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Layers of the Otherworld #0.5
Cruce de Caminos
A Riptide Rentboys Story
Street kid Sean O’Hara never had it easy, but New Orleans has driven him to his knees. His girlfriend’s broken up with him for a sugar daddy, a gun-toting pimp has robbed him of everything but the clothes on his back, and he’s down to his last two OxyContin. Sean’s no seasoned streetwalker, but he’s not above it either, not when he’s already itching for his next fix.
A familiar-seeming stranger named Ángel may be his ticket to some quick cash, but only if Sean’s willing to help him indulge a high-class john’s weird fetish for the night. As Ángel tells him, in this city and this business, you have to get a little weird to survive.
When night falls on the French Quarter, Sean realizes Ángel and the john want more from him than he was expecting to give. What once seemed merely strange soon crosses the line into supernatural and sinister. And Ángel, the man Sean had viewed as a partner and protector, might also be his otherworldly judge and executioner.
* * * * * * *
Word 15,700; page 51
Street kid Sean O’Hara never had it easy, but New Orleans has driven him to his knees. His girlfriend’s broken up with him for a sugar daddy, a gun-toting pimp has robbed him of everything but the clothes on his back, and he’s down to his last two OxyContin. Sean’s no seasoned streetwalker, but he’s not above it either, not when he’s already itching for his next fix.
A familiar-seeming stranger named Ángel may be his ticket to some quick cash, but only if Sean’s willing to help him indulge a high-class john’s weird fetish for the night. As Ángel tells him, in this city and this business, you have to get a little weird to survive.
When night falls on the French Quarter, Sean realizes Ángel and the john want more from him than he was expecting to give. What once seemed merely strange soon crosses the line into supernatural and sinister. And Ángel, the man Sean had viewed as a partner and protector, might also be his otherworldly judge and executioner.
* * * * * * *
Word 15,700; page 51
51 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 19, 2012
127 people want to read
About the author
Heidi Belleau
61 books314 followersHeidi Belleau was born and raised in small town New Brunswick, graduated with a degree in history from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, and now lives outside of Edmonton, Alberta, with her tradesman husband and two kids. A proud bisexual woman, her writing reflects everything she loves: diverse casts of queer characters, a sense of history and place, equal parts witty and filthy dialogue, the occasional mythological twist, and most of all, love—in all its weird and wonderful forms. She is the author of the REAR ENTRANCE VIDEO series, and the co-author of THE BURNT TOAST B&B. Her latest novel DEAD RINGER, co-authored with Sam Schooler, is out now from Riptide Publishing. Her work has been reviewed in PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, LIBRARY JOURNAL, and BOOKLIST.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 30, 2018
4.5
There is nothing pretty, romantic, or happily ever after about this story. There is no falling in love and being rescued from the harsh life of hustling on the streets. What the story is, is moving, haunting, and hits you in the face with a nice amount of realism that you can’t walk away unaffected.
We are introduced to Sean, he’s young and an addict, and is completely devoted to his girlfriend. An altercation leads him to lose all his possessions and he faces a very clear truth. He’s gonna have to become a prostitute if only for a while. It’s the point in Sean’s life where his choices will lead him down a path of good, or the one that will lead to his end aka his destruction.
There is a mist of supernatural in the story, emphasized by the backdrop of New Orleans. I think if the setting were anything other than New Orleans, it wouldn’t have worked as well ‘shit just seems more believable when it goes down in NOLA’. It’s the playground for Vodoo and the supernatural so it just made sense.
My feelings on Sean are still open, because he comes off as a flake but he’s a honourably flake. His devotion to his girlfriend is admirably, and his wanting love makes him endearing. He’s young so he has a lifetime to grow, and the book gives us a little to gather some hope in your heart that he’s going to be just fine. Though he’s stubborn and wilful, he wants to believe.
The writing is freaking genius and it comes as no surprise. Heidi and Violetta always leave me pondering, feeling, and making a connection when I read their story. I kept thinking that I could be Sean! Life leading me down a not so good path, and I have to make heavy choices which leads me to my crossroads. Though I hope my crossroads never has to with the supernatural, it kinda scares my pants away.
There is a lot in the story that worked for me, though it’s totally subjective to the reader. I will probably think about this one for a long time, like I find myself thinking about The Saturnalia Effect. These women know what they’re writing and you can see the care and thought that goes into their work. I really appreciate stories like this and it stands outside the norm, love it or hate it, you really just have to appreciate it.
~I am all kinds of excited for The Druid Stone! It’s coming out my birthday month, so it’ll be like receiving a really good present.~
More of my reviews and ramblings at PANTS OFF REVIEWS
There is nothing pretty, romantic, or happily ever after about this story. There is no falling in love and being rescued from the harsh life of hustling on the streets. What the story is, is moving, haunting, and hits you in the face with a nice amount of realism that you can’t walk away unaffected.
We are introduced to Sean, he’s young and an addict, and is completely devoted to his girlfriend. An altercation leads him to lose all his possessions and he faces a very clear truth. He’s gonna have to become a prostitute if only for a while. It’s the point in Sean’s life where his choices will lead him down a path of good, or the one that will lead to his end aka his destruction.
There is a mist of supernatural in the story, emphasized by the backdrop of New Orleans. I think if the setting were anything other than New Orleans, it wouldn’t have worked as well ‘shit just seems more believable when it goes down in NOLA’. It’s the playground for Vodoo and the supernatural so it just made sense.
My feelings on Sean are still open, because he comes off as a flake but he’s a honourably flake. His devotion to his girlfriend is admirably, and his wanting love makes him endearing. He’s young so he has a lifetime to grow, and the book gives us a little to gather some hope in your heart that he’s going to be just fine. Though he’s stubborn and wilful, he wants to believe.
The writing is freaking genius and it comes as no surprise. Heidi and Violetta always leave me pondering, feeling, and making a connection when I read their story. I kept thinking that I could be Sean! Life leading me down a not so good path, and I have to make heavy choices which leads me to my crossroads. Though I hope my crossroads never has to with the supernatural, it kinda scares my pants away.
There is a lot in the story that worked for me, though it’s totally subjective to the reader. I will probably think about this one for a long time, like I find myself thinking about The Saturnalia Effect. These women know what they’re writing and you can see the care and thought that goes into their work. I really appreciate stories like this and it stands outside the norm, love it or hate it, you really just have to appreciate it.
~I am all kinds of excited for The Druid Stone! It’s coming out my birthday month, so it’ll be like receiving a really good present.~
More of my reviews and ramblings at PANTS OFF REVIEWS
July 8, 2012
Holy crap. I can't believe I almost didn't read this because I had been so disappointed in the rest of the Riptide Rentboys collection. This isn't a romance. No sugar-coated angst in this one. The story is gritty and real, with drug addiction and prostitution and co-dependant relationships with unstable girlfriends. Nothing is glossed over. Prostitution isn't sexy, the drug addiction is debilitating and spiraling out of control, the characters are in denial even when grounded firmly in the realities of their lives. In between and around all the harsh reality weaves a tale of Santeria and Voodoo, of ambiguous spirits walking the earth. The writing is amazing, drawing you into a drug induced spell along with the character, leaving you to find your way out of the fog on your own, wondering what just happened and how you ended up reading a paranormal erotic horror story instead of the romance you thought you had picked up, and why you're so happy that this story wasn't at all what you expected.
May 6, 2012
This is a fascinating slightly paranormal story of examining the choices in your life and determining what path is best for you. Using the mysterious setting and legacy of New Orleans, Sean is faced with a choice: where will his life go from here? This short gives us just enough introduction to his life to understand the choice he faces when the time finally arrives. This is a chilling story with just enough reality to make the reader comprehend without going overboard on horror or violence. But it does lurk in the dark, waiting for Sean to fall. Very intelligently done. I can't wait to see the sequel, The Druid Stone.
January 4, 2013
3,5 stars
I have a hard time rating this book because I honestly have no idea if I liked it or not. I’m not saying I don’t know if it was good because it was. A little too cryptic or rushed at times maybe, but good.
Sean’s life is sordid and pathetic. The only relationship he’s got is a mirage, he and his girlfriend Cristina are no more than each others’ ball and chain and yet, her name is a painful leitmotiv, a fragile and illusory anchor.
A drug addict’s journey on the streets follows a foreseeable and stomach-churning pattern : from bad to worse and from worse to ”there’s no me left”. I grinded my teeth from page 1 to the end, the only moments of reprieve being provided by the eroticism between Sean and “Angel”. Hints of self discovery and trust to help enduring ugliness, humiliation and the loss of self.
It was painful and I’m left with the unfulfilled need to make sense of parts of the story’s and character’s development even if I understand that Cruce de Caminos is a prequel and that it was probably the authors’ intent.
It affected me but I miss something (a band-aid for my heart?) that the sequel will hopefully provide.
I have a hard time rating this book because I honestly have no idea if I liked it or not. I’m not saying I don’t know if it was good because it was. A little too cryptic or rushed at times maybe, but good.
Sean’s life is sordid and pathetic. The only relationship he’s got is a mirage, he and his girlfriend Cristina are no more than each others’ ball and chain and yet, her name is a painful leitmotiv, a fragile and illusory anchor.
A drug addict’s journey on the streets follows a foreseeable and stomach-churning pattern : from bad to worse and from worse to ”there’s no me left”. I grinded my teeth from page 1 to the end, the only moments of reprieve being provided by the eroticism between Sean and “Angel”. Hints of self discovery and trust to help enduring ugliness, humiliation and the loss of self.
It was painful and I’m left with the unfulfilled need to make sense of parts of the story’s and character’s development even if I understand that Cruce de Caminos is a prequel and that it was probably the authors’ intent.
It affected me but I miss something (a band-aid for my heart?) that the sequel will hopefully provide.
May 21, 2012
This is an intriguing and thought provoking story that has a dream-like quality to it. You're never quite sure what's real and what's imagined but you can't stop reading and I found myself completely enthralled in no time at all. The characters of Sean and Christina are two drug addicts with lives spiraling out of control when fate intervenes in the form of Angel to set things on the right path again. But who or what Angel is is the bigger question along with if they'll heed his advice.
Seeing the life of a drug addict is a sad thing and the depths to which Sean goes to to get what he thinks he wants were truly awful but realistic in our society. I felt sympathetic towards him and those flashes of wanting to give up his addictions that I saw. But to truly be rid of his addictions he'd have to cut ties with Christina and he doesn't want to be alone and likes the idea of being needed by her. His life as a prostitute isn't overly graphic. More time is spent talking about that part of his life as opposed to fully seeing it.
The character of Angel is difficult to categorize and give this book a paranormal feel. Angel appears to be a religious deity bent of pointing Sean to a better way of living. I'm intrigued by him and would've loved to have seen more of him and have a better understanding of what he truly is. As things stand, he's extremely sexy and exceedingly mysterious.
This is an emotionally intense read with no real HEA. There's a bit of hopefulness at the end but not in the way you'd expect when you first pick this book up. Of all the installments in Riptide Publishing's Rentboy Collection it's by far the most radically different with its religious/paranormal overtones. I enjoyed the dreamy and lyrical feel to the storyline and characters and am excited that we'll see more of their story in the future. I'll definitely be counting down the days until that day arrives.
Seeing the life of a drug addict is a sad thing and the depths to which Sean goes to to get what he thinks he wants were truly awful but realistic in our society. I felt sympathetic towards him and those flashes of wanting to give up his addictions that I saw. But to truly be rid of his addictions he'd have to cut ties with Christina and he doesn't want to be alone and likes the idea of being needed by her. His life as a prostitute isn't overly graphic. More time is spent talking about that part of his life as opposed to fully seeing it.
The character of Angel is difficult to categorize and give this book a paranormal feel. Angel appears to be a religious deity bent of pointing Sean to a better way of living. I'm intrigued by him and would've loved to have seen more of him and have a better understanding of what he truly is. As things stand, he's extremely sexy and exceedingly mysterious.
This is an emotionally intense read with no real HEA. There's a bit of hopefulness at the end but not in the way you'd expect when you first pick this book up. Of all the installments in Riptide Publishing's Rentboy Collection it's by far the most radically different with its religious/paranormal overtones. I enjoyed the dreamy and lyrical feel to the storyline and characters and am excited that we'll see more of their story in the future. I'll definitely be counting down the days until that day arrives.
August 25, 2012
With Cruce de Caminos or Crossroads we get another tight, well written effort from this fearless writing duo. Bealleau and Vane once again, push us beyond the ordinary in this genre. I don't know that I would call this a horror story but it is dark and gritty, dealing with drug addiction and prostitution. Not a romance but definitely erotica.
Sean and his girlfriend Cristina are junkies living by any means to get their next fix. They skirt the edge until the appearance of Angel. Angel shows Sean that he can make mucho dinero with gay for pay but is Angel leading Sean astray or showing him the way? The mysterious Angel always seems to show up when Sean needs a guiding hand. Another intriguing read and apparently a prequel. I will definitely be back for more.
Sean and his girlfriend Cristina are junkies living by any means to get their next fix. They skirt the edge until the appearance of Angel. Angel shows Sean that he can make mucho dinero with gay for pay but is Angel leading Sean astray or showing him the way? The mysterious Angel always seems to show up when Sean needs a guiding hand. Another intriguing read and apparently a prequel. I will definitely be back for more.
July 20, 2012
I recently made time to read Cruce de Caminos, by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane. This writing duo is fast becoming a favorite amongst new authors I read. Not only do they write well, they have a new and interesting take on any story they tell, and Cruce de Caminos is no exception.
For those who don't speak Spanish, "cruce de caminos" translates as "crossroads," and the central character, Sean O'Hara, is definitely at a crossroads in his life. He's a teenager living on the streets who no longer knows how to handle life without being high. He's just lost his girlfriend, all his worldly possessions, and what might have been his last shreds of dignity. He has a choice to make, between improving his life or continuing along a path that only ends when he hits rock bottom.
