The Daisy Chain

The Tennis Partners by Alison Bailey

Blip — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:30:42 +0000

Quickie Review. Full plot synopsis, spoilers ahead!

George and Leo are buds. They watch a hot young guy give tennis lessons to their fellow residents in a retirement community. Unfortunately for George, Leo is moving to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren. As the day of Leo’s departure approaches, George gets more mopey, going so far as to not attend Leo’s going away party. Leo has invited George to move out with him, but George keeps refusing, too set in his ways. Leo kisses him and leaves. George is conflicted over the kiss and eventually decides to go move in with Leo.

This story is very sweet. The payoff at the end is really good, sweet, and amusing. The author does a good job of capturing the feel of George’s static life and, for the most part, the writing is quite good.

Personally, I don’t enjoy romances about senior citizens, but they are often very well written. This story isn’t an exception. The story didn’t grab me, I won’t read it again, but I enjoyed the ending, and the writing was good.

4 stars for the good execution.

Take a Chance on Me by Liz Lambdin

Blip — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:30:03 +0000

Quickie Review. Full plot synopsis, spoilers ahead!

Take a Chance on Me is about James who has a serious case of unrequited love for his friend Evan. Evan, who apparently tries who have the best holidays ever (this could have used a little more explanation), has terrible luck with boyfriends: none of them last. Through this terrible luck, James has been there to console and listen. When we encounter the two, James has had enough of Evan. He finally tells Evan, in a rather indirect way (“Do I have to sing ABBA for you?”) that he is interested in a relationship and tells Evan not to talk to him until he has something to say about his proposal. James goes off in a huff and spends the next chunks of the books angsting because Evan hasn’t contacted him. Turns out, Evan can’t figure out what the hell James was trying to tell him, and he gives up and confronts James. James explains that he would like Evan to “Take a Chance on Me” and Evan does.

I loved the characters in this story. James tells the entire story from his point of view, and it’s fantastic. The narration is what really makes this story shine. Evan, despite not having a POV, was well developed and had his own strong personality.

The conflict and character arcs were just right for a short story. Take a Chance on Me is funny, sweet, and well executed.

The Key by M.J. O’Shea

Blip — Fri, 04 May 2012 22:30:41 +0000

This review contains a complete plot synopsis. Spoilers ahead!

In The Key, we see Brook and Dallas sharing a dorm room. It’s not going well because they are both busy with classes, tired, working, etc.. Brook is worried that he’s losing his boyfriend Dallas–first to school and classes, then to another man. And Brook’s worry is reasonable. Dallas is always at the library, or working, or generally just acting squirrely as hell. Brook realizes that not only is Dallas spending most of his time away from the dorm room, but Dallas is lying about it. When Brook realizes that Dallas is lying, he does nothing but fret. He does not confront Dallas, because that would be a breach of trust, and if they don’t have trust they don’t have a relationship. And then Dallas’s posters go missing and he’s got packed boxes in the closet. Brook assumes to the worst–Dallas is moving out, dumping him. As it turns out, no. Dallas has just been working to acquire enough money for first and last month’s rent and a couple of months, apartment hunting, lease signing, furniture acquiring, and moving all by himself (okay, no, some neighbors helped). The big reveal occurs on Valentine’s day, Dallas assures Brook he loves him and isn’t breaking up with him, Brook is relieved and they kiss.

The predominant emotions in this story were: anxiety, sadness, relief.

I think it was supposed to cute. I find myself pissed on behalf of Brook. Since the story is first person from Brook’s perspective, I can’t assume what the hell Dallas was or wasn’t thinking. I’m going to chalk it up to young people can be dumb about certain things. But apartment hunting without informing your boyfriend? That is a big deal. Living arrangements are a big deal. They are the kind of big deal that couples discuss. Perhaps I am biased by my own opinions on building a household together, much like couples build their lives together.

The one thing I can give both Dallas and Brook credit for is identifying that a problem exists and looking for a solution. Brook found a very stop gap solution, and Dallas found a major solution that was inappropriate to also be a “surprise!” solution.

This story did not work for me. I could not relate to either character, and I find the actions of everyone but Brook to be completely insensitive. When I finished it I was mad. The writing was okay, but the story was not satisfying.

Twice by Chance by Susan Laine

Blip — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:10:41 +0000

Twice by Chance is about getting a second (and third) chance with the infatuation of your life. The main character witnesses a stranger making out in a cab, realizes he’s definitely gay, and then fantasizes about the man in the cab for the next six years. When they meet again, the main character very publicly entices the main character into bed. And then they argue and have angst and decide to give one another a third chance and they all live happily for now. (I cannot believe this is happily ever after, but I suppose it could be seen that way.)

This is the first book I’ve read by Susan Laine, and many of the things I found problematic could be attributed to my own personal preferences. I do not enjoy verbose writing styles full of purple prose (and purple dialogue). I like authentic characters and plots and character arcs that I can follow without a high degree of mental effort. Many of the issues I perceived had to do with writing style and characterization and “plot”, and some of them really should have been addressed by an editor. There is a fine line between letting an author have their voice/style and letting an author shoot their manuscript in the metaphorical foot. Unfortunately, this book falls on the shoot-foot side of the line.

At least 30% of the book is sex. That accounts for 3 sex scenes. To me, those felt like very long sex scenes. The characters do so much emotional flip flopping with sex scenes it’s very difficult to keep track of what’s going on, and sometimes it’s difficult to remember they’re actually having sex.

The main character is a twenty-one year old veterinary student. This is a little young for a person to be a veterinary student, but maybe he was one of those smart guys who graduated at age 16… or 14. The character supposedly works a lot to fund his schooling, housing, and any social life he has. However, there is absolutely no evidence beyond what the main character says that he is busy. Zak wants to go out, they go out that night. Busy people generally don’t have such flexibility. But maybe Zak is lucky enough to hit on the three days when the main character has free time. The main character is 21 years old. That’s fine, however what is not fine is that the story is told from his first person point of view. I would expect the narration to generally match the character personality, mannerisms, and way of speaking. The narration does not read like that of a 21 year old, or if so, a 21 year old who likes studying vocabulary books for fun. For example, how many 21 year old people talk like this?

That simple act seemed to trigger something in him like a switch being turned, or like a wire short-circuiting, and with the truculent pounding of a lifetime and a deep yell, Zak came, his hips shuddering and thrusting with a force beyond his conscious control, unable to stop until my clenching ass had milked every last drop of him into the condom.

Or how about this?

Falling fully back on the mattress, unable to withstand the ravenous onslaught of his mouth, hands, and body working in unison to defeat any and all opposition within me, I briefly meditated on the prospect of surrendering to him, and how that would affect me in the long run—stripping me not only of my garments but of my tranquility and peace of mind, which I’d just begun to rediscover before meeting with Zak again.

Zak wasn’t much better. For most of the book he was sullen, uncommunicative, and sulky. However, Zak’s character changes, rather suddenly, and he turns into an eloquent source of purple dialogue:

“I know we haven’t known each other for very long but… I really like you. I like your dimpled smile, I like your eyes and the way you look at me. I like how you’re smart, and funny with a wicked sense of humor, and cute and adorable—” oh God, stop now, or I’ll turn into a woman “—I like the way you never let me get away with any of my normal bullshit, or get away with anything, and how you make me question the way I’ve lived my life and the choices I’ve made, shutting people out. I get suspicious with people I don’t know, and…. You’ve kind of crept under my skin, and claw as I might….”

At the end of the book, both characters decide to give their relationship a real effort. They don’t really know each other, they both have declared their hearts are involved, but really, I think it’s a lot of lust. I’m reminded of the love that Romeo and Juliet had (without all that family and dying stuff). The love is big and overwhelming and I’m skeptical it was genuine.

(in case it’s not obvious, for the life of me I cannot remember the main character’s name.)

World on Fire by Hayley B. James

Blip — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:34:57 +0000

I loved World on Fire. It is one of the most satisfying books I have read in the last year. This is exactly my kind of book, but for sure, it’s not everyone’s kind of book.

World on Fire is about Cole, a journalist who is assigned to do an interview with a reclusive artist, who happens to be one of Cole’s most admired artists. The artist, Lucien, brings Cole to him and Cole finds himself in the middle of nowhere Colorado where things are weird. There are lightning bugs, for one! Lucien’s has the most anachronistic house(s) ever in the middle of a dense forest, a garden that changes overnight, very very weird companions–a girl and her older brother–a spooky house, paintings that changes.

World on Fire is a low-key mystery where the mystery is what in the world is going on? The first half of the book, the first 30% especially, is filled with circular dialogue and a lot of wondering “what is up with Lucian?” The main character, Cole, is very confused by Lucian’s seemingly inane conversation. At the same time, Cole is exceedingly polite (more so than this reader), and rarely expresses his frustration with Lucian. Since Cole doesn’t push Lucien to make sense, change is slow, and it really is quite frustrating for everyone.

In the end, Cole changes and is able to experience the world in a more immediate way. This is at its core a fated mate story (without the tired tropes of were-creature fated mates).

I found Cole and Lucien to be very interesting in how they dealt with very similar shaping experiences in their younger life. They both had parents who parented them until they reached 18. They both became romantically attached to men who wanted to change them. They both rejected this. With those experiences, Cole went and live and worked and functioned but nothing more. Lucien on the other hand said “screw you all, i’m going to be a recluse!” and he did. Cole let life happen to him. Lucien took control and actively and methodically searched for The One. The Right One. It was an interesting contrast that I enjoyed.

What I adore about this book and the way it is constructed is the author doesn’t do a whole lot of hand holding to help you figure out what’s going on. In fact, the only sections remotely resembling hand holding happen after you have already come to the conclusions about the characters that the scenes would have handed you on a silver platter. The scenes have other functions, though, so they’re not extraneous.

The POV is almost omniscient–I would say, it’s technically omniscient–but it’s definitely focused on Cole’s reactions and feelings and told through experiences. We have insight into what is going on with Lucien, what he feels occasionally, but the story is really from Cole’s perspective. Normally, omniscient is not a POV I enjoy, but it worked just fine in this case.

Cole is a very withdrawn soul at the beginning of the book, and he stays that way throughout most of it. Slowly he becomes more present, but it’s very slow, and his emersion into presence comes in a rush on the heels of epiphany. Until that moment though, the writing style serves to make the reader feel every bit as confused (and kind of withdrawn) as Cole feels. And therein lies the beauty of the book. Cole changes from this withdrawn man to an engaged man and we, the readers, are able to experience the journey with him.

I look forward to reading more of Ms James’ writing in the future. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for the world next.

April 19, 2012

Blip — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:38:16 +0000

The Daisy Chain has been dormant for a very long time. Rather than let this domain take up interweb space, I’ve decided to start posting my book reviews here. Maybe there will be more someday, maybe not, but for the foreseeable future, this site will be dedicated to glbt (mostly g) reviews.

I’ve also changed the rss feed for the site. So if you were subscribed before and want to continue to be subscribed, you’ll need to do so again.

Sword of the King by Megan Derr

Blip — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:05:42 +0000

Sword of the King was great. I finished reading it and wanted to read it again. Unfortunately, it was 2am and I had to leave for work in 5 hours.

Sword of the King is about dragons. Dragons are taken and enslaved to fight in pits. The book starts out with Blaze and Erie (aka Eros, a dragon). After a misunderstanding or two, the two pair up with Ken and Nev (dragon), and then Raf and Conway, Amr, and finally Cameron (dragon). Blaze wants to get Erie out of the dragon pits, Ken wants to end the dragon pits, Raf also seems to want to end the dragon pits, and Amr seems to want to end the dragon pits. Cam is a super dragon and every dragon pit boss wants him. So, the eight end up fighting goons, dragons, and ultimately bosses.

