Annery
Gah ... I like anthologies, because it's a good way to try out ‘new to me' authors, but I hate reviewing them, because inevitably I'm going to short-shrift someone, or I'll have to spend hours on a bunch of reviews. Ugh. Anyway ... this was for charity, and there were a couple of stories I loved, so overall it was a win. Rating? I'll try to figure that out by the end of my mini-reviews.
Coach's Little Kitten by Quin & Perin 2.75
This was fine as piece of PWP but, quite frankly, it's just a few pages and I managed to string it over two days. Evidently I wasn't overly invested. I found the character of Baxter somewhat intriguing: a married gym teacher who goes to kink clubs for his ‘needs'. On one such outing he sees Caleb, a shy and fearful little thing who had been one of his students, but in the club Caleb is a kitten, complete with tail and ears. Baxter negotiates with Caleb's ‘handler' and they have a scene, which blows Baxter's mind and leaves him wanting more. End of story.
Maybe this could be a good start to a longer book that goes deeper into the characters' lives outside of the club and their kink personas, but I'm not feeling it. Specifically kitty play kind of doesn't work for me. Puppy play I kind-of-sort-of get, but being a cat human, I can safely say that they don't take well to orders, leash tugging, or any kind of bossing around. If anything you can have a cat Dom. That could work.
Anyway, as always, YMMV.
Abstract Love by Sara Dobie Bauer *4.00
I really liked this. [a:Sara Dobie Bauer|7226363|Sara Dobie Bauer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1536068463p2/7226363.jpg] is a ‘new to me' author and I thoroughly enjoyed her voice. Donovan Cooper is an ad executive who's been in a perpetual bad mood since the implosion of his marriage and the loss, to the daily grind, of his artistic dreams. Luckily for him, his agency hires Sam Shelby who'll pull him, kicking and screaming, back to life.
I liked the whole dynamic between these two; I liked that Sam called Donovan out on his dickishness, I love how, despite not wanting to, Donovan can't help but noticing Sam and his colorful/awful sweaters & jackets. I liked that though it's technically a GFY story, that angle wasn't belabored or dwelled on ad infinitum. I liked that the characters existed in an authentic world (work & personal). Ultimately it wasn't 5 stars because the story just sort of stops. I don't know if it's the start of a longer book or what, but I would've liked a teensy bit more. Just enough to let me imagine them into the future.
The Kiss by A. G. Carothers *4.5
Another win! [a:A.G. Carothers|18167215|A.G. Carothers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1530486697p2/18167215.jpg] is also another ‘new to me author'! I loved everything about this, not least of which was the preface with it's thoughtful definitions. How can you not love a story about a primal, and bottom who doesn't conform to the twink standard? Liam is bald (he shaves), hairy, not super tall, a bit stocky, and has a beard. It makes sense. He's a metal worker. (I thought he'd be a great contestant in Forged in Fire) Besides being primal, he also identifies a bit as ace, he doesn't get sexual pleasure from his BDSM play, and he's also a bit of a masochist or a fan of impact play. He enjoys the pain without any sexual component, except as to please his top, who thus far have been women, as he identifies as straight. Except now he's been chasing a Dom who can wield a whip. That person is Gavin Hightower, a 45 y.o. captain in the Police Department, a gay man, who's also not perfect. No worries.
At first Gavin is reluctant to scene with Liam because he doesn't want a straight guy freak-out after they've scened, but Liam persists, and Gavin takes Liam for a bit of a test ride; and then there's The Kiss. Absolutely dreamy. Weird to say of a BDSM story, but that's the word. I melted right along with Liam because of scenes like this:
“I looked up at Sir, at Gavin. He didn't have the perfect body. He was fit, but the life of a forty-five-year-old police captain was hard. Black and gray hair ran down between his pecs and down his stomach in this sexy little trail. I didn't have a trail. I had a whole forest. He had laugh lines around his eyes and little stress lines on his forehead. His hands were rough, not as rough as mine, but they weren't soft hands. His grip was firm as he pulled me closer to him. He was everything I didn't know I needed.”
I also love that Gavin calls Liam love, because he doesn't like boy or baby, Liam is a a man. *applause*. My greedy self wanted more.
Pretty Boy by E. M. Denning *3.00
Mark and Paul are half brothers. Mark escaped to college and left their miserable home, he intended to rescue Paul once he was settled but fate accelerated the clock. Their father has died and Mark has to bring Paul to live with him. He's not mad about it.
As you guessed, these two have been separately, and silently pining for one another. One day Mark, tired of Paulie avoiding him in the apartment, barges into the bathroom and gets an eyeful Paul likes to dress up and wear make up. He's not sorry. Things progress as you can imagine.
This is a bit of fluff that's fun while it happens, but not quite memorable.
Particular Tastes by T. S. McKinney *2.5
I may have been too generous in my rating. Anyway ... this might've worked better for me without the convoluted back/work stories of the characters. Christian Reisen & Hudson Donovan a.k.a America & London seem to be some sort of ‘agents'? maybe governmental or private? I don't know and don't care. I believed zero of their ‘professional' life, the overwhelming lusting, or Christian being bossy, much less a Dom. That was all ... meh? the preposterous part was Hudson/London, going from straight to super gay because of one guy, all under the template of ‘it's just for you; no labels needed'. I'm not a stickler for labels. Pretty much hate them, but denying you're at least bi when you like to get fed and suck ck is disingenuous and also belittling to those who are gay. Like saying you're gay or bi will diminishes you. Just saying. Kind of like women who enjoy all of what Feminism has ushered in, but are not Feminists. Like it's a dirty word.
Again: YMMV
Doctor's Orders by Emma Jaye. No rating. I didn't read it because it's #3 in a series I haven't read, and I'm too anal to read anything out of order.
Brotherly Love by Lynn Van Dorn *3.75
This is my first [a:Lynn Van Dorn|17110627|Lynn Van Dorn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1504541277p2/17110627.jpg] and it won't be my last. I really enjoyed her narrative voice, and the almost casual inclusiveness of the story: Jay is Mexican-American, we know it, but there is no hammering in of this aspect. It just is normal. Like in RL. Refreshing.
If you hadn't guessed this is another brocest story, but in this case they aren't related by blood, just marriage. Jay had always tried to be a protective older brother to Jamie, and he sometimes had to protect Jamie from Jay's own mother, who never really cared for Jamie because because he wasn't her biological son. Some people!
When it's time for Jamie to go away to school, to save money, he comes to live with Jay, who's living on his own in an apartment his dad got him. As you would expect all of their old, unacknowledged feelings bubble up to the surface with the expected results. I thought Jamie was perhaps a bit too bratty at first, but life hasn't been kind to him. He's been saddled with a stepmom who was never really a mother to him, while being adoring to her biological children, and a father who is willfuly blind to the fact that his son is gay. Jamie has tried to set him straight on the matter to no avail.
I liked that the tables were turned or stereotypes subverted when it came to which set of parents would be okay with gay children. Overall I enjoyed this story and the way it was told, with flashbacks into Jay & Jamie's past. It's a close relative to Pretty Boy but I enjoyed this one more.
A Kink Chronicles Short by Luna David. No rating as I didn't read this. It seems, going by the tittle, that it's part of a larger series which I haven't read. See anal behavior
Tamed by T. M. Chris *4.75
This whole anthology was worth it to me just for this story. [a:T.M. Chris|17061754|T.M. Chris|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1501426458p2/17061754.jpg] is [a:Tanya Chris|15067939|Tanya Chris|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1477705931p2/15067939.jpg]'s alter ego, and she's got my number. I like how she does BDSM stories that aren't prescribed by a rule book and this was no exception.
Jake is sort of a big brute of a guy, who's been floundering since ending his stint in the Marines. He wants, craves, and needs discipline to center his scattered life, but being a Hulk sized brat, who doesn't submit easily, has garnered him zero Doms wanting to take him on. One day at a BDSM bar he overhears a conversation that leads him to believe there is someone out there who can be his Sir, if only that Sir would be willing to take a risk on Jake. That Dom is Eduardo. I love Eduardo. He is very clear on what is done for discipline and what is done for sexual pleasure or fun, he doesn't give up, and he isn't wishy washy about rules. In fact he and Jake, at first at least, engage in a quasi domestic discipline relationship, without naming it so, because that is exactly what Jake needs. Jake with his ceaseless mental complaints, self sabotage, but utter need to have someone quiet his brain, take him in hand, and hold him safe.
If there's more about these two I'll be first in line to read it.
Watch and Learn by K. C. Wells *3.5
This was a fun little age-gap story. Chris is 42 and into the BDSM scene, but not specifically a Dom or a Daddy, just more of ‘take care of you' kind of guy. One day, after eyeing him for a while, he finally meets Zac, who's 22. Zac seems to be perpetually unhappy, though he regularly leaves with different men. Turns out that sex isn't working out so well for Zac. Chris can fix that. I liked that the fix isn't what you think or expect. No Magic-D involved. I loved how the story developed slowly, over a series of different encounters, that progressed over months. And I loved the ending which had me laughing at humans and men in particular. Chris and Zac have agreed that neither is looking for a relationship, they're friends who are fuck buddies, but they're clearly deluded. They have a relationship! The best kind, with zero drama, and a mutual caring and enjoyment of things. Maybe no 'I-love-you's' have been exchanged, but the caring is evident in everything they do for each other.
Kudos [a:K.C. Wells|6576876|K.C. Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1433451688p2/6576876.jpg] for always being sex positive, nonjudgmental, and what I think is a cameo appearance of Jake Jaxson & RJ Sebastian's house, which doubles as Camp Cocky Boys. Sweet.
I liked this so much that I tried to extend my listening time. sigh Thank you [a:Lane Hayes 7125719 Lane Hayes https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1559106511p2/7125719.jpg] and [a:Michael Ferraiuolo 13467952 Michael Ferraiuolo https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1498214961p2/13467952.jpg].Nate and Alex are to all appearances polar opposites, and maybe they are, but they also complement each other like that pinch of salt or kiss of maple syrup. They're better together. Nate is Jake's friend from [b:The Wrong Man 24394833 The Wrong Man (Right and Wrong, #2) Lane Hayes https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420817781s/24394833.jpg 43979167], in which he came off as slightly cold or regimented, and he is a bit. Life, his parents, and maybe a bit of his genetic makeup have made him cautious and over analytical. Luckily life has also put Alex in his path. Alex is Michael's friend from [b:The Right Words 23547087 The Right Words (Right and Wrong, #1) Lane Hayes https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415773611s/23547087.jpg 43146536]; a retired fútbol player, WeHo gym owner, and all around nice guy, with an infectious joie de vivre. Nate finds himself saying yes to things he never imagined and enjoying them: surfing with someone else, speaking Spanish, unconcerned about his accent, revisiting his attraction to men (I was so glad this wasn't a GFY story). But it isn't a one way street, and Alex isn't someone without a care in the world. He needs and wants and anchor, a place to call home and Nate can be that for him. Alex carries the weight of his father's judgement and expectations, but, proving he's a better person than me, he chooses to see good in him too. Tonio Reyes, I didn't miss you. In this book, like the rest of the series, though the MC get together early and often, the road to love is slow and deliberate built on shared experiences outside of the bedroom, though those were scorching and revealing too. It makes the love sweeter and utterly believable. I liked that though Alex had the, ostensibly, bigger drama of coming out publicly (he was out to his family & circle of friends) being he was a retired athlete, Nate's story was equally, if not more moving, for it's specificity and (I'm looking at you last 20%) utterly heart wrenching. This was a love story between true adults who have had life experiences and learned from them. When their HEA comes we believe it completely.
4.75So I took a few days to digest this, almost as many as it took me to read it, and have to say it was a win. Just manage your expectations.First off this isn't, IMO, a romance. It is however a love story, and not just one between the main MC, but rather between a group of friends that are chosen family. In fact this book could very well have one of those Victorian titles with a subtitle: Stained Glass or How, after a horrible thing happened, Lawrence ‘Laurie' McKenna's friends helped piece him back together, especially Andy, so that he could finally get his HEA with Jeff, his person. And that's what happens.If you're a big fan of the MCs being in each other's pocket, this might not be for you. The lion-share of this book deals with Laurie overcoming, or learning to live with the horrible end of his most recent relationship. Part of that is Laurie's almost paralyzing depression and spiraling alcoholism. Luckily Jeff, his onetime foster brother, and eternal crush comes to rescue him from drowning. But Jeff can't stay. It turns out that Jeff too, besides being an unconditional friend, has always wanted Laurie, and seeing him broken is the one thing he can't be strong for. He decides, and Laurie's dads and friends agree (and so did I), that Laurie needs time, space, and distance to not only process what happened his boyfriend & Dom committed suicide in his apartment and all that what came with it, but to put himself back together into some semblance of life. As a result the MCs are geographically together for perhaps 20% of the book or less, but I didn't mind. Jeff is always present through their group of friends, phone calls or text, and in Laurie's mind. What this book does authentically and perfectly is present a group of friends, who've been in each other's lives since college (I think their all in their early to mid thirties), how the relate to each other, sometimes agreeing, sometimes arguing, but always from a position of love. Andy, Laurie's college roommate, moves in as a sort of sober companion and all around life saver. Heroes come in every shape. Andy is a hero. And each of the other friends are full fledged and believable characters too. I could see a whole series about them and their lives. Overall I loved how the story was rolled out. We learn things about the characters, like for example that Laurie has two dads, in an organic way, via casual conversations among people who know each other and not in some expository TELL and not showing kind of way. If you are in any way squeamish or are looking for something lite, this is not it. [a:Jaime Samms 2631049 Jaime Samms https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1489519729p2/2631049.jpg] deals unflinchingly with addiction and the trauma of a horrifying experience. I appreciated it. I hate Magic-D solutions to real problems. I liked that Laurie lived in a real world which came with friends, work, and sexual experiences other than with each other. They're in their 30's!!! When Laurie is finally back on his feet and Jeff comes back all the swoons. I completely believed in their ultimate HEA. Canadian style. This isn't a cookie cutter romance and I loved it. A couple of things refrained me from giving this a full 5 stars. 1) Absurdly, Laurie himself. I wanted to smack him one too many times. I know he's going through a lot but, but he was trying. Apparently, going by how his friends spoke of him this wasn't his usual M.O. I hope so, for Jeff's sake. 2) I was a bit perplexed about Laurie's relationship with Nash it only spanned 6 months in which Laurie discovered, hitherto unknown sub tendencies and it just seemed like he went so far into that in a fairly short period of time for a person who'd never been in the lifestyle. I dunno. Also I would've liked to know more about what was going on with Nash. I came off thinking that he he was ill, in some way. 3) Why, if everyone and their mother knew that Jeff and Laurie were it for each other, why had they almost non-danced around it for so long? I have questions. I'd like answers. But you can ignore all my quibbles and enjoy a book that doesn't adhere to any guideline of what a romance should be and succeeds in telling a wholly true love story.
4.5 I love Mack starsAnother winner in a series I had somehow neglected in my reader/Audible library!This a second chance romance, featuring Brandon Good, Luke's BFF from [b:The Right Words 23547087 The Right Words (Right and Wrong, #1) Lane Hayes https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415773611s/23547087.jpg 43146536]. At 29, despite some early set backs in his life, Bran seems to be the picture of success, and one could say he is. He's young, healthy, and easy on the eyes. He has trusted and beloved friends, some, like Luke, are chosen family, he owns a thriving home decor store in trendy WeHo, and yet ... a sense of blah has crept in. Luckily the past comes knocking on his door in the form of Jake Westley, his former boyfriend, and his dog Mack. Mack who is perhaps one my favorite characters in any book I've read. He's freakin' awesome. Jake and Bran were a couple during their senior year of high school, but only Bran was ‘out' and things didn't end well. It's now 12 years later and both have travelled far from their teenage selves. Jake, particularly, didn't have a smooth ride but he's an adult now. He might be a bit frayed around the edges, but he also knows who he is and what he wants. Bran thinks he knows what he wants, but a pair of brown liquid eyes (belonging to Mack) and Jake's steady, solid, presence are about to show him that the best plan is the unexpected one.I liked everything about this. I liked that though Bran had these rules, and who he thought Jake was, there was no long, contrived ‘will they? won't they?' The attraction clearly hadn't abated, and neither of the MCs did the coy dance. I liked how the relationship developed organically, during the course of months over which they shared deep conversation, silly times, and scorching smexy times. I love how [a:Lane Hayes 7125719 Lane Hayes https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1559106511p2/7125719.jpg] brings to life characters who may have been through the wringer but are still on their feet and living, without schmaltz but with tons of heart. Speaking of hearts, I'll just say that Mack now owns mine. I only have two quibbles. 1) Towards the end (at around 80%) some ‘stuff' happens and Bran acts a little stupid. It seemed to me that, though he denied it, he was holding a grudge for what a 17 y.o. did or didn't do. A bit sanctimonious.2) I did the audio by [a:Michael Ferraiuolo 13467952 Michael Ferraiuolo https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1498214961p2/13467952.jpg], and he did a bang up job except that at one point Michael Martinez, from [b:The Right Words 23547087 The Right Words (Right and Wrong, #1) Lane Hayes https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415773611s/23547087.jpg 43146536] appears (he and Luke stop by Bran's store) and for some reason the narrator decides to give him an ‘accent', which is bizarre because he didn't have one in the previous book, and as far as I know, though of Mexican parentage, he was born and raised in California. Things that bother me. Shrug
4.5Don't know how this had just sat in my reader for so long and I'd not read it. It was like finding an unexpected treat. [a:Lane Hayes 7125719 Lane Hayes https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1559106511p2/7125719.jpg] has the knack for writing stories that, on the surface, could be seen a super angsty, yet she presents them without the usual nail biting and stridency. [a:Michael Ferraiuolo 13467952 Michael Ferraiuolo https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1498214961p2/13467952.jpg]'s narration is just wonderful icing on the cake.After a bad break-up, which left him doubting himself, and his choices, interior designer Luke Preston has returned to his stomping grounds to regroup and hopefully work. Said work comes in the form of a total renovation for a house that's seen better days. The owner of said house, Michael Martinez, is also in need of some TLC after an injury has him sidelined with nothing but time on his hands. He's a professional soccer player. A closeted one. I liked everything about this: the setup and the execution. Luke and Michael meet, and though there is a tangible attraction, no one is falling head over heels at first sight. Rather there's a gradual ‘getting to know you' aided by a sort of forced proximity. The distance of Michael's house makes it reasonable for Luke to accept the offer of staying in the guest studio on the property, and once the renovations are underway Michael has to stay there too. Genius. I liked that though Michael isn't out it's to do with his, warranted, fears for his profession and his family's acceptance and not any kind of self loathing. The first two aren't idle concerns and LH handles them with accuracy and without glossing over the realities of the world we live in. I did feel that Luke was perhaps a bit naive, at first, in reference to Michael being out. He grew up with an accepting mother and lives in a milieu, WeHo, where gay boys are the norm. However he doesn't force the issue, and rightly thinks it's Michael's choice of when and where to do so; Luke just doesn't want to be a secret and I totally agree with him.I loved how the relationship developed over time and shared experiences, kind of like the house renovation. Imagine that. I liked that Michael wasn't portrayed as a dumb jock, though he was every inch the athlete, he could appreciate Luke's love of words, literature, and poetry. I think they make the perfect pairing of opposites attract and I believed every word.My only quibble is that I would've liked to see Michael's family ... but I guess that would be another book.
This was excellent commute material and it's exactly as promised. More sweet than not, while, in traditional [a:Yamila Abraham 151017 Yamila Abraham https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1333107113p2/151017.jpg], broaching or alluding to some serious subjects, in this case religion or deities and their questionable morality. Or you can just enjoy the fairytale smex and [a:Bryce Chadwell 15249138 Bryce Chadwell https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s great narration. Yes. The AB could've used a bit of proofing, but BC's voices are dead on and hysterical. Plus this is in the Audible Package, which translates as FREE to me. #doublewin
Do I know, really know, what I just read? Probably not, but I'm super happy I did. Of course I'm blaming this on Nick . And by blame I mean, thank you. The best way to experience this tale, and yes, it is an experience, is to inhale it in one-go, let it subsume you, and float in [a:James Purdy 2273 James Purdy https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1515503789p2/2273.jpg]'s mesmerizing language. For extra effect, I also chose to read it out loud. To my cat. She was lulled to sleep. The bones of the story are whatever the blurb says: a soldier, Garnet Montrose, comes back horribly disfigured from the war in Vietnam, and, due to his physical ailments and ghastly appearance, decides to hire a man (his aspect is too horrifying for a woman) to tend to his needs and deliver love notes to a local widow. The applicants who end up taking the job don't exactly come through the regular channels, or are what Garnet expected. One is Quintus Powell, an 18 y.o. who comes to offer some goats that his momma no longer wants, and Potter Daventry, who just materializes, one day, in the forrest surrounding Garnet's house. The two split the work of caring for Garnet's physical and metaphysical needs, grounding him in the here and now, while releasing his mind.To say any more would be a crime and tell you nothing of what this is about. In spite of the very specific time setting, this is a tale that could be taking place in the 1800's. It very much had that southern gothic Faulkner or O'Connor feel, where “The past is never dead. It's not even past.” That unresolved or unhealed wound that was the Civil War, is barely scabbed over. There is a decidedly queer twist, and there is love between the men in the story, each of a different stripe, but this is definitely not a love story. Or maybe it is? To me, it was a tale of identity, transformation, and becoming. At one point Garnet, who narrates the story, is talking about the nicknames he had in the army, and then says: “But now I am home I want only my own names used, but actually nobody calls me anything because nobody can see me to call me, you might say. I am more vague than the fog, and not even it seems to me as palpable as night.” To be seen. To be known.
3.5
Somehow I got caught in an Audible Romance Package vortex, and here I am. It's fine. I've gotten tons of work done and my ears have been entertained. #notsorry
Every installment in the series serves a bit of catch-up with couples from the previous books. This one, effectively starts at Shayne & Lincoln's wedding, where Grady & Ryker are among the guests, and so is Henley Theriot. He's a childhood friend of Shayne and Grady, and fellow hockey player, like Shayne. Except he's not currently playing anything, as his life hit rock bottom after the events in Blow. Luckily for Henley, at the wedding, he is introduced to Kieran Steele, agent extraordinaire and dominant lover. It's a toss up which Henley needs most.
Much like in Blow there's some talk of BDSM or the punishment aspect of it, but it's all left to the reader's imagination as it happens off page. Frankly I believed very little of it. There's some size difference, which I did like, with the ‘slighter' partner being the dominant one, while utterly craving his larger lover, which goes a long way to equaling the power equation. Overall it's just the story of one guy replacing a destructive addiction with one that will keep him sane, alive, and loved and, another guy, having his fantasy crush become his RL man. Sweet.
This whole series is like a visit to a candy shop: colorful, sweet, and utterly forgettable. Not a criticism. This exactly what I wanted at the moment and Charity Parkerson delivers.
Story: 2.75 ... maybe 3 if I'm being generous.Audio: 1.00 but negative stars might not be off the mark
Reasons I ‘read' this:
a) It was in the Audible Romance Package i.e free
b) It's an hour and half (1.5), excellent for commute time
c) Trying out a new narrator
The third reason was my downfall.
The audio is by someone named Nathan Huddleston, who doesn't even appear on the GR author links, and it was pretty awful. His narration is a combination of sounding like he's drunk and trying to sound sober or reading very deliberately like someone who's learning to read or learning English. It seems like he's trying to dramatize or act out the MC's, emotions. He doesn't succeed. It's a pity because his voice has a nice timbre.
The story itself is in the vein of Love Story and a bit saccharine for my taste, mostly because I'm a terrible person, but also the events described seem more like a Hallmark sad story and wishful thinking. I would've probably connected more if I read it, though there's some bad poetry and a love for the band Korn, both of which gave me shivers. Not the good kind.
This was a lovely second chance at life story, with a hint of reincarnation/spirituality sprinkled throughout, but not clobbered over the reader's head. Nice. Very nice. Heartwarming and sad at once.
When Tanner Rowe and Cole Lachlan meet they're each at a crossroad in their respective lives: Tanner isn't quite moving on after his wife's death and Cole, without family or friends as a safety net, is finding it almost impossible to reenter society after a stint in prison. After kind-or -sort-of meeting at a bait-and-tackle shop, Tanner offers Cole room and board in exchange for repair work on the burnt-out barn on his property. From the first moment, each of the MCs, but particularly Tanner, feels an unexplained familiarity or comfort level with the other. A sense of ‘knowing' each other, in spite of being virtual strangers. Little by little, but not super belabored, Tanner and Cole forge a friendship, greatly aided by their reading of Tom Crawford's journal.
In the journal, Tom, the son of the previous occupants of Tanner's house, tells of his relationship with Charlie Myers. A relationship that morphs from friendship into more in the inhospitable climate of 1948 Red Bluff, Michigan. While reading the journal, and in everyday interactions, we become aware of the affinity between the two couples and the rest is just bittersweet.
I liked that the Tom & Charlie story wasn't sugar coated, reality is reality, but it's nice to think that their stardust selves get to have a second chance. And I really liked how Tanner's attraction to Cole, despite previously having thought of himself as straight, wasn't fraught with any inner turmoil. It wouldn't make sense for his character and especially having been married to someone like Emma. I liked that the love scenes evolved organically, and while sexy, were really more sensual. The townsfolk were a nice mix of busybodies and good people, which made the stetting realistic.
Overall I'd recommend it. What I couldn't get on-board with was the audio. Sorry. I love Kale Williams but couldn't warm up to the other narrator. I ended up just reading, so I'm not rating the audio.
4.5 Hating Jack starsokay ... deep breaths ... it's been a few days and I'm calm, however .... Is it possible to love a book while hating one of the MCs? On the strength of this read I'd have to say YES, but let's rewind a bit.If you've read some of my previous BDSM reviews (and why should you?) let me tell you that my relationship with Doms is ... complicated. They always start off in the negative column for me, and have to, validly, earn the trust and surrender of their subs. Sadist Doms and I will NEVER order from the same side of the menu, because I can't help but think of them as glorified, small-pricked, bullies who need masochist subs to feel big. Anyway, I'm pretty sure you know where I'm going with this: I HATE Jack. He's your garden variety Silicon Valley tech dude (think Jack Dorsey), master of all his domain. I hate him with the force of a thousand suns. I can't say my opinion of him changed by the end of this installment, and yet ... I loved the series. I'm insane. I know. I'm okay with that. Also [a:R.J. Moray 14368949 R.J. Moray https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is to blame for creating Channon. I love him and feel a protective streak for him that's a mile wide.As usual, I went into this series with a vague idea of what it was about. Frankly with the cover and title I figured it was just some PWP, and I was happy with that. To my surprise I found Channon. I don't think I've come across such an endearing and authentic feeling character in a long while. He's like a baby lamb, all elbows, and clumsiness. Undefined. And you just want to hold him tight. Let him hold on to his innocence for a bit longer. Sadly that's not to be. He meets Jack. Yeah, I know that the premise of this is a boy (he's definitely not a man) discovering his kink via an experienced older man (in this case Jack doubles Channon's 18) and I have no problem with that. I'm all up for older/younger relationships, I love someone discovering the kink(s) that makes them tick, I even love Daddy kink. My problem is that, the way Channon is written, he's a gift, a pearl, a garden about to bloom. He is unpolished but also untarnished, and he just lands on Jack's lap. Jack does jack shit to deserve him. He doesn't even have to woo him! Ugh. I know some will say how ‘nice' Jack is to Channon, but really? It's like treating a pet kindly or taking care of your favorite toy. You do it because it's yours, you enjoy it, and want to keep it in good shape. Does he know and respect Channon the person? I dunno. I didn't really see it. I don't even think Jack knows who that is. How could he? Channon doesn't know who he is. Not really. The gist of the story is that Channon enters his neighbor's yard to retrieve a basketball and meets Jack. I won't go so far as calling Jack a predator, but he does toe the line. Jack is sexually Dominant, and to my view something of a Sadist. And he immediately recognizes Channon's interest. That's fine. I was/am on-board with that. My problem(s) was how Jack went about bringing Channon into ‘the life'. When they meet Channon is an 18 y.o., apathetically trudging through the last few months of high school. Polite and eager to please those around him. Though he has a girlfriend, he's still a virgin, and due to a lack of self-confidence, mostly fostered by parents who have zero expectations from him (neglect as a form of abuse), has no work or college plans. He's like a leaf floating directionless in the wind. So sad. Perhaps Jack describes him best: “A big, shy, handsome boy, clean and wholesome and fresh.” And in sweeps Jack and takes him under his wing. True, Jack is a ‘good' Dom, and I very much like the fact that this series doesn't get bogged down in traditional BDSM protocol, but to my mind, Channon did need, at least, a primer or foundation about this world before diving into the deep end of the pool. Jack is doing ‘scenes' with him pretty much off the bat under the assumption that Channon knows what Jack wants and wants it too. Maybe. Except, that beyond doing internet research, after the fact, Channon has no sexual experience, vanilla, straight or gay. To add to my list of grievances against Jack, he has Channon jumping into all sorts of kink spanking, exhibitionism, sharing etc. within the space of 2 or 3 months. Can you say dangerous? Perhaps not physically, but emotionally? He doesn't know what Channon's limits or wants are, doesn't know if Channon wants to be ‘out'; Channon doesn't know himself! Ultimately the power imbalance between Channon & Jack is a crater the size of the Grand Canyon and we'll have to wait and see if the next season(s) even it out, even if just a bit. It would greatly soothe my seething heart. Fine. I'll stop because (see my rating) I still clearly loved this, and will do the next season; but somehow I feel that part of my reading is like a bearing witness to Channon's journey, which in my mind equates with keeping him safe. I'm losing my marbles. I know. This thought from Channon sort of sums up my feelings about Jack and his relationship to Channon: “Sometimes he wondered what, exactly, Jack was getting out of this. Someone to torture, someone eager and desperate, someone who'd do anything he wanted. But why Channon? He'd said some things - Channon blushed when he thought about it - about Channon being shy and polite. Obedient. And he liked Channon's body, that much he'd made clear, standing him in front of the mirror and caressing him all over. Maybe he just liked the convenience. Channon lived right next door, how much more convenient could it get?” Yep. I agree completely.
This was a painless couple of hours that filled out some time. The audio is by [a:Robert Black 10993700 Robert Black https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and it was fine. I'm being mean. It's a nice, low drama, friends to lovers story. Ty and Landon have been friends for a while, are both successful in their chosen careers (Ty is a political journalist, and Landon is a cancer researcher), who unbeknownst to each other are bi and have been pining for one another. That part gets cleared up pretty early in this novella. The bulk of the story concerns each coming out to their family, friends, and coworkers. Landon has it pretty easy, but Ty struggles, knowing his religiously conservative family won't accept his sexual orientation. This wasn't the reinvention of the wheel, but it did deal, non-stridently, with a reality many people have to face re: family, and how to navigate from a friendship to more while not losing sight of professional aspirations. I did think that the author, via Ty & Landon, gives way too much slack to others having to “get used to” seeing a gay couple, going so far as to asking them to have no PDA in their presence, and Ty & Landon, agreeing and promising not to. Efff that! I'm not a fan of PDA for myself, but I wouldn't ask someone not to do so solely based on their sexual orientation. Maybe this is my ragey day, but I've just about had it with a**holes that need others to ‘conform' so as to not bruise their fragile psyches. Anyway .... I liked the resolution, how there was happy with a helping of sad, like RL. Shockingly this is part of a series (which I didn't know), I listened to it as a standalone with no problem, and I have no intention of listening to the others. Yikes! Who am I?
5.00 for the AB / 3.00 generous stars for the story, and it's all Iris' faultSo how long was this book? The audio says 16hrs. and the ebook say 486 pg. but to me it felt like this went on weeks, months, years, eons??? I dunno. IT. WAS. ETERNAL. I liked [b:Kulti 24044596 Kulti Mariana Zapata https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1419402858s/24044596.jpg 43644221] and [b:The Wall of Winnipeg and Me 29367958 The Wall of Winnipeg and Me Mariana Zapata https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456774327s/29367958.jpg 48358625], they're long and slow-burn, but H and h are people with rich, even if pedestrian, lives. People who, even when their being a**holes, have logical reasons for acting as they do, and the long stretch that it takes for the H/h to get together is logical and makes, the ultimate HEA, well earned & satisfying. In this case I can't say the same and the main reason is Iris Taylor. This girl! Ugh! She was exhausting! And the arc of her story, which only covered 3 months, felt like a lifetime. I think part of the problem might be that this is an earlier book from [a:Mariana Zapata 5760202 Mariana Zapata https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1330380214p2/5760202.jpg]. [b:Lingus 13500758 Lingus Mariana Zapata https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1330240154s/13500758.jpg 19047610] also didn't work for me, and for similar reasons. The male characters, despite being (sanitized versions) of MCs, which are not my preference in books or in RL, are at least logical in their actions and ultimately likable. I can't say the same thing for Iris. That girl tried my patience. On the one hand she was this virginal, but capable, long suffering, good girl. On the other hand she's a bit of a damsel in distress, which I don't mind, but also pretty quick to slut shame other girls, calling them whores, for flirting with her man or having once slept with him, a 30-something, ex-con, tattoo parlor owning, MC member. Shocker, right? I would've thought he had spent his time until he met Iris, saying his prayers. I feel bad disliking Iris, because she has a sadz backstory, however that is not a pass for being judgy and old-time Regency novel clueless. She gets better, but it was trying. Also, besides Dex's mother, Iris was the only likable or good woman on page. How convenient. All, and I mean ALL, of the men orbited around her. Perfect, angelic, good girl Iris. Ultimately [a:Callie Dalton 7438028 Callie Dalton https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1541784504p2/7438028.jpg] got me through this (I weirdly love her voice for men) and [a:Mariana Zapata 5760202 Mariana Zapata https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1330380214p2/5760202.jpg]'s signature humor is still present, but maybe this was a story that could've been novella length. Just a thought.
3.75... and here is where I'm revealed to be a horrible person. It's true. Can't deny it.On paper this is exactly the kind of books we bemoan there aren't enough of. Stories about mature MCs who are ordinary people, with everyday jobs, bodies that, while good for their age, aren't stopping traffic due to their hawtness. They're also dealing with RL issues. [a:Lynn Lorenz 1496392 Lynn Lorenz https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1510681708p2/1496392.jpg] delivers two men, Travis Hart, a police Detective and David Delaney, a landscape designer, who at 40 have come and gone around the block and are ready for a real relationship. The ‘baby' and ‘honey' come pretty quickly, but I didn't mind. Both MCs are at a stage of their lives where they recognize a good thing when it's starring them in the face, and are also smart enough to know that they don't have oodles of time to fritter away. The hitch in their story is David's father, David, Sr. who, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, is living with David, and on a pretty precipitous downward spiral, making David's time for a new relationship limited. That, coupled with David's guilt, relegates the budding thing between him and Travis to late night phone calls. It turns out to be a blessing in disguise, as they get to know each other down to brass tacks foregoing, at first, the physical. Those middle-of-the-night phone calls are an open space for Travis to unburden his soul of the darkness he witnesses everyday, and David gets the hope of something more than his father's the horror of seeing his father disappear before his eyes. I liked all of this. It felt realistic, true to life. So what was my problem? I hated David's father, didn't care what happened to him, actually felt it was a bit of a comeuppance, and I'm not even a tiny bit sorry. Why?Alzheimer's has closely affected my family, and it's a crushing experience. I felt for David, who's a sweet and kind man. His father? Not so much. Yes, David loves him, and having lost his mom at a young age, his father was his main care taker. David thinks of him as a good man, because he himself is one, but I'd beg to differ, and the evidence would support me. David, Sr. does have Alzheimer's and it disinhibits his inner monologue and his behavior. The senior Delaney is a homophobe and a racist. These are not newly acquired views. He just hid them better when his mind was intact. In fact, pre-illness, he never accepted David's ‘life choices', and yet poor David feels a duty to him, reluctant to commit him to a care facility, even though David, Sr.'s grasp on reality is hanging by a thread. His presence in the book, or rather David's accommodations for his attitudes dampened my enjoyment of the story, but that's solely on me. I don't think that sickness or aging cleanses our slate. Travis & David's romance is sweet and rooted in RL. I liked it and wish them well.
... and this is how you do it ...After my last read I needed to wash the sour taste from my mouth. I remembered I had this, had listened to the AB, but forgot to post, and decided to go back and make sure that my prior enjoyment was still warranted. It was. The AB by [a:Holden Madagame 18819342 Holden Madagame https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is ... okay, however [a:Kaje Harper 4769304 Kaje Harper https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1307630439p2/4769304.jpg]'s depiction of two broken men, how they heal each other, and where their lives end up is almost masterful in the telling. This isn't a romance, with a HEA or even a HFN, for the MCs, but it is a love story, with loss, and triumph of spirit along the way. And there is happiness for them, just not in the traditional romance way. The story is short but it packs an emotional punch that many 700 page tomes should envy. Toller and Jamie meet at a point in their lives where they're both on a, perhaps irreparable, downward spiral, but somehow manage to rescue each each other instead. There isn't a false note or deus ex machina thrown in to solve anything. The characters fight for every step they gain and past traumas aren't brushed under the rug or solved by wishful thinking or Magic D. I loved it. These characters were alive to me and will definitely linger.
Okay ... so here's the thing ... I read and can enjoy almost anything: Mpreg, Tentacle Porn, Insta-Love, Brocest etc., even badly written stories can charm me if I can see the good bones underneath. This is a convoluted way of saying that this didn't work for me. At all. Full disclosure, I got this purely because of the cover, so I've got no reason to complain.
The constituent parts of this story are all tropes that I've enjoyed in the past but somehow put together or the way this was written was a HUGE turn-off for me: the cheesiness of Evan calling Jamie Angel all the time; the fact that we are constantly in both MCs heads and their thoughts are transcribed in italics; Jamie's million-and-one iterations of “Dr-blah-blah-blah”, which are surely meant to be funny but are not (more like ignorant and phobic everything). There's a whole bunch of other stuff which made zero sense, and had even less plausibility, such as Jamie's fairly sudden GFY, without ever saying he's gay or having any sort of self-reflection, save “this feels good”. That wouldn't be too bad if it weren't for the fact that the author wants to portray him as a smart cookie who's overcoming a hardscrabble life. In fact there are so so so many story points that are posited and then just dropped by the wayside and never heard from again. Some of this might be slightly spoilerish but I can't bring myself to care
***Evan's headaches disappear and no explanation is given. Jamie's magical presence? Who knows? Maybe???
***Jamie's search for his father? Gone like 70's bellbottoms and no retro fashion can bring it back.
***Jamie's relationship with his mother and her husband Derek? Who knows?
***Will Evan get back to practicing medicine? how?
***Does Jamie get any kind of counseling, other than BJs, to help him deal with assault? Nope.
***Out of left field we're told that Evan is something of a Dom. He & Jamie enter into a somewhat BDSM relationship in the bedroom, but with ZERO conversation on the subject. Excellent. Also, he's the worst Dom ever.
I could go on, but I'm boring myself. I've read worse, more outlandish, badly written, and firmly rooted in Bad-Wrong that I've enjoyed more. Aside from all the regular nonsense which I routinely overlook, this book lost me by hanging the story on something very real and very painful for many people, Gay or Straight: sexual assault. Jamie is assaulted, sexually and otherwise, which leads to Evan taking him home and taking care of him. While the healing is going on there is forced proximity, Evan's already inappropriate attraction grows, and Jamie gets curious. That's fine. It could happen. But the execution is absolutely WRONG.
When Jamie is finally healing, after having been assaulted and penetrated with a bottle by homophobic assholes, he starts eating solid foods and, understandably, becomes constipated. The solution, of course, is an enema, because his rectal area is still healing. At this point he is still firmly asserting that he's straight and isn't even bicurious. So of course this is Evan telling him all about it and later actually doing it: "And I'm going to enjoy giving you that enema. Just imagine the feel of me lubing you up and sliding that big nozzle right up your ass. You have a cute ass. I'm gonna love it. Then I'm going to enjoy watching Dr. Sharpe fondle your balls while he bends you over and ever-so-politely asks you to turn your head and cough."
Doctor Play as a Kink is fine but this isn't that. Survivors of sexual assault can go on to lead healthy sexual lives, but it's generally a hard fought battle, and this doesn't even flirt with the notion of healing, unless you count Magic-D as a cure. etc. etc. etc.
You might enjoy this. I didn't.
This is a bit difficult to review and rate for two main reasons:
a) the novella length, which doesn't really allow for a richer character development
b) IMO it's miss-tagged as BDSM
I'm not a super stickler for rules in BDSM stories. In fact I love it when characters are sort of stumbling through what they like, what works for them, what their particular rules are going to be etc. But this is not a BDSM story. Generously it can be called a spanking story, save the spanking is not in the service of any kind of sexual or emotional gratification for either of the parties.
Jim Seiber is a dancer at a strip club in upper Manhattan, occasional construction worker, and apparently asexual, though he just says he doesn't want to be touched. Is there a term for that? I found haphephobia which is a term that applies to folks who have a fear of being touched, and I think fear or disgust might more accurately describe how Jim feels, though we never get too much into that. Jim does feel sexual attraction and gets sexual gratification by his own hand when fantasizing about encounters with those he's attracted to and their imaginary hands on him. So maybe not asexual? In any case he finds himself in a BDSM club looking for someone to hurt him. He's looking to do penance for ... let's just say he feels guilty for something he shouldn't and has come up with this cockamamie idea. Luckily the club owner is a domme who “recognizes” his special needs and hooks him up with Grant Jessup, a man who needs a literal whipping boy to let off steam and not for sexual gratification.
I liked Grant. Maybe he's a fantasy captain of industry, a good guy who does and says the right thing, who respects other people's boundaries, and diligently tries to learn what he doesn't know. What I wasn't too on board with was him using another human to physically vent his life frustrations. It seems to me that that could be a pretty dangerous edge to walk on. As for Jim I couldn't muster up much feeling for him. Sorry. He's this Narcissus like beauty, tall, strapping, and smart. He seems to make good money as a dancer/stripper; he works construction and yet somehow he's living in a dilapidated apartment with his friend Shannon. It feels like sometimes writers use this notion of economic precariousness as ploy to make characters sympathetic. It's not necessary or believable. Also Washington Heights as some awful neighborhood in which buildings have hallways strewn with garbage is a bit dated and inaccurate. Just saying. And where was this strip club? Don't get me going on NYC geography.
Ultimately I didn't understand what Grant saw in Jim other than his physical beauty. Yes, he's a nice guy, but what do they share in common. Do I see Jim becoming Grant's companion and going out with him socially? Grant who owns a media empire? We'll say nothing about how Grant's adult children accept the relationship without much fuss (not likely), but how is this relationship going to work out in the long term, socially, sexually, emotionally? Too many threads were left up in the air for me to trust in the long term viability of this pair.
I didn't hate it. I think the writer is putting forth characters who don't always get much play but good intentions do not a good romance make. Maybe this could be a good beginning for Grant & Jim and maybe others will get better mileage out of this.
I'm probably going to be in the minority here, and it may be a case of “it's me, not the book”, but ... I don't think so. I don't know what the actual tags are for this, but I think I saw ‘romance horror' or something like that but for me this didn't work as either.The story takes place in the present or near future. It centers around a company called Vertex (think Amazon + FB + Google + [insert multinational pharmaceutical] + [insert multinational arms conglomerate]) and it's tentacle-like grip on society and its employees. The company's public image is the medical field and their unceasing efforts to eliminate disease and make humanity better. Sounds like a plan most people can get on board with, though I can't say it's my jam. off on a tangent(I think the MC and the author's views on death are very doomsday, perhaps naive, and ultimately unrealistic IMO.) This is the first volume in a 3 book series and it's understandable that a large portion is set up or world building, which I am okay with, however most of the book is just hinting at all of this. I got a sense of the company itself or rather its physical building: the layout, structure, and culture of its different departments. I quite enjoyed this portion. It's atmospheric and the author succeeds in creating tension and foreboding about what's around the corner, however he lost me with two major disappointments. Being somewhat acquainted with popular dystopian movies/books, the reveal wasn't one as such. I knew where this was going at about 30%, which I wouldn't have minded, I'm always up for a good retelling of an old story, but the story is told in first person POV by the Jarod Samuels, and poor Jarod is ... ugh. More on him in a bit. If we are, to a point, in a well defined universe inside of the Vertex complex, the same can't be said about the outside world. We have zero sense of the world outside. The characters seem to inhabit a world where their only human interactions are at work (save one exception) and every other relationship is in the past and off-stage. While this might be true, and perhaps indicative of the characters isolation and drone-like existence, I didn't read it that way. I would've appreciated a look of the outside world to compare & contrast to the world of Vertex. Now we come to our hero, Jarod Samuels. Jarod is 27? going on 15 and not the sharpest tool in the shed. He's gay but a bit uptight about people knowing, though it doesn't seem like anyone cares. His parents were emotionally cool or distant and his only close relationship is with Vanessa “Nessa” Wong, a top researcher at Vertex, and with his former track coach, Georgia Bennett. There's a one time, almost throwaway, mention of a HS fling, but it's just never revisited. It seems he peaked in high school, establishing & holding a record for track, and now he works at Vertex. He's the best runner for the garbagemen until 21 year-old Gabriel Anderson arrives. Jarod narrates the whole story and being inside his constantly doubting everything anyone does or says, including himself gets exhausting. He goes from “Nessa is my best friend, she's saved my life blah blah blah” to “why is she doing this? what does she want” etc. He's either inconsistent, ungrateful, or a schizophrenic. The latter would be a more palatable option. Anyway ... as soon as Gabriel appears Jarod goes from “who is this punk come to usurp my role” to “I need to take care of him and know everything about him”. This is par for the course in romancelandia but I never bought into the romance between these two. Jarod is lonely and Gabriel is just looking for someplace to belong and feel safe. Good relationships have been forged on less but these two are just a bit unbelievable. First they go through a few weeks of “will they won't they” with no real conversation between them. And that is the glaring hole in this relationship. These two NEVER talk about anything. Jarod assumes, surmises, misinterprets, and when all these fail, spies on Gabriel instead of asking a question. It's like bad movies where something super important must be conveyed, but “not now, we don't have time”. Gabriel on the other hand is a bit of a child in his outbursts & reactions to almost everything. He pouts, he's coy, he wants to be dominated, he doesn't want anyone in his business, he ignores every warning, and is later horrified by the job he signed up for ... ugh!!! Stop it already. What is the job, you may ask? They're called garbagemen and they are except the garbage they clean up is not what your local sanitation department picks up at the curb. If you've read any [a:Philip K. Dick 4764 Philip K. Dick https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1264613853p2/4764.jpg], seen any movies about genetic mutations/experimentations you know where the story is going and the first half had me hooked. The writing is pretty good and I was enjoying the world set up. The problem is that that was about 80% of the book, along with the “romance” (the quotations are intentional) between the two most boring teenagers i.e. Jarod & Gabriel, who for some bizarre reason refer to each other by their surnames. The outcome can be seen from miles away and they're is a cliffhanger which I was expecting and not mad at, it's just that there was nothing surprising or particularly scary. There were elements of some X-Men movies and those might scare you more. Or maybe I'm just a calloused, hard assed reader. Could be. Despite my moaning I'll read the follow up, because I own it, and at heart I'm an optimist. I hope Jarod grows a brain and that he and Gabriel reach a semblance of adulthood. I also I hope any other readers get better mileage than I did.