But crossroads aren't just places of choice and opportunity. They're also magical places, places where different faiths and folklores say you can meet beings not entirely of this world. Sean's life is about to take a turn for the darkly fantastic.
The story's setting is rich and compelling, and the characterization is gorgeous. Sean isn't the cardboard cutout of a teenage junkie it would be so easy to fall back on, he's a real person in desperate circumstances, with all the virtues and flaws that are part of that package. The inscrutable Ángel is a mystery man, and he generates all the otherworldly tension a reader could want. The battles Sean is fighting may be mostly with himself, but they're realistic despite the fantasy elements of the story--the kind of conflict that keeps you turning pages.
I also love that the authors went to some lengths to draw on folklore that hasn't been done to death as the basis of their fantasy elements. We see a lot of European-descended folklore in modern fantasy and paranormal stories. When we do see something else, it's often poorly researched or trivialized. The Voudon elements in Cruce de Caminos are neither.
I only have one real complaint about the story: it felt like it needed to be either longer or shorter. The pacing is structured one way through most of the story and then changes just prior to the climax. Summarizing a couple of scenes about 2/3 of the way through would have improved the tension in the last third of the story. Alternately, a couple of incidents which are summarized could have been extended, taking Sean on a more meandering road to the climax and dénouement and injecting a few more minor conflicts along the way to keep us interested.
Overall, I highly recommend this read. At just under 16,000 words, it's a great way to spend an afternoon. Let's call it four stars.
You can get Cruce de Caminos direct from the publisher, or from major e-book sellers like Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com.
For those who don't speak Spanish, "cruce de caminos" translates as "crossroads," and the central character, Sean O'Hara, is definitely at a crossroads in his life. He's a teenager living on the streets who no longer knows how to handle life without being high. He's just lost his girlfriend, all his worldly possessions, and what might have been his last shreds of dignity. He has a choice to make, between improving his life or continuing along a path that only ends when he hits rock bottom.
But crossroads aren't just places of choice and opportunity. They're also magical places, places where different faiths and folklores say you can meet beings not entirely of this world. Sean's life is about to take a turn for the darkly fantastic.
The story's setting is rich and compelling, and the characterization is gorgeous. Sean isn't the cardboard cutout of a teenage junkie it would be so easy to fall back on, he's a real person in desperate circumstances, with all the virtues and flaws that are part of that package. The inscrutable Ángel is a mystery man, and he generates all the otherworldly tension a reader could want. The battles Sean is fighting may be mostly with himself, but they're realistic despite the fantasy elements of the story--the kind of conflict that keeps you turning pages.
I also love that the authors went to some lengths to draw on folklore that hasn't been done to death as the basis of their fantasy elements. We see a lot of European-descended folklore in modern fantasy and paranormal stories. When we do see something else, it's often poorly researched or trivialized. The Voudon elements in Cruce de Caminos are neither.
I only have one real complaint about the story: it felt like it needed to be either longer or shorter. The pacing is structured one way through most of the story and then changes just prior to the climax. Summarizing a couple of scenes about 2/3 of the way through would have improved the tension in the last third of the story. Alternately, a couple of incidents which are summarized could have been extended, taking Sean on a more meandering road to the climax and dénouement and injecting a few more minor conflicts along the way to keep us interested.
Overall, I highly recommend this read. At just under 16,000 words, it's a great way to spend an afternoon. Let's call it four stars.
You can get Cruce de Caminos direct from the publisher, or from major e-book sellers like Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com.
January 9, 2013
Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/
Sean O'Hara is a young man on the brink. He and his girlfriend, Cristina, have been living on the streets going from one high to the next. Cristina has been Sean's reason to keep moving but now she has taken up with some sugardaddy and Sean is in the French Quarter of New Orleans alone. Sean is down to the clothes on his back and decides to start turning tricks for drug money. He meets Angel, a high priced "escort", who may just help Sean earn some money but playing with Angel turns out to be as dangerous as shooting craps with the devil.
For those that may not know it, Cruce de Caminos means crossroads in English and that's just where Sean is standing. This short story is a mind bending look at just where which way Sean's life may take him depending on his choices and some other worldly influences. The world of Santarea plays heavily into this story which adds a different flair from some of the usual lore found in many paranormal books. New Orleans with it's roots set deeply in the mystical religions is the perfect setting for this prelude to The Druid Stone. Ms Belleau is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors and definitely is one to keep an eye on. I heartily recommend this wild ride of a book to anyone looking for something different.
Sean O'Hara is a young man on the brink. He and his girlfriend, Cristina, have been living on the streets going from one high to the next. Cristina has been Sean's reason to keep moving but now she has taken up with some sugardaddy and Sean is in the French Quarter of New Orleans alone. Sean is down to the clothes on his back and decides to start turning tricks for drug money. He meets Angel, a high priced "escort", who may just help Sean earn some money but playing with Angel turns out to be as dangerous as shooting craps with the devil.
