Kate

M/M Monday: In His Command Review by Rie Warren

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

In His Command (Don't Tell, #1)
Grade: D-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Futuristic

Series: Don’t Tell #1
Reviewed by Kate
368 pages 


The year is 2070 and the world has barely survived a plague that has wiped out a huge portion of the population.  Leadership has been handed to the rich (collectively referred to as the Company) and procreation is the order of the day.  To that end, any homosexual or deviant behavior is punishable by death.  Following a rebellion, Commander Casper Cannon (in the Company’s military called the Corps) is put in charge of transporting Nathaniel Rice (a big wig in the Company) to a safe place.  And so we have 7 weeks of Casper and Nathaniel alone together in the wilderness.  And there is plenty of attraction between the two-enough to keep them warm on a cold night, if you catch my drift.

 

I have been on quite a m/m reading kick lately, and I really like the idea of a m/m with a dystopian spin to it.  Unfortunately, I felt like the idea was the only good thing about it.  It seemed to me that whenever Casper and Nathaniel appeared on the same page, it was an excuse for sex.  Casper didn’t trust Nathaniel for most of he story and as a reader only hearing from Casper’s side of things, we didn’t trust Nathaniel either.  However, Nathaniel’s sexual prowess must have been the stuff legends were made of or maybe he had one of those mythical swords of mightiness, because Casper kept going back to him.  It was kind of like “I don’t trust you at all, but do you want come back to the caravan with me?”   I just didn’t fall for it.  And while the sex scenes were plentiful and descriptive (and were they), most of the time they just felt really out of place.

 

I also felt like the world building and the story were disjointed.  It seemed like there were pages upon pages of the author building the world (history and politics all rolled into one), and then pages of the character/plot building.  I would have liked to see them interwoven a bit more smoothly.

 

I think this pretty much sums up the plot for you: sex, politics, politics, sex, sex, sex, sex, politics, politics, stunning reveal, sex, sex, politics, sex, sex, jaw dropping betrayal, suspenseful rescue, sex, sex, sex, happily ever after.  Yep, there you have it.


I really felt like the best part of the book was Casper’s friend Liz.  Who disappears in the very beginning of the book and we don’t see again until the very end.
 

Unfortunately this one came no where close to joining my “best of 2013” list.  I don’t think I could honestly recommend this book to anyone.

The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne


Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Ember
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary

Published 2/1/2010, 8/27/2013
Reviewed by Kate
400 pages 

Lucy’s husband died very young and for the past 5 years, she’s walked around in a funk — doing her best to just get through each day.  When her sister has a baby, Lucy decides it’s time to strive for something a bit more.  She wants to get married again and have some kids.  But that means getting rid of her friends-with-benefits, Ethan.  But Ethan doesn’t want to be gotten rid of.

 

The characters in this book were so well written.  Ethan’s character was endearing and the way he kept waiting for Lucy made me want to give him a hug quickly followed by a smack upside the head.  Lucy made me tear up a few times with her agonizing, but managed not to cross that fine line into annoying.  You really felt the pain she was going through, trying to move on with her life.  Lucy’s aunts and mother could rival Jill Shalvis’ Lucille of Lucky Harbor for the quirky older lady character of the year award.  They definitely provided some comic relief for the story.

 

My one complaint with this book was that it was told solely from Lucy’s point of view.  I really would have loved to hear Ethan’s side of things as well.  Of course, that might have spoiled some of the emotional build-up of the story.

 

I think it should also be noted that this book has fade-to-black, behind closed doors sex scenes.  I mention that strictly because this blog tends to focus on more steamy books in general and I don’t want anyone to be surprised by the lack of heat.  However I was almost finished with the book before I realized that there wasn’t really any on page sex.  I think that says a lot about the story that it could distract me from noticing that.

 

The Next Best Thing provides everything a strong romance requires.  Engaging characters, a moving story, and an ending that leaves you wanting more from the author.  Well done, Kristan Higgins.

Dead Sexy Dragon by Lolita Lopez

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Dead Sexy Dragon (Dragon Heat, #1)
Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Paranormal, shifter, dragon

Series: Dragon Heat #1
Published: 8/6/13
Reviewed by Kate
97 pages 
 

Cora is on the run from some loan sharks and runs to the only person she can think of — her dead brother’s best friend Stig.  Unknown to Cora, Stig is a dragon.  A dragon who’s about to enter his breeding cycle.  But Cora doesn’t have any other place to go, and Stig can’t kick her out.

 

For a novella, I found the characters to be surprisingly complete.  The world of dragons was well explained, not leaving the reader with tons of unanswered questions.  The author has done a wonderful job of giving us enough information without becoming too blah, blah, blah about it.

 

My biggest complaint is that there wasn’t enough of this book.  I wanted to know more about Stig and Cora and their life together.  Another chapter, an epilogue, just give me more!  Lolita Lopez has created a world that I look forward to visiting again and again.

 

Do you like shifters?  With feathers or fur or scales?