Mitch never knew what awaited him when he answered his elderly neighbour’s calls. Finding a stranger crying in her backyard was a new one. Little did he know that rescuing Elijah out of the rain was going to change his life.
Elijah is too young, too good looking, and too bruised for Mitch to consider falling in love with. But Elijah is soon in his house, in his bed, and in his heart.
At thirty-eight, Mitch has a lot of experience with life. Elijah is only twenty-three and just starting out. Mitch’s bedroom skills enrapture Elijah. Mitch just hopes it will be enough to make Elijah want to stay.
Review
Renae Kaye simply can’t write anything but wonderful stories.
This very short story about an older, gay electrician who rescues a newly outed young man one night from the rain is terribly sweet and touching.
Mitch doesn’t realize how lonely he is and Elijah had no idea being out and gay could make you a stronger and better person.
The story moves quickly, Mitch doubts the young man could possibly be interested in anything long term and Elijah is simply hopeful that Mitch wants him as much as he wants Mitch.
There is some hot, sweaty sex and some moving moments between the two and a very HEA.
5 of 5 hearts- It’d be higher only if it were longer!
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!
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.
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.
Bradley Greene’s family all but discarded him when his brother caught him fooling around with another boy. Now Bradley has seventeen dollars and a gas card, and he’s sleeping in his car. He’s an emotional mess and if he doesn’t land a job soon, he’s up the proverbial creek.
Danny Ortega can take care of himself…most of the time. When what started as a date turns into sexual assault in a dark parking lot, he’s grateful for Brad’s help—and an instant admirer of Brad’s military school-honed muscles. He certainly doesn’t expect to see him again, and definitely not as the newest hire at Ortega Construction.
As Brad and Danny’s quiet attraction turns into more, things start to go sour before they’ve even started. Danny grows frustrated that Brad won’t open up emotionally. And Brad is terrified of being responsible for someone else’s feelings. When Brad’s family makes one last attempt to turn him into an “acceptable” son, all bets are off—he and Danny will need to decide if they’re in this together…or apart.
Review
Brad’s family has sent him off to military school to “get the gay gone” and essentially written him off, even when his brother attacks his ex-boyfriend and almost kills him. Brad runs away to Minnesota to go to school, determined to be free of them. He’s got pennies to his name but a strong work ethic.
Danny is on a “date” set up by his brother when the “date” gets a little to handsy. Brad happens to intervene and the two share some dessert as a thanks for the rescue. Brad doesn’t want any distractions right now, so he turns down a second date.
Brad manages to land a job and an apartment right away, as it happens, with Danny’s dad’s construction firm.
At first Brad pushes the out and proud Danny away, afraid of setting off any bells and losing his only work and home, but Danny can’t be resisted.
When things start going missing and vandals attack the work sites where Brad happens to be, Brad pulls away from Danny and prepares for the worst.
When the worst happens, Brad agrees to help his family and “be a good boy” again, by leaving Danny behind.
**
This was such a sweet story. Danny is wonderful! He and his family are the exact opposite of Brad and his. It’s fabulous how they all support one another and by extension Brad.
I got a little sick of Brad’s behavior where it concerned Danny – he didn’t deserve it – but in the end the very sappy and sweet ending made it all worth it.
Yancy Bell was bullied in high school for being a yellowbelly, not because of any cowardice, but because of his nervous bladder condition. It’s Yancy’s first year in college, and he’s hoping to make a fresh start.
Three days before Christmas, the campus is empty. Having to pee on a midwinter night leads Yancy to meet Curt Donovan huddled in a dark shower stall. Curt’s a troubled jock whose coming out went badly, so he plans to end it all.
But Yancy adamantly refuses to let Curt go through with his irrevocable plan. With just one dark night to talk Curt around, Yancy has to win the trust of a stranger who only sees one way out.
Review
This is a short story (and I think most of my objections to this book stem from that aspect) about a boy who finds another guy in the communal bathroom in the middle of the night, acting strangely.
Yancy goes to the bathroom frequently due to a condition he has (nervous bladder) and so it’s not strange that he’s there at 2 am. What is strange is there is someone hiding in the shower stall. (For whatever reason or instinct) Yancy is compelled to ask after the guy until he proves that “he’s okay”.
The guy isn’t okay. He’s contemplating suicide since his father has disowned him for being gay.
He and Yancy end up bonding then making out and things are looking up for both of them by the end.
**
I really liked the premise of this. I think that suicide in young adults has to be something so difficult to deal with and I really appreciated the comments Yancy made. Something to the effect that making these kids feel guilty for wanting to end their pain wasn’t a very helpful motivation.
I know that short stories have to do a lot with few words, but there were some plot holes that just kept me from being fully invested in this story.
First, why did the admittedly not brave Yancy persist in investigating the guy in the shower?
Second, without a lot of explanation, why did Curt allow himself to flip so far out in the first place, recover so quickly, then immediately jump into dating? I didn’t get a good feel for Curt but he’s sort of reticent in demeanor but his actions are all over the map. I think if he’d been more of a drama queen his actions would have fit better since he was so quick to bounce from thing to thing to thing.
I think with a few modifications those plot holes could have been explained away and even with a short story the emotions the author were trying to portray could have worked.
The writing was good and the idea compelling but the end result wasn’t as satisfying as I’d have wanted it. Perhaps making this into longer could give it more depth and make it a more plausible story.
After divorcing the woman he’d been with since he was seventeen, Nick Fuller is starting over. He owns the restaurant of his dreams and he’s determined to meet new people, find new passions, and experience life to its fullest. Easier said than done—that is until he meets his new neighbor, Bryce Tanner…
Bryce is all about a good time. He plans to show Nick how it’s done, help him meet a few women, and enjoy the gift of the single life he’s been given. But things don’t go as planned, and soon they realize they’d rather be together than with anyone else.
Neither man has ever wanted another guy, but there’s a connection between them from the start—a spark they can’t deny. They find themselves navigating an unfamiliar new world and dealing with unforeseen obstacles. Physical desire isn’t enough, and now Nick and Bryce are at a crossroads. They have to decide which way to go: the easy path they’ve always followed, or the one that’s determined to trip them up at every turn.
(Fabulous Fan Art from Karrie Jax!)
Review
Nick is newly divorced. He married his high school sweetheart (despite his mother’s objections) and was married (happily?) for 17 years before he found out his wife had been cheating. Now he’s moving on and moved into a duplex of his own.
Bryce is a player, always with a different woman, until lately. His recent health run pushed him into the arms of his best friend. When they realized (after the health crisis is resolved) that they were better as friends than lovers, Bryce is stuck with a family who will be disappointed at yet another failed relationship.
Bryce and Nick become neighbors and fast friends. Bryce is convinced Nick will be happier once he finds a new woman. The only problem is, the more time they spend together, the more neither wants a woman.
**
Double GFY people! Yes! It sounds so fantastical, but it is SO WELL DONE! Riley Hart is an amazing writer and she absolutely manages to pull this off.
She spends a lot of time building the relationship (as friends) between the two guys and then showing us that with an open mind (and an open heart) the two can explore their feelings for one another physically as well as emotionally.
I loved the similar yet different reactions each man received from their families. Though Nick had only ever been with one person, his feelings for Bryce follow a similar pattern and it’s totally reasonable that his mother would think he’s jumping the gun again. It’s also fair that Bryce’s family would think his impetuosity is throwing him into another doomed to fail relationship.
But… both men are being true to their authentic selves. Just like the motorcycles, Bryce KNEW Nick was THE ONE. And just like his cooking Nick knows his own heart and has to trust it where it concerns Bryce.
The sex is OFF THE CHARTS hot! But … so is the love. These guys aren’t afraid to reach for one another emotionally and it’s so very sweet and tender.
I loved this book – gave myself a book hangover as I had to read it all in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down at 2 a.m.
With his college graduation gown expertly pitched into the trash, Justin Akron is ready for the road trip he planned with his best friend Landry— and ready for one last summer of escape from his mother’s controlling grip. Climbing into the Winnebago his father left him, they set out across America in search of the sites his father had captured through the lens of his Nikon.
As an aspiring photographer, Justin can think of no better way to honor his father’s memory than to scatter his ashes at the sites he held sacred. And there’s no one Justin would rather share the experience with more than Landry.
But Justin knows he can’t escape forever. Eventually he’ll have to return home and join his mother’s Senate campaign. Nor can he escape the truth of who he is, and the fact that he’s in love with his out-and-proud travel companion.
Admitting what he wants could hurt his mother’s conservative political career. But with every click of his shutter and every sprinkle of ash, Justin can’t resist Landry’s pull. And when the truth comes into focus, neither is prepared for the secrets the other is hiding.
Review
Justin’s dad was the only one (besides his best friend Landry) who “got” him. His conservative mother certainly doesn’t. He’s gone to college, gotten the degree and now he’s slated to go work for her, for her campaign as the manager, this fall. But before he consigns himself to a future he hates, he and Landry go on a cross country trek spreading his dad’s ashes at his favorite places.
Along the way Justin realizes he can’t keep hiding his true self. He’s an artist. He’s gay. He’s in love with his best friend.
Unfortunately, he makes a lot of mistakes along the way, fortunately Landry’s the forgiving sort.
**
I really, really liked this story. I loved how real and sincere Landry was and how realistically the couple acted and responded. They both screwed up – ran away, lied, hid, did other stupid things – they’re kids! But in the end they make the right choices and “man-up”.
The sexy-times were appropriate to the age level – some but definitely not the focus.
I also liked how – sort-of- Justin’s mom comes around. It felt authentic.
The writing is excellent, the characters were great and fully developed and the romance so sweet and touching!
My only complaint was that I got a bit fed up with Justin’s waffling. There were times when I thought he’d figured things out but since the story still had places to go he waffled some more… but that could be my own impatience with wanting the happy ending to come quickly!
On Perfect Harmony, the ambitious competitors heat things up on stage and off…
Cody Rivers is determined to be a rock star, but couch-surfing between bar shows gets old fast. Joining an a cappella group for a new singing competition show could be his last chance at real fame—unless the college boy from the heart of the country messes it up for him. Lucas Norwood is everything gothy, glittery Cody is not—conservative, clean-cut, and virginal. But when a twist in the show forces them together, even the sweetest songs get steamy as the attraction between them lights up the stage. Lucas wants to take it slow, but Cody’s singing a different tune—and this time it maybe a love song…
Review
Cody is the goth-hot-snarky-toppy, openly out singer and dancer that hopes to take his group to the finals in this singing competition. When he meets Lucas, the “I’m gay but celibate and a virgin” farm boy from Iowa, he’s openly rude to him. But…
He can’t help but be attracted to all that goodness and at first he views him as a challenge but later it turns into something more.
**
This is a long book, maybe a bit too long, with a lot of time spent on the actual show.
Though I wanted to love this book – the cover rocks, the premise is awesome, and plus – music!- yay!- I didn’t. I never felt the “love” between Cody and Lucas. Lucas was conflicted and conflicting. He claims he’s confident in his gayness, but Cody really called it when he tells Lucas he’s ashamed to be gay and hiding it behind the celibacy thing.
Cody is mostly a harsh jerk throughout most of the book and even when the couple is “tender” with one another there is an underlying meanness to it.
I guess I just never quite bonded with the characters, so I didn’t fall for their relationship and to me, that’s what I look for in a good book.
The writing was excellent and the characters were well formed, just not my cup of tea, so to speak. I may be in the minority here, so … give it a go, especially if you’re a fan of the author and music shows and gay virgins and snark.
Blurb
