Cabin Fever by Roe Horvat

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Also available in Kindle Unlimited

Blurb

Michael Bourgeon is a talented artist, young and gorgeous, a stinking rich heir from a well-connected family. He’s the infamous libertine behind the most extravagant parties in Manhattan, and his exploits often lead to juicy tabloid stories. Enjoying his wealth and freedom to the fullest, Michael has the world at his feet.

Until someone tries to kill him. Repeatedly. After a security breach among his own staff, he has run out of options where to hide while the FBI hunts the killer.

A high-profile private security expert, the gruff and controlling Vincent Nowak, is supposed to provide the miracle solution. And while Michael struggles with nightmares and anxiety due to the looming threat, Vincent becomes not only the ultimately reliable protector, but a wonderful distraction, too…

A small cabin in the woods, a cocky brat with a soft heart, his gruff, controlling bodyguard, and weeks of tension in a confined space.

Gay erotic romance, a boy and his bodyguard, hurt/comfort, rough sex, pain, punishment, and of course, sweet love…

Based on the original short story “Yes Daddy”.

Review

“By taking what I wanted, I gave him what he needed”

If you’ve been keeping an eye on my reviews, I could probably limit myself to stating “Roe Horvat went and did it again” and you’d know exactly what I meant. But that would be very lazy on my part, and not much fun for you, so I’ll expand just a little.

For starters, let me say that Roe Horvat went and did it again. 😊

Seriously though, I turn to Roe’s book for well written, sexy love stories featuring captivating characters and yes, Cabin Fever fits that description perfectly.

Michael (Mikey) and Victor are just about perfect for each other. And each man realizes that they could be exactly what the other needs, right from the start. All would have been perfect if it wasn’t for the fact that the only reason they are cooped up together is the threat on Michael’s life. Victor is there to keep him save and doesn’t need or want distractions, especially not of the sexual kind. Except…

Except that the body wants what the body wants and needs often speak louder than sense. Therefore, it isn’t long before Victor is all too aware that Michael needs a Daddy while with every passing day they spent hidden away in isolation, Victor’s urge to give Michael exactly what he needs becomes stronger.

When they do give in to their mutual attraction, sparks fly. Hot sparks. Kinky sparks. Brutal sparks and, eventually, tender sparks. What follows is nothing short of a sex-fest. Victor and Michael push boundaries, talk dirty, and enjoy each other’s body in every way imaginable. And yet, don’t make the mistake of assuming that this book is nothing but sex. Relationships grow in a variety of ways and between Victor and Michael, much of the growth is created during their sex scenes. Victor learns what Michael needs only to discover it matches exactly what he desires to give. At the same time Michael finds peace of mind, for the first time in months, in his surrender to Victor’s dominance. Not that Victor is always the stronger, more stable personality in this growing relationship. When push comes to shove and he might lose the one person he can’t imagine living without, Michael shows he’s strong enough to force Victor to admit that which he’s been trying to deny for too long.

I loved the hint of suspense that loomed over the story from the start and for once, I didn’t mind the tiny amount of angst. In fact, it worked so well for me I found myself cheering Michael on all the way.

If you like your engrossing stories with a liberal dose of kinky scenes, an enticing Daddy-boy dynamic, a hint of suspense, and an uplifting and sweet happy ever after, you really need to go and one-click Cabin Fever.

The Promise Witch (The Wild Magic Trilogy #3) by Celine Kiernan

224 pages

Publisher: Walker Books

Blurb

Witches Borough is dying, and no one knows how to save it. Into this scorched landscape, storms a raggedy witch named Magda, trailing ashes in her wake. She wants Mup. She wants Mup to fulfil a promise. And woe betide any who stand in her way.

Review

“In a situation like this, maybe all you can do is listen, and try to understand … and give everyone room to figure out the answers for themselves.” - Dad

Only a few days ago I finished The Little Grey Girl, the second title in this trilogy, and ended my review stating how much I was looking forward to the final story. I’m sorta glad I didn’t know quite how excellent the conclusion would turn out to be because even those few days would have been too much of a wait. I expected a wonderful story, what I got was a tale of breathtaking beauty.

Really, The Promise Witch is everything a good book should be. A gripping, tension-filled story that just begs you to keep on turning the pages. This is by far the most thrilling of the three stories. The sense of danger is there on the very first page and steadily increases until, just when everything appears lost, it culminates in a glorious finale, that brought tears to my eyes.

Mup is as lovely, inquisitive, adventurous and big-hearted as she was in the first book, but she has grown. She’s learned valuable lessons on her journey and it shows. Of course, she’s still the young, impulsive, and sometimes stubborn girl, but she has the biggest heart. Her actions may seem rash at times, but they always come from a place of love.

While Mup is without a doubt the star of these stories, she comes with a collection of colourful and vividly drawn friends and family. It’s impossible not to mutter ‘awww’ every time her little brother Tipper makes an appearance, be it as a little boy or as a lively dog. I adore Crow with his tough exterior and humongous heart, and sorta want to adopt him. I could go on, but I’ll limit myself to saying that all together, Mup and her family and friends portray the very best in life; a community, far from perfect but where ultimately everybody looks out for each other when push comes to shove.

Oh boy did I need to read this book today. In a world gone mad, this was exactly the tonic I needed. Who knew it would take a book aimed at 9-12-year olds to remind me there is such a thing as hope, that despite evidence to the contrary the world is filled with love, and that deep down, most people want to do what’s right? The book is a treasure trove of subtle pearls of wisdom, disguised as dialogue or a school lesson, and I took them to heart. In fact, there was one I loved so much, I turned it into a meme.

Long story short: I adore and highly recommend this fast-paced and magical adventure. I’m in awe of Celine Kiernan and her own personal magic of turning the meaningful into an adventure. Or maybe she fills adventures with meaning. I have no idea how she does it. I only know that she does it perfectly.

Related Reviews: Begone the Raggedy Witches | The Little Grey Girl

Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan

Pages 306

Book Club Selection

Blurb

Britain has lost the Falklands war, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. In a world not quite like this one, two lovers will be tested beyond their understanding.

Machines Like Me takes place in an alternative 1980s London. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans and — with Miranda’s help — he designs Adam’s personality. The near-perfect human that emerges is beautiful, strong and clever. It isn’t long before a love triangle forms, and these three beings confront a profound moral dilemma.

In his subversive new novel, Ian McEwan asks whether a machine can understand the human heart — or whether we are the ones who lack understanding.

Review

Honestly, I’m somewhat underwhelmed. After I read the blurb and before I opened the book, I expected…more? Something different from what I got for sure. What I thought (hoped) I would be reading was a book about humans coming to terms with a machine that is almost indistinguishable from them, how that might change their perception of what humanity is exactly. And, there was some of that in this book but, to me, it did not feel like the main theme of the story.

What I didn’t expect, and didn’t enjoy, where the long and overly-detailed descriptions of the alternative reality the story takes place in and the technological intricacies of machines like Adam. Why for example, do we get several pages of what reads like listing facts about the political landscape when Charlie states: ‘To me, […] all this […] was a busy hum, dipping and swelling from day to day, a matter of interest and concern, but nothing to compare with the turbulence of my domestic life, […]. Because to me it read as if the story was about that political landscape at least as much as it was about the main characters. It is, of course, possible that I missed something and that there are parallels between that general state of the world and Charlie’s removal from it, but are those relevant if they are so vague that I can’t pick up on them?

I’ve taken the following from the Goodreads blurb: Ian McEwan’s subversive and entertaining new novel poses fundamental questions: what makes us human? Our outward deeds or our inner lives? Could a machine understand the human heart? This provocative and thrilling tale warns of the power to invent things beyond our control.

While the last line of that quote does feel accurate, I can’t say I recognize the book in the earlier part. Charlie and Miranda felt rather underdeveloped as the human characters in this story. In fact, as a result of all the technical descriptions I felt I had a better idea about the workings of Adam’s mind by the end of the story than I had about what motivated Charlie and Miranda.

Something I hadn’t considered before starting the book but greatly appreciated in this story was what being almost human means to a machine who doesn’t, of course, have the same emotional impulses as humans. How do you deal when your algorithms don’t contain the information necessary to deal with the often irrational (as in emotionally driven rather than logical) human emotions and decisions? The answer to this question turned out to be rather heartbreaking.

But, I had more issues with this story. The relationship between Charlie and Miranda never felt real to me. At no point in the story did I feel they had anything in common apart from the pleasure they derived from sex and the input they had in Adam’s final creation. I have no idea what the purpose of the child, Mark, in this story was and can’t help feeling that leaving him out wouldn’t have changed anything about the eventual outcome, nor did it appear to add to the story’s progression.

In final analysis I have to admit that this was almost like reading two books at the same time. One book was a political, technical, and societal study of an alternative history. While some of those details were necessary to for world-building, I wouldn’t have missed anything if it had been reduced by something like 80 to 90%. The other story I read, the story about Adam and his fellow sentient machines and their struggle to learn to live and find a purpose among humans on the other hand, was fascinating and I could have done with a lot more depth there. All of which explains why I gave this book three stars.

As for the book club discussion of this title, goodness only knows if, when, or how it might take place. This book was our March selection by which stage the library had been closed in the national Corona Virus lockdown. Libraries will start to open their doors within days, but as of now, there’s no signs of groups like my book club being allowed to come together again. Which is a shame, because I would love to hear what the others members thought about this book.