What do you think?
Rate this book
Sweet Auburn
Too Pretty
This is the story of how Barbarossa (Barbie to his friends) meets Steven. How Steven is an idiot. How drinking can ruin a friendship. And how a meddling cousin keeps everyone in line.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" 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.
Dear Author,
I hate it. I hated when this happened with strangers, but when it was someone I thought knew me it was even worse. I liked to wear my hair long, so what? Okay, my features are a little feminine and that green of my eyes is a bit intense, but I am way taller than most guys. I am 1.96m (that’s six feet, five inches) for God’s sake, how anyone can think I am a girl? I never thought of myself as a girl, I don’t wear female clothes, do I? How could have B thought me a girl? And we have been friends for weeks… I thought that I had finally found him, the perfect guy for me. How could I have been so wrong? Oh, I know how— these perfect, stormy grey eyes of him enchanted me, that perfect black hair made me forget my mind, and that body… oh, don’t he have the perfect body— so tall and muscular. Who could have thought that I will ever meet a guy taller than me? I have been used to being the tallest guy in class, always. ’Til I came here and met B. How could I have fallen for him so hard and so fast? It was not supposed to happen, because at the end of the day I have only one purpose— to kill.
Photo Description:
A young man stands with his eyes closed. He looks calm but confident. His long red hair is tousled by the breeze. His chest is thin and hairless over his jeans, where his thumbs are hooked in his pockets.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
Please Note: This is just the first part of a much larger story.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" 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.
Dear Author,
I hate it. I hated when this happened with strangers, but when it was someone I thought knew me it was even worse. I liked to wear my hair long, so what? Okay, my features are a little feminine and that green of my eyes is a bit intense, but I am way taller than most guys. I am 1.96m (that’s six feet, five inches) for God’s sake, how anyone can think I am a girl? I never thought of myself as a girl, I don’t wear female clothes, do I? How could have B thought me a girl? And we have been friends for weeks… I thought that I had finally found him, the perfect guy for me. How could I have been so wrong? Oh, I know how— these perfect, stormy grey eyes of him enchanted me, that perfect black hair made me forget my mind, and that body… oh, don’t he have the perfect body— so tall and muscular. Who could have thought that I will ever meet a guy taller than me? I have been used to being the tallest guy in class, always. ’Til I came here and met B. How could I have fallen for him so hard and so fast? It was not supposed to happen, because at the end of the day I have only one purpose— to kill.
Photo Description:
A young man stands with his eyes closed. He looks calm but confident. His long red hair is tousled by the breeze. His chest is thin and hairless over his jeans, where his thumbs are hooked in his pockets.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
Please Note: This is just the first part of a much larger story.
92 pages, ebook
First published July 3, 2014
4 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Ren Stjerne
3 books9 followersAUTHOR BIO:
I’m a slightly interesting person of average intelligence living an average life in the middle of Alabama. I’ve worked as a claims adjuster and a riding instructor. I’m an artist and a musician. Occasionally, I’m an activist and protester.
I’m a slightly interesting person of average intelligence living an average life in the middle of Alabama. I’ve worked as a claims adjuster and a riding instructor. I’m an artist and a musician. Occasionally, I’m an activist and protester.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 15, 2014
Friends to lovers theme with a mistaken identity twist.
Duh! Open mouth insert foot. How a blossoming friendship and flirtation almost gets annihilated. Steven's mistake flips everything on its head and Barbie's hurt. A sweet story with a freaky paranormal twist that I'd love more explanation for since some of the specifics were unclear.
Favorite quote:
Duh! Open mouth insert foot. How a blossoming friendship and flirtation almost gets annihilated. Steven's mistake flips everything on its head and Barbie's hurt. A sweet story with a freaky paranormal twist that I'd love more explanation for since some of the specifics were unclear.
Favorite quote:
His cock cast a shadow from the light in the other room. Just like a sundial that said it was time to fuck.
August 6, 2014
3.5 stars and if a sequel hurries the heck up it'll go to 4 stars!
Be warned. This is a thousand and fifty percent cliffhanger. It's a dangling from your fingertips while eagles peck your head and ants climb in your ears cliffhanger. It hangs.
ARGHHH!!!! Why leave me dangling like that? I don't like serialised novels, I was totally unprepared for the amount of non-resolved issues .
