Back to Work and Reading

So that graphic pretty much sums up being back to work is like after an amazing vacation. :-) Ah well, rent must be paid, food must be bought. I've done some reading since I got back so thought I'd do a quick update while I have some lunch.

Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullenen (196 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Miles has been forced to move back to Minnesota after losing his job in Atlanta, and his boyfriend. He HATES his life. He's working in his friend's pawn shopping, living in their trailer and feeling quite sorry for himself. (Not that I blamed him really, my nightmare come to life, having to move back home. I'd work at McDonald's first.) Anyway, he feels himself drawn to the woods and weird things start to happen to him. Suddenly he goes out for a walk and ends up in the woods being chased by a monster and rescued by a beautiful fey who tries to seduce him. It's quite a complicated story and Miles is caught between the two worlds. The fey wants to use him to set himself free from the bondage he's in, and the monster just wants him. He's torn, as the fey is everything he ever imagined, but the beast draws him. During this time Miles figures maybe his life wasn't all it was cracked up to be and he's just a wee bit selfish and feeling entitled. It's quite the story with monsters and fey and silver and flutes and Miles just wanting to do the right thing. I really enjoyed it and stayed up waaaaay too late the night before my first day back at work to finish it. I was going to stop, really I was but .... I have no self-control. The ending was a bit too perfect perhaps and a bit schmoopy as I think Jen said in her review, but that's such a small part that I think even if you don't like too much sugar, the rest of the book definitely isn't and it's worth a read.

Trickster by Elizabeth Coldwell (25 pages)

Torquere Press

Rufus is a space bounty hunter who is determined to bring in Jobi who steals state secrets and sells them to the highest bidder. When Jobi's ship sends out a distress call he comes to the rescue. After he's distracted by a smoking hot kiss, Jobi escapes. He's even more determined to find him and they set out to do so. He does find him although Jobi gets the jump on him, the tables are turned on Jobi and consequences must be faced. It was an interesting concept but something about this just didn't grab me. Maybe I didn't quite get the attraction between the two guys being that it happened so suddenly. I'm not sure. It's not a bad story and the writing is fine, it just didn't click for me. I'm sure it works well for others and if you like sci-fi it would be worth a quick read.

Jacob's Ladder by ZA Maxfield (165 pages)
Loose Id

This is book 3 in the St. Nacho's series. Jacob has always been in volatile relationships. After his current one gets REALLY bad, he kicks out the boyfriend and takes his battered and beaten self onto the bus to his brother's. It's during swine flu panic and his cough causes the bus driver to abandon him in St. Nacho's. He checks into the motel but almost dies and is saved by paramedic JT. He's forced to stick around for the week and JT is determined to help him by setting him up with a domestic abuse survivors group. He's not impressed and is getting a very weird vibe from JT who seems to blow hot and cold but is obviously dating women. He also meets fireman Cam who would love to date him but he can't get JT out of his head and he hooks up with the pie ladies to help them out. I really enjoyed this although I wanted to smack JT more than once and Jacob too for accepting the dregs he was handed, but the long term effects on people from living with abuse their whole lives I thought was handled nicely and Jacob and JT are both Jewish so there was quite a bit of reference to JT's beliefs which was interesting. You don't see much of the other characters from St. Nacho's just Ken a bit and a few mentions (except for Jordan's Mom, Mary Catherine) but I really enjoyed it and seeing Jacob face up to his past and why he picked the men he did. You also get to meet his older brother Dan who is set to be the star of the next book (I hope) with Cam. On the whole an excellent addition to the St. Nacho's group with lots of interesting secondary characters such as Cam and the pie ladies. For fans of the series a must. Oh, if you haven't read the others it won't matter all that much, a few things will be clearer if you have, but it could be read as a stand-alone, however they are all so good I suggest you start at the beginning with St. Nacho's.