What do you think?
Rate this book
Sleight of Hand
** OUT OF PRINT**
What if the man of your dreams is also the one of your nightmares?
Edwin Matthews just wants to get some sleep. Traveling by steam train with his family, the melancholic nineteen year old is plagued by restless nights and recurring dreams of a fiery disaster. When a mysterious magician comes aboard, the troubled insomniac’s trip takes an interesting turn.
Tall, dark, and incredibly handsome, the flamboyant Sir Marco Satori offers to cure what ails Edwin. Spurred by equal parts curiosity, desperation, and attraction, Edwin agrees to the experiment. Suddenly he finds his quiet journey turned into a wild ride of life, love, sex, death..and a few strange things in between.
He also finds himself claimed—in more ways than one—while a promise of “eternity” may be more than Edwin bargains for.
58 pages, ebook
First published December 16, 2008
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 21, 2009
This book has several interesting elements to it. First-ALL of the characters written are interesting and well developed. Second-the mystery of Marco Satori kept not only his future lover, Edwin, and me as the reader on the edge of my seat. Marco's has a wickedly seductive and mysterious quality about him, that is very appealing.
Edwin Matthews has been frail most of his life. Suffering from horrible nightmares, he never allows himself to relax...much less sleep. Because of his insomnia, and the nightmares, he has been accused of having mental problems and has never been really taken seriously. As he travels across the country with his mother and sister, Edwin becomes fasinated with an dynamic magician, Marcos Santori. Edwin can't shake the feeling that he knows or has seen Marco before.
When he meets Marco for the first time, he is immediately taken under Marco's spell. Marco insist that he has a cure all for what ails Edwin, but it comes with a price...a price he might have to pay for eternity.
I loved Marco's character. Edwin didn't stand a chance in refusing him. The chemistry Marco and Edwin had together was very intense and passionate. I thought they were perfectly matched, and I loved watching everything come together.
I give this story a 4.5 out of 5 stars (I really wish it would hae been longer)...but I'll round it up to 5.
P.S At one time Ms. Strauss was sending out postcards of the cover of this book, if you emailed her proof of purchase. I don't know if this is still going on, but I received my artwork and a very nice note from her.
Edwin Matthews has been frail most of his life. Suffering from horrible nightmares, he never allows himself to relax...much less sleep. Because of his insomnia, and the nightmares, he has been accused of having mental problems and has never been really taken seriously. As he travels across the country with his mother and sister, Edwin becomes fasinated with an dynamic magician, Marcos Santori. Edwin can't shake the feeling that he knows or has seen Marco before.
When he meets Marco for the first time, he is immediately taken under Marco's spell. Marco insist that he has a cure all for what ails Edwin, but it comes with a price...a price he might have to pay for eternity.
I loved Marco's character. Edwin didn't stand a chance in refusing him. The chemistry Marco and Edwin had together was very intense and passionate. I thought they were perfectly matched, and I loved watching everything come together.
I give this story a 4.5 out of 5 stars (I really wish it would hae been longer)...but I'll round it up to 5.
P.S At one time Ms. Strauss was sending out postcards of the cover of this book, if you emailed her proof of purchase. I don't know if this is still going on, but I received my artwork and a very nice note from her.
July 9, 2012
3.5 stars.
I have to confess that I don't really know what to think. There are a lot of wonderful ideas in this story and I think they deserved more space to develop because some of the situations, especially those on the dream plane, faded to black and then came back too abruptly. Instead of the confusion of the main character, I was left only with a sense of disorientation.
The setting was really fantastic. The story takes place on a train and the other protagonist is a mysterious man, part magician, part healer. Marco Satori is a very interesting character and he makes you hold your breath when he appears on the page. And he's very sexy.
Edwin, from whose point of view we see the story, is melancholic and in need of salvation and Marco gives him awareness and also a spark of will to change the situation he is in.
There is a paranormal twist, and it was a big thing, with a lot of information that made me crave for a longer story. I was left with the impression I was given only a teasing, abridged version of a great book.
Beautifully written.
I have to confess that I don't really know what to think. There are a lot of wonderful ideas in this story and I think they deserved more space to develop because some of the situations, especially those on the dream plane, faded to black and then came back too abruptly. Instead of the confusion of the main character, I was left only with a sense of disorientation.
The setting was really fantastic. The story takes place on a train and the other protagonist is a mysterious man, part magician, part healer. Marco Satori is a very interesting character and he makes you hold your breath when he appears on the page. And he's very sexy.
Edwin, from whose point of view we see the story, is melancholic and in need of salvation and Marco gives him awareness and also a spark of will to change the situation he is in.
There is a paranormal twist, and it was a big thing, with a lot of information that made me crave for a longer story. I was left with the impression I was given only a teasing, abridged version of a great book.
Beautifully written.
March 20, 2015
2.5 stars
Whoa. Done at 84%? That’s annoying.
The story starts promisingly enough. Atmospheric... Victorian era... A train traveling through snowy mountain passages. A young and restless lad wanders the gently rocking cars late at night. And meets up with an enigmatic and handsome magician. Some sheets get rumpled…
Then it just veers off and is over too fast. Not my cuppa, really.
October 16, 2012
I wish I had read this sooner. It's completely bizarre in the best possible way. Really, really different, which is what I like. The writing and descriptions are beautiful, and the characters are well fleshed out. For sure a unique and different book and one I really enjoyed. I may write a real review later, it deserves one, but for now I will just rec this for anyone looking for something weird, wonderful, and very unique.
February 8, 2009
The beautiful cover art by Anne Cain hints that this story has a Yaoi-inspired genesis and, after reading it, I have no doubt that the author Katrina Strauss was at the very least intrigued by that genre. For once, I feel that the publisher’s blurb accurately represents the plot, with only one addition needed for the purposes of this review: It is important to note that our hero, Edwin, is traveling along with his mother and sister, the latter having agreed to marry a significantly older man — a bit of a lecher, honestly — to better the station of their family. Intriguing, yes. It is. But does it work? Well, yes. And no.
Author Katrina Strauss’ prose is competently written, the period setting made clear by the heightened manner of speech of the characters, and she clearly knows the time period in which she is writing. It all moves at a decent pace, and yet I found myself becoming a bit annoyed early on in the story. What derailed (pardon the pun) the piece for me initially is that while Strauss has a very good eye for detail, she sometimes didn’t know when to stop with the observations. We get incredibly detailed descriptions of the train and its compartments, but in the end it does little to create an atmosphere. Yes, I know how each of the characters are dressed — down to excruciating detail — and I even know where there privy is in relation to each of the passenger compartments. But it all felt rather like a recitation of historical facts rather than a tool to create atmosphere or tension. There are times when I actually found myself mumbling “enough” with the details. It was beginning to feel a bit Ann Rice in verbosity and “info dump,” though woven into the story better than most info dumps.
We are also, during the early parts of the story, so completely engulfed in Edwin’s malaise and internal homophobia that–after a while–he becomes a bit unlikable. It’s nearly unbearable as a reader, his moroseness and becomes the totality of his character traits. Yes, he is there with his sister and mother, but neither becomes more than a prop until later in the story when the sister becomes the plot device. We are — despite the story being told in third person — stuck in his head and, frankly, his thoughts are rather self-involved, especially when we learn more about his sister’s plight, and the result is he turns too whiny and unappealing for my tastes.
When Edwin finally meets the mysterious Satori, we get to see a little passion as he becomes intrigued and then bedded by the magician. Now Satori is a shady character, rather slimly drawn and never really rising to the title of irresistible and charming. He wears a waistcoat and a cravat and speaks in a particularly affected way, but he never evolves into a full character. Now part of that is the appeal…mysterious stranger on a train, so in that respect Satori serves exactly the function he needs to in the story.
The sex between Edwin and Satori is fairly well drawn, a cut above many depictions in the genre, but both characters are so terribly feminine that it it didn’t really feel hot or erotic to me. The characters, both before and during the sex scenes, play much more on the female side of androgyny and miles away from the male. And there was one moment when Edwin is being penetrated by Satori (in a manner of speaking) where, unfortunately, Strauss fell into one of the biggest cliches ever: as Edwin is penetrated the train is going through a tunnel. Have we never seen the incredible spoofs of such imagery? It is, unfortunately, a laugh inducing moment for me and completely shattered any eroticism I was finding.
After the initial encounter, Edwin is hypnotized into forgetting the encounter (but scheduled to return), except that Edwin hasn’t forgotten. Strauss was clearly trying to depict Edwin being haunted by slivers of memory, but it was almost as if he remembered the whole thing. So, the light D/s the author teases us with ends up not quite working for me.
Where the story does start to take off is in the twist in the end with Edwin’s sister. Now this fascinated me and it was a good idea, but right when we get to it, the story ends, rather abruptly. And that is where I got extremely frustrated. This twist was a wonderful, wonderful idea. Where it failed is lack of foreshadowing during the early part of the story, and the fact that Edwin’s sister had been a near non-character until she was needed to bring the story to an end. Had Strauss concentrated a bit more on the sister and mother early on (and thereby got us out of Edwin’s annoying melancholy), the twist would have worked instead of feeling like an afterthought, a way to simply wrap up the story. And Strauss could have ended up with a bit of a treatise of gender roles, both in that time period and now, as a bonus. But the great idea came too late and was over too soon. Or was it simply that there was nothing built into the beginning of the story to make us go “WOW! What a great solution.”
In the end, this short story didn’t really work for me as a romance, a character study, or a piece of dark erotica. But what did work is that hint of where Strauss could go as a writer with a bit more polish and focus. The turns she took with the story I found intriguing, albeit never fully committed to, but in that one brief glimmer I saw enough to make me wonder where this writer could go. It could be exciting places.
Author Katrina Strauss’ prose is competently written, the period setting made clear by the heightened manner of speech of the characters, and she clearly knows the time period in which she is writing. It all moves at a decent pace, and yet I found myself becoming a bit annoyed early on in the story. What derailed (pardon the pun) the piece for me initially is that while Strauss has a very good eye for detail, she sometimes didn’t know when to stop with the observations. We get incredibly detailed descriptions of the train and its compartments, but in the end it does little to create an atmosphere. Yes, I know how each of the characters are dressed — down to excruciating detail — and I even know where there privy is in relation to each of the passenger compartments. But it all felt rather like a recitation of historical facts rather than a tool to create atmosphere or tension. There are times when I actually found myself mumbling “enough” with the details. It was beginning to feel a bit Ann Rice in verbosity and “info dump,” though woven into the story better than most info dumps.
We are also, during the early parts of the story, so completely engulfed in Edwin’s malaise and internal homophobia that–after a while–he becomes a bit unlikable. It’s nearly unbearable as a reader, his moroseness and becomes the totality of his character traits. Yes, he is there with his sister and mother, but neither becomes more than a prop until later in the story when the sister becomes the plot device. We are — despite the story being told in third person — stuck in his head and, frankly, his thoughts are rather self-involved, especially when we learn more about his sister’s plight, and the result is he turns too whiny and unappealing for my tastes.
When Edwin finally meets the mysterious Satori, we get to see a little passion as he becomes intrigued and then bedded by the magician. Now Satori is a shady character, rather slimly drawn and never really rising to the title of irresistible and charming. He wears a waistcoat and a cravat and speaks in a particularly affected way, but he never evolves into a full character. Now part of that is the appeal…mysterious stranger on a train, so in that respect Satori serves exactly the function he needs to in the story.
The sex between Edwin and Satori is fairly well drawn, a cut above many depictions in the genre, but both characters are so terribly feminine that it it didn’t really feel hot or erotic to me. The characters, both before and during the sex scenes, play much more on the female side of androgyny and miles away from the male. And there was one moment when Edwin is being penetrated by Satori (in a manner of speaking) where, unfortunately, Strauss fell into one of the biggest cliches ever: as Edwin is penetrated the train is going through a tunnel. Have we never seen the incredible spoofs of such imagery? It is, unfortunately, a laugh inducing moment for me and completely shattered any eroticism I was finding.
After the initial encounter, Edwin is hypnotized into forgetting the encounter (but scheduled to return), except that Edwin hasn’t forgotten. Strauss was clearly trying to depict Edwin being haunted by slivers of memory, but it was almost as if he remembered the whole thing. So, the light D/s the author teases us with ends up not quite working for me.
Where the story does start to take off is in the twist in the end with Edwin’s sister. Now this fascinated me and it was a good idea, but right when we get to it, the story ends, rather abruptly. And that is where I got extremely frustrated. This twist was a wonderful, wonderful idea. Where it failed is lack of foreshadowing during the early part of the story, and the fact that Edwin’s sister had been a near non-character until she was needed to bring the story to an end. Had Strauss concentrated a bit more on the sister and mother early on (and thereby got us out of Edwin’s annoying melancholy), the twist would have worked instead of feeling like an afterthought, a way to simply wrap up the story. And Strauss could have ended up with a bit of a treatise of gender roles, both in that time period and now, as a bonus. But the great idea came too late and was over too soon. Or was it simply that there was nothing built into the beginning of the story to make us go “WOW! What a great solution.”
In the end, this short story didn’t really work for me as a romance, a character study, or a piece of dark erotica. But what did work is that hint of where Strauss could go as a writer with a bit more polish and focus. The turns she took with the story I found intriguing, albeit never fully committed to, but in that one brief glimmer I saw enough to make me wonder where this writer could go. It could be exciting places.
Read
May 15, 2009At the beginning of the twenty century a family of three, mother, brother and sister are travelling by train to reach the future husband of the young woman. It's not a marriage of love, but an agreement: the older man will provide a comfortable home to the two women and will pay the tuition for the young man, too weak and bad illness to sustain himself and his family. It's years that Edwin is weak in body as in mind, having continuous nightmares that don't allow him to sleep and subsequently worsening his health.
Then at one of the stop the train couples up a private car, that of Sir Marco Sartori, "illusionist, hypnotist and spiritualist extraordinaire", who also offers "tonics and restoratives to cure what ails you". Edwin is drawn both by the man than by his written promises: maybe if this man could heal him, his sister Alma would be not forced to marry a man older than their late father.
Indeed Sartori takes good care of Edwin, immediately understanding what is the "disease" of the young man, and what causes him to not sleep at night; with a simple hypnosis, Edwin reveals his desire for men, and for Sartori in particular, and Sartori is more than ready to seduce Edwin and to benefit of his innocence.
Till now the story could be well a nice and interesting historical gay romance, but there is the problem of Edwin's family, of its maintenance, and the other usual problem in tales like this of the quite impossible situation of living as two male lovers in that age. Katrina Strauss chooses the paranormal way, and I don't spoil the story, since it's in the blurb of the book the publisher decided to post, but for me it's only a nice and "believable" end (for how much believable could be a paranormal twist) to a very nice story. Truth be told, I didn't feel necessary the paranormal twist, probably I would preferred an improbable happily ever after for a "pure" historical romance.
Anyway the setting in a travelling train, and the description of Edwin's past life are really interesting and original, being Edwin not the usual strong and invincible hero, but not being neither a "female in disguise" type of character; on the other hand, Sartori is only hinted (don't forget that the story is only 50 pages long), but when he enters the scene I almost could see the colors and the sparks, and the cheering of the public... he has all the fascinating aurea of Houdini, maybe helped in this by the really nice cover by Anne Cain, almost too pretty for an ebook short story... I hope that the publisher will release something else by the same author and will use that cover for a print edition, it's not often that I see covers that deserve a space on a bookstore shelf.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/46...
Then at one of the stop the train couples up a private car, that of Sir Marco Sartori, "illusionist, hypnotist and spiritualist extraordinaire", who also offers "tonics and restoratives to cure what ails you". Edwin is drawn both by the man than by his written promises: maybe if this man could heal him, his sister Alma would be not forced to marry a man older than their late father.
Indeed Sartori takes good care of Edwin, immediately understanding what is the "disease" of the young man, and what causes him to not sleep at night; with a simple hypnosis, Edwin reveals his desire for men, and for Sartori in particular, and Sartori is more than ready to seduce Edwin and to benefit of his innocence.
Till now the story could be well a nice and interesting historical gay romance, but there is the problem of Edwin's family, of its maintenance, and the other usual problem in tales like this of the quite impossible situation of living as two male lovers in that age. Katrina Strauss chooses the paranormal way, and I don't spoil the story, since it's in the blurb of the book the publisher decided to post, but for me it's only a nice and "believable" end (for how much believable could be a paranormal twist) to a very nice story. Truth be told, I didn't feel necessary the paranormal twist, probably I would preferred an improbable happily ever after for a "pure" historical romance.
Anyway the setting in a travelling train, and the description of Edwin's past life are really interesting and original, being Edwin not the usual strong and invincible hero, but not being neither a "female in disguise" type of character; on the other hand, Sartori is only hinted (don't forget that the story is only 50 pages long), but when he enters the scene I almost could see the colors and the sparks, and the cheering of the public... he has all the fascinating aurea of Houdini, maybe helped in this by the really nice cover by Anne Cain, almost too pretty for an ebook short story... I hope that the publisher will release something else by the same author and will use that cover for a print edition, it's not often that I see covers that deserve a space on a bookstore shelf.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/46...
January 12, 2009
Edwin Matthews just wants to get some sleep. Traveling by steam train with his family, the melancholic nineteen year old is plagued by restless nights and recurring dreams of a fiery disaster. When a mysterious magician comes aboard, the troubled insomniac’s trip takes an interesting turn. From Samhain Publishing.
I am not usually a huge fan of short stories or novellas. I read so quickly it is nice if my books last longer than 5 minutes! However, Sleight of Hand does not suffer from being a mere 60 something pages. It is packed with much frock coated goodness that was just so pretty and sexy and hot and yeah, I kinda liked it.
This has to be one of my favorites by Katrina Strauss, not that I haven’t enjoyed her previous work but this book in particular felt well structured and concise. There were no words wasted and it made for a compelling read. The sex was totally hot and I am quite sure part of it is down to Edwin himself, exploring his newly awakened sexuality as he comes to the realization that he is attracted to men, not women. Marco is no slouch either and has a bit of man in charge hotness going on.
The book also has the best warning, which made me laugh…
Warning: This book contains violence, dubious consent, masturbation, anal penetration, light D/s, frock coats, cravats, questionable Victorian parlor tricks, and hot sex between beautiful men on a fast-moving train.
Kinda like trains too!
I am not usually a huge fan of short stories or novellas. I read so quickly it is nice if my books last longer than 5 minutes! However, Sleight of Hand does not suffer from being a mere 60 something pages. It is packed with much frock coated goodness that was just so pretty and sexy and hot and yeah, I kinda liked it.
This has to be one of my favorites by Katrina Strauss, not that I haven’t enjoyed her previous work but this book in particular felt well structured and concise. There were no words wasted and it made for a compelling read. The sex was totally hot and I am quite sure part of it is down to Edwin himself, exploring his newly awakened sexuality as he comes to the realization that he is attracted to men, not women. Marco is no slouch either and has a bit of man in charge hotness going on.
The book also has the best warning, which made me laugh…
Warning: This book contains violence, dubious consent, masturbation, anal penetration, light D/s, frock coats, cravats, questionable Victorian parlor tricks, and hot sex between beautiful men on a fast-moving train.
Kinda like trains too!
July 23, 2015
Weird in a good way.
I think the entirety stuck to its premise really well and maintained the eerie, somewhat disorienting atmosphere.
Quite a nice character piece, imo, and it has some nice mindfuck ^^
I think the entirety stuck to its premise really well and maintained the eerie, somewhat disorienting atmosphere.
Quite a nice character piece, imo, and it has some nice mindfuck ^^
April 15, 2013
This is written well enough to deserve three stars - but I really didn't like it.
The time period is well established and felt true to the era, but the characters just aren't given time to become more than two-dimensional cut-outs - Especially given the convoluted plot!
This book depressed me...
The time period is well established and felt true to the era, but the characters just aren't given time to become more than two-dimensional cut-outs - Especially given the convoluted plot!
This book depressed me...
February 18, 2023
Sleight of more than just hands....
The spice was very well detailed. I give the writing a five but the ending left me wanting something more.
The spice was very well detailed. I give the writing a five but the ending left me wanting something more.
November 19, 2012
I was browsing a review blog when I came across Sleight of Hand's cover art, which caused my “ooh, pretty” reaction to kick in. I read the review and was intrigued. I was a little concerned by the bit in Samhain Publishing's “warning” that mentioned “dubious consent,” but I decided to take my chances. I'm glad I did.
Strauss is an excellent author, and (disclaimer time) I liked this novella (short story?) enough that I actually contacted her and told her so. To my surprise, she emailed me back, which is how I ended up with one of her shorter stories, which later led to me buying more of her works. I wrote a post a while back about Strauss's Some Kind of Stranger, the third work of hers that I've read. She's an author who has yet to disappoint me.
So, what did I enjoy about Sleight of Hand?
The first thing I noticed and really appreciated was the setting. Little details about the train and information about Edwin's experiences with depression gave me a good feel for the world this story was set in. I suppose that those who go into this story expecting a hot sex scene right from the start may be a bit disappointed. To those people I say: just keep reading. The sex scenes in Sleight of Hand are on what I'd consider the “smokin' hot” end of the heat scale.
As far as Samhain's “dubious consent” warning goes...well, I agree with that, and usually that sort of thing would make me at least a little uncomfortable. I think one of the reasons why I was okay with the “dubious consent” aspect was because it was presented as a lowering of Edwin's inhibitions, rather than as Satori making him do something he wouldn't have otherwise done . Edwin's initial reaction to Satori made it clear that he was attracted to him to the point that he had to struggle to hide it. Had Satori and Edwin ended up in each other's company often enough, I think they could have become a couple under more normal circumstances, although Satori probably still would have been the one to initiate the relationship.
I do think this novella had a few weak points. One of them was Satori and Edwin's relationship. I could understand why Edwin fell for Satori, but I couldn't understand why Satori fell for Edwin . Edwin seemed overly young and immature for someone like Satori. A good example of his immaturity: Alma agreed to marry someone she didn't even remotely like because she knew Edwin couldn't be counted upon to hold himself together enough to support the family (because of his history of depression). Edwin felt guilty about that for a little bit, but then, when Satori asked him if he would be willing to leave his family so the two of them could be together, he readily agreed. Not only that, he had the gall to think "that if his sister truly wished for his happiness, then she would understand when, upon reaching their destination, he elected to stay on the train and continue his journey elsewhere" (p. 36 on my Nook). It made me wish that Alma could have punched him at some point before the end of the story. He kind of deserved it.
As far as Satori and Alma went, I was left wanting more. Both characters had huge secrets that were revealed right near the end, and I would have loved to continue to read more about the two of them. Edwin was the most fleshed-out character in the story, but I thought Satori had the potential to be more interesting, and Alma showed signs of being way more awesome than her brother.
Overall, I really enjoyed Sleight of Hand and hope that Strauss will one day publish more works featuring Edwin, Satori, and Alma. In the meantime, I still have several of Strauss's other works to read.
(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Strauss is an excellent author, and (disclaimer time) I liked this novella (short story?) enough that I actually contacted her and told her so. To my surprise, she emailed me back, which is how I ended up with one of her shorter stories, which later led to me buying more of her works. I wrote a post a while back about Strauss's Some Kind of Stranger, the third work of hers that I've read. She's an author who has yet to disappoint me.
So, what did I enjoy about Sleight of Hand?
The first thing I noticed and really appreciated was the setting. Little details about the train and information about Edwin's experiences with depression gave me a good feel for the world this story was set in. I suppose that those who go into this story expecting a hot sex scene right from the start may be a bit disappointed. To those people I say: just keep reading. The sex scenes in Sleight of Hand are on what I'd consider the “smokin' hot” end of the heat scale.
As far as Samhain's “dubious consent” warning goes...well, I agree with that, and usually that sort of thing would make me at least a little uncomfortable. I think one of the reasons why I was okay with the “dubious consent” aspect was because it was presented as a lowering of Edwin's inhibitions, rather than as Satori making him do something he wouldn't have otherwise done . Edwin's initial reaction to Satori made it clear that he was attracted to him to the point that he had to struggle to hide it. Had Satori and Edwin ended up in each other's company often enough, I think they could have become a couple under more normal circumstances, although Satori probably still would have been the one to initiate the relationship.
I do think this novella had a few weak points. One of them was Satori and Edwin's relationship. I could understand why Edwin fell for Satori, but I couldn't understand why Satori fell for Edwin . Edwin seemed overly young and immature for someone like Satori. A good example of his immaturity: Alma agreed to marry someone she didn't even remotely like because she knew Edwin couldn't be counted upon to hold himself together enough to support the family (because of his history of depression). Edwin felt guilty about that for a little bit, but then, when Satori asked him if he would be willing to leave his family so the two of them could be together, he readily agreed. Not only that, he had the gall to think "that if his sister truly wished for his happiness, then she would understand when, upon reaching their destination, he elected to stay on the train and continue his journey elsewhere" (p. 36 on my Nook). It made me wish that Alma could have punched him at some point before the end of the story. He kind of deserved it.
As far as Satori and Alma went, I was left wanting more. Both characters had huge secrets that were revealed right near the end, and I would have loved to continue to read more about the two of them. Edwin was the most fleshed-out character in the story, but I thought Satori had the potential to be more interesting, and Alma showed signs of being way more awesome than her brother.
Overall, I really enjoyed Sleight of Hand and hope that Strauss will one day publish more works featuring Edwin, Satori, and Alma. In the meantime, I still have several of Strauss's other works to read.
(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
May 5, 2011
Review provided by Black Lagoon Reviews:
Sleight of Hand by Katrina Strauss is a M/M paranormal steampunk romance that had me captivated from the first page to the last. While short, this novella was able to bring to life a nicely developed world, great characters that I thoroughly enjoyed and a lingering paranormal air that tinted the story with a thrilling touch of mystery that was at times mildly chilling and utterly enticing. But, what definitely kept my interest the most was the sinfully delicious romance between these two wildly different and engaging men. A great, quick read that delivers some wonderful thrills and even a few chills!
What surprised me most about this novella, coming in at just about sixty pages, was how fully Strauss was able to develop not only the world but the characters. While the world building definitely adds a lot to a story, the characters invariably become the main focus. In this case, Strauss was able to bring to life the characters in less time then I would have dreamed possible, creating an interesting history and frailty for Edwin and a mysteriously alluring dominance for Marco. But, what's more important is the chemistry between these seemingly polar opposite characters created within mere paragraphs without feeling in the slightest bit rushed or awkward. This is something that I feel authors tend to struggle with, but in the case, it seemed so effortless. The other part that really surprised me was how erotic Marco seemed when Edwin came off as anything but. In truth I was nervous about how an erotic romance, something I associate with toe curling hot sex, was going to work between someone so...well, frail...and someone so masterful. In the end, I needn't have worried about this either because these two as a pair, oh my!
Also interesting though was seeing the familial bond between Edwin and his sister grow. There's a lovely sense of each wanting to protect the other. Edwin by protecting his sister from a unhappy marriage to a lecherous older man and her desire to protect his health, worrying that his frail constitution will hamper any effort he makes to provide for their family. This comes in to play in the culmination of the novella and I don't wish to go any further for fear of spoiling what I considered to be a nice twist ending. I just wanted to acknowledge this other great aspect of characterization and relationship building within such a short frame of time.
The world building was also first class. The description of the locomotive in which the story takes place built a wonderful atmosphere that was perfectly suited to the mysterious occurrences and paranormal twinges throughout the story. It also managed to convey the tone of romanticism further through the setting which only served to influence the ensuing relationship between the two men more, or at least in my opinion. While the backdrop was secondary, I was no less impressed with Strauss's development of it then of the three dimensional characters and sizzling relationship that she was able to conjure.
Overall, the only thing that I would have liked to have seen in this story that I didn't was simply more! I loved the characters, the world building and the premise and I just would have liked to see it go on for a bit longer. In the end, however, I found this to be a very fulfilling read from an author that I will definitely be reading more from in the future!
Sleight of Hand by Katrina Strauss is a M/M paranormal steampunk romance that had me captivated from the first page to the last. While short, this novella was able to bring to life a nicely developed world, great characters that I thoroughly enjoyed and a lingering paranormal air that tinted the story with a thrilling touch of mystery that was at times mildly chilling and utterly enticing. But, what definitely kept my interest the most was the sinfully delicious romance between these two wildly different and engaging men. A great, quick read that delivers some wonderful thrills and even a few chills!
What surprised me most about this novella, coming in at just about sixty pages, was how fully Strauss was able to develop not only the world but the characters. While the world building definitely adds a lot to a story, the characters invariably become the main focus. In this case, Strauss was able to bring to life the characters in less time then I would have dreamed possible, creating an interesting history and frailty for Edwin and a mysteriously alluring dominance for Marco. But, what's more important is the chemistry between these seemingly polar opposite characters created within mere paragraphs without feeling in the slightest bit rushed or awkward. This is something that I feel authors tend to struggle with, but in the case, it seemed so effortless. The other part that really surprised me was how erotic Marco seemed when Edwin came off as anything but. In truth I was nervous about how an erotic romance, something I associate with toe curling hot sex, was going to work between someone so...well, frail...and someone so masterful. In the end, I needn't have worried about this either because these two as a pair, oh my!
Also interesting though was seeing the familial bond between Edwin and his sister grow. There's a lovely sense of each wanting to protect the other. Edwin by protecting his sister from a unhappy marriage to a lecherous older man and her desire to protect his health, worrying that his frail constitution will hamper any effort he makes to provide for their family. This comes in to play in the culmination of the novella and I don't wish to go any further for fear of spoiling what I considered to be a nice twist ending. I just wanted to acknowledge this other great aspect of characterization and relationship building within such a short frame of time.
The world building was also first class. The description of the locomotive in which the story takes place built a wonderful atmosphere that was perfectly suited to the mysterious occurrences and paranormal twinges throughout the story. It also managed to convey the tone of romanticism further through the setting which only served to influence the ensuing relationship between the two men more, or at least in my opinion. While the backdrop was secondary, I was no less impressed with Strauss's development of it then of the three dimensional characters and sizzling relationship that she was able to conjure.
Overall, the only thing that I would have liked to have seen in this story that I didn't was simply more! I loved the characters, the world building and the premise and I just would have liked to see it go on for a bit longer. In the end, however, I found this to be a very fulfilling read from an author that I will definitely be reading more from in the future!
December 5, 2010
Sleight of Hand blends yaoi, steampunk and paranormal elements into a highly addictive cocktail that left me clamoring for more. Good thing that the next one is already “in the shaker”. I love it!
Edwin is beautiful, frail, barely nineteen, and suffering from bipolar disorder (or as he describes it “vacillating between bouts of ennui and restlessness”). When his father passed away, the family was left without support. Edwin was unable to “step up” and fill his father’s role due to his condition. In order to secure financial support and stability for the family, Edwin’s sister Alma agreed to marry a much older, wealthy man, who lives “back east”. Alma’s fiancé secured a comfortable trip east for her and her family. Hence, we meet Edwin, his mother and sister in a steam train, on their way to a new life.
Soon after we meet Edwin, the trains stops and a private car is added, Sir Marco Satori’s car. Satori is a mage, “Illusionist, hypnotist and spiritualist extraordinaire”, or is he? Whatever he is, is bigger than life. In truth, we know very little about him. Yet, he blasts into the story and takes over the show. Immediately, Edwin is pulled to Satori like a moth to the flame. When they meet face-to-face, the attraction is instantaneous, or is it? Maybe it was just a dream. All Edwin knows is that Satori makes him feel whole for the first time in his life. What he doesn’t know is that his future is a literal train wreck, and Satori is very much aware.
Sleight of Hand is a treat for yaoi fans. Though not labeled yaoi by the publisher, rest assured that all the elements that we know and love about Katrina’s yaoi stories are present. Satori is a seme to die for. He is gorgeous, powerful and yes, arrogant too. At first, he may come across as a selfish, high handed bastard. Look deeper and you find a lonely man dealing with challenging circumstances the only way he knows how, by taking control. While the paranormal elements of the story are linked to Satori, for the most part they are not in-your-face. Instead, they weave in and out, blending with reality and making the reader wonder where reality ends and the paranormal begins.
Sleight of Hand is superbly written, fabulously descriptive, tightly plotted and HOT. I do not know how Katrina does it. In a few pages, she managed to bring to life an incredibly detailed world and intriguing characters. One thing is clear. Language style is a powerful tool in this story. It is primarily through style that the sense of place and time is built. While character development and relationship development are by necessity somewhat limited (The story is only 50 pages!), the highly visual descriptions really brought the story to life for me. As usual, the characters moved into my head, pulled up a chair and made themselves at home.
While I most certainly loved the story (Did I mention that already?), I must admit the ending caught me off guard. As I turned the last page, I couldn’t believe the story was over. I had to give it time and let it sink in. Once it did, I was left with many questions. Not surprisingly, I immediately emailed Katrina. The first question I asked? “Is there a sequel?” The answer, of course, was YES! So some day we may hear more about Edwin and Marco.
Edwin is beautiful, frail, barely nineteen, and suffering from bipolar disorder (or as he describes it “vacillating between bouts of ennui and restlessness”). When his father passed away, the family was left without support. Edwin was unable to “step up” and fill his father’s role due to his condition. In order to secure financial support and stability for the family, Edwin’s sister Alma agreed to marry a much older, wealthy man, who lives “back east”. Alma’s fiancé secured a comfortable trip east for her and her family. Hence, we meet Edwin, his mother and sister in a steam train, on their way to a new life.
Soon after we meet Edwin, the trains stops and a private car is added, Sir Marco Satori’s car. Satori is a mage, “Illusionist, hypnotist and spiritualist extraordinaire”, or is he? Whatever he is, is bigger than life. In truth, we know very little about him. Yet, he blasts into the story and takes over the show. Immediately, Edwin is pulled to Satori like a moth to the flame. When they meet face-to-face, the attraction is instantaneous, or is it? Maybe it was just a dream. All Edwin knows is that Satori makes him feel whole for the first time in his life. What he doesn’t know is that his future is a literal train wreck, and Satori is very much aware.
Sleight of Hand is a treat for yaoi fans. Though not labeled yaoi by the publisher, rest assured that all the elements that we know and love about Katrina’s yaoi stories are present. Satori is a seme to die for. He is gorgeous, powerful and yes, arrogant too. At first, he may come across as a selfish, high handed bastard. Look deeper and you find a lonely man dealing with challenging circumstances the only way he knows how, by taking control. While the paranormal elements of the story are linked to Satori, for the most part they are not in-your-face. Instead, they weave in and out, blending with reality and making the reader wonder where reality ends and the paranormal begins.
Sleight of Hand is superbly written, fabulously descriptive, tightly plotted and HOT. I do not know how Katrina does it. In a few pages, she managed to bring to life an incredibly detailed world and intriguing characters. One thing is clear. Language style is a powerful tool in this story. It is primarily through style that the sense of place and time is built. While character development and relationship development are by necessity somewhat limited (The story is only 50 pages!), the highly visual descriptions really brought the story to life for me. As usual, the characters moved into my head, pulled up a chair and made themselves at home.
While I most certainly loved the story (Did I mention that already?), I must admit the ending caught me off guard. As I turned the last page, I couldn’t believe the story was over. I had to give it time and let it sink in. Once it did, I was left with many questions. Not surprisingly, I immediately emailed Katrina. The first question I asked? “Is there a sequel?” The answer, of course, was YES! So some day we may hear more about Edwin and Marco.
August 25, 2012
I must say it is not your ordinary MM romance. I wouldn't even call it that. There is nothing romantic about the story or characters, in my opinion.
August 10, 2024
Rating After First Read: 3 Stars
Rating After Second Read: 3 Stars
August 10; 2024
2024 is definitely going to be the year of re-reads. A fourth of my reading this year has been re-reads and I'm lovin' it. This is my 24th re-read of the year and my seventh in a row.
I don't remember anything of this book, so this re-read was as good as the first read. Katrina Strauss is the author of the 'Blue Ruin' series, a series up next on my re-read schedule that I still remember fondly because it was deliciously erotic. I feel like my biggest reason for picking up this book then and now was because I was expecting some of the same deliciousness. Alas, it's not to be.
This book packages itself as erotic but that doesn't seem to be the strongest element of this book. The strongest element of this book is the atmosphere that pervades the text. Its very gothic. Everything is mysterious and I love how the author is able to encapsulate that mystery, that uncertainty and even further it with the transition between scenes. I loved the way the author orchestrated the scene transitions because they really fit the atmosphere and further entrench the reader in the same sort of space that the characters are occupying.
I feel like this book has an excellent premise and even better vibes but I didn't connect as much with the characters and I didn't feel invested in what happened to them. Though having said I still think that if you are interested in this book you should read it because it is truly like nothing else I have read before.
Rating After Second Read: 3 Stars
August 10; 2024
2024 is definitely going to be the year of re-reads. A fourth of my reading this year has been re-reads and I'm lovin' it. This is my 24th re-read of the year and my seventh in a row.
I don't remember anything of this book, so this re-read was as good as the first read. Katrina Strauss is the author of the 'Blue Ruin' series, a series up next on my re-read schedule that I still remember fondly because it was deliciously erotic. I feel like my biggest reason for picking up this book then and now was because I was expecting some of the same deliciousness. Alas, it's not to be.
This book packages itself as erotic but that doesn't seem to be the strongest element of this book. The strongest element of this book is the atmosphere that pervades the text. Its very gothic. Everything is mysterious and I love how the author is able to encapsulate that mystery, that uncertainty and even further it with the transition between scenes. I loved the way the author orchestrated the scene transitions because they really fit the atmosphere and further entrench the reader in the same sort of space that the characters are occupying.
I feel like this book has an excellent premise and even better vibes but I didn't connect as much with the characters and I didn't feel invested in what happened to them. Though having said I still think that if you are interested in this book you should read it because it is truly like nothing else I have read before.
September 1, 2012
I give this novella five stars.
Edwin is a troubled homosexual who has yet to come to terms with his sexuality. His failure to do so has produced mental illness and insomnia. He meets a Magician/healer who claims that he can cure Edwin if Edwin agrees to give himself completely over to the healing experiment.
As this short story continues, Edwin faces the secrets that he has hidden deep inside, and must choose to live a life of truth or continue to suffer.
It is nice to find an Erotic story with a plot. The sex scene are intense and detailed. Wow! Very hot Sex!
The characters are well written and original.
I found the character of Edwin to be relatable, and likable. I found the character of Satori to be sexy and deliciously mysterious.
The settings are vivid. Making it easy to slide inside the passenger car beside Edwin and mentally watch as his story unfolds.
The ending is satisfying with a HEA. The story ends in such a way that there could easily be sequels.
I would really like to see more stories with these characters.
Edwin is a troubled homosexual who has yet to come to terms with his sexuality. His failure to do so has produced mental illness and insomnia. He meets a Magician/healer who claims that he can cure Edwin if Edwin agrees to give himself completely over to the healing experiment.
As this short story continues, Edwin faces the secrets that he has hidden deep inside, and must choose to live a life of truth or continue to suffer.
It is nice to find an Erotic story with a plot. The sex scene are intense and detailed. Wow! Very hot Sex!
The characters are well written and original.
I found the character of Edwin to be relatable, and likable. I found the character of Satori to be sexy and deliciously mysterious.
The settings are vivid. Making it easy to slide inside the passenger car beside Edwin and mentally watch as his story unfolds.
The ending is satisfying with a HEA. The story ends in such a way that there could easily be sequels.
I would really like to see more stories with these characters.
January 24, 2013
Reading a review from Amazon from another author, I decided to read it myself. This is a quick and excellent read. It was very well written, with a plot twist at the end. Edwin has inner turmoil about his true sexual desires. He also has issues sleeping, having the same repeating nightmare each time he falls asleep. This nightmare has plagued him for as long as he can remember. When is awake, he can recall how he felt from the nightmare, but the details of it are just within in grasp.
Edwin is traveling by train with his sister, Alma and their mother to where Alma's betroth lives. A chance encounter with Satori, another traveler who is a illusionist changes his world up side down. Has Edwin finally met his perfect match? Just when you think you figured out everything, you will be thrown a plot twist. The ending was very good. It was pleasent to have an ending that I was not anticipating.
Edwin is traveling by train with his sister, Alma and their mother to where Alma's betroth lives. A chance encounter with Satori, another traveler who is a illusionist changes his world up side down. Has Edwin finally met his perfect match? Just when you think you figured out everything, you will be thrown a plot twist. The ending was very good. It was pleasent to have an ending that I was not anticipating.
August 4, 2016
I got this e-book from Amazon because it was part of the recommendations Amazon provides. I wishlist a lot of yaoi/BL books.
And then I read it. The book had a certain amount of pages, but was very disappointed that a quarter or more of that was previews for other books. I felt cheated. Yes, lots of books have previews, but run to 2 or 3 tops. This had more than that and I couldn't get to the last page of the novel easily.
The story itself had no depth. The characters were not developed and the story felt rushed. I could spot the twist in the story a mile away. For an m/m erotica story, it lacked erotica. Only one scene that could be labeled NC-17 and the rest fell flat.
I disliked this so much that I asked Amazon for a refund. It really wasn't worth the money I paid for.
And then I read it. The book had a certain amount of pages, but was very disappointed that a quarter or more of that was previews for other books. I felt cheated. Yes, lots of books have previews, but run to 2 or 3 tops. This had more than that and I couldn't get to the last page of the novel easily.
The story itself had no depth. The characters were not developed and the story felt rushed. I could spot the twist in the story a mile away. For an m/m erotica story, it lacked erotica. Only one scene that could be labeled NC-17 and the rest fell flat.
I disliked this so much that I asked Amazon for a refund. It really wasn't worth the money I paid for.
December 15, 2015
Wo. Wtf did I just read?
Wierdly unique short story with a twist...
Maybe this was too short?
I was totally there with depressed, insomniac Edwin from page 1. Undiagnosed anxiety and depression with no Xanax has made Edwin totally out of it and having crazy realistic nightmares.
Backdrop on a train with his mom and sis to her soon to be husbands home has Edwin more off than normal.
Now add in sexy illusionist Marco Satori.
Soon Edwin doesn't know up from down or left from right. Reality from dreams.
M. Night Shyamalan would have a field day with this book.
I had to read the last few pages 3 times, and I'm still not 100% satisfied that I know what happened and/or if it should have ended where it did. But bravo to the author for giving us a creepy short story with such a cool plot.
Wierdly unique short story with a twist...
Maybe this was too short?
I was totally there with depressed, insomniac Edwin from page 1. Undiagnosed anxiety and depression with no Xanax has made Edwin totally out of it and having crazy realistic nightmares.
Backdrop on a train with his mom and sis to her soon to be husbands home has Edwin more off than normal.
Now add in sexy illusionist Marco Satori.
Soon Edwin doesn't know up from down or left from right. Reality from dreams.
M. Night Shyamalan would have a field day with this book.
I had to read the last few pages 3 times, and I'm still not 100% satisfied that I know what happened and/or if it should have ended where it did. But bravo to the author for giving us a creepy short story with such a cool plot.
April 1, 2011
As a writer of both homoerotica and heteroerotica, I read this story with a critical eye and, to be honest, bought it to check out my competition! What a pleasant surprise, to read such a well-written story. True, there are a few spots where the editing could have been a bit better (at one point the main character is lying on his back, then all of a sudden he's on his stomach), but these small blemishes did not take away from the beautiful language of the piece and the clever plot (and twist at the end, which I won't spoil!). Short but sweet, and very sexy (without being just about sex). I'll be looking for more work by Ms. Strauss in the future.
March 24, 2014
Holy shit, this book was HOT! There was just something about it that I really enjoyed. I love the way the author depicted Satori, the mysterious magician who teases and touches Edwin so boldly. I loved the dream within a dream feel to it and how it seemed you could never be too sure if what had just happened was actually real. It was a quick read that I enjoyed immensely.
I have one tiny complaint. I may be wrong about this, of course, but did the Victorians really use the word 'privy'? Every time that word popped up, I had this sudden image of a middle ages type of outhouse.
I have one tiny complaint. I may be wrong about this, of course, but did the Victorians really use the word 'privy'? Every time that word popped up, I had this sudden image of a middle ages type of outhouse.
Read
May 17, 2011Without a doubt, one of the most captivating novellas I've read in this genre. The writing is exquisite, the characters are refreshingly out-of-the-ordinary, and the storyline is pure magic. A unique reading experience all around, and one for which a sequel is long overdue. (That's only my humble opinion, of course -- but it just so happens that even my humblest opinions are the right ones. *g*)
Read
October 24, 2012Beautifully written.
(10-24-2012) Note: I should note that Katrina Strauss is a good friend of mine. I didn't mention it before because my friends list was very small and restricted to people I actually knew, so I figured it would be obvious this is a friend review. Now that I've opened up friend requests to everyone, I realize it's hard to mark actual friend reviews.
That said, it's a fantastic story. One of my favorites. You should read it. ;)
(10-24-2012) Note: I should note that Katrina Strauss is a good friend of mine. I didn't mention it before because my friends list was very small and restricted to people I actually knew, so I figured it would be obvious this is a friend review. Now that I've opened up friend requests to everyone, I realize it's hard to mark actual friend reviews.
That said, it's a fantastic story. One of my favorites. You should read it. ;)
May 28, 2011
When I saw cover of this book I had to have it because the dark haired man reminded me of Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji. I was pleasantly surprised that Satori had some similarities with my beloved character.
The main character Edwin is likeable as well as his sister Alma. And Edwin love interest is mysterious.
Short and easy, nice story.
The main character Edwin is likeable as well as his sister Alma. And Edwin love interest is mysterious.
Short and easy, nice story.
September 26, 2011
Twas okay. Not horrible, not especially boring, but not that great either. I was surprised that there were several words/bits of vocabulary that I was not familiar with. It's a light piece, with a bit of explicit material (which were pretty good). All in all, not bad, but nothing worth bragging about.
February 25, 2015
I don't know
Interesting story. Not entirely sure how I feel about the ending. Wish it was more flushed out so you could actually see why Edwin was so appealing to Satori or at least see more of there actual relationship as opposed to just eclipsing it at the end. I like the titanic reference.
Interesting story. Not entirely sure how I feel about the ending. Wish it was more flushed out so you could actually see why Edwin was so appealing to Satori or at least see more of there actual relationship as opposed to just eclipsing it at the end. I like the titanic reference.
December 14, 2010
As everything Katrina does, this is a very special story. Paranormal-fantastic with vintage flavour. Katrina has a special way to create a decor around their characters giving always a surprise in the end. Love overcoming Good and Evil at the same time. Nicely done.
May 2, 2011
I just finished this one and I liked it. My only complaints (if you can call them that) ARE that this is a relatively short book, and that the begining made me think that I might have missed a page or two.
March 28, 2012
This was a really good read. For a short story, the author did a great job in setting up the time period. The details were so crisp and clear, I got pulled right into it. Definitely will look for more by this author.
July 23, 2014
A good read, although I would have liked to see it fleshed out some more. It's engaging enough that I want to read more about the main characters. I will likely read more of the author's work, especially if there is longer material. Not recommended for anyone squeamish about M/M sexuality, though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews