R J Samuel

I really loved the way this one was written. The way the writer describes things is beautiful, vivid and emphasizes passion. The story itself is fairly basic. Normally I roll my eyes at love at first sight stories, but I think the descriptions carry enough emotion to make the concept more believable to a cynic like me.

While I like happy endings, this is a case where I'm not sure if having one was the right decision. On one hand, its unbelievably cute how it ended and I liked the scene itself. On the other hand, the entire time I was thinking 'no way'. It just wasn't believable, but is that a bad thing? I don't know, I still liked the ending.

All in all, a nice story… (altro)

What a gripping tale! Congrats to Samuel for winning the 2018 Ann Bannon Popular Choice award.

I'm not a fan of books that jump from past to present because I lose focus. However, in An Outsider Inside, the emotional connection between a past tale and the present one kept me glued to my seat til I finished the book—homework be damned. In addition, I like Samuel's pacing from the past to present (or scene to scene). Just about every character have a certain level of complexity that's engaging. The major and minor plots are well-developed and interestingly multidimensional. Samuel kept me guessing about Lana, Jaya, Ishmael, and what Chole would ultimately do. Towards the end, there's a turn of events I totally did not see coming. An Outsider Inside is one of those stories that stays with you.

Great book! I highly recommend it! Read it...like yesterday!… (altro)

With the sheer volume of lesfic titles coming out, now more than ever, the book summary has to really hook the reader or it will be easily glossed over, forgotten or buried under an ever growing pile of TBRs, especially if it is an indie. This book has one of the vaguest blurbs I’ve ever encountered and I wouldn’t have taken a second look if I hadn’t fallen in love with the author’s writing in [b:A Place Somewhere|21458190|A Place Somewhere|R.J. Samuel|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394749903s/21458190.jpg|40772925].

Falling Colours is a paranormal mystery with a lesbian romance. The premise sounds like something straight out of Twilight Zone. Kiran is a half-Irish, half-Indian woman who quit her budding engineering career in Galway to follow what she feels is her true calling--vision painting. This particular talent is a little more involved than fortune telling though. The vision painter supposedly has the power to realize the clients’ visions or dreams. That is a truly scary power to have. So the rules and regulations that govern vision painting are very stringent.

Kiran has another problem however. Vision painting is as Indian as curry. But she is what the Asians call a banana (yellow outside/white inside--she may look exotic but she’s Irish through and through). Her cursory knowledge of India and its customs means she isn’t very good in marketing herself as such (e.g., dressing up or talking like a guru or swami, lol). She can't even fake an Indian accent. Her very Irish clients don’t really know what to make of her talent or how to pay her back (material compensation is not allowed). So she languishes in her waitressing job and worries about being able to afford winter heating. Neither can she expect much help from home. Women vision painters aren’t allowed in her tradition-bound ‘profession’ back in India, not to mention a lesbian one. So she’s also the family’s dirty little secret.

The author’s prose is a bit different if you’re not used to her style, but it is a good different--very descriptive and emotional. The first few chapters establishing Kiran’s cred are rather confusing. I didn’t really understand how vision painting works until we actually see her in action. And then it hits you in the face. What a whammy! Things start to pick up from there. There is danger, cheating, betrayals, a possible murder or two, kidnapping and other shenanigans.

Out of the blue, the author chose a certain POV that really surprised me. Some people don’t like it, but for me, it’s what elevated the book from another run-of-the-mill paranormal whodunit and earns from me the extra star. I love Marge’s POV. Rich housewife, meddling mother, a one-time unfaithful wife--her actions are horrid. But she’s so human and typical mother-knows-best--well-meaning but totally clueless and off the mark. Her POV is revealing, poignant, ironic and often funny as hell in a black comedy kind of way (well mainly because she’s also very dead!). Her deadpan (pun intended!) declarations and observations are hilarious, again because of her particular situation. I love all the other characters too--Delilah in particular. She’s a delight to read. All the other assorted characters--good guys, bad guys--they’re are all done very well. The author creates such distinctive character voices, except for Ashley, who was a little vague and bland, but mainly, I guess, because she's always trying to conform to others' expectations of her. I love the ending too--cliche-ish but a concession to readers like me who need their HEA, even for the dead.

A caveat for romance lovers. This isn’t equal parts mystery and romance. The subtitle is after all, Misadventures of a Vision Painter. There is a beautiful romance but it is rather understated although the chemistry is there. There is a lot of intrigue and angsty human drama to take up the slack though. If you’re looking for something a little different than the usual lesfic and paranormal tropes, this is a good combo and won’t disappoint.

5 stars


… (altro)