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Two more slash novels
In my first review of two original slash novels, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
queen2408 recommended PsyCop: Partners in the comments. I also found yet another m/m novel at the library: All Through the Night: a Troubleshooter Christmas.
PsyCop: Partners is written by Jordan Castillo Price and is actually a double novel containing two stories about PsyCop dectectives Victor Bayne and Jacob Marks. The setting is a slightly AU version of our own world, in which psychic abilities exist and are acknowledged, which has led to the formation of the PsyCop police division, in which a psychic detective is paired with a non-psychic (or "Stiff") partner. Victor is a psychic who can and see and talk to ghosts, which can come in quite handy for solving murders, as you might imagine. Unfortunately, it's an ability that he can't shut off except by using certain drugs, and being constantly hounded by ghosts has affected his emotional, mental, and physical health. He's been overusing the drugs that dampen his psychic abilities, his "Stiff" partner (the closest thing he has to a friend) is retiring, and he hasn't been in a serious relationship in years--the talking to the dead stuff scares off most potential boyfriends. But things start looking up when the gorgeous Jacob suddenly takes an interest in him, and they end up having a very hot and impulsive encounter during the partner's retirement party.
Victor ends up assisting Jacob and his partner on an investigation of a serial killer who seems to be able to change his appearance to match his victims' image of the ideal man. Perhaps even more disturbingly, the killer leaves no ghosts behind for Victor to talk to--as if not just their bodies, but their spirits have been destroyed. Meanwhile, Victor is caught off-balance by his affair with Jacob, not quite sure where it's going or why such a hot guy is interested in him. And then the killer sets his sights on Jacob...
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The mystery parts of the story were intriguing and the worldbuilding was well done: the author obviously put a lot of thought into crafting not just the paranormal abilities, but how psychics do (or don't) fit into society. However, I felt that the romance part of the story was slightly lacking. The sex scenes are really hot, and that was fine when Victor and Jacob were first getting together, but there needs to be more than hot sex to make a relationship work.
I think part of the problem is that the book is told from Victor's POV, and he has pretty low self-esteem (although that's not entirely his fault). He doesn't really think of himself as attractive and doesn't seem to understand what Jacob sees in him, aside from the fact that he thinks Jacob has a psychic fetish. At first he isn't sure whether Jacob is serious about him or not, although as a reader, I was able to figure out that he was. The problem is that even after they get serious and (sort of) move in together, I was never quite sure why these two are in love with each other. For Victor, Jacob is handsome and great in bed and actually cares about him--and maybe that's enough for a guy who's used to being rejected. As for what Jacob sees in Victor...I'm not sure, because Victor's pretty screwed up. He's not a bad guy by any means, but he's pretty messed up from being surrounded by ghosts all his life, he's insecure and a little self-centered, and he's semi-addicted to drugs. Underneath all that is a decent guy, but I was never really sure what about Victor made Jacob willing to see past and work through all the baggage. I could understand if Jacob was the kind of guy who likes to take care of and/or rescue people, but I didn't really get that vibe from him.
I don't know, maybe I'm being a little unfair because sometimes you can't explain why you love someone, you just do. But as a reader, in order to believe in the romance, I need to understand why it works. It doesn't necessarily need to be spelled out, but I need to get it, even if it's on a subconscious level. I can understand the sparks that fly between two enemies or rivals, like Snape and Lupin, or Harry and Draco. I believed in the friendship that blossomed into love in the Faith & Fidelity novel by Tere Michaels. I felt the instant chemistry between Jim and Griffin in Love & Loyalty by the same author, although I'd probably have to think about it before I could articulate why these two are good for each other. I definitely felt the physical chemistry between Victor and Jacob, but would have liked to have seen the emotional building of the relationship expanded on a bit more. Maybe it would have helped to have had some chapters from Jacob's POV.
But overall, it was a good story and I'd still recommend it. I borrowed this book from the library, but I see that the author has more PsyCop novels available on Kindle, and I might buy at least the next one in the series. From reading the summaries and reviews, it sounds like there's more character development as the series continues, so that might resolve the problems I had with the first two novels.
