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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Short week for me - Did some reading on the weekend

Monday was our holiday in Canada. (Victoria Day, or the May 2-4 weekend because you buy and drink a 2-4 of beer. Which I didn't thank you very much.) It was a perfect day Monday. My daughter had her riding show (and did really well - I'll post about that later) and I got a bit burned. I was only out from 11:30 - 1:30, but standing in the middle of a field in the sun was enough. It's going to be HOT for us the next few days. Ugh. I do not have central air so my house is not great. Luckily it's still cooling off at night so it's not too bad. I'll have to get the window unit in my bedroom which helps. So having an extra day off, even with the trip to Montreal Sunday means I got a fair bit of reading done.

Mobry’s Dick by KZ Snow (165 pages)

This starts with a prologue at turn of the century where gay magician Alain Mobry is doing one of his shows. He’s renowned for automaton machines, the clockwork mechanical tricks. He’s crushing on another magician known as “The Turk” who sort of shows interest but also shuns him leaving Mobry confused. Then in present day Cam is hanging out at a flea market and runs into hot guy Paul who’s looking for a specific object. Cam actually finds it and buys it and Paul tells him it’s one of Mobry’s gadgets, a "dick". Cam’s not sure he’s gay, in fact is trying to be straight but Paul makes him question that. He later finds out Paul may not be who or what he thought and he has to cope with that, while figuring out the mystery of the dick and dealing with the results of Paul pissing off his ex who wants the gadget. I won’t say too much more and I’m not a huge fan of historicals but I thought there was just enough in this for me not to lose interest. Once it gets to a certain point in history, it focuses on the present day which I appreciated and while I’m not sure I loved what Cam got up to after he decided he’s gay (the romantic in me) I’m pretty sure it made complete sense realistically. The mystery of the dick, what happened to Mobry and whether Cam and Paul would finally get their act together kept me reading. It was a great read with a touch of everything, drama, mystery, humour, hot smexin’. :-)

I just realized that we are soon going to have to start indicating WHICH turn of the century. Not 2000, but 1900.

Witness by LA Gilbert (around 200 pages I think)

Ben is a cop who is just coasting along. On a call he meets Reece, a bike messenger but he’s too unsure to take the opening when Reese gives it to him. Then he runs over Reece’s bike and takes the opportunity to buy him a new one and ask him out. When Reece is attacked and his bike stolen Ben takes him home to help him get over his injuries. They start to grow closer as Reece heals and they get to know each other, however Reece has some secrets and emotional baggage he’s going to have to deal with if this is going to be long term. If you are in the mood for something light and not too angsty it’s a perfect read. There is no stalker, no major crisis, no big misunderstanding (thank god), just two guys struggling along the way I think most people do. Sometimes I really like that kind of lightness and no big drama and it worked for me on that level. Reece and Ben are both likable guys, they have normal friends, and jobs that suck sometimes and dreams just like regular people. I enjoyed it anyway, but those who like heavier plot driven stories likely may find it a bit fluffy.

Winner Takes All by Jenny Urban & Elizabeth Silver (100 pages)

Matt and Dom are friends. Thanks to the downturn in the economy Matt’s construction business is on the brink of going under. He is straight but lately after drinking too much he and Dom have been sharing some hand jobs and Dom would like more but figures crushing on a straight guy is bad. When Dom finds out they are going for a hostile take-over of Matt’s company he makes him a bet, if he can’t get the company back on it’s feet in a month, Dom gets Matt sexually for a week and vice versa if he does. Matt at first resists but figures if he can save the jobs of his employees he’ll take it. Meanwhile they continue to see each other and Matt starts to question how straight he is as Dom steps up the moves and pushes Matt further and further. Uh, mixed feelings. It was okay, but I found they talked non-stop during sex and Matt was the ultimate pushy bottom, he was always calling Dom names and telling him to get on with it and it was definitely not lovey dovey. I guess it suited their personalities but I was kind of with Dom and his idea of getting a freaking gag for Matt. On the whole it was a decent read without too much angst or conflict.

One odd note, I found these guys never took off their ties. They’d be home for a couple of hours and still be wearing a shirt and tie. They’d go to the bar to watch basketball after work and still be wearing their tie. Where I come from a tie is like pantyhose, the first thing you take off if you don’t need to wear it. A few times I though, “Why is he still wearing a tie?” Minor point of course, but it stood out for me. Maybe I’m just too casual.

Curious? by lots of people (300 pages)

This is an anthology which is supposedly for the woman who’s a bit curious about m/m and wants to try it out. It’s fine for die-hard fans as well. I read it pretty much all in one go, more or less. One unusual aspect is a short by Amy Lane which has chapters interspersed throughout the book. I’m not sure that worked for me because I had a couple of days between when I started and when I got back to it and it took me awhile to remember what the heck had happened in the previous chapter. It works fine if you read it all in one sitting but if you are reading it over a period of days it is easy to forget. And interesting concept though, I’ll give it that.

Favourites? Hmmm. To be honest I don’t seem to have any that really stand out. I mean they were all “good”, none that I thought “Well, that was crap” but I’m not sure any where like “Greatest thing I ever read”. I will say We are Stardust by M. Jules Aedin set during Woodstock in the 60’s was interesting as the setting was very unusual. There were a couple that involved horses which always suckers me in, Snowman by Isabelle Rowan and In His Eyes by Bethany Brown. I also found The Neighbors by Janey Chapel intriguing, a voyeuristic woman watches her new gay neighbors getting funky. An interesting twist.

Some have next to no sex, some have lots of sex, nothing too extremely kinky but it’s a nice mix. It would be a good start for someone who wants to test the waters, plus you get to try some great authors like Sean Kennedy, Chrissy Munder, Cat Ford, GS Wiley along with those I mentioned, plus others. I enjoyed it and was able to read it straight through and not find it repetitive because the subject matter was so broad.

31 comments:

Lily said...

Glad to hear your daughter did well in her riding. Ugh, no central air? I'd die!! :D

Totally agree with your first two reads. KZ's story was really good and Witness is a nice fluffy romance.

I hadn't seen the third book before but I've got Curious? in my TBR to read soon.

Glad you enjoyed your three day weekend. Have a good day today as well.

Sweet Vernal Zephyr said...

I've got Curious sitting on my ereader waiting for me... from your review, it sounds a little like the I Do anthology. That had different levels of heat as well, but it also had cool icons to let you know who was getting sexed up and how much there was in each story.

Enjoy your warming weather! Miranda

Tam said...

Well, for the 2-3 weeks of the year here that we need it, you can survive without it. I had no a/c for years, just fans but about 3 years ago I broke down and bought a window unit for my bedroom. It doesn't cook the whole house but if I put a fan in my bedroom doorway it blows the cool air down towards my daughter's room and keep the house livable. We just don't cook much when it's hot.

Winner Takes All is from Loose Id. Today? Meh. Not stellar, not a disaster.

Tam said...

I didn't realize I Do had that kind of rating Miranda. Not here, you don't find out until you get into it how much smexin' but the stories really run the gamut from just meeting and innocent love to more established couples. All couples though, no m/m/m and nothing too kinky, no doms/subs or heavy bondage to scare off new readers. ;-)

It's going to cool off on Friday and be more "normal" which will give us a chance to cool down.

Chris said...

Agreed on Mohbry's Dick and Witness. Still have to pick up Winner Takes All - and I'm sure to notice the ties now. ;p

I thought the Amy Lane serial in Curious? was a cool concept - but I think I might've read it more at once than you did. And Curious? was one of the most consistent anthologies I've read, which was nice. :)

Chris said...

Oh! We have that same hot'n'sticky weather here - it was 95F yesterday! I have a wall unit, which does a decent job of cooling my wee (637 sq ft) condo.

wren boudreau said...

Ugh this weather - I hate the heat! Had to turn on the air conditioning yesterday, which made the dog very very happy!

I really enjoyed reading Mobry's Dick, and felt the same about Witness. I think I liked Winner Takes All better than you did, Tam. And now that you mention the tie thing, I recall thinking something similar when I read it (but it didn't bother me).

I'm not curious about Curious, so I'll pass on that one.

Stay cool!

Tam said...

Now that I've mentioned the ties everyone will notice them Chris. LOL I did like the idea of the continuing story but I did better once I started reading it all in one sweep.

Stay cool Chris.

Tam said...

I'm not a fan of heat either Wren. Warm yes, heat no.

I got kind of annoyed with the way they talked to each other in Winner Takes All, but I have a feeling it's more the way guys talk to each other. The tie thing just stuck out for me. They noted the guy had bare feet but was still wearing a tie. Wouldn't you take that off along with your socks? Weird the little things that stick in your head.

wren boudreau said...

I do think that the way they talked in Winner Takes All was probably closer to reality (or some reality, anyway). And maybe some guys just aren't bothered by ties. Maybe the authors have a little fetish? :)

Tam said...

For some guys it's definitely true Wren. And some people love a man in a tie, it's not my thing so maybe that's why it stuck out for me.

wren boudreau said...

Not my thing either, Tam. Altho' I think ties are great when they are taken off and put to other uses :P

Tam said...

Oh you went there. I was trying to be classy and discrete. (Although why with this crowd I have no idea.)

wren boudreau said...

I am the lowest common denominator!

Anonymous said...

"the mystery of the dick" *snerk*

Wren, I'm glad you went there with the ties because my mind went there too.

wren boudreau said...

Yay!

Tam said...

You girls are naughty. *shakes head*

wren boudreau said...

As if that's news!

Kris said...

You hit one of my historian's buttons, Tam. It's been 10 years already. NO ONE should be writing turn of the century any more.

*Must. Stop. Rant. Now.*

You're all a bunch of perves, btw.

Tam said...

I swear on a stack of pervy yaoi I will never again say turn of the century unless I mean 1999. I will say "turn of the last century". Is that okay?

Kris said...

*sniff* I s'pose. May the Yaoi Gods kick your arse though if you're fibbing.

Chris said...

Darn it. Tam, I tried to send you an email and got a bounceback from your email hosting company saying that you did not exist. Obviously, they lie. Anyway, this is what I was trying to send.

Tam said...

Ha, those were funny Chris. Hopefully the e-mail is working now since I got one from Tracy who also got a bounce-back. Weird.

K. Z. Snow said...

I got your alert at Jen's place, Tam. Chris must've been busy knitting chaps and vests for the cats. (Sheesh, my Internet life is getting complicated.)

It always makes me feel good to know you enjoyed one of my books. Thanks so much for reading MD and for your kind words.

(But the heat...yeah, ugh. I can't even bear the thought of stepping outside to plant my tomatoes. Worse yet, we live in the middle no-effing-where, and my car's air conditioning crapped out about four years ago. Nothing like driving around in a sweatbox with dust from farmfields blowing in the windows.)

Tam said...

Twas my pleasure hon. I'm waiting for those pictures of the cat chaps.

Ugh. I remember growing up with no a/c. How in the hell did we survive? Then I think of my Grandparents who didn't even have freaking electricity for a fan or a shower to cool off in and I stop my pouting for a minute or so. The tomatoes will wait. I think this heat wave is supposed to pass by the weekend. I hope so anyway.

Chris said...

It worries me that you're both visualizing cat chaps.

The heat broke! The heat broke! Of course, it broke dramatically with a monstrous and ongoing thunderboomer, but still!

Tam said...

I'm still thinking batman costumes for those critters.

I would be thrilled to have a huge thunderstorm. They said MAYBE some rain tomorrow but I won't hold my breath. Speaking of holding my breath, a skunk just seems to have visited somewhere outside my back door. Time to close the windows. Ugh.

Jenre said...

Wow, great set of books this week. I've got the Curious anthology on my TBR and am supposed to be reading/reviewing it before I close - urp, better get on with that then!

You know what I think about Mobry's Dick, and the other two sound like decent reads too.

Tam said...

Ack. That's a lot of reading to get done there Jen. They were all pretty good. Good luck with your reading, I hate having deadlines.

Erotic Horizon said...

Great set of book for the weekend..

I love when I have such a productive reading weekend as well.. I hope the burns wasn't too bad and you are managing to get through the day OK..

I am liking a few of those books especially the ones that you just go with the flow and nothing too angsty pops up..

I sometimes love those easy reads..

Happy day hon..

E.H>

Tam said...

My burns weren't too bad EH. Luckily I was only out for a couple of hours, not all day.

Non-angst is good sometimes. I find too many intense books in a row and you get burn-out.