Special thanks to Leontine from Leontine's Book Realm for the super header.


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Thursday - What a long week for a short week

Monday was a holiday which should in theory make the week pass quickly but ... Not so it seems. Ugh. Long week and not a great one. Well, on the upside I got approval for my vacation in October so Yaoi-Con and blogger mayhem in San Francisco is a go; the apartment is paid for, we're good to go. Hopefully get tickets tomorrow.

On the downside. I got to my car after work yesterday and it had a flat flat tire. Ugh. There was a screw sticking out of it. I drive through a couple of construction zones in the morning so I presume that's where I picked it up. So that meant phoning a tow truck because I'm a girl and I don't know HOW to change a tire (I watched closely so do now LOL) and paying him money, then finding out that evening that they couldn't repair it and I couldn't get new ones then so having to go back this morning and buy TWO new tires since they couldn't really have just one new on the front. Grrrr. Oh well. What can you do? When I told the guy my tire was flat and I needed a new one he goes "Do you want us to install it?" Umm. No, I'll just take it in a bag to go. Do I LOOK like a mechanic? I don't think so. Put the damn things on. LOL Luckily cutie Ryan helped out which made the monetary outlay only slightly less painful. I would have needed significantly more personal attention from him to make it pain-free. ;-)

So anyway, whine whine whine, bitch bitch bitch. We won't even get started on the job stuff. :-)

Love Runes
by Jay Lygon (162 pages)
Torquere Books
This is the continuation of Chaos Magic. Things have settle down a bit for Sam and Hector. Hector is going to therapy, Sam is trying to be good but they still have their moments. Hector buys Sam a motorcycle which causes some issues, as Sam's impulse control is pretty much non-existent. Eventually Hector finds out why Sam looks so young which involves giving away his power. He is needless to say, not impressed and after a blow-up Sam leaves and is convinced by his ex that maybe Hector is done with him. At the Beltane celebration it all comes to a head when Hector shows up and they find out the ex is not quite as reformed as you think leading to a show-down. Sam made me crazy. He was honest to god like a three year old. He just followed people blindly, you'd think he hadn't a brain in his head. LOL I felt for Hector, really I did. This one has some ouchy parts, yeah, hey Sam likes it ouchy. Not really my thing but it fits with who they are. I had to take a break through for some sugar after, but I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress in book 3.

Bewitched by Bella's Brother by Amy Lane (185 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Sebastian and Bella are best friends and are heading up to Spokane to go to university ... again. It will be Sebastian's second Ph.D. They are spending the summer with Bella's recently divorced older brother and his young son. Sebastian is immediately attracted to Asa and Asa returns the feelings and is very open about wanting more, but Sebastian has baggage and is determined to keep it superficial and go to school and not deal with grown-up issues despite how he feels and his connection with Bella's family. Okay, this was my sugar after the previous book. I chuckled out loud several times. Sebastian has a mouth that just won't quit and there is lots of very humorous interactions between Bella and Sebastian and Sebastian and ... well, most anyone. There is a bit of angst as the reason Asa has custody of his son and why Bella and Asa have a strained relationship, but on the whole, besides wanting to slap Sebastian upside the head toward the end, its a fun read when you are looking for something that leaves you feeling good.

Master Preston's Bright Bottom by Lee Benoit (35 pages)
Torquere Books

I have read a few stories in different TQ anthologies about Dom Preston and his boy Paulo. While the master/boy thing is not usually my thing, I really have enjoyed these two. This is the story of how older retired Dom Preston and Paulo finally hook up. Paulo is desperate, but Preston's not looking for a newbie, however Paulo offers to do odd jobs and yard work for Preston when he hears he's busy and basically insinuates himself into his life until Preston relents. Apparently Preston and Paulo had a scene earlier at a club which got Paulo hooked on him, but that must have been in another book. I've only read scenes after they were together. I do enjoy visiting regulars in different anthologies but it can be a bit frustrating when you come at it from different angles, sometimes a story from 2 years into a relationship, followed by when they met, then forward in time, then back. Ack! It's a bit confusing. But I do like this particular couple.

Logan's Project by Chris Owen (17 pages)
Torquere Books

This was previously published in Bend Over Big Boy. Logan is renovating a warehouse into apartments. One night later he goes to check out progress and runs into a demolition guy he refers to as Mr. Big. He's very attracted but Mr. Big basically avoids him. However being only two of them he can't very well avoid him and he agrees to go upstairs. Logan and his penis, which would set off the metal detector at the airport, come on to Mr. Big and hot smexin' occurs as Logan is definitely a top. It's just a little smexy interlude on a construction site and if you like it gritty and grubby it's the story for you.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's interesting that Canada has a holiday the same day as our Labor Day -- is it also Labour Day for you guys? In the US this holiday exists solely to disassociate the American labor movement from Communism or Socialism -- the rest of the world observes a day for workers on May 1.

I know that Canada has a "Thanksgiving" but that's on a completely different day from ours.

As for work, I had to work over this past labor day weekend :P We're in end-game with our product and I was on call and had to fix a bug for one of our big customers and patch a server. Annoying :P

Interesting coincidence about your vacation -- *I* just had to request (and got approval) for *MY* vacation in October! I'm going to London and Paris for my 50th birthday. I'm going on Oct 5 for 3 weeks; Lisa (my "Grace") is joining me on the 12th, then we are having lunch with some family on my birthday the next day, then dinner at some swank restaurant as-yet-undetermined, then a show in the West End (Warhorse -- looks *INSANELY AWESOME*), then a posh hotel, then we take the Eurostar through the chunnel the next morning and stay in a lovely little apartment at the foot of Montmartre for a week for 550 Euros. Not bad :)

We go back to London on the 21st and Lisa flies back to Boston -- I stay another 5 days.

I expect to meet a few twitter friends while I'm over there; not sure how many yet unless I can arrange a tweet-up -- they are kind of scattered. *NO* idea yet where I'm staying!

Chris said...

I kept waiting for Sebastian to come to his senses before the drive north! Ack!!

And I went back and forth between sympathizing for Sam and sympathizing for Hector. Back and forth and back and forth...

Tam said...

Sounds like a wonderful trip Justin. I was to Paris about 10 years ago but only for a few days and was to London twice a couple of years ago. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

I assume our Labour Day has the same rationale as the US, but now it's usually just the last long weekend that signals the start of school/fall.

Tam said...

I was hopeful Chris, but no. LOL

So many times I wanted to shout at Sam "WTF are you doing?!?!?!" Hector was a bit oblivious but Sam was just bloody annoying. :-) Maybe now that he's "matured" it will be different? Of course you know that already so we'll see how it goes.

Kris said...

I've heard great things about Bewitched by Bella's Brother. It's definitely on my tbb list. As is Preston and Paulo's story. I've always wondered how they got together.

Tam said...

It was really good Kris. You'll enjoy it. I think there is one more story before this Preston/Paulo one that covers how they MET, at least it's alluded to, but this is how they actually become a couple.

Anonymous said...

Bewitched by Bella's Brother is on my list.

I agree with you about Love Runes. Sam did need to be shaken. I don't tend to enjoy the BDSM when it gets bloody (unless it's vampire BDSM) because I don't like the idea of scars, but these books aren't pushing it too far for me. I'm a third of the way through book 3, and I have to say that Hector has come up with the perfect punishment for Sam. ;)

Tam said...

I haven't started book 3 yet. I don't find that level of BDSM sexy, but it doesn't freak me out too much either in this case.

wren boudreau said...

Since when can you not get just one tire? Hmm...

I enjoyed "Bewitched..." very much, and liked that it got so close to making me grrr at Sebastian but not quite!

It would be nice if the Preston/Paolo stories were collected in one volume. I've read one or maybe two? but alas just can't get into the short sips.

Hey, it's almost the weekend now!

veri word: subbi

Tracy said...

LOLOL Tam you're funny. I love the tire in a bag to go comment. That one got my hubby chuckling too.

Oh the Amy Lane sound good. I'll have to put that one on my wish list.

I think I read that last one by Chris Owen in Bend Over Big Boy. Which is strange because I never read the whole thing but only a couple of stories. That one was pretty cute - definitely gritty. :)

Jenre said...

I bought the Preston/Paulo story in the recent TQ sale, so I'll look forward to reading that.

I read the Chris Owen book in the original anthology, and it was OK, but I wouldn't have paid sip prices for it. In fact the whole anthology was rather disappointing given the premise.

Glad you liked BBB - and I knew you were going to want to slap Sebastian by the end, even though he's completely adorable :).

Tam said...

Well, I COULD have bought one tire, but my others tires are going to likely have to be replaced in the spring so I would always have had one tire that was out of sync. This way I can change front and back independently. That's what I'm telling myself. LOL

I agree with you Wren about putting some of those stories into one volume, it would make it more satisfying to read the whole story from the beginning.

Tam said...

I think you'll enjoy Amy's story Tracy. It's lots of fun.

I'm not one of those people who finds grubby boys all that appealing so it was an okay story but not really my kink. :-)

Tam said...

I've never read that anthology Jen. Was it worth sip prices? Eh. It was okay but if I see others from that anthology I may pass given the lukewarm response people have given it just here on this thread.

Hope you like Preston and Paulo, I still feel I have a piece missing which I may have to head over to the author's site and see the proper order.

I did want to smack Sebastian, but he also made me laugh and I could sort of see his side of it too. A fun read though.

Lily said...

You know already I loved the Chaos Magic series and I'm looking forward to reading Bella's Brother. It's on my Reader now.

Logan's Project was okay but I agree with Jen that the BOBB antho wasn't the best.

Tam said...

I think you'll really enjoy Bella's Brother Lily. I never really liked the cover for BOBB so never even looked for it. Seems I didn't miss much. Ah well, many great books to check out.

Amy Lane said...

So glad you liked Bella's Brother, Tam-- and, well, I did say that God had to drop a brick on Sebastian's head at the end:-)

Tam said...

He was definitely a boy Amy. Not that bright sometimes. LOL It was a fun read and I loved Sebastian's personality, save for his sheer stubborness to see what was right in front of him.