31 days of blogging, days 8 and 9; Short reviews

I've decided to keep blogging every day if I can, but sort of abandon the list that I originally chose. I  might poke around some other lists, and see if I can find topics that strike my fancy.

For today, I'm finally doing another short reviews post as the read books vs unwritten reviews is starting to tip over a bit.

Starting with the Tigers and Devils trilogy by Sean Kennedy. This isn't a spoiler as such but in the third book, there is maybe my favourite quote: "There are some people that are in your life forever, and there is nothing you can do about it no matter how much you try to cut them out." ah, Simon. I love Simon. He's so grumpy and cynical. Anyway.

In book one, grumpy Simon meets Declan, an in-the-closet NRL player. They get together, Declan is perfect, Simon is well, Simon and all is well. UNTIL Declan is outed against his will, then everything goes down the drain. Given that it's a trilogy, obviously things start to look up a bit.

I loved this series a lot. Simon is great, he has hilarious friends, and Declan is damn near the perfect man. There's not a lot of hey-hey but that's fine because  each book focuses on Simon and Declan's relationship and whatever crisis rears its ugly head. (Forced outing in book one; sleazy ex in book two; runaway teen in book three), and I was invested in Simon and Declan and all of the other relationships as well.

Book three does end with what might be considered a cliffhanger. And although the series is sort of centred around sportsball, you don't need to know much (or anything) about the NRL to enjoy the books.

Next up is Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop, one of her The Others series of novels. I'm co-reading this series with a friend of mine and we're kind of bipping along with it and catching up when it occurs to one of us - lol. Vision in Silver is a solid addition to the series, though I felt like I was waiting for something to happen for most of it.

The Big Bad is off-screen for a lot of this book which, for me, doesn't add a lot to the tension but I like the way Meg and Simon's relationship is developing - slow and steady.

Now for Wacky Wednesday by J A Rock  - a fun take on the body swap trope. Boyfriends Jayk and Amon have been at odds lately, and after one particularly brutal argument, wake up in each other's bodies.

But how will they go, living each other's lives for a day? Will it offer the insight they need to reconcile?

This was a fast read, and pretty heavy on the hey-hey (kinky hey-hey at that) but as Homer Simpson says, there's nothing wrong with a little hey-hey.

Lord of the Shadows, by Jennifer Fallon is up next. Yes, I finished a series! I mean, if you count Captive Prince, All for the Game and Tigerland, I've now finished four series in this Year of the Series,so go me?

This was a pretty satisfying end to the trilogy. There's magic, and a dollop of ancient science, mystery, romance, court intrigue, drama, tragedy ... basically this series has everything ever that a good, solid fantasy trilogy (ALL HAIL THE TRILOGY WHY DOESN'T ANYONE WRITE TRILOGIES ANY MORE) needs.

It's also a lot of fun to read. Dirk Provin has been marked as a traitor, and he needs to find a way to defeat his enemies before they all close in on him ...

Last, but not least, is Apple Polisher, by Heidi Belleau, book one in the *ahem* Rear Entrance Video trilogy. Buttoned-down Christian is doing his best to become a trainee teacher, but with new room-mates - including the verrrrry distracting Max - a very sick Auntie, and a very sick Auntie's porno store on the verge of closing - Christian finds himself juggling far more balls *ahem* than he had anticipated.

He just wants a quiet life, but with all the aforementioned, a blackmailing workmate and a picky professor, it's just a matter of time before something gives out ...

Apple Polisher is an easy read, and all of the characters were very likeable, although a couple of times I did have the feeling of WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY. All in all a good read, though.