GUN KISS will be released by Canada’s Imajin Books in Fall this year.

Today’s stop is for Mary Feliz’s Dead Storage We will have info about the book and author, and a great excerpt from the book, plus a great giveaway. Make sure to check everything out and enter the giveaway.

Happy Reading :) 

As a professional organizer, Maggie McDonald brings order to messy situations. But when a good friend becomes a murder suspect, surviving the chaos is one tall task . . .   Despite a looming deadline, Maggie thinks she has what it takes to help friends Jason and Stephen unclutter their large Victorian in time for its scheduled renovation. But before she can fill a single bin with unused junk, Jason leaves for Texas on an emergency business trip, Stephen’s injured mastiff limps home—and Stephen himself lands in jail for murder. Someone killed the owner of a local Chinese restaurant and stuffed him in the freezer. Stephen, caught at the crime scene covered in blood, is the number one suspect. Now Maggie must devise a strategy to sort through secrets and set him free—before she’s tossed into permanent storage next . .

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Thursday, February 16, Morning

 

Mtalked to him. “I know you insist on working with both halves of a couple—” “But I’m also a problem solver. What’s up?” “That spate of tornadoes and flooding in Texas, that’s what. I’ve been deployed. I can’t back out or delay our departure. Those people are hurting, and it’s the first test of my new auxiliary law-enforcement team. A group of TV journalists is reporting on our project for some newsmagazine. Our funding and the future of programs like this de- pend on our success.” Jason rattled off the sentences breathlessly, without giving me a chance to comment or interrupt. I understood his predicament. He’d been working on establishing a rapid-response law enforcement team for as long as I’d known him. The short version of the saga was that the team, with all its supplies, could swoop into a disaster area and support law enforcement efforts under local authority. The idea was to prevent looting, keep people safe, provide skilled guidance to volunteers, and eliminate many of

2 • Mary Feliz

the problems experienced by civilians, volunteers, and first respon- ders following Hurricane Katrina and other disasters. Jason’s team and others like it hoped to plug gaps between what FEMA and the National Guard could provide and what community resources were designed to accomplish. “No problem,” I said. “We’ll start after you get back.” “Stephen’s ready to start, like, yesterday, and the demolition is only two weeks away.” “Ah . . .” I began, stalling for time. “To be successful, any system we develop will have to include you. If it’s going to work long term—” “Look, Maggie, I’ve got to go. They’re loading our containers on the cargo plane. Stephen and I talked about priorities and goals last night. We made a list. I gave him parameters for tossing my stuff, and I promised not to divorce him if he gives away my favorite baseball glove. If that works for you, great. If not, take it up with Stephen. Arrange something—” The phone cut off. I was left with the decision of whether to begin or postpone. I spotted several potential problems with Jason’s plan. Among the stumbling blocks was the fact that they might waste time and money creating a system that would work for Stephen, but not for Jason. When I’d spoken to Stephen, afterward, he considered my advice but ultimately decided to go ahead. “No matter what Jason says, he’s going to have trouble making time for this project, even once he’s home again,” Stephen said. “Damn the torpedoes . . .” That was two days ago. I’d decided Stephen was right. With Jason’s full-time job as a police detective he was never in full control of his own hours. Stephen was a retired US Marine who worked unpredictable hours volunteering with veterans and their canine counterparts, creat- ing civilian partnerships. If we were going to have their house ready to start a major remodel, there was no time to waste. Today, Stephen and I were meeting to start purging their belongings, deciding what to save, and fine-tuning our organizational strategy. I knocked on the front door of their sprawling Victorian near the Palo Alto border. There was no answer to the bell. No resonant woof from Stephen’s huge mastiff, Munchkin. I peered through the front window, leaving the print of my nose on the glass. Only dust motes moved inside. I sat on the front step and texted Stephen:

