Review - Femme by Marshall Thornton

Four out of five stars for Femme by Marshall Thornton.

Lionel is a waiter at the local gay bar. The Bird is the perfect place for him. The patrons range from a straight crossdresser, to straight-acting men, to an entertainer who is even more femme than Lionel. Here, he can be himself while working with other men society is reluctant to accept. What could be safer?

Doug hadn't intended to go home with the young waiter with a penchant for pink and women's shoes, but one too many shots and it was a done deal. Normally, he wouldn't have given the guy a second glance—girly boys aren't his thing—but now that he's woken up next to Lionel, he can't get him out of his head.

But even The Bird isn't safe enough for Lionel. He's not the "right" kind of gay. He's too femme. He shouldn't "put it out there." Bigotry that should have been checked at the door follows him even here.

Now the captain of Doug's softball team has launched a campaign against Lionel and expects them all to back him in his assertion that Lionel "makes us look bad." Even though Doug would be better off just walking away from the waiter, he can't bring himself to do something that is so clearly wrong. He's gotten to know the feisty guy, and while Lionel isn't his type, he likes him anyways.

Lionel and Doug are forced to question who they really are. Both thought they knew until they took the time to get to know each other and see themselves through the other's eyes. Were they true to themselves or trying to live up to others' expectations of what they should be?

This story explores tolerance, and the lack thereof in any human interactions. How even the people who should be on your side aren't always.

Femme is a study in opposites attracting and how sometimes we can see beneath our differences without realizing it. It's about making choices and doing the right thing. And maybe, just maybe finding someone you never thought you would.

Early Reviews for From the Ashes

I am flattered and extremely gratified at how fast From the Ashes is garnering reviews. And such wonderful reviews at that.

Five out of Five Stars on January 4th
"This is a sweet twist on the well known fairytale. This isn't a story about escaping from rags to riches. I thought the author pulled off a clever twist in the way she solved the HEA aspect." - AB Gayle at Goodreads

Five out of Five Stars on January 5th
"Beautifully written and very imaginative. A must read for anyone into retelling of fairy tales, M/M Romances or good tales, in general." - Christopher Hammel at Goodreads

Four out of Five Stars on January 6th
"Ms Jameth did a wonderful job turning this classic fairy tale into its gay counterpart.The HEA was perfectly worked out for this well crafted short story." - Don Bradshaw at Hearts on Fire Reviews

Three out of Five stars on January 6th
"Adorable, sweet, cute and romantic  with a nice twist on how the prince finally works out how to find his sweetheart." - Vio on Goodreads

Five out of Five Stars on January 7th
"It was a beautiful read and Kayla has earned herself a new reader." - Jenny Steel at Goodreads

Four out of Five Stars on January 8th
Cinder is adorable and the prince is perfect. Very sweet. - Dianne Hartsock at Goodreads

Three out of Five Stars on January 9th
"A unique retelling of a classic fairy tale. Enjoyable, light reading with a guaranteed HEA." - TessaKate at ARe

Five out of Five stars on January 12th
"loved it really enjoy reading it" - Davina Phillips on Goodreads

From the Ashes is also a silver star, number 1 best seller, and number 6 overall--make that number 5, now number 4, and number 3, oh my heavens! it's number 2--on ARe's Historical Medieval Romance category.

Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy and especially those who are taking the time to write a review or even just give it a rating. You are making my day!

Review of Alexios' Fate

I just found this wonderful review of Alexios' Fate on Goodreads.

"The author has done a great job of recreating that time, using just enough imagery to make you feel you are indeed back in that age without being overwhelmed. What's more I have it on good authority that the facts are correct.

The sex scenes are hot and fall naturally into the story line. The plot is good. All in all, I found it a very enjoyable read and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys m/m."

The rest of the review can be found here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/348104217

Review of Alexios' Fate

Don Bradshaw of Hearts on Fire Reviews gave Alexios' Fate four out of five hearts.

"I found this to be a great, well researched and well written book... Ms Jameth threw some good plot twists and turns which made the story more real to ancient Greece... Ms Jameth has crafted a great start to what I hope will become a great series."

For the complete review:

http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=4907

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/335132572

Review: Learning to Samba by Johnny Miles

I just finished reading Johnny's latest novel "Learning to Samba." It lived up to my expectations and I like to think to all the hype here on my blog.

I will say again that LTS is the best in Johnny's ongoing evolution as an author. You can feel the difference between this piece and the previous "Lauderdale Hearts," both of which I was privileged to see in their earlier incarnations. Both are unmistakably Johnny Miles, but LTS has a "feel" to it that LH was only just exploring. I wonder how much more his voice is going to refine itself along the way? And is that process ever completed or do we all just continue to open our hearts like a flower unfolding, showing our inner thoughts and self to the world?

But this is a review of a book, a great book, and not a philosophical debate of why anyone chooses to share themselves in such a potentially intimate fashion.

Brian's and João's story touches on many things. Learning to deal with loss and moving on with one's own life chief among them. It's also a story about family and doesn't just confine itself to our two heroes. In LTS, Johnny explores some broad family issues and interactions. I think the most important message is that one shouldn't allow assumptions to limit one's choices. Never imagine that your family can't or won't forgive and be there for you. It's what families do. Some may take longer to come around and some may never understand you, but don't assume they won't. Give them the chance to be what you need.

And of course the naughty parts explored new ground both for his characters and his readers, ranging from classic candles-and-roses romantic to mild BDSM. Handcuffs and blindfolds and tails, oh my!

Overall I found "Learning to Samba" to be a great read and recommend it to anyone.

Now to see if I can get Johnny to teach a nice samba class so we can all benefit from this.