STARLIGHT SATURDAY

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REVIEW OF

LAND OF THE FALLING STARS

By Keta Diablo

The Civil War has rendered Sophia Whitfield penniless and an orphan. Traumatized by the repeated pilfering and looting by the Bluecoat’s, Sophia spies a bluecoat staggering toward her home and she’s determined not to be a victim again. So, she runs to fetch her gun and shoots the interloper, only to learn that her victim is her childhood friend, Gavin Langdale. Sophia nurses Gavin back to health and succumbs to her attraction to him, only to learn that he killed her fiancé and his best friend, Jesse, on the battlefield.

It felt like these two traversed the world, when they only traveled from the south to Baltimore, but so much happened in between…Sophia’s house was torched, she was rendered blind, she was almost raped—twice!—Gavin was almost murdered, they met up with a band of gypsies and Sophia had to accept her heart’s desires…not necessarily in that order.

There were times I had a hard time connecting with Sophia. Some of her decisions were not only extreme, but rash. For instance, the opening scene where she shoots Gavin simply because of the color of his jacket. But the one thing I kept coming back to was that this novel was set during the Civil War. A very harsh and brutal time period. None of us know how we would react as a lone woman in a violent time. It’s likely some of us would have reacted just as violently and irrationally as Sophia did.

Sophia is complicated, but that makes her an interesting character too and she reminded me of Scarlett O’Hara. Spoiled and hard to deal with, even a tad naïve, and so stubborn that when it’s almost too late—was too late for Scarlett…which led to that famous line by Rhett…”Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”…*sigh*—she realizes that Gavin is the one she wanted and loved even when her fiancé, Jesse, was alive. I adored Gavin from beginning to end and connected easily with his torn conscious. And, yes, he was like Rhett too in that he protected, adored and loved Sophia in spite of her faults.

Land of the Falling Stars is a great read, fast paced, with scorching love scenes that’ll leave you fanning yourself. Land of the Falling Stars always left me wondering what was going to happen next. So, if you’re not reading Keta Diablo’s books, my question is WHY??

Buy Link: http://www.ravenousromance.com/once-upon-a-time/land-of-falling-stars.php

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On a separate note, two of Keta’s anthologies have been nominated by Love Romances Cafe, and voting begins February 15th. More information will be provided in the upper lefthand corner of our blog. Here is the information on both of those nominated books:




Boys of the Bite
More Information Here: http://www.ravenousromance.com/fantastica/boys-of-the-bite.php

About Boys of the Bite:

Vampires are ever young, ever beautiful, and ruled by the cravings of the flesh. In Boys of the Bite, the gay male side of the vampire's legend is explored in every erotic possibility. From historical settings where vampires move through high society to modern vamps you find at the all-night laundromat, these lusty men know how to hunt, whether for love or just a midnight snack.

Mixing stories by gay male authors like R. R. Angell and Bob Panadero with some of Ravenous Romance's stars of m/m romance like Keta Diablo and Ryan Field, Boys of the Bite gives every reader plenty to get his or her blood pumping.


Spank Me Twice:

More information here:
http://tinyurl.com/p7qff4
Wowzers. Spank Me Twice is mouth-wateringly delicious down to the last page. What an incredible array of writers in this book. Jude Mason starts it off with a delicious tale of a naughty husband who gets his punishment and it goes out with a bang with a male love story by Keta Diablo. Spank Me Twice is like an Oreo cookie. Yummy crunchy cookie on the outside with delectable cream-filling in the middle. All the stories are fast paced and will have you needing a fan on high next to you.