MR. NEWBY'S REVENGE by Ruth Sims

MR. NEWBY'S REVENGE by Ruth Sims

Mr. Newby's Revenge

Ruth Sims

Kindle Edition

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

A fellow who was bullied in an orphanage gets even with his tormentor.  The protagonist works for a jeweler who has more than a passing interest in a fabulous diamond.  But will his past come back, in the form of the man he tortured as a child?

Handled with humor, like Thurber’s THE CATBIRD SEAT, but with a gay touch. 

ALL QUEERS MUST DIE by Antonio

ALL QUEERS MUST DIET

Antonio

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In a world where no one is who they seem to be and everybody has secrets… how do you find the truth? Maynard Shores, Florida is an exclusive beachfront town where the rich and beautiful come to live out their fantasies. Fun in the sun, and hot nights filled with passion are to be expected in a locale that caters to every sexual taste and preference. But danger lurks behind the shores’s glittering facade. The price for indulging in one of the area’s newest pleasures could be high—very high. A dangerous new designer drug has been introduced to the scene and partaking of it could be deadly. Its effects have already been profoundly felt by one newcomer to the area. The luxurious Maynard Shores Beachfront Resort is the place to stay, and home base for handsome and fit Bart Farrow, a man determined to get to the truth of what is going on in Maynard Shores. Using an alias, he arrives at the resort to train for the position of manager in order to spy on both guests and workers. All of whom seem to have agendas of their own. He’ll find himself forced to use some of their own tricks against them, even if it means trading his body for secrets and romancing foes for vital information. Lives are on the line, and loyalties are tested as time begins to run out. The cryptic message "All Queers Must Die" was found on resort property and, as a gay man, Bart is determined to find its author. Along with the help of some old and new friends, he’ll shine a light on the shadow world existing alongside the bright, glistening lights of Maynard Shores… before more lives are put at risk. | | | | | | | | | | Get acquainted with books by Antonio. For the next two weeks. Prices of Antonio’s novels have been reduced to $3.50. Take advantage of this offer to familiarize yourself with his writing: Blue Light by Night (a Layton Shayne Mystery) https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/381330 For Love Of: Tangi https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/433900 Green Eyes Cry, You Die (a Layton Shayne Mystery) https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/469156 Miss Lucy Case Files #1 - Miss Lucy and the Pussy Brigade https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/486635 Price reduction will expire March 25, 2015

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Building With Rainbow Blocks: NEW! THE GRIM LIFE by K.D. Worth

Building With Rainbow Blocks: NEW! THE GRIM LIFE by K.D. Worth: Last summer a story idea came to me, one that literally had me waking up in tears. Compelled to write it, though I’d never written teen f...

REVIEW: THE RELUCTANT BERSERKER by Alex Beecroft, reviewed by Christopher Hawthorne Moss

THE RELUCTANT BERSERKER by Alex Beetrooft

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Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (February 25, 2014)

ASIN: B00ER55JXC

It is the 800’s A.D. in England, the time of the Anglo-Saxons.  The warrior Wulfstan  has accompanied his lord to another lord’s hall where he encounters the harpist Leofge.  In a mad impulse the latter engulfs Wulfstan in a kiss, an act that Wulfstan has longed for but denied himself so as not to lose status as a man.  But later he is drawn to a friend to share his bedroll, a friend who chooses to out him and whom he accidentally kills.  In the meantime Leofger has been traveling with his master musician who dies of old age in another  land.  The two, Wulfstan  who wants expiation for his sins, and Leofger who just wants to get away from the bed of his new chieftain, are both headed for a shrine at Ely.

They meet when Wulfstan is has been attacked by bandits.  Wulfstan is amazed that this man who kissed him and who has occupied his thoughts ever since is his savior.  The two find refuge at a convent, but Leofger is discovered by his erstwhile chieftain and forced to return with him.  When he learns of this, Wulfstan goes after to rescue Leofger.

This novel is, among other things, remarkably true to the culture, beliefs, and ways of life of the 9^th century Anglo Saxons, something the author attributes to her involvement with the historical reenactment group, Regia Angler,.  The fact is that while, as it ever has been, there are men who are drawn to other men for love and sex, the culture did not encourage this, seeing the passive role of the “bottom” in mean on man sex demeans and effeminizes that man.  Neither Wulfstan, a warrior, nor Leofger, a proud man, wants to be seen as the “woman” in their relationship.  It will take a great deal of love and self-acceptance for either man to give over  their lives, hearts and bodies to each other.

In the meantime the mother of the slain fried of Wulfstan’s follows him and tries to destroy him with magick.  This provide the dichotomy of the new religion, Christianity, and the old Pagan ways that comes forth in every character’s self view and actions.  It would be hard to imagine what it would be like to live with these two warring religions  always in conflict within oneself.

Beetroot has done a fine job weaving a meaningful tale into this piece of remarkably accurate historical fiction.  The culture demands a careful hand at interpretation, but the needs of the real men it portrays requires some artistry to make them believable.  Plus the characters, not only Wulfstan and Leofger but all the other secondary characters, are well drawn and complex.

That's All I Read: MR. NEWBY'S REVENGE by Ruth Sims

MR. NEWBY’S REVENGE by Ruth Sims

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Publisher: Untreed Reads Publishing, LLC (March 15, 2010)

ASIN: B003CJU3BC

This short story/novelette barely fits our requirement for GLBT, but Mr. Newby is gay and his lover is mentioned, and it just fits historical being in the recent past, but it is such a delightful “catbird seat” revenge story that everyone should read it.

Mr. Newby, and you only learn his first name at the end of the story, was dropped off at an orphanage  by his unwed mother because he was so ugly.  He had a constant grin on his face, that at first might make you smile as well but ultimately got on your nerves.  As a child he was judged an idiot because of it, though, of course, he was a certified genius.  But in the orphanage he was constantly ridiculed and bullied, in particular by one boy, Peter Carson.  One of the best days of Mr. Newby’s life was the day the wealthy Bells came and adopted Peter and made him their son and heir, Carson Bell.

One day Mr. Newby  went to the headmistress’s office and astounded her by explaining Newton’s Law of Gravity and other such brilliant ideas, then turned around and left the orphanage for good  -- and for revenge.  It takes him some years to gather the cash,. Living frugally, and looking for Carson Bell, but he finally finds him.  He is now the manager of a hugely successful jewelry company, and the pride and joy of the fabulously wetly Bells.  Mr. Newby takes on the disguise of a French Canadian gem expert, and is present when old Mr. Bell makes Carson promise not to break up the incredibly valuable Ekaterina diamond he has just obtained.

Once the old man dies, Carson decides to exhibit the diamond at his store.  This is when Mr. Newby sees his chance for revenge.  He plots to steal the diamond, or rather, diamonds, and leave Carson Bell holding the insurance fraud bag.  Will he succeed?  If he succeeds, what will he do with his ill-gotten gains?

As I said this is rather reminiscent of James Thurber’s story  “Catbird Seat” except that the revenge is carefully plotted for years.  Mr. Newby does not surprise anyone with his brilliance, but Carson certainly does not see the threat coming, not much anyway.  Just reading how M. Newby makes all his meticulous plans and how Carson makes his own defense is a delight, written with a terrific crime pace and lots of humor.

Plus it’s way cheap – 99 cents!   Go get it and read it.  Ruth Sims is, after all, one of the most beloved of MM romance writers as author of THE PHOENIX and COUNTERPOINT: DYLAN’S STORY.  I am so glad that the publisher made her wonderful stories available for Kindle.

That's All I Read: TURNBULL HOUSE by Jess Faraday

TURNBULL HOUSE

Jess Faraday

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Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (February 16, 2014)

If you read THE AFFAIR OF THE PORCELAIN DOG you know the
characters that make up the basis of this novel, Ira Adler, and his villainous lover,
Cain
Goddard.  Ira was a street
prostitute who was taken in by Goddard but had to leave the lap of luxury when
Goddard’s criminal involvement became too much for him.  It is now a few years later, and Ira has
been on the board of Turnbuvll House, a place where children forced onto the
street can have a second chance.  Someone
has made an offer to buy the building however, and Turnbull House may
close.  Ira turns to Goddard for a loan
reluctantly and gets embroiled in intrigue that might rival his involvement
before.  He gets the loan and agrees to
establishing some way for the organization to pay for itself and to doing
certain favors for Goddard, namely delivering odd assortments of flowers to two
sugar factory men who wind up dead.  One
of these men is the father of Jack Flip, a girl disguised as a boy who comes to
live at Turnbull House and may just be its savior.

This is a wonderfully intriguing and involving novel, more
so than its prequel.  The complexity not
only of the mysteries but of Ira’s reaction to them and to Goddard is original
and entirely credible.  You hear this
tale in Ira’s own words, and Jess Faraday does something not many writers I’ve read
can pull off, and that is staying within the narrator’s limited view of the
situation and how the situation should affect him.  There is usually evidence of a wider
perspective that clouds the story.  Not
Here.

I enjoyed the character of Jack, arguably a transmboy,
though of course we run into the ambiguity of gender in his case.  He seems to me to have adopted boy’s clothes
and a boy’s persona for safety, but as I am becoming aware, the chance to live
in a man’s world is seductive.  He may go
back to being Cathy.  He may stay Jack
and become a lesbian.  Or, as as I hope
he does, he may become a true transman and see himself as a man, perhaps even
wanting a man as a partner.  The ambiguity
of the situation comes up in novel after anovel, and as a gay transman, I am
ancious to find characters like myself.

The other characters, the detective St. Andrews and his idol
Arthur Conan Doyle, the couple who run Turbull House, and the theater director
Bram Stoker are just a few of the tantalizing characters, real or imagined,
that Faraday brings for the  reader’s
enjoyment.

And the time and place are wonderfully accurate, full of
historical detail well worth soaking up.

This book is a treat, no matter how you look at it.. and the
story isn’t over yet!

WINDS OF CHANGE by Lee Rowan - ROYAL NAVY SERIES, Book 2

WINDS OF CHANGE

Lee Rowan

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Publisher: Dreamspinner Press, October 30, 2014

Royal Navy Series, Book 2

This novel is published in a single edition with EYE OF THE STORM, which I will review in a few days.  Rest assured, you want both, I promise you.

Captain Smith is being promoted to a higher rated ship that has  had a number of odd circumstances occurring of late.  Weapons have been found drenched with mud.  Food in great quantities has been found dumped in a passageway.  Sailors have found broken equipment and more.  The conclusion: there is a saboteur aboard.  Smith takes Marshall and David Archer with him to the new ship to help him identify the saboteur and for whom he is working.  Their first assignment is to act like they are lovers.  Of course, we know they actually are, though they are quite circumspect aboard the ship.  Marshall is quite nervous about playing in to the saboteurs hands.

But this is just half the story, the other half giving the reviewer a headache with one [SPOILER] after another.  When the young men have provoked the saboteur into revealing himself, it is when he shoots Archer right in his chest.  Marshall is devastated, facing the loss of his life’s love.  He is faced with holding his emotions closely in check, not only not to express the depth of his grief, but not to seek a new love and risk losing again.  He arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, just in time to attend Archer’s funeral.  He soon learns that Archer is not dead but living with his cousin on Jamaica, deathly ill but expected to live.  He has the opportunity to spend two weeks alone with him, then faces an end to their love just the same.  The final spoiler is finding out whether the parting is final and irrevocable.  Now aren’t you glad I had to write this and not you?

WINDS OF CHANGE is a remarkably complex and expertly choreographed book.  I was quite astounded at how well Lee Rowan handled all the elaborate plot twists and bits of evidence.  She has a tendency to go a little overboard with the emotions, with Marshall agonizing over his loss and how to handle his future life, repeating himself at least twice, but other than this the story is so well told and so involved that I can’t say much about it except to praise it.  Her knowledge of tall ships seems authoritative to this landlubber’s ear, and the characters are distinctly drawn and credible.  The story will keep the reader riveted to the book, waiting every minute for the next action, the next bit of evidence to be revealed, and to find out just who is committing all these crimes.  Then in the second half of the book there are the heart wrenching sequences, the warm and loving and fairly explicit sex scenes, and watching how the two men will cope with the inevitable.

Read at your heart’s own risk.

And come back in a couple of days for a review of the sequel

, which is included in this publication.