This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
Two opposites falling in love is always attractive, but still, This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
Two opposites falling in love is always attractive, but still, I haven't read something this good in a while.
Truman is a closet case, and one who takes it to the extreme. He has a scandal in his past, where his private life was exposed to the world, and everyone abandoned him, including his family. For someone as young as him, it took a while to bounce back, and while he might no longer be living in his truck and is able to function around others with little issue, what the incident left behind is the deep fear of others knowing his secrets.
It would be a little ordinary now to limit his secret just to being gay, after all his, panic is tremendous and at times it will really break your heart. His other secret really rubbed my kink and after finding that out, it wasn't really a matter of if I'm-going-to-like-the-books but just how much.
Stasi is proud, Greek and gay, living in a gay fraternity. He is easy going, positive and smitten when it comes to the pretty jock Truman. He pushes even when he thinks he shouldn't and chases after Truman even when Truman insists on running. Because the desire is there, in the way Truman responds, looks and moans, but Stasi needs to help him overcome his fear. It all takes a twist for the better, once Stasi stumbles, or stalks as it were, on Truman's secrets and the two make the best of it.
More than anything else, this book made me feel good. I love contemporary, but add a kink, a great relationship, some humor and amazing characters, and you can't avoid a winner. This was one of those books, that made me tear up on occasion, laugh out loud more than once and read it all in one go while not once wanting it to end.
It's been some time since I gave a five star rating but this book definitely deserved it. Truman and Stasi are not characters you would want to miss.
Merged review:
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
Two opposites falling in love is always attractive, but still, I haven't read something this good in a while.
Truman is a closet case, and one who takes it to the extreme. He has a scandal in his past, where his private life was exposed to the world, and everyone abandoned him, including his family. For someone as young as him, it took a while to bounce back, and while he might no longer be living in his truck and is able to function around others with little issue, what the incident left behind is the deep fear of others knowing his secrets.
It would be a little ordinary now to limit his secret just to being gay, after all his, panic is tremendous and at times it will really break your heart. His other secret really rubbed my kink and after finding that out, it wasn't really a matter of if I'm-going-to-like-the-books but just how much.
Stasi is proud, Greek and gay, living in a gay fraternity. He is easy going, positive and smitten when it comes to the pretty jock Truman. He pushes even when he thinks he shouldn't and chases after Truman even when Truman insists on running. Because the desire is there, in the way Truman responds, looks and moans, but Stasi needs to help him overcome his fear. It all takes a twist for the better, once Stasi stumbles, or stalks as it were, on Truman's secrets and the two make the best of it.
More than anything else, this book made me feel good. I love contemporary, but add a kink, a great relationship, some humor and amazing characters, and you can't avoid a winner. This was one of those books, that made me tear up on occasion, laugh out loud more than once and read it all in one go while not once wanting it to end.
It's been some time since I gave a five star rating but this book definitely deserved it. Truman and Stasi are not characters you would want to miss....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
I'm still debating how to rate this short story although I've rThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
I'm still debating how to rate this short story although I've read it days ago. Maybe I should give a star extra just because it was interesting enough to induce such a conflicting reaction, but in any case I've finally decided to write a review thinking it might help me decide.
Troy is serving a life prison sentence despite not being the man behind the violence when it came to his crimes, but all he really wants is to take his punishment in peace and live it day by day. Unfortunately Troy is on the pretty side and as luck would have it, he's just the type Daniel Amato goes for. Franchetti, a mobster in prison, wants to get rid of Daniel and thinks Troy fits perfectly into his plans. Soon Troy has to come to a decision--get raped and tortured, or seduce Daniel and eventually kill him for Franchetti. Not an easy decision, one that quickly became even more difficult.
I'm a bit reluctant to take on prison stories, especially those set in present time. My main reason for that is the difficulty of having a happy ending when there are so many things that are almost guaranteed to go wrong. Still, this one was short and sounded interesting. It turns out, these are the authors who can make a short story very sweet and the emotional side of it fit perfectly with the physical side. I liked the rough edges of the prison and the lack of sugarcoating many authors prefer, but also the way both men were far from perfect.
Why I'm still debating over the rating is because the first part of the story is definitely a four star for me, but the ending turned toward that paranormal side which dimmed the experience. It also ended in a way that is open for interpretation. It makes you wonder what is real and what's not. I've read a few other reviews just to make it clear for myself, and the general conclusion was that it is in fact an unoptimistic ending for a couple and that usually means some people will like the story and some won't.
