Catching up while on Holiday

So I've had some time to do some reading this weekend and I blame Jenre for my attack of shorts when she gave the discount code for Torquere. Resistance is futile it seems when it comes to me and a sale.

White Flag by Thom Lane (68 pages)



I loved the concept of this, travel writer who can't stand the idea of being in one place more than a few weeks meets wine maker who can't fathom not being with family for his entire life. Conflict ensues. However for me I think it was too flowery. I just didn't care for the style although I liked the characters save for the younger cousin, she was annoying as hell. You've known the guy for all of 24 hours and you want him to live with your family forever and ever. Ummm, he's a stranger. I did like how they both agreed to compromise in the end and as I said, I really liked the idea, the style just didn't work for me.

Toy Box: Tattoos by Willa Okati, Rob Knight and Sean Michael (34 pages)



3 little shorts about tattoos, one of my fave themes. First one was a medieval fantasy kind of thing, not my taste. Second was a continuation of the Facets books which I actually read. Six and Jules take Paul out dancing (in more ways than one) and Six draws a tattoo on Jules with marker. And a cowboy meets a heavily tattooed biker guy in a bar and they hook up. A little too much tattooing on the biker guy for my appeal but it was an okay story. On the whole "okay", not anything that thrilled me although it was fun in a way to visit the trio again.

Grimoire Erato by Julia Talbot (13 pages)



Yep, still reading Halloween in the summer. Kelly inherits his Uncle's magic shop and does not believe in magic. One night he's looking at this old book and reads some and a blue skinned guy with a tail shows up. Kelly doesn't believe but eventually gives into the lust. On Halloween he sends him away but realizes it was a mistake. He can't seem to get him to come back and meets a guy with the same eyes, is it him? Hmmmm. I found Kelly kind of annoying with the "I must be hallucenating" routine and the fact that his Uncle used to call on this demon and although he never said it was for sex, I got the impression that was his purpose so ... ewwwwwww. Creepy. Inheriting your uncle's booty call? So okay, but kind of not my thing.

Sindustry I (a bunch of people - 12) (332 pages)



Sheesh so many, some of these I loved, some not so much. They are all stories about sex trade workers (in many forms) who find unexpected love. I'll just list the ones I loved:

Reluctant by Rhianne Aile and Madeleine Urban (how can you go wrong with these two). A newly gay divorced guy (40's) and a male prostitute he hires to be his first. Great characters, I enjoyed the chemistry.

Stripped Bare by S. Blaise - A party stripper and the brother of the bride to be who hires him. A sweet story with a blind disfigured protag and a gorgeous stripper who won't give up pursuing him after talking on the phone.

Boomberang by Rachelle Cochrane - A strip bar waiter and partime rent boy who meets his best friend from highschool at the bar who he thought was straight. They hook up and a former client brings up the paying for sex issue. I really liked the two characters and how they reconnected after being apart.

Fun and Games by Lenore Black - A video game developer's friends decide to buy him a guy for his birthday. The guy keeps coming back and he assumes his friends paid for it. When he finds out they didn't he accuses the guy of stealing his new game. Ooops. He didn't. Anyway, this was perhaps my favorite, I just really liked the characters and how they intereacted.

The Stripper and the Hairdress by Bethany Brown - I guess the title says it all. This is a tie-in with Picture Perfect as Kennedy's hair dresser friend Jasper is the guy it the title. He sees "Apollo" at a bachelorette party for his employee and they manage to get together. A cute story with both characters being very appealing and I loved how Scott (Apollo) seemed perfect physically but he was totally useless with directions and got lost at the zoo once. So a nice little quirk.

Chat Line by Clare London - A funny little story about a phone sex worker and the guy who phones him up thinking he's a domestic help line looking for someone to clean his house. It takes him a while to catch on and is outraged then intrigued and the call comes to its natural outcome with them planning to get together. Very humerous and to see how the same thing could mean something different depending on what you were thinking.

Toy Box: Guiche by Jay Lygon, Mychael Black, Lee Benoit (31 pages)



Three shorts about that interesting scrotal piercing the guiche. I enjoyed the first, a story about two guys working on a river barge, one who is large and gets the nickname bear and his smaller roomie. Bear has a piercing that leads to some fun. Very hot.
Second one is a drummer who runs into a guy literally after getting a tattoo. The guy seems very GQ but they hook up and the drummer gets a surprise later that night at his club. Maybe the guy's not quite so clean cut as it seems. I think my favourite, I really liked the characters.
Third is a bit of a continuation of a story I think, it connects into some other characters in a D/s series and that's really not my thing but it ends up with the piercing being a symbolf of their commitment to each other. It was okay, but that's not really my thing.

Holed Up by Hank Edwards (101 pages)



FBI agent Pearce is brought to Detroit (in the winter) to keep Mark (a witness in a terrorism case) safe. Seems there is a leak in the agency and they are soon on the run. They hole up in Mark's ex's apartment and "get to know each other". Pearce is then kidnapped by the bad guys and Mark goes after him to save him. I enjoyed it and liked both characters and liked how Mark sucked it up and chased after the bad guys. Realistic? I don't know but its one of those fantasy things where I'd like to think I could do that if the chips were down. An enjoyable read for me.

Haunted Mansion by Vic Winter (13 pages)



Charlie finds Dave annoying as hell and yet somehow gets roped into staying in a local haunted house with him on Halloween. Things get kind of freaky and it draws them together where Dave admits he likes Charlie. Fun ensues and after a point they don't even care if its real ghosts or the seniors trying to scare them to win the bet. A cute little ghost story.

Heat Seeking Missile by E.M. Lynley (8 pages)


Cory and Nate are work friends but Nate hasn't made a move because he doesn't want to ruin it. He is half-asleep watching TV and thinks he hears Cory say his penis is a heat seeking missile. Was he dreaming? They have some hot sex and he wakes up alone thinking it must have been a dream, but Cory comes back with dinner and it was all real. A cute steamy story but I wonder how Nate could conk out after and orgam and Cory could get him dressed and on the couch again with him not knowing. Sheesh, I've NEVER had sex that good. I must be missing something.

Moving On by Addison Albright (14 pages)



This one kind of leaves you a bit in the dark as Graeme seems to be trying to hook his ex up with someone at a Halloween dance. He claims still to love him so you're wondering WTF is he doing then? Then it becomes clear that Graeme died a year ago and his ghost is wanting Brandt to move on. Suddenly at the party Brandt can hear him and he encourages him to go for a guy there and encourages him all the way home into bed when Graeme finally gets to move on now that Brandt has moved on. It seemed kind of freaky, Graeme telling Brandt to kiss the guy and him doing it and being in the room and watching them have sex. Kind of squicked me out although the sentiment was sweet, wanting your guy to be happy after you die. I don't know, just me.

Toy Box: Nipple Clamps by Vic Winter, Mychael Black and Syd McGinley (24 pages)



Another three shorts. I enjoyed the first on the best with two young guys who go to the sex toy store and get so freaked out and and fit of the giggles that they just throw a bunch of stuff in their basket and buy it. They get home to find out what they bought and it seems the nipple clamps are of great interest to one of them and things get very hot. I loved how they interacted and their giggles over the stuff in the store.
The second was a guy who's late for work because he was up too late playing with his toys including nipple clamps. The boss calls him in for discipline and fun ensues and the boss says he's moving next to his office. Ummm. Who the hell carries nipple clamps in their pocket to work? If this had a been a dream sequence I would have believed it, but as reality it was too unrealistic for me.
Third is part of a series of stories I think because it was a D/s thing and I didn't know who the characters were or understand their relationship really beyond master/slave. Not my thing.

Toy Box: Rope by Kiernan Kelly, HB Kurtzwild, James Buchanan (37 pages)



First story is about a uber-famous country singer who goes back home to escape the stress of the crowds. He goes to his families cabin with his old friend Bugger who ends up tying him to the bed and having his way with him. Ummm, I just couldn't get past a guy who's named after snot.
Second is a very different take on ropes. Kind of a Cirque du Soleil in the future where the rope guy gets convinced by the ribbon guys to become their third and they end up having fun in the air but I never really figured out if the ribbon guys were serious or if it was just a ploy for fun in the air. But it was an unusual take, not really being tied up but voluntarily on all sides.
Third was a story in a world already created which I haven't read (except for a few shorts with the guys) but after nearly shooting his lover and wigging out, Brandon is tied up and forced to just let go. I really should read those books because I like the characters. TBB

So there. I have a bunch more to read yet but though I better put these shorts up or I'd be waaaay behind.

Ooops, slacking off again

I promised I'd keep this updated, I lied. Before I leave on vacation this coming week, here we go.

Triplesex by Amanda Young (36 pages)



This ties in with Kinky Orgasm. Caleb is a college professor who is coming up on his 9th anniversary with Zaki. He's looking forward to a vacation and is starting to wonder if their sex life is getting a bit stale. He gets a call to meet Zaki at the bar (Kinky Orgasm bar) and thinks Zaki is drunk upstairs. He goes up and it seems that Zaki decided to set Caleb up for a little fun with of all people, the new hot coach at the college that Caleb mentioned. Its just a short hot little interlude between the three guys. It was okay but I liked Kinky Orgasm better, maybe because you didn't get to know anything about Zaki except that he was younger and getting bored (hence the threesome) but in 36 pages there is only so much you can do.

The Cowboy and the Thief by Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael (87 pages)



Jamie is a cowboy stained glass artist in New Brunswick (really?) who runs into Adrian at the local rich guy's estate. They hook up with Adrian only looking for some fun but Jamie soon realizes that he's in deeper than Adrian wants. It also comes out that Adrian is some kind of a thief who finds things that rich guy wants (i.e. pink diamonds). Adrian has some kind of weird ass family and amazingly Jamie is fine with Adrian being a thief. Jamie decides he's too attached and bolts, there is angst, Adrian needs to admit what he feels, HEA (HFN?). I found Jamie a bit odd to just accept Adrian's (job) and you really had no clue what was going on with Adrian except these little glimpses into his weird family. I would have liked a more completely picture of why he did what he did. It was okay.

Somebody Killed his Editor by Josh Lanyon (191 pages)



Okay, I laughed out loud in the first page I think. This is the first book in a series where Christopher Holmes an author goes to a retreat to try and revive his sagging career and suddenly due to crappy weather is stranded at the resort with a bunch of chick-lit authors and he finds a dead body. After being dumped by his editor, the editor is found dead as well. And who else is there? J.X. Moriarity, a guy he spent a weekend with 10 years ago and a former cop. Very funny with a mystery thrown in and I'm telling you, I could FEEL that crappy weather. Can't wait for the next one.

Rough Canvas by Joey W. Hill (263 pages)



This book picks up about 4 years after the couple met and a year or 18 months after they split. Thomas left his master/lover/art agent Marcus after his father died and his brother was crippled in an accident to take care of the family. Of course his mother thinks all gays are sinful, blah blah blah (those characters drive me around the bend). Marcus comes back and sees that Thomas has stopped painting, has an ulcer, lost weight, etc. He convinces him to spend a week with him where lots happens and they part, but keep in touch and eventually there is a HEA. Its a pretty hardcore BDSM relationship, with a real master/slave thing happening in the bedroom but not a 24/7 thing. I'm not really into those kind of books but it was okay and didn't take it too far for me. I really felt for Marcus because Thomas was so sucked in by freaking "duty". They needed him. Yeah right. What if you died? You think they wouldn't survive without you? Think again, no one's indispensible and his mother didn't mind taking the money he made painting. So I wanted to slap Thomas more than once and I must have PMS because it made me teary sometimes. I like how you found out more about Marcus as it went and it kind of coincided with his truly trusting Thomas. Great read.

Memories Erased by M.E. Reid (196 pages)



Devin (super secret assassin) goes to the bar looking for trouble (or sex) after being dumped and finds Ewyn being smacked around by his boyfriend. He saves him and takes him home and is immediately attracted and Ewyn never leaves. He also works for the super secret orgaization but is a techie guy. But it seems Ewyn is really a member of a crime family and someone seems to be trying to kill him and they have to figure out who. I had a few issues, nearly every guy in the book had a freaking fu manchu mustache. Ugh. He also kept caling Ewyn "baby boy", like ALL the time even in his head, "and baby boy went to the fridge" or whatever. He was 32. It was pretty much a perfect world where Devin went to work, killed someone and came home and everything was hunky dory, no fall out. So it was okay but I had a few issues (moving in together too soon - like within 3 hours - is one of my bugaboos).

Love Most Inconvenient 2 by D.J. Manley (87 pages)



This was a set of 3 shorts about people falling in love at not the greatest time. First one is a young ad guy who gets hammered on his birthday and strips for some hot guy at the bar. Guess who the new boss is? They eventually hook up at work but he finds out the boss has a daughter with cancer and the lack of communication rears its head when he thinks he's cheating on his wife or getting back with him and if he'd just asked what was happening he'd have known.

In the second an events planner is trying to replace his ex who was the coordinator (he's the accountant) and is more or less steam rolled by a young guy. They get together once and the boss decides he doesn't do relationships and back off. But young guy gets under his skin and on v-day for a party the accountant has to fill in for the stripper (how convenient) and asks the guy to marry him the next day. Ummm. You haven't even been on a date, screwed his brains out once and work with him and you want to marry him tomorrow. Holy fuck. Talk about moving fast. (See bugaboo above.)

The third was my fave. Alex got drunk and trashed a rich arts college after his brother is killed by a gang. He is assigned 10 months of community service at the school as penalty. There he meets Jacob a student who he figures is a rich kid who wouldn't want to have anything to do with a "Spic" like him. They eventually hook up and start a relationship where Jacob is the more experienced and initiates Alex into all kinds of kinky stuff. One of the other janitors threatens to reveal them to the boss so they back off with 3 weeks of school to go. At the end Alex applies to go to the school on scholarship and while Jacob is graduating and going off to NYC they vow to keep seeing each other and Alex finally got his life on track like his brother was trying to do when he was killed. A great story.

Looking for Some Touch by K.Z. Snow (161 pages)



Pablo is a prostitute who decides to apply for the job as a "touch" in the underground city to avoid being assinged a permanent S&M idiot client. He would basically work for three magic guys, giving sexual energy. He connects with Win, one of the magic guys and Tole seems to want him gone and Zee is trying to make everyone get along. There is a mystery of a missing woman and much of the book is Pablo just trying to figure out who the hell these guys are and what he's supposed to do. Lots of world building. I'm glad there is another book (2 more) because I definitely want more and want to know more about the others and what they are all about. Must work on getting those soon. Loved the characters.

Death or Life by T.A. Chase (69 pages)



Noah comes home from his Dad's campaign thingy and finds a killer waiting for him. But the guy doesn't kill him, he gives him a file with dirt on his father (who hired the killer) and tells him to go to his Grandfather. A few months later he meets Cain his Grandfather's new security guy and they start a relationship but it seems the killer is back and after Noah. Seems the killer and Cain have an unusual connection which comes out and Noah's father seems to be doing more than having the odd political opponent picked off and he kidnaps Noah to try and get the file folder back. All those damn American politicans are dirty. :-) I enjoyed the story and liked Noah a lot. And woohoo, they didn't get married after knowing each other for 48 hours. Big thumbs up from me.

Bring the Heat by M.L. Rhodes (121 pages)



Police Detective Riley lamely goes to the same coffee house everyday hoping to get a glimpse of the hot guy there. When the hot guy makes a move Riley freaks and bolts. In the course of an investigation of a murder at a strip club he finds himself interviewing fellow dancer Dane, hot guy from coffee house. He blows all protocol and Dane and they have a great time. Ooops, seems Dane neglected to tell him some info and he can't figure out why Dane would like him anyway as he figures he's a geek. Riley tells him he can't see him while the investigatio is going on but the pull is there. After its over there is a HEA. Bonus points for having a cover that reflects something in the story. :-) Great story, liked both characters muchly.

Alternative Treatment by Claire Thompson (217 pages)



After being caught with a DUI Paramedic man-slut chip-on-shoulder Noah is assigned 100 hours community service in a seniors' home. He propositions the head Dr. hoping to get out of his hours. That goes over poorly but he and the Dr, are drawn together. They finally hook up after his time is done and Noah encourages Mark to follow his dreams and not work at the home just because his family expects it. On Christmas Eve Mark comes out to his family, tells them he's quitting and ooops, finds Noah with his dick in another guy's mouth. They manage to get past that and then Mark moves away for work and they have to deal with that challenge to their relationship. While there is the one incident with the other guy, most of the book is just about them trying to work on a new long distance relationship and Noah supporting Mark even though it means he's moving. Not a lot of outside drama but it is nice to just have the realities of being with somene and how hard that can be.

Trying to keep up, must read fewer shorts

Then I'd have fewer of these things to post.

Still Crazy by M. Jules Aedin (29 pages)



Neil, a mechanic and Simon, a teacher have been together for 30 years. For their anniversary Simon manages to find an old motorcycle just like the one Neil had to sell years ago to pay Simon's medical bills. Some hot outdoor lovin' on a motorcycle ensues and they almost get caught by their teenage neighbor and Simon's student. A really sweet story about still being madly in love 30 years down the road. It's what we all hope for I guess.