For those that may not know it, Cruce de Caminos means crossroads in English and that's just where Sean is standing. This short story is a mind bending look at just where which way Sean's life may take him depending on his choices and some other worldly influences. The world of Santarea plays heavily into this story which adds a different flair from some of the usual lore found in many paranormal books. New Orleans with it's roots set deeply in the mystical religions is the perfect setting for this prelude to The Druid Stone. Ms Belleau is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors and definitely is one to keep an eye on. I heartily recommend this wild ride of a book to anyone looking for something different.
July 12, 2014
Sean O'Hara has touched the bottom. He is in a relationship with a prostitute with whom he is arguing when this story starts. She has found someone rich and wants to leave him. Sean is pretty immature, so are his arguments. 'I want to be the one who takes care of you just because' seems to be the most precise. And taking care of them both includes having enough drugs for both.
He doesn't have any money, he used all his drugs, he gets robbed by a pimp and it seems it cannot get any worse. Then he meets Angel who inspires him to be something else. He accepts his offer for a one-time job.
It is really hard to read this. I felt sorry for Sean because he is so young and desperate. The job turns out to be something Sean cannot explain. There is a supernatural element in the story which makes this story less depressing than it is.
He doesn't have any money, he used all his drugs, he gets robbed by a pimp and it seems it cannot get any worse. Then he meets Angel who inspires him to be something else. He accepts his offer for a one-time job.
It is really hard to read this. I felt sorry for Sean because he is so young and desperate. The job turns out to be something Sean cannot explain. There is a supernatural element in the story which makes this story less depressing than it is.
August 1, 2012
Crossroads--we all reach them at some point. This is a beautifully written short story--very haunting
May 30, 2012
This is not a romance. This is something even better.
I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I started this, but it held me spellbound from start to finish. The writing was top-notch and the story itself... more than a bit creepy. And I absolutely loved it!
I would recommend listening to Niyaz while reading this - for me it was a match made in heaven, especially "Dunya" and "Iman" - they made the one so-called sex scene so surreal I couldn't even blink while reading it. Just so perfect and out of this world... an incredible experience.
This goes to my "favourites" shelf. Definitely recommend it for the perfect little paranormal horror story that it is.
I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I started this, but it held me spellbound from start to finish. The writing was top-notch and the story itself... more than a bit creepy. And I absolutely loved it!
I would recommend listening to Niyaz while reading this - for me it was a match made in heaven, especially "Dunya" and "Iman" - they made the one so-called sex scene so surreal I couldn't even blink while reading it. Just so perfect and out of this world... an incredible experience.
This goes to my "favourites" shelf. Definitely recommend it for the perfect little paranormal horror story that it is.
October 15, 2012
This mysterious little story sucked me right in. Sean's life is a mess and getting worse by the hour. He consistently makes bad choices in order to support his and his girlfriend's drug habits. He meets Angel, who shows him how he can make more money with gay for pay tricks, as opposed to dirty back alley hookups. Angel always seems to show up when Sean needs him most, trying to lead him down a different path.
This is a quick, engaging read that still left me guessing at the end. Is Angel good or bad? What really happened that night they tricked together? Will Sean turn his life around after all? I'm really looking forward to the next book to find some answers.
This is a quick, engaging read that still left me guessing at the end. Is Angel good or bad? What really happened that night they tricked together? Will Sean turn his life around after all? I'm really looking forward to the next book to find some answers.
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May 2, 2012Author note: "Cruce de Caminos" is erotic horror, not romance, and contains an HFN only by the furthest stretch of the imagination. However, it's also a prequel to The Druid Stone, coming from Carina in August, which is very much a romance.
July 6, 2012
That was a weird one, creepy as in 'uncomfortable' in places, hopeful in others, always well-written, always palpable, always stringing me along. I'm not sure to what end, I'm not even perfectly sure I enjoyed it, but I'm definitely not sorry I took that ride.
September 2, 2012
Review to come....
May 24, 2014
What did I just read? As the pages were quickly winding down I was fast realizing that this was not a romance. There was no love affair and no happily ever after for our boy Sean. Once the last page was turned and the story was quite obviously over, I was thrilled to see that Sean’s story actually continues in the novel, The Druid Stone. This, my friends, is just the beginning.
So basically what we have here is a very strange, very short, other-world kind of paranormal prequel into Sean O’Hara’s life. A life that took a turn for the better after Angel, not so subtly, helped him realize that he was at a cross roads and needed to make a decision, or his life was going to be nil.
Angel is kind of an angel and kind of a devil. I was not 100% sure where he fell in his other-worldliness but he definitely played both parts very well. He got Sean into some crazy shit but he was also the catalyst that sent Sean down the right road.
