Most criminal acts could be carried out in silence. Playing a thirty-six rank, three-manual pipe organ on a quiet Sunday afternoon wasn't one of them.

BACK COVER BLURB:

Opportunity knocks once in a lifetime…


Harley Hayes is always looking for a new challenge to stretch his artistic vision. The subject of his first foray into nudes is a vision, indeed: Ryan Morgan. With each sitting, Harley finds it harder to ignore the fact he’s falling head over heels for the straight-arrow model.

Their first kiss confirms that Ryan feels the heat, too—for about five seconds. Then he pushes Harley away and bolts.

Ryan is less than proud of some of the things he’s done to survive his hand-to-mouth existence. Including model for a gay magazine—and accept money from his female clients in exchange for “extra favors.” The memory of Harley’s kiss still rattles the foundation of his sexuality even now, six months later.

When they run into each other at a gallery opening, nothing has changed. The sparks flare brighter than ever, driving Harley to make an offer he desperately hopes Ryan won’t refuse. And Ryan is just desperate enough to say yes…



I closed LIFE CLASS with a sense of satisfaction and the slight disappointment that it was over. That hasn’t happened to me in a long time. My only qualm with LIFE CLASS was that it has a slow start. LIFE CLASS starts off in the present then spends a lot of time rehashing something that happened between Harley and Ryan six months before LIFE CLASS starts. While I appreciated seeing the back story, for me it dragged and took away from the here and now. I wished that LIFE CLASS started at the moment Harley asked Ryan to sit for him, went through that quickly, and then went to where they were reunited. Of course, when they were reunited that’s when the story really shined.


LIFE CLASS is a flipping story. By that I mean when a gay hero falls in love with a straight man. It was beautifully written. I loved how Ryan (the straight hero) was portrayed. His anger and conflict was very realistic. And umm . . . the sexual tension between Ryan and Harley was very hot and alpha. And when they consummate their relationship . . .. Let's just say, wow! Two strong men arguing and following in love and umm getting it on . . . big turn on.
One of my biggest qualms with a lot of romance novels is the lack of an emotional connection between the hero and heroine, or in this case the hero and hero. When I read a romance novel I always have this question in the back of mind. What is it about these two people that would make it impossible for them to be with anyone else. That's the standard I judge all my reading by. And a lot of novels fail. For romance novels, I would think that conveying emotion would be a prerequiste. I didn't have a problem with that in LIFE CLASS. Seriously, the emotional intensisty between Ryan and Harley was off the charts. I could totally seem them with a future, having a happily ever after.

Another thing that I didn’t like about LIFE CLASS was how Ryan’s poverty was explained. Sorry, but for a single man without any obligations, I couldn’t see how he couldn’t just suck up and get a job to pay the bills so he wouldn’t lose his apartment. For him to sabotage decent jobs like that, I just didn’t get it.

These problems were minor, because I really loved LIFE CLASS. This is an author that I would defiantly check out again.

It was a darn good read and if it wasn't for the slow start I would've gvien it a B+.

WHERE PURCHASED:
Copy courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
RATING:
B

Back Cover Blurb:

Don’t talk to strangers, young man—especially the dead ones.

It’s the Roaring Twenties. Skirts are short, crime is rampant and booze is in short supply. Prohibition has hit Little Egypt, where newspaperman David Flynn has come to do a follow-up story on the Herren Massacre. The massacre isn’t the only news in town though. Spiritualist medium Julian Devereux claims to speak to the dead—and he charges a pretty penny for it.

Flynn knows a phoney when he sees one, and he’s convinced Devereux is as fake as a cigar store Indian. But the reluctant attraction he feels for the deceptively soft, not-his-type Julian is as real as it gets.

Suddenly Julian begins to have authentic, bloodstained visions of a serial killer, and the cynical Mr. Flynn finds himself willing to defend Julian with not only his life, but his body.



The characters were unique (and no I don’t mean because of their sexual orientation). Each person had a unique outlook on the, way they saw the world which enhance how they reacted to what was going on around them. Mr. Lanyon even managed to give his walk-on characters a distinct personality and each person played a part in helping David figure out what was going on.

David goes into the situation with many preconceived notions. I loved how his preconceptions were slowly torn down, from his feelings about the murders, the mine catastrophe, Julian, and the other members of the boarding house. David’s growth was subtle and beautifully layered as he opened his eyes to look past outer appearances to see what’s within.

The mystery inside THE DARK FAREWELL was well-done. Mr. Lanyon did an excellent job of leading his readers down the incorrect path. As a result, I didn’t know who the murderer was until right before David did.

I also must give Mr. Lanyon’s kudos for showing the depth of emotion between David and Julian. It was more powerful to me because it was so subtle. Even with the subtlety I could still tell how deeply they both cared about each other. Several fans of his had informed me that they didn’t think I would like Mr. Lanyon’s work because it was more focused on the mystery instead of the romance. They felt this way because I complained of the lack of romantic build up in one of his contemporaries and they felt his stories focused more on the mystery than the romantic relationship. Umm . . .  they were sooooooo wrong. I totally bought into David and Julian’s relationship and saw genuine caring and love between the two.

I highly recommend.

WHERE PURCHASED:
Copy courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

RATING:
B+

BACK COVER BLURB:

A Pride and Prejudice for the twenty-first century.


Jane Austen's most popular novel has enthralled generations of readers, as proud Mr. Darcy meets his match in witty and prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet. But only now can the hidden story be told, of the two parallel loves that complicate this ideal romance: Darcy's controlling affection for the gentlemanlike Charles Bingley; and the sympathetic intimacy between Elizabeth and her more practical friend, Charlotte Lucas.

Pride/​Prejudice "fills the gaps" in Austen's story, daring to imagine the full truth suggested by the original. What is Darcy's real motivation for preventing Bingley's marriage to Elizabeth's beautiful and virtuous sister Jane? How can Darcy reconcile his desire for Elizabeth with his determination to save his friend from a similar entanglement? And what is the disturbing history behind Darcy's tortured relationship with his foster brother, George Wickham?

Now P/​P brings to light all the buried secrets, weaving a tale of intertwined passions that must be resolved through honesty and forgiveness, the humbling of pride and freedom from prejudice.

In this retelling of a classic work, love truly conquers all.


LYNETTE'S TWO CENTS:

Let me begin by saying that I'm a big Pride and Prejudice junkie. I love to read other author's takes on Darcy and Elizabeth. My fasication stated years ago when I read Bridget Jones's Diary. I quickly went and bought the BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle. (Yes I know someone else recently starred in a P&P movie and all I can say about that is BLEH)  Anyhoo, from the moment I saw the BBC miniseries, you couldn't stop me. I couldn't get enough. 97% of adaptations I've read are full of crap and the wost of them is that Sharon Latham crap trap. I mean come on, it's like she just watched that awful movie and decided to write a book (not even a good book). I wonder if she's even read Jane Austen. Even if it was just based on the movie, it was still . . . .

Sorry, I was on a rant, please forgive me. But as you can see I'm passionate about this subject. Back to my review.

You have to have an open mind to read Pride/Prejudice as it is a guilty pleasure. It is strangely compelling. I had the same reaction to Pride/Prejudice as I did reading Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. I knew I shouldn't like it (Twilight = emo heroine with no plans for future except getting bit and turned into a vampire by her possessive/stalker boyfriend), but I found myself devouring it over and over again. It's the same with Pride/Prejudice. I knew I shouldn't like it, but I found myself constantly turning the pages wondering what was coming next. Just like Twilight, I had a hard time pinning down why I couldn't stop reading Pride/Prejudice, despite the flaws, but I'm going to try and do my best.

What I loved:

1. The concept appeared more original compared to other Pride and Prejudice fan adaptations that I've read in the past. Darcy is bi-sexual and in a very close relationship with Charles Bingley. Elizabeth shares a passionate affair with Charlotte Lucas before Charlotte marries Mr. Collins.

2. Jane Bennett. I loved how in Pride/Prejudice she's not as passive as she is in the original. She has a back bone and Pride/Prejudice is worth buying just to see Jane put Elizabeth and Darcy in their place. I also like that the author fleshed out the reasons why Jane totally believed in Charles and their relationship even against all the odds.

3. Speaking of stronger characters. Charles Bingley and Georgiana Darcy are also fleshed out very well in this story. I found myself cheering for them.

What I thought could've been improved:

1. Despite the awesome concept, in the first half of Pride/Prejudice the narrative drags. While Pride/Prejudice has pretty much the same timeline as Ms. Austen's awesome work, the author of Pride/Prejudice skips over scenes in the original. The characters only think or talk about them later. This made the narrative choppy and boring at first. I actually nodded off a couple times while reading the first half of Pride/Prejudice.

2. I can buy the concept of Elizabeth and Darcy having same-sex partners, what I couldn't get was how they and the other characters were so blasé about it. There was no worry about the ramifications of the actions. Everyone seemed too accepting of these relationships, especially in this time period. I found it impossible to suspend disbelief.

3. Once Darcy and Elizabeth marry (no spoiler there, right?), I had serious issues that some of the outside relationships continue (slight spoiler, sorry, at least I'm not telling you which one). It really annoyed me and devalued the romance for me and the strength of Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship.

Overall: Pride/Prejudice was a compelling idea. I was intrigued with how the author took two of the most well known characters in fiction and made them her own.

WHERE PURCHASED:
Copy courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

GRADE:
B-

BACK COVER BLURB:

The fear of getting caught is half the fun.


Lowly art gallery assistant Caesar Romano is freely out of the closet. Now he'd just like to get out of his Nana's guest room. Everything -- his reputation and his financial freedom -- is riding on the success of tonight's gallery opening. If only he could shake free of the past so easily.

A mysterious gatecrasher, Dan Green, looks like a promising addition to his pending new life -- until Caesar's ex shows up and suddenly the opening disintegrates into a half-naked dance melee. When the glitter settles, a missing sculpture of Justin Timberlake has Caesar up to his eyebrows in extortion, intrigue and a wild sexual adventure underneath, inside, and on top of a variety of furnishings.

As the cast of suspects piles up, so do the questions. Like who's really blackmailing whom? And what does a stolen paint-by-numbers clown matter when Dan is so outrageously capable of blowing Caesar's resistance to smithereens?


Lynette's Two Cents:

When Catch Me If You Can came up for review on another site that I review books for, I eagerly snatched it up. Although I've never read anything by Ms. Gregg before, I'd heard her name mentioned by several people whose opinions I value and they've all lauded her work. So, I read it and . . . it was a nice read.


The dialogue was witty and fun. And I felt sorry for Caesar who seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. I appreciated the way he never bitched and moaned about all these problems that were heaped up on him. He didn't sit down and have a pity party like so many characters often do. He just jumped in and tried to find solutions, in his unique and odd way which added to the charm of Catch Me If You Can.

The mystery inside Catch Me If You Can seemed to be more of a comedy of errors instead of anything serious or focused. To give a good comparison, I felt like I was watching Ethel and Lucy from I Love Lucy. I don't know if this is because of what I do in my day-to-day job, but I was seriously annoyed that no one called the police or anything. Their reasoning behind not doing so was flimsy and didn't ring true. I freely admit that this may be a bias on my part since I interact with the police on a daily basis.

The relationship between Caesar and Dan was nice. The respect they had for each other had the makings to develop into something more powerful as time goes on, but I would've liked to see a little more depth between the two of them. There were so many secondary characters that Caesar and Dan's developing relationship didn't appear to be the focal point of Catch Me If You Can. I missed that, I wanted to see Dan and Caesar develop and struggle through their trust issues to see if they'd make a go at it. This was barely glanced at.

Overall Catch Me If You Can is a fun and breezy read. You'll laugh out loud several times at some of the dialogue. While I love lite books, I felt that the comedy aspect overwhelmed the development of Caesar and Dan's relationship, which in my humble opinion should've been the focal point.

Where Purchased:
Copy courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Grade:
C+