152. Amanda Young ~ Pyromancer . . . . . Megan Hart ~ Love Match

Reviewed by kalyko on May 23rd, 2008, 6:32pm

by Amanda Young, Megan Hart

Format: eBook

Series: Other

     The two stories here are both ebooks and both by authors that I really enjoy. I turned to these books when I was having reading problems… I needed something that I knew was going to hold my interest and both Amanda Young and Megan Hart can do that without even trying.
     Amanda Young was my introduction to gay romance and, regardless of the genre that she writes, she’s a wonderful author who really brings her characters to life and they, very often reluctantly, find it hard to give themselves over to love.
     Megan Hart’s stories are just as absorbing, but different. She writes extremely well about the complexities inherent in human relationships ~ her characters are always facing having to learn more about themselves and about the person with whom they have a relationship ~ and never a dull moment anywhere to be found.
     As to Excellence, both stories are individually rated, but the steaminess rating ~ Inferno ~ is the same for both ~ they are, after all, romantica (aka erotic romances).

Overall RATING:
Excellence: Great to Excellent
Steaminess: Inferno

BOOK READ: Amanda Young; Pyromancer; Loose Id, LLC; December 2007 [114 pgs]

Synopsis:
              One desperate night, a rent boy hot enough to scorch
                    the motel sheets, and Christian is doomed
                                                to burn for love.
     Christian Ryder is rich and lonely. When the people around him keep dying, Christian forgoes personal attachments. The thought of his Pyromancy hurting anyone else, isn’t something he’s willing to risk.
     Tanner O’Bannon is broke and desperate. The recent loss of his father has thrown Tanner into a tailspin of debt he can’t afford to pay. Working as a rent boy allows him to pay the mortgage and his college tuition, but it’s eroding his soul in the process.
     Through the machinations of Male Companions — the escort agency for which Tanner works — the men are thrown together. Through a series of startling revelations and danger, Tanner and Christian both face changes. Smoldering embers of desire fan the flames of love, but will it be enough to make Christian overcome his fear of love, or to save Tanner from the fire? Only one thing is certain; both men will burn.

MY NOTES:
     I’ve had this story in my ebook queue (my nod to my electronic TBR) for quite awhile; I was just waiting for the right time… and the ability to sit behind the computer for awhile. Unfortunately many of my ebooks are not transferable to my ebookwise ~ at least not as far as I know ~ so I do need to gear myself up somewhat. Not to read the stories themselves, but to be able to sit behind the ‘puter for an extended time or as I can when having to share. *sigh*
 ANYway.... Amanda Young has created another story and new characters that get me very involved in their lives.  She's a marvel at being able to bring unusal circumstances and situations, to believable life.  Got to say, I've not read anything by her that has been a let-down.  HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

RATING:
Excellence: Excellent ~ 4.0 stars
Steaminess: Male / male sex
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BOOK READ:
Megan Hart; Love Match; Amber Quill Press, LLC; March 2004 [128 pgs]

Synopsis:
     When self-made spinster in training Lili Alster hires klutzy LoveMatch escort Hal Kessler to pose as her fiancé during her grandparents' anniversary celebration, it's not to impress her family. She plans an explosive breakup to convince them she's really better off staying single.
     Desperate for the money and well-aware this could be his last chance to keep his job, Hal enthusiastically tries to act like the utter jerk Lili needs him to be. As Hal's fumbling feet lead them into mishap after misadventure, Lili finds herself stumbling along beside him...right into love.

MY NOTES:
     I love Hal! He’s so sincere, yet he’s rather like a big bumbling teddy bear, trying to do the right thing, but usually not quite managing it. With this guy his desire to help is often offset by his total belief that ‘if some is good, then more is better’ never really grasping the idea of subtlety… but he’s lovable nonetheless.
     I like Lili as well; she doesn’t like making waves, but because she’s trying to keep others happy, she gets herself in over her head and ends up doing the opposite of what she had planned. She’s a wonderful, caring person that gets caught up in her own machinations all by her lonesome. In protecting those she loves, she’s actually pushing them away. But when Hal does as she wants she starts to get upset with him… that I found a bit irksome… the only reason that it didn’t really annoy me is that she was liking Hal a lot more than she realized.
     Thank heaven that Hal and Lili found each other… they both deserved happiness ~ and they got it. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

RATING:
Excellence: Very Good ~ 3.5 stars

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Books read in May: 18
Har / Sil ~ 13
Others ~ 5

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kalyko ~ Reading: One of life's little joys and a much needed reward!