Lenni Reviews: "Cross My Heart" by Catt Ford

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

Daniel Hunter sees Lana Renault pass him in the streets and is immediately smitten by this beautiful, elegant, and classy Parisian woman. But Lana is Roland Reynolds; who feels more comfortable living as Lana and wearing women's clothing without judgment. Having had painful and violent reactions in the past, Lana has resigned herself to a life of loneliness. Daniel's gentle and romantic pursuit of her is very tempting but Lana is terrified of how Daniel may react to the truth.

This book reminds me of those old black and white romance movies with some deliciously smutty bits thrown in. At times it does fall into the trap of being too perfect but this is a book for hopeless romantics who believe in happily ever after - which I am not. But, with Ford's writing, I almost believe it. Starting off a bit slow but touching my heart, I give this book a 3.7 out of 5. 

Lenni Reviews: "City of Dreams" by Sydney Blackburn

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Marcus Allegro travels to the City of Dreams to study art under Sebastian Moreaux; a master painter and well known to bed any willing student he comes across, shunning any sort of commitment. When he sets his sights on Marcus, Sebastian is baffled when the young man absolutely refuses to add his name to Sebastian's long list of forgotten conquests. This makes Sebastian want him even more but Marcus is looking for true love, which Sebastian takes great pains to avoid.

I feel if given more space to grow, this story would have more of an impact. I would have had a better understanding of how magic fits in this world, how artists have The Eye, how Sebastian came to be so guarded, how Marcus came to be such a romantic, and gotten to know them both more; I would be more invested in their romance and in their world. Coming in at a scant 59 pages as it is, this story is more like a sweet breeze; enjoyable but gone too fast. 3 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "The Edge of the Blade" by Jeffe Kennedy

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated for 18+

Elite warrior, scout, and spy Jepp is lethal with her blades and her tongue so when she is selected for a diplomatic mission as an ambassador to a country where women are wives or sex slaves, she finds remaining docile and subservient more challenging than anything she's faced before. But she must gather information on how big of a threat this foreign king may be and return alive without starting a war. Oh, and she's sleeping with the king's son; Prince Kral... Who has a wife.

Jepp is a cool character. You get a great sense of who she is from the smart writing and enjoy the story from her perspective. She's smart, tough, and funny; you could see yourself chilling at the bar with her despite the fact she would drink you under the table.

While containing romantic and erotic elements, the way this book is structured made them feel like a legitimate part of the story instead of the plot grinding to a halt so the main characters can bone. There is genuine peril and intrigue with high stakes in a well written and constructed fantasy world. I haven't read the first book (it may have given me some deeper context into some character relationships but it's not necessary) but the story is so interesting, I'd be excited to follow to the next book. It's obvious Jepp and the Uncharted Realms world have plenty more stories to tell. 4.5 out of 5.

Tribeca Games Festival Streaming Schedule

Posted by Justin D Williams

Tribeca Games Festival can be streamed live starting tomorrow at 10:00am ET. Hideo Kojima, Ken Levine and Sam Lake headline the fest’s content-rich day of programming; their keynotes, and many others, can be watched via Tribeca’s Twitch channel. Two of the keynotes will stand apart from classic game discussions, with film directors Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) and Neil Burger (Limitless) joining in to speak with Ken and Sam. www.Twitch.tv/TribecaGames

STREAMING SCHEDULE, SATURDAY 4/29 - ALL TIMES EASTERN

10:00 - 10:50am

• Retro Active with Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable) and John Watson (The Banner Saga)

• Moderated by Chris Grant (Polygon)

11:00 - 11:50am

• 25th Anniversary of The Lawnmower Man + The Past, Present & Future of VR with director Brett Leonard, Jessica Brillhart (Principal Filmmaker for VR at Google)

• Moderated by Alex Goldman (Gimlet Media)

12:00 - 12:50pm

• Retro Active with Jonathan Morin (Watchdogs 2)

• Moderated by Matt Thompson (The Atlantic)

2:30 - 3:20pm

• Retro Active with Sean Vanaman (Firewatch)

• Moderated by Jamin Warren (Kill Screen)

3:30 - 4:20pm

• Achievement Oriented podcast with Michael Chu (Overwatch) and Kiki Wolfkill (Halo)

• Hosted by Ben Lindbergh and Jason Conception (The Ringer)

4:30 - 5:20pm

• Keynote with Sam Lake (Max Payne, Alan Wake) and Neil Burger (Limitless)

• Moderated by Chris Suellentrop (Glixel)

5:30 - 6:20pm

• Keynote with Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear, Kojima Productions)

• Moderated by Geoff Keighley

6:30 - 7:20pm

• Keynote with Ken Levine (Bioshock) and Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow)

• Moderated by Clive Thompson (WIRED)