Roger's Reads – Page 57 – Author & Book Reviewer

Review of Out of Bounds by A.R. Barley

February 3, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I just finished a very sweet gay romance entitled Out of Bounds by A.R. Barley, a completely new author to me. The was a feel-good story with likable main characters. The blurb is as follows:

Beaten and heartbroken, Jesse Cole is placed in a new dorm room after his last roommate attacked him. Just wanting to be left alone to heal in peace, he’s shocked when tall, dark and dangerous-looking Nick Moretti walks in.

Nick doesn’t have time to tiptoe around his new roommate—he’s too busy working in order to pay for school. But something about Jesse brings out his protective instincts. As their cautious friendship grows and becomes loaded with sexual tension, he wants to make Jesse comfortable.

Enter the perfect plan: a line of tape down the center of the room. Boundaries established.

But as innocent movie nights become hours-long temptation marathons, and whispered chats from across the room delve into straight-up dirty territory, crossing the line has never been so satisfying.

Jesse is Broken

It’s the middle of the semester, and Jesse is reassigned in a new college dorm room in the senior dorm even though he’s only a sophomore. He’s what one would call “broken” after having gone through a vicious homophobic attack at the hands of his roommate — someone he trusted — which resulted in a visit to the ER. As the story progresses, we learn that Jesse had misread the signals his former roommate was giving him (or did he?) and when Jesse leaned in to kiss him, the roommate turned on Jesse with his fists, beating him pretty badly. Luckily, we don’t see the violence first hand – we only hear it from Jesse’s mouth as the story progresses. Oh, and by the way, Jesse is a virgin; that disastrous kiss is the closest he’s come to sex with anyone.

Enter Nick

It’s pretty apparent that Jesse is suffering from PTSD, and it doesn’t help matters that his new roommate, Nick, is built, handsome and well over 6 feet tall – the kind of person who could break Jess in half if he so chose. Nick also works as a bouncer at a local pub and because of unfortunate events in his past, thinks of himself as a “thug”. But once we move past his dangerous-looking exterior, we see that Nick is actually a very sweet man who goes out of his way to make Jesse feel safe.

In the beginning, practically any movement Nick makes causes Jesse to flinch. So in order to make Jesse feel safe in the room and less skittish around him, Nick puts a line of tape down the middle of the room which neither of them can cross. Nick promises he’ll never go into Jesse’s space nor is Jesse to go into Nick’s. In other words, no going “out of bounds”, hence the title of the book.

But there’s something about Jesse…

Not only does Jesse bring out Nick’s protective instincts, but soon Nick finds himself thinking about Jesse in ways that surprise him, given that he claims he not into “twinks”. Soon he finds himself daydreaming about kissing Jesse – and more. But Nick doesn’t act on his feelings, fearful of doing anything that could jeopardize the progress Jesse’s made. Finally, they both figure out that there’s a mutual attraction between them, but even then, Nick still respects the boundary, fearful of doing anything that could end in disaster

And they take things slow

Nick is the perfect gentleman and moves slowly — perhaps a bit too slowly, once Jesse’s realizes his own feelings for Nick. The romance between the two of them is slow and tender, starting out with pizza and movie nights (but no touching!), working their way to holding hands when they’re out in public. It’s lovely to watch these two as their friendship slowly evolves into love. This is definitely a slow-burner, as they build up trust between them and slowly get to know one another.

The boundary gets pushed

Of course, the boundary is eventually going to get pushed; otherwise, we wouldn’t have much of a tale, now would we? Without giving too much away, I will say that this book has a HEA – an excellent friends- to-lovers ending as they both learn to let go of the past.

The Verdict

Out of Bounds is a heartfelt yet sexy friends-to-lovers story about two guys with a troubled past finding one another. Both characters were charming and sweet, and I loved watching Nick and Jesse interact as their feelings for each other deepened. I found both characters realistic and extremely likable. What especially worked for me was the slow build-up between Nick and Jesse as their evolving friendship moved toward a deeper connection. I also liked that the angst in the novel was kept to a minimum (I’m not much for overly angsty stories and tend to shy away from them as a rule).