I think it could have been expanded some more and turned completely into a paranormal story just to sweeten up the deal, or there should have been some clear words saying how the magic dissipated and the reality sat in. It is one of my preferences that I like the endings to be clear and on the happy side. There's way too much of the negative happening in real life for my tastes and I prefer not to cry over books as well.
So my final rating is the way it is, but these two authors do have a talent for taking on the difficult and presenting alternatives to their readers. Definitely worth another look.
Merged review:
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
I'm still debating how to rate this short story although I've read it days ago. Maybe I should give a star extra just because it was interesting enough to induce such a conflicting reaction, but in any case I've finally decided to write a review thinking it might help me decide.
Troy is serving a life prison sentence despite not being the man behind the violence when it came to his crimes, but all he really wants is to take his punishment in peace and live it day by day. Unfortunately Troy is on the pretty side and as luck would have it, he's just the type Daniel Amato goes for. Franchetti, a mobster in prison, wants to get rid of Daniel and thinks Troy fits perfectly into his plans. Soon Troy has to come to a decision--get raped and tortured, or seduce Daniel and eventually kill him for Franchetti. Not an easy decision, one that quickly became even more difficult.
I'm a bit reluctant to take on prison stories, especially those set in present time. My main reason for that is the difficulty of having a happy ending when there are so many things that are almost guaranteed to go wrong. Still, this one was short and sounded interesting. It turns out, these are the authors who can make a short story very sweet and the emotional side of it fit perfectly with the physical side. I liked the rough edges of the prison and the lack of sugarcoating many authors prefer, but also the way both men were far from perfect.
Why I'm still debating over the rating is because the first part of the story is definitely a four star for me, but the ending turned toward that paranormal side which dimmed the experience. It also ended in a way that is open for interpretation. It makes you wonder what is real and what's not. I've read a few other reviews just to make it clear for myself, and the general conclusion was that it is in fact an unoptimistic ending for a couple and that usually means some people will like the story and some won't.
I think it could have been expanded some more and turned completely into a paranormal story just to sweeten up the deal, or there should have been some clear words saying how the magic dissipated and the reality sat in. It is one of my preferences that I like the endings to be clear and on the happy side. There's way too much of the negative happening in real life for my tastes and I prefer not to cry over books as well.
So my final rating is the way it is, but these two authors do have a talent for taking on the difficult and presenting alternatives to their readers. Definitely worth another look....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
WOLF AT THE DOOR is a somewhat predictable shifter story, nicelThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
WOLF AT THE DOOR is a somewhat predictable shifter story, nicely written but holding little surprises and quite unfinished when it comes to the world building.
Darin is a nurse who likes to run when stressed out. He knows it's dangerous but he prefers running surrounded by trees and on one such occasion he trips over a handsome man. While the encounter is short, it's certainly memorable and while Darin's life suddenly turns to plain old weird, he still doesn't have it in him to be afraid.
Raylan is a werewolf always on the lookout for the Huntsmen, people dedicated to the eradication of his species, but once he meets his mate, he has trouble leaving, something he did each time before. Now he has a reason to stay and fight, because he's not willing to give up the one man who was made for him.
This is one of those stories which isn't bad, it just lacks details to tie it all together. I needed more characterization, an opportunity to get to know the characters better in a setting outside of the main pairing. Even their interactions weren't as deep as I would have liked and when the conclusion eventually came, it was both expected as well as lacking in substance.
This wasn't my favorite by this author, but as something simple and relaxing, it's not a bad choice....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
While predictability is sometimes alright and typical characterThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
While predictability is sometimes alright and typical characters can still be rather charming despite finding their way into too many books only under a different name, the book should still offer that bit that is different from all the others already out there.
In CALLED TO MATE, I got to meet two men who were brought up in different environments and influenced by different characters. Declan in an alpha and was raised to think like one, while Quinn is a submissive who has been abused all his life, secluded from the rest of the pack and constantly put down. Once rescued, Quinn ends up in Declan's new pack and becomes the alpha's mate.
This is that standard plotline a lot of the authors use and plenty of readers – me included – enjoy coming back to over and over again. But unlike some winners for me, this one didn't quite work because of the conflicting personalities of the characters. Both men changed too rapidly for my taste, their pasts fading and their sworn devotions quickly following as well. From the very start, I couldn't get used to Declan and his alpha personality. He had his good moments, but those were just outnumbered by the bad ones and all I was left with was Quinn. The submissive simply wasn't a strong character, something one would come to expect from someone with such a past, but in addition to weak development of the pack life, the final conflict was too vague to bring his character to the front.
At the end of it, this is a book I could have easily lived without. I didn't have any remarks when it comes to the writing but there is something to be said about the need of plot, and a book with a weak one will rarely keep my attention....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
RE-SUBMISSION is I think the second story set in the same worldThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
RE-SUBMISSION is I think the second story set in the same world, something I didn't know when I started reading this book. But if you are even a bit observant, you will notice that there seems to be a story missing as you're reading. That story is Sub-Mission.
This one is told from Tyler's point of view, which at the end I found really strange and was annoyed about. So I'd decided to ignore it, and rate the story as if that ending never actually happened and all that great writing from the beginning was the only impression I got from this book. That's where my four star rating comes in.
Tyler forces his way into a BDSM club by issuing a type of challenge to the club's owner Francis. He's daring himself to endure a month as a sub without really knowing the meaning of the term. Francis accepts and pairs him up with another Top in the club, Shae. Now there is more to Shae than meets the eye, and there is way more to Tyler than his supposed submission. But the real player behind the stage is Francis, Dom to the core and the man who likes to hold on to all the cards.
This is not a hard core BDSM story. The scenes are rather mild and there is more focus on vanilla sex with a bit of kink. Or at least I saw it that way. There are no boundaries about sharing, and when starting this, keep in mind, that there will be sex between the three main characters, and neither of them will show jealousy about it.
I like the writing, especially at the beginning when the author made the effort to keep things interesting and keep us in suspense on how the book would actually end. But once you realize your hopes aren't likely to come true, you will probably miss the emotional side of every man, something the ‘told' aspect of this story just doesn't cover so well.
To wrap it up, I hated the ending, didn't see the point in the chosen point of view, but really liked the world as well as the characters, despite the lack of their deeper personalities. I think this will appeal only to the selected few, but that's not a reason not to risk it....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
This short story was again one of those with great chemistry, gThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
This short story was again one of those with great chemistry, good enough to smoke up the sheets if not to light an actual flame, but its focus was more on therapy than romance and that's something a potential reader should keep in mind.
A young therapist, Ken, receives a new patient who's had two tours in Iraq, was diagnosed with PTSD and has trouble sleeping. They quickly establish a patient/therapist relationship and slowly Paul starts to open up. It results in healing, but Paul is not really the issue.
The story is told from Ken's point of view, and the man has some really unprofessional thoughts, not to mention reactions to the ridiculously handsome ex-soldier. He's trying to suppress it, but Paul isn't quite helping, and as their conversations lean more toward personal, Ken's feelings turn to impossible.
I do love some sexual tension in my books, and this one wasn't far off the mark. I would have appreciated to see a bit more of Paul as well as read about his thoughts, but even like this, I ended up reading a nice little story. Like I already mentioned, the focus was more on therapy, leaving the romance for the very last few pages. It jumped between their appointments to Ken's personal life while I really wanted to read about the couple. The ending was wrapped up quickly, not something I was overjoyed with, but which somehow still worked out.
So if you have time, feel like reading a bit about this type of a strange combination, go for it. It might be perfect for you....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
I'm quite glad authors are writing more about cross-dressing inThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
I'm quite glad authors are writing more about cross-dressing in their books lately, especially when those books are well written and kinky reviewers like me have plenty of fuel for our demanding imagination.
LACE turned out to be everything I'd expected, from an insecure student with issues to the larger subject of being accepted for who you are and not for what you wear. The author did an amazing job of incorporating all of the character's touchy spots into a bigger picture and she did it with enough sympathy it really wasn't a problem for me to enjoy this story.
Caleb is a gay man who likes to dress up. He's not one of those men who can hide his preference, like his boyfriend Levi can, so he hides his even more unordinary desires and satisfies himself by just wearing a bit of lace underneath his clothes. Caleb is a target for a local bully who doesn't really give him any breathing space and keeps harassing him, but Caleb isn't one to just walk away. He has an aggressive streak in him and reacts to provocations with violence. It's not just about words with him, he's used to being rejected, by his father, his uncle and the society in general, so letting someone in to the person behind the tough exterior is something Caleb doesn't think he can do, not even for his boyfriend Levi, who he desperately doesn't want to lose.
I loved this story, especially Caleb with both his insecurities and low self-worth as well as his aggressive side where he wasn't afraid to stand his ground and show teeth. For me he was a true star and it rubbed me the wrong way that he had to basically crawl for Levi. I know Levi wasn't a bad guy, but even at the beginning of the story I secretly hoped the bully would turn around and end up the perfect guy for Caleb instead of Levi. Yes, the guy never sat well with me, and as the story progressed I honestly liked him even less and couldn't agree with his attitude or his point of view at all.
LACE was a great book—wonderful writing with an amazing subject and this was almost perfect for me. While this author's work is mostly excellent or completely off the mark for me, I still dare to recommend you try one of her books, you might turn out to be a fan....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
Usually a fan of this author, I was surprised when this particuThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
Usually a fan of this author, I was surprised when this particular story turned out to be so unsatisfying. The very story was promising but everything else just had clouds of question marks surrounding it.
The story starts with Hadryk coming home from the war as a pup host. Which basically means he's agreed to be impregnated to save his lover Vodwynn. The main conflict of the story is Vodwynn's reaction to the pregnancy.
I did like the idea behind this five minute read, about a man returning home pregnant with a child – pup in this case – who is meant for other parents and fearing the reaction of his lover. But this was another race in question, a whole new concept about females impregnating men and children called pups and none of it was explained. Not the war or the very secret Hadryk is protecting for his lover. Even the very conclusion of the story seemed weak and left me with more questions and none of the answers.
As I expected more from this, I can't say I'm happy with what I got. Hopefully the next one will be more to the standard I'm used to when it comes to this author....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
DEMON LOVE was another short by Jack Greene, lighthearted, funnThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
DEMON LOVE was another short by Jack Greene, lighthearted, funny and incredibly sexy.
Lucas gets persuaded by his best friend to summon a demon one night, and after a lot of pestering, he finally agrees. It's a funny situation that ends up looking like everything but a serious summoning and while neither of them really expects anything to happen, a demon does appear.
Corson is Lucas' wet dream and with the messy way he was summoned, Lucas ended up being a bit more firmly bound to the demon – not that he terribly minds.
Although fairly simple and a somewhat common demon story, DEMON LOVE does possess that Greene charm that makes it special. It is instant love, a bit predictable, but also really sweet and more than one could wish for on a cloudy afternoon. Well, we could all wish for a sexy demon who could get us a million bucks with a snap of his fingers, but until that's actually possible, I recommend losing yourself in these two sexy men....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
This particular short story starts with a bang - funny, erotic This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
This particular short story starts with a bang - funny, erotic with amazing sexual tension where a sheriff/ Santa lusts after an oblivious librarian/elf. I was chuckling along, loving the stuttering lawman and impatiently waiting for that moment when everything is revealed and they get their happily ever after.
While everything pretty much does happen in that order, the second part of the story pulled out all these unrealistic and, at certain moments, even cruel situations that the magic for me just evaporated and I was left there reading a simple and predictable story.
I disliked the side characters and that was probably what colored my whole impression of the book. It was one of those situations where enemies would have been preferable to friends and family, and that's not something I like to read about.
The main characters were pretty cute, just not developed as well as they could have been, but they did make for a simple enjoyable story that will give you a bit of a Christmas boost....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
These is something mysterious when it comes to reading anthologThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
These is something mysterious when it comes to reading anthologies, because each story is a big unknown until you actually start unwrapping the present. In this one, the biggest mystery for me was that lack of vanilla the title promised and while I got a couple of interesting wrapped up gifts, the rest was in the lines of average or even a bit strange.
In Boughs of Love by Rebecca Brochu, I got to know Reese who took on raising his brother's daughter Holly after the accident that took away her parents' lives. He does everything for Holly and each joy she experiences puts a smile on his face, so it's not all that strange when he indulges her and goes to buy the biggest tree she can find. What he didn't expect was to find a hot worker (Keifer) there and for the man to refuse to leave his thoughts.
This was my favorite story of the bunch, simply because of the great tension and the wonderful descriptions of want between the characters. It's surprisingly low on sex, but the sparks between the characters make up for it and I did wish the story was longer.
Dressed for Dinner by Pelaam on the other hand was all about sex with Kevin and his Master Stefan attending a type of themed party revolving around their lifestyle. The story is really BDSM focused, but I found it to have little actual substance and had trouble connecting to the characters or enjoying their play. This one was not for me.
I loved Paul, the main character in Tied with a Bow by Nicola Cameron. His story was probably the most inspirational one of the bunch and his secret life as writer of gay ménages definitely made it more playful. I loved the humor in this one and his somewhat awkward way as he fought his attraction to his two neighbors. I loved how he put them in his story, especially since it filled the air with expectation. My remark would be the too quick switch to the ending and the very realization of his fantasies. As a big ménage fan, I do want a bit more work in such relationships.
Enough about Earl by Giselle Renarde was a bit unemotional, or I experienced it that way. Jodee and Cam are best friends, but Jodee used to have a crush on gay Cam and now she's talking constantly about her gay college friend Earl, making Cam bite his tongue almost each time she speaks.
They are attending a Christmas party where they would meet Earl and his best friend Kyle, who also has jealousy issues, and the pairings happen from there. The very couples, though obvious, didn't really work for me. I knew too little about Jodee and Kyle, and yet they took so much page space, while Earl and Cam wanted different things and seem to take the edge off or forget more than they actually wanted to have any type of a relationship.
The Christmas Cookies by Troy Storm was terribly confusing to me. It all starts with Ben, the mailroom clerk eating some spiked cookies and his bosses, the company owner Art and the office manager Marv, rescuing him from further embarrassment. The story had a good start, but the resulting ménage seemed strained and the story jumps only jumbled it further.
Each of these stories brought a little kink into Christmas cheer and while some are better than others, overall this is a well-rounded anthology and not a bad way to meet some new authors. ...more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
This way too short story was more than a pleasant surprise withThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
This way too short story was more than a pleasant surprise with adorable characters, solid story and absolute cuteness just bursting at the seams.
It must have been a trick of faith that Ryan gets stuck with making a Christmas gift for the flamboyant and openly gay classmate Jamie in a school project. It's definitely not his first choice, not that Ryan has anything against Jamie. He just doesn't want to be the center of attention the same as Jamie by simple association. Still, with all the stuff Jamie puts up with at school, he does deserve something special…
And so it goes into the embarrassing, funny as well as adorable while Ryan tries to make that perfect gift at his mother's craft workshop and still stay anonymous while slowly realizing his continuing guilt for hiding his friendship with Jamie has little to do with his morals, but rather with who he is.
SOCK IT TO ME, SANTA! was one of those stories that have all the potential for making you feel good. It brings back memories of those high school crushes and awkward situations all of us had found ourselves in at one point or another, but the author pulled it off so well it is likely you will read through every single moment and desperately want more. The same as I did.
This wonderful story deserves all the attention it can get and Madison Parker is an author you have to add to your to-read list. It's mandatory....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
With Christmas around the corner, there is no better way of getThis review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
With Christmas around the corner, there is no better way of getting into the holiday spirit than reading playful love stories that will give you that push to actually smile even when there is nothing but pressure around you.
WHAT I SEE IN YOU is one of those stories, where Kennedy, a jeweler who hates Christmas and keeps to himself, gets a surprise of his life precisely during the most annoying holiday. Angel, a rich, handsome man set his eyes on the shy Kennedy and decided he had to win the man over, no matter to what lengths the determination took him to.
I always appreciate the differences between the characters, when they are not just a copy of each other, but rather made up of differences that are the attracting factors between them. This was one of those stories that kept on being good and surprising despite only in little ways. Kennedy turned from Grinch to a man who smiled and the author took us through that transformation so that we saw the man who hid behind the average exterior exactly as Angel discovered him, and the whole process was just wonderfully romantic.
This is definitely one of the pearls this holiday season, so don't miss out....more
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
What happens when the man you love tells you no instead of yes This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
What happens when the man you love tells you no instead of yes and stands behind his decision despite the law finally being on your side and giving you the possibility to tie the knot? Dumping him might be the first thought to come to mind, but in the case of this story, the man in question made his own bed when he decided it was the perfect time to visit relatives.
This is a story about Owen and Seth who have very different views on marriage but neither of those are as hard core as the attitude Seth's parents have and it all comes to clash in this holiday story.
Funny, emotional, deep and simply romantic, this story covers it all. But aside from that, it touches the hard questions and even more difficult answers as simple paths are not always so black and white. It shows the annoying side of family but it also celebrates their support and understanding.
This short tale encompasses it all and probably gives the realistic side of family holidays, because I know it's never all joy and great food at my house. There has to be at least one fight, a lot of yelling and in this particular case – a shotgun....more
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