Apart from that I adored the quirkiness - the character fits the prompt photo's androgynous style perfectly; I've always acknowledged my love of GFY; the teensy real snippets (not enough!) of mythology and history drew me in; the PTSD was nicely handled, including knock-on effect to family members. It was all tasty goodness and then, KAPOW! Denied resolution! Oh my freakin' goodness, I need the sequel or the full novel or something!
Be warned. This is a thousand and fifty percent cliffhanger. It's a dangling from your fingertips while eagles peck your head and ants climb in your ears cliffhanger. It hangs.
ARGHHH!!!! Why leave me dangling like that? I don't like serialised novels, I was totally unprepared for the amount of non-resolved issues .
Apart from that I adored the quirkiness - the character fits the prompt photo's androgynous style perfectly; I've always acknowledged my love of GFY; the teensy real snippets (not enough!) of mythology and history drew me in; the PTSD was nicely handled, including knock-on effect to family members. It was all tasty goodness and then, KAPOW! Denied resolution! Oh my freakin' goodness, I need the sequel or the full novel or something!
Did Not Finish
June 26, 2015Can't get into this one it's a strange mix of a light college students mishap and romance story, with a returned young soldier with issues and then mashed up to include supernatural beings. Felt like the story was suffering an identity crisis!
Considering the length it would have worked better as a simple college romance building up of the comedic aspect of the big misunderstanding, instead it felt like some things were getting summarised to fit in and the supernatural part was surplus. Some elements seemed complete overkill too
I admit I rolled my eyes at the Barbarossa call me Barbie and couldn't connect to any character, not understanding the 'other' aspects and waiting for Steven to put his foot in it was taking too long.
Considering the length it would have worked better as a simple college romance building up of the comedic aspect of the big misunderstanding, instead it felt like some things were getting summarised to fit in and the supernatural part was surplus. Some elements seemed complete overkill too
I admit I rolled my eyes at the Barbarossa call me Barbie and couldn't connect to any character, not understanding the 'other' aspects and waiting for Steven to put his foot in it was taking too long.
August 31, 2014
I liked:
*It's a gay for you, without an instant love and also without exaggerated angst
*It's a paranormal, but there is no clear explanation what Barbie is. He can summon/be fire... He must obey someone, his boss... Not much other than that is said
*Barbie description is amazing! I could picture him in my head perfectly, because each part of his body is described
I wish:
*There would be more explanation about Barbie
*The romance starting sooner not just in the last page
*To know more about Barbie stepmother/father (it was said too little, and so little it was as if he didn't had family at all)
*It's a gay for you, without an instant love and also without exaggerated angst
*It's a paranormal, but there is no clear explanation what Barbie is. He can summon/be fire... He must obey someone, his boss... Not much other than that is said
*Barbie description is amazing! I could picture him in my head perfectly, because each part of his body is described
I wish:
*There would be more explanation about Barbie
*The romance starting sooner not just in the last page
*To know more about Barbie stepmother/father (it was said too little, and so little it was as if he didn't had family at all)
July 15, 2014
Offered for FREE from the M/M Romance Group's Love's Landscapes event. Thank you too all the amazing authors who participated!
3.5 stars I needed about three more chapters to round this up to a 4 star. I loved these guys! I loved Chrissy! I loved the friendships and uncertainties. What I didn't love, was that ending. I'm okay with a HFN when it fits, but after all that buildup I think we and Barbie/Steven deserved more. Not to mention that huge lose end
Also, a few inconsistencies I'll come back and point out later. But some really funny quotes and great characters. I loved that scene with Barbie and his foster parents, just wish it was built off of more.
July 6, 2014
Just reaching up to make 4 stars
Paranormal story of Barbie, an androgynous, well I'm not quite sure - fire demon, genie maybe - who has given up his paranormal ways to go to college. He first meets Crissy, a fellow student, and then her slightly older cousin Steven, with whom he quickly becomes friends. Just when Barbie is starting to admit he feels more than friendship for Steven he realises that Steven has thought all along he was a girl. The story has a lot of build up to the first time the pair admit they might feel something more than friendship for each other, and then it moves quite quickly to a HFN resolution. I'd say this fits the NA category. My only disappointment was I felt that the paranormal side of things wasn't fully developed, with Steven not knowing at all that Barbie wasn't human.
Paranormal story of Barbie, an androgynous, well I'm not quite sure - fire demon, genie maybe - who has given up his paranormal ways to go to college. He first meets Crissy, a fellow student, and then her slightly older cousin Steven, with whom he quickly becomes friends. Just when Barbie is starting to admit he feels more than friendship for Steven he realises that Steven has thought all along he was a girl. The story has a lot of build up to the first time the pair admit they might feel something more than friendship for each other, and then it moves quite quickly to a HFN resolution. I'd say this fits the NA category. My only disappointment was I felt that the paranormal side of things wasn't fully developed, with Steven not knowing at all that Barbie wasn't human.
