Tina Anderson (1) (1971–)

This is a hard book for me to evaluate and rate.

I liked the basic story and the message of having to deal with your past before you can move on. The characters of Galen and Wira were real to me, even though the story is set in the 1870s. There is a lot of back story, which is neatly woven into the telling of what happens once Galen is let out of prison.

But - I found it very hard to deal with the 'horror' elements of it. I think it was more the detailed descriptions that got to me than the idea of what happened and how it impacted the characters. This was definitely darker than what I usually read, and a lot darker than I'm comfortable with.



Note: This book was picked for me in the m/m romance monthly pick-it-for-me challenge. I doubt I would have bought it based on the blurb, though I am familiar with some of the other authors' work.… (meer)

Anituk the is merrily going about his business of living with his mum, dad and older brother, when a stranger arrives at his family camp. There is something a little mysterious about the newcomer and he has some mighty odd quirks. Like penguin punting. heh.

I guess I was expecting a certain amount of angst and sad bits, this was written by Tina Anderson after all. But while there were definitely some moody longing looks and sighs, most of the book was light hearted, humorous and damn cute.

I liked Abalu, he’s so ernest and totally gone on Anituk, who doesn’t have a clue. The interactions between the two are captured beautifully by Amelie Belcher. She had me sniggering away at poor Anituk’s misfortunes and frustration at Abalu’s invasion of his personal space. Tina Anderson’s writing takes you from plenty of smoochy romantic stuff, to angsty OMG she can’t leave me hanging! I think the end was particularly well done with regards the timing and depiction of the characters.

My favorite panels are where you first get a glimpse of Abalu, who’s all windswept and interesting in the snow. There was also a page where Abituk is sleeping, so Abalu has a go at waking him up by mooching around under the blankets. Did I say cute already?

The mixture of angst and humor made for seriously cool reading and if this looks like your bag, then you can check it out via the Loud Snow website, buy it on Kindle or the print edition AND there is a version at eManga. Cool!
http://sharrow.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/loud-snow-by-tina-anderson-and-amelie-be...… (meer)

A most entertaining original read!

I'll start with the beginning, which would be the cover. Now covers are, for the most part, a source of turn-off on most gay novels for me, but certainly not this one~
It's amazing and scary at the same time, a perfect match for this story. Not to mention the children we see on it probably have me scarred. That image followed me all the way through the book, really spooky.

The story itself is rather unconventional, but I think this is where it gets it's appeal. Romance, Paranormal and Horror each have a part in it. That's not to forget Wira, who's a little more than a transexual. He's a very complex character. Everytime I thought I knew how he would react to certain situations, he always surprised me. It was very interesting.
There were a few amusing moments, most notably when dear Wira tries and fails to pronounce "fucking" properly.

My favorite character was definitely Galen, possessiveness and all. You have to give it to the guy who has no problem whatsoever killing people and even made it his living. Furthermore, I think the love he has for Wira is very evident. You can feel how much they really need each other and that they are lost without the other. It's really sweet that Galen is also the one who liberated Wira when they were younger from the abusing hand of a psychopath child molester, and that much later, they are together still.

Running away didn't end everything though and revenge brings with it something much darker. Unfinished business as one would say, and it haunts them, quite literally. Until they make it right.

I'd give a warning for blood and gore as I'd say this is not for the faint of heart. Still, it was refreshing reading something out of the ordinary for a change.… (meer)