Another Update

I was kind of off reading for a couple of days but seem to be back at it. In fact some of these I read a week or so ago but didn't list them last time.

Taming Groomzilla by E.N. Holland (45 pages)



This is a sweet story about Luke and Joel who live in Maine and decide to get married. It then follows their "adventure" with wedding planning. It's very sweet and humorous as they deal with finding the perfect cake, choosing colors and dealing with snarky vendors. I'm not sure I quite loved the ending (yes, they do get married) but on the whole I found it a cute read and proceeds go towards supporting marriage equality in Maine so it was for a good cause. Definitely worth a read.

I Can't Drive 55 by Jade Falconer (21 pages)



It's 2 in the morning and Kyle finally gets the chance to let his Camaro really open up on a stretch of highway with no one around ... except a cop. He decides to see if he can get out of a ticket and the cop goes for it. After a steamy interlude in the back of the cop car he agrees to meet the cop (John) after he gets off work in an hour. They hook up and go to John's for another hot interlude. It's obviously not a "romance" in the sense that the whole story takes place over 2-3 hours but there is a definite connection between the two that you can see lasting for a while anyway. I thought it was steamy but because I sensed the connection it didn't degenerate into porn territory. It is what it is.

Cover Me by L.G. Gregg (120 pages)



Michael (aka Finn or Mr. Finn) teaches at a private boarding school but has a summer job tutoring one of his students at the behest of his older brother Max a security expert. Michael goes for it one day and comes onto Max after which he is fired (not because of sex). Ooops. Later at the school Max shows up again to protect one of the students from threats and Michael and Max clash over how to deal with teenagers and what Max considers Michael's lax attitude. There is the whole threat of a stalker of the students and Michael keeps giving into Max every time he shows up at his door. I kind of had trouble liking Max at first, he basically comes off as an asshole, however I really really liked Michael. Yes, I figured out the bad guy right away but it was still a fun story and I liked Max at the end once you got to see what he was thinking and why. A great enjoyable read with lots of the humour you typically find in this author's books. The Halloween dance scene was hilarious, I even had to tell my daughter about it.

That's Entertainment by Clare Thompson (53 pages)



Jack and Grady are a couple who are "extras" for a porn production. One day Jack comes back to his trailer and hears some weird sounds and he's afraid to go in because he thinks maybe Grady is cheating on him. He spends a lot of time standing around with two of the porn stars and the director with some hilarious dialogue about made up porn movie names and characters. Very very funny. Instead of asking Grady what is going on he decides to investigate but can't find anything. Him and Grady have a big fight and he storms off then sneaks back to see what he's up to. Of course the answer is not what he thinks and it brings them closer together but the best part of the whole book was the imagination used for the porn stuff. A funny read.

The Name of the Game by Willa Okati (115 pages)



Clay lives with Seth who is straight but he loves him anyway. Just when he decides to try speed dating Seth proposes that he pretend to be gay to chase off his bitch of a girlfriend. Clay's not sure but agrees because he'd do anything for Seth. After a few kisses Seth starts to freak out as maybe he likes it. Anthony, Clay's best friend figures in offering advice to both and even though Clay screws up at the end, they work through it and agree to try. I like GFY books and this one worked quite well. I enjoyed both characters although I got a bit pissed off with Clay not wanting to "hurt" his girlfriend. This chick called his roommate and friend abominations of nature and was a bigoted bitch, why he thought she even deserved one shred of respect was beyond me. Yeah yeah, you're a good guy but there's a line you have to draw.

It's How you Play the Game by Willa Okati (125 pages)



This is the follow-up to the previous book. Seth and Clay are getting "married" and while Anthony thinks it's the dumbest idea ever he agrees to cater their affair, oh, but he can't cook. So he signs up for a cooking class at the community center and meets Roan who comes on so strong it's not funny. He rubs Anthony off in the class and declares him to be his and that's it, he basically tells him he'll stalk him until he agrees. Creepy but because Anthony is in a perpetual state of arousal he doesn't tell the guy to take a hike, they begin to basically have public sex wherever possible with Anthony having no way to control himself whatsoever. I found Roan EXTREMELY pushy and they explain why later but really, justifying being a jerk is hard to do. So on the whole I really liked Anthony but I didn't buy the story as the whole relationship seemed to be based around the base need to fuck as often as possible. I can't believe anyone has that little control over their basic drives. So it was so-so for me.

Thirty Days by Shayla Kersten (65 pages)



Biton (how the hell do you pronounce that?) is a dom who's sub and love of his life of 10 years died from cancer. He decides he's ready to get back out there and goes to a friend's place for a small party. He meets Cavan who was badly abused and tossed out by his previous master. He was a virtual slave who has little memory of his life before his servitude. Biton is attracted and agrees to take Cavan on for 30 days and realizes how damaged he is. It comes to light that Cavan saw his master kill another slave and that probably Cavan was sold as a teen to the life and they try to arrest those responsible. The story continues in Forever. I'm not a huge BDSM fan but this wasn't too bad as a mystery and Biton trying to teach Cavan how life on the outside worked was more of the story. This was a pick it for me challenge at Good Reads.

Forever by Shayla Kersten (58 pages)



This is the continuation. Cavan's old master has been arrested for murder but may get off with a slap on the wrist. Cavan is still going to therapy but the therapist is not helping him. Eventually the ring leader who's been taking these kids and making them slaves kidnaps Cavan and shoots Bitek and the mystery continues as they try to rescue him and another slave before he is murdered. I HATED the therapist (but so did Cavan) and couldn't believe she would play her own agenda so much but I suppose it happens. On the whole I was happy to see Cavan becoming more independent and having a more normal relationship with Bitek as a partner rather than a slave. So it was a good conclusion to the whole thing.