Stories from The Real Story Safe Sex Project from Ty Nolan and Eden Winters

The Real Story Safe Sex Project, spearheaded by Brent Hartinger, is gathering up stories and blog posts promoting condom use. Many talented authors have contributed stories to this worthy project. If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, said Oscar Wilde, and Brent also knows that if you want to reach and teach, it helps a lot to entertain.

To do my small part in boosting the signal, I’m going to spotlight these stories rather than review them. Every author has a different take on this message, and everyone has something valuable to add. Please read and forward the stories, which are free, and thank you, authors, to anyone and everyone you know who needs to protect themselves, male and female alike. Because that old ounce of prevention is really worth a pound of cure, or a ton of battle.


Our two highlighted stories for this week:

From the 2014 BP Readers Choice Award Winning Author--
The uniquely sexy Native American Two-Spirit hero from Memoir of a Reluctant Shaman is back in a standalone tale. He's in the Big City to visit his old friend Otter as they continue to explore sexuality. Otter has discovered attending a monthly safe-sex workshop is the best place to find a date who is already interested in "love with a glove."

They'll have a chance to hear new legends—like the Dancing Deer Woman and more about Coyote than our Reluctant Shaman would ever want to know—from the workshop leader, Professor Comesflying. He's enjoying the experience—until Coyote himself walks into the workshop.

Warning: this story uses explicit language and is sexually graphic. But it also might tell you a few things you didn't know.

*************

Thank you to Ty Nolan for reminding us that the delivery has to be in terms the audience can hear. Coyote is just the one to whisper, “Just this once it won’t matter.” We can all benefit from knowing how to ignore that seductive voice.

Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

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Two teenaged boys, an unlimited supply of condoms, and too much time on their hands. What could possibly go wrong?

******************

Eden Winters found a way to leave us rolling in the aisles while imparting an ultimately serious message. A lot of folks crab about two young guys who have no history with anyone else don’t really need condoms, but good habits have to start somewhere. Here’s a great place.

Find it at Amazon and  All Romance eBooks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Find these and all the stories in the Safe Sex Project here. Enjoy, be happy, be safe.

A picture is worth...

Anybody besides me want to go for a ride? Tell us in 100 to 1000 words (drabbles are fine, really) and send your news along too. See How Thousand Word Thursday Works for details.

The rest of us will try not to drool on the leather. But maybe not very hard.

The Moon's Dirty Light by H.L. Holston and Eleanor Bruce

Title:The Moon's Dirty Light
Author:H.L. Holston and Eleanor Bruce
Purchase at Exstasy Books
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: Carmen Waters
Genre: paranormal, shifters
Length: 114 pages, 27,700 words
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf, more

Is there ever a good time to tell the man with whom you just had mind blowing sex that you're a werewolf and, chances are, come the next full moon, he'll be sporting fur and fangs too?

Police Officer Logan Robinson isn't sure. Logan's been in lust with his partner and best friend Dylan Reed for as long as he can remember. But Logan is a werewolf and after accidentally giving his partner the mating bite during sex Dylan will become one too.

Dylan is royally pissed when he finds out because Logan conveniently forgot to mention his little affliction until after they'd spent the night humping each other's brains out. As if turning into a creature of the night wasn’t enough, Logan and he are investigating murders that look suspiciously like dog-attacks, but they're not.

Finding a killer is tricky enough. Now it will be almost impossible with their personal issues clouding the investigation. And if Dylan does turn into a four-legged freak at the next full moon, the fur will fly.

Review

I really liked the premise of the story: oopsie, you’re going to be a wolf. Played for humor, this could be funny, and I’ve seen it done well. Played seriously, it can be quite moving. The story didn’t quite fall on the side of humor, because Dylan, the bitten partner, reacted very seriously before he got into the spirit of the thing, and the police work had the promise of real police work before it fell apart.


Though this story didn’t quite hit the mark for me, others may like it better. The blend of the over-the-top werewolfisms and the dead bodies, even considering the choice of victims, took itself just seriously enough that the whole came across as heavy handed rather than parody or even happy excess.

For those who are amused, some inconsistencies become chuckleworthy, absent development is an in-joke, and getting smoochy in the middle of carnage is just that old loveable trope where Captain Kirk nails Yeoman Rand (or Spock) while the Klingons are bearing down on them.

Proofreading was sufficiently inadequate as to draw attention to itself.

The ending did actually get me to smile, and could have been played a little harder even.

Perhaps I’m not the right audience for the piece, because it reminded me of my old fandom. 3 marbles

The Forester II: Lost and Found by Blaine D. Arden

Title: The Forester II: Lost and Found
Author: Blaine D. Arden
Purchase at Storm Moon Press
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: Nathie
Genre: paranormal, elves
Length: 36k words, novella
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf,

Blurb:

"The Guide mentioned puddles, but I envisioned lakes, deep treacherous lakes, and I was drowning."

One turn has passed, another Solstice is just around the corner, and having an illicit affair with not one but two lovers—smith Ianys and shunned Forester Taruif—is taking its toll on Truth Seeker Kelnaht.

If it isn't sneaking around to find some quality time with his lovers, it's heavy rainfall hiding traces of a missing stripling, or waiting for the elders to decide whether or not to set Taruif free.

And if that's not enough, Kelnaht fears that in gaining one lover, he might be losing another, as Ianys seems to be pulling away from them, and it looks like someone is, once again, trying to frame Taruif.


Review:

Well, after that blurb there’s just not a whole hell of a lot I can do to spoil it.

Lost and Found is the follow-up story to The Forester, reviewed here. This second stands alone reasonably well, since all pertinent relationships are explained within the text. That means a certain amount of repeating from the first book, but it’s kept brief and to the point. Some aspects are explained more fully, and I’m afraid those explanations cost at least one character some sympathy points.


A year after the events of the first story, Truth Seeker Kelnacht, our first person POV character and the only voice we hear, is seeking a youngster who’s lost in the forest. This quest took roughly half the book, but would have been wrapped much faster had Kelnacht stayed on task or used the capabilities outlined in the first book. His endless returns home to have sex and check with someone or other, in that order of importance, plus a negative retcon of the elves’ abilities, stretched the search out longer than I could maintain interest.

Taruif is a problematic partner because of his past: he’s been outcast from society for a crime that seemed tragically romantic in the first story. Here he explains more fully, and if I can find a way to word my reaction more gracefully than WTF I will edit it in. Sometimes the right word to use is No and to say anything else is either evil or stupid. The first time around it came across as an act of omission, here as an act of volition, and I actually yelled at my Kindle.

The interplay beween Ianys, Taruif, and Kelnacht is the best part of the story, but the world itself has been retconned to accept gay relationships and triads, so part of the sense of forbiddenness has disappeared. Not that it’s bad for elven society, only for story continuity.

The story arc is such that it remains for Ianys to reconcile his honor and his future with his past, so I anticipate a third section to wrap that up. Whether it will use the world building of book 1 or book 2, or some further changed society remains to be seen. Why the complete story arc wasn’t done in one book, given the lengths of the sections and the possibility for more consistent society building if it was all together is a mystery.

The first story by itself was fine, this one taken alone is okay, but the author broke her own rules. 2.5 marbles

A picture is worth...

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Captive Magic by Angela Benedetti

Title: Captive Magic
Author: Angela Benedetti
Purchase at Torquere
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: BS Clay
Genre: Urban fantasy
Length: 307 pages, 92K words
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf, print

Teleporter Breck Bayes made a deal with a demon to save the life of his little sister Amanda, who was dying of cancer. The demon expects Breck to work off the debt -- as a thief who can get past any walls or locks. If Breck balks, Amanda's cancer will come back, and she'll die. Breck's a good guy, but a few trinkets versus Amanda's life? It's no contest.

Manny hears about Breck's popping around town and uses his own talents to find and confront him. Sentinels are supposed to prevent the magegifted from using their talents to steal, by force if necessary, but then he gets the whole story. Manny understands family, and he decides that his Sentinel persona is going to have to suck it up and deal while he helps Breck get out from under the demon -- even if it means becoming an accomplice to the thieving while they plot Breck's escape. But then the demon notices Manny, whose truesight and seeking would be very useful in its quest to own things that don't properly belong to it, and suddenly it's not only Breck who's in trouble.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


This is the third novel in the Sentinels universe, and it’s time for Manny’s story at last. He’s been left behind to mind the magic in California while the rest of the Sentinels are dealing with the craziness in the Seattle area in the previous book, Emerging Magic. (Good stuff, read it.) Since this world busts out with elves and incubi and elementals, Manny’s reaction to a report of a guy who disappears *poof* is—who is he, why is he doing this, and what does he want? Not how’s he doing it or he couldn’t possibly be doing it.


Turns out Breck is indebted to a being who isn’t from around here, who has talents not normally seen around here, and who wants various artifacts that make no sense to Breck. As long as his sister’s in remission, he’ll steal, and as long as he steals, she’s healthy. It’s a true devil’s bargain.

The story seems to start off a bit slowly, but it’s an introduction to the world if you’re starting here, and a slow burn of Manny and Breck developing interest in each other and context for their skills. Their families variously encourage or discourage them. Real life problems are more important than constant smexing, which is a refreshing change from a lot of mm. These guys can stay on task and they can stay on task together, once they come to trust each other enough to be clear on what’s going on. No insta-anything here, they have to work for each smidgen of trust.

One recurring idea in this universe is that humans aren’t the biggest, baddest magic-wielders around—smarts, negotiation, and guile make for more intriguing reading anyway. While magic isn’t hidden in this world, sometimes a talent doesn’t want to admit what he can do, and sometimes mere talent isn’t enough to solve a problem.

The sister and the niece are especially charming characters, Manny and Breck each have a teen girl to love, cherish, and be exasperated by. The rest of their families felt real enough to invite to dinner. Not all the action takes place in our plane, and the other dimensional setting was strange and unique.

While I think I understand the reason for the pacing, it did feel a little too leisurely at times, but I am really glad to have Manny’s story. Breck could be a wonderful addition to the Sentinel team, and aren’t there more characters who should come back from Seattle for their own books? Cal? Aubrey? 4 marbles.

Current Goodreads Giveaways

Here's what I could find for giveaways tagged mm, romance, or GLBT. Some end soon, some have a ways to go. I can personally recommend Blue Notes which is now out in a second edition. Good luck!

A Picture is Worth...

 Gives a whole new meaning to "Opening Day" or "making the team." Tell us in 100 to 1000 words (drabbles are fine, really) and send your news along too. See How Thousand Word Thursday Works for details.

The rest of us will dream about playing with his balls. Oops. Ball. Yeah, ball, that's the ticket.

Jaded by EM Lynley

Title: Jaded (Precious Gems #3)
Author: EM Lynley
Purchase at Dreamspinner
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: Anne Cain
Genre: contemporary, thriller/mystery
Length: 250 pages
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf, print

Blurb:

Gay-romance writer Trent Copeland finds his life in a rut while his boyfriend, Special Agent Reed Acton, is away on an undercover mission. After attending a special course at FBI headquarters in Quantico, Trent’s eager for another challenge. He jumps at the opportunity for a trip to Japan to oversee appraisals of two art collections to be sold at the gallery he co-owns. But the trip isn’t all cherry blossoms and Hello Kitty. When one of the collectors he meets—rumored to be the head of a Yakuza gang—turns up dead, Trent is accused of the murder and thrown in jail.

Reed drops everything to help find out who really committed the crime. He's in unknown territory in Japan, forced to navigate Tokyo’s sex underworld to unravel the truth and save Trent. He poses as a “host” at a seedy late-night club. When Reed’s undercover activities place him at a ruthless Yakuza leader’s sex party, he must be willing to go to any lengths to secure Trent’s safety and freedom. But trusting the wrong people brings both Reed and Trent to the Yakuza leader’s attention. If they’re ever to have a happy ever after, they’ll first have to call on every skill just to stay alive.

Review:

Regulars here know EM Lynley gets to the top of my TBR pile frequently: she’s clever, she’s consistent, and she tells a good tale in a variety of settings. So getting a third installment of a series where I enjoyed the first two made me very happy. Trent the romance novelist and inadvertent agent, and his lover Reed the Secret Agent are back for more adventure and a deepening of their relationship.


Trent’s found, or placed, himself neck deep in two of Reed’s missions in the other two books, and is likely to do it again, they fear. Both of them figure he’ll survive much better with some actual skills rather than dumb luck. He’s not silly enough to think that one course at Quantico will make him Reed’s equal in the field, but he’s much better prepared to cope.

Getting left behind while Reed goes undercover is an all-too-regular event. Trent’s filling the gap with renewed interest in the art gallery where he’s silent partner, and an art-buying trip to Japan with his fluent BFF sounds like a great way not to mope. Given that Trent is a trouble magnet, of course the clients are yakuza, something is fishy, and it ain’t the sushi.

The art-buying trip (fiasco) moves fast and pulls Trent ever deeper into the mire. Reed’s there in a flash, desperate to do what it takes to exonerate Trent, since the legal system is less interested in guilt than a quick solution. His own undercover operation has a peck of trouble for him in the form of a very sexy agent who knows the lay of the land, and isn’t above using the lay of Reed to solve the case. The adventure aspect of this book is nail biting material.

The relationship between Reed and Trent isn’t fully solidified after two years. They’ve been apart too much and can share too little to feel totally confident with each other, and they misread more than one situation. Even so, I was a little perplexed by Reed’s reaction to Shindo because even if he’d be noticing on his own time, this is business, and business with Trent’s well being at stake to boot. The complications provided by their undercover roles still made sense, though some of Reed’s reactions at other times made me want to smack him and redirect him, because YAKUZA.

Both men come to a greater understanding of what the other one faces in their relationship, whether it’s professional or personal, and I enjoyed coming along for the ride. Trent’s insights and observations and Reed’s craft are both needed to resolve the mystery, even if solving it takes a toll on them privately.

The author knows Japan from personal experience, which shows in the detailed setting and vivid sensory experience. Little details like which type of indoor shoes to wear and tiny fish for breakfast bring the adventure alive. Lovely. This is third in the series, and the author has done a great job of making it stand alone, so if you're starting here you won't be lost, but Rarer than Rubies and Italian Ice are too good to miss. 4.75 marbles

Almost Mine by Eden Winters

Title: Almost Mine
Author: Eden Winters
Purchase at Rocky Ridge Books
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: P.D. Singer
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 15k words
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf


A perfect life. A perfect home. A perfect husband. Gone in an instant.

Ian’s world turned upside down the day Travis walked out without so much as a word, or even a backward glance, leaving a lonely Ian to wonder why. Their son implores him, “Please go see Dad.”

Two years of hurt leaves Ian ready to confront the man who’d broken his heart, but what if everything he’d believed about their failed romance turned out to be wrong? What if the biggest problem in Ian’s marriage was…Ian?

Review:

Eden Winters is looking at the other end of romance—what happens in a long relationship when trouble’s brewing? This short gives us a look at breaking, healing, and rekindling of what had been so good for so long.


Ian is too stinking proud to chase after Travis when he left, even to ask why. The wound in their twenty-plus year relationship has been festering, with neither willing to cut loose, but neither willing to reach out. A milestone anniversary and a persistent son get them back in the same room long enough to see what went wrong and get a glimmer of how to fix it.

Ian is our PoV character, and the inside of his head isn’t very comfortable. He feels wronged and slighted, and justified in thinking that at long last he’ll sever the tie Travis frayed by leaving. He misses Travis bitterly, but pride is a deadly sin. The author proceeds to deliver a reality check of monumental proportions, starting with finding out how Ian cut Travis out of their friend’s lives, and adding smack after smack until Ian is forced to confront the fact that he’s actually been a douchecanoe.

Travis has his own demons—clinical depression played with his judgment, leaving him unable to speak up for himself. When he does speak up, Ian’s horrified by what he has to say.

It’s a huge turnaround for Ian to acknowledge his shortcomings, and it’s also a major struggle for Travis to emerge from his depression and decide how he wants to truly live. This is Eden Winters writing: her characters end up happy but they have to work for it. Hard. Really, really hard.

Leaving aside the issue of how they went so long before they actually got to the most basic question, (my one quibble), this is a lovely story of redemption and love restored. 4.5 marbles

A Picture is Worth...

Go! Go! Go! Or Come! Guess that got out of hand fast. Where's Mr. Cyclist going and who's waiting for him on the other end? Or... You tell us, in 100 to 1000 words, and send your news along too. See How Thousand Word Thursday Works for details.

Made in China: The Great Wall by Z. Allora

Title: Made in China: The Great Wall
Author: Z. Allora
Purchase at MLR Press
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: P.L. Nunn
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM, yaoi
Length: 244 pages
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf, print

There's no gay in China so what's the drummer of Made in China supposed to do about loving his male best friend when his family thinks he's engaged to the girl next door?

Jun "Styx" Wong's heart and mind battle to determine his destiny. His mind tells him to be a good Chinese son and marry the girl his parents chose, but his heart longs for his best friend, Jin, and life with their new band. "Jun" means honesty, but he's not even honest with himself. A quest to eradicate his feelings for Jin nearly ends his life. Styx's near death serves as a wake-up call for Jin, whose blond hair--legacy of his German father--marks him as different. Jin harbors secrets of his own. His experiences prepare him to take the drastic measures needed to help Jun overcome the walls surrounding them. Because there is no gay in China...

WARNING: This story contains a scene of dangerous sexual practices.


Review:

This book is a wonderful step away from what we’d consider contemporary romance—it is, but in China where we don’t understand how differently people think until we’re invited inside their heads. Where the problems and the solutions make perfect sense within a framework Z Allora helps us understand.


Being a good son and maintaining the family are duties Jun has been trained to from the earliest age, even though his desires run to his friend Jin just as long. He grows up dreaming of being “Styx” the rock and roll drummer, who is free to love whom he wants, and even gets a taste of this life. He knows how limited his freedom is, though, which both makes him seize opportunities and shrink from them, lest the pain of losing his paradise grow too large.

