Long, longer, longest

Really, get your minds out of the gutter. I meant the length of the books. Sheesh. Dirty dirty minds. :-D

It's a gorgeous weekend here weather-wise. I'm off to Halifax for business Monday so have to get some laundry done up and all those chores and tasks completed before I leave. Tomorrow. I'm sure tomorrow I'll have time.

Twice in a Lifetime by Shawn Lane (113 pages)
Amber Quill Press

Florist Jude still suffers periodic nightmares of the murder of his lover five years ago. One day at the diner he sees a gorgeous cowboy come in. Rex is the new vet in town and is indeed from Texas. When Jude's cat decides to have a go at the neighbor's chihuahua, he has his reason to meet the vet, who asks him out. Jude is not looking for a relationship but they start dating and things are going really well until Rex wants him to meet his family which freaks Jude out. After his dead lover's family treated him cruelly when he was murdered and his own family is less than accepting, he's not too keen on the idea of having to deal with that again. It is a very sweet story and Jude is fun and flamboyant and Rex loves him that way. He doesn't try to change him, doesn't try to push him into therapy for dealing with the murder, just supports him. It a very enjoyable story with some steamy semxin' as Rex and Jude definitely have chemistry.

Squire by Jet Mykles (158 pages)
Loose Id

After Rabin filled in for Brent on the Heaven Sent tour his own band fell apart when their label dropped them. He's now got the chance to work with Brent and moves to Chicago and in with Brent and Hell for a month until he gets settled. Brent's cousin Izzy is also staying with him and he's a total flirt, but that's fine because Rabin is straight. Right? His last weekend at the house he and Izzy hook up but Izzy says it's no big deal, let's keep it a secret because you're straight. Right? Things are not going well with the music and he and Izzy continue to see each other but Izzy insists it be secret. When Rabin's band have the chance to fulfil their old contract it means leaving Izzy and heading to LA. Rabin's not happy, but he's straight so no big deal. Right? Things are awful in LA and when he almost hooks up with another gay singer he realizes he loves Izzy, he hates the direction the band is going and after a blow-up with his band mates heads back to Chicago. This is typical Jet Mykles in the vein of Heaven Sent and if you loved that series I think you'll love this one. Izzy is cute and flirty and fun and it was nice to Rabin figure out that he did love him and it wasn't just an experiment. I stayed up until after 2:00 last night to finish so that says something. :-)

Fun with Dick and Shane by Gillibran Brown (225 pages)

Gillibran is the houseboy and submissive to Dick and Shane, an established couple. Shane is the oldest and the head of the house, Dick is his sub and Gilli is both their subs. Shane is the harsh one, Dick is the one who sooths Gilli when he gets his ass tanned which happens on a fairly regular basis. He's stubborn and lippy and immature and he knows it. He just can't keep his mouth shut and while he agreed to do what they tell him, he just can't resist pushing. This is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. Gillibran is hilarious. His mind is always in over-drive. He also gets stuck in his head, dwelling on stuff, and then spiraling down which sometimes triggers his insolence. There's not a lot of sex in the book, not described, just talked about in passing, there is a lot of spanking and not in a fun way, it's punishment, and while it's D/s it's not BDSM. This is written in diary form from Sept. - Dec. so everyday or every few days he writes and entry and sometimes larger "stories" about big events. I will definitely be checking out the sequel and if you want a good laugh, this is great. There are some emotional moments, but for me the humour stood out. I'd say this is one of my fave books I've read in a while. I have to quote this part about the snail because I laughed out loud.

I hate fucking snails, not that I ever have, fucked one I mean, as with mangoes and fruit I’m just not into humping animals and stuff. I don’t know anyone who is, not personally, though Dick did once express an interest in pony play. I told him he could ride me anytime, but not after sticking a saddle and bridle on me. This houseboy does not wear stirrups or crawl round the floor with a horsetail butt plug protruding from his arse, while someone chivvies him along with a riding crop. Fuck that for a game of gee-gees. To compensate a bit for shattering his kinky pony fantasy I whinnied enthusiastically during sex, which was a mistake really, because it put him off his stroke and he couldn’t do anything for laughing. Shane was a bit taken aback as well and smartly cuffed Dick up the back of the head for encouraging my horseplay. Dick said he wouldn’t have minded so much if he had actually encouraged me to horseplay. Getting back to escargot. Like I said, I’ve never sexually molested a gastropod. I wouldn’t know where to start really. If rumours are true a snail’s sex organs are located on the back of its head, how about that eh? It gives a whole new meaning to having your brains fucked out, no wonder their eyes are out on stalks.

Oh, I got this at the GLBT Bookshelf Rummage Sale for only $3 (50% off), so pop on over and support the site and get some books for a good price. You can't afford NOT to do some shopping.

Thursday - What a long week for a short week

Monday was a holiday which should in theory make the week pass quickly but ... Not so it seems. Ugh. Long week and not a great one. Well, on the upside I got approval for my vacation in October so Yaoi-Con and blogger mayhem in San Francisco is a go; the apartment is paid for, we're good to go. Hopefully get tickets tomorrow.

On the downside. I got to my car after work yesterday and it had a flat flat tire. Ugh. There was a screw sticking out of it. I drive through a couple of construction zones in the morning so I presume that's where I picked it up. So that meant phoning a tow truck because I'm a girl and I don't know HOW to change a tire (I watched closely so do now LOL) and paying him money, then finding out that evening that they couldn't repair it and I couldn't get new ones then so having to go back this morning and buy TWO new tires since they couldn't really have just one new on the front. Grrrr. Oh well. What can you do? When I told the guy my tire was flat and I needed a new one he goes "Do you want us to install it?" Umm. No, I'll just take it in a bag to go. Do I LOOK like a mechanic? I don't think so. Put the damn things on. LOL Luckily cutie Ryan helped out which made the monetary outlay only slightly less painful. I would have needed significantly more personal attention from him to make it pain-free. ;-)

So anyway, whine whine whine, bitch bitch bitch. We won't even get started on the job stuff. :-)

Love Runes by Jay Lygon (162 pages)
Torquere Books

This is the continuation of Chaos Magic. Things have settle down a bit for Sam and Hector. Hector is going to therapy, Sam is trying to be good but they still have their moments. Hector buys Sam a motorcycle which causes some issues, as Sam's impulse control is pretty much non-existent. Eventually Hector finds out why Sam looks so young which involves giving away his power. He is needless to say, not impressed and after a blow-up Sam leaves and is convinced by his ex that maybe Hector is done with him. At the Beltane celebration it all comes to a head when Hector shows up and they find out the ex is not quite as reformed as you think leading to a show-down. Sam made me crazy. He was honest to god like a three year old. He just followed people blindly, you'd think he hadn't a brain in his head. LOL I felt for Hector, really I did. This one has some ouchy parts, yeah, hey Sam likes it ouchy. Not really my thing but it fits with who they are. I had to take a break through for some sugar after, but I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress in book 3.

Bewitched by Bella's Brother by Amy Lane (185 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Sebastian and Bella are best friends and are heading up to Spokane to go to university ... again. It will be Sebastian's second Ph.D. They are spending the summer with Bella's recently divorced older brother and his young son. Sebastian is immediately attracted to Asa and Asa returns the feelings and is very open about wanting more, but Sebastian has baggage and is determined to keep it superficial and go to school and not deal with grown-up issues despite how he feels and his connection with Bella's family. Okay, this was my sugar after the previous book. I chuckled out loud several times. Sebastian has a mouth that just won't quit and there is lots of very humorous interactions between Bella and Sebastian and Sebastian and ... well, most anyone. There is a bit of angst as the reason Asa has custody of his son and why Bella and Asa have a strained relationship, but on the whole, besides wanting to slap Sebastian upside the head toward the end, its a fun read when you are looking for something that leaves you feeling good.

Master Preston's Bright Bottom by Lee Benoit (35 pages)
Torquere Books

I have read a few stories in different TQ anthologies about Dom Preston and his boy Paulo. While the master/boy thing is not usually my thing, I really have enjoyed these two. This is the story of how older retired Dom Preston and Paulo finally hook up. Paulo is desperate, but Preston's not looking for a newbie, however Paulo offers to do odd jobs and yard work for Preston when he hears he's busy and basically insinuates himself into his life until Preston relents. Apparently Preston and Paulo had a scene earlier at a club which got Paulo hooked on him, but that must have been in another book. I've only read scenes after they were together. I do enjoy visiting regulars in different anthologies but it can be a bit frustrating when you come at it from different angles, sometimes a story from 2 years into a relationship, followed by when they met, then forward in time, then back. Ack! It's a bit confusing. But I do like this particular couple.

Logan's Project by Chris Owen (17 pages)
Torquere Books

This was previously published in Bend Over Big Boy. Logan is renovating a warehouse into apartments. One night later he goes to check out progress and runs into a demolition guy he refers to as Mr. Big. He's very attracted but Mr. Big basically avoids him. However being only two of them he can't very well avoid him and he agrees to go upstairs. Logan and his penis, which would set off the metal detector at the airport, come on to Mr. Big and hot smexin' occurs as Logan is definitely a top. It's just a little smexy interlude on a construction site and if you like it gritty and grubby it's the story for you.

I seem to be back in the reading saddle

Didn't do much all weekend. The kid spent most of it at her barn doing ... horsey stuff. I spend most of it doing laundry and reading. Not bad all around. the weather was wet and cold so I didn't feel guilty about spending the long weekend indoors.

Hardass City by Kiernan Kelly (109 pages)
Torquere Books

Brad is a top gamer in the game Hardass City. One night he's approached in the game by the only gamer better than him who wants to talk to Brad about some strange game developments. Jeff actually came up with the game concept and was cut out by his partners who cheated him out of his share. Now he suspects something hinky is happening because the guys want to sell the game and are cheating the players out of money they owe them so Brad and Jeff work together to bring down the bad guys. It's very different in that there will be a chapter of Brad and Jeff as their alter egos Dare and Spike working the game to keep the players "alive" and then Brad and Jeff out in the real world trying to get the evidence to make Jeff's case. I'm not a gamer (I don't have the eye-hand coordination to even play Pac Man) so I don't really get being THAT into a game, so that part was kind of a "huh?" to me. When Jeff and Brad finally get together, it was very steamy though. It was interesting though to have the virtual and real world aspects in one book.

Touch Me Gently by J.R. Loveless (195 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Kaden was badly abused as a youngster and has PTSD and basically freaks when around large men and loses his job again when he has yet another panic attack. His employment counsellor on a whim tells him his cousin in Montana needs a cook on his ranch, so Kaden takes the job leaving New York behind. He's not sure it was a great idea as Logan the owner is a big guy and there are tons of big cowboys around including one that decides he wants to get up close and personal which sends him into a tailspin which means cutting. Although Logan is straight, he and his sister Shea work on earning Kaden's trust and of course Logan is attracted. There is lots of angst as Kaden has panic attacks and struggles against cutting and I am a sucker for the abused kid finds love in a gentle man story. My only niggles were after Logan decides he's gay he takes to blow jobs and buttsecks like a pro and Kaden is often referred to as "the teen" which kind of threw me off since he's 19, I know he's technically a teen but I kept thinking 15 (probably because I have a "teen") and although Logan was only 28, it still bugged me a bit. I prefer just names to the kid, teen, younger man, etc.

Army Green by J. Rocci (125 pages)
Torquere Books

Cam and his veteran lover Evan run a riding therapy/lessons farm. Evan lost his left leg and hearing in one ear but has recovered. After talking with his old commander, Evan agrees to bring Reo, a wild child from his unit who saved his life when an IED got him. Cam and Evan develop some strain in their relationship when Reo starts stirring things up and Evan makes excuses for him. There is also an underlying story of Reo and Derrick, a young man who is leaving for college in a few months and their unspoken attraction. There isn't much story or conflict really, just the of a story of an established couple coping with everyday stresses. I'm wondering if there will be an additional book with Derrick and Reo because it was hinted at but nothing really came of it. It was humorous to see city-boy Reo deal with horses.

Happy Labour Day

This is supposed to be the last long weekend of summer for those of us in the US and Canada, but seems it's more like the first long weekend of fall. We've gone from temps in the 90/100's to 50's and 60's. Quite a shock, but it definitely seems like back-to-school.

No big plans this weekend. Saturday I picked the kidlet up from camp at her horse show. Wet, cold, windy, not very pleasant but she got two second place and one sixth so she was happy. Yesterday she had a riding lesson and today she is at the barn all day doing ... I have no clue. Braiding manes or something. LOL So I'm home doing the ton of wet gross laundry that came home from camp. I get to have all the fun. :-) Hope everyone who has the day off enjoys their day.

Trinity Trespass by Val Kovalin (145 pages)
Loose Id

Parnell and Navarro have been tasked to head into New Mexico and fetch a demon-angel hybrid and stop the "crime boss" who is after the hybrid. This is a very complex story which I'll try to summarize but I know I'll fail greatly. Parnell and Navarro are demons who are trying to police the angels who are the bad guys, think drug mafia in Mexico. New Mexico is a "holy site", if you will, for demons and it has a force field around it. When Navarro and Parnell cross they are no longer connected to the collective and can't feel each other's thoughts. There is also the whole other plot of Navarro wanting a real relationship with Parnell and Parnell being paranoid about giving up something (although he's not really sure what). So in parallel with finding the hybrid and stopping the bad guy there is a relationship power-play. I wanted to smack Parnell more than once. He was so freaking paranoid about everything he never shared information that practically got them all killed. His complete lack of trust made me a bit crazy. I have to say the scene with the two men and Sanchez, the hybrid, was HOT! For those who only like the two love interests together, you won't find that here, but I'm really hoping that Val has a sequel up her sleeve because I definitely want to know what happens to the three now. If you like complex worlds with political intrigue and black and white being more shades of gray, I think you'll love this one. Oh yeah, and hot smexin'. :-)

Talker by Amy Lane (91 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Tattooed pierced Tate and Brian meet when they are both on the track team at university. They are both outsiders and strike up a friendship. When Brian loses his scholarship due to injury, they move in together and live in poverty and friendship. It follows their friendship over a couple of years when some incidents with Tate, who is desperate to find love, gets hurt, both emotionally and physically. Finally, with the help of his girlfriend, Brian figures out he's gay and in love with Tate. However even when he tells Tate, he doesn't HEAR him. Finally Brian seeks the help of his Aunt to SHOW Tate that he loves him and is gay. My heart broke for Tate who had been badly burned as an infant and hence the tattoos to cover the scars and his scarred heart. Brian was sometimes totally oblivious and had no clue about social cues, but their friendship was touching and I have to admit I may have sniffled just a tiny bit. It's a sweet story.

Iced by Diane Adams (18 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Taylor gets home in a heatwave and is dying with no a/c yet in the apartment. He strips off and is TRYING to get some coolness from the fan when Adam, his casual hook-up calls and wants to come over. Taylor is too hot but Adam shows up and they have some fun using ice and a cool wet tile floor in the kitchen. I really sensed the heat and how Taylor just felt like a giant unmoving slug who didn't want anyone to touch him. BTDT I should have read this a week ago when we were sweating, not on the weekend under a blanket. This was just a short interlude but there was a lot of reference made to Taylor's past relationships with his roommate and another guy and a lot of mention of the fact that he and Adam had dated before but Adam didn't want a relationship and now neither did he so it worked. I kept waiting for some kind of relationship development but .... Unless there is to be more stories for these guys, I'm not sure. It's hot and steamy (literally) but I didn't quite know why it mattered about Taylor's past relationships.

Saturday Shorts

So I've read a few shorts but haven't seemed able to focus lately on anything long. I'll get back in the groove I'm sure, I seem to be in a slump. Ugh.

Cross the Mountain by PD Singer (27 pages)
Torquere Books

This is a short follow-up to Fall Down the Mountain. Allan is completely healed from his injuries and he and Mark have been spending more time together. Mark has convinced him to try cross country skiing. Allan is not thrilled with the idea but goes along with it. He finds it harder than he expected and when he gets back to the apartment later he can barely move. This results in a great massage and ... Well, you know. :-) It was cute to get Allan's perspective and see how Mark had eased up on the mother-henning.

Making it Even by Dallas Coleman (20 pages)
Torquere Books

Ben and Joe run a B&B and own a restaurant somewhere in the Katrina zone. Joe in a stupid moment let some kid at the restaurant give him a bj, before he could confess the kid squealed to Ben. They have been in couples therapy for a bit and Joe has been doing penance by putting in new carpet, fixing up the yard, working hard. Finally he confronts Ben and asks when they are going to have sex. I find the two other stories I've read by this author are very unusual. This wasn't quite so out there, but there were little things thrown at you, like it seems Ben had been sleeping with the kid for weeks, so I was kind of like, who are you to punish your man then? There were other little statements thrown in that you didn't really know where it came from and were like "Wha? What did you just say? Wait a minute." But the story doesn't wait a minute. So I found it a bit like being on the outside and wanting to stop them and ask questions but you can't. An interesting feeling, a bit off-kilter.

