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Ozzy could ruin Jace’s life to buy his own freedom…or let himself fall in love and save Jace’s life instead.
Two dozen new types of recreational drugs were invented in the eighties. Now there’s no one left who isn’t a user. As a result, civilization is falling to its knees. The skies are polluted, having a job puts you in the minority, and public services like health care and police protection are for the rich.
In a town called Emporium, Ozzy works as a rent boy in a seedy club. When Jace, an overdosing teenager, is dropped at his feet, Ozzy sees an opportunity. His cruel pimp and mayor will let him cross the guarded borders of town and escape to a better life if Ozzy finds his own replacement. Jace, although he’s disabled, seems like a candidate.
But things won’t be that simple. Jace is sick and won’t last long. Under increasing pressure to save himself from his pimp, Ozzy races to save the life of the guy he’s not supposed to be falling for.
Two dozen new types of recreational drugs were invented in the eighties. Now there’s no one left who isn’t a user. As a result, civilization is falling to its knees. The skies are polluted, having a job puts you in the minority, and public services like health care and police protection are for the rich.
In a town called Emporium, Ozzy works as a rent boy in a seedy club. When Jace, an overdosing teenager, is dropped at his feet, Ozzy sees an opportunity. His cruel pimp and mayor will let him cross the guarded borders of town and escape to a better life if Ozzy finds his own replacement. Jace, although he’s disabled, seems like a candidate.
But things won’t be that simple. Jace is sick and won’t last long. Under increasing pressure to save himself from his pimp, Ozzy races to save the life of the guy he’s not supposed to be falling for.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 10, 2019
3 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Rowan Massey
4 books24 followersI no longer write under this name, nor do I stand by some of the content of the novels I wrote using it. For that reason they are no longer for sale.
I especially regret the contents of Sick & Tragic Bastard Son. It was insensitively written and badly marketed. I'm not against "taking" books without explicit permission since it makes them accessible, but please refrain from taking Bastard Son. Thank you!
I especially regret the contents of Sick & Tragic Bastard Son. It was insensitively written and badly marketed. I'm not against "taking" books without explicit permission since it makes them accessible, but please refrain from taking Bastard Son. Thank you!
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
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September 25, 2019
At the core of this story is a moral dilemma—can you deliberately put someone else in harm's way in order to finally escape the same thing yourself? Could you do it when that someone is a stranger? When it's a friend? Or a lover?
We get to see a dismal alternate future through the eyes of Ozzy, a young man on the end stretch of his path to get out of the traumatic everyday grind called a life he currently endures. But in order to be set free to start his new life, he has to find his own job replacement.
It may be a dark world portrayed in this story, but there is plenty of light too. Mainly the element of falling in love and how it can lift your spirits, give you a new purpose. But also in the camaraderie with others in Ozzy's situation and the acts of altruistic kindness sprinkled throughout the story. It is a grim world though, no doubt about it. The unspoken question "what would I do" were on my mind repeatedly as Ozzy was faced with tough choices.
For me this story is an excellent example of why I gravitate towards stories with a romance in them—to see the main character meet that one special person he doesn't yet know will become an integral part of his life, and the brightest light in it. To follow the journey they have to make to finally end up together. It makes me happy every time, even though this one is set in a particular dark and dangerous world.
The writing style was solid, the dystopia world building rich without hampering the flow of the story with too many details. I liked both Ozzy and Jace as characters, and was invested in their survival and happiness. If this was the author's debut book, I'm very impressed.
(ARC generously provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.)
We get to see a dismal alternate future through the eyes of Ozzy, a young man on the end stretch of his path to get out of the traumatic everyday grind called a life he currently endures. But in order to be set free to start his new life, he has to find his own job replacement.
It may be a dark world portrayed in this story, but there is plenty of light too. Mainly the element of falling in love and how it can lift your spirits, give you a new purpose. But also in the camaraderie with others in Ozzy's situation and the acts of altruistic kindness sprinkled throughout the story. It is a grim world though, no doubt about it. The unspoken question "what would I do" were on my mind repeatedly as Ozzy was faced with tough choices.
