tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1928733624335520462024-03-12T21:46:07.608-07:00Patrick von Stutenzee's Book BlogThe blog for book reviews to accompany my history blog which also contains book reviews that deal with history.stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-41915264713032996242021-01-31T11:55:00.004-08:002021-01-31T11:55:59.183-08:00Mystery In The Adonis Valley<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The setting for this mystery novel is mysterious in its own right. The Adonis Valley is near to Beirut in the Lebanon and had a collection of crumbling palaces and buildings at the time of the writing of the novel. The Middle East as it is described is not recognizable anymore to us today. It's like a romantic fairy tale, but then it was real. What we have now is decades of proxy wars between the superpowers destroying small countries.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/---HtBYxzEeg/YBcKorUGxbI/AAAAAAABbF8/WNFOXrZwjs4fZzwc3RyA5JDa6Zkdfb3MgCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/mosque-hill-umayyad-ruins-mountains-anjar-bekaa-valley-lebanon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/---HtBYxzEeg/YBcKorUGxbI/AAAAAAABbF8/WNFOXrZwjs4fZzwc3RyA5JDa6Zkdfb3MgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/mosque-hill-umayyad-ruins-mountains-anjar-bekaa-valley-lebanon.jpg" width="200" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When I describe books written by Mary Stewart, it is usually as a guidebook with mystery, or as an entry to local people and customs. With this book, it is pure nostalgia for a time when the Middle East could still be visited without being blown up by anyone and sundry's drones or bombs. If you want to know what the USA, United Kingdom, Russia, and China have done to the world, compare the descriptions of the author with today's reality.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-puJlEZFcYA0/YBcKo7xGEXI/AAAAAAABbGA/tyu50XzjU2oKgKgA_AwueL2l2stdYWU8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/south-lebanon-baalbek.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-puJlEZFcYA0/YBcKo7xGEXI/AAAAAAABbGA/tyu50XzjU2oKgKgA_AwueL2l2stdYWU8wCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/south-lebanon-baalbek.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The heroine and her cousin meet by chance in Beirut and decide to visit their aunt living in a palace in the Adonis Valley. The aunt is an eccentric of the old school. She moved to the palace years ago, cut off her family, and donned male Arab garb to lead a life of freedom and adventure where and how she chose. The visit therefore will be a surprise and probably highly unwelcome, both. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nklNrK0Q7Vc/YBcKnzu5ixI/AAAAAAABbF0/o0CxfdyvKOQJg5Jmkexp5SG7y0r6KFZGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/lebanon-traveler-palmyra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nklNrK0Q7Vc/YBcKnzu5ixI/AAAAAAABbF0/o0CxfdyvKOQJg5Jmkexp5SG7y0r6KFZGQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/lebanon-traveler-palmyra.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The plot opens up all kinds of opportunities to wreak havoc with readers' imagination and more so with the heroines. The tale becomes quite dark once the heroine is inside the crumbling pile called a palace. Nothing seems to fit or to make much sense; people are strange and become stranger as the arid landscape around the palace becomes more ominous.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YbiFiX6pPU/YBcKn_1TKhI/AAAAAAABbFw/MhND_rMSKEgR0nCSgEglPspI6GtonJYdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/adonis-valley-historical-print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="209" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YbiFiX6pPU/YBcKn_1TKhI/AAAAAAABbFw/MhND_rMSKEgR0nCSgEglPspI6GtonJYdQCLcBGAsYHQ/w139-h200/adonis-valley-historical-print.jpg" width="139" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Cleverly, the story of the heroine and her cousin gives a second strand that is equally disturbing. The interaction of the two cousins and with the other people becomes as tangled as the story of the old lady. To keep it all straight is at times a real effort and well worth the reading of this clever plot. It is quite hard to give the proper feel of the book without including a spoiler. But I return often to reading this book for its feel of 1001 nights.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XlPi0s2QiK8/YBcKoBoMr8I/AAAAAAABbF4/qUI7URaDtDklFekhmmEOTAO5JcZX2x3pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/afqa-grotto-temple-lebanon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XlPi0s2QiK8/YBcKoBoMr8I/AAAAAAABbF4/qUI7URaDtDklFekhmmEOTAO5JcZX2x3pQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/afqa-grotto-temple-lebanon.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mary Stewart's The Gabriel Hounds was out of print for many years. It is available on Kindle by Amazon. Where her other novels can still be traced in today's world, this one has become a historical record of what the Middle East used to be like before being bombed to smithereens by the world's superpowers. It's an excursion into a lost world well worth the while.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ouvmr76dmbU/YBcKo-MRrqI/AAAAAAABbGE/024J8uTdf44lTQ8Vra-ebbT3d4dZnUmCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s227/tannourine-adonis-valley-lebanon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="227" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ouvmr76dmbU/YBcKo-MRrqI/AAAAAAABbGE/024J8uTdf44lTQ8Vra-ebbT3d4dZnUmCwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h151/tannourine-adonis-valley-lebanon.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading<br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/09/mystery-in-south-of-france.html" target="_blank">Mystery in the South of France<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/11/mystery-in-pyrenees-mountains.html" target="_blank">Mystery in the Pyrenees Mountains<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeehistoryblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/secret-war-in-yemen.html" target="_blank">Secret War in Yemen</a></span></div>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-70522219809637575542021-01-30T18:51:00.000-08:002021-01-30T18:51:29.386-08:00Mystery On Corfu<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Corfu has always been the pet theory for Shakespeare aficionados as the setting for the Tempest. There is very little to go by to come up with this theory. The bard was famous for taking a loan from any story he came across. Having certain names crop up in the play and on the island is no great clue. And fiction is fiction, there should be no earthly realm to be found.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-exstToCZg4U/YBYaDhs13vI/AAAAAAABbFA/VZocq-mzYGMQH5hXyL9BSJrJwq291jL5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s500/relaxed-gay-beach-boy-twink-hairy-hunk-swimming-trunk-boner-bulge-lean-muscles-6pack-pose-model-male.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="454" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-exstToCZg4U/YBYaDhs13vI/AAAAAAABbFA/VZocq-mzYGMQH5hXyL9BSJrJwq291jL5ACLcBGAsYHQ/w182-h200/relaxed-gay-beach-boy-twink-hairy-hunk-swimming-trunk-boner-bulge-lean-muscles-6pack-pose-model-male.jpg" width="182" /></a><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In keeping with the setting, the heroine is a young and not successful actress enjoying a holiday sponsored by her billionaire sister. Also present are the Gales. The father is the most renowned interpreter of Shakespeare, the son is a well known composer. They cohabit in a way, the Gales in the grand mansion, the sisters in a villa in the grounds, with a photographer in the second villa.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4j0Gfp7gEgM/YBYaDolPyLI/AAAAAAABbFE/B_OhpZ7BE0ErLldm8ug4ZZiKFBQ-mZlKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s477/shaved-young-gay-speedo-boy-bulge-shirtless-teen-hunk-mattress-pool-lad-hairy-pits-guy-summer-holiday-shaved-pubes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="477" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4j0Gfp7gEgM/YBYaDolPyLI/AAAAAAABbFE/B_OhpZ7BE0ErLldm8ug4ZZiKFBQ-mZlKgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h183/shaved-young-gay-speedo-boy-bulge-shirtless-teen-hunk-mattress-pool-lad-hairy-pits-guy-summer-holiday-shaved-pubes.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Things start to turn weird; a dolphin comes into the beach and shot at, people move around the grounds in the middle of the night, and the Gales are virtually cut off from humanity by their antisocial attitude. The actress with too much time on her hand and a sister incapacitated by a pregnancy almost at term, finds herself meeting just about everybody except the Duke of Milan.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LxiLQIANA0o/YBYaDi5adDI/AAAAAAABbFI/4zO3aNqvfC0X9J4lmhmznmn6TPs55nLjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s937/six-gay-speedo-beach-boys-shirtless-sea-water-wet-twink-hunk-muscle-group-bisexual-pecs-abs-sexy-tattoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="937" height="122" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LxiLQIANA0o/YBYaDi5adDI/AAAAAAABbFI/4zO3aNqvfC0X9J4lmhmznmn6TPs55nLjQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h122/six-gay-speedo-beach-boys-shirtless-sea-water-wet-twink-hunk-muscle-group-bisexual-pecs-abs-sexy-tattoo.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">While the book doesn't serve as a tour guide as so many others of Mary Stewart's novels, it is masterly in describing the population living on the island and their religious roots and beliefs. If you plan a holiday for late spring and don't know where to go, this book might just sway your vote. Greece and the islands are best visited before the tourist hordes descend like locusts on Egypt's fields.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PhsFT6ruX-M/YBYaEZXJVeI/AAAAAAABbFM/KPb7mgLIU6UBG3cbLT_eZD9of5DRqBkOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s857/speedo-boys-beach-shirtless-hairless-nude-chest-slim-embrace-fooling-around-bulge-teen-gay-holiday-sunshine-gravel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="857" height="159" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PhsFT6ruX-M/YBYaEZXJVeI/AAAAAAABbFM/KPb7mgLIU6UBG3cbLT_eZD9of5DRqBkOgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h159/speedo-boys-beach-shirtless-hairless-nude-chest-slim-embrace-fooling-around-bulge-teen-gay-holiday-sunshine-gravel.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The mystery and the twists and turns visited upon the reader by the author make it a real page turner. I have to admit though, at times you will say things like 'really? isn't there anything more stupid you could do?' when talking to the heroine. But nobody ever accused actresses of being intellectual giants. The clumsiness of the heroine doesn't detract from the mystery. That the mystery is linked to actual European history during the Cold War is a bonus.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kfLQyuzhq6M/YBYaFYefvgI/AAAAAAABbFQ/sZJSBIZyzwQB_HdA2j28WAeFHFuZ7BqIACLcBGAsYHQ/s840/young-teen-bathing-boys-speedo-bulge-gay-shirtless-slim-bodies-election-nipples-beach-group-band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="840" height="162" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kfLQyuzhq6M/YBYaFYefvgI/AAAAAAABbFQ/sZJSBIZyzwQB_HdA2j28WAeFHFuZ7BqIACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h162/young-teen-bathing-boys-speedo-bulge-gay-shirtless-slim-bodies-election-nipples-beach-group-band.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart has been out of print for many years. It is available for Kindle on Amazon. The book was first published in 1964, but despite that it doesn't feel dated, just a document of the times when there was no internet and no cell phones were ringing all the time. Immerse yourself into the frontline of the Cold War on the border between Greece and Albania.<br /><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REx7Uk8xOO4/YBYaFuIBS3I/AAAAAAABbFU/07J5AE5ZSbcMTVxF0MCQTa4XztK1HQxhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/wet-young-gay-teenager-boy-bather-teen-swimmer-body-slim-nude-torso-white-trunks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1213" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REx7Uk8xOO4/YBYaFuIBS3I/AAAAAAABbFU/07J5AE5ZSbcMTVxF0MCQTa4XztK1HQxhQCLcBGAsYHQ/w119-h200/wet-young-gay-teenager-boy-bather-teen-swimmer-body-slim-nude-torso-white-trunks.jpg" width="119" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading<br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2021/01/mystery-on-crete.html" target="_blank">Mystery On Crete<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/12/mystery-in-delphi.html" target="_blank">Mystery in Delphi<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2020/12/wedding-vows-on-rocks.html" target="_blank">Wedding Vows on the Rocks</a></span></p>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-41739379867301732652021-01-24T19:57:00.000-08:002021-01-24T19:57:09.435-08:00Mystery On Crete<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Two brothers, one young, the other very young, get stranded on Crete after a meeting with the wrong kind of Cretans. Their boating companion and guide finds the older by chance and gets them to a lonely shepherd's hut. Water is near, but food is a problem. With one of them wounded, they get stuck there. And the younger has disappeared in a landscape full of lonely buildings and hiding places.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbSM_Omzmfs/YA5AU1txuUI/AAAAAAABa_k/QnNfnYbMhNgoRpmgRzlacjZwgJzYKx2qwCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/lassithi-windmills-crete-high-plateau-greece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="800" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbSM_Omzmfs/YA5AU1txuUI/AAAAAAABa_k/QnNfnYbMhNgoRpmgRzlacjZwgJzYKx2qwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/lassithi-windmills-crete-high-plateau-greece.jpg" width="200" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The book by Mary Stewart is called the Moonspinners. They are three Greek goddesses looking after the hunted prey. Every full moon, they get out their spindles and spin the moonbeams into threads. With the new moon, they go down to the sea to wash the threads and they float out back to the moon. This builds the main theme for the book; the older boy hunted prey while he is hunting for his younger brother.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKloBxBDmas/YA5AVZts72I/AAAAAAABa_o/z4BdAAvh37Q2gEZs9GEERtgGQKKIs-KKACLcBGAsYHQ/s949/olive-kamilario-irakleio-oldest-olive-tree-crete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="949" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UKloBxBDmas/YA5AVZts72I/AAAAAAABa_o/z4BdAAvh37Q2gEZs9GEERtgGQKKIs-KKACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h126/olive-kamilario-irakleio-oldest-olive-tree-crete.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The heroine appears in a cloud of dust and one day early way above a lonely Cretan village where she and her cousin want to spend a relaxing holiday. At this point I have to admit, I read this arrival very often. Just this part of the book, maybe two pages. The description is so masterly, I taste the dust in the air, I smell the flower, herbs, and plants; it is Crete incarnate and gives me a holiday in the sun just for reading it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1Wkmv0EcAs/YA5AU1GDIdI/AAAAAAABa_g/kDf_-sgsJ4wCDelHiaSEweLIft1rTBVyACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/crete-greece-seaside-village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r1Wkmv0EcAs/YA5AU1GDIdI/AAAAAAABa_g/kDf_-sgsJ4wCDelHiaSEweLIft1rTBVyACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/crete-greece-seaside-village.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Going from there, it is obvious that the early arrival must stumble upon the hut. The ensuing game of 'I don't know anything, but what were you doing at the mill' played by both sides builds a lot of suspense and cleverly hides who has what interests to defend. Trying to sort them all out takes the reader as long as the author, no easy shortcuts to be had for anyone.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6lO_-mYrnn4/YA5ATx40DtI/AAAAAAABa_Y/eGo79wOV1k8yww6YYf9aFQi4N9KbarW8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s795/crete-mountains-island-greece-abandoned-village-samaria-gorge-lefka-ori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="795" height="134" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6lO_-mYrnn4/YA5ATx40DtI/AAAAAAABa_Y/eGo79wOV1k8yww6YYf9aFQi4N9KbarW8gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h134/crete-mountains-island-greece-abandoned-village-samaria-gorge-lefka-ori.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Down in the village, clear cut lines between foreigners and locals are not what they seem at the outset. There are lines, and they are far from straight. Crooked would be a good description, I think. And the concept of hotels at the time when the book was written wasn't universally known in Crete or in fact in Greece.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JSEjwfKRWNI/YA5AWEAvhUI/AAAAAAABa_s/LGXFqQmFzTwypGw1SKqHP58xJzuP455zwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/preveli-beach-crete-greece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1200" height="128" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JSEjwfKRWNI/YA5AWEAvhUI/AAAAAAABa_s/LGXFqQmFzTwypGw1SKqHP58xJzuP455zwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h128/preveli-beach-crete-greece.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart was out of print for many years; it is available on Amazon for Kindle. There was a film made at about the same time; it has the title and refers to Mary Stewart; that's about as far as veracity to the original goes. Don't bother trying to find it, it's not worth it.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rM2jEp7LHck/YA5AUhuV17I/AAAAAAABa_c/wbhoYEv4ebMPXAjrMI3d5hNuaUUk9gzAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2028/historical-windmills-crete-greece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2028" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rM2jEp7LHck/YA5AUhuV17I/AAAAAAABa_c/wbhoYEv4ebMPXAjrMI3d5hNuaUUk9gzAgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h151/historical-windmills-crete-greece.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/12/mystery-in-delphi.html" target="_blank">Mystery in Delphi<br /></a><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/mystery-in-scotland.html" target="_blank">Mystery in Scotland<br /></a><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/mystery-in-south-of-france.html" target="_blank">Mystery in the South of France</a></span></div>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-71239804768323227432021-01-18T23:14:00.000-08:002021-01-18T23:14:39.542-08:00Mystery At Hadrian's Wall<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As with all of Mary Stewart's mystery novels, the setting is as important as the protagonists. The story she spins this time is perfectly suited to misty Northumberland. The bluffs and double bluffs find a perfect expression in the Roman border situation, which isn't one anymore, but still is a major divider of mainland Britain. If you haven't yet been there, this book should give you the impetus to do so.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XiHjTnOvZjk/YAaFRo0NEMI/AAAAAAABa5Q/cBjGZ6pv8osGx45pgdSkSVMN-ltrvEOZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1782/hadrian-wall-northumberland-england-uk-britain-europe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1782" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XiHjTnOvZjk/YAaFRo0NEMI/AAAAAAABa5Q/cBjGZ6pv8osGx45pgdSkSVMN-ltrvEOZgCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/hadrian-wall-northumberland-england-uk-britain-europe.jpg" width="134" /></a><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A Canadian waitress was hired by a farmer and con man to impersonate his cousin. At stake was the control of the family farm or estate which he wanted to own outright without interference of his cousin; albeit, said cousin had disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago. This being Mary Stewart, nothing is what it seems to be, and nothing that is made belief is entirely a lie.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kkz1oRhtLF0/YAaFSuDHXPI/AAAAAAABa5c/EzAn5AWnSo0zM-y8rV7u3N-Rmyr8xniyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s893/newcastle-upon-tyne-bridges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="893" height="134" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kkz1oRhtLF0/YAaFSuDHXPI/AAAAAAABa5c/EzAn5AWnSo0zM-y8rV7u3N-Rmyr8xniyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h134/newcastle-upon-tyne-bridges.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The interweaving of truth, semi-truth, semi-lie, and outright lie keeps the reader constantly guessing to the point where even the obvious becomes dubious. The landscape and the history of the area are used to play with the imagination of the protagonists and readers alike. The goal might be a family reunion with only a select few in the know, because for the others it would spell murder.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZGBNHuo0Vo/YAaFSGe7lcI/AAAAAAABa5U/qH9TWKpA3-QwAAkvY_QXHVMxP7kerRB7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s636/ivy-covered-tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="636" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZGBNHuo0Vo/YAaFSGe7lcI/AAAAAAABa5U/qH9TWKpA3-QwAAkvY_QXHVMxP7kerRB7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h151/ivy-covered-tree.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Never content with just one mystery, there are other skeletons in various closets that need an airing and get it thanks to the author. This principle of stacking mysteries onto each other that may or may not be separate from the main plot is a specialty of her. And whenever readers think they figured it out, there is usually a forceful tug on their sleeves to warrant a second look which results in a different assessment.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gikxqZ6YRA4/YAaFSQNpFrI/AAAAAAABa5Y/7Y8IGm4W2V44X2oUZC_6-GIUa__itoHYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/castle-street-warkworth-northumberland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1376" data-original-width="2048" height="134" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gikxqZ6YRA4/YAaFSQNpFrI/AAAAAAABa5Y/7Y8IGm4W2V44X2oUZC_6-GIUa__itoHYgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h134/castle-street-warkworth-northumberland.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The history of what had happened on the neighboring estate before and after the heiress's abrupt departure years back added an odd twist to the impersonation as only the real heiress knows that there was a story before her departure. Trying to convince the neighbor that she, the Canadian waitress, is the heiress while not giving away the fact that she is the heiress in disguise is confusing enough for one story, let alone in the web of lies being played out in the book.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-myZycJHIfbY/YAaFQuGLYoI/AAAAAAABa5M/JX8J44xW7TkgSc226k-H34zPLua7JqqfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1194/crag-lough-northumberland-national-park-steel-rigg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1194" height="101" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-myZycJHIfbY/YAaFQuGLYoI/AAAAAAABa5M/JX8J44xW7TkgSc226k-H34zPLua7JqqfQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h101/crag-lough-northumberland-national-park-steel-rigg.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mary Stewart's The Ivy Tree was out of print for many years. It is now available on Amazon for Kindle. While the plotting in the book is masterly, the end of the story is probably the weakest the author ever wrote. It's still good enough to make many a published author jealous. But unlike her other novels, I've only read this one a couple of times, instead of over and over.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xbp7K3_v-3Y/YAaFS5vt2pI/AAAAAAABa5g/XQfsn0cAJh0vW6Lwxuqxmdit0SNqqBJuACLcBGAsYHQ/s653/northumberland-beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="653" height="129" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xbp7K3_v-3Y/YAaFS5vt2pI/AAAAAAABa5g/XQfsn0cAJh0vW6Lwxuqxmdit0SNqqBJuACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h129/northumberland-beach.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading<br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2021/01/mystery-on-lake-geneva.html" target="_blank">Mystery On Lake Geneva</a><br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/09/mystery-in-south-of-france.html" target="_blank">Mystery In The South Of France</a><br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/10/mystery-in-scotland.html" target="_blank">Mystery In Scotland</a></span></p>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-80734177835192617032021-01-18T19:12:00.000-08:002021-01-18T19:12:35.775-08:00Mystery on Lake Geneva<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">For once, this mystery book by Mary Stewart doesn't act as a travel guide extraordinaire at the same time. The story is too contained within the space of private properties, with good reason. Of Stewart's mystery books I have read, this one is the darkest and most obscure visible in title and storyline both. But follow me to Lake Geneva's French side to have a good look around.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gKxeLY67dKE/YAZL7_CRrBI/AAAAAAABa4o/ZHnpdfWWhoYfL0C6KIqvv5my-NKjj4FXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/thonon-les-bains-ripaille-castle-grounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1515" data-original-width="2048" height="148" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gKxeLY67dKE/YAZL7_CRrBI/AAAAAAABa4o/ZHnpdfWWhoYfL0C6KIqvv5my-NKjj4FXQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h148/thonon-les-bains-ripaille-castle-grounds.jpg" width="200" /></a><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The setting for this story is as usual very real and of the time the book was written. <a href="http://stutenzeehistoryblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/united-nations-world-capital-geneva.html" target="_blank">Geneva</a> is somewhere on the far horizon with its binational airport, while spa Deauville is nearer but not as near as Thonon-les-Bains. The description of the landscape is masterly and can give you an appetite to go there on a holiday.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aHHSqiZ0j5o/YAZL8WCQGRI/AAAAAAABa4w/UVbbzq7u5_kiCW54tk5aHw-PCSlxiwXAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/trouville-deauville-waterfront-small-boats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1080" height="148" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aHHSqiZ0j5o/YAZL8WCQGRI/AAAAAAABa4w/UVbbzq7u5_kiCW54tk5aHw-PCSlxiwXAgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h148/trouville-deauville-waterfront-small-boats.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The main character was a bilingual English-French girl who just happened to forget to inform her new French employers that she was fluent in French. It was the ad that said English only, forgetting something minor seemed the right thing to do to get the job. This sets her up to be the recipient of all kind of secrets, skeletons in closets, and plain gossip as everybody assumed her to be deaf to French.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bN99ffIMCYU/YAZL6qZFTzI/AAAAAAABa4c/mAyLZ_v4GEchPojeK6oAil7yQ3LNXMtwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/thonon-les-bains-estate-luxury-abode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1600" height="132" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bN99ffIMCYU/YAZL6qZFTzI/AAAAAAABa4c/mAyLZ_v4GEchPojeK6oAil7yQ3LNXMtwwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h132/thonon-les-bains-estate-luxury-abode.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As the story progresses, the landscape seems to change. <a href="https://stutenzeehistoryblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/geneva-landmark-jet-deau-is-reminder-of.html" target="_blank">Geneva</a> seems to move away. The already dark forests become darker, the winding roads more terrifying, the family seat more Gothic, and family and employees more secretive. It is masterly, how Mary Stewart can use the surroundings to constrict space and time around a beleaguered governess. At times, the reader has to remember to breath.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--OuoYd940EY/YAZL8Dp0o6I/AAAAAAABa4s/pQyhV6xVQp4kvqMUx_PV86ZxYFnM90ckwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1536/thonon-with-funicular-les-bains-harbor-lake-geneva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="1536" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--OuoYd940EY/YAZL8Dp0o6I/AAAAAAABa4s/pQyhV6xVQp4kvqMUx_PV86ZxYFnM90ckwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/thonon-with-funicular-les-bains-harbor-lake-geneva.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As more family members enter the stage set on the shores of Lake Geneva, more mysteries than one seem to be piling up to baffle the interloper. Never straightforward, every move she makes raises the question if that one wasn't exactly what she should have avoided at all cost. But as space and time run out, options become rarer and rarer.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-um7_lkmI-XM/YAZL66uTslI/AAAAAAABa4k/PEp6RlW5TZkswfKLKSBoTWqtNSVSDrQ5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1464/jardin-cinq-sens-lake-geneva-harbor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1464" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-um7_lkmI-XM/YAZL66uTslI/AAAAAAABa4k/PEp6RlW5TZkswfKLKSBoTWqtNSVSDrQ5gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h126/jardin-cinq-sens-lake-geneva-harbor.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mary Stewart's Nine Coaches Waiting was out of print for many years, but is now available again on Kindle by Amazon. How often do we say 'the old ones are the best'? With Mary Stewart that holds true. If you enjoy the frisson of a good and dangerous mystery, then this is a good choice to go for.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QPvgt-X6VeA/YAZL6soscTI/AAAAAAABa4g/RkYBWdBr4GQ3R-LgZh9VSvgYiC5wepC-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/geneva-jet-deau-lakefront-lake-switzerland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1200" height="131" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QPvgt-X6VeA/YAZL6soscTI/AAAAAAABa4g/RkYBWdBr4GQ3R-LgZh9VSvgYiC5wepC-ACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h131/geneva-jet-deau-lakefront-lake-switzerland.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading<br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/12/mystery-in-delphi.html" target="_blank">Mystery in Delphi<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/11/mystery-in-pyrenees-mountains.html" target="_blank">Mystery in the Pyrenees Mountains<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/11/austrian-mystery-with-horses.html" target="_blank">Austrian Mystery with Horses</a></span></p>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-6648805049837732302021-01-18T16:21:00.001-08:002021-01-26T13:55:16.211-08:00High School Gay Romance<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Presenting High School life in any form is fraught with danger; either authors presume too much knowledge about how its social mechanisms work or they lose themselves in the interactions that have little or nothing to do with the story they are telling. This book falls into the first category; and that's not the worst of its shortcomings</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pYbJvChwt30/YAYkaKE3uzI/AAAAAAABa3E/JbaGIhLI1Fwoh4QJkWZGi-Q3z4pRjPk5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s612/young-gay-street-boy-shirtless-escort-night-sixpack-public-display-sale-body-earrings-muscle-hunk-teenage-model.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="606" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pYbJvChwt30/YAYkaKE3uzI/AAAAAAABa3E/JbaGIhLI1Fwoh4QJkWZGi-Q3z4pRjPk5gCLcBGAsYHQ/w198-h200/young-gay-street-boy-shirtless-escort-night-sixpack-public-display-sale-body-earrings-muscle-hunk-teenage-model.jpg" width="198" /></a><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Imagine a high school somewhere not quite in the middle of nowhere in the 21st century. The usual ploy is to introduce the new pupil as the start of the story. This always works, except when it doesn't. The new pupil comes as a clean sheet, there is no prior story, no trauma, no nothing. And he is the one at the center of the story. Clean sheet works if another person is center stage and then finds out bit by bit what had been before.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGdExdKv-5U/YAYkal0rsEI/AAAAAAABa3M/fl2rxzvbB346AH1_cKz-e90aRwOe5k5fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s644/young-teen-gay-hunk-boy-hairy-pits-stretched-bed-white-linen-tatto-hairless-naked-chest-muscled-sexy-pose-ready.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="644" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGdExdKv-5U/YAYkal0rsEI/AAAAAAABa3M/fl2rxzvbB346AH1_cKz-e90aRwOe5k5fQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/young-teen-gay-hunk-boy-hairy-pits-stretched-bed-white-linen-tatto-hairless-naked-chest-muscled-sexy-pose-ready.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The effect of this for me was a feeling of limbo; Liam, the new pupil wasn't someone I could identify with on any level, because there was just this gaping hole of history not told. It doesn't improve on that score as the story progresses. His mercurial changes from too shy to talk to telling the bullies to go and see where the world is darkest, his changes from smiling bimbo to cry baby every other page didn't help to make him approachable. I could have boxed his ears more than once.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ajw0xG9NLMs/YAYkZEWTpWI/AAAAAAABa20/WaRcPYT6ee0b5IdLtZbEeV4bENSb916FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s598/young-boy-shower-wet-bulge-swimming-trunks-erection-teenager-gay-adolescents-slim-hairless-body-pits-tattoo-dripping-shirtless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="376" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ajw0xG9NLMs/YAYkZEWTpWI/AAAAAAABa20/WaRcPYT6ee0b5IdLtZbEeV4bENSb916FgCLcBGAsYHQ/w126-h200/young-boy-shower-wet-bulge-swimming-trunks-erection-teenager-gay-adolescents-slim-hairless-body-pits-tattoo-dripping-shirtless.jpg" width="126" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">That leaves the other half of the pairing; any romance needs two, right? Alex is so much at the periphery of the story at the beginning, it takes him ages to claim his place in the storyline. It took me to chapter 14 to finally find him a bit believable. There aren't many more chapters, spoiler alert.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kUaNbWFM1Qs/YAYkZMFYPCI/AAAAAAABa28/qyAfKEQFBUgwqaNjNzwTwVW3usEEZDomwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1296/young-boy-bulge-swim-skinny-body-gay-pre-adolescent-hariless-small-stiff-nipples-sun-tan-nude-chest-shirtless-beach.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="914" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kUaNbWFM1Qs/YAYkZMFYPCI/AAAAAAABa28/qyAfKEQFBUgwqaNjNzwTwVW3usEEZDomwCLcBGAsYHQ/w141-h200/young-boy-bulge-swim-skinny-body-gay-pre-adolescent-hariless-small-stiff-nipples-sun-tan-nude-chest-shirtless-beach.jpg" width="141" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And the whole time, the lack of social profiling in the school hierarchy is blatantly obvious. Swimmers don't make the top of the social pile, in this case that would be the basketball team. They are mentioned, but strangely absent when it goes to party, to bully, to be pain in the neck, and just to be where they are not wanted. Which throws the whole lot of that onto two or three guys in the swimming team who try but fail to do it right.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KbZS1Ru0AL0/YAYkaV8089I/AAAAAAABa3I/xl0m7D8cAXw4OvVyIt-WxmgqXxvB2xEygCLcBGAsYHQ/s680/young-smooth-hairless-naked-chest-gay-blond-boy-tattoo-chains-harbor-boat-sunshine-model-beauty-cute-lips-ear-ring-piercing-shirtless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="446" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KbZS1Ru0AL0/YAYkaV8089I/AAAAAAABa3I/xl0m7D8cAXw4OvVyIt-WxmgqXxvB2xEygCLcBGAsYHQ/w131-h200/young-smooth-hairless-naked-chest-gay-blond-boy-tattoo-chains-harbor-boat-sunshine-model-beauty-cute-lips-ear-ring-piercing-shirtless.jpg" width="131" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the end, the two find each other; but again, the story is bloodless and uninspiring. Alex suddenly finds he's gay; all the steps in between being not gay and being gay are just considered a given. He goes on long skate outings alone, but the thought process is skipped. For people who are not gay, it's totally baffling; for me it was irritating. The whole book somehow lacked substance to fill my mind belly.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-866JF7O3BLk/YAYkZP6VlNI/AAAAAAABa24/F9dHpbYYItc8QBaaQ7wi2hJriCmK1qgWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/young-boy-shirtless-naked-bath-mirror-image-self-pic-shirtless-gay-lad-chest-nipples-muscles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="496" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-866JF7O3BLk/YAYkZP6VlNI/AAAAAAABa24/F9dHpbYYItc8QBaaQ7wi2hJriCmK1qgWQCLcBGAsYHQ/w198-h200/young-boy-shirtless-naked-bath-mirror-image-self-pic-shirtless-gay-lad-chest-nipples-muscles.jpg" width="198" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I got Swimmer Boy by Jay Argent for free as a Kindle edition as part of an Amazon promotion. That is the price I would pay for a future book by the same author. I don't know how long the promotion will last, but maybe you want to try it for free while you can and make up your own mind. I do admit I might be just too picky for something that is written for quick consumption over a cup of tea and a cookie.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O6hPB6uVG6o/YAYkZ1IO7gI/AAAAAAABa3A/zJrXqnr8oyEf_GHRhdeQB4b2R0mY7VhlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s750/young-boy-sloppy-shirt-exposed-nude-chest-blond-hair-skinny-body-jeans-bulge-public-street-sexy-model.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="495" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O6hPB6uVG6o/YAYkZ1IO7gI/AAAAAAABa3A/zJrXqnr8oyEf_GHRhdeQB4b2R0mY7VhlQCLcBGAsYHQ/w132-h200/young-boy-sloppy-shirt-exposed-nude-chest-blond-hair-skinny-body-jeans-bulge-public-street-sexy-model.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading<br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2015/08/when-spell-goes-wrong.html" target="_blank">When a Spell Goes Wrong<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/12/summers-in-maine.html" target="_blank">Summers in Maine<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeecandyblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/coming-out-overwhelms-many-teenagers.html" target="_blank">Coming Out Overwhelms Many Teenagers</a></span></p>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-46491834686856343822021-01-06T12:37:00.000-08:002021-01-06T12:37:23.866-08:00Apprentice Meets God<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The fifth and final book of the Belgariad series brings the story to a satisfactory climax. Both Garion and Ce'Nedra are exceedingly busy in bringing everything to pass as stipulated by the prophecy. Probably they needn't have bothered, the prophecy and its counterpart moved everyone around like so many chess pieces.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qzY0RVvv514/X_YeeQ760VI/AAAAAAABax8/72TxiYKwQww585RlN2KK60xrfZzClxnJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/park-sunshine-young-teen-muscle-shirt-portrait-model-escort-smooth-skinned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="496" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qzY0RVvv514/X_YeeQ760VI/AAAAAAABax8/72TxiYKwQww585RlN2KK60xrfZzClxnJwCLcBGAsYHQ/w198-h200/park-sunshine-young-teen-muscle-shirt-portrait-model-escort-smooth-skinned.jpg" width="198" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Garion is traveling East and going through Gar Og Nadrak when he is apprehended by the Mallorean military first, then by the King's secret service second. The travel arrangements and both these situations offer lots of comedy elements. So will the continuation of the journey into the high North. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgY6p8hxJhM/X_Yee_k2dkI/AAAAAAABayA/kDvAtwOmvIkWONZk7Ab-u_52XCViQnJWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s558/sixpack-muscled-pecs-hairless-chest-teenage-boy-hunk-naked-garden-park-outdoors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="462" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tgY6p8hxJhM/X_Yee_k2dkI/AAAAAAABayA/kDvAtwOmvIkWONZk7Ab-u_52XCViQnJWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w166-h200/sixpack-muscled-pecs-hairless-chest-teenage-boy-hunk-naked-garden-park-outdoors.jpg" width="166" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">While Garion is traveling to his final destination, Ce'Nedra and her army are busy in Mishrak ac Thull making a pest of themselves. But it turns out they are caught between to enemy armies and will have their work cut out getting in and out in more or less one piece. Army and fleet make a fairly good job of this. Polgara, Durnik, Ce'Nedra and Errand on the other hand end up as guests of the Emperor of Mallorea.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pGX2TXgffqE/X_YedzuTFVI/AAAAAAABaxw/Q4xL3Rw_LFIa1hS0VfVLa7zMii12PuHVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s957/gay-porn-model-escort-shirtless-malamut-dog-husky-muscle-hunk-tanned-dark-hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="557" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pGX2TXgffqE/X_YedzuTFVI/AAAAAAABaxw/Q4xL3Rw_LFIa1hS0VfVLa7zMii12PuHVwCLcBGAsYHQ/w116-h200/gay-porn-model-escort-shirtless-malamut-dog-husky-muscle-hunk-tanned-dark-hair.jpg" width="116" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the end, everyone is exactly where they should be, and the prophecies can have their say. The book is more action adventure than its predecessors, but you can't wage a war without breaking some eggs. It also means that the relentless banter is at a low. But the body count is rising on and off front stage. The 'they lived happily ever after' part is fairly soppy and could have been shorter. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kbUvJ8wiU8Y/X_YeeMknY3I/AAAAAAABax4/5VMYSeOtFMs59j5FffKK4YujSY3LW6ZXACLcBGAsYHQ/s798/muscle-teen-horses-foals-topless-jeans-sagger-slim-athlete-body-outside-stud-farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="798" height="129" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kbUvJ8wiU8Y/X_YeeMknY3I/AAAAAAABax4/5VMYSeOtFMs59j5FffKK4YujSY3LW6ZXACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h129/muscle-teen-horses-foals-topless-jeans-sagger-slim-athlete-body-outside-stud-farm.