Happy Easter

Hope that the Easter Bunny brought you something tasty today. He brought me some nice chocolate and some lovely books. Since it's been a lazy reading weekend, I obviously read a bunch.

Skating Through Fog by Sean Michael (26 pages)

I got this since it's about speed skating and after the Olympics I thought I'd check it out. Fog is a speed skater just getting up in the rankings. He's a bad boy of the circuit, former heroin user, tattoos, smokes, the works. His coach sends him to Calgary to train at the Olympic oval, he's paired up with Jim, also a top skater. To save money Fog is looking for a cheap place to stay and Jim offers to let him room with him. That's about it. The whole story takes place over a half day, but the descriptions of the rush Fog feels when he's skating is very evocative. It's an okay short. Not a must read unless the idea of speed skating appeals to you.

A Good Thing by Julia Talbot (40 pages)

3 years ago Dan's Christmas Eve went to hell when his casual lover crashed is car into the fence injuring himself severely and while helping his friend, his house caught on fire. Ever since he's a Christmas Scrooge. Christmas Eve he as a run-in with a guy in a Santa at selling hot chocolate for charity. Somehow they end up going for a beer and when Chris finds out he's going to be alone, he ditches his friends and goes home with Dan. Chris is much younger and a tattooed snowboarder, but Dan is smitten. Everything is great until his ex who dumped him after the accident shows up Christmas morning bearing a VERY personal gift. This was a cute little story about a guy who'd developed a paranoia about fire and Christmas and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop when things were going well.

The Brothers Dim by Kris Klein (30 pages)

Mark has sworn off relationships and prefers to hook up with straight or married men on Craig's List. He comes up with the "brilliant" plan of saying he wants to try out guys in prep for a m/f/m with his girlfriend. He ends up making appointments with two younger guys to come an hour apart. The first guy is late but things are going well when the second guy arrives. Ooops. It's the younger brother of the first guy. He manages to convince them to try a threesome and then gets a bit of a surprise that makes him rethink his CL strategy. I liked the little twist at the end and the bro-cest doesn't go much beyond kissing, it's more along the lines of m/f/m, but I now some people are squicked out in principle or about menages. It was a cute story though and Mark had an appealing voice despite the fact he's a bit of a jerk tricking guys into having sex, but people should know better than to trust ANYTHING on CL. Jen reviewed this as well so you can get her perspective.

Bound Together by Jane Davitt (49 pages)

Another one reviewed by Jen (see link above). Simon is a collector of rare children's books. One night a hot young thing shows up to sell him a book that he recognizes as belonging to his closeted asshole ex. He ends up starting a sexual game that is quite outside his comfort zone but seems to be working for them both. Chris is going to spend the weekend to pay him back for buying the book, things are extremely hot and steamy when Chris says some things that cause Simon to basically hoof him out. To be honest it was so twisted I didn't quite get why he was upset and I had no clue why Chris felt the need to confess this moments before penetration. Eventually of course they work it out. It was very steamy and I liked both guys I just found the convoluted conflict a bit puzzling.