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Call Me Burt
Dear Author,
Well, it was time for my best bud Warburton's annual checkup. Who would've known that I would hit the jackpot with the hot, mature, new vet? Is he gay? God, I hope so. I wonder if he can give Burtie anything for doggie flatulence?
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Read the story here or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 2.
Well, it was time for my best bud Warburton's annual checkup. Who would've known that I would hit the jackpot with the hot, mature, new vet? Is he gay? God, I hope so. I wonder if he can give Burtie anything for doggie flatulence?
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Read the story here or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 2.
17 pages, ebook
First published June 19, 2012
3 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
June 25, 2012
Offered for FREE from the M/M Romance Group, Love is Always Write event.
Huh. This was OK, but it felt like it could have been a lot better. The dog talking could have been funny, except it wasn't really. And while I wanted the guys to get together, it felt kind of out of nowhere. And Jackson's all worried trying to figure out if Jet is gay, then Evan winks at Jackson and Jet asks if he knows him and Jackson says "sort of." Really? How about "he's my ex"! Then at least he'll know you're gay. And there was a lot of unnecessary information. Like who the hell is Sorento and what the hell does that have to with anything? Too much for a short story. Anyway, right when it was getting good... it ended.
June 25, 2012
3.5 -- I winced a bit when I saw there was going to be dog-speak, but it ended up pretty smart and funny.
You went to Evan before to try and forget and all it got you was a burning ass and a sore jaw. Your words, pal.
*snort*
A good story, overall. Could have used more fleshing out and the end was a bit rushed, but still a solid 'debut' story.
You went to Evan before to try and forget and all it got you was a burning ass and a sore jaw. Your words, pal.
*snort*
A good story, overall. Could have used more fleshing out and the end was a bit rushed, but still a solid 'debut' story.
June 19, 2012
So adorable!
September 30, 2014
I loved this! It was sweet. It was touching. It was laugh-out-loud funny! The only negative I could find was that it was too dang short!
April 18, 2015
3.5 - This story was too cute. Loved hearing the dogs POV :) Thank you Elin Austen, for donating your story, time and talent.
November 23, 2012
Call Me Burt is absolutely a fun read! I laughed so hard; a couple brought together by "toxic flatulence". I couldn't believe it; but it's true! I also loved the story from the dog's point of view. Since I'm kind of always doing a "running commentary" about what my animals are thinking when they look a certain way, this was a story that appealed to me greatly! I am kind of sad that poor Wharburton was unable to get his point across about his name; it frustrates the crap out of me, so I get it! Very funny, and I would love to see more about Jackson, Jet, Burt, and Ingo. Nice job. It's a great read! I was never one to actually be a fan of "bodily function humor"- it was something in my house for my brother to laugh at... not me (at least not where anyone could see), but this story had me laughing so hard my son just had to ask why I was crying. When I told him, he kind of wanted to read the story! Again, well done!
June 19, 2012
Some of the doggie thoughts are cute/mildly funny but I mostly find them distracting. Maybe I just don't care what a dog is thinking.
He meets vet. Lists after vet. Goes to hook up with town whore to stop thinking about vet. Runs into vet. Goes home with vet. One says hes lonely other says he's scared. The end. If you're optimistic it's a happy for now.
Lots and lots of vague details given or briefly mentioned but bother was ever developed. Overall just way too much going on for such a short story. Got recently dead dad. War hero. Stinky dog. Recent and bad breakup though no real details given. He has habit going to town whore then regrets it, from the vague details the dog gives. The dogs talk more than the people
2.5 stars
He meets vet. Lists after vet. Goes to hook up with town whore to stop thinking about vet. Runs into vet. Goes home with vet. One says hes lonely other says he's scared. The end. If you're optimistic it's a happy for now.
Lots and lots of vague details given or briefly mentioned but bother was ever developed. Overall just way too much going on for such a short story. Got recently dead dad. War hero. Stinky dog. Recent and bad breakup though no real details given. He has habit going to town whore then regrets it, from the vague details the dog gives. The dogs talk more than the people
2.5 stars
March 24, 2013
Really loved this book.Great writing, especially for first time work.Loved the unique approach of giving the dog a voice-a fun,genius idea that deserves to be complimented.I'm not usually a fan of animals in mm stories and the flatulence made me extremely wary; but i was quickly appeased. There was some issue with character transitioning and exaggeration of reality here and there; but for me it did not detract from the story in any way;it was quite enjoyable. Really, really hoping for even more from this author.
January 20, 2014
Funny, sweet. I good little short story, and excellent when viewed as a writer's freshman work. What really earned the 4th star was the canine dialogue. The device of an animal's (internal?) monologue/dialogue usually feels forced and annoying. In this short, it feels natural, authentic, and is arguably the best part of the story. I recommend the short on that alone. I'll be watching for what other works his author puts out.
October 1, 2012
The doggy dialogue is what really set this story apart and made it unique – loved it! I’ve always felt like my dog is more human than canine and would love to be able to get inside her head, so I could really relate to this story. Jet and Jackson seemed like they’d make a cute couple – wish we had more time with them. Wonderful story all around:)
April 27, 2014
Loved the dogs-- what a creative way to reveal info to the reader by making us privy to the dog's thoughts. The author gave Burtie such an entertaining personality. I hope this is not the last we hear from Burtie; Elin Austen should write more stories about him!
June 22, 2012
3.5 stars
June 27, 2012
Delightful, thanks Elin
July 2, 2012
Very very funny! Loved it
July 5, 2012
That was really cute and funny even thought it would've been even better if it was longer but for a new author, it showed great promise.
September 30, 2012
Awwww I just love these dogs, and they have the best lines in the story. Write some more, please.
August 19, 2012
Very sweet story. I loved the doggie dialogue. I also liked that Jackson got the house when bitch-in-law was such a meanie.
December 16, 2012
This was a super story!! I would have liked to have the details of the final scene to make it great! Looking forward to more from this new author! Thank you.
July 29, 2013
Awesome story. Super cute. Loved the dog commentary. Would have loved for there to be more.
May 23, 2014
Very cute, humorous and entertaining. I understand the author is relatively new and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from her.
June 19, 2014
3.5 out of 5
A different kind of story.
A different kind of story.
April 7, 2013
This story was really funny. I loved Burt and his internal dialogue. Very cute and enjoyable.
June 26, 2015
Should be a cute light read, but doesn't work for me.
There's way too much dog-talk, the dog talks more than the humans which made it more annoying than cute/funny.
I couldn't get to grips with the characters.
Jackson's father has just died, his dog is stinky, he's just broken up (badly?) with an ex, he has a tendancy to run to the town 'bike', he's previously crushed on a straight guy with a nasty conclusion. That's just way too much going on for a short story and my head started spinning when we then also have a scarred war dog, a presumably (I stopped at this point) dead ex, don't ask don't tell...
When they meet up at the doggy get-together I was confused, he was going despite knowing he'd see his ex. Evan is the town 'bike' he runs to. He sees Evan there. So is Evan also considered the ex?
Who or what is the bitch-in-law? By context it appeared at first to be his step-mother, but then it's stated she'd been hoping her husband would inherite. So obviously she was not married to the deceased, and if it's her husband that's inheriting not her directly that'd make her a sister-in-law? (I don't think people say aunt-in-law) but in that case why isn't Jackson's brother ever mentioned? His sister has been dismissed as having a life but no hide or hair of a brother!
Felt to me like this was story notes, Austen setting out the bios ready to begin the actual story. It either needs to be extended so all the different aspects balance out, or simplified into a digestible short.
There's way too much dog-talk, the dog talks more than the humans which made it more annoying than cute/funny.
I couldn't get to grips with the characters.
Jackson's father has just died, his dog is stinky, he's just broken up (badly?) with an ex, he has a tendancy to run to the town 'bike', he's previously crushed on a straight guy with a nasty conclusion. That's just way too much going on for a short story and my head started spinning when we then also have a scarred war dog, a presumably (I stopped at this point) dead ex, don't ask don't tell...
When they meet up at the doggy get-together I was confused, he was going despite knowing he'd see his ex. Evan is the town 'bike' he runs to. He sees Evan there. So is Evan also considered the ex?
Who or what is the bitch-in-law? By context it appeared at first to be his step-mother, but then it's stated she'd been hoping her husband would inherite. So obviously she was not married to the deceased, and if it's her husband that's inheriting not her directly that'd make her a sister-in-law? (I don't think people say aunt-in-law) but in that case why isn't Jackson's brother ever mentioned? His sister has been dismissed as having a life but no hide or hair of a brother!
Felt to me like this was story notes, Austen setting out the bios ready to begin the actual story. It either needs to be extended so all the different aspects balance out, or simplified into a digestible short.
June 20, 2012
3.5 stars
This is one of those stories that will make you say, "Awww," especially if you're a dog lover. I initially thought the dog commentary would be annoying, but by the second half of the story, it wasn't so bad. The only thing I took issue with was how fast Jackson and Jet moved from friendly acquaintances to bedmates. It seemed a bit rushed. Even though I wasn't too keen on Burt (or Burtie amongst the humans), I did like the German Shepherd, Ingo, and found myself worrying about his health and well-being.
This is one of those stories that will make you say, "Awww," especially if you're a dog lover. I initially thought the dog commentary would be annoying, but by the second half of the story, it wasn't so bad. The only thing I took issue with was how fast Jackson and Jet moved from friendly acquaintances to bedmates. It seemed a bit rushed. Even though I wasn't too keen on Burt (or Burtie amongst the humans), I did like the German Shepherd, Ingo, and found myself worrying about his health and well-being.
June 20, 2012
Cute story, but it felt like both MC's had very interesting back stories but they were only eluded to enough to get me interested in them, but then I felt left hanging.
The war hero losing his lover and the situation with the lover that caused a rift between Father and Son and then the jerk at the park....
I wanted to know more about them, but the dog commentary was a fun twist.
All in all I sort of wished it had ended a just a bit differently, maybe not so rushed.
The war hero losing his lover and the situation with the lover that caused a rift between Father and Son and then the jerk at the park....
I wanted to know more about them, but the dog commentary was a fun twist.
All in all I sort of wished it had ended a just a bit differently, maybe not so rushed.
August 15, 2012
I found the charcters hard to connect with, and understand. I found Jackson rifling through Jet's medicine cabinet was a huge invasion of privacy, and to then just fall into bed after seemed a bit forced. I like the hints of Jet and Ingo's history to be the most interesting aspect of the story. Thedog talking didn't work for me in the context of the story. The writing style is interesting, and with some work this could be a great story.
December 7, 2015
jackson meet his new vet takes his dog burt to an checkup first he mistaken him for beening married. Then they meet again this time with ingo an ex war, So basically there are funny moment with dog talking thoughts. The guys hit it off and thats about it.
August 5, 2015
I liked the idea for this story. The characters are ok, a bit wishy washy but nothing too bad.
But...
It has a dogs PoV. Actually make that two dogs PoV, and that's just.....weird.
I think it supposed to be funny but it just came off as very, very odd.
But...
It has a dogs PoV. Actually make that two dogs PoV, and that's just.....weird.
I think it supposed to be funny but it just came off as very, very odd.
December 3, 2016
The doggie commentary was cute I have to say. I kinda wished that they would have rubbed everything in Evans face a little more, made him jealous or something, I can't stand smug douchebags like that.
Overall though, it was a cute little read.
Overall though, it was a cute little read.
January 9, 2016
This story was strangely adorable. I was a little hesitant when we got a glimpse into Burt's thoughts, but I ended up liking it. This story had just enough emotional background info to keep me interested and was balanced out with some light-hearted humor. Short and sweet.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews