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teresab78's review against another edition
5.0
Oh what to say! I loved everything about this book. From the flawed but principled characters, their quick connection but slow relationship (comparatively), to the suspense and danger at just the right pace. There's no sex until 75% or so but they don't have time for it til then. And when it happens it's hot. The plot was tight and the characters real. I would love to read more about Grier and Alec!
litagentsaritza's review against another edition
5.0
What an amazing thrill ride! This book seizes your heart from the very first sentence and doesn't let you go until long after you've put it down! Wow!
What I liked about this book: I love it when an author can transport me into their world with relative ease and make me believe I'm part of the action. I'm not just a bystander watching the action unfold, I'm in the middle of it and it's freaking awesome! That's pretty much how I felt through the journey that is [b:State of Mind|3392285|Dead Is a State of Mind (Dead Is, #2)|Marlene Perez|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1221576912s/3392285.jpg|3432157].
This isn't your typical boy meets boy... boy falls in love with boy... boy fucks boy... boy tells boy he loves him... boys live happily ever after formula. While the elements of romance are there and at the forefront of the story, [a:Libby Drew|3381921|Libby Drew|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1266535647p2/3381921.jpg] brilliantly weaves a thriller-suspense plotline into the conflict between Grier and Alec. It's so intense, in fact, that I was worried the book would not end in the happily ever after I expect in Romance. Is that a bad thing? Hell no! It's a testament to the author that I was so engrossed in the action going on around the characters that I was prepared to throttle her for hurting them (required conflict or not). Thankfully, she didn't hurt them... too badly! ;)
I'm hoping for a sequel because I'd love to see more of Nicholas.
Summary: Grier Crist works for the Organization—a group of Gifted “agents” who use their powers to keep peace, help those in need, and combat criminal influence around the globe. When a suspicious bombing drives Grier to break his ties with the group and go into hiding, the head of the Organization sends model agent Alec Devlin after him, claiming Grier is a murderer and traitor to their cause.
Grier manages to turn the tables and take Alec hostage long enough to convince him that the Organization is lying and hiding something sinister. The two strike a bargain: amidst enemies who want them dead, friends with their own agendas, and the growing passion between them, they'll work together to bring down the Organization in order to protect the world… and each other.
What I liked about this book: I love it when an author can transport me into their world with relative ease and make me believe I'm part of the action. I'm not just a bystander watching the action unfold, I'm in the middle of it and it's freaking awesome! That's pretty much how I felt through the journey that is [b:State of Mind|3392285|Dead Is a State of Mind (Dead Is, #2)|Marlene Perez|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1221576912s/3392285.jpg|3432157].
This isn't your typical boy meets boy... boy falls in love with boy... boy fucks boy... boy tells boy he loves him... boys live happily ever after formula. While the elements of romance are there and at the forefront of the story, [a:Libby Drew|3381921|Libby Drew|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1266535647p2/3381921.jpg] brilliantly weaves a thriller-suspense plotline into the conflict between Grier and Alec. It's so intense, in fact, that I was worried the book would not end in the happily ever after I expect in Romance. Is that a bad thing? Hell no! It's a testament to the author that I was so engrossed in the action going on around the characters that I was prepared to throttle her for hurting them (required conflict or not). Thankfully, she didn't hurt them... too badly! ;)
I'm hoping for a sequel because I'd love to see more of Nicholas.
Excerpt: Nicolas returned in a subdued mood, closing the door behind him before he spoke. “It’s done. You leave in three hours.”
“Thank you.” Grier stood, and Alec followed his lead. “I’d like to get some sleep, if you have no objections.”
“None. Alec?” Nicolas tilted his head at Alec’s blank look.
“Would you care to rest?” Alec shook his head. “Too keyed up. What else do you have to do around here?”
“Ah.” A spark of playfulness returned. “I’m sure we can come up with something. Grier, you’re capable of finding a bed on your own, aren’t you?” Nicolas threw the door open and ushered Alec out. “I think I have just the thing. Do you box, Alec?”
Grier tagged along behind, frowning. “Perhaps—”
“Get some sleep,” Alec said. “I’ll be fine.” Already the tension was spiraling higher, spurred by the promised challenge. He’d welcome the chance to work out some aggression. Working it out on Nicolas would be a bonus.
Nicolas shoved Grier into the nearest guest room. “Nighty-night,” he said with a curt wave. “Don’t worry about Alec. I promise not to hurt him. Too much.” He closed the door in Grier’s face. “Come on. Let’s see if any of my toys make you happy.”
Alec studied Nicolas as they walked. He moved with a fluid grace that Alec lacked, but then Alec also had two inches and a good twenty pounds on him. He bet Nicolas relied on all that fancy footwork too, something Alec had never mastered.
They descended two flights past various utility rooms to a set of double doors. Nicolas pushed them open and marched inside. Whatever Alec had been expecting, this unadorned room wasn’t it. “What, no naked attendants?”
Nicolas flicked on the overhead lights. “I can arrange for some if they motivate you.” He smiled sweetly. “Perhaps Grier would indulge us.”
Alec swallowed noisily. That was the last thing he needed to be thinking about. “Nah.” He took a deep breath of musty air, inspecting the floor mats and punching bags. Along the far wall, a bank of open cabinets held towels, tape, and other odds and ends. A bench ran the length, with pairs of boxing gloves lined up neatly above it. Grinning, Alec rubbed his hands together.
“You never answered my question,” Nicolas said as they moved toward the bench. “Do you box?”
“I dabble.” A pair of jet black gloves caught Alec’s eye, and he scooped them up, testing the weight. He guessed at least sixteen ounces. Perfect. “You?”
“Never before in my life.” Nicolas pulled a pair of shorts off the shelf and begin stripping down. He threw Alec some wraps. “And take your hands off my gloves.”
Being right about something had never been so painful, Alec decided. Twenty minutes later, he stood in a semi-crouch, trying to catch his breath while Nicolas danced around him, feet a blur.
Nicolas’s, “Had enough?” pulled a snarl from his throat. He straightened his stance and began to stalk him across the floor.
Nicolas blocked his next jab and cross—slippery bastard—but couldn’t dodge Alec’s hook. He went down hard. Alec leaned over him. “Had enough?”
Nicolas sighed. Through the headgear it sounded like a snake hissing. “I think… yes.”
“Thank fucking God.” Alec left him on the floor and stumbled to the bench. He peeled the tape loose with his teeth and pried the gloves off, then sagged against the wall, grinning so wide his jaw hurt. His head ached, but the adrenaline rush was keeping it in check. So was the sight of Nicolas limping his way, looking disheveled and not one bit the uptight aristocrat. Alec grabbed a thick white towel off the top of the pile and lobbed it at him.
Nicolas caught it out of the air before it smacked him in the face. “Thanks.”
“God, I needed that.” The endorphins sharpened his awareness to near painful levels. He felt it all. The trickle of perspiration between his shoulder blades. The pull of overused muscles. The cold air gushing out of the air conditioner vent above his head. Nicolas’s presence beside him, and the dual thump of their hearts.
“You’re a brute.” Nicolas wiped the sweat from his face and neck.
“Yeah. You’re not bad either.” Nicolas groaned into the towel. “That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Sure it wasn’t.”
They both looked up when the doors opened. Grier’s sigh carried all the way across the room. “Is there blood?”
“Nope.” Alec looked Nicolas up and down. “I was gentle.”
“Caveman ego is not charming. Grier, tell him.” Grier watched from the door, saying nothing.
“I wasn’t trying to be charming.”
“Sadly, I knew that.” Nicolas winced as he stood. “I need a shower. If you’ll excuse me.” Grier let him go, but a look passed between them, something intimate. Alec felt too sated to care.
Grier nudged the abandoned gloves out of the way and sat. He crossed his legs and stared down his nose at Alec. “Did it occur to you that your little grudge match might have exacerbated your headaches?”
“Nope. I feel great.” He turned his grin on Grier, dipping his gaze to take in the other man’s rumpled appearance. “Get any sleep?”
“None, of course.”
Alec smirked at the tone and continued his perusal, letting his eyes linger where they wanted. He thumped a fist on the abandoned gloves. “Wanna get sweaty?”
Grier’s inhaled sharply, nostrils flaring. He sifted a hand through Alec’s damp hair. “Is that an invitation?”
High on endorphins, Alec laughed. “Didn’t it fucking sound like one?”
hpstrangelove's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read the edited version yet. I was able to read a draft version last year and loved it. Libby has said there were some additions and I'm looking forward to reading them - they can only make this book better.
dancpharmd's review
5.0
Everyone around here knows that I read every last word of Heidi's m/m fiction - featuring a great plenitude of man-on-man action. What you might not know is that hers is not the only m/m fiction I read. This comes as a result of having a non-paying side gig of proofreading galleys for Dreamspinner. And to be 100% honest about it, I really enjoy reading this genre more than I ever thought I would. I blame 5 seasons of Queer As Folk (and one laughably bad season of The Lair) for causing me to be completely "eh, whatever" when it comes to the sex. And seriously, it's just sex and the sex is but a mere portion of it. It doesn't threaten my masculinity. To paraphrase a friend of mine, I don't need a hetero-proving empty seat between me and a friend at the movie and I've only gotten huggier as I've gotten older.
And what a story I would have missed had I let the m/m aspect of State of Mind turn me off. State of Mind is Libby Drew's first book for Dreamspinner, and if this is any indication, it'll be the first of many many more.
Set in a non-specific future, the book is equal parts X-Men, James Bond and Jason Bourne. The book opens by introducing us to Grier Crist, a "Gifted" who has until recently worked for The Organization, a global outfit that basically uses the Gifteds' special powers for the good of humankind. Only Grier has reason to believe that the Organization is not all that it appears to be and severs his ties with them. So The Organization sends one of its best men, Alec Devlin, after him. Together, they untangle a complicated web of of deceit and intrigue.
There were so many things I loved about this book. One of my biggest beefs with m/m fiction is that so often, the protagonists do not act like men would act. As another of my friends has told me, they may be gay, but they're still guys. I felt like Drew had a really good handle on both Grier and Alec as men. Although they didn't start out as friends, I completely bought the eventual camaraderie that developed between them. Her mix of barbs, sarcasm and a liberal sprinkling of sexual tension made their interactions very believable and a joy to read. I found myself saying to myself, "man, if only I could be half as witty as these guys!" I guess that's what happens when you have a writer like Drew providing you with your lines.
As a rule, most of my interactions with the thriller genre - whether it be a James Bond movie or a one of the Jason Bourne novels - I feel like the stupidest person in the room. It seems like I am perpetually the last person to put the pieces together and easily lose track of who is chasing who and why I'm supposed to care. Most of the time, I feel like I need the Cliffs Notes. Not so with State of Mind. Drew is a masterful storyteller, dropping plot points like bread crumbs - just enough to keep us following her but never revealing too much too soon. I admire someone who can weave a complicated story and never really leave us confused, except for the times when we're supposed to be. When you arrived at the end, it all made sense - even the things I didn't think made sense while I was reading it.
And yes, there is sex. It is very well done sex. I get really pissed off at people who just presume that romance novels - and especially novels in this genre - are nothing more than cleverly disguised porn. I'm fond of saying that either those people haven't read many romance novels or haven't watched very much porn because nothing could be further from the truth. Heidi says that the sex in a book always has to move the plot forward, ALWAYS. There's not tons of sex in this book (less than in others I've read), but what there is passes The Heidi Test and is always crucial to the plot. It's never gratuitous or sex for the sake of a sex scene. It is, honestly, a relief after the carefully laid build-up. It is in that respect that the comparison between novels in the romance genre and porn breaks down. Show me a porn in which there is no sex scene for the sake of having a sex scene and I'll tell you to come back when you've found porn.
The payoff for me in these books is always the relationship. I've heard it referred to as "emotional porn" and if that's what it is, so be it, but I think that tragically oversimplifies it. It's no secret that I am very interested in masculinity and how it's evolving and I can't understate the role that gay men have in this evolution. The emotional openness that I've seen in these books just reaffirms for me that straight men should be reading these books. We have so much to learn from each other.
I won't be reviewing (or even counting) every book I proof for Dreamspinner in the 2010 Book Challenge, but State of Mind was too good to not include. I can't recommend this book enough to fans of the genre and to sci-fi/thriller fans as well. Go pick up State of Mind from Dreamspinner in paperback or eBook and help this book skyrocket to the #1 spot on the Dreamspinner bestseller list which is where it belongs.
And yes, that is me on the cover of the book.
