Archives for August 2018

Hexagrammaton by Hanuš Seiner – translated by, Julie Nováková

August 15, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Hexagrammaton by Hanuš Seiner – translated by, Julie Nováková
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (39 pages)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Each man has a measure of luck given by destiny, but not a drop more. Has the luck of an unusual guide responsible for the passage of visitors into the deep buried bellies of alien ships just run out? His newest client, a young woman named Janita, proves to be a member of the resistance carrying in her body an alien civilization’s gift to humanity. Will either of them become the devil’s martyr? One story gives life to another, waiting all along…

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What illuminating flashbacks this story had! I could see what purpose every single one of them served, and I honestly almost found myself wishing for more of them due to how much they enhanced the storyline and pushed it forward even though I soon came to the conclusion that there was the perfect number of them after all. I simply didn’t want them to end. They were so well written and interesting, especially once I realized how they were probably going to tie into what was happening years later in the main character’s life.

Cryptography is a topic that’s recently begun to interest me. While I don’t yet know a lot about it, I was pleased with how the characters in this book handled the idea of a code so complex that even the most powerful cryptographers and ciphers had yet to be able to break it. The more I read about how this all worked in this tale, the more I wanted to know.

The world building was excellent. There was exactly enough time split between giving the audience the details we needed in order to understand what life was like onboard space ships in the distant future and expecting us to put certain clues together ourselves. I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out the less obvious but still quite important parts of this world while at the same time having a fairly clear picture of how everything worked in general.

Hexagrammaton is a must-read for anyone who loves aliens, space ships, or characters who might not be everything they seem at first glance.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

Fling City Club by Tara Brown – Guest Blog and Giveaway

August 15, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Tara Brown, who is celebrating yesterday’s release of Fling Club. Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book.

Fling Club Inspirations

My book releasing is Fling Club, sort of like Fight Club but with romance.

The fabulous main characters are Cherry and Ashley, an unlikely match. It’s opposites attract to the extreme. Cherry is a spoiled rich girl with a serious problem, how to get revenge on the mean girl ruining her life. And Ashley is a sexy, geeky MIT scholarship student who doesn’t fit in her world. He doesn’t even want to. He can’t stand the rich elite and makes no bones about sharing that opinion.

Cherry’s from a rich family and went to school at a private, well known academy where the expectations from parents are demanding. She is demure and reliable, a doormat like most of her friends. Letting parents and guys take the lead in their lives.

After summers of the boys running the shore and parents ruling their lives, the girls decided to take back the power. One girl in particular. She created Fling Club, a fun way to control the dating and socializing the young women were expected to participate in. The head mean girl who runs it, Cait, is every young woman’s nightmare. Controlling, conniving, and completely self-centered. If you have a social life and friends, it’s because Cait allowed it. She has all the parents and every guy on the shore fooled, while all the young women are terrified of crossing her.

When Cherry catches Cait in bed with her boyfriend, the fake friendship is off just as the summer is beginning, meaning Cherry has to come up with a plan for revenge against her frenemy.

With the help of her sarcastic and judgmental brother, Andy, and her pessimistic and evil genius sister, Ella, Cherry is about to wreak havoc on Fling Club, and Cait.

This is where Ashley comes into the plan. He is the bait. Sexy, funny, sarcastic, and just arrogant enough that they don’t have to worry about him falling for Cait while she is falling for him. But after a couple weeks together, the plan is threatened when Ashley and Cherry start falling for each other.

He desperately wants Cherry to see that she is so much more than she pretends to be, and that fitting into her world isn’t worth the price she is paying. And once she starts seeing herself the way he does, she realizes how much she hates the person she has always pretended to be.

Fling Club, which used to be called The Exception to the Summer Fling, is an old story I wrote a decade ago but never published. It came to me when I was driving. I was crossing North America, moving from the West Coast to the East for my husband’s work in 2008. My girls were watching movies in the backseat, kids’ movies. So I got to listen to that the entire six day drive.

I don’t even remember the movie they were watching, I think it was a Barbie movie, maybe Princess and the Pauper, but it got me envisioning the moment Cait marched back and forth in front of the new recruits, cruelly telling them the rules of the summer fling club. (Being a HUGE fan of Cruel Intentions and Gossip Girl, of course I already had a stable of possible plots for mean rich girls.)

The story really formed when I got Cait down in my head, thanks to the long drive and the kids’ movies.

Cait needed to be that sweet and powerful girl the parents would respect and want their daughters to emulate. But she also needed to be terrifying and controlling so the girls went along with whatever she demanded of them. Even if it was disturbing. Of course, Cait is similar to Kathryn from Cruel Intentions, she is calculating and cold. Almost sociopathic in her nature. But I decided to spin the story a little and make our poor little victim, her equal in social rank.

