Review of Men Under the Mistletoe

Title: Men Under the Mistletoe

Authors: Ava March, Harper Fox, Josh Lanyon, K.A. Mitchell

Publisher: Carina Press

Format: eBook (novellas also available for individual sale)

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: December 5, 2011

Rating: 4 out of 5

This is the first m/m book I’ve reviewed for the blog, and I really enjoyed the novellas. I requested the book for review because I am a huge fan of Josh Lanyon’s writing, but the other authors were all new to me. While the novellas differ in quality, Harper Fox and Josh Lanyon’s pieces were outstanding.

As with Carina Press’s other Christmas themed anthology, A Clockwork Christmas, the novellas in this m/m anthology are available for individual sale.

My True Love Gave to Me by Ava March

In 1817 London, Alexander Norton begins a hot and heavy affair with Thomas Bennett, only to be cruelly rejected by his first love. Four years later, Thomas has returned from America to reconcile with Alexander. Unfortunately, Thomas barely recognizes the bitter man Alexander’s become. Can Thomas convince Alexander of his remorse and somehow find a way for them to be together?

From the beginning of this novella I was impressed with how Ms. March conveyed that heady feeling of one’s first love. Alexander is enamored of Thomas and eager to be with him, but Thomas can’t bring himself to commit. Since the novella is set in the early nineteenth Century, it’s easy to understand Thomas’s fears. The characters are so well-written that I was disappointed there wasn’t more to the plot. Basically they separate, then have to find a way to reconcile later, but there just wasn’t much to the story. I’m afraid this novella, despite the deft treatment of the protagonists, suffers when compared to the novellas that follow. 3 out of 5

Winter Knights by Harper Fox

I’m not familiar with Ms. Fox’s work, but that will soon change. This was a masterful story that drew me in from the first. Gavin Lowden is a historian in Northumberland looking for proof that Arthur and Lancelot were lovers. He’s also hoping that his lover Piers will finally come out to his conservative religious family, allowing the two to spend some much-needed time together. But when Piers tells Gavin he can’t come out to his family and that he’s decided to resume his former engagement to a woman, Gavin’s heart-broken. He sets off for the moors but falls into a crevice. Two rescuers, Artie and Lance, pull him out and take him home with them to mend his broken heart.

This could have been an awkward story to read, because of Artie and Lance’s involvement with Gavin immediately following his fight with Piers, but Ms. Fox handles it exactly right. I love that Artie and Lance force Gavin to examine his behavior with Piers, and the Camelot and Arthur legends make for a nice touch. Great attention to detail and a riveting story made this a winner for me. 4.5 out of 5

Lone Star by Josh Lanyon

I love Josh Lanyon’s authorial voice and his taut writing, and this novella is an excellent example of his style. Mitchell Evans is a star in the world of ballet in New York City, but after catching his lover with a woman, he needs a break and heads for rural Texas for Christmas. His estranged father passed away a few months ago, and Mitch needs to settle the estate. He doesn’t count on running into his first love, Texas Ranger Web Eisley. They still set off sparks, but their lives are so different now that anything long term seems out of reach.

I was so excited to read this novella that as soon as I received the ARC, I immediately read this story, then set the anthology aside to finish later. Even weeks later Mitch and Web were clear in my mind, and I find their romance compelling. There’s always a good dose of angst in the Lanyon stories I’ve read, and this one is no exception. One of the many reasons I find his work so intriguing is that his characters remain with you because of his deft treatment of their vulnerabilities. Definitely a novella I’ll be re-reading many times. 4.5 out of 5

The Christmas Proposition by K.A. Mitchell

Ms. Mitchell’s wry sense of humor made this story for me. Set in Epiphany, Pennsylvania, Mel Halner runs his family’s Christmas tree farm. Three years ago millionaire Bryce Campion asked Mel to leave Epiphany with him, but Mel turned him down. Now Mel’s best friend Tiff is marrying Bryce’s friend Kurt, and Mel will have to face Bryce at the wedding. Bryce isn’t used to being turned down, and he’s clearly interested in resuming their relationship, but it’s not clear if for Bryce this is a short-term fling or something more.

