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The Nekkid Truth is the last story in the Big Guns Out of Uniform anthology. The other two, by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Liz Carlyle respectively, are good, but Nicole Camden’s story is really memorable. I usually don’t like first person narratives, but I totally forgot about the device while reading TNT and was lost in the story after the first page. Premise: Debbie is a crime scene photographer who has had the hots for Detective Scott since she first met him five years ago. How did they meet? His partner was drunk and ran into her with the patrol car. Wait, it gets weirder. As a result of the accident, Debbie has lost her ability to recognize faces. She’s not blind, but the part of her brain that connects facial features to memory was damaged. She has to rely on voices to identify people. Interestingly, she finds that she can also use body "parts" for identification, which leads to a rather unique hobby. Over the years since the accident, Detective Scott has stayed away from Debbie, even though he felt the same attraction as she. He knew she had emotional scars from the accident, and he had his own guilt issues to work out as well. And that’s just the back story. What I liked as a reader: These characters seemed real. They hurt for real reasons. They were flawed. Both the hero and heroine were strong characters -- well drawn and well matched. They made mistakes. The face/memory problem is a really unusual and interesting plot element. The sex is HOT. What I liked as a writer: The writing is very strong, not at all clichéd. A reviewer on Amazon.com called the writing "coarse". And while I wouldn't say that's necessarily a bad thing, I would use the terms "gritty", "bare" and "exposed". The first person narrative dumps you into the mind of a woman who has been scarred physically and emotionally. The sex between these characters does not take place on a soft bed of rose petals. The title The Nekkid Truth is telling: this story takes the reader down to the sometimes ugly truth of who we are and why we do things. I like that Camden didn't pull punches. The way she ends her scenes is almost poignant in it's raw introspection. The plotting and characterization are both interesting and courageous.
At the time
of this posting, The Nekkid Truth is Nicole Camden's only
published work. I can't wait to see more.
[posted 10/16/05]
I read a couple of new books this week, but neither of them were good enough to recommend, so my post is a book I discovered a few months ago. A warning first: if you have a problem with non-traditional sexualities (i.e. homosexuality) you are not going to enjoy this book. That would really be unfortunate, because it's a gem. There is something incredibly sexy about reading a story about two hot guys who have the hots for each other. The book blurb on Stephanie Vaughan’s website effectively captures the humor in her writing, and also allows the reader to tap into Kevin’s curiosity. We want to know too – what would it be like?:
It’s funny because it’s true. Premise: Kevin is a Latino business exec who has recently been feeling unfulfilled in his love life. He is disturbed when he first has a dream and then starts fantasizing about the new IT director at his company. Ben is very comfortable with who he is, and is rather annoyed and frustrated to find himself attracted to a straight man. He knows better than to get involved with someone who’s just “experimenting”. Of course, neither can resist the other, and so begins the journey. What I liked as a reader: It’s funny. It’s HOT. Very well drawn characters. They feel like real people. The plot and conflicts are interesting, and sustain the story. This is not a book about “getting some”. It is a story of growth and love. It’s sweet. I don’t find many stories that manage to be both really hot and really sweet effectively. This one does. What I liked as a writer: The writing was so good that I didn't notice the writing. Vaughan has a crystal clear vision of who each of her characters are as individuals. None of their actions are simple “plot elements” – I felt as though I was getting a glimpse at the real lives of these men. In a traditional m/f romance, the reader and writer usually find themselves identifying with the female character. It is tempting in this type of story, I’m sure, to make one of the men “weak” and one “strong”, or one “dominant” and the other “submissive”. Vaughan resisted admirable, creating two strong, independent male characters who the reader loves and pulls for in their turn. It is original, not because the characters are both male, but because I could never predict which way the story was going to go. I just love this story. [posted 10/23/05]
I have a guilty secret: I’ve always loved fairytales. I know, I know, they’re full of helpless heroines, evil women, and men who save the day – but there’s just something about those fantasies. Anyway, I’m a sucker for fairytale retellings, too. Sadly, I usually find myself disappointed because they rarely bring anything new to the table. No such worries with Blood Red. Premise: Blood Red is a retelling of the "Beauty and the Beast" story -- with a couple twists. Ros is “Beauty”, a traveling peddler and storyteller, who is run out of town for having sex with another man. He finds himself transported through a gateway to a world of enchantment. Fortunately, being that he is a storyteller, he knows all the right things to do in this sort of situation. The Beast, Sebastian, is a king who was put under an enchantment by the Furies for being a selfish ruler. He has become a vampire -- but not the suave, sexy variety. His is a disfigured, lonely killer. Over the years he has watched hundreds of men come to his castle, knowing that he can never reveal himself because of his horrifying appearance. When they arrive, they are pleasured by his “servants”, and when they sink into a blissful sleep, the Beast is compelled to drink them dry. He hates himself more than anyone else possibly could, and is certain that there is no way out of his enchantment. He will be alone forever. What I Liked As a Reader: I really liked what Okati did with this fairytale. My biggest problem with the original, and subsequent retellings, was that I always felt there was a real mismatch between “Beauty” and the “Beast”. Also, the lessons learned – that Beauty can change the Beast, that love transforms – seemed somehow, wrong. The Beast needed someone who was not afraid of him and who was “man" enough to take him for what he was. Ros was the perfect match for this Beast. Pushing him and challenging him and accepting him from the start. In the end, it was the Beast who had to learn to accept himself. What I Liked As a Writer: Okati went out on a limb with Sebastian. Making one of her heroes a real beast was risky, but I think it paid off in spades. Her writing is strong and intense – almost poetic. You can really feel the depth of the characters’ emotions – the climactic scene is especially good. The sex is sizzling.
This
is the best version of Beauty and the Beast I’ve read –
and I’ve read many. Give it a try if you’re in the mood for a little magic. |
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