Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Night Ranger’s Moon

by Tara Nina

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

ISBN: 1-60154-800-1

-

Synopsis:

Weylin Anthropos is a Lykoian with anger issues and a demon in his past that haunts his soul.  He’s a Night Ranger, one of the elite protector’s of the Lykoian clans. Without the backing of the council, Weylin sets out to find his brother. The trail leads him to Mississippi and a village that many Lykoians would rather forget.
-
Ghosts of the past linger on these hallowed grounds but are disturbed by an intruder…an enemy from his ancestry. One he must face and defeat if he is to survive and find his brother.
-
Long and lethal, a charcoal gray wolf from an unfamiliar clan interferes in his surveillance. Her presence toys with his mind, body, and soul. Where did she come from? How did she find him?  And most of all, what did she want?

—–

Night Ranger’s Moon by Tara Nina

Book Review by Pepper

3.6/5 Whips
-

Night Rangers Moon gives a different slant on the wolf-shifter genre, bringing together two Lykoians who are both an elite type of wolf cop. One a rogue and the other by the book, they are forced to work together to complete their missions. It’s an interesting premise, and Tara Nina handles the plot well, giving us lots of twists and turns, suspense and excitement, and hot steamy sex.
-
I had only one problem with Night Ranger’s Moon. While I enjoyed the sex scenes, after the first one I didn’t really feel they moved the story along like they should have. It was almost as if they were inserted to fill space. That said, the plot was really first class, and the villain more than a match for the hero and heroine. There were enough twists and turns and interesting characters to make Night Ranger’s Moon worth reading.

—

Find out more about Tara Nina’s other titles on her website – http://www.taranina.com/

READ AN EXCERPT:

Excerpt:

An unusual, erotic scent filled his nose as he caught the surprised and angry heat in a set of sexy cobalt blue eyes staring back at him. He paused and suddenly knew he couldn’t snap the creature’s life vein even if he wanted. The knowledge of who lived within this wolf’s flesh washed over him. Pure need filtered through his system causing him to harden. Intense animal urges thrashed through his veins yet he refused to bow. Never had he taken a female in wolf form, and he wasn’t about to do so now. To do that mated him for life, and he wanted no mate.

Not now, not ever.

On an angry growl, Weylin released the death grip he held to her throat and backed away. He shook his entire being and returned to human form. Naked, he stood before the female wolf and knew he stared at the woman he followed through the village.

She sat upright on hind haunches, held her chin in a regal tilt, and returned his steady gaze. The dilation of her pupils gave the only indication that his naked form affected her in any way. He read defiance in those hot cobalt blues. Good, he decided. It seemed to him, she battled nature’s demands and wanted no mate either.

Though, according to an antiquated Lykoian law, he’d won the right to take her as his own. He’d beaten her. In the ancient culture, that meant he could mount her and mate her if he chose, and she could not resist. But he didn’t believe in the archaic testaments of the old tribal ways. With a sister of his own to protect, he was a true believer in the freedom of choice when it came to a mate. His lip curled as he stared at the beautiful wolf. Desire roared through him urging him to claim his right.

—

Tara Nina’s other titles with The Wild Rose Press

—

Blue Moon Rising

by Tara Nina

ISBN 1-60154-058-2

-

Missing children, werewolves and a mysterious castle in the swamps of South Carolina test Rae Richardson’s version of reality. Strange things happen around her convincing her that maybe werewolves do exist. The sight of a large black wolf in the swamp only fuels her overactive imagination. Crossing paths with a handsome man ignites a fire in her soul she refuses to acknowledge. Something about this stranger raises her suspicions. Did he have a hand in the children’s disappearance? Or was it the over-powering need in her gut to be near him the reason for her mistrust?

-
Nick Anthropos is on a quest, one that does not include saving children or meeting the woman of his dreams, his Lykoian soul mate. Her scent teases his senses and keeps him on edge. It’s obvious to him she doesn’t know her true self. But can he teach her to be the wolf he knows lies within her soul and save her from the very creature he set out to destroy? If he fails she would be lost forever.

-
Lykoian’s get one chance in life to bond with their soul mate forever. Failure is not an option.

I want to Welcome Victor J. Banis the author of the Deadly Mystery Series available from MLR Press.  Today he shares a little about himself and a fun little free read from the first book in the series Deadly Nightshade.  Thanks Victor!  – Terry Kate

—–

MLR Press Author Victor J. Banis

I started out to tell you about myself, but really, you can learn everything you want to know at http://www.vjbanis.com.  And if you still want to know more, pick up The Golden Age of Gay Fiction, edited by Drewey Wayne Gunn, and available from www.mlrpress.com . I’m in there, too.