Dead Storage • 3

My calendar says we’re meeting at 8:30 today. Do I have that right? Stephen was an early riser, so I’d agreed to meet him as soon as I dropped my teen boys at the middle school and high school. He’d promised me coffee and bagels. At the thought of food, my stomach rumbled and my mouth filled with saliva. I was starving and caffeine deprived. My golden retriever, Belle, thumped her tail, whined, and leaned into me, looking up with yearning. Normally, I didn’t bring Belle to work with me, but Stephen was a friend of mine, a dog per- son, and Munchkin was Belle’s BFF. “They’ll be back soon,” I told her, referring to both Stephen and his seldom-absent canine partner. “I’m sure everything is fine. How often are they ever late?” Belle made a polite sound in response. “Right,” I said. “Never . . . Well, nearly never.” Extreme and unrelenting punctuality was a fault of Stephen’s, an artifact of his time in the military. Some of his friends found it an- noying, but I shared the trait and appreciated his timely arrival when- ever we got together. I bit my lip, sighed, and squinted into the sun to scan the neighborhood. There was no car in the drive. He must have had a last-minute errand that went longer than he had planned. Unex- pected traffic tie-ups were a recurring Silicon Valley problem. With the high-tech economy, growing population, and high-density build- ing projects booming, the area was home to a record number of peo- ple. More people meant more cars. A trip to the dentist that took fifteen minutes a month or two earlier could easily take thirty min- utes or longer today, even without a rush-hour fender bender creating gridlock. The problem grew worse daily and there was no easy solu- tion. I looked at my watch. Any minute, I expected to see Stephen and Munchkin loping up the street from one direction or the other. At six- foot-four inches, accompanied by a dog that weighed almost as much as he did, Stephen was hard to miss. I paced in front of the house. This situation reminded me too much of a client session I’d begun four months earlier, standing on a front porch a few blocks away when my client was late. That morn- ing had culminated in the death of a dear friend. I shivered, drew my fleece coat closer to me, peered at my phone, and dialed Stephen’s number.

The phone rang before I could finish punching the buttons. “Hello?” I said. The phone responded with crackles and pops. “. . . police station . . . jail . . .” “Hello? Who is this? I’m not going to fall for that trick. My kids are safe in school.” I disconnected the call. Our entire town had been plagued with phishing phone calls from crooks pretending to be our children or grandchildren. The calls all followed the same pattern: a distraught young voice claiming to be kin begged for money to be wired immediately. Most people, like me, recognized it for what it was and hung up the phone. But older people, those in the beginning stages of dementia or vulnerable in other ways, grew distraught. A friend of my mom called her daughter nearly every day to be reas- sured that the children and grandchildren were safe. The scams were criminal, disruptive, and downright cruel. I shook off my righteous indignation and dialed Stephen again. In the process, I noted that the crooks, whoever they were, were getting crafty. My phone reported that the phishing call originated from the police station in Mountain View, the town that abutted Orchard View’s southern border. I made a mental note to tell Jason about the call the next time we spoke. When he wasn’t helping flood-ravaged towns in Texas, Jason was an Orchard View detective. He’d know who to no- tify about calls from people impersonating the police. My call went to voice mail.

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This is a great book in so many ways. It as a cute easy and quick to read story. But it also features the story in both English and Spanish on the same page. The pictures are very nicely done throughout the book. The words are easy words for beginning readers. I like that the child can learn to read  the book in the chosen language and then when they have that mastered they can learn it in either English or Spanish.  Also at the end of the book their are teaching tips fr the parents to make this book educational for the child.  Younger children from 2 to 5 will enjoy the story itself but from 5 and up can use this book for learning as well.

The story is about a boy and his pet dragon. In the beginning they are outside enjoying all the newness Spring has to offer from brightly colored flowers to new baby ducks. Then they go inside and decorate Easter eggs, decorate an Easter tree, have a egg hunt, go to church, and enjoy Easter. 

I received this book from the author or publisher on netgalley.com to read and review.

Story:
Einem ärztlichen Rat folgend nimmt sich der Geschäftsmann John McCann ein Jahr Auszeit und erwirbt den kleinen Buchladen „Margins“, um zur Ruhe zu kommen und seine Energie in eine einfachere Arbeit zu stecken. Zu Beginn ist er skeptisch und nimmt sich vor den verwinkelten Laden auf Vordermann zu bringen, doch er nimmt schnell Abstand davon – einerseits wegen Jamie, dem Sohn der ehemaligen Besitzerin und wegen Davids, einem Obdachlosen, der jeden Tag zum Lesen ins Margin kommt. Mit der Zeit lernt John den stillen David nicht nur besser kennen, er verliebt sich auch in ihn und setzt alles daran ihm zu helfen. Doch Davids Gründe, auf der Straße zu leben, sind vielseitig und seine Probleme nicht so einfach zu bezwingen …

Eigene Meinung:
Der Roman „Eine Randbemerkung“ stammt aus der Feder Isabelle Rowans und erschien 2015 in deutscher Übersetzung bei Dreamspinner Press. Neben etlichen weiteren Gay Romance Romanen hat die Autorin auch die Weihnachtsnovelle „Twelve Days“ geschrieben, in der „A Note in the Margin“ fortgesetzt wird.

Die Geschichte spielt in Australien und braucht ein wenig, um anzulaufen, was vor allem an der recht gestelzt wirkenden Grundidee liegt. Ein Geschäftsmann, der sich einfach so einen Buchladen kauft und dort arbeitet, wirkt ein wenig übertrieben und nicht ganz stimmig. Auch die Tatsache, dass er sich so schnell an sein neues Leben gewöhnt und binnen eines Tages all seine Pläne für das Geschäft über den Haufen wirft, will nicht so recht zur Beschreibung passen, mit der John dem Leser zu Beginn präsentiert wird. Auch sonst gibt es immer wieder kleine Unstimmigkeiten und offene Punkte, die den Lesefluss hemmen und mitunter wenig Sinn machen. Nichtsdestotrotz liegt der Schwerpunkt auf der dramatischen Liebesgeschichte zwischen John und David, die recht langsam Fahrt aufnimmt. Spätestens ab der Hälfte des Romas geht es dann um Davids Vergangenheit und seine Gründe, auf der Straße zu leben. So dramatisch die Ereignisse sind, mit der Zeit geht dem Leser David und sein Verhalten auf die Nerven – er wirkt überlabil und lässt sich so oft wegen Kleinigkeiten aus der Bahn werfen. Da bewundert man schon die Geduld, die John aufbringt, um seine Liebe zu beschützen und auf den rechten Weg zu bringen.

Die Charaktere sind sympathisch und können größtenteils überzeugen. Dennoch bleibt John ein wenig blass, da das Hauptaugenmerk auf David liegt und fast nur dessen Probleme größere Erwähnung finden. Zwar wird auch Johns Kindheit beleuchtet, doch sein Leben als wohlhabender Geschäftsmann kommt kaum zum Tragen – auch zum Ende hin, als sich das Jahr zum Ende neigt, wird das Thema mit wenigen Sätzen abgehandelt. David wiederum entwickelt sich mit der Zeit zu einer Figur, die man nur schwer annehmen kann. Dazu wirkt er zu labil und seine Probleme auf Dauer überdramatisiert. Auch reißt er einige Dinge, die absolut unnötig sind und fast nur dazu dienen, der Handlung mehr Dramatik zu verleihen.

Am sympathischsten ist daher Jamie, der jedoch nur einige kleinere Auftritte hat und als Nebenfigur am Rande auftaucht. Dennoch bleibt seine fröhliche, offene Art im Gedächtnis und man wünscht sich fast ein Buch über ihn.

Stilistisch kann man das Buch nur schwer einschätzen, denn die deutsche Übersetzung bietet die größten Schwierigkeiten. Es mangelt an einer gründlichen Korrektur, denn die Sätze sind vom Aufbau her nicht nur im englischen Stil erhalten worden (sprich man weiß genau, wie der Satzbau im englischen Original war), zum Ende hin häufen sich Rechtschreibfehler bis hin zu fehlenden Buchstaben und Wörtern. Das erschwert das Lesen enorm und sorgt dafür, dass man das Buch frustriert zur Seite legt. Auch die Autorin hat einen nicht so glücklichen Stil, Isabelle Rowans Roman besticht durch unheimlich viele Perspektivsprünge– mitunter mehrfach binnen eines Absatzes. Das sorgt dafür, dass man kaum noch nachvollziehen kann, aus welcher Sicht die Handlung erzählt wird. Gerade bei den erotischen Szenen ist das ein Problem, da man bei den Beschreibungen fast immer durcheinanderkommt. Auktoriale Erzählweisen schön und gut, doch man sollte sie auch beherrschen, damit der Leser nicht bei den Dialogen und Erklärungen den roten Faden verliert.

Fazit:
Insgesamt ist „Eine Randbemerkung“ Geschmackssache und nur bedingt zu empfehlen, da es sowohl inhaltlich, als auch stilistisch größere Mängel gibt. Wer dramatische Geschichten mag, die sich vorwiegend um das (teil übertrieben) traurige Schicksal eines Charakters drehen, der kann gerne zugreifen – jedoch empfiehlt sich vorab ein Blick in die Leseprobe oder der Griff zum englischen Original. Von der deutsche Fassung kann ich in der Form leider nur abraten, denn meiner Meinung nach fehlte es an einer guten Überarbeitung, um das Buch leserfreundlich zu machen.

3.5 stars

This story felt more like a GLBT fiction with a touch of mystery and a dash of romance. Sure, we had the developing relationship between Will the reporter and Francis the lawyer as well as the established couple of Nic and Louis...

but to me the core of this story was Will going to France, writing and making friends with Nic and Louis, discovering that someone was sabotaging their training center, and of course, getting answers to a scandal that happened years ago.

The mystery lover in me felt satisfied with how the plot went. The romance lover in me wanting it to be a little bit "more".