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">What all five books have in common is the meticulous adherence to the principles of the local magic. The timeline sometimes looks a bit iffy, but who is counting days when it gets really riveting. The development of the characters from book one to five is fairly well done, but then who can say what comes into a teenager's head at any given time? And with the goals set, some brutal adjustments may be fairly real.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbN_21deTts/X_Yed4prUNI/AAAAAAABax0/nLFgy9J06QUlYXR9dEovOeNdj7GHCP0XQCLcBGAsYHQ/s994/naked-young-teen-waterfall-spring-outdoors-hairless-skinny-boy-red-lips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="994" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbN_21deTts/X_Yed4prUNI/AAAAAAABax0/nLFgy9J06QUlYXR9dEovOeNdj7GHCP0XQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/naked-young-teen-waterfall-spring-outdoors-hairless-skinny-boy-red-lips.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Enchanter's End Game is book 5 in the Belgariad and brings the story of the prophecy to an end. Or at least that was what the authors intended and executed. What happens when the publisher decides 'this was a good one, write a sequel' will be visible in the Malloreon. I'll deal with that in later reviews.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQtJ_iOCCjA/X_YefJ_XkgI/AAAAAAABayE/wfNsB3M7zZEBHTnLxcH35sdlX1iLi-rQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s471/twink-hunk-forest-woods-trees-naked-public-small-nipples-hairless-shirt-off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="402" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQtJ_iOCCjA/X_YefJ_XkgI/AAAAAAABayE/wfNsB3M7zZEBHTnLxcH35sdlX1iLi-rQgCLcBGAsYHQ/w171-h200/twink-hunk-forest-woods-trees-naked-public-small-nipples-hairless-shirt-off.jpg" width="171" /></span></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2021/01/sorcerer-apprentice-no-more.html" target="_blank">Belgariad book 4</a></span></div><div><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2014/01/teenage-apprentice-sorcerer-rescue.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Belgariad book 3</span></a></div><div><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/12/teenage-sorcerer-on-move.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Belgariad book 2</span></a></div><div><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/09/teenage-sorcerer-apprentice.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Belgariad book 1</span></a></div></div>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-33124476506766332482021-01-05T19:01:00.000-08:002021-01-05T19:01:15.430-08:00Sorcerer Apprentice No More<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">In the fourth book of the Belgariad series, the apprentice arrives at his destination. The worst kept secret (at least for the reader) is being revealed to all the world. And all the world means the universe and everything. While the previous books were dominated by a group interaction, this book now changes tack to a more stationary and divisive lifestyle. This can go only so far, though.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--_0oiq10Q-o/X_Um8tPPzGI/AAAAAAABaxQ/t1FPDPMqQakjtT5kr9eXdIFHFXZ_QAx9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s612/teen-boy-shirtless-young-slim-hairless-rowing-lake-outdoors-sweet-looking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="612" height="198" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--_0oiq10Q-o/X_Um8tPPzGI/AAAAAAABaxQ/t1FPDPMqQakjtT5kr9eXdIFHFXZ_QAx9gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h198/teen-boy-shirtless-young-slim-hairless-rowing-lake-outdoors-sweet-looking.jpg" width="200" /></a><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The Belgariad's first three books were played out as a great group travelling together with many often humorous interchanges between the members. The tail end of this is happening at the beginning of this book while they make their way back into the West and the final destination of Riva. The reader is aware of that since book one, but many of the travelers are oblivious to the fact that this was the goal all along, so much happened to them.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lY8aLb_-_BA/X_Um85zcXPI/AAAAAAABaxY/el6P-koAXIITG1fsHqgjXl1Nb7GLemnoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1178/travis-van-winkle-naked-on-the-beach-smile-cute-twink-athlete-body-relaxed-open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="930" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lY8aLb_-_BA/X_Um85zcXPI/AAAAAAABaxY/el6P-koAXIITG1fsHqgjXl1Nb7GLemnoQCLcBGAsYHQ/w158-h200/travis-van-winkle-naked-on-the-beach-smile-cute-twink-athlete-body-relaxed-open.jpg" width="158" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">It's testament to David Eddings's writing skill that this is believable in a way where it keeps the story going. With the arrival in Riva, everything changes; the nomad lifestyle is exchanged for a sedentary one; the group is split up; the apprentice becomes the master. The transition is well done, considering it is a difficult one to carry off without losing characters and humorous exchanges.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnZxKjaxbmE/X_Um8ikGefI/AAAAAAABaxU/0-g-TJfuXI8Cs1_xrpgkHYt01nMjgW4wACLcBGAsYHQ/s792/thomas-isermann-male-model-shirtless-playing-cards-tattoo-naked-teen-boy-young-ribbed-hairless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="531" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnZxKjaxbmE/X_Um8ikGefI/AAAAAAABaxU/0-g-TJfuXI8Cs1_xrpgkHYt01nMjgW4wACLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/thomas-isermann-male-model-shirtless-playing-cards-tattoo-naked-teen-boy-young-ribbed-hairless.jpg" width="134" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Then the pace changes again as Garion makes the decision to travel alone into the East, but finally takes two companions with him. The ensuing scenes on the Island of Riva are high comedy. Meanwhile, the three travelers make their way to and through Drasnia. Adventures abound for the travelers while intrigue is going on in Riva.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kJqS_YFTjRg/X_Um718D4zI/AAAAAAABaxI/ZeaSvJfs5rQ-_RViHWZvPkxNss5kAf2jQCLcBGAsYHQ/s768/shirtless-bareback-horse-riders-bare-back-twink-hunk-group-gang-bang-ranch-corral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="768" height="157" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kJqS_YFTjRg/X_Um718D4zI/AAAAAAABaxI/ZeaSvJfs5rQ-_RViHWZvPkxNss5kAf2jQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h157/shirtless-bareback-horse-riders-bare-back-twink-hunk-group-gang-bang-ranch-corral.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The story has some major adjustments to make while doing a dance on the high rope to let Garion and Princess Ce'Nedra grow up to fill their roles. The dance is off the rope several times, but it doesn't impede the amusement of reading the story in the least. The eternal bickering between Belgarath and Polgara is impeded by distance, and I missed the caustic wit of those exchanges.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RyV035pYGsM/X_Um7jbFUVI/AAAAAAABaxE/zTHxUMmUynAebEq7-fgs2yxTQQLUFMWTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s642/big-fish-caught-young-teen-boy-slim-toppless-hairy-pits-hairless-skinny-adolescent-trunks-bulge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="472" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RyV035pYGsM/X_Um7jbFUVI/AAAAAAABaxE/zTHxUMmUynAebEq7-fgs2yxTQQLUFMWTwCLcBGAsYHQ/w147-h200/big-fish-caught-young-teen-boy-slim-toppless-hairy-pits-hairless-skinny-adolescent-trunks-bulge.jpg" width="147" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Castle of Wizardry is the fourth book of the Belgariad written by David and Leigh Eddings. It can be downloaded for Kindle. While all the Belgariad books are promoted to be read independently as well as a series, I recommend that starting with book 1 and ending with book 5 gives the most enjoyment.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X-dqmjFuLGo/X_Um78LpI6I/AAAAAAABaxM/JBq8X67Kh6ImfTvpbXLP1wcTNbpatNYyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s634/teen-boy-shirtless-open-shirt-slim-hairless-very-young-ripped-jeans-bulge-boner-rocky-field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="481" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X-dqmjFuLGo/X_Um78LpI6I/AAAAAAABaxM/JBq8X67Kh6ImfTvpbXLP1wcTNbpatNYyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w152-h200/teen-boy-shirtless-open-shirt-slim-hairless-very-young-ripped-jeans-bulge-boner-rocky-field.jpg" width="152" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading<br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2014/01/teenage-apprentice-sorcerer-rescue.html" target="_blank">Book 3 of the Belgariad<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/12/teenage-sorcerer-on-move.html" target="_blank">Book 2 of the Belgariad<br /></a><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/09/teenage-sorcerer-apprentice.html" target="_blank">Book 1 of the Belgariad</a></span></p>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-60456798987962824142020-12-19T00:51:00.002-08:002020-12-19T01:05:07.397-08:00Wedding Vows On The Rocks<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I planned on having a peek at the first chapter before going to sleep. Now it's morning and I finished the book. Not the way I planned it, but it is Saturday; I can sleep all day if I want to. Lucy Monroe's After The Billionaire's Wedding Vows was published by Harlequin. And it kept my attention seamlessly from start to end. The author sent me the book for a review; I happily obliged on this one.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nok2g4X2Lcg/X92-b8hhV-I/AAAAAAABaSQ/tLJxIVQUJpYaHdcx23j-7AX-xIU9PSshgCLcBGAsYHQ/s928/garden-beautiful-young-twink-hunk-open-shirt-hairless-gay-red-unshaved-kissing-lips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="605" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nok2g4X2Lcg/X92-b8hhV-I/AAAAAAABaSQ/tLJxIVQUJpYaHdcx23j-7AX-xIU9PSshgCLcBGAsYHQ/w130-h200/garden-beautiful-young-twink-hunk-open-shirt-hairless-gay-red-unshaved-kissing-lips.jpg" width="130" /></a><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Take a messed up marriage that is relying on all the wrong principles; principles that are part of a good marriage, but should not be the main stay of it. Add two contrasting families; one without influence but with a lot of love and communication; the other with lots of influence but containing two cattish harpies relentlessly chiseling away at that very marriage.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJ34GwM20HU/X92-b9nZoAI/AAAAAAABaSU/nHIyV0Kat5MeoEPfobEZOfLJl7qC3cUYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s635/hairy-chested-twink-muscle-hunk-pits-heterosexual-shirt-off-black-boxers-defined-eyes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="425" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJ34GwM20HU/X92-b9nZoAI/AAAAAAABaSU/nHIyV0Kat5MeoEPfobEZOfLJl7qC3cUYQCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/hairy-chested-twink-muscle-hunk-pits-heterosexual-shirt-off-black-boxers-defined-eyes.jpg" width="134" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If you think money is everything, then think again; there are people who have better things in mind. The main characters' main problem in their marriage is less a lack of communication than rather the lack of understanding what the other is meaning with what they are saying. The misunderstanding comes from the language barrier between the US and Greece; and even after learning the language doesn't mean you completely bought into the culture.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Lze9oLBloM/X92-c-EZbXI/AAAAAAABaSg/CgG-v1xKB7EvdmV3-3g_2sZK5PUfMKMggCLcBGAsYHQ/s641/naked-twink-model-athlete-portrait-bisexual-unshaved-hairless-torso-smooth-skin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="440" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Lze9oLBloM/X92-c-EZbXI/AAAAAAABaSg/CgG-v1xKB7EvdmV3-3g_2sZK5PUfMKMggCLcBGAsYHQ/w138-h200/naked-twink-model-athlete-portrait-bisexual-unshaved-hairless-torso-smooth-skin.jpg" width="138" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Culture is not only made in countries or ethnic groups. Culture is also made in social circles. If the social circles are far enough removed form each other, then misunderstanding happens on that level again. Trying to fix one of the culture gaps without addressing the other is no remedy either. They both have to be tackled and eliminated to allow for a seamless flow of information through communication.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l33B5mDmQOE/X92-czCbacI/AAAAAAABaSc/IJVsS2gcOp0HAi8hT-JUDXgIBGMb_tl5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s679/muscle-packed-ripped-twink-sixpack-pecs-bi-swimming-trunks-bulging-mass-lake-sea-tanned.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="514" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l33B5mDmQOE/X92-czCbacI/AAAAAAABaSc/IJVsS2gcOp0HAi8hT-JUDXgIBGMb_tl5gCLcBGAsYHQ/w151-h200/muscle-packed-ripped-twink-sixpack-pecs-bi-swimming-trunks-bulging-mass-lake-sea-tanned.JPG" width="151" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">If that all sounds rather dry, when you have a good story teller like Lucy Monroe then dry or boring doesn't come into the equation. From the start, the ups and downs and ins and outs of the main characters have a way of taking you into the story. You don't become part of a dysfunctional family, but you are always near enough to eavesdrop on what is going on and what is being said. In that sense, it's a very voyeuristic book to get into.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mExJOnvo4-U/X92-cEuj7qI/AAAAAAABaSY/0YClsN3P3Go3-kgYXo5IuNDyqjmAKwBGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s636/boat-relaxing-playboy-model-slim-twink-jeans-bulge-metrosexual-open-shirt-yacht-sailing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="504" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mExJOnvo4-U/X92-cEuj7qI/AAAAAAABaSY/0YClsN3P3Go3-kgYXo5IuNDyqjmAKwBGgCLcBGAsYHQ/w159-h200/boat-relaxing-playboy-model-slim-twink-jeans-bulge-metrosexual-open-shirt-yacht-sailing.jpg" width="159" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I don't normally like long conversations that drag you through page after page of a book. But these conversations don't drag; they take us readers with them from beginning to end while you wonder how the denouement will come to pass. If you are looking forward to an entertaining afternoon with a hot cup of tea and a roaring fire at your feet, this book will bind you into your seat until you finished it.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TfeDDkyOKLk/X92-dJOBy6I/AAAAAAABaSk/_gQGs4RKRSs3BStaNfXa8PGLTfbGrKlkACLcBGAsYHQ/s480/sixpack-hetero-muscle-hunk-hairy-chested-twink-bodybuilder-outdoors-park-lake-jeans-bulge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="381" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TfeDDkyOKLk/X92-dJOBy6I/AAAAAAABaSk/_gQGs4RKRSs3BStaNfXa8PGLTfbGrKlkACLcBGAsYHQ/w158-h200/sixpack-hetero-muscle-hunk-hairy-chested-twink-bodybuilder-outdoors-park-lake-jeans-bulge.jpg" width="158" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />Further reading<br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2020/12/billionaire-heir.html" target="_blank">Billionaire Heir</a><br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2020/12/alaskan-heatwave.html" target="_blank">Alaskan Heatwave</a><br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/language-barriers.html" target="_blank">Language Barriers</a></span></p>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-37064777878227261322020-12-11T12:28:00.003-08:002020-12-19T00:52:07.367-08:00Billionaire Heir<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Tradition can be a comfort and help run a functional and mainly happy family. And it can be disruptive and lead to a highly dysfunctional family when circumstances conspire against it. This is the scope of conflict Lucy Monroe is exploring in The Maharajah's Billionaire Heir. This modern romance is off topic, entertaining, and not what you expect at all.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbJQpK7M9-U/X9PVfuk4lbI/AAAAAAABZ9A/x-Hr7uPrx1o3-Bz9yPo-_Y7Q6ZEjionSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s607/open-shirt-black-tie-hairless-pecs-sixpack-heterosexual-smoker-cigar-tuxedo-twink-strip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="426" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbJQpK7M9-U/X9PVfuk4lbI/AAAAAAABZ9A/x-Hr7uPrx1o3-Bz9yPo-_Y7Q6ZEjionSQCLcBGAsYHQ/w141-h200/open-shirt-black-tie-hairless-pecs-sixpack-heterosexual-smoker-cigar-tuxedo-twink-strip.jpg" width="141" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">You know these restaurants that go all smarmy over you about their 'Asian-Mexican-fusion-kitchen' or something similarly stupid. Most of that fusion stuff is a lie coming down to one spice or one ingredient being added to a perfectly normal dish. The ones that are real fusion are somewhere in between inedible and plain disgusting. Who needs geranium sauce? Meaning that fusion has a decidedly negative connotation for me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ERswBCdoSJY/X9PVfwbpoqI/AAAAAAABZ9E/KAeBtrJ-29wPrGCbtfsHIPWEsQPglV7ygCLcBGAsYHQ/s946/unshaved-pits-hetero-bed-gay-for-pay-twink-hunk-naked-hairless-smooth-pecs-abs-nipples.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="870" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ERswBCdoSJY/X9PVfwbpoqI/AAAAAAABZ9E/KAeBtrJ-29wPrGCbtfsHIPWEsQPglV7ygCLcBGAsYHQ/w184-h200/unshaved-pits-hetero-bed-gay-for-pay-twink-hunk-naked-hairless-smooth-pecs-abs-nipples.jpg" width="184" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lucy Monroe serves up a fusion romance; the fusion is Indian-American. And it works. No, I didn't eat the book. The set-up of the story is so clever that from the start you are always caught on the wrong foot when drawing conclusions. I don't want to spoil it all by explaining. Suffice to say that throughout the book, nothing is where it should be in a straightforward romance. Get into it and let yourself be led by the nose at Lucy Monroe's bidding.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yqtBE3rTQ20/X9PVf0g0lCI/AAAAAAABZ9I/960UGwKDne8cnSV-R_v7mATMrs8bauGZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s596/young-naked-gay-hairy-chested-model-boy-twink-huge-eyes-unshaved-sitting-tartan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yqtBE3rTQ20/X9PVf0g0lCI/AAAAAAABZ9I/960UGwKDne8cnSV-R_v7mATMrs8bauGZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w151-h200/young-naked-gay-hairy-chested-model-boy-twink-huge-eyes-unshaved-sitting-tartan.jpg" width="151" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The book profits from expert input by Mayurika Saxena who contributed and double checked the Indian elements for veracity and consistency. Thanks to that, the story is believable despite it's unbelievable parameters at the outset. The characters are well developed and make innate sense throughout the development of the storyline. There is no point in the story where you would have to say, 'they wouldn't'. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6bjmq-ThRBg/X9PVe2ZJ59I/AAAAAAABZ88/3SASqJpZN28osCN3xh8Pf-KoL915UhGXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s740/metrosexual-young-twink-open-shirt-jacket-model-escort-smooth-hairless-full-frontal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6bjmq-ThRBg/X9PVe2ZJ59I/AAAAAAABZ88/3SASqJpZN28osCN3xh8Pf-KoL915UhGXgCLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/metrosexual-young-twink-open-shirt-jacket-model-escort-smooth-hairless-full-frontal.jpg" width="134" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">To make it quite clear, the story is built on believable characters. You don't get hit over the head with 'Indian-ness' or 'American-ness' to score cheap points in the ethnic community. The fusion is just that, the coming together of Indian and American culture and traditions and how they can influence each other. They don't need to be enemies, they, like all culture and traditions, compliment each other. One enhances the other.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nVG8gZlQpCA/X9PVeyn8-WI/AAAAAAABZ84/vkTxdwK2Sc8VznGlSN_JcBaHTc-OHBzWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s693/jeans-bi-sixpack-twink-tatto-shirtless-topless-shirt-off-ripped-ribbed-bodybuilder-hairless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="422" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nVG8gZlQpCA/X9PVeyn8-WI/AAAAAAABZ84/vkTxdwK2Sc8VznGlSN_JcBaHTc-OHBzWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w122-h200/jeans-bi-sixpack-twink-tatto-shirtless-topless-shirt-off-ripped-ribbed-bodybuilder-hairless.jpg" width="122" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This book was sent to me for free by the author. Lucy Monroe's book The Maharajah's Billionaire Heir was published in 2020. I recommend it to anyone who likes his story books to contain unexpected twists and turns and doesn't mind picking up some knowledge about another culture. You can always come back and comment if I was wrong about you being outguessed while reading. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUpQAp2nzH4/X9PVetLvneI/AAAAAAABZ80/yXsasa1rlF08hhhwDikSmkZJCcL2MxpvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s682/american-flag-muslce-hunk-twink-bisexual-hairless-nude-torso-developed-defined-shaved-pits.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="682" height="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UUpQAp2nzH4/X9PVetLvneI/AAAAAAABZ80/yXsasa1rlF08hhhwDikSmkZJCcL2MxpvQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h189/american-flag-muslce-hunk-twink-bisexual-hairless-nude-torso-developed-defined-shaved-pits.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2020/12/alaskan-heatwave.html" target="_blank">Alaskan Heatwave</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://stutenzeehistoryblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/james-abbott-and-abbottabad.html" target="_blank">James Abbott and Abbottabad</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://stutenzeehistoryblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/royal-correspondence-in-curiosity.html" target="_blank">Royal Correspondence in the Curiosity Cabinet</a> </span></div></div>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-3872366228808559102020-12-07T14:42:00.000-08:002020-12-07T14:42:37.004-08:00Alaskan Heatwave<p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Join me in an excursion to Alaska to follow the shenanigans of Lucy Monroe's characters in her modern romance. Modern romance is not always a happy genre; many really bad authors have done loads of damage to it. But this is Lucy Monroe, no categorizing necessary. Let's get into the nitty-gritty of Hot Alaska Nights.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Am4MUk59MSg/X86tGZCZ_FI/AAAAAAABZ7k/O79cz4GARQQH8t5fr4k3fR8fs0Sv6-CTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s680/open-shirt-car-driver-gras-chewing-outdoors-type-muscle-hunk-sixpack-twink-hairless-sexy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="477" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Am4MUk59MSg/X86tGZCZ_FI/AAAAAAABZ7k/O79cz4GARQQH8t5fr4k3fR8fs0Sv6-CTgCLcBGAsYHQ/w140-h200/open-shirt-car-driver-gras-chewing-outdoors-type-muscle-hunk-sixpack-twink-hairless-sexy.jpg" width="140" /></a><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The set-up in Alaska is not as gratuitous as the reader may think. The remoteness and strangeness specially for US Americans is a necessary ploy to develop the characters. Only in these special circumstances can the main character find a way to analyze herself. As a consequence she changes, and her surroundings have to deal with that while she has to redirect her ambitions to her new self.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5wxEXpU8ufk/X86tFP2dmPI/AAAAAAABZ7Y/tSLLD7O2x8Iv7SyeIYE3BWX9l0sXJBmpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s680/bi-shirtless-muscle-hunk-hairy-broad-chest-jeans-bulge-boner-outdoors-twink-pecs-abs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="463" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5wxEXpU8ufk/X86tFP2dmPI/AAAAAAABZ7Y/tSLLD7O2x8Iv7SyeIYE3BWX9l0sXJBmpQCLcBGAsYHQ/w136-h200/bi-shirtless-muscle-hunk-hairy-broad-chest-jeans-bulge-boner-outdoors-twink-pecs-abs.jpg" width="136" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The main character is Deborah Banes, a not quite failed actor at the tail-end of her young looks career. She has dealt with family estrangement and loneliness for 15 years and isn't even aware anymore that it is stressing her out. The move to Alaska introduces her to a highly dysfunctional family. Or that is what it seems like at first glance; she learns that this family is the opposite of dysfunctional despite first appearances. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-iQ37P9Lt0/X86tFMmEzmI/AAAAAAABZ7U/k2JsUDhQk3gKgqayrQFzcl9XxMQXBwdowCLcBGAsYHQ/s630/blond-shirt-open-city-twink-boy-jeans-boner-bulge-balcony-sixpack-no-hair-pecs-hunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="475" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-iQ37P9Lt0/X86tFMmEzmI/AAAAAAABZ7U/k2JsUDhQk3gKgqayrQFzcl9XxMQXBwdowCLcBGAsYHQ/w151-h200/blond-shirt-open-city-twink-boy-jeans-boner-bulge-balcony-sixpack-no-hair-pecs-hunk.jpg" width="151" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The introduction of a gay character into the story is done without fuss. Readers are spared any prejudice in characterization; there is no cheap comedy, no unnecessary drama, and no clichés to distract from the main story. It's a most refreshing way of dealing with it; the way it should be in reality. Here, Lucy Monroe is way ahead of the times, I'm afraid.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o9WOA8z64j0/X86tFM718tI/AAAAAAABZ7c/3ixCs3lFrA8G_uizj8TGS_MOxt2kKqsxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s628/hairy-naked-chest-sixpack-heterosexual-twink-hunk-outdoors-forest-tree-bulge-trousers-topless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="427" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o9WOA8z64j0/X86tFM718tI/AAAAAAABZ7c/3ixCs3lFrA8G_uizj8TGS_MOxt2kKqsxQCLcBGAsYHQ/w136-h200/hairy-naked-chest-sixpack-heterosexual-twink-hunk-outdoors-forest-tree-bulge-trousers-topless.jpg" width="136" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Normally when I review books with explicit sex scenes, I recommend 'you can skip them or read them, they have no bearing on the story'. Some writers seem to live by the standard that they have to introduce one sex scene every four or five chapters; these scenes feel artificial and copy and paste. In Hot Alaska Nights, they are part of the story and if you skip them, you might lose the thread of the story.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4ja-E6a0mQ/X86tFwZHRHI/AAAAAAABZ7g/pVkUlzA3iKY2pPVRMMDZUPAeh-FCWma1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s619/naked-muscle-twink-hunk-hairles-shirt-off-gay-shaved-pits-small-nipples-smooth-tan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="481" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4ja-E6a0mQ/X86tFwZHRHI/AAAAAAABZ7g/pVkUlzA3iKY2pPVRMMDZUPAeh-FCWma1wCLcBGAsYHQ/w155-h200/naked-muscle-twink-hunk-hairles-shirt-off-gay-shaved-pits-small-nipples-smooth-tan.jpg" width="155" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The introduction of a mystery thread into the story of the romance is a bit thin and it's resolution even more so. But it is either this or a complicated pre-story that would disrupt the main story and its natural placement in the chosen location. It's not a major drawback, but it did tug at my mind while reading. And no, I haven't come up with a better plot for the mystery.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOzn1lmN1fg/X86tGfXmksI/AAAAAAABZ7o/ORyU2MewE7gH8FZt5N4dNGqJGIVOxU61wCLcBGAsYHQ/s892/sixpack-suntan-twink-red-speedo-broad-pecs-abs-hairless-topless-nude-chest-torso-defined.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="878" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOzn1lmN1fg/X86tGfXmksI/AAAAAAABZ7o/ORyU2MewE7gH8FZt5N4dNGqJGIVOxU61wCLcBGAsYHQ/w197-h200/sixpack-suntan-twink-red-speedo-broad-pecs-abs-hairless-topless-nude-chest-torso-defined.jpg" width="197" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Hot Alaska Nights by Lucy Monroe was first published in 2019. This review was written after I received a free copy of the book from the author. The book is available on Amazon for Kindle and on several other platforms.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KoBQ7p7H0OU/X86tGix_2dI/AAAAAAABZ7s/EDKEsenucDQ5rseG8zwdniZI7vPTxf-cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s680/twink-muscle-hunk-tanned-smooth-skin-jeans-red-slips-large-nipples-bisexual-abs-pecs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="482" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KoBQ7p7H0OU/X86tGix_2dI/AAAAAAABZ7s/EDKEsenucDQ5rseG8zwdniZI7vPTxf-cQCLcBGAsYHQ/w141-h200/twink-muscle-hunk-tanned-smooth-skin-jeans-red-slips-large-nipples-bisexual-abs-pecs.jpg" width="141" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Further reading<br /><a href="https://www.lucymonroe.com/" target="_blank">Lucy Monroe</a><br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2015/08/regency-charade-mystery.html" target="_blank">Regency Charade Mystery</a><br /><a href="https://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2015/08/regency-murder-mystery.html" target="_blank">Regency Murder Mystery</a></span></p>stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-28071565776748957162015-08-20T05:51:00.001-07:002020-10-16T16:27:32.470-07:00Witches in Retirement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Welcome to the condo for retired wizards and witches in Grumpy Old Wizards by John O'Riley. Join the pensioners for tea and playing cards (mind reading not allowed) and join them in getting involved in a few murders in their spare time. One thing is sure, nothing has changed in the magicked up USA over the one we know today.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E6NNgfXYg5g/VdXMHaFtSEI/AAAAAAABMvg/k0izcp-dZX0/s1600/sporty-white-speedo-bulge-beach-boy-muscle-twink-model-hunk-hairless-gay-nude-torso-gymnast-stretched-athlete-body-outdoor-boner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E6NNgfXYg5g/VdXMHaFtSEI/AAAAAAABMvg/k0izcp-dZX0/s200/sporty-white-speedo-bulge-beach-boy-muscle-twink-model-hunk-hairless-gay-nude-torso-gymnast-stretched-athlete-body-outdoor-boner.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span><br />
</span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">John O'Riley managed the virtually impossible: He reinvented the USA on a magical plane and retained all the characteristics of today. The misunderstood Bill of Rights, Human Rights to be observed everywhere in the world except at home, and shady government agencies preying on people.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wk8pErdfBS0/VdXMGaurrKI/AAAAAAABMv8/IfIlnz9uVbs/s1600/boner-gay-bulge-beach-boy-beautiful-twink-pretty-face-shirtless-naked-chest-hairless-body-young-man-speedo-white-chain-pendant-muscle-umbrella.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wk8pErdfBS0/VdXMGaurrKI/AAAAAAABMv8/IfIlnz9uVbs/s200/boner-gay-bulge-beach-boy-beautiful-twink-pretty-face-shirtless-naked-chest-hairless-body-young-man-speedo-white-chain-pendant-muscle-umbrella.jpg" width="175" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">We know that genetics are unfair, but you will have to redefine 'unfair' after reading the book. The heroine of the story is a level 6 wizard according to one of those incomprehensible government scale systems we all love today. This is the highest possible power level a wizard can be born with, and it excludes her from doing almost anything.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8oP3D15nnI/VdXMIOpoXYI/AAAAAAABMvo/deo0XLDWd7k/s1600/water-sports-bisexual-twink-boys-young-shirtless-wet-shorts-bulge-muscle-gay-chest-hairless-couple-waves-sea-swim-boner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8oP3D15nnI/VdXMIOpoXYI/AAAAAAABMvo/deo0XLDWd7k/s200/water-sports-bisexual-twink-boys-young-shirtless-wet-shorts-bulge-muscle-gay-chest-hairless-couple-waves-sea-swim-boner.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The murder mystery is one of the more ingenious ones I have encountered because it not only leaves you in the dark about the murderer, but leads you into a merry dance about motive and the connection between the victims of this serial murder. The characters may not be fully formed to satisfaction, but that can be remedied later in the series.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tg5H_IczZQE/VdXMGRJo1PI/AAAAAAABMvY/XVqWnWG_iZs/s1600/beach-boy-gay-muscle-twink-hunk-shirtless-hairless-nude-chest-hairy-pits-defined-abs-muscle-pecs-jeans-bulge-boner-open-fly-belt-beautiful-model.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tg5H_IczZQE/VdXMGRJo1PI/AAAAAAABMvY/XVqWnWG_iZs/s200/beach-boy-gay-muscle-twink-hunk-shirtless-hairless-nude-chest-hairy-pits-defined-abs-muscle-pecs-jeans-bulge-boner-open-fly-belt-beautiful-model.jpg" width="130" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">If there is room for improvement, it doesn't distract unduly from a good story. The magical world is in itself logical and the blend with normality (as in non-magical) makes it easy to feel at home within the fabric of the book. If you like puzzling murders or wizards, or possibly both, this is a book to while away an afternoon.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBX0zAKi-ps/VdXMGajkPGI/AAAAAAABMvU/Rj3pDRBycvA/s1600/hairy-chest-male-model-beach-boy-open-shirt-gay-twink-muscle-hunk-open-fly-jeans-exposed-nipples-belly-button-slim-body-athlete.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBX0zAKi-ps/VdXMGajkPGI/AAAAAAABMvU/Rj3pDRBycvA/s200/hairy-chest-male-model-beach-boy-open-shirt-gay-twink-muscle-hunk-open-fly-jeans-exposed-nipples-belly-button-slim-body-athlete.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">John O'Riley's Grumpy Old Wizards is available to download for free on Amazon for Kindle. If that isn't an argument to go and get it, I don't know what is. And it is good enough to tempt you to buy into the series, once you get hooked to the brave new world the author conjures up for your amusement.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F2CZUYK36As/VdXMHGOcveI/AAAAAAABMvk/9MCrJIk74Lg/s1600/shirtless-bisexual-beach-boys-tattoo-muscle-chest-gay-twink-male-model-shaved-pits-condo-shirtless-outdoor-game-pretty-smile-face-pecs-abs.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F2CZUYK36As/VdXMHGOcveI/AAAAAAABMvk/9MCrJIk74Lg/s200/shirtless-bisexual-beach-boys-tattoo-muscle-chest-gay-twink-male-model-shaved-pits-condo-shirtless-outdoor-game-pretty-smile-face-pecs-abs.jpeg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2015/08/when-spell-goes-wrong.html" target="_blank">When a Spell Goes Wrong</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-thief-who-learned-magic.html" target="_blank">The Thief Who Learned Magic</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/1941-josslyn-hay-earl-of-errol-was-shot.html" target="_blank">Murder Mystery in Kenya</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-58214219790927841912015-08-19T13:56:00.003-07:002020-12-10T01:21:49.055-08:00When a Spell Goes Wrong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Enter the present day world of witches, warlocks, and high-school. Then add murder to the mix. This is the enticing recipe served up by Nikki Jefford in Entangled, the first of the Spellbound books. If the mix is something you can get into, the book is free to download on Amazon for Kindle at the time of publication of this review. You will be enchanted with what you find.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EK0f6OgXul0/VdTsnVxtZNI/AAAAAAABMuU/7AyvGZhKczY/s1600/bad-boy-image-gay-young-teen-boy-shirtless-nude-chest-open-jacket-hairless-smooth-skin-pecs-bautiful-face-cute-green-eyes-dragon-design-outdoors.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EK0f6OgXul0/VdTsnVxtZNI/AAAAAAABMuU/7AyvGZhKczY/s200/bad-boy-image-gay-young-teen-boy-shirtless-nude-chest-open-jacket-hairless-smooth-skin-pecs-bautiful-face-cute-green-eyes-dragon-design-outdoors.jpg" width="141" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span><br />
</span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">High-school is a perfect setting to wreck havoc when mixing in budding witches and warlocks; adding murder and a spell gone wretchedly wrong and you're in comedy central. I can guarantee you that your idea of 'time share' will undergo a radical review after reading this lovely book.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AGX3zdcIrbc/X62mMBBj7WI/AAAAAAABXAw/_Dahq5UFoWMmCSs-9gHIl1io3EFrHoH_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s667/gay-shirtless-young-boy-city-center-naked-torso-hairless-slim-teen-outdoors-public-view-street-erect-nipples.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AGX3zdcIrbc/X62mMBBj7WI/AAAAAAABXAw/_Dahq5UFoWMmCSs-9gHIl1io3EFrHoH_wCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/gay-shirtless-young-boy-city-center-naked-torso-hairless-slim-teen-outdoors-public-view-street-erect-nipples.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">What I admired most about Nikki Jefford's work was the ease with which she makes her world seem totally everyday and natural. It is this normality in its set-up that makes the book come alive. It is also the basis to keep you amused and carry on reading page after page.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sn33MhpzP3s/VdTsoPApa3I/AAAAAAABMuk/MCRCkbDj98s/s1600/shirtless-gay-latino-teen-boy-young-bautiful-hairless-slim-body-smooth-skin-pretty-face-cap-chains-small-nipples.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sn33MhpzP3s/VdTsoPApa3I/AAAAAAABMuk/MCRCkbDj98s/s200/shirtless-gay-latino-teen-boy-young-bautiful-hairless-slim-body-smooth-skin-pretty-face-cap-chains-small-nipples.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">It is credit to her writing skills that she can carry off the most outrageous situations and ideas as commonplace and nothing out of the ordinary world you and I normally inhabit. Witches and warlocks? I must have overlooked them while I was at high-school, but obviously they were there. This book convinced me of it.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFstOu5ALf8/VdTsoqZCchI/AAAAAAABMuo/-L9pw1ry-Ts/s1600/slim-defined-muscle-athlete-body-gay-teen-shirtless-young-boy-abs-sagger-tommy-hilfiger-briefs-jeans-outdoor-hairless-nude-chest-shirtless-beautiful-cute-face.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFstOu5ALf8/VdTsoqZCchI/AAAAAAABMuo/-L9pw1ry-Ts/s200/slim-defined-muscle-athlete-body-gay-teen-shirtless-young-boy-abs-sagger-tommy-hilfiger-briefs-jeans-outdoor-hairless-nude-chest-shirtless-beautiful-cute-face.jpeg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">If I seem terribly reticent about what is going on in the book: I really wouldn't want to spoil it for you. One spell gone wrong results in a whole string of irregular (even for high-school standards) and highly amusing situations. If you plan reading this book, you'd better do it on an afternoon you have no other plans for, you might just decide to read on instead of doing anything else.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lc9CVZ2ZCf0/VdTsnSDGmRI/AAAAAAABMuc/EsszJ2hYRHc/s1600/hoody-gay-young-boy-shirtless-chain-cute-face-hairless-preteen-adolescent-bautiful-lips-portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lc9CVZ2ZCf0/VdTsnSDGmRI/AAAAAAABMuc/EsszJ2hYRHc/s200/hoody-gay-young-boy-shirtless-chain-cute-face-hairless-preteen-adolescent-bautiful-lips-portrait.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Nikki Jefford's Entangled is a book I can recommend to any reader who loves to read about magic, witches, and comedy. The characters are well formed and keep within character throughout; no bad surprises that one of them suddenly does something unexpected or out of type. All in all, it is a well crafted story from start to end. Best of all, it is free to download to Kindle on Amazon.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C-xugUW6hFQ/VdTsoEKQfQI/AAAAAAABMug/CjkAzsPU60Q/s1600/nude-chest-gay-young-blond-boy-slim-open-shirt-hairless-smooth-skin-teen-pretty-face-beautiful-sexy-pose-bisexual.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C-xugUW6hFQ/VdTsoEKQfQI/AAAAAAABMug/CjkAzsPU60Q/s200/nude-chest-gay-young-blond-boy-slim-open-shirt-hairless-smooth-skin-teen-pretty-face-beautiful-sexy-pose-bisexual.jpg" width="171" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2015/07/here-be-dragons.html" target="_blank">Here Be Dragons</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/09/teenage-sorcerer-apprentice.html" target="_blank">Teenage Sorcerer Apprentice</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/11/teenage-warrior-club.html" target="_blank">Teenage Warrior Club</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-7934343555176052902015-08-14T12:20:00.002-07:002020-11-20T09:56:51.815-08:00Germanic Gods and Goblins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">In Gateway to Nifleheim, Glenn G. Thater delves into the Germanic world of gods and goblins that are related to Valhalla and Nifleheim, the powers of good and evil to spin her yarn. This is the first book in the Harbinger of Doom Series. I have to confess at the start, I skipped many a page to keep going. The story doesn't so much move as that it plods on, tediously.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dDHtNqPL754/Vc4-gsBpj-I/AAAAAAABMlg/ymowoFs8oGo/s1600/blond-gay-shirtless-twink-warrior-celtic-kilt-muscle-sixpack-abs-scottish-smooth-hairless-chest-pecs-pictish-tree-boots.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dDHtNqPL754/Vc4-gsBpj-I/AAAAAAABMlg/ymowoFs8oGo/s200/blond-gay-shirtless-twink-warrior-celtic-kilt-muscle-sixpack-abs-scottish-smooth-hairless-chest-pecs-pictish-tree-boots.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span><br />
</span><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Amazon offers the first three books in the Harbinger of Doom series as a free download to Kindle. That is how I got to read the first book, and I gave up after that one. I can't say how many chapters are filled with exclusively battle scenes, but it became quite taxing to read about every step, every swing, every punch, every thought, every breath each person took.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BZIZDUXp-uQ/Vc4-gkuDggI/AAAAAAABMlc/eBb_CJtFQ3s/s1600/celtic-scottish-pictish-kilt-wearing-bare-footed-gay-warriors-shirtless-twinks-outdoor-muscle-hunks-sunshine-mountains-hills-loch-swords-drawn-abs-sixpack-pecs-hairless-smooth-skin-couple.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BZIZDUXp-uQ/Vc4-gkuDggI/AAAAAAABMlc/eBb_CJtFQ3s/s200/celtic-scottish-pictish-kilt-wearing-bare-footed-gay-warriors-shirtless-twinks-outdoor-muscle-hunks-sunshine-mountains-hills-loch-swords-drawn-abs-sixpack-pecs-hairless-smooth-skin-couple.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The progress of one of the evil creatures from one wall of a temple to another wall took up at least one chapter, possibly more. I suppose you get my drift. I can't even tell you with certainty if the story-line is moving anywhere, the whole thing felt so static and caught up in that one single moment.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zyv2pz__Ws/X7gDUIjvpFI/AAAAAAABYNM/Mrm8cIeQIoEDqTiLvzbfDQGkbaC7sAAvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s509/naked-gay-warrior-long-blond-hair-kilt-castle-wall-outdoor-bare-foot-chains-beard-muscle-twink-hunk-huge-pecs-abs-sixpack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="423" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zyv2pz__Ws/X7gDUIjvpFI/AAAAAAABYNM/Mrm8cIeQIoEDqTiLvzbfDQGkbaC7sAAvwCLcBGAsYHQ/w166-h200/naked-gay-warrior-long-blond-hair-kilt-castle-wall-outdoor-bare-foot-chains-beard-muscle-twink-hunk-huge-pecs-abs-sixpack.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">There are other things that tested my patience, too. While I can buy into the concept that hoi polloi disapprove of magic in the author's world, why would a castellan with no less than two master wizards and a bevy of acolytes at his command not believe in it? The story for that is either missing or not developed sufficiently to make it believable.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mhml361yGFg/Vc4-hvOl9nI/AAAAAAABMlo/VQXSJTMT_7g/s1600/scottish-pictish-tattoo-gay-warrior-kilt-shirtless-beard-hairless-nude-chest-muscle-hunk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mhml361yGFg/Vc4-hvOl9nI/AAAAAAABMlo/VQXSJTMT_7g/s200/scottish-pictish-tattoo-gay-warrior-kilt-shirtless-beard-hairless-nude-chest-muscle-hunk.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The same castellan develops an unreasonable hatred against the hero of the book (at least I presume him to be the hero as he is mentioned in the prologue). Again, the story why that should be so is missing. And as the castellan is the only dwarf among humans, xenophobia can't be made to count. Puzzling behavior is the friendliest way I can find to express it.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v6-40IHkWW8/Vc4-hF-DvpI/AAAAAAABMlk/QxMmuiUW1bs/s1600/one-eyed-shirtless-gay-warrior-leather-kilt-boots-muscle-hunk-twink-smooth-skin-pecs-abs-aggressive-pose.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v6-40IHkWW8/Vc4-hF-DvpI/AAAAAAABMlk/QxMmuiUW1bs/s200/one-eyed-shirtless-gay-warrior-leather-kilt-boots-muscle-hunk-twink-smooth-skin-pecs-abs-aggressive-pose.jpg" width="140" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">If you still think you want to have a try as Germanic gods interest you, you can get the first three books for free as a download to Kindle on Amazon (at the time of publication of this review). The search for Harbinger of Doom will get you there easily.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_-1U2XNGFqM/Vc4-dhkzOeI/AAAAAAABMlU/li8fK3iL6d8/s1600/twink-shirtless-gay-gang-fire-she-bang-outdoor-barbeque-bbq-smoke-kilts-scottish-clans-horn-nude-chests.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_-1U2XNGFqM/Vc4-dhkzOeI/AAAAAAABMlU/li8fK3iL6d8/s200/twink-shirtless-gay-gang-fire-she-bang-outdoor-barbeque-bbq-smoke-kilts-scottish-clans-horn-nude-chests.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2015/08/hero-sword-and-dragons.html" target="_blank">Hero, Sword, and Dragons</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-stolen-kingdom.html" target="_blank">The Stolen Kingdom</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-thief-who-learned-magic.html" target="_blank">The Thief Who Learned Magic</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-8425378361222380752015-08-12T06:45:00.005-07:002020-11-12T13:58:55.088-08:00Regency Charade Mystery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington by Ginny Hartman is based on the trusted plot of a charade where people resembling each other impersonate the other. As such the book is an amusing read; when the plot becomes too obvious, you still want to read on to see how on earth the author is going to get herself out of the pit she is digging for herself page after page, deeper and steeper.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4qMCtC_v8E/VctM6w6UNMI/AAAAAAABMkA/UGKAVfZa9S0/s1600/cute-young-long-haired-black-teen-boy-twink-green-eyes-portrait-wet-water-sports-pretty-face-open-shirt-hairless-chest.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4qMCtC_v8E/VctM6w6UNMI/AAAAAAABMkA/UGKAVfZa9S0/s200/cute-young-long-haired-black-teen-boy-twink-green-eyes-portrait-wet-water-sports-pretty-face-open-shirt-hairless-chest.jpg" width="135" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span>
</span><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">After that build up, it will be no surprise when I tell you that she fails to get herself out of the pit; but she fails nobly, it almost works. In the end, that doesn't detract from the fact that the book was an amusing read. There are certain things you have to know so you can keep your expectations on eye level.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78qLK1TSfCk/VctM7x7AKSI/AAAAAAABMkQ/BA36q-QvI3M/s1600/lucas-ridgestone-gay-escort-porn-actor-model-shirtless-saddle-riding-hairless-twink-muscle-hunk-open-fly-hairy-pits.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78qLK1TSfCk/VctM7x7AKSI/AAAAAAABMkQ/BA36q-QvI3M/s200/lucas-ridgestone-gay-escort-porn-actor-model-shirtless-saddle-riding-hairless-twink-muscle-hunk-open-fly-hairy-pits.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Lucas Ridgestone</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Forget the word Regency; she doesn't know too much about it and is intelligent enough to stay generic so as not to mess it up. This helps the story go along smoothly and keeps it readable (much more than it would be with details that might be obviously wrong). There are a few minor hick-ups pulling the reader up short from time to time, but I blame the editor, not the writer.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hm6UaT1zD9A/VctM9LrOSVI/AAAAAAABMkc/eEMX3EQtMcg/s1600/young-slim-athletic-gay-boy-shirtless-hairless-speedo-bulge-boner-crotch-black-hair-long-haired-pouting-lips-pretty-cute-beautiful.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hm6UaT1zD9A/VctM9LrOSVI/AAAAAAABMkc/eEMX3EQtMcg/s200/young-slim-athletic-gay-boy-shirtless-hairless-speedo-bulge-boner-crotch-black-hair-long-haired-pouting-lips-pretty-cute-beautiful.jpg" width="141" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">In dialogue, the author's choice of speech pattern is modern, but not offensively so. But in some instances typically 21st century figures of speech slipped through the checks. The other annoying thing is the use of titles and names; she is so near to get it right, but then there are these total lapses that leave you guessing.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gS_hse58tN4/X62ssHNur1I/AAAAAAABXBI/ZHT3wqT7CFwAE3xU_iTQVBp84mW-26NowCLcBGAsYHQ/s750/pretty-naked-gay-boy-horse-riding-cuddling-sunshine-outdoor-tanned-muscle-hunk-shirtless-public-defined-abs-pecs-arena-sand-jeans-bridle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gS_hse58tN4/X62ssHNur1I/AAAAAAABXBI/ZHT3wqT7CFwAE3xU_iTQVBp84mW-26NowCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/pretty-naked-gay-boy-horse-riding-cuddling-sunshine-outdoor-tanned-muscle-hunk-shirtless-public-defined-abs-pecs-arena-sand-jeans-bridle.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">A duchess is never addressed as duchess, always as Your Grace, for instance. The same or similar principle applies to all other titles, obviously, as the title is never used to address a peer. The second irritating thing in this book is when titled friends talk to each other. They only address each other by title when they are mere acquaintances, otherwise they would have a different way of addressing each other.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SRCK3v4-L_k/VctM7kic7jI/AAAAAAABMkM/Q1tPC49z7oQ/s1600/long-haired-male-model-beach-gay-hairless-nude-body-shirt-off-sandy-mucle-torso-twink-hunk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SRCK3v4-L_k/VctM7kic7jI/AAAAAAABMkM/Q1tPC49z7oQ/s200/long-haired-male-model-beach-gay-hairless-nude-body-shirt-off-sandy-mucle-torso-twink-hunk.jpg" width="163" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Here, the pre-history of the persons involved has to be sorted and known at least to the author to get it right. If the two guys grew up together (cousins, neighbors) then they would use first names; if they met at boarding school, college, or university, they would use the family name with some exceptions. The same goes if they become friends in a club like White's.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yCPoIYMCDzI/VctM67gpfXI/AAAAAAABMkI/fxVQHRf8o9U/s1600/hairless-gay-rider-stud-bodybuilder-muscle-hunk-twink-horse-saddled-jeans-crotch-bulge-smooth-butch-torso-chest-outdoor-riding-legs-wide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yCPoIYMCDzI/VctM67gpfXI/AAAAAAABMkI/fxVQHRf8o9U/s200/hairless-gay-rider-stud-bodybuilder-muscle-hunk-twink-horse-saddled-jeans-crotch-bulge-smooth-butch-torso-chest-outdoor-riding-legs-wide.jpg" width="143" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The exceptions are to be found in the higher peerage. A duke's son usually has an honorary title, as might have an Earl's son. The (real life) Earl of Wessex' son has the honorary title Viscount Severn. If such an honorary title exists, then 'Severn' would be used instead of the family name (and no title with the Severn). Once the son succeeds his father, Wessex would replace Severn. If they become close friends at a later date, they might make each other fee of their first names.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GquDSc1qhlo/VctM86qBTNI/AAAAAAABMkg/65JVxfzGKpE/s1600/shirtless-muscle-hunk-blond-body-builder-cross-chain-hairless-smooth-skin-stif-nipples-chest-pecs-abs-portrait-sexy-beautiful-face.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GquDSc1qhlo/VctM86qBTNI/AAAAAAABMkg/65JVxfzGKpE/s200/shirtless-muscle-hunk-blond-body-builder-cross-chain-hairless-smooth-skin-stif-nipples-chest-pecs-abs-portrait-sexy-beautiful-face.jpg" width="154" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Why am I making such a fuss about this? Because the author is all over the place in this book. At no given moment can the reader be sure if the friends of Kerrington's are friends or acquaintances that are just behaving as if they were friends. Irritating.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFNg02YMj-8/X62rgvlEnxI/AAAAAAABXA8/Sv99EreTkcYfUvhQw4fBSfoMqldBikfLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s582/naked-male-model-gay-james-dean-style-hairless-body-shirt-off-shaved-pubes-hairy-pits-twink-hunk-muscle-abs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFNg02YMj-8/X62rgvlEnxI/AAAAAAABXA8/Sv99EreTkcYfUvhQw4fBSfoMqldBikfLwCLcBGAsYHQ/w172-h200/naked-male-model-gay-james-dean-style-hairless-body-shirt-off-shaved-pubes-hairy-pits-twink-hunk-muscle-abs.jpg" width="172" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The story doesn't suffer as such, these little defects are just breaking the reading rhythm. As </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Ginny Hartman's </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington is available for free on Amazon for Kindle at the time when this review is published, it's a real bargain. Go get it and make up your own mind if you like it or not. the author has space for improvement and I hope she will; but then, the first book (Black Moth) of Georgette Heyer's wasn't a howler either.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--yBhL-0vlQw/VctM65zCB6I/AAAAAAABMkE/n3OonzhERPE/s1600/gay-latino-hunk-shirtless-street-boy-twink-hunk-jeans-crotch-bulge-sneakers-outdoor-hairless-body-muscle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--yBhL-0vlQw/VctM65zCB6I/AAAAAAABMkE/n3OonzhERPE/s200/gay-latino-hunk-shirtless-street-boy-twink-hunk-jeans-crotch-bulge-sneakers-outdoor-hairless-body-muscle.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2015/08/regency-murder-mystery.html" target="_blank">Regency Murder Mystery</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2014/03/regency-twin-trouble.html" target="_blank">Regency Twin Trouble</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-marquis-dog-and-cows-in-london-parks.html" target="_blank">A Marquis, a Dog, and Cows in London's Parks</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-24561959718605008142015-08-05T09:06:00.006-07:002020-12-08T13:39:23.353-08:00Hero, Sword, and Dragons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The Hero, the Sword, and the Dragons by Craig Halloran is the first book in The Chronicles of Dragon series. It has everything it takes to give it lift-off, yet strangely it failed to captivate either me or my imagination. Best thing you can do is try it for yourself; at the time this review is published it's available for free on Amazon for Kindle.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hnrWWkE7ZEA/X8_yNiNpuNI/AAAAAAABZ8I/3rU9NM2nx94LKh3hagDln3VSbuHR7cIzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s662/naked-sweat-warrior-sword-soldier-muscle-hunk-hairless-shaved-pubes-bulge-gay-fantasy-sixpack-wet-chest-shirt-off-arm-guards-boots-blood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="651" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hnrWWkE7ZEA/X8_yNiNpuNI/AAAAAAABZ8I/3rU9NM2nx94LKh3hagDln3VSbuHR7cIzgCLcBGAsYHQ/w197-h200/naked-sweat-warrior-sword-soldier-muscle-hunk-hairless-shaved-pubes-bulge-gay-fantasy-sixpack-wet-chest-shirt-off-arm-guards-boots-blood.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Having a dragon telling his story should be a novel experience and is bound to be spellbinding. While everything seems to be working in the book, it still failed to resonate in any way with me. It has working dialogue, working jokes, a working story, and yet it feels lifeless.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2rjfTFZCfA/X8_yNpdE0XI/AAAAAAABZ8E/wrJYj4ER54souWJwUWpkq2-R_GCRi3_2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s464/helmet-warrior-fantasy-figure-naked-chest-string-bulge-hairless-torso-abs-pecs-muscle-hunk-gay-twink-boy-ready-strike-garde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="426" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2rjfTFZCfA/X8_yNpdE0XI/AAAAAAABZ8E/wrJYj4ER54souWJwUWpkq2-R_GCRi3_2wCLcBGAsYHQ/w184-h200/helmet-warrior-fantasy-figure-naked-chest-string-bulge-hairless-torso-abs-pecs-muscle-hunk-gay-twink-boy-ready-strike-garde.jpg" width="184" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The best I can do to pinpoint the failure to connect is the lack of pre-history to the current affair. While the Belgariad has such ancient history placed in an prologue, this is not a necessity; it can be introduced piecemeal as done in the Andy Smithson series where the 500 year old curse gives the cue for history gone on before.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9tQYD7C2v6M/X62vpR1na7I/AAAAAAABXBY/BQwcms28KMkmgAD_RJyB7wpvvXc8VGs_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/naked-soldier-warrior-knight-shield-sword-hairless-gay-hunk-bare-back-pecs-muscle-body-torso-tanned-blood-cathedral-public-church.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="699" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9tQYD7C2v6M/X62vpR1na7I/AAAAAAABXBY/BQwcms28KMkmgAD_RJyB7wpvvXc8VGs_gCLcBGAsYHQ/w146-h200/naked-soldier-warrior-knight-shield-sword-hairless-gay-hunk-bare-back-pecs-muscle-body-torso-tanned-blood-cathedral-public-church.jpg" width="146" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">This reference to things further back than the hero's life (200 years old and still a stroppy teenager) is widely missing. When new peoples (are orcs, goblins and their ilk people?) are sprung on the reader, there is no grid in place to file them. And the repetition of 'we go way back' doesn't help in the least.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNRVChSwZqc/X8_yNniaAoI/AAAAAAABZ8M/2XIQzszXJW4alfPRo0_plZx2R_YB2c-YACLcBGAsYHQ/s458/nude-roman-warrior-hunk-bulge-helmet-public-building-exhibitionist-mucle-gay-man-pecs-abs-defined-legs-bodybuilder-hairless-smooth-skin-glistening-couple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="458" height="194" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNRVChSwZqc/X8_yNniaAoI/AAAAAAABZ8M/2XIQzszXJW4alfPRo0_plZx2R_YB2c-YACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h194/nude-roman-warrior-hunk-bulge-helmet-public-building-exhibitionist-mucle-gay-man-pecs-abs-defined-legs-bodybuilder-hairless-smooth-skin-glistening-couple.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Action takes up a lot of the story, and explanations are often missing. Maybe there's no point to introduce other races' histories when they're only there to end up dead and vanquished? But having no history it feels as if they're made of grey cardboard in a colorful world, like ducks in a shooting booth.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V7fX1XRcYJQ/VcI0HfBYgBI/AAAAAAABMiE/NQ-1oj5GyA4/s1600/semi-nude-twink-warrior-gay-soldier-slim-athlete-body-hairless-young-shirtless-boy-muscle-hunk-abs-ripped-torso.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V7fX1XRcYJQ/VcI0HfBYgBI/AAAAAAABMiE/NQ-1oj5GyA4/s200/semi-nude-twink-warrior-gay-soldier-slim-athlete-body-hairless-young-shirtless-boy-muscle-hunk-abs-ripped-torso.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Craig Halloran's The Hero, the Sword, and the Dragons has missed it's mark with me; I did not feel impelled to buy any of the nine sequels on offer, not even the last one because it even failed to interest me in the fate of the hero. Maybe you can gain more from it when you read it. As it is currently available for a free download on Amazon for Kindle, you might try over a cup of tea.</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7hYWSO5Mqs/X8_yOUUjMUI/AAAAAAABZ8Q/4N9qdO1QvdMyLnJf22FbIDakESxBC8h8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s502/young-gay-warrior-boy-bulge-boner-nude-hairless-chest-tattoo-halmet-glove-athlete-slim-body-torso-muscled-pecs-abs-couple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="495" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7hYWSO5Mqs/X8_yOUUjMUI/AAAAAAABZ8Q/4N9qdO1QvdMyLnJf22FbIDakESxBC8h8QCLcBGAsYHQ/w197-h200/young-gay-warrior-boy-bulge-boner-nude-hairless-chest-tattoo-halmet-glove-athlete-slim-body-torso-muscled-pecs-abs-couple.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/here-be-dragons.html" target="_blank">Here Be Dragons</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/teenage-warrior-club.html" target="_blank">Teenage Warrior Club</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/teenage-sorcerer-apprentice.html" target="_blank">Teenage Sorcerer Apprentice</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-69570672915075746382015-08-03T12:58:00.003-07:002020-11-12T14:13:27.200-08:00Regency Murder Mystery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Are you looking for a sex, crime, and murder mystery set in Regency England? I'm afraid you haven't found it. All that dates the book's story is the mention of 1819 at the beginning of the first chapter. After that, it just is a generic sex and crime story. Stone Devil Duke by K. J. Jackson is showing up major defects in writing without doing at least some minimal research.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HzlO-G2I4ck/Vb_GgvywufI/AAAAAAABMgg/9eZPDb8i0MY/s1600/blond-pierced-gaytwink-athletic-hunk-bare-shirtless-mustle-chest-cuffs-fly-collar-pierced-nipples-tanned-long-hair-tattoo-bulge-boner-grip.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HzlO-G2I4ck/Vb_GgvywufI/AAAAAAABMgg/9eZPDb8i0MY/s200/blond-pierced-gaytwink-athletic-hunk-bare-shirtless-mustle-chest-cuffs-fly-collar-pierced-nipples-tanned-long-hair-tattoo-bulge-boner-grip.jpg" width="153" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span><br />
</span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Putting the date of 1819 at the beginning of the story doesn't make it a Regency story. It's just a story where they use coaches instead of cars. Generic coaches at that, she doesn't know what kind of coaches were in use or in fashion at the time. The same goes for fashion, fans (the air fanning type, not the screeching teen type), and hair. Snuff boxes got lost in writing, and the bad habit of some people returning from the war of actually smoking tobacco gets no mention. And I'm sure she has no clue which war she referred to in her story.</span><br /><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQI9JqbPyHw/X62zPxHTCMI/AAAAAAABXBo/rm11z7NEHBIndbLkwwSGFGCzufJ7mDXNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/muscle-hunk-pool-strip-water-sports-ripped-shirt-off-hairless-gay-teen-muscle-boy-twink-long-wet-hair-smooth-skinned-dripping-fall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQI9JqbPyHw/X62zPxHTCMI/AAAAAAABXBo/rm11z7NEHBIndbLkwwSGFGCzufJ7mDXNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w143-h200/muscle-hunk-pool-strip-water-sports-ripped-shirt-off-hairless-gay-teen-muscle-boy-twink-long-wet-hair-smooth-skinned-dripping-fall.jpg" width="143" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The dialogue is lively but 21st century speech; and that includes swearwords that were either not used by ladies and in front of them, or were not even known at the time. And when someone calls a Duchess 'duchess' to her face, I have to cringe. When that someone is a servant; oh well, no clue is no clue, why make it any worse by going on about it.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MrxpjK-TCAE/Vb_GggNBAzI/AAAAAAABMgc/IqbwJ6Tgp1c/s1600/gay-ripped-muscle-hunk-twink-abs-pecs-shirtless-outdoors-nude-chest-torso-swimming-pool-white-trousers-long-hair-tanned-broad-shoulders.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MrxpjK-TCAE/Vb_GggNBAzI/AAAAAAABMgc/IqbwJ6Tgp1c/s200/gay-ripped-muscle-hunk-twink-abs-pecs-shirtless-outdoors-nude-chest-torso-swimming-pool-white-trousers-long-hair-tanned-broad-shoulders.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The sex part is as enticing as Fifty Shades of Grey, meaningless, boring, and going fast forward recommended. The mystery part starts off well, but after about two chapters can only be kept alive by imbuing the heroine with an IQ of a maggot and the hero with a mental illness.</span><br /><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QRkyXEBA2jM/X62zYlcSAkI/AAAAAAABXBs/MdXyNjX9Xeks-29waz7e6A_jjlVCR8_mACLcBGAsYHQ/s642/naked-long-haired-athlete-nude-twink-gay-teen-boy-bare-back-slim-body-shirt-off-topless-hairless-chest-pits-young-amature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="430" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QRkyXEBA2jM/X62zYlcSAkI/AAAAAAABXBs/MdXyNjX9Xeks-29waz7e6A_jjlVCR8_mACLcBGAsYHQ/w134-h200/naked-long-haired-athlete-nude-twink-gay-teen-boy-bare-back-slim-body-shirt-off-topless-hairless-chest-pits-young-amature.jpg" width="134" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Despite all this, I persisted to find the outcome of the mystery was well executed; if she had done a bit more work on the story in between it would even have been a good one. She manages to pull off the whole story by concentrating on two main characters, and that is a major plus when I see others introducing dozens of helpers and suddenly important by-blows.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gNTo2xYBpyw/Vb_Ggu4yc3I/AAAAAAABMgk/ZIN_Ht0C4-g/s1600/gay-speedo-bulge-boner-hunk-boy-twink-man-male-model-water-sports-ocean-spray-wet-balls-hairless-naked-smooth-chest-skin-hulk-long-hair.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gNTo2xYBpyw/Vb_Ggu4yc3I/AAAAAAABMgk/ZIN_Ht0C4-g/s200/gay-speedo-bulge-boner-hunk-boy-twink-man-male-model-water-sports-ocean-spray-wet-balls-hairless-naked-smooth-chest-skin-hulk-long-hair.jpg" width="122" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">If she did some reading of Georgette Heyer on how to speak Regency, use titles correctly, and its fashions and quirks, she could probably pull it off quite easily. And if she would add some reading of Mary Stewart on how to keep a mystery alive from start to end, that again should be within her means of expertise. The book is suffering mainly from laziness, not ineptitude to spin a good yarn.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WjPcP9aQJzU/Vb_GiDrj8AI/AAAAAAABMg0/VCyKJqBc9FY/s1600/sweaty-wet-jeans-white-shirt-off-bulge-tanned-latino-gay-twink-athlete-slim-defined-toned-muscles-abs-pecs-smooth-hairless-chest-nude-front.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WjPcP9aQJzU/Vb_GiDrj8AI/AAAAAAABMg0/VCyKJqBc9FY/s200/sweaty-wet-jeans-white-shirt-off-bulge-tanned-latino-gay-twink-athlete-slim-defined-toned-muscles-abs-pecs-smooth-hairless-chest-nude-front.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/regency-twin-trouble.html" target="_blank">Regency Twin Trouble</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/mystery-in-delphi.html" target="_blank">Mystery in Delphi</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/1941-josslyn-hay-earl-of-errol-was-shot.html" target="_blank">Murder Mystery in Kenya</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-15417978036319129642015-08-03T04:06:00.001-07:002020-10-16T16:13:05.774-07:00How The Afterlife Works<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Power of the Heir's Passion by L. R. W. Lee is a sort of a prequel to the Andy Smithson series. I assure you that this is the most accurate description of afterlife available, for the world of Oomladee, not ours. It is subtitled A Novella; not quite a book but too long for a short story. And it's a ghost story from start to end.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oVaZKe-SFc4/Vb9J5ynWcPI/AAAAAAABMe0/WvQ09PTGiJE/s1600/window-ledge-ghost-young-naked-gay-boy-john-waiblinger-city-scape-slim-body-toned-muscle-athletic-build-hairless-amature-teen-shirtless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oVaZKe-SFc4/Vb9J5ynWcPI/AAAAAAABMe0/WvQ09PTGiJE/s200/window-ledge-ghost-young-naked-gay-boy-john-waiblinger-city-scape-slim-body-toned-muscle-athletic-build-hairless-amature-teen-shirtless.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">I am absolutely convinced that the author hit upon how the afterlife works. There is one indication in the set-up that just rings too true to be invented. You'll agree with me when you read the book; and I wont even have to tell you what I mean, it's so obvious.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e94cxUPCNfM/Vb9J5VnouUI/AAAAAAABMec/IQYjXyAyFNM/s1600/gay-male-models-catwalk-dress-frock-blouse-fills-boots-brill-creme-slick-bare-legs-nude-shoulders.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e94cxUPCNfM/Vb9J5VnouUI/AAAAAAABMec/IQYjXyAyFNM/s200/gay-male-models-catwalk-dress-frock-blouse-fills-boots-brill-creme-slick-bare-legs-nude-shoulders.jpg" width="188" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The novella is not a necessary read to understand the Andy Smithson series, but it is a total hoot. It also gives you some insights into the why and how of the book series. It reveals that there is more going on than just educating Andy as there are others that desperately need their heads set straight.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GseI4qFLMWk/Vb9J59N7H_I/AAAAAAABMeg/Jdl9ODGPhUE/s1600/vladimir-shklyarov-dances-le-jeune-homme-et-la-mort-gay-semi-nude-athlete-dancer-shaved-pits-ballet-stretched-bare-arms-dance-performance-stage-light.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GseI4qFLMWk/Vb9J59N7H_I/AAAAAAABMeg/Jdl9ODGPhUE/s200/vladimir-shklyarov-dances-le-jeune-homme-et-la-mort-gay-semi-nude-athlete-dancer-shaved-pits-ballet-stretched-bare-arms-dance-performance-stage-light.jpg" width="130" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Vladimir Shklyarov</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The price of the novella reflects its length (or the lack thereof) and not its quality. And it is refreshing to see that the author had the guts to keep it short and to the point rather than drawing it out unnecessarily like so many others do just to get to book size.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4S3J6kvFX2o/Vb9J5RMd5QI/AAAAAAABMeY/nO-lBc-r7QA/s1600/naked-young-gay-twink-death-masks-skeletons-pierre-et-gilles-abs-muscle-bare-chest-shaved-pubes-pecs-beautiful-male-model.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4S3J6kvFX2o/Vb9J5RMd5QI/AAAAAAABMeY/nO-lBc-r7QA/s200/naked-young-gay-twink-death-masks-skeletons-pierre-et-gilles-abs-muscle-bare-chest-shaved-pubes-pecs-beautiful-male-model.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">L. R. W. Lee's </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Power of the Heir's Passion is another story I can recommend highly; and for once grown-ups might actually enjoy it more than the intended and targeted adolescent readership. It's even a recommended read if you don't intend to read the Andy Smithson series, it's that good.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ByAgO4dk1oY/Vb9J5G1VyCI/AAAAAAABMeU/SsCor0MiWFE/s1600/Ivan-Vasiliev-performs-Le-jeune-homme-et-la-mort-ballet-dance-gay-muscle-twink-athletic-body-dancer-jeans-shirt-off-bare-feet-stage-stretched-pits.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ByAgO4dk1oY/Vb9J5G1VyCI/AAAAAAABMeU/SsCor0MiWFE/s200/Ivan-Vasiliev-performs-Le-jeune-homme-et-la-mort-ballet-dance-gay-muscle-twink-athletic-body-dancer-jeans-shirt-off-bare-feet-stage-stretched-pits.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Ivan Vasiliev</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/here-be-dragons.html" target="_blank">Here Be Dragons</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/ghostly-science.html" target="_blank">Ghostly Science</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/ghosts-lacking-in-spirit.html" target="_blank">Ghosts Lacking in Spirit</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-22996481269056321682015-07-31T12:01:00.002-07:002020-11-22T17:26:37.412-08:00The Stolen Kingdom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The Stolen Kingdom by Ross Rosenfeld is a very unhappy book, or maybe an unfortunate one. It definitely suffers from multiple personae disorder. It tells the story of the missing prince in a new way; the story is placed in an imaginary Europe without giving away any cultural details as to where exactly it is.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndpkkEuMa9k/X7sPtU15nqI/AAAAAAABYzs/yd8mmnAeihwPZuJaHfD_JW5qgRMxA5DIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s590/gay-naked-prince-bling-jacket-military-style-teen-boy-hairless-twink-muscle-shirtless-fantasy-beautiful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="428" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndpkkEuMa9k/X7sPtU15nqI/AAAAAAABYzs/yd8mmnAeihwPZuJaHfD_JW5qgRMxA5DIQCLcBGAsYHQ/w145-h200/gay-naked-prince-bling-jacket-military-style-teen-boy-hairless-twink-muscle-shirtless-fantasy-beautiful.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The lost prince has been told many times; which means you're up against a long list of very good books if you tackle it. This book doesn't make the list for several reasons. One of the main points is dialogue; it is wooden and stilted. It is so wooden that the few feeble jokes worked in appear even worse than they are.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hHa1m2_8VNc/VbvE-sP6vYI/AAAAAAABMbg/JhdvS10d_6E/s1600/soldier-gladiator-warrior-naked-gay-hunk-muscle-twink-pubes-pecs-loin-cloth-boner-bulge-armor-sword-drawn.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hHa1m2_8VNc/VbvE-sP6vYI/AAAAAAABMbg/JhdvS10d_6E/s200/soldier-gladiator-warrior-naked-gay-hunk-muscle-twink-pubes-pecs-loin-cloth-boner-bulge-armor-sword-drawn.JPG" width="141" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">While the book is obviously aimed at young readers, the author can't make up his mind as to whether he writes for girls or boys. There are pages upon pages of gooey stuff for girls, and pages upon pages of battles for boys. That's an invitation to hit fast forward already there. Add to it the lacking pace. The story doesn't race along, it doesn't even walk or saunter, it plods, painfully. It is an open invitation to skip whole chapters.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-llfmYCw8ZJE/VbvE-cYbkKI/AAAAAAABMbc/jXklux-zZYQ/s1600/skinny-gay-young-boy-teen-jeans-shirtless-saddle-whip-horse-rider-pubes-naked-torso-ripped-ribbed-abs-cute-twink.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-llfmYCw8ZJE/VbvE-cYbkKI/AAAAAAABMbc/jXklux-zZYQ/s200/skinny-gay-young-boy-teen-jeans-shirtless-saddle-whip-horse-rider-pubes-naked-torso-ripped-ribbed-abs-cute-twink.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">In comes the monster; and the readers spend the next ten pages reading about every step, every stroke, every miss in the encounter. The same goes for battles; every soldier seems to be accounted for separately, several thousands of them each time. Reading about a battle takes longer than the battle would last in real time.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NdbPsa7jKTo/VbvE9iE2JVI/AAAAAAABMbY/KJJUdMimMPo/s1600/leather-straps-shin-guards-helmet-nude-chest-bodybuilder-muscle-twink-hunk-sixpack-torso-chest-pecs-broad-shoulders-bare-bulge-boner-soldier-warrior.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NdbPsa7jKTo/VbvE9iE2JVI/AAAAAAABMbY/KJJUdMimMPo/s200/leather-straps-shin-guards-helmet-nude-chest-bodybuilder-muscle-twink-hunk-sixpack-torso-chest-pecs-broad-shoulders-bare-bulge-boner-soldier-warrior.jpg" width="162" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">While the prince's story is fairly straightforward and recounted in a clear story-line and some of his helpers are naturally introduced within that story, other figures are randomly introduced in chapters that could fill a book on their own with background stories to make up a library. Worst of all, though, is the story's end: unexpected and totally disappointing.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d_QIV0OlzmQ/VbvE9oVvKgI/AAAAAAABMbU/3j0VEMk-JYE/s1600/paper-cown-gay-prince-pink-slim-teen-boy-nude-torso-gay-twink-hairless-shirt-off-sagger-undies-smooth-skiin-abs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d_QIV0OlzmQ/VbvE9oVvKgI/AAAAAAABMbU/3j0VEMk-JYE/s200/paper-cown-gay-prince-pink-slim-teen-boy-nude-torso-gay-twink-hairless-shirt-off-sagger-undies-smooth-skiin-abs.jpg" width="149" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The Stolen Kingdom by Ross Rosenfeld is available for free on Amazon Kindle at the time of publication of this review. But, quite frankly, not even for free is it worth while getting it. There are dozens other free books available that are much more worth reading.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qncAckhxmQo/VbvE-8TiGhI/AAAAAAABMbo/_EFbAg0nUKA/s1600/travis-van-winkle-gay-chubby-king-warrior-soldier-shirt-off-undies-bling-throne-nude-muscle-chest-blond-twink-hunk-hairless-smooth-body-piercing-nipple-eyebrow-cheek-gold-bling.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qncAckhxmQo/VbvE-8TiGhI/AAAAAAABMbo/_EFbAg0nUKA/s200/travis-van-winkle-gay-chubby-king-warrior-soldier-shirt-off-undies-bling-throne-nude-muscle-chest-blond-twink-hunk-hairless-smooth-body-piercing-nipple-eyebrow-cheek-gold-bling.jpg" width="165" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Travis van Winkle</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/here-be-dragons.html" target="_blank">Here Be Dragons</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/teenage-warrior-club.html" target="_blank">Teenage Warrior Club</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/teenage-sorcerer-apprentice.html" target="_blank">Teenage Sorcerer Apprentice</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-18133244857932872932015-07-31T08:22:00.003-07:002020-11-12T14:28:29.132-08:00Phoenix Rising<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">In book 4 of the Andy Smithson series, Phoenix, Arizona, receives visitors from Oomladee for a change. Resurrection of the Phoenix's Grace by L. R. W. Lee sees the conflict crossing the magical border before Andy's Mom sends him back to Oomladee when the situation at home gets out of hand and way too dangerous.</span><br /><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WJPtiqMBj80/VbuRjKXTxaI/AAAAAAABMa8/nYg12id9fIE/s1600/tucan-phoenix-gay-blond-teen-boy-naked-chest-hairless-shirtless-slim-body-bare-shoulder-perch-bird-blue-eyes.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WJPtiqMBj80/VbuRjKXTxaI/AAAAAAABMa8/nYg12id9fIE/s200/tucan-phoenix-gay-blond-teen-boy-naked-chest-hairless-shirtless-slim-body-bare-shoulder-perch-bird-blue-eyes.JPG" width="126" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><div style="text-align: right;">
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Sending Andy back to Oomladee to safety might have been a good idea to start off with. Mom's idea of safety, though, seems slightly warped as Andy lands in a dangerous bog full of monsters. But each to his own. From there, the author leads the reader again through a perilous quest to discover new wonders in magical Oomladee.</span><br /><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkxTsZiW1tw/X6227QgsBDI/AAAAAAABXB4/_66YoVr73boec47OcfPsDLhBBDNQxcY0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/gay-slim-young-teen-boy-naked-diving-skinny-dipping-full-body-frontal-tight-speedo-hairless-pits-bare-entry-raw-cold-water-sports-back-flip-head-plunge-outdoor-city-pool-swimming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkxTsZiW1tw/X6227QgsBDI/AAAAAAABXB4/_66YoVr73boec47OcfPsDLhBBDNQxcY0QCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/gay-slim-young-teen-boy-naked-diving-skinny-dipping-full-body-frontal-tight-speedo-hairless-pits-bare-entry-raw-cold-water-sports-back-flip-head-plunge-outdoor-city-pool-swimming.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The quest this time is more pressing and urgent than any of the previous ones as there is a damsel in distress to rescue. Any good story needs a beautiful princess, and she finally makes her appearance here. As Andy is still on pig headed mode, this rescue becomes way more complicated than it need be.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G7KGJuB_koU/VbuRfXLyQLI/AAAAAAABMac/h4DBJv0BRxo/s1600/roman-soldier-gay-boner-bulge-nude-torso-muscle-twink-hunk-abs-pecs-drawn-sword-thrust-helmet-caligula-bare-legs-hairless-smooth-shaved-body-bulder.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G7KGJuB_koU/VbuRfXLyQLI/AAAAAAABMac/h4DBJv0BRxo/s200/roman-soldier-gay-boner-bulge-nude-torso-muscle-twink-hunk-abs-pecs-drawn-sword-thrust-helmet-caligula-bare-legs-hairless-smooth-shaved-body-bulder.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The book contains a bonus. The author has included a section at the back dedicated to the use of symbolism in his books. This would be a good idea, under normal circumstances. Here, though, it was done in such a slap-dash manner he could have saved himself the trouble of typing it.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qGuak-aJirU/VbuRfj-AtpI/AAAAAAABMaw/SQV8TuV86Sc/s1600/string-tanga-muscle-hunks-gay-model-semi-naked-boner-nude-chest-tattoo-gang-group-wings-chains-shark-tooth-mixed-race.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qGuak-aJirU/VbuRfj-AtpI/AAAAAAABMaw/SQV8TuV86Sc/s200/string-tanga-muscle-hunks-gay-model-semi-naked-boner-nude-chest-tattoo-gang-group-wings-chains-shark-tooth-mixed-race.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">It is nice to know that Alden means helper. If it does so anywhere outside of the author's mind. He forgot to include the language he took it from, the original form of the word, and its etymology. If that had been done, the section would have been most valuable.</span><br /><br />
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KhIZkkmbxwg/VbuRewnBXEI/AAAAAAABMak/DO68PszQyk4/s1600/gay-kellan-lutz-legionnaire-soldier-warrior-bare-chest-bronze-weapons-shield-spear-kilt-sword-drawn-abs-muscle-hunk-twink.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="129" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KhIZkkmbxwg/VbuRewnBXEI/AAAAAAABMak/DO68PszQyk4/s200/gay-kellan-lutz-legionnaire-soldier-warrior-bare-chest-bronze-weapons-shield-spear-kilt-sword-drawn-abs-muscle-hunk-twink.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Kellan Lutz</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Putting this aside, the book is as good as any of its prequels. It's fun to read and keeps you going (most of the time except for the times you hit your head when Andy is once more hitting IQ 5 level). That it takes a woman to get him to move in the right direction should probably not come as a big surprise.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2OXejPgr-As/VbuRe3mvMMI/AAAAAAABMaY/dlF1ZQMwTMI/s1600/boy-holding-sword-young-gay-pre-teen-drawn-naked-slim-body-hairless-blond-profile-portrait-ripped-ribbed-chest-torso-arms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2OXejPgr-As/VbuRe3mvMMI/AAAAAAABMaY/dlF1ZQMwTMI/s200/boy-holding-sword-young-gay-pre-teen-drawn-naked-slim-body-hairless-blond-profile-portrait-ripped-ribbed-chest-torso-arms.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/call-unicorns.html" target="_blank">Call the Unicorns</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/serpent-quest.html" target="_blank">Serpent Quest</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/here-be-dragons.html" target="_blank">Here Be Dragons</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-70943672182379454232015-07-29T13:38:00.001-07:002020-10-16T16:05:37.379-07:00Call the Unicorns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Book 3 in the Andy Smithson series sees our hero return to foggy Oomaldee after having been sent home to this world at the end of book 2. Disgrace of the Unicorn's Honor by L. R. W. Lee is another offering in fairy creatures and wild places that need exploring in a quest. It is no let-down compared to the previous two books.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U8CJkYBmvX8/Vbk4Sj5W2WI/AAAAAAABMZc/UDpPgsXBktU/s1600/shirtless-gay-soldier-warrior-sword-drawn-extended-naked-chest-chain-pits-forest-ourdoor-leggings-bulge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U8CJkYBmvX8/Vbk4Sj5W2WI/AAAAAAABMZc/UDpPgsXBktU/s200/shirtless-gay-soldier-warrior-sword-drawn-extended-naked-chest-chain-pits-forest-ourdoor-leggings-bulge.jpg" width="103" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span><br />
</span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The story continues with another quest to locate the elusive ingredients for the counter-spell needed to free Oomaldee from the curse lying upon it. And in the course of the travels, Andy can prove that school learning is not completely wasted, even if it is not the kind of learning you would expect to pay out.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--bidAKyPtpY/Vbk4S3D0LII/AAAAAAABMZk/UrTaGE-3Kow/s1600/young-naked-gay-boy-holding-sword-slim-body-shirt-off-smooth-skin-hairless-pit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--bidAKyPtpY/Vbk4S3D0LII/AAAAAAABMZk/UrTaGE-3Kow/s200/young-naked-gay-boy-holding-sword-slim-body-shirt-off-smooth-skin-hairless-pit.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">If Andy's attitude towards his inneru was stubborn in the first book and obstinate in the second, he now is behaving downright pigheaded. Hormones probably shut down all brain functions of teenagers with exception of emotions that are blown out of all proportion. A learning process should usually lead the other way.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FCu33XVSevo/Vbk4R24u0EI/AAAAAAABMZM/hW5pGTj72h0/s1600/gay-colin-morgan-unicorn-boy-merlin-magician-white-magical-creature-horn.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FCu33XVSevo/Vbk4R24u0EI/AAAAAAABMZM/hW5pGTj72h0/s200/gay-colin-morgan-unicorn-boy-merlin-magician-white-magical-creature-horn.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Colin Morgan</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The quests have become progressively more demanding as the opposite side starts to take the measure of our hero. And the appearance of dark magic to oppose them lifts the adventure from being a lark to becoming deadly serious at last.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x3X9pLp2zkU/Vbk4R8q-JPI/AAAAAAABMZI/tI5unsfduL4/s1600/semi-naked-archer-gay-teen-twink-bulge-boner-shirtless-drawn-bow-arrow-sixpack-hairless-nude-chest-torso.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x3X9pLp2zkU/Vbk4R8q-JPI/AAAAAAABMZI/tI5unsfduL4/s200/semi-naked-archer-gay-teen-twink-bulge-boner-shirtless-drawn-bow-arrow-sixpack-hairless-nude-chest-torso.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">It also becomes quite clear that the obstacles would be easier to overcome if our hero would use his brain at least occasionally. If there is anything to criticize with the series, it is this abysmal lack of logic and thought in Andy Smithson that can get to fray the readers' patience.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5fiRqwTtWo/Vbk4R7VpVcI/AAAAAAABMZU/mbYC9DP7B9Q/s1600/flying-man-icarus-wings-straps-shirt-off-undies-bulge-ourdoor-rocks-hairless-naked-chest-male-gay-muscle-twink.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="144" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5fiRqwTtWo/Vbk4R7VpVcI/AAAAAAABMZU/mbYC9DP7B9Q/s200/flying-man-icarus-wings-straps-shirt-off-undies-bulge-ourdoor-rocks-hairless-naked-chest-male-gay-muscle-twink.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">While at times you really what to hit him over the head, this doesn't diminish the fun the book provides with all its twists, turns and surprises coming from the creatures and their special properties as they get involved with the questers.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FBs7Ti_-pi4/Vbk4SHKX1MI/AAAAAAABMZQ/_if8V-ufVBE/s1600/shirtless-beefcake-soldiers-gay-muscle-hunls-roman-bulges-spears-helmets-nude-chests-bare-legs-caligula-street-outdoors.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FBs7Ti_-pi4/Vbk4SHKX1MI/AAAAAAABMZQ/_if8V-ufVBE/s200/shirtless-beefcake-soldiers-gay-muscle-hunls-roman-bulges-spears-helmets-nude-chests-bare-legs-caligula-street-outdoors.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/here-be-dragons.html" target="_blank">Here Be Dragons</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/serpent-quest.html" target="_blank">Serpent Quest</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/teenage-warrior-club.html" target="_blank">Teenage Warrior Club</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-49115292521794846782015-07-28T07:47:00.002-07:002020-11-22T17:16:14.382-08:00Serpent Quest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Book 2 in the Andy Smithson series takes the reader on another perilous quest together with the hero who turned eleven at the start of the book. Venom of the Serpent's Cunning by L. R. W. Lee is another wild romp through the magical land of Oomaldee and more. The author continues his output of fantastic creatures and their habitats.</span><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pNhA-RHmnlA/X7sNH08-b5I/AAAAAAABYzY/jKcRcoGgU-44u6pIh5_Xv2E0WdcfejDTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/naked-wet-water-sports-bare-back-young-teen-boy-gay-group-gang-waterfall-hairless-pre-adolescent-slim-muscled-outdoor-sixpack-tight-ass-full-frontal-escort-porn-stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pNhA-RHmnlA/X7sNH08-b5I/AAAAAAABYzY/jKcRcoGgU-44u6pIh5_Xv2E0WdcfejDTgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/naked-wet-water-sports-bare-back-young-teen-boy-gay-group-gang-waterfall-hairless-pre-adolescent-slim-muscled-outdoor-sixpack-tight-ass-full-frontal-escort-porn-stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Andy Smithson had managed to spirit himself out of his fairy kingdom home to dreary school day routine all by his own mistake at the end of Book 1 Blast of the Dragon's Fury. Now he had to wait until he was recalled to his home from home.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F-MTn_S8HRk/VbeUtjfBioI/AAAAAAABMXQ/9cisLdQRwRY/s1600/sea-ruler-gay-muscle-hunk-male-model-helmet-sun-disk-naked-posing-bodybuilder-hairless-smooth-chest-legs-arms.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F-MTn_S8HRk/VbeUtjfBioI/AAAAAAABMXQ/9cisLdQRwRY/s200/sea-ruler-gay-muscle-hunk-male-model-helmet-sun-disk-naked-posing-bodybuilder-hairless-smooth-chest-legs-arms.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Once he had been magicked back into medieval Oomaldee, he could get involved again with its politics and games. His inneru returns, but it lacks the confrontational spirit from the previous book and is therefore much less fun.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYcV1nKWxC8/VbeUs1ogGkI/AAAAAAABMXI/0jn7Nj2rGxA/s1600/gay-couple-boy-shorts-balls-game-cap-nude-chest-torso-slim-teen-play-game-outdoor-semi-nude-muscle-abs-pecs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYcV1nKWxC8/VbeUs1ogGkI/AAAAAAABMXI/0jn7Nj2rGxA/s200/gay-couple-boy-shorts-balls-game-cap-nude-chest-torso-slim-teen-play-game-outdoor-semi-nude-muscle-abs-pecs.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">This however doesn't diminish the fun to be had out of this book. Physics become suspended as the hero and his cohorts venture underwater to find the fabled library of Oomaldee on a far island outside of the kingdom.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmp4e4Kr4rw/VbeUtxLvFGI/AAAAAAABMXc/3GK2cCwKyw8/s1600/young-boy-imitating-warrior-slim-pre-adolescent-chest-arms-holding-naked-sword-ready-strike-impale-hairless-posing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wmp4e4Kr4rw/VbeUtxLvFGI/AAAAAAABMXc/3GK2cCwKyw8/s200/young-boy-imitating-warrior-slim-pre-adolescent-chest-arms-holding-naked-sword-ready-strike-impale-hairless-posing.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">On the way there they are beset by the enemy as well as by their own shortcomings. As is the case, there is a learning curve for the hero that takes him out of his video game comfort zone into his inner self to confront the characteristics that mark any teenager and make them less than attractive.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFZRefTGdc0/X7sNH_CKUoI/AAAAAAABYzc/1ewnKhICafkvp1V1C3SP0OXXvs1bBb-HwCLcBGAsYHQ/s680/gay-italian-escort-boy-sunshine-smile-bisexual-teen-hunk-shirtless-topless-model-ship-boat-water-sea-black-slip-bulge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="453" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFZRefTGdc0/X7sNH_CKUoI/AAAAAAABYzc/1ewnKhICafkvp1V1C3SP0OXXvs1bBb-HwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/gay-italian-escort-boy-sunshine-smile-bisexual-teen-hunk-shirtless-topless-model-ship-boat-water-sea-black-slip-bulge.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Blast of the Dragon's Fury showed that the hero is stubborn, Venom of the Serpent's Cunning takes this perception to obstinate. Go get the book and spend an enjoyable time in a land far far away where you used to go in when you were the same age. The book is available on Amazon Kindle.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YbCZc5kOwvE/VbeUs15jnhI/AAAAAAABMXE/O5p0z2rD68g/s1600/defined-slim-warrior-gay-helme-drawn-sword-impale-threat-hairless-muscle-chest-abs-biceps-fully-engaged.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YbCZc5kOwvE/VbeUs15jnhI/AAAAAAABMXE/O5p0z2rD68g/s200/defined-slim-warrior-gay-helme-drawn-sword-impale-threat-hairless-muscle-chest-abs-biceps-fully-engaged.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/here-be-dragons.html" target="_blank">Here Be Dragons</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/teenage-warrior-club.html" target="_blank">Teenage Warrior Club</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeewriting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/magic-is-dangerous.html" target="_blank">Magic Is Dangerous</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-72597124574917611942015-07-23T05:39:00.002-07:002020-11-12T14:44:05.204-08:00Here Be Dragons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">It's a schoolboy's dream: Disappearing desks, mysterious objects materializing out of nowhere, and being transported to a magical realm. All this and much more can be found in Blast of the Dragon's Fury by L. R. W. Lee. And what is best, at the time of publication of this review, the book is available for free on Amazon for Kindle e-readers.</span><br />
<br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2_yai_126U/VbDd7j27T2I/AAAAAAABMTs/3KJhXJPpu5c/s1600/pre-teen-boy-holding-sword-gay-naked-chest-smooth-hairless-slim-young-drawn-blade-bare.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2_yai_126U/VbDd7j27T2I/AAAAAAABMTs/3KJhXJPpu5c/s200/pre-teen-boy-holding-sword-gay-naked-chest-smooth-hairless-slim-young-drawn-blade-bare.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span><br />
</span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">As a ten to twelve year old, I would have been devouring this book in an afternoon. It reminds me of the best I read at that age; it's wild, it's highly improbable, and it's absolutely spellbinding. Enter a realm of fog and magic beset by a curse. Find a king, a court magician, a Pegasus cavalry and an enchanted castle beset by enemies. Venture out into the realm to encounter giants, shape-shifters, giants and other creatures of fairy-tale fame.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tul0voXIayE/VbDd6U2i-JI/AAAAAAABMTc/PAI3BvagswA/s1600/ink-boy-gay-tattoo-tartan-kilt-naked-muscle-chest-full-frontal-bare-arms-twink-model-spread-legs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tul0voXIayE/VbDd6U2i-JI/AAAAAAABMTc/PAI3BvagswA/s200/ink-boy-gay-tattoo-tartan-kilt-naked-muscle-chest-full-frontal-bare-arms-twink-model-spread-legs.jpg" width="130" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The book is written for an age group that is highly egotistical and egocentric. When the ten year old hero of the story, Andy Smithson, moves from this world to the magic land, his conscience is sent on a holiday while the local replacement called inneru takes over. I fondly imagine that the word inneru is derived from German 'Innere Ruh' (internal peace). It's highly vocal, it's pugnacious, and it's idea of a subtle hint has all the charm of a sledge hammer.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YI_VKdUpn2k/VbDd7eMQh5I/AAAAAAABMTo/Ug0SGy5qawo/s1600/nude-chested-teen-gay-boy-young-archer-arrow-poised-drawn-bow-string-sagger-underwear-outdoors-public-display-slim-tattoo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YI_VKdUpn2k/VbDd7eMQh5I/AAAAAAABMTo/Ug0SGy5qawo/s200/nude-chested-teen-gay-boy-young-archer-arrow-poised-drawn-bow-string-sagger-underwear-outdoors-public-display-slim-tattoo.jpg" width="148" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Otherwise the tale contains all the elements that make up a good yarn. Exploring an alien world and society that is based on medieval ideas combined with making new friends and a quest. Mortal danger and narrow escapes are included as well as mystical figures and help from unexpected entities. All in all, it offers a perfect escape on a rainy afternoon.</span><br /><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FJkaeb32vqw/X626mcR7WBI/AAAAAAABXCE/OvYbCP-2KrorRWLk4tUN8y48sY5pEsLlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s641/naked-teen-angel-boy-white-wings-muscle-bare-chest-hairless-twink-muscle-guy-hairless-young-pose-amature-pre-nipples-stiff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="481" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FJkaeb32vqw/X626mcR7WBI/AAAAAAABXCE/OvYbCP-2KrorRWLk4tUN8y48sY5pEsLlwCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/naked-teen-angel-boy-white-wings-muscle-bare-chest-hairless-twink-muscle-guy-hairless-young-pose-amature-pre-nipples-stiff.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The characters and the story can be understood by children under ten years of age, too; the book can easily be read out loud and depending on your reading style be dramatized by exaggerating the peculiarities of the individuals portrayed. You won't be called on explaining too many things happening in the story line or the character development of the hero. That is all included in the price.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cz6F9ptYlPQ/VbDd6Q2Rr1I/AAAAAAABMTU/j0hvaeozYug/s1600/gay-twink-muscle-hunk-kilt-tartan-bare-chest-nude-shoulders-naked-balde-sword-drawn-ripped.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cz6F9ptYlPQ/VbDd6Q2Rr1I/AAAAAAABMTU/j0hvaeozYug/s200/gay-twink-muscle-hunk-kilt-tartan-bare-chest-nude-shoulders-naked-balde-sword-drawn-ripped.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">As the book can currently be downloaded to any Kindle e-reader on Amazon for free you really shouldn't hesitate to get it. And if you don't have children in the relevant age bracket you can still enjoy it for yourself and be taken back to the time when you still knew that these magical realms existed all around you.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DLGVAuIguk8/VbDd7GTnmHI/AAAAAAABMUA/OAv1KZAmfVQ/s1600/naked-teen-gay-hairy-pits-crown-helmet-nipples-ribbed-ripped-slim-athletic-chest-torso-hailress-cute.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DLGVAuIguk8/VbDd7GTnmHI/AAAAAAABMUA/OAv1KZAmfVQ/s200/naked-teen-gay-hairy-pits-crown-helmet-nipples-ribbed-ripped-slim-athletic-chest-torso-hailress-cute.jpg" width="178" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">L. R. W. Lee's Blast of the Dragon's Fury is available for free on Amazon at the time of the publication of this review. Using the search term 'Andy Smithson' will give you a current list of all available books in the series, just in case you want to buy the sequel because you enjoyed the first one so much. As I did.</span><br /><br />
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKgKy1mwKDc/VbDd6WLQytI/AAAAAAABMTY/ZjzsV-ezaYc/s1600/gay-Travis-Van-Winkle-nude-chest-open-cape-muscle-twink-package-blond-outdoors-landscape-pecs-defined.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="108" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wKgKy1mwKDc/VbDd6WLQytI/AAAAAAABMTY/ZjzsV-ezaYc/s200/gay-Travis-Van-Winkle-nude-chest-open-cape-muscle-twink-package-blond-outdoors-landscape-pecs-defined.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Travis Van Winkle</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<a href="http://stutenzeewriting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/magic-is-dangerous.html" target="_blank"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Magic is Dangerous</span></a><br />
<a href="http://stutenzeecandyblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/merlin-returns-to-screens.html" target="_blank"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Merlin Returns to the Screen</span></a><br />
<a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/teenage-warrior-club.html" target="_blank"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Teenage Warrior Club</span></a></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-26237563452443195432015-07-21T06:21:00.002-07:002020-11-12T16:07:54.785-08:00Getting the Best Amazon Kindle Ever<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Amazon has released the third version of its e-book reader Kindle Paperwhite. A comparison with the previous model and the more expensive Kindle Voyager could help you get the best Kindle Paperwhite ever; at least for what are your personal needs. It goes without saying that I love my Amazon e-reader to bits.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5_F6o21gmM/Va5EkhdNM9I/AAAAAAABMRc/KnMrLCf_bo4/s1600/kindle-voyager-amazon-paperwhite-display-comparison-touch-screen-buttons-frame.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5_F6o21gmM/Va5EkhdNM9I/AAAAAAABMRc/KnMrLCf_bo4/s200/kindle-voyager-amazon-paperwhite-display-comparison-touch-screen-buttons-frame.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Voyager</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span><br />
</span><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Amazon has released the third version of its Kindle Paperwhite. The new e-reader has a display with a much higher resolution than its predecessor and is in this respect on a par with the Kindle Voyager, Amazon's third and most expensive e-reader with illuminated e-paper display.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4QNZ8168O4A/Va5EjXqC52I/AAAAAAABMRI/SQKc40nbBxY/s1600/beautiful-gay-teen-naked-shoulders-bare-arms-watch-book-hairless-skin-cute-face-portrait-model.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4QNZ8168O4A/Va5EjXqC52I/AAAAAAABMRI/SQKc40nbBxY/s200/beautiful-gay-teen-naked-shoulders-bare-arms-watch-book-hairless-skin-cute-face-portrait-model.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">With its first Paperwhite reader Amazon solved the fundamental problem of e-paper displays: Finally users could read in the dark without an external light source. For this purpose, the screen is illuminated; light intensity can be regulated to low so far that the screen doesn't appear too glaring in the dark on one side while the setting to high allows reading in glaring sunlight. Meanwhile, other manufacturers also offer e-reader with back-lit e-paper display. A pleasant side effect: Even in broad daylight a set of medium intensity lighting means that the e-paper display acts just like paper - clearly white but appearing non-illuminated.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hd45Sjfh_YM/X4okfE0AvSI/AAAAAAABW_w/-IkZzg1D-IwleY7O7tkUZ3QeiQUAChl7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s540/muscle-bearded-twink-library-strip-torso-abs-trained-book-cap-showing-off-bear-strong-extreme-definition.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="540" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hd45Sjfh_YM/X4okfE0AvSI/AAAAAAABW_w/-IkZzg1D-IwleY7O7tkUZ3QeiQUAChl7wCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/muscle-bearded-twink-library-strip-torso-abs-trained-book-cap-showing-off-bear-strong-extreme-definition.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The first version of the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite still had problems with the lighting which was unable to lighten the display evenly. In the second Kindle, no differences in brightness between the screen's center and its edges can be made out.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cf5f6u3xKgA/Va5EjdAY4JI/AAAAAAABMRA/5Hsw0iV5z4E/s1600/amazon-kindle-paperwhite-lighting-scale-display.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cf5f6u3xKgA/Va5EjdAY4JI/AAAAAAABMRA/5Hsw0iV5z4E/s200/amazon-kindle-paperwhite-lighting-scale-display.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Lighting Scale</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The illumination of the newest, third, Paperwhite is uniformly even and also a bit stronger than that of its predecessor. In daylight, we don't notice that the screen is illuminated; the screen just looks like any book printed on white paper. This illusion is helped by Amazon increasing the resolution of the new Paperwhite to 300 ppi from 212 ppi of the second version.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_8z_2OEHQwQ/X4okfOynIEI/AAAAAAABW_0/nS2Acero-_IxCC6CrrZtE-eBuZrwygQhACLcBGAsYHQ/s480/kindle-naked-sun-bathing-muscle-hunk-twink-oiled-glistening-skin-topless-no-bathing-trunks-abs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_8z_2OEHQwQ/X4okfOynIEI/AAAAAAABW_0/nS2Acero-_IxCC6CrrZtE-eBuZrwygQhACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/kindle-naked-sun-bathing-muscle-hunk-twink-oiled-glistening-skin-topless-no-bathing-trunks-abs.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">This makes the typeface looks much sharper than before. The new Paperwhite and the older Kindle are outwardly similar with exception to the colors of the printed logos. While in </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">first Paperwhite</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">the jagged print was visible to the naked eye jaggies and the letters appeared blurry, the new model shows much crisper print. This becomes all the more evident the smaller the font size is set to. In contrast clarity, however, there appears to be no significant difference.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zNVDiv1RqPM/X4okfLp0VqI/AAAAAAABW_s/zMGYuVt1MkQWOdZK5_ht-s8G4MwQkMAfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s734/buff-muscled-teen-twink-hunk-reading-book-shirtless-naked-chest-nipples-jeans.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zNVDiv1RqPM/X4okfLp0VqI/AAAAAAABW_s/zMGYuVt1MkQWOdZK5_ht-s8G4MwQkMAfQCLcBGAsYHQ/w135-h200/buff-muscled-teen-twink-hunk-reading-book-shirtless-naked-chest-nipples-jeans.png" width="135" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">On the new Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon has introduced the typeface Bookerly which was specially developed for digital screens. The font is similar to Palatino which is also available on previous Kindle readers. It looks similar but at a closer look a little more rounded out. Compared to Futura, the print appears less jagged.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1To6EFE_Cbc/Va5Ej-YobqI/AAAAAAABMRM/jJaHPSm5DWg/s1600/kindle-paperwhite-display-dictionary-vocabulary-look-up-training-learning-oxford-explanation-wiki-access-amazon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1To6EFE_Cbc/Va5Ej-YobqI/AAAAAAABMRM/jJaHPSm5DWg/s200/kindle-paperwhite-display-dictionary-vocabulary-look-up-training-learning-oxford-explanation-wiki-access-amazon.jpg" width="151" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Dictionary</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Operations on the two latest Amazon Kindle Paperwhites don't differ: both feature a touchscreen and have no control keys except for the power button at the bottom. Pages are flipped over by touch to the right or left half of the display; at the top of the screen the menu is displayed while reading. In it, the user will find the settings for the font, the ability to jump to specific pages, and the search menu with which he can search the book for names and keywords.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4eju7swpIo/X4okeYkCuNI/AAAAAAABW_o/uBAxnwxxNbQ9VPCg-2tJW95VZtZBZQV-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s823/book-kindle-reading-strong-twink-hunk-muscle-chest-topless-nude-beard-hairless-torso.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="823" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4eju7swpIo/X4okeYkCuNI/AAAAAAABW_o/uBAxnwxxNbQ9VPCg-2tJW95VZtZBZQV-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/book-kindle-reading-strong-twink-hunk-muscle-chest-topless-nude-beard-hairless-torso.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The lighting control system is identical</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> for both Kindles. Automatic lighting control remains only available on Kindle Voyage. The slightly brighter lighting on the latter works on the same principle as with the Paperwhites. On Amazon's site, </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">however,</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">numerous</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">reviews show complaints from users who point to the uneven color illumination on Kindle Voyager: At the top of the screen they seem warmer than in the lower.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fdfde5goJL0/Va5ElNkTCMI/AAAAAAABMRk/76j2iJ83BVY/s1600/nude-chested-gay-boy-young-teen-magazin-reading-teenager-male-models-front-page-slim-bare-shoulders-watch.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fdfde5goJL0/Va5ElNkTCMI/AAAAAAABMRk/76j2iJ83BVY/s200/nude-chested-gay-boy-young-teen-magazin-reading-teenager-male-models-front-page-slim-bare-shoulders-watch.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The new Paperwhite and Kindle Voyager show text on a six-inch screen with 300 ppi. Accordingly, the writing is sharp on both and isn't jagged in any discernible way. The automatic brightness control, however, needs correcting every now and then: In dim light, the screen is too dark too often.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jboKqGUM654/X4okeSJ243I/AAAAAAABW_k/-V9XRERimWku1eo6prwpSm4u0OX5iif_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s855/blond-young-teen-boy-gay-bedroom-book-reading-slip-blue-naked-bed-muscle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="855" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jboKqGUM654/X4okeSJ243I/AAAAAAABW_k/-V9XRERimWku1eo6prwpSm4u0OX5iif_wCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/blond-young-teen-boy-gay-bedroom-book-reading-slip-blue-naked-bed-muscle.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Upon closer examination, small differences in the typeface of the two high-resolution e-book readers show up: On the one hand, Kindle Voyager shows print in a more pronounced black than the new Paperwhite. On the other hand, text on the Kindle Paperwhite still look a</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">bit clearer</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> than on the Voyager.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NJ0uSZRdS8Q/Va5EmE6r_bI/AAAAAAABMSA/PWzUtmuJOh0/s1600/young-hung-teen-boy-gay-underwear-huge-long-dong-mac-apple-tablet-semi-nude-white-socks-cute-face-beautiful.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NJ0uSZRdS8Q/Va5EmE6r_bI/AAAAAAABMSA/PWzUtmuJOh0/s200/young-hung-teen-boy-gay-underwear-huge-long-dong-mac-apple-tablet-semi-nude-white-socks-cute-face-beautiful.png" width="150" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The reason lies in the different material used for the display surfaces in the two models. When Kindle Paperwhite, the screen surface is made from matted plastic that suppresses reflections outdoors very well. The screen surface of the Kindle Voyager on the other hand is made of matted glass. Viewed through a magnifying glass, the structure of the plastic surface shows up softer; with the glass surface of the Kindle Voyager however, this effect doesn't exist. For this reason, the font looks a bit sharper and clearer on the latter as do external reflections.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-In-EfvwTKOY/X4okeZNPALI/AAAAAAABW_g/trw8WXLha_kp4AWv_zWWSbChgB2FoU_EQCLcBGAsYHQ/s641/blond-gay-hunk-twink-muscled-torso-tanned-topless-boxers-book-reading-bedroom-smile.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="453" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-In-EfvwTKOY/X4okeZNPALI/AAAAAAABW_g/trw8WXLha_kp4AWv_zWWSbChgB2FoU_EQCLcBGAsYHQ/w141-h200/blond-gay-hunk-twink-muscled-torso-tanned-topless-boxers-book-reading-bedroom-smile.jpg" width="141" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The design of the Kindle Voyager is based on the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. But the reader has no raised frame as do the two Paperwhites and it exudes more luxury, too. With 162 times 115 times 7.6 millimeters, it is also smaller than the new Paperwhite with 169 times 117 times 9.1 millimeters.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cn1xSR_Z1Vw/Va5ElkjsWMI/AAAAAAABMRo/s8_TqV6bX3E/s1600/vocabulary-training-amazon-voyager-kindle-paperwhite-look-up-explanations-press-traing-functions-words-explained-oxford-dictionary-american.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="144" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cn1xSR_Z1Vw/Va5ElkjsWMI/AAAAAAABMRo/s8_TqV6bX3E/s200/vocabulary-training-amazon-voyager-kindle-paperwhite-look-up-explanations-press-traing-functions-words-explained-oxford-dictionary-american.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Vocabulary Builder</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The Kindle Voyager also has a touch screen with the same menu navigation as the two Paperwhites. Additionally, you can turn pages with touch keys. These are designed like the touch keys used on the very first Kindle reader: A large and easily accessible key is used on both sides to scroll forward and a smaller key above them to scroll back.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wOBiuRYss2s/X4ofab8qeWI/AAAAAAABW_M/cJ5PL9Wd840Y8o5xKi0Wl0NtCHOmpttYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s680/young-teen-sprayer-grafiti-naked-chest-slim-hairless-body-gay-adolescent-defined-body-bulge-army-trousers-cute-male-spraying-can.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="453" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wOBiuRYss2s/X4ofab8qeWI/AAAAAAABW_M/cJ5PL9Wd840Y8o5xKi0Wl0NtCHOmpttYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/young-teen-sprayer-grafiti-naked-chest-slim-hairless-body-gay-adolescent-defined-body-bulge-army-trousers-cute-male-spraying-can.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The advantage of this additional user option is all in favor of the reader. The touch keys can comfortably be operated with one hand. Quite often with the touch screens, the other hand must come to the aid. With the Kindle Voyager a pressure of the thumb which already is engaged in holding the device is sufficient. That may be a small thing, in everyday life it is nothing but practical. Sometimes looking back is the way forward.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iuVW_aAwtj4/Va5EkipinQI/AAAAAAABMRY/InQQCR1PS84/s1600/naked-torso-gay-twink-muscle-hunk-skimpy-slips-boots-hairless-chest-legs-sixpack-abs-sofa-paper-ashtray-spread-eagled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iuVW_aAwtj4/Va5EkipinQI/AAAAAAABMRY/InQQCR1PS84/s200/naked-torso-gay-twink-muscle-hunk-skimpy-slips-boots-hairless-chest-legs-sixpack-abs-sofa-paper-ashtray-spread-eagled.jpg" width="139" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Amazon gives for all three models the same value </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">for battery life</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">: with 30 minutes of reading a day at brightness level 10 the battery will run for six weeks. Experience shows that battery life of any Kindle reader can be measured in weeks </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">even with frequent use.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> V</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">ery long reading sessions at full brightness will still not deplete the batteries for several days.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ByUR9pkTZcg/X4ofZ51hmUI/AAAAAAABW_I/f_eaw7ydoDMkhEvbaKuFI4c3EaqFu_KFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s680/young-sports-twink-reading-book-open-fly-bulge-hung-balls-toned-slim-athletic-body-spider-man-comics-tight-ass.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="452" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ByUR9pkTZcg/X4ofZ51hmUI/AAAAAAABW_I/f_eaw7ydoDMkhEvbaKuFI4c3EaqFu_KFQCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/young-sports-twink-reading-book-open-fly-bulge-hung-balls-toned-slim-athletic-body-spider-man-comics-tight-ass.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The pricing for all three Kindle devices is predictable with the older Paperwhite version the cheapest and the Voyager the most expensive. All three are available with either wireless connection or UMTS. The UMTS versions are about a third more expensive than the wireless ones. The newer Paperwhite offers a cheap deal with a reduced price offer if you are prepared to put up with ads being displayed on a locked screen.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wqlFUIWT1EU/Va5EjW4tVVI/AAAAAAABMRE/HANC-fQXj0Y/s1600/bare-cheste-muscle-hunk-twink-gay-nude-chest-chain-boxers-reading-notebook-hairless-body-torso-nipples-stiff.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wqlFUIWT1EU/Va5EjW4tVVI/AAAAAAABMRE/HANC-fQXj0Y/s200/bare-cheste-muscle-hunk-twink-gay-nude-chest-chain-boxers-reading-notebook-hairless-body-torso-nipples-stiff.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">With the UMTS versions of the Kindle reader, users can download books and synchronize their reading progress without WiFi. The pre-loaded browser, however, can</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">only</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"> be used over a Wi-Fi network.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_vIQsKv46U/X4ofZRIV0sI/AAAAAAABW_E/vJni7Agw8voyOraOcchnCfJWDMOXdN_PwCLcBGAsYHQ/s680/pre-teen-young-gay-boy-spelling-mistake-placard-semi-nude-boxers-slim-hairless-body-naked-chest-torso-bulge-blond-cute-face-amature-image-home.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="510" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_vIQsKv46U/X4ofZRIV0sI/AAAAAAABW_E/vJni7Agw8voyOraOcchnCfJWDMOXdN_PwCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/pre-teen-young-gay-boy-spelling-mistake-placard-semi-nude-boxers-slim-hairless-body-naked-chest-torso-bulge-blond-cute-face-amature-image-home.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Which brings us to the question: Which is the best Kindle you could buy? The answer, I'm afraid, depends on your specific needs and will involve some sort of compromise.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pRN_lkvxWrQ/X63OOWEHQII/AAAAAAABXCQ/rrIbBZ23Rj4uNXsnZ9wNcD6pEAZOPA8mwCLcBGAsYHQ/s646/naked-white-speedo-string-gay-twink-reading-stand-hairless-legs-body-bare-foot-outdoors-book-toned-statue-sixpack-abs-bulge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="431" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pRN_lkvxWrQ/X63OOWEHQII/AAAAAAABXCQ/rrIbBZ23Rj4uNXsnZ9wNcD6pEAZOPA8mwCLcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/naked-white-speedo-string-gay-twink-reading-stand-hairless-legs-body-bare-foot-outdoors-book-toned-statue-sixpack-abs-bulge.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">If you are on a budget and don't want to be bothered by ads on your screen, then the older Kindle will be entirely satisfactory; if you don't mind the ads, the newer Paperwhite is only slightly more expensive and you do get the improved script.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IkbEA-JegQc/X4ofZWvsoOI/AAAAAAABW_A/JEr_WfiHhaIveD7o0jdA0vkQ25z7kHJBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/naked-blond-guy-unmade-bed-book-reading-covering-privates-muscle-hunk-young-gay-boy-sixpack-defined-pecs-smooth-kin-hairless-body-spread-eagled-legs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IkbEA-JegQc/X4ofZWvsoOI/AAAAAAABW_A/JEr_WfiHhaIveD7o0jdA0vkQ25z7kHJBgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/naked-blond-guy-unmade-bed-book-reading-covering-privates-muscle-hunk-young-gay-boy-sixpack-defined-pecs-smooth-kin-hairless-body-spread-eagled-legs.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">If you are an outdoors reader, then the display of the newer Paperwhite is the one to go for. And Amazon has improved its typeface significantly. The letters appear clearer and sharper than on the previous model; and I like the new font Bookerly. </span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J0Y3jOFCKlY/Va5Elcn96EI/AAAAAAABMRs/blpVbfrdsz0/s1600/reaing-muscle-twink-hunk-bodybuilder-naked-chest-nude-torso-six-pack-abs-pecs-shaved-boxer-shorts-tight-ass.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J0Y3jOFCKlY/Va5Elcn96EI/AAAAAAABMRs/blpVbfrdsz0/s200/reaing-muscle-twink-hunk-bodybuilder-naked-chest-nude-torso-six-pack-abs-pecs-shaved-boxer-shorts-tight-ass.jpg" width="153" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">If you are used to one handed reading, then the Voyager is the Kindle of your choice. The touch keys will allow you to turn the pages without getting the other hand involved. The crisp typeface is really good, but you'll get annoyed when getting all those reflections while reading outdoors. The automatic brightness control is irrelevant, as you have to adjust it as often as not. And the problem with the color display might be putting you off after all.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vjYgdig03yQ/X4ofZeH0pWI/AAAAAAABW-8/jLyveBsVGZAEM-nrYQxP1S8YrECMavRAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/muscle-twink-bed-white-undies-bulge-boner-nude-lying-down-gay-magazine-reading-sixpack-muscle-naked-chest-hairy-pits-smooth-hairless-skin-pecs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vjYgdig03yQ/X4ofZeH0pWI/AAAAAAABW-8/jLyveBsVGZAEM-nrYQxP1S8YrECMavRAQCLcBGAsYHQ/w160-h200/muscle-twink-bed-white-undies-bulge-boner-nude-lying-down-gay-magazine-reading-sixpack-muscle-naked-chest-hairy-pits-smooth-hairless-skin-pecs.jpg" width="160" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeewriting.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/thinking-about-kindle-from-amazon.html" target="_blank">Thinking About Getting a Kindle From Amazon</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeecandyblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/edouard-louis-on-eddy-bellegueule.html" target="_blank">Edouard Louis on Eddy Bellegueule</a></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeehistoryblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/iconic-design-swiss-army-knife.html" target="_blank">Iconic Design: Swiss Army Knife</a></span></span></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192873362433552046.post-45202163377876526642014-03-15T15:32:00.003-07:002020-11-12T16:21:21.923-08:00Regency Twin Trouble<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Identical Twins are predestined for comedy, and Georgette Heyer made excellent use of that literary convention to write this Regency romantic comedy. When the elder twin and head of house disappears, the younger and more responsible one takes over. His moves to reduce risks of exposure just dig him in deeper as his brother stays lost for weeks on end.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lFOVIawGo8I/UyTSDg5u6oI/AAAAAAAAxwk/mAniiXye4J0/s1600/Jordan-Travis-Smit-gay-twins-twink-hunks-shirtless-muscle-torso-blond-models-jeans-bulge-outdoor-photo-shoot.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lFOVIawGo8I/UyTSDg5u6oI/AAAAAAAAxwk/mAniiXye4J0/s1600/Jordan-Travis-Smit-gay-twins-twink-hunks-shirtless-muscle-torso-blond-models-jeans-bulge-outdoor-photo-shoot.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jordan and Travis Smit Twins</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Georgette Heyer's book False Colours is one of her humorous stories set in the time when the Prince Regent held court at Brighton Pavilion. The sudden disappearance of Lord Denville is becoming extremely bothersome when the date set for him to meet the family of his fiancee draws nearer and nearer. The providential return of his twin from Vienna gives rise to the scheme of him taking the place of the absentee lord.</span><br />
<br />
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nuoGTIEipi4/UyTSGxvVDBI/AAAAAAAAxw0/f1KTiJcLqIE/s1600/gay-jorge-jariel-naranjo-young-twink-models-shirtless-underwear-bulge-hairless-chest-nipple-play-photo-shoot.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nuoGTIEipi4/UyTSGxvVDBI/AAAAAAAAxw0/f1KTiJcLqIE/s1600/gay-jorge-jariel-naranjo-young-twink-models-shirtless-underwear-bulge-hairless-chest-nipple-play-photo-shoot.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Jorge and Jariel Naranjo Twins</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Pressured by his mother, he attends that most unpleasant dinner and then absconds to the family seat to avoid any more chance meetings with friends of his brother's. The grandmother of his brother's fiancee has no scruples to invite herself and her granddaughter for a stay there planing to stay for at last at least a couple of weeks. Lady Denville quickly assembles a party of guests on grounds of availability rather than compatibility to dilute the time the false lord will have to spend with each of them.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FL2Tkt0orp4/UyTSJNlXBjI/AAAAAAAAxxI/rj05p6IQJpg/s1600/zach-tyler-brank-twins-gay-twinks-hunk-muscle-hairless-chest-pit-boots-briefs-black-bulge-sixpack-young-models-male.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FL2Tkt0orp4/UyTSJNlXBjI/AAAAAAAAxxI/rj05p6IQJpg/s1600/zach-tyler-brank-twins-gay-twinks-hunk-muscle-hairless-chest-pit-boots-briefs-black-bulge-sixpack-young-models-male.jpg" width="132" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Zach and Tyler Brank Twins</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The assembly give Georgette Heyer full scope to unfold the play within a small field of vision. The limited number of players involved in this story allows her to develop the character of the individuals more deeply than in many of her books with a wider cast. Cressida, the fiancee, soon suspects subterfuge despite having met Lord Denville only once when he proposed this marriage de convenience. Sleepy Sir Bonamy, friend of the Prince Regent and the Duke of York, becomes aware of the charade, too, and closes his eyes resolutely against it. </span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BDfuqDsyjsY/X63RLlwpX3I/AAAAAAABXCc/jTklk-9w72ovsFkBrrSsP-FoCbnjr8LlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s665/ryan-justin-wood-gay-naked-twins-muscle-hunk-twinks-sixpack-shirtless-hairless-pecs-abs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BDfuqDsyjsY/X63RLlwpX3I/AAAAAAABXCc/jTklk-9w72ovsFkBrrSsP-FoCbnjr8LlgCLcBGAsYHQ/w151-h200/ryan-justin-wood-gay-naked-twins-muscle-hunk-twinks-sixpack-shirtless-hairless-pecs-abs.jpg" width="151" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ryan and Justin Wood Twins<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>The charm of the story lies in the people gathered at the family seat and the many side issues that arise from throwing together an ill assorted guest list. Many old scandals and stories come to infringe on the carefully balanced peace and complicate the situation further. She manages to make from what readers might expect to become a comedy of errors a comedy of situation.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O1g0K1IQCLM/UyTSGTs7zDI/AAAAAAAAxww/9tzeLtMVHb0/s1600/patriota-twins-gay-marcio-marcos-slim-athlete-young-twink-brothers-shirtless-speedo-bulge-hairless-torso-chest-.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O1g0K1IQCLM/UyTSGTs7zDI/AAAAAAAAxww/9tzeLtMVHb0/s1600/patriota-twins-gay-marcio-marcos-slim-athlete-young-twink-brothers-shirtless-speedo-bulge-hairless-torso-chest-.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Marcio and Marcos Patriota Twins</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">By the time the real lord reappears with a broken shoulder and rattled brains, it is clear that the whole scheme will blow up in their faces as soon as the twins change places again. In the end, mother and sons find ways to turn events to their advantage and scrape out of the brewing scandal. False Colours is available on Kindle.</span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mgUEcbaZSek/UyTSDby0RbI/AAAAAAAAxwg/lKE_RqNm3_U/s1600/jedward-gau-joh-edward-grimes-shirtless-blond-teen-boys-twins-hairless-slim-young-teenage-models-singers-irish-bulge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mgUEcbaZSek/UyTSDby0RbI/AAAAAAAAxwg/lKE_RqNm3_U/s1600/jedward-gau-joh-edward-grimes-shirtless-blond-teen-boys-twins-hairless-slim-young-teenage-models-singers-irish-bulge.jpg" width="158" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">John and Edward Grimes Twins</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Further reading</span><br />
<a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-marquis-dog-and-cows-in-london-parks.html" target="_blank"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">A Marquis, a Dog, and Cows in London Parks</span></a><br />
<a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/11/who-would-want-to-go-to-dijon.html" target="_blank"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Who Would Want to go to Dijon?</span></a><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://stutenzeebooks.blogspot.com/2013/11/english-intrigue-in-louis-xvs-france.html" target="_blank">English Intrigue in Louis XV's France</a></span></span><br /></div>
stutenzeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255422382031697195noreply@blogger.com0