Though this story dealt with some heavy issues such as assault, homophobia, lack of self-confidence and fear of rejection, the story didn’t feel overly heavy or depressing. What the author did end up giving us was a lovely feel-good story about friendship, loyalty, love, pride, and happiness — a story about falling in love and discovering who you are really are during the process. I definitely plan on reading more by this author. Recommended!

You can check out Out of Bounds HERE

Review of The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

February 1, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

One of the reasons I belong to my book club (called “The Book Bags”) is that I get to read a lot of books that normally would not cross my path. Our latest read, The Paris Wife by Paula McLain was one of them.

Introducing – Hadley

The genre of this book is historical fiction, told from the point of view of Hadley Richardson, who became the first wife of Ernest Hemingway. It’s worth noting, however, that the author did an incredible amount of research while writing this story and had access to correspondence between Hadley and Ernest along with other historical source materials.

The Roaring 20’s & The Elite

The book recounts their time in Paris during the 20’s as they hung out with folks such as Gertrude Stein and Alice Tolkias, Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Erza Pound and many more interesting and zany characters of high society. The book takes us to fashionable Paris cafes, violet bullfighting in Spain and calm villas in Italy. The Paris scenes were my favorite though (perhaps being a former French teacher may have something to do with that) and I love reading what felt like a first-hand account of Paris life during the Roaring 20’s.

The book was evocative of the time period and while reading, I felt at times as though I were really there. It made me think of the movie “Midnight in Paris” when Owen Wilson time-travels back to the 20’s and ends up partying with the Fitzgerald’s among others. But I digress.

The Betrayal

The Paris Wife is told from Hadley’s first-person point of view as she struggles to fit in with a crowd that has little in common with her traditional values, while at the same time trying to remain supportive of Ernest’s work and dark moods. This is an intimate novel and by the end of the book, I felt that I knew Hadley so well I almost considered her a dear friend by the end of the book —— and when Ernest and Hadley’s friend Pauline betray her and heartlessly flaunt their affair in front of her, we can’t help feeling devastated right along with her.

The Verdict

Like I said, this isn’t normally the type of book I’d pick up on my own but I’m so glad I did. The author did a masterful job of telling Hadley and Ernest’s story. It’s a riveting emotional character-driven tale of passion, intense love, uncertainty, regret, heartbreak and ultimately, self-discovery. Ms. McLain has crafted a riveting novel with an exquisite amount of atmosphere yet with a steady mounting sense of impending doom. But Hadley comes out of it empowered, realizing finally who she really is once she steps out of Ernest Hemingway’s shadow.

This was a moving story and well worth a read, especially if you’re familiar with Hemingway’s work or enjoy novels set during this time period. But even if you’re not a Hemingway fan, The Paris Wife has plenty to offer and it kept me interested until the end. The author did a commendable job of portraying the larger-than-life Hemingway through the eyes of his wife. Recommended!

You can check out The Paris Wife HERE.

Review of The Finder by J.E. Lorin

January 29, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I just finished a book the other day called The Finder by J.E. Lorin and wow! What a great read! This is a brand new author for me and the book description sound like something I’d enjoy so I bought it. It’s kind of a gay romance with a serial killer twist. The blurb is as follows:

At the age of sixteen, August Goodson developed a strange and mysterious power overnight: he can find people. Victims of murder, suicide, kidnapping, accidents, and rape; August can find them all, usually dead, but sometimes still alive. Nine years later finds August volunteering his services to the police. He’s still smarting from the loss of his long-time love Dante, who cheated on him with his best friend, and harbors a deep crush on the incredibly handsome, and oh-so-straight, Detective Luke Williams. But there are bigger concerns on August’s mind: a serial killer is loose in the city, one whose victims are a little too much like him for comfort. When August finds a living victim who may be one of the serial killer’s, he’s drawn even deeper into the case. Will he make it out alive, or will he soon be the one in need of finding?

In Augie’s Head

Our main character, August (but everyone calls him “Augie”) can hear voices of victims who call to him, often begging him to find them. The kicker is that the victims can be dead or alive. In this way, Augie is able to find the bodies of murder victims, so he’s become a valuable asset to the local police department.

The story is told from Augie’s point of view, so I found it especially fascinating to be in his head when the victim’s call out to him and to experience first hand what he undergoes when he finds the body he’s looking for.

It’s also worth mentioning that Augie is somewhat broken because of a bad breakup. Because of this, he comes across as rather bristly and never allows anyone to get truly close to him. Given that we are privy to this thoughts and feelings, we can understand his reluctance to let anyone it. August certainly comes with a lot of baggage. But even so, he is a strong and brave character — someone just needs to break down the impenetrable barriers that surround him.

Enter Luke

Luke, the of the police officers whom Augie works with (and who’s also quite hunky) is determined to bring Augie out of his shell. Luke, along with Augie’s best friend Cherry, slowly help to break down his barriers. In the process, Luke and Augie’s friendship deepens and slowly turns into a romance. Their romance is slow, tender and sweet — definitely a slow-burn situation as Augie is still unsure if he’s ready to move their relationship to the next level and able to overcome his past. But lucky for him, Luke is patient, tenacious but gentle. He’s the ultimate perfect boyfriend.

Enter the Serial Killer

Many of the recent bodies that Augie has “found” are the victims of a recent serial killer who is targeting young gay men who resemble August. As bodies begin to pile up, Augie feels increasingly responsible and retreats even further into himself, especially once his friends come under attack. Augie becomes drawn even more deeply into the case when he finds a living victim who Augie suspects is one the serial killer’s. Then, things become especially dire for August once he becomes the main focus of our killer.

Now I will say that there are some hints peppered throughout the story as to the identity of the serial killer, making it possible to figure it out early on. But this in no way takes away anything from the story. Even though we might suspect the killer’s identity, we have no idea how it will all unfold. I found it fascinating to learn why he murdered all those young men and how their murder is connected to our hero.

The Verdict

As I mentioned above, I loved this book. The characters were strong and excellently developed, and I liked that the secondary characters were just as vivid as our main character. They really came alive in this story. The book also had perfect pace and a gripping storyline, with a lot of compelling twists and plenty of surprises which kept me turning the page.

And even though there was a romance between Luke and Augie, I appreciated the fact that the book wasn’t filled with one sex scene after another. The Finder was more about the story than about the sex. The book definitely has it’s creepy parts, but the author kept the gruesome and vivid descriptions of the murder scenes to a minimum.

All in all, it was an enjoyable well-written book, and I am so glad that I read it. This was one of those stories that I kept thinking about several days after I completed the book. Recommended!

You can check out The Finder HERE

Review of Anna Dressed in Blood

January 28, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I’m a sucker for a good ghost story, so I recently read a book entitled “Anna Dressed in Blood” by Kendare Blake, which was quite different from the ghost stories you typically read.

The Story

Our hero is Cas Lowood, a loner teenager who kills ghosts with his deadly ghost-hunting knife. Cas doesn’t kill all ghosts he comes across — only those ghosts who harm people. We learn that he inherited his profession and the knife from his father who was killed under mysterious circumstances by an especially nasty ghost. Cas works on building up his ghost-hunting skills, and once they’re good enough, he plans on avenging his father’s death by destroying the ghost that murdered him.

Since his father’s murder, Cas and his mother, who is a white witch, travel the country following rumors of murderous ghosts. Cas makes a point of never making friends or connections because he knows he never stays long in one place; there’s always a new ghost to hunt in a new city.

Following a local legend about an especially vicious ghost named Anna, Cas and his mom end up in Thunder Bay. Anna was brutally murdered in 1958, and since then, numerous disappearances have been blamed on her. But Anna is not like any ghost that Cas has ever encountered before. She is extremely powerful, tormented and full of rage — and she wears the same dress she did the day she was murdered: stained red with blood (hence the book’s title).

Anna also kills anyone who dares to enter her old Victorian homestead by tearing them apart, so the story was rather frightening and bloody at times. Anna was definitely one scary girl! She is also the most fearsome ghost Cass has ever encountered. But…all is not as it seems with Anna.

The Characters

The story is told from Cas’s point of view, and I loved his character. He was cocky (perhaps a tad arrogant), self-assured and brave but had a sensitive side as well and turns out to be quite a likable character. The author did an excellent job of portraying what it is that makes our young protagonist tick. His deadpan humor really added a nice touch to this character. I loved how his character evolved from a closed-off loner to a more open, caring person with actual friends.

Equally impressive were the vivid secondary characters Thomas (a mind-reading nerd), Caramel (a high school Queen Bee), his mother (a lovable kitchen-witch) and of course our ghost, tortured Anna, who is at first ultimately terrifying but there is a lot more to her than meets the eye.

All in all, the characters were complex, well-developed and humorous, and each had an important role to play in the book. By the end of the story, you had a feeling as though you knew each of them well.

The Verdict

Anna Dressed in Blood is a suspenseful, well-told compelling tale with an unexpected twist at the end. The action was fast-paced and exciting, and the numerous twists and turns definitely keep the reader guessing. The ending and the plot were not predictable (at least I didn’t think so) and were refreshingly original. While it’s certainly a horror story filled with action, gore and mystery, it’s also a story of redemption with a touch of romance.

This is a story that pulls you right in and keeps you interested until the very end — or at least it did for me. I really loved this story and all of the characters. I usually have a niggle or two with most books I read but there were none for me in this book. It was amazing.

I was also happy to learn that there’s a sequel entitled “The Girl of Nightmares” which I’ll definitely be reading (note: there was no cliffhanger at the end of Anna Dressed in Blood – the storyline was completely resolved at the end). I am so happy I discovered this author and will happily read her other books. Recommended!

You can check out Anna Dressed in Blood HERE

Review of Spell Bound by Jacob Flores

January 26, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

A while ago, I purchased a series of books entitled “The Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge” by Jacob Z. Flores and I ended up forgetting all about them until recently when I was browsing through my “To Read” list on my Kindle. For some reason, I’d purchased the entire four-book series at once, something I typically don’t do unless I’ve read at least one of the books in the series. But I must have been encouraged by positive reviews to get them all at once.

The Blackmoors

Anyway, I finally started the series with the first book, “Spell Bound”, a young adult (rated R) paranormal story. The main character is Mason Blackmore, a high school tough guy and one of three warlock brothers (their dad is a warlock as well). While Mason’s father and brothers are powerful warlocks, Mason’s active power has yet to surface, so his spells never turn out quite the way he intended, leading him to feel that he is a disappointment to his family.

The Blackmoors along with two other families: a family of witches who use white magic and a family of wizards who use gray magic are charged with protecting the source of all magic in the world call “The Gate”. Mason’s family uses black magic, though it’s not the type of “evil” magic we see with Voldemort on Harry Potter; instead, a warlock’s black magic is dark, powerful and sometimes selfish.

The Murder and The Stranger

The story kicks off with a dead body showing up on the football field at Mason’s high school. At the same time, Mason encounters a new kid at school: cocky, self-confident Drake Carpenter, who immediately rubs Mason the wrong way.

Drake appears to dislike Mason as well, and Mason can’t help but wonder whether Drake’s appearance has anything to do with the dead girl found at school. He suspects that Drake may be a magical being of some kind and sure enough, Mason later encounters Drake out in the woods running and jumping in a somewhat non-human manner. Mason assumes the new kid is a shifter.

Mason & Drake

Thus far, Mason and Drake appear to have an intense dislike for each other, but that seems to change after Mason saves Drake’s life in the town square. Though our young warlock tells himself that he dislikes the cocky Drake, he also can’t deny his attraction to him.

The two eventually get together, finally acknowledging their mutual attraction and overcome their initial misunderstanding of one another. It also appears to be no coincidence that right after Drake showed up on Mason’s life, Mason was able to tap into his active power.

But it’s not going to be an easy road for either of them.

Danger, Danger!

Another murder leads to the appearance of The Conclave — a council of mysterious, hooded and extremely powerful warlocks, witches, and wizards who typically only show up in dire circumstances. Their strange behavior concerns the magical families, and instead of helping with the danger, the Conclave seems to be ignoring it.

Things become more dangerous for the Mason and Drake in the coming days, leading to a nearly lethal battle with a powerful foe, which threatens the existence of all three magical families. At the end of the book, the battle may be won, but not the war. We distinctly get the feeling that there’s more danger ahead. But for now, there is a rest from strife and a “happy for now” ending.

Verdict

Though Mason initially comes across as a surly teen, his overly tough exterior melts once Drake comes into the picture and he transforms into a likable, complex character. This well-told gripping story contained elements of mystery, romance, danger, suspense, young love, grief and magic with excellent plot and character development. I loved the chemistry and innocence between Mason and Drake and enjoyed seeing both of their characters grow. The romance in the story wasn’t rushed but proceeded slowly and cautiously.

I look forward to reading more about the warlock brothers and look forward to the next book in the series. Recommended!

You can check out Spell Bound HERE

Review of A Boy and His Dragon

January 25, 2018 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

“Within this story, it’s clear that the dragon is the weak one. He is completely at the mercy of the boy, even when the boy is depicted in the story as his servant.” ~ Dr. Philbert Jones

The World

I’ve read many shifter books over the years. I’ve also read many books about dragons. But this is the first dragon shifter book that I’ve read and found it to be not only original but also very well done. In the world where this book takes place, all of the magical creatures (called “Beings” in the book) have recently come out of the closet: Fairies, Elves, Werewolves, Trolls, and Dragons.

The Interview

The book starts out with a job interview – young research assistant Arthur MacArthur is interviewing for a job working for a Dragon-shifter, Dr. Philbert Jones (“but please, call me Bertie”). Dr. Jones greets Alex while in his dragon form and Alex, who’s more than a little freaked out by the enormous dragon in front of him, fears that Dr. Jones is going to eat him. But of course, the dragon doesn’t eat him (which would have made for a very short story).

A Sexy Dragon?

Once back in his human form, we learn that Bertie, our dragon-shifter, is a brilliant (and sexy!) historian in the process of writing a book about the now extinct Red Dragon and he’s in need of someone to assist him in organizing his research and his books. He hires Arthur on the spot and Arthur can’t deny the strong attraction he feels for his new boss.

As the days progress, Arthur tries to make sense out of his feelings for his boss. It sometimes seems that Bertie is flirting with him – or is it just Arthur’s imagination? Arthur can’t be sure. But he vows to deny his feelings/attraction for Bertie and keep his relationship with his boss strictly professional, which turns out to be not at easy thing to do.

Burning for the Dragon

This is definitely a sensual, slow burn romance as the two characters slowly get to know each other and grow closer as the book progresses No insta-love here! The interaction and the slow build between the two of them is sweet and romantic and left me feeling as though I really knew them by the end of the book. I really loved the dynamic and the chemistry between the two characters.

One thing I especially liked about this book was that there wasn’t a sex scene every ten pages like you see in so many romance novels. In fact, we have to wait until nearly the end of the book until these two finally get together in a lovely, sensual scene — but it’s definitely worth the wait.

The Verdict

This sweet and playful story is not only about love, but also about the true meaning of treasure. It’s a story with plenty of heart, humor, and self-discovery. I was pleased to learn that this book is part of a series entitled “Beings in Love” and I definitely plan on reading more books in this series. Recommended!