And what a story I would have missed had I let the m/m aspect of State of Mind turn me off. State of Mind is Libby Drew's first book for Dreamspinner, and if this is any indication, it'll be the first of many many more.
Set in a non-specific future, the book is equal parts X-Men, James Bond and Jason Bourne. The book opens by introducing us to Grier Crist, a "Gifted" who has until recently worked for The Organization, a global outfit that basically uses the Gifteds' special powers for the good of humankind. Only Grier has reason to believe that the Organization is not all that it appears to be and severs his ties with them. So The Organization sends one of its best men, Alec Devlin, after him. Together, they untangle a complicated web of of deceit and intrigue.
There were so many things I loved about this book. One of my biggest beefs with m/m fiction is that so often, the protagonists do not act like men would act. As another of my friends has told me, they may be gay, but they're still guys. I felt like Drew had a really good handle on both Grier and Alec as men. Although they didn't start out as friends, I completely bought the eventual camaraderie that developed between them. Her mix of barbs, sarcasm and a liberal sprinkling of sexual tension made their interactions very believable and a joy to read. I found myself saying to myself, "man, if only I could be half as witty as these guys!" I guess that's what happens when you have a writer like Drew providing you with your lines.
As a rule, most of my interactions with the thriller genre - whether it be a James Bond movie or a one of the Jason Bourne novels - I feel like the stupidest person in the room. It seems like I am perpetually the last person to put the pieces together and easily lose track of who is chasing who and why I'm supposed to care. Most of the time, I feel like I need the Cliffs Notes. Not so with State of Mind. Drew is a masterful storyteller, dropping plot points like bread crumbs - just enough to keep us following her but never revealing too much too soon. I admire someone who can weave a complicated story and never really leave us confused, except for the times when we're supposed to be. When you arrived at the end, it all made sense - even the things I didn't think made sense while I was reading it.
And yes, there is sex. It is very well done sex. I get really pissed off at people who just presume that romance novels - and especially novels in this genre - are nothing more than cleverly disguised porn. I'm fond of saying that either those people haven't read many romance novels or haven't watched very much porn because nothing could be further from the truth. Heidi says that the sex in a book always has to move the plot forward, ALWAYS. There's not tons of sex in this book (less than in others I've read), but what there is passes The Heidi Test and is always crucial to the plot. It's never gratuitous or sex for the sake of a sex scene. It is, honestly, a relief after the carefully laid build-up. It is in that respect that the comparison between novels in the romance genre and porn breaks down. Show me a porn in which there is no sex scene for the sake of having a sex scene and I'll tell you to come back when you've found porn.
The payoff for me in these books is always the relationship. I've heard it referred to as "emotional porn" and if that's what it is, so be it, but I think that tragically oversimplifies it. It's no secret that I am very interested in masculinity and how it's evolving and I can't understate the role that gay men have in this evolution. The emotional openness that I've seen in these books just reaffirms for me that straight men should be reading these books. We have so much to learn from each other.
I won't be reviewing (or even counting) every book I proof for Dreamspinner in the 2010 Book Challenge, but State of Mind was too good to not include. I can't recommend this book enough to fans of the genre and to sci-fi/thriller fans as well. Go pick up State of Mind from Dreamspinner in paperback or eBook and help this book skyrocket to the #1 spot on the Dreamspinner bestseller list which is where it belongs.
And yes, that is me on the cover of the book.
scarlett_r_90's review against another edition
3.0
Short review this time, as it is difficult to put words to why i didn't like this book more. It just didn't work well for me. It was alright, but the story rang false to me for some reason. It seemed forced and squeezed. It was an interesting plot concept, and the two main characters were endearing and I wanted them to succeed, but, IMHO, it wasn't executed in the best way. Okay, but nothing special.
scarlett__r90's review
3.0
Short review this time, as it is difficult to put words to why i didn't like this book more. It just didn't work well for me. It was alright, but the story rang false to me for some reason. It seemed forced and squeezed. It was an interesting plot concept, and the two main characters were endearing and I wanted them to succeed, but, IMHO, it wasn't executed in the best way. Okay, but nothing special.
nightcolors's review
3.0
This was an interesting book with very likable characters. I liked Alec and Grier, the two main guys. There was lots of action -- paranormal, psychic stuff, too -- which I always enjoy. But weirdly, I had trouble falling into the story. I'm gonna have to read this book again sometime.
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