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Book Review of The Unwilling Warlord, by Lawrence Watt-Evans

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The Unwilling War LordI assume I bought a copy of The Unwilling Warlord (by Lawrence Watt-Evans) at some point. But I could be wrong. I’m not entirely sure where this paperback copy came from. Maybe it was my husbands or a guest left it here at some point. Either way, it was on my shelf. And as I’m trying to clear some room for new books I went ahead and read it.

Description from Goodreads:
When the foreigners confronted Sterren in Ethshar of the Spices he was uneasy; when they all but abducted him, taking him to an obscure kingdom in the south, he knew he was in a terrible predicament. 

A predicament some might actually find appealing — he was by heredity the Ninth Warlord of Semma, least of the small kingdoms; he was a noble, and his rank afforded him material privileges, even in a place as insignificant and obscure as Semma. 

But the office also carried certain terrible responsibilities: he was to win the war the stupid King had stirred up by his arrogance. Two larger and stronger Kingdoms were preparing to invade Semma. 

And if the country lost, the first thing likely to be forfeit was the life of the Warlord. 

And if it won . . . if it won, the fate and shape of Ethshar would change forever. 

For deep in the south there are secrets of magic not even Sterren can imagine. 

Review:
This is one of those books that I’ve had on my shelf so long that I don’t even know where it came from. I also didn’t know it was third in a series when I picked it up to read. Maybe I was missing some things, but it seemed like I was able to follow it without problem. And it was amusing. It’s basically about a guy who finds himself in a series of ridiculous situations and finds his way out of them. The problem was that even though I chuckled regularly, I never found myself overly interested in it. It never quite reached the point of exciting. So, I basically thought it was ok.

Book Review of The Nymphos of Rocky Flats (Felix Gomez #1), by Mario Acevedo

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The Nymphos of Rocky FlatsI bought a copy of The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, by Mario Acevedo.

Description from Goodreads:
The first and only vampire book to be declassified by the federal government . . .

Felix Gomez went to Iraq a soldier. He came back a vampire.

Now he finds himself pulled into a web of intrigue when an old friend prompts him to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania at the secret government facilities in Rocky Flats. He’ll find out the cause of all these horny women or die trying! But first he must contend with shadowy government agents, Eastern European vampire hunters, and women who just want his body . . .

Skewering sexual myths, conspiracy fables, and government bureaucracy, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats reveals the bizarre world of the undead with a humorous slant and a fresh twist.

Review:
This book had an interesting premise and with its protagonist who’s seeking redemption, it could have been a really good read. Unfortunately, it took the ridiculous and salacious track instead of the serious one. There was, for example, no reason for the outbreak to be nymphomania other than to be lascivious and hardi-har-har, like a teenage boy. When someone pushed a button causing a periscope to drop into his office, I pretty much just gave up on this one. I finished it, but just to finish it at that point. I think I would have preferred the nymphos to be straight up erotic over the poking fun angle it took.

Despite being an unimpressive hero, every woman in the book came on to him. His internal monologue was annoying. The plot was scattered and disjointed and none of the characters were particularly well developed.

It’s not horrible. The army bit in the beginning was very good. I appreciated that Felix was a POC and that not everyone was rigidly straight, but I wasn’t all that impressed either.

Book Review of Sunset Park (Five Boroughs #2), by Santino Hassell

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Sunset ParkI bought a copy of Santino Hassell‘s Sunset Park. It’s the sequel to Sutphin Boulevard, which I reviewed last year.

Description from Goodreads:
Raymond Rodriguez’s days of shoving responsibility to the wayside are over. His older brother wants to live with his boyfriend so Raymond has to get his act together and find a place of his own. But when out-and-proud David Butler offers to be his roommate, Raymond agrees for reasons other than needing a place to crash.

David is Raymond’s opposite in almost every way—he’s Connecticut prim and proper while Raymond is a sarcastic longshoreman from Queens—but their friendship is solid. Their closeness surprises everyone as does their not-so-playful flirtation since Raymond has always kept his bicurious side a secret.

Once they’re under the same roof, flirting turns physical, and soon their easy camaraderie is in danger of being lost to frustrating sexual tension and the stark cultural differences that set them apart. Now Raymond not only has to commit to his new independence—he has to commit to his feelings for David or risk losing him for good.

Review:
Oh man, another winner from Hassell. I’ve said it before, but I just love his voice. There is a certain realistic grittiness to it that I just swoon over. He writes real people and you can’t help but relate to them.

For me, Raymond was the undisputed star of this show. I just loved the way he could be so easy going but still 100% willing to go for what he wants (in some areas of his life). It was incredibly endearing.

I liked David too and completely understood his hesitancies and struggles to risk his heart on what he perceived as a maybe. Though it’s never said, it boiled down to a basic distrust of Raymond’s bisexuality and this is something real and hurtful that bisexuals deal with that rarely gets discussed. Trust Hassell, who never seems to flinch away from difficult themes, to slip that one in there successfully.

The sex is hot but not so frequent as to overpower the plot. The characters are appreciably blue collar (when almost everywhere else I look I’m finding billionaires and rock stars). The writing is tight. The dialogue is sharp. The drama did seem to drag on a bit and some of the blow ups seemed a little overblown, but for the most part, I’m almost wholly without complaints.