Cornelia GreyBesprekingen
Auteur van A Brush of Wings (Anthology 15-in-1)
Besprekingen
Read as part of [b:Making Contact|8697054|Making Contact|Lynn West|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348448012s/8697054.jpg|13569706] Anthology
Morning Glow by Taylor Lochland - 2 stars
A Trail of Feathers by Sarah Ann Watts - DNF
Heart's Salvation by Réve Garrison - 2 stars
In the Hands of the Gods by Jana Denardo - 3,5 stars
A Voice in the Darkness by Patric Michael - 4 stars
Some Comfort by S. Blaise - 4,5 stars
Ascension by RJ Scott - 2 stars
Sariel by Mary Calmes - 2 stars
The Platypus Learns Astrophysics by Matthew Vandrew - 5 stars
The Angel Blues by Cornelia Grey - 3 stars
Redemption by Clare London - 2,5 stars
Herbal Tea by H.J. Brues - 3 stars
The Tenth Avatar by Roland Graeme - 3.5 stars
Santangelo by Zahra Owens - 4 stars
The Archangel of Castro by Diana Copland - 4 stars
Touched by the West Wind by Ellen Holiday - 3,5 stars stars
The Golden Galleon by K.R. Foster - 3 stars
My Hand in Yours by Emily Moreton - 3 stars
Ghost of Jupiter by Jana Denardo - 2 stars
Officer and a Gentleman Pirate by E.S. Douglas - DNF
Objectivity by K.J. Johnson - 3 stars
Worth the Price by Cornelia Grey - 2.5 stars
Peter and the Lost Boys by Juan Kenobi - 2 stars
Irish Red by M.J. O'Shea - 3 stars
Black John by Piper Vaughn - 2,5 stars
Rough Trade by Cooper West - 2,5 stars
From a Simmer to a burn by B. Snow - 3 stars
On the Wings of Lir by Riley Shane - 2,5 stars
The Winds of Change by Maggie Lee - DNF
Logan Hart made a deal with a devil to become a great bluesman. The greatest of all time, he said. But then he clarified. He wanted fame, money, all the trappings of celebrity. And the devil he dealt with was disappointed.
For an erotic short, this was surprisingly bittersweet. Logan wasted his time and talent and only realized it when it was time to give the devil his due. But Logan had no idea what that devil really wanted from him, not until the next morning when his life began again.
(Provided by publisher)
Fucking.
Loved.
It.
4.5 Stars
It was Mary Calmes goodness wrapped together with history - I love history. Yep, there's an alpha angel who possessed the hell out of Jacob, a regular grad student who almost raped by bad guys. We don't know a lot of Jacob's back story. I didn't think it was needed so I am happy. It's instalove but it surpasses it because for angels in this story, there is no in between. They can see your inner most desires and wants . it's either black or white. No gray. So I won't gripe with the binding declarations made because it was inevitable. But also made from free will.
Hot stuff.
Angels are not my fave paranormal read. I lump them together with psychics. (Bottom of the totem pole for me) I might read more stories from the anthology, I might not. *shrugs*"
ARGH!!! MULTIPLE PIRATES!!
This pirate lover has hit the buried treasure jackpot! Yar!
I want booties plundered, ya savvy?
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The Empty Hourglass is a steampunk leaning story about a toymaker named Thomas Escott who lost his hand during a fire in his workshop. A mysterious note recommends that he visit Jethro Hastings, a reclusive inventor that is known for making unusual prosthetics. Thomas soon finds that Jethro’s prosthetics are frankly impossible – mechanical limbs that attach directly to the body and work without an obvious power source. And the villagers whisper that Jethro has made a deal with the devil…
Even before I realized that nothing was happening (or that nothing would happen), I thought The Empty Hourglass felt “light.” There was no real depth to the characters, world building, or plot. The world building was presumably steampunk? But it was hard to get a sense of that outside of the three inventors that we meet. There were references to a city with some fantastical name (an alternative version of a real world city?). There were references to a war, which if this is alternate history could be WWI. Mainly, it was just hard to get a feel of anything in regards to the world.