Like Coffee and Donuts by Elle Parker (190 pages)



Dino is a private detective in his early 40's and Sean is his best friend, a bi-sexual mechanic who'll do anyone, anywhere, anytime. Dino is more discriminating and has only dated women. Sean often helps him out on cases and a close call in a bar fight triggers the start of a romantic relationship between the two. There is some angst on Dino's part, more of fear of screwing up the friend relationship rather than about being gay and there is a whole mystery thing going on that they get sucked up into, but the best part about this book was the interplay between the two guys. Snappy dialogue, completely snarky and sarcastic and exactly what I love. They truly were best friend, knew everthing (well mostly) about each other and accepted each other with a heavy dose of banter. Excellent. I'd love to see them have some more adventures.

Larry Fletcher Checks out of the Heartbreak Hotel by D.G. Parker (35 pages)



Larry's in Vegas to support his BF who is getting married, by Elvis no less. After the wedding Elvis asks him out and they end up in a casino where Elvis gives him some money and non-gambler Larry has a blast losing it all. Then they go into the dessert and Larry talks a bit about his break-up with his ex and Elvis tells him to get over it and gives him a little incentive. Larry wakes up in the dessert alone and his friends find him and he's ready to start over. I had issues. Ummm, I have problems with guys with freakishly huge organs and guys who take it with apparently no problem. And he left him in the freaking desert!!! I've watched CSI, that's dangerous even if he did tell the friends where to find him. It was just kind of weird and obviously there was no love story between Elvis and Larry (I'm pretty sure his name's not Elvis) and was more of an anonymous fuck that got Larry's self-confidence back. So I didn't hate it, didn't love it. There was some funny parts that made me smile though.

Eye of the Beholder by Jade Falconer (45 pages)



So I did a little shopping at Phaze books at 30% off. Very nearly passed this by because why in the hell is there a woman on the cover? I checked the blurb and no woman in the book. In fact maybe there as one gallery woman who had 2 lines and that's it. Huh? Anyway, rant done. Ben is in construction and is hired to renovate a gallery where Victor will be showing his work. Ben harrasses Victor about smoking and Victor decides to make Ben's life miserable just for fun (because he's a little shit basically). Due to his demands Ben has to work late and Victor hangs out to watch. One things leads to another and well, the usual. The day of the show Ben freaks when Victor tries to display a nude of him (he could lose his job if people knew he was gay) and they have a tiff. They eventually have a HEA and more paintings are created. I found Victor to be pretty annoying and he just liked to push buttons for the hell of it, but it seems that Ben kind of liked the results of having his buttons pushed so while that type of relationship has way to much drama for me, it worked for them and on the whole they were likable enough characters who likely deserved each other. :-)

Dancing in the Dark by Jenna Byrnes (69 pages)



Another Phaze book. Nick is a vice detective who has been having a fling with a hustler named Will (Squeak on the street) for months. He decides he wants more and trys to convince Will to give up the life but he's not interested although they declare their love for each other. There is also a serial killer picking off prostitutes and he's now moved on to men. Finally after an argument about Will quitting they don't talk for awhile. Then Will goes missing and Nick has to help find him (he's alive but injured at the end). Then Will says he wants to deal with his problems and get off the streets and marry Nick (hard to do in NY yet). I thought it kind of wrapped up in a neat bow a little quickly at the end but besides that I liked the characters and wanted them to have a HEA. As an aside, while I like the "pretty woman" story as much as the next, I always think in the back of my head "oh yeah, one day during a fight he's going to throw up the fact that you were a whore and its going to get ugly". But I'll pretend that love conquers all.

Cold Hands, Warm ... by Jade Falconer (20 pages)



Billy is stuck at the university for a long weekend and a snow storm no less. He barely knows his roommate because they have diff schedules but seems Paul's work is closed due to the storm and they are the only two left in the dorm. Billy's not sure about Paul but knows he's cute. They decide to watch a movie and it gets cold so they get under a blanket. Paul's never been with a guy but think Billy's cute and Billy definitely wants Paul. Sort of a typical young relationship, subtle moves, getting close during a scary movie leading to more when Paul admit he does like guys (or this guy) and they go "all the way". Its only 20 pages and takes place over 3-4 hours but I really liked the characters and it was a sweet story of two guys getting together. I thought Paul accepted going for a guy pretty quickly since it seemed he'd never considered it before. Oh, there was some head hopping perspective which usually I don't mind but a few times I was confused a bit, but not a big deal.

At the Edge by Marty Rayne (30 pages)



Michael is going through a bit of a slump with his older lover Todd so jumps at the chance for an all expense paid trip to NYC with some friends. Also seems he told Todd about his fantasy of being tied up before he left and it got a huge fat non-response. He decides to leave the club early and go back to his room. When he enters he's grabbed and tied up and gagged by someone. Then suddenly Todd is there and admits that he set it all up and did some research to make Michael's fantasy come true. Seems Todd has a fantasy too, a threesome. Michael's best friend comes back to the hotel to check o him and seems Todd had it set that he'd be the third. Much kinky fun ensues and both guys get their fantasy fulfilled and revitalize their relationship realizing they are really in love. Its not really clear if the BF is out of the picture. The deal is one time then we forget but you get the impression that might not be true. It was a hot little story but I think there is a big difference between a fantasy that involves two people (bondage) and one that brings in a third person out of the blue. I've never heard of anyone breaking up because their spouse tied them to the bed once, but because they fucked the BF? Yeah, more than enough. But for this story it was hot.

Last Catch Up Post - I swear I'll be good.

Okay and off we go again.

Midnight Sun by G.S. Wiley (27 pages)



Jeremy is a Dr. who has gone to Nunavut to work in a remote community. Holy Hell!!!! Nunavut? This is a first. Okay, seems Jeremy had a long term relationship with fellow Dr. Rashid who gave into his mother's demands and got married and dumped Jeremy. Its the day of Jeremy's receptionist's wedding and who rolls into town (more difficult that it sounds when you live in Nunavut) but Rashid. Seems he's left his wife and is too gay to fake it even for his Pakistani mother. Jeremy's not sure he wants to pick things up or not and they live thousands of km apart but they decide to live for today and leave the future open. Interesting for a story set in an unusual location.

Timeless by Patric Michael (87 pages)



Nathan and Andy have been friends 4 evah but Andy is straight and Nathan never really thought about anything more but Andy always stuck up for Nathan in school and with anyone else. Years Nathan agrees to go on a mini-vacatio with Andy to his cousin's wedding. At the wedding to scare off a persistent woman Nathan kisses Andy and woah, Andy kisses him back. Seems Andy's not as straight as he thought and they get together but Andy's kind of skittish about coming out and being a couple. So a story of how their relationship went through the years and confessing their feelings to each other.

Then and Now by Clare London (35 pages)



Kind of two parallel stories. It takes place at a family engagement party where Ned (in his 40's) is kind of tired of happy couples and still mourning the death of his very best friend (its implied he loved him but it wasn't reciprocated). He has a discussion in the kitchen with Thom, his friend's son that kind of hints that Thom knows about Ned and that he should just go for it and Ned basically says its too late for me but don't let it hold you back. Lots of dancing around the subject. Then the second half is Thom and Alex, his ex that he left to care for his dying father. They have a little interlude in the downstairs loo (half-bath we call it here which triggered a whole post on Jenre's blog) and Thom agrees to take Ned's advice and go for it with Alex. A great little story about two guys with different destinies perhaps. Although seriously Ned, you're only in your freaking 40's not 80's. Get out there and get looking.

The Escort by Sonja Spencer (53 pages)



This is an IR story (since this came up on Wave's blog today I thought I'd point it out). My biggest complaint? The two guys' names were too similar and I sometimes got them mixed up. Anyway, Lamont is going to the Carib for his friend's wedding and he just KNOWS they are going to try and set him up so he gets the name of an escort Landon (see?) and takes him along as his new lover. They have instant chemistry but Lamont tries to remember that he's paying the guy to be all lovey and its not real. The night of the wedding he gets wasted and make a play for Landon which goes badly after he offers to pay extra. Eeek. He freaks and tells his friend and confesses it Landon is an escort and he screwed up. They go back home and Lamont breaks down and calls Landon to confess he wants him forever.

Take a Chance on Me by Sasha Skye (49 pages)



Aiden is at a wedding when he sees the wedding planner Devyn and is smitten but totally clams up around the guy. Aiden's current roommate/best friend (famous football player) decides to set them up and uses the upcoming wedding of Aiden's sister as an excuse to get them to meet. They hit it off and end up going on a date. Its basically a story about Aiden and Devyn getting to know each other with a bit of coming out to his friend (who already knew duh) and Devyn's acceptance by Aiden's family. So it was really just a nice relationship story that I enjoyed.

Promise of the Heart by Chrissy Munder (45 pages)



Jacob was a famous fashion photog who was nearly killed in a car crash (his lover was killed - they hit each other) and took nearly 2 years to recover but still freaks when he gets behind a camera. His friend convinces him to do a wedding shoot for him and who is in the wedding party? Alan, his old lover that he treated badly while living the high life to run off with a model. Seems Jacob learned his lesson and realizes what an ass he was and still loves Alan. He continues on with the shoot getting back into the saddle and has the chance to try and explain things to Alan and maybe get a second chance. A good little short.

Paradise by Ariel Tachan (58 pages)



Another IR story. Jon gets roped into going to the bar with his colleagues to celebrate a big project. He hates it but almost immediately meets Samuel and they take off to go and talk. Samuel is cotent to take their relationship VERY slow and doesn't want to just jump into bed and then have it be over. They get to know each other and gradually take it all the way. While I don't have a problem with falling into bed within minutes, its nice to see another side. Not that they didn't do anything but were in no rush. Later there is some conflict when Jon goes to Samuel's college reunion (a black college) and some of his friends have trouble accepting that Samuel would be with a white guy. Samuel takes the chance to explain more about his background and how those black guys were his support and where they are coming from. A lovely story about getting to know each other and getting past one of those obstacles that some IR couples face. But no big angst or drama, just a nice story. (As I've said, "nice" is good.)

For as Long as We Both Shall Live by Zahra Owens (44 pages)



TJ is sitting in the chapel of the hospital when Helen approaches him. She's a pastor there and offers to listen. Seems TJ's parter Joe is having surgery for some tangle of blood vessels in his brain and may not make it. They've been together since forever. Helen suggests they get married before the surgery and TJ and Paul agree. Paul's parents are there and have always supported them when TJ's parents tossed him out. The surgery is more or less a success and Helen keeps in touch with them and there is a story of her marriage being on the rocks too. It was a really sweet story and you could really feel TJ's fear about what would happen if Joe died. Ejoyable if a bit sad at the beginning.

Always a Bridesmaid by Nicki Bennett (37 page)



Jack has been in a 756 weddings (more or less) and can't find love himself. He agrees one more time for his best friend Trey. They are kind of vague about the maid of honor Morgan. Turns out the maid of honor is a guy and cute and gay. They have a real connection but live in completely different parts of the country but they decide to give it a try. A nice little story and you could feel the attraction between the two guys.

There, I'm done. Sigh. And exhausted. Excuse any spelling errors, grammar, etc. I'm just too pooped to go back and check it all.

More Freaking Updates, Bad me for getting behind

If I have one complaint about the wedding shorts its that there are so many and I almost forget them as soon as I read them unless there is something really outstanding. Not saying I don't enjoy them but its kind of like brain overload. But that doesn't seem to be stopping me you'll notice. :-)

Wedding Favors by D.G. Parker (27 pages)



Bobby is tired of weddings and it starts off with an anonymous hook-up between the ceremony and reception with a guy who's name he can't remember. Some time later he's at another wedding and there is anonymous guy and they have a quickie in the garden shed and he figures that's it. Some time later he's at a vacation wedding in Hawaii and holy crap, anonymous guy (who is now Jason) is there AGAIN for the wedding. They spend some time together and it kind of leaves it hanging but perhaps this will grow into more than a wedding fuck as they both seem to like each other. Kind of a cute premise of running into the same guy at each wedding.

Walking on the Moon by M. Jules Aedin (27 pages)



Philip and Clive are both teachers at a college in 1969 and get "engaged" even though they can't even tell anyone they are together or risk everything. It then hops to 1974 and they are living together and talks a bit about Philip's experiences in a concentration camp during the war and they are still in love. It then hops to 2004 with the wedding announcement that at the ages of 76 and 65 they are one of the first gay couples to marry in Mass. This is a continuation of Philip and Clive's story from Vespers in the Snow as mentioned at the end. To be honest, this story freaking chokes me up. In a few short pages it really touched me. Not often I get teary in 27 pages when its not even a sad book. LOL

Tying the Knot by Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna (70 pages)



This is the story of Tate and Mason and is a continuation of Weather the Storm which I will have to check out. Tate and Mason are getting "married". Mason's family is 100% behind them and everyone and his dog will be at the wedding Tate's parents kicked him out and the only support he has is his best friend Sarah. (Woohoo, a female BF character that I liked - well done.) It's a nice story about Tate dealing with his family's rejection and understanding the acceptance of Mason's family and accepting their love when he thought he'd never have the love of anyone. I really like the writing of both of these authors together and alone, and its a really sweet story and as I said I'd love to read more about Mason and Tate so will check out their beginnings.

To Find and To Keep by Serena Yates (85 pages)



I know some people think this book is a bit too sweet but its more of the perfect fairy tale and works for me. Ryan's family reacts badly to his coming out and make threats so he leaves town and disappears. He moves to Canada (or all places Sudbury - sheesh, have some pride) and finds out his twin is marrying his best friend so he decides to sneak back. The night before the wedding he runs into Daniel, his best friend's older brother who always had a thing for Ryan. He takes Ryan home and convinces him to go to the wedding and not hide. Daniel is afraid his sister and friend hate him and his parents will freak but he goes and of course everyone is thrilled to see him except his parents and his sister kicks them out of the reception when they get jerky. Sort of a HEA all around and a bit of a fairy tale as I said but I could also see that at 18 he believed the threats of his parents while many of us ... um, older would have realized the threats where baseless and laughed at them. 18 year olds are dumb. :-) So while perhaps not the most realistic book I've read, I enjoyed it for what it was. A good dose of sugar is good for the soul sometimes.

The Whirlpool by Jaymz Connelly (37 pages)


Jon is such a nice guy he agrees to come from England to Canada for his ex's wedding even though he's hating every minute of it. He then meets the new groom's brother Eric and Eric convinces him to toss off the mini-golf and explore the Niagra region. They talk about why Jon and the ex broke up (ex is the stereotypical gay guy worried about appearances, etc.) and Jon is "boring" and Eric is a mechanic. They have a great time and while this part was a bit unrealistic (I have timing issues) Eric decides to move to London to be with Jon and be a mechanic there. Ummm. You've known him 5 days and its not that easy to emigrate, trust me, I work for the government. I might have liked to see them try a long distance romance for a bit to try out the relationship THEN move, but hey, it was 37 pages. I liked both characters muchly though.

The Ties That Bind by L.J. LaBarthe (37 pages)



This is one of the few that really didn't work for me. Its a combination of the story of two grad students and then the story of Richard the Lionheart and his "companion". One guy is doing research on why Richard seemed in favor of same-sex marriage and starts doing research on Richard and his companions relationship. Lots of letters incluced in this one from Richard and other research. Meanwhile two guys live together and support each other's research and talk about getting married. I think there was supposed to be a parallel in a way or a lesson taught but I found I would rather have had way more superficial info on the Richard angle and just more focus on the two guys. So this is one of the few so far I just couldn't get into.

Sensitive Pornograph by Ashika Sakura (183 pages)



These books always confuse me a bit because its not usually all one story. It starts with a budding manga artist who meets his idol and they have an affair which leads to love. Of course. Then there is the guy who has a fling with the bosses photographer so who takes explicit photos of them having sex. Weirdly the boss thinks its cool and claims that his so likes employee as shown by the photos. Ooookay. Then the pet sitter goes to an apartment to feed a pet rabbit and finds a guy locked in the closet as a slave. He is supposed to have sex with him so they do and the rabbit rebels, get the crap beat out of him by his master but shows up at pet sitter's school (all beat up) and says he wants the new guy. Wow. That was weird. Anyway, typical stuff. Didn't love it, didnt hate it.

Barefoot Waltz by Romuco Miike (182 pages)



More shorts starting with the cover guys, an older author and a young guy he had a fling with a couple of years ago. Young guy shows up out of the blue asking for a place to stay and kind of becomes his housewife. Then there was a very confusing story about a kid who takes pictures of the track tream for school but he's on the team and has a thing for the high jumper. I'm so confused. I didn't get it. There were a couple of others with school kids again that I didn't really get. Not the best book for me. It would come to "the end" and I'm like "huh? What happened, I don't get it?" Sigh.

I Want to be Naughty by Mei Sakuraga (170 pages or so)



Mostly the story of bleached blonde pierced boy who is under attack by the student council (I don't get the Japanese system) for not conforming. He makes friends with dark haired boy when loe and behold he finds out he's the Student Council President. Ooops. But the President dislikes the members who are all rigid about code with the bad boys brothers thrown in for comic relief. Then a story about school kids and another about a guy who comes back from college and finds his young neighbour (friend? whatever) all grown up and they get together. Much more coherent than the last one. At least I understood all the stories this time. LOL I liked the first one best probably.

Yes, there are still freaking more. 9 more wedding things I think. I'll try and do the rest later. I'm exhausted but this kind of a great way of remembering what I read. LOL

Happy Canada Day

I never post pics but for those who have been whining for me to update (you know who you are) here are some sexy Canadians for Canada Day.