Tag: Kaje Harper

Review at Dear Author

June 10, 2015 / Kaetrin

I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Life, Some Assembly Required by Kaje Harper. It’s the sequel to The Rebuilding Year (scroll down for my brief review), a story I loved. It was great to catch up with John and Ryan. I hope to do so again in the future (if you read this, that’s a hint Ms. Harper!).

December Round Up

January 5, 2014 / Kaetrin

on Paper/eBook

A Small Miracle Happened by Mari Donne – B- This is a short sweet and sometimes sexy novella set mainly over the 8 nights of Hanukkah 2013. Dan is a Jewish man (although he doesn’t keep kosher, it is nevertheless part of his heritage) in a new town over Hanukkah. His neighbour Chris (short for Christian – guess what religion he is?) comes over when a package from Dan’s grandmother containing a menorah and other Hanukkah goodies is delivered to Chris’ place by mistake. They strike up a friendship and more, as they spend the eight nights of Hanukkah together. Chris doesn’t know anything about Judaism really and he is curious and interested in Dan generally so he asks a lot of questions which Dan is only too happy to answer. As a non-Jew I found the information about Hanukkah very interesting but I wondered whether Jewish people would have the same fascination as I did. I did appreciate the safe sex message in the story but unfortunately, sometimes it all felt a little clinical and other times it was rushed. Perhaps that’s more about the short word count though. I did like the story and there were parts of it which were very moving and there was some lovely poetry quoted in the text too.

“‘The kingdom where nobody dies.’ We all need to hide there sometimes, don’t we, even when we know it’s an illusion? Otherwise life is just too hard.”

This line in particular, made me think about why I read romance. (Even though characters do die in romance, for the most part you can at least guarantee the main characters make it).

I could easily have read a longer story with this couple and I loved Dan’s family in particular, who embraced Chris early and brought him to to their loving embrace. It’s a Loose ID title so for the 70 or so pages, the price is a bit steep at $3.99 but I picked it up at the recent ARe sale and got a 50% rebate back which made it more palatable. A satisfying evening’s read, A Small Miracle Happened hit the spot for me.

BUY IT: AMAZON

The Family We’re Born With by Kaje Harper – C+ This is a free Christmas short which appears to be the first in a series. Devin and Jesse have been together for five years and Jesse thought Devin had been accepted by his family. So he is very hurt and angry when his mother asks him not to bring Devin on Christmas Eve because that is when she will meet for the first time, her eldest son, Sam; the child who was adopted out when she was just sixteen. Sam is a former Marine and Jesse’s mother doesn’t want to freak him out with the gay the first time they meet. The story is quite short and it doesn’t just focus on Jesse and Devin – but also on Sam and his runaway brother. I felt it had a bit too much going on to be entirely successful for me but it did succeed in whetting my appetite for more from this world. I like the way that Ms. Harper writes complicated families and hey, it’s free.

DOWNLOAD IT: SMASHWORDS

Learning Curve by Kaje Harper

October 7, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’m a fan of the series. The books are expensive so I used a 50% off coupon at Kobo to ease the pain.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Mac is afraid he’ll never recover enough to go back to being a cop, while Tony is afraid that he will.

Three months after being shot, Detective Jared MacLean is healing, but he’s afraid it may not be enough to go back on the job. He won’t give up, though. Being a cop is written deep in Mac’s bones, and he’ll do whatever it takes to carry his badge again.

Tony used to wish he could have Mac safely home, but watching his strong husband battle disabilities is far from Tony’s dream come true. When Mac is asked to consult on a case involving one of Tony’s students, both men will have to face old demons and new fears to find a way to move forward together.

Warning: Series spoilers.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I like Mac and Tony and there is something attractive to me in seeing what happens “after the HEA” for some of my favourite couples. At the end of the last book, Mac had been shot in the head and was on disability, recovering from a traumatic brain injury, his goal being to get back to the job he loves. Tony is struggling with wanting Mac to be safe and wanting him to be the man he is – something which seems mutually exclusive.