Michael BarnetteCritiques

This was a good easy reading western with a real story. Two drifters, Johnny Sapphire and Moses Star, meet up in the tiny town of Snakebite. I love the name of the town. The characters were well rounded out and were extremely likable. The sex had a little kink to it though the thought of using axle grease as a lube made me shudder. What impressed me was that instead of making the story just about sex, Mr. Barnette wove some prejudices into the story. The social issues filled the story out and made it real for me. This was one of the better shorts that I've read in a while.

I really liked the setting of the book and the fact that it contains BDSM.
However, I find this story too wordy and even despite that fact,
I could not quite feel one of the main characters, Jessman.
He seemed very shallow, very blurry.
I wish there were half stars, I would have given it 3.5.

In a variation on the many legends about the fae that exist, this story focuses on two who were left behind when their fellow fae decided to depart Earth. For slightly different reasons, each of these fae was considered "unacceptable" to the rest of their kind, and have since wandered Earth alone. Finding unexpected companionship and a new beginning is the theme of this short story, and it left me feeling very happy and smiling.

Kyle has been searching everywhere. He is a sea creature, a seahorse, and some of his magical feats were quite fun. He is desperately alone, and the scene at the beach which opens the book makes that perfectly clear. Entering the "tavern" is not something he really wants to do, but he figures human companionship is better than nothing.

Anluan, the bartender, looks human at first glance, but he discovers Kyles's secret too easily, and is not shocked enough, for Kyle to believe he actually is human. I loved how he gives discreet advice to Kyle, mainly to do with the age of the silver coins the other fae uses to pay for his beer, and the way he dresses. Small signs like that quite easily date Kyle.

When Anluan offers to take Kyle home with him after the bar closes early, and the two fae come together in an explosive moment of passion, things heat up very quickly. If you like stories about paranormal beings trying to make their way in a human world, if you enjoy tales about lonely men finally finding someone to share their life with, and if you prefer your stories with some hot action, you will probably like this short book.




NOTE: This book was provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

This is an intriguing Christmas story about two men who find each other when they least expect it. Both keep telling themselves not to become emotionally attached – while that is exactly what's happening to them. The paranormal elements are part of the story, but rather than being the point or the focus of it, they serve more as an enhancement, much like a piece of decoration on a Christmas tree. The straightforward style and simple, but effective plot kept me interested, and made for a slightly tense, but fun read.

Cooper is a park ranger and likes his solitude. Supervising hikers and making sure everyone stays safe is his job, but I also got the feeling it is his passion. I smiled at his slight snobbery regarding survival skills, but it fits well with his personality, and he has experienced enough "city folk" coming into the wilderness and doing stupid things to have a right to be somewhat distrustful. Hence, his initial skepticism about Alejandro's ability to keep himself safe. As soon as he meets Alejandro, he knows he wants more from the photographer, but thinks it isn’t possible.

Alejandro is a photographer looking for great winter shots. Even though he lives in Florida, he knows what to do in winter, and he's been on enough camping trips to understand basic safety precautions. He still gets into trouble, but a combination of his powers and level-headed thinking stand him in good stead. He is very interested in Cooper, loves being the slightly more dominant partner when they decide to play, but doesn’t think they stand a chance long-term.

If you like Christmas stories with lots of ice, snow, and wonderful descriptions of a wintery mountainscape, if you enjoy reading about two men who think they’re all about the physical only to discover how much their emotions got involved before they even realized it, and if you're looking for a read with just a touch of "magical enhancements", then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

Colorado, around the time of the gold rush that started in the late 1850s and continued to the early 1860s, must have been quite the adventurous time. And with this book starting in 1869 with the promise of kidnappings, daring rescues, bounty hunters, and a gang that needs to be brought to justice, I was looking forward to a good old-fashioned Western – with a twist or two. First, there is the blurb which promises complications. Then, there is the author’s note about the series that describes the setting as “Aspen Grove, a small town in the Colorado Rockies where big things happen.” And finally, it became clear to me after reading the first chapter the characters were going to be colorful, quirky, and their shenanigans promised to be very entertaining.

Constantine Gaylord Blackthorne is a man I somehow expected to be a respectable, upstanding, and possibly slightly boring guy – just based on his name - but I should have known better. CeeGee, as his friends call him, is an adventurer of the first order, a man who goes after what he wants, and who is extremely loyal to his friends. He is also very different from most of his compatriots: he prefers the company of men, and he can sense the future. And while the first is a carefully hidden secret, the second is an extremely useful ability to have and as well hidden. Not that it keeps him out of trouble completely… but it does help with figuring out what to invest in and how to fix things that have gone off the rails.

Lukas Hartmann is a newish friend of CeeGee’s and I met him as he was preparing for CeeGee’s new business venture – running a saloon. CeeGee brought the “girls” with him from the more civilized East, and Lukas has scoped out the town for him. As it turns out, Lukas also prefers men, not that anyone knows, and he has an ability to read people’s minds. This enables him to discover the crookedness of the other saloon owner in town, the fact that the sheriff is likely in cahoots with some bad guys, and that some of the men in the town can shield their minds.

Naito Rei, as a Japanese man often mistaken for being Chinese, has a tough time finding work, never mind being accepted with all the prejudice against “non-whites” that was well established in the US at the end of the 19th century. He is a samurai now trying to make a living for himself and his sister, and comes in very useful when she and several others are kidnapped. He is an honorable man, brave, and doesn’t mind hard work. Ideal capabilities to have when building a new town out of pretty much nothing with a sordid past.

Joshua Maxwell, aka Arizona Slim, is a well-known bounty hunter on a mission. He’s hunting a criminal whose involvement in the story is gradually revealed, but I was just as interested in finding out more about him as a man. Then there are the saloon girls who work for CeeGee, the other town inhabitants, and so many others. It was a joy to get to know all of them and to see how they were involved in each other’s lives.

As you can imagine, this creative assortment of characters – and these three are just the start - leads to a story that goes from an intriguing beginning into a suspenseful tale that had me hanging on to find out the solution of the criminal elements, but even more to figure out what exactly these men and women are capable of and how they would use it to help them, and make Aspen Grove into a better place. A very promising beginning to what I hope to be a continuing series!

If you like historicals with a twist that are set in an alternate past, if men and women who struggle against enemies who want them dead are your thing, and if you’re looking for a read with lots of adventure and danger as well as a touch of passion and romance, then you will probably like this novel. I really hope the next volume will be out soon!


NOTE: This book was provided by Fireborn Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

Psi-powers fascinate me, and as “unreal” as they may be according to accepted wisdom and opinion, I can’t help but think there is some truth to their existence. How else would we have come up with them? There are quite a few “traditional” powers like telekinesis, telepathy, etc. – all of them dealing with the manipulation of physical objects. Biokinesis, Damon’s ability, fits that bill even if the focus is inside someone’s body rather than any outside objects. But Jin’s ability is special. Technokinesis - making Jin a technomancer/technokinetic with the ability to manipulate electronics and data inside computers - has got to be new since humans haven’t had computers all that long. But if we assume that “traditional” psi-powers evolved as human society grew from tribal hunters and gatherers to sedentary farmers and eventually industrialized beings, it stands to reason that new powers could emerge now that we have entered the technological age.

This story is set about a hundred years in the future (my guess) and is about Jin and Damon, two agents with psi-powers who are working for a mysterious group called the Organization. Their job is to take out crime syndicates, something they both believe is the right thing to do. But then, right after they have sex for the first time, something weird happens when Jin disappears without a trace, and Damon decides to find him. What follows is an action-packed adventure in the best tradition of spy thrillers but with a futuristic touch. Jin and Damon are both put through the wringer, and while I was biting my nails pretty much through the entire second half of the book, it was an exhilarating journey!

But there is another side to this story as well. The relationship between Jin and Damon starts out as a forbidden encounter between fellow agents, but it sits deeper than either of them suspected. Damon is driven to find Jin, no matter what, and Jin can only hold on because he keeps thinking of Damon. Their physical union has consequences neither of them (and probably not many others) have foreseen, and it made the psi-power side of the story very powerful. I loved it!

If you like stories about agents, secret missions, and the betrayal some of them may face, if two men who aren’t supposed to develop feelings for each other yet manage to fall in love sound interesting, and if you’re looking for an action-packed read set in an imaginative future, then you will probably like this novella as much as I did. I think it’s very creative and, despite its futuristic setting, manages to have a human relationship at its center that had me rooting for both men from the beginning.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

A cold winter night, an isolated cabin in the woods and a snowstorm outside… no, it’s not the setting for an horror story, but a fantasy romance. Aerdyn, a seelie knight, is still morning the loss of his unseelie lover, a fae princess. Ellian was beautiful and very much in love with Aerdyn, but someone betrayed them, and Aerdyn is not only unable to remember, he was also forced to leave the magic world and now he is slowly dying.

Then Lian comes literally knocking at his door; he claims not only to be Ellian’s brother, but to “host” his sister’s soul in his body, and he is saying that, if he doesn’t love Aerdyn like Ellian did, then they will both die (they meaning Ellian and him). Aerdyn is not so for the idea at the beginning, but truth be told his reticent is not really due to the fact that Lian is a man while instead his beloved was a woman, but more since he is still mourning the loss of his lover, and even if Lian resembles a lot Ellian, he is not her.

This is only a novella, and more or less there are no big events in the story, so my focus was mainly how the author dealt with his magical creatures. Indeed the feeling was that he has more freedom, as I said, there is no constraints at all with the fact that Lian is a male and that Aerdyn was previously attracted by a female. Actually, there is no highlighting at all of the sex gender difference, like genre didn’t matter in this fantasy world. There was instead a great focusing on the prettiness of Lian and on the fact that Aerdyn, living in the human world, was loosing his splendour. Plus, when there was the chance for them to be imprisoned in the human world, their main worry seemed to be there was the chance for them to age. Now I’m not saying that was the main focus of the story, but indeed I noticed it was an important element of the story, this emphasis on everything that was beauty.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1321068.html

Zoner & Control (Through Neon Eyes) by Michael Barnette

David Jessman was a IT researcher kidnapped by the bounty hunters of his new firm. Actually he has a new good and rich life, the new firm pays him well, and he has a beautiful apartment, a lot of money and girl for sex when he wants it.

But one night David wants something different, he wants a gunswhore, a mix between a whore and a bodyguard, born in the Liberty Zone, the poor district of this post apocalyptic city. A gunswhore can be a woman or a man, and that night his gunswhore will be Bells, a beautiful boy, even too little and handsome and innocent looking to be a zoner.

But Bells is an enhanced warrior and also deadly. He was hired by the former firm of David to kill him. So he takes him in the Zone, and introduces him to the Sweet Sisters, Pleasure and Pain. And David is like adicted, he can no more live without them and without Bells. And Bells decides not to kill him, but to return with him in his apartment, having another mind blowing lesson of Pleasure and Pain, and... To be continued!

Two brief novel who introduces us to the very imaginific world created by Michael Barnette. Through Nean Eyes was a series who knowingly mix BDSM and futuristic and who features two wonderful characters: the angel looking Bells, with a deadly behaviour, and the geeky Jessman, with a sinful soul.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1601800576/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

I have a strange feeling at the end of this novel, I read a paranormal novel that is not a paranormal... No it's not the late hour that makes me going crazy, it's only that the author chooses to tell a shapeshifter erotic romance, and he stated it clearly more or less from the first moment, when Brad, after having sex with Linn, finds out that his new lover is not exactly human, but then they behave like it was nothing important, like being Linn a puca, one third horses, one third wold and one third elf, it's like having a strange hair color.

Brad is a sci-fiction author in searching of a nice and quite place to write. Just out from an abusive relationship, he wants only to rest and relax. But when he arrives to Linn's ranch, he changes his idea: Linn is a wonderful stud, and Brad wants a piece of that. There is very few trouble, or remorse on having only a month together, Brad and Linn are having sex from night one. But soon after their first encounter, Linn can't hide his true nature, and Brad understands that the man who just left his bed is not a man... any other normal man would have packed and gone in a blur of a second, Brad instead simply asked if Linn has any idea to kill him, and to his negative answer, he invites the man back in bed.

From that moment on, Brad and Linn are having sex steadily every night and for more than one time at night. No matter that outside there is a strange creature that is after Brad, no matter that that same creature sometime lurks in the shadow just outside Brad's cabin, and that makes his presence known with strange rumors, when Linn is in bed with Brad, nothing can distract them. Actually Brad leaves the cabin only the first day, to go shopping for some food, other than that, he spends all the novel inside the cabin, writing, cooking and waiting for Linn to come back home and having sex.

See? that's the most normal paranormal romance I have ever read. It's like the author was thinking that, any paranormal event he could write, the reader already knew, and so why not instead be all happy with some nice and good and often and detailed sex scenes? Yes, yes, there is an evil monster out there, yes, yes, Linn is not exactly Mr Ordinary Man, but does it matter? No.

Another thing I noticed is the approach to the relationship and sex; it's erotic without being sugary. At first Brad and Linn lust after each other and nothing else. There is no romantic idea, Brad is thinking to have fun for one month and so is Linn. The sex is good, and as I said before, even when Brad finds out the true, it's not so important, in a month Brad will be far from this place, and while he is there he can have fun. Even when the relationship between them evolves in something more, still they face it with a careless and happy-to-go perspective: why bother too much with such uneventful things like having a relationship with an otherworldly being?

For sure High Country is not your typical paranormal romance, even in the writing style, with both men pondering aloud in their mind about things.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002U829B8/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Sincerely I don't remember if the first book in Dragon & Fenyx series had the same strong yaoi influence, but in Swordbrothers it's quite clear; Flame and Storm left together to build their own life as outcast and the first step is to tighten their bond with a sexual encounter, and here is where I felt the yaoi influence, since Flame is a virgin, and a bit the blushing and big eyes virgin type. Another thing that I noticed is that this second book is a bit more light and happy, maybe since the sex scene is the beginning scene and the sex helps to lighten the mood of the story.

The book is divided in two part, the first one serves to build the basis of Flame and Storm's relationship, to help them to know each other in the most intimate possible way, and the second one to build the basis of their future clan, including in their little circle two new member, Water and Heart who will bring with them other people, in a pyramidal chain. Plus Flame and Storm befriend an all female clan (a nice add to the story, with some interesting characters, even if they have only small roles).

Usually I'm not very fond of the futuristic setting, above all when it's an Apocalypse Now theme, since they are almost all "cold" story, sad and tragic. Swordbrothers is a bit different, maybe since the sex is good and so it gives another side to the story, more joyous; the introduction of new characters allows to see a future; the sad and tragic aspect is not all forgotten, in particular in the ending, but I believe there is not to worry, this is a continuous series on the same main characters, and so probably we will see more of them in the future books, don't forget that Flame is a Fenyx, and the phoenix re-births from its ashes.

http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/657005.html

When Stormdragon and Flamespirit meet by chance in the wilderness of their world, both are in different ways outcasts of their own clans. Storm being dishonoured by false accusations of his own brother and Flame´s people shunning him, because they are afraid of his powers. They both don´t have swordbrothers or mates, Storm having lost his swordbrother not long ago, and neither of them expects to find a mate any more, with whom they can form this special bond. But it´s undenyable that their magical powers are calling out for each other and so maybe it was fate, and a little help from Storm´s dead swordbrother, that they should meet.

This book is set in a desert world similar to the ones known from the movies Mad Max or Dune. Different clans are shattered throughout the world and a big city is the home for the rest of the population. Magic is an important part of this world and the people, who are able to do magic, have different abilities on the basis of the different elements.

The authors are able to create a very dense atmosphere and so the reader is able to delve into the world which they created. This makes the book a very good one. But as Elisa already mentioned in her review, this book only seems to be a prelude to a bigger story, introducing the characters and setting the overall mood. I guess this is a common problem with books being written while already having a whole series in mind.

So if you tend to be a little bit impatient when having to wait for the next book in a sequel, maybe you should refrain from reading this book until the next book is released. ;-)

In a post apocalyptic era, similar to Mad Max universe, the world is divided in City and outside clan.

Stormdragon, of the Dragon clan, is a renegade. He lost his swordbrother and lover in battle and he wanted to die with him; but his brother rescued him, not for love, but to denigrate him among his clan, a man not willing to reach his swordbrother in death. And so Stormdragon chose the life of the lone wolf, with only his warbike and sword as companionship, only searching the fast way to die with honor.

Flamespirit is a pariah of his clan, which never accept him as a clansman. He is a healer and has the power to ignite the fire on the stones. And he is also a beautiflu man, with hair the color of the flame like his name. He is also an empath and knows that Stormdragon has a desire of death inside him.

