Favorites of 2014

Please join me for a recap of my favorite reads from 2014. Some are from long time favorite authors, others from new to me writers, and all of them made me very, very happy.

Thanks to everyone who came by this year, and thanks to guest reviewers Feliz Faber and Eden Winters, who might be coaxed into more reviews. Thanks to the publishers and authors who offered books, and thanks to the readers who thought I might have something useful to say.

Here's to a fabulous 2015! And keep reading!

Blog Tour and Review: Canning the Center by Tara Lain

Welcome, Tara Lain and readers! I've just read Tara's new release, Canning the Center, and want to recommend it to you as well. Tara's stopping by with some goodies, giveaways, and above all, a good story. Check out the review, and sign up for a goodie or two.If you like hunky football players, torch singers, and some crossed motives, this is your book for sure. Let's start off with the review.

Six foot seven inch, 300 pound Jamal Jones loves football, so when he finds out the ultra-conservative owner of his new pro football team fired their current center because he’s gay, bisexual Jamal decides to stay in the closet and hang with the females. Then, at a small drag show, he comes face-to-face with his sexual fantasy in the form of Trixie LaRue, a drag queen so exquisitely convincing she scrambles Jamal’s hormones -- and his resolve to nurse his straight side.

Trevor Landry, aka Trixie LaRue, hides more than his genitals. A mathematician so brilliant he can’t be measured, Trevor disguises his astronomical IQ and his quirk for women’s clothes behind his act as a gay activist undergrad at Southern California University.

To Trevor, Jamal is the answer to a dream -- a man who can love and accept both his personas. When he discovers Jamal’s future is threatened if he’s seen with a guy, Trevor becomes Trixie to let Jamal pass as straight. But Trevor risks his position every time he puts on a dress. Is there a closet big enough to hold a football pro and a drag queen?

~*~*~*~*

I really enjoyed the hours I spent reading these two men’s story. While I didn’t read the first book in the series, that’s my loss and not for long! Both men, while very different, had their strengths and their flaws, and had to work their way to an honest relationship.

Jamal, the soft spoken rookie NFL player, knows going in that being open about his bisexuality is going to create friction. If not from his fellow players, then from management, and he’s not encouraged by the object lesson that puts him in the starting lineup. He’s an honest man and resents the deception, and it only gets harder once he meets the fabulous Trixie Larue.

Jamal’s head over heels for Trevor as Trevor and Trevor as Trixie, who sings torch songs with pointed messages. Trevor has a pretty good idea of what Jamal’s up against in the way of keeping secrets and of opposition and support for being true to himself in public. After all, Trevor is part of the problem--he's behind the heat getting turned on the team about GLBT acceptance.  Still, he’s willing to appear in public as Trixie to keep Jamal in the team’s good graces.

Trevor was a slightly problematic character for me. He was willing to function far below capacity and starve himself intellectually in a field where brilliance shows early and quirks are practically required to fit in. Perhaps that was his point, but the sense of screaming WTF was a little loud. I wasn’t sold on his family situation either: his severely demented mother read like she was 80 years old, though his hateful brother rang unfortunately true. Just—so much was stuffed farther down than I could buy into. It did make his final blossoming that much sweeter. He also demonstrates some of the practical problems of dressing in drag, from the discomfort of tucking to how to camouflage an Adam’s apple.

Football of course permeates the story, not too much for someone who isn’t especially into the game, but enough for a very firm foundation. Jamal’s teammates have some complexity: Boogaloo’s in over his head in a few directions but wants the best for his sister and teammates, and Jet the quarterback wants to focus on the game and leave personal matters outside the stadium. Jamal’s family are good, loving people, with a fair amount of idealism. A few characters are drawn with something less than subtlety: Lavinda becomes Evil Harpy Version 5, but she does force a situation into directions no one would at first believe were positive.

The plot kept me turning pages, because Trevor and Jamal kept bashing into each other's issues, whether it was picketing outside the game, prospects evaporating with the truth, or getting introduced to family. The sex was hot, although two guys with that much to lose were awfully carefree about sex in public parking lots.

The ending had a certain “ripped from the headlines” quality that made me want to dance for the appropriateness of the justice and for the joy that Jamal and Trevor can openly take in one another at last. Whatever was drawn with a slightly heavy hand gets burned away in the final chapters, and the book left me with a smile and a sigh. 4.25 marbles

Now for the goodies! Find your copy at Dreamspinner, Amazon, and all your favorite retailers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 23. Her best­selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul­mate husband and her soul­mate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”

Website: http://taralain.com/
Blog: http://www.taralain.com/blog
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taralain
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/taralain
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541791.Tara_Lain
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/taralain/

Excerpt:

Trevor stuck out a hand. “My name’s Trevor. Pleased to meet you.”

Jamal reached out to take the offered handshake and—whoops! In one gentle pull on Trevor’s arm that clearly required no effort on Jamal’s part, Trevor was up against that huge chest. “I’m Jamal. I don’t mean to be presumptuous. Just tell me to stop. But if I don’t kiss you again soon, I’m a dead man.”

Trevor smiled up into those dark brown eyes. “I would never want to be accused of murder.”


Such full, full lips. They moved slowly down, down to Trevor’s. The first touch sent a flash like lightning through every nerve, and he shivered.

Jamal pulled back. “Cold?”

“Quite the contrary.” He wrapped his arms tightly around the bunny’s neck.

Invitation delivered. Jamal’s mouth closed over Trevor’s. Those lips were just as soft as they looked, but not as silky as the tongue that slipped into his mouth. Oh my, a girl could get drunk on this sweetness. Trevor opened and received, allowing exploration—and sharing it. His poor abused cock, which had spent a couple of hours locked between his asscheeks, wanted to stretch in a whole new direction. Sweet God, he hadn’t throbbed like this in ages. One leg crawled up Jamal’s ass all by itself—and it was a long way up. Too far to get his bulge anywhere near its rightful companion. His eyes popped open. “Well, damn. Not much chance of sexing you up unless we’re lying down.”

Jamal chuckled. “Oh no, sweet thing, there are advantages to all these muscles.”

He picked Trevor up under the butt. Yes! Contact.

Trevor looked into those melted chocolate eyes. “I am estimating your equipment fully matches in size the other proportions of your body?” He wrapped his legs around Jamal’s surprisingly narrow waist.

Instead of getting all peacocky like he had the right to, Jamal kind of blushed. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“Surely you jest.”

He grinned, but he was breathing hard. “So you don’t mind big all over?”

“Not one little bit.”

Jamal rode Trev up and down against his cock. Oh God, that felt so good. Trevor never had decent sex because he had this reputation to uphold, and Trixie never had sex at all. Jesus, that added up to one crappy sex life. But the bunny was like a world in the middle. With Jamal, for the first time, he got to be both Trevor and Trixie and that was whole and perfect and hot! “You might want to stop unless you would enjoy watching me wash these jeans.”

“Better yet, how about I take you out and we get to know each other before I quit football and take up fucking you full time?”

Who could laugh at a time like this? But he still did. He hugged that big, muscular frame tight and rubbed his cock against Jamal’s huge bulge until they were both gasping. “No. No, I think you better write the resignation letter.”

“Deal. But I could take us out for root beer floats first.”

Trevor stopped. “I love root beer.”

Jamal held him still, their cocks still squashed in bliss. “You’re kidding. No one likes root beer but me.”

“I do. It’s my favorite.”

“There’s this diner—”

“Okay, fuck sex. I need a root beer float and a hamburger.”
*****
Read the rest: Dreamspinner, Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Barnes and Noble

An Angel in Eyeliner by Hunter Frost

Title: An Angel in Eyeliner
Author: Hunter Frost
Purchase at Amazon 
Purchase at Smashwords 
Cover Artist:  C.M. Walker
Genre:  holiday, contemporary
Length:  10k
Formats:  MOBI, ePub

All Mitch wants for Christmas is a quiet holiday free from grief. Patching up the target of a mugging in the back alley of his bar seems to throw that wish right out into the cold Chicago night. But the tatted, pierced, and skinny-jean wearing Keller Graham is fearless and proves to be more than a pair of icy blue eyes lined in black. Keller may be a thief, but Mitch never expected him to steal his lonely heart.

 Holiday insta-love, both charming and a bit far fetched. Mitch, former military medic turned barkeeper, rescues Keller from some toughs trying to rob him, and they end up spending what would be their lonely and grim Christmases together. Keller’s banter is witty, the kind that keeps the world at bay until he chooses to let someone in. Mitch is more literal. This works to his detriment toward the end of the story, where he doesn’t look past the first and obvious interpretation, and ends up eating his words.


The contrast between the gruff ex-medic and the homeless artist works to bring them together. Mitch is still living in the past though his present and future are secure, and happiness died for him when his lover was killed. Keller lives from hand to mouth but always in the present, with an eye to the future that’s going to be better than now, and he may be the happiest man Mitch ever met. Keller has a way of refocusing Mitch’s attention to the here and now.

The timeline and why Mitch has the bar didn’t make sense to me, which got in the way of the story a bit. The sex is fade to black, which is fine, almost necessary, because the word count is needed elsewhere. The story feels kind of short for all that’s been crammed into it: I could wish the author would take another 30,000 words and let this couple unfold more slowly. Mitch is smitten to the point of it feeling out of character based on everything he reveals of his past, even with an omen.

However, I don’t want to be a total Grinch about this story: it did make me smile and feel hopeful for Mitch and Keller. 3 marbles

This story is also part of the Boughs of Evergreen anthology, which is available in 2 parts (This story's in Vol 2) and also as one large volume.

The Boyfriend Mandate by River Jaymes

Title: The Boyfriend Mandate
Author: River Jaymes
Publisher: Self published/ Amazon
Cover Artist: n/a
Length: Novel (284 pages)
Formats: Mobi

Guest review from Feliz

Stuntman and two-time cancer survivor Memphis Haines excels at beating the odds. When he’s presented with the opportunity to help his ex-boyfriend with a charity event, he jumps at the chance to make up for the devastating way he left Tyler ten years ago. Memphis might have taken the college geek’s virginity, but the former mathelete is now a hell of a head turner. And Dr. Tyler Hall’s cool reserve is a challenge Memphis can’t resist. A self-confessed rule breaker and line crosser, he keeps turning up the heat with one goal in mind: to melt the man’s composure.

Tyler Hall sticks to one simple mandate: no more dating ex-boyfriends. Ever. He certainly isn't interested in hooking up with Memphis Haines, the ex who jumps off buildings, dodges explosions, and poses for designer underwear ads. Ten years ago, falling for Memphis changed Tyler’s life. The man’s abrupt departure turned his world inside out. But he moved on long ago. Besides, he has a clinic for the homeless to run, patients to take care of, and no time to deal with the trouble his ex brings. Memphis, however, seems determined to rehash the past. And his boxer-dropping grin, hard body, and confident charm are resurrecting ultra-hot memories best not remembered, making Tyler’s rule harder and harder to keep...

I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Backup Boyfriend, so I could barely wait for this one to come out.

And I really liked this book too, although not quite as much as the first in the series. More about this later. First the pros:

The writing was wonderful, catchy and smooth (aside from those annoyingly overused expletives--"Judas Priest" and "Jesus Haploid Christ"--ehm, wait, what?) Tyler, whom I didn't care for all that much during the first book, really grew on my during this one. In the first boo, he was a cold, detached asshole, but the details on his backstory revealed here made me understand him much better, made him appear human, and by the end, I'd come to care for him a lot.


Memphis, however....of course he was adorable like he was meant to be, on the surface at least, but he also had some rather unappealing traits. For one, he was manipulative to a fault, not only with Tyler, but also with everyone else around him. He played the "poor me cancer survivor" card a little too often, and even though his remorse seemed real, I though Tyler forgave him too easily. Then again, the two had some real good chemistry between them, too. 

Alec and Dylan from book one made a few cameos, and I loved meeting them again; I especially loved to see insecure Dylan giving and receiving advice from Tyler, of all people. As Tyler and Memphis's relationship grew closer, so did their group of friends. Meeting Julissa was another pro; she's a great female character, so well developed even in her rather minor role that I almost wished she'd get her own book at some point.

However, I somewhat missed Noah. Even though much of the book was set at his place, Noah's presence wasn't as strongly felt as it was during the first book. Since Noah is kind of like the glue that keeps them all together (and my secret favorite of them all, admittedly) I was glad to see a new scrap of development during the epilogue, hinting at Noah finding happiness of his own in the not-so-far future.

It's always hard to come up with a reason for a decade-long separation of "star-crossed" lovers. Although the reasons for Memphis's taking off in the first place took some suspension of disbelief, they were toroughly explored later and explained to a point where I almost--almost could relate... which was the biggest issue I had with the book: the almost, even more so since I couldn't quite put my finger on what actually bothered me about Memphis and Tyler's breakup-and-reunion-trope. IN the end, I guess it might've been a case of it's not the book, it's me, so... as taste is subjective, I think other readers need to find out for themselves.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and commendable read, although I'm looking forward to Noah's story even more now.

From All of Us to All of You by Ofelia Grand

Title: From All of Us to All of You

Author:  Ofelia Grand

Purchase at Amazon

Purchase at All Romance  eBooks                    

Cover Artist:  N/A

Genre:  Contemporary, holiday

Length:  12k

Formats:  Mobi, epub, PDF

Simon hates the Holidays. It’s the same every year - awaiting the dreaded Christmas Eve, when his father gets drunk, while the family fake Christmas spirit and strain to hear the TV over Dad’s snoring. This year, Simon’s sister is celebrating Christmas elsewhere, leaving him to deal with their parents on his own. But there’s a glimmer of hope. A work colleague introduces Simon to her son Hannes at the Lucia Day celebrations, the trouble being that Simon mistakenly believes it’s a blind date, and as if that isn’t embarrassing enough, Hannes wants them to be friends, and Simon’s starting to see signals that aren’t there. He’s beginning to wonder if he’ll make it through Christmas with his sanity intact.

~*~*~*~*

What a sweet, heart-breaking story. We all know that secrets lurk under holiday cheer, and poor Simon and his family have more than most. With the pall cast by Simon’s alcoholic father over the day, and over his life, Simon has more holiday horror than most. He’s making internal bets about how long his father will remain upright on Christmas Day, and it’s clear Simon’s whole life is colored deeply by being the child of an alcoholic. “Normal” is a myth, not his reality, therapist or no.

So of course he has some trouble knowing which set of signs to believe when he’s been given mixed signals. Hannes, with whom Simon’s been thrown together by a well-meaning mother figure, isn’t quite sure what to do with his unexpected attraction to Simon. He’s the king of mixed signals.

The story is set in Sweden, with many traditions we don’t share in the States or know by different names, but all are explained as much as they need to be for us to understand what’s going on and why, and of course, we understand long before Simon does that Hannes may say one thing and mean quite another.

The story is focused on Simon’s inner landscape and his growth, with a corresponding change in Hannes, who does an understated gay for you here. In a quiet way, he helps Simon make what is actually a pretty dramatic change. The story is one of characterization, handling some rather large topics in an understated way. Sweetly done. 4 marbles

The story is available as a standalone and also as part of a mixed pairing anthology called Boughs of Evergreen.

I'm back! With reinforcements

Happy Holidays!  Sorry for the long silence: between getting knocked for a loop with strep and then inadvertently changing my password (how to feel stupid in one easy step) and not remembering it, and then you know stuff happens.... The turkey hangover took a while to dissipate.

Anyway, back to the goodies! Feliz has done a guest review for us, The Boyfriend Mandate by River Jaymes, posting on Saturday, and we'll have Ofelia Grand's From All of Us to All of You on Friday, and then back to our regularly scheduled reviews, except maybe more of them since I do have a backlog. [[blush]]. For those who missed us, sorry to keep you waiting.

This also played hell with our blogoversary posts, but we'll be doing that right after the holidays! I have guest posts from some old friends and some new ones, and we'll have goodies and celebrations and you're all invited and hey, bring a friend!

A picture is worth...

 I would sing in the night for him. 100 to 1000 words to tell us, please. Directions here.

Manipulation by Eden Winters

Title: Manipulation (Diversion #4)
Author: Eden Winters
Purchase at Rocky Ridge Books
Purchase at Amazon
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: LC Chase
Genre: contemporary, action adventure
Length: 71k
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf, print (coming) ebooks preorder until Nov 1, 2014

Lucky Lucklighter has a new life. His old life wants him back.

He traded trafficking for taking down criminals with the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau, and a drug-lord lover for a man on the right side of the law. Bo Schollenberger found the way past the thorny defenses of Lucky’s heart, and made Mr. I-Get-Along-Fine-Alone think about his and his closets, stevia in the sugar bowl, and a picket fence—with a good lock on the gate.

Now Bo is missing, and a voice long silenced asks, “Did you miss me?” Lucky must deal with a devil from his past to get Bo back.

And if Bo isn’t willing to come? A drug ring needs its back broken before flooding the US with a designer high, seductive and undetectable. But there’s a fine line between good and evil, and a truckload of temptation urging Lucky to cross.

