Review: Freedom

Freedom by Jay Kirkpatrick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I chose Freedom based on a suggestion. I didn’t read the blurb but went in with high expectations. I quite liked the book for most of it, though once the group broke out of the hospital and were on the run, things started to fall apart. The ending is nicely wrapped up but I was left with a lot of questions. Most of all I couldn’t buy into the chemistry between the two lead characters and I found one of the lead men to be weak and uninteresting. These two issues definitely killed some of the reading enjoyment for me. At the same time the writing and creativity are high and I’d cautiously recommend this one. I’m on the fence whether I’d read this author again.

Aliens, buttsex, and the end of the world…oh my

Dark Space by Lisa Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I quite enjoyed reading Dark Space. I’ll be honest and say I read this one on a recommendation from Rain on the Roof. It has some decent world building, a pseudo interesting plot, a well-developed narrator, and a happy ending. That’s not to say it was without problems, as there were numerous issues, but on the whole I enjoyed reading this more than I thought. So much so I’ll be checking out the author’s other books. I think the whole of the story elevates the enjoyment and makes up for the individual problems. For a reader who is not as engaged with the writing, this story could be frustrating.

More promising…alien BDSM

The Heracian Affair by Liv Olteano
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

For my second choice I went with a BDSM choice from Dreamspinner. There’s a slight improvement with the cover, which again I didn’t see, but a huge improvement in the writing. DSP is hit or miss but I’m extremely pleased I seem to have hit with this choice. The writing is smooth, engaging, and interesting while there is a considerable amount of hot sex, almost too much. I’m not complaining as this is smutty good fun with some solid writing and decent, if sketchy, world building. As far as sci-fi/erotica offerings go, I quite enjoyed this quick novella and would definitely go back for more from this author.

First up…Men with clits!

Star Crossed by Astrid Cooper
My Rating: 1 of 5 stars

So my first foray was not an auspicious start and it wasn’t because the aliens were men with clits. I didn’t mind that, but what I disliked was kind of everything else. I chose this one because I liked the name, I’ve read several good books with the same title, which invoked a positive association,  and I thought the blurb sounded light but fun, sexy times in space with some built in cross species tension. If only I’d looked at the cover because really, has any book ever been good with a cover like that? I hate to be superficial but I can’t think of a single book I loved with such a bad cover. It’s like no one cares about the aesthetics because the content must be crap too. Even though I had a bad feeling about this once I saw the cover, I tried to go in with a more open mind. Perhaps it’s not great literature but maybe it’ll be smutty fun. I already had the book after all.

Review: Fraternal Devotion

Fraternal Devotion by K. Piet
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I’m behind the curve with this anthology. It’s been out a while and well reviewed by several great reviewers but I’ll be honest I didn’t really know anything about that when I read this anthology. I happen to like the incest kick and wanted to read SMP’s take on a complicated issue. Stories in this niche tend to be angst ridden or sex filled, both of which I like, but I was hoping for something more well rounded and nuanced from Fraternal Devotion. Thankfully almost all the stories delivered this and offered a range of interpretations. Not all stories resonated with me as a reader but all are well-written and interesting takes on this particular kink. As an anthology I think the collection works very well and is worth buying. I especially like that this collection offers 5 well thought out stories than 20 extremely short ones. One final point I wanted to add is that the collection as a whole is edited beautifully with a wonderful flow of topics and interpretations. It works well reading them all in one sitting.

Review: A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal by Felicitas Ivey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A Modest Proposal is an easy to read, light erotica tale. It has a touch of D/s, lots of sex and a thin plot mainly as a vehicle to turn pages and have more sex. It’s a fun enough read for something empty but satisfying – if you’re looking for a lot of sex and a little bit of futuristic yaoi world building to round it out. It’s not really that memorable or interesting for me but it’s a decent read and hits the spot for those wanting more erotica than romance.

Review: The Tea Demon

The Tea Demon by Cornelia Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pirates and thieves and treasure abound in this short fun story. It’s quasi steampunk with just enough details to set the story in that genre but not enough to really delve into the setting or satisfy die hard fans. The Tea Demon works despite this lack of detail because the real focus is on the men and their entertaining relationship with a backdrop of rather humorous and far-fetched hijinks. The writing and Grey’s style is what I like the most. The story is enjoyable and short enough that it gives a quick thrill and an enjoyable tale.

Review: When I Fall

When I Fall by Belinda McBride
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

I’m not sure what’s going on with sequels lately but they haven’t been living up to the greatness of the first books. Sadly, When I Fall is no different. An Uncommon Whore was such a vivid and wonderful book that I’m so disappointed and saddened in When I Fall. It has the same world and excellent writing but after that I’m left to wonder exactly what I read. The characters feel very different from the first book and unfortunately I couldn’t connect to either one. There are too many secrets, too many political plots and no real resolution or happy ending. Instead the happy couple just ignores their many, many problems in a move that makes me think these two actually won’t end up together.

Review: A Chip in His Shoulder

A Chip in His Shoulder by L.A. Witt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A Chip in His Shoulder by LA Witt is a really good and often used idea in science fiction. There are a few fresh twists and a brief attempt at tension but overall the story is interesting and fun to read. Where the novella stumbles though is on the pacing and content. There is too much that is skipped over and summarized leaving a very rushed and choppy feel. The world building is decent for the length but sadly leaves out so much. I wish this had been a fully fleshed out novel with solid world building and complete characters; instead it reads like the first book of a series and not a satisfying stand-alone.

Review: Desert World Allegiances

Desert World Allegiances by Lyn Gala
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Desert World Allegiances is the first book in a two book series by Lyn Gala. The science fiction world is very well developed, even if based off a familiar premise of terraforming a new planet. The characters in this first book are pretty immature and they honestly drove me nuts. While I really quite enjoyed the writing and world building, I disliked almost every single one of the actual characters. This does give them room to change and grow but since this is just the first book, they don’t actually make that big of a change in the space provided so it’s more of an interesting idea that I’m waiting to see how it ends.