Dear Author,
I almost made it. I wasn’t a mile away from the edge of pack territory, but he managed to catch me. Now I’m pressed against the cold cement walls of this last hiding place. I can feel his heat behind me, his heavy breath on my neck. I absorb the pain as he wrenches my arms high up my back, immobilizing me. I wait for punishment. I’m so tired; I let my body relax into the inevitable. Running had been my last attempt at freedom. It’s been so long since I was free. Most of my life has been spent under the power-mad control of one Alpha or another, the curse of being an Omega. Everyone wants to own you, control you… use you. The image of the man behind me standing over my last Alpha, covered in his blood, eye’s glowing with battle rage; flashes through my head. That was only two days ago. In the chaos that followed, I managed to slip away. I hadn’t been out of the Alpha’s house in two years. I had hoped that no one in the pack would even remember my existence. The hard press of muscle, the scent of blood and power coming from the man behind me smothers my hope. I breathed in the scent of my new reality…
Photo Description:
A young, dark-haired man is pressed up against a concrete wall, face first. He’s held there by a taller man standing behind him, who leans into him possessively and has a hand on his forehead. The young man has his head tipped back and his eyes closed; the man behind him has an ambiguous expression that might be anger.
Review
Cory is running from Troy, the new alpha of his pack. All Cory has known is abuse as a lowly omega at the hands of the atrocious alphas. Troy is determined to show him that not all Alphas are the same.
**
This is a very short piece. There is no happy ending, but it’s definitely headed that way. Troy must prove his trustworthiness and Cory finally accepts him. They have a moment of hot sex to cement their bond and it’s left at that moment.
The writing is good, though the tidbit only left me wanting more.
Is the possibility of fulfilling your heart’s desire worth the risk of breaking it?
Fourteen-year-old Linus Lightman is understandably reluctant to trust his newest foster family, the Nelsons, after he’s bounced through the system since being being taken from his neglectful mother. He’s certain they will reject him when they find out he’s gay, and getting to know them will only lead to hurt later. Trying to cope, he builds a friendship with Kevin Mapleton, and it quickly grows into romance, despite Linus’s fears. Then a video of Linus and Kevin having sex is posted online, and Linus knows from past experience exactly what’s going to happen. This sort of scandal will cost him his new home and Kevin’s love, snatching away his fragile hopes of belonging.
Review
Linus has had a very rough life. We meet him at 5 when he is being abused by his mother’s lover. From foster care home to foster care home he is passed around, abused, neglected and most importantly, not loved or made to feel safe.
He finally finds a home where he can make friends, be part of a family and settle down and plant roots when he meets a boy online. Though the two have a strong connection, there is more to their relationship than meets the eye and drama ensues. (See blurb above and sex tape reference.)
In the end Linus, who has remarkably kept up a warm, caring personality all this time, is forced into therapy – which he desperately needs – and begins the process of healing.
**
Ugh. I hate writing reviews when I don’t love the book but really, really wanted to.
There is so much about this book that I really liked. I liked how straight forward it was. Like the boy telling the story, it’s an accounting of his life, without emotion, without added drama.
I thought the way the sex in this book was handled was very appropriate for the audience.
I also liked the way the dark, ugly abuse was handled. No un-necessary re-creations just a flat telling of events. Nothing was sensationalized.
I liked the characters – on the surface there were countless of very interesting people in this story: the biological mother, the foster children, the social worker, the boyfriend and of course Linus himself.
What I didn’t like: I really wanted the author to take me through the flat, emotionless story-telling phase and then “show” me the colorful, real world, experience of being Linus. It felt like the entire story was a prelude to the real story, wherein some of that emotion from the abuse gets let out or explored or hopefully, reversed.
I just didn’t get that “reward” for all the painful stuff. It was one bad thing after another and only a brief respite at the end with the therapy, adoption and the “maybe we can start over” with the boyfriend.
It was way too heavy a story without something at the end to lighten things.
I also felt very disconnected from everyone and everything. I imagine that this is good – Linus must have felt this way at the beginning as well – but then I wanted to be brought back to the land of emotion and given a real connection again. Sort of like the color in Oz versus the black and white of Kansas. This story was all in black and white. There were many shades of gray and it was very interesting, but lacked the color or zing it could have.
Dear Author,
My name is yours to give, I’m a new father, whose best friend in the world just died and took with her all the magic of being an uncle, leaving only the harsh reality of being a father with no idea how to do that, AT ALL. Thing is, I’m looking for a nanny, my child is a colicky baby trying to wake the dead screaming, I haven’t slept in a while, and this handsome stranger who’s knocking on my door seems to be the answer to my desperate pleas… Only, he seems to know an awful lot of things about me and my baby that even I don’t know, can I trust him? Should I let him near my child?
Photo Description:
A man holds his sleeping newborn. The baby clutches a set of dog tags while resting his chin on the man’s shoulder. The word “family” is tattooed across the father’s back.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
Review
This is a sweet short but full story about Mark, an ex-military man who helped his friend with her pregnancy when she found herself unexpectedly pregnant. There is no “father” in the picture and when she dies in childbirth, he finds himself as the best suited candidate for the job.
Though he loved his friend and knows he wants to be the best dad he can, he’s overwhelmed and not at all prepared to be a father.
Luckily, he finds Ian, a nanny with loads of experience and hires him to help him with the newborn, Leo.
Ian has the patience of a saint and never takes anything personally, though Mark is more often than not, kind of a jerk.
Over time, the two develop deep feelings for one another and we get our HEA.
**
JH Knight is one of my favorite authors out there. She is amazingly talented and has a way of tugging at your heartstrings like no other.
This short story is a great example of her talent.
Though, there is only a small amount of sex in this book, there are lots of wonderful feels. Ian’s family is amazing, and has a vaguely sixth-sense which helps them to know when to do the right thing… just a feeling they call it.
I loved the growth Mark experienced it and my only wish was that we could have seen the couple in action for more than a little bit at the end.
Former cat burglar Rook Stevens stole many a priceless thing in the past, but he’s never been accused of taking a life—until now. It was one thing to find a former associate inside Potter’s Field, his pop culture memorabilia shop, but quite another to stumble across her dead body.
Detective Dante Montoya thought he’d never see Rook Stevens again—not after his former partner’d falsified evidence to entrap the jewelry thief and Stevens walked off scot-free. So when he tackled a fleeing murder suspect, Dante was shocked to discover the blood-covered man was none other than the thief he’d fought to put in prison and who still made his blood sing.
Rook is determined to shake loose the murder charge against him, even if it means putting distance between him and the rugged Cuban-Mexican detective who brought him down. If one dead con artist wasn’t bad enough, others soon follow, and as the bodies pile up around Rook’s feet, he’s forced to reach out to the last man he’d expect to believe in his innocence—and the only man who’s ever gotten under Rook’s skin.
Review
(From previously)
This another amazing work by Rhys Ford! Rook is a thief, trying to get clean, but stuck in the middle of family drama “that keeps pulling him in”!
Dante is the cop on the case – at first determined to put Rook behind bars, but later determined to keep the man in his bed.
It’s a wonderful story of enemies to lovers with that special, emotionally charged twist that Rhys infuses into all her work. Rook is such a great character – warm hearted, giving, loyal, and totally unaware of how awesome he is.
Dante is the tough, alpha figure who knows a gem when he sees it. He won’t let Rook slip through his fingers and he’s lucky enough to get Rook’s crazy family, too.
The sex scenes were amazing, the love story so sweet and the action/mystery compelling.
I enjoyed the pop-culture references and laughed out loud many times. It was great seeing Alex again and catching up with him a bit. I also LOVED the pet names they had for each other… so adorable!
I can’t wait for this to be an audiobook – it’s going to go up with my Cole McGinnis stories as those books you just read/listen to again and again.
Audio
Greg Tremblay is so amazingly talented! Gah! He gives each character, secondary or main, the full spectrum of his talent, each an individual identity and flavor. I ADORED his Dante… just the right amount of accent to sizzle and Rook was delightfully sweet and vulnerable.
He absolutely adds to the overall enjoyment of this story and makes a great book even more wonderful.
