Book review - "A Pint of Beer, a Bag of Chips and Thou" by J. L. Merrow

Merrow’s short story is a fun tale of opposites attract and co-exist as well.  The main character, Liam, is a twenty-three year old punk with a Mohawk and piercings and plays saxophone for tips in the London Underground.  He’s cast his eye upon a silver fox, a commuter who passes by him every day without even looking in Liam’s direction.

Liam lives with his mother and two aunts, all witches.  A third aunt is an Anglican priest but all four sisters get along.  His aunts and mother are worried about his single status so they announce they will give him his Christmas presents early.  Liam is very afraid.  Although he is loathe to wear their hand-knitted, garishly-colored articles of clothing, the gifts seem to do the trick. 

Neil, who is older than Liam’s father, is as attracted to the punk as much as Liam is to him.  Neil finally gets the nerve to speak to him and Liam is happy to leave his post to have a coffee with Neil.  Thus begins the romance between two diametrically opposed opposites. 

What I liked about this story is the ease of the conversation between Neil and Liam. It’s a nice mix of getting-to-know-you with blatant innuendoes.  It’s no stretch of the imagination to hear two guys talking like that.  My favorite line:

“Neil,” he said.  Then he grinned.  “That’s my name, not an order.” 

This story will probably sit well with Dr. Who fans!  Just sayin'.

"Realm of the Polar Bear", my Stocking Stuffer from JMS Books released today!

"Realm of the Polar Bear", my latest bearotica short story, is available today as part of JMS Books' Stocking Stuffers, an e-book a day for December!

JMS gives is 4 flames which means it's hot hot hot hot!

Blurb:
Stranded by a blizzard on his way home for Christmas, Jarrod waits for death by freezing in his pickup, until a large, white-haired, bearded man steps out of the forest to rescue him. Jarrod is reluctant to follow the handsome man but decides his chances of survival aren’t good if he stays in his truck.

Caleb takes Jarrod to a warm, inviting cabin in the middle of the forest and offers him food and drink to warm him up. Jarrod’s apprehensions begin to dissipate as his attraction for the mysterious man increases.

Jarrod wonders what it would be like to live in the wild with the handsome Caleb, but he soon finds out the white bear is not what he appears to be.

EXCERPT:Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.

His beard and mustache dripped with condensation from his breath but the water soon froze, forming ice on the blond hair. He curled up on the seat with his head under the steering wheel, praying the end would come swiftly and painlessly.

A soft knock on the driver’s window shocked him and he yelped in surprise. A small point of light glowed outside. Jarrod’s heart leapt for joy in his chest as he fumbled with the door handle, spilling out of the truck.

“Hello! I’m so glad you found --” The words caught in his throat as he saw his visitor through the blowing snow. A large man with full white beard and mustache stood bundled up against the cold holding a kerosene lantern in one hand and an axe in the other. Jarrod recoiled in horror.

“Aw, damn,” the man said, turning to toss the axe on a sled full of chopped wood he had been pulling. “Sorry ‘bout that, son. Didn’t mean to scare you. Thought you might be needin’ some help.”

“Uh ... yeah,” Jarrod managed to utter, relieved the axe wasn’t so handy now. “I ran off the road a while back. Can you help me dig my truck out?”

The white-haired man stepped toward the rear of Jarrod’s truck, holding the lantern close to the tires. He walked around the truck and examined the snowdrift which buried most of the vehicle.

“That dog won’t hunt! I don’t think you’re going anywhere for a while.”

The man pulled his right glove off with his teeth and extended his hand. “I’m Caleb. I live not far from here.”

“I’m Jarrod. I’m on my way home for Christmas.”

“Damn, son!” Caleb kept his warm hand clasped over Jarrod’s. “Feels like you’re frozen solid already. Come on up to the house and thaw out a bit. The way the snow’s coming down right now, we’d just be pissing in the wind if we tried to dig you out.” He placed the lantern on the ground and, removing the other glove, held the pair out for him.

Jarrod cast a doubtful glance toward the sled with the chopped wood and axe. “Maybe I should stay with my truck. Perhaps you could send someone?”

Caleb gave him a placating smile. “Son, no one’s going to be coming around tonight in this. And if you stay here you’ll freeze to death, and I can’t let that be on my conscience. If it’ll make you feel better, you can carry the axe.” He chuckled as he stepped to the sled, picked up the axe, and offered it to Jarrod.

Still unsure but willing to risk anything to get warm, Jarrod pulled on the gloves and grabbed the axe. Caleb seemed to wield it without much effort. He had not expected it to be so heavy, and on his first attempt, he dropped the axe into the snow, nearly pulling his arm off. Worried that he looked wimpy, Jarrod reached down and clutched the handle with both hands. With a tremendous heave, he hoisted it to his shoulder and signaled for Caleb to lead the way

Book Review - "The Spell of Christmas" by Lisa Gray

 

Lisa Gray’s short story presents an interesting situation: a Christian and a Wiccan in a serious committed relationship.  I think it offers a good glimpse of how acceptance and love out to be.  Despite the differences in their beliefs, Marc and Owen are in love and devoted to each other.

Marc wants to introduce Owen to his family but Owen has his doubts and makes excuses to stay home during the holiday season.  Before Marc leaves to drive to his parents’ house, he secretly performs a Wiccan ceremony he hopes will bind him to Owen for good.

After Marc’s departure, Owen finds the gift and is surprised and touched by the gesture. Unknown to Owen, at the time he finds the gift, Marc runs into trouble on the slick snow-covered roads which make a high bridge extremely unsafe.

Cats play a small but important role in the story, as they become aware of Marc’s plight even though miles away in the house with Owen.  I like stories where the animals demonstrate they know more about the world than just what’s in front of their noses.  If I don’t want to drop any spoilers here but the outcome wasn’t necessarily what I expected.  I was pleasantly surprised at the gift of acceptance despite differences. 

And it’s a great story for cat lovers!

Book Review - "Silver and Gold" by William Holden

Unlike the main character, Joe, in William Holden’s short story, I’ve never been hit on by, much less seen, a sexy barista.  That’s how “Silver and Gold” opens.  Joe goes into a coffee shop and proceeds to receive thinly-veiled innuendoes from the handsome bearista Alan.  The attraction is mutual and they sneak off for a quickie but are interrupted. 

Joe returns to the coffee shop at the end of the business day, but Alan barely takes notice of him.  Dejected but not morose, Joe returns to his hotel room and discovers Alan has orchestrated an elaborate scavenger hunt for him.  Joe sets out enthusiastically across a snow-covered New York City to find his bearista. 

The reader may wonder how Alan was able to set up such a complex hunt in a relatively short amount of time, especially since he was working most of the day, but as an avid lover of puzzles and mysteries, I enjoyed reading Joe’s adventures.  Of course, it leads to an expected outcome (with a minor twist) but still fun.

I may have to start frequenting coffee shops more in the future.