Oh yay! Bo and Lucky are back for more stomach-churning, heart pounding adventures. This fourth installment in the Diversion series lets Bo shine as an undercover narcotics operative when a figure out of Lucky’s past and current nightmares turns out to be behind the influx of drugs in their case from the third book (Corruption).


Bo’s cover hasn’t been breached when he’s taken to Mexico at the orders of the drug lord with big plans. But he’s there with no backup, no communications, nothing that an undercover operation should have, until Lucky charges down south. Lucky’s no longer willing to do things by the book, since Walter Smith, head honcho of the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau, has compromised his integrity in Lucky’s eyes. Nothing is exactly as it seems, and the world tilts farther sideways when Nestor Sauceda, a cartel leader and former associate of Lucky’s late lover, Victor Mangiardi, takes an interest in the new designer drug and the remains of Victor’s empire. (How Lucky goes from boy toy to a drug lord to narcotics agent is backstory presented in Book 1, Diversion.)

Deep undercover work is hard on Bo’s psyche—he still slides from one persona to the other, being Cyrus Cooper when he needs to be a tough leader of tough men, and wobbling through Bo Schollenberger when questions of right and wrong arise. Here, little is simple, and loyalties mean something different than they did back in the States. Add to that Bo’s forced dependence on a terrifying new drug, and it could all fall apart in a heartbeat.

The prose is strong and gritty, told from Lucky’s POV. He has to watch Bo’s disintegration, maintain his own ever more fragile hold on his new life, while still sinking just far enough into new criminality to convince the cartels that he’s going to help peddle their designer poison. He’s among those who “knew him when” and it would be so easy to slip into the role he’d been prepared for all those years ago.

The entire series is good reading, with action, law enforcement, a reluctant romance between two guys who love each other desperately and are terrified of needing each other, and thrilling twists through the drug trade going in unexpected directions. With this fourth book, the author seems to have found an even higher gear, with death breathing down Bo and Lucky’s necks at all times, and their reliance on each other both the stuff of strength and the stuff of heartbreak.

I can depend on the Diversion series for a pulse-pounding adventure with a heaping side of romance. Manipulation is the best yet. I'm greedy for the next book already. 5 marbles

A picture is worth...

There has to be a story here. Tell us? 100 to 1000 words to tell us, please. Directions here.

Cutting Out by Meredith Shayne

Title: Cutting Out
Author: Meredith Shayne
Purchase at Bottom Drawer Publications
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: Mumson Designs
Genre: contemporary
Length: 222 pages
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf

A twenty-year veteran of the shearing shed, Aussie Shane Cooper loves his job, and the home he’s made for himself in New Zealand. If he’s a little lonely, he’s got good mates to keep his spirits up. When a hot, cocky young shearer named Lachlan Moore catches his eye at a competition, he’s content to look but not touch, knowing the young man is out of his league.

Lachie wouldn’t mind a piece of Shane, but the gorgeous gun shearer from Australia is soon forgotten when the Christchurch earthquake hits, and tragedy strikes Lachie’s family. Lachie deals with it the best he can, cutting himself off from all he knows. A year later and he’s back in the shearing shed, out of practice and lacking confidence. That Shane’s there to watch him flounder doesn’t help his nerves.

As Lachlan struggles to re-acclimatise, Shane can’t resist giving him a hand to get back on his feet. As they move from friends to something more, Shane finds himself wanting to know everything he can about Lachie. But Lachie’s got secrets he desperately wants to keep, and when things come to a head, those secrets might just mean the end of them before they’ve truly begun.

New Zealand’s half a world away, known to most of us as spectacular scenery with hobbits and a vague idea of Maoris and sheep. Meredith Shayne’s added detail and dimension and given life to those ideas.

There’s a very, very slow burn between Lachie, a rising star in the shearing world, and Shane, the acknowledged master. It’s not just competition, these men keep an entire industry moving, they’re an essential link between wooly animals and winter coats. It’s a world Lachie loves, and hates leaving.


The earthquake in Christchurch changes Lachie’s life and family forever, forcing him to step up to being the head of his family and the only one holding things together. He can’t manage this out on the shearing circuit, so he does what he must, and since Shane’s only a broad grin after a competition, any thought of pursuing more goes by the wayside. Once he’s back on the circuit, things can change.

The author seems to have used two real events as her basis, which is great for verisimilitude but may have had an adverse effect on the timeline, because a lot of time passes without much changing. (Christchurch is in a seismic hotbed and if you want to see a really cool demonstration look here: http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/february )(Yeah, I look stuff like this up if the book intrigues me.) The sheep-shearing cycle may also have played into the timeline issues.

Lachie’s Maori, or part Maori, and the culture does come into play. While his mother is understandably devastated, she also retreats, and is allowed to remain in retreat, way past grieving and into self indulgence. I had high hopes for change after Jade and the other women from the marae came to visit, but alas, no. The result is a story that encompasses a lot of time but where plot and relationship advance at a glacial pace.

The writing is smooth enough to take some of the sting out of the pace, and once the guys do get into bed, they’re in bed a lot, but not talking. Not even the barest bones of something as important as “I have family to take care of,” which boots this into Big Misunderstanding territory.

Frankly, I was ready to slap Lachie and his entire family just to get their attention. Ngaire and Kenny, his sister and brother, read much younger than their stated ages and very helpless. While the mother’s depression was understandable, and may be a real course for some people, she lost reader-sympathy fast for essentially abandoning her kids for most of the long timeline. The whole seemed like artificially inflating the reasons for Lachie to avoid a relationship and to feel guilty for even wanting one.

Shane and Lachie do eventually expose their hearts to one another, and then cut to the HEA, which accentuated the timeline issues for me. I can’t help but think events could have been better balanced. Shane’s family issue had little foreshadowing, and came out in a rush. His help and encouragement without favoritism in the shearing shed was lovely, and he seemed like a really nice guy, if not quite as fleshed out as Lachie.

