Making Connections discussion

Hi I was thinking since some of the authors here have given us readers books to reviews we could post the links to the reviews here so everyone can see them.

The Crush by Elizabeth Lister

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Jack and Michael, meet for the first time when Jack’s sister Amy invites them to a performance at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Jack is reluctant to go to the performance as he knows his sister has a crush on her English professor Michael Donovan. Unbeknownst to Amy, Michael is gay, and he and Jack are immediately drawn to each other. Over the course of several weeks the two men develop an intense physical and emotional relationship while trying to conceal it from Amy. Jack is afraid that his sister will react badly to the knowledge that her crush has found him more attractive than she. Jack is reluctant to find that he and Michael have formed such an intense emotional bond so quickly; not willing to acknowledge that love-at-first-sight is possible, but he is also falling head over heels in love with this man despite his past it’s all about sex reputation.

As the three are preparing to leave a local movie theatre the truth comes out as Amy comes out to find her brother and Michael in an intimate pose over a pinball game. Amy, blinded by her crush on Michael, has not read the signs that have been staring her in the face since the two men first met. Her reaction is, as Jack had predicted, not good. The result severely strains the familial relationship which Jack and Michael then try to heal through a dramatic public apology and an invitation to breakfast.

Through the course of the novel one gets to know the characters of Jack and Michael, their common interests in literature, music, and each other. These two in getting to know each other develop a mild BDSM relationship. The descriptions of their intimate encounters are very thrilling to read and will definitely arouse. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Crush and found myself wanting more. I have to admit I’ve never personally had to deal with a jealous sister but can certainly sympathize with the characters.

Elizabeth Lister
The Crush
MLR Press LLC, ©2011
3052 Gaines Waterport Road
Albion, NY 14411, 2011
IDBN: 978-1-60820-463-2
119 pages, 32,000 words
(ebook) $5.99
http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?boo...




View all my reviews

Holiday Matinee by Elizabeth Lister

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Holiday Matinee, a holiday short story by Elizabeth Lister furthers the story of Jack and Michael and the continuing development of their relationship following a matinee of The Nutcracker at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The story is told by Jack and describes his submission to Michael as well as their growing love for one another. The description of their encounter following the matinee is thrilling to read and makes me want to be part of the action. It is touching that after their brief relationship that Michael wants to move the relationship forward.

The length of the piece does not allow for extensive character development but both characters fit the profile of the BDSM lifestyle the story illustrates but that is not the focus of the story. To better understand the characters and their relationship one should read The Crush first as this short story follows the relationship established in The Crush . The focus of the story is the erotic nature of their relationship and arousing feelings in the reader for them on that level and this is accomplished very well.

I do wish that I had read these two in order because it would have allowed me to better appreciate Holiday Matinee as I would have known more about the characters. I look forward to new instalments in the lives of Jack and Michael. I hope that they will follow through on their plans to marry and we can continue to share in their joy.

Elizabeth Lister
Holiday Matinee
MLR Press LLC, ©2011
3052 Gaines Waterport Road
Albion, NY 14411, 2011
IDBN: 978-1-60820-517-2
20 pages, 4,000+ words
(ebook) $0.99
http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?boo...




View all my reviews

thats great Gavin and great reviews. Thank you.

thanks Elizabeth

great review Amber did you show Annalise

My review of

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Here's my review

http://www.goodreads.com/review

Margaret wrote: "Here's my review

http://www.goodreads.com/review

"

It looks like the URL you posted is incomplete. I can't get to your review.

My Review of by Samantha Adams.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Here is my review of Immortal Prophecy by Samantha Adams

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Here is my review of by Veronica Blade

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

hey everyone can you post your reviews under the author where you were given the book. I am thinking that might keep them sorted...thanks Tana

Great review Tabitha. The book looks really good. Thanks for sharing!

My review of Holiday Matinee by Elizabeth Lister is here. Just scroll down a bit.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

my review of immortal prophecy

http://www.ifeelsounnecessary.com/201...

Margaret and Scott and LIsa,
You can post your reviews of the books you've gotten from this site on the sign up threads, that way they are all in one place. Thanks!

@Margaret, you would post your review here:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...

@Scott and Lisa, you would post your review here:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...

I went ahead and moved them for you :)

I reviewed Arshad Ahsanuddin's Sunset. You can find my review here.

I reviewed Angel Evolution by David Estes!!!
Here is my review on my blog http://tessmw.blogspot.com/2012/01/re...

Tana wrote: "hey everyone can you post your reviews under the author where you were given the book. I am thinking that might keep them sorted...thanks Tana"

Did you want us to post the reviews where we requested the books or what do you mean under the author?

Tess wrote: "Did you want us to post the reviews where we requested the books or what do you mean under the author?

Under the thread where you requested the book :)

I moved yours for you Tess.

I know this one was not on the list of books for review and it may not fit with the general theme of many of the books but I felt it was worth sharing so here is my brief review of

Train to Anywhere by David George Howard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The story of a man trying to survive life in the 20's world of crime and corruption. Eddie McGriffin through a series of bad choices and unfortunate happenstance is framed for two murders he did not commit. He is wanted by the cops, and the mob bosses both. One crime boss against another he is wanted by one, protected by the other, forced into a sting of crimes from which he flees when a hit man enters the picture. It is by his own wits on a train to anywhere that he escapes them all to a new life as Stu Atkins working on the Hoover Dam. The disgraced DA catches up with him to let him know that he can have is old life back after the murder of one of the crime bosses results in the charges against him falling apart as evidence is dropped in the lap of the new DA. Eddie prefers his new life on the blasting crew for the new dam.



View all my reviews

here's my review for

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

If you would like to post our reviews here, you can either use this thread or start your own! If you start your own thread, use your name as the thread topic and post all of your reviews there.

Don't forget to also post the review under the book's sign up thread so the author is sure to see it!!

Visit my blog and check out my latest book review: "Splattered Blood" by Michael A. Draper.

http://thejoyofthewrittenword.com/201...

You will be happy you did!


Patricia

Review for
3 out of 5 stars

The premise of The Truce by E. Milan: Two people plagued in life by guilt find themselves in purgatory and must figure out how to get to heaven in order to reunite with those they loved. Along the way, and in order to survive, thrive and reach their goals, they must come to terms with their past and find a way to forgive their own sins.

I finished this book last night and have been a bit torn on how to review it. This is because it's obvious to me that this subject matter is very important to E. Milan and his heart is in this story. The premise of The Truce is unique, and the world-building (while not refined) is heading in the right direction. There's serious imagination at play, and some of the passages really came to life.

Unfortunately, the issues I had with The Truce outweighed the positives. The relationship between Amber and Aaron, right from the start, never felt believable and I had a hard time accepting the sacrifices each was willing to make for the other. The chapters were incredibly long and that impacted the tension of the story. Many of the scenes, especially the fight scenes, felt redundant. There were too many minor characters with POVs, and their insertion into the story was jarring. The numerous grammatical errors grew frustrating (past vs passed, etc.).

I really wanted to love this story - I'm a sucker for Dante, circles of hell, three-headed beasts, and the theme of redemption. I think E. Milan's main characters probably did have internal journeys, but those journeys were enmeshed in so much action and repetitive internal dialogue that they were hard to parse. If I was to say one thing directly to the author, it would be that The Truce has great potential. That's why I gave it three stars instead of two stars. The magic is there, it just needs to be developed.

My review for:

http://www.bittersweet-enchantment.co...

My review of

http://fromthebootheelcottonpatch.blo...

Here is my review of

http://wp.me/p27ipo-dh

Here's my review of Red Tash's Troll or Derby on http://indiereviewtracker.com/test-po...

http://cafereads.blogspot.com/2012/07...

"This is top-notch writing. The characters live and breathe through the rich vocabulary, dialogue and descriptive passages. Marcantoni's understanding of pacing, fluidity and sentence structure is advanced. From page one, I was hooked by the rough, gritty voice of the narrator. As the novel progressed, I was also impressed by the tonal shifts and the atmosphere which they created from chapter to chapter. Marcantoni took readers inside the minds of the POV characters and each had a distinctive tone. The dialogue--especially during heated, angry exchanges--is delicately crafted. I could almost hear the characters in my room, yelling over my head. Reading Traveler's Rest is a bit like adjusting the lens of a camera, as the prose shifts points-of-view and tenses often. There is no "main POV character" per se, making this book quite difficult to follow. But the writing is exceptional and the lens-adjusting adds life and color to the book, which is, after all, experimental fiction.

The only criticism I have is that the female characters--with the exception of Laura--seem to be cardboard props constructed to accommodate the male characters' inner turmoil. I don't consider myself a "feminist," but the objectification of females turned me off as a reader, especially the proliferation of random, sexy women that readers never really get to know. Although sexual references to women do have a place in literary fiction, they are too frequently used in Traveler's Rest, making the story a male-dominated one that lacks a sincere female element (again, with the exception of Laura). Also, the profanity in this book may offend certain readers, though I thought it was advantageously used.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for its exceptional writing and characterization."

My review of

http://fromthebootheelcottonpatch.blo...

Review/interview/giveaway of
I loved this book!
http://wp.me/p27ipo-f5

I just posted my first review on my new blog. I had waited for a book like this to come along.



http://wp.me/p2uiv4-Z

Just posted my review and interview
http://wp.me/p27ipo-h1

Just reviewed
5 STARS
http://wp.me/p27ipo-dT

Two recent ones...

The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer
http://excellentlibrary.wordpress.com...

AND

The Intruders by Olive Peart
http://excellentlibrary.wordpress.com...

By Laura
Readers looking for a light romance story will enjoy reading this book. Without giving away the story, there's an insecure makeup artist who falls for a big movie star but he seems to be unavailable. Some family issues also force the plot's main character to reconsider her emotions. Fun story worth a Summer read by the beach.Made Up

Review/Interview/Giveaway of
follow my link:) http://wp.me/p27ipo-hV

hey Laura, went by your blog and entered.

Sherry wrote: "hey Laura, went by your blog and entered."



Good luck! This book is so good!

thanks

My review and a giveaway of 3 e-book copies of
Loved this book and now you can too!
http://wp.me/p27ipo-id

Laura wrote: "Review/interview/giveaway of
I loved this book!
http://wp.me/p27ipo-f5"

Thanks so much for sharing this, Laura!

You are welcome. I shared it all over these threads on Goodreads!

I am giving away 10 ebooks of Undermountain by Eric Kent Edstrom.





I also did a double review with Undermountain and Afterlife. Simply click on the link below to enter:

http://wp.me/p2uiv4-1Q

I forgot to enter, DUH!! On my way there now!!

Hey girl. Just posted my promo of the books and your giveaway!!
http://wp.me/p27ipo-jf

Thanks