But, really, a writer is all about the writing, which is to say, the best way to introduce myself to you is to share a few excerpts from some of my books. There are a lot of them, but most recently I’ve done a series of mysteries for MLR – Deadly Nightshade, Deadly Wrong, Deadly Dreams, Deadly Slumber and Deadly Silence. Though they are mysteries, the books really focus on the ongoing relationship between the two leads, Tom Danzel and Stanley Korski – or, as the blurb puts it, – Straight Cop, Gay Cop.  Readers tell me they enjoy the books because they find the characters and their ongoing and difficult (aren’t they all?) relationship intriguing.

-

I started writing the first book, Deadly Nightshade, the same way I start writing every book—the same way, really, every writer starts writing a book, to learn what he knows. I wanted to learn what I know about men, about love, about relationships—but the funny thing, if you’re doing it right, at some point, the book goes right past you. It ends up knowing more than you do.
-
Here is an excerpt from that first book in the series, Deadly Nightshade by Victor J. Banis, available in print and e-format at www.mlrpress.com. I’m still sorting out what it knows that I don’t.

—

Straight cop, gay cop, and a woman who “isn’t real.” Tom and Stanley are on the trail of a drag queen serial killer, and along the way, they find themselves engaged in a more intimate pursuit, trying to resolve another mystery: their unexpected attraction to one another.

Excerpt:

“‘A little silver slipper of a moon,’” Stanley said.

“What?”

“Oh, just a line from a play.”

Tom looked searchingly at him. “You really like all that stuff, don’t you?”

“Stuff?”

“Plays, poetry—I’ll bet you like to hang out at art galleries.”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Stanley’s smile was a little embarrassed. “Too fruity for you, I guess.”

They passed the joint back and forth. Tom considered Stanley’s remark for a moment. “No,” he said finally, actually looking up at the moon. “I don’t know any of that shit.  I’m just a dumb cop. It’s kind of nice, to tell you the truth, knowing someone who does. I guess I could learn stuff from you.”

“You’re not dumb,” Stanley said. Tom only grunted again.

The sun was almost up now, hurrying before the night changed its mind, the gray sky enameled with streaks of bronze and amber, the famous skyline silhouetted against them. The ocean was dark gray and green, like the verdigris one sees on old brass, and the headlands in the distance were smoke purple, flecked here and there with a dusty gold, as if a painter had just
daubed at them with his brush. There were those little flecks of gold everywhere, really—gold gray, gold green, gold purple. A pair of early rising gulls called to one another, celebrating the day to come, or maybe jeering their lay-a-bed cousins.

Stanley had seen all this many times, but never before at this time, at this late night, early morning hour, and not from the bridge. It was a spectacular sight.

“It’s beautiful,” he said.

“I never get tired of it.” Tom flicked the roach over the railing, a wink of red as it disappeared, and did the one-handed thing with a stick of gum. “The bridge, the hills, all of it. I come here when I need to quiet my mind down. I guess it’s my kind of poetry.”

Headlights brushed over them. A lone car, its windows down, went by headed for Marin, leaving little flecks of ‘Pretty Woman’ in its wake

Stanley glanced at Tom then, and he had a sudden, almost frightened realization of Tom’s beauty. Oh, he’d known all along that he was good looking, sexy, hot—he just had not until now thought of the word “beauty” in connection with him.

But he was, though, as beautiful as any museum statue or great painting. Not just handsome, which all at once Stanley found too inadequate a word for that dark nest of curls that was his hair, for those brown eyes that glinted sometimes with gold and could turn as dark as thunderclouds in an instant; for the full-lipped mouth—how he had loved kissing that, more than he would have dared admit—and the high cheekbones as if carved of marble. He felt his knees grow weak, and was unaware that he was staring until Tom glanced back at him, his expression puzzled.

“What?” he said, chewing.

Stanley felt something inside himself stir. He wanted to fling his arms about Tom, but he knew that he did not dare. He was afraid to speak, even, to shatter the spell. He took a tiny step closer, not quite close enough to touch, but close enough that he was sure he could feel the warmth of Tom’s body. It made his breath quicken, and he had to cough into his hand to disguise his arousal. He opened his mouth, fully meaning to say, “I love you.”

