Review: Sindustry 1 by Dreamspinner Press

This anthology of different stories all based around the sex industry attracted me because I wanted to read something that dealt perhaps with the grittier side of the gay lifestyle. The characters in these stories are rent boys, strippers and phone sex workers. This didn't mean that the stories were depressing - although many of them certainly didn't shy away from depicting the harsh realities of the lives of these characters - instead the stories were uplifting, showing that love can blossom even where there may not seem to be any hope.

This was also another anthology where none of the stories were badly written. In fact I enjoyed them all immensely. That, of course, didn't mean that I liked some more than others.

My favourite story was Fun and Games by Lenore Black, which tells of geeky Patrick, who runs a company that produces video games from his home office. He never goes out of his front door to meet people and so his friends arrange for a hooker for his 25th birthday. That hooker is Jack, whose winning personality breaks down all Patrick's objections to his friend's 'gift'. Patrick is surprised when Jack returns the next night as well, and the next and wonders how much this is costing his friends. Imagine his surprise (but not mine, I hasten to add) when Patrick discovers that his friends aren't paying at all. I have a thing for geeky guys and Patrick was just the epitome of nerd. He spends all his time designing computer games; he never leaves his house; he has low self-esteem; and is completely clueless as to what is happening between him and Jack. This was a really lighthearted, fun read and even a minor misunderstanding at the end of the story didn't prevent me from enjoying it.

There were several stories in this anthology which dealt with older men (40+) who hire younger rent-boys for sex. I found this older/younger dynamic quite refreshing, especially as most of the stories began with the older man being in control and yet by the end the younger man had gained an equal footing. The next two stories both contained these themes.

In How Could I Not? by Jamie Freeman, we are given the story of a young Indian man, Ben, who occasionally takes money for sex to supplement his income. He is hired by Joshua, an older man, who takes him to an expensive hotel and has sex with him whilst watching DVD footage of another man who looks very similar to Ben. This arrangement goes on, weekly, for some time until Ben realises that he has fallen for Joshua, which suddenly complicates their arrangement. I liked the theme of the older and younger man in this story as well as the difficulties that Ben goes through once he admits to himself that he has fallen in love. I also empathised with Joshua and his reasons for hiring Ben and the scene where he confesses his reasons to Ben was quite moving.

As Beauty Does by JL Merrow, was, perhaps, one of the more grittier stories in the anthology. It follows Nathan who turns tricks on a cold London street for money. He's barely making enough to pay the rent, but he has his regular 'customers' which helps keep the money in. One of those customers is Stephen, an older man who comes at the same time each week for a blow job. I liked Nathan, especially that he had a reason for how he had managed to get into the situation he was in now. I also liked that he had the ambition and drive to try and improve his life by enrolling in the local tech to do his A Levels. The author showed us that life as a male prostitute wasn't pretty and I really sympathised with Nathan and his problems and rejoiced for him at his happy ending.

Honourable mentions also should go to Stripped Bare by S Blaise which gave a different spin on the traditional 'Beauty and the Beast' tale; Chat Line by Clare London which was a fun, cheeky story of mixed messages; and A Muse by Zahra Owens which used an unusual mix of first and second person narration to tell the story of a photographer who hires a prostitute for his photo shoot.

If I have any complaints about the stories it would be that a couple: Reluctant by Madeline Urban and Rhianne Aile and Boomerang by Rachelle Cochrane had endings which were a little too sweet for my tastes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as many readers like stories like that, just not me!

Despite that, I would recommend all these stories as every single one of them had something about them that made them interesting and engrossing reads. I rarely read anthologies as a whole book, often spreading the stories out over a few days in between other books I'm reading, but with Sindustry 1 I read it all, one story after another. I just couldn't put it down. Grade: 'Excellent'.

