Elizabeth Noble (3)Critiques

Well written with great pacing. I did not feel the age gap at all. I loved Gwendolyn!

Better than Shades of Sepia (though on second reading and with the weight of the rest of the series behind it, a better read than before).

3.5 stars Like the previous book, better with repeated listenings, except I'm not a fan of the narrator. However, since the only way to read this book is to listen to it anymore, I will stand by my uptick on the story itself.

This is a 3.5 star read for me. In some ways I really enjoyed the characters. I thought the story was interesting and it had an intriguing mystery, but there were moments where I felt a little disconnected from the relationship. It felt like it went a bit fast without me really having the connection between them or the backstory to really understand how their relationship went from 0-100 in the span of 1 day, especially during such a traumatic time. Rylan and Brett have known each other for years, but there was never anything between them. I get how they were close and pulled together due to the death of Celia, and I could understand coming together in that time. But I didn't get the impression there was even a previous crush with either of them, so to jump to falling head over heels in love with the other seemed a bit quick. I think I just needed a little more emotional connection between them to feel it. That aside, though, I did like how Brett and Rylan both had what the other needed, and were able to come together. There was a lot of BDSM, and it was a good match for both of the guys.

There were moments that really evoked emotions, and I thought that was very well written. The memories of Celia, the tribute to her, and the guys emotional journey was beautiful. I had tears for sure, and these were some of my favorite parts of the book.

I am voluntarily reviewing an ARC provided by the author

I liked this variation on a master/slave relationship because it looks at a situation where the structure of slave versus master is dictated by society, rather than what the participants want. Seeing two men come together who have no choice about the 'official' way of how they interact was fascinating, because the difference to the actual interaction provided some real tension. Todd's fear of being caught for treating Nick as an equal (as much as possible) was just as real as Nick's fear of having his life in the hands of another man; one he doesn't even know all that well.

All of that being said, Nick and Todd still end up in sexually dominant/submissive roles. While the sex was hot, I was a little disappointed that Elizabeth Noble didn't take the concept of 'unwanted slavery' further. But then, maybe that was too much to ask in the first book? Maybe it was a step too far for them to take that quickly? Or maybe the message is that their sexual behavior depends entirely on societal expectations? That, I must admit, would really annoy me as a conclusion. However, we are not there yet. This is the first book in a series, and one that promises to be interesting for many reasons. So I will keep reading to see where this ends up.

If you like to read about potential future societies, and are interested in the effects of slavery condoned by society on humans on both sides of the master/slave equation, you may like this book.

review to follow

Short and sweet, with a large side of humor, this is a story about "two geeks in space". Juan and Victor are both extremely qualified for their jobs, and with Victor, an engineer with a PhD, designing the telescopes for Juan, an astronomer with a PhD, to use for his deep-space research projects, they are a perfect fit.

Juan, from warm Puerto Rico, may be interested in researching stars in deep space, but he certainly does not like living on a space station. It is too cold for him by far, and he cannot wait until they finish the telescope's adjustment and can move it, and themselves, to the human base on the Moon. All his grumbling and distraction thinking about things that might warm him up lead to him not planning his next step, and he has an accident.

Victor, from Idaho, may be all grumbly on the outside and seem like a cold professor, but he loves Juan deeply and takes excellent care of him. Up to and including figuring out how they can use Juan's hoverchair a little more creatively...

If you like stories about men in space, if you enjoy reading about geeks and how they manage their relationships, and if you're looking for a very entertaining read, then you will probably like this short story.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinnr Press for the purpose of a review.

A Barlow Lens is the second book in the Circle Series by Elizabeth Noble. I didn’t read the first story Run for the Roses, but if you are like me and read series out of order you don’t need to worry about that. A Barlow Lens can stand on its own. I will let you know you want to pay attention to the definition of what the Barlow Lens does it will help you understand how the story is told. *wink*

I felt this story was more of a mystery/suspense then a romance story. One of the things I enjoyed was this story is actually two stories in one. You will get a story from the past (I’m calling this the Barlow effect LOL) and one from the present.

There are a few déjà vu moments in these stories that are fun and a little spooky at the same time. Elizabeth gave us a look at how the lives of people who were attracted to the same sex lived back in the 20’s. Homosexuality was far from accepted back then so people had to sneak and meet in private clubs to be together. You are going to love how Tom and Philip got a little help to be together *wink* But it isn’t all roses, there is trouble brewing in the past story as well as the present.

The one thing that I would have like to see in these stories would have been more of a connection. The stories are told separately, well because one is from the past but as Wyatt and Val discover what happen to Tom and Philip I would have liked to have seen them find the story as well as having the Barlow effect tell the story.

I have already spilled enough of the story but I will tell you I enjoyed this story enough to get the first story as well. I need to know the whole story behind Wyatt and Val. So if you don’t mind reading a series out of order I say experience the Barlow effect now.

4 stars. Glad the free short whetted my appetite for more of this couple. Interesting 'new' world with it's own set of rules and regulations. Looking forward to reading more of these guys (and from this author!).