Review: Tailor Made by Josephine Myles

Felix is on a mission to impress his art tutor at College so that his tutor will want to bed him. In order for this to happen he enlists the help of Andrew, a fashion student, to make a suit for him.  Andrew is reluctant at first because he finds Felix's slutty ways a bit too much but eventually agrees. Both men are surprised at how well they get on with each other and Felix finds himself thinking less about his tutor and more about Andrew.

I have to admit, I wasn't too sure when I first started this book because I didn't really warm to Felix at first.  He's the sort of guy who usually turns me off: over confident, secure in his attractiveness and determined to get what he wants no matter the cost.  In contrast, Andrew was a complete gem: quiet, studious, and saving himself for the 'Mr Right'. It wasn't long though before I realised that they worked really well as a couple. Felix may have been around the block a few times but his outrageous flirtation is just was Andrew needs to be drawn out of the protective walls he's thrown around himself. He doesn't need a shy virgin like himself, he needs someone with experience who can encourage him and show him to ropes. That's what he gets with Felix. The scenes between them zing with sexual tension and I particularly loved the scene where Andrew is measuring Felix for a suit, whilst desperately trying to ignore the longing coursing through his body.

The relationship moves quickly, but it's clear that it's more than just sex. There's a sense of 'rightness' between them in the way their friendship grows, shown not only in how happy Andrew feels, but also in Felix's confusion over his changing feelings about the situation with his tutor.  Of course, being men they are both stubbornly thick headed when it comes to recognising what a good thing they have. This led to a vaguely annoying, but thankful short lived, forced separation. Misunderstandings are never my favourite of story lines but this one wasn't so badly done. I could see that there needed to be a catalyst for the men to see what was in front of their eyes and as such I forgave the way the story was worked out towards the end. I also liked that, despite the novella format, we get a number of brief insights into the past of these characters and how it shapes them as young men.

Another thing I liked about the book was the way it poked gentle fun at conceptual art. There are a few references in the story to crazy stunts all done in the name of art and in particular, Felix's role in these.  This made me smile a lot, but was also nicely contrasted by Felix's real passion which was for fine art and the regret he feels that he can't pursue that more on the art course.  This all ties in with the Bath setting which is brought into the book in bits and pieces. I liked that Felix was so in love with the city and that it showed through scenes as simple as looking out of his window.

Overall. I really liked Tailor Made. The author took quite an unusual setting and a pair of likeable characters, and turned them into a heartwarming romance with a slight bite of satire which left me with a smile on my face. Grade: Excellent.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Safe Harbor by Derek Adams

I have a hit and miss relationship with Derek Adams' books. I often like his writing style and I'm impressed that he seems to be able to write in a range of genres within m/m, but his earthy and raunchy erotic sex scenes don't do it for me.  I was pleased to find that this book was quite different to many of the other things I've read before by this author.  It's still a very sexy book, but it's also sweetly romantic and has two very appealing lead characters.

The story opens with Mikey who works at the harbour of a tourist town. His job is mainly grunt work, but he also helps out his nearing retirement boss with things like book keeping and other organisational tasks.  Mikey has a ten year old daughter, Becky, who he had when he was only 18 and whose mother ran off not long after the birth.  Immediately we get a picture of Mikey as a sensible, intelligent, hardworking, responsible man, and it wasn't hard to like him.  He's a on the quays sorting out tangled ropes when he sees a group of gay men depart from a nearby boat. Mikey recognises one of the men, and is transported back ten years to the summer he spent with Eric, before all his dreams of College fell to pieces.

The story is mostly structured with a lengthy flashback sandwiched between parts set in the present day. I know some readers hate flashbacks, but this one worked for me because the bulk of the story is contained within the time set ten years previously. Mikey meets Eric and is taken aback when he is attracted to him. They begin a gentle exploration with Eric being the confident and more experienced one of the pair. I thought the author had managed to capture well all of Mikey's concerns and confusion over his feelings for Eric, and I was soon caught up in this story of a young man's coming out to himself.  The sweetness of the romance is balanced by the way that Mikey struggles with his image, especially with his other friendships, and some of the homophobia he encounters there.

The relationship that Mikey has with his daughter was touching without ever becoming mawkish. He could have been bitter about having to raise a child on his own, but instead he delights in her, even if she seems to find ways to embarrass him.

The relationship between the men in both sections of the book is that of mutual admiration and a healthy desire. There were lots of scenes where compliments are given, small touches bestowed and lingering looks which hype up the sexual tension. The sex scenes were toned down from the usual raunchy scenes I associate with this author, and were instead very romantic without being too sweet.  They were still very hot, but you also get a good sense of the growing admiration these guys feel for each other.

Whilst there is a little bit of drama in the book, the story is mostly focused on Mikey coming to terms with loving a man and taking that step out of the closet. Those looking for a very angsty read will have to look elsewhere but I found this to be a perfect book for those readers who are looking for an easy sweet read with nicely drawn characters and a steady plot where the focus is very much on romance.  This is a perfect read for a cold winter's evening and gets a grade of 'Excellent'.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: His Hero Anthology by Total E-Bound

I picked up this anthology because I like stories about men in uniform and so I was looking forward to reading this collection. Unfortunately, apart from a couple of stories, I wouldn't recommend reading this collection of shorts for various reasons I shall set out below.

 Let's start with the positives. The one reason for reading this anthology is for the story A Ring and a Promise by Devon Rhodes. It tells of two Navy men (one a marine and the other a pilot) who have been lovers for a couple of years, and the difficulties which arise when they come to the end of their training and are posted away from each other. I really liked this realistic portrayal of not only the difficulties in being gay in the military, but also the hardship of being the partner (gay or straight) of a military lover. I liked that there was no easy answer to their situation, and that the two men were sensible in not only how they conducted themselves but also with their pragmatic approach to their relationship. Very moving, well written and definitely a 'Very Good' read.

The other story I liked was In the Name of the Law by Sue Holston, which tells of two vice detectives, Mitch and Ivan. Mitch has been in love with Ivan for a long time and as the story progresses he becomes more and more caught up in wanting to confess his feelings. The story was a touch melodramatic on occasion, but I liked Mitch and felt for his situation and was happy when things worked out well for him.

Only Sam by Em Woods and Wings of Fire by Kit Sams were what I would consider 'OK' stories. There wasn't anything to dislike about them too much except that the men fall a little too fast for each other and they also, rather bizarrely follow a similar storyline which becomes almost identical towards the end.

The other two stories didn't work for me at all. I found the characters hackneyed and one dimensional and the stories unbelieveable. Any story which has the main character announcing to his family that he's found 'the one' after knowing the other guy less than 12 hours is going to lose me as a reader. One of the stories so thoroughly lost my attention, due to the lack of chemistry between the pair and the ridiculous situation, that I skimmed the last few pages because I wanted it to be over.

One thing that struck about the anthology as a whole was that many of the stories relied too much on sex and less about a realistic plot or romance and substituted sexual desire for true intimacy of feeling. Too many times feelings of lust or protectiveness were used as a short cut for love. This just didn't work for me because whilst there was often that zing of initial chemistry between the characters, the reader is often then just told that love is happening rather than being shown it in scenes other than the bedroom.  There were also too many over the top villains who behaved in baffling and irrational ways, and too many couples who fell in love too quickly and didn't act in a rational or consistent manner. It's not that the writing was bad, but more that the characters and situations didn't work for me as a reader.

Overall, this anthology is not really worth reading except for the Devon Rhodes story. Fortunately you can buy that one as a separate story, and I suggest you do that rather than spend money on this anthology.  Grade: Poor.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Finding Eden by Kele Moon

Finding Eden is a prequel to Beyond Eden, a m/m/f book which I haven't read, and am still a little undecided as to whether I will read since m/m/f isn't really my thing. It tells of two best friends Danny and Paul whose best friend (and Paul's girlfriend), Eden, has gone away to College, leaving the guys feeling sad and lost without her. Both men have had pretty poor home lives. Danny's father is rich but is an verbally abusing alcoholic. Paul's family is much worse as his father and brothers despise Paul's gentle nature and often physically beat him. Paul has to be the best at everything and so he excels at sport, school, and not showing weakness during the beating. We skip forward two years to find Paul at College and Danny bumming around taking on odd jobs as a mafia 'heavy'. At first glance, it seems that Paul is more sorted of the pair, but Danny is shocked to discover that Paul has got involved with some very dark BDSM submission.

This was a book of two halves for me. The first half deals with the friendship between the guys and in particular Danny's attraction to Paul. Danny is bisexual, a fact he's hidden from Paul who thinks that Danny spends most of his time having sex with woman. It took me a long time to warm up to Danny. He has anger issues, is very self-centred, and seems to hate pretty much everybody. He a self-confessed 'asshole' who speaks to people with disdain and uses his good looks to get as many people to bed him as possible. I did wonder how he managed to keep any of his friends but he has formed a rather touching relationship with a lesbian couple as well as his friendship with Paul. I spent the first part of the book wondering why I was continuing to read about such a nasty character, but there was also something rather compelling about Danny which made me keep reading. Despite his rough nature he has pride and a conscience. He's the type of guy who once he makes a friend will do all that he can for them, will remain loyal no matter what. It takes most of the book for that to become apparent though, so I urge readers who may be put off by Danny to keep reading. He doesn't change, other than to perhaps become a little less truculent and more responsible for his actions, but we do get to see a better side of him that's hidden for most of the first half.

The second half of the book deals with Danny and Paul coming together as a couple and in particular Danny's reaction to the BDSM scene that Paul has got himself involved in. This is a time of inner reflection for Danny as his perceptions of his friend changes and, as a result, he has to deal with some things about himself that he has tried to suppress. The things that happen to Paul are rather graphic and some fainthearted readers who are not fans of very violent scenes or the aftermath of violence may not find this to their taste. Extreme masochism isn't really my cup of tea, but I thought the author had done a good job in showing Paul's mindset, his reasons behind needing that sort of submission and also how dangerous it can be. The character of Jason, another submissive and a doctor, acts as the sensible and experienced voice in the book. I liked Jason a great deal and was in sympathy at his alarm over the way the two men approached Paul's kink. Jason definitely needs his own book!

My main niggle with the story isn't to do with the writing (although some of the crude language used by Danny reminded me again why I don't like m/f erotic romance) but with my own squeamishness over what happens to Paul. I couldn't find the sex scenes sexy when I was worried about a) Paul's back bleeding everywhere; b) the foolishness of what they were doing in terms of not seeking proper medical help at a hospital (although I did understand why thy didn't go to a hospital; and c) how much of a pain it would be to wash the blood out of the sheets.

Having said that, the themes within the book were very fresh and I thought the way that both Danny and Paul were shown as developing their own strategies to deal with their past abuse and interesting and unusual idea. The story ends just as the men are starting to understand the seriousness of Paul's kink, and starting to develop strategies to be safer in their play. It takes nearly the whole book for Danny to come to terms with the BDSM scene, to stop think of it as something deviant. I presume the next book will show how the men come to a place where they can enjoy their newly defined roles within safe limits but at the end of this book they still have that road to travel.

I've had to think a little over how to grade this book. There were parts that really didn't appeal to me, but it was also a book that left me thinking over the characters and their actions. It also made me think about masochism and its effect on masochists and those around them. As such, I think this book deserves a grade of 'Very Good'. It's a book that will not appeal to everyone, but I'm glad I read it.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: The Peripheral Son by Dorien Grey

The Peripheral Son is the fourteenth book in a long running series of mystery novels (the first book The Butcher's Son was published over 10 years ago - find a whole list of the books here) featuring PI Dick Hardesty.  Now normally I won't join a series so late on as I tend to break out in a cold sweat when I read a series out of order. However, I was asked to review the book and I found that because the focus is very definitely on solving the mystery, you don't really need to know what happens in the previous books. I even managed to pick up a lot of clues about Dick, his relationship with Jonathan and his adopted son Joshua, and his vast network of gay friends quite easily - even if I got a little confused as to who all the gay friends were.  My only annoyance was that certain specifics about Dick such as where he lives, his looks and age were never mentioned (presumably because all that stuff is covered in earlier books) and I struggled with picturing him.  Not that it's strictly necessary to have a image of Dick, especially as the books are written in the first person, but it would have been nice to know for certain that he was in his forties, rather than having to make an assumption that he was.

In this book the mystery revolves around a missing person - Victor Koseva.  Dick is hired to find out where Victor is and spends time looking for him.  When Victor turns up dead at a local gay cruising spot, the death looks accidental, but there are things that don't add up for Dick. Dick's client asks that he continues the investigation, and Dick finds himself immersed in the murky world of shady business deals in construction, and drug taking in the boxing world.

The story is set in the 1980's (again no specific date), when useful tools for a PI, like the internet and the mobile phone, had not yet been invented.  As such, Dick spends an awful lot of time on the telephone, in the library, meeting people and researching  the validity of what people tell him.  Each conversation he has with people is painstakingly recreated so that the reader knows everything that Dick finds out.  Alongside these conversations we have the internal dialogue of Dick who mulls over various clues, options and scenarios.  On one hand this meant that the book contained an incredible amount of detail, but it also had the effect that the plotting was very slow at times.  This meant that, at least for me, this wasn't a book I could read all in one go.  It was very interesting and I was curious as to how the mystery was going to work out, but I wasn't riveted by the book.  I put it down a couple of times and read something else before coming back to the book.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as I definitely wanted to finish the book because the mystery had caught my attention, just that those looking for lots of action and swift pacing may be disappointed with this dialogue heavy book.

The mystery itself was full of twists and turns and misdirections. I guessed whodunit by about 3/4 of the way through, which is probably when the really obvious clues were being given to the reader!  One thing I really liked about the mystery was that it showed the many brick walls that Dick stumbles into.  Towards the end of the book Dick is incredibly frustrated at how little he has in terms of concrete evidence in his case, and I felt just as frustrated as he did!  It was interesting to read a mystery where the clues didn't follow on in a nice linear pattern, and also for us to see some surprises and misconceptions for Dick.  It was all rather clever.

There's no romance in this book, unless you count the four year relationship Dick has with his partner Jonathan.  There's a slight sub-plot involving Joshua who is starting school and all the organising that goes along with that.  We also get glimpses into Dick's past as a bit of a gay playboy which made me smile because he's such a responsible family man now, even if he still loves the much alluded to 'games' that he and Jonathan get up to in the privacy of their bedroom.

Overall, if you are a fan of mystery novels then this will be a good book to pick up.  The eighties setting is unusual but don't expect a lot of references to the time period (except to see how much harder life was without the internet).  Even the AIDS epidemic is only mentioned briefly because Dick and nearly all his friends are in long-term monogamous relationships and therefore it didn't affect them too greatly - at least not in this book, it may have been given more of a focus in earlier books in the series.  I liked Dick a great deal and found his dogged and fairly optimistic approach to his job and life in general very sympathetic.  I'd recommend The Peripheral Son with a grade of 'Very Good' and would certainly consider reading further books in this series.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: By His Rules by JA Rock

This book is divided into two parts. The first part covers Aiden's relationship with Scott. At the beginning of the book Aiden is drifting a little. He has a good degree in Drama and vague plans to go onto to do an MBA but he can't seem to summon up the gumption to start applying for places. He knows he's a good actor and an attractive man, and he dabbles a little in the BDSM scene, excelling in role playing with a little pain play. When he's picked up by Scott, he's excited that Scott sees through him to the need to submit and so Scott takes him onto train. A few months later, thoroughly discouraged and beaten down by months of being told how worthless he is, Aiden finds it within himself to leave Scott.

What worked for me with this book is how it so perfectly showed the pitfalls of falling into an unsuitable BDSM relationship. Aiden was a bright, confident man at the beginning of the book. A bit of a show-off, but then that fitted with his love of acting. When he leaves Scott he's a shadow of his former self, lacking in self confidence and unable to control a eating disorder or organise his life. The thought of finding a place to live, a job or even just surviving by himself fills him with panic. Keaton steps in at this point and offers Aiden a safe place to try and get himself back on his feet which is where the second part of the book begins and we see Aiden slowly recover from his ordeal.

I was a little skeptical at first as to whether the domestic discipline story would work alongside the BDSM abuse story and worried that it would prove to be a 'sex heals' book. In the end it wasn't like that at all as Keaton, at first, only provides a set of rules to help Aiden restructure his life. One reason this aspect of the book worked for me was because Keaton is shown as being just as flawed as Aiden. He knows the theory of how a DD relationship works but he's lacking in experience. They grow as a couple because as a problem arises they work through it. Much of their problems stem from Aiden's difficulty in following the fifth rule where he must be open and honest about any worries he has, and I have to admit I found the way he continued to keep secrets a little irritating after a while.

The romance between the men moves quite slowly, as is fitting given Aiden's bad experience with Scott, but I liked the contrast between the sometimes difficult to read scenes where Scott is 'training' Aiden and the generous, loving and affirming relationship that develops between Aiden and Keaton.  I also liked the way that Scott's character is developed later in the book, where we are given glimpses into how he has been affected by the way he treated Aiden and Aiden's reaction to that. It meant that although I was never in sympathy with Scott, he wasn't a monster.

My main complaint in the story is that I was slightly concerned that the DD relationship was used solely to heal Aiden. I felt that, given how terribly affected Aiden was by the way he was treated by Scott, he needed to have sought some professional help too. Keaton wasn't a professional by any means, and whilst the loving guidelines and punishments helped to ground Aiden and focus his mind on what he needed to do to recover, I felt that he should have gone to a doctor or therapist to deal with some of the psychological problems caused by Scott's abuse.

Setting aside that complaint, this was an engrossing story which dealt with difficult themes of abuse and recovery. The writing was very good, if emotionally intense at times and that drew me into Aiden's story.  It made me think about the very thin line often shown in BDSM books between enjoyment of pain/humiliation play and all out abuse. It also provided what turned out to be a warm and satisfying romance.   I recommend By His Rules, with a grade of 'Very Good' to those readers who are interested in reading about the domestic discipline lifestyle and who won't be upset by some of the themes of the book.

Buy this book HERE.

Review: Boats in the Night by Josephine Myles

After reading a couple of quite intense books I was in the mood for something fairly light. This book fit the bit for that exactly. It tells of Giles, who has recently had a bit of a minor breakdown after breaking with his lover, and is struggling with approaching alcoholism.  He's very wealthy and lives in a huge house near Bath with a canal at the bottom of his garden.  Smutty is a free spirit who has recently purchased a narrow boat. He's only had the boat a couple of days when the engine breaks down at the bottom of Giles' garden.  They're a mix-matched pair, but Giles is almost instantly drawn to Smutty.

There was lots to like about this story, but the main thing which kept me reading was in the two opposite attract  characters of Giles and Smutty. Giles is white, rich, upper-class, a little stuffy and conservative. Smutty is mixed race, was raised in a commune, has dreadlocks and no fixed abode. He makes his money as a street entertainer.  Despite their differences they work as a couple. Smutty longs for a place to call home and Giles' garden calls to him as somewhere he can exercise his love of self-sufficiency. Giles has been constrained for far too long by a now ex-lover whose love of propriety over-rode his love for Giles.  In Smutty's presence Giles learns that there's more to life than wealth, finding himself able to breathe again and feel freer than he perhaps ever has.  I read with delight their unfolding relationship as each learns to see life from the other's point of view. It was the early, awkward scenes between them that really caught my interest. Giles' blinkered viewpoint means that he often stumbles into saying the wrong thing, and only Smutty's laid back personality managed to get them through that initial almost offensive conversation.

The story is also about healing.  Giles needs healing from his minor breakdown, and his encroaching OCD and alcoholism. Smutty needs healing from past hurts.  They find this healing initially in each other's arms through the use of a number of well written sex scenes, and then later through discussion and conversation. The romance does move quickly but not so fast that I felt it unrealistic.

Any niggles I had about the story stemmed from the surprise reveal at the end. Whilst I understood the need for Smutty to have some closure on his past, in my mind it wasn't necessary and I was a little skeptical about the way that part was handled in the story, especially in the way that it linked with Giles. I don't want to say too much here because that would be spoilerish, but that part made me raise my eyebrows a little and marred what had been a pleasant and realistic situation.

Overall, though, despite my feelings about the end, I enjoyed this story.  Although it has some serious themes, the writing had a light touch to it which made the story move swiftly and meant that the ansgt level wasn't high.  I liked both main characters and was invested in their story and their romance which left me with a big smile on my face.  If you're looking for a lovely character based romance then I would recommend Boats in the Night with a grade of 'Very Good'.

Buy this book HERE.