Live Action Hero by Mary Winter

Title: Live Action Hero

Author: Mary Winter

Publisher: Changeling Press

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-59596-340-6

Genre: Paranormal

Length: Collection of short stories

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Author Website

Author Email: mary@marywinter.com

Rating: 5 Diamonds

Heat Level: Erotic

Other: M/M, oral, anal

Reviewer: Starla Kaye

Date: 6-3-10

MISSION: CARNAL

Mack Walker gets seriously injured as an action hero only to be repaired by the owner of a comic shop. With the repairs completed, he remembers a past life as a human dying in Vietnam and finds himself given a second chance as a human. The Toymaker gives him that chance and a special mission: teach Adrian to trust and love again. But can Mack convince the guarded man that he is no longer the toy he repaired but a man now? Can they heal each other’s past pains and find love that will last?

MISSION: RAW

Sawyer Airestok was another seriously injured action hero, repaired by his former team mate, Mack Walker. He remembers how he’d died from a sniper’s bullet in Uganda in late 1970s and then become an action figure. Now he’s given one more chance to be human and a mission to heal Dean’s wounded heart. But can he fulfill that mission? Can he make the man who has pulled away from relationships believe in both his renewed life and in his love?

MISSION: POSSESSION

Talon Jameson is another of the seriously wounded action heroes brought back to human life by the Toymaker. He’d died in 1990 in Desert Storm only to become an action hero for eighteen years. But he’s earned a second chance at life and given a mission of helping a third partner in the comic book company with an ad campaign to help save the company. He’d modeled before being a soldier and now he is getting a chance to model again. But can he convince Hugh to love him for more than just his cover-model body? Can the two men find a lasting love together?

MISSION: TOUCHDOWN

Van: torn between staying a partner in the comic shop and finishing law school

Brice is the final part of the team of action heroes restored from a serious injury by the owners of the comic book company. The Toymaker gives him a second chance to be human and a mission to help the fourth partner, Van, in the comic shop make a tough decision. Can Brice help Van make the right decision? Can the two of them find happiness like their friends?

When I first started reading this collection of stories, I wondered about the basic theme: action hero dolls coming to real life. But I quickly found myself enjoying each of the stories and caring for each of the men, including the former action-hero-turned-living men. Each of the eight men had emotional depth, each carried baggage, and each needed and deserved a chance at finding the love of their life. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.