Marlowe's Ghost by Sarah Black

Oh Sweet sweet Sarah if being crazy in love with your stories is wrong...Then DAMMIT, I don't wanna be right!

I've said this before and I will say it again, when Sarah Black has something to say, I sit down and raptly listen, because there is always something in her words that just feels like my mind just got some value added to it.

Will Marlowe is a veteran, he was hurt in the war, he's a little angry, he's a bit of a rebel, he's a man undecided on his future, he is also a scholar. It's what he's always wanted, to study the Classics, be a man who lives off his mind.

To be able to do that he had to enter the military, and it cost him a very high price...'To pay in blood and flesh for the care of my mind. What the hell was that about?' He wonders... That anger has him stumped. He's not sure what is next, and his only outlet is his own brand of anarchy, his street art Bad Toys.

One day one of his professors, asks him as a favor to go to London and check on his nephew. Apparently the man has been doing research for his dissertation on Christopher Marlowe, and is now convinced that he is speaking to Marlowe's ghost. Sounds pretty crazy to Will, but it's a free trip, he has nothing to do for the summer other than decide what's next, and BONUS he can take his toys for a little fun across the pond.

He sees Tommy, and he's mesmerized by his fragile face, and his quietness. Tommy is a cancer survivor still recovering in some ways, he is also on fire to discover the legend behind Christopher Marlowe's death. Will is instantly compelled to protect this man he's been sent to help. He believes Tommy has something important to say, and pretty soon in a sunny English garden, Will finds himself speaking to the ghost as well.

Sarah Black is another brand of author in this genre. The stuff she picks up and writes about, RESPECT. She takes on the legend of Christopher Marlowe in this story, one of the most controversial figures in history. He was a poet, a playwright, a spy and believed to be an anarchist during the Elizabethan age. He was also believed to have escaped England after having faked his own death. Some have argued that he continued to write in exile under the pen name William Shakespeare. This man has always been a fascinating figure to me, and Sarah Black did his legend justice. This story was beautifully written.

She of course did not stop there, she hit upon the ravages of war, the game that it is, and how those who pay for it in the end are those that never had a wager in it to begin with. How the weight of it lingers...The consequences of power, feel like they're written in across my skin. Will says.

At the center of all this goodness, there is THE love story. Will and Tommy, they fall in love. Will for the first time, and Tommy for the first time with a person that will be what he deserves. They were a thing to behold. Will asked for Tommy to come with him, to let him love him, he had things to do for Tommy, to say to him, he wanted to stick around and make a life, Tommy just had to say yes. Tommy did.

Like always, Sarah Black, made me cry, laugh, think, and feel so sad for those who are missing out on her brilliance.

I finished this book, and could just see Will whispering in Tommy's ear...A little Marlowe at bedtime.

Come live with me and be my love...

There will we sit upon the rocks,
And see the shepherds feed their flocks...

There I will make thee beds of roses...

Come live with me, and be my love...

As precious as the gods do eat,
Shall on an ivory table be,
Prepared each day for thee and me...

If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my love.


Cannot recommend this enough.

Review of "Lovegames" (Queen City #2) by M. Jules Aedin

3.5 Stars

Warning!!!! Anyone that might have risks of passing out, or getting heart palpitations from reading about incredibly hot men having incredibly hot sex, please make sure to keep that 911 speed dial handy or at least one of those brown paper bags that people use when they are hyperventilating close by, because this sex, to borrow from the Kings of Leon IS ON FIRE. Soooo HOT, like "Holy shit was I just reading this and panting?!" HOT!...Just be Warned. Not the you shouldn't read it, the delicious smut might be worth the concussion...Just sayin'.

Ok back to the book, I must say that I had high expectations for this story. This is the second book in the "Queen City" Series, the first one Paper Planes was one of my favorite books from last year. So, I expected something similar. Once I started reading, I had to adjust my expectations, since for the most part this book was totally different. Not worse or better different, just different. Tone, focus of the book, character dynamics, was different.

Adam Cruce (super hot actor) and his partner Keith Black (super hot rockstar) meet Sebastian (super hot twink) getting out of a bit of an awkward situation at the Charlotte Pride Weekend, where Keith is performing. Keith is instantly attracted to Sebastian or Baz, as his friends call him. Keith and Adam habitually play with a third in bed, always very casually and always a one night stand. So Baz gets to be Charlotte sex kitten for Adam and Keith. So, they hook up with the boy. The sex is amazing, they all love it, but move on. Keith and Adam go back to their lives, and so does Baz.

Thing is neither Keith nor Adam can forget about Baz. There is something there, that they want to explore. So, they decide to invite Baz over to their home in LA for another week of playing to see if the time together can finally quench what it is that they have for Baz. Things progress from there...

I'm gonna give the positives first. All the characters were well done. Keith's struggles, I thought were done very well. He has bipolar disorder, which he refuses to treat for fear of losing his career, and the way his mindworks and his persona were portrayed I thought was excellent. Adam as the caregiver/enabler/lover, was also very well done (although he did annoy a few times). Baz's character I also liked, he was not the stereotypical bratty twink, I IMMENSELY appreciated that. The feelings these three men developed were believable, as was the struggle between Adam and Keith. They were a established couple with a good, if at times harried, relationship bringing in a third partner would change everything.things felt a little awkward. It is only once scene and not very long, but the talking specially felt a bit weird. Which was sad, because I love me some good Daddy dirty talk. One thing I have to say, as yummy as the smexing was there was a Daddy/boy scene where

Now for the not so great aspects of this book for me. First, there was a subplot with a stalker situation that felt slapped on, and made no sense. I did not for the life of me comprehend what the point was. It felt inconsequential and unnecessary. I mean wasn't there enough drama already with two celebrities, one with a mental illness, trying to and have an open relationship with a third man? Adding to that was just overkill. Second, I felt that things ended too abruptly, well into the last tenth of the story, there were complications coming up that I just felt needed more book to be flushed out. So...I would have been happier with a couple more chapters.

With all that this book is good, not what I was expecting in some ways, but I am still glad I read it. I enjoy this author's writing. The characters are well written, if high on the dramatics at points. And the sex alone was worth the time. Mercy me that was some tasty tasty smut.

I'd recommend this one, and will absolutely read the next one, which I hope is the friend from Paper Planes and his policeman.