More Updates

Okay, starting to add in some of the yaoi. I realize that I am missing most of those shorts in my TBR file which means they are still on-line somewhere I'll have to track them down. Sigh.

Okay, to begin (more to follow tomorrow)

Love Quest by Lily Hoshino (175 or so pages)



This is a story about two high school students who get sucked into an alternate universe to help a princess who is under attack. Seems the only way they can strengthen her power is to swap bodily fluids. Despite the fact one is "straight" they begin by swapping spit and move on to other, uh, fluids. Seems a girl who rejected straight boy is also in the alternate universe and nearly kills gay boy and he can't leave the world because of the healing. Other boy (now madly in love and desperate for bodily fluids :-) goes back to get him out. It was a cute little yaoi manga, not as angsty as some. There is also another random steamy short in the back.

Gentle Cage by You Shiizaki (274 pages)



Itsuki is sent by his famous sculptor boss (master) to ask semi-famous sculptor and former student Tokiwa to see him. Tokiwa and Itsuki used to be friends and almost started dating but then suddenly Itsuki started workig for the boss and acting weird so Tokiwa took off. Itsuki falls and breaks both ankles (clutz) and is forced to stay at Tokiwa's house. Its pretty dub-con for a bit but they start to get along until the boss calls and Tokiwa freaks and does rape him. Seems boss wants Tokiwa to inherit everything. You get the whole backstory as to why Itsuki accepted that life (for 8 years) and after the boss dies he disappears to start his life over eventually tracked down by Tokiwa and a more or less HEA ensues with Tokiwa allowing Itsuki more independence than most of these books seem to. I enjoyed it although I kept having to put it in the Japanese context. Things that in North America or Europe we'd go "What's the big deal, tell him to take a flying leap" in Japan is a big deal, honor and family and never putting yourself first. It wouldn't work in a NA setting, for me anyway.

The White Knight by Josh Lanyon (128 pages)



This is a continuation (of sorts) of The Dark Horse. Its continues the story of Daniel and Sean but through memory tells how they first met and the stalker case, how they got together and then what happened in their relationship after as they try to mesh their lives and Sean continues his quest of the ultimate gay movie role. There's a bit of a mystery thrown in when someone attacks Sean which brings Dan to Wales and Sean works through his amnesia to figure out why their relationship was on the skids. I really liked the way it went from far past (pre-Dark Horse) to recent past (their relationship and recent separation) and of course present with the mystery and yet didn't make you feel like you were crazily hopping like some "flashbacks" can do. I enjoyed getting a bigger picture of the two.

The Graft by Isabelle Rowan (25 pages)



Set in Australia (topical for Jenre) its about a long term older couple (40's maybe) and their discussions about previous failed relationships (marriages to women and kids) and why they got married and even though they can't, would they. The one makes secret arrangements for them to have a special handfasting ceremony to because they WANT to get married not because they feel obligated. A sweet little story about two guys understanding what marriage and committment should be about.

The Finest Thing by Lily Sawyer (78 pages)



Aiden left town with his lover and best friend when his parents rejected them. Years later his lover died of cancer and still his family maintained a silence. Two years later his friends are getting married and he agrees to go back to his small hometown and faces his mother, brother and homophobic father. While there for the wedding he meets Paul and they get on like a house on fire although live on opposite coasts. Aiden makes up with his mother (who split with his father) and brother and he and Paul decide they have something worth pursuing. All of these wedding stories are sweet and HEA (that's the point) and this was no exception. A cute little story where everyone lives HEA and annoying father gets told off. Go Paul.

Str8te Boys by Evangeline Anderson (80 pages)



Holy smokin'. Its a GFY although at first it appears two straight boys who are best friends and room mates for 4 years of college are getting ready to end their time together. Could they be any more butch, Duke and Maverick? They are on the soccer team, drink, whore it up, the works. But Duke has always been touchy feely and lately he's been into gay chicken. Mav strangely finds himself into it and before you know it they are daring each other into blow jobs and more. Seems that Duke was't so straight and has loved Mav all along. After Mav denies their relationship to the phobe on the team Duke moves out figuring there is no way they can be together. That's when Mav figures out he's in love and tries to get him back. The "str8te boys" is a semi-gay website that they do some pics for to raise rent money which is how the guy on the team figures out they are together. Very steamy and totally GFY, but I can see rereading this one a few times.

Seducing Light by K.C. Hendricks (170 pages)



Asher is a photographer who had his identidy stolen and lost everything. He has a chance to make a comeback by going to photograph the home of his celeb crush Nick Light in the boonies somewhere. Of course they fall into bed almost immediately but straight Nick bolts. They end up coming together later and can't seem to stay apart but Asher doesn't want to be in the closet and Nick is afraid to come out and is paranoid about photographers/papparazi and has trust issues. I thought Asher was way more understanding and patient than I would be and they have a fairy tale HEA, but it was it was. Not a realistic portrayal perhaps but on the whole a good read for me.

Protests and Proposals by Sean Kennedy (26 pages)



This is the story of Leo and Paul, a couple who are protesting the right to marry. Leo gets more fired up and Paul is more laid back and they bicker a bit about Leo's actions but are in love and united in the quest. At the next protest Paul tries to get Leo alone (at a protest? What were you thinking man?) but their friends keep showing up and interrupting his marriage proposal. Finally he just does it and it makes the news. This one really struck a chord with me because an on-line friend of mine had just written a newspaper piece about getting married in his state and having to have a formal wedding in Canada because it wasn't allowed and it touched me how totally unfair it is for so many people. In Canada I tend to take it for granted that anyone can get married and be as miserable as I was. ;-)

The Perfect Housemate by Winnie Jerome (21 pages)



Yes, I'm still reading Halloween shorts in June. Trent found the perfect housemate. Dance teacher Adrian who is neat and tidy, laid back, gorgeous and has a new guy in his bed daily much to Trent's dismay although he has the no sleeping with the roomie rule. They go to a Halloween party and Adrian steals a hot guy right out from under Trent's nose which pisses him off and he eventually goes and tracks him down. To his surprise the hot guy is now 7 feet tall and sprouting red skin and horns. Ooops. Seems Adrian is an incubus and hot guy is a demon. Trent is so turned on that Adrian gets him to join them and much sexy fun ensues with Trent happily accepting that Adrian is an incubus as long as he gets to keep having sex and Adrian doesn't move out. Not one of my fave Halloween shorts and not so much a romance, but it was okay.

Grey's Awakening by Cameron Dane (138 pages)



Grey is sick and tired of everyone happy and in love so escapes to his cabin in the mountains only to find it inhabited by hot guy Sirus (who I insisted on calling Sirius a la Harry Potter). Seems Sirus' cabin flooded and Grey's sister said he could stay there. Grey is as uptight and rich as they come and sworn to celibacy. Sirus is more laid back (artist/trucker) but also sworn off men. Of course that last about 8 hours until they are practically humping each other non-stop. But Grey is still all uptight and Sirus tries to get him to loosen up. Many misunderstandings and much smexin' occurs but they finally get their HEA. Unrealistic in that they went 3 and 2 years respectively without so much as a blow job and then suddenly meet one guy and fuck like bunnies, but that's the point I guess, instant lust if not love. I don't read for realism so it worked for me.

Okay, more tomorrow. Its bed time.

The Pressure is on for me to Update - and I'm so far behind its scary

Okay, I haven't updated in almost a month and I've read tons of those wedding shorts so it may look like I've done not a lick of work at the office or home but I have, well a bit anyway. So I'm going to have to do this in a few waves. Here's the first set.

Deep Cover by Clare London (16 pages)




Recommended by Wave and Jenre, I went and tracked it down. A hot little story with a ton packed into 16 pages. At first I hated the "fiance" but she was smarter than she appeared but my big question was how the hell did the guy get into the cellar? Hot though and as I said, a pretty complete story in super short format which is quite the skill.

Never Let Go by Jourdan Lane (35 pages)



I've read so many books I forget names but basically its two best friends who manage to finally let it be known they care. When Devon (I think) the porn photographer shakes hands with one of his clients (i.e. BJ) and gets caught. He changes his life and tries to convince his BFF to give it another try. The only thing I didn't like much was the female BF who reads tarot cards. Seemed like she was being a bit of a busy body then getting her feelings hurt and crying when he got annoyed with her. Well duh. But on the whole it was a good read, I like Jourdan's writing although I never really felt all that sorry for porno boy.

Hell Cop 2 by Astrid Amara, Nicole Kimberling and Ginn Hale (241 pages)



I'm not going to go into detail, it is three shorter stories which intertwine and continue on the stories of Hell Cop. I love this world and the three Hell Cops in question. Astrid Amara's story with Brian and Jay is my favourite. I love them all but for some reason I connect with that one the most. Anyway, it was great and if you like paranormals with smokin' hot men (literally) I say get Hell Cop 1 and 2.

Dragon's Kiss by Ally Blue (44 pages)



With only 44 pages Ally set quite the world up. Post global warming, everything gone to hell in a handbasket and reverting back to a more basic primitive world with lots of superstition and zenophobia. Bear and Lynx find Dragon trespassing on their land. Having sex with anyone outside your tribe is punishable by death (holy crap) but Bear is drawn to Dragon as they are both curious about the old world (also punishable by death - double crap). They quickly decide to set off on their own risking cannibals and other dangers to be together. As I said, for 44 pages a lot was packed in their on top of the relationship. I'd love to read more about them and the world created.

Cultivating Love by Addison Albright (120 pages)



Honestly? I hate this cover. Sorry but they seem way older than the 25 or so in the book. But cover aside, I really like this author's style. The two characters are very unique. Both tough guys who despite being together 2.5 years have never said I love you or given each other a blow job but they do love each other. One inherits a farm from the father he thought was dead and they set off to start a new life in a small town. There is some conflict with secod guys family who kind of tossed him when he came out and some anti-gay sentiment in town, but basically its two guys kind of realizing that they have something special and need to make sure they let the other know it. A really nice read (which is not a negative thing - sometimes "nice" is exactly what you need).

Cheek to Cheek by Chris Owen (121 pages)



Set in the 911 world it starts the day of Drew's accident (the 911 guys make a few cameos). Mal breaks up with his GF of 6 or 7 years and picks up a guy in a gay bar. Next day guess who Drew's replacement is? Will. They decide to not date but just get together. HAHAHAHA (that's called dating) Anyway, there is some issue with Will's brother because Will is black and Mal isn't. There is the fire fighter charity talent show where Mal always danced with his GF and loe and behold Will is also a dancer. I heard it commented that Mal's good relationship with his ex was unrealistic but to be honest it reminded me of mine with my ex so I didn't find it unusual. On the whole a good read although I'm not a dancer so some of that went over my head. No biggie though.

Chasing Smoke by K.A. Mitchell (190 pages)



A combination of murder mystery cold case and childhood friends 10 years later (or many - not sure its 10). David goes home to help his mother pack up the house after his step-father's death and due to a break-in ends up seeing Trey again many years later. Trey lived with his family in high school after his Dad went to jail for murdering his mother. Trey and David never believed he did it. David's BF is pressuring him to buy a house so he's escaped a bit to the home town. So there is the twin stories of David and Trey trying to solve not only the break-ins to his mother's house but the old murder along with rediscovering each other as Trey didn't want to admit he was gay back then. I felt sorry for David's BF who showed up on Christmas and basically clued in that it was over, but on the whole I really like this author's style so it was an enjoyable read and Trey and David were hot.

Car Wash By Shawn Lane (115 pages)



Kevin lost his job and is stuck working at the car wash when Michael pulls in. Michael was his best friend's older brother who rejected Kevin he was 15. Now he sees that Kev is hot stuff and asks him out. Michael is a very successful lawyer and starts fixing Kevin's life, pays his rent, gets his boss off his back, gets him a new job and gets Kevin's back up (undestandably - I'd be pissed). After a bit of fight they end up reconciling. My only complaint (besides Michael's high-handedness but that was his character) was he has't seen Kevin in 10 years and within min. seems to want to have Kevin move in and is madly in love. Sure you knew him as a kid but exactly that, he was a kid. Also that Kevin didn't seem to get that a 21 year old wouldn't go for a 15 year old. Ever heard of statutory rape Kev? So there were a couple of things that kind of rankled but not enough to turn me off the book.

Blind Desire by I.D. Locke (127 pages)



I would likely never have bought this in 100 years but I read a glowing review by Emmy and she was right. It was funny and hot and a great read. Quinn is blind but can see auras (and weilds a mean cane). Ryzel is an incubus. Quinn attacks him in an alley thinking he's attacking someone and Ryzel is immediately attracted because Quinn's abilities make him extra tasty. Quinn is the most prickly surly guy ever and rebuffs Ryzel but eventually gives in and hot smexin' ensues. There is a whole substory of them being destined and Ryzel being the son of the chief Prince demon (or something like that) and them working out being together and getting past Quinn's prickly exterior. But it was pretty amusing and I liked it muchly.

Okay, first column of books I've read done. Two or more plus the yaoi to go. Sigh.

Update #21 The flu is receding ... I think.

Well, still quite a few shorts, but I'm settling down (and trying not to spend so much money HAHAHAHA).

Ports of Call by Sean Kennedy (34 pages)



A sweet story about long-term couple Pete and Jason who are spending some time at the beach in California before heading home to Reno. Pete was attacked in a mugging and its sent him for a loop and they are kind of escaping real life and trying to deal with the aftermath on vacation. The real caring they have for each other and how much it kills Jason that Pete is suffering really comes through and its a feel good story that with the love and support of someone special you can get past the bad stuff in time but its still not easy. Great little read.

Right Choice by Clare London (35 pages)



Okay, maybe my flu's not gone completely. :-) I really liked this little story. For some reason it struck a chord with me and I was all mushy at the end. Although it keeps you guessing for a minute and I thought I was going to be thoroughly annoyed but I survived. :-) I also liked how it kind of used flashbacks to tell the story of how they got to that point in time. Sometimes that doesn't work for me but I liked this. So for a sweet read that makes you go "awwww" at the end, its perfect.

Dissonance by Sonja Spenser (97 pages)



Hey, its longer than 30 pages, I should get an award. This was a very sweet story about 20 year old Irish music student Matthias and Kent, the head resident of his dorm. Matthias is completely freaked by any guy getting close but Kent tries to befriend him. Eventually its revealed why Matthias is so skittish but Kent is wonderful at trying not to push despite his attraction. Matthias finds it hard to believe anyone could like him and has trouble with touching (and more) but with patience and gentleness Kent wins him over. A really sweet read about someone understanding the damage someone has experienced and being patient and willing to help them through it, even if it means putting aside their own needs. A really sweet story.

Cowboy Up by Mary Winter (107 pages)



MONTHS ago when scanning through books I saw the blurb for this but didn't get it. Then I haven't been able to find it since. I mentioned this on the yahoo group and lo and behold JenB popped up with the title. What a sweetie. So of course after wondering about it for months I had to buy it immediately. Rock is into reigning (western riding) and Andreas is a dressage rider. They are both at a training camp for the US Olympic team and end up as roommates. While the seem like opposites - cowboy from the rodeo circuit and uptight European dressage rider - then are attracted and find out they actually like each other both in and out of bed. But of course, their careers are on different paths and they don't part in the best of ways at the end of the 3 week training camp. They meet up again 2 weeks later and Andreas attempts to reconcile them and of course HEA. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that after 3 weeks together and 2 weeks apart, Andreas basically decided to retire from the sport and take up coaching in Oklahoma (dressage capital of the US? I think not). Hello, you've known the guy for 5 weeks and 2 of those you weren't talking. Slow down buddy. I'm afraid when it comes to speed I have a bit of trouble getting past the "romance" aspect of things. A couple of months at the least or longer, but on the whole I enjoyed it.

That's the Ticket by John Simpson (18 pages)



On Sam and Michael's 10 year anniversay Michael notes that their love life is a little stale. So cop Sam decides to spice things up one night when Michael is working late with a little pre-planned traffic stop. A cute story with two lovers trying something a little outside the norm. Only 18 pages but it was sweet to see them trying to keep things fresh after all that time and having fun with it.

Straight Tequila Night by Rhianne Aile (35 pages)



I really gotta take a break from the high school football player meets high school nerd theme. I'm getting burned out and since football is not a big deal in Canada I don't really get it sometimes. Anyway, Mark moves back home (a literature professor) and goes to the local gay bar and who does he see? Crush of his youth Dylan (football player but receiver not QB for a change). He makes a move and is still smitten but wants to take it slow. The bartender tells him that Dylan has a lover that seems to be in the closet and if he's drinking tequila stay clear because he's feeling bad. Mark is determined to make Dylan see he's worth someone who cares. So they get together and its smoking hot, everything's lovely, then one night he's meeting Dylan at the bar and gets there early to see Dylan leave with his lover who happened to be really mean to Mark in school. Mark is crushed and starts drinking straight tequila (that stuff 'll kill ya). He goes home and Dylan shows up to apologise and says he was only meeting the guy to tell him it was over and that he loves Mark. I like this author's work but the thing that confused me was I wasn't sure how much time had passed between when they got together and the big misunderstanding happened. Was it a couple of days later? If so its that time thing again for me. Right, you fell in love in 48 hours? Or was it over a period of a few weeks? That I could see. So I was a bit confused about it all but on the whole enjoyed it, but as I said, time to lay off the football player/geek storyline for me for a bit.

Update #20 Poodle Flu Reigns Supreme *arf arf arf*

Yeah, I've read a ton of shorts in the last two days. Life of leisure you'd think I lead. Maybe I do.

Saihoshi by Kosen (100 or so - why don't they put page numbers in manga?)



Sastre is a "Guardian" (good-guy mercenary?) who is hired to take Prince Anel to another kingdom to marry the princess and meld the two kingdoms. Kaleth, Anel's servant/lover is made to pretend to be the prince. Sastre becomes enamoured with Kaleth, they are attacked en route, both Anel and Kaleth are captured, there's an illegitimate brother, a maimed former Guardian and another mystery Guardian that shows up. Lots of action and I have to say these guys were the prettiest boys EVER. I could just sit and look at them, I'm serious, the art work really did it for me. I think I'll look for Vol. 2 just for more artwork.

Two Steps Up by Sean Kennedy (23 pages)



A lot of the Dreamspinner shorts are either Daydreams (this cover) or Nap Size (the other cover).

This is a short about a 17 year old skater who is trying to get up the nerver to go to a GLBT youth group meeting. He meets another skater outside and they end up going to an indoor skate ramp before the meeting. He finds out the other kid is the organizer/leader of the meeting and he gets his first kiss. A cute story about accepting who you are and getting the courage to take that first step with the help of a friend. Its in present tense which always takes me a bit to get used to but I really enjoyed it.

Time Out by Clare London (41 pages)



Oliver is high-p0wered, rich, famous, gorgeous and runs his family corporation. Marc is his security advisor and lover. On their one year anniversary together Marc comes up with a plan for Oliver to leave work and responsibility behind and they can be an anonymous couple just for the day. Its HARD for Oliver to not take care of EVERYTHING but at the end of the day he realizes that he can hand off some responsibilty and he needs to enjoy life too. It was fun to see Oliver discovering normal stuff like shopping for clothes and just reading for fun. I really liked this story and it was very entertaining.

Games Lovers Play: Ride 'em Cowboy; Best Behaviour; Amorous Liaisons by Ariel Tachna
(13 pages; 25 pages; 46 pages)


This is a trio of stories about Cameron and Micah. You don't find out much about them personally but they like to play role playing games once a month (or more often when inspired). They take turns filling each others fantasy. Ride 'em Cowboy is easy to guess, a short, Best Behaviour is a school boy/head master scenario and Amorous Liaisons is the servant boy/master seducing the innocent scenario. They were different in that you had an inside view as to what the characters where thinking while "acting" as they tried to stay in character for their partner's pleasure or decided to forget it and just drop the game and get down to business. They were all cute and sexy but a more comprehensive book about the two, how they met (its alluded briefly) and their life outside of games night would have appealed.

Hospitality by Rhianne Aile & Madeleine Urban (56 pages)



Leonard just saw his teen son off on the plane back to the US while he stays in Denmark on sabbatical and is depressed when Camden, a Brit comes to his aid. They chat, have a drink and decide to get together. Camden is a definite top (don't touchy there) but Leonard convinces him to give it a try. Later Camden comes to visit Leonard at the University where he's teaching and they make plans to spend more time together exploring Europe despite Camden's high stress job running the Copenhagen airport. I like these two authors and it was another sweet story although I was surprised that Camden (no young 'un as he had 3 teen daughters) allowed Leonard to top the first time they were together after only having tried it once long ago. But I still enjoyed it.

Secret Santa by Sean Kennedy (30 pages)



Yes, I'm reading Christmas stories in June. Shut up. I read Halloween stories in Feb. too. Zach is out doing last minute Christmas shopping when he notices the mall Santa looks familiar. He follows him on his break and it is Shane his live-in love. Seems Shane wanted to make a good impression on Zach's family so was working as Santa to afford better gifts. They have a little interlude in the break room. Who'd have thought Santa suits can be hot? A cute story with two likeable characters. More about them would be welcome.

A Case of Mistaken Virginity by Connie Bailey (41 pages)



Masey agrees to go back home with his best friend (girl) to a wedding. At the wedding Dale (who works on the horse farm) overhears the girls talking and mistakenly thinks Masey is a virgin. The next day he takes Masey riding and is very solicitous thinking he's a virgin and Masey (who's a love virgin not a sex virgin) is very touched. It then just kind of skips to the future where everyone thinks they are so cute and have been together so long. My only complaint was I would have liked more detail of how they got from A to B and Masey lived in NYC (or some big city in the north-east) and Dale lived on a farm in Florida. Who moved where? What about work? How did it all work? So more was what I needed. Didn't dislike it but just wanted to know more.

Mergers & Acquisitions by Nessa L. Warin (29 pages)



A story of Dale (huh - 2 Dales in a row) a financial manager and Jackson a famous actor (with a quirk about buying markers that he gives away while signing autographs). There's a bit of a running thing with Jackson using a different financial manager but really its just two guys being in love (and obsessed with markers) and Dale asks Jackson to marry him and he decides that if they are married he has to change financial advisors (hence the merger). My only complaint? At the end, for dessert while the ring is presented? They eat chocolate mousse. No, that's not bad, but it is served on a plate (huh?). Better yet? He's eating it with a fork. WTF? Who eats mousse on a plate with a fork? That's just wrong. And apparently really stuck with me because I remember more about that particular paragraph than the whole book. I did find the marker thing funny though and liked the characters.

From the Heavens by Vic Winter (28 pages)



Dirk is a burned out EMT who's boyfriend just dumped him. He goes to the mountains to get away and goes for a hike. He falls asleep and wakes up after dark but decides just to hang out enjoying the stars. His hostess at the B&B had panicked and called the search and rescue. Wayne finds him they wait till morning talking and decide to have a date. They get along and eventually Dirk takes a job as a paramedic there and they live HEA. A nice story that even in 28 pages left me feeling like it was complete. In some stories you either feel you didn't get where the characters were coming from or you wanted more, to figure out how it got from meeting to HEA, but this one felt complete. Sort of a feeling of satisfaction that you got pretty much the whole picture and were content with that.

All the Things you Are by M. Jules Aedin and Anna J. Linden (91 pages)



Bryant is a college football player from AL who's career is ended by an injury. He decides to start fresh and out and moves to San Francisco. While exploring the first few days he comes across Kai, a massage therapist. They get off to a rough start (Bryant thinks he's a girl because of long hair) but Kai offers him a massage when he sees him limping. They have dinner and pretty much move in together without meaning to. When Kai's roommate moves out Bryant (who couldn't find an apartment) moves in for real. Things are great until one day Bryant comments on Prop 8 and Kai basically says marriage is a waste and he has no use for it, who needs it. It kind of freaks Bryant out because he's thinking he's like to marry Kai. He basically takes off rather than confront Kai which kind of annoyed me but after a week Kai makes a move and they exchange rings and its a HEA. I really liked them as a couple and how they intereacted and even though Bryant ticked me off.

Update #19 Holy Hell! Do I actually sleep at all?

When the kid's away, the mother reads and does nothing else it seems.

Hellbourne 3: Heart & Soul by Amber Kell (23 pages)



This is the third and final book in the series. Luc goes to hell where his brothers try to break him. In a rather complicated turn the werewolf he thought tried to kill him was enchanted but it was all part of a plan by an angel. Its turns out his were mate Bran is meant to be his mate in this life and Nikkolai should be in another lifetime. He ends ups winning the battle and freeing some angels who attacks his father and kills 3 of his brothers. He then goes back to earth with Bran and his one remaining brother who is now in love with the other were. Kind of complicated but kind of wrapped up in a ribbon with the vampire agreeing to wait until its his turn to be the mate. I like some of the humor and snarkiness and thought Luc was very funny.

Hanky Panky by Koreaki Kamuro (155 pages)



This is 6 short stories. Just typical little yaoi stories. To be honest I can't remember any of them, but it was a quick good read.

Caged Slave by Yuiko Takamura (152 pages)



I have serious issues with Japanese names, maybe it will come with time. Blondie has been dumped by his lover who was his boss (he's going to marry the company President's daughter) and demoted at work. Depressed he's in a hotel bar where a hot buy comes on to him and they end up in his room doing the nasty. They meet every week for a couple of months but the guy won't reveal his name. One day he gets reassigned to a new job and guess who his new boss is? They then have to work out starting a new relationship rather than as two strangers as boss and employee. Blondie is very insecure and keeps expecting to be dumped and there is some misleading stuff about possible marriage with the new guy. But on the whole I really liked this. It was interesting how dark guy tried to understand WHY blondie was acting as he was and would take efforts to reassure him. It was an excellent read and a novel rather than manga.

Kissing by Teiko Sasaki (210 pages)



The two guys have been best friends forever and even have birthdays 3 days a part. Everyone tells them they act like a couple and the dark guy often pretends to be a couple to scare off girls. It confuses blondie until dark guy confesses he does love him. Freaks him out, angst ensues and eventually he admits it and they get together after graduating college. A cute story, I enjoyed it.

Dark Walker by Hikaru Yura (168 pages)



I loved the story but had to get past the kiddie porn aspect of it. Holy hell, the kid is 15 and the other guys been having sex with him for a year. Also the dark guy lives on his own in an apartment and buys furniture with a credit card and no one, including Blondie's Mom thinks this is weird. Okay, its Japan, so I went with the flow. Both of them are Dark Walkers who can enter the world of dreams. Its hard to explain but eventually the bad guy shows up. Seems he kidnapped Tomoki's older brother (they thought he drowned) 14 years ago because he has special powers (same as Tomoki - holy hell I remembered his name) and is trying to get Tomoki to make his brother's powers super strong so he can rule earth and dreams. It was all going well until I got the demon/brother storyline. Total non-con pedophilia. He's been raping the kid since he was nine, we're taking pain and blood here, and the kid is total Stockholm syndrome and loves the demon. Yeah, I can't get off on loving your pedophilic rapist, that's not romantic to me. Luckily it was a small part of the story and I loved the other two characters so I was able to get past that small part of the story but wow, quite the cultural divide on this one. If they had been college age or at least 17 or so and they relationship had been not quite so brutal with the others I would have loved this, rather than liked it. But it kept me reading.

Sweet Oblivion 2: Snare by Jordan Castillo Price (69 pages)



Michael and Wild Bill go back to Michael's home to get his leather jacket. His parents give him a cell phone for "emergencies". The mad professor calls and says he needs Michael's help to capture a rogue vampire. Against Wild Bill's better judgement they go. They help him catch the vampire and turns out to be a Downs Syndrome kid who was turned. They end up attacking the professor who breaks Michael's arm and he starts to vamp out. So they are on the run from the prof (they knew he'd kill the kid so they let him go) and Michael is starting to exhibit more vampire tendancies. I love how each book takes you one step deeper. Lots of steamy sex but just moving the story along and Michael deals with the changes and they deal with their relationship. Love this series.

The Starlight by Vic Winter (12 pages)



Dan's cop lover was killed on the job 14 months ago. His friends try to convince him to go out to the bar and he finally agrees. After a few drinks he meets Bo and they have a great time. Seems his friends set them up but its time to move on from his grieving. Again, cute short with two likeable characters to manage to develop a relationship in a night. I quite enjoyed it for what it was.

Sins of the Past by Amanda Young (100 pages)



Ryan is set up on a blind date with Andrew (a single parent). Things don't start off well but they get back on track and start to develop a good relationship. Finally Ryan is introduced to Andrew's daughter (actually his niece - his sister was kills) and remember something from his "straight" past. Can they get by this huge obstacle and be a happy family? I quite liked both Andrew and Ryan and to be honest they dealt with the obstacle a lot more maturely than I likely would have. LOL It did remind of me of Happy Ending but with the added plot twist. A good read.

A Kinky Orgasm by Amanda Young (50 pages)



The classic case of gay high school nerd who crushed on the quarterback get together 10 years later. Briar opened his dead father's bar and Truman the quarterback shows up and orders a Kinky Orgasm and flirts outrageously. Briar figures what the heck, lets go for it not even sure Truman knows who he is. But Truman does and admits he was always gay and was envious of Briar. There were some funny parts, not laugh out loud funny but made me smile. Nice characters, sweet read, just a light HEA story.

Interlude by Vivian Dean (90 pages)



Ty and AJ play duelling pianos in a bar in Reno. AJ is gay and totally in love with Ty but Ty plays the field and will sleep with anyone of any sex. They get the offer to go to Las Vegas and plan to live together. Ty comes out to AJ and confesses but AJ totally freaks figuring Ty just wants another notch on the bed post. He bolts but they talk it out and are more successful than ever. A typical opposites attract, even black and white in this case, extravert/introvert. I like opposites attract stories and can even forgive AJ for being totally clueless most of the time. I enjoyed the story and the banter between the two. They were really best friends who moved it beyond.

Christmas at the Beach by Vic Winter (12 pages)



A cute story about a Canadian who ends up in Australia on Christmas feeling a bit down to be alone. He meets a Brit on the beach and they spent the day together and agree to meet next Christmas in England as they are going different directions around the world. Short, sweet and I really like this author's ability to make me like the characters is a dozen pages or so and care about them.