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< Tell Them Who I Am > < Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America > < A Place on the Corner, Second Edition (Fieldwork Encounters and Discoveries) > < The Homeless > < Reckoning With Homelessness (The Anthropology of Contemporary Issues) > < My 30 Days Under the Overpass: Not Your Ordinary Devotional > Elliot Liebow

price：~~$0.01~~
Free Press

customer 's review
(You don't know what it is like to be homeless)

(a good balance of rational and personal)

(In a World of McMansions)

(Tell Them Who I Am)

(Liebow brings humanness to the lives of the homeless.)

Tell them who I am was a great read. what better way to share the stories of homeless women than to be right there with them day to day as they face each struggle and try to dig themselves out of the situation they are in.
Unless you have been there, you don't really understand. Elliot Liebow does a great job in connecting with each woman and sharing her story, how she feels and the tough choices she must make each day that people who are not homeless, are oblivious to.
To gain a better understanding of how some women live, and how you can help people, read this book. It will touch your heart and your soul.
I have been reading and researching the United States homeless issues for a few months and found this book to be fairly insightful. Liebow writes from a very intimate point of view and backs up his observations with sources and facts. This is a very palatable introductory book to the general issues of homelessness in America today.
In a world of McMansions, there is homelessness. Liebow is a participant-observer. He had written TALLY'S CORNER at an earlier point.

Elliot Liebow tries to make the relationships with the women symmetrical. In his study he ignores mental illness since he is an anthropologist. Three night shelters and a day shelter are portrayed. The names of persons and places are changed.

Women come into homelessness because they are poor and powerless. Hard living is the norm. Street living creates problems of bathing, washing, eating, and sleeping sufficiently and safely. There is perennial fatigue and boredom. Protection of belongings and lack of storage creates bag ladies. Health suffers. Treatment of choice is unavailable.

Some women are too sick, old, or crazy to work. Others value work over walking all day. Looking for work is a way of holding onto humanity.

Shelters replace broken families. Mentally disabled residents have difficulty with their own relatives over money and power. Some residents hit the streets when they fear violence will erupt. Shelter providers fear violent behavior and keep records. Black-listing is common.

The women suffer from losses of privacy and dignity. They prefer a shelter Liebow calls The Refuge where few questions are asked. Providers of services to the unsheltered fear creating dependency. History shows that after the Great Depression, the opportunities presented by World War Two emptied out the skid rows.

Religious belief is a topic of shelter talk. Women see themselves as equal before God. Belief can invest homelessness with meaning.

The women talk about jobs, not careers. Elementary security is a paramount concern. The women are prevented from planning through their sense of powerlessness. They live one day at a time as a coping strategy.

Homelessness is rooted in poverty. Unemployment, underemployment, and substandard wages are causes. Really, now, does a market system require human sacrifice?
With his book, Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women, Elliot Liebow has done an excellent job of putting the facts of shelter life together. His research was not done in a far away library with his nose in a book, rather he learned first hand by working in women's shelters and soup kitchens in Washington DC. In his book, he explores the multitude of ways that "the humanity of the women is under constant threat" and gives the reader an in-depth and intensely personal view into the different facets of the lives of homeless women. Liebow continues throughout the book to deliver the facts to the reader in such a way that they reveal the brutal truth of the women's lives without dragging the reader to a place where (s)he is overcome with pity and shame. Instead, Liebow manages to connect the reader to the women, showing their humanity. I wanted to cheer them on, encourage them, defend each of them, from opinionated Betty to retarded Ginger to Grace, a born-again Christian, although these aren't the actual names of the women. This book makes a the reader see homeless women as people and forces the reader to look beyond stereotypes. It gives the women faces and shows their individuality. Tell Them Who I Am also goes into some detail about the different shelters themselves, the ways they are run, and what function they serve. It also mentions such things as Social Services and Medicare, pointing out what they provide and, very importantly, the weaknesses that these services and others have when dealing with the homeless. These weaknesses are evidenced through the multitude of difficulties that the women experienced in dealing with various "helpful" agencies. Probably the most important reason for a person to read Tell Them Who I Am is that one can learn from it. The facts contained within this very well-written book are the facts that could go a long way toward a better understanding of homeless women and what can be done to aid them. The fear that "in all its forms stands out," can be worn away with some of the understanding can be found in this book.
Tell Them Who I Am is a tale about several homeless women and one non-homeless man. For all its merits as an ethnography of women's shelters, which are many, one of the most endearing things about this book is its author. In 1984 Elliot Liebow found out he had terminal cancer. He promptly quit his job at the National Institute of Mental Health and headed for the soup kitchens and shelters of a small city outside of Washington, D.C. Taking notes "out of habit" he gradually compiled his thoughts (and those of his informants) as he got to know the women of these shelters. His participant-observation approach led him to be very involved as an actor in the lives of the women he met, and they too became involved in the writing of their stories. The result is a fascinating book which details the trials of homelessness alongside the joys and sorrows of being human
An investigation into the lives of homeless women, based on firsthand encounters and interviews, describes how they meet their most basic needs, the reasons for their homelessness, their personal struggles, and the sobering obstacles they confront on a daily basis.
Rerations
< Tell Them Who I Am > < Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America > < A Place on the Corner, Second Edition (Fieldwork Encounters and Discoveries) > < The Homeless > < Reckoning With Homelessness (The Anthropology of Contemporary Issues) > freaks

< Hiding in Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry--from Music to Hollywood > < The DL Chronicles: The Complete First Season > < Keep the Faith: A Memoir > < Celebrities Between the Sheets > < The Vixen Diaries > < Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment > Terrance Dean

price：~~$5.06~~
Atria
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customer 's review
(i wish i would have kept my money)

(Nothing but a name-dropping sexual exploit diary)

(Fascinating)

(Provocative, Insightful and A Great Story Behind The Glitz)

(disappointiment)

I read 80% of the book&really don't plan on reading the rest. I wanted to know the actual names especially the so called "hardcore rappers" that was my whole point in buying the book.If he wasn't going to name them why write the book. I figured out a few&I may be wrong. His description of some of the people could have been anyone in the hip hop community. The book was so boring. I felt like a was reading a fiction book. I am really upset b/c I wasted my money on this book.
I read this book in two days, in part because I couldn't put it down...but not because it was good. On the contrary, I couldn't put it down because I couldn't believe how terrible this book was.

