friendship

Posted on 02/05/2010 by Kris


Two of my bloggy friends are having birthdays this week and I felt the need to get all sappy and stuff. You’ve been warned.

Most of you who have been hanging around here for a while know that I’ve been having a bit of a poo time of it in the last 6-12 months with my chronic health probs and depression.

What you are probably less aware of is how much I’ve relied on my blog and the friends I’ve made through blogging to, well, not to be overly dramatic about it or anything :), save me.

If not for some of you, I don’t want to think about where I would have been right now.

Without the knowledge that I might have comments or messages to wake up to, I’m not sure I could have even faced the next day at times let alone the months ahead.

So to my bloggy friends – they better know who they are 😉 – I just wanted to say thanks.

Thanks for being my friend.

Tam and Tracy, I wish you both wonderful birthdays.

Posted in friendship, tam, tracy | 58 Comments

rereads vs comfort reads

Posted on 30/04/2010 by Kris


I’m curious. 🙂

What do you think is the difference between a reread and a comfort read? Or do you think they’re the same thing?
Posted in curious kris, extra further randomness, reading | 44 Comments

tasting ‘pas de deux’*

Posted on 29/04/2010 by Kris
*April’s! Up to date = no more guilt trips. Phew.


The Blurb:

Hotshot defense attorney James Scott isn’t afraid of following his gut instinct. Even when his gut tells him that the man everybody knows is guilty is not only innocent, but a victim himself. A notorious media darling, he’s got an irresistible charm that always seems to undermine his strategic mind. Homicide detective Owen Duke dislikes him before they meet. Duke doesn’t have time for gut feelings—he lives by logic and evidence. And all the evidence tells him that Scott’s client, Hector Young, is guilty of the cold-blooded murder of a young ballerina.

Scott is willing to risk his reputation and his career on the kid’s innocence. Relentless, he convinces Duke to dig beneath the surface of the case. What’s supposed to be an open-and-shut case quickly becomes a quagmire of lies, murder, and rotting corruption. Suddenly, instead of being a thorn in Duke’s side, James Scott is the only person in San Francisco the detective can trust. And the two of them are the only people who can find the truth in time to save the life of an innocent man…

Why I bought it:

I think (?) I bought this during an ARe sale. Seems to be a common theme with me. *coughbookslutcough*

Dislike/like (ending on a high note):

Dislike~ More of a warning~ You learn relatively early who the baddie is likely to be. This can be hit or miss with me as I generally prefer to find out ‘whodunnit’ myself or at the end of the book. It worked in this instance because the authors – yep, it’s two authors, one pseud – continued to lead the reader through the discovery of clues, motives, etc, etc. Good pacing and advancement of plot, imo.

Like~ This may seem very simple, but I really liked the fact that Duke was out as a cop. It made such a refreshing change from the usual conflict that comes with this theme; that is, the cop is closeted and inevitably found out, blah, blah. It meant the focus could be on the mystery/suspense. Since I’m a fan of this genre it made for total win in my book. 🙂

Dislike~ More of a warning~ The guys don’t actually get in the sack until a fair way into the book. Me, I liked that. It left more time to concentrate on the development of the characters, their relationship and the mystery side of things. There’s more to life than pron, you know. 😉

Like~ The ending of Pas de Deux is a bit unusual with none of the ‘we couldn’t have solved the crime without our twu wuv’, which you might ordinarily expect in an m/m romance of this type. This was yet another change from the standard themes and tropes of the genre and, again, hit my happy reader buttons.

So, what I think: This is the best work I’ve read by this author team to date. If you’re into romantic suspense as I am, I would definitely suggest you give it a go. I really enjoyed it.

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‘Tasting’ is my version of a mini-review where I talk a (very) little about what I liked and disliked about a book as well as who I think the story will appeal to.Oh, and I’ve added a bit about why I picked up the book in the first place – sometimes this can be interesting to know.

Posted in contemporary, crime/suspense, jamie craig, m/m, m/m romance challenge 2010, mystery, tasting | 18 Comments

tasting the ‘a matter of time’ series*

Posted on 28/04/2010 by Kris
*Erm, this is my mini-review for March. Whoopsie.




The Blurb for Book 1:

Jory Keyes spends his time drinking and cruising gay bars picking up one night stands. Then suddenly he becomes the only witness to a brutal murder. Although the killer vows to silence him, Jory refuses to go into witness protection. This puts him into conflict with Sam Kage, a very straight and very hot police detective. When passion flares between the two men, Sam is astonished. Is he really gay? And if so, what will this mean to his career, and his life? As the danger threatening Jory increases, Sam senses that nothing is as it seems, and wonders who is really after his newfound and forbidden love?

Why I bought it:

I’d heard so much about this series that when ARe had a sale… Nuff said.

Dislike/like (ending on a high note):

Dislike~ One of the many things I’d seen written about this series was the fact the editting – or lack thereof – left much to be desired. Sure it could be annoying at times, but I got so caught up in the story that I didn’t notice these kind of issues unless they were amazingly bad. Even then, it was pretty easy to dismiss because I was too interested in what was going to happen next.

Like~ The main character, Jory, was an absolute delight. I’m not sure I would have liked this series as much without him. In many ways, this character is what made it all work, which, in all honesty, is what you would hope since the books are written in the first person from his POV. 😛 He did occasionally come across as TSTL as well as a being a bit too good to be true because everyone adored him; however, he was extraordinarily appealing and just a downright engaging character to read.

