More Holiday Reading

Sparks Fly by Clare London (210 pages)



Kris, look, do you see it? Are you happy now? :-) So Aiden's a total computer geek and Nic is a rich playboy entrepreneur who plays (with anyone) as hard as he works. He worked closely with Aiden getting his dating company set up and now wants to make some changes. Aiden can barely stand him and is as surly as they get (to everyone apparently) but Nic is attracted and so is Aiden although he'd rather chew his left leg off than admit it. Through several false starts and arguments they finally seem to get it together when a computer hacker strikes which causes chaos. I liked that both guys KNEW they had issue. Aiden knew he was a jerk most of the time and Nic came to realize that he was sleeping with people as the easy way out, rather than say no and he wanted to change it and there was more to him than that. So that was nice but there is no way in hell I could ever be in a relationship like that because conflice-avoidance-moi would have run for the hills the first time he got pissy at me and sometimes its hard for me to related to stories that have a volatile nature (not physically violent) just because it freaks me out personally. But I did enjoy it muchly.

Sindustry 2 by many many authors (332 pages)



Again, too many to mention them all and I have to say I don't think there were as many that I loved as the first one, but in the first one there were a couple that I really didn't like where as that didn't happen here. So fewer highs but fewer lows. So for the ones I liked:

Dance for me by Maria Albert

Carlo is saved from near rape at a strip club by bouncer Michael. Seems the owner of the club takes in damaged strays and helps them out like Michael and other workers at the club. He offers Carlo a place to work/stay as long as he wants. Michael and Carlo are attracted but both have issues and it gets ugly but in the end HEA of course. I liked both characters and felt for Carlo and what he had endured to end up as he had.

Leather Dancer by Andrew Grey

Denny is dragged to the gay erotic expo by his friend Kye and sees his neighbor who he's been crushing on dancing in a leather get-up. He catches him when he falls and they finally end up introducing themselves and getting together. A cute story but seriously, I wanted to see more about Kye and I'd love to see the man-slut meet his match. So I think I liked him better than either main character.

Wanting More by Carey Z.

Alex goes home with a guy from his club (which he does for cash sometimes) when, oops, the guys partner walks in on them about to have sex. Eeek. Then the partner shows up at the stip club and Alex gives him a lap dance to remember. They start spending nearly every weekend together (for a price) and Alex finds himself with a nice Dom to make him happy. He plans on quitting the life to go to culinary school and when he tells James he gets a frosty response that basically tells him he's nothing more than a paid companion. Of course they work it out. I liked the characters and they were both at fault for the BM, but it wasn't too bad and resolved quickly thanks to Alex's friend.

Ghosts of Alcatraz by Carol Lynn (115 pages)



I don't generally read this author because she's famous for a plot device that makes me crazy. Instant love. Not instant lust, I can get behind that, but total comittment within hours of meeting or even before meeting. Sigh. But I can live with it. Its set 10 years in the future when prisoners at the renewed Alcatraz prison are being mysterously killed. A paranormal expert is sent in who has to pretent to be the warden's lover. The pretending lasts about 3.5 hours then they are madly in love forever and ever. Sigh. Anyway there is a nasty demon and some not quite so nasty ghosts that pretty much rip up the ghost guy and there is a gov't conspiracy and a faked betrayal but in the end the ghosts/demons are vanquisted and you have a HEA. It was okay, but as I said, copious eye rolling often ensues when I find this plot.

E-pistols at Dawn by Z.A. Maxfield (210)



Jai is a reporter for a mag famous for outing famous people. As a gay man he has a favourite book and when someone does a spoof of it as a sexy book he is determined to find the bitch and make her pay. He starts an elaborate on-line stalking thing to find her, only her turns out to be a him. You find out (but Jae doesn't) that Kelly is the author of the original book. By chance Jae finds Kelly and is attracted to him and kind of backs off on his story but keeps up the cyber relationship. Kelly is OCD and agorophobic and has Will (a former rent boy) who looks after him and his business. Kelly finds out Jae was the fake person and angt ensues. They get back together and more angst ensues, eventually ending in a HEA. To be honest, I would have kicked Jae's ass to the curb permanently after the first time and there would be no second chances and could he have picked a worse time to reveal his second idiot move? Is it wrong to love one of the secondary characters more than either main character. It was like "yeah yeah yeah, Kelly and Jae, get on with it, where's Will and what's he doing?" He better have a book coming or I'll start a write-in protest or on-line stalking or something. I thought Kelly's issues were dealt with in a humerous way, he didn't let it consume him but I think Jae annoyed me too much for me to like him as much as I should have.

Details of the Hunt by Laura Baumback (163 pages)



I didn't read this for a looong time (its old by e-book standards, 2006) because I read a short blurb somewhere once and the alien seemed too alien and I thought I'd be weirded out. Duh. I loved the story. I thought Aiden was funny and I loved how he accepted Talos right off the bat. Yeah, he was weird looking and big and grey, but he always liked him and just accepted him even though he was 700 years in the future it never got him down. I didn't like the Dr. at all, even after she came around, what a judgemental bitch, even 700 years from now? But anyway, I think Gentic Snare is coming so I must read that because I'm totally in love with them both now.