Panic by Peter Melillo

tmp_6e5963e6641fed1617790e77ec0e9a30_kX_Ymc_html_48504c65Title: Panic

Series: N/A

Author: Peter Melillo

Length: Short (20 Pages)

Publisher: JMS Books LLC, October 2nd 2013

Heat Level: None

Heart Rating: ♥1 Heart

Blurb: Arthur Fredrickson is back from Iraq, convicted of the brutal murder of seventeen-year-old Ali Hussein. He has no recollection of removing the clip from Ali’s AK-47 and then pumping twelve rounds into his body while they were on sentry duty. The lawyer Arthur’s parents hired to defend him wants to use the Homosexual Panic Defense, if Arthur would rescind his confession of murder under threat of torture.

Arthur surmises his exposure to the “gay bomb” pheromones while handling specially marked artillery shells had suddenly worn off and caused him to go into a blind rage at the gay sex he was having with Ali. But Ahmed, Ali’s best friend since early childhood, implies the murder was caused by Ali wanting Arthur to stop the romantic aspect of their guard duty sex. But then, Ahmed and Ali also had a history before the war began.

Product Link:  https://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/363913/1/panic

Reviewer: Lisa

Review: This book was very hard to get into. It seemed more like a transcript for a new trial, which basically is what it is about. Twenty-year-old Arthur was having sex with seventeen-year-old Ali. Ali, as told by his best friend Ahmed, thought the sex was punishment for falling asleep while on duty, given to him instead of lashes. Arthur swears he doesn’t even remember killing Ali. A lawyer and investigator were hired by Arthur’s family, to find out what truly happened and to help their son. I just couldn’t get into this story.

The framework for a good story is there, but there is just too much going on, and not enough room to really get into the story. I’d like to read this again, if ever the author expands it and gives us a full story.

Silence by Peter Melillo

silence_400x600130902_1039Title: Silence

Author: Peter Melillo

Genre: Erotic

Length: Short (30 pages)

Publisher: JMS books (Sept 1st, 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts

Reviewer: Cat

Blurb:Brazie Deschinney had a talent for resurrecting dead or dying internal combustion engines, both large and small. Since his childhood in the San Gabriel Indian Reservation, he fixed cars, trucks, model aeroplanes … bartering food, goods, and sexual favors for payment.

Urged by his parents to join the Navy to see the world and have fun, Brazie discovered that while discrimination always lurks, his amazing mechanical skills could make him friends in all levels of society.

Running roughly parallel to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the peaking AIDS pandemic in the USA, this is the story of one boy who found love and achieved victory in the end.

Purchase Link: http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=907

Review: This is a bittersweet story of a young American Indian and how he had to fight so many levels of bullying and discrimination. Brazie was always good at any kind of engines and goes into the service to see the world, have fun, and hone his craft.  He immediately is harassed and goes through hell.

There are parallels stories of the Iraqi war and outbreak of Aids.  I liked the story of Brazi his turmoil, and the story of him finding himself and his sexual encounters. I personally could have done without the war parts; it was sort of like reading news reports. I felt the poignancy of this story and focusing on Brazi, the bullying, and the Aids were quite good.  My heart truly went out to the young men and the ending made me cry. (By the way, I like a story that makes me cry)

I recommend this if you like stories with conflict, war, about bullying and discrimination, mechanics, coming out and bittersweet endings.

Asperger's by Peter Melillo

aspergersTitle:  Asperger’s

Author: Peter Melillo 

Genre:   Erotic Romance (per JMS books.com)

Length:  Short (17 pages)

Publisher:  JMS books.com (August 11th, 2013)

Heat Level:  None

Heart Rating:  ♥1Heart

Blurb:  Marshall volunteers at the handicapped student office at Columbia University at the end of his fifth term to keep out of trouble. As an undergraduate working toward a sociology degree, he likes working with people, and he’s assigned to work with Lyle, who has Asperger’s syndrome. In trying to find a way to work together, the two develop a close bond. Then their roles are reversed when Lyle discovers Marshall needs tutoring about sexuality.

Product Link: http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=901&zenid=e71n0v041mt1nlm42imolu4ku6

Reviewer:   Tams

Review:  This is billed as an erotic romance between a student aid and a student with Asperger’s syndrome. I was anxious to read this story to see how the relationship would build and play out. I was sadly disappointed. As the mom of an Aspie, Lyle was an unrealistic character. The author seemed to take all the positive behaviors of the disorder and incorporate them into this one person. The writing as well was stilted, with the majority of the story being conversations about a history paper. There wasn’t anything erotic or romantic within this story that I found. It pains me that I didn’t like this book, I really wanted to.