Tag Archives: romance

Uncommon Ground

Book Review of Uncommon Ground (Aliens in New York #1), by Kelly Jensen

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I bought a copy of Uncommon Ground, by Kelly Jensen.

Description from Goodreads:

Dillon Lee’s grandfather was a conspiracy theorist. Every summer he’d take Dillon on a tour of New York City while entertaining him with tales of aliens. Fifteen years later, after a phone call from a lawyer, Dillon is carrying his grandfather’s ashes from landmark to landmark, paying a sort of tribute, and trying to figure out what to do with his unexpected legacy. When someone tries to steal the ashes, a guy Dillon has barely met leaps to the rescue, saving the urn and the day.

Steilang Skovgaard is a reclusive billionaire—and not human. He’s been living in Manhattan for over twenty years, working on a long-term plan to establish a safe haven for his people. For seven years, his reports have gone unanswered, however, and he is the only surviving member of his interstellar team. The connection he forms with Dillon soon after meeting him is something he’s missed, something he craves.

But after someone keeps trying to steal the ashes, it looks as though Dillon’s grandfather was involved in more than theories—and might not have been exactly who everyone thought he was. Steilang doesn’t know how close he can get to the truth without revealing himself, and Dillon is running out of people to trust. Can these two work out what’s going on before the thieves set their sights higher?

Review:

This was first and foremost cute, I mean really cute. Lang and Dillon were adorable. It’s worth a read just for that. And it is very readable. Kelly Jensen can sling a phrase.

Uncommon Ground is part of the Memories With the Breakfast Club series, which is the first Kindle World about gay men. And, though I’ve not read any of the other books, twice gay couples showed up that I suspect were characters from other books. So, for those following the series, I imagine that’ll be a treat.

For all it’s cute and part of a first, it’s also a little too rushed for me. The two meet and end up in bed immediately. Which would be fine if it was just sex, but it’s insta-love, insta-trust and insta-life partner. Similarly, an important plot point hinges on an unexpected arrival who is never developed into a real character and someone essentially throwing a tantrum. This allows for skipping any more complicated solution and deeper exploration of the themes of space exploration, loneliness, loyalties, loss, love, alienation, and identity, all of which the book touches on.

All in all, the book takes what could be a deep, meaningful read and instead presents a light, fluffy romance, which is well worth the time it takes to read. One isn’t necessarily worth more than the other, but it helps to know what you’re in for.

Book Review of Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg

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I’m on vacation this week, so posts will likely be few and far between. But I did read a book and a half on the drive from home to here and I happen to have internet access at the moment, so, I’m taking advantage of it with a quick post or two. Starting with Charlie N. Holmberg‘s Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, which I bought.

Description from Goodreads:
Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from.

When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.

During her captivity, Maire is visited by Fyel, a ghostly being who is reluctant to reveal his connection to her. The more often they meet, the more her memories return, and she begins to piece together who and what she really is—as well as past mistakes that yield cosmic consequences.

Review:
This is one of those books that is difficult for me to review because I disliked it for a lot of the time, but the end brought it all together and I finished happy. The simple fact of the matter is that at least half of this book is just the main character, Maire, being enslaved and abused. (Though it’s inferred to have happened to other captives, rape isn’t one of the abuses Maire suffers, but she is severely physically abused, as well as starved.) And while hints are dripped in here and there, it takes a long time for further plot to appear (so long I wondered that there could be one, as there didn’t seem time left to develop one). Luckily, there is one. It just loops back a bit. It’s a bit hadn’t-wavey on mechanics, but thought-provoking. Plus, though I wouldn’t call this a romance novel, there is a wonderful example of a strong relationship. All in all, it passed the time of a tedious car trip quite effectively and I’m glad to have read it.

Book Review of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, by Mackenzi Lee

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I borrowed a copy of Mackenzi Lee‘s The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue through Hoopla.

Description from Goodreads:
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

Review:
I went back and forwards with this one, sometimes really loving it and other times distinctly disliking the main character and/or rolling my eyes over too-stupid-to-live stunts that make no sense, other than being obvious bids to move the plot in certain directions. While I loved the narrative style and Monty’s sense of self-depricating humor, I thought the whole thing got too ridiculous to believe by the end. The narrator, Christian Coulson however did a MARVELOUS job with the story.