Page after page of detailed sexual exploits (did I need to know how engorged and huge every single character's package was?) combined with name-dropping pages of what celebrities the author worked with and partied with, and code-names for the hiding gay rappers and hip-hop artists, etc. The celebrities he mentions don't have anything to do with the gay ones he code-names; they seem to be mentioned only for the sake of name-dropping.

This book seemed to waffle between "Look at me!" and "Woe is me!" constantly. In some parts, the author says he's not close to his siblings, yet we go back in time in one chapter to where the author's younger brother George is shown to be a close brother to Terrence. At one point, the author bemoans their complete familial desertion, yet we are reminded time and time again of aunts he liked and Grandma Pearl always being for him. He complains that he's not close to siblings (George aside, I guess) and yet makes no mention of putting forth any effort to make contact with them himself to remedy the situation. I found Terrence to be a very difficult character to feel sympathy for (aside from the horrific abuse) simply because it felt like he was whining without making any effort on his part to fix the problems he thought he was facing. In the end, everyone gets together as a family and everything is lovely and he finds out people cared more than he knew, but by that point, I was already feeling annoyed because he hadn't made the effort to find out sooner.
This was an enjoyable book. He explains things in a clear and simple manner. He does not assume that everyone is familiar with this lifestyle.
Delivering exactly what its description suggests "a provocative and honest look at stardom and sexuality," Terrence Dean's Hiding in Hip Hop turned out to be a great read - in fact a book that I couldn't seem to put down.

Coming after a line of several `tell-all' books from the `Video Vixen,' Karrine Steffans and Carmen Bryan's `It's No Secret,' Terrence Dean's book seemed to fulfill the Hip-Hop afficionado's wildest dream - the outing of those they thought were `questionable' but sadly for those who only picked up the book to get names they aren't revealed. For those who actually read tell-all's with an open mind and interest in getting inside the authors head like myself it was much more of a delight.

While most people have dismissed the book as nothing more than a chance to air `dirty laundry' with the hope of financial gain, I learned quickly that Dean's story behind the glitz and glamor of Hollywood or even the men he encounters is that of many African American or ethnic men who are damned by society if their true being is revealed.

Detailing his struggle at an early age, in terms of coming to terms with his sexuality and the unfortunate destruction left in the wake of AIDS in his family, Terrence Dean admits that he did not want to disappoint his Grandmother. In fact, it is Dean's relationship with Grandma Pearl that is most touching in this story because we all have a Grandma Pearl - gay or straight, black, white, yellow, beige or whatever color, there's a Grandma Pearl in your life. Her words live in the back of your mind when you're contemplating doing something you shouldn't; when you're down at your lowest point; or even when you've reached the success that she told you could because ...she loved you and that's all that mattered.

While it seems Grandma Pearl is often his backbone, Dean offers up the truthful and often taboo subject of gay black men ostracizing themselves from family, friends and co-workers due to their sexuality, especially (as is the case in this novel) when you have a bible toting auntie or uncle who damn everyone to hell who steps outside of the quote "perfect" Christian lifestyle.

For those of us who enjoy salacious and daring stories of intimacy, Terrence Dean leaves no stone unturned when it comes to his adventures with both Hollywood and the Music industry's elite ranging from a hot bodied model to a hip hop star that arranged rendevous with Dean for weeks while escorting his girlfriend out the door. Of course the ultimate in scandal, is Dean's sexual encounter with a man of the cloth who dared to invite him (after having sex) to his church !

Whether you're quote "okay" with his lifestyle or not, Hiding in Hip Hop is a book that needs to be read in order to understand where a lot of men are coming from and where we as a society can go. If nothing else you have to ask yourself.... why do I care so much whether this brother or sister is gay or straight, especially since I'm partaking in that TV show, CD or Movie they were a part of ?

bought this book trying to get a better idea of sexuality in the hip hop community. The cover looked good, but it goes to show dont judge a book by its cover. It was boring, it was a tell all book about the writer and really had no relevance. It was a struggle to read.
Everyone wants to know the truth about their favorite celebrities' heart's desire. Within the masculine culture of Hip Hop and Hollywood, there is a well-known gay subculture that industry insiders are keenly aware of but choose to hide. Terrance Dean worked his way up for more than ten years in the entertainment industry from intern to executive, and has lived the life of glitz and bling along with Hollywood and Hip Hop's most glamorous. With a family full of secrets and working in an industry founded on maleness -- where one's job, friendships, and reputation all depend on remaining on the down low and in hiding -- Dean writes a revealing account of the journey of coming out from hiding.

Full of startling anecdotes and incredible true stories,Hiding in Hip Hopis not a traditional tell-all. A personal and poignant memoir, it is also one of the most provocative and honest looks at stardom and sexuality.
Rerations
< Hiding in Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry--from Music to Hollywood > < The DL Chronicles: The Complete First Season > < Keep the Faith: A Memoir > < Celebrities Between the Sheets > < The Vixen Diaries > freaks

< Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit > < The Passion > < Written on the Body > < Sexing the Cherry (Winterson, Jeanette) > < Rubyfruit Jungle > < The Well of Loneliness: A 1920s Classic of Lesbian Fiction > Jeanette Winterson

price：~~$4.11~~
Grove Press
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customer 's review
(Pretty good.)

(Coming of Age Story)

(Very different but very interesting and quite good)

(Meaningful novel)

(I don't get what is so great about this book)

I definitely think this is a good read but it wasn't as enthralling as other autobiographical/memoirs of homosexuality from what I could tell. It seems she pulled a lot from her life, but it's still fiction.
I was introduced to this wonderful book through my Lit class at my University. Winterson does an excellent job with her coming of age novel. Not only is about the struggles of homosexuality, loss of religion, and trying to find out where one fits in the world, but it is also a novel about power struggle and relationships. Winterson weaves her semi-autobiographical novel with short fairy tales. A must read for all genertaions.
This book was part of an extracurricular reading assignment for a college-related book club led by an English prof. Regardless of the opinions of the 20 participants when they entered the class, when the 90 minute class ended, the majority agreed they liked it and found it quirky but quite good. I would recommend it for the experienced reader and I DO plan to read other works by the same author.
I suppose one mistake that people make about this book is that it is meant to expose the evils of christianity. That may be true, but I don't think that it was the author intended. It seems to be more of a moral dilemma of humanity's inhumanity towards man. Or rather to ask the question of what happens when an unstoppable force meets the immovable object.

Jeanette, adopted and raised by a domineering christian woman, is brought up to believe that there are only the Godly and the Heathens. By the age of seven that she will become a missionary and is even rewarded by her mother for scaring other students with stories of hell and damnation.

By the age of fourteen, she is throughly misunderstood at school and micro-managed at home. She soon finds solice in a young women who she brings to the church.

However, once her mother catches on to the romance, they are called to repent. Jeanette refuses to deny her love and is subjected to threats, starvation and imprisonment. Delirious, she agrees to reform but is soon drawn back into homosexuality by another young convert.

Fearing further mistreatment, Jeanette leaves home, forcing herself to accept that she will never fit within the high standards and expectations of her learnings.

Highly recommended for any gay teenager or young adult who is struggling to come out from a religious background, although you don't need to fit into that catergory in order to get some value out of this story.

An equally successful mini-series was aired in Britian in 1990 by the same name and follows the book very closely. Also recommended.
I read this book because everyone says it's a classic of lesbian literature. I don't see how it's a classic of anything. The story isn't very interesting and, except for near the end, it's hardly lesbian. Maybe it was all of the religious overtones, but I struggled through it. Some of it was hard to grasp for someone who isn't English, although I think I have better than a passing knowledge of life over there. It just didn't strike me as a very good book, but now I can say I read it.

Winner of the Whitbread Prize for best first fiction, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a coming-out novel from Winterson, the acclaimed author of The Passion and Sexing the Cherry. The narrator, Jeanette, cuts her teeth on the knowledge that she is one of God’s elect, but as this budding evangelical comes of age, and comes to terms with her preference for her own sex, the peculiar balance of her God-fearing household crumbles.

Rerations
< Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit > < The Passion > < Written on the Body > < Sexing the Cherry (Winterson, Jeanette) > < Rubyfruit Jungle > freaks

< Deadly Wrong > < Deadly Nightshade > < DEADLY DREAMS > < Hard Fall > < Faith&Fidelity > < The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks > Victor J. Banis

price：~~$1.50~~
MLR Press
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customer 's review
(Well worth the read)

(Stanley and Tom and murder and Bear (Mountain), oh my!)

(DEADLY AND WRONG)

(Stanley and Tom Return)

(Engrossing and absorbing plot, characters who grow on you. Not to be missed!)

Victor J. Banis' novel Deadly Wrong is the second novel in his Deadly Mystery series. This is a stand-alone novel, but readers wanting to understand the relationship between Tom and Stanley just a little better may wish to read Deadly Nightshade first.

I read Deadly Nightshade not long ago, and I truly enjoyed it. It has a great mystery, wonderful characters, and overall excellent writing. Now Mr. Banis has given us a sequel, and I am just as impressed with Deadly Wrong as I was the previous novel. This is an entertaining and fast-paced tale that mixes an intriguing mystery, memorable characters, and not just a little bit of wry wit.

This story revolves mostly around Stanley Korski and relegates Tom Danzel to something of a secondary role. In my opinion, this is a good thing, because Stanley is a much more sympathetic character than his love interest is. It would be almost impossible not to love this fellow. He has a quirky and self-effacing humor that makes him acknowledge his shortcomings, yet he is overall very self-confident in his identity and comfortable in his own skin. He makes no apologies for being who he is and will gleefully thumb his nose at those who might look down on him. Even though Stanley tends to let his mouth run on without the assistance of his brain or his common sense, and he has a penchant for falling in love with unsuitable men, these foibles merely make him more likeable.

It is a little more difficult for me to warm up the Tom, although he is slightly more likeable in this story than in the previous one. Tom's refusal to acknowledge his homosexuality remains a sticking point, but he manages to redeem himself several times in Deadly Wrong. When he pulls an Oliver Hardy face and says "there's another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley," I found myself utterly charmed by him. Sure, the feeling lasted for but a few moments, but it's a beginning for him. Perhaps he is not such a lost cause after all.

The investigation that this story revolves around is not just space filler. It is very intriguing and will keep the reader attention for the duration of the novel. Mr. Banis does an excellent job of building the tension and the suspense, and doesn't waste his readers' time with red herrings or other false leads. Even without the story involving Stanley and Tom's somewhat dysfunctional relationship, this story would be a compelling one. I found Deadly Wrong to be well worth my reading time and will be looking forward to any additions to this Deadly Mystery series.

Stanley Korski is an openly gay San Francisco Homicide investigator, who recently solved his first case with the help of his assigned "straight" partner, the hunky Tom Danzel. The two became very close ... perhaps too close, including some sexual involvement ... during that case, and now Tom has requested a change of partners, while Stanley considers leaving the force. Deciding to put some distance between them, Stanley takes advantage of his commander's offer to take some time off, and he answers the call of a former high school friend, Libby, to visit her in the Bear Mountain area of Southern California.

Libby wants Stanley's unofficial help in investigating the circumstances under which her younger brother, Carl, has been charged with manslaughter, in the death of an openly gay young man with whom he had sex. Stanley finds the small town police force far from welcoming, as he questions Carl, meets the dead boy's alcoholic mother, and considers the possible involvement of a tough biker who frequents a local motorcycle bar. Stanley walks into the latter without fully considering the risks, but luckily that is when Tom arrives in town, to look after Stanley and perhaps revisit their feelings for each other.

I found this story (sequel to "Deadly Nightshade," the first in this new series) to be an excellent, fully developed mystery novel, with realistic, colorful and multidimensional characters in a well-paced plot. The erotic passages did not distract from the story, and furthered the development of the two primary characters, tol be seen in future stories as well. Bravo on a great effort, with five bright mountain stars out of five.

Deadly Wrong is the second book in this series starring Stanley Korski and Tom Danzel, two Inspectors for the San Francisco Police Department, Homicide Division. Stanley and Tom have broken up as partners both on the Force and personally because Tom walked away in the first book, Deadly Nightshade. He couldn't deal with his fellow Inspectors questioning his sexuality if he stayed as Stanley's partner after their first case was over. He knew the drill. His old friends on the Force would look at him differently, they would make snide remarks and he would be ostracized like every gay cop on the Force, so he chose the lesser of two evils, or so he thought. However, Tom doesn't admit to being gay. In his mind he is straight with a thing for only one man.

Stanley is on leave from the Department because his Lieutenant refused to accept his resignation and suggested instead that he take a leave of absence. He uses the time to do some serious soul searching about whether he'll continue in his chosen career as a police officer. He doesn't feel that he has the temperament to be a cop; he's too easily scared and, in his words, he's a devout coward. While cooling his heels, his old friend Libby asks for his help in clearing her brother who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. When Stanley arrives in Bear Mountain the number of potential suspects is longer than his arm, and the local Chief of Police is not at all co-operative to an out of state policeman; as far as he's concerned the case is solved and a suspect has been arrested. Stanley is up the creek without the proverbial paddle and without his partner.

The mystery is intriguing and involves a young gay man who is the local standby for every gay and supposedly straight man around. Donnie, the murder victim, is one of the most interesting characters in this book ~ even though he's dead he's very much alive through the excellent portrait drawn by Victor J. Banis. He is to be pitied in many ways as he never had a chance at a childhood. He was always craving attention in life and tried to get it the only way he knew how, through sex with strangers. Carl, Libby's brother who has been charged with the crime, was Donnie's only friend until one fateful night when they are seen arguing and fighting and Donnie ends up dead. Carl subsequently takes responsibility for Donnie's death. However, the story is much more complex and involves other people who may have motives to kill Donnie.

Stanley tries to do his usual investigative work but he gets no help from the local constabulary, or the residents who just want him to leave, or even Carl's other family members who would like the investigation dropped. Solving the crime is always the culmination of any good murder mystery but the pivotal thrust of this story is Stanley's and Tom's relationship. Tom rushes to the rescue like the cavalry as soon as he realizes that Stanley has left town and is on his own in a remote community trying to solve a murder. The dynamics of their relationship were hard to figure out in Book 1, Deadly Nightshade but in this new mystery Tom is on a mission to get his man into bed as he swoops in to save him and sweeps him off his feet the minute he finds him up to his proverbials in a bar full of bikers who are salivating at the thought of mobbing Stanley and having their way with him. This scene, and the one in the bedroom afterwards where Tom shows Stanley his oversized box of pastel colored condoms ranging from pink, to green to lavender and every colour under the rainbow were some of the best in the book.

The supporting cast were all well drawn as Victor J. Banis is very skilled in creating both sympathetic and evil characters.

Deadly Wrong was just as entertaining as Deadly Nightshade and Stanley (don't call me Stan) who I loved in book 1 and studly Tom certainly have a thing for each other but it does not get in the way of solving crimes. In book 2 Stanley solves the crime AND gets his man, and it's about time.
Banis, Victor J. "Deadly Wrong", MLR Press, 2009.

Stanley and Tom Return

Amos Lassen

The second book in Victor Banis's new mystery series reacquaints us with the odd couple of Stanley and Tom. Stanley is now on leave from the police force and he still holds the torch for Tom which was where we left off in "Deadly Nightshade". Now an accident turns out not to be an accident at all but murder. Of course Tom walks write into the case and Stanley follows.
Stanley has to make a decision as to whether to forget Tom and change jobs but as he is juggling his thoughts he receives a phone call from an old friend, Libby, whose brother has been accused of manslaughter and stands by his innocence. Stanley is asked to come to Bear Mountain--the scene of the crime and help to find the truth. Stanley considers and decides that a vacation away from San Francisco is a good idea and he takes off for the small town.
It seems that what at first seemed to be a simple case is not so simple. Donnie, a young gay man, was murdered before he even had a real chance to explore life and his sexuality. Stranger yet is the fact that even in death, he is a major character in the book--we meet him after his death. No one cared enough to see him alive and so his life ended and his murder seems to be rooted in the mentality of the small town in which he lived. Donnie had asked for help but no one wanted to hear him except for Carl, the man now blamed for his murder.
Tom appeared on the scene and even though he had already told Stanley that there would never be a repeat performance of what went on sexually between the two, his body yearns for that physical contact once again. Ton not only comes to rescue Stanley but to also stake his claim on him.
Tom is a straight man but he loves his Stanley
and he knows he must act. Interesting that Stanley is a lover but was ready to give it up but finds himself ready to suffer for the man he loves and when Tom is ready to reenter his life, he accepts him without reservation.
What is sad is that Donnie is the loser here--no one really misses him and the reader sits in wonder as the detectives try to solve a crime that really only mattered to those involved in it as either the victim or the perpetrator.
Again Banis has written a great story with characters as large as life. Now I wonder how long I have to wait for the next book to come out.

I have combined the review of Deadly Nightshade and Deadly Wrong here

I have a really wonderful time reading these 2 volumes (so far, I HOPE!) series on Stanley and Tom, 2 homicide detectives in the San Francisco force. I have to admit I held off on Book 1 (Deadly Nightshades) until Deadly Wrong is released when I read that the 2 men's feelings were unresolved at the end of Book 1. I am glad I did as finishing these 2 books in the same day was really a most enjoyable experience.
I really appreciate the different settings in both books, Deadly Nightshade on the seedy and dark side of deeply closeted men in the big city while Deadly Wrong takes place in a small rural town up in the mountains, with its own insidious side. The mysteries and crime in both books are gripping, intriguing and tightly paced and hold me captive from page 1 till the end.
In Deadly Nightshade, we are introduced to the transgender world of San Francisco and certain parts are an eye opener for me. Layered with suspense I am afraid I never guessed the murderer. As for the ending it is one exciting climax.

By contrast the crime in Deadly Wrong seems almost ordinary as all you have is a dead gay boy whom nobody misses. But I find myself preferring the plot in Deadly Wrong. Like Elisa, I am overwhelmed by the tragic fate of the murdered victim who maybe dead but yet very much "alive" in the story itself. The plot here is seamless, the supporting characters interesting. I find myself very much involved, trying to solve the crime with one endeariing homicide detective, who has a penchant for getting into trouble. Fortunately he has his own hunk to his rescue, just the right ingredient for a M/M romance!

As for the characters of Stanley and Tom, they really grow on you. Stanley is the endearing homicide detective, while Tom is the straight as a pole hunk. How could a flamboyant gay man ever hope to capture a straight stud's heart ? Impossible in real life but his is M/M romance at its best and the resolution of both men feelings in Book 2 leaves me one very satisfied reader. These two books are quality writing from Mr Banis and I hope there is much more to come on these 2 very appealing characters.

The police say "involuntary manslaughter," but a tragic accident turns out instead to be murder, plain and simple. And San Francisco Homicide Inspector Stanley Korski, on leave from the force and his unrequited love for fellow detective Tom Danzel, walks right into a murderer's web of treachery. Wrong, Stanley. Deadly wrong.
Rerations
< Deadly Wrong > < Deadly Nightshade > < DEADLY DREAMS > < Hard Fall > < Faith&Fidelity > freaks

< The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians: How to Stay Sane and Care for Yourself from Pre-conception through Birth, 2nd Edition > < The New Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception, Pregnancy, and Birth > < Confessions of the Other Mother: Non-Biological Lesbian Moms Tell All > < The Lesbian Parenting Book: A Guide to Creating Families and Raising Children > < A Legal Guide for Lesbian&Gay Couples > < The Complete Lesbian and Gay Parenting Guide > Rachel Pepper

price：~~$5.42~~
Cleis Press
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customer 's review
(Nice place to start...)

(So good, straight girls can use it!)

(Bravo!!)

(Wonderful!)

(Excellent!)

Some really good information. She doesn't go into extreme depths in most topics, but does suggest other places to get that information.

She has very strong and obvious opinions about things such as natural child birth, breast feeding, and circumcision. If your personal values vary from hers those parts of the book can be a little frustrating to read.

Other than that it was a quick, entertaining, informative read. Her laid back tone and quotes from people who have been their keep this book feeling very personal.
I lent this to a friend who was trying to conceive and didn't know what to expect from insemination. I found it useful&so did she! This book covers many issues of conception, pregnancy, and birth. Not a substitute for a more complete pregnancy manual, though. Some of the suggestions are outlandish (eat the placenta?!?!). Some great resources in this book.
LOVED this book!
this made me SUPER excited about becoming a first-time mother

+great writing
+supportive tone
+perfect length

What R U waiting 4?
GET THIS BOOK!

This is a wonderful book for any woman trying to conceive, and for those already pregnant. The author uses humor and real-life experiences to educate, making it easy to read and understand. Highly recommended for any lesbian who is considering getting preganant, as well as for her partner. (if there is one!)
Extremely happy with this book. It is ONE OF A KIND, and will truly help you on your journey. We are using it as we move along in the process of ttc, pregnancy, and birth! If you are a lesbian couple, this book will be invaluable to you. I give it 5 stars!
Written with humor and insight by a mom who herself rode the conception roller coaster, The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians will guide you every step of the way—from your first ovulation kit right up through the first weeks after your baby’s birth.

Rachel Pepper’s lively, easy-to-read guide is the first place to go for up-to-date information and sage advice on everything you need to know:

* Charting your body’s own fertility signs * New! Preconception planning for both singles and couples * Selecting a sperm bank or donor * Inseminating to maximize your chances of pregnancy * New! Latest information on fertility drugs * New! Sex, desire, and self-esteem during pregnancy * New! Protecting your legal rights as a lesbian family * New! Negotiating family roles * Labor, birth, and welcoming your baby * Support for partners and coparents * New! Completely updated resource guide featuring lesbian-friendly sperm banks and clinics, midwives, doulas, birth centers, and online resources
Rerations
< The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians: How to Stay Sane and Care for Yourself from Pre-conception through Birth, 2nd Edition > < The New Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception, Pregnancy, and Birth > < Confessions of the Other Mother: Non-Biological Lesbian Moms Tell All > < The Lesbian Parenting Book: A Guide to Creating Families and Raising Children > < A Legal Guide for Lesbian&Gay Couples > freaks

< Uncommon Emotions > < Imagining Reality > < Blessed Twice > < Wasted Heart > < Thirteen Hours > < Night Call > Lynn Galli

price：~~$1.30~~
Outskirts Press
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customer 's review
(Must read)

(What an Uncommon Find!)

(A Bit of Fun)

(Uncommon Emotions?)

(Indescribable)

I love this book also. It was the first Lynn Galli book I read. I have now bought and read all her books and although I love and recommend all of them, Uncommon Emotions is my favorite. The characters are likable, and funny. It's a great read. You'll love it.
I'll make this short since most others wrote exactly what I thought also - basically I just love coming across a 'new' author (ok one I have not read before) and getting a great Find! I am off to order her other three now and hope those are like this book, just fun and such sharp wit!
I picked up this book after reading from others that it is a light, fun read. This proved to be very true! If you begin reading this book with that in mind, it proves to be quite cute and fun! The back commentary at times can come across a little naive, but it adds to the lightheartedness of the story and the extreme innocence of the protagonist. The extra descriptive details of the various events and locations in the story create a lifelike dreamworld that is great to get lost in while the pages are in your hand. Uncommon Emotions is a nice escape from what has lately been for many a not so lighthearted reality. Voluntary escapism mixed with humor is the recipe for this book!
Uncommon Emotions -- perfect title. So many of us "oldsters" can recall those emotions that were so new, so different. Lynn Galli has done a great job with her characters. It's evident that the author has been in both positions -- the formerly "straight" (as far as she knew) woman who is bowled over by her growing feelings for the experienced beauty.
This is a good read. More than a love story, it has a bit of mystery, a bit of adventure, and even laughter.
When I first got this book I did not know what to expect. Once opening it and reading the first two chapters I went from thinking I will read this when I get a chance to finishing in less than 4 hours. It was an amazing story full of twists and turns and amazing background stories for the main characters. While reading this book I felt like I was there watching a movie because the story just leapt off of the page. I would highly recommend this book. It has some great light scenes all the way to some very intense sex scenes.
As a turnaround specialist, Joslyn Simonini spends her days analyzing corporate profit margins and trying to keep her likeness from being turned into a voodoo doll by company employees. If she does her job well, they often lose theirs. So, it comes as a surprise when she finds herself being kissed one day at work. She's even more shocked to find out that the mysterious kissing bandit is a woman.

Not in the habit of kissing women, Joslyn tries to brush off the unintentional mistake. But before long, she's forced to examine the rush of emotions that accompanied the kiss, especially when she meets Raven Malvolio. At first, she needs Raven to complete her analysis, but she doesn't expect to need the friendship that Raven offers. When those friendly feelings escalate to something more, Joslyn's confusion and underdeveloped emotional range might ruin her chance at a relationship that could surpass even her dreams.

Uncommon Emotionstakes a look at how someone can think she's happy with her life only to be surprised by the passion she's yet to feel.
Rerations
< Uncommon Emotions > < Imagining Reality > < Blessed Twice > < Wasted Heart > < Thirteen Hours > freaks

< The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk > < The Times of Harvey Milk 1984 > < Milk > < Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk > < And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, 20th-Anniversary Edition > < Columbine > Randy Shilts

price：~~$5.42~~
St. Martin's Griffin(2008-10-14)
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customer 's review
(Harvey Milk)

(Harvey Milk: Pioneer)

(Remarkable both as a companion to the film and as a stand-alone.)

(Inspirational and Devastating History)

(AmazonFAIL issue)

After seeing Gus Van Sant's compelling&marvelous production of 'Milk', I knew I had to read more about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician in the US. Randy Shilt's volume is a definitive account of Milk's entire life, capturing fully the personality that drove a man to soaring heights&to inspire&demonstrate to those like him (et al.) that if you aren't given rights, to go ahead&take them! Harvey even predicted his own demise, but I wonder if that was just his theatrical personality speaking rather than a genuine fear (at least it wasn't expressed in a foreboding sense).
Having lived in San Francisco off and on from 1968 through 1973, I was there for a good part of the time period covered by Randy Shilts' book, "The Mayor of Castro Street." Although I never met Harvey Milk personally, I was aware of his crusade and saw the effects of his political impact. He was a brave and courageous leader who was much more than a "gay supervisor." He cared about people, their lives, their needs, their quality of living. This book brought back a flood of memories of those days--of Haight-Ashbury, SIR, the "City" itself, and the tumultuous times that were the sixties and seventies. Much more than "just" a biography of Milk, Shilts captured the times, the places, the people, the events, and the mood. It is a classic and deserves to be on the bookshelves of every American who cares about equality, liberty, and freedom.
After seeing "Milk," I was interested to learn more about Harvey than a two-hour Hollywood movie could offer. I couldn't have been happier to discover this book and I quickly devoured it. As the subtitle suggests, this is a book that is as much about America and the gay rights movement as it is about Harvey Milk. I had little idea about the plight of homosexuals in this country and Shilts does a masterful job of painting a chilling picture. More importantly, he also provides the proverbial warts-and-all representation of a complicated individual. As much as I loved the film, it is clearly something of a hagiography. You simply can't understand the man, the movement, or the time period without reading this incredible book. I couldn't recommend it more enthusiastically.
Harvey Milk was a charismatic guy trying to get along in the world. His life was difficult--he was a gay man living in the 1970s, a time when gays were openly persecuted and hated by many. However, change was on the wind.

A large number of gay men were congregating in San Francisco, and there they were able to group together to fight for the rights they deserved. Harvey Milk was a controversial and unconventional leader of this movement. He was a polarizing force in San Francisco politics, making a great number of enemies as well as friends. By smart strategy and aligning himself with powerful groups of people, though, Milk was eventually elected as a Supervisor, a position which allowed him to fight for the legislature that would protect him and the other gays of San Francisco.

This book was a fascinating and extensive history of the gay movement, and it highlighted the reasons for the explosion of San Francisco as an important city. Harvey Milk himself was a compelling character, able to overcome great odds and keep picking himself up to fight the political fight. The tragedy of his murder and the aftermath of his death was infuriating and made me glad to think how far we've come since then, but discouraged at how far we still have to progress.

This was an excellent biography of an extraordinary man.
Amazon still hasn't restored this book's Amazon ranking... please keep checking back and hounding them until the books you read once again have their Rankings restored. Do not let the books you read and the authors you love fall through the cracks. All Amazon Ranks must be restored.

Known as“The Mayor of Castro Street” even before he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Harvey Milk’s personal life, public career, and final assassination reflect the dramatic emergence of the gay community as a political power in America. It is a story full of personal tragedies and political intrigues, assassinations at City Hall, massive riots in the streets, the miscarriage of justice, and the consolidation of gay power and gay hope.

Harvey Milk has been the subject of numerous books and movies, including the Academy Award–winning 1984 documentary,The Times of Harvey Milk. His life is also the basis of a 2008 major motion picture,Milk,starring Sean Penn.

Rerations
< The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk > < The Times of Harvey Milk 1984 > < Milk > < Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk > < And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, 20th-Anniversary Edition > freaks

< Wes and Toren > < Tigers and Devils > < Faith&Fidelity > < Hard Fall > < True North > < Diving in Deep > J M Colail

price：~~$1.50~~
Dreamspinner Press
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customer 's review
(Very Good book!!!)

(Wes and Toren-A Joyfully Recommended Title!!)

(A feast of to be.)

(First Gay Love)

(Pleasant Read)

Wes and Toren was very enjoyable. Not all books have to be about Bondage, Paranormal or Vampires. This was a pure contemporary romance and I LOVE romance.
Wesley Carroll and Toren Grey are high school seniors. Wes is the bad boy and Toren the nerd. When Wes starts talking to Toren then asking for help in school and giving him rides home, Toren is nervous and excited. Wes stars in all of Toren's secret fantasies. Things heat up between them, when Wes lets him know that he likes guys too, especially Toren, and soon lust turns to love. They're young and still in high school but they know what they want to be together forever. Forever is a long time though, and the road ahead of them isn't going to be easy.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for danger and excitement, car chases and serial killers, and other times, I just want to read about two guys falling in love. That's what Wes&Toren is. Despite age and grades, being from the wrong side of the tracks or having a prejudiced family, they fall in love and make it work. Wes and Toren are sweet and sexy and so in love it makes your teeth ache. I adore them. I love that they never change and that no matter what they do or don't do, they love each other unconditionally and wholeheartedly. Through thick and thin, good times and bad, and in sickness and in health, they love each other. You forget how young they are. It feels like they have been together forever. It's really, really nice. Wes&Toren is a beautiful and heartwarming story.

Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Anyone who finishes a book should be given applause. Hip Hip Hooray! However, nothing happens in this story. There is no conflict and the characters are flat. If you took out all the 'to be' verbs and other over used words like: was, that, were and had--you would have a short story. Poor editing. The author has some talent, but the publishers didn't push her/him, giving the reader a flat story. That's just my opinion.
Colail, J.M. "Wes and Toren", Dreamspinner Press, 2009.

First Gay Love

Amos Lassen

We all know being gay is not always easy and being young and gay is doubly hard. Add being in love to that and there are even more problems. Toren Gray is a senior in high school and he is a good student who cares more for his family than he does about clothes--in fact, he is something of a nerd. Wesley Carroll is the "bad boy" at school and Toren is surprised when one day Wes speaks to him one day in the hall. Toren feels a stirring of feelings that he did not recognize but he finds Wes' behavior and actions a bit too free and disconcerting, Nevertheless he feels a certain attraction for Wes and as he gets to know him better, he finds that there is more to him than the outward image he projects. Not much later the two guys are fast friends and fall in love with each other. However it not so easy as they soon learn. After they graduate from high school it seems that are problems everywhere--Wes goes to work and Toren goes to college, their parents disapprove of their relationship and then there is what they face on a daily basis. They are strong in their feelings for one another and are sure that their love will surmount all.
This is another coming-of-age story but it is different in that the innocence of the boys is pure and sweet. Toren knew he wad gay but refused to admit it and the thought of coming out to his parents worries him deeply. He does not want to lose his mother's love and his father has been gone for a while, When Wesley comes into his life he falls so hard that it is impossible to hide his love for him. Wes becomes Toren's best friend and caretaker, However he is not authoritative but unlike what others think about him, he is a good boy just from the wrong part of town.
The book is quite erotic but I had a bit of a problem that even though the book is written well, there is no gripping plot. It is not a worthless book by any means and it is a quick and easy read; I just was not challenged in any way. The writing is clear, the characters are drawn well but, in my mind, "Wes and Toren" is simplistic.

Wes and Toren are kids who fall in love with each other and eventually turn it into a "life partnership." The two are endearing characters, if very different. They're clearly teenagers with teenage problems. The book is basically written for that level of reader. There is little conflict between the two of them, though plenty of issues and conflict between the two on the one hand and their families, friends, co-workers, life and society in general on the other hand. I thought one family a little too easily accepting, the other rather stereotypical, but the author had points to make. All in all, a "nice" book, a "pleasant" read, but nothing gripping. Three and a half to four stars and a tepid recommendation in favor of reading, especially for a teenager or someone recently coming out. Don't get me wrong: it's NOT a bad book and even well worth the time, if you aren't looking for an award winning read. It's just not an outstanding book. Mostly romance, though some scenes are a bit racy.
It's not so easy being young, gay, and in love for the first time at the average high school. Senior Toren Grey cares more about his family and his grades than what brand of clothes he wears. He agrees with the majority consensus that he's a nerd. So he's quite surprised when resident bad boy Wesley Carroll speaks to him in the hall, stirring feelings that Toren has to hide. Disconcerted by Wes's free and easy ways, Toren can't deny the attraction between them. As he relaxes and gets to know Wes better, he finds there's more to the sexy rebel than his public image. Before long the young men are exploring new territory and falling in love, but life just isn't that simple. After they graduate, obstacles block their relationship at every turn: Wes working versus Toren in college, the virulent disapproval of parents, and everyday trials faced by any struggling young couple. Wes and Toren have to believe in each other... and never doubt that their love can conquer all.
Rerations
< Wes and Toren > < Tigers and Devils > < Faith&Fidelity > < Hard Fall > < True North > freaks

< Strings Attached > < The Tin Star > < A Secret Edge > < When You Don't See Me > < Double Bound: a novel > < Call Me by Your Name: A Novel > Nick Nolan

price：~~$12.99~~
BookSurge Publishing(2006-04-19)
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customer 's review
(Another Great Piece of Gay Lit)

(Good Book...Well Written)

(Wonderfully written gay romance)

(surprisingly great story!)

(CAN'T-PUT-IT-DOWN STORY, BEAUTIFUL WRITING)

Nick Nolan truly surprised me with this one. A truly great comming of age/comming out book, i was pleasently surprised as i had not heard of Nick Nolan before. This is a must read on any Gay Lit list, and a book such as Strings Attached should be read by everyone, not just the Gay community as it holds a unique perspective that everyone can learn from.
I purchased this book after reading many of the great reviews here on Amazon. I have to agree with what I read: This book is very good. It's very well written, and I applaud Nick Nolan for his first novel...Can't wait to read the next!

I would definitely say this book is worth reading, especially if you are an LGBTQ teen (or around that age...I'm 21, myself). Personally, I probably would have enjoyed this book a little more if I were a gay/questioning boy, but I'm a gay girl, so it didn't hit me quite as close to heart as it may for a boy.

On a side note, there are MANY typos in this novel...I was a bit disappointed with the editing job...There are many places where "he" is said instead of "she," etc. There is one place where "Jeremy" is said where it should say "Darius." I should write to the publishing company, but I'm too lazy...Forgive me.

Now I'm off to purchase the sequel!
!
Strings Attached has proved to be one of my all time favorite gay romance novels. It is extremely well written and is a compelling read. I could not put it down. I enjoyed it so much I bought Double Bound.
In the first chapter I stumbled on a couple of errors in both grammar and word-usage that almost made me toss this great story aside. Something, however, hooked my interest and STRINGS ATTACHED turned into a compelling page-turner. It is a very enjoyable read, and I found it nearly impossible to put down!
I just finished reading `Strings Attached' for the second time last night, and I'm just as curious to know what happens next as I was when I read it over a year ago. The writing is fast paced, and has moments approaching some of the best literature I've read. Nolan has a gift for description, so you can really see what is happening in the story. I especially loved the scenic descriptions and the relationship between Jeremy and Arthur, and how many surprises and twists there are toward the end that I absolutely didn't see coming. The Pinocchio theme is subtle, so you can read this and enjoy it with or without knowing the references in the story. I loved this book, and can't wait to buy the sequel (when is it coming out???)
From BOOKS TO WATCH OUT FOR by RICHARD LABONTE, Volume 4 number 1 - Adolescence is a hazardous way of life for 17-year-old Jeremy Tyler; his father died in a mysterious accident when he was a child, and his mother has since descended into alcoholic hell and forced rehab; that's when he's sent from the Fresno slums of his childhood to the posh estate of his overbearing great aunt Katherine and her censorious husband - liberated from an economic prison, only to land in an emotional one - and is overwhelmed by the change. It's not easy for him to fit into the upper crust, particularly because he's trying to hide how much he's attracted to other boys. Jeremy's story of breaking free from the strands of dishonesty, deceit, and self-doubt has its parallels to the tale of Pinocchio, but Nolan's queer take is totally contemporary: think the TV series The OC - girls with mean cheekbones, well-built guys with snotty attitudes, and Jeremy in the role of a queer Ryan Atwood. He's a good-looking kid, with a sleek swimmer's physique - and the swim team's champ is out to get him. He dates one of the smart-set girls in an attempt to keep his gay hormones at bay - but that doesn't do him much good. Nolan's debut novel is a kitchen sink of genres - coming of age, coming out, mystery, romance, erotica, even a dash of the supernatural - that add up to an impressive story about the passage from boyhood to manhood.
Rerations
< Strings Attached > < The Tin Star > < A Secret Edge > < When You Don't See Me > < Double Bound: a novel > freaks

< L.A. Heat > < L. A. Mischief > < The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks > < PsyCop: Partners > < Psycop: Property > < Faith&Fidelity > P.A. Brown

price：~~$1.50~~
MLR Press
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customer 's review
(L.A. Heat by P.A. Brown)

(Cops, heat and mystery!)

(For Pat of Archerland)

(Great first novel, now give me MORE!!)

(No Heat! Lots of Mystery!)

First of all, how can you write a post on a mystery without giving up the mystery? Telling nothing about the story of course! So I will try to focus on the main characters, and for the mystery part of the story, sufficient to say that the author got me fooled and led me to the wrong path as she probably wanted since the beginning.

David is an average LAPD detective; he is not an hero, nor in his work or in his private life. He is a cop by the book, he does his work with commitment, and he is still human enough to feel pain when faced with some of the worst aspect of his job. Like now, while he is investigating a serial killer who targets very young gay men in West Hollywood. It's not only the poor bodies they find that make David sick, it's also the knowledge that he is facing something he has always tried to hide or maybe forget, the fact that David is gay. Everyday he listens the nasty comments that his coworkers direct to the gay community, and now maybe he has also the feeling that those poor young boys get less attention and respect from the Police Department since they are gay. So David has a very personal interest in the case, an interest that becomes even more personal when they start to find a path that leads directly to Chris.

Chris is exactly at the opposite from David. Gay and out, Chris is leading an almost perfect life: beautiful home, expansive car and money-making job. There are only some trouble: Chris doesn't like his work as IT in a firm where he is constantly mobbed since he is gay, he is tired of the endless string of one night stands and his beautiful home is empty. So Chris' perfect life is not so perfect as it seems, and he is maybe nearer to David than expected.

Apparently David and Chris are not a good match. David is nothing special, he is not the hunky cop that could star in Chris' wet dream, but Chris sees something in the quite and reassuring man; even when the police starts to suspect Chris, Chris' anger is never directed to David. On the other hand, David is clearly attracted by Chris, but more than a physical thing, it's a repressed desire, Chris is exactly who David would like to be, someone comfortable with his sexuality, someone who has a job where he can be whoever he wants (even if he has to suffer nasty colleague). As always when two heroes don't match, they end to be the perfect match instead. Chris is probably drawn to David since the man is not asking or denying, David is not struggling to hide him being gay, he simply doesn't live it, and Chris wants so badly to be the man who will ignite that fire. David is drawn to Chris not since he is the "first" gay at hand, but since Chris is someone who could be an equal partner for David; even if in danger, I have never had the feeling that Chris was an helpless man, and that is probably the same impression David had. I don't know, probably David needed to have a proof that being gay doesn't mean being weak.

The style is dry and direct, but it's not without romance. The intimacy between Chris and David is sweet, light and not full of angst, and above all, it's a nice thing that there is intimacy, more often than not a mystery tend to be "cold" since it seems like that allowing to the heroes to be in love and prove that love, is like de-valuating the mystery in the story.
Chris appealed to me on many different levels. He is the kind of hero who does seem just a little morally ambivalent. But you forgive him because he has just not met the *one*... (god, I'm channeling the Matrix.ha!) He is just a boy, out having a good time and it's all about the nookie. He does have the odd moment when he wants something more but I felt there was a hesitance to commit as no one had really touched him emotionally. So, he's out looking, alot. Chis is also beautiful which got me thinking about this post here and the beauty of men.

David is a cop and firmly in the closet at work. He makes a trip every now and then to Palm Springs to indulge the smexin, and is out to his family but his colleagues are still in the dark. This made him seem very alone and he has walls to keep people, like Chris, out. He is older, darker and more of a strong silent type. A perfect foil for our other hero, who is more of the shiney, bright variety.

The mystery was well paced and had surprising twists and turns that kept me going till the end. Which was cool, because I am a shocker for deciding who did it and wrapping the crime up by page 10. It does not pull any punches in the violence department and some of the material about the crime and the killer was pretty graphic but it did not interfere with my enjoyment of the book.

The sex is very brief and not at all explicit. Kind of a kiss at the door and fade to black affair. But I was so wrapped up in the story I did not care. A shock, I know! I do love the sex in my books! But what you did read was enough and you just know it was hot (over active imagination).

I seriously have my toes, eyes and fingers crossed AGAIN, that this wonderful author has some more books coming soon. This was a perfect rainy night thriller and kept me up waaaay past my bedtime.
Check out my live and in color version on my blog.
I'm assuming this is the same Pat from Archerland, which is why I'm buying the book despite delays. Just want you to know (because I can't find an email to tell you privately) I love your work, especially Witness, Slasher and the Lynx and look forward to reading a published book from what seems to be David's point of view.

You are one of my favourite authors and I'm glad to see you published but would prefer published versions of your web published stories, if that's okay.

Good Wishes,

Madeline.
I had enjoyed the main characters in several short stories and had wondered how the author envisioned their first meeting. I could not have imagined anything better than the tale of romance, suspense, serial murder, social commentary, and good old fashioned whodunit provided in LA Heat.
While not featuring the level of eroticism typical of the short stories featuring Chris and David, the depth of feeling was still there.
I'd recommend this novel to anyone that likes a great mystery full of suspense. It keeps you guessing until the end about the identity of the villain.
And for the author, please bring us more!
Too much murder mystery and not enough gay love. Although the cop is deep in the closet it is only towards the end of the book that he realizes it! Good story, good murder mystery but no heat. I am not a fan of murder mysteries, so it was hard to read because I did not feel that there was a balance between the gay love and the murders; although the murders were related to a gay person.
In-the-closet detective, David Eric Laine has kept his desires secret. Until he meets Christopher Bellamere, proud and openly gay. When a series of horrific torture/murders of gay men leads the police to Chris David is torn between his attraction for the most beautiful man he's ever met and his fears that he's a vicious killer.
Rerations
< L.A. Heat > < L. A. Mischief > < The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks > < PsyCop: Partners > < Psycop: Property > freaks

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