For me this story is an excellent example of why I gravitate towards stories with a romance in them—to see the main character meet that one special person he doesn't yet know will become an integral part of his life, and the brightest light in it. To follow the journey they have to make to finally end up together. It makes me happy every time, even though this one is set in a particular dark and dangerous world.
The writing style was solid, the dystopia world building rich without hampering the flow of the story with too many details. I liked both Ozzy and Jace as characters, and was invested in their survival and happiness. If this was the author's debut book, I'm very impressed.
(ARC generously provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.)
August 30, 2019
4.5 stars Ozzy and Jace
A blanket of heaviness was lying over this journey. It was dark, but there was a crack where the light got through. Light in the form of Jace, that lit up Ozzy’s special place in his heart.
Living in Emporium is living in a different world with different norms and habits. It has a whole alphabet line of drugs, for everything, there’s some. And Ozzy is a heavy user. With those, he can handle his life as a rent boy at the Red House owned by pimp Barkley, who has a lot of power. Giving bj’s, taking gang bangs, it’s all heavy to watch. He can leave the shit hole only when he has a replacement. Then he sees Jace who is watching him.
Jace is a thin, vulnerable boy, he has an illness, a bad one. Ozzy and Jace are getting closer together and we get to know how bad Jace’s condition is.
In a dark depressing world, there are just a few kind people. Thank goodness for the world with dr. Sardana in it, who gives a whole nicer view on life.
It’s an awesomely written story. I loved it how, after all the depression, there was some light at the end of the tunnel. I loved the consistency of it. I loved the redeeming in this story. I highly loved Ozzy and Jace their personalities. I loved all the sweetness around Ozzy and Jace in the quite hopeless environments. The end was a satisfying one.
Recommendation worth!!
A blanket of heaviness was lying over this journey. It was dark, but there was a crack where the light got through. Light in the form of Jace, that lit up Ozzy’s special place in his heart.
Living in Emporium is living in a different world with different norms and habits. It has a whole alphabet line of drugs, for everything, there’s some. And Ozzy is a heavy user. With those, he can handle his life as a rent boy at the Red House owned by pimp Barkley, who has a lot of power. Giving bj’s, taking gang bangs, it’s all heavy to watch. He can leave the shit hole only when he has a replacement. Then he sees Jace who is watching him.
Jace is a thin, vulnerable boy, he has an illness, a bad one. Ozzy and Jace are getting closer together and we get to know how bad Jace’s condition is.
In a dark depressing world, there are just a few kind people. Thank goodness for the world with dr. Sardana in it, who gives a whole nicer view on life.
It’s an awesomely written story. I loved it how, after all the depression, there was some light at the end of the tunnel. I loved the consistency of it. I loved the redeeming in this story. I highly loved Ozzy and Jace their personalities. I loved all the sweetness around Ozzy and Jace in the quite hopeless environments. The end was a satisfying one.
Recommendation worth!!
August 11, 2019
Is the price of freedom too high?
I really don't know what to say about this book, on one had it paints such a dark picture of the world but on the other it shows the chance for redemption. Ozzy and Jace live in a world that to me seems kind of dystopian like, not because of anything overt like a nuclear war but a slow slide into drug-filled debauchery where the absence of opportunity has left the majority of humanity having to fill the dark desires of others just to survive. This is the world where Ozzy has to make the choice between basic human kindness and his own self-interest, I enjoyed the ride as he struggled between the two.
This was an amazing series starter and I cannot wait to see what this dark world has to offer next.
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book*
I really don't know what to say about this book, on one had it paints such a dark picture of the world but on the other it shows the chance for redemption. Ozzy and Jace live in a world that to me seems kind of dystopian like, not because of anything overt like a nuclear war but a slow slide into drug-filled debauchery where the absence of opportunity has left the majority of humanity having to fill the dark desires of others just to survive. This is the world where Ozzy has to make the choice between basic human kindness and his own self-interest, I enjoyed the ride as he struggled between the two.
This was an amazing series starter and I cannot wait to see what this dark world has to offer next.
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book*
August 18, 2019
This book introduced us to a future world full of so much despair that drugs to help cope with that are part of the everyday. This is the story of Ozzy and Jace and how their love brought hope to their lives and finally how they found a place where can be happy together (spoiler!). The story is interesting but the tone in general is depressive and hopeless making the MCs like a beacon of light in all darkness. I would like to know more about this world in the next books in the series.
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2019
sweet and wow... sooo wonderfully dark... i love dark.. lol.. i honestly wasnt sure originally if i would like this or not but i decided to try it anyways and im glad i did.. it was interesting and sexy and dark with just a bit of light into it to make me happy haha. it had a lot of interesting spots that made me curious where it would go.. i enjoyed it a lot
August 22, 2019
This was a very emotionality heavy and at times tragic story.
The world as we know it is no more.
Drugs and disease run rampant and everyone is just trying to survive.
Ozzy is a young man caught in a horrible situation trying to better himself in school, dreaming of an escape to a better life.
He debases himself on a daily basis, just scraping by, using drugs like everyone else to escape his harsh reality.
When he happens upon Jace, he feels an odd connection to him.
As they begin to interact more, he realizes they do know each other.
Ozzy was once a hero and saved Jace and his friends from a horrific future at a young and vulnerable age.
Spending time together, Ozzy begins to develop feelings for Jace.
Things are becoming complicated and downright dangerous.
Jace suffers from a medical condition and Ozzy's boss is becoming increasingly violent and demanding a replacement for him.
The book ends on a HFN and I can't wait to continue delving deeper into this amazing world.
The world as we know it is no more.
Drugs and disease run rampant and everyone is just trying to survive.
Ozzy is a young man caught in a horrible situation trying to better himself in school, dreaming of an escape to a better life.
He debases himself on a daily basis, just scraping by, using drugs like everyone else to escape his harsh reality.
When he happens upon Jace, he feels an odd connection to him.
As they begin to interact more, he realizes they do know each other.
Ozzy was once a hero and saved Jace and his friends from a horrific future at a young and vulnerable age.
Spending time together, Ozzy begins to develop feelings for Jace.
Things are becoming complicated and downright dangerous.
Jace suffers from a medical condition and Ozzy's boss is becoming increasingly violent and demanding a replacement for him.
The book ends on a HFN and I can't wait to continue delving deeper into this amazing world.
August 22, 2019
This was one hell of a fantastic, forbidding, grim, gritty, gripping, grab-you-by-the-feels, powerful, more twists and turns than a roller coaster, heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful, wild, and crazy walk on the wild side. I really can't imagine a world where life was so awful the majority of people had to take drugs just to cope. Ozzy and Jace were a ray of light in an overwhelmingly negative darkness, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
September 3, 2019
This was a vivid tale of darkness. The only hope of a way out is to put someone else in the darkness you are trying to escape. But what if you can't bring yourself to do that? That what the story is about,if you choose to read it heed the warnings
September 6, 2019
Wow!! This book was an emotional roller coaster! I loved Ozzy and Jace! Their story is beautiful and sad all at the same time. I can’t imagine living in a world like theirs, but their love shines through. I would highly recommend reading!!
September 11, 2019
This is the story of Jace and Ozzy. This is a dark book but filled with hope and redemption. I loved how they fell in love. Written wonderfully with great characters. Great read and can't wait for the next book.
I received this book as an Arc and I am reviewing it voluntarily.
I received this book as an Arc and I am reviewing it voluntarily.
