Today we bring you two more stories. One called L.A.F. from Promising Author, Linxe Termoil. The other story, Dangerous Impulses, is brought to you by Author, Greg_A.

Reviewer: Renee Stevens
Status: Complete
Word Count: 12,017

I was looking for a story to do a review on and I decided on Linxe Turmoil’s story L.A.F. This story was first published as part of the 2011 Fall Anthology: Legends. I must say that it was an interesting read which enough twists and turns to keep me interested and wanting to find out more.

The story is told in first person by Danny, the main character, and follows a short period of time in his life. L.A.F. focuses on the relationships in his life, both old and new, and how he handles different aspects of life that for a teenage boy could end up being crippling if he allows it. His best friend doesn’t want it to be public knowledge that they’re friends. Another friend of his is determined that he needs to find romance. Add to all this, school sporting events have a tendency to turn violent. What is a guy to do when chaos abounds around him?

Linxe did a wonderful job, in my opinion, of mixing a dose of drama with a dose of humor into a believable story that at times made me want to smack characters and at other times made me want to laugh. I especially found the main characters relationship with his parents to be a nice change from some of the other stories I have read. As for the characters, it includes many of the clique’s that you find in high school. The jock, the shy artist, the popular cheer leader, and many others.

I strongly suggest that if you haven’t already read this story, that you do so. I know from experience that wrapping up a short story can be a difficult task. Linxe handled this perfectly and has wrapped this story up well enough that the reader isn’t left questioning what has happened to a particular character. Want to know what L.A.F. stands for? Check it out now and find out that and so much more!

Reviewer: Frostina
Status: Complete
Word Count: 19,664

This story came as quite a bit of surprise to me, especially when it was posted on GA. But given that I was already a big fan of Greg’s from having read Alex and Zach, there was no way I was going to let it just pass. Also, it was a ‘Complete’ story. How could I have let it go?

This story gives us the tale of Geoff, a shy, introverted man and Adam, a friend of his that he’d met online. Initially, as we’re introduced to Geoff, I couldn’t, for the life of me figure out why he was so terrified of meeting a friend in real life, especially someone he was close enough to have shared a lot of secrets with. But then again, if one could do so in the first few hundred words, why would they bother reading the rest?

Adam, in a word, was an admirer or Geoff’s work: no matter how amateurish Geoff thought they were. In fact, that’s how they’d begun corresponding, in the first place. Reviews turned into emails, which then became IMs and regular conversations of the interesting and the mundane. So for him to meet his friend, who sort of understood him, knew him better than a lot of people around, was something to look forward to, and without the trepidation Geoff seemed to have.
So while Geoff is trying his best to keep a distance, Adam is determined to show Geoff the best time in his city. Make sure that their friendship is worth maintaining, and also, he seems hell bent on bringing the quieter man out of his shell.

Neither was prepared for what seemed to hit them full force, and that is where Greg does an excellent work of taking us along on the journey of their lives. Although the story only takes place over an extended weekend, it does echo the sentiments of the characters, by the time we’re done with it. We feel like we know the characters so well, that it’s hard to believe in the end that it is just a short story that told you their tale. And to all of those who prefer reading novel/novellas because they seem to be able to tell a much deeper story, this is an answer to how even short stories can do so. (So, here goes a personal Thanks to Greg for giving the short story writers a boost of confidence!)

Although I want to say it’s a sweet romance, I really can’t do the story or Greg justice in doing so. It’s a bittersweet tale of new friendships, love lost and found. There really is no way anyone should miss giving this story a go! Take it from a voracious reader!

Well, there we go! Two more stories featured by two wonderful authors! Why not go and read them and let the authors know how much we appreciate them sharing their skill with us. Thank you to all of our reviewers. How about you? Is there a story that you have read and would like to see featured on the blog? Why not write a review for it! If you're interested, please contact Trebs or Renee Stevens.