Three book reviews.

Three books by authors who, I am proud to say, I know, at least in cyberspace!
The first is already published - I have a copy on my desk.
The second is due to be published early next year.
The third is not, so far as I know, submitted for publication but I loved it and am reviewing it to put pressure on its rather shy author.

All three writers have been generous with their time; they show willingness to help other writers, discuss aspects of writing and respond to praise/constructive criticism with discussion and interest. I have learnt from all of them.

They have a few things in common. One of them is allowing an online moth to pester them! Another is that they are women writers. I subscribe to a magazine for women writers( Myslexia) and want to give all the encouragement I can. These three are worthy recipients! The third common thread is that all three books concern gay relationships. Only the second has explicit sex - as a hard hitting thriller in a very 'modern' style, this is to be expected. The other two are part of a movement that tries to make gay love a normal part of the human condition and as such they are to be applauded.

On to the reviews:

The Phoenix by Ruth Sims Published by The Writers’ Collective 2005

I ‘met’ Ruth Sims on a yahoo writers’ group and knowing a bit about her and her writing I was easily persuaded to order her novel on amazon.

I loved it. It’s a romance set at the end of the nineteenth/beginning of the twentieth century and centres round the lives and loves of two men. They are both English, from backgrounds as different as chalk and cheese, giving Ruth and her readers a chance to explore the London slums, the life of the very rich, village life (for a doctor’s family) and the theatre. The action moves to the USA and again the theatre is in the forefront. This gives an excellent setting for a melodramatic story (as a Victorian romance should be)! Whilst I cared deeply about the fates of the two heroes, it was the finely and lovingly drawn minor characters that gave them a solid and interesting background and lifted the book out of the run-of-the-mill romance genre. The heroes discover that they are homosexual, and fall in love with each other, but the path of true love does not run smoothly! It is further complicated by a ‘thriller’ type thread in the plot arising from one man’s background. I don’t want to say more as I hate giving ‘spoilers’ and this aspect of the story had me on the edge of my chair, unable to stop reading.

There are, in the early chapters on England, one or two odd uses of words or phrases that only a British reader would notice. I have offered to read her next novel to catch any Anglo-American mishaps. I’m really glad I was able to as that gives me the chance of a preview!

I hope she will give us a lot more books - this was a breath of fresh air; a ‘gay’ romance with very little explicit sex, and plenty of serious character development.It still managed to make me feel starry eyed! Often, I read books like this one (romance/thriller genre) and pass them on to friends or charity shops. This one will be staying on my crowded bookshelves, to be re-read in the future. Highly recommended.

**********

The Protector by NL Gassert isn’t actually published yet. It’s due out in May 2007. But as an online friend of Nadja, the author, I’ve been privileged to read and comment on the early versions.

It’s a hot, sexy, m/m romantic thriller with enough blood and guts to satisfy the thriller reader and enough romance to satisfy the rest of us. It’s set in Guam, which is unusual, and is the first in a series about the two main characters, who meet in this one. Because of the thriller element I can’t really tell you any more without spoilers!

I’ve tried to pre-order it (she’s sending me a specially signed bookplate) but Seventh Window Publications don’t ship to the UK so I have to wait till it’s on amazon.

It’s Nadja’s first published book and she’s so excited. It’s lovely sharing her excitement and I hope other people will read and enjoy it too!

**********

Safe!

One of my flist has written a novel. Yes, really, and I’ve read it and it’s good. The fact that it arrived on a CD-R instead of between covers is irrelevant.

Jen has written a novel which is set in her native New Zealand. In the course of the book we are introduced (gently and sort of by-the-way) to New Zealand countryside, way of life and even some names for things like food and clothes. A bonus, as for most of us it gives the story an exotic and faintly educational setting.

The book is a mixture of thriller, romance and family saga. I, for one, hope very much that she will write a sequel - I really want to know what happens to some of the characters, who became my friends during their story. The main character is a young man with an genetic immune deficiency that makes life quite difficult for him. We learn about his childhood in a farming community through flashbacks and through his sister and his friends. He has been working in Europe and has recently lost his business and romantic partner in a horrendous accident which turns out to have been sabotage, and not an accident at all. He is gay, and gradually he begins to feel something for one of his New Zealand friends. That’s the romance bit. His sister and other friends are the family bit. And finding out about the ‘accident’ and further incidents is the thriller bit. The final moments are quite ‘nail-biting’ and as I said, I came to love some of the people.

The book is beautifully written. The author has a flowing style that seems effortless but must have taken a great deal of work. She pulls you into her world so gently that you barely realise you are hooked till it is too late to withdraw! Her characters are very complex and rounded people, who ‘live’ both in the story and afterwards in the reader’s mind.

The title refers to a number of aspects of the book. The ‘hero’ is an expert on safes. He is seeking safety in a relationship, in his friendships and in his business.He is also seeking a kind of safety from the trials his poor health inflicts on him. Not everyone in the story is safe, but there is a satisfying conclusion, and room for a sequel.

I have reviewed the book here to ask you to join me in a plea. She has gone all diffident and shy and isn’t sure about trying to get published. I think she should. Her book is a great deal better than a lot of published work. At the very least, if she finds the hassle of approaching publishers too stressful she should consider self-publishing on the net. This wouldn’t be in any sense vanity publishing. It would be a favour to her friends.

Meanwhile, I’m counting it towards my total. It’s a book and it’s by a woman writer and I read it this year. I’d be really pleased if I thought some of you could read it too!



That brings me up to 40 posted reviews. I have the rest of my 'commitment' read and reviewed and will post in due course.