But Sandrunner, the former lover of Stormdragon, appears in dream to him and claims that Stormdragon is not ready to die and he has beside a new swordbrother to look after. And so starts the new life of this two men, one who had all and lost it, and another who had nothing and now has the chance to bond with a powerful warrior.

Called by Power is only the prequel of a more complex story I believe. It ends like the old western movies with the hero who ride toward the sunset in search of a new adventure... only that here the heros are two and they ride a motorbike and not an horse. This book is a pure fantasy, with a lot of magic and also a bit of sex, but not much. I hope that in the next book we will see the bond mating of this two warrior, cause I was teasing a lot during the book: all right, Stormdragon was wounded and he couldn't do his due as "macho man", but still... the headache excuse can be use only one or two times...

There is a bit of yaoi in this novel, with Flamespirit in the role of the cute uke, blushing and pouting, and searching for compliments from his man, and Stormdragon in the role of a reluctant seme, first not willing to find another mate, but still protecting him and caring for his health and safeness.

All in all a very enjoyable reading, and I would be glad to read more on it.

This novella has a surprising depth to it, and a beautiful romance. A Seelie Fae, Aerdyn, has been exiled to the Mortal Realm for murdering the Unseelie Princess Ellian - his lover. It is a crime he is innocent of. In the snow-bound cabin that has become his prison, an Unseelie has finally found him. He expects death, but Lian has brought love. His sister joined her remaining spirit to his when she died. He loves Aerdyn, but must convince the Seelie. But, Lian has unwittingly led a deadly enemy to Aerdyn - the very man who killed Ellian.

Barnette has cleverly woven enough backstory into this to bring the Fae world to life. Aerdyn and Lian are an enchanting couple, and though there is only one sex scene, it is hot and loving. Highly recommended. I would happily revisit this world in another story.

David Jessman was a IT researcher kidnapped by the bounty hunters of his new firm. Actually he has a new good and rich life, the new firm pays him well, and he has a beautiful apartment, a lot of money and girl for sex when he wants it.

But one night David wants something different, he wants a gunswhore, a mix between a whore and a bodyguard, born in the Liberty Zone, the poor district of this post apocalyptic city. A gunswhore can be a woman or a man, and that night his gunswhore will be Bells, a beautiful boy, even too little and handsome and innocent looking to be a zoner.

But Bells is an enhanced warrior and also deadly. He was hired by the former firm of David to kill him. So he takes him in the Zone, and introduces him to the Sweet Sisters, Pleasure and Pain. And David is like adicted, he can no more live without them and without Bells. And Bells decides not to kill him, but to return with him in his apartment, having another mind blowing lesson of Pleasure and Pain, and... To be continued!

Two brief novel who introduces us to the very imaginific world created by Michael Barnette. Through Nean Eyes was a series who knowingly mix BDSM and futuristic and who features two wonderful characters: the angel looking Bells, with a deadly behaviour, and the geeky Jessman, with a sinful soul.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1601800576/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

David Jessman was a IT researcher kidnapped by the bounty hunters of his new firm. Actually he has a new good and rich life, the new firm pays him well, and he has a beautiful apartment, a lot of money and girl for sex when he wants it.

But one night David wants something different, he wants a gunswhore, a mix between a whore and a bodyguard, born in the Liberty Zone, the poor district of this post apocalyptic city. A gunswhore can be a woman or a man, and that night his gunswhore will be Bells, a beautiful boy, even too little and handsome and innocent looking to be a zoner.

But Bells is an enhanced warrior and also deadly. He was hired by the former firm of David to kill him. So he takes him in the Zone, and introduces him to the Sweet Sisters, Pleasure and Pain. And David is like adicted, he can no more live without them and without Bells. And Bells decides not to kill him, but to return with him in his apartment, having another mind blowing lesson of Pleasure and Pain, and... To be continued!

Two brief novel who introduces us to the very imaginific world created by Michael Barnette. Through Nean Eyes was a series who knowingly mix BDSM and futuristic and who features two wonderful characters: the angel looking Bells, with a deadly behaviour, and the geeky Jessman, with a sinful soul.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1601800576/?tag=elimyrevandra-20