Nathan wants to put a ring on it, but is Owen the marrying kind?
Two years on from their first date, Owen and Nathan are living together and life is good—except they’re not on the same page about marriage.
A traditionalist at heart, Nathan wants it all: the wedding, the vows, and a pair of matching rings. Owen, on the other hand, believes marriage is old-fashioned and unnecessary. They don’t need a wedding to prove their commitment to each other. Love should be enough on its own.
All it takes is one moment of weakness on a night out to force the issue. Owen finds himself engaged after a half-drunk proposal, and Nathan’s enthusiasm sweeps him along. But as the big day approaches, the mounting tension finally combusts.
If he’s going to save their relationship, Owen will need to decide once and for all if he’s truly the marrying kind.
Review
Just as we always suspected, it’s not always shiny-happy-dove-filled-moments when our MCs happy endings arrive. Such is the case with Owen and Nathan.
They are a typical couple who argue over the remote and the dishes, don’t always have super-star sex but really, really love one another.
When their friends get married it sets Nathan to thinking about his own wedding – to Owen. Owen, on the other hand, doesn’t have a great role model for marriage and isn’t quite ready to see himself march down the aisle.
However, in trying to make Nathan happy (so he thinks) he asks Nathan to marry him one night in a drunken bit of brashness and then lives to regret it over the coming months.
The dissonance between his actions and his feelings are felt by Nathan and the two grow apart – fortunately they realize the problem before it gets catastrophic and we do see the pair with their HEA, after all.
**
This was a very sweet, fun, more realistic look at love through the eyes of an established couple.
I loved how Jay Northcote managed to put in some of life’s realism into the fairy-tale romance. Owen’s job, his family, Nathan’s expectations… these are all things real couples have to manage, and sometimes love isn’t all you need.
If you enjoyed Dating Game you will want to read this and if you haven’t read Dating Game – you should!
In the mood to try something sweet? How about a collection of stories about bears and the special men in their lives? Guys don’t have to be in their twenties, perfectly sculpted, and hairless to be hot. Bears are realmen with real bodies—and that doesn’t always mean a perfect six-pack or an immaculately smooth chest. With bears, it can mean more man to love. The men in this anthology are chubs, cubs, grizzlies, pandas, polar bears, and more—all looking for a connection. And beneath their burly physiques are hearts of gold. Explore the bear scene and beyond with these big, hairy guys and the men who find them irresistibly sexy
Review
(From Previous Site)
So Just What is a Bear – BG Thomas
This is a very sincere prologue with a touching personal story that really sets the tone for this anthology. The basic theme about this entire, delightful book, is body acceptance, loving who you want, being who you are, and stop fighting against what “should/could be” and accept what is.
Truck Stop by Hawthorn Moss
A 1949 love story about a man who runs a truck stop, finding love with a guy who really never would have identified as gay if it hadn’t been for a freak snow-storm and the right man to show him how wrong sterotypes could be. Very sweet.
Bear Chasing – Renae Kaye
A full story involving a small gay “chaser” who didn’t know that’s who he was. When some Bears move in next door it’s instant attraction that leads to something very sweet and tender. There’s even some pretty hot sex, too! Excellent and a full story using a minimum of words.
Life’s Tiny Surprises – Tara Spears
A big brute of a man thinks life for him is to be solitary when along comes a former student, now fully grown, but still quite tiny, with a big heart. The two hit it off and it seems as though love will surely follow.
The Bear Kin of Snowbird Mountain – Michael Rupured
A funny modern fairy tale of a man/bear descended from ancients who finds his true love on the streets of DC. Another full story with an epilogue and all.
Just Breathe- John Genest
A sad, essentially widowed man goes in for a sleep test in order to qualify for a life saving CPAP device. There he meets someone who can appreciate him for who he is and really understands where he’s coming from.
Barefoot – Lillan Francis
A misunderstanding between a scruffy looking man who works at a shelter and the manager of the local supermarket almost halts a budding romance, but when the two figure things out, more than love happens and a compassionate set of hearts is truly rewarded.
Golden Bear – GP Keith
A sweet IT guy offers a cup of cocoa to a city-worker during an ice storm and the two start a relationship that looks like it could definitely last a lifetime.
Banyan Court – Samuel Scott Preston
An aging Classics Professor travels to his homeland of Hawaii and dares to learn surfing for the first time at 60. His surf master turns out to be an old soul in a younger body and the very, very moving story that follows will have you crying and sighing.
The Bear at the Bar – J. Scott Coatsworth
Another story that uses a few words to create a full and rounded story about a vain “gym bunny” who ends up realizing that there is more to life than just how you look. A distinct nod to “Freaky Fiday” with a grown-up, gay twist.
Amped- Zoe X Rider
A short story about a night at a concert where a big ole bear and a newly minted gay boy find that they might have more in common than they thought.
The Bear Next Door – Jack Byrne
A sweet youngish rancher falls for the hard-headed older bear next door. A few misunderstandings keep them apart, but when the two finally clear the air, a sweet love remains. Another full story written is few words.
The Bear Fetish- John Amory
Fetish in this sense is an artifact, not a kink. Robert meets Luis in a gay bar on a business trip to New Mexico. Luis shows Robert how to lighten up and get in touch with his true self and the two show hints at maybe something more than a one night stand.
The Do-it-yourself guide to getting over yourself – Robert B. McDiamid
When a terrible break up makes your friends send you on vacation to “get over yourself” what do you do? Well, you read a self-help book to do just that. The book and the man catch the eye of a coveted bear at the same resort and the two find common ground that could lead to something more permanent.
Hunting Bear: A fairy tale with a very hairy ending- Edmond Manning
A funny story written in the style of a fairy tale about a twink named Tyler who falls for the unattainable Bear, dubbed “The Great White Bear” because no one ever seems to catch his attentions. With the help of his amazing best friend Derrick, Tyler manages to snare a date with the Great White Bear only to realize that maybe, it was someone else he really wanted to be dating all along. This is another full story that manages to incorporate an epilogue.
All of these stories, all of them is 6 out of 5. Some of them are little more than snippets in the life of their characters, others are fully formed stories that tell a complete tale, but all of them are deeply touching.
As a woman, I am used to male characters mostly being pretty self-confident and not overly body conscious. However, these stories show a painfully different story. These are guys who – especially in the stereotypical world of gay love – don’t fit in. They are big, hairy, ungainly, and not at all what you think of when you think “gay man”. Unless… you know about bears. Then, they fit right in. And what a wonderful world to have available to you! These guys let it all hang out and are proud to be who they are, and offer no apologies for their looks. In fact they revel in it. How liberating!
I was deeply touched by the pain in so many of these stories, it really drives home the point that in our world so much of our self-esteem is wrapped up in our vision of what constitutes “physical perfection” and just how damaging that is.
I loved everyone of these stories and will warn you ahead of time that many will bring tears if not outright bawling.
I highly recommend this book and give it 6 of 5 hearts.
When they were at uni, Owen always had a bit of a crush on Nathan. But Nathan was apparently straight, and Owen was too busy with other guys to take his crush seriously.
When Nathan moves back to Bristol after a year away, Owen hears that Nathan has come out of the closet, and he propositions him. Nathan doesn’t want to be just another notch on Owen’s bedpost, though, so he challenges Owen to prove he can be serious: five dates before they have sex.
Owen doesn’t think that sounds too difficult. He’s expecting Nathan to find his charms irresistible anyway. But as they grow closer, Owen begins to care more about proving himself to Nathan than he does about getting him into bed.
Review
(book reviewed previously)
Owen has always been out and proud, at least since college, and that’s when he first met Nate. Nate was “straight” through college, but he’d noticed Owen, and sublimated that interest, back in college, as well. Later, now that Nate is finally being true to himself, Owen wants to see if reality is as hot as the fantasy. But Nate doesn’t do casual relationships and that’s all Owen knows.
On a lark, Nate offers to have sex with Owen, but only if Owen will agree to five sexless dates first. Surprising them both, Owen agrees.
At first Owen is merely placating Nate, biding his time, proving that he can do “dating” as well as the next guy. But it doesn’t take long for things to get “real” and suddenly Owen is looking forward to each new date without worrying about trying to get in Nate’s pants.
Meanwhile Nate is falling for Owen, but positive that Owen will never settle down with just one guy and certainly not him.
After a few fairly minor hiccups, the two manage to make it through date five only to find that what started as a drunken bet has developed into something very real and both end up very happy with the results.
**
What a sweet, fun, fantastic read! Jay has given us another winner!
Both characters are very likable, their emotions are sweet and straight-forward, their romance both hot yet touching. Neither has a boat-load of angst to overcome and the main hurdle in this story is mostly one of self-perception. Owen doesn’t see himself as a “boyfriend” type and Nate isn’t sure of his appeal.
I really enjoyed the old-fashioned “getting to know you” dates these boys went on and enjoyed the sexual tension right along side them. Sure the sexual tension and flirting was there, keeping the steam level high, but since the entire point was to wait for the sex “to mean something” you know (or at least assume) that each encounter isn’t going to end up in the sack. It was refreshing! It made their parting kisses that much sweeter and more meaningful (both to the boys and the reader!).
Jay isn’t afraid to be “British” and her dialog is full of British sayings and the boys travel through the country giving a taste of the locale as well. I loved the unique phrases, even something as mundane as an all you can eat buffet (an eat-all-you-can buffet) or kissing (snogging) or push-ups (press-ups) take on an international flavor and bring another interesting quality to the story.
The secondary characters are fun as well. Simon, Jack and Kirsty are all well developed and help us to understand our MCs all the better while adding more humor to the mix.
5 of 5 hearts
Audio
I was really glad that a British narrator did this audiobook, I think that adds to the UK flavor Jay Northcote sets up in her books. I liked him well enough, I thought that sometimes I could have used more variation in the voicings and maybe a little more raunch or emotion… but I really liked it.
In a town as small as Tyson, CA, everybody knew the four brothers with the four different fathers– and their penchant for making good music when they weren’t getting into trouble. For Mackey Sanders, playing in Outbreak Monkey with his brothers and their friends—especially Grant Adams–made Tyson bearable. But Grant has plans for getting Mackey and the Sanders boys out of Tyson, even if that means staying behind.
Between the heartbreak of leaving Grant and the terrifying, glamorous life of rock stardom, Mackey is adrift and sinking fast. When he’s hit rock bottom, Trav Ford shows up, courtesy of their record company and a producer who wants to see what Mackey can do if he doesn’t flame out first. But cleaning up his act means coming clean about Grant, and that’s not easy to do or say. Mackey might make it with Trav’s help–but Trav’s not sure he’s going to survive falling in love with Mackey.
Mackey James Sanders comes with a whole lot of messy, painful baggage, and law-and-order Trav doesn’t do messy or painful. And just when Trav thinks they may have mastered every demon in Mackey’s past, the biggest, baddest demon of all comes knocking.
Review
Mackey lives with his three brothers in small-town California. He forms a band with them, and some friends, including Grant, his older brother’s friend. The band turns out to be amazing and they go from playing at the prom to getting a record deal. Meanwhile, Grant and Mackey are at once getting closer and closer and yet farther and farther away from one another.
Mackey is gay. So is Grant, but Grant can’t admit it, so neither can Mackey. Grant continues to break Mackey’s heart by dating Samantha because it’s expected of him by the community and his dad. When Grant graduates high school, he tells Mackey he stayed behind for his dad, but we also know the band and Mackey played a role in the decision.
In this episode we really start to see the beginning of the problems that follow in subsequent episodes (i.e. drug addiction, depression). I both loathe and love Grant’s character. He is so understandable, yet you just want to punch him in the face for the way he hurts Mackey. It’s so disarming to see young Mackey shouldering all these heavy burdens and couple that with this shameful hiding of what appears to be true love.
Since the blurb in the story talks about another MC – Trav – it is reasonable to believe that Grant is not our main love interest, even here in Episode one with no mention of Trav. Therefore I feel completely vindicated in hoping Mackey can leave Grant behind, and soon.
Talk about prolonging the drama! This is such a unique (and shall I say painful? – I am an impatient, impatient soul) way to deliver a story. The pain will only exist for those of us who are reading this as a serial, and after October 2014 anyone else will simply have to read the full novel – but WOW – this packs a punch, delivered in segments, keeping us readers on tenterhooks while we await the next installment.
I love Mackey, I can tell he will rival some of Amy’s other MCs in my heart for favorite. So far, this story most closely resembles The Locker Room in the way we are introduced to the MCs as young kids and move through adulthood with them. And in how painful it seems to be. I am keeping Kleenex close at hand.
P.S. The Bonus scenes are great, and I think you only get them in the Deluxe or Serialized Versions.
Part two
Blurb
Trav Ford doesn’t like strings and he doesn’t like messes. Coming off a messy breakup, Trav is grimly determined to keep his life absolutely pristine. When Trav is asked to take over the management of Outbreak Monkey, his first order of business is to clean up their act—and that includes shipping the youngest, most troubled member off to detox and rehab before Mackey Sanders’s life choices kill him.
But Mackey didn’t become an addict overnight, and it’s going to take more than one trip to rehab to fix him up. When an act of violence destroys Mackey’s struggling equilibrium, Trav is going to find that messy isn’t so hard to escape—not when it’s wrapping its mess around Trav’s heart.
Review
We start off with a bang – Grant has left, Mackey is on a downward spiral – though the band is selling millions, Mackey is a wreck. Along comes Trav to save the day and we get a glimpse for what -we hope- a future where Mackey can be himself and be happy.
In Part two we start to see deeper into some of the other boys’ lives and realize there is more to them as well. Uh Sheila? WTF?
I am glad – so glad – Trav got introduced right away, my heart was breaking after Episode one. And he seems hot, sweet and tough – my favorite – just right for Mackey.
I love Mackey’s one liners: “I’m only bi when I’m high” and “Don’t bullshit me Babysitter!” He is going to be one of Amy Lane’s MCs that rivals for favorite in my heart, I just know it.
If I get to make a comparison this early, I’d say this reminds me most closely of The Locker Room. Young guys, growing with them through a painful, painful early adulthood and hopefully the kind of happy ending that legends are made of. (Don’t hate the dangling participle!)
Part three
Blurb
Mackey Sanders doesn’t do anything easy—rehab is no exception. Never one to follow orders for the sake of being orderly, Mackey needs a reason, something real, to make him agree to Trav’s terms of getting clean. Trav knows he can’t be Mackey’s only reason to rehabilitate, but before he can convince Mackey of that, he needs to get to the heart of what’s been eating Mackey alive from the moment the band left Tyson.
Can Mackey’s family—can Mackey’s band—survive the fallout of Mackey telling the truth? More importantly, can Mackey?
Review
Mackey and Blake end up doing rehab together after Mackey gets roofied and attacked at a bar and almost dies.
Travis is struck by his feelings for Mackey and Mackey begins to realize the depth of his feelings for Travis.
The most important part of this segment is rehab itself. Dr. Cambridge (with the help of Travis as motivation) finally breaks through to Mackey and forces him to admit that he’s gay. Forces him to discuss Grant. Forces him to admit his fears. And finally forces him to talk about it with his family.
What we’re left with is a raw open wound. Mackey is bare and tender like new skin after a bad sunburn. The band and Mackey’s mom are left ripped wide open, forced to face their individual roles in Mackey’s collapse.
Travis will have his hands full in managing this bunch now that the truth is out, and everyone’s on pins and needles wondering what’s going to happen when Mackey returns.
**
WOW. This segment was gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, and another reason to be grateful for a Family-sized box of Kleenex. Damn.
Mackey can’t get any deeper under your skin. He’s so, so broken. He has such a simple set of expectations for life (love and music) and yet he cannot get those met. The only thing that works for him is his music and it’s his music that tears him from his love, which makes him self-medicate to the point of self-destruction. Fortunately, Travis frickin’ gets it and gets him and finally, with his help, Mackey can have love and music at the same time. I hope. Amy Lane – you hear me? He better get both!
I am nervous about Grant and what role he’s going to play in the upcoming segments… I have a feeling we haven’t heard the last of him, and I have a feeling he isn’t going to be “a good thing” when he does return.
Of course this segment is as wonderful as parts one and two – maybe even the best so far, simply because I just love seeing the love between Travis and Mackey in its infant stages here. I also love seeing the personalities of the brothers blossom and become full, rich, and complex characters.
Part Four
Blurb
Mackey’s fragile recovery from his bout with self-destruction is complicated even further by his feelings for Trav—and Trav’s feelings back. Trav is older, and he should know better, but now that Mackey is drug-free and conquering his demons, all he can see is the stunning, brilliant man who existed under the stain of pain and excess.
Trav and Mackey struggle to find a balance between Mackey’s recovery and their growing attraction. Trav decides to make a rare leap of faith—but can Mackey find enough faith in himself to make it through life in the spotlight and a visit to the past that almost destroyed him?
Review
Mackey comes back from rehab and he and Trav agree that though it isn’t exactly by the “12 step” book, they need each other. Trav doesn’t want to just jump in bed – ok he does – but he wants this thing between him and Mackey to be REAL not just a way to make this part of Mackey’s recovery “feel better”.
Mackey just wants Trav. He just WANTS him.
So they agree to date and it’s f*ckin’ hilarious and sweet and gut wrenching… pure romance.
There is some more confrontation with Mackey’s past – really painful stuff but some healing, too.
Finally there’s the hot, sweaty, skin on skin… well, you’ll see J
**
What I really appreciate about this section is that, yet again, Amy has given us this perfectly imperfect set of heroes and anti-heroes. Trav isn’t perfect. He craves, desires, wants, needs – even though it’s probably in no way the right thing for either of them right now.
Mackey is so much more than the right-brained, needy, creative, messed-up musician – he also loves, and loves deeply, and sees things in people others can’t or won’t – and he’s not afraid to say what he thinks. Time and again he just cuts you off at the knees then gives you a hand up.
Each section keeps getting better and this is (of course) my favorite so far – but I’ll tell you – after I read this my first thought was “Oh no – what’s going to happen next? When is the next shoe gonna fall?” followed by “How is Grant gonna screw this up?” and finally “Oh, poor Blake. **pets** I hope someone loves him soon!”
Part Five
Blurb
Mackey is great at taking a leap of faith into a crowd—but taking one into a relationship and a future is a totally different animal. When he and Trav decide to take a risk that Mackey’s healing can hold up to them together, they know it’s going to be a long, difficult road. Mackey proves he can handle the stress of performing on his own, but when it comes to the demons that broke him in the first place, that’s a whole other song.
The first time Mackey tries to go home, it sends him into a palm-sweating, stomach-heaving anxiety attack, and Trav has to concede that Mackey is still on loan from the things that almost wrecked him when he was still a kid. When news arrives that affects the entire band, Mackey can either go home and face his demons or let them haunt them forever.
Review
Mackey and Trav are together and it is hot. H.O.T. Mackey is still a train wreck. He barely makes it when Trav has to go to England for 4 days, but manages to stay sober by getting a sexy stomach tattoo and hanging on by a wing and a prayer.
The band is forced to get its own act together for a show in Oakland and they get a new member to the tribe: Briony. Briony kicks ass and takes names as the bands new tech guru.
Trav and Mackey have the hottest rock star sex ever when Trav makes it back in time to see the show, and the first post-rehab show is a huge success.
Trouble is on the horizon though. Mackey doesn’t want to see Trav’s parents for Christmas when he sees himself as still such a work in progress. Trav feels he has to go so the boys are set to head up to Tyson on their own and Mackey freaks out in the airport – the idea of going home too much for his recently sober state to withstand.
Luckily Trav is there to catch him before he falls and the band ends up staying in LA together for Christmas where they get the terrible news about Grant.
Really terrible news. Now Mackey has to face not only going home, but going home to say good-bye for good.
Amy knows how to kill us so very sweetly…
Part Six
Blurb
For as long as Trav Ford has known the Sanders boys, one name has haunted the entire band. Their first lead guitarist and Mackey’s first lover has left a stamp on the kids he’s known as family, an now Grant has one last chance to hurt the people Trav cares for the most.
Except Grant isn’t the monster Trav made him out to be and coming home is harder on the band – and Trav – than he ever could have anticipated. When Trav is confronted with the reality of what Mackey and his brothers left behind – and with what they’re about to lose – he has to seriously reconsider if he’s strong enough to deal with everything that Mackey and Outbreak Monkey have come to represent. Fortunately for Trav, Mackey’s learned a lot in the past year, and one of his best lessons is how to hold on to the people he loves.
Review
Oooo, this one’s a tough one. First off, let me yell CLIFF HANGER!!! Here we sit on the precipice of the end and we are left absolutely biting our fingernails!
The band makes it up to Tyson where Grant meets them looking beat to sh*t and barely hanging on. If that wasn’t enough, when they play in their old bar, the locals FINALLY catch on that Mackey is gay and that one of their own might be too. This, of course, causes a bar fight in which the entire band ends up in jail.
This freaks Trav, Mr. Control, right the hell out and he bails, leaving Mackey to deal with his feelings and his family by HIMSELF… for one night… we hope.
Meanwhile Cheever acts like a total ass-hat and sets Mackey off on another rant about how Cheever can’t bite the hand that feeds him all the time.
On a happy side note, our good friend and techie Briony seems to be finding some warmth with dear sweet Kell and things are looking pretty favorable in that direction. “You are …. Radius!” One of the best lines!
**
While I was really expecting this segment to kick my ass, I think the shoe is really gonna drop in the last. Grant is just too dang likable. That’s Trav’s problem too. He WANTS to hate him, but how can you hate a guy who was just young and dumb and trying to do the right thing for the wrong reasons?
I was so glad Cheever got his head bit off – I was really getting tired of hearing him bad mouth the brothers, even if it is understandable in a backward teen-agery sort of way.
Of course I’ve been rooting for Briony and Kell since she was introduced so I am ever so pleased they seem to be hooking up – man do they seem well matched. And wow! – who would have thunk it – Kell has some pretty deep feelings after all!
I really like how Amy managed to demonstrate in a few short pages just how far Mackey has come, emotionally, and how ready he is to settle in to an “adult” relationship with Trav, at last.
I also really appreciated that Mackey was real with his mom in this part too. Forcing them both to look at her “mothering skills” with a critical eye and acknowledge that no matter what she did she had a rough road to travel with Cheever, maybe even more than with the others.
Part Seven
Blurb
The one lesson that Trav’s learned with the band’s return to Tyson is that it should be hard to say good-bye.
Mackey, Kell, Jefferson, and Stevie have to say good-bye to the person who helped make them and break them. They have to say good-bye to their bitterness and anger, and they have to say good-bye to lingering hope that one of the best parts of their childhood can be with them always.
But in the last two years they’ve grown a lot—and maybe they’ve grown enough to say good-bye to the past without forgetting it, and to embrace a future that they won’t regret.
Review
So we left off with Trav in a hotel leaving Mackey BY HIMSELF to face the house full of craziness…
When we return, Mackey and Trav “make up”… yeah, that’s a description for it (aka have super hot monkey sex) and admit how important they are to each other.
Then the real hard part begins – saying Goodbye to Grant. He is providing closure, taking care of his daughter, telling anyone and everyone the truth – and it hurts. But it is also so beautiful.
Grant has made plans for his funeral and though they are tough, the boys agree and when the time comes, it can be said that no one will ever, EVER forget that funeral. Things get said that should have been said years ago and all of it is “shocking”, and the song that gets sung (“It’s my life” by the Animals) is ever so appropriate.
Finally, it’s time to go home. Their goodbyes have been said publicly, now they have to be said privately, and though not necessarily easier, certainly there is the acknowledgement of the happy part of Grant that only Mackey and the boys got to see. Here the boys sing their version of Wish You Were Here, the Pink Floyd song written for their own lost band member Syd Barrett, and it too is ever, ever so appropriate.
Trav and Mackey are together and happy and willing to keep falling in love with each other every single day.
Hopefully you have bought the series and get to see the bonus material because part 7 is absolutely the BEST bonus material – in it we see Mackey on his way to see Trav’s family as he gets some of the most amazing news from Briony and Kell.
**
This was a very hard segment to read. We went through times where we just wanted to strangle Grant, but it’s hard to forget how much love he had for Mackey and in this segment we see there was so much more there that we didn’t see … and such a potential for more that could never be …
Of course his dying was amazingly sad and the funeral scene is so touching and gutting but Amy finds a way to make us laugh through our tears. To me however, the hardest part to read was the barn scene (you’ll know it when you read it) because it was so symbolically full circle. Here are Grant and Mackey, together, the tables are turned though and it’s Mackey giving to Grant and it’s so beautiful, tender, loving but absent that passion from before because Mackey is Trav’s now, and that is undisputed.
I can’t recommend this series/book enough, it is funny, heartbreaking, enlightening, sweet, tender, passionate, sexy, loving… well… just amazing.
I give it 6 of 5 stars and you’re missing out if you don’t read this book!
**
Lyrics to It’s my Life by the Animals
It’s a hard world to get a break in
All the good things long gone been taken
But girl there are ways to make certain things pay
Dressed in these rags I’ll wear sable some day
Hear what I say, I’m gonna ride that serpent
No more time spent sweatin’ rent
Hear my command, I’m breakin’ loose, ’cause I ain’t no use
Holdin’ me down, girl stick around
And baby, remember
It’s my life and I’ll do what I want
It’s my mind and I’ll think like I want
Show me I’m wrong, hurt me sometime
But some day I’ll treat you real fine
I’ll treat you so fine, dear, you’re so real
There’ll be women and their fortunes
Who just want to mother little orphans
Are you gonna cry while I’m squeezin’ them dry?
Takin’ all I can get, no regrets, when I openly lie
And live on their money, believe me honey
You can have so much fun with that money
Can you believe, I ain’t no saint?
I ain’t got no complaints, so girl throw out, yeah any doubt
And baby, remember
It’s my life and I’ll do what I want
It’s my mind and I’ll think like I want
You show me I’m wrong, it’ll hurt me sometime
But some day I’ll treat you real fine
It’s my life and I’ll do what I want
It’s my mind and I’ll think like I want
Show me I’m wrong, hurt me sometime
But some day I’ll treat you real fine
I’ll treat you so fine, babe
I’ll give you everything, everything you want
Lyrics to Wish you Were Here
So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
Did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We’re just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
Gay-for-pay porn star Jimmy Thunder doesn’t just have a double life, he’s got three. Just when he thinks he has all his big secrets under control, he discovers mind-blowing sex and the emerging feelings of true love with his gay co-star, Angelis. And it’s no fluke. These guys just can’t keep their hands off each other, doing unscripted, hot sex scenes that thrill their director, but for Jimmy, it’s actually one more problem he doesn’t need.
His most recent ex-girlfriend claims she’s pregnant, his current girl is fighting deportation, and just what is that deadly entity lurking in Angelis’ second bedroom? Jimmy knows an otherworldly monster when he feels one. And he ought to know, because Jimmy’s a vampire. Sleeping by day, hiding at night, Jimmy’s many secrets are about to collide in the sinister, dark side of tropical Waikiki few visitors ever see.
Review
In this very unique vampire romance, Div aka Jimmy Thunder, is a gay for pay porn-star who falls for his co-star Tem aka Angelis. There is a lot – A LOT – of other drama to be sorted out: ex girlfriends and ex mates and current girlfriends and a sister who then dates the now ex- girlfriend…
A lot of drama.
Eventually, Div owns up to being a vampire and converts Tem. Kalani, Div’s vampire sister, ends up with a mate of her own and everyone ends up happily ever after.
**
This is a book that I think you will either love or … well… not. It is very erotic, lots of sex – obviously with porn stars and all – but also very tender.
The drama and the exes can be exhausting and, for me, a little overwhelming to the main love story. Maybe because this is the start of a series there is a lot of back story involved? Time will tell.
Though there is no doubt that Tem and Div love each other, I didn’t love how their story played out – a little too “open” in terms of relationships – and I didn’t really like seeing them having so much on page sex with other partners.
In the end it was a unique look at the world of vampires and a nice love story for those looking for something really different.
At twenty-five, Hank owns a small parcel of land in Australia’s rural southwest where he supplements his income from the property with seasonal shearing. Hank is a “shearing gun”—an ace shearer able to shear large numbers of sheep in a single day. His own father kicked him out when his sexuality was revealed, and since no one would ever hire a gay shearer, Hank has remained firmly closeted ever since.
Elliot is the newbie doctor in town—city-born and somewhat shell-shocked from his transplant to the country. When a football injury brings Hank to Elliot’s attention, an inappropriate sexual glance and the stuttered apology afterward kickstarts their friendship. Romance and love soon blossom, but it’s hard for either of them to hope for anything permanent. As if the constant threat of being caught isn’t enough, Elliot’s contract runs out after only a year.
Review
(From previous site)
Hank gets hurt playing “footy” and meets Elliot. There is some instant attraction, but Hank ignores it because he doesn’t “fish where he lives”. Hank fears being gay bashed like his uncle was and only goes to the city for anonymous sex and has resigned himself to a life of hook-ups and no real relationships.
Elliot the Quack (called by Hank, then turned into Quack Elliot, then Quakel) comes out to Hank but accepts that Hank is “straight” and becomes a good friend. Even once Hank is accidentally outed to Quackel the two are reluctant to start something up in their small, rural town, though the attraction is simmering between them.
As time goes by the reasons for not “fishing” get murkier and murkier until suddenly Hank was thinking about “fishing” but in fact he was already “hooked”.
**
I can’t say enough positive things about this book. It is funny, sweet, sexy, touching, a teeny bit angsty and just fun to read.
The Australian dialect is hilarious in the hands of the wooley headed sheep farmer and even Elliot has to translate sometimes to keep things clear.
The fishing theme is so well done! It gives Hank this way to think about his attraction to Elliot in this non-sexual way that ends up being totally emotional. Lines like “Suddenly fishing was my favorite pastime” or “I was a born again fisherman. “ And “Although fishing wasn’t all smooth sailing. Fishing trips got canceled at the last minute…”or “It seemed that the fish in my backyard were leaping from the pond onto my fishing rod”. I just loved them! So well used and imaginative and absolutely in character for Hank who is secure in his sexuality, mostly, but can barely get the words “I’m gay” out when the time calls for them.
The relationship between Elliot and Hank is magical. It’s such a slow burn as seen through Hank’s eyes. At first Elliot barely blips on his radar. Then, bit by bit, he grows on him, and suddenly what was sort-of attractive becomes beautiful. He’s now worrying about Elliot leaving him and wondering how he’s going to live alone for the next 25 years without him. Gah! So touching and sweet!
Meanwhile Elliot is just quietly persistent, he may have an end game in mind, but you’d never know it. He just does his thing, not hiding, not pushing, just being there, until now he’s a vital part of the community, of Hank’s life, everything.
I have really enjoyed all of Renae Kaye’s other books and this one tops them all.
I highly recommend this and give it 6 of 5 hearts, because I just want to go back and re-read it already!
Max Appleton and his mother Celia are are on the run, hiding from an abusive father and husband who’s also a notoriously bad pack leader. When Max hit puberty and it became obvious he’d never make an alpha wolf, his father turned the brunt of his anger toward his inferior son and his beta wolf wife for producing him. Max and Celia find sanctuary in a garden cottage at Holly Court, the sprawling estate where Celia’s oldest friend lives with her pack alpha husband, three daughters, and teenaged son Jonah.
Jonah Spellman has what seems like the perfect life. His family is close, his dad is respected by their whole pack, and he’s been groomed to take over for as long as he can remember. Everything is set, his whole life planned, and Jonah works hard to be exactly what everyone expects. He’s under enough pressure without a runaway from a bad pack complicating his life.
When two teenaged werewolves from very different worlds meet one snowy January day, both of their worlds get turned inside out. From the moment they meet, nothing will be the same for Jonah or Max ever again.
Review
(From Previous Site)
Max and his mother have to leave their pack because Max’s dad is physically abusive to both of them. They find shelter with one of his mother’s friends who lives a little ways away. Max’s father is an alpha, but a terrible and abusive one. They run to another Alpha, but he is awesome, kind and fair.
Jonah is the son of the new Alpha and he is a sweetheart. Everyone loves him, he’s student body president and all around nice guy.
When the two boys meet there is instantly an attraction that the boys can’t deny. They don’t name it for what it is, at least not right away, but they do know they can’t seem to stand to be apart.
Everything seems like a dream come true for Max, he’s left his abusive father to be welcomed into a new family and now he has a new…friend? (He has suspicions there is more to their relationship than friendship, but they are only 16 and boys after all, so a little bit of denial is natural.) This all comes to a crashing halt when school starts back up and Max realizes his new friend is already mated to Zoe and has been since he was 11.
