Review: Last Gasp by Erastes, Chris Smith, Charlie Cochrane, & Jordan Taylor

Last Gasp by Erastes, Chris Smith, Charlie Cochrane, & Jordan Taylor

Buy It Now: at Noble Romance Publishing

Description: A collection of male/male historical romance short stories. See story descriptions below.

This review is based on a free review copy received from the author.

TDF Pamela’s Review:

Tributary by Erastes

It’s 1936 and a generation of disaffected youth waits in the space between a war that destroyed many of their friends and family, and a war they know is bound to come. Guy Mason wanders through Italy, bored and restless for reasons he can’t even name, and stops at the Hotel Vista, high in the mountains of Lombardy. There, he meets scientist James Calloway and his secretary, Louis Chambers, and it’s there that the meandering stream of Guy’s life changes course forever.

Review: “Tributary” was the most emotionally involved of the four stories, at least for me, and that’s a bit strange because it involves two of the most reticent and aloof characters. Guy is a member of the British idle rich, and he’s wandering through Italy for no particular reason other than wanderlust. When, exhausted, he happens upon a hotel in Lombardy, he stops for the night and finds himself drawn to quiet Louis.

I really liked the emotional play between the three main players: Guy, Louis, and Louis’s employer, James. They’ve all been damaged in different ways, either by the war or by not having fought in the war. James’s feelings for Louis were the most painful for me to read, but I found Guy and Louis’s growing relationship to be comforting and believable. All in all, this was a satisfying, well-written story.

The White Empire by Chris Smith

Edgar Vaughan sincerely believes that six-thousand miles is enough to give him a fresh start. Escaping in 1838 from the drawing rooms of Belgravia and the constraints of his landed family, he takes up missionary work in the trading post of Hong Kong. On arrival, he finds the region on the cusp of war; the Chinese Emperor has outlawed the importation of opium—the key link in the trade of the East India Company. Between Edgar’s sense of isolation, the sight of the puling opium addicts, and one memorable encounter with a man in a peacock waistcoat, Edgar finds himself embroiled in the very marrow of the British Empire’s machinations. He finds himself torn between espousing the expeditious whilst protecting his new acquaintance, and doing what is right and risking the wrath of the British Empire.

Review: It was really fascinating how I came to like the two characters in this story, because at the start, I was sure that I wouldn’t find anything to like about or sympathize with Edgar. He’s… well, to put it simply, he has issues. He tried to escape scandal in England by joining a mission in Hong Kong, only to find that scandal threatened to follow him there. His isolation, despite the motley group who work at the mission, makes him sink into depression. The only thing that can give him a new sense of purpose in life is his passing encounter with the man in the peacock waistcoat.

At this point, the story picked up in pace considerably, culminating in a tense attempt to escape the corrupt British authorities. The complex moral struggles in Smith’s story give it a depth that’s sometimes missing in short stories.

Sand by Charlie Cochrane

“Safe upon solid rock the ugly houses stand: Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand.”

The desert works its magic on Charles, softening his heart and drawing him towards Andrew. Not even a potentially fatal scorpion sting can overcome the power this strange land exerts.

Review: Cochrane’s “Sand” feels more like a traditional romance to me than any of the other stories in this collection. It follows a familiar pattern of boy-meets-boy, boy-likes-boy-but-is-wary-of-saying-anything, dangerous-thing-happens, boy-realizes-that-the-attraction-is-mutual. Just because it follows this pattern, though, doesn’t mean that it’s not enjoyable or original. I actually enjoyed this story the most out of the anthology.

Charles and Andrew orbit around each other in a way that’s enticing to the reader. As Charles becomes more comfortable with the desert landscape and Andrew’s beloved archaeology, I found myself silently cheering him on. The two characters meshed together well; Charles’s quiet temperament made him an excellent counterpart to the confident Andrew, and when they did get together, I practically cheered. The story seemed to end a bit abruptly, and I wish it had gone on a bit longer. Actually, I wish that these two could have their own novel. I am partial to historical fiction dealing with Egyptology, though…

The Ninth Language by Jordan Taylor

Thousands of outsiders descend on Canada’s Yukon Territory during the 1898 gold rush, wreaking havoc on the landscape and the indigenous people who live there. Amid the backdrop of this once pristine land, a man struggling against the destruction of his home and culture finds himself indebted to one of the men at fault. These two strangers discover solace and wholeness where they least expect it: with each other.

Review: The final story in this anthology is definitely an unusual one. It does not focus so much on the development of a relationship between the two characters, Mitsrii and Troy, as it does on the broadening of both characters’ perceptions of the world and people around them. Their growing relationship feels almost incidental to their other eye-opening experiences.

I particularly like Troy’s development as a character. Through Mitsrii, he begins to understand the tribes’ connection to the land, and through this, he becomes a much more responsible individual. It’s obvious that Taylor did a lot of research for this story, and being a nerd for well-researched fiction, I really appreciated that.