July 4, 2014
This felt like two separate stories- the story of the fire spirit and what he does, and the story of a pretty college student and a bad case of misunderstanding. Both in themselves were pretty good stories (or beginnings of good ones), but I would have liked the to come together more.
July 22, 2019
EDIT: Rating revised to 3-stars, as I've had confirmation from the author that this is NOT a stand-alone. It's just the first part of a MUCH larger story! :)
--------------------
This story just didn’t work for me, on many levels…
I couldn’t help feeling that the author wanted to write a contemporary/real-world “college boys in love” story rather than a paranormal, and tacked in a few, brief paranormal scenes just to satisfy the prompt request. And the story really suffered because of it. Everything to do with the paranormal aspect of this story felt like a lazy afterthought, with a lot of things that didn’t make sense, or were left unexplained. For example, I’m still not even sure what Barbie actually is. Is he supposed to be some kind of fire genie? Why is he so abnormally clueless about anything to do with homosexuality? He’s been alive, and observing the human race, for thousands of years, so that makes absolutely no sense at all… Why has he been reborn as a (mostly) human? Who are these people he works for? And why does he work as an assassin for them?
Which brings me to one of my biggest gripes with this story, which is… no one ever finds out what he is. In fact, no one even suspects that he’s not human (or more than just human). Not Steven, not Crissy, no one… WTF?! With a story like this, one of the best parts is the “big reveal”, and the anticipation leading up to it. That wonderful moment when the “secret” the MC is hiding is finally exposed (usually accidentally, which is the best kind!) and you hold your breath with a mixture of fear/excitement, wondering how the love interest is going to react. Well, yeah… that doesn’t happen here. Steven never accidentally catches Barbie shedding his clothes, turning into “whatever he is”, and zipping away through the sky. Barbie never loses control over his powers while he’s drunk, in Steven’s presence. Then I thought for sure it was going to happen during the suicide bomber scene… that Steven would maybe turn on the news and see Barbie caught on film at the scene. But nope. Didn’t happen.
Honestly, the anticipation and waiting for the “big reveal” is pretty much the only thing that carried me through to the end of this story. But as the page numbers kept climbing and the end of the story drew closer and closer, I kept thinking “how the hell is all of this going to be resolved/revealed/explained/etc.” in such a short time? Then I realized it wasn’t, and yup, a few pages later… THE END.
My other primary gripe with this was the characters, and the relationship (or rather, lack thereof) between Barbie and Steven. I really wasn’t feeling any chemistry between these two, and their lack of interaction for a good chunk of the story just made that even worse. There seemed to be more Crissy/Barbie and Crissy/Steven interaction than there was Barbie/Steven. I really felt like the author had more love for the character of Crissy than he/she did for the two MCs. Don’t get me wrong… strong supporting characters are a very, very good thing. But they shouldn’t outshine the MC love interests.
Much more time needed to be devoted to Barbie and Steven, IMO. And precious word count was wasted on excessively long (and boring) descriptions of things like cooking and house painting. There were also other random, pointless scenes that should have been cut or done differently so that they furthered the plot and/or the character relationship. Like the attack on Crissy. What was that all about? I thought for sure it had something to do with Barbie (enemies that had found him and were targeting the people close to him, for example). But no. I guess it was just a contrived way to add another “paranormal” scene to the story, and have Barbie get hurt so that his real gender could be exposed to Steven.
That’s another thing I had issues with… the way the gender confusion was handled. I’ve seen a very small handful of men in drag (with the whole shebang: clothes, makeup, fake boobs, etc., etc.) who could totally pass for women and fool even the most observant person. But usually there are at least some telltale signs that the brain picks up on, even for the “prettiest” of men. If Barbie had been in full drag (or using magic to make himself look like a woman) I could have bought the fact that Steven never once, even for the slightest moment, suspected that he might not be a woman. But as it was, nope. I just couldn’t swallow that. And then it’s just explained away with Steven being told Barbie’s a man, and then, yep… suddenly he realizes his friend is actually a man, and how could he have ever thought otherwise? Ummm, really? *raises an eyebrow*
And then there’s Steven’s PTSD. That was barely explored, which was a crying shame, because there was so much potential there for some good hurt/comfort scenes and character conflict (considering Barbie’s fire powers). But again, nope. In fact, Barbie never even finds out about what happened to Steven, not really… except for that brief scene where he wakes up from a nightmare in Barbie’s arms. Same thing with the scars. Barbie briefly touches them during their first sexual encounter (with them both in a drunken stupor) and then they’re never mentioned again.
