New Year reading!

Review of Cats In Space by Ginger Gordon 1*

BLURB: A world first! At last, the need for feline-oriented science fiction has been answered. From over-the-top spacesploitation to gritty hard-SF, the handful of stories in "Cats in Space" are all you need for cats in space-based genre fiction.

My Review: With a blurb like that I was expecting good things (like the S’kitty stories by Mercedes Lackey or Anne McCaffrey’s Barque cats)but unfortunately what I got was a waste of good reading time! The only story I found even vaguely interesting was the first one, the others just bored me.


Review of Coming Out Wolf by Julia Talbot 3*

BLURB: The worst thing in the world isn’t being gay. Not even close. It’s not even being a werewolf. The worst thing in the world is being in love with your roommate and having that love be unrequited. No matter what Steve does, Rick just isn’t responding. Will he give up too soon on making Rick his mate?

My Review: This looked like it would be a good story as it had an interesting concept. Unfortunately it read more like a first chapter or proposal for a longer story. I enjoyed the little bit I got but could have done with a bigger story and more interaction within the relationship .

Review of My Man Godric by R Cooper 4*

BLURB: Bertie is just the king's foolish, poetry loving, sometimes crossdressing brother. useless in times of crisis, or so he tells himself. He is completely beneath the notice of someone like the country's most famous general, Godric of the South. It's too bad that he happens to be in love with Godric... and that with the entire country at stake, Bertie might be the only one who can save it.

My Review : For a short story this had a lot of character and interaction and I really fell for Bertie and his dresses. He was so adorable in his beliefs about how useless he was and Godric was excellently portrayed as the man who saw Bertie for what he is and calls him ‘My Lord’ out of respect. Overall the only thing wrong with this story was it wasn’t long enough for me. I hope the author decides to write a longer version soon.

Review of Dharma Café by Jessica Freely 5*

BLURB: Welcome to the Dharma Café, a restaurant like no other. There is no menu. The waiter, Samura, uses mystical powers to read what each customer needs, and the cook, Agatha, prepares the food with ingredients like love, hope, and courage.
The café is a refuge for the new busboy, Charlie, who was kicked out of home on his eighteenth birthday. Irresistibly drawn to Samura, Charlie soon discovers that the stern, formal waiter harbors a heartbreaking past and a dangerous secret.
Samura lives in fear that one day, the darkness inside him will burst forth to destroy all he loves. Now that includes brash, infuriating, delectable Charlie, who has broken through all Samura’s defenses and taught him to trust himself.
Just when Samura thinks it might be safe to reveal the truth, his worst nightmare walks back into his life: His father, Akio, the evil food sorcerer who runs the burger stand on the other side of town. Akio’s business is expanding and he wants his son to manage his new location, where the Dharma Café now stands.
It will take the combined resources of an ancient cook, a novice dishwasher, and a cursed waiter to fight Akio and protect the café. But when Samura succumbs to Akio’s magic, will it be enough?

My Review: I loved it! The story was well written and had me so well hooked that I didn’t want to put it down (not even to eat!) . The world building was excellent and it didn’t take me long to understand the world Charlie and Samura lived in. Their interaction was well portrayed and was just the right mix of angst and determination of a typical teenager. Overall the whole book came alive for me and I was sorry that, when I finally reached the end, I didn’t have more to read.

Review of Stud (Star Cat Chronicles bk 8) by Cheryl Brooks 5*

BLURB: THEY'RE GALAXIES APART...
Even for a Zetithian, Tarq Zulveidinoe's sexual prowess is legendary. Believing it's all he's good for, Tarq sets out to perpetuate his threatened species by offering his services to women across the galaxy...
BUT ONE FORCE CAN BRING THEM TOGETHER...
Lucinda Force is the sensitive dark horse in a self-absorbed family, repeatedly told that no man will ever want such a plain woman. Lucy longs for romance, but is resigned to her loveless lot in life-until Tarq walks through the door of her father's restaurant on Talus Five...

My Review: What can I say – I found this book to be as enjoyable as the previous 7. Hot sex scenes, great hero, nice heroine and plenty of action. As usual the book could be read as a stand alone as Ms Brooks does an excellent job of filling in back story without overwhelming the reader with to much superfluous information. Can’t wait until number nine gets published.

Review of Peace World (Peace Warrior Trilogy bk 3) by Steven L Hawk 5*

BLURB: Reanimated after six hundred years, Grant Justice has become the leader of Earth's new army. Unwilling to sit back and wait for the next attack, Grant decides to take the fight to the enemy. He and a mothership full of his best fighters are headed toward Waa, the aliens' new home world.
Unknown to Grant, a fleet of alien motherships is headed toward Earth—intent on punishing the planet for destroying Minith.
Who will win the battle for supremacy—the alien slavers with a thirst for war, or the humans struggling to survive and save their way of life? Who will finally rule the… Peace World.

My Review: This was a prefect ending to the trilogy with the action being well paced and interesting. The plot was well woven with all the loose ends tied up neatly and (in my opinion) justly. I just wished it hadn’t been a trilogy so that I could read more about Grant, Titan, the aliens and, mostly, Eli – that was one clever and gutsy six year old!