***
All Through the Night is not so much an original m/m novel written for slash fangirls as it is a romance book where the main characters happen to be gay. The author is mainstream suspense/romance writer Suzanne Brockmann, and I'd heard good things about her Troubleshooters, Inc. series, which features a gay supporting character. Brockmann's son is gay, and she is a proud PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) member, which is partly why she's made a point of writing sympathetic gay characters in her novels. FBI agent Jules Cassidy, the previously mentioned supporting character, is given a main role in All Through the Night, in which he and his movie star boyfriend Robin Chadwick decide to get married. However, the wedding plans are complicated by a reporter looking for a scoop and by Adam, an ex-lover of both Jules and Robin, who is being targeted by a stalker and wants Jules's help. (He also wouldn't mind coming between the happy couple.)
This title I loved unreservedly, and even though I was starting about two-thirds into the series, I had absolutely no trouble following the plot or understanding the characters. I'm sure it would have been even more enjoyable if I had read the previous books, but past events were explained clearly enough for a newcomer to understand without boring a longtime reader. (IMHO, anyway, since this is the first Troubleshooters book I've read.) Jules and Robin are wonderful characters, and so much in love that you just have to root for them. The supporting characters are great, too, including Jules's friends, married couple Sam and Alyssa (a Navy SEAL and an FBI agent respectively). Jules was hurt badly in the past by the unfaithful Adam, and Sam plays the protective big brother role, basically telling Robin that he's going to kick his ass if he ever cheats on Jules. (Well, literally he says, "I will rip out your lungs.") Rather than being intimidated, Robin gives back as good as he gets: "With your pinky finger...Right? It's a little detail, I know, but it helps build the right amount of terror in me. I mean, because without the paralyzing fear holding me back, I just might go out and fuck random strangers." Robin goes on to tell Sam in no uncertain terms that he loves Jules and Jules loves him, and that by threatening him this way, Sam is insulting Jules by implying that Jules can't take care of himself. It was at this point that I really fell in love with Robin.
To be fair to Sam, he realizes that he's been a jerk and apologizes, and it turns out that his judgment has been colored by the fact that Robin is a recovering alcoholic. Sam's mother was an alcoholic as well, and he felt a natural mistrust towards Robin, worrying that Jules would get hurt if Robin ever fell off the wagon. Sam's wife Alyssa also has a few reservations, but had decided to be supportive and trust Jules, and Robin is eventually able to win them both over.
Jules is a great character, too--mostly sympathetic, but three-dimensional and far from perfect. He has an admitted jealous and possessive streak which seems to have come between him and Adam in the past. (Although I got the impression that Adam used "You're too possessive" more as an excuse to justify his cheating.) Mostly Robin likes Jules's possessiveness, and Jules doesn't cross the line into creepy-stalker-abusive mode, but it does occasionally cause problems, like when Adam starts calling both men, unbeknownst to the other. When they finally find out, there's a mutual moment of "How dare you not tell me that your ex was calling you?!" But after those initial moments of anger, they talk things out like mature adults. And what I like about Jules is that when he starts getting too jealous, he forces himself to take a step back and realize that it's a problem with himself, not Robin. Neither of them are perfect, but they're aware of their flaws and work to overcome their problems together. They're madly in love, which is great, but their mutual respect for each other is what makes them an awesome couple.
Adam and his stalker provide some conflict and suspense before the wedding, and there's a romantic subplot about Robin's assistant Dolphina and a reporter named Will, who lies his way into a party in order to get a scoop about the gay couple. Honestly, I think the guy's an ass, since he lies to Dolphina in order to get a story not just once but twice--the second time is the most unforgivable, because at that point they've already (kind of) started dating. He's sincerely sorry, and he makes up for it rather dramatically both times, but...meh, I still wouldn't have forgiven the guy, at least not enough to have a relationship with him. But that's okay, because the main story about Jules and Robin is awesome enough that I can overlook the subplot.
The end of the book hints at a new love interest for Adam, and that storyline appears to be continued in the ebook When Tony Met Adam. I like Brockmann's writing and it's only $2, so I'll probably buy it, but she's really going to have to work hard at making me like Adam as a protagonist, because the guy is a real jerk in All Through the Night: even after Jules and his friends save Adam from his stalker, he still makes one more futile attempt to break up Jules and Robin! How's that for gratitude?
Anyway, I loved this book and highly recommend it! In fact, I loved it so much that I'll probably go back and read the rest of the Troubleshooters series. From reading the summaries, Jules and Robin have significant supporting roles in Hot Target (in which they first meet) and Force of Nature (in which they become a couple). If you scroll down past the summary on the Force of Nature page, Brockmann gives a very entertaining account of how she didn't originally plan for Jules and Robin to get together in that book. They were supposed to be unable to compromise, and would go through some angsty stuff before getting a happy ending in a later book. However, the characters rebelled:
That was freaking hilarious, because I've gone through similar things with some of my own characters! In my Snupin Always series, I was going to stick to canon relationships aside from the Snape/Lupin pairing. So originally, Hermione and Ron were going to be paired up like they are in the books, but Hermione and my OC Slytherin character Dylan Rosier decided that they liked each other. I didn't exactly tear my hair out over it, but it made me worry about whether readers would be upset about my breaking up the Ron/Hermione pairing to ship Hermione with an OC, and how I'd have to justify a Death Eater wannabe falling in love with a Muggle-born. But in the end it worked out, and nobody complained about it.
Yoshizumi and Kenzaki were more of a problem in Unmasked, part of my Haru wo Daiteita Comeback series. Originally, Yoshizumi and Asano were supposed to become a couple, but it was obviously going to take a long time before the bratty Asano matured enough to be a full partner to Yoshizumi. So Snapelike suggested a temporary hookup between Yoshizumi and one of the When a Man Loves a Man hosts, and the plans for Yoshizumi/Asano pretty much ended when Kenzaki entered the scene. The two of them just clicked and had such chemistry that it shoved Asano out of the picture, and I couldn't bear to break Kenzaki's heart again after it had already been broken once in canon. The conversation between us went something like this:
Anyway, it was both funny and comforting to learn that professional authors have to wrestle with rebellious characters, too!
Also, added a new tag for slash novels since this is my third post on the subject.
queen2408 recommended PsyCop: Partners in the comments. I also found yet another m/m novel at the library: All Through the Night: a Troubleshooter Christmas.PsyCop: Partners is written by Jordan Castillo Price and is actually a double novel containing two stories about PsyCop dectectives Victor Bayne and Jacob Marks. The setting is a slightly AU version of our own world, in which psychic abilities exist and are acknowledged, which has led to the formation of the PsyCop police division, in which a psychic detective is paired with a non-psychic (or "Stiff") partner. Victor is a psychic who can and see and talk to ghosts, which can come in quite handy for solving murders, as you might imagine. Unfortunately, it's an ability that he can't shut off except by using certain drugs, and being constantly hounded by ghosts has affected his emotional, mental, and physical health. He's been overusing the drugs that dampen his psychic abilities, his "Stiff" partner (the closest thing he has to a friend) is retiring, and he hasn't been in a serious relationship in years--the talking to the dead stuff scares off most potential boyfriends. But things start looking up when the gorgeous Jacob suddenly takes an interest in him, and they end up having a very hot and impulsive encounter during the partner's retirement party.
Victor ends up assisting Jacob and his partner on an investigation of a serial killer who seems to be able to change his appearance to match his victims' image of the ideal man. Perhaps even more disturbingly, the killer leaves no ghosts behind for Victor to talk to--as if not just their bodies, but their spirits have been destroyed. Meanwhile, Victor is caught off-balance by his affair with Jacob, not quite sure where it's going or why such a hot guy is interested in him. And then the killer sets his sights on Jacob...
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The mystery parts of the story were intriguing and the worldbuilding was well done: the author obviously put a lot of thought into crafting not just the paranormal abilities, but how psychics do (or don't) fit into society. However, I felt that the romance part of the story was slightly lacking. The sex scenes are really hot, and that was fine when Victor and Jacob were first getting together, but there needs to be more than hot sex to make a relationship work.
I think part of the problem is that the book is told from Victor's POV, and he has pretty low self-esteem (although that's not entirely his fault). He doesn't really think of himself as attractive and doesn't seem to understand what Jacob sees in him, aside from the fact that he thinks Jacob has a psychic fetish. At first he isn't sure whether Jacob is serious about him or not, although as a reader, I was able to figure out that he was. The problem is that even after they get serious and (sort of) move in together, I was never quite sure why these two are in love with each other. For Victor, Jacob is handsome and great in bed and actually cares about him--and maybe that's enough for a guy who's used to being rejected. As for what Jacob sees in Victor...I'm not sure, because Victor's pretty screwed up. He's not a bad guy by any means, but he's pretty messed up from being surrounded by ghosts all his life, he's insecure and a little self-centered, and he's semi-addicted to drugs. Underneath all that is a decent guy, but I was never really sure what about Victor made Jacob willing to see past and work through all the baggage. I could understand if Jacob was the kind of guy who likes to take care of and/or rescue people, but I didn't really get that vibe from him.
I don't know, maybe I'm being a little unfair because sometimes you can't explain why you love someone, you just do. But as a reader, in order to believe in the romance, I need to understand why it works. It doesn't necessarily need to be spelled out, but I need to get it, even if it's on a subconscious level. I can understand the sparks that fly between two enemies or rivals, like Snape and Lupin, or Harry and Draco. I believed in the friendship that blossomed into love in the Faith & Fidelity novel by Tere Michaels. I felt the instant chemistry between Jim and Griffin in Love & Loyalty by the same author, although I'd probably have to think about it before I could articulate why these two are good for each other. I definitely felt the physical chemistry between Victor and Jacob, but would have liked to have seen the emotional building of the relationship expanded on a bit more. Maybe it would have helped to have had some chapters from Jacob's POV.
But overall, it was a good story and I'd still recommend it. I borrowed this book from the library, but I see that the author has more PsyCop novels available on Kindle, and I might buy at least the next one in the series. From reading the summaries and reviews, it sounds like there's more character development as the series continues, so that might resolve the problems I had with the first two novels.
***
All Through the Night is not so much an original m/m novel written for slash fangirls as it is a romance book where the main characters happen to be gay. The author is mainstream suspense/romance writer Suzanne Brockmann, and I'd heard good things about her Troubleshooters, Inc. series, which features a gay supporting character. Brockmann's son is gay, and she is a proud PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) member, which is partly why she's made a point of writing sympathetic gay characters in her novels. FBI agent Jules Cassidy, the previously mentioned supporting character, is given a main role in All Through the Night, in which he and his movie star boyfriend Robin Chadwick decide to get married. However, the wedding plans are complicated by a reporter looking for a scoop and by Adam, an ex-lover of both Jules and Robin, who is being targeted by a stalker and wants Jules's help. (He also wouldn't mind coming between the happy couple.)
This title I loved unreservedly, and even though I was starting about two-thirds into the series, I had absolutely no trouble following the plot or understanding the characters. I'm sure it would have been even more enjoyable if I had read the previous books, but past events were explained clearly enough for a newcomer to understand without boring a longtime reader. (IMHO, anyway, since this is the first Troubleshooters book I've read.) Jules and Robin are wonderful characters, and so much in love that you just have to root for them. The supporting characters are great, too, including Jules's friends, married couple Sam and Alyssa (a Navy SEAL and an FBI agent respectively). Jules was hurt badly in the past by the unfaithful Adam, and Sam plays the protective big brother role, basically telling Robin that he's going to kick his ass if he ever cheats on Jules. (Well, literally he says, "I will rip out your lungs.") Rather than being intimidated, Robin gives back as good as he gets: "With your pinky finger...Right? It's a little detail, I know, but it helps build the right amount of terror in me. I mean, because without the paralyzing fear holding me back, I just might go out and fuck random strangers." Robin goes on to tell Sam in no uncertain terms that he loves Jules and Jules loves him, and that by threatening him this way, Sam is insulting Jules by implying that Jules can't take care of himself. It was at this point that I really fell in love with Robin.
To be fair to Sam, he realizes that he's been a jerk and apologizes, and it turns out that his judgment has been colored by the fact that Robin is a recovering alcoholic. Sam's mother was an alcoholic as well, and he felt a natural mistrust towards Robin, worrying that Jules would get hurt if Robin ever fell off the wagon. Sam's wife Alyssa also has a few reservations, but had decided to be supportive and trust Jules, and Robin is eventually able to win them both over.
Jules is a great character, too--mostly sympathetic, but three-dimensional and far from perfect. He has an admitted jealous and possessive streak which seems to have come between him and Adam in the past. (Although I got the impression that Adam used "You're too possessive" more as an excuse to justify his cheating.) Mostly Robin likes Jules's possessiveness, and Jules doesn't cross the line into creepy-stalker-abusive mode, but it does occasionally cause problems, like when Adam starts calling both men, unbeknownst to the other. When they finally find out, there's a mutual moment of "How dare you not tell me that your ex was calling you?!" But after those initial moments of anger, they talk things out like mature adults. And what I like about Jules is that when he starts getting too jealous, he forces himself to take a step back and realize that it's a problem with himself, not Robin. Neither of them are perfect, but they're aware of their flaws and work to overcome their problems together. They're madly in love, which is great, but their mutual respect for each other is what makes them an awesome couple.
Adam and his stalker provide some conflict and suspense before the wedding, and there's a romantic subplot about Robin's assistant Dolphina and a reporter named Will, who lies his way into a party in order to get a scoop about the gay couple. Honestly, I think the guy's an ass, since he lies to Dolphina in order to get a story not just once but twice--the second time is the most unforgivable, because at that point they've already (kind of) started dating. He's sincerely sorry, and he makes up for it rather dramatically both times, but...meh, I still wouldn't have forgiven the guy, at least not enough to have a relationship with him. But that's okay, because the main story about Jules and Robin is awesome enough that I can overlook the subplot.
The end of the book hints at a new love interest for Adam, and that storyline appears to be continued in the ebook When Tony Met Adam. I like Brockmann's writing and it's only $2, so I'll probably buy it, but she's really going to have to work hard at making me like Adam as a protagonist, because the guy is a real jerk in All Through the Night: even after Jules and his friends save Adam from his stalker, he still makes one more futile attempt to break up Jules and Robin! How's that for gratitude?
Anyway, I loved this book and highly recommend it! In fact, I loved it so much that I'll probably go back and read the rest of the Troubleshooters series. From reading the summaries, Jules and Robin have significant supporting roles in Hot Target (in which they first meet) and Force of Nature (in which they become a couple). If you scroll down past the summary on the Force of Nature page, Brockmann gives a very entertaining account of how she didn't originally plan for Jules and Robin to get together in that book. They were supposed to be unable to compromise, and would go through some angsty stuff before getting a happy ending in a later book. However, the characters rebelled:
Me: WTF, dude? You just made a popcorn movie that's about to open HUGE.
Robin: I don't care. I love him.
Me: Yeah, but didn't you hear what he said to you -- he doesn't want you. He wants you to go back to LA.
Robin: I don't care. I love him.
Me: (whispering) Look, you're going to get your happy ending with Jules, I promise. We just need to take this in steps. First, we'll handle your problem with alcohol, then, in the next book--
Robin: I don't care what you have planned. I love him. (Sticking his fingers in his ears.) Lalalalala lalalala....
So that wasn't very productive. It was then that I pulled Jules aside.
Me: Look, Robin's got some serious issues, and I know that you are very clear about what you're looking for in a partner--
Jules: Yeah, I don't care about that anymore.
Me: Oh, come on. If you were looking to be in a relationship with someone who's in the closet, you would've hooked up with Ben for more than just a week.
Jules: I didn't love Ben. I tried, but... I know you're disappointed in me, but I'm completely in love with Robin. So much so that I'm willing to compromise.
Me: Jules, come on.
Jules: (very annoyed) Suz. I'm serious. Sorry to screw up your multi-book story arc plan, but, God. Why did you make me stay away from him for all that time, anyway? Don't answer that. I'm too mad at you to talk. Don't you dare kill me off in this book.
That was freaking hilarious, because I've gone through similar things with some of my own characters! In my Snupin Always series, I was going to stick to canon relationships aside from the Snape/Lupin pairing. So originally, Hermione and Ron were going to be paired up like they are in the books, but Hermione and my OC Slytherin character Dylan Rosier decided that they liked each other. I didn't exactly tear my hair out over it, but it made me worry about whether readers would be upset about my breaking up the Ron/Hermione pairing to ship Hermione with an OC, and how I'd have to justify a Death Eater wannabe falling in love with a Muggle-born. But in the end it worked out, and nobody complained about it.
Yoshizumi and Kenzaki were more of a problem in Unmasked, part of my Haru wo Daiteita Comeback series. Originally, Yoshizumi and Asano were supposed to become a couple, but it was obviously going to take a long time before the bratty Asano matured enough to be a full partner to Yoshizumi. So Snapelike suggested a temporary hookup between Yoshizumi and one of the When a Man Loves a Man hosts, and the plans for Yoshizumi/Asano pretty much ended when Kenzaki entered the scene. The two of them just clicked and had such chemistry that it shoved Asano out of the picture, and I couldn't bear to break Kenzaki's heart again after it had already been broken once in canon. The conversation between us went something like this:
Me: Damn it, Yoshizumi, you're supposed to fall in love with Asano, not Kenzaki!
Yoshizumi: Asano? He's cute, but he's just a kid. And Kenzaki and I are just friends.
Kenzaki: (unconvincingly) Yeah, just friends.
Me: But you have sex all the time!
Yoshizumi: We're friends with benefits.
Kenzaki: Who have really great sex together.
Yoshizumi: (blushing) Yeah, it is pretty great, isn't it?
Me: Come on, you are so obviously in love with each other, and it's messing up my plans!
Yoshizumi: I'm not in love with Kenzaki! You know how I feel about romance! Just because we have great sex and he makes me laugh, and he's always there when I need him doesn't mean...oh crap. I am in love with him, aren't I?
Kenzaki: (pats him on the shoulder comfortingly) It's okay, I love you, too. Let's just give in to the inevitable, shall we?
Me: But Asano--
Kenzaki: Come on, you know I'm way better for Yoshizumi than that little punk! Besides... (makes puppy dog eyes look) You're not going to break my heart again after Shinkawa dumped me for Takaaki, are you?
Me: Oh dammit, all right! I'm going to have to revise the story, but I'll make it work out somehow.
Asano: Hey, what about me?!
Anyway, it was both funny and comforting to learn that professional authors have to wrestle with rebellious characters, too!
Also, added a new tag for slash novels since this is my third post on the subject.
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I've been meaning to make a post about m/m romance. Long story short, there haven't been many I've liked. Partly it's because I'm not naturally a fan of the romance genre, but partly it's because I get a frisson from seeing characters who don't have an overtly romantic or sexual relationship in canon develop one. Many novels skimp on the plot in favor of sex, need more editing, and use tired tropes like everyone being beautiful and having fabulous careers, but mostly it's harder for me to believe in or care about the characters in original novels as opposed to fanfiction.
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Hmm...now that I think about it, it kind of feels like the m/m genre novels tend to use fanfic tropes and shortcuts, and often the shortcuts don't work because the novels lack the already established characters and worldbuilding that fanfic can skip other. Brockmann's book probably reads the best because as a mainstream professional author, she's used to building up characters and settings from scratch. Well, as part of an ongoing series, she can rely on a bit of shorthand, but she obviously takes into account the fact that some new readers won't be familiar with the series.
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I say this because I'm about to do a post on Jordan Castillo Price's stories. I've devoured many of them recently, but I started with a recent standalone, The Starving Years.
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I'll be looking forward to your post about Price's novels!