I got the following books from the GLBT Bookshelf rummage sale as advertised by the ever enabling Chris. Things are quite cheap so check it out. There are full length novels as well as shorts.

Almost Home by Nicole Gordon (21 pages)

Gabe and Travis have been friends for years and Gabe helped Travis drown his sorrows over his asshole father over the years. Finally his Dad dies in prison and it's their last "celebration". Gabe is bi and Travis is straight, but they end up in bed (just friends) but wake up plastered together and Gabe ends up giving Travis a hand job. Then they vaguely talk about it and Gabe thinks about Travis hooking up with some girl and ... That's kind of it. He doesn't seem to be in love with Travis, there's no hint that Travis is going to go gay. It was kind of a "huh?" ending. Now what? Maybe there's more books where Gabe gets his HEA. I can only hope.

The Game in Spain by Lydia Nyx (19 pages)

Gabriel is a gymnastics coach who ends up in Spain during Carnival on the trail of his gymnast Alejandro. Seems he left a note saying whoever can catch him, Gabriel or Sebastian, Alejandro's ex, will get him. So there is a contest between the two men to end up with the gymnast. They both arrive at the same time and decide to teach Alejandro a lesson about teasing and leading on two men. But maybe things are not quite for Gabriel thinks. The descriptions of Spain during Carnival were very vivid and the smexing between the three was pretty steamy. I enjoyed it.

A Case of Mistaken Identity by Nicole Gordon (14 pages)

Matt heads to the club hoping to hell he doesn't find his actor boyfriend cheating on him. He sees him having sex with someone else and basically attacks him but is ignored. Then ... oh god, it's his BF's body double Christian. Ooops. As he's apologising and drooling over Christian's BF Jeremiah, he hears his BF having sex, so he WAS cheating. Suddenly Christian offers to let him give Jeremiah a bj. Umm. Okay. So he goes for it. There seems to be a D/s thing going on with Christian and Jeremiah and they invite Matt to come home with them after. HFTonight or lead to more? Not sure. It only takes place over an hour or so, probably less. LOL Not sure how great their stamina was, but I enjoyed it for what it was.

I'm off to pick up my daughter from camp (had to leave at 5:30 this morning. Ugh. Not right for a Saturday) and she's at a horse show all day so I won't be home until closer to dinner, so I'm not ignoring y'all. :-)

Don't have much to say

I've only read one book so we'll delve into that and since it's set in Canada I have definite opinions. LOL Oh did I mention I hate my job with the fiery passion of a thousand suns? No? Oh well I do. Today anyway. Thankfully there are two of us who feel this way, so I have someone to vent with. Really, I guess sucking up and reporting every dinky thing you do, every phone call, etc. during the staff meeting is the way to impress. Silly me. Oh and being psychic would help so that I would KNOW I didn't do something that no one told me to do. Duh. Let me work on that. Vent over. If I don't stop now I never will. Oh and when will the freaking heat STOP? 100F (40C) with the humidity AGAIN? Give me a break.

What else. Umm. Got my daughter's schedule for Grade 10 today since she's at camp (sweating her ass off I'm sure). First semester English 10 and 3 lame electives. Second semester, math, English 11, science and history. Ack. I have a feeling she'll be in the office begging to get math moved to first term because that's cruel and unusual punishment.

Okay, I only read one book lately. I find when it's hot I just can't focus on reading. My house isn't too bad since I keep it closed up tight during the day when no one is home and the only appliance I've been using is the toaster. But it's still not "cool" and I'm too lazy to go up to my air conditioned bedroom. See? I'm a whiny lazy ... Well, we'll just leave the ending of that sentence to your imagination.

The Manituw by Lisbeth Jenkins (91 pages)
Amber Quill Press

Robert is a British ocean scientist who has hired a boat in New Foundland to help him gather research data. When he arrives he finds his hot captain July in jail for drunken brawling. He's sure it's going to be a disaster but once they get going things are great *wink wink nudge nudge* Robert AND July both fall in love quickly but July has problems with the locals. He is a metis (half native American - or First Nations or Aboriginal as we say). Lots of the local townspeople take issue with him and they only have an RCMP officer who comes once a week so July doesn't want to stir up trouble. Robert meanwhile tries to get him to stand up for himself or at least leave with him. Doesn't end so well for them as they both have secrets. Of course it's a romance so it all ends HFN.

My issues: (Since I only did one book I can yammer more - and bore you more). I have no clue if the author is Canadian or lives on in the East Coast (the bio didn't say and I didn't search) but I think she represented that kind of small isolated village very well, and I'm kind of ashamed of that. You hear stories of aboriginal (or metis or white) women and men being treated badly, things happening that would lead to arrests in a larger area but no one wants to confront them because there isn't appropriate law enforcement. I find it appalling and something I'm not proud of about Canada, but it seems to be the nature of remote northern community.

I found the whole deal with the author/landlord a bit confusing. What was his purpose? And then how could Robert have a job in Toronto but be renting a place in NF? Umm, It's about a 3 hour between St. John's and TO, probably closer to six to whatever rinky dink town he was in. Was he going to commute? That would be a bitch. Was he just visiting? I didn't get it?

On the upside, the descriptions of the ocean and the boat and even a small village in NF was pretty amazing. Although of the two provinces I've never visited, NF is one of them, so I'm taking that impression from things people have told me. I liked both characters a lot although I wanted to smack July a bit for just "taking it", but such is life. LOL I did enjoy it but sometimes when our own warts are exposed it makes us cringe a bit. I love the cover too. I would definitely check out more work by the author and it is a quite different story so worth a read.
If you skimmed over that, someone posted this on Twitter and beside the fact that it's fairly hot guys in underwear, it's pretty amazing what they can do. They could give lessons to strippers.

Quick update

So I'm kid-free for the week and argh, it is so hot. It's reaching 42C (109F) with humidity today and tomorrow. So I am just trying to keep the house cool. Nasty. My kidlet must be sweating her butt off at camp. Ah well, she's young. :-) I saw someone jogging on my home from work. Asking for a heatstroke in this weather.

You should stop by Kris 'n' Good Books and vote on the "choose your own m/m story" choices for author Stephani Hecht. Some fun stuff and she's going to have her work cut out for her. I look forward to her story.

I read a couple of things over the weekend while getting her ready to leave.

Unexpected Guest by Andy Eisenberg (218 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Dan moved into his family home to prepare it for sale after his mom moved out. He sees new neighbors Jaden and Brendan move in and thinks they are college kids. After an embarrassing start, he meets some of their friends and with the help of their friend Ethan, decides to remodel the kitchen before selling. Now Dan is straight, just divorced, or he thinks he is, sort of, maybe. He's also still obsessed with his childhood best friend with whom he experimented a bit. Ethan more or less moves in as he lives far away and helps him remodel. They are just friends until a run-in with the old friend finally triggers Dan to make a move. There is also a bit of a subplot of sexual harassment at work for Dan. I did not read the first story with Jaden and Brendan, but will definitely be correcting that. I really enjoyed this. Not too much angst or drama, but two guys becoming friends, working on a common goal and getting to know each other.

Duck by Kim Dare (191 pages)
Resplendence Publishing

Ori find out he's an Avian shifter who won't know exactly what until he turns 21 but he's working as a servant at The Nest (kind of a club for avians) where the pecking order puts him, a suspected duck, at the bottom. He is abused and used as the other wish until hawk, Raynard, takes an interest in him and takes him home to be his servant. Raynard is taking over his uncle's business and the house is a disaster. He's impressed with Ori's work ethic and after dancing around asks him to be his submissive, not just servant. Ori jumps at the chance and things are going super until he finally shifts and it turns out he's not a duck after all. Guess what he is. Come on, guess. Raynard informs him he can no longer be his submissive and much angst and sadness ensue on both sides. My heart broke for poor little Ori after his shift. He was such a good little submissive and they loved each other. Of course there is a HEA, it's a romance. :-) But there were some sad moments. I know I said I was taking a Kim Dare break, but this was really different than most of the recent books by this author. Yes, it had the D/s theme, but I think the length lent it a more natural feel, it wasn't a 24 hour change, it wasn't the arrogant Dom who knew what the other needed. So I really liked this and I hope there is a sequel where Raynard does something about how the underlings are treated at The Nest because I wanted to smack someone and take care of all the poor little servants. LOL

The Long and the Short of It

So I've read a couple of longer books and a couple of shorter books. Way to mix it up huh? :-)

We are getting another heat wave. Until next Wednesday it's supposed to be in the high 30's C (nearing 100F). I guess this is our last kick at summer. The kidlet is heading to camp on Sunday so she'll be sweating out there riding all day. I'm hoping the rain they are predicting for late in the week holds off. Nothing worse than being wet and muddy. But that's a long way off so who knows. It will be weird to have almost a whole week of coming home to just the cats.

An Unexpected Vintage by Andrew Grey (186 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

This is book 3 in the Vintage series. Gary has had a bit of bad luck, getting laid off, no boyfriend, but he's finally doing well in a new job, and making some new friends including the guys from the other books. At a party he meets Phillip whose roommate for a cruise they booked had to cancel. Everyone is going and they convince Gary to go. He and Phillip give it a whirl but he's too vanilla for PA wearing Phillip but they stay friends. On the ship he meets Scott. Scott seems skittish and he confesses he was wrongly imprisoned for rape and just got out a few months ago. They have a great week and then have to deal with a long distance relationship as well as the aftermath of Scott's release. What I enjoyed was the characters from Spot Me were Scott's friends he was on the cruise with, so it was a meeting of two series and I'm a sucker for that. This is a very sweet story about falling in love on a cruise (I actually enjoyed all the details of security and stuff on a cruise from an outsider's perspective) with a few obstacles to overcome. For fans of the author it's a nice addition to the series.

After Hours by Cassandra Gold (14 pages)
Torquere Books

Cory is a college student who works in his brother's bakery/coffee shop. One night he's forced to close up and is annoyed and even more so when a customer shows up at 10 min. to closing. He's surprised that it's hot young doctor Kyle. He invites him to stay and they chat and before he knows it he's offering to lick the icing off Kyle's fingers. Ooops. This however leads to some hot sex in the middle of the bakery in front of the big windows. Double oops. It's just a hot little story about two guys starting a relationship thanks to a glazed donut. If only all true love started over a donut. Sigh.

Chaos Magic by Jay Lygon (226 pages)
Torquere Books

I got this because Chris recommended the series. This is book 1. Sam is a sub who has recovered from a bad beating his ex gave him nearly killing him. He prays to his gods for a perfect top and is a bit dismayed to find him. He doesn't like to be touched outside of sex. He wants to be dominated hard, then leave and not let anyone close. Hector is a well-known top who takes him on and is determined to break through. Once he finally gets Sam to explain why he's having panic attacks he is even more determined to go slowly which both appeals and frustrates the hell out of Sam. Although there all kinds of gods (god of traffic, god of please let my period come, god of fear (his ex)), they take the form of real people and are his friends who are protecting him from the ex and offering advice, but it's kind of a typical tale of a stalker abusive ex and coping with PTSD. My heart broke for Sam as he tries to be the perfect sub for jealousy-prone Hector and he basically locks himself in this imaginary Japanese pagoda in his mind and becomes a mindless perfect obedient robot and Hector doesn't "get" what is happening. Maybe it's PMS but I had a real emotional response to his breakdown near the end. I'm looking forward to the other books.

My one comment. Sam is a pain slut and Hector is into blood play. Although it doesn't get into too much detail, a couple of times Hector draws blood. But then there is never any mention of scabs as the cuts heal or scars from the aftermath. In books everyone has perfectly smooth skin despite having been beaten to bleeding. Hell, I still have a scar on my arm where my cat scratched me 7 years ago. Okay, not everyone scars easily, but not everyone heals with supernatural powers in 24 hours either.

Fantasy Man by Aaron Michaels (21 pages)
Torquere Books

Mitchell works in a high rise and has been watching a hot foreman on the work-site next door. One day he can't take the fantasizing anymore and jerks off in his office. He glances up and sees what appears to be the guy looking at him, but he's sure he can't see him. Later he's at the bar after work with some coworkers when a guy sends him a plate of fried zucchini. Oh my god, it's the guy, Owen and yes, he did see him in his office. They decide to go somewhere else and Owen takes him up to the floor and shows him that he could see him and he'd been watching him as well. Mitchell finds out he might be a bit more into public sex than he ever thought. A hot little story. Kind of unusual that I managed to have two shorts with a public sex theme. LOL

Happy Boys

I haven't read much lately. Only one book so I'll save it. I kind of get a bit tired of all those seriously sexy boys and thought I'd find some happy boys. I love the pic of a smiley laughing face. Hope these happy boys put a smile on your face for the weekend.

The song by Aqua, Happy Boys and Girls doesn't seem to have an official video so it's just a picture of the cover of the album or something with the music. It very poppy and makes me happy.

Tuesday ... Tuesday ... Um, I don't know. It's Tuesday

I've read a couple of things last few days. Nothing terribly long.

Snared by JL Merrow (68 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Martin is on vacation in Scotland. He sees a wildcat caught in a snare and saves it, but ends up badly scratched. The next day he meets Callum in the pub. Callum is Irish but in Scotland for a month and invites Martin back to his place. Martin's a bit weirded out and Callum acts kind of strangely, but they have some hot smexin' (sans any mention of condoms). He wakes up to hear Callum arguing with someone. Getting up he's freaked to find out his B&B landlady turn into a werecat and want to attack him. While he's watching her fight with Callum another young woman bites him, meaning he'll turn into one as well to keep their secret. After a rough couple of days he's awaiting the first changing during the full-moon and can't figure out why Callum is being such an asshole about it. He finds out later why. I found the people of the town quite unsympathetic, especially in their zeal to keep their secret and I found Callum a bit annoying in his roundabout way of approaching everything. Also Martin's paranoia all the time with people thinking he was gay just by looking at him made me want to smack him, although I think he got over that by the end. On the whole I enjoyed this although I'd be curious what happens to Martin and Callum now that they are mates.

Broken Bones, Mended Hearts by William Cooper (40 pages)
Dreamspinner Press

Noah wakes up in the hospital badly beat up. Seems he came onto some guy at university who took offence and he and his buddies beat him up. His roommate and BFF Mark is there to take care of him and straight arrow Mark suddenly kisses him. Also Noah's family is coming to make sure he's okay, including his older sister who raised him when his mother died and his father and younger step-brother. At home he and Mark take things to the next level (despite casts on both legs and an arm) and after revealing all to his sister (who knew he was gay) finally comes out to his Dad. This is a very sweet story (perhaps a bit too sweet even for me with my high schmoop tolerance). It's all told from Noah's POV so you never really find out why Mark decided to go gay and jump in with both feet waving the rainbow flag. Everyone is happy, supportive, (except for the guys who beat him up), perfect. If you want no angst and some sugar, it's a good short read.

On a side note, when Noah tells his Dad, his Dad says "I can't say I understand" and I've seen that phrase or variations used many times and books and I think "What is to "understand"?" You don't see gay people saying "I don't understand why you think girls are attractive." "I don't understand why you have blond hair." It's not something you need to "understand". It' just is. Kind of annoys me. Stupid but there it is. My annoyance of the week.


Inestimable Blessings by Amanada Young (145 pages)
ALY Books

Lee's got a good life, stable job, house, no boyfriend, but he wants a family so has a surrogate about 6 weeks from popping out a little one. His friends bug him about talking about a baby too much and tell him gay men don't want to talk kids, so when he finally meets his hot neighbor Finn and they start dating he keeps his mouth shut. He figures it's just a fling anyway, so whatever. As the date approaches he finally breaks down and tells Finn who doesn't react very well. A week later Finn apologises, they work it out and eagerly await the baby. The baby arrives, everything is going great and Lee is just about to say the "L" word when he catches Finn in a compromising position with his ex. Ooops. I was a bit worried about reading this one so soon after the other baby one I read, but the baby is really a much smaller part of this and there is little discussion of shopping or decorating. Some, but not tons. It's more about Lee and Finn and working up the nerve to tell him and then coping with the aftermath. The major crisis is resolved within minutes which was nice, not dragged out forever and it's a sweet story without excessive angst or trauma.

I still think the guy on the left on the cover looks a bit frightened that baby up above their heads doesn't have a diaper on. He should be afraid. LOL