What came out instead was, “I saw a flying saucer once. When I was twelve.”

—–

Again, read about me at http://www.vjbanis.com and check out all the great reading
available at www.mlrpress.com

Spoils of War

by Aleksandr Voinov & Raev Gray

Published by eXcessica in an anthology called “Divine Matches.”

-

When Achilleus, the greatest warrior who ever lived, falls before Troy (or Ilion, as it was known), Ares, God of War, stands ready to take his spirit with him to his palace. There, Ares demands that Achilleus yield to him. But can the embrace of a god and the offer of immortality make Achilleus forget his one true love, Patroklos?

—

Spoils of War by Aleksandr Voinov & Raev Gray

Book Review by Jasmine

4/5 Story 5/5 Whips in the Backseat for Writing

-

Spoils of War is an excellent erotic romp.  A worthy Naughty read and the writing duo Aleksandr Voinov & Raev Gray are undeniably talented writers!  I love their style, the precision and execution of Achilleus’ tale speaks of their talent with words and the amount of care they put into the mythology and research.  Part of the mythology is what stood in my way as a reader.

-

The opening lines of the book:

When Achilleus, the greatest warrior who ever lived, falls before Troy (or Ilion, as it was known), Ares, God of War, stands ready to take his spirit with him to his palace. There, Ares demands that Achilleus yield to him. But can the embrace of a god and the offer of immortality make Achilleus forget his one true love, Patroklos?

-

Thank you for your research and accuracy to the time and history, but if I had not seen the movie Troy I think I would have been very lost.  It is from that film that I recall that Achilles as I am more familiar with the name being spelled, is the son of a water goddess and makes a prophecy about the two paths in life that he can choose from, a long life, or glory.  Maybe calling Illion – Troy and Achilleus – Achilles the story would have played down the style that those added touches using more accurate names lends the story.

-

The story is a fulfilling read and has a clear style that if you enjoy take the time to go out and look for more titles by these authors.  Spoils of War stands out from the pack.  It is a read that you will not forget.

-

See more of Aleksandr Voinov’s work at his Official Author Web site

Aleksandr Voinov’s Blog

Visit Raev Gray at Excessica.com

Writing about Achilleus and Ares was a thing waiting to happen for a long time. When I approached my brilliant co-writer Raev Gray with the idea, the Iliad and Troy had been sitting in my brain for something like 25 years. I grew up on the stuff – a collection of the mythology was one of the best gifts I ever got as a kid. Sex, passions, violence. I inhaled it all.
-
Achilleus was one of my favourites – the greatest warrior who ever lived. His rage at the death of his ‘friend’ Patroklos, his bottomless, sacrilegious revenge had to have roots in love, I never doubted that. When I studied Ancient History (yup, got a degree in that), I learnt about the various interpretations of that relationship. “Did they or didn’t they” wasn’t a question that would have interested the Ancient Greeks.
-
I have to admit I was pretty excited when they put “Troy” onto the big screen in 2004.   I’ve seen the – admittedly pretty trashy – film a dozen times. I even own it. But it never satisfied me. A million versions of the Iliad, and a million versions that never got the whole point – the point I saw in it.
-
The big question that Achilleus faces is this: live long and raise a family, become a well-respected elder and king, or live short and win lots and lots of glory. As we all know from Homer’s story, he chooses the short life, and glory. Then his friend/lover/comrade Patroklos dies.
-
And the question is – have you made the right decision, Achilleus? I never doubted that he’d sacrifice his own life for greatness – but would he sacrifice Patroklos? If he could give it all back in return for Patroklos’ life, would he?
-
And that’s the core of all romance fiction, isn’t it? How much are we willing to sacrifice? What are we really made of?

-  Aleksandr Voinov

http://www.aleksandrvoinov.com/

http://www.aleksandrvoinov.blogspot.com/

FaceBook – Twitter:  vashtan

Review: Ellora’s Cavemen:

Jewels of the Nile Volume II Anthology

The Debutante by Samantha Kane

Happy Monday Readers!

I want to welcome author Julia Rachel Barret to the Backseat to talk about Mythology.  Books have been playing with this for some time and most of us heave flashbacks to names we remember learning about in school, but we are here to hear about how it ties in with some great naughty reads.

