Amazing Author book reviews: Zahra Owens

Zahra’s published a lot of stories over the last few years, with an impressive range of subgenres covered. Here I’ve sampled a crime thriller, a sweet holiday story and an angsty cowboy novel!

Trust (available as a free online read or in the free anthology: Don’t Read in the Closet vol 4)

This story was written as part of the Goodreads M/M Romance groups Hot Summer Days event, in response to the following picture and prompt:

I’m really a cop who’s infiltrated a notorious gang. This evil mob boss thinks he owns me. I’ve been under cover for so long I’ve forgotten who I really am. There’s a new guy in the gang who’s always watching me but for some reason I think I can trust him. Maybe we can bring down this gang together and get out with our lives and a HEA?

Review:

Trust is a tense mob thriller narrated by Matt Gianetti – a closeted mobster with many secrets. When the attractive and heavily tattooed Nick Castro takes an interest in him, life becomes simultaneously more exciting and incredibly risky for Matt. Managing two strip clubs for Nick’s boss is well within Matt’s talents, but what else does the man want from him, and why?

I really enjoyed the ride in this novelette – it covers a lot of ground and probably could have been even longer, but you’re given enough detail to enjoy the story. I particularly liked the way Zahra doesn’t shy away from showing more gritty sex (including a couple of horribly awkward scenes in which Matt is the reluctant voyeur), and gives us a strong sense of the power dynamic between Matt and Nick.

For a free read, you can’t go far wrong with this one!

You Can’t Choose Your Family

Jay and Fran have been a couple for twenty years. They have a great relationship with only one minor bone of contention: while Fran is very much a member of Jay’s extended family, to Fran’s family, Jay is just “his business partner.” It’s not that Fran doesn’t want to come out to his family; it’s more that they don’t want to hear it.

When Fran’s father, an evangelical minister, dies, Fran hopes the rest of his family will be more accepting. This hope is nipped in the bud by his very conservative older brother, so Jay’s mother steps in and invites Fran’s mother over for Christmas… but will joining Fran’s happy-go-lucky in-laws be too much for Fran’s mother, or will they help her see the truth of just how much Jay means to Fran?

Review:

You Can’t Choose Your Family had all the ingredients for a cozy holiday story: family get togethers, festive traditions and a gentle romance. I particularly liked the way we join a couple who have been together in a solid relationship for twenty years. Jay and Fran are excellent partners, and the conflict in this story comes from persuading Fran’s family to accept that, and in healing the wounds of the past.

This is a light and gentle novelette, but with surprising depth beneath the surface. Fran’s mother is a complicated figure and it takes her time to come to terms with her son’s relationship, but I thought this was handled with a deft touch. What’s more, there’s an endearingly cute motif running through the story about just how Jay and Fran always spend their free time while the rest of the family go carolling – naughty boys!

Clouds and Rain

Flynn Tomlinson has drifted for several years, working odd jobs when he needs the money and moving on when he doesn’t. He’s content with his freestyle life, not tied down, not responsible for anyone but himself. Then he comes across a Help Wanted ad in a post office in Idaho and meets Gable Sutton. Gable can’t pay Flynn until he sells his horses, but a serious accident has left him unable to work his ranch alone.

Working with horses beats stacking shelves at the supermarket, and so Flynn agrees to Gable’s terms. What Flynn doesn’t bargain for is being captivated by this gentle, lonely man who captures his heart and moves Flynn to take on an incredible burden: saving Gable’s ranch.

Review:

Clouds and Rain is a long novel, spanning a couple of years in the lives of Gable and Flynn. It’s also a May/December story, with a twenty year age gap between young Flynn and bitter, damaged Gable. I’ll admit, I didn’t warm to Gable straight away. He’s an extremely prickly character who keeps a hard shell around his vulnerabilities – pushing Flynn away when he tries to get close.

However, tragedy strikes and Gable is rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, and over his subsequent recovery we get to see an amazing growth in Gable’s character. The healing process spans a long period, but it was lovely to see him start to open up and work through the sorrows of his past, as well as embracing the opportunities in his future with Flynn.

This is a fairly intense novel, as while there are a few secondary characters, the bulk of the scenes revolve around the two MCs together or alone. It would be best suited to those readers who enjoy a long, angsty novel with a damaged hero – and if you’re partial to butch ranchers in cowboy hats, there’s a fair few of them!