Still, this was an interesting look into an industry we mostly don’t think about, with two guys who catch at the heart in spite of or because of their flaws. More June/November than May/December makes for an experience gap that isn’t hugely wide, wide enough that I believed Shane felt too old to be a choice for a twenty-five year old in his prime, and was really wrong. These guys will be good together. 3.75 marbles

Coming this week

This last week was a little different. The usual, reviews and and a hot prompt pic, but I also got interviewed at Jamie Lake's blog, which is a first.

Some good reading: Olivia Helling's Damon Snow and the Nocturnal Lessons gave us a Regency era m/m... I hesitate to call it a romance, but there were guys and there was sex and there was love. And Must Loath Norcross from Summer Devon unraveled a plot and got the two hotties together, always good.

Coming up: YAY! One of my favorite authors has a new one out! Eden Winters' fourth in the Diversion series is out now! Manipulation has Bo and Lucky in more danger than ever before. And Meredith Shayne's Cutting Out gives us a look at love in the shearing sheds. Two very different reads, but both good.

Also, I'm revving up for the Blogoversary, finding out which of our favorite authors and reviewers have something to say about our favorite genre. There will be wise words, there will be funny words, there will be my words which I don't promise fall into either of the other categories. ;) There will be giveaways and goodies. If you sign up to follow the blog, either via email or with Google Friend Connect (scroll down, it's on the right) you'll see all the posts for sure. Spread the word.

Must Loathe Norcross by Summer Devon

Title: Must Loathe Norcross
Author: Summer Devon
Purchase at Samhain
Purchase at Amazon
                 Preorder until November 25, 2014
Cover Artist: Kanaxa
Genre: Contemorary
Length: approx  180 pages
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf


When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as traveling light.
Born wealthy and ambitious, Grady once worked hard and played hard—so hard, it brought him to the brink of ruin. Now, after a five-year retreat into the contemplative life, he’s dipping a toe back into the real world.

Assigned to write a series of articles about a Connecticut valley’s small towns, Grady checks into a local hotel. And meets a bellhop who seems determined to show him around…and maybe indulge in a more intimate tour later on.

When Josh’s boss half-jokingly suggests he get on a first-name basis with the writer who could make or break their town’s reputation, Josh jumps at the chance. He dreams of seeing the world, but the man he thought might be his ticket out turns out to be less influential—and more attractive—than he expected.

Together they uncover a strange plot to detour Norcross’s tourist dollars, a plot that leaves Grady bruised and angry. Now they’ll have to decide how far they’ll go to save the town…and how far they’ll fall for each other.

Warning: Steaming-hot room service, delivered by a cute bellboy in uniform. Stolen towels will not be tolerated, but stolen hearts? Help yourself!

It should have been simple: Grady was supposed to come into the old mill town that would rather remake itself than fade away, write up the few attractions, and amble on to the next would-be vacation spot. Josh should have been content with an evening or two with a cute stranger, and leave him happy enough to write something positive. But neither man is exactly who he appears to be, and their secrets end up dovetailing in the oddest way.


The crossed purposes and the ulterior motives come fast and furious. Everyone from Grady’s travel-writer cousin to the guys in the bar have agendas. Sorting out what issue belongs to whom keeps the guys off-balance, even after identities have been cross-checked. They are cute together, once they finally get the larger issues Josh is desperately concerned with, where Grady’s sense of fairness and some long unused skills can help.

The external plot of why the town of Norcross requires loathing wraps around the couple. Both of them find some wholeness in themselves, a nice touch, and are better able to be together.

The relationship has something of a missing middle. While the end is cute and full of happiness, it skips so far ahead in time that anything beyond the hopeful beginning is lost. The story reads very short because of this, and while the epilogue is cute, it also glosses over some of the more interesting elements. A HFN is really okay, and was what the story supported.

As we expect from this author, the writing is fluid, the characters vivid, and they occasionally embarrass themselves. It’s a charming read. However, it’s either missing some middle or has too much end. 4 marbles

A picture is worth...

Did these two guys snap together after the party? 100 to 1000 words to tell us, please. Directions here.

Turnabout is fair play, right?

I've been interviewed at Jamie Lake's blog. So have a bunch of other m/m bloggers. I need to make friends with some of these folks.

Blog hop review: Damon Snow and the Nocturnal Lessons

Title: Damon Snow and the Nocturnal Lessons
Author: Olivia Helling
Purchase at Amazon

Cover Artist: Lou Harper
Genre: Regency, paranormal
Length: 25k words, ~100 pages
Formats: mobi

Damon Snow thinks he has the world figured out. As an incubus and male prostitute, it’s a cruel, dark, lonely place where men only want one thing. But when his long-time patron Byrne discovers he’s dying, Byrne offers to leave his entire fortune to him. There’s just one catch. Damon has to write about the reason why another patron procures his services. Caught up in his patron’s impossible love life, Damon suddenly isn’t so sure he knows the answer.

This is pretty far removed from the world of Jane Austen: life in the less attractive parts of Regency London is a struggle to survive with any of the finer feelings intact. Damon has additional strikes against him, being of uncertain and illegitimate parentage, and with a ravening something inside that demands to be fed with lust.

Damon has no illusions about humanity, being able to feel what’s moving inside the minds of his patrons disabused him of believing in kindness and love, to the point of not recognizing it when this rare bird descends. The strange request his patron makes forces him to look outside himself for answers. It’s a strange mirror as well.

This isn’t a romance in the classical sense, though there is an arc with a happy ending. Damon’s the observer who thinks he has nothing to learn. His encounters are the joyless interactions of molly and cull. Something changes for him by the end of the book, but not enough for him to become anyone’s true partner. Further stories are hinted at, and Damon needs the lessons there.

This is Regency from the underclass, no one’s sending calling cards or being seen by the ton. I’m not a scholar of the period by any means, but what I do recognize seems in period, and characters stay consistent with the times. Frequent mention is made of Damon’s incubus but it seems almost extraneous to the story. His fellow mollies have just as much reason to drink themselves into oblivion—they don’t need to sense deeper to know how they’re being abused. However, I’m prepared to believe it will make more difference as the series progresses.

This novella made an interesting opener: the promised legacy hasn’t been signed over yet, and Damon has more to learn about his humanity. I’ll be alert for the next installment. 4 marbles

Coming this week

Thanks for hanging with us this week! While my Thursday hottie didn't appear on time (mea culpa, I hit the wrong button) he is here, and so were reviews for A.J. Truman's Out in the Open and Wild Horses from Kate Pavelle.

For this week, Olivia Helling's blog tour for Damon Snow and the Nocturnal Lessons will take us back to Regency era molly houses. Look for 1809 vintage rent boys on Tuesday when her blog tour stops here.  We'll also see Must Loathe Norcross from Summer Devon.

I've been posting book reviews for almost 4 years, and that requires some celebration. Some of my favorite authors will be posting as guests, and we'll be doing some giveaways. Blogoversary week is coming, so stick with us. Bring your friends!

Out in the Open by A.J. Truman

Title: Out in The Open (Browerton University Book 1)
Author: A.J. Truman
Purchase at Amazon
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: James of Goonwrite.com
Genre: NA, contemporary
Length: 208 pages, 61,000 words
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf

Libraries are meant for studying – not sex

College sophomore Ethan Follett never says what’s on his mind and never wants to rock the boat. After a high school social life spent anonymous and alone, things are finally falling into place for him. He’s found a group of friends just as studious as he, and is on track for a promising legal career. Out in the open, things couldn’t be better, but secretly Ethan yearns for some real excitement in his life.

He finds it in cocky fratboy Greg Sanderson, who challenges every rigid, preconceived notion Ethan lives by. Soon, their sparring relationship turns sexual, and these enemies-with-benefits get their freak on all over campus. Yet the more Ethan comes out of his shell, the more Greg retreats into his, working overtime to keep his ladies man public persona intact. As the sex gets hotter, and they get closer to getting caught, one part of their arrangement can’t stay hidden any longer: love.

OUT IN THE OPEN is a M/M new adult romance filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. The book is intended for audiences 18+ as it contains explicit sex and language.

When the hot guy in your political science class would rather talk to you than take notes, it’s hard to ignore. Studious, virginal Ethan attracts the ire of the professor but the attention of the frat boy pre-law student who’s the hottest and darn near only guy to ever grab Ethan’s naughty parts. Poor Ethan’s confused but interested, and lets Greg tease him into sexual encounters with seriously high risk of exposure, but never a kiss. Kisses are important, kisses might mean Greg wants more than to get his rocks off with the eager nerd.


Always the wallflower, Ethan has a hard time reconciling Greg’s interest against the way his friends are leaving him out of activities, and out of self defense, he has to find other outlets. Ethan’s our only POV character, and we get to listen to him flounder about divining Greg’s true intentions, sometimes with the help of a sorority girl. Lorna becomes his native guide into frat culture, with a route running through keggers and tailgate parties. Drink leads to stupid, and Ethan gets to share the evil morning afters with the reader, where barfing becomes the least of his problems.

Greg’s side of the story unfolds in bits and pieces, which the less than socially adept Ethan has to piece together. The reader’s usually 2-4 steps ahead of him, and being able to yell “No! Don’t!” at the kindle wards off nothing.

The author does a terrific job of pulling us into the college atmosphere and Ethan’s head, which is completely turned by the dazzling “straight guy’s” attentions. Completely confused by Greg’s behavior, Ethan alternately pursues, is welcomed for sex, treated like a friend, and rejected.

The college atmosphere is vivid, where the scent of beer and brats at the college games hangs heavy in the air, the screams of team spirit and the moans of passion all mix together. All of the young people, including Ethan’s gang of stick in the mud friends, are in the process of finding themselves and refining their values. This seems to be the first of several books to be set in the college, and this first book promises a highly readable series.

Greg’s motives are much clearer to us readers than to Ethan, which makes the resolution of the book feel rushed and somewhat unfinished. While the immediate problem of Greg and Ethan as a couple resolves neatly and in a very satisfactory style, Greg’s hovering problems resolve in a way that feels rushed and rather pat. He’s been on edge from day one, and the ending just doesn’t justify that level of tension.

The story feels young adult for emotional maturity, but is rated new adult due to the level of sexual content. Still, the story is cute and more than enough to make me glad I’ll never be a sophomore in college again. 4 marbles

A picture is worth...

What's on this gent's mind? Is he in costume or does he always look like his goblet should be filled with blood? 100 to 1000 words to tell us, please. Directions here.

Wild Horses by Kate Pavelle

Title: Wild Horses
Author: Kate Pavelle
Purchase at Dreamspinner
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson
Genre: contemporary, horses
Length: 117k words, 350 pages
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf, print

A Steel City Story

Homeless pickpocket Kai Alwright steals a cell phone and some cash one day only to find the owner texting him, appealing to his better qualities. The request to return the phone stings Kai’s pride; he rides his rusty bicycle all the way to the stables north of the city, where Attila Keleman, the phone’s owner, offers him a new start in the form of a job and a roof over his head. Soon Kai discovers a natural talent for work with horses, and he makes every effort to separate his new existence from his promiscuous past on the streets.

Attila is a reclusive horse trainer whose dressage trophies gather dust, and whose broken heart has been walled off. His undiagnosed Asperger’s makes life around people a challenge, but though he prefers the company of horses, Attila finds Kai’s presence tolerable—even refreshing.

When a client who rides at the stable with her daughter finds out Attila is “still gay,” she tries to run Kai off—and she doesn’t stop there. Mortified, her adult daughter runs away and falls victim to a dark figure from Kai’s past. Kai joins Attila in a rescue mission that tears the civilized masks off their hidden pasts.

In my disjointed way, I’ve come at last to the first of the Steel City stories. Broken Gait (reviewed here) is the continuation of these two characters’ story, but here’s where Kai and Attila start out. Actually where they really start out is in a story of the same name in Dreamspinner’s Animal Magnetism anthology, but since we have 117k words in the novel, there’s certainly more going on.


The story of the waif and the horseman has had other treatments elsewhere, but I did gobble up this one, because of Attila Keleman’s character. He’s controlled, formal, precise in his movements and dealings, and terribly shocked with himself if he does something spontaneous. The blurb mentions undiagnosed Aspergers’, but I wish it didn’t because that wrecks the reader’s opportunity to figure it out for herself. I at least got that treat because I read everything assbackwards, the blurb last of all.

Attila trains horses and is an acclaimed dressage rider, whose pithy text to the thief who stole his iPhone is a distillation of his personality. “Remember, you are better than stooping to such acts of petty thievery.” Short, controlled, high expectations, and the force of personality that makes people and horses tend to do his will. I liked Attila a lot, in part because his expectations are that people and horses will do the right thing.

Kai’s more problematic. He’s twenty-four but reads a lot younger, as if he has very little experience on his own, though that isn’t the case. He’s been on his own more than long enough to have picked up some street smarts and practical abilities. His background is a mining town in Appalachia. Dialect colors his speech infrequently, to the point where he becomes a trifle flat. He has the kind of stiff pride in doing the right thing, and occasionally the stupid but masculine thing, that Attila can respect. Attila also respects Kai’s natural ability with the horses as well as his willingness to shovel horse shit.

Attila’s family remain (start out as) the interesting people they were in the second book, although some of the other secondary characters were not as deftly drawn. One in particular is Evil Harridan #3 and mostly unique for her cougar-to-the-point-of-foulness ways. She could have been shut down fast, but was not, and that she pushed her daughter into desperate acts made sense. Daughter seems to have grown up in a remote cave, and also reads younger than stated age, though she has a couple of good moments.

The arc is mostly the coming together of the two men, overcoming Attila’s asocial ways and Kai’s fears of rejection, to the point where the action adventure sections become less about the mission and more about the relationship. This veered the story into an unsatisfactory path, at least for me, though it mostly ended well.

In the course of stripping away Kai and Attila’s secrets from each other, there was a brief foray into BDSM which at first had me going WTF? And Why now? but the author did resolve this in a way that a non-BDSM reader like me could deal with and believe in. There was in fact a trail of breadcrumbs that was more clear in hindsight.

I like this author’s writing style, and had to remind myself that this is one of her earlier pieces with some rough characterization and plot edges. Kai in particular is uneven and his actions don’t match who he’s supposed to be. He really comes across as about 16 in places, and so I’m glad I read out of order, and encountered him in the second book first. It’s true stable chores never end, but enough with the details of horse poop. Other issues repeat in odd and noticeable ways.

The horse sections are sweet and honest, very affectionate, and I had no idea horses would play like that. The author is a rider and would know.

This book was a step back in time for the author’s writing, and while there is a great deal to like in here, there are also issues that don’t exist in her latest work. That makes Wild Horses not my favorite of her books, but leaves the author as a go-to read. And maybe Attila and Kai get a third story where they can be their mature and confident selves. 3 marbles

Coming this week

Thanks for sticking around! My heart was in Chicago where it was fangirling on everyone at GRL, I think if I'd actually been there I would have swooned. Maybe some day!

Here on the home front, we had reviews for Seducing Jordan by Andrea Dalling, a bit of erotic coming out, and Broken Gait from Kate Pavelle. Also, Officer Hotty showed up on Thursday. Plot bunny, anyone?

Broken Gait has a book 1, which is Wild Horses. Of course, because I started in the middle, I went back and read it. Which means reviewing Wild Horses, so it will be a back to back Kate Pavelle week. I'll also be looking at A.J. Truman's Out in the Open.

In some wonderful news, my old review buddy from Jessewave's will be posting a review here now and then as her busy life permits.  I'm looking forward to Feliz's opinions.

Keep reading!

Broken Gait by Kate Pavelle

Title: Broken Gait
Author: Kate Pavelle
Purchase at Dreamspinner
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson
Genre: contemporary
Length: 236 pages, 77k words
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf, print

Attila Keleman can find no flaw in Kai’s work at his stables. Three months later, toiling side by side, Attila is smitten. Proud of his new partner, Attila wants to introduce them as a couple at an upcoming horse show. First, however, he has to conquer his demon. Attila can’t stand crowds of people, and a horse shows means just that. Grandpa Keleman can’t help him with his crippling social anxiety from afar. Attila turns to his horse, Sen. His equine partner is trained to help him through the most difficult panic attacks. With Sen and Kai by his side, Attila knows he can risk everything and emerge out of his comfort zone.

Kai agrees to do the show only to help Attila out of his shell. Once there, the press are all over them. Kai’s personality and looks results in media buzz and modeling offers—while Attila falls apart when Sen goes lame. Unable to deal with the pressure, Attila is convinced Kai would be a fool not to flee for greener pastures. Meanwhile, Kai is hell-bent on showing Attila his weakness is also his greatest strength—even if it means resorting to deception.

This is the third of the Steel City novels. Having read them out of order, I can say confidently that doing so works, and which you’d choose depends on your mood. Broken Gait is a character driven novel of consolidation, while the first Kai and Attila story, Wild Horses, (review to follow) has more adventure to it. Jack and Wyatt from Zipper Fall have the tiniest of cameos here, and the connection is mostly in the location.

The author brings us up to speed on Kai and Attila in snips and details, enough to establish what we as readers need to know about what happened before in order to enjoy and understand this story. We find them here already a couple, but still on shaky ground with each other and with themselves. By the end of the book, they’ve found their footing.


Attila’s shocking (to Kai, it was more ^^ to me, but that’s for the Wild Horses review to come) revelation about how he deals with people is the driver for this story. He’s reserved and formal, which keeps people at a distance. Crowds and other high stimulus environments tax him deeply, a major cause of his leaving high-level dressage competition. Because he believes in doing the best for his students, which includes Kai, he forces himself back to the competition. They couldn’t have picked a worse time: a hurricane threatens to drown the show site or blow it out to Bermuda.

Kai, who is 25 and at last reads it, is the hit of the show. Tall, muscular, handsome with his flowing red hair, charming and a natural horseman, Kai and his equally gorgeous and unruly stallion Cayenne are the hit of the show, and all eyes are upon him. Kai isn’t quite sure how much he wants to capitalize on this or how, and the attention to him worries Attila. What can he offer Kai that’s this heady?

Where initially Kai was the uncertain one, in this story Attila has the graver doubts about his ability to keep Kai interested, and Kai’s more worried about being able to fit into horse-y society, given his coal-mining roots. He wants to do Attila proud and also protect him, which leads to some huge gaffes.

The story remains low key, as they two have to sort out how they fit together and what kind of accommodations they need to make to keep Attila functioning, all against the backdrop of the endless stable chores. When Attila’s beloved horse falls ill with no guarantees of recovery, it devastates him, and it’s all Kai can do to keep the stables going while Attila falls apart.

Here we spend more time in Attila’s head, seeing and hearing the world as he does, which made me think Asperger’s syndrome, something confirmed much later by reading the blurb to the first book. (I said I did this out of order! And that it didn’t create a problem.) Kai’s loving and helpful, and there to be a rock of support. He frets that he doesn’t know enough practical horse matters to really pull his weight, but time and experience will fix that, even though he needs it like, last week.

Attila also has the chance to bond with his brother in law Tibor as part of his coming to terms with what he perceives are his flaws. Attila’s family are vivid characters, his nephews especially are young men finding their true selves, and Kai’s acceptance into the family spans both books.

The winds and rain setting seemed to build up to the kind of action adventure we’re accustomed to from this author, but it’s more a nuisance in the background and reflector of Attila’s moods. The thrust of the story is definitely how Kai and Attila get past their insecurities. Given Attila’s need for structure and repetition, something that makes him extremely good with his horses, I was prepared to forgive the frequent “honey” and other endearments. (This usually drives me bonkers but it’s characterization for something other than twu lub. So maybe only a quarter bonkers this time.) Attila's voice has a quirky formality, which suggests both Eastern European roots and his need for precision and control. Kai's voice wobbles more, sometimes with a hint of his roots and more often as standard American, which seems like a wasted opportunity. His one full-out moment of going all Attila on someone's ass made me chuckle, as he used his lover's mannerisms to convey his Deepest Disapproval.

The arcs here were for Kai and his confidence, and for Attila and his confidence and coping. They learn and grow in themselves and each other. These two fit well together, and their H looks like it will be EA. 4 marbles

A picture is worth...

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I didn't do it, Officer! But somebody oughta. 100-1000 words on law enforcement at its nudest, please. Directions here.

Seducing Jordan by Andrea Dalling

Title: Seducing Jordan
Author: Andrea Dalling
Purchase/borrow - KU at Amazon
Cover Artist: n/a
Genre: contemporary, coming of age
Length: 26k, novella
Formats: mobi

Princeton-bound Jordan Callahan is done with pining over his straight best friend Rick. He can’t wait for college so he can find a man to drive away his pointless crush. Alone on a camping trip just weeks before the semester starts, Rick confesses he’s been fantasizing about Jordan. With his secret wish within his grasp, Jordan is torn between lust and good judgment. Sex will change their relationship forever, and giving in could cost him his oldest friend.

Rick Ferguson can’t escape his obsession. To get Jordan out of his system, he plans a weekend away together without revealing that the mountain cabin has only one bed. Curiosity gives way to deeper feelings, forcing Rick to choose between his best friend and his own identity. Seducing Jordan could be the biggest mistake of his life.

Warning! This m/m gay erotic romance novella is intended for an adult audience. It contains scenes of groping, fumbling, wet kisses, angst, shirtless volleyball, sex toys, and two-man showers.

Eighteen years old and full of questions, Rick sets up a situation where he can get his openly gay best friend into bed. He’s manipulative, and owns up to it, which doesn’t keep him from doing it again and again, and Jordan lets him get away with it about half the time. Calling BS on your best friend takes some guts, especially when he’s teasing you with what you want most.

Rick genuinely is questioning his orientation, but dragging Jordan into his dithering was pretty self-centered, and he flipflops a lot on what he’s willing to do. Kind of understandable, kind of irritating, and probably why nobody should have to date eighteen year olds except other eighteen year olds. Some of it is sweet, some of it is hot, and some of it made me reach for the cluebat. Flirting with the waiter deserved a quick rap in the teeth. Holding back on reciprocating after being the one to set everything up—grrr... Jordan and the readers definitely get whipsawed.

The guys at least are talking, although a fair amount of what they’re saying sounds like wisdom from a much older person, not young men at an age when they know it all and think more frequently with their little heads than their big ones. It wasn’t always the thought that made me think parental POV, more the phrasing and word choice.

Still Rick and Jordan do cover some important emotional ground, a couple years’ worth in a weekend, and some fumbly sexual ground. Jordan does find his spine when Rick tries to have things both ways, which was a big advance for him and a much deserved reality check for Rick. The story ends on a beginning, a romantic place to leave them. 3.5 marbles