-TK

Persephone, the Greek goddess of spring and rebirth, was the daughter of Demeter, Mother Earth Goddess, and Zeus, king of the gods of Mount Olympus.  The story of Persephone’s abduction by Hades, the God of the Underworld, is traditionally referred to as the rape of Persephone, whose other name is Kore, which means maiden.  The young maiden, out innocently picking flowers, was dragged by Hades into the Underworld to be his wife and become Queen of the Dead.  Without the goddess of spring to bring about the change of seasons and rebirth, the earth was covered by snow and the people went hungry.

-

So great was her mother’s grief at Persephone’s disappearance, and such was the suffering of mankind, that Zeus heard their cries.  He sent his messenger, Hermes, to deliver Persephone from the Underworld.  But the Fates had decreed that anyone who ate a single thing while in the Underworld could not be redeemed.  Hades tricked Persephone into eating six pomegranate seeds.  Six months out of the year, Persephone must live in the Underworld. We have winter. When she rises to our world, we have rebirth and new growth, we have spring.

-

The myth of Persephone is the basis of my futuristic science fiction series, Daughters of Persephone. Many centuries from now, mankind has exhausted the earth.  Each generation fights over scarce resources.  A secret cadre of scientists from around the globe gathers together, hoping to save mankind through eugenics.  They develop a line of female warriors and leaders who come to be known as Empresses.  Even then, these Empresses fail to save us from ourselves, all but one, the Empress Ya.  She is the first Empress to see her way through time.

-

The Empress Ya travels into the future, bringing back the technology needed to build vessels that will carry her followers far from earth, to a new home in another solar system.  The Empress Ya and her followers build a new colony and a new home for the human race on the planet they aptly name, Persephone, for they have come out of the darkness and into the light.  From Persephone, humans spread throughout their new corner of the galaxy, led by a line of Empresses and Women of the Blood, as they come to be known – women who are the remnants of the eugenics program.

-

My futuristic science fiction romance, Daughters of Persephone, Book One Exile, Book Two Return, picks up the story three thousand years after the first colony, Persephone, has been established.  It follows the saga of the new Empress, Aja, and her sisters, Ennat and Tem.  Books three and four, Reborn and The Red Demon, chronicle the challenges that face another Empress, Issa, born three thousand years after Aja’s death, and her mentor, Aja’s sister Tem, also known as The Red Demon.

-

If you love Greek mythology, romance and science fiction, I think you’ll appreciate these stories.

- Julia Rachel Barrett

http://juliarachelbarrett.net
Buy Julia Rachel Barrett’s Books Here:  http://www.bookstrand.com/node/805937
and: http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8_view_item.html?m8:item=232-200-102-460-2
Bio:  Julia Rachel Barrett writes poetry, fiction and nonfiction.  She and her husband live in Northern California with their three children, new puppy, three cats and two noisy birds.
http://juliabarrett.blogspot.com/
http://sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com/

I want to welcome buddy blogger Cecile to share her review of Joey W. Hill’s vampire Series, which sadly I have not read.

The Mark of The Vampire Queen

Description: “Full servant.” With his new title, Jacob must attend to Lady Lyssa’s every need, venturing into a world of passion darker than he’s ever known. As a vampire hunter he wasn’t prepared to embrace a world where humans are sexual commodities, but he has adapted. Now he finds the integrity of his soul challenged as he serves his Mistress’s needs as fully as he services her desires. He loves her, though other servants warn against giving her his soul. Everyone knows that Vampires have no regard for humans, so why would a Vampiress bother treating a mere sex toy with respect? But Jacob knows a human servant is far more than that. His Mistress needs a warrior, a friend and a lover. A man who will serve her in all ways, even if he has to betray the priceless treasure of her love.
I obtained this information from Borders.

This is my own personal copy and this review is for my own viewing pleasure.

First off let me say that I loved The Vampire Queen’s Servant. This is part two in Jacob’s quest to win his masters heart and soul. I will not say that you must read the first one… but to understand the world that Ms. Hill has created for these two and what they have gone through to get there, you really should read the first one.

Okay… moving forward…
The romance between Jacob and Lady Lyssa is very breathtaking. Their relationship blossoms into the fullest it possibly can. Jacob has received his third mark; which means that he has bound himself to his Master until death. Imagine saying our wedding, you say: till death do us part… now imagine if that were true, your spouse died, you died with him/her. This book does not deter away from the BDSM parts of Ms Hill’s style. Her writing style just simply amazes me. To read her books (the two that I have) will throw you in a world of her very own. Be prepared to go on a journey you will sure to be enthralled in.
Lady Lyssa is slowly dying and Jacob will do everything in his power to stop that from happening. Along with her sickness, there is the meeting coming before the Council. Lady Lyssa is trying to pave a better future for the vampires. One of her goals is to address the issue of permanent asylum for the fugitives in her territory. And the other is to push for them to become more civilized by only needing to kill one human a year for them to maintain their strength. But some vampires do not agree with her thinking and want to over throw the Council. and her. So the plot thickens…
I will tell you this though, this story left me wanting more… It’s in the ending, but I am not quiet sure where and that is my problem. I am not sure if her being of two heritages got me, or that she shifted, or that the love did not go the way I wanted it too (yea, I am selfish like that) or what… but something was missing for me. Maybe the power struggle… the grand ending. I will struggle with this and it will bother me… Because I love this woman’s writing!!
I love what has become of Jacob and his Master. The journey he goes to get there. If there is a man out there like Jacob… oh please let yourself be known! This man will do anything, everything and back again for his woman. OMG… Jacob remains my Sex on a Stick man.

There are two more books after this one, but they are stand alone. The characters flow in and out of them… but they are stand alone.

The Vampire’s Claim is the third book. Here for details. It came out in March 2009.
The Beloved Vampire is the forth book. Here for details. It came out in August 2009.
Vampire Mistress is the fifth book. Here for details. It comes out in May 2010…. This one is Jacob’s brother’s story… Oh yea… I am waiting!!!!

To read my review of The Vampire Queen’s Servant, please go —>>> here.

To learn more about Ms. Joey W. Hill, please visit her website —>>> here.

The last in my series by Joey W. Hill, a bit late, but I am still excited to share.

Branded Sanctuary

Book VII of the Nature of Desire Series (best read after Ice Queen/Mirror of My Soul, where Brendan and Chloe are introduced as secondary characters)

—

Chloe has always been a creature of joy and laughter. However, since a brutal attack nearly a year ago, the trauma she experienced from the event has gotten worse. Much worse, such that she has started hiding from her life, even putting up walls between herself and those she cares about most. However, during a panic attack one night, she impulsively calls a number that’s been hiding under her lamp all these months. She met Brendan at her boss’s wedding. With confidence and seduction, he easily steps into the role of helping her manage her fear. By the end of the long call, they’ve indulged in some serious flirtation and mindblowing phone sex – and she’s feeling emotions and needs she’s buried for too long.

—

However, the problem is that Brendan is the perfect male submissive – and Chloe isn’t wired for the D/s lifestyle. While their attraction is undeniable, Chloe doesn’t know if she can be everything Brendan needs. Whereas Brendan believes that, once he helps her overcome her fears, he must let her go. As a submissive, he’d never ask her to be something she’s not – even if it will break both of their hearts to turn away from how they feel about each other.

———-

Branded Sanctuary by Joey W. Hill

Review by Terry Kate

4/5 whips for me 5/5 for the story

—

I cried.  I did I read the book and I cried.  I felt for Chloe.  Her trauma was real, the struggle she had, the walling up of the emotions.  It is skillfully crafted and and I know I am an empathetic reader, but I certainly felt her embarrassment at moments as well as her pain.  Which also takes talent to evoke in a reader.  The story differs from the other works in the series in that Chloe is not a dominant to Brendan’s submissive.  It is not a classically BDSM story.

-

Maybe that is where the story lost me.  Brendan is like the uber-slave extraordinaire.  Thousands and thousands of dollars are bid on him for one night, but what he will be happy with is outside this life-style?  I am not sure I totally buy it.  So though I like both characters and I adore Chloe’s struggle not to lash out at Brendan with all the pain she has locked up inside after her devastating experience, the fit between them does not feel as perfect as those between the couples in earlier books.  Their story did make me interested in reading the two stories in the series  had skipped.  And which are recommended to be read before this one.  Hey I never claimed to be one to follow the rules…

—

The story is touching, the romance between Chloe and Brendan is sweet, the emotional level that Joey Hill raises the book to is as usually unmatched.  Is this my fave in the series, no.  Will I revisit and re-read it? Yes.  It is a hard to put down read that takes us through a dark time in a woman’s life and the journey is what makes this a powerful read.  Oh and if anyone has read the two books I skipped please comment and share your thoughts on those!

- Terry Kate

When his father dies, Thomas is forced to abandon a burgeoning art career in New York. As difficult as it was to give up his lifelong dream, it’s nothing next to walking away from the man he loves. Marcus taught him to embrace who he is, a sexual submissive who responds to the touch of only one Master. But why would the sophisticated Marcus need some farm kid from the South?

-

Then Marcus shows up and offers him a way to continue his art career and help his family. There’s only one hitch – he asks Thomas to spend a week with him in the Berkshires. Thomas knows he should refuse. But he’s never been able to say no to his Master.

———-

Rough Canvas by Joey W.  Hill

Review by Terry Kate

5/5 Whips

-

Sometimes a story comes along that moves you, and reaches deeper then the everyday read.  It could be that this is the right time in your life to find this book, or the story hits your soft spot, sometimes the book is just that good.  For me Rough Canvas is all three.  I love the depth of the the relationship between the two heros, which we are dropped into at the deep-end.  The boys in this M/M romance have a history that get revealed in bits and pieces, flashbacks, and third party accounts.

-

Unlike the other titles in this series there is not the build to emotional overload with Marcus and Thomas.   The reader gets the feeling of being caught in a wave – wading in an ocean.  There were waves before we did not see, there will be waves after, but the times we are treading water with the ups and downs of this homosexual relationship are all encompassing.   Faced with family opposition, human insecurities and unpleasant histories Marcus and Thomas have a great deal that could come between them, and does.  What pulls at my guts in the story is how connected Joey Hill makes us feel to the characters pain.  The element of family obligation pulling at Thomas, his personal desire, and struggle not to disappoint the ones he loves is all absorbing.

-

I decided I had to read it one more time before I wrote the review.  Not that I have not read it more then a dozen times, but I wanted one more peek.  I cried, it made my chest hurt, and it is hot hot hot.  The emotions Rough Canvas evokes lends the intimate moments double the pleasure, double the fun because it is not just reading sex.  The erotic scenes are varied and engaging, there was no part of this book I skim or speed through even in the re-reading which is a high compliment in deed.  Who can resist a hero, seemingly so perfect who deep down needs you and you alone?  We all want to be needed and loved.  Watching Thomas and Marcus make that journey makes this a great read.

- PS – It really does totally work as a stand-alone.

Find out more about the title at Joey Hill’s Website -http://www.storywitch.com

Mistress of Redemption

by Joey W. Hill

The white collar life Jonathan Powell created for himself is gone. Standing outside of Wentworth prison after serving his five year sentence, he knows he has to start over. No more hooking up with Dominant women so he can enjoy the challenge of fucking up their minds. But who knew his latest target would turn out to be a psychopathic killer who tried to off two cops? No, it wasn’t the game that was the problem. He just made some key mistakes. Mistakes he won’t make again.

Then Mistress Dona shows up to give him a ride from the prison into his new life, and his resolve goes out the window. She’s everything he can’t resist. Dona knows she has to make Jonathan understand that he has to make the right choice this time, because Hell doesn’t offer options. He has to understand and accept what surrender truly means. His only hope is a Mistress of Redemption. The problem is she may lose her soul in trying to save his.

—–

Mistress of Redemption by Joey W. Hill

Review by Terry Kate

4/5 Whips

-

This book stands out for me amoungst the Series and Joey Hill’s work.  Let’s face it, it takes place in Hell, with Devil himself making a cameo.  That is pretty different then the Contemporary set titles.  I was caught totally unaware that we would be entering the Twilight Zone.  Not that the story had the same feel, and it is certainly hotter then any episode of the show from TV.  So can our main character, a decidedly bad guy be redeemed?

-

It is Mistress Dona’s job to try and save him.  Pretty much her time is spent to save him from himself.   Jonathan Powell is lashing out.  His pain is so deep and strongly tied to his soul that it has made him do terrible and hurtful things.  I thought this book was a powerful and intense look at the other side.  The man who was the villan in previous titles by Joey Hill now gets to tell his tail.  It brings home something a FABULOUS teacher of mine said to me after he read my script.  He read my character and said – why is the antagonist doing this.  I said cause she is the bad guy.  His response was – Everyone’s pain is as real as yours and you have to remember that for all of your characters.  I realized it is something I needed to keep in mind in life in general.

-

Jonathan Powell is not just bad, because he is bad.  His path is a bumpy and painful one in the book.  The activities are graphic and run towards the extreme.   This is not a light read and the setting might throw you off a bit, but the writing is suburb and engaging.  Mistress of Redemption came as a surprise to me, but the skill and inditensity that characterizes Joey’s work in going strong.  The talent and interesting take on character choice makes this a recommended read .  For a ticket to see Hell’s world is  it is definitely worth the price of admission.