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Cyn F. (Cyn-Sama) - - Reviews

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The Black Swan (Fairy Tale, Bk 2)
The Black Swan (Fairy Tale, Bk 2)
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 203
Review Date: 6/26/2006
Helpful Score: 2


Anything by Lackey I love, but I've got a special soft spot in my heart for her re-telling of fairy tales. Here we have a re-telling of the Swam Princess. It's just lovely.


Blackmailed
Blackmailed
Author: Annmarie McKenna
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 226
Review Date: 6/23/2007
Helpful Score: 10


Very dissapointed in this book. I love the idea of the female lead being dominated by the two males that are going to be sharing her bed, I really don't like the idea of the female lead being totaly and utterly spineless. Yes her character worked with the story, but I spent half the book wanting to smack her and tell her to grow a backbone!


The Blue Enchantress (Charles Towne Belles, Bk 2)
The Blue Enchantress (Charles Towne Belles, Bk 2)
Author: Marylu Tyndall
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 36
Review Date: 8/27/2009


Nope, just can't do Christian romance. The two words just kind of seem like an oxymoron to me.
I'm sure this is someones cup of tea, but it's surely not mine.


Cake (Blood Nation, Bk 1)
Cake (Blood Nation, Bk 1)
Author: Derekica Snake
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 10/15/2010


I really, really wanted to like this book more than I did. I mean, whats there not to like about pretty boy vampires, screwing madly? Believe me, the book had quite a bit of that - I guess I was just expecting more from it, knowing how pleased I was with SL Publishings first release, Cethe.
Cake was just a little too over the top for me. Things were resolved too neatly. The main character was too pretty.
I think part of this stems from the book being written in first person narrative. I always feel that writing in the first person lends itself to edging into Mary-Sue territory, even if the author has no intention of going there.
Cake revolves around a legally blind, fat, nasty, computer programmer who is kidnapped by a vampire and turned into the perfect submissive, after he is caught preforming some industrial sabotage. After the vampire, Marcus, whittles our programmer into the perfect submissive (looks and all) he is given the choice of becoming a vampire, or staying a human and staying a sex toy.
Programmer-boy chooses to be a vamp, but instead of becoming Marcus equal. We find that hes the last of the lost Blue Bloodline of a Royal House of vampires.
See what I mean about taking it a step too far.
Thats not to say that I didnt enjoy this book, and wont be buying the next one when it comes out in print - its just not going to be on my list of all time favorite books.
Snake has an amazing imagination, and while her books are an enjoying read, they could benefit from paring down of all the ideas that shes trying to cram into one novel.


Cethe
Cethe
Author: Becca Abbott
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 5
Review Date: 11/24/2009
Helpful Score: 1


I have waited a long time to hold a book by Becca Abbott in my hot little hands. Her stories were always filled with pain and heartache, yet tempered with passion and sweetness.
SL Publishing has picked a real gem to be their first foray into print books. This is going to appeal to the yaoi fans, as well as to fans of m/m fiction who want a good dose of high fantasy with their relationships.
I happen to be a sucker for high fantasy, so this book pushed all of my happy buttons.

Stefn is a sin-eater. Sin-eaters are humans who are born with a deformity and everything that goes wrong is laid to blame at their feet. Despised by his family because of his deformity, Stefn spends his days wrapped up in ancient histories and books.
There's a revolution brewing. The church, which Stefn's family owes full allegiance has grown corrupt and power hungry. The king of the land is in a drug addled haze. The king's brother will do everything in his power to save the kingdom of Tanrin; even if it means bringing back forbidden Naran sorcery.
A coup is staged, and Stefn is the only male member of his family left alive.
He's left alive for one reason, to serve as the conduit of power for Michael Arranz, who's descended from the demon race of Naragi. Michael's blood is one of the purest left, and he needs a conduit if the plans to save the country are to be fruitful.

Enter in Stefn - abused, sheltered and believing fully that the demon race is bad, and that he must do everything in his power to thwart Michael's plans.
Yet, it's hard to rebel when you're very being is tied to what you hate most in the world - When it holds you in a web of pleasure and friendship, greater than anything that Stefn has ever known.

This book too me to a place that few books are able to bring me to. A place where you don't even notice that time is passing, yet you're spending hours devouring every word on the page. I was sad when I found that I only had a few chapters left. I wanted the book to keep going, to spend more time with these characters.
I knew I was going to like this book, based on the strength of Abbott's previous writing, but I wasn't expecting to like it quite this much. If this is the quality of work that SL Publishing is going to be releasing, then we're all in for a big treat.


A Changeling for All Seasons
Review Date: 7/20/2009
Helpful Score: 3


Normaly, I'm a fan of far-fetched erotica, that has a paranormal bent to it.
What I'm not a fan of is outlandish stories that try to be hot, but end up being laughable because character development is left behind in the wake of trying to fit another smut scene in.

Again, I like down right dirty books, but there has to be a connection with the characters for me to enjoy it, and this book is sadly lacking.


Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary
Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 6
Review Date: 10/19/2009
Helpful Score: 1


This book brings me back to being 16 years old, when my boyfriend wore as much makeup as I did, music was everything, and our sexualitys were pretty fluid.

Normaly, things that bring me back to that point in my life, make me cringe, but this book brought me back to the good parts of that time. Back to pretty boys and vampires being sexy, yet evil.

It's a lush, sensual book, and one that is staying very firmly on my keeper shelf!


Charlotte Sometimes
Charlotte Sometimes
Author: Penelope Farmer
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 3
Review Date: 3/30/2008
Helpful Score: 1


I will fully admit that I didn't discover this book in the traditional way.
I have to admit to being a HUGE fan of the Cure. Yup. That's 80's quasi-gothy band, lead by Robert Smith. What can I say, I've always liked boys in makeup.

One of my favorite songs by the Cure was always Charlotte Sometimes. I didn't have a clue that the song title was taken from a book, and that lines from the book were used in the song, as well as in the song The Empty World (She talked about the armies, that marched inside her head).

I had just graduated from high school, and was working at a Girl Scout summer camp in Vermont. They had a large building with a stage that had the back wall covered in bookshelves. It was a rainy day so the councilors were letting the kids run amok in the building. Me, being bored to tears by the rain and driven crazy by the kids running amok decided to check out the bookshelves.

The title Charlotte Sometimes caught my eye and grabbed the book to read in my tent later.

Once I read the book, and fell in love with it, I had to get my own copy so I could share it with all of my Cure loving friends.

It's still one of my favorite books, and it still puts me in the mood to listen to the Cure.


Dead after Dark: Shadow of the Moon / The Story of Son / Beyond the Night / Midnight Kiss Goodbye
Review Date: 2/1/2010


While I like Sherrilyn Kenyon, she's wearing a bit thin on me. So, the only reason this one is staying in the collection is the OMGAMAZING story by JR Ward.

Seriously, if it's set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, I'm eating it up with the proverbial spoon


Drawing Blood
Drawing Blood
Author: Poppy Z. Brite
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 95
Review Date: 6/26/2006


My all time favorite Poppy novel. This is my comfort book. There's something about beautiful boys, who are broken, finding a way to make themselves whole with each other.

It's creepy in all the right ways, and sucks you in to a strange and twisted world. Yet, still delivers an ending that leaves you stasfied.


Dumb Jock (Dumb Jock, Bk 1)
Dumb Jock (Dumb Jock, Bk 1)
Author: Jeff Erno
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 7/5/2009


This was not a comfortable book to read. I don't think many book about teenage alienation are really that comfortable. The books that ring the most true, are the least comfortable to read.
I know I tried to bury those feelings of confusion and insecurity, and having a writer dredge them all up again doesn't make for the most pleasant reading.

That's not to say that it isn't an engrossing read, it's just not something to pick up when you want something light and happy, to help you forget your troubles.

The story revolves around Jeff, a young man in his Freshman year of High School, who's just starting to come to terms with his sexuality, and the relationship that blossoms between him and the star of the football team, Brett.
Jeff is asked to tutor Brett. Well, asked is a bit too nice of a word. Jeff is told that he either tutors Brett or fails gym, and gets turned into fresh meat for the 'jocks' to pick on.

Brett isn't what Jeff expects, and a friendship develops. Then, develops into something deeper than friendship.
But, the town isn't ready for people who are open about their sexuality, and Brett has a lot to loose, if his relationship with Jeff is made public knowledge.

It's a sweet story, even though parts of the relationship made me a bit uncomfortable. For a good part of the story, Brett looks at Jeff as more of a devoted pet, instead of a person who's capable of making his own decisions.
Their relationship does evolve, and I definitly remember that slavish devotion from my time in High School, but again, it's not the most comfortable thing to read about.

My main problem with the writing, is more of a pet peeve, rather than an actual issue with the writing. When I'm reading fiction, I hate it when writers quote pop culture, or make references to specific songs or TV shows.
When I'm reading fiction, I have this imaginary world in my head. When the author lists a certain song that I know and I'm familiar with, it jolts me out of my imaginary world, because it doesn't fit.

I much prefer more generalized references, where I can substitute my own idea of what the characters are listening to/watching in my mind.
If the author states that the characters are listening to loud, angry music, I'll insert my own favorite flavor of loud, angry music. The authors version of loud music and mine most likely do not match. And, that's okay.
I guess, I would just rather use my imagination, than have everything laid out for me.

Some people enjoy finding those pop culture references, but they drive me up the wall.

All in all, it's a sweet story, and one that may just ring true to a lot of people out there.


The Fire Rose (Elemental Masters, Bk 1)
The Fire Rose (Elemental Masters, Bk 1)
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 12
Review Date: 8/24/2015
Helpful Score: 11


I love fairy tales. As a young child I devoured every fairy tale collection book I could find.
Later, I graduated to fantasy novels, with Mercedes Lackey being my go-to author. I went through my teenage years with her Valdemar series, growing up with her characters. Always finding an escape from reality, as soon as I let the story envelop me.

Then, I discovered the "Fire Rose". An Edwardian retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
What a world to sink into!
Imagine that magic is real, and is based on the four elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Imagine that there are magicians who can control one of these elements, and use the powers for the benefit of humanity, or to selfishly destroy the world as we know it.
We are introduced to our heroine in Chicago, where the death of her father has left her destitute. She has been working on her Doctorate in Medieval Studies, and considers herself to be a learned spinster.
A mysterious letter arrives, offering her a way out of her troubles, if she will relocate to San Francisco, ostensibly to teach two young children.
Our heroine has no choice. She can stay in Chicago, and try to find a teaching position, or she can take herself to San Francisco, and try to have a bit of adventure.
The knowledge of a vial of laudanum, enough to take her out of this world if life becomes too unbearable, gives her the courage to set out on her journey.

On arriving, our intrepid heroine finds she has been mislead, and, instead of teaching children, she is to be reading and translating ancient manuscripts for her mysterious employer, whom she will never see.

We all know that there is to be a happy ending, most fairy tales do, but the journey to this happy ending is what makes it interesting.

I love the time period, I love the setup, I love the laws of magic in this world and how it effects the natural world.

I've read other retellings of Beauty and the Beast, most notably "Beauty" and "Rose Daughter" by Robin McKinley as well as a different Mercedes Lackey retelling in a different universe, "Beauty and the Werewolf", and thoroughly enjoyed them. But, there's something special about these Elemental Masters stories that suck me in, like no other tale can.

Try this book. Especially if you have never read anything by Mercedes Lackey. See if you can fall under the same spell as I have, and get transported to a land where magic is not only possible, it's part of what makes life wonderful.


Freeman
Freeman
Author: Clare London
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 6/15/2009


This review first appeared on the website I write for, Boys Next Door.

Clare London's done it again. She's sucked me into a story. I should know by now that this happens every time I read something that she's done. She's got a knack for taking people on the fringe of society, coming from a place that may be completly alien to the reader, and turning it into something that's accessible. You feel with these characters and even when the motives behind their actions are obscured, you still understand them. It's a rare talent.

This release is a bit different from the other work that I know and love from London. The reader doesn't get to know exactly what the main character's motives are until the very last chapter in the book. While it's not my favorite plot device, she makes it work. Normally, I like to know everything about a character, so I can angst with them throughout the story.

There's our main character, Freeman, whose job is to find things. He runs into a nameless club-goer, who he dubs 'Kit.' Kit becomes a fixture in Freeman's life, even as Freeman starts to burrow into Kit's employer's not-so-legal dealings, and people from Freeman's past come in to make things very confusing for Kit and Freeman both.

At times, you're not even sure who the good guys are and that's kind of nice. I like characters to be a bit ambiguous. It makes them all that much more real to me.

I'm not sure if this is going to be everyone's cup of tea since it's not happy and fluffy like the majority of BL out there, but it is a fantastic read. If people are going to ignore a good book because it's not sticking to the conventions that we all got used to reading in BL manga and in fan-fiction, well, then they're missing out. London is still one of my favorite authors--someone who I can always turn to for an engrossing story--even when she's playing with new ideas and new ways of delivering gorgeously hot males screwing each other madly.


Full Bodied Charmer
Full Bodied Charmer
Author: Marilyn Lee
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 43
Review Date: 11/6/2009
Helpful Score: 5


While I'm predisposed to liking books with a full-figured heroine, I have to like the main characters for the book to truly work for me.
I found the two main characters fairly shallow, and self-absorbed, which killed any and all enjoyment I may have had with the book.
While the sex scenes were plentiful, the constant begging for a males swollen anatomy, lead me to grow bored with them.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a prude. I devour malexmale erotica like it's candy, and I don't mind euphemisms for anatomy.
What bores me is it's overuse.
It no longer becomes titillating, it becomes rather tawdry, and cheap.

Much like I felt after reading this book.


Further Than Passion
Further Than Passion
Author: Cheryl Holt
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 101
Review Date: 6/26/2006
Helpful Score: 2


You know when you want just pure smut this is the author you go to.


A Girl's Guide to Vampires (Dark Ones, Bk 1)
A Girl's Guide to Vampires (Dark Ones, Bk 1)
Author: Katie MacAlister
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 553
Review Date: 6/26/2006


It's nice if you like a bit of the supernatural in with your fluff.


The God Eaters
The God Eaters
Author: Jesse Hajicek
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 18
Review Date: 8/7/2009
Helpful Score: 2


I can't quite put my finger on why I love this book so much, but it is one of my all time favorites.

There's something about the chemistry between the characters, and the true emotion that just pours off of the page that grabs me.

It's one of the books that stays on my keeper shelf to be taken down every few months and devoured in one sitting, along with a nice pot of tea.


The Gold Warrior
The Gold Warrior
Author: Clare London
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 4/16/2008
Helpful Score: 1


This review first appeared on the website I write for, Boys Next Door.

I'll admit it, the idea of a female dominant society with a harem of men at their beck and call just makes me happy. I like it even more when the system is rotten and riddled with abuse. Doubly so when there are noble, self-sacrificing heroes who are going to move heaven and hell to save what's important to them.

This is a richly developed world, there are hints of the history of the civilization included in the story that only make me want to delve deeper in. London has promised us a sequel to this novel next year. I'm hoping to get some of the mysteries of the history of this world answered then.

I really liked the characters, but I was slightly disappointed by staying the in main character's head the entire time. Now, I know he's the main character and all, but I wanted to know what the hell was going on in some of the other characters' heads.

Maen is our main character. He's a gold warrior, the elite of the warriors who guard over their mistresses and provide them with their every need. Yes. Every need. There is male/female sex in here. Don't have a hissy fit. We need it for plot development. You won't have to turn in your BL Fangirl membership card if you get turned on by reading it.

Maen is comfortable in his place in this world. He finds comfort in taking orders and caring for his mistress. At least, until he meets Dax.

See, every year the mistresses congregate and participate in an auction to buy new members for their household. The young men they purchase are ranked as Bronze warriors. Bronze boys are trained in pleasuring their mistresses and in the art of war. As the warriors get older, they are raised to the rank of Silver. Only the best of the best are able to rise to the rank of Gold warrior. And, when Maen sees Dax, he thinks that Dax has the potential to be a Gold.

However, Dax stirs up feelings that Maen doesn't quite know what to do with. Dax is a free-thinking young man who questions the way that the city is run and rank hierarchy. Maen just doesn't know quite how to handle Dax or his own thoughts, honestly.

I've always loved London's writing, but this just makes me love it even more. It's one of those books that when I finished it, I was pissed that I was going to have to wait for a while to find out what happens to the characters.


Helpless
Helpless
Author: M. J. Pearson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 6/6/2010


It took me a while to figure out exactly what was so appealing about M. J. Pearson's protagonists. They're always just flawed enough to seem real, and do a wonderful job of angsting. Something that I always appreciate.
This book is just as appealing and endearing as her other two releases, complete with the wonderfully over-the-top cover. And, they're (for the most part) historically accurate.

I just wish she would write faster. Books that make me grin like hers do, are few and far between.


I'm Perfect, You're Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing
Review Date: 10/10/2009
Helpful Score: 1


I am not a Jehovah's Witness, reformed or otherwise, but I am a Rhode Islander, and a recovering gothy-goth, so this book rang true for me on many different levels. I've dated the unemployed musicians who's biggest thrill in life is going to AS220, I know that no one else will appreciate my love for the Cure's Disintegration.
It was these things and more, that sucked me in, but the quality of the writing, and the authors ability to laugh at herself, while looking back at what were some pretty horrific times, made this book a true treat to read.


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