Review: Inland Empire by James Buchanan

Inland Empire begins a few weeks after the end of Cheating Chance. Nicky is coming to the end of his disability leave, but takes a little holiday time so that he can visit Brandon and pick up his beloved hearse from the impound now that it's been released as evidence. Whilst staying with Brandon word gets around that Nicky's a computer geek and he gets drafted into helping with a case involving Vietnamese gangs who are running gambling and prostitution rackets. This means that Nicky's invading Brandon's work which sends Brandon into a tense panic. Nicky's so obviously gay and Brandon fears that his supposed friendship with Nicky will lead to him being outed at work.

Whereas Cheating Chance seemed to have an equal amount of focus on the mystery and the relationship plot lines, this sequel mainly concentrates on the two men and how they cope with Brandon being in the closet. The mystery is there primarily to provide a reason for Nicky staying longer in California and getting involved in the vice department where Brandon works. Having said that I found the mystery to be interesting and unusual: It gave me a few insights into the role of a vice cop and also what sort of planning and preparation goes into setting up a 'sting'. The mystery also enables us to meet characters such as Ray, an ex-lover of Brandon and give an overall understanding of the running of a police department and the types of men that Brandon works with.

The main part of the story focuses on Brandon and Nicky. Their relationship continues to develop throughout the book and once again there are various scenes where the men explore their love of sexual rope-play. These kept the sex scenes fresh and interesting as well as being quite informative. I sometimes found it difficult to picture in my head exactly what position Nicky had tied Brandon into, but that didn't really impact on my overall enjoyment of the sex scenes.

Alongside the sex is the emotional journey that these men are taking with one another. Aside from his marriage, Brandon has not been in a serious long term relationship and he finds it difficult to express his feelings for Nicky. It doesn't help that Brandon is constantly looking over his shoulder to see whether anyone is looking at them when they are together. In fact Brandon spends most of this book in a state of nervous tension, especially when Nicky begins to work in his department. He lives in constant fear that he is going to be outed and then be subject to scorn, ridicule or even worse violence amongst his work colleagues. It doesn't help when several of them start making comments about Nicky being 'a bit light-footed'.

Brandon's attitude puts a lot of pressure on the relationship between the two men. Nicky has been out of the closet for years and doesn't want to go back. He feels humiliated that Brandon is ashamed of them and their relationship. It doesn't help that Brandon is completely clueless about how to act as a couple anyway, leading at one point to a hilarious conversation between Brandon and his work partner, the very straight Weaver, where Weaver has to explain to Brandon exactly why he's messed up over Nicky's birthday.

Brandon jammed his hands into his pockets and stared at the toes of his boots. “I f**ked up.”

“You f**ked up so big you’ll be lucky if you get any for the next six months.” Weaver agreed as he folded his arms over his chest. “Take it from a guy who’s been married for fifteen years. If it was a gal, diamonds might buy your way to forgiveness.”

Things only start getting worse for the pair as Brandon's increasing paranoia lead to him trying to force Nicky back into the closet. In some ways I had sympathy for both characters. Brandon knows the sort of grief he will come into if he lets it be known that he is gay, but Nicky doesn't want to hide his sexuality and nor does he feel that he should, as he tells Brandon:

“I’m not going to be forced into the closet because of your fear. Nobody’s going to think you’re gay, just because you’ve got a gay friend.”

This push and pull in the relationship between Brandon and Nicky was absolutely fascinating and as Nicky's impatience with Brandon and his fears grew, so did mine. Having said that, I was hoping throughout the whole novel that they would be able to work through their problems and find that HEA that seemed so far away for a lot of the time.

Overall this was a gripping read. The mystery worked well in the way that it intertwined with the romance plot and I found myself identifying with both Nicky and Brandon as they struggled to overcome the difficulties in their relationship. Once again James Buchanan has delivered the goods in terms of a tightly written mystery with sympathetic characters and I would highly recommend that you read Inland Empire which gets a grade of 'Excellent'.

Keeper Review: Cheating Chance by James Buchanan

I little while ago I decided that one of the things I would like to try and do is revisit some of my m/m keeper books which I read before I started up this little blog. Today is the first one of those reviews because I re-read this book recently in preparation for reading its sequel, Inland Empire, which will be reviewed here tomorrow.