Mel and his family were hilarious, especially when we learn that his parents named him and his siblings for the three wise men, setting up lots of Christmas jokes. Tiff, the bridezilla, is good for a few laughs at Mel’s expense as well. However, I felt that the romance between Bryce and Mel needed a little more development. Mel’s unsure about Bryce’s feelings for him, and as a reader I, too, was unsure if this was just about the smexy times, because there are a LOT of smexy times in this novella. I also found Mel’s inability to tell anyone how he really feels pretty annoying. It made for some funny inner monologue, but I wanted him to speak up for himself. When he finally does just that, I had some serious concerns that it would be too late. Regardless, this was a fun romance with an interesting premise. 4 out of 5

Review of Anthology A Clockwork Christmas

Title: A Clockwork Christmas

Authors: Stacy Gail, PG Forte, Jenny Schwartz, JK Coi

Publisher: Carina Press

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publication Date: December 5, 2011

Rating: 4 out of 5

I love reading steampunk novels, so when I saw this anthology of Christmas themed steampunk novellas for review on NetGalley, I couldn’t wait to read it. When I finally sat down to write this review, I learned that each novella is also available for individual sale, which is a really nice feature. Kudos to Carina Press for offering this option - I’d love to see more publishers offer stories in anthologies that way! That said, I felt that this anthology was a really solid collection, and I liked each of the novellas, which is unusual.

Stacy Gail’s Crime Wave in a Corset

The decision to place this novella first in the collection was excellent. Crime Wave in a Corset draws the reader in from the beginning, and you’ll soon find yourself rooting for the dubious heroine, Cornelia Peabody, thief. Cornelia’s fought her way from the streets and invents all sorts of clever contraptions to aid her robbing organizations such as the local university. Unfortunately, one of her more successful jobs, stealing a Fabergé egg, has come back to haunt her.

Roderick Coddington (Coddington is NOT the best last name for a hero, imo) ambushes Cornelia in her home. That Fabergé egg belonged to his beloved Beth, who died shortly after its disappearance. He attaches a deadly timepiece to Cornelia’s wrist, and if she can’t recover the egg in a week, the timepiece will kill her.

Ms. Gail did a great job of this enemies-turned-lovers novella. At first Roderick comes across as unlikeable, even though he’s not the villain , but Cornelia is a very likeable character, and you’ll enjoy watching the two fall in love. 4 out of 5

PG Forte’s This Winter Heart

Ophelia Leonides finds herself destitute after her father’s death and forced to return to the husband who abandoned her in order to support their son, Arthur. Her husband, Dario, is part of a powerful family in the Republic of New Texacali after the Civil War, and is not at all inclined to help his estranged wife. Since he believed her to be barren, he’s even less likely to accept that Arthur’s his son, but the resemblance is undeniable. Can the marriage be saved, or will Dario refuse to accept his wife for what she is – a women with a heart and feelings.

I love reunion romances, so this was a winner for me. Once Ophelia’s dark secret is revealed, it’s very easy to see why Dario would have rejected her. The only problem I had with the novella has to do with Ophelia’s secret, which is only explained in a very vague sort of way. Steampunk technology doesn’t have to be completely explained for me (in fact, I’d prefer that it not be), but I was fairly puzzled over how Ophelia’s father had pulled off what he had. 4 out of 5

Jenny Schwartz’s Wanted: One Scoundrel

This novella doesn’t feature steampunk technology as much as the others, but I found it to be a romantic read. Esme Smith is the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Australia, and she’s an ardent suffragette. Unfortunately, she’s not able to enter the men’s clubs where much of the political debate takes place, so she decides to hire a scoundrel to espouse her views where she cannot. Her uncle introduces her to American Jed Reeve, an inventor, and he’s so intrigued by the beauty that he agrees to her scheme without letting her know that she’s mistaken about his lack of funds.

Ms. Schwartz’s novella reads more like a traditional historical romance with a few steampunk elements, but it’s delightful none the less. The more Jed learns about Esme, the more he admires her intelligence and spirit, and I enjoyed the Australian setting, and Esme is a suffragette we could all root for. 4 out of 5

JK Coi’s Far from Broken

This was darkest contribution to the collection, because the steampunk elements are used to modify injured characters, almost like a member of the Borg from Star Trek. This isn’t necessarily a new element of steampunk – I love Meljean Brook’s Iron Duke series, and many of the characters in that series have prosthetics – but I found this novella to be somewhat disturbing because of the hero’s initial treatment of his wife.

Coronel Jasper Carlisle is a spy, married to prima ballerina Calliope (Callie). While he’s away from home, his wife is tortured by his enemies, and Carlisle spirits his injured wife to a military hospital, where she’s fitted with a prosthetic eye, hand, and legs. What bothered me the most about this story is that the Coronel leaves his wife alone in the hospital for the four months of her recovery, only returning later in an attempt to salvage their marriage. I liked Callie’s character, and the world building was fascinating, but I felt like Callie should have used her new iron legs to punt her husband across the room for his abandonment, and even with the romantic resolution I was a little miffed at Carlisle. 3.5 out of 5