Review: That which does not destroy us, makes us stronger
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 15, 2011
Plot:Gwen's sister Amy goes to Rapid City on a business trip -slash- dirty weekend. When she fails to return as expected and refuses to respond to any calls, Gwen is sent to track her down. Little did anyone realise Amy's Desertion would be the impetus to change all their lives.Comments:- Contemporary menage erotic romance with strong m/m elements.- 7477 kindle locations, 83,464 words- m/m, m/f, m/f/m - occasionally aggressive, always loving, very explicit. Not very frequent. Tim and Jack have an existing committed relationship. Gwen is being invited in for a committed threesome.- Gwen is a writer of erotic fiction, particularly m/m and m/m/f. Why not do a little research while away?- Brother Liam was diagnosed with MS 5 years ago. His illness and the way it affects him and his relationships plays a role in the book. Dalton handles this with empathy and care, and should be lauded for her portrayal.- So many issues for our sub-characters. BFF Ruth suffers from depression and PTSD. We get to see her take her life back. Sweet.Opinion:Tymber Dalton is a good writer. I may not always *like* her books, but I really enjoy her writing style. And she doesn't let me down with "Stoneface". An engaging, interesting, realistic story with a HEA we can believe in and characters we cheer for. The dysfunctional family and hard backgrounds give our heroes depth so that we understand *all* of them. Often in menage erotica someone fades into the background; it isn't easy to allow three different personalities to develop and have their individual storylines blend. But Dalton manages it. And does it well. And includes the sub-characters on her journey without becoming cliched and trite.In "Stoneface" we join Gwen on her "journey" into a HEA. It's a bit of a classic romance - finds love, loses love, takes a chance and fights for what she wants. It's a Reality Affair where we live in The Real World and real things happen. No suspense, no shape shifting, no ghosts or cowboys. It's just Life. And that's kinda nice. I highly recommend it. A lovely, romantic story to warm your cockles and leave you believing in happily-ever-afters.Other books with a nice contemporary menage romance storyline (possibly including m/m) based in The Real World and simply about finding a HEA with not too much of the other guff:Fireby Abby Blake.Good Horses, Fast Cars and Real Menby Kaliana Cole.Sunset Heartsby Macy Largo (aka Tymber Dalton).Crescendoby Leah Brooke.Poppy's Passionsby Stephanie Beck.-CR-