The setting at the start of the book is one of the most unusual I've ever read: A Goth Convention. I don't really know much about goths, especially that they hold an annual convention. However, it doesn't take long to get into the sense of fun and companionship that the convention brings. Our two heroes, Nick and Brandon meet at the convention and have an instant attraction, which they are both happy to act upon. What started as a weekend fling deepens into a relationship when they swap numbers, email and IM addresses and stay in touch. There's a slight hiccup though, as Brandon is a closeted cop, whereas Nick has been out of the closet for many years and doesn't want to go back. This relationship is further complicated when Nick accidentally uncovers something dodgy at work which may or may not put his life in danger.

As you can see from above, there are a couple of themes in this book. I'll start with the mystery aspect because that was the part of the book with which I had mixed feelings. Firstly, I'll have to say that it was one of the most unusual mystery plots I've read. Nick works in Las Vegas for the Nevada Gaming Commission. He's an IT specialist whose job it is to check the chips or EPROMS in slot machines to make sure they haven't been tampered with. When an ex-colleague is murdered Nick uncovers a possible fraud with the chips accidentally sent to him by the dead man (before he was killed, obviously) and then sets out to work out who is behind the faulty chips. In order for the reader to understand the intricacies of the slot machines chips and how they can be used fraudulently it is necessary for there to be lengthy passages in the book dealing with how a slot machine works, how the chips can be tampered with and also quite a lot of information about Nick's day to day work life. I could see why the reader needed to know this because otherwise it would have been almost impossible to understand how and why the fraud was taking place. Having said that, those passages were a bit dull and slowed the whole pace of the book down. A number of times I was tempted to skip over them, but I knew I wouldn't be able to follow the mystery if I did. So, although the mystery was quite unique it didn't hold my attention a great deal until the pace started to speed up towards the end, leading to an exciting, action-packed last section.

What did hold my attention, though, was the relationship between Nick and Brandon. Almost from the first moment there's a crackling sexual tension between the two men and the way they explore their sexual attraction throughout the book left me quite hot under the collar several times. James Buchanan always writes fantastic sex scenes and this book was no exception. I found out all sorts of interesting details about rope and bondage play and the way that it is used in a loving relationship. However, it wasn't just the sex which made their relationship work. Nick had recently come out of a bad relationship and his self-esteem is pretty low. Brandon helps him to become more confident in himself, even if Nick does make some bad errors of judgement along the way. Nick is very likable and I found his attitude about being a goth and how that impacted on how people viewed him rather wry and amusing, as was Brandon's reaction when he sees Nick in his work clothes. Brandon is the most complicated out of the pair. His job means that he has to keep his sexuality under wraps and so he tries to give off a 'heterosexual vibe' whilst out and about with Nick. This involves flirting openly with women, distancing himself physically from Nick and denying anything other than friendship. For the out and proud Nick this is difficult and puts a strain on the relationship.

Only one thing made the day less than idyllic for Nick. No playful hugs, no kisses on the strand, no sitting on the rocks wrapped around each other... no touching at all. What might have been hopelessly romantic was dropped to reasonably fun. Nick might have tried to sneak a kiss or three, but Brandon probably would have bolted if he did. He was obviously nervous enough just being here with Nick; Brandon spent every moment as though someone he knew might turn the next corner. It was almost a relief to get back to the ship.

In some ways I could see both sides of the argument. I felt terribly sorry that Nick was missing out because he was unable to be publicly affectionate with Brandon. On the other hand, I related to Brandon's fear that his job and his safety at work might be compromised should anyone find out he was gay. It was the skill of the author which made it possible for me to sympathise with both characters in this way.

There weren't many other secondary characters as the story was very much focused on Nick and Brandon, but those who appeared, especially Nick's odious ex and detective Orozco, who is investigating the murder of Nick's colleague, were well drawn.

Overall, this was a great story of two men who are attempting to overcome personal difficulties and be with each other. The mystery, as I have said, was pretty unique and James Buchanan always produces well researched, tightly written prose. Cheating Chance gets a grade of 'Excellent' and I have no hesitation in recommending this book to those who like mysteries and hot, character based romance.

Review: Hunter's Dawn: Laying the Ghosts by Meg Leigh

I like a good ghost story, especially one which delivers an interesting story along with the thrills and chills. Although I've not read anything by this author before, Hunter's Dawn: Laying the Ghosts turned out to be an interesting story of love, loss and skepticism.

The story that begins this book is a bit of an old one, I suppose. Jack, a professor of paranormal phenomena who spends his time debunking ghostly sightings, is called to the house of an old lady who is experiencing some odd events, such as doors opening by themselves and strange murmuring noises. Before he can get started a young man, Casey, turns up at the house claiming that his 'spirit guide' sent him to help the lady with her haunting. There's an instant antagonism between the two men. Jack thinks that Casey is a con-man, out to fool an old lady, and Casey finds Jack's smug insistence on proving that ghosts don't exist, infuriating. They are both shocked when the discovery of an old memento mori brooch sets off a violent manifestation which almost kills Jack. After that both men agree to join forces to find out who is connected to the broach and how they can begin to release the spirit.

Although we begin the book on familiar territory it is after this point that the story starts to take on a more unique spin. We learn, for example, that Casey's spirit guide is his mother, who died when Casey was a boy. She has stayed to watch over him and help develop his gift for seeing and communicating with ghosts. The relationship between Casey and his mother was both tender and also a little weird. She communicates with him by his thoughts and the occasional manifestation. Casey doesn't seem to mind that she is in his head all the time - even when he starts to become intimate with Jack, but I found it a little odd and perhaps intrusive. Casey is quite a shy man who has had a lot of disappointment in his life. Because of his abilities he has found it difficult to maintain friendships and has little or no experience when it comes to relationships. This made him oversensitive and liable to think the worst in his dealings with Jack. At first this was understandable, but after a while this aspect of Casey's personality started to grate a little.
Out of the two men I think I liked Jack the most. It was amusing and somewhat gratifying to see his smug, scholarly outlook come crashing down around his ears. He finds Casey both enticing, bewildering and a little frightening but I admired his determination to give their relationship a go, despite Casey's uneven temper at times. One area which brought out most of my compassion for Jack was in his grief over the death of his lover. The fact that Paul had been so much older than Jack was a nice change from usual and I felt the author had struck a nice balance between showing how much Jack had been affected by Paul's death and his willingness to move on in his relationship with Casey.

In term of characters this was a pretty couple intensive book. There are few secondary characters other than Casey's mother and a couple of others and most of the book is spent in the company of these two men. I liked that Jack had a role reversal in his relationship with Casey, from being the younger inexperienced partner to the one who had to take the lead. This was done with sensitivity and good humour, leading to sensual and tender sex scenes. If I have any complaints about them it would be that Jack was the one who had to make a number of adjustments to be with Casey and it would have been nice if Casey had made some changes or sacrifices too.

The paranormal aspects of this book were done well and it was easy to picture all that was happening. I find this a bonus in paranormals because I've read quite a number which end with a confusing jumble of paranormal occurrences. Thankfully this didn't happen with this book and whilst the scenes involving the ghost were exciting, they weren't overly scary for those of you who don't like horror too much.

I finished this book feeling that I was glad that I had taken a chance on this author. The book was well written, fast paced, with interesting characters and some unusual paranormal aspects. Hunter's Dawn: Laying the Ghosts is a book I would recommend to those who like paranormal ghost stories and an 'opposites attract' storyline and it gets a grade of 'Very Good' from me.

Review: Like Coffee and Doughnuts by Elle Parker

Like Coffee and Doughnuts takes a friends to lovers story and through some interesting characterisation gives it a bit of an unusual spin. It's main strength lies not only in the reluctance of the heroes to solve the mystery in the suspense plot but also that the personality of Dino is different to any m/m character I've read so far.

Dino is a PI and part of his job involves repossessing cars. In order to do that he brings along his buddy Seth who acts as his back up. After a night of picking up cars, Dino and Seth discover an envelope in one of the cars containing a notebook with codes inside, a couple of keys and a keycard. This piques Dino's interest and he hangs onto the envelope for a while. This turns out not to be the smartest thing he has done, because pretty soon he has 'businessmen' after him, putting Dino and Seth in danger.

The character of Dino was really quite unusual. He describes himself as 'an old fashioned guy' and is proud of that image. He dresses with class and style rather than in the latest fashions; he listens to Dean Martin and Peggy Sue; he's charming and easy-going with a dry, witty sense of humour; he can ballroom dance; and most unusual of all he has a low sex drive. He prefers dating to one night stands and often goes months without sex. This doesn't seem to bother him at all and actually fits well with his calm, neat, methodical and perhaps somewhat cool personality. In fact the only person who seems to penetrate that slightly aloof exterior is his best friend Seth.

Seth is the complete opposite to Dino. He's a slob; he dresses in the latest fashion and listens to music that "sounded like someone knocked over all the garbage cans and stepped on a cat"; he's hot headed and sleeps around. Despite this, Dino regards Seth with affectionate amusement most of the time. Seth occasionally comes on to Dino, but Dino doesn't take him seriously, until one night Seth forces Dino to re-evaluate their friendship. Dino is surprised, mainly because he didn't really think Seth wanted him, but also because he is surprised with the strength of his own feelings for Seth. Dino has never seen himself as gay, although he has found both men and women attractive in the past. Despite Dino's reservations about Seth's sluttish ways and also the worry that they will ruin their friendship, Dino gives in and they begin a relationship.

The first part of the book deals with the friendship between the two men and how well they gel together as friends. Because of this, when they did start to have a relationship, it felt like a natural extension to what had gone before. This made the 'friends to lovers' story work really well. Both men knew each other's foibles and were accepting of each other. There was obviously a period of adjustment, and it was the small things, the kind, thoughtful gestures, especially on the part of Seth which showed the strength of feeling between the two men even though Seth voices his frustration several times at Dino's reluctance to believe that their relationship will work.

Seth drew his knees up and pointed at me. “We need to get you to stop thinking of me as a friend, and start thinking of me as that incredibly hot mechanic you’re sleeping with.”

The suspense plot was also a little different to what I expected. Usually when a character finds a mystery to solve they dig and dig until it's solved regardless of the danger that puts them in. In this book, Dino does a bit of digging, but once he finds out what he could be getting himself into, he backs right off and attempts to get rid of the contents of the envelope. It's only when circumstances force him to take it up again that the mystery is solved in a tense and gripping final few chapters. I found this quite a refreshing way to include a suspense plot and it added to my overall enjoyment of the book.

There were other things I liked about the book including the set of elderly ladies who live in Dino's apartment block and the way that the author allows the reader to really get to know the characters so that when they come together it is believable that they should be attracted to each other. In fact the only negative thing I have to say is that perhaps Dino is a little too perfect and also that Seth seemed to settle down with Dino very quickly despite being painted as complete man-slut for most of the early part of the book.

Overall, this was an unusual, well written and enjoyable book which will appeal to those who like friends to lovers storylines and want to read a different spin on the suspense plot. This gets a grade of 'Excellent' and I shall certainly be looking out for more books by this author in future.

Saturday Shorts

A Roof For the Rain by Katrina Strauss

This short spec fiction story takes place in a future Earth which has been ravaged by the effects of global warming. This has meant that there is no longer any rain and the world is effectively one big desert. Water is a precious commodity, guarded jealously and taken mostly by the corrupt government. Jacob is part of a band of rebels who are trying to overthrow the government so that the water can be shared equally. His job is to seek out potential underground water supplies and secure them before the government soldiers are able to commandeer the site. Jacob was a child when the crisis first began and there are a number of heartbreakingly poignant flashbacks to the time just before he and his family went underground. This is contrasted with the experiences of Ethan, who was born in the underground tunnels and knows nothing about rain, or life on the surface of the Earth. Despite its short length this was a compelling read, especially if you like spec fiction. I liked the pairing of the older, thoughtful Jacob with the young, enthusiastic Ethan. I also liked the sense of hope which permeates what could have been a depressing story. Grade: 'Excellent'.