Sword of the King moves along at a quick pace. The plot/character arcs are well balanced. The beginning was a little weighty with exposition, but that’s not exactly uncommon in novels. The characters were compelling. Derr does great things with Dragons. I loved everything about this book.

There is a lot of sex in this book, but not so much that it overwhelms or is even out of balance. There’s also a lot of death, I wouldn’t recommend using the death to drive a drinking game because one could end up with alcohol poisoning. It’s not upsetting how much death there is, but there is a a lot.

I read the original Dragon Pits ages and ages ago, and I loved those stories. Sword of the King does have the same characters, the same setting, some of the same back story, but it’s a completely different story.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a plot driven, guns blazing, fists flying, awwww they’re so sweet book.

Treasure by Megan Derr

Blip — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:03:16 +0000

Treasure is about a prince who has been raised to go kill himself so his family can keep their magic. The prince had decided that he will not kill himself so his family can keep their magic, he will kill himself to prevent his family from keeping magic. The people in the book are connected in complicated ways. And going into much detail would spoil the journey.

Derr slowly drops hints and weaves together the journeys of four main characters. As the end approaches, who is who and what will happen begin to become clearer. The main angst throughout the book was Kyo, the prince, being sad because he had to kill himself. That was enough to get the forward motion of the book started, but it was not enough to keep me invested through the final act of the book. Leading up to the final act, the tension wasn’t maintained. Instead, random conversations and sex scenes which do not further the plot caused the pacing and tension to stutter. Correction: one of the sex scenes sets up a betrayal, but that isn’t clear at the time of reading, only afterwards.

One thing that impressed me in this book was the obvious amount of thought that went into the world. The histories of these worlds are dark and filled with death. The characters had unique mannerisms and sayings that came naturally from their culture (e.g. “hold your breath” is appropriate in the sea loving country). Their traditions came from episodes in the past (for example, because a twin killed their gods, they kill all twins, sadly).

Spoiler Q: Does anyone die?

All characters you could possibly be attached to are alive at the end of the book

Typos: This book has them. Several instances of mixing up names (kyo for kin). Several wrong words (eg accept instead of except). The typos were jarring.

In summary, this is a compelling plot-driven story of a journey over sea with excellent world building. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Written in the Stars by Alix Bekins

Blip — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 02:10:06 +0000

Written in the Stars is about Bailey, a disgraced astrophysicist who now works for a science magazine owned and run by by his friend John. In exchange for being allowed to write scathing op-eds about his peers, Baily agrees to write an astrology column. As a result of writing this column, he and John form a bet that Bailey could date a man from every sign of the zodiac and his compatibility with those men would not align with predicted compatibility based on zodiac. It’s an experiment and a bet. Over the course of a month and a half, Bailey, who hasn’t had much of a social life, goes on 14 dates (2 extra for experiment validity) over the course of the book. Add into that he gets sued. So he’s also dealing with that in addition to professional frustration and these dates.

At times I felt Bailey was a rather stereotypical self-centered scientist. Overall, though, he feels like a complete character. Bailey is a genius, had a masters degree by age 20, and rather focused on himself. Sometimes I found him annoying, but I’d probably find such a person annoying in reality.He is allergic to bees and citrus and that just affects lots of things.

The relationship that is the romantic goal of the story is between Bailey and John, however, this relationship is not realized until the very end. Bailey goes on dates, John gets jealous, Bailey has (more or less off-screen) sex with his dates, John gets more jealous.

The romantic tension between Bailey and John doesn’t successfully manifest in the book until the second half. There are instances in the first half where it seemed like an attempt was made to establish tension, but it felt flat.

I had a very difficult time getting through the first 60% of the book. The pacing was tedious, the narration verbose, and I didn’t see the point. I didn’t know where the story was going other than eventually John and Bailey would hook up. The lawsuit subplot felt unnecessary. There was a general lack of stakes. Who cares if Bailey has a bad date? Who cares if he get laid? Who cares if his experiment failed? Certainly not me. It’s clear from the beginning of the lawsuit that it’s not going to be an issue. There seemed to be some lingering doubt that maybe there would be an element of blackmail after the lawsuit was settled… but no. No biggie.

After about 60% things started to pick up. Bailey seemed to be in motion as a character, he was contemplating change in his life, the tension with John was getting stronger, and there was some worry whether or not Bailey would be outed as the astrology columnist (professional DEATH). I found the ending to be quite satisfying (even though it was the natural conclusion of Bailey and John finally getting together) and as a result, I give the book 4 stars.

I think this book would be pleasant as a serialized novel. The early parts of the book are so low key and lacking real conflict. But the beginning and the characters are interesting enough to keep reading. Spacing out the reading might keep a reader from wondering where the thing is going.

Now for a warning. Sex. Bailey has it with several men who are not John. From hand jobs to blow jobs and a weekend sex fling, Bailey and his dates do hookup. It’s fairly off screen and narrated from a distance, but it does happen. The only real on screen, explicit sex happens at at the end between Bailey and John (finally).

And another warning. I found the first chapter to be dialogue heavy and really tedious. Skip the first chapter if this is a problem. (I think sometimes the witty banter between John and Bailey was supposed to establish compatibility and tension. It didn’t. It was just a lot of dialogue and not enough narration to balance it out.)

And yet another warning. Here are silly things that happened: (1) Bailey advertised for his dates on Craigslist. Craigslist! Oh Em Gee, for real? His dates were screened, had to provide a driver’s license for the experiment but Craigslist? I was really worried for Bailey when one date faxed his license. I was almost certain he’d end up being a serial killer. But no, he was just a jerk. (2) No where in the reality of our world would it be helpful for a science magazine to have an astrology column. An amusing aspect of the book, yes, but for real? No.

I liked this book despite its tedious first half; it’s a longer book; I loved the Bailey character; I might read it again.

030 The Daisy Chain

Blip — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:05:59 +0000

The Daisy Chain podcast for the week of October 31, 2010.

This week author Kevin Klehr joins us! Yay~
Question: Are there any Thanksgiving themed m/m books?
Announcement: Voicemail is closed. Contact through goodreads or daisycrazy.net.
Length: 24:19

Where to find Kevin Klehr online:

028 The Daisy Chain with author Jade Archer

Blip — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 07:35:03 +0000

Greetings! My apologies that this is so late, especially to Jade. Here is the rest of the interview with Jade Archer. She was an absolute joy to talk with.

The Daisy Chain should return to its normal operating schedule in a week or two.

Length: 30:04

027 The Daisy Chain

Blip — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 02:53:37 +0000

The Daisy Chain podcast for the week of September 26, 2010.

This week author Jade Archer joins us! This episode contains the first part on an interview with Jade, and the rest of the interview will be posted on Wednesday, September 29.

Length: 19:17

Where to find Jade Archer online:

Jade Archer’s Website

022.5 Interview with Dale Lazarov

Blip — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:28 +0000

Here’s the rest of the interview with Dale Lazarov. Vote for Nightlife for Book of the Month!!

Length: 29:36.

022 The Daisy Chain

Blip — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:40:20 +0000

The Daisy Chain podcast for the week of August 22, 2010.

Pages from Nightlife. Copyright Dale Lazarov and Bastian Jonsson and anyone else I've missed

Dale Lazarov joins us on The Daisy Chain this week! Another super cool author to talk with. The rest of his interview will be posted tomorrow. Length: 18:56

So, I’ll be the first to admit this isn’t my best edited episode. Had some recording issues. I’ll try to get back an clean it up next week.

020.5 Interview with Heidi Cullinan

Blip — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:30:38 +0000

Here’s the rest of the interview with Heidi Cullinan. Enjoy!

Length: 41:48

020 The Daisy Chain

Blip — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:30:54 +0000

The Daisy Chain podcast for the week of August 8, 2010.

This week author Heidi Cullinan joins us! This episode contains the first part on an interview with Heidi, and the rest of the interview will be posted tomorrow. Deanna also stops by to give us an update from the Goodreads M/M Romance group.

Length: 22:04

Where to find Heidi Cullinan online:

Interview with Sullivan Wheeler

Blip — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:00:23 +0000

Here is the rest of the interview with Sullivan Wheeler.

Length: 9:17

018 The Daisy Chain

Blip — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

The Daisy Chain Podcast for the week of July 25, 2010.

Author Sullivan Wheeler joins me this week. I love talking to the authors who come on the podcast–they say some very thought provoking about life and writing. There will be 10 more minutes of Sullivan Wheeler interview posted tomorrow in a bonus episode. Also, special announcement! Deanna will be joining The Daisy Chain as the “Goodreads M/M Romance Group Correspondent” (we are definitely taking suggestions for a better title!). Deanna stops by to introduce herself… and she will be on the podcast next week as a reader interviewee–we haven’t had one of those in a while!

Length: 21:14

Where to find Sullivan Wheeler online:

Sullivan Wheeler’s Author Blog

016 The Daisy Chain

Blip — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 04:22:40 +0000

The Daisy Chain Podcast for the week of July 11, 2010.

Length: 14:13

Author Stephani Hecht joins me this week! omg! I got a little (lot?) fangirl on her, and she talks about her characters, Lost Shifter Series, Drone Vampire Chronicle series, what she’s working, etc… Not to be missed by Hecht fans.

Where to find Stephani Hecht online:

Interview with Clancy Nacht

Blip — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:00:28 +0000

Here is the rest of the interview with Clancy Nacht. We mention some of the following things:

J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter books
Chuck Palahniuk and Fight Club, Invisible Monsters (major spoiler around minute 20), Pygmy
Stephen King and On Writing
Purple Prose and Alpha Men
Anne Rice
The Vampire Diaries
Lost
Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight Saga

Clancy Nacht’s new book A Certain Pressure in the Pipes will be out on June 28th from Noble Romance!~ Hey that’s today!

Where to find Clancy Nacht:

014 The Daisy Chain

Blip — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 03:24:24 +0000

The Daisy Chain Podcast for the week of June 27, 2010.

Length: 22:17. Ralph from the Dancing Dove has a quick recview of Luke by Jan Irving.

Author Clancy Nacht joins me this week! She talks about her upcoming novella A Certain Pressure in the Pipes coming out June 28th from Noble Romance, what steampunk is to her, what she would do if stranded on a desert island… and probably some other stuff. Come back Monday for the rest of the interview–which is an additional 50 minutes of awesomeness.

The Daisy Chain

The Tennis Partners by Alison Bailey

Book Information

Take a Chance on Me by Liz Lambdin

Book Information

The Key by M.J. O’Shea

Book Information

Twice by Chance by Susan Laine

Book Information

World on Fire by Hayley B. James

Book Information

April 19, 2012

Sword of the King by Megan Derr

Book Information

Treasure by Megan Derr

Book Information

Written in the Stars by Alix Bekins

Book Information

030 The Daisy Chain

The Daisy Chain podcast for the week of October 31, 2010.

Where to find Kevin Klehr online:

028 The Daisy Chain with author Jade Archer

027 The Daisy Chain

The Daisy Chain podcast for the week of September 26, 2010.

Where to find Jade Archer online:

022.5 Interview with Dale Lazarov

022 The Daisy Chain

The Daisy Chain podcast for the week of August 22, 2010.

020.5 Interview with Heidi Cullinan

020 The Daisy Chain

The Daisy Chain podcast for the week of August 8, 2010.

Where to find Heidi Cullinan online:

Interview with Sullivan Wheeler

018 The Daisy Chain

The Daisy Chain Podcast for the week of July 25, 2010.

Where to find Sullivan Wheeler online:

016 The Daisy Chain

The Daisy Chain Podcast for the week of July 11, 2010.

Where to find Stephani Hecht online:

Interview with Clancy Nacht

014 The Daisy Chain

The Daisy Chain Podcast for the week of June 27, 2010.

Where to find Clancy Nacht: