Leave a Comment for a Great Cause

The amazing. wonderful and big-hearted KB at Babbling About Books, and More had pledged to donate $1 for every comment she gets on her post to the Trevor Project and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Please stop by KB's (click on the picture below to get to the post) and leave a message of support. It will take no more than a minute of your time and may be just what is needed to make someone's life just a teensy bit better and let them see the light at the end of a long dark tunnel they feel trapped in.

A virtual balloon bouquet to KB for sharing her story and stepping up to the plate in a very real way. Not everyone can do what she's doing, but by leaving a comment you can make your voice heard on a very important subject.

September Statistics and Bumming Around

Last month Val at Obsidian Bookshelf did some posts on names and locations and careers of books she'd read in the first half of the year. And I said "Wow, Val's brilliant, I'll do that for September." And hey, I actually did it. I tried to keep track of character names, locales and careers. So what you see below is what I found in 31 books. (many shorts - don't freak out) I did not count any of the Healing Hearts Charity Sips from Torquere because my doctor/nurse quotient would be totally off and also because most are 20-30 pages, you often don't know what city or sometimes what the other career is. I did not count sci-fi/fantasy stories that have weird space names that obviously won't be duplicated or with locations that are made-up. Lets begin.

Names: I was surprised there weren't more duplicates of names amongst the 31 stories. I counted those that were mentioned twice or more.

• Ben (2)
• Matt (2)
• Brian (2)
• Sebastian (2)
• Chris/Christian (2)
• Sam/Samuel (2)
• Thomas/Tommy (2)

So as you can see, not that many duplicates. I seemed to have read a lot of books set in the US South West or LA area so I found there were several Hispanic names but no duplicates.

Careers: So what do our sexy boys do for a living? To be honest, lots of them appear to do nothing. LOL Often in a short story careers are not noted but for those I could determine:

• Students (8) - Many of them had other part-time jobs as well
• Farmer/Rancher (4)
• IT Consultant (3)
• Chef/Cook (2)
• Houseboy (2) - Not something you see ads for very often
• Architect (2)
• Professor (2)
• Rock Star (2)

Interesting mix. IT Consultant does seem to have overtaken the mysterious "businessman" as a nice generic career. And really, there's a ton of them out there I suppose.

Locations: There are TONS of unknown locations, usually you know they are in the US or in Britain, but otherwise that's as detailed as it gets. I enjoy specific locations, but sometimes it's not really a factor, especially in shorts where they may only stay in one location like a house or office building for a few hours. Anyway, I virtually visited:

• New Mexico (2)
• Colorado (2)
• California (5) - Usually the city was noted
  
• United Kingdom (4) - Location usually not specified
• Somewhere else in the US that I don't know (9)

There was a trip to Spain, but outside of that, it was the UK and US exclusively. The Torquere Sips have more diverse locations, but again, they aren't included here.

So there is my boring statistical analysis for September. If I was totally going to geek out I would have noted what color their hair/eyes are to see if there is a statistical anomaly towards blue eyed blonds. :-) Maybe I'll save that for October.

And since my daughter is a bit ill and decided not to go out to her Dad's today or participate in the horse show, we are bumming around the house in our pjs today. And speaking of bumming and bums ... Here are some nice ones. Have a great weekend everyone.

Friday Moving Day

Thankfully it's only moving our offices at work. I am down the hall and around the corner. Also losing my window. Sigh. Only about 1/3 of the offices in our building have access to windows, however I have a door and am not in a cube so I guess it's a trade-off. I don't have much stuff to move and I packed it all up Wednesday so hopefully it won't take long. Except there is a domino effect. They can't move me until the person in the office I'm moving into moves, who can't move until the person in the office she's moving into moves, and so on and so on and so on. So I guess I'll know when I'm moving when the guys show up at my door for my boxes.

The Jitters by Fabian Black (25 pages)
Smashwords

This is two little shorts about Trevor and Luke. Trevor is very serious and a bit of a workaholic. Luke comes over for the weekend but is basically ignored while Trevor works and is snapped at to provide some lunch. Oh Trevor gets a sandwich alright and it's not tuna. Ack! Trevor is NOT impressed with Luke's initiative.

In the second story Luke and Trevor have finally moved in together in their new house. Luke decides to "help" Trevor by setting up his office, which leads to coffee on the new carpet, a water stain, a hair dryer exploding and singed paint and curtains and house full of firemen. Things have not been going well since they moved in and they have to deal with the stress of what moving in means to them as a couple and as individuals.

The first one was very funny, while gaggy as well. The second had some funny moments, only Luke could burn down the house setting up a desk, but it also covered some more serious themes as well. A great little set of shorts though for a nice light read.

Lime Green: Margarita Mondays by TC Blue
Torquere Books

This is a sequel of sorts to Lemon Yellow: Making Lemonade with Evan's best friend Troy. Every Monday is Margarita Monday at Troy's. One week there is a noise complaint and as the community security guards arrive they hear someone screaming so they burst in. Seems Troy's ex broke the coffee table and got glass in his ass. Security guard Jeremy is instantly attracted but Troy doesn't do relationships, not since the ex cheated on him ten years ago. However he's desperately attracted and Jeremy is as well but he doesn't do flings. They can't deny the attraction and both are drawn despite their misgivings and their own baggage they have to deal with. I really liked this one a lot. I liked how they both tended to blurt things out that would have left me standing their blinking and you could sense their passion and attraction. It was a fun read and you did get to see a bit of Evan and Gray from the first book. Not tons of angst so a nice fun read with lots of sexual tension. I'm dying to know what the scoop is with Jeremy's BFF Riley and the threesome he befriends. He was quite a character that appealed while making you cringe when he opened his mouth. GFY? Hmmm TC? Please? A foursome? Just sayin'. :-D

The Bouncer by AJ Llewellyn (65 pages)
Total-e-Bound

After a messy break-up, Kevin moves to Austin to help his brother and his husband run the bar they own. His brother's husband, Tito, is a former boxer and his ex is trying to keep him away from his two young kids by saying he's violent. When he punches a customer who attacked his wife and then Tito, Kevin takes the fall so that Tito's ex-wife can't use it ammunition against him. He saw a hot guy who he finds out is a cop. The cop is equally attracted but has his own baggage and doesn't want to get involved with a "criminal". There was a lot in this story, Tito and Jack's drama with the ex and trying to get to see the kids more, plus Kevin and Cruz and then there are the two bartenders that Kevin kind of hooked up with for a bit. However I did enjoy it and would have liked to know more about Tito and Jack's story as there are little bits about how they met and why Tito had to give up boxing, but it would be an interesting story as well. The kid element was cute and I am a sucker for guys with kids too. I won this from the author so thanks so much AJ. I enjoyed it muchly.

Last Tuesday in September

I can't believe September is almost over. Holy smokes times flies, even when you're not having much fun. Only a month and I'm off to San Francisco to hook up with the wild bunch. :-) Besides the usual crap at work I'm not loving all the rain we've been getting. Not because it's depressing and gray, I kind of like that, it's because the freaking worms come out on the sidewalk. In the morning I have about a ten minute walk to my office. The sidewalk near the office always has TONS of worms on it when it's wet. I am the person walking head down to ensure I don't step on any, who will periodically shout out random expletives and zig or zag to the left or right while undertaking a full body shudder. God! It just grosses me out. Last week there was one about 6 inches long and as big around as a pencil. Gives me the willies just thinking about it. Ugh. So no more rain, please.

Being Taught by Ethan Stone (18 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

18 year old Chett decides he's going to have sex and picks up older sexy tattooed Richard to show him the ropes, all of them. That's pretty much the whole story. It's very steamy though and sexy yet sweet and tender with a bit of a twist. If you're looking for a fast hot read I recommend it.

A Realistic Romance by Andi Anderson (144 pages)
eXtasy Books

Merrick's music career is in the toilet at the ripe old age of 32. It's decided he should do a reality show where he's in a house with a cute gay guy Samuel for a couple of months with cameras everywhere. He reluctantly agrees, reluctantly because he's instantly attracted to Samuel and he doesn't want to blow his cover as a straight playboy. Despite everything he really likes Samuel and they manage to start a hidden relationship by spending tons of time in the bathroom where there are no cameras. One of the TV execs decides to cause some drama by showing Samuel how Merrick feels about gays. with the expected reaction. While generally I don't care for the closeted celeb story-line, I really liked this one. Maybe because they were mostly alone and despite his desire to stay in the closet he didn't treat Samuel badly, as he could have I suppose. Anyway, it was a fun read without too much angst and the big drama was wrapped up pretty quickly. Samuel's brother was an interesting secondary character I wouldn't mind seeing again.

Port of Call Me by Teddy Logan and Mel Spenser (42 pages)
Torquere Books

Peter broke up with his cheating ex two weeks ago and as a travel writer is taking his BFF Tony on a cruise. He is attracted to masseur Carlos, but Carlos likes his job and doesn't get involved with "cones" as guests are called however something about Peter attracts him. Carlos' boss has been sexually harassing him and tells Peter he and Carlos are together, and after his experience with his ex Peter believes him and he and Carlos have a falling out. This fell pretty close to insta-love for me. While they didn't say it, Carlos went from "Good Time Charlie" to "I really like him a lot" mushy in a day.

Moving On by Fabian Black
LGBT Rummage Sale (only on sale until the end of Sept.)

Andrew is a young man haunted by his past who keeps on the move when it catches up with him. However he hooked up with Thomas, an older man who dominates him and things are going pretty well for them as Andrew thrives with the rules. However the past leaps up and he runs. When Thomas finally finds him a month later he forces the issue and they have to deal with his past and Andrew's propensity to escape into alcohol or run whenever the memories get too great. It's all told from Andrew's point of view so you don't get to know much about Thomas except what Andrew shows you and I never felt there was a great passion between the two. Not that I didn't think they loved each other, but that Andrew was kind of only with him because of circumstances rather than true love. It also hopped around in time which I didn't mind actually and I loved Bob the cat but I didn't feel really connected to the relationship. However, I did like Andrew a lot and felt for him personally.

Charity Sips #2

I've been reading a few of the Charity sips here and there, with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders. Each one has a theme of doctors or healing in someway. You can click on the cover below to get to the site, you can buy them separately or all at once.

It’s a Calling by Mara Ismine (27 pages)
Jock is an older doctor, late 50's maybe, who once his wife has died and children grown, retires to explore the world a bit and ends up back home on a Scottish island, remembering his first love whom he left behind and who remarkably shows up at their special place as if waiting for him. There's a paranormal element that kind of surprised me here which to be honest I'd like to know more about.

Breathe Into Me by Jenna Jones (33 pages)
Salesman Caleb is suffering from high blood pressure and his sister convinces him to try yoga. By chance, her instructor is his old boyfriend from high school. He wants to hook up again but Sasha refuses because Caleb refuses to take care of his health and he doesn't want to get involved only to have him drop dead. It was an interesting premise and I enjoyed this one. It was nice to see Caleb "get it" about his health and make the changes he needed to.

El Cedral by Kiernan Kelly (25 pages)
In an effort to escape a bad break-up and his high pressure big city doctor life, Derek agrees to his former classmate Juan's request that he come to his small island in Mexico and help him at the pediatric clinic there. Derek is in shock, they pay in chickens for god's sake. But he soon comes to love the people and he and Juan reconnect in ways he never imagined. I loved the sense of the small village in Mexico and Derek's changing priorities.

Another Border by KIL Kenny (18 pages)
Jeff and Ed have been together for many years. Ed works in an Alzheimer's wing and had a rough night. Jeff wakes and tries to find a way to soothe him including a foot rub and some slow loving. You could sense the calm love between people who know each other inside out and Ed's frustration and sadness dealing with his patients. I have to confess I may have sniffled just a titch at the end.

Where a Hand is Always Needed by Kara Larson (14 pages)
This is a prequel to Sliding Down the Pohutukawa Root. Graeme, has been sent to the Outback to his Aunt and Uncle after being expelled from school. The air doctor is coming and when the plane goes down, Graeme goes along to help and realizes that the doctor and nurse are a couple and it confirms what he suspected about himself, that he's gay and wants to be a doctor (which he does in later stories). It's just a little taste of a young man's first exposure to a gay couple and cementing his own understanding of his sexuality.

I have to say so far the stories have been quite different and I've enjoyed them all. Of course some more than others but I think the topic is broad enough you don't get doctor burnout. At least not yet. :-)

Saturday Summary

What a lazy Saturday. I did nuthin'. Oh wait, I did a load of laundry. Woohoo. The kidlet was working for her Dad today so I drove her over and then read and enjoyed a lazy day. Oh, I took the a/c unit out of my bedroom window. Wow, I should get a prize. :-)

Wicked Cool by Val Kovalin (70 pages)
Amber Allure

Stu is a junk removal specialist who takes a job for project manager Brian. They are attracted despite their differences and Brian's refusal to speak about his past. Finally Stu can't stand it and forces the issue without much success, but Brian starts getting paranoid that people are following him or in his house and he makes Stu teach him to shoot a gun. Stu's not sure what the heck is going on until he finds someone in his own house. I won't say much more, I suspected Brian's secret, but that didn't detract from the story and Brian and Stu were hot hot hot. I liked how Stu tried to be patient with Brian's secret, but I could also relate to his frustration of wondering if the guy was an axe murderer or something. :-) Congrats Val on a second successful foray into being published.

Tuluscan Six and the Time Circle by Anne Brooke (30 pages)
Amber Allure

Karlan works with time anomaly records and is working late one night when an alien appears named Tuluscan Six. He claims that in a year, something Karlan does will screw up the time lines and his planet will burn. He also claims that he and Karlan are lovers and he's come from the future to fix the problem. Karlan's not sure, but Tuluscan shows him the anomaly and they work to fix it while Karlan becomes more attracted to Tuluscan and they have some "fun". This was a cute little read with some humour, reference to Karlan's ex who wanted to do something extreme with marmalade, but also a bit of a bittersweet side as there were no guarantees that with the anomaly adjusted Karlan and Tuluscan would meet, but you knew they loved each other already. So I'm hoping that time line worked out for them. :-)

Just a Summer Fling by Lily Grace (41 pages)
Torquere Books

18 year old Ryan has been forced by his parents to go on vacation with them to San Diego. He's depressed as he just broke up with his cheating boyfriend. He meets sexy surfer Chris on the beach and his friend tells him it's his chance to have a summer fling and get over his ex. He'll never see Chris again. They spend the day surfing and Chris invites him over for dinner. He kind of let slip that he only wants a fling before heading back to NYU to start school. Things are going well, but Chris says he can't be with Ryan if it's only a fling, he knows he'll want more and there's a little tidbit of info he didn't reveal. This was a cute story about two young guys still testing the dating waters, unsure of what they want or each other. There's no smexin', just some kissing but I quite enjoyed the story as Ryan gets past his battered self-esteem.

Ghost by Sean Michael (63 pages)
Torquere Books

This is from the Velvet Glove world which I've only ever read Braided, but something compelled me to try this. Ghost, one of the subs at the club, passes out during a scene for no apparent reason. Club doctor Trip tries to figure out why and it seems Ghost comes from a line of seers and Ghost is empathic. When others' emotions get too much he shuts down. Trip also seems to be a tiny bit empathic and they can't send Ghost back into the sub population, so Trip takes him on and they are able to connect and allow Ghost to have feelings and work in the clinic with him sensing people's feelings. You don't need to read the other stories to get this one, and I enjoyed it. Not buckets of sex as you'd expect but the connection between Ghost and Trip was interesting.

Happy Friday

Yay, the weekend. I finally got my project approval at work yesterday so that's a load off my mind, got another HUGE task finished, (I hope it doesn't come back with changes) so I can focus on some more interesting work, maybe it will help fight the blahs. No big plans for the weekend. The kidlet is working for her Dad this weekend at a local trade show with has a lot of jewelry and stuff so I'll probably go and check that out, but otherwise no big plans. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Toy Box: Public Places by Heidi Champa, GR Richards, Jay Lygon (45 pages)
Torquere Books

The Touch of Nostalgia by Heidi Champa - An older guy is crushing on the young hot tattooed, pierced bartender. One night he FINALLY gets his chance in the office of the bar. A very steamy little slice of life.

Poke on the Water by G.R. Richards - On a friend's weekend out, Theo is trying to hook up with Afi who seems joined at the hip to his ex Juan. Theo invites himself along on a canoe trip that ends up with some three-way canoodling in a canoe. I didn't really connect with this one much.

Brat by Jay Lygon - Sam of Chaos Magic has been away for nearly a month for work and Hector proposes they go on a camping trip to relax. On the way there Sam gets more and more mouthy until Hector stops at a rest stop to punish him appropriately in front of all the truckers. Just a kinky little interlude with the guys.

What They Say About Love by Alexi Silversmith (57 pages)
Torquere Books

James breaks up with his girlfriend on Valentine's Day (ouch) and decides he can't get that guy out of his head he fooled around with in college so tarts himself up and heads out to a gay bar to get fucked. He knows his straight best friend and business partner would freak as would his mildly homophobic Dad, but he needs to try. When some hottie starts groping him he turns around to find .... Ethan, his BFF and partner. Eeek. Ethan finally confesses he's gay and they decide to "do it". In the morning James freaks when his Mom shows up and gives Ethan the cold shoulder. He then realizes what an ass he was and has to fix it. I quite enjoyed this friends to lovers story. I liked both guys and was hoping they'd figure it out.

Driven to Distraction by Anah Crow & Dianne Fox (95 pages)
Amber Allure

Ben inherited his Grandfather's collection of classic sports cars and when he damages one, calls on his Grandfather's mechanic Jess to fix it. Jess is hot and they are hitting the sheets within hours. However Jess' wife left him with two small children to raise and despite smoking hot sex, Ben tells him no strings figuring that would be easier for Jess. A few misunderstandings rise up, along with perceived racism in Jess' family (Ben is black) and Ben's ex who doesn't take no for an answer, and get in the way for a short while but it's quickly worked out. This was an enjoyable story without much angst and the conflict was solved pretty easily although you could see the hallmarks of male communication techniques. :-)

Charity Sips #1

I've decided to do sort of mini-reviews of these Charity sips with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders. Each one has a theme of doctors or healing in someway. Well, that's the intention. We'll see how it goes. I've only read a few but I'll try and make each Wednesday a sip update, maybe twice a week, we'll see how it goes. I don't want to burn out but many are short so easy quick reads for me. Click on the cover below to get to the site, you can buy them separately or all at once.

Live by the Sword by Lee Benoit (28 pages)
This is a story set in the world of Endicott Rex. It is the story of town vet Thayer and blind scientist who was responsible for creating the dragon dogs David. Two unsure men testing the waters. It also includes a sub-plot of young Bug who is from an abused home and ends up getting help from Thayer and David. For those who liked the Endicott Rex stories it's a nice addition.

Of Sound Mind by Elizabeth Brooks (29 pages)
Jody finds out he has stomach cancer which killed his Grandfather. He's very young and in this world you find your bonded mate and if you die, your mate dies. He's happy that he never found his mate since he saw the pain his Grandmother went through. While he's receiving treatment his mate finds him but he refuses to bond because he won't be responsible for his death. Even after he's declared cured he fears what could happen. I really enjoyed this one. The biological/emotional imperative to bond with your mate vs the fear that if you do, you could be condemning them to an early death worked well for me.

How Did I Lose My Passport and Find My Love by JM Cartwright (32 pages)
Dr. Vandenburg, Van, is a brilliant cardiologist and total airhead professor type. He's in London for a conference and misses the cruise ship to Denmark, then loses his passport somewhere between checking in the security gate at the airport. Much to his chagrin his boss, is arriving in London and he has to meet him and admit what a loser he is. He's in for a bit of a surprise when he finds out why Michael was on his way to London, and that he has big plans for the two of them. This was a cute story of the typical airhead brainiac and a dominant corporate boss.

Going Home by CB Conwy (21 pages)
Colin and Jamie have been dating for 4 years but Colin works for Doctors Without Borders (or similar organization) and heads off to save the world. Jamie's been supportive even though he hates it, he's never said don't go. Last time Colin went he witnessed his colleagues killed and was sent back, now he's going again and Jamie finally tells him how he feels, a bit late since Colin signed the contract. I enjoyed this one as well, the pull of Colin to do good and help people while coping with the trauma he experienced, Jamie wanting not to hold him back but hating it and not speaking up, probably typical guys not communicating. :-) Or typical me. Ooops.

Winston Quirk by Martin Delacroix (30 pages)
Set in 1975, Dane is in a rented house in the Bahamas on a small Cay where strangely there are no black people. One day he sees Winston and he saves him from being beaten that night. He spends the night and they spend the day on his boat. When Winston suggests visiting him in Florida he kind of freaks and Winston accuses him of being racist. Once again he saves Winston, from probably being murdered this time, and they are told to leave the island by the police. Kind of a HFN I guess. I had trouble relating to this one. Perhaps the language that was used, or the writing style, I'm not sure, but it just didn't pull me in that much. Didn't they use lube in the 70's?

House Sitting by M. Durango (30 pages)
Justin is house-sitting for his uncle the summer before grad school and wonders if this is his chance to hook up with his neighbor Ray, a doctor he's been crushing on since he was 16. Ray has a new kitten Molly who keeps escaping and in trying to get her off the shed roof, Justin falls and breaks his ankle. Ray takes him in to care for him and Justin has to convince him that despite a bad break-up, he should give them a chance. It was a nice little story with a bratty kitten that helped Justin finally fulfill his fantasy.

Monday ... blech

I am so not a fan of Mondays. Sigh. It should be Saturday all the time. :-) Or I need to win the lottery. Then I might not mind Monday. I managed to do a bit of reading on the weekend, mostly shorts but reading is reading.

Personal Demons by Jay Lygon (183 pages)
Torquere Books

This is book 3 in the Sam and Hector saga (one, two). Things are going pretty well for them, not perfect and Hector's had a few freak-outs, but Sam is doing well at work and even gets to go to the Venice Film Festival. There he runs into Alberto who is the god of fame. Sam, in his usual obliviousness is a "nice guy" and ends up more famous than he wants which only leads to more jealousy and when Hector humiliates him at a Hollywood party Sam calls the relationship quits. It takes some counseling by Hector's friend Ophir and Hector finally "getting it" for things to change. I wasn't quite as annoyed with Sam this time. He was still pretty naive but not quite so bad and Hector was being an ass. Although how Sam didn't call in some god favours to deal with Alberto is beyond me. It was a satisfying end to the series and I wasn't quite as freaked on Sam's behalf as in some of the others.

Tommy's Blind Date by Anne Booke (29 pages)
Amber Allure

Tommy's been on some loser blind dates and is regaling his friend Jacob with the tales of his last one. Jacob suggests they go on a blind date (acting) and he can tell Tommy what he'd doing wrong. Tommy is in for quite a surprise when the character Jacob plays on their date makes him realize he needs to reassess his friendship and what he wants out of it. There is lots of humour in this story as Tommy tells about his dates and as he deals with this new Jacob he's unfamiliar with, but also a few more serious undercurrents. A cute little read.

Red Hot by Kate Roman (26 pages)
Torquere Books

Zack is getting ready to go to a party with his gay roommate and friend Corey. He recently broke up with his girlfriend, but he's realized that Corey is more his style. However Corey is determined to get his straight friend laid and gives him a new red shirt which he's sure is the ticket. Despite Corey throwing every hot chick at the party his way, Zack's not into it and eventually heads home figuring he'll find Corey with a date, but he's home alone and concerned Zach is upset with him. It's a steamy friends to lovers story that I enjoyed.

Serge's Gift by DC Juris (? pages - html file, no pages)
Torquere Books

Bryan is on his way to see an oncologist to find out if he has cancer. His friend Serge, a vampire, is going with him. Despite both being gay and Bryan being attracted, Serge only dates other vampires. When they find out there isn't much hope for Bryan, Serge decides to turn him into a vampire rather than see him die. The rest of the story is Bryan dealing with death, one way or the other, and Serge revealing his feelings. Huh. Another friends to lovers. Just noticed. It's all done from Bryan's perspective so you only get his view and it's present tense. It always takes me a while to get into that, but once I do it's not bad. I felt for Bryan, facing death, being only 33 and not ready. I enjoyed it once I got into the tense thing. It's amazing how your brain tends to want to read in past tense and you have to break it of the habit.

Weekend Update

So I've actually done some reading. Woohoo, go me! It's supposed to be an okay weekend and I have a few of the usual chores to do, laundry, shopping, blah blah blah. We have no plans though that I know of. Maybe my daughter does. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Painting Stephen by Jayne DeMarco (115 pages)
GLBT Rummage Sale

John is a talented 40 year old painter who is recovering his girlfriend running off with all his money. His agent tells him that while his work is good, it's not commercial. What sells are nudes, male nudes and send him a 23 year old model named Stephen. Stephen is broke and attracted to John but he can't see why since he's so old. Eventually he gives in and things are going well and he's painting amazing stuff. Stephen refuses to speak about his past but it catches up with them when they are out one night and high drama and danger ensues. I liked the idea of it, I'm just not sure I connected with the style of writings. It's very, artistic, for lack of a better phrase. I tend to appreciate more straightforward writing I guess, but I could see John as an artist thinking that way. I thought it was a bit of insta-love but on the whole it was an okay story and if you like very descriptive stories it would probably be of interest.

Taction by J. Rocci (30 pages)
Torquere Press

This is the prequel to Army Green which I didn't realize existed until Jen mentioned it in the other thread. It would have helped to make a bit more sense of Army Green. Evan was badly injured in Iraq and is recovering from having his left leg amputated and hearing loss in one ear and many other scars. He doesn't get along with his father, but his grandparents invite him to stay with them on their horse ranch, recover and help them. He meets Cam who is very hostile to him arriving but Evan's not sure why. Eventually over time they become friendly and Cam eases up. When Cam and his Grandfather tell him about their plans to start a riding therapy enterprise he jumps on board and he and Cam finally get together. It was a very nice story about recovering from a catastrophic injury and growing friendship turning to love.

Like a Prince stories by: Julie Cox, Alexandra Erin, Kiernan Kelly, Monique Poirier, Elizabeth Schechter (68 pages)
GLBT Rummage Sale

This is an anthology of short m/m twists on fairy tales.

Captivated by Julie Cox - This is based on Beauty and the Beast but it was a fresh take in my opinion and probably my favourite. It's almost like I don't want to tell you the story because I want you to read it and I don't want to ruin how it's different. :-) But I'll say there is no transformation of the beast at the end into a beautiful prince so Kris should like that.

Two Balls by Alexandra Erin - This is the Cinderella tale and Cinderella really does have two balls, not only dancing ones. LOL A little cross-dressing fairy tale fun.

Le Petit String Rouge by Kiernan Kelly - This is Little Red Riding Hood and a wolf-shifter (for lack of a better word) takes a male stripper to his hotel room and ... well, lets just say the ending totally threw me off. 0_0 Not what I was expecting.

Goose Boy by Monique Poirier - I vaguely remember the fairy tale The Goose Girl. A young prince, sent to study with scholars in a neighboring kingdom, is bewitched into silence by his servant girl who takes his place. He is then forced to herd geese until he comes to the attention of a high born man. It was well done and I think it followed pretty faithfully from what I remember.

To Market by Elizabeth Schechter - This is based on a poem The Goblin Market, I had to look that up as I'd never heard of it.. A young man can do small spells tries to find the goblin market to cure his best friend who is ill after visiting the market. What you get at the market is a good shot of goblin spunk. Yeah, really. Although he gets his own taste, he befriends the goblin who helps him. It was interesting and the goblin was humanoid but very different.

I enjoyed this collection. I've read other fairy tale spins and this was an enjoyable one. They are all fairly short so quick reads when you want a little fantasy.