So no, this is not a romance. There is no happy ending, unless you count going into rehab to start your life over again. And there is no clear picture of what is coming in the next book. But what there is in this short story is the desire to see Sean win. I want to read this next book and see that Sean beat the odds and gets his happily ever after…without Christina.
See this and all my reviews at: The Blogger Girls
So basically what we have here is a very strange, very short, other-world kind of paranormal prequel into Sean O’Hara’s life. A life that took a turn for the better after Angel, not so subtly, helped him realize that he was at a cross roads and needed to make a decision, or his life was going to be nil.
Angel is kind of an angel and kind of a devil. I was not 100% sure where he fell in his other-worldliness but he definitely played both parts very well. He got Sean into some crazy shit but he was also the catalyst that sent Sean down the right road.
So no, this is not a romance. There is no happy ending, unless you count going into rehab to start your life over again. And there is no clear picture of what is coming in the next book. But what there is in this short story is the desire to see Sean win. I want to read this next book and see that Sean beat the odds and gets his happily ever after…without Christina.
See this and all my reviews at: The Blogger Girls
August 2, 2012
Whoa! This story was like watching a train wreck, which is what Sean's life was. Caught in drug addiction and now into prostitution, destiny seems to place Angel in his way. It is never really clear just who or what Angel is; the main reason I've tagged this story as fantasy.
Angel tells Sean that his current path will lead to his destruction. Continuing the train wreck theme, I couldn't look away as Sean seemed unwilling or simply unable to change his path. But Angel is there to intervene at critical moments and on finishing you are left to wonder what exactly just happened. I loved this unsolvable mystery aspect of the story. It's dark with no romance, but such a great read.
Can't wait to see Sean again in The Druid Stone.
Angel tells Sean that his current path will lead to his destruction. Continuing the train wreck theme, I couldn't look away as Sean seemed unwilling or simply unable to change his path. But Angel is there to intervene at critical moments and on finishing you are left to wonder what exactly just happened. I loved this unsolvable mystery aspect of the story. It's dark with no romance, but such a great read.
Can't wait to see Sean again in The Druid Stone.
November 24, 2012
An interesting introduction to Sean O'Hara. I wasn't sure what to expect but this had a sort of ethereal type of feel to it. With Angel introduced it def. had a paranormal flavor. Sean's choices are dramatic and, though the book is not big enough for you to fully commiserate with him, you certainly get a feel for his life and where he's at. You see him sinking lower and hope he makes choices that are good ones. It really made me want to read The Druid Stone so that is on my "read me now" list!
August 28, 2012
Very eerie and atmospheric story of Sean who is spiraling out of control in pre-Katrina New Orleans. Drug addicted, robbed and left with nothing, he meets up with the mysterious Angel who tries to help Sean and get him to realize his current path will lead to destruction. His cryptic advice and his uncanny ability to keep showing up freak Sean out a bit but he doesn't completely ignore his words.
Sean's life is a total wreck and he really has nowhere to go but up. Kind of fascinating in the way a car wreck draws attention.
Sean's life is a total wreck and he really has nowhere to go but up. Kind of fascinating in the way a car wreck draws attention.
April 11, 2013
*3.80 stars
A really intriguing and dark tale with paranormal undertones. Not the sort of story to read if you're looking for a HEA and a fluffy romance, far from it but it does end with a message of possibilble hope. Interesting to say the least, the only reason it didn't get the full 4 stars for me was the end seemed to be a bit rushed and it is quite short but other than that it was a change to read such a different take on the usual hustler story. The star of the show was definitely the mysterious Angel!
A really intriguing and dark tale with paranormal undertones. Not the sort of story to read if you're looking for a HEA and a fluffy romance, far from it but it does end with a message of possibilble hope. Interesting to say the least, the only reason it didn't get the full 4 stars for me was the end seemed to be a bit rushed and it is quite short but other than that it was a change to read such a different take on the usual hustler story. The star of the show was definitely the mysterious Angel!
September 4, 2012
Oh yes. Just how I like my rent boy fic, gritty and nasty and with the seductive promise of this is going to make your shitty life easier if you can just make yourself say yes. Plus there's a lovely little touch of the supernatural, and the reveal about that near the end delighted me.
Immediately went to pick up Sean's further adventures, which promise to be very different in tone and scope but at least as fascinating.
Immediately went to pick up Sean's further adventures, which promise to be very different in tone and scope but at least as fascinating.
May 11, 2012
3 Hearts
First published at MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Sean is basically living on the streets with his girlfriend and any money they get usually goes towards drugs, food and a bed for the night… in that order. But, then his girl goes off with a sugar daddy and Sean ends up turning tricks for some cash when he loses his belongings. Just when he is beginning to get desperate, Ángel turns up and makes him an offer.
I found this one to be a bit smoky/misty around the edges. As though, you can tell right from the start that this story is going to be different and will have a quality about it that is slightly mystical. Sean comes across as only seeming to do certain things to keep his girl happy. When he meets Ángel, he is given options to maybe turn his life around. But, Sean seems to be on a destruction course, but finally he begins to recognize the signs of his impending doom.
I have to say that I found one or two aspects of this book to be disturbing. Like how Sean was drugged and then he can’t remember anything the next day and then later his girl finds flecks of wax on him… yeah strange. Ángel does pop up a few times seeming to steer Sean, or rather trying to steer Sean in the right direction, but it takes Sean facing his mortality before he takes the first steps.
This isn’t a romance, although there is some m/m aspects in it and some m/m foreplay, there is no sex. This story is actually a prologue for another story for Sean. So, we just get the bit where events change is life and he decides to get clean and do something with his life and obviously it has to do with Ángel and his mystical qualities.
So, I would recommend this to those who like horror, urban fantasy, mystical, the breaking point in a young man’s life and the promise of more in the future.
First published at MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Sean is basically living on the streets with his girlfriend and any money they get usually goes towards drugs, food and a bed for the night… in that order. But, then his girl goes off with a sugar daddy and Sean ends up turning tricks for some cash when he loses his belongings. Just when he is beginning to get desperate, Ángel turns up and makes him an offer.
I found this one to be a bit smoky/misty around the edges. As though, you can tell right from the start that this story is going to be different and will have a quality about it that is slightly mystical. Sean comes across as only seeming to do certain things to keep his girl happy. When he meets Ángel, he is given options to maybe turn his life around. But, Sean seems to be on a destruction course, but finally he begins to recognize the signs of his impending doom.
I have to say that I found one or two aspects of this book to be disturbing. Like how Sean was drugged and then he can’t remember anything the next day and then later his girl finds flecks of wax on him… yeah strange. Ángel does pop up a few times seeming to steer Sean, or rather trying to steer Sean in the right direction, but it takes Sean facing his mortality before he takes the first steps.
This isn’t a romance, although there is some m/m aspects in it and some m/m foreplay, there is no sex. This story is actually a prologue for another story for Sean. So, we just get the bit where events change is life and he decides to get clean and do something with his life and obviously it has to do with Ángel and his mystical qualities.
So, I would recommend this to those who like horror, urban fantasy, mystical, the breaking point in a young man’s life and the promise of more in the future.
September 5, 2013
Sean O'Hara is a drug addict down to his last fix. Realizing he can make some money through prostitution, he starts turning tricks. A bad decision leads him to Angel, who tells him he can make a lot more money servicing high-class customers. The two take a job together, but does Angel truly have his back, or is the truth something far more sinister?
Depressing, gritty, dark and definitely not a romance in any way, Cruce de Caminos (Crossroads) is definitely a departure from the usual fluff on my reading list. I wasn't sure to think of Sean, who is pathetic and yet sympathetic at the same time, or the mysterious Angel, who on the outside seems like he wants to help, yet he takes Sean down some dark roads.
The supernatural element to this story was fascinating as well, with the revelation in the last few pages making me think about the whole story long after it was over. I loved how dark and messed up this story was, how nobody got rescued from prostitution, and how Sean was, in the end, a victim of his own bad choices.
I was really impressed with Cruce de Caminos for being different and staying away from the usual rent boy/prostitution tropes. The writing was excellent, setting the scene of New Orleans believably and managing to convey Sean's struggle with addiction in a realistic way. I also really liked that Sean's sexuality was not clear-cut, he has a girlfriend and may be considered straight or bisexual in this story.
I recommend this to any reader who's looking for a darker tone of story without the explicit rape and violence of something like The Flesh Cartel. Cruce de Caminos definitely makes me want to check out The Druid Stone, to which this is a prequel of sorts.
This review was cross-posted to Infinite Love.
Depressing, gritty, dark and definitely not a romance in any way, Cruce de Caminos (Crossroads) is definitely a departure from the usual fluff on my reading list. I wasn't sure to think of Sean, who is pathetic and yet sympathetic at the same time, or the mysterious Angel, who on the outside seems like he wants to help, yet he takes Sean down some dark roads.
The supernatural element to this story was fascinating as well, with the revelation in the last few pages making me think about the whole story long after it was over. I loved how dark and messed up this story was, how nobody got rescued from prostitution, and how Sean was, in the end, a victim of his own bad choices.
I was really impressed with Cruce de Caminos for being different and staying away from the usual rent boy/prostitution tropes. The writing was excellent, setting the scene of New Orleans believably and managing to convey Sean's struggle with addiction in a realistic way. I also really liked that Sean's sexuality was not clear-cut, he has a girlfriend and may be considered straight or bisexual in this story.
I recommend this to any reader who's looking for a darker tone of story without the explicit rape and violence of something like The Flesh Cartel. Cruce de Caminos definitely makes me want to check out The Druid Stone, to which this is a prequel of sorts.
This review was cross-posted to Infinite Love.
May 12, 2014
Ever had one of those shiver-inducing premonitions, about something that came true later? Ever walked by someone and felt a pull towards that person, of something unknown but tantalizing to your senses, like comprehension of that feeling is juuuuust beyond your reach? Does deja-vú leave you with goose bumps all over?
Get this one, you'll enjoy it.
Get this one, you'll enjoy it.
May 20, 2012
This is merely the introduction to another story by the authors that is coming out later in 2012 - as I discovered at the inconclusive "ending". However, the characters are so unappealing that I have no interest in what happens next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2023
This was.... depressing. I'm still not entirely sure what was going on. I read The Druid Stone quite a while ago so don't remember Sean at all. I think maybe I need to re-read it.
December 2, 2015
Wavering between gritty reality and surrealistic nightmare, this compelling short left a lasting impression. The protagonist, an underage, drug-addict living on the streets is driven to hustling. He is unwittingly drawn into a fantastical experience that alters the course of his life. The events themselves are left ambitious enough that the reader is never entirely certain whether they are reading about the supernatural or merely viewing events though a drug-induced haze.
There is a brief graphic M/M sequence, but I won't consider this erotica and there is certainly nothing romantic about the book. The protagonist, Sean has a girlfriend and he appears to be strictly Gay-For-Pay. I won't consider this dobcon as the circumstances have a very dreamlike quality where what transpired isn't certain.
I read the story as a pre-equal to The Druid Stone (Layers of the Otherworld). It isn't really necessary but it did provide a more complete portrait of Sean's backstory. I am perplexed why this barely 40 page story was priced at $2.99, the same list price as the full-length novel that follows it, as it not worth the price. (As of this writing the novel is priced at $2.51). I guess Riptide Publishing and Carina Press had very different ideas about pricing strategies.
There is a brief graphic M/M sequence, but I won't consider this erotica and there is certainly nothing romantic about the book. The protagonist, Sean has a girlfriend and he appears to be strictly Gay-For-Pay. I won't consider this dobcon as the circumstances have a very dreamlike quality where what transpired isn't certain.
I read the story as a pre-equal to The Druid Stone (Layers of the Otherworld). It isn't really necessary but it did provide a more complete portrait of Sean's backstory. I am perplexed why this barely 40 page story was priced at $2.99, the same list price as the full-length novel that follows it, as it not worth the price. (As of this writing the novel is priced at $2.51). I guess Riptide Publishing and Carina Press had very different ideas about pricing strategies.
March 10, 2013
Well, this was a bit fucked-up. Very creepy and nicely done!
The only reason this doesn't get 5 stars is because of the depressive feel of the story. It's a bite of real life, granted. But it doesn't go down easily.
The only reason this doesn't get 5 stars is because of the depressive feel of the story. It's a bite of real life, granted. But it doesn't go down easily.
July 1, 2014
I had a hard time deciding on a rating for this novella. It's very well written and it's an interesting story but I can't really say I enjoyed it. I didn't not like it though and I find myself still thinking about it. The writing and the story get 4 stars. My lack of enjoyment and some of my complaints take it down to 3.
Sean is a young man living on the streets of New Orleans. He turns to prostitution in order to support his growing drug habit. The authors take us on Sean's journey as he falls deeper into drugs and desperation. This is not easy to read.
The paranormal aspect of this story left me with a lot of unanswered questions. I knew going in that this was not a romance so that wasn't a problem for me but something about the sex scene skeeved me out a little. My biggest problem is that the ending felt rushed. I didn't know that this was a prequel until I finished so maybe some of my questions will be answered in the sequel.
Sean is a young man living on the streets of New Orleans. He turns to prostitution in order to support his growing drug habit. The authors take us on Sean's journey as he falls deeper into drugs and desperation. This is not easy to read.
The paranormal aspect of this story left me with a lot of unanswered questions. I knew going in that this was not a romance so that wasn't a problem for me but something about the sex scene skeeved me out a little. My biggest problem is that the ending felt rushed. I didn't know that this was a prequel until I finished so maybe some of my questions will be answered in the sequel.
Want to read
August 31, 2012I loved The Druid Stone, which this is the prequel to, so I'm not entirely sure if I wanna go back and relive Sean's troubled youth. :( Also, I feel like I may find some inconsistencies, which would annoy me (ie: the description says that his girlfriend left him so he's thinking about prostitution, but in the book he did it because they needed money and she did it so he figured he could too). And kinda pricey, $3.99 for 51 pages? I'll havta think on it.
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