The brief scene with Barbie’s foster parents was also completely random and unnecessary. It felt like the author just threw that in there because he/she felt like there needed to be a “coming-out-to-the-parents feel-good-acceptance” scene. Same with the scarred character that’s paired up with Steven (who just happens to have been through something similar) for the writing assignment. Again, I thought it must have something to do with Barbie (an enemy trying to get close to his friends), but nope. Just a random character (who’s never seen again) so we could get a brief scene with Steven openly declaring that he has no problem with someone who’s gay.
And finally, towards the end, Steven’s self-acceptance (and speech to Barbie) that he was (might be?) gay and wanted to explore things further just felt very… off, and unnatural/unrealistic.
I really hate giving a 1-star rating to any story, especially a free one. I know some people bump their rating up to “show appreciation” for a free read, but I just can’t agree with that. Essentially, it’s a lie, and you’re doing a disservice not only to other (potential) readers, but most importantly, to the author. If they don’t know what’s wrong (or that something IS wrong), or what readers have issues with, how will they ever improve? And I do believe that this author has the potential to put out a very good story. The actual writing was good/solid, IMO. Just, a lot more work/thought needs to be put towards plot, worldbuilding (for the paranormal aspects), and character/relationship development. All things that can be achieved with the help of a few good beta readers and/or a writing group.
If the author is reading this, please don’t be discouraged! I know it may seem a bit… blunt/harsh, but the only reason I took the time to try and explain my issues in-depth and honestly is because I hope they might actually be helpful. If I thought it was a load of rubbish, with no potential at all, I’d just rate, tag, and move on. ;)
Note: If there’s ever a direct sequel/continuation of this story, I’ll revise my rating, since a lot of the issues I had with this could be addressed in a follow-up story (essentially, this being the first part of a larger story with a cliffhanger ending). But if this is meant to be a stand-alone, then my 1-star rating stands.
--------------------
This story just didn’t work for me, on many levels…
I couldn’t help feeling that the author wanted to write a contemporary/real-world “college boys in love” story rather than a paranormal, and tacked in a few, brief paranormal scenes just to satisfy the prompt request. And the story really suffered because of it. Everything to do with the paranormal aspect of this story felt like a lazy afterthought, with a lot of things that didn’t make sense, or were left unexplained. For example, I’m still not even sure what Barbie actually is. Is he supposed to be some kind of fire genie? Why is he so abnormally clueless about anything to do with homosexuality? He’s been alive, and observing the human race, for thousands of years, so that makes absolutely no sense at all… Why has he been reborn as a (mostly) human? Who are these people he works for? And why does he work as an assassin for them?
Which brings me to one of my biggest gripes with this story, which is… no one ever finds out what he is. In fact, no one even suspects that he’s not human (or more than just human). Not Steven, not Crissy, no one… WTF?! With a story like this, one of the best parts is the “big reveal”, and the anticipation leading up to it. That wonderful moment when the “secret” the MC is hiding is finally exposed (usually accidentally, which is the best kind!) and you hold your breath with a mixture of fear/excitement, wondering how the love interest is going to react. Well, yeah… that doesn’t happen here. Steven never accidentally catches Barbie shedding his clothes, turning into “whatever he is”, and zipping away through the sky. Barbie never loses control over his powers while he’s drunk, in Steven’s presence. Then I thought for sure it was going to happen during the suicide bomber scene… that Steven would maybe turn on the news and see Barbie caught on film at the scene. But nope. Didn’t happen.
Honestly, the anticipation and waiting for the “big reveal” is pretty much the only thing that carried me through to the end of this story. But as the page numbers kept climbing and the end of the story drew closer and closer, I kept thinking “how the hell is all of this going to be resolved/revealed/explained/etc.” in such a short time? Then I realized it wasn’t, and yup, a few pages later… THE END.
My other primary gripe with this was the characters, and the relationship (or rather, lack thereof) between Barbie and Steven. I really wasn’t feeling any chemistry between these two, and their lack of interaction for a good chunk of the story just made that even worse. There seemed to be more Crissy/Barbie and Crissy/Steven interaction than there was Barbie/Steven. I really felt like the author had more love for the character of Crissy than he/she did for the two MCs. Don’t get me wrong… strong supporting characters are a very, very good thing. But they shouldn’t outshine the MC love interests.
Much more time needed to be devoted to Barbie and Steven, IMO. And precious word count was wasted on excessively long (and boring) descriptions of things like cooking and house painting. There were also other random, pointless scenes that should have been cut or done differently so that they furthered the plot and/or the character relationship. Like the attack on Crissy. What was that all about? I thought for sure it had something to do with Barbie (enemies that had found him and were targeting the people close to him, for example). But no. I guess it was just a contrived way to add another “paranormal” scene to the story, and have Barbie get hurt so that his real gender could be exposed to Steven.
That’s another thing I had issues with… the way the gender confusion was handled. I’ve seen a very small handful of men in drag (with the whole shebang: clothes, makeup, fake boobs, etc., etc.) who could totally pass for women and fool even the most observant person. But usually there are at least some telltale signs that the brain picks up on, even for the “prettiest” of men. If Barbie had been in full drag (or using magic to make himself look like a woman) I could have bought the fact that Steven never once, even for the slightest moment, suspected that he might not be a woman. But as it was, nope. I just couldn’t swallow that. And then it’s just explained away with Steven being told Barbie’s a man, and then, yep… suddenly he realizes his friend is actually a man, and how could he have ever thought otherwise? Ummm, really? *raises an eyebrow*
And then there’s Steven’s PTSD. That was barely explored, which was a crying shame, because there was so much potential there for some good hurt/comfort scenes and character conflict (considering Barbie’s fire powers). But again, nope. In fact, Barbie never even finds out about what happened to Steven, not really… except for that brief scene where he wakes up from a nightmare in Barbie’s arms. Same thing with the scars. Barbie briefly touches them during their first sexual encounter (with them both in a drunken stupor) and then they’re never mentioned again.
The brief scene with Barbie’s foster parents was also completely random and unnecessary. It felt like the author just threw that in there because he/she felt like there needed to be a “coming-out-to-the-parents feel-good-acceptance” scene. Same with the scarred character that’s paired up with Steven (who just happens to have been through something similar) for the writing assignment. Again, I thought it must have something to do with Barbie (an enemy trying to get close to his friends), but nope. Just a random character (who’s never seen again) so we could get a brief scene with Steven openly declaring that he has no problem with someone who’s gay.
And finally, towards the end, Steven’s self-acceptance (and speech to Barbie) that he was (might be?) gay and wanted to explore things further just felt very… off, and unnatural/unrealistic.
I really hate giving a 1-star rating to any story, especially a free one. I know some people bump their rating up to “show appreciation” for a free read, but I just can’t agree with that. Essentially, it’s a lie, and you’re doing a disservice not only to other (potential) readers, but most importantly, to the author. If they don’t know what’s wrong (or that something IS wrong), or what readers have issues with, how will they ever improve? And I do believe that this author has the potential to put out a very good story. The actual writing was good/solid, IMO. Just, a lot more work/thought needs to be put towards plot, worldbuilding (for the paranormal aspects), and character/relationship development. All things that can be achieved with the help of a few good beta readers and/or a writing group.
If the author is reading this, please don’t be discouraged! I know it may seem a bit… blunt/harsh, but the only reason I took the time to try and explain my issues in-depth and honestly is because I hope they might actually be helpful. If I thought it was a load of rubbish, with no potential at all, I’d just rate, tag, and move on. ;)
Note: If there’s ever a direct sequel/continuation of this story, I’ll revise my rating, since a lot of the issues I had with this could be addressed in a follow-up story (essentially, this being the first part of a larger story with a cliffhanger ending). But if this is meant to be a stand-alone, then my 1-star rating stands.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2014
This is a M/M paranormal romance set in a contemporary college town in America. To get the technical stuff out of the way first, kudos to the person or team responsible for editing this story. I can be extremely picky when it comes to grammar and vocabulary, but this was a refreshingly clean read.
Now for the good stuff. I loved the three main characters - no, there is no menage action, just Man 1, Man 2, and Man 2's cousin who is also the best friend of Man 1. I'll admit I'm a bit burned out on the whole gay-for-you plot line, and since this one was tagged as double-gay-for-you, it had me concerned. Unnecessary, because this author handles the subject perfectly. The reasons these two men have never been interested in other men before don't come across as contrived or forced.
The paranormal element was another big bonus. Right off the bat, you realize that the first MC is not just your average werewolf or shifter. The author takes some time to let the reader slowly figure out from the clues exactly what Barbie is, and even then, it's never explicitly stated, but put in the form of a strong hint.
I love the way the whole paranormal world is handled. There's no denying I enjoy the worldbuilding skills of writers like Sherrilyn Kenyon, Roger Zelazny, Kresley Cole, et al. But here the subject is treated with extraordinary simplicity. These are the facts of Barbie's life, no big. We really see the world through his eyes, all the weird and wonderful strangeness that is the human race. Alternating chapters are told through the viewpoints of Barbie and Steven, so we get an even mix of inhuman/human perspectives that I quite enjoyed.
So, if I have nothing bad to say, why are there only four stars? Because I've been given a peek into the lives of two amazing characters, and just when things are starting to come together for them, someone draws the blinds shut right in front of my nose! I feel like a kid looking into a candy store, watching all the yummy things being laid out on display, and then having it all hidden away behind a screen before I can see anyone buy it or even sample it. My vicarious pleasure was cut off just as it was truly beginning to blossom.
Please understand, this is not a case of a writer simply neglecting to write an appropriate ending, or even of a deliberate cliffhanger. It closes on a sweet note, with a feeling of hopefulness, and is beautifully written. My complaint is that none of my questions have been answered. How can such different creatures fit into each others' lives? What happens when Barbie is called away for a supernatural emergency while they're in bed together? How is Steven going to deal with the fact that his lover's life is not measured in decades or even centuries, but in millennia!? And there are lots more where those questions came from. This story is screaming for a sequel. And so am I.
Now for the good stuff. I loved the three main characters - no, there is no menage action, just Man 1, Man 2, and Man 2's cousin who is also the best friend of Man 1. I'll admit I'm a bit burned out on the whole gay-for-you plot line, and since this one was tagged as double-gay-for-you, it had me concerned. Unnecessary, because this author handles the subject perfectly. The reasons these two men have never been interested in other men before don't come across as contrived or forced.
The paranormal element was another big bonus. Right off the bat, you realize that the first MC is not just your average werewolf or shifter. The author takes some time to let the reader slowly figure out from the clues exactly what Barbie is, and even then, it's never explicitly stated, but put in the form of a strong hint.
I love the way the whole paranormal world is handled. There's no denying I enjoy the worldbuilding skills of writers like Sherrilyn Kenyon, Roger Zelazny, Kresley Cole, et al. But here the subject is treated with extraordinary simplicity. These are the facts of Barbie's life, no big. We really see the world through his eyes, all the weird and wonderful strangeness that is the human race. Alternating chapters are told through the viewpoints of Barbie and Steven, so we get an even mix of inhuman/human perspectives that I quite enjoyed.
So, if I have nothing bad to say, why are there only four stars? Because I've been given a peek into the lives of two amazing characters, and just when things are starting to come together for them, someone draws the blinds shut right in front of my nose! I feel like a kid looking into a candy store, watching all the yummy things being laid out on display, and then having it all hidden away behind a screen before I can see anyone buy it or even sample it. My vicarious pleasure was cut off just as it was truly beginning to blossom.
Please understand, this is not a case of a writer simply neglecting to write an appropriate ending, or even of a deliberate cliffhanger. It closes on a sweet note, with a feeling of hopefulness, and is beautifully written. My complaint is that none of my questions have been answered. How can such different creatures fit into each others' lives? What happens when Barbie is called away for a supernatural emergency while they're in bed together? How is Steven going to deal with the fact that his lover's life is not measured in decades or even centuries, but in millennia!? And there are lots more where those questions came from. This story is screaming for a sequel. And so am I.
December 27, 2014
I have my usual complaint about short stories that I love: it's short. It's long enough to stand alone, but I fell in love with the main characters and want to read more about them. And Barbarossa Atan is a character around whom an entire epic series could be written. Ren Stjerne keeps the romance intense, the action hot, and the sexuality even hotter without being too graphic with any of it. There so many loose ends in the story that should drive you crazy and yet, the story stays so true to its core that the loose ends just tease you into wanting more, a lot more. And soon.
July 27, 2014
Barbie is not entirely human. He is fire. He has never had friends or romantic relationships. He has never been attracted to anyone until he meets, Steven. Steven, thinks the red long-haired ‘girl’ he meets through his cousin, is the great. ‘She’ and him have common interests, like football and cars. Plus, add that ‘she’ is very attractive.
Then he finds out that Barbie isn’t a girl and then things between them are thrown up in the air. Steven is not sure how to react. He misses Barbie and their friendship, but even more confusing is that he is still attractive towards him. He has to figure out what it all means before he loses Barbie, as a friend or anything else.
Crissy is the cousin. She is a very strong secondary character and this story wouldn’t be quite the same without her bossy upfront attitude. Her ‘boys’ wouldn’t get very far in their relationship without her help.
Then he finds out that Barbie isn’t a girl and then things between them are thrown up in the air. Steven is not sure how to react. He misses Barbie and their friendship, but even more confusing is that he is still attractive towards him. He has to figure out what it all means before he loses Barbie, as a friend or anything else.
Crissy is the cousin. She is a very strong secondary character and this story wouldn’t be quite the same without her bossy upfront attitude. Her ‘boys’ wouldn’t get very far in their relationship without her help.
July 12, 2014
When I read the tags for this story saying it had depression and PTSD in it, I thought I'd be getting an angstfest with a lot of woe is me along with everything else. Surprisingly, I almost missed it in the beginning by just thinking that was Steven's personality, just anti-social and a bit slow. Once I realized from other interactions that there was a big change in his personality, I saw almost everything colored by depression, but not the dress-in-black, I'm-going-to-slit-my-wrists kind, but more the isolation,apathy and lack of self care.
I can't figure out if he's aware of it or not.
The rest of it was pretty funny in spots, I was hoping for more resolution to the paranormal, or at least more information on it.
I can't figure out if he's aware of it or not.
The rest of it was pretty funny in spots, I was hoping for more resolution to the paranormal, or at least more information on it.
November 4, 2014
This would have been good if it only was just a contemporary story about two guys meeting and falling for each other, even if one of them is pretty dense not to realize someone he's been spending significant amounts of time with is a guy and not a girl. Instead there was this paranormal element in it that didn't add anything to the story. This is one of those that ended with everything still up in the air. Apparently there'll be a sequel to this. Sometimes though if you're reading a short story you want things a little more wrapped up.
Want to Read
July 9, 2014STORY INFO:
Genre: contemporary, paranormal
Tags: paranormal/fire being, college, first time, friends to lovers, double gay for you, humorous, PTSD, depression
Content Warnings: violence/death of unnamed characters, alcohol: because no great story ever started with someone eating a salad.
Word Count: 31,071
Genre: contemporary, paranormal
Tags: paranormal/fire being, college, first time, friends to lovers, double gay for you, humorous, PTSD, depression
Content Warnings: violence/death of unnamed characters, alcohol: because no great story ever started with someone eating a salad.
Word Count: 31,071
June 2, 2015
I enjoyed this story a lot.
However, there's a supernatural sub-plot that is jarring to this sweet contemporary romance. Because there was no apparent purpose to the sub-plot, it became an unnecessary part of the story and it suffered as a result.
The story would have had 4 stars if not for that. It was entertaining overall and the characters were charming.
However, there's a supernatural sub-plot that is jarring to this sweet contemporary romance. Because there was no apparent purpose to the sub-plot, it became an unnecessary part of the story and it suffered as a result.
The story would have had 4 stars if not for that. It was entertaining overall and the characters were charming.
event-stories-unread
April 15, 2015[NOTE: I rate most writing event stories (free reads) 4 or 5 stars because of my appreciation of the author's participation and gift.]
July 24, 2014
Cute story, silly unbelievable premise and weird take on supernatural stuff that is never explained. I think the author did a good job executing the prompt and it was a fun story.
Read
September 11, 2014This was just not my thing. The writing style turned me of and the premise, that an, admittedly androgynous man who acts very manly is mistake as a woman. Tried it twice but not my thing.
February 19, 2018
I would love to read a version of this after an editor had helped work on it. There's a kernel of a good story here, it just got sidetracked by irrelevant scenes, and didn't fully explore the possibilities it presented.
The basic idea was great, though, and I'd love to get to know more about Barbie and his powers and his history.
Favorite Quote:
Might as well find out what he though about paranormal stuff.
Since I was paranormal stuff.
The basic idea was great, though, and I'd love to get to know more about Barbie and his powers and his history.
Favorite Quote:
Might as well find out what he though about paranormal stuff.
Since I was paranormal stuff.
December 1, 2020
3.25 stars
Yes, there were some little things I would've changed if I'd been the one editing, but overall a solid story. Having read the follow-up story first, I knew that the two of them would be together by the end of this, but that didn't diminish the enjoyment at all. I'd really like to hear the story of Sam and his boyfriend, but I guess that's not in the cards this many years down the line.
Yes, there were some little things I would've changed if I'd been the one editing, but overall a solid story. Having read the follow-up story first, I knew that the two of them would be together by the end of this, but that didn't diminish the enjoyment at all. I'd really like to hear the story of Sam and his boyfriend, but I guess that's not in the cards this many years down the line.
May 25, 2017
Nice short story, well developed characters, but as the follow up story "Haywire witch" still lacking a proper ending. This author has much to learn still about how to satisfactorily wrap up their story, all the while having a good potential.
December 31, 2017
It was an ok book. I liked the concept but Barbie's two lives were like different books and did not feel relevant to this story. I couldn't get my head wrapped around the name Barbie, though.
July 16, 2014
2.5*
Great idea with abysmal results. A lot of beginnings with no resolution. The characters were good, but as the story went nowhere so characters too didn't get much growth((
The ending itself came as a complete surprise in a sense that it wasn't even HFN ending, it just stopped in what felt like a middle of the story.
Reading other reviews for this story (and seeing as it is a free read) you might think I'm too harsh, but I think in reality it is that others are too kind to the new author participating in M/M Romance Group anthology. In the end I think it just a real pity to waste such a beginning by calling it a complete story.
Great idea with abysmal results. A lot of beginnings with no resolution. The characters were good, but as the story went nowhere so characters too didn't get much growth((
The ending itself came as a complete surprise in a sense that it wasn't even HFN ending, it just stopped in what felt like a middle of the story.
Reading other reviews for this story (and seeing as it is a free read) you might think I'm too harsh, but I think in reality it is that others are too kind to the new author participating in M/M Romance Group anthology. In the end I think it just a real pity to waste such a beginning by calling it a complete story.
July 14, 2014
There was just one thing about this book that didn't make sense. The supernatural element. It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot. I think this could have very well been a contemporary story and it wouldn't have missed a thing. Why the MC needed a special power is beyond me, since nothing happened related to it.
I loved the characters and the whole GFY plot idea. It was a great story. Minus the paranormal part I mentioned.
I loved the characters and the whole GFY plot idea. It was a great story. Minus the paranormal part I mentioned.
September 4, 2015
The story and characters were awesome - for a 5-star.
I put 3 stars because overall the story ending felt premature like a sample of a longer book.
Maybe Ren Stjerne could expand the story because it was really interesting and fresh but the book feels 'unfinished' (at least to me).
Great story otherwise (hope it is continued...)
I put 3 stars because overall the story ending felt premature like a sample of a longer book.
Maybe Ren Stjerne could expand the story because it was really interesting and fresh but the book feels 'unfinished' (at least to me).
Great story otherwise (hope it is continued...)
July 19, 2014
This has such promise!! Ughhh!! I hope there is more because it's so unsatisfying with this bit...
LOL... OMG, I so HOPE there is some kind of sequel. There TOTALLY needs to be one!!
A Good read. :)
LOL... OMG, I so HOPE there is some kind of sequel. There TOTALLY needs to be one!!
A Good read. :)
July 8, 2014
2.5
Хорошая идея, неудачное воплощение.
Жизненные реалии (студенческая жизнь, паранормальный аспект, армейское прошлое) перемешаны между собой бессвязно, скомканно и неправдоподобно.
Кроме того, оборванный конец с обещанием продолжения.
Хорошая идея, неудачное воплощение.
Жизненные реалии (студенческая жизнь, паранормальный аспект, армейское прошлое) перемешаны между собой бессвязно, скомканно и неправдоподобно.
Кроме того, оборванный конец с обещанием продолжения.
July 3, 2016
After a terrible misunderstanding can two people actually get back on track especially when they are both strong capable men. Also Barbarossa has his own secrets that he keeps. Steven is working his own way back to wholeness. But together they can give each other comfort and strength.
March 7, 2016
I just saw that this is WIP. I'll put it on my TBR list for now I hope that it'll be completed at some point. :)
update: I caved and read it. Sadly it's clear it's unfinished. There are so many questions unanswered. The writing style didn't work 100% for me tbh.
update: I caved and read it. Sadly it's clear it's unfinished. There are so many questions unanswered. The writing style didn't work 100% for me tbh.
July 3, 2014
I would love to learn more about Barbie
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews