Outlaw Reviews

Rating: 10/10

Title: Lost Souls
Author: Poppy Z. Brite
Genre: Contemporary horror, vampire, literary fiction
URL: Amazon
Price: US$7.99
Other Information/warnings: drug usage, incest, rape, domestic violence, violence, gore, explicit m/m sex
Summary [from the original edition]:
They are the children of the night, dressed in black, adrift without an anchor, looking for love, acceptance, a meaning in their lives.

Nothing discovers his true name on the handwritten note that was pinned to his baby blanket eighteen years earlier. It sings in his blood, telling him that all he believed himself to be is false. The discovery that he is a vampire, and the son of a vampire, seems the most natural thing in the world to him.

Ann finds herself drawn to one of the three pale, partying strangers who come to town. They drink wine that tastes almost like blood. And the small one, Zillah, has the most amazing green eyes.

Ghost has always had visions and sensations that come from beyond his small town, from beyond the world of the living. Now his powers lead him away from home to New Orleans in a desperate attempt to save Ann from her new companions, and to save Nothing from himself.

My review:

Shelter (2007) – film review

26 Dec 2008 at 20:14

GLBT TV and films

Rating: 9/10
Title: Shelter
Director: Jonah Markowitz
Genre: Contemporary coming of age
URL: IMDB
Other Information/warnings: bad language
Summary [from IMDB]:
When his college dreams are sidelined by family obligations, a young man finds comfort in surfing with his best friend’s brother.
My review:

Poor Boy by Jaime Samms – review

24 Dec 2008 at 09:27

Rating: 7.5/10

Title: Poor Boy
Author: Jaime Samms
Genre: Contemporary gay romance
URL: Freya’s Bower
Price: US$4.99
Other Information/Warnings: Mild violence, mild drug usage, unsafe sex
Summary (from the publisher):

All his life, Roy has had things easy; born to money and privilege, he’s a grown man before he realizes how his father’s money has bought his privilege off the backs and tragedies of too many people. Now he’s on his own, and making his way in the world might be a lot harder than he thought.

When he meets street hustler, Scooby, he falls, hard and fast, not wanting to believe the possibility Scooby is one of the unfortunates his family has stepped over to get their way. As young and fragile as Scooby seems, he might be the only one strong enough to save Roy from himself.

My Review:

Dead Man’s Rain and The Mister Trophy by Frank Tuttle – review

23 Dec 2008 at 22:12

Non-GLBT Fiction

Rating: 9/10 Title: Dead Man’s Rain and The Mister Trophy
Author: Frank Tuttle
Genre: Fantasy crime noir
URL: Samhain Publishing
Price: Dead Man’s Rain – US$3.50, The Mister Trophy – US$2.50
Other Information/warnings:Violence
Summary [from the publisher]:
Dead Man’s Rain
Can a haunted man help the dead find peace?
Markhat is a Finder, charged with the post-war task of tracking down sons and fathers gone suddenly missing when an outbreak of peace left the army abandoned where they stood. But now it’s ten years on after the war, and about all he’s finding is trouble.
This time, trouble comes in the form of a rich widow with a problem. Her dearly departed husband, Ebed Merlat, keeps ambling back from the grave for nocturnal visits. Markhat saw a lot during the war, but he’s never seen anyone, rich or poor, rise from the grave and go tromping around the landscape. But for the right price, he’s willing to look into it.
As a storm gathers and night falls, Markhat finds darker things than even murder lurk amid the shadows of House Merlat.

The Mister Trophy
All the finder Markhat wanted was a beer at Eddie’s. Instead he gets a case that will bring him face to fang with crazed, blood-craving halfdead, a trio of vengeful Troll warriors, and Mama Hog’s backstreet magic. Plus, the possible resurgence of the Troll War.
All right in his own none-too-quiet neighborhood.
Through the town of Rannit’s narrow alleys and mean streets, Markhat tries to stay one step ahead of disaster. And ignore Mama Hog’s dire warnings that this time, the head that rolls could be his own.

My review:

Channeling Morpheus: Rebirth by Jordan Castillo Price – review

23 Dec 2008 at 21:39

Rating: 9/10 Title: Channeling Morpheus: Rebirth
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Genre: Vampire/paranormal
URL: Changeling Press
Price: US $4.49
Other Information/warnings: Violence, blood, graphic m/m.
Summary:
Michael has never put much stock in clichés, but there’s one he probably should have listened to: You can never go home again.

His family assures him that plenty of young people take a few semesters off between high school and college, that a year of travel is practically a prerequisite nowadays. Somehow Michael’s neglected to mention he’s not just driving around aimlessly, stopping only to have sex with his chain-smoking boyfriend — he’s hunting vampires.

After a disastrous family reunion, Michael unearths a vampire commune where he and Wild Bill can settle down. But Michael is the only human in residence, and the other vampires can’t stop themselves from sniffing around him. In the words of Wild Bill, “This can’t be good.”

My review:

The Fair Cop by Philip Markham – review

16 Dec 2008 at 17:57

Rating: 5/10 Title: The Fair Cop
Author: Philip Markham
Genre: 1950′s crime noir
URL: Out of print. Buy used or new from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, or various second hand book dealers
Price: from US $9.49 /UK£ 9.99
Other Information/warnings: BDSM, graphic m/m, m/m/m sex
Summary [from the publisher]:
The second world war is over and America is getting back to business as usual. In 1950s New York, that means dirty business. Hanson’s a copy who’s been dealt a lousy hand, but the Stein case is his big chance. How many junior detectives get handed blackmail, murder and perverted sex all in one day?

My review:

Camp Hell: a PsyCop Novel by Jordan Castillo Price – review

15 Dec 2008 at 20:00

Rating: 8/10
Title: Camp Hell: a PsyCop Novel
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Genre: Modern paranormal
URL: JCPBooks
Price: US $6.49
Other Information/warnings: explicit m/m, horror, violence
Summary [from the publisher]:
Victor Bayne honed his dubious psychic skills at one of the first psych training facilities in the country, Heliotrope Station, otherwise known as Camp Hell to the psychics who’ve been guests behind its razorwire fence
Vic discovered that none of the people he remembers from Camp Hell can be found online, and there’s no mention of Heliotrope Station itself, either. Someone’s gone through a lot of trouble to bury the past. But who?

My review:

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert – review

15 Dec 2008 at 09:27

GLBT Fiction, Non-GLBT Fiction

Rating: 10/10 Title: Moloka’i
Author: Alan Brennert
Genre: Historical Fiction, Hawaiiana
URL: Amazon
Price: US$11.16
Warnings: None
Summary (from the publisher): This richly imagined novel, set in Hawai’i more than a century ago, is an extraordinary epic of a little-known time and place–and a deeply moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.

Rachel Kalama, a spirited seven-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then on day, a rose-colored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka’i. Here her life is supposed to end — but instead she discovers it is only just beginning.

My Review:

Collision Course by K. A. Mitchell – review

09 Dec 2008 at 22:07

Rating: 10/10 Title: Collision Course
Author: K. A. Mitchell
Genre: Contemporary erotic
URL: Samhain Publishing
Price: US $5.50
Other Information/warnings:Light S/M (spanking), blood, violence, explicit m/m, language
Summary [from the publisher]:
Immovable object? Meet the irresistible force.
Paramedic Aaron Chase doesn’t have anything against love. It just comes with a lot of responsibility, like when he had to raise his sister and brothers after their drug-addicted mom took off for good. Now that the last one is off to college, Aaron’s anticipating enjoying life on his own terms. He certainly wasn’t expecting Joey Miller to accidentally drop into his life.
Joey’s sexy, funny and annoyingly optimistic, and his tendency to get into trouble keeps sending him Aaron’s way. Even the fact that Joey works for the hated social work system isn’t reason enough to keep him out of Aaron’s bed.
Joey knows all about love. He’s fallen in it ten times—he thinks. It’s not that he can’t tell the difference between sex and love. All that experience has to count for something, right? With Aaron it’s different. Maybe because there’s something to fight for.
This time Joey’s fallen for good. He’s not going to let number eleven get away.

My review:

Without Wax by William Walsh – review

05 Dec 2008 at 14:10

Non-GLBT Fiction

Rating: 7.5/10
Title: Without Wax: A Documentary Novel
Author: William Walsh
Genre: Literary Fiction
URL: Casperian Books
Price: US$15.00
Additional Information: Explicit sex, explicit sex talk, non-traditional structure.
Summary (from the publisher): Interweaving traditional narrative with consumer profiles, faux interviews, court depositions, and a film script, Without Wax is a fictional biography that provides an intriguing glimpse into the adult entertainment industry.

My Review: