Lone Star BookWorks

Lone Star BookWorks is a small, indie publisher and provider of author services.

Website: http://www.lonestarbookworks.info
Blog: http://lbwrites.tumblr.com

contemporary fantasy    cruise    empath    empathy    erotica    gay    jukebox heroes    lb clark    music    rock and roll    rock fiction    rock novel    romance    romantica    urban fantasy   

• Isn't It Romantic? on Aug. 08, 2011
  
  This is a fun, lighthearted romance, perfect for curling up with at the end of a long day or reading by the pool or on the beach. Interesting, quirky characters, realistic dialog, and a clean, straightforward writing style make this book well worth reading. Looking forward to reading more from Ellen Fisher.
  
• The Wrinkly on Aug. 19, 2011
  
  Far-fetched but plausible, 'The Wrinkly' is packed with wit, humor, believable characters, and evocative descriptions. Gentle commentary on the ecology of Florida and it's fragile state is reminiscent of Carl Hiaasen, but Collis definitely has a writing style all his own. One of the best 'chosen-for-its-summary' books I've read in ages.
  
• Leather, Lace and Rock-n-Roll (SEALS, Inc., Book 1) on Nov. 08, 2011
  
  Although this book has a few things going for it (decent dialogue except during the 'love' scenes, technically well-written, adverbs used sparingly, and vivid descriptions of the setting), it wasn't great. The plot was contrived and unbelievable, the characters were more like caricatures, the lead male's name kept changing from Hawk to Hawke (and his love interest called him by his surname - what?), the physical descriptions of the characters were often cliche, and there were small details that showed a lack of thought and/or research. Writing erotica does not give you a license to write poor fiction! While the plot may not be the main point of an erotica novel, whatever plot is inserted into the tale should be at least somewhat plausible. A Navy Seal posing as a rock star is the least of the problems with the plot of this book. That said, it wasn't the worst book I've ever spent time reading. I wouldn't recommend it or the author, though. There are better books - including free erotica - out there.
  
• Trevor's Song on Dec. 07, 2011
  
  Trevor’s Song managed to take me completely by surprise. Trevor himself was the biggest surprise, being one of the most dysfunctional leads I’ve seen in a book in a long, long time. In the beginning, I didn’t even like him. He wasn’t what you might call a sympathetic character. But by the time I was halfway through the book, I was ready to shank anyone who so much as looked at him sideways. It was very interesting to watch his character grow and change (even if I sometimes wanted to smack some sense into him). The characters, dialogue, and storyline are all above average, and Gottfried writes in a smooth, straightforward style. Even the minor characters have quirks and traits that make them stand out, and the major characters are fleshed out fairly well. The dialogue is believable (and often amusing), and the storylines are all compelling enough to keep you reading. My complaints about this book are very minor ones. One was the way the backstory was handled. Fans who were introduced to the characters through Gottfried’s blog might not have the same issues as I did, but I felt like a little more explication would have been nice in places. I was glad, though, that Trevor’s entire backstory wasn’t hurled at the reader in one fell swoop. However, I felt a little loss now and again in the first quarter or so of the book. Another thing that added to that ‘being lost’ feeling in the early part of the book was the lack of anything to mark the passage of time. I didn’t notice any reference to the month or seasons or anything, but it’s obvious quite a bit of time passes in relatively few pages. This was a little confusing, but not enough to distract from the story. The last ‘negative’ about this book is that it could use another round of proofreading. I believe that almost every book has at least a few typographical errors, but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that there are a number in this book. Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Much more, in fact, than I thought I would when I first began reading it. It was a sometimes fun, sometimes heartbreaking story set against an irresistible backdrop of rock and roll and one of the better indie books I’ve read.