Title: Secret Light
Author: Z. A. Maxfield
Genre: m/m WWII-era historical romance
Print length: 146 pages
Publication date: December 20, 2011
Rating: Five Stars
Blurb: Rafe Colman likes his life. He has a nice home, a good job, and a wonderful dog. But he's exhausted by living a lie. When his home is vandalized because of his perceived German ancestry, he can't even share the irony with friends.
Officer Ben Morgan falls for Rafe's dog first, but it isn't long before he's giving her owner the eye. He thinks they have more in common than the search for Rafe's vandals, and he's willing to take a chance and find out.
If life in 1955 is tough on a cop in the closet, it's even tougher on a refugee who's desperate to hide his roots and fit in. Rafe knows from tragic experience how vicious prejudice can be. Every second with Ben is stolen, every kiss fraught with danger.
When Ben's partner threatens to ruin everything, Rafe and Ben have to fight to protect what they have but they're tired of hiding their secret light.
Review:
Historically accurate, beautifully written, full of cloying anxiety and fragile sweetness. I gripped my Kindle until my fingers cramped, afraid for Rafe, afraid for Ben, infuriated with the world they were forced to live in, unable to rest until I was sure they were both safe. The story never slips, not even for a moment. It is immaculately precise, the structure solid, the dialogue unblemished. If I could, I would make this book a required read for ninety percent of writers in this genre. If you hadn't read it yet, you're missing out.
Buy it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Light-ebook/dp/B006P1JZWM/ref=cm_cr-mr-img
More titles by Z. A. Maxfield:
Title: The Pharaoh's Concubine
Author: Z. A. Maxfield
Genre: m/m romance
Print length: 272 pages
Publication date: January 11, 2011
Overall reviewer rating: Four Stars
Blurb: Beauty is only skin deep…until love reveals what lies beneath.
As mob boss Yvgeny Mosko’s open secret, Dylan Anderson is happy enough with a passionate, if loveless, arrangement that affords him a life of luxury. But at thirty-six, he wonders how committed Mosko will be to an aging lover.
He finds out when a rival gang kidnaps him in a turf war everyone’s sure to lose. Mosko unleashes deadly force, leaving no one alive except for a young man whose dark eyes tug at Dylan’s heart—and the conscience he thought he’d excised long ago.
Though he tried to stop the kidnapping, William “Memo” Escobar knows Mosko will use what’s left of him to send a powerful message to his rivals. When Mosko’s pampered pretty boy risks everything to help him escape, he can’t believe his luck.
William figures he’s better suited to life off the grid, but as the days go by he begins to realize Dylan’s beauty is more than skin deep. And as Dylan coaxes more and more beguiling smiles from William, he yearns for things—like family ties—he’d thought were best forgotten.
Yet behind their newfound happiness lurks the certain knowledge that no matter how careful they are, Mosko will come for what’s his.
More titles by Z. A. Maxfield:
Title: The Pharaoh's Concubine
Author: Z. A. Maxfield
Genre: m/m romance
Print length: 272 pages
Publication date: January 11, 2011
Overall reviewer rating: Four Stars
Blurb: Beauty is only skin deep…until love reveals what lies beneath.
As mob boss Yvgeny Mosko’s open secret, Dylan Anderson is happy enough with a passionate, if loveless, arrangement that affords him a life of luxury. But at thirty-six, he wonders how committed Mosko will be to an aging lover.
He finds out when a rival gang kidnaps him in a turf war everyone’s sure to lose. Mosko unleashes deadly force, leaving no one alive except for a young man whose dark eyes tug at Dylan’s heart—and the conscience he thought he’d excised long ago.
Though he tried to stop the kidnapping, William “Memo” Escobar knows Mosko will use what’s left of him to send a powerful message to his rivals. When Mosko’s pampered pretty boy risks everything to help him escape, he can’t believe his luck.
William figures he’s better suited to life off the grid, but as the days go by he begins to realize Dylan’s beauty is more than skin deep. And as Dylan coaxes more and more beguiling smiles from William, he yearns for things—like family ties—he’d thought were best forgotten.
Yet behind their newfound happiness lurks the certain knowledge that no matter how careful they are, Mosko will come for what’s his.
Warning: This book contains a mob boss, a kept man, and a reluctant kidnapper who will never have to hear the words, “Size doesn’t matter.”
Review by Kat:
Okay, I have to admit that I'm already a big fan of Z.A. Maxfield. I think I've read everything she's had published, and she's become one of my favorite authors across all genres. So buying The Pharaoh's Concubine was a no-brainer.
And I completely loved this book, despite not being too keen on the plot description. As Amazon says above, the book is about Dylan, who's been the kept lover of Las Vegas gangster Yvgeny Mosko for more than ten years. I expected Dylan to be a spoiled, materialistic drama queen but he's really the most lovely, gracious soul, completely unaware of his own worth. The story is also about William, an L.A. street thug who was gently raised by his loving grandmother and pulled into the gangster life by his father and brother upon grandma's death. William is sweet and kind beneath the thug bravado, caught in a bad situation that's just gotten worse. Both characters are interesting and complex, and they are so thoroughly believable that you can easily imagine them off walking around in Real Life.
When the kidnapping of his gay lover is foiled, Mosko plans to use William's death to send a message to rival gangs, but Dylan can't sit by and let someone be horribly murdered because of him. So Dylan betrays his lover, helps William escape, and together they go on the lam from both their gangs. Along the way, Dylan confronts unfinished business from his past, and Dylan and William try to figure out how to move forward, and if they can find a future together.
Ms. Maxfield's writing is excellent. The plot is well-developed, dialogue is distinct and realistic, and even the minor characters show a wonderful depth. The book itself is a generous length for this genre.
Overall, this is a wonderful story. I absolutely loved Dylan and William and was cheering on their poignant love story the whole way, and nearly in tears at the end when the terrible consequences of their gang connections caught up to them. The final confrontation with Mosko is beautifully sad and just makes you love Dylan all the more. Highly recommend this book; it's a tremendous addition to the M/M romance genre.
And I completely loved this book, despite not being too keen on the plot description. As Amazon says above, the book is about Dylan, who's been the kept lover of Las Vegas gangster Yvgeny Mosko for more than ten years. I expected Dylan to be a spoiled, materialistic drama queen but he's really the most lovely, gracious soul, completely unaware of his own worth. The story is also about William, an L.A. street thug who was gently raised by his loving grandmother and pulled into the gangster life by his father and brother upon grandma's death. William is sweet and kind beneath the thug bravado, caught in a bad situation that's just gotten worse. Both characters are interesting and complex, and they are so thoroughly believable that you can easily imagine them off walking around in Real Life.
When the kidnapping of his gay lover is foiled, Mosko plans to use William's death to send a message to rival gangs, but Dylan can't sit by and let someone be horribly murdered because of him. So Dylan betrays his lover, helps William escape, and together they go on the lam from both their gangs. Along the way, Dylan confronts unfinished business from his past, and Dylan and William try to figure out how to move forward, and if they can find a future together.
Ms. Maxfield's writing is excellent. The plot is well-developed, dialogue is distinct and realistic, and even the minor characters show a wonderful depth. The book itself is a generous length for this genre.
Overall, this is a wonderful story. I absolutely loved Dylan and William and was cheering on their poignant love story the whole way, and nearly in tears at the end when the terrible consequences of their gang connections caught up to them. The final confrontation with Mosko is beautifully sad and just makes you love Dylan all the more. Highly recommend this book; it's a tremendous addition to the M/M romance genre.
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