After years of domestic partnership, Jory Harcourt and Sam Kage are finally going to make it official in their home state of Illinois. It’s been a long and rocky road, and nothing—not disasters at work, not the weather, not a possible stalker, not even getting beat up and having to attend the ceremony looking like he just got mugged—will make Jory wait one more day to make an honest man of the love of his life.
Should be a piece of cake, right?
Review
It’s with a sad, and joyous heart I get to review this – the last in the series of Jory and Sam. This is one of Mary Calmes’ best series, Sam and Jory have gone through so much together. Jory- always into trouble. Sam – always the growly protective Alpha Male.
In this – way too short IMHO – story we see Sam and Jory marrying (again) legally in Illinois. There are short glimpses of many of Mary’s other MCs – Miro and Ian; Aaron and Duncan – which add nostalgia and humor to an already bitter-sweet story. (My absolutely most favorite part of the story had to be the telephone conversation between Miro/Ian and Sam – so hysterical!)
Jory has inadvertently pissed off some woman and she hires a hit man and of course Sam has to save the day – which he does with the same exasperation he always shows in these situations.
Jory and Sam have an explosive chemistry and its shown again and again both emotionally and physically.
I really loved seeing the kids growing up to mimic their dads and of course seeing how well the relationship between Sam and Jory has been maintained.
So, with tears in my eyes, I say good-bye to this wonderful series – and I will just have to start the whole thing over again to experience the wonderful times we shared with these guys.
Welcome to Sutton Station: One of the world’s largest working farms in the middle of Australia – where if the animals and heat don’t kill you first, your heart just might.
Charlie Sutton runs Sutton Station the only way he knows how; the way his father did before him. Determined to keep his head down and his heart in check, Charlie swears the red dirt that surrounds him – isolates him – runs through his veins.
American agronomy student Travis Craig arrives at Sutton Station to see how farmers make a living from one of the harshest environments on earth. But it’s not the barren, brutal and totally beautiful landscapes that capture him so completely.
It’s the man with the red dirt heart.
Review:
(From Previous Site)
Charlie Sutton is a closeted gay rancher in Australia, living on his newly inherited Sutton Station, 3 hours from civilization, with no hope of ever having a relationship or even any hook-ups.
Travis Craig is an agronomy student who comes to Sutton Station to compare agriculture practices in the Australian desert with those of the deserts of Texas. What he ends up finding is love.
It takes awhile for Charlie to admit his attraction and then the two must struggle with Charlie’s fear of being outed combined with his fear that Travis will never want to stay out in the boonies with him for any length of time.
I love NR Walker and this book is one of my favorites. God, Charlie is a mess! He is so filled with shame that his father instilled in him, but also so much stubbornness that he won’t bow to those ways of thinking. The relationship between him and Travis is so slow moving that when they finally do get together it’s like fireworks! The slow burn was exquisite.
Travis is his perfect counterpart to Charlie: open, loving, out, smiling all the time, hyperactive, a doer not a thinker. He gets along with everyone and when he is stuck out in the summer desert, lost and injured, he finds out just how important he is to everyone he has met, not just Charlie.
NR Walker does emotion so well – the aching with love, hopeless yet exalted at the same time. Charlie makes you want to cry and hug him, then smack him upside the head when he turns around and shoots himself in the foot (metaphorically speaking).
Travis just makes you smile, and makes you so glad Charlie found him. Really, a one in a million chance of finding happiness, stumbling into your life.
I highly, highly recommend this book and you will be so glad to know that the sequel is also out, so the greatness continues – no waiting necessary.
Jim Carney has a full time job—running from himself. Since he walked out on his wealthy family at sixteen because he’d wrecked his best friend’s life over some yaoi graphic novels, Jim has lived a macho, blue-collar existence of too much booze and too little responsibility. Then Billy Ballew, the man Jim most admires, gives Jim a chance to come through as his construction supervisor. For once, Jim is determined to make someone proud. Then Jim goes in for a physical for his new job and his yaoi dream comes to life in the form of cardiologist Ken Tanaka. Jim discovers he has two heart problems—a wonky mitral valve and a serious attraction to his doctor. But Ken is a major player, and Jim might be just a notch on the doc’s stethoscope. To Ken, Jim is unforgettable—but the living embodiment of his traditional family’s worst nightmares.
How come the minute Jim decides to be responsible, he finds himself taking care of his kid brother, getting a proposal from a wealthy woman, making a deal with the devil, and winding up in the hospital—when all he really wants is the Knave of Broken Hearts?
Review
Jim, who’s had a bit of experience with gay sexual exploration in his past, is trying very, very hard to be straight – but he just can’t… well get hard – if you catch my drift.
He drowns his true feelings and only with a healthy dose of alcohol can he bring himself to be attracted to women. Of course, he’s gorgeous so he has no lack of women willing to give him a try.
When his friend Billy Balew (From Knight of Ocean Avenue) asks him to keep an eye on his new company while he and Shaz go on their honeymoon, he takes a bit to sober up. He also gets the required physical to be on the company insurance and finds out he has a mitral defect in his heart which might or might not be serious.
Unfortunately, stress is a trigger for his disease, and after having met Ken (his cardiologist) at Shaz and Billy’s wedding and falling instantly in lust with the man, stress is his pretty constant companion. No woman can compete with the man who looks like every fantasy he’s ever had.
Ken, meanwhile, is trying to keep his family happy by finding himself a proper Japanese boy to marry. But he can’t help but be attracted to everyone but the men his mother finds for him.
There is a bit of drama with Ken’s most recent dating companion and Jim also struggles with his orientation and desire to do the right thing by getting involved with a woman who makes his dad happy, can help Billy’s business grow, and who he likes but still can never be attracted to more than a friend.
Finally, when Jim’s health takes a turn for the worse, Jim is forced to be true to himself and to Ken. Ken, when faced with losing Jim also realizes he can’t be who his mother wants – not if he wants to be happy.
**
Tara Lain is an amazingly gifted writer. She manages to create these wonderfully developed and engaging characters that just pull you into the story from the get-go.
It’s always hard to follow up a well-received book (like Knight of Ocean Avenue) and not have it compared less favorably.
While I enjoyed this book very much, I found the lack of time spent together (Jim and Ken are only together sporadically throughout the book) and the other people dating our MCs were a turn off for me. Though the sex we read about happens between Ken and Jim, the fact that Constance and Miki got so much page time was hard to read at times.
Though I really, really loved Ken and Jim as a couple and I absolutely saw the attraction from Jim’s eyes, I didn’t feel nearly as connected to Ken or fully understand his attraction to Jim nearly as well.
I appreciated the happy place everyone ended, but I wish there had been a bit more between Jim’s deciding to be truthful, Ken deciding to brave his family and the “ILY” at the end.
Still and all, it was a fantastic book and I really enjoyed it. I cannot wait for the next in the series, Ru is a great character and I know he’ll get a great book!
“You’re the sleek little sports car to my Land Rover.”
From the moment Gareth walks through the door of the salon to fit some new sinks, Jules can’t take his eyes off him. Jules has always been attracted to men who are his polar opposite, so burly Gareth is Jules’s fantasy man.
At the weekend, Jules gets into a tough situation with another bloke in a gay club and Gareth comes to his aid. Gareth rejects Jules’s subsequent advances but leaves him with the hope that his attraction isn’t completely one-sided. Fantasy could become reality.
With Gareth’s work at the salon nearly done, he’ll soon disappear from Jules’s life for good. Time is running out. Jules needs to prove to Gareth that he’s tougher than he looks and that his feelings run deeper than gratitude.
Excerpt:
“Hi.” Jules grinned down at the bloke lying on his back under the basins, taking a moment to admire the very respectable looking bulge in his jeans. “Gareth isn’t it? Fancy another cup of tea?”
Jules knew full well the man’s name was Gareth. It had been imprinted in his memory since Gareth, in all his bear-like glory, had stepped through the front door of the hairdressing salon that morning. He’d introduced himself, and Julian had been smitten on sight.
“Oh, yeah. That’d be great, thanks, Julian.”
“You can call me Jules.” Jules tried not to flutter his eyelashes, but he thought they probably did it without his permission. Big, butch blokes like Gareth always brought out the femme in him—it was how he reacted when he was nervous and excited. The more masculine they were, the more camp he got, even when he tried to tone it down.
Gareth didn’t seem to mind, though.
“Okay, Jules.” He gave Jules another one of his surprisingly sweet smiles before getting back to whatever he was doing with the pipes under the new sink he was installing.
Jules hummed happily to himself as he pottered around the cramped little kitchen in the back of the salon, waiting for the kettle to boil. He lined up four mugs and put in instant coffee for Shelley and Tyler and tea bags for Gareth and himself. He added a sweetener for Shelley—who was on a diet again—one sugar to his mug, and two for Gareth, remembering that was how Gareth took his tea.
Jules had carefully stored away every little detail about Gareth so they’d be there to mull over later. He grinned as a surge of excitement made his heart lift. It was always fun having a crush. Gareth was probably straight so it was bound to be unrequited, but a bit of eye candy made the day so much brighter.
He took Shelley and Tyler their drinks first and then went back for his and Gareth’s so he had the excuse to linger for a moment after delivering it.
“I’ll put it up here on the shelf,” he told Gareth. “Don’t let it get cold.”
Gareth was still on his back under the sinks, rattling around with a spanner or a wrench or something. Jules had no idea. His expertise was more with a different type of tool.
Gareth’s T-shirt had ridden up where his body was twisted, but his face was out of sight, so Jules took the opportunity to blatantly admire his hairy stomach. He was solid, not gym ripped lean, but not chubby either. He was all muscle and man. Jules tilted his head and sighed appreciatively. He really was the perfect bear.
“Jules, stop daydreaming and come sweep up for me, you slacker.” Tyler’s voice was light and teasing.
Jules glared at him, ignoring the flush that swept up his neck to his cheeks. “Yeah, yeah.”
Tyler grinned. He clearly knew exactly what Jules was daydreaming about. But the lucky bastard had Duncan—his own personal bear—at home, so he could sod off. Jules had to take his kicks where he could get them, and if that meant ogling Gareth, then so be it. He’d definitely be starring in Jules’s wank fantasies tonight.
Jules took one last peek at Gareth’s package and wondered what his cock looked like. Shame he’d never get a chance to find out.
Review
This is a super short, super cute story of boy meets boy, boy kisses boy and happily ever after. There is a very little angst. A little hot sex and some pretty sweet moments.
Jay’s writing is, as always, excellent and the characters are unique and well developed.
There wasn’t enough story here for me to feel great about Jules and Gareth as a couple. It does look like they’re headed for forever. I would have really liked to see the story longer so we could explore Jules’ attack/reaction more. I loved Gareth’s character and would have loved to see more of his nurturing side explored as well.
This was like a delightful bite of rich cake, only enough to tantalize and make you wish for more, extremely enjoyable nonetheless.
4.5 of 5 hearts
Author Bio:
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats.
She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.
Davo’s a pretty average guy. He has a decent job, owns his own home, and spends his weekends at the pub. He fully accepts that he’s gay, but doesn’t want to be one of those gays, who are femme and girly. He likes football and other masculine pursuits, and firmly avoids anything that could be seen as femme—including relationships that last beyond fifteen minutes.
Then Davo’s friend and gay idol not only gets a boyfriend, but also adopts a baby girl. Davo is seriously spooked and scuttles down to the pub in fright. That’s where he meets Lee, who is cute from her cherry-red hair, to her pretty little dress and pointy red shoes. Davo is charmed—but how is that possible? He’s gay. Isn’t he? Then Lee tells him he’s actually a guy—he just likes to wear women’s dresses occasionally. Thoroughly confused about an attraction that’s out of character for him, Davo begins the long journey to where he can accept himself without caring what everyone else thinks.
Review
Davo, whom we met in Blinded by the light, has a motto. “I’m gay but not a pussy”. After years of being told not to be a fag by an abusive coach (meaning don’t be weak, or slow, or last….) his teenage brain decides that “femme” equals weak and though it must be okay to be gay (because he can’t deny that part of himself) he can avoid and deny anything remotely feminine or girly or sweet in his personality.
