Review in Questions: My Big Fat SX-File Wedding by Mimi Riser

Mimi Riser
My Big Fat SX-File Wedding
Amber Allure, November 13, 2011

Links: Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
The prequel to Amber Allure best-selling Sylver & Steele series...

A cross-dressing werewolf and a billionaire cat-shifter. How the heck did such a mismatched pair ever get together in the first place? If you’ve been pondering that question, here’s the answer at last, in naughty and naked detail—the complete, behind-the-scenes story of how werewolf Sylver Starr met and married cat-shifter Hunter Steele! Before the wedding, however, they’ll have to save the world from impending doom. As usual.

If you haven’t yet read a Sylver & Steele story, this is a great one to start with. And if you have been following our heroes’ adventures, you definitely don’t want to miss My Big Fat SX-File Wedding!

Genre & Keywords:
M/M Romance, Paranormal, Humor, Sci-Fi, Shifters, Cross-Dressing, Aliens, Cowboys, Science

Reviewed by SharonS. and Lis:

Sharon’s overall impression:

If I had to pick one word to describe this story it would be absurd *g*. It was like a train wreck I couldn’t stop watching. You have to read this story with the purpose of just sitting back and enjoying the ride and not try and make sense of it. Be sure to hold on because it moves at break neck speed. With all the silliness that happens with golems, flying saucers, petticoats and virgin m/m sex, there is also a sweet and cheesy love story. If you are looking for a meaningful and thought provoking read, you might want to skip this one, but if you are looking for something off the charts different and nothing but pure entertainment then this is worth checking out.

Sharon’s Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 1 out of 3

Lis’ overall impression:

Well woooohweeeee. This was some book. When I first started, I had no idea what to expect, but once I started reading I couldn’t stop. Sylver is one heck of a likable character. So much so I wanted to wrap him up and keep him! Hunter just made me laugh. This story was so much fun to read, it’s very hard not to read it a second and a third time! This short story gives you a nice introduction to Sylver and Hunter and how they first meet and got together, complete with hot scorching smexing. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. You’ll love it!

Lis’ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 2 out of 3

Reviewed in questions:

Both Sylver and Hunter are very different characters. In fact they are almost polar opposites. But opposites attract, right? What did you think of Sylver and Hunter's characters?

Lis: Yes, the characters of Hunter and Sylver are typical opposites attract. They couldn't be more different. Apart from being a werecat and werewolf respectively, their personalities are also on the opposite sides of the board.
Sylver is flamboyant, confident if not a little naive and sweet. He's straightforward and doesn't hide what he wants. He's also very sweet. He constantly thinks of others and tries to keep the peace (as much as possible) even with his redneck cousin.
Hunter, on the other hand, is conservative, but also a playboy, idealistic, a snob, egotistical and very smart, but also someone who tries to play a role and fit into the picture people expect of him and the persona he put forth.
Like Sylver he is also very sweet, but in need of a little nudge. When the two meet Hunter is very much in the closet, conforming to the picture everyone expects of him and there's no place for a male mate in there. However, once Sylver drags him out, a sweet nature emerges.

The story is rather short, but there is a lot of inner monologue from Sylver's side. What did you think of that and how it is integrated into the story?

Sharon: I enjoy first person POV stories. I liked being inside of Sylver’s head. It was a crazy ADD place and had me laughing. I liked the constant, frantic and rapid firing off of his thoughts. The way the story is told gives us insight into the personality of Sylver and how absurd his life can be.

This a prequel to the series. Not having read the other three stories, do you think this is a good basis for the rest of the series?

Sharon: If this story is any indication of the rest of the series I would love to read it for the entertainment value, but it kind of ‘scares’ me too. While the constant inner dialog of Sylver is entertaining in novella form, I don’t know if I could take a whole novel at this pace! I think reading from Sylver’s POV could get old quick, maybe even headache inducing *g*. If the series is a little less hectic and the pace is slowed down, I think it would be a fun read. I would love to learn more about Hunter’s feelings. We didn’t really get a good sense of him since this was from Sylver’s POV.

When Sylver finds out Hunter is his mate, Hunter is less than pleased. What did you think of how Sylver handled the situation?

Lis: I think he handled it very admirably. Granted this is a comedy of sorts, so there is no room for angst. Fortunately for us, Sylver is a very positive and confident person and his ramblings, plus his actions aboard the UFO help convince Hunter otherwise.
I thought his mental ramblings with Hunter were very funny and sweet!
I did imagine that Hunter was a little put off by Sylver at first. The story is seen from Sylver's point of view, as Sharon already said, so we don't really get Hunter's thoughts, but I can imagine he was a little more than surprised when he first meets Sylver. Here you are, deep in the closet and somewhat confident about who you are and along steps a cross-dressing werewolf who literally jumps you and turns your world upside down.

Sharon: I think Sylver handled it the way he handles everything in his life. He wants it, he goes after it. He seems to have an optimistic approach to things and feels things will work out in the end. He did know when to back off a little so he wouldn’t cause Hunter to run screaming…then again he would just chase him down and tackle him *g*.

What did you find the funniest & most quotable part of this story?

Lis: This is not a very long story, but it's filled with funny lines, scenes, monologues and the setting is also very good. Most of Sylver's ramblings had me laughing out loud. In fact, I was so engrossed in this story that I forgot to get off the train at the right stop.
However, there was one scene that was so funny it had me laughing out loud:
When Sylver finds out Hunter is a cat shifter he thinks:

“Cat? Oh yeah. I sensed it as strongly as I sensed the pull between us. For a minute, I didn’t know whether to kiss him or chase him up a tree.”

Of course, this is much more fun when you read the rest of the story!

Is there something about this story you don’t like?

Sharon: Like I mentioned above, if this had been a novel, I think the pace of the story and Sylver's POV would start to wear on me once the novelty wore off no matter how likable the character is.

Lis: There isn´t much not to like about this story. The only fault I can possibly think of, is that it´s too short!

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