Reviews

Books I’ve read and reviewed

Big Choices, Big Love in FALLING DOWN–Release Day Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a release day review for a New Adult contemporary M/M romance form Eli Easton. FALLING DOWN is a heart-wrenching tale of an aimless war vet and the homeless teen he brings back from the brink.

fallingdownelieastonAbout the book:
Josh finds himself homeless at eighteen, but he has a plan. He’ll head north on the bus to New England and spend October there for his mother’s sake. She always talked about going to see the fall leaves someday. And when the leaves were done and the harsh winter came, Josh would find a place to curl up and let go. It would be a relief to finally stop fighting.

Mark spent his life trying to live up to the tough swagger of his older brothers until he pushed himself so far against his nature that he cracked. Now an ex-Marine, he rents a little cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he can lick his wounds and figure out what to do with the rest of his life. One thing was clear: Mark was nobody’s hero.

Fate intervenes when Josh sets up camp under a covered bridge near Mark’s cabin. Mark recognizes the dead look in the young stranger’s eyes, and he feels compelled to do something about it. When Mark offers Josh a job, he never expected that he’d be the one to fall.

The snow is coming soon. Can Mark convince Josh that the two of them can build a life together before the flurries fall?

My Review:
Homeless and grieving his dead mother, eighteen year old Josh Rivers decides to use his last bit of cash to travel from Alabama to New Hampshire to experience autumn. It was an unrealized dream of his mom’s, to watch the fall color erupt in all it’s glory, and Josh believes finding a beautiful vista where he can release his mother’s ashes, will put her to rest. Sticking around for the bitter winter snows in which to bury himself and his heartache under their peaceful white flakes sounds like a second great plan.

At 24, Mark Sullivan is the youngest of five sons, and a newly discharged Marine. Scarred by seeing friends die while on his active duty tours, he’s heartsick and drifting, performing odd jobs and living in a rented cabin two hours from his close-knit family so he can keep his homosexuality private. He’s sure his family will reject him, so he maintains the distance. Seeing Josh in his quiet area of New Hampshire, he recognizes that dead-eye stare, and it sparks Mark’s protective side. Needing some help on a big painting job he’s landed, Mark reaches out to withdrawn and skittish Josh.

As it’s only early October, Josh knows he needs some time to put his plan into action. The snow isn’t coming for at least a month and he’s not keen on starving to death under a bridge, so he accepts Mark’s offer of a safe space to sleep, a job, and food. As these guys work and live in close quarters, they develop a friendship. While Mark is definitely attracted to Josh, he won’t make a move, believing Josh to be too young and vulnerable for anything more than friendship. Josh’s depression had killed his libido, but his budding friendship with Mark has quelled his emotional tailspin enough to recognize his growing attraction and affection. It doesn’t hurt that Mark is generous and kind; they forge a tight bond in a short time.

Still, Josh is stifled by Mark’s seeming lack of interest, and when he challenges Mark’s resolve both men find a deeper connection than either’s had before. There’s so much emotion in these pages. Josh’s depression is palpable, and I was terrified regarding his end-of-life plans. It’s always hard for me to read a depressed character, because I identify with them so closely. The joy of watching Josh connect to Mark, and his climb out from that mortal abyss, was worth the anguish at the outset. Further, Mark’s a great guy, despite wishing to stay closeted. When it comes to maintaining his charade, and being the man Josh needs, however, Mark makes the absolute right choice. He’s rewarded by understanding, and love greater than he ever dreamed.

There are some extremely tense moments, and I freely admit I started to cry in the climax. That’s a good sign for me, it shows how deeply I connected with the story–which I felt was fantastic. For readers like me who are sensitive to stories with depression/suicide story lines, just know that there is a brilliant dawn waiting on the far side of the darkest night. The happy ending was realistic, and filled with joy. Highly recommend.

Interested? You can find FALLING DOWN on Goodreads and Amazon (US and UK).

Eli EastonAbout the Author:
Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a game designer, an organic farmer, an avid hiker, and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.

As an addicted reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.

Eli currently publishes with Dreamspinner Press and has a few self-pubbed titles as well. She also publishes thrillers under the pen name: Jane Jensen.

Catch up with Eli on her website, Facebook, and twitter.
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Growing Into A BETTER LOVE–A Review and get a FREE book!

betterlovebtHi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new contemporary romance from Daisy Prescott. BETTER LOVE is a second-chance romance and is the fourth book in the Wingmen series. I really enjoyed READY TO FALL, CONFESSIONS OF A REFORMED TOM CAT, and ANYTHING BUT LOVE, so couldn’t wait to discover another idyllic Whidbey Island love story.

BL-Prescott-e-cover-RGBAbout the book:
Maybe that old song got it right.
Maybe love can be better the second time around.

When one of my wingmen needs help, I’ll do anything for him, including calling in a favor with the one person I swore I’d never speak to again. Not after I walked away from that life five years ago and ditched the trappings of my success. The keyword being trap.

I left it all behind.
Including her.

Now the ambitious, brilliant, talented, and undeniably beautiful Roslyn Porter is back in my life. I’m not the same person she knew. I’m trying to be a better man.

No man is an island, but Dan Ashland comes close. He’s content with his quiet life on Whidbey, a world away from the rat race on the other side of the ferry. Dan has three great loves in his life: solitude, pizza, and Roslyn Porter.

Better Love is a standalone second chance romance featuring Dan Ashland and the fourth book in the Wingmen series.

My Review:
Dan Ashland is a man haunted by his younger self. He’s in his early forties and living his new dream of owning a well-respected pizza joint on quiet Whidbey Island. In a previous book Eric Kelso, a friend of Dan, became an unfortunate social media sensation, and Dan reached out to his former publicist, Roslyn Porter, to help guide Eric through the maelstrom. Roslyn is the woman who got away–or who Dan left behind in truth–when he eschewed the nuovo riche life he’d fallen into after a lucrative business deal left him inordinately wealthy and spiritually broken.

Reuniting with Roslyn, even incidentally, after several years is a shock to Dan’s hermit-like existence. He’s got a few close friends, and had some casual lovers in the interim, but no one like Roslyn. Not that he expects he can truly court her; she’s still the same driven, workaholic who didn’t accept his ultimatum to quit work and run off with him five years before. However, she’s just as smart, snarky and beautiful as he remembered, and Dan’s driven to catch her eye. Sure, he’s gone silver fox now, but he’s still fit, and interested. Could he convince her to step out of the rat race this time?

I liked how Dan leaped out of his comfort zone again and again, and used his own vulnerability as a guide for Roslyn. She’s a once-bitten, twice-shy kinda gal, not sure about trusting Dan with her heart again. Still, she’s seeing how solitary her own life is, and meeting Dan’s friends on the island allows her to see the new Dan, a man committed to keeping his island an unspoiled haven. Dan’s a patient man, willing to put in the elbow grease in order to re-discover Roslyn, as well. But, he’s not so patient that he doesn’t commit some serious tomfoolery at Tom Cat’s nuptials… Oh baby!

The pacing here was really well-dome, giving Roslyn and Dan time to ensure their feelings were secure, and they were set on building a life together. I liked how it all turned out. There’s a good mix of slow burn, and sexytimes, with a heavy emphasis on wooing with a dash of silliness.

Interested? You can find BETTER LOVE on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Kobo.

PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES

READYTOFALL_FREE

Get READY TO FALL (Wingmen #1) for FREE!

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B&N

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CONFESSIONS OF A REFORMED TOM CAT (Wingmen, #2)

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | B&N

AnythingbutLoveANYTHING BUT LOVE (Wingmen #3)

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

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new daisy prescott full sizeAbout the Author:
USA Today Bestselling author Daisy Prescott lives in a real life Stars Hollow in the Boston suburbs with her husband and an indeterminate number of imaginary housegoats. When not writing about people falling in love, she can be found traveling, gardening, baking, and reading a good book. Her novels include the Modern Love Stories series, the Wingmen series, and several short stories. She’s also working on expanding the world of Bewitched this fall.

Catch up with Daisy on her website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, or sign up for her Newsletter.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

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The Heights Of Deception: ROMANCING THE WRONG TWIN–Review and Giveaway

wrong-twin-release-bannerHi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new contemporary M/M romance from Clare London. ROMANCING THE WRONG TWIN sounds like a steamy comedy-of-errors.

Be sure to scroll down to read the excerpt and get in on the gift card and book giveaway!

perf4.250x7.000.inddAbout the book:
How tangled can a romantic web get?
When gruff mountaineer Dominic Hartington-George seeks sponsorship for his latest expedition, his London PA insists on a more media-friendly profile—like dating celebrity supermodel Zeb Z.

Zeb can’t make the date, so he asks his identical twin, Aidan, to stand in for just one evening. Aidan, a struggling playwright, shuns the limelight to the extent people don’t even know Zeb has a sibling, but he reluctantly agrees.

When the deception has to continue beyond the first date, Aidan fights to keep up the pretense. Dominic likes his sassy, intelligent companion, and Aidan starts falling for the forthright explorer. But how long can Aidan’s conscience cope as confusion abounds? Will coming clean as “the other twin” destroy the trust they’ve built?

How about a yummy taste?

The pretty young woman who met Aidan at the door smiled warmly. “I’m Tanya, Mr. Hartington-George’s personal assistant. I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Z. I’m quite a fan.”
“Zeb,” Aidan said, hoping he hadn’t hesitated for too long. “Please just call me Zeb. And… yes. Thanks.”
“Come on through.” She gestured him into the hallway. “You’re on time.”
Aidan wondered why she sounded surprised at that. He repitched his natural voice a little higher to Zeb’s teasing tone and smiled brightly in return. “Of course.”
A sneaked look in the hallway mirror had him rolling his eyes. Mission accomplished, Zeb! He barely recognized himself. Usually he was most comfortable in a sweatshirt and jeans, but now he was dressed in what Zeb Z would wear on a daily basis: a pair of skintight, distressed-denim jeans with inexplicable splits across the knees; high-top boots in soft purple leather that screamed expensive yet were surprisingly comfortable; and two lightweight T-shirts under an off-the-shoulder, electric blue sweater. Admittedly the blue brought out the color of his eyes—no one ever said Zeb didn’t have a well-developed sense of personal style—but the rest of it made him look like an overaged member of a boy band.
A younger man darted out from what must have been the living room, clutching a leather jacket to his chest as if in protection. He saw Aidan, glanced at Tanya with widening eyes, then back at Aidan. Then he thrust out his hand and said perfectly cheerily, “I’m Eric. He threatens to kill me on a daily basis.”
Aidan just shook hands and nodded. He had no idea what to say to that, or even what it meant.
Tanya frowned at Eric. “Whatever. We’re just going. The car will come for you at seven. In the meantime, if you’d like a drink?”
But Eric took her arm and guided her toward the front door. “They can cope with that themselves, Tanya. Come on.”
And Aidan was left on his own in the hallway.
He took a deep breath to center himself. The house wasn’t huge, but it was in a very fashionable area of Ladbroke Grove and far more luxurious than his own small flat. That said, there wasn’t much furniture and the decoration wasn’t modern. The hallway walls were painted in plain, cool colors. No pictures hung on the walls, and there was only a single bureau and hat stand, albeit in quality wood. Eric had left the living room door ajar behind him, and Aidan took a quick peek inside before announcing himself. From what he could see, again the walls were plain and the furniture sparse. It was as if the owner was in the process of moving out—or had never really settled in.
A male figure paused in front of the half-open door. He was distracted by something on the other side of the room, so Aidan got a first secret glimpse of the man he’d been told so much about.
H-G.
He was much more handsome in real life than on TV, though in most of the documentaries, H-G was wrapped up in furry parkas or oilskins with his face more than half-hidden with a scarf and balaclava. Today he was wearing a very smart pair of dark trousers, a startlingly white dress shirt—which had to be brand-new to still have that sheen—and a well-cut suit jacket that settled comfortably across an impressive set of shoulders. H-G’s hair was a fabulous thatch of dark curls, and he had a dark beard and mustache to match. Guiltily Aidan recalled Zeb’s mischievous nickname: Hairy Guy. But that conjured up a Wild Man of Borneo kind of image, and H-G was far from that. The hair was naturally unruly but had been styled to a level just off his shoulders, and the beard was well trimmed.
Aidan had never been attracted to hairy bears, not that he’d ever had much of a choice. As Zeb had gleefully pointed out more than once, Aidan seemed to attract needy and spiteful wankers who got off on bleeding him dry of any compassion and care. Oh, and his money too.
Okay. Self-pity over, right now. I’m not Loser Aidan now. I’m the charismatic and disgustingly fascinating Zeb Z.
For the first time in this bizarre performance, Aidan felt the tickle of mischief. This just might be fun after all. He pushed the door fully open, walked into the room, and cleared his throat.
H-G turned slowly around to face Aidan fully. His gaze ranged over Aidan’s body, and his eyes widened. “Well. They didn’t lie.”
“Who didn’t? What about?”
H-G raised his eyebrows. “Well, firstly, they said you were a bit feisty.”
Feisty? Aidan hadn’t heard that word outside of romance-novel blurbs.
“And you wouldn’t be fazed by… you know.”
“No, I don’t know. By what?” Aidan bit his lip to stop a laugh escaping.
“My celebrity.”
Jesus. Zeb was right. The man was one big blob of arrogance. “No,” Aidan said coolly. “I’m not.”
“That’s from working in the business, I suppose.”
“Business?” Oh, right, he was meant to be Zeb. “Yes, of course. When you’ve seen so many guys without the spray tan and makeup,” he gabbled without thinking first, “you soon realize they’ve got the same equipment under it all.”
H-G blinked twice, hard. And then he laughed—a loud, bold sound, echoing warmly in the bleak room.
Aidan wanted to laugh with him, but maintained his cool stare. “What’s so funny?” Had he blown it already? He hadn’t even left the house with the man yet.
“They didn’t tell me you were witty, Zeb. I may call you Zeb?”
Why? “Oh yes, right. Of course.”
Dom’s language was quaintly old-fashioned, but Aidan found it rather charming, especially after the theatrical bickering of the Dreamweavers and his brother’s exuberant and affected chatter.
“And secondly?” Aidan prompted.
“I’m sorry?” H-G frowned at him.
God, what a scowl he has. “You said they didn’t lie, and then you gave the first reason.”
H-G raised his eyebrows. “You have a good memory.”
Yes, he does have lovely eyes. “Yes, I do. Especially when I’m listening.”
H-G’s mouth twisted as if he were trying not to smirk. “Secondly, they didn’t lie about your looks, and that you were even better-looking in real life. I concur. You’re bloody gorgeous.”

My Review:
Dom is a burly, strapping, quietly gay mountaineer following his father’s expeditionary exploits. Unfortunately, despite his blue-blood pedigree, he’s rather out of funds for the final leg of his newest climbing plan. His publicist suggests a celebrity date with out-gay model Zeb Z.

Aidan and Zeb are identical twins. Aidan stays so out of the limelight that few people even know he has a sibling. Zeb’s got an engagement that he can’t miss, however, not even for the fees he’s make to go out on the town with Dom. So, he begs Aidan to cover for him. And, Aidan has a great time with Dom, as he pretends to be Zeb.

Dom is super attracted to sexy “Zeb” but not just because he’s gorgeous. No, “Zeb” is intriguing and articulate, even knowing about the climbs Dom’s made and sharing his own experience on some smaller mountains. The first date has a rough ending, but Dom really wants to meet with “Zeb” again, and Aidan only agrees to stand-in after Zeb reveals that he’s out of the country caring for an ill, beloved friend, a man Zeb’s loved a while on the down-low.

The more Dom and Aidan interact, the more they really connect. Aidan’s so mystified to find such a compatible man, he’s loathe to reveal his subterfuge. Plus, using Zeb’s persona gives Aidan the freedom to be bold in a way he never indulged in before.

This is a sweet romance with the right amount of angst, for Aidan. Dom’s a blustery, gruff man who’s rough edges are softened by his good behavior around “Zeb.” The hard truth of Aidan’s identity becomes an issue at the very end–but not for the reasons I expected, which was fun. Dom and Aidan are really sweet guys. I wanted to spend even longer with them, to just roll around in the glow of their budding romance. They have a nice bit of sexytimes, and they are two stalwart British blokes, which, yeah. #Swoon

Expect a sweet and sexy romance and a happy ending to rival the highest peaks.

Interested? You can find ROMANCING THE WRONG TWIN on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon (US and UK) Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and AllRomance.

****GIVEAWAY****

Clink on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $15 GC and a backlist book from Clare London.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!

copy-of-clarelondonheadshotAbout the Author:
Clare London took her pen name from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home, she juggles her writing with her other day job as an accountant.

She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with award-winning novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic, and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter three stage and plenty of other projects in mind… she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fuelled family home.

Catch up to Clare on her website, blog, Facebook, twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, and Google+.

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Out Today! DARK & DAZZLING–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a release day review for a new contemporary M/M romance from Elizabeth Varlet. DARK & DAZZLING is the second book in her Sassy Boyz series featuring femme gay men who perform a burlesque-type show–and all the trouble that goes down behind-the-scenes. The first was FIERCE & FABULOUS, and it was fantastic–so I couldn’t wait to read on!

dark-dazzlingAbout the book:
Z doesn’t need a hero…
Azariah “Z” Hayes is a diamond. Equal parts strength and sparkle, he’s more than capable of standing on his own stilettos. So if waiting tables and stripping at The Vibe are what it takes to keep a roof over his head, well, there are worse ways to earn a living.

Connelly is a white knight with a badge…
For NYPD detective Connelly Reid, to serve and protect is just another day at the office—even if that means protecting himself from his own true desires. He’s been curious about Z, his waiter, for months, but it’s not until he sees him in his makeup and heels that the curiosity becomes a fierce attraction. Z, despite all his over-the-top dazzle, might just be the man Connelly has been waiting for his entire life.

But when Connelly investigates underground porn and drug activity with ties to The Vibe, one thing becomes very clear—acting on what he knows is going to hurt Z, financially and emotionally. And though Connelly would love nothing more than to fix all of Z’s problems, no amount of mind-blowing sex can make Z comfortable becoming dependent on his lover. Yet if there’s one thing Connelly knows from his years on the force, it’s this: when things go bad, you need a trusted partner to have your back.

My Review:
Azariah, called “Z” by all his friends, is having a rough, rough month. His roommate disappeared, leaving him to pay the month’s rent alone. Though picking up as many shifts as he can waiting tables, but the tips from that, and his burlesque dancing gig with the Sassy Boyz, is still not enough. Fiercely independent, Z soldiers on. Z knows how to survive. He did so for years in the unwelcome embrace of relatives when his mother died, and out of the streets when he couldn’t live in their custody any longer.

Detective Connelly Reid is twenty-eight. He’s been out since he was young, but quiet about it at work–especially since he’s been the target of homophobic slurs and questionable professionalism. Connelly’s a total fixer–constantly bailing out his younger sister as she struggles to cope with single parenthood after kicking out her drunken, abusive husband. Connelly eats at Sal’s for lunch everyday, hoping to interact with his attractive waiter, Azariah, but it’s not until he catches Z in all his made-up glamour that Connelly begins to understand the trouble he is in. How can he keep his sexuality on the down-low if he dates a man with luscious long hair, who wears make-up? On the flip-side, is living his private life in fear worth letting go of someone special?

Z and Connelly meet unexpectedly at The Vibe, while Connelly’s celebrating his birthday. Before he noticed Z dancing, however, he noticed a waiter selling drugs along with the drinks. Connelly’s not supposed to investigate, but he convinces his best-friend and partner to help him follow up. Not super-cool when Connelly makes his light inquiries a part of his pillow-talk with Z, though…

Z’s life goes from bad to worse when he’s sidelined from both jobs due to injury, and his landlady’s not taking his excuses for payment. So, when his buddy Lirim needs money to get out of a big jam, too, Z makes a choice to get the money the only way he can–and it’s not pretty. He has no idea that Connelly would be all-too-happy to step in and offer to help, yet, it frankly doesn’t matter. Z is a man who’ll fall on his own, before asking for a hand up. And, he does this in spectacularly horrible fashion. It could really spell the end of whatever was building between them–but Connelly’s not That Guy. He’s a detective; he’s used to the rough parts of life, and he accepts that everyone makes choices that are not always savory. He admires Z even as he worries for him.

That said, Connelly’s on a mission to take down all the bad guys in Z’s world, and that puts them in a very serious bind. There’s a bit of separation, but not long, and thank goodness! Z shows up just in time to fix a menacing problem in Connelly’s life. This is a gritty, and dark, story of two men finding themselves as they find the love of their lives. I will admit that parts of it were upsetting to me–and dangerous in ways that didn’t NEED to happen, but felt simultaneously organic and destructive, much like life…

Connelly needs to learn to pull back, and let others try and succeed, or fail on their own. Seeing how his well-meant overstepping hurt Z, and enabled his co-dependent sister, went a long to putting his mind right. Z had to learn that he’s not the only person who can make a difference in his life. And, if he didn’t want to ask his new boyfriend, he surely has very good friends in the Sassy Boyz who’d help him out in a New York minute, too. Being that this is the second book in a series, we had some glimpses of the gang, but the book is fully-enjoyable as a standalone. Expect a realistic, if subdued, happy ending for Z and Connelly.

Looking forward to the next book!

Interested? You can find DARK & DAZZLING on Goodreads, Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, iTunes, Kobo, and AllRomance. I received a review copy via NetGalley.

About the Author:
Elizabeth Varlet is a nerd at heart and spends way too many hours binging on episodes of her favorite television shows. If you love Doctor Who, Supernatural, Stargate, Star Trek, Sherlock, or Firefly you are already her best friend.

She started writing stories in high school and hasn’t stopped. Now, her characters like to get frisky under the covers – or the stars, they’re not picky. She’s a thirty-something, newly married, world traveler who devours books like they were candy.

You can catch up to Elizabeth online on her website, Facebook and twitter.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Love in the Wild: SLAVE HUNT–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a sexy BDSM romance from JA Rock. SLAVE HUNT is the fifth book in the Subs Club series and needs to be read after at least SOME of the previous Subs Club books for it to make any sense. It’s a BDSM series, though there is little actual BDSM in the book. I really liked MANTIES IN A TWIST and 24/7, so I was eager to catch up with my kinky friends!

slave-huntAbout the book:
Thirty people. Two hours. Only the strong will survive.

When Riddle decides to put on a slave hunt, the Subs Club is on board. Tops hunting bottoms in the woods with paintball guns? Yes. Captives strung up on whipping posts, at the mercy of their captors? Hell yes. But on the morning of the hunt, nothing’s going according to plan. Miles and Drix are at odds over Miles’s reluctance to move in together. Dave is determined to show up D, who thinks Dave won’t last two minutes in the woods. Gould finds himself torn between obeying his master’s orders and living out a longtime fantasy. And Kamen inadvertently becomes a double agent when he aligns himself with two different parties.

By the end of the hunt, alliances will be forged and broken, loyalties will be tested, relationships will be strengthened…and someone will barrel roll. Narrated by ten different characters, Slave Hunt tells the story of two hours in the woods that will change everyone forever. Or at least, remind them that love is the greatest victory of all.

My Review:
It’s a free-for-all sub hunt in the wild, and it’s really a sweet and tender tie-up of plot lines/relationships that extend all four Subs Club stories. To sum up: D and Dave live together, but they have some issues because D is older, and Dave is insecure–feels as if he can’t do anything on his own. Drix (a vampyre) and Miles are a couple, and on the verge of cohabitation, but Miles is afraid to change anything–not when he has a 7 year old son that he’s adopted. Ryan and Kamen are a totes-in-love couple who have a major kink for Kamen in manties. And Gould is the slave of Kel, who is married to Greg and they have a menage relationship–but is it copacetic?

Kel and Greg, owners of the Dungeon they all attend, have arranged a kinky “slave hunt” on a patch of property owned by D. Masters hunt a field of slaves, and get to have their wicked kinky ways with any they capture or shoot with their paintball guns. It’s, essentially, a very kinky MOST DANGEROUS GAME. Those slaves who are captured are fair game for fondling and scening back at base camp, but some also have given permission for on-the-spot ravishment. Kel, Greg and a few other are wandering the woods with snacks, drinks, condoms, sunscreen, and lube. Let the Sexy Games begin, and may the pine needles be ever out of your orifices…

Dave, dismayed that D might think him helpless, has sought D’s help learning how to be stealthy. But, being alone in the woods makes him want to give up and find his man. They have made a wager on the likelihood of D catching Dave within the time limit.  Miles and Drix are only out for the gift cards they could win for being the Best Hunter, and Uncaptured Slave. It’s acomplication that another Dom who has an affinity for Miles is part of the hunt. Ryan and Kamen are out for fun and sexytimes, natch. Will a bottle of hot sauce spell and end to their plans of mantie ravishing? Gould has been given instructions from Kel, his Master, not to get caught–or risk her punishment. But will he risk her wrath in order to save his dearest friend?

It’s a sweet wrap on these four relationships. While wandering the woods, there’s lots of epiphanies, and Come-to-Jesus moments. And, there’s fun, too. It’s not as sexy a book as the premise suggests. There’s really only one true sex scene, and because it’s between Ryan and Kamen, it’s 90% fun and 25% hot. (I’m not so good with the numbers with these two…) That said, having a fresh look at all these guys after a year-ish of settling in with their Doms is nostalgic and lovely. In case anyone ever doubted, there are four happy endings here. Fans will be satisfied. Manties will be shamelessly displayed, relationships will be affirmed, and SHOUTY CAPS will be employed.  Hashtag: YUM.

Interested? You can find SLAVE HUNT on Goodreads, Riptide Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AllRomance. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Author:
J.A. Rock is the author of queer romance and suspense novels, including BY HIS RULES, TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME, and, with Lisa Henry, THE GOOD BOY and WHEN ALL THE WORLD SLEEPS. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama and a BA in theater from Case Western Reserve University. J.A. also writes queer fiction and essays under the name Jill Smith. Raised in Ohio and West Virginia, she now lives in Chicago with her dog, Professor Anne Studebaker.

You can catch up with her online on her website, twitter and Facebook.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Challenging Authority ROMANCING THE INVENTOR–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new steampunk-style lesbian romance from Gail Carriager. ROMANCING THE INVENTOR features the lovestory of a woman I’d read about in her Finishing School books: Genevieve LeFoux. Genevieve’s all grown up, and the object of a parlourmaid’s curious eye.

romancing-the-inventorAbout the book:

Imogene Hale is a lowly parlourmaid with a soul-crushing secret. Seeking solace, she takes work at a local hive, only to fall desperately in love with the amazing lady inventor the vampires are keeping in the potting shed. Genevieve Lefoux is heartsick, lonely, and French. With culture, class, and the lady herself set against the match, can Imogene and her duster overcome all odds and win Genevieve’s heart, or will the vampires suck both of them dry?

This is a stand-alone LBGTQ sweet romance set in Gail Carriger’s Parasolverse, full of class prejudice, elusive equations, and paranormal creatures taking tea.

Delicate Sensibilities? This story contains women pleasing women and ladies who know what they want and pursue it, sometimes in exquisite detail.

Supernatural Society novellas can be read in any order.

My Review:

This is a book set in the 1870s London in a fictional past that includes vampires and werewolves. Much of this world has been described in previous middle-grade/YA book series (Parasol Protectorate or Finishing School) though this is an adult book featuring adult characters–who’d been youths/younger in the previous books. I kinda think you’d enjoy this book better if you’ve read some of those, because the world is already built, and the paranormal elements not as thoroughly explained in this book, as a result.

Imogene Hale is a 28 year old beautiful woman in a village. She’s had many a suitor, but never accepted any man…because she’s attracted to women. When a vampire hive takes up residence at Woolsey Castle, Imogene seeks a job. She’s heard vampires are perverted, and she may be able to find satisfaction with the Countess, if she’s very lucky and doesn’t get drained first.

Unfortunately, the vampires are selective. They sense she’s an innocent, and want to “save” her for a special occasion. In the meantime, Imogene is a parlourmaid and begins to attend the needs of the Inventor, Madame LeFoux–otherwise known as Vieve, or Genevieve, from earlier books. Genevieve is a cross-dressing “tom,” a woman who likes women…and she very much likes Imogene. But Genevieve is still grieving her wife, and that’s damping Imogene’s prospects with the inventor.

There’s a lot of posturing, and scheming on the part of the vampire countess and the werewolves, who are close friends with Genevieve. It looks as if Imogene will become just another snack for the hive, but Genevieve is able to halt this pettiness, and make some small claim to regaining her heart and finding love.

This is a sweet, slow-burning romance. Imogene makes a good partner to Genevieve, having an affinity for mathematics that complements Genevieve’s ingenuity. There are many obstacles to overcome, but Imogene is a steadfast companion, and finally wins Genevieve to her side. There’s not a lot of steam, but the language is fun, and the situations engaging. The real focus here is on Imogene, and how this country lass makes a good life with Genevieve. There are many characters here that are part of the larger fictional world, and fans will be excited to see Genevieve get her happy ever after.

Interested? You can find ROMANCING THE INVENTOR on Goodreads and Amazon.

About the Author:

Gail Carriger writes comedic steampunk mixed with urbane fantasy. Her books include the Parasol Protectorate and Custard Protocol series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults. She is published in 18 different languages and has 13 NYT bestsellers via 7 different lists (including #1 in Manga). She was once an archaeologist and is overly fond of shoes, octopuses, and tea.

You can find Gail online on her website, Facebook and twitter. Gail has a fun newsletter: the Monthly Chirrup, sign up here.

Working it Out–INTERBOROUGH-A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a newly-released contemporary M/M romance from Santino Hassell. INTERBOROUGH is the fourth book in the Five Boroughs series and definitely best enjoyed after reading SUNSET PARK. I definitely enjoyed it, and also loved FIRST AND FIRST, the third book in this series.

interboroughAbout the book:
The Raymond Rodriguez from a few years ago wouldn’t recognize the guy he is today. He’s left his slacker ways far behind him and is now juggling two jobs and school. But the balancing act doesn’t allow much time for the man he loves.

David is doing his best to be supportive, but problems at work and his own insecurity leave him frustrated—in more ways than the obvious—whenever he goes to bed before Raymond gets home. The heat and affection between them is still there, but they barely have the time or energy to enjoy it. And it doesn’t help that Raymond is still hiding David from his colleagues.

The stress mounts so high that a vacation in paradise is filled with turmoil instead of harmony, and culminates on their return to the five boroughs with broken promises and heartache. They have to figure out how to stop allowing their differences to overshadow their love. It’s the only way they’ll make it to forever.

My Review:
This is the fourth book in a series, and should be read after book 2, SUNSET PARK, if not read in order.

Ray and David have been dating on the down-low for a year. Ray came out as bisexual on Valentine’s Day, but only to close friends and his brother, Michael. David struggles to feel his place at Ray’s side, mostly because the uber-slacker Ray has completely flipped his script and is working two jobs, plus going to college. He wants to be a supervisor, or an inspector, on the docks, so he’s putting in third shift duty as a Longshoreman, in addition to his vapid day job. Most nights David goes to bed alone, after worrying that he and Ray are slipping apart. It doesn’t help that Ray’s new work pal, Trey, seems to want a piece of Ray–and Ray is completely oblivious.

Is David being silly, and suspicious, for no reason? David’s only adult relationship was with Caleb, and he snuck around cheating because Caleb had little-to-no interest in sex. Now, David’s worried that he and Ray are slipping apart, and Ray’s so gorgeous he might be getting it on with any of the many male, or female, admirers he seems to collect. So, David’s a wreck, imagining his worn-out lover might be taking some love on the side. Meanwhile, Ray’s so exhausted, his libido has shrunk considerably. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want David; he does. Lots. But they are ships passing, and both are banking on spending some great quality time on a gay-friendly cruise arranged by Caleb’s new company. Ray has promised he’ll quit his day job, but a bad financial turn causes him to change his mind–and keep that knowledge to himself until they get back from vacation.

It’s a tenuous time, and both David and Ray are frustrated. David is drinking more, and it’s upsetting to Ray–not least because David is obnoxious when drunk. Ray takes it in stride, guilty that he’s neglected his lover so much. He thinks if he just works more, and makes enough money to manage his new expenses for a little longer, he and David can weather the storm. But David wants a true partnership. He’s not happy being ‘just friends’ around any of Ray’s work colleagues–and Trey’s encroachment into their personal time is more than David can handle.

There’s a lot of struggle in this book, and part of it stems from Ray’s naivete. He’s never dated anyone seriously, and David’s experience in coupling hasn’t been stellar. Ray still wants to keep his personal life private, and he doesn’t see how this is a problem for David. There’s also some eye-opening business that David experiences, notably the differences in treatment Ray gets from police due to his Puerto Rican heritage. David knows he loves Ray, and that Ray loves him, but love didn’t keep him from stepping out on Caleb, or from all his other friends’ having problems in their marriages. David looks at Michael and Nunzio–Ray’s brother and lover–sees all he wants in the world: a strong, out relationship that is a partnership. There’s so little of that happening between him and Ray that he’s distraught.

These books, where the couple has been together a while but is hitting a rough patch, are always hard to write, and read. It’s a delicate balance between the conflict and the resolution, because you don’t want one character to be embittered, or seem unsympathetic. I felt like this was well-managed. Ray’s still very clueless about how to be in a relationship, and David’s got a lot of paranoia regarding his own missteps with Caleb. The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s apathy, and David fears Ray’s gone apathetic. Ray’s mostly confused, determined to fix all his problems by working harder–which only causes his problems to spiral out of control. It’s hard to get mad at a guy trying so hard, but I could empathize with David, who became more withdrawn and remote, feeling abandoned by the love of his life.

Expect angst and conflict for Ray and David. Expect them to battle, for love and attention. There’s a good amount of love, and that core is solid–if only they can make it work. Spoiler alert: this one ends with a secure HEA. Ray and David finally do the sitting down, talking thing, and they compromise and they build a better love for each other than they had at the start.

Interested? You can find INTERBOROUGH on Goodreads, Riptide Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and AllRomance. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

About the Author:
Santino Hassell was raised by a conservative family, but he was anything but traditional. He grew up to be a smart-mouthed, school cutting grunge kid, then a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into an unlikely romance author.

Santino writes queer romance that is heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, his belief that human relationships are complex and flawed, and his own life experiences.

You can find Santino online on his website, Facebook, and twitter.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!

Flying High With FLIP THE BIRD–Review & Giveaway!

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review  for a “flighty” contemporary YA romance from Kym Brunner. FLIP THE BIRD pits a young falconer against a fledgling animal rights activist–and the feathers are sure to fly! (Okay, okay. I’ll stop with the puns already!) I’ve already reviewed two of Kym’s previous titles: WANTED: DEAD OR IN LOVE, a contemporary Bonnie and Clyde paranormal romance and ONE SMART COOKIE, a fun ethnic YA Romance. So, I couldn’t wait to read FLIP THE BIRD.

Scroll down to get in on the book giveaway below.

FLIP-THE-BIRD-2About the book:
Mercer Buddie wants two things in this world: a girlfriend and the chance to prove to his master falconer father that he’s not a flake. With hunting season fast approaching, fourteen-year-old Mercer has only a short time to work with Flip, a red-tailed hawk he irreverently named to show his dad that falconers don’t have to be so serious all the time.

When Mercer meets Lucy, he falls hard for her gorgeous looks and bubbly personality. He thinks his love life is about to take flight, until he discovers that Lucy and her family belong to a fanatical animal-rights organization called HALT—a group that believes imposing any sort of restrictions on animals is a form of cruelty. Mercer soon realizes that if he wants to keep seeing Lucy, he’ll need to keep his love of falconry and his family’s raptor rehabilitation center a secret from her, and Lucy’s involvement with HALT from his family.

With humor and honesty, Mercer’s story shows how growing up means making difficult choices…and sometimes, being rewarded in unexpected ways.

My Review:
I absolutely devoured this YA contemporary romance.

Mercer Buddie is a high school freshman who’s still trying to get his bearings in his world. Originally from northern Wisconsin, his family moved two years ago to the northwest Illinois area so his mother could take a director job at a fictional Rockford college. His mother is a scientist, though Mercer has little interaction with her because of her long hours. He’s very close with his father, a bird expert and raptor rehabilitator. Raptors, for those who don’t know, are birds of prey, and have talons and hooked beaks–when I used to teach at Cal State Bakersfield, I had the opportunity to tour their Raptor Sanctuary many times. The Buddie Bird hospital and sanctuary in this book was very reminiscent of that. Mercer’s father rehabs injured birds, releases those who are able to survive on their own, while caring permanently disabled ones. Mercer and his elder brother, Lincoln, have both assisted in the care of the birds, and are falconers as a hobby. This means they humanely trap wild hawks and train them to hunt for them. It’s a hobby I’m not very familiar with, but I learned a lot about it in this book!

At age 14, Mercer is finally legally able to get a hunting license of his own, and to train his own bird. As the story opens, Mercer is on the hunt for his first bird–and he messes up by leaving his bait behind. He meets Lucy at a local pet store to buy a new mouse; she thinks Mercer is buying the mouse as a pet. Mercer’s so tongue-tied and captivated, he can’t get her out of his mind. He successfully traps a juvenile red-tailed hawk that is promptly named “Flip.” Mercer’s anxious about his bird-training skills, and hopeful he can train Flip well enough to compete for the Best Apprentice pin at the season opener falconry hunt in four weeks.

Mercer next meets Lucy in the most unlikely place: a protest at his mother’s college. Turns out Lucy’s parents are big in an animal rights organization called HALT, which wants all animal testing and use to be outlawed. Some members of this group have been arrested for destruction of labs, and Mercer witnesses them assaulting his mother. Still, seeing Lucy at school, he wants to know more about her–and he thinks pretending to be interested in her organization is one way to do so. He’s particularly shy, and wishes he was a buff ladies man like Lincoln.

The more Mercer interacts with Lucy, the more trouble he finds himself in, however. He’s lying to everyone about who he is; hiding his falconry from Lucy, hiding his HALT activities from his parents, and pretending to be a vegetarian so he can eat lunch with Lucy each day. Some of her fellow HALT members at school are even more keen on the protests than Lucy, and Mercer’s friends keep urging him to be himself–and not always so subtly.

As to be expected, the big reveal comes at the worst possible time in Mercer and Lucy’s budding romance. It seems like that might be the end, but it’s not…well, not exactly. Because Mercer’s family and their raptor sanctuary are now in the crosshairs of HALT, and that’s not a safe place to be. Mercer’s father had warned him of the dangers of this group, and it’s not idle words.

I don’t want to give away any more of the plot. Mercer proves himself time and again to be a kid who can’t separate his feelings. He likes Lucy, and he loves falconry, and his family, but he thinks he can have it all. Unfortunately, he just can’t. When it comes to the crisis, he’s honest and forthright and admirable. That said, that’s not his biggest challenge–and he’s a total boss in the face of the serious problems caused by HALT members’ recklessness. Also, he has the opportunity to continue his romance with Lucy, under less-than-ideal conditions and makes the right choice there, too. Through all this adversity, Mercer becomes a stronger kid, one unwilling to be pushed around by anyone, not friends or family. He recognizes the futility of pretending to be someone he isn’t only to make others happy, and this is an organic theme of the book, not something tacked on.

I really enjoyed all the falconry bits, and the sheer elation Mercer experienced in training Flip. His big showing at the opening hunt was so fun! Lots of good and “bad” humor. Mercer is a stand up guy, in his mind initially, but later in his actions. His brother Lincoln is a jerk and a bully, among other flaws, and Mercer does the right things, eventually, that actually end up getting his whole family to be more cognizant of their problems. I like his tattling sister, too.

Regarding HALT. Full disclosure: my education is in science, and I spent many years as an animal researcher. I’ve had many friends and family express conflicting opinions regarding the use of animals in scientific studies. I cannot begin to outline the restrictions and care that goes into certified animal research–there are so many. And while I respect the gains that animal rights activists have made in terms of ethical treatment of animals, I absolutely can’t condone violence and destruction of property in the name of “saving” animals. What is particularly troubling are people who do not understand the danger they create when they release animals who are unable to live free. The scenes in this book are fictional, but they are not created out of imagination. Like Mercer, readers will have to decide what the right choices are regarding animal welfare. As a scientist, I know that animal research is conducted as carefully as possible, with as few animals as is necessary to demonstrate accurate results to benefit humans and animals alike.

Compelling characters, a dynamic odd-couple YA romance, and interesting plot twists kept me reading this one long after I should have gone to bed. It’s a solid story about being true to who you are, finding the right relationships, and meeting your responsibilities head on.

Oh, and flipping the bird now and then.

Interested? You can find FLIP THE BIRD on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks.

****GIVEAWAY****

Click on this Rafflecopter Giveaway link for your chance to win one of three copies of FLIP THE BIRD (US only…)

Good luck and keep reading my friends!

About the Author:
Kym Brunner dreams entire novels in her head, but needs about a year to write it all down. She wishes there was an app for this. She’s addicted to chai tea, going to the movies, and reality TV. When she’s not reading or writing, Kym teaches 7th grade full time. Her article, Cracking Down on Multiple POVs: Surrender and Nobody Gets Hurt, appeared in Writer’s Digest online (July, 2014). She is the author of two traditionally published novels: a YA suspense-thriller, Wanted: Dead or In Love (Merit Press, 2014) and a YA humorous romance, One Smart Cookie (Omnific Publishing, 2014). She lives in the Chicago area with her family and her two trusty writing companions, a pair of Shih Tzus named Sophie and Kahlua.

You can find Kym online on her website, twitter, Facebook, or subscribe to her newsletter.

These Stories are WILD–A Happy Shifter Halloween Review

Hi there! It’s Halloween and I thought I’d share a review for a set of paranormal romances I picked up recently. WILD is a three-book set from Eve Langlais, Kate Douglas and AC Arthur all have some yummy shifter romances to whet your whistle.

wildAbout the books:

In Catch a Tiger by the Tail by Eve Langlais, Broderick has a job to do—audit the books of a gentleman’s club. Sounds simple, except his company wants him to find dirt linking to the mob, his secret mob employer wants someone to pin the blame on, and the bar manager at the heart of the controversy doesn’t want him—even though she’s his mate.

In Wild Passions by Kate Douglas, six women—friends closer than sisters—head off to an exclusive mountain resort for a week-long bachelorette getaway, where most of the women just wants to know if there are any good men left in the world. There are, and they’re the men of Feral Passions, a unique resort located on a private wolf preserve, owned and run by a pack of sexy werewolves who use it as their own personal hunting ground for mates.

In Her Perfect Mates by A.C. Arthur, Malec Zenta was part of a loving lycan family until his twin brother’s suicide took a piece of his soul. Channing Verdi never knew his parents, but that was fine because at the age of sixteen on the night of the full moon, he realized his purpose. The only pleasure these two betas have managed to find in their life was in the bed with the women they shared. Now, a human woman has entered their lives…a woman who sets their primal instincts on fire, a woman they can’t help but stake their claim on…and give her the ultimate pleasure of being with two shifters at once.

My Review:

The books in this set are all separate works, and have no connection with one another. That said, CLAIMED BY THE MATE features FERAL PASSIONS–which precedes Wild Passions and THE ALPHA’S WOMAN which comes before Her Perfect Mates. I think they make more sense having read the previous books.

To sum up, all the books have male shifters and human females. Catch a Tiger features a M/F romance between a tiger shifter who lives two lives–smart accountant and mob guy. Wild Passions has wolf shifters in search of their mates–mostly this is M/F but there is all a FMM menage. Her Perfect Mates is a MFM menage.

In Catch a Tiger by the Tail by Eve Langlais, Brody finds his mate while investigating a suspected grift at one of his mafia boss’ adult cabaret. Lulu was a waitress at Tail Waggers until her manager disappeared and she got “promoted.” Now, Lycan leader of the city Fabian Geroux thinks somebody’s on the take–and his sights are on Lulu. Brody’s, a lone tiger shifter, in a tight spot trying to prove the sexy redheaded human isn’t scamming Fabian, because falling for a human is bad–falling for one Fabian wants dead is way, way worse. 

In the way of things, it turns out Lulu isn’t who they suspect her to be, but her secrets aren’t necessarily the worst. Nope, the worst is the homicidal maniac who plans to kill her in a quest for revenge against her father. Brody’s a wily cat and ends up saving her from big bad bears and keeping her safe from Fabian, too.

In Wild Passions by Kate Douglas, four women—friends closer than sisters—head off Feral Passions, a resort and “wolf preserve,” for a week-long bachelorette getaway. Werewolves and regular alike inhabit Feral Passions. In this world, all werewolves are male, and they can turn a female with whom they mate. There’s a whole pack of males wishing for mates.

Meg is having second thoughts about her upcoming marriage to Zach, a wealthy entrepreneur. She and Elle, Jules and Darian–best friends from childhood–are planning a sexy retreat and find the men of Feral Passions to be even hotter than the pictures on the website. Elle soon has two wolves in her bed, while Darian and Jules each pair up with a sexy man-beast. Meg, despite her cold feet, is befriended by Trak, the owner of the resort–and his companionship helps Meg to recognize that she’s an attractive woman very much worthy of Zach’s affection and love. Lots of sexytimes for Elle, Jules and Darian–and the men who please them. Gonna need a third book to pair off the rest of the pack, but so far everyone is totes cool with their mate-pairings.

In Her Perfect Mates by A.C. Arthur, Malec hates being a shifter–ever since his twin killed himself. Channing never knew his parents, but his adoptive family was very kind. These two met up with Blaez years ago and they all served in a special ops group in the Marines, alongside Phelan. Now they work and live together in a highly secured compound in the mountains. The previous book was the lovestory between Blaez and his mate Kira. There’s a big shifter war in their world, and they came from different factions. Blaez is a hunted shifter due to his pure werewolf lineage.

Malec meets new-to-town veterinarian Caroline when he brings her a mutilated buck to see if it can be saved. Malec suspects the buck was a message from Hunter shifters after Blaez–he didn’t suspect he’d find his mate at the office however. Malec’s not used to being intimate with women on his own–he always makes up the third leg of a menage, with charming Channing. Thing is, Channing’s also drawn to Caroline, and Caroline wants both men–except that would make her a slut, like her prostitute mother. The real and present danger forces them all close, and it seems like the only way to keep Caroline safe, from predation and gossips, is to bring her into the pack. Also, sexytimes.

In all, I liked WILD PASSIONS best, because it’s sweet and lots of sexy, but the other two are cool, and interesting in their own way. Each will have more stories to come–to resolve the major plot arcs that are still open, and also secure mates for the currently unpaired shifter males.

Interested? You can find WILD on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I received a review copy via NetGalley.

Thanks for popping in, and Happy Halloween reading my friends!

 

New Young Love: PICTURES OF YOU–A Review

Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a mature YA/New Adult M/M series from Leta Blake. PICTURES OF YOU is the first in a four-part series about young gay people coming of age in 1990s Knoxville, Tennessee. It’s not exactly a romance, though there are certainly lots of sexytimes.

poyAbout the book:
Growing up gay isn’t easy. Growing up gay in Knoxville, Tennessee is even harder.

Eighteen-year-old Peter Mandel, a private school senior—class of 1991—is passionate about photography. Peter doesn’t have many friends, preferring to shoot pictures from behind the scenes to keep his homosexuality secret.

Enter Adam Algedi, a charming, worldly new guy who doesn’t do labels, but does want to do Peter. Hardly able to believe gorgeous Adam would want geeky, skinny him of all people, Peter’s swept away on a journey of first love and sexual discovery. But as their mutual web of lies spins tighter and tighter, can Peter find the confidence he needs to make the right choices? And will his crush on Daniel, a college acquaintance, open a new path?

Join Peter in the first of this four-part coming of age series as he struggles to love and be loved, and grow into a gay man worthy of his own respect.

This new series by Leta Blake is gay fiction with romantic elements.
Book 1 of 4.
Warning! These books contain: New Adult fiction, ‘90s gay life, small city homosexual experiences, Southern biases, sexual exploration, romance, homophobia, bisexuality, and twisted-up young love. Oh, and a guaranteed happy ending for the main character by the end of Book 4.

How about a little taste?

“Should I apologize for earlier?” Adam asked, turning down the stereo.

“It isn’t your fault she showed up.”

Adam grinned at me. “I meant, should I apologize for the kiss, but I guess the answer is ‘no.’”

I twitched nervously in my seat and took a deep breath “I’m gay.”

“No shit.”

I stared. “What?”

“I mean, yeah. You’re gay. I figured that out.”

“So—” I stopped. “Wait. How?”

“I can always tell. I don’t know how.”

“But I thought you said you weren’t gay.”

“I never said that.” Adam frowned. “Honestly, I don’t know what I am.”

My heart trip-hammered for a ton of reasons, but the scariest of them was hope. “What’s the deal then? Uh, with us?”

“Us? We’re friends. Like I said, friends kiss.”

My hope settled into a knot of anxiety.

“Then why hasn’t a friend kissed me before?”

“I don’t know. I mean, who wouldn’t want to kiss you?”

To me, it was definitely more of a question of who would want to kiss me, and, more specifically, just exactly why he had. Especially when I knew how everyone else would view me once we got to school. Maybe living all over the world hadn’t taught him the social skill of self-preservation required to make his way in a small city like Knoxville.

I decided to tell him. He really did deserve to know, and besides, if it was going to be an issue, I wanted to be hurt now, not later.

“I’m a huge loser, you know.”

Adam glanced over at me like I was insane. “What?”

“I’m not popular. In school. In life. In anything.” I turned my head and looked out the window, worrying my lower lip. “I just thought you should know. I mean, you don’t want to start out at a new school being friends with someone who’s just going to drag you down.”

Adam actually laughed. “You’re crazy. Did you know that?”

My throat tightened. It hurt he wasn’t taking me seriously. “I’m telling you why I’ll understand when you decide we can’t be friends anymore.”

“Look, you haven’t even started at this school and you’ve already decided that as a friend you’re not worth being first string? What’s up with that?”

I shrugged. “I’m just being realistic. I mean—look at me.”

In my peripheral vision I saw Adam do just that. He looked at me long enough that I worried about the car staying on the road. “Yeah. I’m looking. I still like what I see.” He lifted his hand to the back of my neck and squeezed. “I’m serious.”

A strange rush of emotion flooded my stomach and chest, and I wanted to tuck my face between my knees. Instead I just crossed my arms and frowned.

Adam brushed his fingers through my hair, catching in my frenzy of curls. It felt intimate and almost more real than the kiss. I shivered when he let go to grip the steering wheel again.

“But enough of that,” he said sternly. “Get my book bag out of the backseat. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Happy to be leaving the uncomfortable topic of my gay dorkitude behind, I reached around and grabbed the blue, nylon book bag.

“Open the front pocket.”

I unzipped it, fished around, and pulled out a driver’s license. It was Mo’s, and I had to stifle a laugh at the typical bad license photo that made him look like a serial killer.

“I’ve got a fake ID that Sean got for me, but I liberated that one for you.”

I tapped the picture. “You think this will get me into the club? I look nothing like your brother!”

“Don’t be such a defeatist! You just hold your thumb over the picture when you show them your ID.”

“Adam, that isn’t going to work.”

“We can always try,” he said, lifting his shoulders dismissively.

“They’ll confiscate the ID. How’s Mo going to feel about having to get a new license made?”

That got through to him. “Oh. So, huh. I guess that won’t work after all.”

I snorted. “Uh, no.”

Adam just smiled. “We’ll figure something out.”

“We could see what’s going on at the under-21 shows on The Strip.”

“No. I want to go to Tilt-a-Whirl. I read it’s the best gay bar in town and has, and I quote, ‘the best drag queens in the area.’”

“If the area is East Tennessee, then yeah, it probably does. And why do you want to go to a gay bar so much? I mean, this is a small city. Word gets around.”

Adam narrowed his eyes. “This last-minute resistance is futile, padawan.”

“Trek and Wars in the same breath. That is very wrong. Very, deeply, truly wrong.”

“It is,” Adam readily agreed.

“You’re a total dork.”

“Shh. It’s a secret. Don’t tell the jocks when school starts. I wouldn’t want my nerdiness to drag us down and all.”

I started to laugh, but stopped, struck by an uncomfortable thought. I picked at my blue jeans a little, toying with a loose thread, before asking quietly, “So the kiss is a secret?”

Adam looked over in obvious surprise. “Of course. I mean, like you said, this is a small city.”

“And it’s the South. And the Bible Belt. And generally homophobic, yeah.”

I bit down on my lip. I didn’t know what I was expecting. It wasn’t like he was wrong. We couldn’t be boyfriends—not here, not now. Not out in the open or anything. It was just that I wanted so much more already. And he’d kissed me.

Adam’s hand clasped the back of my neck again. “Hey, listen. You’re my friend. And you happen to kind of turn me on with your glasses, and your camera, and the way you walk.” He gripped his fingers in my hair again and gave my head a little shake. “That’s enough, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. So—the drag show. How do we get in?” I hoped my voice sounded light because if in Adam’s world friends kissed, I didn’t want to do anything to ruin our friendship before I found out what else he thought friends might do.

My Review:
Peter Mandel is an 18 y/o closeted gay teen growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1990. He’s a new transfer to a small private school because he’d been terrorized by bullies for being queer. His parents seem to ignore all the evidence of homosexuality, instead believing him to be a late bloomer. He is, rather, being small and slight, unfit for sports and artsy in photography, but Peter is still only for the dudes.

Peter meets twins Adam and Sarah at orientation. They are half-Iranian, and their parents have some type of consulate business that keeps them in Jordan at the moment. Fomenting aggression caused their parents to send Adam and Sarah to the states to complete high school; their elder brother, Mohammed, is a college student at UT and their custodian.

Adam wastes no time connecting with Peter, who’s never even kissed a person before. He’d hoped to fly under the radar, but beautiful, skilled, sexy Adam is more that willing to school Peter in sex. Their courtship is fraught with issues–mostly keeping everything on the super down-low. Sarah and Mo know immediately that Adam and Peter are having sex, and they aren’t happy about it–mostly because they know how their strict father will react if he learns of this unnatural behavior.

When school starts, Sarah is determined to get them all well-situated into the best social strata. She’s aggressive and Adam’s charismatic and soon they cobble a tight group of friends, including Leslie, who’s overjoyed to be Adams’ girlfriend. Yep, the best way to hide Adam and Peter’s sexytimes is to get a beard–and Adam’s bisexual, so he pulls this off. But the rumors don’t stop.

The book spans a nine month period–all of senior year. It’s not a happy time for Peter. He’s captivated by Adam, who wants him terribly, but upset at hiding his love affair from everyone. Plus, he likes Leslie. She’s a sweet friend, and Peter dies a bit inside when he sees them cuddling, and knows they a real and true couple, having just as much sex as he and Adam do.

During this time Peter relies on unlikely friends, notably a drag queen that he met while out on his first date with Adam. Renee/Robert knows about staying closeted, and he’s a sweet and caring person. He offers Peter a job helping with his drag shows, and taking pictures for publicity. It’s through Renee/Robert that Peter meets Daniel, an architecture student at UT. There’s an immediate connection, but Daniel won’t get involved with a high school student.

The book, as a whole, is really bittersweet. It’s about yearning and choices and the struggle for love and acceptance in a time that was rife with homophobia, in a place that’s not eager to embrace homosexuality now–twenty-five years later. It’s the height of the AIDS epidemic, and Peter’s (mostly disinsterested) parents are just as scared of gay cancer killing him as they are of homophobic bigots killing him. They have some experience with the latter, as Peter learns close to the end of the book. It’s not a typical romance, and Peter’s mostly broken-hearted accepting a half-love from Adam, who won’t just let him go. For his part, Peter knows that he’s not able to protect himself from the bigotry inherent in his world, but he makes a grudging peace with it, until he can walk away clean: graduation.

There’s a bit of hope on the horizon, with Daniel, who may be willing to be monogamous and not hide Peter. His parents are resigned to his sexuality, and seem to be supportive; his father in particular. His mother suffers depression and struggles to care for herself, let alone her son. Peter’s a good kid, and the stage seems set for him to have a better life within a tribe of his choosing who will care for him. Being that this is more a gay fiction series, I’m sure we’ll have more ups-and-downs as Peter learns to navigate his dangerous world. There is a promised happy ending for Peter, I suspect, in the fourth book. Until then, we have a really rich world with regular historical touchstones for readers to connect.

It’s always fun to read a book set in a time that has just faded from our collective consciousness. It’s an era of no cell phones, landlines, people walking out their door and being unreachable, film cameras, developing rooms, word processors… Peter is a contemporary of mine, being one year older, chronologically. So his experience is mine–from a cultural standpoint. He and I share those moments, watching GHOST on the big screen, contemplating The Cure, even photography–though I was limited to a point-and-shoot due to being broke. I got Peter, and I struggled with him. I wanted Adam to stand up for them–even if it wasn’t coming out. Even if it was them still hiding, but hiding together. The conflict was really tense, and I hope that we’ll get some respite–though it’s the dawn of the Iraq War, and Adam, being half-Iranian, has many struggles to come. As for the book, and series, I think readers who enjoyed the Something Like series by Jay Bell will enjoy it. I liked it lots, and enjoyed the immersive experience of suddenly being back in high school.

Interested? You can find PICTURES OF YOU on Goodreads and Amazon.

About the Author:
Author of the best-selling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.

You can find out more on her website, Facebook and twitter.

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