2008-02-02

reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-02-02 11:59 am

Valentine by Jamieson Wolf

I thought a lot before writing about this book. I bought it without thinking cause an M/M romance setting during the Roman empire is something I rarely find. An historical romance, and moreover one in a setting I like very much.

Unfortunately the story is really short, 40 pages, and it's mostly spent in Valentine's bedroom and cab in the forest, so we have little change to see the interaction with society and custom of past era.

Valentine is a cleric, a "son" of God Lupercus who joins couple in marriage against the edict of Imperor Claudius who banned marriages. Asterius is a roman soldier sent to capture Valentine, and instead he falls in love for this young priest. Valentine is a man of lust: love and passion are one in his mind, and he is a very physical man. What it left me perplexed and the reason why I had to think a lot before writing my comment, is that the interaction between the two is very "crude" and physic, with a lot of sexual exploit. Usually in an historical setting I'm used to read a more chaste language. But then this is a roman age, and all we now that Romans were not chaste at all... 

And second I have a question for my Flist historian lovers: it's the second time I found the use of tea in an medieval or pre-medieval european setting... am I wrong or the use of tea in Europe is post medieval?

In the preface of the book, Jamieson Wolf tell use the real story of Valentine (really interesting) and specify that his story is only loosely based on the real one.

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/valentinejw.htm

Amazon Kindle: Valentine
Publisher: Cobblestone Press, LLC (February 19, 2011)

Waiting Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=waiting+reading+list&view=elisa.rolle
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-02-02 11:59 am

Valentine by Jamieson Wolf

I thought a lot before writing about this book. I bought it without thinking cause an M/M romance setting during the Roman empire is something I rarely find. An historical romance, and moreover one in a setting I like very much.

Unfortunately the story is really short, 40 pages, and it's mostly spent in Valentine's bedroom and cab in the forest, so we have little change to see the interaction with society and custom of past era.

Valentine is a cleric, a "son" of God Lupercus who joins couple in marriage against the edict of Imperor Claudius who banned marriages. Asterius is a roman soldier sent to capture Valentine, and instead he falls in love for this young priest. Valentine is a man of lust: love and passion are one in his mind, and he is a very physical man. What it left me perplexed and the reason why I had to think a lot before writing my comment, is that the interaction between the two is very "crude" and physic, with a lot of sexual exploit. Usually in an historical setting I'm used to read a more chaste language. But then this is a roman age, and all we now that Romans were not chaste at all... 

And second I have a question for my Flist historian lovers: it's the second time I found the use of tea in an medieval or pre-medieval european setting... am I wrong or the use of tea in Europe is post medieval?

In the preface of the book, Jamieson Wolf tell use the real story of Valentine (really interesting) and specify that his story is only loosely based on the real one.

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/valentinejw.htm

Waiting Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=waiting+reading+list&view=elisa.rolle
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-02-02 11:47 pm

Dragon's Dare by Willa Okati

Noah is a soldier in a fantasy future world where wars after wars have nearly destroied human beings. In a parallel world, Dragons leave peacefully, and they are also strong and rich, and so humans think to grant their favour with a sacrifice, a virgin. Noah is the chosen pawn, but he is not virgin and is not so willingly to be devoured by a dragon.

But when he arrives to the dragon land, Zacharei, "his" dragon, is more interested in knowing the human custom than to eat him. An he is also very interested in mating with Noah, and to do so he changes in a very handome young man. But he has forgotten to alert Noah of one thing: mating with a dragon is a forever commitment...

The story is very funny and lighthearted, pity it's also very short, less than 45 pages. It's all played in the dialogue between a witty dragon and an man who is helpless in front of his very handsome captor. At the end of the story, Willa Okati let us believe that we will read more about the peaceful "relatonship" between dragons and humans. I will hope so.

http://www.changelingpress.com/index.php?uaid=ISFUDNYA

Waiting Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=waiting+reading+list&view=elisa.rolle
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2008-02-02 11:47 pm

Dragon's Dare by Willa Okati

Noah is a soldier in a fantasy future world where wars after wars have nearly destroied human beings. In a parallel world, Dragons leave peacefully, and they are also strong and rich, and so humans think to grant their favour with a sacrifice, a virgin. Noah is the chosen pawn, but he is not virgin and is not so willingly to be devoured by a dragon.

But when he arrives to the dragon land, Zacharei, "his" dragon, is more interested in knowing the human custom than to eat him. An he is also very interested in mating with Noah, and to do so he changes in a very handome young man. But he has forgotten to alert Noah of one thing: mating with a dragon is a forever commitment...

The story is very funny and lighthearted, pity it's also very short, less than 45 pages. It's all played in the dialogue between a witty dragon and an man who is helpless in front of his very handsome captor. At the end of the story, Willa Okati let us believe that we will read more about the peaceful "relatonship" between dragons and humans. I will hope so.

http://www.changelingpress.com/index.php?uaid=ISFUDNYA

Waiting Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=waiting+reading+list&view=elisa.rolle