The bulk of the book is Jonah and Max growing more and more close to one another while trying to figure out what to do with these feelings. Zoe senses that the boys are more than friends and she (predictably) begins to cause trouble.
Finally, in a very bloody and sad finale, the issue of mates is resolved, the evil dad taken care of and the very strong beginning for a happily ever after is in place.
I looooved this book!!! MJ O’Shea’s version of shifters is awesome.
This was such a perfect shifter book. I loved the instant, overwhelming attraction, dictated by smell and matched by total compatibility. True soul mates, born on the same day with the same eye color and tastes. It was instantly sizzling chemistry and it was fantastic.
I loved the twist with the omegas and though there were times when I scratched my head at some of the biology, I adored what freedoms it allowed the couple.
I thought that the way the relationship formed was really consistent with teen-agers: sometimes amazingly hot and heavy and sometimes slowed down to just cuddling and hand-holding.
The villains were properly villainous. Just bad enough to cause trouble, but not so overwhelming that they detracted from the love story. Perfect.
The family’s reactions to things was a little odd. But – hey – they’re shifters right? With shifter moralities and traditions. So though it felt strange that the boys slept with one another (just sleeping) every night from pretty much day one and that no one blinked when the two (one of whom was straight and mated to a girl) hung all over each other and no one said anything. It was nice to allow their relationship to unfold slowly even though they were under the strain of the soulbond attraction right from the start.
I loved the sexual tension caused by rut/heat. It made for some compellingly hot reading.
I have no idea if there are more books like this planned, but I really hope there are. MJ is a terrific writer and this shifter-universe she describes is fantastic.
(There were some future stories hinted at – Andy for one…)
I really recommend this book and give it 6 of 5 hearts.
The severe bullying he suffered as a teenager left Jack Flemming scarred both physically and emotionally. Now an adult, he has carved out a life for himself as co-owner of the Mechanic Shop. He enjoys his volunteer work with the throwaway boys, and has a supportive best friend. When the past resurfaces in a phone call from Zachariah Durban, Jack discovers that while living is easy, forgiveness is much harder.
Zachariah Durban did a bad thing when he was a young punk of a teenager. But right after he did it, he knew it wasn’t right. Still, he ran away and made something of himself as a big shot author. Now, living in the south of France with writer’s block hitting him hard, Zachariah knows something has to change – starting with earning Jack Flemming’s forgiveness.
Review
Jack and Zachariah “don’t call me Zac” were friends in high school until one day Zachariah and his football friends do something truly horrible to Jack that leaves him near death.
Now, fifteen years later, Zachariah has writer’s block and he’s calling on Jack for help.
After some resistance, Jack agrees to meet with Zachariah in Southern France and they work out their differences and realize that they still harbor deep feelings for each other and more.
**
Oh man. I really, really wanted to like this book and I really don’t want to write a review full of negativity… I liked the premise so much… I liked the writing and the narration… it seemed to have a nice flow… but…
First, I never understood why Zachariah treated Jack the way he did. It was brutal. Not just a prank, but brutality. And Zac’s answer to why he did it – “I don’t know, it seemed like the right thing at the time”. And, “I thought it was a harmless prank. I wasn’t thinking.” These just don’t jive for me. Even for a 17 year-old boy, none of that makes any sense. Jack was his friend. Even if he wasn’t publicly friends with him or if he was ashamed of the friendship, even if he was scared by his own feelings, even if he was feeling bullied by his football friends (which he never claims to be any of these), the amazingly abusive bullying he took part in makes absolutely no sense and then he simply walks away from him that night and then runs away from him once he finds out Jack’s in the hospital? It just doesn’t make sense.
If I were Jack I don’t believe there would be any way in hell I’d forgive him. Especially when he had not one real reason for doing it.
Second, if we ignore the first major hole in the plot and accept the fact that it happened… what causes Zac’s renewed interest? There are plenty of reasons he could have for wanting to reconnect, but we are given none. Then, when Zac decides he wants to see Jack again, he essentially bullies Jack into flying to France to see him. Why didn’t he just get on a plane himself if it was so important? And why did Jack get on the plane? That made no sense either. Zac almost got Jack killed and it’s Zac who needs closure – let the man come to you! Not to mention Jack has a business to run, kids who depend on him and the man almost got you killed!
Third, now that Jack is in France he goes to see Zac, then runs away when Zac can’t do anything but say he’s sorry, but Jack still stays in Zac’s house. Why not go to a hotel? Why not go home? The next time Jack sees him, Zac tells him he “wants him” and Jack punches Zac and then goes to live with Zac’s sister for a week. That makes no sense either. Again, this super-bad bully treats you like crap, you fly out to France to get closure, Zac can’t say anything that makes you feel better about the past and in fact tells you he wants you (from out of the blue and from a supposedly straight guy) so you appropriately get mad and then you stay with his sister? For a week? And Zac is supposedly looking for Jack this whole time but doesn’t ask his sister about it or talk to her the entire time. It struck me as confusing and very unbelievable.
Fourth, after some awkward discussions, Jack and Zac decide to date and after the second date they have sex. And then they fall in love and go to their high school reunion… it just kept getting more and more unbeliveable.
I don’t want to belittle the author’s efforts because I know that it’s hard to put together a complete story and plug all the little plot holes, but these are large, gaping holes, wide-enough-for-the-Nile-River holes. Obviously, since the book is now an audiobook it must have sold pretty well, but it didn’t gel with me.
I liked Jack’s character and really wanted him to make a stand. If there had been any sort of remotely understandable reason for Zac to act like he did and if Zac had taken some real steps toward making himself forgiven, the story could have been excellent. But having Zac say – “I don’t know why I did it” – just makes no sense and sets the rest of the story up poorly. I couldn’t like Zac. I couldn’t. He never redeemed himself to me and since Jack falls for him (never stopped loving him in fact) he ends up being someone I can’t like either.