Cherry might be the weaker link at the start of this story, but she comes from a good family with a lot of money. And as the story progressed she evolved from the damsel in distress who can’t cope with anything into a strong young woman. I wanted her to be victim of the story but then I also wanted her to be the savior. Her own savior. I like that love helped her find herself, but she needed to do the work.

I think we nailed that, and the way the characters are meant to make you hate them. I wanted the readers’ feelings to grow and change as the characters did. Cait is unbearably horrible and yet somehow relatable once we have all the facts. Cherry is weak and pathetic to start but grows into someone we liked in the end. And we made the bad guy someone you didn’t expect.

I love the idea that there is an underbelly in the wealthy world, a place we don’t see because they hide it from us. And I adore the meet cute we have created for the entire series of standalone novels, the Post-it Note Wall.

Welcome to the Serendipity Series, starting with Fling Club.

For the young, rich, and beautiful, summertime in the Hamptons means one thing: Fling Club. Only this time, Cherry Kennedy won’t be selecting a boy for a fleeting romance. Nope, this season, Cherry is out for revenge. Her target? The Fling Club founder and society darling who slept with Cherry’s now-very-ex-boyfriend. And all Cherry needs is the perfect guy for her plan…

Ashley Jardine can’t afford to refuse. He scored almost a full ride to MIT. But that almost still costs a lot. And this is so much money for a little game of revenge and a chance—albeit short—to live the high life. Here, rich girls rule the shore, and everyone has a role to play. Only nothing in the job description warned Ashley that the redhead who’s running the scheme would be so crazy. And cute. Or that he wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about her.

Now, everything is going according to plan—until an unexpected attraction raises the stakes. It’s enough to turn the perfect payback into absolute heartbreak.

Enjoy an Excerpt

I called my brother. “Hey, Cherry. Look, I can’t talk—”

“Cait’s sleeping with Griffin,” I blurted out, cutting off whatever excuse he was about to make.

“What? Who?” It took him half a second to connect the dots. “Seriously? How do you know?”

“I just caught them.” My words had turned to a whisper. I was ashamed of my former friends for betraying me, and of myself for having been so naive. I knew Andy would call me stupid and tell me I deserved what I got for dating a Griffin, and that I was a sheeple like Mom and Cait, and—

“Oh, Cherry. I’m so sorry. Neither of those asshats deserves you.”

That reaction, I didn’t expect. Andy’s kindness broke me. Angry tears flooded my eyes, and before I could help it, I was blubbering and ranting in front of a platform full of strangers. I’d called Andy because I needed his sarcasm to toughen me up and put me on the defensive. I needed to be strong, like him. But instead he gave me tenderness, something I couldn’t handle at the moment.

“You’re lovely and sweet and kind. And you would never do something like that to anyone. Not even an enemy. I’ll come get you; tell me where you are.”

“I—I’m going home. I’m at the train. I feel sick.” My words were coming out in gasps.

“Screw them both. Let them have each other. I never liked that idiot. He’s like Mom and Cait. He thinks his blue blood earns him the right to everything—clearly. They’re selfish people, Cherry. Selfish and stupid and blind. I’m glad he showed his true colors before you got too invested in him.”

Not wanting Andy to know I was as invested as I could be, I stayed silent while he shouted and ranted all the things big brothers said to sad little sisters. “I should beat the piss outta him! Want me to kick his ass? I’ll go find a couple of friends and we can make sure he doesn’t show up for—”

“No.” I sniffled. “I just—” What did I want?

“Listen. Go home and take a hot bath, drink a bottle of wine, and try to get some sleep. I’ll come get you in a week. We’ll go to New York and get trashed, and you—”

“Sleep!” I snapped, finally losing the hold I had on my ferocity. “You think I could sleep right now? I’m not Mom, Andy. I can’t just take something and coast through shit like this.”

“Okay, don’t sleep. Try eating a whole sheet cake and plotting their deaths. They aren’t worth the energy you’re putting into being pissed off. I’ve never understood how you were friends with her. Or part of her club. Which, by the way, she only started because Wendell cheated on her with that chick from Derby. It’s ironic, because then she turns around and does this to you.”

“Andy, I don’t care why she started it,” I groaned, wiping my eyes. “I don’t care that someone cheated on her in high school. I care that she’s currently sleeping with my boyfriend—”

“Cherry, take a breath. If you’re crying, you’re losing it.”

I heaved, realizing I was blind with rage and tears.

“If you can’t get past this with a simple cake, then I don’t know what to say. If I ever make the mistake of falling in love again, it’ll be with some girl in a different financial bracket. This is why we don’t date our kind.”