Dislike~ More of a warning~ I’ve also seen comments that describe this series as being – for wont of better words – a dumbed-down version of Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English series. There’s no doubt there are parallels, in particular in the first two books, but quite frankly how many stories out there do you know where one of the main characters is a closeted cop and his love interest is out and proud?? Yeah, there are slightly less then a gazillion. Case closed.

Like~ I dis/liked the fact the books in this series were more along the lines of ‘stay tuned for the next episode’ as opposed to self-contained sub-plots within a larger storyline. Let’s put it this way, I’m glad ARe had the sale otherwise I would have been seriously pissed off I’d only bought the first book given the way it ended. On the plus side, it gave me an excuse to have a reading marathon. What’s not to like about that. 🙂

So, what I think: I totally recommend this series, especially if none of the issues outlined above are things that will get your goat as a reader. If you’re anything like me you’ll be able to shrug these off pretty easily and just enjoy this series for what it is – a great read.

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‘Tasting’ is my version of a mini-review where I talk a (very) little about what I liked and disliked about a book as well as who I think the story will appeal to.Oh, and I’ve added a bit about why I picked up the book in the first place – sometimes this can be interesting to know.

Posted in action/thriller, contemporary, m/m, m/m romance challenge 2010, mary calmes, mystery, tasting | 28 Comments

maybe it’s me, but…

Posted on 27/04/2010 by Kris


Blurb~

Killer cows! They’re big! They’re angry! They smell bad! They’re coming!

The only thing standing in their way is a lonely 14-year-old, whether he’s ready or not…

Randy Meyer is the new kid in Satus Creek, a tiny farm town where nothing ever happens, and his days are filled with tedium. Then one summer afternoon, a meteor crashes nearby. It’s just the first in a series of events that will not only change his life, but threaten the entire planet. Soon after, vicious cows are on the rampage all over the country, and they’re not of this Earth!

Armed with a newly-discovered flying saucer he doesn’t know how to fly, and a misfit group of new friends he doesn’t entirely trust, Randy is forced to grow up fast if he’s going to make decisions that will not only help him fit-in with his new peers, but save the world from a fate worse than death!



My inner teenage boy is begging me to get this.

God, he can be annoying sometimes.
Posted in book pimpage, maybe it's me but, me, weird, ya | 40 Comments

things that make you go O_o

Posted on 26/04/2010 by Kris


Is it just me or does this boy have a weird arse neck??
Posted in book covers, things that make you go O_o | 23 Comments

almost kiss cookies

Posted on 24/04/2010 by Kris
Posted in cookies, pretties | 25 Comments

what’s a pen name got to do with it?

Posted on 22/04/2010 by Kris

This is a cross post from Wave’s site.
If you have an urge to comment, feel free to do so in either place.


I read with great interest the post that Alexi Silversmith did the other day on the topic of pen names used by authors of m/m romance and erotica as well as the comments it generated.

Yet, one thing kept on going around and around in my head – so much so that I begged Wave to let me do this follow up post – and this was the question ‘do readers actually give a toss about pen names?’

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not deliberately being dismissive about why authors choose or choose not to use pen names because there are many very valid reasons as to why they would or wouldn’t. However, whilst reading the comments on Alexi’s post, I kept asking myself ‘do I really care about who the person is behind the pen name?’

Erm. No offense meant. 😀 Hey, I’m not a hypocrite! I only use part of my RL name myself because of the existing online presence I have associated with the EDJ.

Still, this was me pondering:

Do I care if it’s a girl or boy author writing the m/m romance and erotica? Nope.

Do I care if it’s a pen name? Umm, why??? I pretty much assume most of them are anyways.

Do I care if it’s a girl/boy with a boy/girl author name? I’d probably be O_o, but, as long as their writing doesn’t suck and they’re not a total prat about it, it’s none of my business.

In fact, there was only one real instance I could think of where I’d be pretty pissed off about the use of a pen name. This would be when an author has deliberately started to use a pseud so as to avoid the shit storm associated with their last/other author name. To me, especially if that situation was the author’s own damned fault, this borders on the unethical.

But maybe I’m the only reader who is this laid back about the whole issue? *shrugs* Could be.

So what about you? Have you actually stopped mid-purchase to say ‘oh, I’m not buying that m/m book because that’s obviously a pseud’? As a reader, do you actually give a toss about an author using a pen name?

Oh, and keep it civil please. No mentioning names or being rude. I am WAY nastier than Alexi and Wave and will hold no punches in return. Just warning you.


Posted in authors, guest blogging, serious randomness, Wave | 54 Comments

too beautiful not to share

Posted on 22/04/2010 by Kris


I just read this beautiful and moving post, which I found via Lisabea, and felt the immediate need to share it with you all.

I hope you will be as touched as I was.

Posted in important stuff, Lisabea, serious randomness, serious shit | 15 Comments

twu wuv: take 2

Posted on 20/04/2010 by Kris


Some of you who’ve been hanging around here for a while may recall Jenre’s and my Top 25 “You know it’s Twu Wuv whens…” post.


Yeah. It was the stuff of epics.


Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the ‘twu wuv will cure what ails you’ trope and I’ve decided that I really, REALLY don’t like it.

To be honest, the more I obsess think about it the more pissed off I get.

I find it especially dismissive when the love of a good partner is meant to magically heal all psychological and mental problems. That could be my personal beef, though, given my closeness to this particular subject.

Do any of you have a despised twu wuv trope? If so, what is it and why does it get your back up?

Posted in Jenre, m/m, tropes, twu luv | 28 Comments