One night at the bar he meets a delightful “woman” named Lee. The two laugh and giggle and hit on men together and then end up in a drunken heap together. It turns out Lee is the first “woman” Davo has ever been “attracted to”.
When it turns out that Lee is in fact a cross-dresser, a man, Davo is stunned. But compelled. He’d almost lost his mind at the idea that he was attracted to a woman, but being attracted to one of “those gays” was almost worse – in his mind.
Lee is a saint. He patiently works through each and every one of Davo’s eccentric beliefs and falsehoods until he finds the heart of gold at the center.
Davo does his part – he vows to have an open mind and trust the attraction that lies between them.
Finally, as the last hurdle falls, the two find their HEA.
**
I just loved this! I loved how “simple” Davo made things, and how Renae used the subtle use of his name Davo/Dave to drive home simple, important points.
I thought giving us a break from the homophobic parents was fabulous! But instead showing how internalized other forms of prejudice can affect us – maybe even more than parents.
I thought the baby stuff was hysterical! And again it was so well “shown”. Davo’s softer side peeking out time and again and him seeing the blessing that embracing “the girly” side can be.
Of course it was fabulous to catch up with Patty-cake and Jake – aren’t they still fun!
Jake as a parent leaving the baby alone for the first time was a hoot! But seeing Patrick hurt when Maxine didn’t “love him as much” was heart-breaking.
Another absolutely brilliant plot point was the explanation of pheromones. I have no idea how “scientifically true” it is – but it sounds very plausible. It allowed me to fully engage in the idea that our uber-gay Davo could find a “woman” attractive and was a beautifully executed explanation to this seemingly impossible plot device. Bravo!
The only – very small- niggle of imperfection I saw was the very odd girlfriend scene with Thor and the handcuffs. It seemed way out there. I’m hoping it was merely another example of stereotypes gone wrong – having a female predator- but it felt so out of place given the rest of the story that it threw me for a loop for a minute.
Otherwise it was a practically-perfect-in-every-way novel – just what I’ve come to expect and love from Renae Kaye each time I read her books.
Renowned interior designer Fredi Zimmer is surprised when outdoorsman Max Greene, owner of Greene’s Outdoors, hires Fredi to revamp his rustic cabin in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Fredi is an out-and-proud Metro male whose contact with the outdoors is from his car to the doorway of the million-dollar homes he remodels, and Max is just too hunky for words.
When Max comes on to Fredi, the designer can’t imagine why. But he’s game to put a little spice into Max’s life, even if it’s just in the colors and fixtures he’ll use to turn Max’s dilapidated cabin into a showplace. Who can blame a guy for adding a little sensual pleasure as he retools Max’s life visually?
Max, for his part, is grateful when Fredi takes him in hand, both metaphorically and literally. Coming out is the most exciting and wonderful time in his life, despite the conservative former friends who think they’re saving him from sliding into hell.
Review
Fredi is a famous architect and designer, he’s asked by Max to re-design his cabin in the woods that he’s recently inherited.
Fredi is out and proud, swishy at times and not afraid to “gay it up”. Max is a big, bearish, lumber-jack type who is socially awkward and shy. Fredi is so attracted to the guy but then thinks he could get pummeled for the attraction by the “obviously straight” Max.
Meanwhile, Max simply doesn’t know how to act on his feelings, so he keeps screwing up and making Fredi upset. Finally, the two talk and pretty much from that point forward the relationship is set.
The rest of the story is about the town accepting them and their new relationship status.
**
I really, really enjoyed the first book in this series and I enjoy Pat Henshaw’s writing very much. I loved both MCs and thought the OFY and all the co-incidences the two men encountered were charming (if unbelievable).
What didn’t work for me: 1) that all the sex was off page or suggested at 2) that we never understood why ALL of Max’s family is dead, suddenly 3) the strangely violent reactions (Boner, the knife and the arson)
I really wanted more relationship building and less town drama, more sex and less violence and a bit more from Max’s POV. (Max is a GAY VIRGIN! I really wanted to explore that with the couple and even his first kiss was sort of just mentioned rather than experienced.)
I still enjoyed this and for fans of the first book I’d recommend this one as well. It’s a standalone, no need to read book one, but it’s nice if you have.
Blurb
Blurb