When it comes to characters, I was similarly unsatisfied. There aren’t any major failings with either Thomas or Jethro, but in a week’s time I won’t be able to remember their names. I think Thomas suffered from a weak backstory. He had no prior connections to any other characters, and aside from the laboratory fire, nothing in his past that seemed to have an impact on him in the present day. When it came to the eventual romantic relationship between Thomas and Jethro, I just didn’t really care. At least it didn’t actively annoy me, so there’s that.
The plot is incredibly weak. There should be some sense of urgency. After all, there’s an hourglass in Jethro’s workshop trickling away the time until the devil takes his soul. But instead the characters just amble around living their lives. And when it is time for Jethro’s soul to get taken (at the very end), the climax is completely unsatisfying. Warning for SPOILERS – nothing happens. Apparently the devil was just trying to teach him a life lesson. END SPOILERS.
On the good side, it was a quick read so I didn’t waste much time on it. There were also a few tentative moves towards thematic content regarding disability, and the book as a whole was pretty easy to read.
The Empty Hourglass was mostly boring and bland, and I would not recommend it.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received a free ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The book is released on April 9th 2016 by Riptide.
I really, really, really wanted to give this a five star review. The writing is amazing, just this side of poetic, without being purple prose. With lines like, "Even now, he could hear the dull, rhythmic thumps of dancing feet stomping on the wooden floor, mapping a tune he could feel all the way into his ribcage," Cornelia Grey expresses everything from the mundane to the fantastical, giving each one an equal sense of mystery, beauty, and wonder.
Throw in a couple character who are incredibly well drawn, and well rounded, and I almost regret knocking down that half a star. Explanation under the page cut.
But there is one flaw with this short story, and that's the Devil, Farfarello, is a little too... nice. His bargain is a little bit odd, and although this is somewhat explained in the end, I didn't quite buy it. Farfarello is a devil, and he shows the kind of patience that was not only unexpected, but quite frankly somewhat disappointing. I was more able to buy Logan's reactions at the end than Farfarello's.
This is the story of Logan, a down-on-his luck musician who makes a deal with a crossroads devil to be a great bluesman, as well as to have money and fame. It’s told in alternating time between chapters - now and then. Then is six years ago, when Logan made the deal, and now ranges between Logan waiting for Farfarello to appear and claim his soul. The ending had enough surprises to keep me satisfied, while a little frustrated by the story Farafello tells at the end.
It’s 72 pages, so I’d rank it as a short story rather than a novella, or novel, but a longer short. Because the world is set in the real world, and the modern world no less, the worldbuilding is limited to the fantasy elements and creating a place so real I felt as if I were the one choking on the coal and dirt when Grey got really descriptive. Very nicely done, and more effective than some of the worldbuildilng as far as the fantasy went because we get this from Logan’s point of view, and he’s never fully clear on what the rules of that world are. His conjectures are phrased gorgeously, but they’re clearly phrased as guesswork. However, the main impact is made through the characters, and their encounters, and I’m perfectly happy not knowing the rules of Farafello’s world, at least in this particularly story. If the world were to extend to more stories, I may be less patient if nothing more is ever revealed.
Grey makes the most of the relatively short time we spend with Logan and Farafello. Even before they get it on, just the kissing is hot. I’m actually considering paying for this so I can have it on my Kindle. I certainly will check out more of this author’s writing, although I would love to see what she can do with a full length novel! Highly recommended.
Gilbert Blake is a magician and conman. He gets on the wrong side of some powerful people, then is forced to join a circus to hide from them. Unfortunately for him, this circus is run by a devil, and he’s sold his soul: oops! The premise is great, but the execution was disappointing.
The Circus of the Damned seems like an interesting place. There is an evil clown, a well-dressed octopus, conjoined twins, a dwarf, a mechanical elephant, and other strange individuals. Unfortunately, these characters are mostly two-dimensional, and aren’t explored as much as they could be.
Gilbert develops a crush on one of the circus performers, the ringmaster, and the author spends a lot of time describing him. His name is Jesse, and he has green eyes. Beautiful green eyes; stunning green eyes; piercing green eyes; sharp green eyes; hooded green eyes; the author reminds the reader over and over again.
