Static by L.A. Witt

Grade: A-

Hotness Level: Blaze

Kink Level: No Kink

Genre: Sci-Fi, Gender Bending

Published: 1/20/14 (first pubbed 6/17/11)

Reviewed by Anne

208 pages

Imagine a world where some people can shift into the opposite gender. And just like the werewolf shifter romances I've read, these shifters consider each of their forms/genders a part of them. It's a setup I couldn't refuse! Then you add in a society only starting to accept shifters, and you've really got an interesting world.

Damon has been dating his girlfriend Alex for two years. Her relationship with her parents is very strained. When he doesn't hear from her after a visit home, he goes looking for her and discovers that she's a shifter, and due to some surgery her parents forced on her, she's now stuck in her male form. 

I didn't want to put this book down! It made me think about gender and sexuality and it was a sweet romance to boot!   The world building was easy to understand, and the shifting was no harder to accept than any kind of animal shifter.  The re-developing romance was realistic and easy to read.  The process by which Damon fell in love with Alex again was slow, not immediate, and that read very true to me.  It also involved Alex accepting that someone could love him in whichever form he was in.  That made for a slow paced romance, but it was realistic.  There were times they were on the verge of having a conversation that got put off.  When they finally got around to it I could see that it was a good thing they had waited - they'd each grown over the course of the story to the point that they could discuss it without hurting each other as much.  That's some good writing!

I highly recommend this book - it's going on my best of the year list and it was one of my most interesting reads as well!  In the past year I've really enjoyed some other reads that have made me think about gender and what it means.  I recommend Butterfly Tattoo by Deidre Knight and Wallflower by Heidi Belleau.   I also found the blog  Raising My Rainbow  about a family raising their gender non-conformist son.  The blog and books have all made me think, and I hope they've made me a more accepting person.  How about you?  Any stories about gender bending sexuality and stereotypes you would recommend?

Throw Back Thursday- Naked In Death by J.D. Robb

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Blaze
Kink Level-No Kink
Series-In Death #1
Genre-Romantic Suspense/Mystery
Reviewed by Kay
294 pages

Eve Dallas is police officer in the year 2058 and also a childhood sexual abuse survivor. She has a couple of good friends and rarely dates. Her work is her life pretty much. She is fresh off of a case that has scarred her emotionally when she inherits a mess of a case. It involves the death of a Senator's granddaughter, who was a licensed companion. In this future you can be a prostitute as long as you're licensed to do so. What makes the case more interesting is that the victim was shot with a gun from our current time period. Guns are outlawed in the future. Only serious collectors have them, which leads her to Roarke as a suspect.

Roarke is a very wealthy man with a collection of 20th century guns and he is friends with family of the deceased. But the death of the prostitute is only the first victim and the beginning of this mystery. As Eve gets sexually involved with Roarke, she endangers not only her career but her life as they work together to find this killer that has scared the community.

This was an audio read for me and the first In Death book for me. I enjoyed it and am headed to the library for the second one in audio form. Anyone who likes romantic suspense and a good whodunnit, this is a good start to what I hope is an exciting series. My only complaint as a romance reader is that it could've been hotter. Thank you to Anne and my friend Wendy for suggesting this series to me.

Sky Runners by Fae Sutherland

 

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Space Opera, Sci-fi, m/m
Series: Skybound #2

Reviewed by Anne

151 pages

 

Here's my book club style recap: So, there is this ship and crew (which reminded me of the Millenium Falcon, minus the wookie and plus gay men) who are on a mission to rescue this kidnapped guy (his name is Neith) who is being forced to work in a brothel.  They do a daring rescue, and they succeed, but it turns out he's been given lots of drugs that make him horny (to the point of pain, of course) and thankfully there's a guy on board (big old guy with a heart of gold named Killian) who is willing to, ahem, help him out until the drug wears off.  (It's a long lasting drug!)  Action and adventure ensues.  Will the nasty pimp with a big space ship come after them?  Will they be able to tell really lust and love from drug fueled feelings?

 

What a great read! I have to go back and read the first book in this series now, because, as is usual for me, I started with book 2 in the series. It's an interesting space/future world set up. m/m vs m/f romance doesn't seem to be an issue at all in this world, which was interesting and nice. I was a bit nervous that the story would include a man who had been forced into prostitution.  That's a touchy subject and not one to be made light of.  I thought the repercussions of the forced prostitution were handled ok. My thought is that there would be bigger after effects, but it wasn't totally ignored, so I'm good with that. I'm a sucker for unintentional aphrodisiac stories, so that part really worked for me. I thought Killian and Neith's relationship was sweet. I enjoyed the secondary characters, too. After reading the interaction between the captain and the pilot (main characters from the first book) I have to go back and read that one.  A caution - Killian has an accent.  You know, the kind where you don't say any of the "g"s in "ing" words.  That bugged me a bit.  I know it really drives some people bonkers.  But after a while his endearment for Neith (li'l bit) stopped being annoying and ended up being really sweet. This was a  fun read I'd recommend to people who enjoy sci/fi space romance.

Mercy Bound by Kele Moon

Grade-B
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level- Mild Kink
Genre-Sci-Fi/Futuristic
44 pages
Reviewed by Kate

In a futuristic world a doctor accidentally sends Dray into a mating heat and Mercy is the only female around. It's a good thing that Mercy has been in love with Dray for years, because it's literally a life and death situation.

I really enjoyed this quick, steamy read. Dray has been avoiding his feelings for Mercy for years, trying to be honorable. Mercy is determined to save Dray from his mating heat, not really understanding what she's getting herself into. I loved the strong characters that Kele Moon has created. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Mindlink by Kat Cantrell

Grade: D-
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Sci-Fi
Reviewed by Kate

Aliens (who look like humans) have invited 10 of earth's top scientists to a sit down, a meeting of the minds if you will. Ashley, a former child star (I kept thinking Lindsey Lohan), poses as a scientist in a publicity stunt to jump start her career again. When they land on the alien planet a probe is inserted into each of their brains, allowing the aliens complete access to the humans' thoughts and knowledge. Ashley is sent to be executed when the aliens discover her deception. While awaiting execution, her probe links with the probe of ZXQ (all aliens have probes implanted at birth). Now Ashley and ZXQ, or Sam as she names him, can share thoughts and he agrees to help Ashley escape.

Sounds exciting, right? I thought so too. I really looked forward to reading this one.  Then I read it. In my opinion Ashley would have been better off sticking to the path other have-been actors take to start a comeback...Dancing With the Stars or any of Fox's celebrity reality shows.

Unfortunately, she chooses aliens and we embark on the slowest 200+ pages I've come across lately. Her character has a sense of entitlement that put a sour taste in my mouth. The entitlement switched to a need to prove herself back on earth. It wasn't until the last fifth of the book that she showed and character growth at all. On the opposite side of things, Sam goes from alien to full blown human in the blink of an eye. Very little struggle for him to adapt to a new program.

The romance between Ashley and Sam isn't worth writing home about. Ashley had been there, done that. And probably for all the wrong reasons. Sam is experiencing his first taste of sex. And, of course, he's magically wonderful at it (eye roll).

The ending that took forever to get to sort of fizzled.  A huge build up, then... nothing.  Like a lit bottle rocket that never launches.  A disappointing ending to a disappointing book.

Demon Possession by Kiersten Fay

Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Sci Fi
Series: Shadow Quest #1
Reviewed by Kate

Analia has been a captive aboard the Extarga for centuries.  Finally presented with a chance of escape, she stows away on the merchant ship the Marada.  Sebastian, demon captain of the Marada, has just accepted a commission that includes a ward being placed on the ship.  A ward that prevents anyone from entering or leaving the ship until the goods are delivered to a destination months away.  When Sebastian discovers Analia, he has little choice but to let her remain aboard.

Sebastian is drawn to Analia as a demon can only be drawn to its mate.  But Sebastian was deeply betrayed before by one who loved him and he's determined to never love again.  Analia remembers nothing of her life before the Extarga.  She only knows she will do anything to maintain her freedom.  Even if it means fighting her growing affections for the demon captain.  But at the culmination of the Marada's contract, something is discovered about Analia that will change the course of not only Sebastian and Analia's lives, but the fate of the entire universe as well.

Wow.  What an epic tale.  Honestly, I loved the first three quarters of the book.  It centered around the developing relationship between Sebastian and Analia.  The last part of the book I liked, but it was more focused on setting up the rest of the series.  The villain-dastardly.  The heroine-strong and spunky.  The hero-delicious, right down to his little horns that change colors with his moods.  What's not to love.  I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

To the Princess Bound by Sara King

Grade-A
Hotness Level-ember
Kink Level-No kink
Series-Terms of Mercy #1
Reviewed by Kate
Ah...the siren call of a free book. There is just something abut the whole freeness that calls to me. Of course I typically end up disappointed, but every once in a while I stumble across a gem. To the Princess Bound by Sara King is just one of those gems. 

A sci fi romnce...gotta love the ability to completely alter a world to suit your storyline needs, right? Princess Victory was captured, tortured, and raped for six years. Now back at home she is terrified of all males. Her ass of a father decides that to get her over her fear, he is going to chain her to the biggest slave they can find.

Enter Dragomir, a native emp...someone who can heal with their mind. Dragomir is taken from his home and chained to Victory. Then he discovers that he and Victory are soul mates...have shared dozens upon dozens of past lives...and he can heal her... if he can get her to trust him.

While definitely a romance, it is not terribly steamy. Only a few kisses before the last few chapters of the book. While that might normally bother me, it wasnt the case this time. I enjoyed this one a lot.