Happy Saturday

Well, my day of peace and quiet (not counting whiny cats who miss the kid) is over. I have to drive and pick her up today. It's nearly 2 hours round trip so that will kill some time. Need to buy some groceries too, my fridge is bare and since the stores were closed yesterday and tomorrow that means everyone will be freaking out today because god forbid we go more than a day without a store being open.

As I said yesterday, Chris gave me that Torquere code so I went shopping and got some shorts of varying lengths. So far most have been pretty decent.

Chasing Tail by Lorne Rodman (61 pages)

Tony is a information demon, he keeps track of people's sins and knows lots of stuff. He's approached by human demon hunter Salter to help him find a demon called the Tail. Tony does NOT want to help and Salter never asks for help but thanks to the manipulation of another demon they are forced to work together to find a serial killer who escaped from hell and has teamed up with the Tail. Tony and Salter are attracted despite the fact that they don't want to be and Salter has never had a demon lover. This story was an incredibly pleasant surprise. I didn't know what to expect but I totally fell in love with Tony on the first page. He is spunky and and snide and despite the fact that Salter freaked him out he never backed down. He has a very appealing narrative voice (it switches off with Salter by section) and I just thought he was funny. He's also a germophobic virgin. An example of his opinion on sex:
"Penetrative sex always seemed so distasteful. And oral... Man, there were germs. Icky, gross germs."

He rarely swears and loves his magic fingers massage chair and his cappuccino machine. So a great story with a spunky little demon hero who REALLY likes his horns touched. ;-)

Jobless in January: Joe Smith by Mara Ismine (21 pages)

Joe works as the manager of a burger joint which has just been taken over by another company and he's out of a job. He decides to go for a walk on the beach (in January in England brrrrr) and to avoid a quick rising storm he takes refuge in a beach cafe. Seems the cafe owner Dave, who's partner is away and his waitress broke her arm, needs someone to help and Joe agrees. They are instantly attracted but Joe figures partner means life partner. When he finds out it doesn't they both admit their attraction and Joe helps him clean up and set up for dinner and serve the dinner crowd. On the whole a cute little story although it goes a bit fast for me as Joe admits (to himself) that he's in love with Dave after about 9 hours and some smexin' in the shower. What was really good though was the setting. I was cold just reading about him walking on the beach (in bare feet, eeeeeek!) and the rain and all the senior citizens in the cafe for the buy one get one free lunch. A really nice job of setting the scene and both characters are likable, the nature of a short is it often feels rushed. This is the second story I've read by this author after Persistence Pays and I'd definitely check out more.

Heart Shot by GH Worth (23 pages)

Ashton is now recovered from an attack by his stalker ex one year ago on V-day. He wants to do something to commemorate a new start and decides to get a tattoo on his chest to cover some of the scars. He goes to meet with his friend's tattoo artist and they are both instantly attracted. It's the first time Ashton has been attracted to someone since the attack. Mark tries to make a date but Ash is about to leave on a business trip. Mark feels a bit inferior to Ash since he's an art gallery owner and obviously has a bit of money but Ash is totally smitten. They manage to hook up after he gets back and he tells his story and they prepare to start the tattoo. I don't think I did it justice in the telling here because there is a lot of stuff going on around that adds to the story and fleshes it out. I do enjoy stories about tattoos or tattoo artists so of course I was drawn to this but I liked how Ash wasn't going to let what happened to him stop him from moving on. So it was a nice little short.

Jade: Tanuki Trouble by Misa Izanaki (28 pages)

This is the follow-up story to Frankie and Aki from Tails and Teapots. Frankie and Aki have been together for a bit and Aki is about to start working as a stripper at the club. Frankie is not thrilled but tries not to be jealous. When he catches a customer getting too close he accuses Aki of being a whore and lets just say it goes downhill from there. Eventually Aoi, another stripper, and his lover help them get back together and they work on trust. Yes, I keep buying these stories about these guys at The Body Shop (their strip club). I did particularly like Frankie and Aki in their other little story. I still had issues in that I think Aki let the customer go too far and I thought Frankie was justified in getting angry but it was okay. For fans of The Body Shop it will be a nice addition to the collection.