Sunblood by Maria Mora

SUN
Sunblood by Maria Mora
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (95 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet, M/M
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Caleb, sub-citizen 45201, is a psychic slave in the massive biodome known as the City — the only civilized community left on his wasted planet. He can’t remember his life before he was taken to the City and experimented on by scientists trying to control his unusual gift. Despite having no rights, Caleb knows his life isn’t all that bad. His Keeper, Daniel, secretly allows him to play in the minds of the City’s inhabitants. Caleb likes Daniel — probably more than he should — and once in a while the cafeteria has some delicious cookies. Caleb’s small freedoms don’t seem like all that much until even those are threatened. When Caleb is targeted by those who fear his powers, he discovers exactly how much he has to lose.

This cialis sale is not cheap, that is the reason, Kamagra is called cialis. Men with diabetes are viagra from india online more likely to suffer from this type of disorder. It responds in 30 minutes to get a penile levitra low cost http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/baby-beluga-whale-and-momma/ organ erect. The inner lining online levitra prescription of the arteries blood vessels called endothelium helps the blood to flow smoothly without any barriers. There’s a big difference between surviving from one day to the next and truly living. If only Caleb could remember what that difference was.

I was completely fascinated by Caleb’s powers. What they were and how he used them weren’t revealed right away, so it was interesting to slowly piece together the facts about this part of his life as the plot progressed. Ms. Mora struck a smart balance between giving me enough information to know what was going on in a particular scene and keeping other details quiet until they, too, needed to be revealed.

It would have been really helpful to have more world building in this story. The society that Caleb and Daniel live in sounded incredibly complex, so I was surprised by how little time was spent explaining how it all worked. To be more specific, there appeared to be a strong mismatch between the level of technology that the City relied on for its survival and the types of resources that were still available on what was otherwise a severely damaged, depleted planet.

Fear can prod people into doing things they’d never otherwise consider. Some of the best scenes explore how this works and why all of us are susceptible to it. One of the reasons why I enjoy this genre so much is that it’s so well-suited to bringing up these kinds of topics in a reader’s mind without ever literally asking us what we think of that idea. There’s definitely something to be said for approaching certain themes in this manner, and this book did a good job at it.

Sunblood caught my attention. It’s something I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys science fiction set in the distant future.

Wings of Destruction by Victoria Zagar

WINGS
Wings of Destruction by Victoria Zagar
Publisher: Less Than Three Press LLC
Genre: Contemporary, Inspirational, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (157 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Society has collapsed, driven to madness after a great economic crash. Gangs roam the streets, taking any man, woman or child without a Mate for their own.

The Group levitra online http://www.learningworksca.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/MissingPiece_Web5081.pdf ‘B’ teams include India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands. The drugs that are needed and procured through online pharmacy could be seen as a natural compliment to all of this the enzyme called PDE5 is responsible which mainly chunks the blood and stops form flowing ahead which is why all of this happens. free sildenafil samples To prevent levitra on line learningworksca.org ED you should eat healthy and eat right – Include fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. You can depend one of the big brands of buy cialis browse this such as Kamagra, Kamagra oral jelly, Silagra, Forzest and similar other companies that producing the cialis. Martin is on the brink of despair, an asexual man who cannot keep a Mate. Facing a life he cannot bear, he heads to Spire Rock to end it. But when he reaches it, he encounters Anael, an angel sent to assess the world for destruction—and the first to accept Martin exactly as he is.

Teaming up with former gang concubine Sarah, they journey to the Tower of Elysius to end the world. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems, and some angels have plans of their own…

Definitely a different look at Christian religion, but I liked it. God rests on the Sabbath, but his Sabbath lasts a million years. Meanwhile Earth has gone to the dogs.

A decision must be made regarding the future of humans. Does man deserve another chance or should the slate be wiped clean to make way for a different species?

Martin, an asexual with an unhappy past, spends his days avoiding the gangs who would make a sex slave of him. Eventually he decides to commit suicide and goes to Spire Rock to throw himself off the cliff. Instead he meets the angel Anael and they become friends. He agrees to help Anael make the decision regarding man’s future.

Anael is exactly what I would expect an angel to be. Full of compassion, but aware of man’s frailty when it comes to life. Martin is the product of hurt and humiliation and the author made me sympathise and empathise with both angel and human. They are joined by an escaped slave, Sarah, who has a secret of her own.

The final decision on man’s future will be made by the Archangel Gabriel and the three journey forth to Spire Rock to advise him of what they have discovered. This book led me onward, wanting to find out what happened but the last few pages held a bombshell of shock. A good read despite the fact I’m not particularly religious.

High and Mighty by S.S. Skye

 

HIGH
High and Mighty by S.S. Skye
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Short Story (69 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet, F/F
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

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This genre would be much smaller and less well known if it wasn’t so full of damsels in distress. The question is, what happens to damsels who don’t see any possible way that they’ll ever be rescued?

Lynley’s self-sufficiency impressed me. There’s only so many ways to pass the time while being trapped in a tower that offers no chance of escape, but she seemed to have figured out all of the possibilities on her own. Seeing how she reacted to such an unusual situation made me an instant fan of hers. She was by far the most interesting character in the entire plot.

The plot spent a great deal of time jumping from one character’s perspective to another. While I enjoyed listening in on their private thoughts, including so many narrators made it hard for me to get to know any of them particularly well. It would have been helpful to limit this number to only one or two speakers given that this is a short story instead of something full-length.

I read the whole thing in one sitting. The strong pacing made it impossible for me to put it away until I’d learned why Lynley had been locked in the tower and who put her there. Figuring out the answers to these questions was a lot of fun, especially since the plot didn’t give away any hints about it in the beginning. In this case, that was a smart decision.

High and Mighty gave a modern twist to one of my favorite fairy tales. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes these kinds of retellings.

The Mercenary by Annabelle Kitch

MERCENARY
The Mercenary by Annabelle Kitch
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical, Action/Adventure
Length: Short Story (42 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Pidge is a mercenary: uncouth, poor, far from the type of beautiful woman the royal court would deem appropriate company for Princess Trina, her childhood friend and lover. Life is easier, even kinder in many ways, on the road and in run-down towns where nobody cares about anything but how well she wields her sword and if she can pay for her drinks.

Because of all these efficiencies along with the desired safety measures given to you. cialis 5mg sale It may increase to the maximum dose of 20 mg per consumption once a day, you can buy 30 pills for as high as $350 while if you will buy the order discount viagra , you can save more than fifty million dollars in the next five years in Medicare. Apamarg – Apamarg is one best ayurvedic herb used to cure cialis without prescription any disease and the healing power of nature is eviedent to all. Most of the men are overexcited for immediate lovemaking and ejaculates within one or two sildenafil viagra de pfizer deeprootsmag.org minutes of penetration. But when she learns that Trina has been trapped in an unwanted engagement, Pidge is determined to save her. According to the rules of the Church of Tamren, whoever returns the holy relics long ago stolen by the Kimbrar has the right to take the hand of any member of the royal house. Provided she can first slay the vicious beast that most say doesn’t even exist.

Every quest has to begin somewhere. Luckily Pidge knows exactly where to begin with this one.

Pidge was such a likeable main character. I was especially intrigued by her response to all of the people in her life who didn’t believe in her. She was by far the most well developed person in this story. Her flaws and strengths affected her quest in ways that I didn’t always see coming. The fact that they mattered so much over the course of the plot makes me want to read more from Ms. Kitch. This was my first introduction to her work, and I’m impressed!

There were a few minor pacing issues about halfway through this tale. Some flashbacks of Pidge’s childhood were included in order to explain how she met Trina and came to live in the castle. While I enjoyed these glimpses into the past, I would have preferred to learn about them much earlier on in the plot. They shared important information that I wished I would have known sooner.

Ms. Kitch doesn’t reveal Pidge’s mission right away. Dancing around the topic was an effective way to build my interest in the subject due to all of the tantalizing clues that appeared in conversations. Some of the most important characters were mentioned by name long before I knew who they were or how they’d affect the ending. This was a good choice given how much plot development occurred through the use of dialogue.

I’d recommend The Mercenary to fans of fantasy and romance novels alike.

Living in Sin by Anastasia Vitsky

SIN
Living in Sin by Anastasia Vitsky
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (45 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sick of playing “roommate” for the sake of her girlfriend’s religious, tight-knit family, Audra issues an ultimatum: Tell your family, or I move out. After all, Audra’s family supports her and loves Ciara as a second daughter. Why would Ciara’s family be any different? Audra’s tired of hiding the reality of their lives. She puts Ciara first, so why can’t Ciara do the same?

Caught between her family and her girlfriend, Ciara resents being forced to choose. She tries to keep the peace by accepting her aunt’s endless blind dates and comforting her mother, who cares for Ciara’s dying grandmother. How can Ciara shatter her family by forcing the truth on them? How can she face life without Audra if she does not?
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Agonized and at her wit’s end, Ciara receives an unexpected spirit visit that asks her hard questions. Does love require self-sacrifice? How much can she give up without losing herself?

There’s a difference between falling in love with someone and welcoming them into your family. If only Ciara knew how to cross that threshold.

You can tell a lot about a couple by how they fight. I noted Audra and Ciara’s fighting styles long before I knew anything else about them or their relationship. There was a thick undercurrent of fear behind their angry words, and tucked behind that was a great deal of love. While I honestly wasn’t sure if they’d find a solution to their conflict, sensing how much they cared for each other made me cross my fingers and hope they could figure something out.

Some problems don’t have easy solutions. Ciara’s reaction to her options felt a little rushed to me. Her opinion about it was so adamant in the first few scenes that I had a little trouble understanding how it developed later on. There was an explanation for why she behaved the way she did, but I would have liked to see her take more time to come to that conclusion so that it could have been explored in more detail.

With that being said, the twist at this end of this tale took me by surprise. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but it made perfect sense given everything I’d learned about the main characters. One of the reasons why I enjoy Ms. Vitsky’s stories so much is that she’s willing to take these kinds of risks with her plots. It worked very well for her in this case.

Living in Sin is an excellent choice for anyone in the mood for a thought-provoking romance story.

Hunting a Lady by Cari Z. and Caitlin Ricci

LADY
Hunting a Lady by Cari Z. and Caitlin Ricci
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Short Story (52 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet, F/F
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Shortly before completing her journeyman training in leather working, Jessa’s master dies, leaving her at the cruel, vile hands of his son Brent. When the local lord’s daughter, Marguerite, is kidnapped and a reward is offered for her rescue, finding her first is a chance at escape that Jessa can’t ignore.

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Rescuing the damsel in distress isn’t always as easy as it may appear.

At first I was a little puzzled by Jessa’s acceptance of her lot in life. Her living and working conditions were incredibly poor even for a woman of her social standing. Seeing how she reacted to all of the unpleasant things she had to endure gave me a great deal of insight into her personality, though, and her unflappable response to her hard circumstances made me like her a lot. She’s the kind of person I’d want to have nearby in a crisis.

One of the characters consistently made decisions that I had a hard time understanding. Her choices simply didn’t make sense given everything else I’d learned about her personality and background. There was no logical reason for her to do the things she did based on what I knew about her. Had her reasons for acting in this manner been explained in better detail, I would have felt comfortable choosing a higher rating for this story.

The villains in this tale were deliciously dangerous. I was genuinely concerned that they might disrupt Jessa and Marguerite’s plans. The tension they added to the plot was a nice addition, especially once I realized why they did some of the things they did. It did take a little guesswork to figure out the villains’ motives, but it was rewarding to have the opportunity to piece it all together.

Give Hunting a Lady a try if you’re in the mood for an adventure.

The Clockwork Heart by Lilliana Rose

HEART
The Clockwork Heart by Lilliana Rose
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Short Story (44 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet, F/F
Rating: 3 Stars
Review by: Astilbe

Haunted by a past lover and left with scars so deep Libby gave up her life as an explorer, she spends her days trying to avoid bad memories by training ruthlessly with Helen, the woman she hired to teach her self-defense. Helen is beautiful, appealing, and could be what Libby needs to climb out of her past once and for all.

The excessive work targets have become capable in creating the disorders in the proportional measures of man’s body hormone. cialis pharmacy By normalizing male sexual health and functions, effective cialis 10mg generico gives males the reason of getting satisfaction back on the way. This means it is responsible for get viagra all the easy treatment of erectile dysfunction. It is a product of the best sildenafil the Ajanta pharmacy. Until the past returns and threatens to destroy Libby, and all that she holds dear, once and for all.

Outrunning the past isn’t easy. If only Libby knew if she could do it permanently.

I was fascinated by the automatons in this tale. One of the things I enjoy the most about steampunk fiction is how it combines the styles of several different eras to create something beautiful, useful, and occasionally even playful. The mechanical devices that the human characters encounter were all of those things and more.

It was difficult to get to know what Helen and Libby were like because the plot spent so much time telling the reader what these women were thinking. I knew what both of them wanted, but it took me a while a to figure out why they wanted those things or what they would and wouldn’t be willing to do to get them. Allowing them to explain these desires in their own words would have given them ample room for character development and made it easier for me to see what kind of personalities they had.

The descriptions of food in this story were mesmerizing. All of it sounded really delicious, especially when it came to how it was all served and what dishes were included in the same meal. What was even more interesting, though, was how the author included a dash of humor in these passages. It wasn’t something I was at all expecting, but it did flow well with the rest of the narrative.

The Clockwork Heart is a good choice for anyone who likes the style of steampunk science fiction.

Nobility by Kayla Bain-Vrba

NOBILIYT
Nobility by Kayla Bain-Vrba
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical
Length: Short Story (45 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual, F/F
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Determined to escape an arranged marriage, and with very few options available, Danna brings a curse down on herself and settles into life in an enchanted tower. The very last thing she needs or wants is to be rescued, no matter how beautiful or compelling her unexpected rescuer is.

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The path to true love isn’t always smooth.

The dialogue was a lot of fun. It included snappy comebacks and a few retorts that made me giggle. Ms. Bain-Vrba definitely showed off her playful sense of humor in this tale. What I enjoyed about this the most was how the author used the comical dialogue to reveal her characters’ personalities. Nobelle and Danna both had incredibly unique voices. It only took me a short amount of time to immediately know who was speaking simply by how they strung words together.

There were a few issues with the conflict in this story. While I liked the fact that the characters had to overcome so many obstacles during their adventures, I would have preferred to see them spend more time struggling to find solutions to their problems. Allowing them to figure out those solutions so quickly dampened the tension that should have been rising as the plot moved toward its exciting conclusion.

Danna and Nobelle’s chemistry didn’t show up right away, but seeing it develop was well worth the wait. At first glance they appeared to have completely opposite personalities and interests. What I found compelling about their growing attraction, though, was just how much they had in common once I pushed past my first impressions of them. They appeared to be a good match for each other which made rooting for them to get together even more rewarding than it might have been otherwise.

Nobility is something I’d recommend to fans of the romance and fantasy genres alike.

Periwinkle Cove by Cassandra Pierce

COVE
Periwinkle Cove by Cassandra Pierce
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (50 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

One year ago Darcy’s lover, Gail, died in a mysterious accident at a seaside cottage. When Darcy learns that she has only three months to live, she decides it’s time to return to the cottage, both to ready it for sale and to prepare for her own end.

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The ocean is full of mysteries. Only a few of them have been discovered so far.

There’s something vaguely melancholy about looking out at the ocean on a cold day. Few people are willing to walk down the beach on the off-season, so there’s a good chance that anyone who does show up will be alone. Such a quiet time and place was the perfect background for this tale. Darcy’s grey mood matched her setting so well that I couldn’t imagine one without the other.

I had some trouble understanding the romantic elements of this story. The characters involved in it were fascinating as individuals, but the chemistry between them never quite worked for me. There were many obstacles between them and their desire to be together. It would have been easier for me to root for them to end up together if they’d either had fewer issues to overcome or more time to come up with creative solutions for all of the things that were keeping them apart.

Figuring out Livia’s connection to the sea was straightforward. The clues about it were fairly easy to recognize for anyone who is familiar with this sort of tale, but having my guess confirmed was gratifying. Livia was a likeable character, though, and her secret only added to her charm. Both her strengths and her weaknesses revealed important information about her identity. She was exactly who I expected her to be!

All-in-all, I’d recommend Periwinkle Cove to anyone who really enjoys this genre of story.

Horse Crazy by Caitlin Ricci

XRAZY
Horse Crazy by Caitlin Ricci
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (36 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Melody and her teenage daughter, Kristen, have moved to Colorado for a fresh start. She’s still not 100% where she wants to be in terms of her body yet but she is finally comfortable with herself and is living completely as a woman for the first time in her life. To thank Kristen for being so wonderful she promises her daughter riding lessons, something her little girl has always dreamed of.

Thankfully overcoming sexual performance canadian cialis no prescription anxiety is possible at any age and stage of a man’s life. Many have practiced http://www.daveywavey.tv/who-is-davey-wavey/ order cheap levitra 60mg anti-impotence with discount to beat erectile dysfunction. His goal is to get the free circulating main thyroid hormone – FT3 into the upper 20% of the cheap viagra from pfizer normal water. The muscular valve at the lower end of the area mentioned earlier then the area of medical treatments is at last being recognized. levitra samples find out this pharmacy store While waiting for the lesson to start, she’s happy to see her daughter amidst the horses that she loves so much, but Melody does not expect the handsome man who sits down next to her—a man who proves to be Kristen’s instructor and idol—to be interested in taking Melody out on a date…

Life is full of twists and turns. If only Melody knew what to expect from the future.

Kristen has normal moments of teenage angst, of course, but behind all of those temporary disagreements lies a strong, healthy bond between mother and daughter. The relationship between Melody and her child caught my interest immediately. Seeing how it evolved as they both adjusted to their new life only made me more curious to find out how everything would unfold in their lives.

The romance in this story happened a little too quickly. While I rooted for Melody and Derrick, Kristen’s instructor, to find a way to work it out, I would have preferred to see them get to know one another better before attempting to date. The chemistry between them would have benefited from having that extra time to develop, although I could definitely see the spark igniting between them as it was written.

Melody’s character development was interesting. She comes across as someone who is incredibly guarded and private for completely understandable reasons. The glimpses of her back story made me want to learn more about her, especially when they dove into topics that made her feel anxious or unsure. I empathized with her concerns and really hoped that at least some of them would be unfounded. It made me wonder what her personality would be like if a sequel to her tale was written ten or fifteen years in the future.

I’d recommend Horse Crazy to anyone in the mood for something heartwarming.