A lot happens that Styx never talks about, and Jin doesn’t mention either; they do a lot together without ever discussing what they do or what it means to them. So much sexuality is buried here, not only between Styx and Jin, but Jin’s job at the spa hints at a huge gay sex trade cloaked in euphemisms. When a more openly gay couple moves into the large apartment the two share, Jin and Styx have an in-your-face example of men loving men. (The Chinese real estate market is another subject where the author slides information in.) Indigo, who speaks Mandarin learned from books and whose words do not always mean what he thinks they do, grew up in the US and is baffled by the more repressive society. Li, his lover, is equally baffled by Indigo’s definition of a relationship.

The four of them coalesce into a band, later joined by a lead singer who brings his own stresses to the group. His story arc seems to be just beginning, so if there’s a sequel, I will be very happy to see what happens next for all of them.

I was depending on a happy ending, and the author does not disappoint. Styx’s return to being Jun Tai the dutiful son is coming at him like a freight train, and while we knew what would make everyone happy, how to achieve it was less clear. The author has a very good understanding of East meets West, though, and provided a solution this Western reader could see as perfect given the dynamics of East.

The setting is vivid, especially since the four young men have the opportunity to play tourist in the capital—they live in a “small town, only nine million” and relish the evidence of their heritage. The interconnection of family is strong too—uncles provide for nephews, fathers and mothers plan for sons, and grandfathers provide reality checks. Western medicine is poisonous and likely to backfire; the ancient methods help more.

The language of the book is a little formal, and actually has a flavor of Pearl S. Buck after the first chapter. The story starts in third person, switches to first person and stays there long enough to give some backstory, and then switched back to third person in the same character’s head, which was a little jarring.

This step into another culture was a wonderful love story, full of swirling undercurrents and the opposition of what Styx could have vs what he wanted—and what I wanted was for him and Jin to be happy. See me smile. 4.5 marbles

Mail Order Cowboy by Lor Rose

Title: Main Order Cowboy
Author: Lor Rose

Buy at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: Lex Valentine
Genre: Cowboy, ménage m/m/m
Length: 4900 words
Formats: epub, mobi, pdf,

Blurb:

The heart wants what it wants.

Austin and Loren have been together for sixteen years and own a small cattle ranch but something was missing. Their love was playful, youthful, and fun, but they knew there was more for them. What that more was, they didn't know. Talk of adding someone else interested the couple but no one had the spark they craved.

Hugh was a friend of Austin’s son and needed a place to go and a job. His own parents disowned him. He needed a place to stay and a job. Calling his friend’s dad was a last resort but what other choice did he have?

What Hugh found he didn't expect but maybe, just maybe, he was worth something after all.


Review:

If you’re expecting the entire story as promised by the blurb, the words in the file will feel inadequate. It’s all in there, in a line here, a line there, but not how it played out. Then back to the smexing.

Because if you’re trying to add someone to a relationship rather than enjoying an afternoon’s romp, isn’t a little more conversation than “Are you a virgin?” in order? Austin and Loren are basing everything on some eavesdropping that could be eliciting some very complicated emotions rather than straight out desire to join in. Overhearing someone getting called a man-whore isn’t the same as being happy to be on the receiving end. I turned my romance brain off and my porn brain on, and the problem disappeared.


The sex is hot, and heavy on talking dirty. Austin and Loren are goofy together, like big kids, which is cute, and Hugh has the best sense of any of them. He’s clearly done the most thinking about the dynamics of this: the older men are thinking more with their little heads. I wish them well, and they’ll do better now that they have some brains to run the outfit.

Once I reorganized my expectations, it was fun, but still contained weirdness like a few paragraphs of future setting with an outer space explanation that seemed completely irrelevant and a bit bizarre. Nothing else indicated this was anything other than a cowboy story.

Proofreading was sufficiently poor to become a hindrance to the reading experience, which provided a new experience for me as a reviewer. Enough errors to bounce me out of the story is normally a half marble deduct. The author/publisher was so willing to correct errors and is in the process of doing so, that I am revising it to -0.25 marbles because it was out there, but probably won’t stay out there.

The piece is trying to be a lot of things all at once, with just enough detailed storytelling to disrupt the erotica, but not enough to flesh out the story, and a few too many bounces out of the story. Personal communication with the author explained why this was so, but still, it’s being offered for sale. The primary relationship, the sex, and the playfulness between the men are good reading.  3 marbles