March 27, 2020
A very interesting dystopian type world with a sweet love story and a firm HFN. Very dark for most of it, and I really thought there would be no happy ending at all for most of it, but it did eventually get there
February 3, 2020
Woo. I’m still trying to get my mind wrapped around this book. It’s a very dark one, and it can have triggers for some. Drugs, ODing, murder, gangs, pimps, prostitution, It’s a hard story to swallow. It’s a good one as far as the writing and such. Don’t get me wrong, but it is hard to wrap your head around some things.
In this story, Ozzy is basically being prostituted in order to survive. It’s a bad town to live in and one he hopes to escape at some point, but it’s a hard place to live too. Drugs are everywhere, and basically everyone is more or less an addict. They need it to survive the crap they live in. Ozzy needs it to get through a night of being used. One night he meets a young man that was thrown into a room he was in and he knew the guy was od’ing. He did everything he could to help the man survive and was thinking about using him to replace him so he could leave the business. But the more he got to know Jace, the more he realized he already knew him from something else that had happened. And he knew that he couldn’t do that to Jace. He was feeling things for Jace he never felt for another. But things in the Emporium were getting worse. People were dying, his business got blown up and even though they had found a way to help Jace, it seemed to be coming with a price. Ozzy was making mistakes trying to find a way out and everything seemed to be up in the air. Now it’s just a matter of if everything can work out. And in time.
When you’re in a situation where you feel there’s no way out, you feel numb as you do anything you can to survive. It’s not easy. It shuts you down in ways that you feel you will never break out of. When you meet someone who helps you break out of that box, it’s euphoric and scary at the same time. Especially when the situation around you is less than pleasing or satisfying. You do everything you can to survive and help those you can, but sometimes you have to close yourself off from the rest. It doesn’t make you better than anyone else, although it may come across that way. It’s just another way to cope and survive. I felt for the situation Ozzy was in. And Jace, when Ozzy found out the truth of what was up with him. I felt for all the people who had to suffer at the hands of the pimp trying to control everyone and everything. And it hurt that the rich people seemed not to care about anyone beneath them. Almost feels like the real world today. Definitely not far from the truth. It’s a harsh look at what’s going on in life. Even if this is a fictional story, it’s not far from our lives now. And I was joyous that they could find a way out. Even if it came with a price.
This is a very dark story. It’s good. The writing and all. But it’s a hard story to swallow. I hope you all enjoy it.
http://lovebytesreviews.com/
In this story, Ozzy is basically being prostituted in order to survive. It’s a bad town to live in and one he hopes to escape at some point, but it’s a hard place to live too. Drugs are everywhere, and basically everyone is more or less an addict. They need it to survive the crap they live in. Ozzy needs it to get through a night of being used. One night he meets a young man that was thrown into a room he was in and he knew the guy was od’ing. He did everything he could to help the man survive and was thinking about using him to replace him so he could leave the business. But the more he got to know Jace, the more he realized he already knew him from something else that had happened. And he knew that he couldn’t do that to Jace. He was feeling things for Jace he never felt for another. But things in the Emporium were getting worse. People were dying, his business got blown up and even though they had found a way to help Jace, it seemed to be coming with a price. Ozzy was making mistakes trying to find a way out and everything seemed to be up in the air. Now it’s just a matter of if everything can work out. And in time.
When you’re in a situation where you feel there’s no way out, you feel numb as you do anything you can to survive. It’s not easy. It shuts you down in ways that you feel you will never break out of. When you meet someone who helps you break out of that box, it’s euphoric and scary at the same time. Especially when the situation around you is less than pleasing or satisfying. You do everything you can to survive and help those you can, but sometimes you have to close yourself off from the rest. It doesn’t make you better than anyone else, although it may come across that way. It’s just another way to cope and survive. I felt for the situation Ozzy was in. And Jace, when Ozzy found out the truth of what was up with him. I felt for all the people who had to suffer at the hands of the pimp trying to control everyone and everything. And it hurt that the rich people seemed not to care about anyone beneath them. Almost feels like the real world today. Definitely not far from the truth. It’s a harsh look at what’s going on in life. Even if this is a fictional story, it’s not far from our lives now. And I was joyous that they could find a way out. Even if it came with a price.
This is a very dark story. It’s good. The writing and all. But it’s a hard story to swallow. I hope you all enjoy it.
http://lovebytesreviews.com/
March 14, 2020
Review by Gloria Lakritz Sr Reviewer & Review Chair
5*****Stars
Book: Ozzy
Series: Such a Colorful Feeling Book #1
Author: Rowan Massey
Genre: LBGTQ Dystopian Fantasy
Publisher: Rowan Massey
Release Date:Aug. 10, 2019
Pages: 275
*author note.. This is a dark series that doesn’t hold back on the tragedy. You have been warned. Although other books in this series fit the romance genre, this one does not. None of them can be read as a stand-alone novel.
As the review chair for a book guild, we get submissions from many authors. My reviewers get to pick what they wish and can return if they feel uncomfortable with any book. Some see triggers, some worry after reading the blurb. I on the other hand read everything and thank goodness for that! If that had been the case I would have missed something very special.
Rowan Massey has written a very special series named Such a Colorful Feeling. I decided to review Wally and I realized there was a previous book while reading it.. That being said, I went back and I have read Book 1 Ozzy which I am reviewing now. Then my plan is to continue with Book #3 Doc next….
Ozzy’s book was the beginning of learning about Emporium a dystopian city heralding drugs of all kinds. Ozzy was a rent boy working for an abusive pimp who has offered his freedom if he finds his replacement.
Ozzy lives on every pill he can take…a,b.c…every letter of the alphabet to get him through the pitiful life he has. His hope of getting out leads him to a friendship with Jace; who he believes he can befriend and kinda trick to take his place in the RedHouse.
Man Plans and God Laughs my Mother used to say….Very true here as the friendship becomes More and feelings begin, and trickery falls apart. This was certainly the best beginning to this story I could ever want, the world building wonderful and the hope uplifting. Glad I found you Rowan Massey!
5*****Stars
Book: Ozzy
Series: Such a Colorful Feeling Book #1
Author: Rowan Massey
Genre: LBGTQ Dystopian Fantasy
Publisher: Rowan Massey
Release Date:Aug. 10, 2019
Pages: 275
*author note.. This is a dark series that doesn’t hold back on the tragedy. You have been warned. Although other books in this series fit the romance genre, this one does not. None of them can be read as a stand-alone novel.
As the review chair for a book guild, we get submissions from many authors. My reviewers get to pick what they wish and can return if they feel uncomfortable with any book. Some see triggers, some worry after reading the blurb. I on the other hand read everything and thank goodness for that! If that had been the case I would have missed something very special.
Rowan Massey has written a very special series named Such a Colorful Feeling. I decided to review Wally and I realized there was a previous book while reading it.. That being said, I went back and I have read Book 1 Ozzy which I am reviewing now. Then my plan is to continue with Book #3 Doc next….
Ozzy’s book was the beginning of learning about Emporium a dystopian city heralding drugs of all kinds. Ozzy was a rent boy working for an abusive pimp who has offered his freedom if he finds his replacement.
Ozzy lives on every pill he can take…a,b.c…every letter of the alphabet to get him through the pitiful life he has. His hope of getting out leads him to a friendship with Jace; who he believes he can befriend and kinda trick to take his place in the RedHouse.
Man Plans and God Laughs my Mother used to say….Very true here as the friendship becomes More and feelings begin, and trickery falls apart. This was certainly the best beginning to this story I could ever want, the world building wonderful and the hope uplifting. Glad I found you Rowan Massey!
July 8, 2020
Maybe it was too much of what we are dealing with recently in events, but a very depressing read for me. A dystopian world where there is lots of drugs, gang wars, riots, shootings, more drugs, prostitution, violence, and a society based on drugs. Ozzy and Jace are on a quest to find a drug to cure Jace of a fatal disease. The story ends with a HFN ending.
February 26, 2021
Dark
I’m not really sure what to think of this book. I was glad the act of prostitution was glossed over without detail. It made the scenes of Ozzy and Jace together stand out. It was very up and down pace wise. Definitely a hfn rather than hea. I wasn’t sure what to think of the dystopian world. It was very bleak.
I’m not really sure what to think of this book. I was glad the act of prostitution was glossed over without detail. It made the scenes of Ozzy and Jace together stand out. It was very up and down pace wise. Definitely a hfn rather than hea. I wasn’t sure what to think of the dystopian world. It was very bleak.
October 12, 2019
A unique tale
This book spins a unique tale in a rather dreary dystopia like setting. It’s about Ozzy who turns tricks to survive in a brothel owned by an abusive pimp. Ozzy is often used by several johns at the same time and sometimes even in front of crowds of on-lookers. To say it’s degrading and humiliating is an understatement, there are just no words to describe the debasement he must endure.
Ozzy’s only way to escape this horrific lifestyle is to find a replacement. This is where a young man named Jace comes into the picture. My heart broke for Ozzy as he’s faced with choices of how to proceed. How desperate is he and to what extremes would he go to drag someone into this incredibly dark and demented way of life?
I loved this book as there are no easy answers. When I came to the ending and read the last sentence I realized just how perfect the ending was. The author could have given us more by providing a prologue with a nice pretty bow on top. But as in life there are no HEAs. Yet I was left with a feeling of hope just for that moment, but that was all I needed and that is why I’m rating this book 5 stars.
This book spins a unique tale in a rather dreary dystopia like setting. It’s about Ozzy who turns tricks to survive in a brothel owned by an abusive pimp. Ozzy is often used by several johns at the same time and sometimes even in front of crowds of on-lookers. To say it’s degrading and humiliating is an understatement, there are just no words to describe the debasement he must endure.
Ozzy’s only way to escape this horrific lifestyle is to find a replacement. This is where a young man named Jace comes into the picture. My heart broke for Ozzy as he’s faced with choices of how to proceed. How desperate is he and to what extremes would he go to drag someone into this incredibly dark and demented way of life?
I loved this book as there are no easy answers. When I came to the ending and read the last sentence I realized just how perfect the ending was. The author could have given us more by providing a prologue with a nice pretty bow on top. But as in life there are no HEAs. Yet I was left with a feeling of hope just for that moment, but that was all I needed and that is why I’m rating this book 5 stars.
September 13, 2019
This book hits some dark points on the morality scale. Most of it having to deal with the fact that Ozzy wants out of the life he's been living for the past few years, but in order to do that he has to find his replacement. When he meets Jace, a kid who seems desperate enough to take the deal, he thinks he found his way out. But is it really that easy to sell someone out?
It's not that easy of course, because while Ozzy does want out, he also knows what will happen to Jace if he extended that offer. And the more he gets to know Jace, the more Ozzy wars with himself.
This book isn't the darkest book I've read, but the series has the potential to get darker. This world is controlled by drugs and sex, I can't wait to see how these two get through it all.
It's not that easy of course, because while Ozzy does want out, he also knows what will happen to Jace if he extended that offer. And the more he gets to know Jace, the more Ozzy wars with himself.
This book isn't the darkest book I've read, but the series has the potential to get darker. This world is controlled by drugs and sex, I can't wait to see how these two get through it all.
November 20, 2019
This book was intriguing that deals with moral dilemmas. The book is dark, and it works well for the story. However, it contains the element of light throughout the story, which was also really well done. There was always hope and could be wild at times. Therefore, this book kept you guessing what would happen next. I could not put the book down and kept my interest from start to finish.
September 14, 2019
A really harsh world that gets light through the sweetness of Ozzy and Jace's story. Well written, with good characters and a good storyline that gets you invested in it. It was a great read.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews