Libra: Outlined in Ink by Vivien Dean

Libra: Outlined In Ink by Vivien Dean
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This has to be one of the best m/m books I've read in a long while. I know that's a pretty strong statement, and some people might be skeptical of the truthfulness of it, but it's true.

A lot of things combine to make this story amazing. The characters are well thought out, and brilliantly executed. The two protagonists are compelling, both individually and as a couple, and even the supporting characters are interesting...they have motivations, make mistakes, and are pretty 3D, which is something that I find lacking in most modern fiction.

But where this story really shines is the plot. A good story has great characters AND great plot, and the plot here is exciting and well-paced. I never felt like the story was dragging or rushed; the tense moments were well-balanced with the romance and the mystery involved, moving nearly seamlessly from scene to scene, and from one conflict to the next. The mystery of what is going on and who is behind the attacks...and more importantly, who to trust...made for a suspenseful read, one that kept me guessing until the end, which is rarely the case.

The sex is pretty hot, and in no way overpowers the plot. In fact, for me, it was another factor to balance...just when I felt the mystery getting too intense, or starting to bore me, the romance and sex heated up, and vice versa. I had a really good sense of the history of these two characters, and how the situation they're catapulted into helps to cement a bond that started years before.

That aspect, though, is one of my few niggles about the story. The fact that these two characters were very attracted to each other in the past didn't quite jive with the intervening years. I understand why Jarrett didn't pursue the young Eli...he wasn't quite or barely legal, and their age difference was much more sharply felt at that time. My problem lies with the fact that neither of them kept in touch with the other, either through direct communication or checking up on them through internet searches, etc. If the attraction was really that strong, particularly in Eli's case, it would be a little more believable that he would have at least known what Jarrett did for a living, or that he lived in the same city. This is alleviated somewhat by the fact that Eli is writing his comic starring a Jarrett lookalike...but as Eli says, the character Sovereign is based on his perception of Jarrett idealized, but has his own history and background separate from reality.

Another small niggle was the ending; the turmoil they're embroiled seemed to end a little abruptly, and while it's implied that their involvement in the investigation isn't over, we still don't get much of a resolution to what was going on, and how exactly Eli played into the greater scheme other than his comics and site were involved in criminal activity. I would love to see a follow-up story, even a short, that gives us more of a resolution to the case, as well as a glimpse at how Eli and Jarrett are coming along with a relationship not influenced by the tension and fast pace of being chased and shot at by both criminals and law enforcement.

An excellent story, and one I highly recommend to pretty much anyone.

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With Caution by JL Langley

With Caution by J.L. Langley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one of the first things I read by J.L. Langley, and I read it before I realized it was part of a series. Of course, that altered my perception of the story from others, since I wasn't aware of Remi's attitude from Without Reservations, and I didn't understand the relationship established there between Keaton and Chay. Of course, this didn't detract from the story at all.

I really liked Remi, and quickly came to sympathize with his situation. He was forced into a hard place, with an abusive, controlling father and a younger brother that he felt that he needed to protect against all costs. His attraction to Jake comes at a time when things are in the air; he's a newly changed werewolf, and is trying to come to terms with all that entails, as well as his strange feelings for a man, feelings he's suppressed with a strong front of heterosexuality.

I think, for me, the single aspect that endears me to Remi is how interacts with Sterling, and later Gadget's son Eddie. He's nurturing and protective, and while those may seem like feminine roles (add to that his omega status as a wolf), he has a strength of character and presence that mark him as nothing other than male. It's a common fault of m/m books to have characters that feel the the traditional male/female roles of a romance, but Langley does a wonderful job giving us a relationship that, while seme/uke and dom/sub in nature, is still wholly man with man, not man with girly-man.

Jake was interesting to me as well since he didn't fill the role as a stereotypical dominant. Yes, he was dominant and alpha (even getting his own pack in the end), but he doesn't take over control of Remi's life except to protect, as well as in the bedroom. I actually found him rather sweet; you can tell he cares a lot about the people in his group, later pack, and is nearly as fiercely protective of them as he is of Remi.

I would love to see another story with these two characters, maybe after Sterling is of age, he and Rhys are together, and the pack moves to wherever they end up. I loved seeing their relationship progress, and it makes me want to see what the future has in store for them...kids? :D

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