Update

Wrangers Voir Dire by Vivien Dean (75 pages)



I was lucky enough to win this one which made me happy because I liked the first and wanted to know more. Derek proposes a weekend celebration with Sam but Sam already has plans to go to Napa Valley for his friend's wedding. He invites Derek who surprisingly accepts since Sam figures Derek is all about keeping it casual, no relationship. There are some mini-arguments as Derek seems to act out of character and they have to actually talk about their relationship. At first I was pissed off at Derek the way he acted and he seemed to be an asshole but when they actually talked maybe Sam was assuming things and not giving Derek credit but talking would have helped which they finally did. It's just a short story over the weekend away but it was nice to see their relationship move from fuck buddies to boyfriends.

Three of a Kind by Stormy Glenn (115 pages)



This is book 4 in a series but you don't need to read the others to read it. Jake is some top secret military guy who lives on a ranch with his unit. At Christmas he meets Heath (a complicated friend of a friend story line which I suppose comes from other books in the series). Heath is as fey as they come, adorable, flirty, rainbow coloured gay. Jake is instantly smitten and Heath tries to tone it down because he always gets in trouble with boyfriends when he's himself. But things are going well and they have insta-love (or almost) and then Ethane shows up, a lawyer friend of a friend. Ethane's attracted to Heath and vice versa but he would never since he loves Jake. Eventually it comes to a head and they make a threesome. Then there's some substories about gay bashing in town, and lack of communication that all works out HEA. It was okay, nothing remarkable although for a period of time in the book Ethane became Ethan then switched back.

Hearts Afire April by Emery Sanborne and Jamie Craig (113 pages)



I kind of like these Hearts Afire stories, I'm developing a thing for firemen. I've never read anything by Emery Sanborne before but I enjoyed the story. Andreas is forced to take Bobby, the new guy, under his wing. Seems Bobby is a bit of a cowboy and Andreas used to have anger issues. Of course Bobby comes on strong and Andreas resists for all of 10 min. but on their first "date" Andreas gets arrested to attacking some ass who made snotty remarks about gay guys. Not a great relationship start. Andreas kind of keeps accidentally inviting Bobby on dates that include his family and besides smokin' hot sex he's not sure what's going on. There was mention of some relationship that went bad a long time ago everyone referred to but you didn't really know the story which I would have liked to know about and there is the crisis when one of them gets hurt on the job which does seem to be a typical conflict in fire fighter stories. But on the whole a nice little story with likable characters. My only thing was they kept calling Bobby "kid" but he'd been in the marines for 14 years and then a fireman for 2 so he was at least 34 and I didn't think Andreas was that much older.

In the second story Dan is one of the fire fighters who rescues Anthony after a bad accident. Anthony always remembered Dan's voice and ended up going blind because of the accident. A year later he goes to thank Dan in person and they end up dating and Dan finds he really likes Anthony and they have a lot in common and hot sex (of course). Dan has to get past "helping" Anthony and let him be independent and again the crisis of Dan getting hurt on the job and can Anthony deal with that. It moves pretty fast, I think they agree to move in together about 3-4 weeks after they met but it seemed plausible and I like how the blindness issue was handled. A good read.

Another Fine Mess by lots of people (177 pages)



These are all little stories about people who get in trouble, everything from losing a bet and ending up as a slave for a day to getting kidnapped by the mob and needing rescued. As with most anthologies, some I liked better than other and some were installments of other books/stories so I didn't have the whole background to follow but the following were some of my faves.

Dragon Walker by Lee Benoit - Endi is a dog walker in a small town who has a boyfriend but also gives complimentary blow jobs to his customers. One day he thinks he sees wings on a dog. He meets a blind psychologist to tells him he's a dragon whisperer and it seems all dogs are really dragons. When Endi tells his boyfriend everyone thinks he's nuts and he ends up in the psych ward. Then all his dog friends go nuts in their dragon form and he has to be sprung from the hospital to save the town. The "romance" between Endi and the Chief of Police who is older was very secondary and it's all told from Endi's point of view but I liked his voice and it was funny how he dealt with finding out about dragons and his naivety that people would believe him when he told them.

Finding Trouble by Misa Izanaki - This is one of those continuing stories but I've read a few shorts set in the same world (body mods, weres, vampires) but this one took place before the others I've read. Dante works as a bartender and is getting pissed that his boss Kale keeps having the bouncers run guys off so Dante can't get a date. Finally one night he manages to hook up and Kale is furious but basically says fine, if you get in trouble I'm not helping. Well, seems Dante hooked up with a vampire, ooops and Kale does rescue him and finally confesses that he likes him and things move quickly from there. But I do like the few tastes I've had of this world.

The Alpha Bet by Cassidy Ryan - Grey and West are on vacation from their high pressure partnership. The night before at cards they placed a fun bet and since West lost he has to be Grey's servant for the day and do whatever he wants. It becomes pretty clear that Grey has done the whole Master thing before and West is incredibly turned on by it. So they have a fun day of West following orders and eventually having to get "punished". Later when West asks why he never said anything before about that kind of life Grey tells him that he knew West was the best thing in his life and he was prepared to go without that rather than lose him. They resolve to talk about it and you see some more games in their future. It was a fun story and I liked Grey's explanation, that he loved West enough to sublimate his own desires to have a relationship. How womantic. :-)

There was another on a D/s them, a couple of thieves, one who catches the other, some good old boys in a bar fight, pirates, vampires and a few others. As I said, some I liked more than others.

It's nearly the end of Sept. Holy Cow!

Seems like it was a TA Chase week for me which was not a bad thing.

No Going Home by TA Chase



This is a reread for me. But I had to take the bus to work so gave me some reading time. I won't go into detail but I love Les and Randy.

Home of His Own by TA Chase (131 pages)



I finally bought this after reading the first one. This is Tony the bull riders story with lots of interaction with Les and Randy on the ranch. It's about a year later and Tony basically lives with the guys in between rodeos. While in Hawaii he meets Mac (Brody) for a one nighter and can't get him out of his head. His family convinces him to come back to Texas to convince his nephew that being gay is bad. Riiight. Ask the gay guy to do that. Anyway, his nephew brings home a beat up rent boy that Tony takes back to the ranch with him. Turns out the rent boy is Brody's little brother. They eventually get back together and try to work out a long distance romance with Brody following Tony around the rodeo circuit. Lots of details of how dangerous bull riding is. I know rodeo is dangerous, but I was totally squirmy when he described Cody being injured. Reminded me of my hometown rodeo last summer where in the bronc riding they opened the gate and the horse completely flipped over on top of the cowboy with legs in the air stuck in the gate. I was terrified not only the for the cowboy but the horse because it's leg was wedged in the fence. Amazingly they both walked away unhurt and the cowboy took another ride on a different horse. Freaky, exciting, adrenalin rush. With a child who is a total horse-nut and goes to western riding camp I think these books appeal to me. Also the whole "bringing home strays" works for me on lots of levels. There is a short included about V-Day with Randy and Les and the whole "family". So I love the world built in these books.

Twisted Rose by Amber Kell (57 pages)



Ian is an undercover cop who goes to pick up his drunk friend Keith at the BDSM club Twisted Rose. He meets the owner Daniel who makes a move but it's really not Ian's scene. A few weeks later seems that someone is torturing and murdering young men and dumping them outside the club. Seems Daniel is willing to have an undercover cop bodyguard as long as it's Ian. Ian will pose as his new live-in sub and he's okay with that since he thought Daniel was hot. Seems that he's a closet sub who just needed to try it. Daniel it seems fell in love with Ian the first night he met him (ARRRGGHHH Insta-love) as it always happens to people in his family. Riiiight. Anyway, he gets all possessive and doesn't want Ian basically doing his job which is being a cop. After a fight he leaves Ian who is attacked by the killer. It was okay but insta-love makes me nuts and I thought Ian jumped on the "sure I'll have sex to be undercover" bandwagon a little fast. Would a copy REALLY do that? I have my doubts.

Tabloid Star by TA Chase (138 pages)



Josh is a bartender who picks up hot guy Ry in his bar. They have some fun with blowjobs in the alley and go home together and that's it. Ooops, there is a pic of Josh kissing famous new actor Ryan. Ryan thinks Josh set him up although he doesn't want to believe it. Eventually Josh convinces him that it wasn't him as other pictures keep showing up. They work together to try and find out who is behind it while Ryan tries to decide if he's willing to step out of the closet and risk his career. There is also a substory of Josh's sister and son who he's supporting and trying to protect from the press invasion. There is a cameo by Garret and CJ from the other book who's name escapes me. I really enjoyed the story, not insta-love although they really liked each other and I liked that there wasn't excessive angst about being out in Hollywood. Yeah, he was concerned but didn't sit in the corner wailing about it and realized that maybe a relationship was worth more than fame. My god, someone with common sense in Hollywood, it must be fiction. :-)

Seeds of Time 1: Blue Roses by GS Wiley (33 pages)



Simon works as a theatre manager in a local theatre and his BF Adrian is an actor. Adrian proposes and wants to get married before he goes to London to take an acting job. Everything is hunky dory until opening night when a woman shows up and claims that Adrian's baby is about to be born and it's not going well. Oops. Seems Adrian had a little flingy with a girl. Needless to say Simon calls it off and when he's in the basement he falls and wakes up in 1948. He meets the local vicar and is sure he's dreaming but it seems real and seems James the vicar is also gay and attracted. Just when he kisses him he wakes up back in 2009. He tries to find the woman who made a love potion his sister gave him to find his "true love". This continues in books 2 and 3. It was okay, but really left you hanging.

Perfect 10 by Sean Michael (159 pages



Chis is a world class gymnast who broke his back on a bad vault. Brian is a former gymnast who now coaches at a private girls' school. He misses men's gymnastics and hears Chris is looking for a new coach after his dumped him. He convinces Chris to move out to California and try it despite his injuries. Of course they start sleeping together pretty quickly and things are going well until Chris' twin brother shows up and lets it slip that Chris could die if he has another accident. Oops. They work it out and Brian agrees to keep coaching him. There is an accident at a nightclub where Chris falls down some stairs and his parents freak out but he really wants to make it big. It basically ends just before his big comeback meet. I like these sporty books and while there is buckets of sex they have more story than some Sean Michael books. But I enjoyed the relationship between the two guys. So it was a good read for me but I still like the Personal Best stories better although since there were 3 of them they were more in-depth.

Update blah blah blah

The Tutor by Sean Michael (33 pages)



This was a reread for a reading challenge but is one of my fave Sean Micheal's. Peter is a grad student who manages to smash into his new client Kai. Kai's a freshman who is not doing so well. Peter takes a chance and invites him back to his place to study and finds out Kai is gay and a virgin. After working he decides to make a move and needless to say they hit it off. After being together for a few months there is some angst as despite being older Peter's self-esteem is a little low, but it all works out. Its very steamy, typical Sean Michael but I just really liked Kai and Peter and how they interacted.

The Protector by NL Gassert (208 pages)



Mason co-owns a security firm in Guam and is asked by his friend in the FBI to take the son of a local crime boss (who never gets caught) and keep him out of sight on his boat for a few weeks. Soren is young, spoiled and uses drugs and alcohol on a regular basis. After a bit of time on the boat they are attacked at night and it seems that maybe it's not a simple case of putting away the father and maybe there's terrorists involved. There is lots of action in between terrorists, his gangster father, a typhoon, kidnapping and some hot smexin' as Soren discovers that he's more gay than straight. I really enjoyed the story and all the action and great descriptions of the settings, the boat, the storm. A great read that I would recommend.

His Convenient Husband by J.L. Langley (75 pages)



Micah grew up on the ranch as an adopted son. The patriarch (Grandpa) is dying and they have money trouble and older son Duncan is making noises that he thinks he'll inherit the ranch despite having been estranged for years. Micah (ranch manager now) finally goes to see oldest grandson Tucker and as for help. Seems he's been in love with Tucker for years and after a one-nighter on his birthday when he as 18 four years ago Tucker bolted and never came back. They find out that if one of the grandchildre are "married" (including illegal gay marriage) the Uncle can't inherit. So Micah and Tucker get married. They both still love each other but Tucker has this "He'd be better off with someone else" thing going on which makes me nuts. Who exactly do you think a gay guy is going to hook up with in a small town in Texas? Get a clue, he'll be a freaking monk. Anyway, some fighting, some angst and skeletons in the family closet removed. I enjoyed it but I'm afraid I'm getting a bit hard in my old age and the whole "forgive anything for love" spiel is getting to me. Dump his ass or at least make him pay. :-) Love doesn't mean just forgiving everything someone does. Or its okay to do anything in the name of love. Umm. No. So I had issues with Tucker. He was basically an asshole. I think maybe Micah could do better.

Hearts Afire September by Phillipa Grey-Gerou and Michael Barnette



These are both new authors to me. In the first story Roman's restaurant burns down. He meets a fire fighter but is clueless the guy is flirting. They end up renting the kitchen in the fire hall to keep their catering business alive and he and Jacob finally get together. It moves pretty fast and during a HUGE warehouse fire Roman has to decide if he can live with the uncertainty of being involved with a fire fighter. I like both Roman and Jacob and although it moved pretty fast they didn't quite declare themselves in love for evah and evah.

The second story is set in the future/space where Del is a fire fighter on a mining planet. They have to go into the mine to stop a huge fire and rescue some "suits" who were down there. Two managed to survive including Aaron. They nearly hook-up but Aaron freaks because he got fired from his last job (but it never says for what). They eventually hook-up and Aaron confesses he's an empath and guys tend to freak out when he connects to their brain during sex but Del loves it and they get funky. Seems there is something weird going on concerning the fire and the mine closing so there's a bit of a mystery. This was insta-love but given that they shared one mind during sex I was able to let it go since that's probably gotta have some freaky effect on you. On the whole I enjoyed both stories for what they were. Cute hot little fireman stories.

Braided by Sean Michael (220 pages)



This was recommended by some people after Jenre's twincest post so I got it. Ummm. I skimmed the sex scenes at the end. Sigh. Typical of the Sean Michael porn stories. Anyway, Bowie starts working at the club (this is set in some universe I'm unfamiliar with) and hears Peter (a stutterer) and Paul arguing. They basically have sex in front of him within 30 seconds of meeting and he goes home with them never to leave. He figures they need a strong hand as they are just wild and out of control so he proceeds to take them in hand. It's a typical case of good boy/bad boy and eventually Paul gets frustrated with not being able to anything right and runs away. He eventually comes back and things work out. My issues, I must be PMSing because I felt bad for Paul. He really got the short end of the stick and I'm not sure Bowie ever REALLY got why he ran away and changed the way he treated him. I had no clue about the backstory of the twins who didn't grow up together but found each other later (maybe that's in other books), you knew nothing about Bowie except he got off on the BDSM thing. So as I said, I started skimming the sex scenes at the end because there was nothing new and I wanted to get to more the story which still left me lacking except for sympathy for Paul.

Belling the Cat by Julia Talbot (85 pages)



I probably should have read the previous stories to have a better idea about what exactly was going on but it wasn't strictly necessary. Jonny the vampire owns some kind of club that hooks people up. One night he catches Luc a cat shifter trying to steal something and agrees to let him have it if he can have Luc for 6 weeks. He agrees. The bad guys are still after Luc and that factors into the story along with Jonny's growing attachment to Luc. I has some issues. One, Luc is a cat but I'm never sure if he's a housecat or a panther. Sometimes it seems his head is around their knees and sometimes he manages to put his paws on Jonny's shoulders indicating panther size. The Jonny seems to really get off on Luc in cat form (who is in cat form more than not) and ummm, it bordered a bit on squickly. Quasi oral sex from a cat? Okay, they have rough tongues but I prefer my shifters to be in human form when they start getting freaky. And the biting. Sigh. Jonny spent more time biting him (not just feeding) than fucking him. So it was "okay" but because of those few things I didn't love it.

Bastards and Pretty Boys by K.Z. Snow (74 pages)



Charlie bought a cottage on the lake and discovers Booker his next door neighbor. Although Charlie sort of has a boyfriend (who admitted cheating on him) he and Booker hook up. Seems Booker has some secrets, he was in prison for pot possession and some shrink got fixated on him and won't take a hint. Charlie offers to help Booker get evidence to get the guy to back off and they get to know each other better with Booker helping Charlie get over his water phobia. I really liked how the two guys interacted. It wasn't a case of one of them being more dominant and leading the relationship or Charlie riding in to rescue Booker. The power kind of moved back and forth to who was in control which I liked. And both characters were amusing and it made me smile how they had to "test" the video equipment before they used it. Overall a great little read that I quite enjoyed.

Getting Back in the Groove

Exploring Savage Places by KZ Snow (164 pages)



This is book 3 in the Utopia X series. Its kind of got two parallel stories that meet up. Ridley and Tole have fallen in love but Ridley feels badly that he has to feed from others because he doesn't want to turn Tole so he decides to leave town for a while so Tole can find someone else. (Dumbest reason ever but whatever). He gets an e-mail from an old friend/lover who runs the pleasure city (you name it you can get it) so decides to check it out. Meanwhile the three have heard bad things about the pleasure city, kids, slaves, really bad stuff and after breaking up with his girlfriend Zee says he'll go and check it out in person. Zee meets up with his ex's boyfriend (who's now his boyfriend, tut-tut) and gets roped into participating in a "game" and meets up with Ridley. Of course the game is totally fixed and Ridley calls Tole to come help and get them all out of their with their heads still on. I really enjoyed the story. Lots of intrigue and nasty stuff with some tender love story between Ridley and Tole and poor Zee, still looking for love. A great read I enjoyed.

Swarm by Jordan Castillo Price (60 pages)



Wild Bill and Michael have been hanging out in Milwalkee (why I ask) and Michael's working for a vet clinic where he's stealing drugs/supplies and being bullied. After a particularly nasty episode he grabs everything and takes off. After getting a tattoo he starts asking Bill about his past and seems that Bill was an art student and one night they head out to look at one of Bill's murals he painted in an old brick factory. They get there and the place is burned out but they explore and ack, find 12 vampires standing around waiting for their blood to arrive. Bill and Michael are kind of freaked out but play it cool and eventually get out fine after some weird shit but are kind of freaked out. Lots of development of Michael craving blood more and wondering what's happening to himself. Next book is supposed to be the last one. Boo. So we'll see where they end up. Same quality as usual for JCP, she just hooks you in and drags you along (certainly not kicking and screaming).

Screen Shots: Seduction by Willa Okati (65 pages)



While at Changeling buying Swarm I saw this and had read some promo on it but I'll be honest, WO and I don't seem to mesh. Her writing is good but I never seem to really connect with it, but I thought I'd try this first episode (there are 2 more so far). So Cody and Aaron are roommates and best friends who's graduated university but don't have jobs. Both are straight and have been dating girls. So Cody gets a job interview and makes Aaron drive him out to the place. Holy hell, its an amateur gay porn studio. Aaron's not really freaked that it's gay, he doesn't really care if Cody wants to screw guys, but just the idea of porn wigs him out. Anyway, hanging around with Cody he gets to know some of the guys and to his surprise they are "normal". He was also given a job offer the first day but isn't into that. Is he? He starts watching the videos on the site and realizing that maybe he wants Cody as more than a friend and finally agrees to try out for the website. Although the guys seems to be more or less paired up there's sort of this one big happy family all love each other kind of vibe going on. Each book deals with different characters. My thoughts? Really enjoyed this and will definitely be getting future installments. Maybe for me and WO it has to be straight contemporary and it works. I liked all the characters and the set-up which is probably totally unrealistic but I'm good with that. The smexin' is smoking and definitely worth following to get to know more about the other characters. So I quite enjoyed it although I was cautious.

Making a Splash by Sean Michael (153 pages)



I enjoyed the Personal Best stories so thought I'd give this a go. Vince used to coach diving but was more or less unfairly pushed out of the sport 3 years ago. He's hanging at he local pool and sees and amazing diver. Turns out Austin has had no formal training and is 23, older than most starting out but Vince is sure he'll be the best so he convinces Austin to train with him. Of course they quickly fall into bed even though Vince knows that could be trouble but Austin's 23 to his 32 so its not so bad. The book then follows his efforts to get sponsors so that Austin can quit his job welding at night and they can move to Austin (the city) to train full-time. It ends after his first meet where Austin loses the gold because he's an unknown and not because he's not good enough but they plan to make everyone see. It was typical SM, hot sex and different from Personal Best in that Austin is an adult who's been living on his own for years and working and while Vince tries to get him to give up his worries about money and the day to day stuff, it's hard for Austin to believe that something he does for fun can actually be a job. I didn't love it as much as PB, but it was a good Sean Michael read with likable characters.

Huh, I've been slacking.

I was shocked when I saw when the last post was. I've really been in a reread slump and not getting down to work and reading the new books I have. Not sure why. Ennui? (which is a superb word)

My Vampire and I by JP Bowie



This was my "pick it for me" read at Good Reads. Hmmm. Okay, Roger meets Marcus (a vampire) at his birthday party and is instantly smitten. Seems they've been destined to be together since centuries before Roger was even born. There is some bad vamps after Marcus and Roger so that adds an element of fear and Marcus tries to explain how the vampire thing works to Roger who's totally in love. I didn't really like Roger that much. I got the impression he was really immature (I think he was 24 or 25) and although he was strutting around in a gold speedo as a costume at his party everyone talked about him like he didn't have much dating experience and he was half the time arrogant and "don't I look hot" and half the time "oh my god why would you want to be with me". So it wasn't bad but I didn't love them as characters. Also I found the time thing wacky as it seemed to be taking place in present day but then at the end they are 50 years into their relationship so was it like a flashback and they now live in 2060? I was kind of meh about it.

Best Vacation that Never Was by Lynn Lorenz (? pages)



The night before his big cruise with friends where he plans on landing his latest fuck buddy as a boyfriend, Troy's apartment burns to the ground with him almost along with it. Jason is the fire fighter who plucks Troy off the side of a burning building and finds himself attracted for no good reason. He goes to check on Troy at the hospital and finds he has no where to go so offers to let him stay at his place until his friends get back and he finds a new place. Of course things heat up and there's a whole D/s thing going on (but its minor) and they fall hard and fast. Now I'm not a fan of insta-love and I didn't get that impression here. Yes, it was fast but they both knew and couldn't believe it was happening and kept telling themselves it was stupid and some angst could have been avoided if they'd talked but I think if I found myself in their position and felt that I was "in love" with someone after three days I'd keep my mouth shut too because I'd be sure they'd think I was a stalker/weirdo or something. I love Jason's character, how he was so enthusiastic and just had a zest for life and kind of dragged Troy along with him who was 5 years older but seemed to act "old". They were a good match and I really enjoyed it as a fun enjoyable read.

Taste Test: Blind Dates by Lee Benoit, Alex Marcus-Jacob, Jodi Payne (? pages)



Three shorts about blind dates. The first Jeremy goes out with Ben who orders his meal for him and seems to be kind of arrogant and Ben admits it. But he saves them from being mugged in the parking lot which Jeremy find hot so they go home together and ... I thought it was kind of a quick turn around from "you annoy me" to "you make me hot" but whatever. The second, Mark is convinced to host his coworker/friend's cousin Sam for dinner. He assumes Sam is a girl and is "straight". The friend (with friend's like that who needs enemies) did it as a joke because Sam is a boy, a gay boy. But they have dinner and get along and Mark confesses he's always been curious so hey, lets try. He takes to it like a duck to water. The third one, I couldn't get into and skimmed it. Ab meets homeless guy Mole after a crappy blind date. He's a photographer who gets fixated on Ab and filming him and they get together and I think he agrees to hop a freight train with him at the end. Ewww. The guy lived in the park for god's sake and likely hadn't showered in months. It just didn't work for me. One out of three I really liked. Eh.

Taste Test: Pushy Little Bottoms by BA Collins, Taylor Lochland and Jodi Payne



Three more shorts about guys who top from the bottom if you will. The first is a long term couple where one is getting bored and gets a video and a few toys to spice it up. It was good. The second is an Asian massage therapy student who is being chased by bashers. He's rescued by a guy from a biker gang who gets a massage and more. Seems Asian guy is really into being smacked around, tied up, whipped, etc. and more or less bullies the biker into doing it. A straight biker no less who jumps into gay sex with both feet. Ummm. Right. Didn't work for me. The last one was a little short about a conservative guy and his more out partner who manages to push his buttons and get him to snap in public but in the bedroom has total control over the relationship from the bottom. It was cute and hot. So I really liked two, the middle one not so much but I don't get that whole "whip me, slap me, make it hurt" thing, so besides the fact that the straight biker suddenly decided to take it up the butt on a whim, it didn't appeal.

Notturno by Z.A. Maxfield



Adin collects rare old erotica and found a great journal of two Italian guys. He's knocked out on the plane (after having sex in a bathroom and being bitten) and his briefcase stolen. Ah ha. But he's smarter than he looks and the journal wasn't in the briefcase. So the vampire starts pursuing him for the journal which was his story about him and his one true love. Its is stolen by someone else who plans to sell it to the highest bidder, another vampire who wants it and hates the first who's name escapes me. Of course Adin gets sucked into this and is attacked by bad vampires and very nearly bites the dust but is saved by his best friend's lover who happens to be a vampire cop. And the vampire doesn't want to admit that he loves Adin because he is still hooked on his old lover of the journal. Its a pretty complicated story with lots of intrigue and who's a good guy and who's a bad guy and are they all just misunderstood. But on the whole I enjoyed it. I liked Adin and vamp boy. I could look up his name but ...

The Secret Tunnel by James Lear



This is the follow-up to The Back Passage. Mitch is heading to London from Edinburgh for Boy's baby's christening. Victor (who has been living with Mitch for 2 years) can't go so Mitch is on the train with a bunch of gay men and manages to find a travellng companion in the form of a little Belgian. There are movie stars, murder, political intrigue and sex clubs in London. I didn't like it as much and I found the story at the end extremely complicated and difficult to follow the why of who done it. I also have to confess that while in The BP Mitch was fucking everything that moved even though he had a crush on Boy it didn't bother me. There was no relationship. But now he's been living with Victor for 2 years and even Mitch kind of admitted that he was cheating and it just seemed to make me like him less. Yeah, he and Victor played with others, but always together and he admitted he loved Victor so him fucking everyone along the way kind of bothered me. If Victor had been with him I would have liked it better, three-ways all around (or more). Anyway, it was still good in that outrageous Agatha Christie way, but not as fun as #1.

Cherry by lots of people



An anthology of shorts about the first time. First time EVER for sex, first time with someone, first time gay sex, not necessarily just sex itself. On the whole I enjoyed them all, some more than others of course but I don't think there were any I disliked. Some of my favourites were:

No One's Cherry by Julia Talbot. Crispin was married and is now divorced after admitting he's gay but hasn't actually kissed anyone or done anything because he doesn't like twinks. His friend introduces him to another manly guy at a party and although it's off to a rough start with an argument with his friend, he's not a gay sex virgin for long. I like Cris and Glenn.

First Foot, Right of the Line by Kiernan Kelly. FB and Matt have been together for 2 years and married for 6 months and FB still hasn't met Matt's family and doesn't want to. For no good reason but he's freaked and basically forced to. It's going okay until Matt's SIL goes into labour at the dinner table and everyone rushes her off to the hospital leaving FB and Matt to watch the two younger kids. I thought FB's freak out when the one kid has to poop was hilarious but he starts to think that maybe rug rats aren't so bad. Yes yes, your teeth will rot out its go sweet at the end but big guys and babies are just too damn adorable for me not to love it.

Nice Girls Do by Mallory Path. Alan and Taz grew up together (Taz's father works for Alan's family) and they are 18 and Alan confesses he doesn't even know how to kiss a girl. Taz offers to let him practice on him and talks about "a nice girl would do X" and it goes on and on with talking about what the girl would do as Taz does it. It sounds hokey but it becomes clear after a while that they are just using that as a cover to outright asking each other for what they want. It was sweet and well done.

Different Strengths by JL Merrow. Michael is roped into going to a strip club with a client even though he's finding the bartender way hotter than any chick on the stage. He slips outside and the bartender follows. He agrees to go home with him and things are heating up when he suddenly finds out he knew the bartender from high school and he was involved in some nasty stuff that happened to Michael then. Can he forgive and get laid? I really liked this story because I loved Michael's voice. The way he talked to himself made me smile and chuckle many times. He didn't take himself too seriously and his running commentary was just plain funny. I also liked how he dealt with the revelation that the god in front of him was associated with some really bad shit. It just really appealed and I liked the writing a lot.

Somehow missed these

When I was making my list of yaoi I realized that I somehow missed these below.

Crimson Wind by Duo Brand (164 pages)



This is a sequel to White Guardian but you don't really need to read it first. Prince Linth is getting fighting lessons of hottie General Sei, he wonders about Sei's relationship with PM Touri and then it goes into the backstory of how Sei at the age of 17 caught Touri's interest and how their relationship started. It also delves into another story of a judge (sort of) in a neighboring Kingdom helps a newcomer to the city and how they end up together. There was an interesting chart at the back that shows how years later the two stories come together. So not sure there is a vol. 3 or not. But as I said, you don't need to read the first one. It was okay, typical fantasy setting and typical yaoi story. But enjoyable.

Junior Escort vol. 1 by Sakurako Hanafubuki (200 pages)



Mizuhara and Aikawa are both actors for the same agency but Aikawa is a superstar. Mizuhara is assigned to keep him happy (aka sleep with him). When Mizuhara starts getting roles he fears that he's getting them because of Aikawa and not his talent. Also they are keeping the relationship secret from the press who start to follow them and get pictures of them kissing. There are several other volumes which I'm not sure have the same characters as there are other actors in this one who have small roles. It was okay, kind of a dumb premise (assigned to be his lover) and of course he doubts that Aikawa really likes him. It was okay, I've read worse but it didn't inspire me to run out and get vol. 2+.

Still Unmotivated

I've got the "I'm bored and even though I have books in my TBR file I bought and wanted to read, they are not appealing to me" illness that seems to be sweeping the internet. I've only read about 250 pages (new - I have flipped around some old faves) in 5 days. Almost unheard of.

Turquoise and Leather by Kim Dare (50 pages)



George is a dom at the bar when he sees Eric dancing. He's smitten but later realizes he's wearing a collar meaning he's taken. Eric continues to pursue him and finally its cleared up that's its just a necklace, not a collar but he's clueless to the whole D/s thing but George is hooked and takes him home. Its a bit of a rough go with Eric not understanding but George is willing to try and asks Eric to wear his collar after one night. I liked Eric a lot, totally hyper babbler, young and enthusiastic. It was kind of interesting to see George having to deal with someone who doesn't always do what he expects or wants and I liked that he was only offering D/s in the bedroom so it seemed more realistic that Eric would agree after one night. I mean really, if he changed his mind he just has to take the collar off and leave, its not like he was chained in the basement, um, penthouse, whatever. So I liked the opposites attract thing that happened but could have lived without the foot action. Feet. eewwww.

Inland Empire by James Buchanan (196 pages)



Book two takes up 3 months after Nick's injuries. He comes to visit Brandon to get his car out of impound and somehow gets involved in Brandon's case concerning Asian gangs/gambling/prostitution. Brandon is constantly freaking that people at work are going to think he's gay because Nick acts "too gay". I felt for Nick and thought he was amazingly patient because I would have hammered Brandon over the had and told him to take a hike a lot sooner but I was glad he wasn't a total doormat either. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two and was totally in love with Roberta the transexual hooker. A great mystery with everything coming to a head with a bang and the relationship moving on in ways I was happy to see. A great series for those who like cop stories combined with some goth boys who like to play with rope. The only thing with the rope was I was totally lost but I didn't need to understand to get the gist of it.

Dreaming of Dragons by T.A. Chase (153 pages)



A revist with the emphasis on George and Mordred and their relationship and their attempts too figure out who was releasing the creatures into the present. I really like all four characters and how they kind of play but not totally (appeals to the kink in me) and how they genuinely care. I also loved how you found out more about Mordred and he figured things out about himself and his own personality. All in all I really enjoyed the story how it all came together in the end. A great read for me.

Bought and Paid For by Kim Dare (43 pages)



Parker is an oncologist who is roped into a bachelor auction because someone offered to pay minimum $10K for him. Turns out to be $25K and its none other than his ex from two years ago who cheated on him. Meanwhile you find out that there were extenuating circumstances and the ex has loved him always (and vice versa) and is now free to be with him again but figures the only way Parker would agree is to "buy" him for the evening. I liked the idea but the flashback didn't work so well, but on the whole I enjoyed it.

Book burnout?

Seems I suffered a bit of burnout after reading like a mad-woman last week. I ended up skimming through lots of my old books rather than focussing on something new. Reading an old favourite doesn't require the same level of concentration that a new one does, but I am getting back to it. I'm starting to freak because my TBR list is over 10. LOL I know for some (who shall remain nameless *Tracy*) that's NUTHIN' but for me its a big deal. Probably the reason I read like a madwoman right after I buy a bunch of books, so I can get the number down. ANYWAY, he's my short update.

Cheating Chance by James Buchanan (177 pages)



I've been vowing to read this series for evah because I really like this author and I like cop/mystery type books. I had a read a few shorts like in the Toy Box Rope anothology but never delved. So finally. Brandon is a tattooed pierced cop who meets goth boy Nick at a gothCon. Brandon lives in Vegas and works for the gaming people making sure you don't doctor the slot machines. They hit it off but Brandon is waaaaay in the closet. There is a whole mystery of someone cheating at slots and Nick gets sucked into it and Brandon has to rescue him. I really felt for Nick though, having to deal with someone who is so far in the closet and never plans to come out because of his job. I'd like to believe that police forces are not so closed minded but I'm afraid I might be wrong. So I really felt Nick got the raw end of the relationship deal and wanted to slap Brandon upside the head a few times. But they are adorable and combined all my fave things, goth boys, tattoos and piercings and motorcycles. Sigh. I'm reading the second one now.

The Lost Books by Evangeline Anderson (168 pages)



This is two stories, one shorty and one medium. In Broken Vows Daniel decides to head down to the gay strip and find out if he really is gay. He misses his stop and ends up in the vampire part of town. After being stopped by a nasty vampire he is rescued by Gabrielle who takes him home to remove the mark of the bad vampire and put his own Guardian mark to protect him. Daniel also gets him to show him the buttsecks ropes and falls in love (in minutes). Gabrielle sends him away because he's too young but finds him 8 years later when Daniel is a up and coming artist and he's been miserable because no one lives up to Gabrielle as a boyfriend.

In Blood Hustler James is out wandering around depressed because his companion of a hundred years or so is dead and rescues young (18) hustler Tad from a REALLY bad vampire. He ends up taking him home and they are attracted but he doesn't want to use Tad. Tad comes back the next day and they decide to try it. There is some thing where if he feeds off Tad while having sex with him then Tad stays permanently young but not a vampire and they are bound forever. Tad's all up for it but James isn't so sure. Tad's got some shit happening with being raped by his step-Dad, James eventually sends him home with his memory erased. When Tad remembers he almost gets suckd out (not off) by the bad vamp, the step-father gets his and Tad and James live happily ever after.

My only concerns was this ran very close to the insta-love thing for me. Because its a paranormal I can kind of let it go, but in Daniel's case it was within hours of meeting Gabrielle and in Tad's case I got the impression he just wanted someone to accept and love him and James fit the bill. Could have been any nice guy. But if I suspend my disbelief that two teenagers can fall in love for evah and evah within minutes of meetings I enjoyed it. And really, why aren't more bad guys like the step-father punished properly? There's always this high road bullshit. Nope, kill em I say. :-D So I was happy the uber-bad vamp got his dinner.

Off the Beaten Path by Katrina Strauss (140 pages)



Travis seems to spend most of his time sucking off his straight roommate and other guys at college where he's on a scholarship but doesn't advertise he's gay. He gets caught spray painting the gay granola frat house (he is innocent of course) and his punishment is to go on a volunteer work vacation with Kyle and two other members of the frat. He's NOT thrilled even if Kyle is hot and Kyle would rather eat meat than spend time with Travis. So they go to the park, share a tent and bodily fluids once they acknowledge their hotness. Kyle realizes Travis isn't so bad but thinks they are too different and unhappiness ensues. There is this who subtext with the baby raccoons that someone commented kind of went OTT on sweetness and while I love me some baby raccoons I have to agree. Could have found another way to end it but it didn't ruin it form. I have to say I loved the character of Mac, the token lesbian. LOL Now I'm all aware of women in books since Wave's post I have to say that I thought she was rational, funny and didn't get into the whole interfering mode that many chicks in books hit. The other gay character was fine as well but he was just kind of there for me. So I liked Kyle and Travis even if Kyle was holier than thou most of the time.

Beautiful Boys by Anne Cain (104 pages)



This is four interlocking shorts in that one or more character from each story knows/is friends with a character in the other stories. Number 1 is Dean who goes on vacation to Greece with his ex. Dumb move right off the start. His ex strands him on some desert isle (shades of Gilligan, really, can you avoid singing that song when you hear that phrase?) and he gets it on with some totally random stranger and is suddenly over his ex and in love. Ooookay. I didn't really get what the hell the stranger was on doing on Dean's isle but whatever.

Second one is Dean's brother Neil who believes his horoscope and bad luck and all that. On his birthday his coworkers throw a surpise party and during the stripper he breaks a mirror and is sure his life is over. The stripper (Jinx) helps him clean up and admits he can related because he brings doom and gloom to everyone around him. He claims to have a boyfriend but when Neil tracks him down he lied to protect him and they decide to get together and maybe bad luck is not quite so certain. I liked this on the best because it was kind of extreme and Neil was such a whack job that he was funny. So I found it amusing.

Third is Nathan (friend of Jinx) who is crushing big time on his straight roomie. Basically turns out roomie is soooo not straight and has been equally crushing and they hit the sheets, um, couch.

Fourth is Andy (Neil's coworker) and Luke who are graphic designers. They are constantly bitching as Andy won't admit that Luke is good and Luke takes over Andy's projects. One night at a bar they find out they live in the same freaking apartment building and start sniping at each other until they are forced to fuck it out. Umm. Okay. I'm way too meek to get off on hate you/fuck you relationships like this one.

All in all they were okay. But I'd say the second was my favorite and they are cute steamy reads that consist of mostly sex and not much talking except for #2.

One would think ....

based on the sheer volume of this post that I have toy poodle flu again or something. *shrug* S'possible. I'm blaming Jenre because she told me about the sale at Torquere. So its not my fault and the fact that work is slow and my daughter is away at camp all week has nothing to do with it. Nope, not my fault. *points finger at Jen*.

So shall we begin? (Sounds like the start of a prostate exam? - Or so I imagine - not having one.)

The Right Kind of Help by K.C. Warwick (14 pages)


I haven't read anything by this author that I can remember (maybe in an anthology?), anyway, poor Rowan is a young totally hapless wizard who has issues getting his magic to work right but he's sent on a mission to a neighbouring kingdom with Valiance, his elf body guard. Rowan gets them lost and its raining and a crappy day. Anyway, in the end Valiance helps Rowan harness his power, save the kingdom and promises to stay and help him. But what I loved about this story was the characters. Valiance is totally snarky and sarcastic and even though he thinks Rowan is cute just can't shut up the stream of sarcasm about his inept magic. And poor Rowan tries so hard but he just can't get it to work right. I just thought it was a really sweet story and like I said, I totally loved Valiance, but I love me a snarky man. Great read. I would definitely check out further works by this author.

Serendipty by Glyn Soitiño (21 pages)


This is the second book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it as well. Jeff is heading back home to Geneva after his father's funeral and his plane is delayed and delayed and delayed and finally cancelled. He's been scoping out the cutie but when the flight is cancelled he flips and his mouth runs away. Cutie David steps in to smooth things over and they get to chatting and flirting. The airline puts them up at a hotel and well ... the hotel was short rooms and some people share. You get it. :-) I liked both characters and I felt for Jeff. I've been on the receiving end of delayed or cancelled flights and it makes you want to say things you might not normally. So it was a cute story and touched on Jeff's troubled relationship with his Dad after his parents split. I liked it a lot.

Wearing Death by Jamie Craig (127 pages)



Jeremy hears a bump in the night and finds the local police detective on his door step naked with a tattoo of a dead woman on his back. Brendan then moves in with vet Jared along with his dog while he recovers and the police try to find the guy who kidnapped him and tattooed him and killed the girl in his tattoo. I enjoyed the story about two guys flirting and getting together with the sub story of who the bad guy was as Brendan refuses to stay out of the investigation even if he's officially off the case. My only issue was for some reason (perhaps I have brain damage) I can not keep the guys straight, which one is the vet and which is the cop? As I type this I'm not 100% sure that Jeremy is the vet. And the cover shows that one is black. Umm. Who? They never describe either one enough for you to figure it out. Not that it really matters but when you have two guys on the cover (I don't care what they look like, white, pink or green) I like enough description to be able to put a name to a face. Maybe that was my issue with the name, I didn't know who was who on the cover and it screwed with my head. (Or I'm just old and senile. One of the two.)

Night at the Office by Drew Zachary (10 pages)


Greg is working a second job as security in an office building. One night he hears weird noises from an office and checks and finds a guy watching porn. Seems the guy figured he'd be coming by and is looking for a bit of a dom. They have a hot encounter. I have to say this is one of my least fave DZ stories. It was more porny and I never really connected with the characters like I usually do. It was okay, but not outstanding.

Sleeping Bears Lie by Alex Draven (23 pages)


I bought this because I'd read a Halloween short by this author and loved it. Dan comes to the bar and finds his old lover Matt back at work and acting like he hadn't disappeared for 5 months and had apparently lied about where he'd gone. Dan agrees to take him back and they live happily together for several months despite his roommates' reservations and then Matt flips out and it gets all weird and they end up out in the forest in a bear cave and ... WTF? Matt's a bear? No, he's not a shifter? I don't think. A bear spirit? Why was he freaking out? I have no bloody clue. It left me totally confused and cold but I'm not into the whole native American mythology theme that I've read a few times. Just doesn't work for me and this one didn't.

Making Your Own Luck by Sean Michael (35 pages)



Isaac is having a bitch of a Friday the 13th. Anything that can go wrong does. He meets fellow college professor Rusty and they hit it off but seems events continue to transpire to thwart their budding relationship. I have to say this was one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. I laughed until I cried in places. Yes, its totally over the top but it was like a screwball comedy. Rusty never gave up on them getting it worked out and he finally convinced Isaac to think about making good luck rather than focussing on bad. I really needed a laugh that night and it so worked for me.

Letting in the Light by Fae Sutherland (172 pages)



Rowan takes a delivery to the local reclusive famous author Finn and is instanly smitten but Finn is a miserable old bastard (he's 49, Rowan is 25) but Rowan wants him and is not prepared to take no for an answer. He basically forces his way into Finn's life and their relationship starts as a booty call. There is a conflict with Rowan's BF/Roommate who suddenly decides he wants Rowan (even though he was straight I think) and it forces Finn to step outside his comfort zone. I enjoyed the idea of it, but I really had trouble getting past the age thing. It doesn't really bother me but I can't envision a HEA. When Rowan is 45 (my age), Finn would be 70. Ummm. Ewwwwww. My Dad's not even 70. Sleeping with someone older than my Dad? *shakes head* But if I put it in the the HFN context it works. I did like Rowan and his indomitable spirit. Nothing Finn did scared him off, in fact maybe he was a bit too chipper but I liked him.

Hero in Me by J.B. McDonald (20 pages)


Zach rescues Will from date rape. When Will decided he wants Zach, Zach pushes him away figuring he doesn't need to get caught up in the "you're my hero" thing that often happens. Will says fuck that and pursues him with a passion. It throws Zach completely off that Will doesn't follow the typical near-rape victim type and isn't behaving like he's "supposed" to. A cute story and nice to see Zach forced to reassess that maybe not everyone who's a victim of a crime has the same reaction.

Friends and Lovers by Thom Jaymes (17 pages)



Tate's roommate and good friend plans on moving into the frat house. Tate's crushing on him and Jeff jokes around about being gay with him but nothing. Tate is walking a drunk Jeff home from a party when Jeff stops to pee. He then starts stripping and demanding that Tate suck him off and they end up fucking in the bush (by a tree?) because seems Jeff always DID have a crush on Tate. Okay, why in the bush? They were on the way home. No lube, no condom. I just found the way they came together rather jarring and up until they got to the "suck me" part enjoyed it. I thought Tate should have told him to fuck off and sober up rather than drop his pants and take it. Had potential but it just didn't work for me at the end.

Destiny Drops In by (20 pages)


Andrew gets lost and stops at a bar for directions. Within 5 min. he's picked up Raj (who's not even 21 yet) and takes him home. Raj is sure that Andrew is the one, Andrew's just sure that he's a "slut for accents", my new fave phrase. Seems the sex is hot and 32 year old Andrew is willing to take a chance on a young guy. TBC

Destiny goes Spare by TC Blue (16 pages)


Its Raj's 21st birthday and Andrew's throwing him a party inviting everyone on his e-mail list. Good times ensue when Raj's parents arrive and seems they are only a couple of years's older than Andrew. Andrew freaks and Raj bolts with his asshole father. After a talk with Raj's Mom Andrew feels like a heel but Raj is not about to let his father ruin what he's sure his true love. They make up and work out their differences with his Dad. I can only imagine Andrews mortification at finding out his MIL is two years older than him. ACK!!! If that doesn't scare me off the young ones nothing will. ;-)

Billy and the Ghosts by Aaron Michaels (17 pages)



Billy gets roped into going to the graveyard on Halloween and kissing the grave of some old prostitute at midnight. He's been crushing on Jeff who goes with him. Just as he goes to do it he suddenly finds himself in the old west and the madam takes him to a male prostitute who looks just like Jeff. He has hot sex with the prostitute and then suddenly finds himself back in today and he had tripped and smacked his head. Him and Jeff kiss and thus starts a relationship you suppose. Kind of weird but hey, its a Halloween story so appropriate.

Conventional Wisdom by TC Blue (63 pages)



Trent meets Bill at the ComiCon and they hit it off. Smoking sex. Trent's a goth there for the gaming, Bill is actually Lucas, a famous in the closet actor in a sci-fi show and is thrilled that Trent has no idea who he is. They continue to meet everynight of the show until on nearly the last day Trent accidentally discovers who Trent is. He's upset needless to say but then realizes why Lucas would do that and after talking with his new friend Mary Lou (a 45 year old former beauty queen from the south - who I must say was an amazing character that I LOVED) he makes up with Lucas and they spent the rest of their time together, Lucas then goes back to California and Trent to home in DC but they commit to keeping in touch. There is a sequel which I'm glad to hear because I'd love to see these too get a HEA.

Boys of Summer by Cooper David (60 pages)



Hunter and Max were friends for a couple of years and even though Hunter was straight (he thought) they've been carrying on a secret affair for a few months. They go away for a week and Max won't have anal sex unless Hunter agrees to come out of the closet. Hunter's shitting bricks but finally agrees because he loves him. He's sure everyone (including his and Max's exes (girls)) will hate him because he's gay. In fact he's sure the whole world will freak out if they know he's gay. Okay, Hunter kind of annoyed me. Holy navel gazing. Do you really think the whole world gives a damn about who you are fucking? Sure some will, but most? Forget it. So while freaking he finally tells his friends and they're all like "yeah, so, we knew anyway". Big let down. It was a bit prosey for my taste. Lots of talking about how he felt and how scared he was and how much he loved Max. Do guys think like that? It was a sweet story and I was glad for Max's sake that Hunter did step out of the closet but you'd think he'd never met a gay person in his life and seen one who had accepting friends and family. They are out there, I know plenty of them. Wanted to slap him. Not a good sign.

Crimson Regret by A.R Moler (10 pages)



Brian gets dolled up like a great Devil and goes to his colleague's Haloween party. He's hanging out and meets Zorro. They hook up in the shed for mutual blow jobs when Zorro gets gets a work call and has to jet. Brian freaks out and realizes he doesn't even know the guy's name. He gets his colleagues to tell him the guys name, Tristan (I like that name) and he plans to look him up. Seems Tristen is a homicide cop, hence the call. So not much plot, just a quick hook up with maybe more, we never know. It was a cute short read.

What you Wish For by Alex Marcus-Jacobs (34 pages)



Jared dumps his girlfriend figuring he'll never find a woman. He goes to visit his best friend Jess and his cousin Rox the lesbian tarot card reader is there. They convince him to have his cards read and she kind of freaks him out and says he can find true happiness if he's prepared to make big changes and look at things differently. He kind of freaks and leaves to go to a bar nearby. He starts talking to this Russian guy who is the owner. He's crying on his shoulder about how his ex wanted him to be all agressive but it really wasn't his thing and Nichol says "maybe you need a Dom" (I'm summarizing) and when Jared goes "hell yeah" Nichol makes a move which promptly makes Jared freak because he only now noticed he's in a gay bar and had avoided using the term she/her during his ex diatribe. So he runs and then thinks about Nicol and being dominated and shuts out his friends. He finally decided to go for it after talking to Rox (who gives him shit for avoiding Jess) and he goes to see Nichol. He says what he wants and Nichol does the whole D/s thing in the bar and Jared is happy as a pig in shit. It was an okay story but you'd think a young university guy with access to the internet could find female Dom's too if he liked girls. LOL But whatever. I liked Jess, I thought Roz was over the top with the "draaaammmaaa. oooohhh the cup of beans" (or whatever card came up).