It’s 2031 and the world has changed… a lot.  It doesn’t rain here and what water there is is under tight control.  The rebellion is hoping to change that, which leads us to our two main characters, Jacob and Ethan.  Jacob, the leader of the rebellion, remembers what the world was like when the rains fell from the heavens and is haunted by those memories and what he’s lost.  Ethan, born after the drought, yearns for a world he has never known and rain he has never seen.  Two men, two very different views of the same world, can either truly understand the other’s pain? Will these differences bond them together or slowly tear them apart?

A Roof for the Rain is sold by Red Rose Publishing as a “petal”, which is a story that is 5,001 to 15,000 words.  “Roof” is 11,720 words or 61 pages long in PDF format.  Its price is a mere $1.99 as an eBook so price wise and for the quality of the story, you can’t go wrong.

The characters are manly and although each has a preference for top or bottom, the bottom isn’t your typical uke type.  Both are buff, gritty, sweaty and fit their environment to a tee.  Does this mean there isn’t any romance? No, it’s just a manlier romance than what we usually get and that’s nice.  Their sex is rough like the terrain that surrounds them.  You can almost feel how Jacob’s fingers grip deeply into Ethan’s thighs.  (Ok, enough of that before I start writing my own sex scene here).

I liked the plot.  It was different and it lent itself to some beautifully descriptive language and bitter sweet imagery.  I started to feel like I could understand what living like that would be like.  For such a short story, it still felt complete but I could have also kept reading if the story continued.  It’s not filled with fight scenes or battles with the water lords; it’s more about Jacob and Ethan as individuals and that is what works for a story this short.  There are two sex scenes in total and although I would prefer more, it’s a short story and it would require sacrificing plot for sex.  I may be used to that with yaoi but I have higher expectations with my M/M erotica.  I would have liked more detail but I debate with sacrificing the intent of the story and how the sex reflects their life just to add detail that wouldn’t fit. 

Like most M/M erotica, there aren’t additional illustrations throughout the story like yaoi novels have (although there are some M/M erotica that do).  The cover is a 3D computer graphic image and as I said in my review of Katana Duet that uses a similar technique, I don’t like 3D CG.  It’s a personal preference but no matter what it is, I just don’t like 3D CG images used for a cover.  That being said, I don’t get these books for the cover, I get them for what is inside and this would be my only beef with this title.

Overall, I like the plot of the story and I think you will to.  It’s different, fresh and with men that could actually exist. 

Characters = A

Plot = A

Sex = A- (Good but short, fits the story)   

Overall Grade = A- (a hair short of an “A” literally)

Excerpt

Where to buy

This is the first yaoi novel I’ve read that was done by a GloBL author and all I have to say is “”yes, please”! As someone who reads a lot of yaoi novels or all yaoi novels for that matter, I am pretty used to plot being nonexistent in many of them.  Hey, as long as the sex is good, I’m willing to deal with no plot; same with my yaoi manga.  Not so with this one. 

I came across this title on another person’s blog and though, hmmm, I wonder what this is? Sleight of Hand is in eBook form and is considered a short story as it is only 48 pages long but it packs one hell of a punch when it comes to content (keep in mind these are full sized pages and not the small yaoi novel pages).  Hey, and for a measly $2.50 and immediate access via download, I was sold. 

Short stories are 12K to 18K words long and this one is just short of pushing over the 18K word mark that would make it a novella so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.  If you’re not familiar with the eBook set up, you can either read it on your computer or load it into an eBook reader like Kindle.  I just downloaded it as a PDF file and read it on my computer with Adobe, which is free.  Easy, peasy, lemon sqeezy.  Plus, there is this awesome software called Calibre that will organize your eBooks for you in one convenient place and even displays the cover art like the iPod displays the CD covers that rotate so you can chose the one you want.  Pretty sweet.  I have six eBooks now, all of the male-on-male variety and I couldn’t be happier with the content (more on those later!).

One last note on this one before I jump into the review, now through the end of January, the author is offering a

As I’m sure you have already figured out, I’m pretty excited about this short story.  The story itself takes place just after the turn of the century in the early 1900’s.  Our main character, Edwin, is a 19-year-old lad currently on a train ride across country with his mother and sister, Alma.  Alma is betrothed to a man three times her age, which she only agreed to as he would help support her widowed mother and put her brother through university.  Edwin is a frail young man and has suffered from many ailments.  Currently he is suffering from insomnia and a recurring nightmare that plagues the short times he is able to sleep.  He is neither able to remember the dream upon awaking nor the mysterious stranger within it.  During their journey, the train picks up a private car that carries Sir Marco Satori, an “illusionist, hypnotist & spiritual extraordinaire”.  Edwin finds himself attracted to the mysterious stranger, but this sexy stranger has his own dark secrets.

Ok, so let’s get down to the nitty gritty, shall we? The characters are beautifully written and developed so that you truly get a feeling for Edwin’s frailty and Satori’s masculinity and utter mysteriousness.  The plot is fast paced with twists and turns so that by the ending, you have utterly fallen in love with the story.  And the ending? Not in the least bit predictable and keeps you at the edge of your seat right until the last word.  I just found out that there is going to be a sequel to this story (I know the title but I can’t tell!) so that’s just one more reason to give this first story a try.  So you’re saying to yourself “we get it, but what about the sex?”  Um… I just read this one for the second time and I’m still flushed.  The build up to the first sex scene was perfect and the way it was executed, well, you’ll just have to read it.  Very detailed, very smutty but beautifully worded.  There are two detailed sex scenes in this story and neither disappoint.  The one difference between this type of short story and a Japanese boys’ love novel is that there are no illustrations beyond the cover but I honestly don’t think you’ll miss them.  The words are so detailed that the picture painted in your mind is more than enough. 

I’m going to have to adjust my grading scale for this one as I usually grade for character design, plot, sexual content, illustration/book design and translation.  I’m giving this one an A+ because I just think it is that good.  You can read a lengthy excerpt of the book here, which is also where you can purchase the book if you so choose.   

Characters = A+

Plot = A+

Sexual Content = A+

Overall Grade = A+