Black mood

No, not me so much, the lovelies below. Although I do seem to be getting a sore throat. I hope it doesn't get worse. The new job is going okay. Lots to learn and I'm really liking my supervisor and it's nice that there are two of us kind of struggling to really define what we are supposed to be doing because it's all rather vague some days.

I've been updating my Goodreads books. I found about 25 books I'd missed in 2010. Also added a bunch of reviews. So I'm kind of blahed out and not in the mood to do any reviews today, so instead you get the boys in black. Yum.

Have a great September.

 

 

 

  

 

Pride Parade aka Irene can't get us down

I am finally getting my Pride post up. While we got only the dregs of Irene, it was very cool and windy and cloudy, but no rain. My friend Michelle joined us (Why do I know so many Michelle M.s? What's up with that? She's #3.) and we enjoyed the parade. There weren't very many floats but it was a pretty good size for our city.

The wind-blown crew

We got some swag. We got a free Legalize Gay t-shirt from American apparel, candy, beads, magnets, stickers, a couple of condoms, a band-aid carrier (which my daughter was most thrilled with) and of course lots of propaganda from various sources.

We didn't see any "religious" folks out condemning the crowds, but maybe they were in another part of the parade. Lots of straight couples, families and groups of friends of all persuasions. Although I must say the parade was rather short on hot mostly naked guys (thank the baby jeebus for the university engineering students) and heavy on middle-aged lesbians. Save for that pesky orientation thing, I would have fit right in. LOL

One of the parade participants came over to me and said she liked my t-shirt. We saw quite a few variations on the Fck H8 t-shirts. We didn't go to the festival grounds, but we had a good time seeing everyone out and supporting the community. Hopefully next year the hurricanes will stay away and we'll get some sun for a change.

Enjoy the video.

Sunday Summary ... again

I'm so uncreative with my titles. I've slowed down a bit on the reading, but not too bad. They were saying no rain for us from Irene, now they are saying 40% chance tomorrow at 4:00. I just hope it holds off as our Pride parade is tomorrow at 1:00 and there is nothing more pitiful than a soggy parade. The kid and I are meeting a friend downtown to see how it is this year. Hopefully I'll get a post up Monday or so.

Hope everyone in the main hurricane path stays safe and dry.

 After the Sunset by Mary Calmes (168 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

This is a follow-up book to Timing. Stefan and Rand have been living together for a couple of years and Stefan has FINALLY committed fully to their relationship by taking a job at a local college and giving up his apartment in the city making Rand happy. However after a bit of a run-in with Rand's family on his dad father's side, it's up to Stefan to attend a local rodeo while Rand is out of town or lose some of their land Rand's uncle has been trying to get from him. These stories have a bit of a soap opera quality to them which is part of the fun. Stefan wasn't quite so perfect in this one, however at the rodeo he does manage to charm most everyone around him and of course their business is thriving and they are basically rich. The conflict with Rand's family was worthy of any good afternoon soap, but it was still a fun read. When Stefan found out he HAD to participate in one of the rodeo events and the only one left was saddle bronc, his city-boy thought process before and during his ride had me chuckling out loud. Having just attended a rodeo this summer it struck me as quite amusing. The smexin' is hot and if you can just go with the fun slightly OTT aspect of this it's a fun read.

Sometimes It's Fate by Angela S. Stone (390 pages)
Phaze

Chris recommended this one. It's two mounties in New Brunswick. David is 34, divorced with three small children and best friends with his partner Jason. One day he inadvertently finds out Jason is gay. Jason has hidden it for obvious reasons. Suddenly David clues in to his attraction to Jason and they start an affair. Things are going well until Jason's fuck-buddy shows up HIV positive and he and Jason didn't use condoms. However this was not the kind of drama where David freaks out, he's there for Jason 100%, doesn't care and gradually they start to come out to people, although it seems everyone already knew they were together or should have been, including David's ex. So while she had issues, him being with Jason wasn't one of them. So there were some nice twists, no evil homophobic ex, not gay bashings, but there were also stories that showed it wasn't gaytopia in general. I quite enjoyed the fact that they were best friends and how they interacted and were there for each other 100%. The sex was hot and sometimes funny as Jason initiated David into gay sex, although both men appeared to be well over averagely endowed. *slight eyeroll* LOL Still, I quite enjoyed it. There is one thing that Jason volunteers for at work that I can see being a major hurdle for them as a couple, but nothing was mentioned of it, so I'm wondering if there is meant to be a sequel, since if I was living with someone and they volunteered for that without even discussing it I'd be pissed.

Out of Focus by LA Witt (227 pages)
Samhain

Dante and Ryan (Angel) are photographers who work together and are lovers. However they are both doms so from time to time they take on a sub to meet their needs. They see Jordan, the brother of the bride at a wedding they are working at and are both attracted. When Jordan asks them to shoot his horses they feel him out and eventually make a move. The think is Jordan has been interested in BDSM for a couple of years but has never tried it and he still lives with his ex-BF which is rather awkward. However he's wanted to try and they give it a whirl.  No strings, just fun, which soon turns into everyone feeling awkward when they realize they love each other. Then comes the ugly part where they figure out what to do. Jordan feels like he'll always be expendable because the guys have been together for 12 years and Angel feels that Jordan can give Dante something he can't as he never bottoms and basically it's a bit ugly mess of feelings. Which I appreciated. Too often triads seem to just happen and everyone falls in love and no one worries they'll be left aside or what could happen down the road. I appreciated the insecurities which I think are far more realistic. It's kinky hot and I really liked all three guys, I will say for some reason I had trouble distinguishing between Dante and Angel when it was there POV. Maybe because they were both similar guys, workaholic photographer older well-traveled doms, that they were often doing the same things while "talking". I sometimes had to double check who was speaking because I would get confused. No clue why because physically they were different but their head-space seemed similar, whereas Jordan was very different. I enjoyed it greatly though and for fans of m/m/m I think it's an excellent example.

Friend's New Blog

My friend Talita has started her first ever blog and I thought I would give her a bit of a shout-out here. She lives in New Jersey (but is way more gorgeous and "normal" than anyone on Jersey Shore - thank god), I've never met her, but we met through her younger brother Enrico who I have met a couple of times.

Her new blogs is going to be all about her wedding to fiance Ray which is coming up next year, pictures and stories about her babies (aren't they cute?) and her challenge to finish nursing school while working and planning and all that other stuff us girls do.

So stop by and check it out and maybe you'll get to give your advice on how we can keep her from turning into Bridezilla and making the rest of the family craaaaazy. :-) Just click on her banner above to go to her site.

I need your votes ... again.

So back on my birthday I whipped Paul Deen's buttery butt and won my round of Fight Club. Well, we're into the next bracket of the competition and I'm again. Only this time it's a three-way and definitely, not in a fun kinky way. I am up against my own kid and our friend John. So I need y'all to pop by and vote for ... someone. LOL There are no limits on how often you can vote, although I did discover that after about 50 votes Poll Daddy makes you take a time out and rest your clicker finger. Just click on the logo above and it will take you to the post with the voting thingamajig. Voting is open for 24 hours, till midnight Thursday, winner announced Sunday. So vote for any of us, we're all worthy.

Snow Day!

 

No, even in Canada it doesn't snow in August. I'm NOT ready for real snow. Ugh. However, now that KZ Snow has a spanking new website, I realized how far behind I was on my Snowy reading, so I caught myself up. :-) Now we can have a Snow day review. Wheee.

Visible Friend by KZ Snow (160 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Chris is addicted to heroin and finally knows he has to get off and goes into rehab. On his last night, Denny appears in his room and he freaks. Then Denny shows up in his apartment. He's sure he's having hallucinations, although little things Denny says start to add up, and it seems Denny was his imaginary friend as a child (perhaps not so imaginary) and has been looking out for him his whole life and growing along with Chris. Can Chris accept Denny is really a person? Is it too freaky? I've never been addicted to drugs or even really known anyone who was, so I could be wrong but I thought the siren's call of escape and drugs was really well done. Chris still wanted them, even though he knew in his head it was bad, his body was another matter. I also enjoyed seeing Denny's perspective. He was as confused at times as Chris, his desire for Chris and his love for him seemed to be out of place for his role as guardian angel and what did that mean? So there were lots of levels, some light positive stuff, some more reflective and some not so pleasant, but it sucked me in and I wanted to know how it all worked out. The epilogue (which is really a prologue I suppose), I found particularly touching.

It made me think though, if guardian angels exist, and you don't believe in angels (not saying Denny was an angel per se, he didn't even seem to know), do you still get one? I never had an imaginary friend. Maybe I don't have one. Maybe I don't need one. :-)

Abercrombie Zombie by KZ Snow (130 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Quinn and Hunter are psychic mediums. Quinn is in love with Hunter but beyond one little incident in a car, Hunter appears to be straight and was even engaged to a woman for awhile. They are approached by odd, but well dressed Dustin, who asks to work with them, in return for a favour. Okay, Dustin is a zombie and he can't seem to find his ex who turned him and needs the guys help. And maybe he can help them along the way. This is a very cute story with some creepy paranormal stuff. I liked the descriptions of their paranormal work and how it affected them emotionally to be connected to someone who was murdered or dead. Their ghost hunting in the old asylum was suitably creepy and yet had an edge of humour to it. I really felt for Quinn. He was going to have to decide if he could continue to work with his best friend, considering he was in love with him and it was just getting worse. You only get Quinn's perspective, so you don't really know what Hunter is thinking or even Dustin much, but I liked Quinn so much I was okay with that. It was neat to get a quick glance at Jackson Spey. A lighter look at zombies, no brain munching involved. I really enjoyed this.

Mongrel by KZ Snow (202 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Well, this is quite different and had me racing to the end and probably a look of horror on my face at time. I fear for KZ's mind at times. She comes up with some creepy weird stuff. 'Tis good. :-) Fanule, Fan, is a mongrel, which is part human part something, and they live in the equivalent of a ghetto. He has been elected their de facto leader and he knows something hinky is going on. Mongrels are disappearing and he feels it's got something to do with the mechanical circus. He goes there and engages Will, who sells patent medicine, to try and find information. He doesn't get much, however later in a bar he runs into Will and they spend the night together. Will is smitten (they both are) and eventually along with Will's ex-lover, a bounty hunter, and Fan's ex, a vampire, they work to find out what's going on. There is so much here it's hard to describe, but it was never too much. This is steam punk and I'm pretty illiterate in the steam punk world, but there was enough to give me an understanding without overwhelming me with details about how every little machine worked. I appreciated that. And wow, the bad guys were freaking creepy and it was rather disturbing what they were doing and planning to do and I was on the edge of my seat for the big show-down. I loved Will and Fan and how they were both sort of stunned by finding someone to love. It was also nice not to see a "perfect" hero as Fan suffers from bi-polar disorder. I'd love to tell all about the supporting characters and how some parts made my heart break a little, and it seems like "All that in 200 pages? Too much no?" But it wasn't. It all fit perfectly. Can't believe took me so long to read it.

So I think I'm caught up now. :-) So you've got your choice here. Something dealing with a serious issue like drug abuse, a lighter look at zombies and magick, or a more dark and sinister steam punk mystery. Something for every mood.

Sunday Summary

Kind of a lazy weekend. Didn't even leave my house yesterday. Today we did a few errands and I really must continue with that laundry I started in the basement. Lordy I hate laundry. It's been rather gray and rainy today so a nice day to be a bit lazy.

So I went through my manic reading phase for about 2 weeks there I whirled through books like no tomorrow, now I'm in a bit of a depressive state again. I've been diddling around writing a bit, reading a bit, surfing. So I read these a week or more ago. Finally getting to posting.

Cherries on Top by Rowan McAllister (66 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Craig is the straight bartender at a gay bar. After his awful relationship ends, he decides he wants to try gay sex. He's attracted to Doug, one of his customers whom he knows is moving to Chicago soon, so figures a one time will be no big deal, and Doug has a different guy all the time anyway. Doug is a bit taken aback by the proposal, but decides it can't hurt, everyone's adults right? Craig isn't so sure but has accepted it, however Doug comes back for more. Which is kind of annoying Doug too. He doesn't date, so why is he doing this. Before long they have exchanged e-mails and Doug is making a surprise trip back to Detroit to visit Craig for the weekend. This is just a cute story of a guy with ugly bedding (kind of funny) and someone who is not interested in a relationship (noooooo, not him) who manage to have one despite themselves. Sweet and not too angsty.

 Personal Training by Andrew Gray (112 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Holton is 42 and decides he needs to lose some weight so joins a gym. He's enamoured with manager Marcus but nothing happens and Holton works very hard to drop a few pounds and change his life. Suddenly Marcus notices him and makes a move, however Holton seems very shy and skittish, not just about Marcus but men in general. Marcus introduces him to some of the other guys (from the other books) hoping he'll ease up. Eventually Holton reveals that he was abducted and raped 20 years ago and he's never been with anyone since. Some discussion about taking what you want and before long he and Holton are getting it on. These books are pretty standard but I do enjoy them. I liked that Marcus admitted that he wouldn't have looked at Holton when he was heavier (not that much, 30 pounds or so), but I couldn't fault him. I think if in a room of total strangers, you are likely going to be attracted to the one that most resembles your idea, as personality doesn't manifest itself in looks. I did wonder though if Holton shouldn't have been in some therapy considering he'd never dealt with the attack. I'm not sure just pulling up your socks and the love of a good man can do the trick. Maybe. Everyone is different I suppose.

Guava Red: Almost Paradise by TC Blue (175 pages)
Torquere Press

Bastian is taking a year off before university, however his plans have changed. When his family found out he was gay they decided to send him to Hawaii to work with the family business, learning the fruit business from the ground up and hoping his cousin (who turned straight) will influence him. However he knows he's gay and eventually meets Chance at a party and they start dating. He wants to have sex but Chance doesn't want to be the first, however he finally gives in and when they forget to use a condom, Bastian freaks, then leaves the islands the next day when his father falls ill without getting Chance's details. Many years later, Sebastian (he uses that now) is trying to expand the family business in the east and is attending a dinner with someone who could be an investor. (Riley's uncle and they are celebrating Riley's birthday) at a fancy hotel in Rhode Island. Where it so happens Chance is the chef. He kind of freaks but they get together and things are great. However Bastian lives in Boston. There is some conflict with the long distance and Bastian being ready to REALLY be committed. Chance had a nice female friend, who wasn't too annoying although she was all upset because he was going to move. I've never had a friend I cared about enough to be upset that they would choose love over me. To me that's weird. But maybe I just don't have any close friends who live where I do. Still a cute story and you get to see Riley and Kelly. I'm still not liking the uncle's BF, TC is going to have to sell me on that one if it comes up.

Thursday Three

Ugh. Damn stupid computer. My apologies to those who saw the partial post yesterday. LOL

Also known as a Lost Shifter binge. I was a bit behind on these so I went on a binge and read them all in one fell swoop.

Shane's Fury by Stephani Hecht (111 pages)
eXtasy Books

I put off reading this for a long time because I knew it would be difficult. It is part 2 of the last book, where Trevor, psycho leopard Shane's mate was kidnapped by the cobra bad guy. Shane's going insane trying to find him. This however combines a couple of other stories, or beginnings of such. Riley is an eagle shifter, probably the only one in the world, and he is afraid of heights and is under hawk Colin's tutelage. It seems all Colin does is yell at him and tell him how shitty he is. When Riley finally makes a move, Colin tells him no, but is then stunned when Riley has sex with hawk twins. (I know some people had issues with this, but I was fine and it all makes sense nest book.) As well, when on the search when Trevor they find Dalton a young captive who was near Trevor before he was sold to some other snakes and thinks the sun rises and sets on Shane because of Trevor's stories. Dalton ends up kind of like their foster son. I love Shane. I know he's a psycho assassin, but he's adorable. LOL I loved how everyone was so confused by Dalton's hero worship and it still kind of annoys me that they are happy to have Shane kill someone for them, but don't want to be around him much. However he and Trevor are cute as a bug in a rug.

Riley's Regret by Stephani Hecht (111 pages)
eXtasy Books

Riley's life is rough. Since his little escapade with the twins he's being picked on by some of the hawks, Colin is meaner than ever and he's practically a captive because he would be so valuable to the slavers. He tries escaping and you know something happened to him before that his friends helped him through but you don't know much. After another run in with nasty hawks, you find out the truth about Riley. He's a cutter. He uses it to escape the pain and goes a bit too far. Luckily when Colin goes to get him, he finds him in the nick of time and saves him and finally realizes he loves him. He overhears the friends talking about what has been happening with Riley, both currently and before, and they finally tell him about Riley. It seems Riley is a bi-polar cutter which is odd because traditionally shifters don't suffer mental illness, except for eagles. They get him some help but it's a bit nasty at times. My heart broke a little for Riley and I may have sniffled. I thought Stephani did a good job of bringing up some issues that aren't touched on much in romance (m/m or any other version). I was also glad Riley's friends stood up for him when no one else would. I really enjoyed this one.

Ranger's Folly by Stephani Hecht (122 pages)
eXtasy Books

Ranger has noticed someone following Riley. When he finally confronts the stalker, he discovers it's another eagle. The twin they suspected surprised the murder of their family by their mother. However Xavier freaks and tasers Ranger and escapes. Xavier was raised by ravens who lived in isolation, largely because their daughter has mental disabilities and the ravens ordered her killed. So Xavier considers Dulla and her brother Chance are his siblings as they were raised together. Xavier falls ill from using a special spray which hides your scent, however Ranger manages to track them down just in time. Every agrees that the ravens are not dangerous, and they allow them to come to the compound. Ranger knows that Xavier is his mate and helps him recover. It was pretty typical, although dealing with the handicap of their sister was nice and also to see that not all ravens are evil icky things. I did find though that considering Xavier was raised in total isolation he didn't seem quite as naive about the world as I expected. It opened up some possible other couplings.

I really think the author should make up the equivalent of a family tree for all these people. I sometimes forget who was whose brother/roommate/friend. If I was more enthusiastic I'd do it myself. LOL I find it hard to remember who was in book 3 when I'm on book 12.

Are you getting harsher?

Well, not counting Kris of course, because we know that's true. :-P But I noticed in general that I seem to give out fewer 5 stars over at Goodreads and not many A's at Brief Encounters Reviews. So I'm not sure it's that there aren't as many books out there blowing my socks off, or if I'm just getting harsher as I read more and more m/m.

This is me when I first discovered m/m.

Wheeee!

When I first discovered the genre I LURVED everything, well, almost. There was some right off the bat that didn't work for me and I continue to avoid, but in general it was all new and shiny and interesting and I loved it all.

This is me now?

That's not really fair, it's not that I'm "meh" about it all, I still keep reading and have been on a total binge the last week or so. It certainly hasn't stopped me spending my money on it and I'm enjoying it, I'm just not twirling with glee most of the time.

So is this a bad thing? Or am I only refining my taste? Or do I just think I'm not finding GREAT books. I only marked 14 books in 2010 a 5 star reads. That's slightly more than one per month. Really? But I must have read 400+, so am I just imagining that I'm not reading as many? Maybe. Or maybe I'm just more discerning. I really wish GR had a half star (I know, I know, whine whine), but for me 5 stars is WOOOOOWWWWWWW! Many I like a lot, more than a lot but I'm not sure it's a WOOOOOOOWWWWWW, so I give it 4 and may say 4.5. Eh. Maybe I should be marking up? I don't know. Sigh. 

So do you find yourself less forgiving than you were when you first discovered m/m (or started noting your ratings)? Or are you as generous as ever and have lots of 5 star reads? I'm always a bit surprised when people have 400+ books and a rating average of over 4.5. Really? Wow. :-)

Reading Reading Reading

So we made it home from Chicago safe and sound. Pretty uneventful. It's kind of nice to have a couple of days to get it together before I start my new position. Spent a small fortune on groceries today as my fridge was empty, otherwise just kind of hanging out and getting psyched up for the end of vacation. I read quite a bit the last couple of days.

Used, Rare and Limited Editions by Chris Owen (116 pages)
Torquere Press

This is a compilation of several stories that were under the Chaser banner. Dave is sent by his boss/lover to do some bookshelves for an old friend. The friend assumes Dave is a submissive and in the lifestyle, however quickly apologises, as Des has his own sub, Wyatt. Both couples have an open relationship and before long it's decided that Des and Dave can get together and eventually Wyatt and Archie, which allows Archie to indulge in his bondage kink as Dave is pretty much vanilla, save for the whole partner swapping thing. It was interesting to see how it all came together and I thing there is another set of books that follow. I never really got a handle on Wyatt and Des and what their relationship was like. However if you don't mind books with open relationships (the only on-page sex is between the four characters, although reference is made to Dave and Archie having other partners and they are very open about it), it's a good read and I'll definitely check out the follow-up to see how they work the 4-way thing.

Paper Planes by M. Jules Aedin (145 pages)
Loose Id

Photographer Stuart spends much of his time speaking at GLBT events, about his lover who died during a plane hijacking. It's been nearly a year but while landing in Dallas, the captain of the flight, flirts with him. By chance Dustin is also at the rally and offers to get him to the airport, however they get talking and he misses his flight so stays with Dustin. He's not ready for a relationship but starts thinking about Dustin more and more and finally after much mulling and talking with his therapist gets in touch. They eventually start a long-distance relationship. This is just a nice story about two guys who have both suffered losses (Dustin's lover died of AIDS) who are getting to know each other and watching Stuart move on from his grief over the death of his partner. It was a bit sad and some funny and sweet and sexy. Interestingly, Dustin is 48, half-Korean and an amputee having lost his leg in a car accident. It was nice to see it treated as "normal" and not made a big deal. Also the reality of Dustin being 48 and not able to have 15 orgasms in a night was smoothly slipped in without making something of it. I was kind of sad when the story ended, not because I didn't want them to get their HEA and I did want them to move in together, but just because I was enjoying them so much I kind of hoped it would be longer. A perfect read when you're not looking for an angst fest or just a sex-filled read.

A Change of Pace by JM Cartwright (190 pages)
Torquere Press

I've kind of taken of taken a liking to these "Changes" books. In this case, Drew is forced to leave his job as the assistant to the mayor of Chicago (his Dad) and takes the fall for a political scandal. He's annoyed that he has to move to Asheville (fool, I totally fell in love with Asheville and would move there in a minute), and is rather surly about the whole thing. He meets Ridge, one of the co-owners of the inn he's staying at and is instantly attracted. They can't seem to keep their hands off each other, although Drew can be a total ass when he wants to be but Ridge doesn't take it to heart and deals with it in a straight-forward manner. Drew was adopted by his parents when he was 14 and has commitment issues, however Ridge doesn't let him run. Each chapter starts with some quirky little saying by one of the guys and I quite liked it. I really liked Ridge, who was a bit younger and less experienced, but he wasn't afraid to see where it would go, despite his sister's overbearing attitude. On the whole there is not a lot of angst, besides Drew being a jerk on occasion and the attraction and sex between the men is hot and sexy. A nice read when you're in the mood for something light and enjoyable.