Bring the Heat by ML Rhodes

The best thing about this novella was the character of Riley. He's a cop, but instead of the usual swagger and arrogance you usually find in cop characters, Riley is actually quite shy and unsure of himself. He's got a big crush on a guy that he sees every day in a coffee shop, but panics when the cute guy actually seems interested back. Riley is investigating the murder of a gay stripper by visiting all potential witnesses. Imagine his surprise when one of those witnesses turns out to be Dane, the cute guy from the coffee shop. If you are looking for an indepth mystery plot, then this book won't be to your tastes. The mystery is basically a way to get these two guys together so that there can be some serious smexxing, followed by guilt and self-flagellation over whether Riley has let his hormones screw up his case. Most of the mystery happens off scene, but I didn't mind that too much. If you're after a fluffy read with two engaging characters then this could be right up your street. I enjoyed it enough for it to get a grade of 'Very Good'.

Deep Cover by Clare London

I picked up this short because Wave recommended it as a great 'will they or won't they get caught having sex' story. It follows soldier Max and his girlfriend Elisa who are getting ready for a swish party. Elisa sends Max down to get some wine from the cellar where he meets Ryan, a fellow soldier, who has been hiding down there waiting for him (at which point I wondered how the heck Ryan had got down there in the first place). The story then switches between Max and Ryan in the cellar and Elisa as she puts the finishing touches to the party preparations. It's a hot read with lots of tension, both in the sex and in whether they are going to be discovered as the hatch to the cellar is wide open. The best part had to be the end which I think will satisfy even those who don't normally like infidelity stories. Grade: 'Very Good'.

Enjoy your weekend folks and keep your fingers crossed for me that it doesn't tip it down with rain all week.

Next Week

As from tomorrow, I'm on holiday. Now, I'd like to tell you that it's the sort of holiday where I'll spend all my time wearing these:

But unfortunately, I'll probably be wearing these:

'cos I'm going camping again.

Anyway, rather than leave you all in the lurch all week, I'm going to schedule a series of reviews all of which have been posted at Wave's blog previously but which I haven't ever found the space to put here. This will be apart from tomorrow when I've got a new batch of Saturday Shorts for your reading pleasure. Please feel free to comment on those or any of the reviews next week as usual but I'm not going to be anywhere near a laptop or the internet, so I won't be able to reply to your comments until I get back on the 1st August.

Review: Seeds of Time 2: Bread on the Waters by GS Wiley

This short story picks up a few months after Seeds of Time 1: Blue Roses. Simon has forgiven Adrian who is now living in London and working as an actor at the Globe Theatre. Simon is dividing his time between his theatre manager and now assistant director job in Yorkshire, and travelling to London to see Adrian and they are both talking once again about marriage. Simon isn't entirely happy though, especially with the long distance relationship and trying to fit in Adrian's new baby into their life. He also thinks every day about the potion obtained at Esmerelda's shop at the end of the previous book. Eventually, the strain is too much and Simon uses the potion taking him back to 1948. Even though he knows very little about James, Simon is comfortable with him and attracted to his gentle ways. In the back of his mind though is the knowledge that if he tries to take things further with James, he is cheating on Adrian and so a choice must be made.

There is obviously less scene setting in this book that in the first one in the series. This allows us to spend more time in 1948 than before and to get to know James a little better. As you might expect, he is conflicted between his faith in God and his feelings about his homosexuality. When Simon disappears in the first book, James takes this to believe that God is punishing him, just as he felt when he first lover died in the Second World War. He is relieved when Simon has time to explain about the potion and why he ended up disappearing so suddenly.

One aspect I liked very much in this book is the contrast between the present day and the past. When he rubs the potion into his hand, Simon is in his flat, but appears in the past in the middle of a field where his flat will eventually be built. This is some distance from the town centre in 1948 and Simon curses his stupidity in not considering this before. The descriptions of the townspeople, the full church and the effects of rationing, all give an authentic period feel to the story and I liked how Simon made the comparisons in his mind between how people lived in the 1940's compared the luxuries of living in the present day.

The relationship between the Simon and James is tentative but with a great deal of sexual tension. The scene where they make love for the first time was emotional and tender and very satisfying - for them and the reader!

This series is set to continue into a third book so, although some plot threads are tied up, some are still left hanging. The most important of which is how Simon and James can find a way to stay together. I'm very much looking forward to finding out the answer to that in the next book, due out next month, as I'm afraid I've become quite hooked on this little series and these characters. This book gets a well earned grade of 'Excellent'.

Review: Seeds of Time 1: Blue Roses by GS Wiley

I admit that the main reason I picked up this short story is because I have a shameful love of time-travel romance. I enjoy seeing a character thrown out of their time zone and how they adapt to their new environment so when I saw that this short from TQ had a time travel story line, then there just wasn't any discussion as to whether I was going to read it. I just had to.

I was even more chuffed when I started reading the book and realised it's set in my native Yorkshire, God's own county. This is the first time I've read an m/m book set even remotely near where I live and I was delighted at the familiarities of reading a book set in a small Yorkshire town, so similar to where I grew up. The descriptions of Simon and his family, sitting in front of the TV watching Casualty, with a quiche and chips tea on their laps or the characters sitting in the country pub drinking beer, just added to the familiarity of the whole setting and my delight in reading the book.

The book centres on Simon, who manages a local theatre. He's been living with Adrian, an actor from the theatre, for three years and is delighted when Adrian proposes. Adrian is pushing for a quick wedding, but something is holding Simon back from rushing things. He loves Adrian but can't see why they need to be so hasty. It turns out that Simon was right to be cautious when he discovers that Adrian has betrayed him. He leaves Adrian and moves back home where his well-meaning sister gives him a potion from Esmerelda, a York based fortune teller, which will unite him with his true love. Simon puts the potion in his trouser pocket and forgets about it until a slip at work breaks the potion and he is transported back in time to 1948. It is here that he meets James, the local vicar who is deeply closeted. James is very different to the outgoing Adrian and Simon is attracted to the quiet man.

There's a lot packed into this short story, but it never feels overcrowded or busy. We learn a lot about Simon, his job and his relationship with Adrian and I found myself warming to him. When he meets James he is confused about his feelings for him and Adrian which I felt was believable in the circumstances. Simon also thinks that he may be going slightly mad and hallucinating his time in 1948. It was more difficult to get a handle on the character of Adrian, mainly because the story is written in the 1st person from Simon's point of view. Adrian tells Simon that he loves him and is the one to propose, but also keeps secrets from him. Although Simon never explicitly says so, I got the impression that he never quite trusts Adrian and therefore holds back from him slighty.

The story ends with many loose threads hanging which as this seems to be a series is understandable. I was left wanting to know more about James and his life in 1948 and also whether Simon would be able to get back to him. The relationship between Simon and Adrian is also not resolved by the end and I found myself looking forward to reading the next book to find out what happens.

Overall, this is a great short story. The time travel aspect obviously needs a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, but the characters and their complex relationships were real and involving. I'm giving this a grade of 'Excellent' and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to those who are looking for a new series, like stories set in England and enjoy time travel plots.

Ride Em, Ride Em, Ride Em

One thing that surprised me greatly when I began to read m/m romance was how much I loved cowboy stories. This was surprising because before then I hadn't been too fussed about cowboy romance. I'd read a couple of Harlequin cowboy books and although they were pretty well written the heroes just didn't get my blood pumping the way, say, a Regency hero did. I also can't stand film Westerns. Hub had to drag me kicking and screaming to see Unforgiven and had to endure the punishment of sitting through all 6 hours of the BBC Pride and Prejudice adaptation as penance (not that it was penance because he admitted that he'd liked it after he'd watched it).

