Friday 23 August 2013

Review: Bite me Tender by Kate Lowell

Title: Bite me Tender
Author: Kate Lowell
Genre: LGBT, Paranormal, Shapeshifter
Length: Novella

Stars Four Bright Stars

Ms Lowell dealt beautifully with one of my all-time favourite love-hate shifters in Bite me Tender: Mr Werewolf (Levi).

On to the main pairing. It's a strange mix, werewolf and witch, one where you step back, prepared to watch the usual dynamics play out: alpha wolf with a fall-into-line witch who just likes it a little more wilder than most, and who also just happens to have a few tricks up his sleeve. But this witch (Glyn) comes with a dangerously possessive side, one who knows how to confuse a wolf and leave him chasing his tail, and also lose the instinct to bite a lover.

Glyn is a little more complicated than Levi, dealing not only with fitting into the pack, which he doesn't; fitting into his own heritage of being a witch, which he doesn't; but also living with a wolf who has to sleep with men for his pack's survival, which, since Glyn arrived on the scene, Levi hasn't done either. And to top it all, Levi has OCD -- not good when you're sleeping and living with the wild.

Levi is far more straight forward: want it, sort it, get it, which leads him into a lot of trouble when he can't get what he wants from Glyn.

There were characters in this that made me growl, and for good reason, and Ms Lowell's command of language overall carried me through some very loving and raunchy scenes. I would have loved to have seen more of Levi through his past, really got to know his darker side (let him show his teeth more), but for a debut, this was a good little surprise.

Amazon buy link: Bite me Tender

No Gay Rights for Author

Two authors, David Powers King and Michael Jensen, who are collaborating on the YA novel Woven, have had their contract cancelled by their publisher because one author refused to remove the word "partner" from his bio, stating quite clearly that he is gay.

The publishing company itself is a Christian outlet, but the novel is aimed at the YA market, and with YA market in mind. From the edits on the bio that the publisher requested, the publisher was fully aware of the one author's sexuality. They asked the author if he could simply remove 'live with my partner' from his bio. The author refused. 

It comes to something when an author's sexual orientation becomes a contract negotiating point.

I'm going to leave it to the authors themselves to explain this one, because, quite frankly, it leaves a bitter taste in my throat with how they've been treated.

David Powers King