“Yeah, great advice now!” I spit my words, feeling the fury building.

“Don’t lose control! You’re in public, and you’re a Kennedy for God’s sake. We don’t lose it in front of strangers. Plus, you’ll be upset you didn’t cry in the shower like a winner.”

“Shut up!” I hated him sometimes.

“Cherry, getting upset and ruining your summer is pointless; you’re the only one who suffers. They’ll win. They’ll ruin your last summer before college is over and the real world hits. Don’t let them do that to you.”

“What should I do then?” I burst again, sobbing.

“I don’t know. Maybe take her down. Get revenge. Just whatever you do, don’t go back to that moron, Chatsworth.”

“I won’t.” I sighed. “I can’t talk about this anymore. I’ll text you later.”

“Trust me, eat the cake. It will make you feel better. Do that before you do anything else. My friend Angela swears by it.” He laughed bitterly and hung up.

But I didn’t focus on the cake or the bath or the wine. My mind was stuck on the one thing Andy had said that was useful, on repeat.

Get revenge.

And I would.

About the Author: The international bestselling author of Roommates and the Puck Buddies series, Tara Brown writes in a variety of genres. In addition to her comedic Single Lady Spy series, she has also published popular contemporary and paranormal romances, science fiction, thrillers, and romantic comedies. She especially enjoys writing dark and moody tales, often focusing on strong female characters who are more inclined to vanquish evil than perpetrate it. She shares her home with her husband, two daughters, two cats, an Irish wolfhound, and a Maremma Sheepdog.

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Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: ,

Ooko by Esme Shapiro

August 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Ooko by Esme Shapiro
Publisher: Tundra Books
Genre: Childrens, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (40 pages)
Age Recommendation: 3+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Ooko has everything a fox could want: a stick, a leaf and a rock. Well, almost everything . . . Ooko wants someone to play with too! The foxes in town always seem to be playing with their two-legged friends, the Debbies. Maybe if he tries to look like the other foxes, one of the Debbies will play with him too. But when Ooko finally finds his very own Debbie, things don’t turn out quite as he had expected!

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Everyone needs friends. This includes foxes, too.

Ooko’s relationships with the various humans he met on his quest to make a new friend was delightful. Not only did he assume they were all called Debbie, he also thought they all liked the exact same things. This misunderstanding early on lead to all sorts of adventures later on. I was entertained by his assumptions about people just as much as I was curious to see if he’d ever become true friends with anyone he met.

There was one part of the plot that I wish had been developed more thoroughly. It had to do with Ooko’s original urge to find a friend and how he decided that was something he wanted in his life. He spent so much time talking about this desire that I was surprised by how he reacted to it once he grew closer to possibly reaching his goal. I would have expected the exact opposite to happen, so it would have been nice for the narrator to go into more detail about this before the end.

The ending was perfect. Not only was I satisfied by what happened to Ooko in the final scene, I appreciated the fact that the author gave so few hints about what would ultimately happen to him before she revealed everything. This was an excellent decision for a character who so often refused to live by the rules that humans often assume should apply to everyone. It felt very fox-like in the best sense of the term.

Ooko made me smile. I’d recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a picture book that deals with a common childhood problem.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Love On Show by E.D. Parr

August 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Love On Show by E.D. Parr
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short story (50 pages)
Other: M/M, Anal Play
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Justin Harper plays a gay bad boy on a TV show that’s fast becoming a cult classic, but Justin hides the fact he’s gay in real life. When a new actor is cast to play his TV show love interest, Justin can’t deny the raging attraction he feels for gorgeous Caer Rossi.
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Caer Rossi makes it clear he thinks Justin is smoking hot. He can’t wait for the kissing scenes, and they sizzle, but underneath the performance for the TV show, a deep, loving passion builds between the two men. Something has to give, but what and who will it be when a journalist threatens to ruin Justin’s perfectly crafted public persona?

Justin is an actor in a soap opera, and although he’s not publicly out, the character he plays is both out and proud. So when a new actor is hired to portray the love of Justin’s character’s life, Justin wants everything to be perfect, it’s time his character settles down and gets some good plotlines. Caer has mostly mended his broken heart from a previous break-up and is determined to move on with his life. While a part of him isn’t keen to be part of a soap, it’s a good chance, good money and a great opportunity. The fact there’s instant chemistry between Caer and Justin is just icing on the cake. Can the two men bring their work-romance into the real world?

I found this to be an emotional and interesting short story. The chemistry between Caer and Justin was intense right from the beginning, and I found it a little odd that they could have such strong chemistry and yet Justin could so publically insist he’s not gay. I was a little disappointed that in a couple of places Justin was mean to Caer and pushed him away when it was clear they were both physically very interested in each other. I can appreciate that Justin was confused and partly trapped by three years of saying one thing when reality was different – but it didn’t make it easier for me to read about Justin being a jerk and hurting Caer.

I also found myself somewhat puzzled by the fact both Justin and particularly one of the PR team for the soap opera were so determined to insist that while the actors portrayed gay characters the men themselves weren’t gay. While it was an excellent plot device and I’m sure there’s plenty of realism there it just seemed so strange in this day and age for anyone to feel forced to lie and hide their sexuality. I admit this added plenty of drama and conflict – both off and on stage – but I ended up needing to disconnect my brain and just enjoy the story for what it was and not think too hard about it.

With smoking hot sex scenes and plenty of intense emotions I found this to be an interesting and mostly enjoyable read. Readers who enjoy over the top soap operas, lots of drama and intense emotions should find this a good, interesting and quick read.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Shoulder Season by Jackie North – Guest Blog

August 14, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Long and Short Reviews welcomes Jackie North who is celebrating the recent release of her newest book Shoulder Season.

*****

Thank you Long and Short Reviews for letting me post on your blog today!

Recently, I went to my favorite coffee shop, the one close to my house, to get myself a treat, sit outside in the beautiful weather, and get some work done. The young woman who served me was, as always, polite (everybody who works there is wonderful!), let me dither about what I wanted to order, and, in the end, gave me the coffee with room for cream and the “good looking” cheese Danish that I had my eye on.

Then she tells me she’d gotten a copy of my book and was looking forward to reading it.

A flare of joy welled inside of me, not because of the recognition, of maybe being a little famous for a second or two, but because of the anticipation of connection. That’s what I live for, what I write for, but I think I often forget that part.

When someone asks me, “What do you enjoy about being a writer?” I respond along the lines of “Because of the fun of creating a character,” or “Because I’ve been making up stories since I was a kid.” Those answers, and others like it, are indeed true. But the idea of connecting with another human being is even more true.

I’m a writer and an introvert, and I’d think a lot of writers would tell you the same: they gain energy when they are alone, and being in crowds drains them. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to connect with others, it just means I need to find a different way to do that. Writing is my way.

Being an introvert, I don’t always know how to connect – yet through my writing, I find a way. It’s something I feel comfortable talking about with someone else, especially if they’ve read my book. I feel as if they are already primed to like me, a little bit, and if the conversation runs dry, I can always talk about my next book.

Looking at it that way, it makes it sound as if all I think about, what I live for, is writing. I cannot lie, this is true. I’ve been on the earth for a while, long enough to sift through the detritus and distractions that living throws at you.

I’ve gone through phases of wanting to be a stewardess (which my Nana always referred to as “A glorified waitress in the sky, honey,” and didn’t want me to be one), or a hair dresser (which my mom said meant that I’d “spend the rest of my life giving little old ladies blue rinses,” and didn’t want me to be one, though she encouraged me to be a secretary). Oh my, there were so many choices about what I wanted to be, and I tried some of them out for a time. I even wanted to be a long distance trucker, driving those eighteen-wheelers across the country, if you can believe that.

I always came back to writing. I wrote fan fiction for years, since 1993, and still turn my hand to it from time to time. Now though, in addition to giving me a way to connect with other people, I want my writing to save me from the corporate world, so I’m focusing on that. I write, I revise, I work with cover artists and editors, I format, I market. It’s a lot of work, but one day it’ll save me from yet another corporate meeting in a room with no windows.

As Dreamspinner is kindly publishing my book Shoulder Season, they are helping me get one more step towards that dream. Though, as yet, I’m still working on my communication skills so that I don’t stand there open mouthed when someone tells me they want to read one of my books.

Also, I thought I’d share an excerpt from my upcoming book!
***
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“It’s called the Sun Voyager, the boat of dreams,” said Solvin, and he looked at Ben as he said it. “It represents hope and new beginnings.”

New beginnings seemed to be what Iceland had become for Ben, a country where he could start as he meant to go on and where every conversation didn’t end in an argument, and cups of coffee could be drunk in a casual way, with no need to rush off afterward. He settled back in his seat, and when his hand touched Solvin’s thigh, he left it in place and brushed the backs of his fingers along the material of Solvin’s jeans. Not only did Solvin not move away or push Ben’s hand off, he dipped his head and smiled at Ben as though they shared a secret the taxi driver didn’t need to know about.

All the way through town, Ben left his hand there, looked at the blush on Solvin’s cheeks, and thought about new beginnings.

Two young men from two different countries find a common language as they recover from broken hearts and broken bones. Can they rebuild their lives together?

Ben’s boyfriend has not only dumped him, he’s also cancelled their mutual travel plans. Since Ben has the time off and the money saved up, he decides to travel anyway, and based on a last-minute, very inexpensive red-eye airline fare, ends up in Reykjavik, Iceland.

He’s ill-prepared for the weather and knows nothing about the country, so he considers flying home the next day. Except his new neighbor, Solvin, a local Icelander who is currently on leave from work due to a car accident, shows up with a cane and shoulder sling and literally falls into Ben’s apartment. It’s the beginning of an adventure that might show Ben how good life can be… and that coming home sometimes means traveling halfway around the world.

About the Author: Jackie North has been writing stories since grade school and spent years absorbing the mainstream romances that she found at her local grocery store. Her dream was to someday leave her corporate day job behind and travel the world. She also wanted to put her English degree to good use and write romance novels, because for years she’s had a never-ending movie of made-up love stories in her head that simply wouldn’t leave her alone.

As fate would have it, she discovered m/m romance and decided that men falling in love with other men was exactly what she wanted to write books about. In this dazzling new world, she turned her grocery-store romance ideas around and is now putting them to paper as fast as her fingers can type. She creates characters who are a bit flawed and broken, who find themselves on the edge of society, and maybe a few who are a little bit lost, but who all deserve a happily ever after. (And she makes sure they get it!)

She likes long walks on the beach, the smell of lavender and rainstorms, and enjoys sleeping in on snowy mornings. She is especially fond of pizza and beer and, when time allows, long road trips with soda fountain drinks and rock and roll music. In her heart, there is peace to be found everywhere, but since in the real world this isn’t always true, Jackie writes for love.

Author Facebook Page | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website

Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: ,

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Book Blogs

August 14, 2018 By 42 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Before I started volunteering as one of the bloggers for Long and Short Reviews, I didn’t know much about the world of book blogging at all. One of my favorite parts of writing some of the Top Ten Tuesday posts for this site over the past year and a half has been getting to know a lot more about this topic.

For that reason, everyone on this list is someone I originally discovered through the Top Ten Tuesday meme. I rarely if ever comment on their posts, but I do read and enjoy them quite a bit.   Do go check them out if you’re not already familiar with them. They’re all wonderful for their own unique reasons.

1. Quixotic Pixels

I’m in awe of people who instinctively know how to take a good photograph, and Amy is one of those folks. As much as I like her reviews, it was the photos she shared that originally drew me into her site because of how much I admired her skills in this area. Also, it’s a lot of fun to get glimpses of someone’s other interests in life. (You’ll see me mention this again in this post. It truly is something I value highly!)

2.  Lindsey Reads 

Lindsey has such a friendly and conversational writing style. She shares so many happy little details she shares about her life in her posts that her blog almost feels like having coffee and catching up with a friend even though I’ve never met her in real life. It’s lovely when bloggers add such personal touches to their posts.

3. Laughing Listener 

I’ve discovered so many interesting books thanks to this site. I have no idea where Loretta finds ideas of new titles to add to her TBR list, but she’s good at uncovering stuff that doesn’t seem to be talked about on a lot of other sites from what I’ve seen.

4.  Chrissi Reads 

Chrissi is so consistent. She blogs about a pretty wide variety of genres from what I’ve observed so far, but she always seems to find the cream of the crop no matter which genres she’s talking about this week.

5. This Side of Storyland 

One of the coolest parts of this site is how often it talks about the mechanics of writing a good story. I’ve seen posts there on everything from character development to how to create an attention-grabbing setting. I wish more book bloggers wrote about this stuff, to be honest.
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6. A Great Read 

This blogger writes about YA and urban fantasy books. I adore both of those genres, so I’m always eager to see what she has to say about what she’s read. I suspect our bookshelves would have a lot of overlap if we ever compared them.

7. Book Haven 

Not only does Greg write detailed and balanced book reviews, he reviews films as well. I always appreciate his honest, and often humorous, take on what he did and didn’t like about the stuff he’s read or watched.

8. The Wayfaring Bibliomaniac 

First of all, I love the title of this blog. Don’t you?

I also like the fact that this blogger is so well rounded and willing to share bits of her personal life with her audience when it’s appropriate. For example, her day job is as an assistant dog trainer. Knowing small, personal details like this one about book bloggers only makes me appreciate their reviews even more.

9. Literacious 

The owner of this site is also a library director. It always gives me a thrill to hear what librarians recommend reading. I mean, they’re basically the experts on this topic, right? Her reviews of picture books are excellent as well, and I’m saying that as someone who’s wrote quite a few of them myself. Our world needs more reviewers for that age group.

10. Foxes and Fairy Tales 

This blog is so thorough and thoughtful. If a story needs a trigger warning for disturbing content, I know that it will always be mentioned at the beginning of the review. The blog owner is also really good at seeking out diverse stories and letting the readers know in advance that a particular story features, say, a character who is LGBT+ or from a particular ethnic group. I’m constantly on the lookout for this kind of content, so it’s nice to have come across a site that values it so highly.

What are some of your favorite book blogs?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With: ,

The Awakening of Insects by Bobby Sun

August 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment


The Awakening of Insects by Bobby Sun
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (31 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Patterns emerge in the most unexpected places as a scientist studies the flora and fauna of a new world.

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The world that Jingru and her colleagues were exploring was like nothing that exists on Earth. I was mesmerized by all of the unique plants and animals that called that planet home, especially once the main character began to study them in even more detail than she had before. They truly felt alien to me in the very best sense of the term.

I would have liked to see more attention paid to Jingru’s personality. She was an excellent scientist and explorer, but I never really got a sense of what she was like as an individual. Knowing something as simple as whether she was always as serious as she seemed to be while she was on the job would have gone a long way in rounding out her personality and making this character come alive in my imagination.

The ending was beautifully written. Not only did it tie up the main conflicts of the story nicely, it also left me yearning for more. I finished the final scene wishing I could find out what happened next while also feeling satisfied with how much the author shared with me about what happened to the characters at this particular time and place in their lives. This isn’t to say that I’ll ever stop hoping for a sequel, but I was quite pleased with how everything was tied up by the last sentence.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to discover and study life on a distant planet, The Awakening of Insects might be right up your alley.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

Literature® by Guillermo Stitch

August 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Literature® by Guillermo Stitch
Publisher: Nineveh Editions
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (102 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

We don’t know exactly when Literature® takes place and we don’t know exactly where-all we know is that Philip Marlowe would fit right in.

But we don’t get Marlowe. We get Billy Stringer, and Billy is on nobody’s trail. He’s the prey.

The story unfolds in the course of a single day, and it hasn’t begun very well for Billy. He just messed up his first big assignment, he’s definitely going to be late for work, his girlfriend won’t get back to him and for reasons she has something to do with, he’s dressed like a clown.

Also, he’s pretty sure somebody’s going to kill him today. But then that’s an occupational hazard, when you’re a terrorist.

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Why? Because people need to get to work…

It’s fight or flight time for Billy, and he’s made his choice. But he has to see Jane, even if it’s for the last time-to explain it all to her, before she finds out what he has become. That means staying alive for a little while.

And the odds are against him…

Banning something that’s been around for millennia isn’t an easy thing to do, especially when not everyone agrees with the ban.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about the first scene was the reference to the parts of this society that didn’t agree with banning all genres of fiction. It was mentioned so casually that it was as if the characters assumed the audience lived in their same universe and understood the history of how this ban was created and why so many folks had decided to go along with it. That piqued my interest.

With that being said, it would have been helpful to have more details about the setting and time period of this tale. So many parts of it were left for the reader to make educated guesses about based on a small number of clues that I had trouble putting the pieces together. As interested as I was in figuring out what was happening and in how many ways Billy’s society was different from the one I live in, at times it was frustrating for me to have so little information to work with.

The ending was well written. There were so many different things going on in the beginning and middle that I wondered how the author was going to tie everything together in a satisfactory way. Not only did he meet my expectations, he exceeded them. Everything from Billy’s fate to why, exactly, reading fiction was so forbidden in this world was explained nicely.

I’d recommend Literature® to anyone who enjoys solving literary puzzles.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Heterophones and Shibboleths by K.A. Mitchell – Guest Blog

August 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Long and Short Reviews welcomes K.A. Mitchell who is visiting with us today to celebrate the recent release of Bad Behavior, book 5 in her Bad in Baltimore series.

Heterophones and Shibboleths

They should be something from Dr. Suess, but they’re not.

Way back when I was fourteen, I read my mother’s copy of Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. I loved it. Shanna was a different sort of heroine; she was the one who needed redeeming. She was the flawed character. Most romance heroines were supposed to suffer graciously. Shanna didn’t. She begins the book as Shanna Trahern and is later Shanna Beauchamp. I mention this because of one of my favorite Shanna moments: Someone rudely calls her that “Trahern bitch” behind her back. Shanna overhears and corrects her. “Tis Madam Beauchamp now. Madam Ruark Beauchamp, if you please, or if you don’t please, the Beauchamp bitch.”

I loved that clap back. But at fourteen, I read it wrong. It would have flowed a lot better if I’d known then that Beauchamp was not pronounced Bo-chahmp the way my ninth grade French tried to hear it, but Bee-chum. Now “the Beauchamp bitch” totally rolls off my tongue, mentally at least.

I loved that line and the name stuck in my head. I had a character who was just supposed to be a wealthy party boy getting his best friend Gavin (from Bad Attitude) in trouble. I never expected David Beauchamp to wake up from the coma that adventure put him in. But he did. He was flawed and bratty (even at 34) so I think Shanna would be proud of her literary descendent.

Now when I pick a name, I think about how it will sound in a reader’s head, so I try to make sure I know the correct pronunciation.

There are a lot of surnames out there, especially ones that come from the British Isles where the spelling and the pronunciation don’t match. Wikipedia says they’re heterophones. (Not to be confused with heterophobic, which my character Eli is often accused of being by other characters). Another way names that have a counterintuitive pronunciation come into play is as shibboleths, which in addition to other meanings serves as a way of separating the “in” crowd from the “out” crowd because the cool people pronounce things the “right” way. Shibboleths also distinguish locals vs. non-locals. For example, I know if someone pronounces a nearby town as Colony they’re not from here. We all say ColoNEE in these parts. (Colonie, NY).

So, in honor of David Aiken Beauchamp (and Shanna and Ruark), I thought I’d share five of my other favorite heterophones/shibboleths/counterintuitive surname pronunciations.

St. John

In England, it’s pronounced Sinjun, which is way sexier to say than it looks. I could totally see a hero with it as a first name. David’s uncle is Sinclair (St. Clair) but Uncle Sinclair is kind of a jerk, so that takes the shine off it.

Fotheringay This one is pronounced Fongy. I don’t know if that’s because humans are just too lazy to labor over all those extra letters or because it’s just cooler that way. I always think of Bertie Wooster talking about his friend Cyril Fotheringay-Phipps. That’s a mouthful.

Cockburn

Okay, I can totally see why if this was your last name you’d have to tell everyone it was really pronounced Co-burn. Can you imagine how many people react to someone with this name by smirking and saying, “You should see a doctor for that”?

Pepys

Needing medicine for erectile dysfunction already makes a husband feel like less than a man, adding to this the possible loss of a job that pays decent sums generic viagra line http://www.aimhousepatong.com/gallery.html and better growth prospects. Other men were http://aimhousepatong.com/item4864.html generic cialis on line only when they wanted to have sex. You can also confirm the legality and reputation of the pharmacy by going to online forums and discount viagra india reading their reviews. The stomach and the colon viagra purchase online are given a lot of attention the last few years. Since there’s a famous guy with this name, I’ve seen it a lot. Unfortunately, it’s not very peppy, or even like Pepe Le Pew. It’s pronounced Peeps. I would have gone with Peppys. More fun.

I saved my favorite for last. I used to work a job that required me to write names on ever smaller forms for a sporting event. I dreaded seeing this one. I have no idea how this weird heterophone happened. Maybe someone’s grandfather was just messing around and it stuck. Ready?

Featherstonehaugh (try writing that legibly on a centimeter-long line)

How do you pronounce this 17-letter appellation?
Fanshaw. Seriously? All that for Fanshaw?

As a writer, I collect names. I can never tell when one will inspire a character or finally give a name to a character who desperately needs just the right one. Still I think I’ll pass on these. Except for St. John, because that still sounds sexy to me.

You can see what happens to David Beauchamp (better known as Beach) and Toluaotai Fonoti (better known as Tai—and there’s a story there too!) in Bad Behavior. Now available.

In a lifetime of yes, no is the sexiest word he’s ever heard.

After one too many misunderstandings with the law, wealthy and spoiled David Beauchamp finds himself chained to the city by the GPS and alcohol sensor strapped to his ankle. Awaiting trial, cut off from usual forms of entertainment, he goes looking for a good time—and winds up with his hands full, in more ways than one. The situation only gets more complicated when he’s summoned for a random drug test and comes face-to-face with the dominant man who took him for one hell of a ride the night before.

Probation Officer Tai Fonoti is used to handling other people’s problems, but he’s horrified when one of the extra clients his boss dumps on him is the sweet piece of ass he screwed the night before. It makes getting a urine sample a pretty loaded situation. Tai’s unique brand of discipline has Beach craving more. But while Tai relishes laying down the law in the bedroom, the letter of the law stands between them and kinkily ever after….

About the Author:K.A. Mitchell discovered the magic of writing at an early age when she learned that a carefully crayoned note of apology sent to the kitchen in a toy truck would earn her a reprieve from banishment to her room. Her career as a spin-control artist was cut short when her family moved to a two-story house and her trucks would not roll safely down the stairs. Around the same time, she decided that Ken and G.I. Joe made a much cuter couple than Ken and Barbie and was perplexed when invitations to play Barbie dropped off. She never stopped making stuff up, though, and was thrilled to find out that people would pay her to do it. Although the men in her stories usually carry more emotional baggage than even LAX can lose in a year, she guarantees they always find their sexy way to a happy ending.

K.A. loves to hear from her readers. You can email her at ka@kamitchell.com. She is often found talking about her imaginary friends on Twitter @ka_mitchell.

Twitter | Website | Blog | Tumblr

Buy the book at Amazon, Dreamspinner Press, or Barnes and Noble.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Guest Blogs Tagged With: ,

Wild Passion by Dawn Luedecke

August 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Wild Passion by Dawn Luedecke
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (289 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

One of the last outposts of the American West, the Montana Territory is filled with promise and adventure for those with brave souls—and open hearts . . .

Leader of the Timberbeasts, logger Simon Sanders’ biggest problem a year ago was deciding which willing woman to seduce. But since being mauled by a cougar he’s become a pariah in Missoula’s social circuit—and to himself. All he wants is to hide his scarred face and disappear into the bottom of a whiskey bottle. His plan is going well—until his sister’s best friend, Carrie Kerr, kidnaps him and forces him to deal with his demons. If he didn’t know better, Simon would swear the bossy beauty is a demon herself . . .

Carrie doesn’t like to use the word kidnap. Unknowingly transport, perhaps. In any case, she can no longer watch Simon destroy himself in self-pity. Not since she lost her heart to him as she nursed him back to health. Now, whatever happens between them, she’s determined to bring him back to the one place he swore he’d never return to, the place she’s sure will reignite his spirit. But if things go awry, will she
will she lose all hope for him to win back his life—much less share it with her? . . .

If you read my review of the first book in this series, you will know that I absolutely loved it. The same goes for this novel, Wild Passion. I stayed up until 4am on a Saturday night to finish this book.
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Wild Passion is the second book in the “A Montana Mountain Romance” trilogy. I suggest readers read the first book in the series “White Water Passion” before reading this book. It’s not absolutely necessary but that is my recommendation. The reason I suggest that is because of the cast of characters and the evolving plot. When I finished book one, I had hoped that Simon, Elizabeth’s brother, and Carrie, Elizabeth’s best friend, would get their own book. I wanted to read how they’d develop into a couple with a happy ever after ending. Simon deserved to be loved. Now you are wondering who is Elizabeth? She was the heroine in White Water Passion. The first book ended with Simon being severely injured and Carrie nursing him back to health.

It’s my impression that the books would be better read in one sitting. The third book isn’t out yet but we already know it’s going to be about the characters, Wall and Victoria. The plot in this series is elaborate and continuous with the characters all intertwined.

Simon was irresistible even with his scars from his attack. He’s brave, funny, strong and I love a man who will protect me. It was great how Carrie “unknowingly transported” Simon in the beginning of the story. What a great hook to immediately draw in the reader. Carrie was an entertaining leading lady. She’s was a mix of strong, vulnerable and mischief characteristics.

It’s frustrating that I can’t explain why I loved this book without thinking of the first book. It genuinely has to do with the relationship the reader develops with the characters. Aunt June is an older woman who is the cook at the camp who is Carrie’s Godmother. Her meddlesome ways add humor to the plot. This book as a little something for everyone.

There are many emotional ups and downs mixed with “stomach flip” moments. I don’t think I can walk through the woods without looking up at the tops of the trees for a widow maker. A widow maker is a branch that is dead and could fall on you at any moment killing you.

The only concern I had was the plot thread regarding Carrie and her father. He’s the reason why she’s on the mountain in the first place. Carrie repeatedly expresses how she’s never going to marry and how she wants to be just like Aunt June. The story ends with me not knowing how her relationship between her or her father was resolved. That might be irrelevant to some people but it bothered me because her mother apparently is “fragile” and needs her. I will assume that the relationship will be addressed in book three.

Of course I’ll be reading book three. “Fiery Passion”. We already know it’s going to be about Victoria who I hated in book one but then had a change of heart by the end of book one but in book two she wasn’t nice at all. So I’ll read book three out of curiosity. I’m very fond of the character, Wall. I was hoping Beth would have chosen him over Garrett for a few pages. Wall deserves someone to love him. I’m just not sure Victoria deserves him. I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.

In conclusion, at this time I love this series. Dawn Luedecke sure knows how to write sensual romances that are entertaining, exciting and suspenseful. It will make a great binge-read in the future once all three books are available. In the meantime, if you haven’t read book one then go do that and then enjoy book two. They both are difficult to put down so make sure you have ample time to ride this wild, adrenaline inducing romance!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,
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