Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Three suspense-filled stories from a trio of the best authors in the M/M genre bring you tales of danger coupled with high intensity romance. What would you do if your lover had been kidnapped and you had to fight to get him back? "Dangerous Ground" By Josh Lanyon, "Burn Card" by Laura Baumbach and "A Classic Story of Good and Evil" by Sarah Black all visit the danger and passion of love and life torn apart by unforeseen circumstances This book also includes a bonus short from Black, "The Second Indian War."

BOOK REVIEW:
In "Dangerous Grounds" by Josh Lanyon, federal agents Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister take a camping trip into the mountains to work on their partnership after Taylor was nearly killed on the job. They have more to deal with than the bond between partners, however, when they discover a plane crash and missing money from a robbery that someone is sure to be looking for.

This contribution to the anthology is what I consider rompin' good fun. The author hits all the requirements of a very good read in my opinion. The characterization is superb, revealed in the dialog and action of the story to an extent that I felt I knew these two characters very well. The relationship between Will and Taylor was gratifying. Both are very strong males and they are very different, so interactions between them are not always easy, but I loved how they cared about each as they tried to figure out how to connect. The pacing was also done very well, with just the right balance between the action and the relationship development.

Another thing that Lanyon did that I found very gratifying as a reader was that he didn't stretch what I like to call the credibility factor too far. Often I find in action/suspense stories that the action ~ and thus the story line ~ is too unbelievable to really enjoy. I'm willing to suspend belief to an extent, but anything truly outrageous takes away from my enjoyment of the story as a whole. Lanyon respects this boundary with flair, creating a tale that is fast-paced and action packed in just the right amounts. This was a truly enjoyable read all across the board.

"The Second Indian War" by Sarah Black is the story of Sam Adams, a reporter and amateur photographer, who is taken 'prisoner' by an intriguing young man while he is out photographing the land on the Navajo Reservation. This story is much shorter than the other three in the collection, a bonus short I believe. Personally, I thought the descriptions of the land were the main attraction for this story. Black really brought the elemental beauty of the scene to life, and the land becomes a character in its own right. The meeting between Sam and the young man, TJ, do well to tantalize the reader with the brief connection and the possibilities of more. As a taste of this author's writing, I think it suits very well.

In "Burn Card" by Laura Baumbach, Cody Baxter, a criminalist in Las Vegas, is taken hostage while working up a homicide scene. This hits closer to home and to his lover, Gil Turko, than anyone would have thought. This story was perhaps the weakest of the contributions, although I still enjoyed it. I really liked the characterization of Cody; I thought he was strong and feisty, but honest about his need for his lover. He was a 'tough guy,' but I found his fear and panic that he tried to fight when he was taken hostage real and convincing. I think Baumbach did a fine job indeed, of portraying Cody as a complex but realistic character.

I didn't really connect with Gil, though, and I'm not quite sure why. It might have been due to the fact that the story opens with Cody and Gil in an established, loving relationship where Gil kept saying he was in love with Cody without giving the readers much time to establish this for themselves. I also really enjoyed the cast of secondary characters in "Burn Card." They were interesting, and really added to the central story. The pacing in this story was effective, moving right along with the action to keep the reader interested. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

"The Classic Story of Good and Evil" tells the story of two Marine helicopter pilots, Daniel and Hutch, who are struggling to come to grips with their relationship while stationed together in Vietnam. Then Daniel is captured by the enemy, and Hutch has to find the strength to rescue him. I thought this story was very good. Black portrayed the depth of her characters in subtle ways, bringing them fully to life. I thought Daniel's struggle to accept his homosexuality was handled skillfully, nicely juxtaposed with Hutch's easy confidence in who he was. Although I found the relationship development very believable and satisfying, the action ~ mainly Hutch's rescue of Daniel ~ seemed too improbable and took away somewhat from my enjoyment of the story.

I would also like to say that the setting was done brilliantly, in my opinion. The descriptions, actions, and dialog relating to the military and combat were done in such a way that I felt fully immersed in the scenes I was reading. Additionally, and this is minor, but I absolutely loved the main love scene in this story. Black utilized what felt like glimpses of stream of consciousness during the love scene, which I thought was a great way to convey sensory reaction during an intimate scene. Very well done, in my opinion.

Overall, I enjoyed this collection immensely and would highly recommend!

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. However, some books were purchased by the reviewer and not provided for free. For information on how a particular title was obtained, please contact us at reviews@rainbow-reviews.com.