almost childlike naivete. His sisters, however, do not share these qualities and they both make for entertaining secondary characters.

"Why would you lie with a man? They're rough and unpleasant." She sat up a little straighter. "Of course, I do not include you in that judgment, but really? A man?" Aster appeared more bewildered than accusatory, and the fear in Alex's chest eased some. 

The writing is classic LG. The story is nicely paced, low angst with great characters, enough sexy times to quicken a pulse and outstanding world building. What I found in equal parts puzzling and amusing was the gender labeling thing. I didn't know what to make of it, but, frankly, I found I didn't care because I was enjoying the ride so much. 

Cool gadgets are cool.

If LG decided to expand on this book, I would read more from this world.


If steampunk isn't your thing, it's not overpowering. If steampunk is your thing, get on this already!

A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more on Goodreads!

Review: Semper Fidelis Anthology

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Review: The Mnevermind Trilogy by Jordan Castillo Price

I pretty much sat down and read the three Mnevermind books back-to-back, I enjoyed them so much I couldn't stop reading when one book was finished. Because I read them all straight off, I'm reviewing them together - I really think anyone interested in these should get all three from the start!


The Blurb: 1
Every day, Daniel Schroeder breaks his father’s heart.

While forgetting your problems won’t solve them, it does seem like it would make life a heck of a lot easier. Daniel thought so once. Now he knows better. He and Big Dan have always been close, which makes it all the more difficult to break the daily news: the last five years were nothing like his father remembers.

They’re both professionals in the memory field—they even run their own memory palace. So shouldn’t they be able to figure out a way to overwrite the persistent false memory that’s wreaking havoc on both of their lives? Daniel thought he was holding it together, but the situation seems to be sliding out of control. Now even his own equipment has turned against him, reminding him he hasn’t had a date in ages by taunting him with flashes of an elusive man in black that only he can see.

Is it some quirk of the circuitry, or is Daniel headed down the same path to fantasy-land as his old man?

The Blurb: 2
No two people are exactly alike, but Elijah Crowe is very, very different. 

Elijah is on the autism spectrum, so the tasks of day-to-day life most people breeze through are a challenge for him. His career suffered because he never got the hang of schmoozing, and now his talents are being wasted teaching classes at the mall. His social circle is limited to his ex, his therapist, and a structured inclusion group at the Rec Center. The one bright spot in his life is the memory science of Mnemography.

Although he loves nothing better than devouring the latest research and tinkering with all the specialized equipment, he never clicked with any other experts in the field until he met Daniel Schroeder. Daniel runs a memory palace—he even writes his own mnems—and that shared interest alone would make him fascinating. But Daniel and Elijah met under unusual circumstances, where the statement, “I like you, and I think you like me,” held some surprising nuances.

Now Elijah suspects he’s gay, but the few prominent people in his life are less than supportive. Some are downright hostile. Elijah might not be neurotypical, but he’s plenty smart. Surely there’s some way to get people to accept him for who he is. If only he could figure out how. 

The Blurb: 3
Daniel Schroeder wants nothing more than to repair his father’s broken memories, but it’s been a long time since he’s thought of himself as a memorysmith. Even though convincing Big Dan of their current reality is the most painful task Daniel faces every morning, somehow life manages to prevent him from finding a cure. He needs to keep their family business running. And he needs to moonlight at a competitor’s shop to keep all his employees paid. Or maybe he’s just trying to keep himself from exacerbating the situation.

A year ago, Daniel would have presumed he was clever enough to memorysmith his way out of their predicament, but nowadays he’s not so cavalier. Playing with people’s memories shouldn’t be taken lightly, and things can always get worse. Even with the help of some of the best minds in the business, Daniel still isn’t sure how to navigate his way out of the persistent false memory that’s crippled his life. Is new programming the answer? Better gear? More money? Or is time the only thing that can heal Big Dan’s memories…if they can even be fixed at all.

What Daniel needs most is some breathing room, and Elijah Crowe is eager to provide it. Since he’s smitten with Daniel, Elijah is determined to prove himself—and he’s more than qualified to clear Daniel’s schedule by taking over some duties at Adventuretech. With the support of his new boyfriend, possibilities begin to open up for Daniel, hints of things he hasn’t even realized he’d stopped hoping for: the contentment of a harmonious family, the fulfillment of his creative expression, and a chance for a relationship with a man he loves.

This book completes the Mnevermind Trilogy.

*****

These books sum up pretty much everything I love about reading. They are unique, have great characterisation and a fantastic edge of reality - considering the subject matter is not a real thing (yet!).

The latest craze/fad/leisure activity is Mnemming, that is the ability to enjoy a dream-like world for a few hours where your greatest fantasy can come true. In a mnem the world is your oyster and you can spend a few blissful hours in complete happiness, once your time is up you go back about your everyday business and the memories of the mnem slowly fade over the next few hours, leaving you with nothing but a feeling of bliss. Sure, you might be a bit disorientated for a start - after all the mnem world feels remarkably realistic - but all will soon be back to normal.

Except when it isn't.

In a very few cases there have been reports of a persistent memory happening, that is when the brain retains wht happened in the mnem so much so you believe it actually happened. Not a problem? Well imagine trully believing, and experiencing, a big lottery win and spending as if that were the case...yeah, not so good when the cheques you're writing suddenly start bouncing.

Daniel Schroeder and his father, proud owners of Adventuretech, a memory palace, have been playing about with mnems for years. Then, a year ago, Daniel (a qualified memory smith) authored his own mnem, Life is Awesome, and among others his dad, Big Dan, tried it out. The problem was when Big Dan tried it out, for some reason, it caused a persistent memory and so everyday for the last year Daniel has to remind his father that he was separated from Daniel's mom, and she had moved on to pastures new.

Daniel carries the guilt of authoring the mnem that caused the persistence, dreads having to break the news to his dad each and every day, and is trying to keep his failing business afloat by running two jobs. In book 1 he meets Elijah in one of the mnems, when he (Daniel) was trying to retrieve a client at their allotted finish time. Nobody should be in a mnem apart from the client and those in the client's imagination, and Elijah was not part of the client's fantasy.

From here a wonderful relationship develops between Elijah and Daniel. Both have a love of nmeming in common, but things were never going to be easy for them. The fact that Elijah is on the autistic spectrum is not something that bothers Daniel, but it does mean he has to learn how to deal with this alongside their budding relationship. I loved the fact that book 2 was written from Elijah's perspective. We learn loads more about him and his first foray into a gay relationship. He also has a quite different way of looking at, and dealing with, Daniel's growing problems.

Through all three books we see several things happen. Firstly, the relationship between Daniel and Elijah - watching it grow was wonderful. It was so realistic not all moonlight and roses. The whole storyline about Elijah wanting to bottom but it not happening just felt so real. So true - it made me believe these characters all the more.

The ongoing problem with Big Dan's memory. I love Elijah's suggestions. No he couldn't take away the memory persistence but he did his best to help Daniel, to take some of the burden away from Daniel, to help seek a solution - permanent or otherwise. The same with the business. While Daniel is the kind of character who wants to shoulder all the responsibility for everything over time the cast of characters came into play to help him - Big Dan, Elijah and his work-friend Larry. All the characters in this trilogy were great.

The first book was slightly confusing at times - in a meant-to-be-like-that-way. Think The Matrix, it had that similar quality at times, leaving me never quite sure what was real and what was mnem. But I followed the string to the end of book 3 and it all became clear - and more importantly, I enjoyed every word.

Daniel, Elijah and co have found a place in my heart and this cleverly written series will be read again. I would absolutely encourage everyone else to give it a go. Refreshingly real and unputdownable it's worth a place in any book collection.

For more information check out Goodreads

A copy of these books were given in exchange for an honest review..

Review: Heart by Garett Leigh

Cornish pastry chef Seb Wright dreads the summer tourist season. The cash injection to his artisan fudge pantry is more than welcome, the extra work, less so. Then one summer, a shadowy Good Samaritan catches his eye. Irish Traveller Dex is bewitching, a beautiful sullen enigma who turns Seb's world upside down until he disappears in the night, vanishing like a mystical summer rain.

Twelve months later Dex is in the midst of a dark storm. A slave to his master, 'Uncle' Braden, he spends his days cleaning caravans and his nights working in Braden's other businesses. His short summer with Seb seems a lifetime ago. Lost in the savage violence of the murky underworld, he doesn't dare dream he'll ever find his way back, until one night, a brutal crime opens the door for a chance escape. A new life beckons, old faces emerge, and immersed in the heady vibe of London’s East End, new love begins to heal his fractured heart.

Garrett Leigh will always break your heart. But, she will be cobble it back together and give you the best kind of hope for the characters you’ve fallen in love with in whichever story of hers you’re reading.

The first story of Garrett’s I ever read was Gypsy Rain. I fell for her words hard then and the bittersweet ending was perfect. Heart is the extended and contemporary version of Gypsy Rain. It really translated well to a contemporary story and the characters kept the personalities that made them so memorable in Gypsy Rain.

The beginning sucked me right in. The story of Dex and his life just plain hurt. He was a simple man living an impossibly harsh life. When he gets his chance to escape he risks everything and makes a break for it. Looking at his life though, he really had nothing to lose. His biggest regret was leaving the horses he cared for behind. He had a definite kinship with them. They were as undervalued as he was and without him their outlook was bleak. His sorrow at leaving them sums him up so well, humans have never been good to him, but the animals show him the appreciation and love he should have always received.

Fate finally smiles on Dex when he meets and starts to work for Rick and his wife in their restaurant. He’s got no past here, but he really has no clue how to live a life outside of the camp run by his “Uncle” Braden. He keeps his dead down, asks for nothing and slowly begins to settle in. Everything gets thrown out of whack when Seb shows up to be the new pastry chef at the restaurant. Seb has always been the magical memory that Dex kept tucked away, his mental escape that belonged solely to him. Having Seb back in his reality really threw Dex for a loop. Seb on the other hand, couldn’t have been happier. Dex is the man he hasn’t been able to forget since the first moment he saw him.

The middle of the book is pretty quiet. It makes sense for Dex and Seb though. Anything that would have moved more quickly would not have read well for Dex. It wouldn’t have been believable. His world is really pretty small and the life he’s living now is new to him. He spends a lot of time ‘absorbing’ his surroundings and Seb spends a lot of time introducing him to the world a little at a time. It was heartening to read Dex develop a sense of pride and value in himself. It was quiet and slow, just like the story at this point, but it worked.

It wouldn’t be a Garrett Leigh book without just one more dose of devastating heartbreak. Turns out Uncle Braden isn’t don’t with Dex yet and his evil wasn’t limited to just what Dex experienced. What followed was brutal, sad and frustrating as hell. Being that Dex has always lived off the grid, he wasn’t easy to find, but he had Seb who believed in him no matter what.

The aches and pains aren’t over yet though. Dex is recovering physically, but he and Seb need to find their balance again. Now it’s Seb who is having a hard time getting comfortable in his skin. He’s lost Dex twice now and has learned about his horrific life before the restaurant. It’s a tough part of this read to reconcile and Seb says it best with,

“They never talked about it. Ever. Not since Seb brought Dex home from the hospital. Dex because, well, who really knew with Dex? He didn’t talk much about anything unless he was drunk. And Seb? He didn’t know how.”

I was actually a little frustrated up until this point. How could this end if they don’t talk? But, when Seb himself admits his frustration about the same thing, it made me realize that this is just how this works for them. Anything else would have been wrong for Dex. Just because I don’t get it, doesn’t mean it’s not right for Seb and Dex. We aren’t really along for the ride as Dex heals with the help of a professional. We’re on the sidelines with Seb. It’s frustrating as hell, but there is really no better way to get into Seb’s head. In reality, he already knows too much, knowing more of Dex’s reality isn’t going to help anything.

Seb knows Dex though. He knows he can’t take away the past, but he can offer up a future for them. I loved the ending. There really wasn’t any better happy ending for both of them. The journey there was tough, but these guys earned every last bit of their happy.

Learn more about Heart and Garrett Leigh over on Goodreads.

**a copy of this book was provided for an honest review**

Guest Review: In The Absence of Light by Adrienne Wilder

For years Grant Kessler has smuggled goods from one end of the world to the next. When business turns in a direction Grant isn’t willing to follow he decides to retire and by all appearances he settles down in a nowhere town called Durstrand. But his real plan is to wait a few years and let the FBI lose interest, then move on to the distant coastal life he’s always dreamed of. Severely autistic, Morgan cannot look people in the eye, tell left from right, and has uncontrolled tics. Yet he’s beaten every obstacle life has thrown his way. And when Grant Kessler moves into town Morgan isn’t a bit shy in letting the man know how much he wants him. While the attraction is mutual, Grant pushes Morgan away. Like the rest of the world he can’t see past Morgan’s odd behaviors Then Morgan shows Grant how light lets you see but it also leaves you blind. And once Grant opens his eyes, he loses his heart to the beautiful enigma of a man who changes the course of his life.

Guest reviewed by Vivian

The truth lies in what you are not seeing.

Morgan, brilliance trapped in a form that can't always do what he wants. Frustration, aggravation, underestimated, belittled, mocked, and determined. He won't be pitied. He lives how he wants. Like many who are trapped in the liminal spaces of society, he sees things others don't.

Grant is lying low biding his time. Exchanging an ever-increasing lethal past for a future. Future dreams that he is waiting to collect. Well, the future is much different than he expected, but more than he ever dreamed.

Then there's the town of Durstrand and all it's inhabitants. They are a colorful crew that provide the depth and walls for Morgan and Grant to bounce off of. That and the past that's followed Grant makes for a fast paced read as trouble comes south.

I loved Morgan. His fortitude is amazing and he's got a wicked sense of humor. He's so smart that he runs circles around folks. He's beautiful and he's damaged--BUT, that doesn't make him imperfect. And it certainly doesn't make him unworthy.

Morgan is self sufficient, and aggressive when he needs or wants to be. Frankly, autistic power bottom is not a phrase I thought I'd be comfortable using, but nonetheless, it's true here. Morgan is damn sexy. I'm not the only one who thinks so, he's got a whole fan club.

Part of me is always hesitant of marginalized main characters because I'm worried that an author is using it to sensationalize the story. Wilder has written several books that have marginalized characters and each has been treated as a whole person, not a subset of symptoms. And in this case, worry would have been for naught. Morgan is autistic. Granted, he is high functioning and social in most instances. But, Morgan himself is more important than the label autistic. He is so much more.

The title is clever, a play on both Morgan and his art. Morgan sees light in ways most don't; he doesn't just break it down into waves of color, but how those waves move. The song they play is just for him. I don't think anyone is completely suppose to understand his art, it is a conversation he alone has with it. An intriguing interaction that is a vital component of who he is.

This is an emotional book that plays with trust and how fragile it is. How fragile we are when it is broken.

Trust is what’s hard. Broken hearts can be fixed. Broken trust?” His touch followed a tear down my cheek to my lips. “Trust doesn’t heal."

There are quiet moments of epiphany for both Grant and Morgan. They give each other something neither has ever had. Simply, it is a beautiful romance.

Overall, a Southern suspense that has heart and humor.

Favorite quote

Your battle is over. Live your life, be happy, love deeply.

For more information on Goodreads or Booklikes!

Review: The Fear of Surrender (Hampton Road Club #3) by Morticia Knight

Master Thomas sees a submissive man aching for surrender if only Linus can be convinced not to fear The Hampton Road Club.

Linus never wants to return to Hampton Road after being attacked by a Master there. Even though he aches for the attention of Master Thomas—the one who he’d originally wanted—he isn’t sure he can ever trust another Master not to abuse him again.

Thomas is furious with himself for not protecting the beautiful young submissive whose company he’d enjoyed on a few occasions. He’s relieved that there have been some recent changes to help protect the men who offer themselves at the sadomasochism club. It’s about time to bring Hampton Road into the progressive age of the 1920’s. Now that the new rules are in place, perhaps he can woo Linus into giving him a chance.

As Thomas goes out of his way to be kind to him, Linus wonders if he’s misjudged the Master. He’s still not sure if there’s a future for them. What if he never wants to surrender to another man? When he allows Thomas to teach him the joys of Dominance and submission, Linus discovers that he not only wants to surrender, he wants to be claimed permanently. If only Thomas’ old life doesn’t come back to haunt them and destroy their chance of being together forever.

The Fear of Surrender offers the same type of loving master with his sweet, subby boy as we've been seeing in this series. I love it and you really can't go wrong with such a well-matched couple like Thomas and Linus, but I'd really like something different from The Hampton Road Club.

Thomas has had his eye on Linus, but was too late to protect him from a harsher master. But now that he's free, Thomas is going to keep Linus for himself.

Linus was really hurt by Master Preston in the past. (This can be read as a standalone, but I'd really recommend at least reading book 2 first, to get some background on what Linus suffered.) Because of this, Linus is unsure about going to the club and the masters there. But Thomas woos him, shows him what he wants and what they could have.

Linus' insecurities really came through in the writing. He was naive, but at the same time, knew what he wanted. He was needy, but still independent. I enjoyed seeing him get all he deserved with Thomas.

Perfect Master + needy, bottom boy = perfection.

It really does, every time. I think if this weren't the third in the series with that combo, I'd have rated it higher. I love the atmosphere and the feel of these books, this series is a must-read for me. I'd love to see something a bit different in the future though.

 Find out more info in Goodreads!

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Tag Team Review and Author Interview: Sterek fanfic: I Know Where Babies Come From Derek by DiscontentedWinter

Sterek

Stiles finds a baby on the porch.

It looks exactly like him.

Well, this is awkward.

So several of us unicorns have fallen deep, deep into the rabbit hole of Sterek fan fiction. For the uninitiated this is free, online fiction,pairing Stiles and Derek from the TV show Teen Wolf. Fics can be set up in a million different ways - futuristic, past, canon (set in the universe the series is set), non-canon, werewolves, m-preg, human....there are so many different combinations. The one thing they have in common is that they feature Sterek (Stiles & Derek). Other pairings in this universe are Steter (Stiles/Peter), Jissac (Jackson/Isaac), Stanny (Stiles/Danny)...and probably many more, but Sterek is the main one.

I have read very little fan-fiction before and it was something I could take or leave but so many people were getting into Sterek that I dipped my toe into the water and before I knew it I was full on swimming in that pool. There are some amazing fan-fics out there, AO3 is a fantastic source of stories. 

There are several fan-fic authors I look out for now, but my absolute favourite is DiscontentedWinter AKA Lisa Henry. DW has the knack of writing dark or humorous or cute or smuff, but every single fiction has been amazing. Her recently completed I Know Where Babies Come From Derek completely blew me out of the water...I read it as it was being written and was literally waiting baited breath for each installment. 

Jenni Lea was reading it too and between us we decided that there was no way we could let this story go un-reviewed. This blog is here to share our love of the written word, especially those that we fall in love with, and I fell head over heels for the Sterek in this fiction. Anyway, here is what Jenni Lea and I thought and our interrogation of questions for Lisa.

Jenni Lea
Where do I even begin with this fic? I Know Where Babies Come From, Derek just may be one of my all time favorite Sterek fics - ever. It has everything I could ask for. It had fluff; it had angst; it had snark and sarcasm. Plus! No disappearing babies! <-- major selling point justsoyouknow.

DiscontentedWinter creates the perfect Stiles. She captures the true essence of who he is, that tough, sarcastic, balls-to-the-wall, fearless human amongst supernaturals. All of her other characters were perfectly portrayed as well. And to write a perfect story in only 15 days? That's some serious talent right there!

I have loved every single one of DW's fics (though I still haven't scrounged up the courage to read her Steter fic yet) and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Bravo!

Lorix
It is fair to say that all of DW/Lisa's Teen Wolf fan fics are amazing. I am super envious of this writer's talent, whatever style she aims for she carries off immaculately - from the heartbreaking Promise You'll Look After Him to the super-cute Bite Marks and Bendy Straws. I can't say I have a favourite among these fictions but there was something about the amazing feat of writing I Know Where Babies Come From Derek in fifteen days that made me want to review this here at BMBR.

At the beginning Stiles opens the door to find a baby version of himself on the step...or at least, that's what he thinks. As the fic goes on we find out it isn't baby Stiles but...well, I'll let you discover that. What this fic does so well is embrace the characters we love from the show and capture the best of them.

We see flaily Stiles, serious Stiles, falling in love Stiles, upset Stiles and each incarnation is so perfectly written...he is the most amazing character. Even the actor Dylan O'Brien saw the potential as he decided to try out for the best friend instead of the star of the show. Great characters make great fiction and Lisa takes this amazing creation and writes him in the most wonderful ways.

Derek too, the yin to Stiles yang. So opposite in many ways and yet the perfect complementary character. No wonder there is so much fiction written about these two. I don't even want to think about the issue of whether they should be canon or not - I don' think they need to be, the fiction written about them gives us them in so many ways. Here we see Derek as I like him the best. Gruff, unsure yet so protective. The hurt of his past is never far away from the surface of Derek and fics like this almost let him have some redemption from that. *Happy sigh*.

I can't not mention the Sheriff, Stiles' dad (known as John generally in fic though as yet unnamed in the show). He is, in many, many ways the silent star of the show and fics. I adore the Sheriff and any fic that has him portrayed as the protective, snarky, can't-deal-with-feelings-but-loves-his-son-more-than-life dad wins me over. He is the unsung hero of Teen Wolf, just a secondary character but the show would lose a lo9t without him. besides, this is the man that brought up Stiles and Stiles is the star of the show. Right?

This fic will cover pretty much every emotion possible in the space of one story. Tears - happy and sad. That clenching feeling when you realise they're in love. Stiles and Derek being dads...it really is a brilliant piece of work that left me grinning from ear-to-ear and all kinda gooey inside.

Of course, we couldn't fangirl all over this fic without inviting DicontentedWinter to answer some questions. I seriously do not know how she has time to fit everything in but being completely amazing she agreed. Here's what she had to say.

As a well known and loved established MM author, what made you decide to try the Sterek waters?
I’d been reading Sterek for a while – long before I ever watched an episode of Teen Wolf. I can’t even remember the first one I read. I think it was possibly Cornerstone by Vendelin. Anyway, my Goodreads feed was full of Sterek fics and I just ending up clicking on a few… and you know what happens next. Total hopeless addiction. I just fell in love with the characters, in all their permutations.

Then, around the beginning of December, there was a lot of controversy about whether or not fanfics should be listed and reviewed on Goodreads, and whether or not Goodreads reviewers were part of the fandom. A lot of people were understandably upset by this, including me, and it seemed like the best thing I could do to cheer people up was to write a Sterek fic for them. I posted Balloon Animals Are Awesome on December 17, 2014. Since then I’ve written over 130 000 words of Sterek or Steter. It’s been crazy, but also a lot of fun.

Your Sterek/Steter fan fics range from the very angsty to the very fluffy - do you have a particular style you like?
This is something I love so much about fan fiction. If I’m in the mood to write fluff, I can take those characters and write fluff. And then, the next day, I can take the same characters and write something really dark and heartbreaking. I don’t even have that freedom with my own characters, but in fan fiction you get to hit the “restart” button on the universe with each new story. I will always love writing angst, but it’s been so much fun to write the little bits of fluff like Bite Marks and Bendy Straws, or Eyebrows and the Scientific Method. They’re short and fun and ridiculous, and people on Goodreads reward me with gifs. It’s win/win!

This is purely for me...are you planning on writing more to your Steter fic Don't Fail Me Now? This story went against all my instincts of what I would love from Stiles...but I couldn't read it fast enough. I need more, it ended...well it ended where it did and I just need to know all the things that happen later.
I am, but this is a really dark story and I want to be really careful about how I handle it. It’s definitely one I’ll need to think about rather than just launching into it… which is how I usually write. I wrote it because I wanted to write something with Stockholm Syndrome, with no happy resolution. And the end game was always Steter (Stiles and Peter). So I’ll need to come up with a plot that has enough conflict in it to sustain the story, but it won’t be Stiles getting rescued and going back to his old self – the entirety of Don’t Fail Me Now rested on the idea that Stiles could never be the same after being possessed by the nogistune, and Peter was the only one who could save him, in his incredibly twisted way. I agree completely and I cannot wait to read what you come up with. This is an amazing piece of fic.

Do you have a fave fic you've written?
My favourite is Promise You’ll Look After Him. I wrote this one basically as an indulgent birthday present to myself. It’s hurt/comfort, which is one of my favourite things, and it’s written entirely in Second Person from the Sheriff’s POV, and really, everyone hates to read Second Person! But I think it worked surprisingly well, and most people seem to have really liked it. Most importantly it gave me the chance to write Sheriff Stilinski, and I love the Sheriff beyond words. He’s such a great character. I completely understand why this is your favourite. It is so moving. *Considers starting a Sheriff Stilinksi appreciation club* I ADORE the Sheriff - those Stilinski men, yep, I'm all over them. I wonder if anyone would feel like writing more Sheriff fic? *Side eyes Lisa...*

IKWBCFD was written in a ridiculously short amount of time, what a challenge to set yourself - can you tell us more about the idea for this fic and the logistics of writing so much in such a short time?
Fifteen chapters in fifteen days! I’ve decided the alternate title to this is “Suck it, Nanowrimo!”

My biggest secret is procrastination. Seriously. I used IKWBCFD to distract myself from the fact I should have actually been working on the sequel to Dark Space. I got a bit stuck on that for a while (the hazards of being a pantser and not a plotter) and took a little Sterek break to recharge the batteries. Luckily it seems to be working!

Logistically, it wasn’t that bad. There were a few times I worried I wouldn’t get the chapter done in a day, but I was on night shift for a lot of it (which meant down time at work in the wee hours when I could get some writing done) and days off for some of it as well. It actually wasn’t that difficult to hit 3500-4000 words per day as long as I kept the pace up. There was a lot of caffeine involved though, and a few days where I picked writing over sleeping, because Heidi Belleau and I had promised Riptide we’d have our Bliss sequel to them by the end of February. But it was worth it, if only as a reminder to myself not to do it again. I loved posting a chapter a day, but next time I’ll try and actually have the thing written before I start posting.

Where did the inspiration come from?
I decided I wanted to write a kidfic because they seemed like fun, and it was something I hadn’t tried before, either in fan fiction or my commercial stuff. Then, once it occurred to me that of course Stiles would call his werewolf daughter Claudia after his mother, but shorten it to Claude, and totally spell it c-l-a-w-e-d in his head, I had to write it.

Also, I think I need to credit Jenni Lea with this one. When I said I wanted to write a kidfic, she made me swear that the baby wouldn’t magically disappear at the end, which is apparently a thing that happens in a lot of fics. So I agreed that the baby would never disappear – the reasons for which turned out to be the now infamous Chapter 11, which made everyone cry.

And when that sad bit in the middle happened, did you blub as hard writing it as I did reading it?
I never cry when I’m writing something sad. I guess I’m too distracted by what I’m saying and how I want to say it. When you’re concentrating on the actual writing, it’s hard to get lost in the story. Personally, I need to switch between being a writer and being a reader before I get emotional. But I did tear up when I read this chapter a few days ago, and then felt a bit ridiculous because I only had myself to blame.

Do you have a favourite between Stiles (yes, he's mine, hands off) or Derek (seriously growing on me)??
Stiles, of course! He’s so versatile. He’s the sarcastic little human who more than holds his own in a town inhabited by supernatural creatures and hunters. He can be ridiculous, and clumsy, and say stupid things, but he’s also incredibly smart, and has a toughness of spirit that even the werewolf characters can’t always match. And he can go really dark too, which is fascinating. I mean, I love Derek as well—he’s a great character, all brooding and Byronic, and he’s played by one of the most ridiculously attractive men on the planet—but I just find Stiles a much more interesting character.

Oh and your covers, I have serious cover love...just thought I'd mention that!
Thanks! I decided when I designed the first cover that I wanted it to be something easy I could replicate with my other covers: a simple style, white background, and pictures that were in the public domain. Or, in the case of Eyebrows and the Scientific Method, that I scanned myself! I definitely wanted to make all my covers match, and the simpler the better, since I am terrible at photoshopping stuff. But I think they’ve all turned out pretty nicely!


Thank you so much Lisa for stopping by - but more than that, thank you for the wonderful fan fiction, I can honestly say I've adored every word!! For anyone who is unsure of trying fan fiction, I think this is the perfect place to start. You do not have to be a fan of the show by any means, plenty of people read these who aren't (I am!!). There is so much quality reading material absolutely free. I can't speak for the other fandoms, but I know most people who fall into the Sterek/Steter universe take months, if not longer, to emerge!

To find out more visit Goodreads or AO3

Review: Inclination by Mia Kerick

Sixteen-year-old Anthony Duck-Young Del Vecchio is a nice Catholic boy with a very big problem. It’s not the challenge of fitting in as the lone adopted South Korean in a close-knit family of Italian-Americans. Nor is it being the one introverted son in a family jam-packed with gregarious daughters. Anthony’s problem is far more serious—he is the only gay kid in Our Way, his church’s youth group. As a high school junior, Anthony has finally come to accept his sexual orientation, but he struggles to determine if a gay man can live as a faithful Christian. And as he faces his dilemma, there are complications. After confiding his gayness to his intolerant adult youth group leader, he’s asked to find a new organization with which to worship. He’s beaten up in the church parking lot by a fanatical teen. His former best pal bullies him in the locker room. His Catholic friends even stage an intervention to lead him back to the “right path.” Meanwhile, Anthony develops romantic feelings for David Gandy, an emo, out and proud junior at his high school, who seems to have all the answers about how someone can be gay and Christian, too.

Will Anthony be able to balance his family, friends and new feelings for David with his changing beliefs about his faith so he can live a satisfying life and not risk his soul in the process?

This book. Oh my goodness, this book. What can I say? Mia Kerrick does it again, so wonderfully, beautifully well. I have a great love for well written YA books, I feel often times they have more depth to them than adult novels in a strange way. Maybe because the characters are just heading towards their adult lives and independence, maybe because they have the whole world before them, theirs but for the right choices. I don't know, but I find the characters often very engaging.

Mia Kerrick has written about difficult situations before - bullying, domestic abuse...so many different ways. She always, always, gives her characters a challenge. The fact that her characters are gay can sometimes be the secondary worry amongst the other crap they are dealing with in life. In this book though, the two issues have a direct link to each other, at least in the head of MC Anthony. Anthony is a devout catholic, the ultimate good boy, who is struggling with his own acceptance of being gay and how this affects his relationship with God.

If, like me, the fact that this book is written about religion may seem off-putting, I would urge you to read it because it is pure brilliance. I had some unease when I started reading, the way Anthony is, his belief so strong, is so far from me and my experience that I wondered if I would find it hard to connect to him as a reader. I should not have feared because I understood him perfectly. I was rooting for him from so early on - and not as I thought to ditch his religion and accept his sexuality, and that is because of how clever Mia Kerrick is.

I wanted Anthony to have both. His faith is so strong and important to him, it is as much part of who he is as his sexuality. It is a fundamental part of him and his life, and I loved how Kerrick kept this and didn't write him as someone who loses his faith. Writing as a reader who has no specific beliefs but respects those others have, I wouldn't have found this halfway as believable if Anthony ditched his beliefs. It wouldn't have been him.

That's not to say this book wasn't damn hard to read at times. So hard. Any sort of homophobia is hard to read about. Any form of bullying, of violence, of friendships being torn apart - and really this is the catalyst for this whole story. One devout boy trying to come to terms with the fact he's gay and losing the support of those he trusts the most at the time he is most vulnerable. How often is that the case? Too frequent I'm afraid. In this book, in the space of one meeting Anthony loses the strong group of friends he has had around him since he was young. He comes to realise that they areas much a clique as every other group, but at that moment it is heartbreaking. Even his best friend turns against him. It's so hard to read.

Two things though are there to help Anthony deal with all of his pain. Firstly, I have to mention his family. It would have been so easy to turn them into non-supportive antagonists, yet Kerrick did the opposite and instead they fully support their son, they worked with him to try and make it possible to align their faith in God and Anthony's sexuality. His family were amazing. Like truly brilliant - if only everyone had this support at home, the world would be a happier place.

The second thing - or person - was the second MC, David. David has walked the path that Anthony is on and is there to help guide Anthony to a place of reconciliation. Reconciliation between himself, his beliefs and God. Although religion is the theme of this book it really is about so much more. It is about self-belief, about family and friends, about trust. Mostly though it is about love. Love between Anthony and Jesus, love between Anthony and his family, and the burgeoning love between Anthony and David.

I don't think whatever review I write will do this book justice and I would urge everyone to read it. Please don't feel you need to have a faith to read it, or that it is going to either try and convert you to religion or tell tale of the evils of religion. It shows quite clearly the good and the bad and how much a burning faith is a part of who Anthony is and how he works to make it still the focal of his ever-changing life.

To find out more, check out Goodreads or Booklikes!

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Love's Medicine by Ashley John

Justin White didn't expect to fall in love with his best friend, Sammie Cooper, but he couldn't stop himself. Since their teen years, they've been inseparable, but as each year passes, it becomes harder and harder for shy Justin to confess his true feelings to his charismatic and promiscuous best friend. Keeping secrets has become second nature to Justin, as his love for Sammie isn't the only thing he's concealing from the world. In the shadows of his home, his mother is slowly dying, and despite stealing painkillers from the hospital, there's nothing he can do to save her.

Sammie Cooper never thought his casual and sexual relationship with his boss at the nightclub would ever turn into anything serious, but when Finley offers him a briefcase stuffed with money to follow him to England, he doesn't know if he can resist the lure of the cold, hard cash. Sammie is faced with a decision that he never thought he'd have to make, and things only get more complicated when he makes a shocking discovery about Justin's life.

Can Justin start telling the truth to keep hold of the only man he'll ever love? Can Sammie turn down life changing money to risk it all on the unknown?

One is scared of love and the other is scared of commitment. Justin and Sammie thought they could make it through anything together, but their crumbling lives threaten to rip them apart. Both are faced with difficult decisions, but will they make the right ones? 

Ashley John is an author I look forward to reading now. The Surf Bay books are a series of, easy to read, devour in a sitting, stories. Each of the characters are unique, as is each love story. When I open up one of these books I know to a certain extent what I am going to get - but that is part of the charm. I know there will be one lovable MC with stuff going wrong in his life. I know there will be a 'bad boy' MC who we get to uncover and grow to love. I know there will be angst but ultimately an HEA/HFN. I like that I know this. I read different books for different reasons and depending on my mood at the time, and sometimes I just know I need to read this kind of book. Hard, but not brutal. I know I'll fall for the MC's along the way and wish them their happily ever after. 

So what is unique about each book? Well, though they follow a certain format they do all bring different characters to the table...or the town of Surf Bay and I really appreciate this. In this book Justin is the good guy making some super tough decisions. Hiding a secret from everyone, including his best friend Sammie, he is coping the best he can in a crappy situation. He's trying to keep himself together but is barely succeeding. On top of the personal issues he's dealing with the love of his life, best friend Sammie (friends to lovers - YAYAYAYAYA!!) has no idea how Justin feels about him, and Sammie's casual attitude to sex and his own self worth eat away at Justin more and more.

Sammie is getting himself in some hot water. Shagging his boss to keep him sweet and rolling in expensive gifts it seems that Sammie may suddenly be out of his depth. Caught between friendship and an uncertain future that may involve love, or a guaranteed 'high-life' rolling in riches, playboy to his boss, Sammie suddenly doesn't know which way to turn. He thought he knew what it was he wanted out of life but now he's questioning decisions he makes and then questioning them again.

It would be easy to write Sammie off as a bit of an arsehole - in truth he really can be, but I always got the feeling that he was more a confused little boy who really didn't know up-from-down. Yes, at times, his treatment of Justin SUCKED. He was a miserable BFF and the phrase 'who needs enemies...' sprung to mind. When I peeled beneath the surface though I think he was way more scared and unable to cope with life than Justin, however they would outwardly appear. He was screwed up and made screwed up decisions, but I think he started to learn from them and at the end of the day he made the right choices (eventually). Even if he did cut it fine.

Fans of this series will like this book and I would recommend Surf Bay for those looking for a comfort read, the population there is pretty cool!

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

For more information, check out Goodreads.

COVER REVEAL for the much anticipated Fated by Bey Deckard

It's getting closer! The eagerly anticipated final installment in the Baal's Heart trilogy.

We unicorns are thrilled to reveal the cover for Fated!  Some of us are just a wee bit obsessed with this series.

Gimme a "T"!
Gimme an "O"! 
Gimme an "M"!

What does that spell?
Kinky pirates?

That too, but more like… 

Tom, Tom, Tomity, Tom, Tom!!!

#TeamTom

We *might* have a favorite.

There's sure to be intrigue, unexpected twists and turns, hotness, kinky fun times and probably a harrowing adventure since they are pirates and all. Bey will deliver the goods on April 11th.

Blurb:

With the captain’s mind in shambles, Jon and Tom set out to find the passage home through the black mountain range, hoping to find a cure for Baltsaros’s madness. However, when the men are forced to part ways, darkness takes root in the schism created; fate, lust, and vengeance become obsessions threatening to tear apart the fragile bonds holding the three together.

Following on the heels of Sacrificed, Fated takes the pirates on a quest to find those responsible for the captain’s bloody beginnings. But can they survive what awaits them where past and present meet?

Strap in, kids! It'll be exhilarating, topsy turvy and probably swashbuckling.

In all likelihood, the level of squeeing, groping, gasping and Ohhhh Emmmmm Geeeee'ing will quadruple in the clubhouse once we get our hands on Tom Fated.

Pre-order link: http://amzn.com/B00V5JF03M

Author Info:
Born and raised in a small coastal town in northern Québec, Bey spent his early summers on his uncle’s boat and running wild on the beaches of the surrounding islands, lighting fires and building huts out of driftwood and fishermen’s nets. As an adult, he eventually made his way to university and earned a degree in Art History with a strong focus on Anthropology. Primarily a portrait painter and graphic artist, Bey sat down one day and decided to write about the two things that he felt most passionate about: sex and the sea.

Bey currently lives in the wilds of Montréal with his best buddy, a spotty pit bull named Murphy.

Links:
https://www.beydeckard.com
https://www.facebook.com/bey.deckard
https://www.facebook.com/authorbeydeckard
https://twitter.com/BeyDeckard
https://plus.google.com/+beydeckard/posts
https://amazon.com/author/beydeckard