M/M Romance

LEGALLY WED–FTW* (For The Win…)–A Review

Hi there! As many of my readers have learned, I read a wide range. Part of that is being a mom. I’m sharing a beloved book with my 4 year old right now…SOCKS by Beverly Cleary. Oh! Takes me back. But my 11 y/o is really loving a book about an invisible boy that I may check out…and my high schooler, well, HUCK FINN is a classic.

Still, my personal reading tastes favor more paranormal, YA, Urban Fantasy, and romance of all stripes. That’s what turned me on to M/M romance–the menage books that featured close M/M relationships. I’ve followed the trend of mainstream authors picking up on the interest as well. In my search for great reads, I came across a newly released title, LEGALLY WED by Rick R. Reed, that really investigates the heart of gay marriage, from an insider’s perspective.

Legally WedLEGALLY WED is a contemporary romance with a M/M story, but the kicker is:  the gay man is marrying a woman. And, not on the down-low.

Here’s what happens:

Duncan is overwhelmed with joy that gay marriage is legal in Washington state. Watching the hordes of couples waiting for their unions, he can’t wait to join that happily married crowd. He’s been with Tucker for three years, and decides to pop the question…to be rebuffed. Soundly.

Devastated, Duncan gets drunk and signs on to Craigslist to post a call for a woman who will marry him–knowing he’s gay and not interested in a physical relationship.  See, Duncan wants to grow old with someone. He wants a lifelong companion, and he’s sure that he won’t find it with a man. But, he’s near forty and never been with a woman, and has no desire to change that. He does, however, have healthy relationships with women, and thinks that a platonic relationship may work.

Well, he gets lots of offers, though only one strikes the right note. He meets with Marilyn, a woman who has always had good friendships with gay men, and they hit it off. Not a Let’s Get Hitched-connection, but they can see being friends. Good friends, even, and a couple months later they are planning a wedding–for real. Struggling with the plans necessitates a planner, however.

Enter Peter. Garrulous, charming, gay bear, wedding-planning Peter. He’s so not Duncan’s type, but dayum…they connect. Not physically, mind you–Duncan’s a great guy, not a cheater–but the attraction is mutual.  Even Marilyn can’t deny how they seem to mesh. It unsettles them, actually, but they are determined to press on with the wedding.

Duncan seems consumed with Peter, and likewise. He knows he’s making a mistake marrying Marilyn, but he can’t seem to derail his desire for companionship, and isn’t willing to sacrifice the relationship he has built with Marilyn by calling it off. Until his brother-in-law dies, and Duncan returns home for the funeral. Seeing the love his beloved sister shared turns Duncan’s thoughts around.

Don’t fear for Marilyn. There’s room in this story for two happily ever afters…

I just loved this book. Duncan’s despondency over his failed relationships is palpable. My own heart twisted right along with his, seeing the happiness of everyone else and wondering “why not me?”. The book is mostly in Duncan’s point of view, but we get some chapters from Marilyn and Peter as well. It’s a solid read with Duncan and Marilyn sharing their dry humor throughout. As for the smexytimes, it’s far tamer than a category romance. In fact, I think the dirty fantasies Duncan and Peter have are smuttier than the deed. Still, it’s for a mature reader.

Interested? You can pick up LEGALLY WED at Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

If you have the chance to read this one, let me know your thought in the comments. And, as always, keep reading my friends. 🙂

January 2014 Cephalopod Coffeehouse–NOT HIS KISS TO TAKE–A Review

Welcome one and all to the Armchair Squid’s Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.

I’m happy to join in with one of the books I read this past month. As a reviewer of all things ‘women’s fiction’ I have quite a large range. Typically, YA Anything all the way through Erotica. I’ve recently noticed a shift of mainstream romance authors into M/M (male/male) romance–so of course, I’ve checked it out. After reading about 15 of these in the past two months–I must say, I’m pretty impressed. So I chose one that I continue to go back to, because it’s everything I love in a romance (slow build, true emotion), and everything I long for in erotica. (Kink-tastic!)

Not His Kiss to TakeNOT HIS KISS TO TAKE by Finn Marlowe is a contemporary M/M romance set in Spokane, WA.

Dr. Evan Harrison, a gay man and Emergency room physician, suffers debilitating migraines. Due to his inability to function without constant painkillers, he’s stepped away from medicine–and yet the headaches remain. He’s a virtual recluse, shunning bright areas, loud crowds, and general human interaction most of the time. He has a fave watering hole–a quiet dive bar a short walk from his penthouse condo. One snowy night Evan’s hanging out having a beer when an angel walks through the door. Blonde hair, blue eyes, supple young body… Clearly straight, the man captivates him anyway.

Jamie, a good-looking young man, enters the wrong bar on the wrong night. While using the toilet he’s beaten senseless by a trio of homophobes. Problem is, Jamie’s not gay. Still, he’s humiliated and barely coherent when he’s discovered by the strong man who seems to know his way around a body. Afraid that a hospital visit will drain his already meager savings, Jamie begs his guardian stranger to take him anywhere but the emergency room.

Evan complies, taking Jamie to his own home instead. He carefully tends this bright young charge, giving the best care possible. It’s a tender and kind treatment that Jamie has never received. Not from his father–who left a decade ago. Not from his mother who’s too beat down by life to really care–and certainly not from his abusive step-father.

Jamie knows that Evan is gay. And, he knows Evan’s aroused by him. But, he doesn’t seduce him. No, Jamie’s own voracious curiosity is what leads this pair down the rabbit hole together.

In the course of events, both men find what fills their souls–their companionship and eventual sexual relationship. It is a constant push-pull emotionally. Evan knows he’s doing harm by entering into a relationship with Jamie. He’s fourteen years older than his lover, and sure that his sassy angel, Jamie, will bolt back to heterosexuality at any moment. Jamie’s curiously attracted to ‘pervy’ Evan even if he can’t commit to a lifetime of their ‘messing around’–he’s not gay after all–still he’s captivated by the love and kindness Evan lavishes on him. And yet, he’s unable to give the one thing Evan covets most–a kiss.

Yes, they separate, but come together again, stronger, and on more equal terms. This is what is called a GFY story (“Gay For You”) in that one of the characters has never been with a man, but finds the relationship with one man so much more fulfilling than those before that he ‘switches teams’ for his soul mate. It’s the epitome of a romance–with more poignant hardships due to prejudice and homophobia.

If anyone is interested in NOT HIS KISS TO TAKE, the full-length novel can be downloaded FREE ( in multiple digital formats) from Smashwords here. I highly recommend it to fans of women’s romance and erotica. The sex is deliciously written, and there’s a good bit of it, so…YAY!!!

See those links below?  Hopefully you’ll click through to check out the posts of my coffeehouse brethren.  And, as always, keep reading my friends!

1. The Armchair Squid 2. What’s up, MOCK?!
3. Words Incorporated 4. Scouring Monk
5. Huntress 6. A Creative Exercise
7. Libby Heily 8. Trisha @ WORD STUFF
9. Wishbone Soup Cures Everything 10. mainewords
11. Julie Flanders 12. Hungry Enough To Eat Six
13. Yolanda Renee 14. M.J. Fifield
15. StrangePegs — Turn Coat 16. The Writing Sisterhood
17. Ed and Reub 18. StrangePegs — Vader’s Offspring
19. V’s Reads

The Rise of M/M Romance

Welcome to one of my rambles…this time I’m going to babble (at some length) about the trend toward M/M (male/male) sexual pairing in women’s erotica.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, Book #1)As strange as it sounds, the history of M/M romance isn’t terrifyingly sordid. As one might imagine, it’s been a niche market. The first I encountered of M/M was in Anne Rice’s Beauty trilogy. In the first novel, The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, the M/M interactions were all of power—unsurprisingly. It is, after all, a BDSM fantasy. But, in Beauty’s Punishment and Beauty’s Release there were several M/M relationships that transcended the Dom/sub. Tristan and the Queen’s historian, Nicolas, maintained a public power relationship with a clandestine partnership—wherein each man alternated in the dominant role. Beefy Laurent also experienced tender love with his sub, his master, and the fellow ‘ponies’ when he was a stabled slave.

Over the years we have seen an upsurge in ménage scenes—usually favoring the M/F/M dynamic. This caters to female readers; those who are aroused by the idea of being the filling in a mansandwich, in any case. But, of late, this dynamic is shifting again to allow for M/M/F—or the full-out bisexuality of the males in a ménage.

I had to wonder:  Why?

Is it not enough to have a woman be pleasured by two gorgeous (because it’s romance they are always gorgeous) men?

And then I remembered what I will call The Brokeback Factor.

Brokeback mountain.jpgBoys Don't Cry movie.jpgSee, 2005’s Brokeback Mountain really opened eyes. It wasn’t the first acclaimed homosexual movie. In fact, Hilary Swank had won a Best Actress Oscar for Boys Don’t Cry in 2000. But, as beautiful as Hilary Swank and Chloe Sevigny may be, they are no Heath Ledger/Jake Gyllenhall. The romance between these men—and the obstacles they faced in their “normal” relationships—that made for excellent cinema. It touched viewers in a way that was sexual, not seedy. And received three Academy Awards in the process.

Suddenly, sex between men didn’t seem so…IDK, icky? That’s probably how many (straight, female) readers would have considered male/male before The Brokeback Factor.

What it boils down to in romance is this:  straight female readers crave beautiful, dominant male leads with a sensitive side. The rise of M/M romance is a natural extension of this fascination. If one strong sexy man is excellent, then two is divine. The close POV often employed in these novels (alternating first-person present tense) allows for an intimate peek into the psyche of both male lovers—as they struggle to find an acceptable partner, and seek the pleasure of him. It’s the ultimate in erotic fantasy, IMHO.

Who read the 50 Shades trilogy and didn’t delight in the last scenes written in Christian Grey’s POV?

No one.

Now, imagine that single-minded sexual focus from two men. From readers of ménage and M/M erotica, the response is overwhelmingly positive. Based on the, albeit informal, 2013 Smut Book Awards hosted by The Smut Book Club, two of the top five “Favorite Sex Scenes You had to Read One Handed” were M/M.  And, two of the top four (also taking the top spot here) of “Leading Couple You’d Want a Threesome With” were gay/bisexual men.

Notable entries in the M/M romance sub-genre:

Lover at Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #11)Mainstream erotic writers have released their own M/M work—JM Ward released LOVER AT LAST in March of 2013. This story features the coupling of Qhuinn and Blaylock, both vampires, both enormous, masculine, Alpha-type leads. It has been a building story in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series for several books now. Blaylock has loved Qhuinn forever. Qhuinn rejected that love because, though he’s bisexual, he just couldn’t ‘come out’. Now that Blay is with Qhuinn’s cousin, Saxton, however, Qhuinn is more than jealous—and this installment of the BDB is panty-incinerating fantastic.

Double Time (Sinners on Tour, #5)Olivia Cunning—my Queen of E-Rock-tica—finally has given her readers Trey’s story. Trey is the bisexual rhythm guitarist in her Sinners On Tour series, who happens to be in love with Brian “Master” Sinclair—lead guitarist and his best friend. With Brian happily married and a new father, Trey is distraught—thinking he’ll never find a soul-satisfying love. DOUBLE TIME allowed us access to his hypersexual mind—and his successful quest to assuage both aspects of his sexuality. While this is a ménage novel, Trey is constantly struggling with his homosexual desires. We get a front-row seat to his battle, and ultimately, plenty of juicy M/M only scenes.

Ethan (Alluring Indulgence, #4)Nicole Edwards, an indie author who mainly centers on the ménage dynamic, has really fleshed out some fantastic M/M in her M/M/F—Temptation, Devotion, and Travis, in particular. But ETHAN, which came out in early January 2014 is smoking hot and totally sensual. Knowing that it is M/M, it still ranked high on the list of: Most Anticipated Reads of 2014 at Smutbookclub.com.

Try (Temptation, #1)Ella Frank, another indie, has had great success with Blind Obsession and her Exquisite Series—straight erotica I highly recommend—but branched into M/M this past November with TRY. Logan Mitchell—bisexual player has his sights set on a forever kind of target:  Tate, a straight man. In this dynamic we have not only the pursuit, but the conflict—how does a previously straight man develop an attraction (and a love) for another man. Being inside Tate’s head as he mulls through the quandary is a complete turn on. TRY’s a definite fave, and the beginning of a SERIES of M/M. TAKE will be out later in 2014 and continues the Logan/Tate saga—I cannot wait.

Collide by Riley HartRiley Hart’s COLLIDE marks another new M/M series. This Boys Only standalone recounts the reunion between two childhood friends, Noah, an openly gay man, and Cooper, a straight player. Cooper welcomes Noah into his home, and soon the attraction begins to simmer. Much like TRY, Collide features an alternating POV, and we can feel not only Cooper’s conflict over his new homosexual desires, but also his fear of revealing this relationship to his adoptive parents—because they despised Noah all those years ago. Their history causes some very poignant exchanges—particularly when Cooper is hospitalized and Noah is banned from his bedside—something that occurs every day in real America. Though the books suffers some editing issues, I loved the story and look forward to the next book featuring a different M/M couple set up by Noah and Cooper. Bound to be great.

For the non-believer–WHY is M/M hot?

I’m not here to convert anyone, truly. I’m just relating my own opinions, and those I’ve gotten through friends and fellow erotica readers. For me, sometimes straight romance lacks a bit of…heart. The cookie-cutter approach of single, overlooked female plus brawny, bazillionaire, broken male can feel a bit stale. Many times an author will throw in some sloppy sex to spice it up, but those begin to read flat after a while. It is the fresh and new and forbidden that draws interest. Still, it’s a true art to convince a straight woman to purchase gay romance, and takes more than a come-hither. The backstory for these characters is complex and well-considered. Often these aren’t virgin-orphans. Their families are involved—and supportive or absolutely appalled. It makes for a more rounded story.

What I find most interesting in M/M romance isn’t the hot sex—though that is a bonus—but that intimate choice to be vulnerable to another man—even with the complications it poses to all one’s other relationships.  Romance readers desire characters who will risk it all to find true love—what is more risky than potentially upsetting one’s whole family by being gay?

Additionally, I find most readers like their sex with a hefty dose of passion. For better or worse, passion is often accorded as force—while not violent, per se. Who doesn’t think having one’s panties torn off in the heat of the (consensual) moment is arousing? Or, how about being turned over one’s desk/kitchen table for a still-clothed, skirt-up quickie? Yeah, me too.

When it comes to M/M sex, the coupling can be brutal in its passion. These aren’t tentative lovers; they are fully-beefed, determined leads. Ward’s Blaylock and Qhuinn—again they are vampires—bite each other repeatedly in the act of sex. Frank’s Logan and Tate swap from oral to oro-anal to anal in a scene. It’s sweaty and sticky and the muscles bulge and strain—times two. The sheer maleness of M/M sex allows a distance for the female reader to enjoy fierce masculine passion—without fearing for the heroine—alongside swoony-gentle love-making that is overwhelmingly tender. The chasm between the rawness of their sex and the depth of their emotional vulnerability is Grand Canyon in scope. In my own thoughts, this amplifies the heat between the characters ten-fold.

Again, to each their own, but I’m a fan of M/M romance and interested to see where this trend goes.

If you’ve got any thoughts—please comment. I’d love to hear your take on this ramble, or any of the books I’ve mentioned. Oh, and if you have recommendations—lay them on me!

And, as always, keep reading my friends.