This book has two long, drawn out sex scenes between Gilbert and Jesse, which were awkward in the way that sex scenes in books usually are.
There are two villains in this book, and neither seems particularly villainous. One is rendered harmless by his crush on Jesse (must be those green eyes!), while the other is just as two-dimensional as the circus performers. At no point were the gnomes actually worried about Gilbert’s fate.
Readers who like their fantasy stories heavy on romance, light on plot the will enjoy this book.
This review originally appeared on gnomereviews.ca.
The man who lives there returns to find our hero in the shower. Clearly, the two men share a complicated history of deep attraction underscored with betrayal and pain. As they talk, banter, argue, and make love, the reader pieces together their circumstances. Their story comes in wrenching, powerful glimpses through their dialog and small gestures – such as the red apple that the second man always keeps in the fruit bowl with his green apples in case the first man returns and wants it. The red apple and the window kept ajar are heartbreaking symbols of hope, especially when it is clear that the two men’s intrinsic identities form an insurmountable barrier to any long-term relationship.
Apples and Regret and Wasted Time is a stunning short story. I love the way the author plays against type with the more dangerous of the two men also being smaller and unconventionally masculine with his long flowing hair. He is also somewhat submissive sexually to the other man, which is an interesting contrast to the lethal aspects of his nature.
The story is full of beautiful lines such as our hero’s emotion right after a passionate sexual encounter: “Coming down is like returning to a cold, inhospitable land.” Or here, when he watches the second man: “He lifts his hand and thumbs away what must be a residual smudge of blood from my cheekbone. His fingertips brush my soaked hair and, for a moment, he looks torn apart by such grief that I have to close my eyes. A blink and it’s already gone. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he just murmurs.” Though not a happy story, it is perfect as written, and packs tremendous emotional power. Very highly recommended!
Val for AReCafe
Here's what I imagine the exercise was: Write about a moment in time involving two characters. These two characters have a lot of history, but you can't spell any of it out – you have to show that history, in the details they notice, the way they speak to each other, the way they interact with each other. In fact, you can't flat-out tell the reader anything about them – not their jobs, not their names, nothing.
The author dealt with some of these restrictions by writing the entire story in the first person. Despite the characters' lack of names, it was never difficult to figure out who was saying or doing what, since there was only one other character. The relationship between the two of them was wonderfully intense and intimate. One of the things I loved was all the little details was that showed just how close the two of them still were, despite having been apart for a while: the narrator's thoughts about his lover's shower curtain, the little detail about the apples. Despite the limited word count, the author found time for a couple sex scenes, but they weren't wasted space. They conveyed the tone of the characters' relationship just as much as everything else in the story: intense and intimate, but also bittersweet and sometimes angry.
One of the things that frustrated me was that, for all the incredible depth the author gave these characters' emotions, I finished the story knowing nothing about the narrator's reasons for continuing to do work that kept him at odds with the man he clearly loved. Also, considering the characters' respective professions, I'd have loved to learn how they became such a close couple to begin with – that was never revealed, either.
Those who prefer their stories to have a plot should probably steer clear of this one, since it really is just a moment in time. The two characters meet after a long absence, there is a boatload of old affection, attraction, and relationship baggage, and then
I'd probably have liked this story more if it had had both a plot and intense relationship moments, but it was good for what it was. However, one thing that really bothered me was the occasional bit of awkward wording. For example, the story had no instances of “damn near,” but two of “near damn.” As in, “...when I reach his mouth, I capture it in a deep, near damn filthy kiss” (88.3%). It's possible that “near damn” is acceptable in other varieties of English, but I haven't able to find any confirmation that this is the case. This was one of several small things that distracted me. They're all pretty nit-picky but, in a story this short, a few distracting things amounts to a lot.
I might try a longer work by this author, just to see if she can manage to write something that has both an intense relationship and a plot, but I'm a little worried that the increased word count will include an increased number of awkward word choices.
(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
A good mix of stories in the anthology. Some were really good, and some were not exactly to my taste. But overall pretty interesting.
more later.
A good mix of stories in the anthology. Some were really good, and some were not exactly to my taste. But overall pretty interesting.
more later.
If this was intended as a complete story, I would be flummoxed. There is good stuff here, but it needs to be expanded and fleshed out. I love the characters and the setting, but want a big, fat novel and a series, if Gabriel and Asher remain as hot as they were in this short story.
I was completely wrong, from the first encounter, and the stolen kiss, a kiss that is “imposed” to a blushing Jonathan from a daring Eric, the relationship between Jonathan and Eric is on the same level, if not even unbalanced on Eric’s side, that seems more experience and streetwise of Jonathan. The wondrous adventure is almost a kid play, and the notorious Tea Demon is no one else that a buddy friend to Eric.
This is a short novella, and there should be a lot still to say about Jonathan, explaining for example his instability and his dependency from… tea! Again the author turned something that could have been dark and gothic, in funny and light.
I really enjoyed this pair, and I hope the author will decide to visit them again.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1664959.html
This book is not for the faint of heart with all the romances being between 2 guys otherwise known as a m/m romance. I did find most of the stories enjoyable and some funny/others emotionally touching. There are 14 pirate stories to tickle your fantasy if you enjoy this genre'. I have recently stumbled upon this genre' and have found it to be a new favorite of mine. What could be better than pirates on the high seas in historical romances that truthfully show the goings on behind the scenes with some of the most notable pirates of history.
The feeling was that we were reading only a night in the life of these two men, men without name, past and future… again apparently. In only 10 pages, Cornelia Grey brushes everything, like in those surrealist painting were every details is part of something bigger you need to put together to understand the final meaning. One is an assassin, the other is a detective; they were lovers and they are no more, but that doesn’t mean the love is not there; the detective is a one piece man, but his Achilles’ heels is the assassin, the one man he is not able to betray, not even for his honour of police officer. The assassin wants to play the cold hearted man, but as for the detective, he has an Achilles’ heels, the love that he still harbours for the detective. That window in the night, always open for him, is like a safe shelter, a place the assassin knows will always wait for him, and “his” place will always be free, since in now way the detective will occupy it with someone else: the bed will be empty and the fridge will be full, and a red apple among the green ones will always there, waiting for him.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052OWWL4/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
What Asher is expecting from life right in that moment is basically nothing: stranded in the middle of nowhere and wounded, he is only waiting for a merciful death; instead he obtains Gabriel, that like the angel with the same name, becomes at the same time savior, guardian but also the main source of all his trouble. As soon as they are together, Asher is immediately involved in a fight, and he has the chance to witness that Gabriel is no angel at all; and another proof is when, still dirty of their enemies blood, Gabriel pretends to be f**ked by Asher, right there, right now, no questions or hesitation.
That Asher likes Gabriel is pretty clear, what Asher probably doesn’t like, but he cannot avoid, is to fall in love with the other man; at the same time teasing and encouraging him, I think that Gabriel obtains exactly what he wants. The jealous Asher is a touch of romance to this novella that I liked, as I liked also the little steampunk details scattered here and there, like the clockwork owl Athena, the artificial arm of Asher, the flying machine of Gabriel and so on. Together with the steampunk setting there is the post-apocalypse world, that more or less reminded me of a middle ages village, with the big manor, the local inn and so on.
What I probably liked the most is that, even if the starting point is quite violent and the two men start their relationship from the sex, the story and the relationship soon move towards the romance; true, they are still involved in dangerous situations, and they still need to fight, but even if the sex is still good, it’s somehow softened by the love that is clearly blossoming between the two.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004KKZ0KQ/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
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Ci sono molti elementi che stuzzicano l'immaginazione del lettore, dalle navi che solcano i cieli alle tartarughe volanti (dato che ho da poco finito di leggere Il colore della magia, non ho potuto fare a meno di pensare al Mondo Disco di Terry Pratchett!). Così come ci sono elementi di simpatia, come il terribile capitano pirata che si scioglie di fronte ad una tazza di buon tè (e francamente posso capirlo!) o Addeline, ragazzina impertinente.
Definire veloce la storia d'amore tra i due protagonisti, Eric e Jonathan, è dir poco. In effetti, ha più in contorni di una sveltina, che per quanto soddisfacente non ha lo spessore di un rapporto ben costruito. Peccato...