Audio
Paul Morey did the narration for the audiobook and he did a nice job. I enjoyed his husky voice and liked the narration well enough to continue where I would have set the book down without finishing. Part of the reason I keep using Zac instead of Zachariah is that hearing Paul say that name over and over became really bulky. I understand why the character didn’t like the nick-name, but reading/hearing the full name repeatedly got distracting. But – having two lovers named Zac and Jack is awkward too.
Overall, I cannot really recommend this book. The MCs don’t act the way I think real people would react and the resulting romance is unbelievable as a result.
I give it 2 of 5 hearts for the narration, the cover and the premise.
All their lives, Finn and Nate have been inseparable, sharing everything, and when a childhood accident left Finn broken, Nate stood by his side as all his other friends left. After all their years together, there’s one secret Finn still hasn’t revealed: he has been in love with Nate since they were eight years old. Hiding his feelings for twenty-one years—terrified of what might happen if Nate ever found out—has been difficult, but losing his best friend would be worse than living with a bad case of unrequited love. Unfortunately for Finn, Nate doesn’t make it easy.
Nate believes there are some things that just have to be done before your thirtieth birthday. As a gift to Finn, he plans an adventure to check off a list of thirty things to experience before hitting that milestone. Starting in Crawfordsville, Indiana, they tour the country, trying new things and meeting interesting new people. Nate’s having the time of his life, but he can tell Finn is holding something back. As the days count down, navigating the back roads suddenly seems easier than figuring out where their relationship is heading.
One thing’s for certain. There will be no turning back.
Review
This is a stupendously cute story of friends turned lovers. Finn has been crushing on Nate his whole life and it takes a trip across country for Finn to realize that Nate feels the same way.
I loved the individual tasks (30 of them) Nate set up – I want to go on that trip too! (For the record Portland is an awesome town!) It was a fun, light read full of sweet moments, some sexual tension then release and lots and lots of feels.
Though there were times I thought some of the relationship stuff was a bit unrealistic: why Finn was still a virgin, why he kept assuming Nate was just experimenting, why he thought this could ever be anything other than a real relationship… they were minor.
The writing and editing are excellent and the story left me smiling!
My new book, The Altered, was released yesterday. Its a paranormal romance, set twenty years after a laboratory pathogen contaminated the UK water supply.
The two main characters, Daniel and Jordan, both moved to London for the anonymity of a big city, but their lives are very different.
Daniel lives with his best mate, Matt, who he’s known since childhood, and Ash. He’s suspicious by nature as a result of the change, and his treatment by other altereds has left him bitter.
When I started writing this story I had a vague image of what I wanted him to look like. He has silver-blond hair as a result of being altered, sort of like Spike from Buffy, but taller and with less pronounced cheekbones. Although I love Spike, I pictured Daniel as more of a young-ish Leonardo Dicaprio.
Jordan’s whole being was affected by the change. The pathogen not only increased his strength, but his senses as well. He’s fiercely loyal, but possessive–although he tries hard not to come across as overbearing and controlling.
Jordan is dangerous if crossed, but is also someone who can be trusted without question if you were on his side. The guy on the cover for this book is pretty much what I was going for, and Natasha Snow did a great job with it 🙂
He laughed at the joke Matt was in the middle of telling, chipping in for a bit and teasing him, and then he felt it again, creeping up the back of his spine like icy fingers. Daniel stayed perfectly still, suppressing his body’s natural reaction, and carefully turned to place his empty pint glass on the bar.
He let his gaze wander along to the end of the bar, past the couple he’d spotted earlier, and—
Bloody Hell.
He sucked in a sharp breath before he could stop himself. Usually he got a flash of images, depending on how much they’d been altered—claws, teeth, and fur if they changed fully, but never anything like this. One minute Daniel was looking at a tall dark-haired, really hot man, and in the blink of an eye he’d changed into a huge black wolf, fangs bared in a snarl—clearer than anything he’d seen before.
The image vanished almost as soon as it appeared, and the noise from the bar suddenly jarred Daniel back to his senses.
Fuck.
Blurb:
Twenty years ago the UK’s water supply was contaminated with an experimental pathogen, Lycanaeris, causing widespread panic across the nation. Terrorism was suspected but never proven, and when nothing happened–no epidemic, no unexplained illnesses–the whole episode was written off as an elaborate hoax. But Lycanaeris was selective. Only those of a certain age, and with a specific gene in their DNA were infected. Time would reveal the pathogen’s true nature, when those susceptible grew up Altered.
Daniel is one of thousands forced to hide his altered status by living a quiet life. He’s not like the others, though. Daniel can’t help looking so distinctive or being able to see every altered for what they really are. To those abducting altereds, that skill makes him valuable.
For Jordan, shifting from human to wolf means living under the radar to avoid unwanted attention. Meeting Daniel complicates matters. Daniel’s existence is a threat to Jordan and his friends, but Jordan can’t seem to shake the strange connection between them. When danger threatens, there’s little time for Daniel and Jordan to work out their feelings before lives are at stake.
Author Bio
Annabelle Jacobs lives in the South West of England with her husband, three rowdy children, and two cats.
An avid reader of fantasy herself for many years, Annabelle now spends her days writing her own stories. They’re usually either fantasy or paranormal fiction, because she loves building worlds filled with magical creatures, and creating stories full of action and adventure. Her characters may have a tough time of it—fighting enemies and adversity—but they always find love in the end.
Blurb
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