OJ, OJ, OJ what have you gotten me into here? T**Triggers: Deals with PTSD, death, and injury.
I wrote this as part of a co-review with OJCast.
Review -
OJ, OJ, OJ what have you gotten me into here? This one's on you dude. Talk about a difficult book to review, whew! Solid storytelling and plot development here. It took me from deep depths of emotional despair, to soaring elation with second-chance relationships to incredible frustration with some of the writing aspects. I was adjusting my review score constantly. Bottom line - I'd say this was hit and miss, but with big hits and big misses.
THE CHARACTERS
James (Jamie) Massey - Dyed in the wool Special Forces soldier, Jamie has been on tour four times. He's seen too much, lost too much, but can he be resurrected?
Chris Baker - Freakin' sexy-ass cowboy bull rider, Chris is a dichotomy. He is a country boy drawn to the big city. He finds a lot there, including the love of his life.
THE STORY
This book was a struggle. Jamie struggled. Chris struggled. I struggled.
Jamie never had a choice whether he would be a soldier or not. It's in his family's blood. He was groomed from a young age to do his best, be the best, and as he rises to each and every challenge. But he also loses bits of himself along the way.
Chris is one of the good guys. He's talented, intelligent and caring. Maybe too caring. I think the reader is supposed to fall for Jamie, but it was Chris for me all the way.
Settle in for a very complete story about two men who have lived a lot of life and then come together at a point in their lives that find them both ruined. Trying to survive the depths of despair and the horrors of war, there isn't much left for these guys to give. And yet, they find a way.
THE WRITING
Annd this is where I struggled. I realize backstory is important, but it felt like it was worked out after the main story had been written and that rarely works. Honestly I would have trimmed the heck out of it. It wasn't repetitive, but it was just too much. There was nearly no dialog for the first twenty percent and that really slowed down the read. At times I felt like I was reading a non-fiction, or even a mission report about Jamie's deployments.Top that off with fade-to-black scenes (not just the sex scenes) that were just getting somewhere enjoyable and...I struggled.
And then the very weak editing affected tempo and overall readability, unfortunately.
However! There were some brilliant, shocking and emotional moments that made the book memorable. I'm still thinking about these guys; they've stuck with me. This author has solid storytelling abilities that a more ardent editor could resurrect. I won't hesitate to give her work another try.
You can read more of our co-review on my blog and see our questions regarding our read for each other here - Take a look at my Male/Male Romance Book Blog:
I would like to thank S. Davidson, the author, for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is a co-review by myself and OJ Lisa - 2.5 Stars OJ - 2.75 Stars Rounded to 3 Stars for Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
About Our Gay Guy/Straight Girl (GGSG) Reviews
´Ê±õ’l This is a co-review by myself and OJ Lisa - 2.5 Stars OJ - 2.75 Stars Rounded to 3 Stars for Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
About Our Gay Guy/Straight Girl (GGSG) Reviews
´Ê±õ’ll Show You Mine, If You Show Me Yours~ This isn’t a buddy read. Our co-reviews are done on a blind basis. We both choose the book we want to read, but from there on out we don’t discuss any of our thoughts before the review is live. We think it’s more fun this way and we won’t influence each other.
INITIAL THOUGHTS
Lisa Arbitrary
I’m stretching this to 2.5 stars because I was enamored, even enchanted by the beginning. It soared on wings and painted images that made me think I had really found something special. Unfortunately this book turned lazy, rushed and very disappointing.
OJ
I must admit that vampires aren’t my first grab when I think of an M/M book, however the Australian Outback certainly is and I have enjoyed a good M/M vampire book, so when I saw the description for this one it called out to me. A definitely different take on the whole vampire thing by putting it into the Australian Outback I just had to see what it was about and Lisa and I decided this would be our first Gay Guy/Straight Girl review.
Read the full review at Take a look at my Male/Male Romance Book Blog:
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We would like to thank Pride-Publishing for providing us with a review copy in exchange for our honest review.
Lisa Arbitrary - AttentionIsArbitrary M/M Blog
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