Jess

Jess

Coming over from Goodreads, dipping a toe in the waters over here.

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Fish & Chips
Abigail Roux, Madeleine Urban
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Earthly Desires - Keira Andrews,  Leta Blake 4.5 starsReview Summary: An engaging fairy tale, it makes a wonderful "feel good" or comfort read.Review: Once upon a time, there was an m/m romance that with its first paragraph transported me to that magical realm of fairy tales. I'll share that paragraph now, an invitation to join me there:Once upon a time, there was a kingdom at the edge of what was and what could never be. At the center of this kingdom was a castle, and within this castle was a king. Inside this king was a terribly selfish heart.With me now? Good. Here's the story of a lovely prince with hair of gold and a lack of gravity. Here's the story of a man named Dmitri, who was living in a cottage all alone. Till the one day when the prince met this fellow, and they knew that it was much more than a hunch... (*cough* Sorry, I think my lack of gravitas is Efrosin's fault) ...that something special happened when they were together.Efrosin was just as lonely in his palace full of people as Dmitri was in his cottage in the woods. Who wants to play with someone who's always floating away? And, worse, who giggles at the most inopportune things? Because Efrosin had no gravity, he didn't experience or understand deeper emotions like sadness. He was fascinated by it and loved to hear sad stories, especially ones that obviously sadden the teller. But laughing and clapping gleefully at evidence of others' pain is not exactly the best way to win friends.Dmitri was very much Efrosin's opposite, a solidly grounded young man who clearly felt things deeply. As such, the two were perfect foils for each other, and wonderfully complementary. We all know that when two such people meet, magic can happen. So it's no surprise that it did. With Dmitri, for the first time Efrosin started to experience gravity, both emotionally and physically. He was a likable character to begin with, but with the onset of some gravity and the resulting character growth, he became even more appealing. One of the changes was that he felt lust, something he'd witnessed in others (it's amazing how few people look up at the rafters when they're engaged in sexy-times; so much for "I'll paint the ceiling beige") but never experienced for himself before. While Dmitri had felt lust countless times, for the first time he got to experience it with another person (a magical experience in itself!).What followed was a gloriously raunchy and hedonistic time. It was a little more than I really wanted to read in so short a story, but Efrosin and Dmitri were both so clearly deprived that I could hardly fault them for grabbing the opportunity (and each other). Funny though the Mary Poppinsish (another great fairy tale!) moment was when Efrosin started giggling and rising toward the ceiling, I think it contributed to my not being totally engaged in the sex scenes. I suddenly had "I Love to Laugh" running through my head, along with visions of Ed Wynn, Dick Van Dyke, and Julie Andrews bobbing merrily around the ceiling. Which is entertaining, but hardly sexy!But that was just one moment in what otherwise felt like a “real” fairy tale, complete with that sense of no-time and all-time, nowhere and everywhere. This story is beautifully written, almost lyrical in its flow, like the fairy tales of yore. Of course, the evil witch came along and presented our heroes with an impossible choice. Without giving too much away, the characteristics and growth of both heroes made it possible for them to save the world and each other, and live happily ever after.This was a light (ha!), fun, engaging story. Great for a beach read, a comfort read; one of those moments you want something you know will make you laugh, smile, and feel good.This review was originally posted at Reviews by Jessewave, where I received the book for free in exchange for an honest review.