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Feast, Stray, Love #1
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“…I sat on the edge of my seat reading it! The author writes very creatively…” - Hall of Fame, Top 100 Amazon Reviewer, Matthew G. Sherwin.
Entry #1 of the Feast, Stray, Love Series
Damien Cooper's mind is a bit fucked up. Yes, that's his actual diagnosis.
His disability has him hearing things he's not supposed to hear and his other senses are also taken to new heights. Damien's boyfriend adopts a cannibalistic feasting habit after beginning employment at a mysterious factory site and Damien's mother strays away from reality after she becomes obsessed with a self-help book. Damien struggles to embrace his flaws while uncovering an explosive new trait.
Inhale Exhale and Feast, Stray, Love.
Word Count: 11,000
WARNING: THIS TITLE INCLUDES CHAINSMOKING, A SMOTHER AND NO SUPPORT OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
Entry #1 of the Feast, Stray, Love Series
Damien Cooper's mind is a bit fucked up. Yes, that's his actual diagnosis.
His disability has him hearing things he's not supposed to hear and his other senses are also taken to new heights. Damien's boyfriend adopts a cannibalistic feasting habit after beginning employment at a mysterious factory site and Damien's mother strays away from reality after she becomes obsessed with a self-help book. Damien struggles to embrace his flaws while uncovering an explosive new trait.
Inhale Exhale and Feast, Stray, Love.
Word Count: 11,000
WARNING: THIS TITLE INCLUDES CHAINSMOKING, A SMOTHER AND NO SUPPORT OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
- GenresM M Romance
38 pages, ebook
First published September 26, 2013
143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 8, 2013
A dish of humor served with a side of gore. Short, creepy, creative...
Feast is the first in the Feast, Stray, Love short story trilogy. The story begins with Damien being rescued by his teacher after passing out and causing a massive fire at the local college. Upon waking in the hospital, he learns he has a brain tumor, and his doctor performs the surgery to remove it. Unfortunately for Damien, his doctor is a bit of a quack and scrambles a few things up while working on him. Luckily, Damien's mother and boyfriend are there to support him through his recovery, but the extra job his boyfriend picks up to help cover expenses soon leads to unexpected complications in their relationship, and his doctor's shoddy operating techniques lead to complications of their own.
First off, I must say I don't frequently read stories specifically focused on men in romantic relationships with each other. That being said, I found the relationship believable and, for the most part, tastefully done. There are some sexual situations, but none are too explicit and the focus seems to be more on the emotional relationship, which is an approach I tend to like in a story. However, I would classify this book as horror, rather than romance.
The true focus of the plot is the doctor's mess of a job on Damien's brain and the creepy factory outside of town that subverts his boyfriend and later threatens his mom. People enter the factory, never to return. Those who land jobs there either disappear or leave their families to stay at the factory, and strange shipments arrive frequently. Besides that, the question is, what exactly does the factory do? The dodgy answers Damien gets from his boyfriend and later from a detective leave much to be discovered in later books in the series. Adding to the horror aspect of the story are the relationships. The author builds a highly admirable and likeable boyfriend, who the main character loves deeply, and then puts him in harm's way. He does the same with Damien's mother, building her up into someone the reader likes, and then showing her becoming a bit too enamored of an ironically named self-help book, "Feast, Stray, Love."
As for the vastly unqualified doctor in the story, I'm not certain the details or credentials surrounding him or his work on Damien are exactly believable, but his bedside manner is humorously atrocious, and his less than stellar operating skills are responsible for Damien's subtle transformation throughout the book. Again, is it believable? Not really, but it is entertaining. A good bit of the humor in the book stems from this crazy, irreverent doctor and the reactions of those around him.
Besides the romantic angle, the plot, and the crazy doctor, which I enjoyed and led me to like the story overall, there are a few things that kept me from loving it: one, grammatical issues, primarily the punctuation of the dialog; two, the frequent use of the F-word, not a surprise since it's also used in the book description; and three, various plot points for which I had to hit my "I believe" button. The dialog and other minor grammatical issues might detract from the story for those who find that sort of thing annoying, but could be fixed in a future edition. The F-word usage bugs me, but I think it fits into the story and the style of the writing, totally a personal preference type thing. The things that were vague could be due to the constraints of writing a short story, namely details are often cut to keep the story short. However, some of the details and situations presented are hard to imagine in a real setting, but are portrayed as being normal or realistic, which made some of the fictional aspects of the story less believable.
Overall, I liked Feast. It's a good, short book with a bit of humor and romance and a whole lot of mystery and creepiness factor, good for a horror story. The romantic relationship between Damien and his boyfriend isn't too explicit, focusing more on their relationship, but I would caution that it is aimed at mature readers. I'd recommend this story to those who like the horror genre, want a quick read, and either prefer or aren't bothered by books that feature a male-male romance.
I picked up a copy of this book from Amazon during a free promo day after the author requested a review.
Feast is the first in the Feast, Stray, Love short story trilogy. The story begins with Damien being rescued by his teacher after passing out and causing a massive fire at the local college. Upon waking in the hospital, he learns he has a brain tumor, and his doctor performs the surgery to remove it. Unfortunately for Damien, his doctor is a bit of a quack and scrambles a few things up while working on him. Luckily, Damien's mother and boyfriend are there to support him through his recovery, but the extra job his boyfriend picks up to help cover expenses soon leads to unexpected complications in their relationship, and his doctor's shoddy operating techniques lead to complications of their own.
First off, I must say I don't frequently read stories specifically focused on men in romantic relationships with each other. That being said, I found the relationship believable and, for the most part, tastefully done. There are some sexual situations, but none are too explicit and the focus seems to be more on the emotional relationship, which is an approach I tend to like in a story. However, I would classify this book as horror, rather than romance.
The true focus of the plot is the doctor's mess of a job on Damien's brain and the creepy factory outside of town that subverts his boyfriend and later threatens his mom. People enter the factory, never to return. Those who land jobs there either disappear or leave their families to stay at the factory, and strange shipments arrive frequently. Besides that, the question is, what exactly does the factory do? The dodgy answers Damien gets from his boyfriend and later from a detective leave much to be discovered in later books in the series. Adding to the horror aspect of the story are the relationships. The author builds a highly admirable and likeable boyfriend, who the main character loves deeply, and then puts him in harm's way. He does the same with Damien's mother, building her up into someone the reader likes, and then showing her becoming a bit too enamored of an ironically named self-help book, "Feast, Stray, Love."
As for the vastly unqualified doctor in the story, I'm not certain the details or credentials surrounding him or his work on Damien are exactly believable, but his bedside manner is humorously atrocious, and his less than stellar operating skills are responsible for Damien's subtle transformation throughout the book. Again, is it believable? Not really, but it is entertaining. A good bit of the humor in the book stems from this crazy, irreverent doctor and the reactions of those around him.
Besides the romantic angle, the plot, and the crazy doctor, which I enjoyed and led me to like the story overall, there are a few things that kept me from loving it: one, grammatical issues, primarily the punctuation of the dialog; two, the frequent use of the F-word, not a surprise since it's also used in the book description; and three, various plot points for which I had to hit my "I believe" button. The dialog and other minor grammatical issues might detract from the story for those who find that sort of thing annoying, but could be fixed in a future edition. The F-word usage bugs me, but I think it fits into the story and the style of the writing, totally a personal preference type thing. The things that were vague could be due to the constraints of writing a short story, namely details are often cut to keep the story short. However, some of the details and situations presented are hard to imagine in a real setting, but are portrayed as being normal or realistic, which made some of the fictional aspects of the story less believable.
Overall, I liked Feast. It's a good, short book with a bit of humor and romance and a whole lot of mystery and creepiness factor, good for a horror story. The romantic relationship between Damien and his boyfriend isn't too explicit, focusing more on their relationship, but I would caution that it is aimed at mature readers. I'd recommend this story to those who like the horror genre, want a quick read, and either prefer or aren't bothered by books that feature a male-male romance.
I picked up a copy of this book from Amazon during a free promo day after the author requested a review.
December 5, 2013
2.5 if I could. I just couldn't see myself rating it 3. First off, I thought it was about vampires. It wasn't. It is about a 'cult' that specializes in cannibalism. Our MC, came in contact with new abilities after he has brain surgery. His boyfriend works at the 'Factory' aka the cult. But his boyfriend isn't aware of what they do. Bad things happen.
Our MC moves to a nearby town, meets new people. He finds that that town isn't much better and Factory's presence is also in this new town. Damien, our MC, has many things to overcome. Moving on and trying to find peace so he can have a regular normal life.\
It was confusing after finishing this book, because I couldn't figure out book 2. Well this book is book 1 and 2.
The First Bite - Full Course Edition is actually books 1-3.
Our MC moves to a nearby town, meets new people. He finds that that town isn't much better and Factory's presence is also in this new town. Damien, our MC, has many things to overcome. Moving on and trying to find peace so he can have a regular normal life.\
It was confusing after finishing this book, because I couldn't figure out book 2. Well this book is book 1 and 2.
The First Bite - Full Course Edition is actually books 1-3.
May 3, 2015
I'll be honest and say the story borders on the absurd. But sometimes that can be a lot of fun. This is one of those times. I rather enjoyed poor Damien's continued frustration, he and Ben's love, the series of abrupt and unexpected events, and the interesting plot that seems to be developing. Unfortunately, being as I'm not a HUGE short story fan to start with, I'm fundamentally opposed to short stories that don't actually end. Isn't a series of interconnected, conclusionless short stories better called chapters...of a book? Given my feelings on the matter I was disappointed to get to the last 'page' only to discover that it wasn't the end of the actual story. This is my primary complaint though. The writing is fairly smooth, the tone often sarcastic, and the characters pleasantly engageable.
November 15, 2013
This second instalment of Feast, Stray, Love picks up shortly after the end of the first. Damien has moved to a neighbouring town, manages to find himself in yet another fine mess and apparently hasn't been able to avoid The Factory's reach. Though the novella could use a little more editing, I still really enjoy Anthony's writing and characters. But the story seems to be splintering a little bit. I'm not certain what Caleb and the pastor's drama has to do with the original plot. I'm also left wondering how The Factory is getting away with what it is doing. It doesn't seem very well hidden. Lastly, Damien has developed a rather startling ability, but never batted an eyelash at it. Seriously, who's that calm about something like that? (But you'll have to read the story to know what I mean.)
October 27, 2013
Definitely interesting! When I first began reading this, I had no idea where it was going and couldn't have guessed where it went to... This was a freebie read and the description had piqued my attention. I won't go into the overall story, but it was a bit creepy and had some suspense in there - a feeling of "American Horror Story" to it. Its a short story but it packs a lot in those few pages. Definitely want to read the rest and see where this is all going... Quirky, creepy with some humor in there!
October 16, 2013
Kevin Anthony definitely has a quirky writing style!
A short story that kept me turning the pages until I had read the entire story in one sitting. I had no idea where the story was going and the ending was definitely not what I expected.
Feast, Stray, Love had some interesting concepts but it felt a little rushed to me. I'll definitely be interested to see what this author comes up with in the future.
A short story that kept me turning the pages until I had read the entire story in one sitting. I had no idea where the story was going and the ending was definitely not what I expected.
Feast, Stray, Love had some interesting concepts but it felt a little rushed to me. I'll definitely be interested to see what this author comes up with in the future.
October 25, 2013
Feast, Stray, Love took on an interesting premise—a man who ends up with some unusual side effects to cope with after a botched brain surgery, all mixed in with a side of cannibalism—then placed it in a non-descript setting, filled it with characters and a plotline that were not even close to fully fleshed out
See the entire review over at The Novel Approach: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/20...
See the entire review over at The Novel Approach: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/20...
October 10, 2013
Twisted, creepy and served with a side dish of gore. Very interesting premise, great character development and a story I couldn't put down till I was finished. Really can't wait for more installments to see how the questions I have are answered.
It's like waiting for your favorite TV show to start! :)
It's like waiting for your favorite TV show to start! :)
October 31, 2013
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Author.
A rather apt short story to have read at this time of year. It was amusing with a dash of spicy gore thrown in. A little muddled towards the end but not enough to put me off finding and reading the next two stories to find out just what is going on with Damien.
November 28, 2013
I picked it up from Amazon when it was for free and forgot about it. I had no idea what it was about and that it is a short-story.
Anyways it was a quick and entertaining read that made me think WTF (a lot). Don't know if I'm ever going to pick up the other two books of the series.
But if you have a few minutes and cents to spare - read it!
Anyways it was a quick and entertaining read that made me think WTF (a lot). Don't know if I'm ever going to pick up the other two books of the series.
But if you have a few minutes and cents to spare - read it!
September 30, 2013
Wow... kind of at a loss for words. The author needs to work on his grammar, but the extreme nature of this story is astounding. I found myself glued to my computer screen, dreading and needing to find out what happened next. Very creative. I give the gore and creepy factor a big 4 out of 5!
October 24, 2013
Amazing!!! This was by far the best installment as of yet. Thrilling, entertaining and a brilliant play on today's society. Quick and exciting read that leaves you thinking, "WOW"!! Definitely worth reading and re-reading in the future.
November 21, 2013
Damien Cooper's mind is a bit fucked up. Yes, that's his actual diagnosis.
His disability has him hearing things he's not supposed to hear and his other senses are also taken to new heights. Damien's boyfriend adopts a cannibalistic feasting habit after beginning employment at a mysterious factory site and Damien's mother strays away from reality after she becomes obsessed with a self-help book. Damien struggles to embrace his flaws while uncovering an explosive new trait.
When I first received the request in my inbox to review Feast, Stray, Love, I had to take it. Cannibalism? Brain surgery gone wrong? Regardless of quality, I knew this would be a break from the usual tropes that perpetuate gay romance fiction. I was right in that regard. Feast, Stray Love is pretty original with a side of dark humor that won't be for everyone but was right up my alley.
So, why 3 stars? Well, the writing style could use some work. Even in the re-edited version I received for review, I found a few minor errors. Besides that, the style's a little awkward. It's nothing that won't improve as the author writes more, but it may be hard for some people to get into this story because of that.
I enjoyed the dry humor about the medical profession and the mysterious goings-on at the Factory and was genuinely surprised at one twist, but this wasn't exactly a page-turner at points. I would love to read more but one thing I must say is that this doesn't stand on its own all that well. It's clearly a part of a serial story and while I'm curious about the other parts, they're not on my must-buy list at the moment.
This will suit those who are not easily offended and can laugh at dark and gory situations, as well as people looking for something outside the mold of typical romance novels.
I received a free copy of this story from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This review was cross-posted to Infinite Love.
His disability has him hearing things he's not supposed to hear and his other senses are also taken to new heights. Damien's boyfriend adopts a cannibalistic feasting habit after beginning employment at a mysterious factory site and Damien's mother strays away from reality after she becomes obsessed with a self-help book. Damien struggles to embrace his flaws while uncovering an explosive new trait.
When I first received the request in my inbox to review Feast, Stray, Love, I had to take it. Cannibalism? Brain surgery gone wrong? Regardless of quality, I knew this would be a break from the usual tropes that perpetuate gay romance fiction. I was right in that regard. Feast, Stray Love is pretty original with a side of dark humor that won't be for everyone but was right up my alley.
So, why 3 stars? Well, the writing style could use some work. Even in the re-edited version I received for review, I found a few minor errors. Besides that, the style's a little awkward. It's nothing that won't improve as the author writes more, but it may be hard for some people to get into this story because of that.
I enjoyed the dry humor about the medical profession and the mysterious goings-on at the Factory and was genuinely surprised at one twist, but this wasn't exactly a page-turner at points. I would love to read more but one thing I must say is that this doesn't stand on its own all that well. It's clearly a part of a serial story and while I'm curious about the other parts, they're not on my must-buy list at the moment.
This will suit those who are not easily offended and can laugh at dark and gory situations, as well as people looking for something outside the mold of typical romance novels.
I received a free copy of this story from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This review was cross-posted to Infinite Love.
December 6, 2013
Edit: At first I rated it one star. But I thought it over last night and had to upgrade to at least 2. My other one stars either took me months of painstaking reading or I did not finish it. Plus, I found out it will continue and I would read it.
So 2.5 for the first two parts. I am sorry, I just didn't like the third part at all. That is were my 1 ish rating falls. I finished it, because I wanted to know what happened to the 'Factory'. But it came off as if a whole different person wrote it. It was choppy and rushed. Jaxon and Damien relationship was over in a blink of an eye. It took a while to figure out what happened. Why even throw them together if they weren't going to stay together. It lasted like 2 paragraphs.
Then Damien is on his mission to end the 'Factory'. His new abilities have come in handy. He uses his own resources to figure out who runs the 'Factory'. The ending was horrible. Damien was able to get answers about the Factory but really, it could still continue.
So 2.5 for the first two parts. I am sorry, I just didn't like the third part at all. That is were my 1 ish rating falls. I finished it, because I wanted to know what happened to the 'Factory'. But it came off as if a whole different person wrote it. It was choppy and rushed. Jaxon and Damien relationship was over in a blink of an eye. It took a while to figure out what happened. Why even throw them together if they weren't going to stay together. It lasted like 2 paragraphs.
Then Damien is on his mission to end the 'Factory'. His new abilities have come in handy. He uses his own resources to figure out who runs the 'Factory'. The ending was horrible. Damien was able to get answers about the Factory but really, it could still continue.
October 28, 2013
This was a weird one but a good one. I read the first short and it felt incomplete but still I wanted to know more. So I stopped being cheap and got book two and three. This series works. I love it, short, sweet and original. Yes, I wanted more m/m but as I read on realize there was more to the life of the main than trying to get it on with somebody.
November 5, 2013
love, love, love the series. i read all three back to back and can't wait for more. as a full time student, im desperate for quick scifi shorts like this.
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