Anyway, I digress.

So what is it then about cowboy m/m which sends my heart a flutter as well as other parts of my anatomy? Good grief! It must be time for a list. I haven't done one of these in months!

1. It's just so different to the life that I know

Texas might as well be on another planet, it's so different to the UK. I may live in sheep farming country here in North Leeds, but it's nothing like the hot, dusty plains of a desert ranch. Sometimes I like reading about places that are different and cowboy books provide the perfect setting for that.

2. Cowboys find it difficult to talk about their feelings

Unless you're reading JL Langley who has the most eloquent cowboys imaginable, most cowboys don't talk much - about anything really, but mostly not about their feelings. They tend to bottle it up, meaning that all that pent up emotion manifests itself in other, more physical ways. It also means that with a cowboy book I'm pretty much guaranteed not to have to wade through pages of soppy dialogue. Yee haw!

3. They ride horses

This was one of my favourite bits about Regency romance too: Men on horseback. I don't ride horses. In fact I've only been on a horse once in my life when I went on one of the 15 minutes fun rides as a child. However, there's just something about a man who stands tall on a horse, that mastery of man and beast that I find irresistible in a hero.

4. They work with their hands but often run their own businesses too

It's such a delightful mix of a man who has intelligence enough to make a successful venture of running a ranch yet isn't afraid to get down and dirty out on the range when necessary. It's just so...so...manly that I can't resist.

5. They often have to live in a homophobic atmosphere

Much of the conflict in m/m cowboy books arises as a result of the homophobia prevalent in small town US. This can lead to internal conflict - I hate myself for fancying other men, or external - if anyone finds out, I'm dead meat. If it's done well, then this conflict usually leads to a satisfying plot. If it's done badly - usually when the whole town suddenly becomes 'gay OK' after centuries of homophobia - then I'll end up rolling my eyes and wondering which planet I've suddenly been transported to.

6. Cowboy hats

There's something about a man in a hat that just does it for me. The way that they use it to hide their eyes (and their emotions) from people, tip their hat in politeness and lose their hats in the throes of passion is just delicious. I think men should go back to wearing hats, I really do. Mind you the bowler hat just doesn't have the same sexiness as a Stetson!

So there you have it, six reasons why I love cowboys books. How about you? Do you love a good cowboy m/m or do they just not have the same appeal?

Review: Island Song by Alan Chin

This mystical, paranormal love story uses ideas taken from all kinds of religions from Christianity to Eastern mysticism and creates an unusual story of one man's recovery from grief and his relationship with a young Hawiian man.

Island Song begins when Garrett arrives at a small resort in Hawaii determined to escape his busy, stressful life in San Francisco and spend six months writing the biography of his now dead lover Marc. We learn of Garrett and Marc's relationship through a series of flashbacks which are spaced out in chronological order through the book. At the start of the book Garrett is a broken man. He has spent the last two years grieving for Marc and trying to drown his sorrows in working hard and drinking. He wants to put his old life behind him and begin again, learn some self-discipline and write the book of Marc's life in the peace and quiet of this beautiful island. Things are never that simple though, as Garrett discovers on his first day. His housekeeper is Songoree or Song, a young island man whose Grandfather is the local Shaman. Grandfather, as he is known to all in the area, believes that Garrett is the man who was prophesied to bring their religion of peace to the whole world. Garrett just wants to be left alone and thinks that Grandfather is a crazy old man. However, as the book progresses, Garrett, with help from Song, learns that Hawaii brings it's own sense of peace and that Grandfather's methods for attaining self-awareness and freedom from the past is not as crazy as he once believed.

There are two themes running through this book. The first is that of lost love and new hope. Garrett is crippled by his sorrow over the death of Marc and his relationship with Song is the catalyst which allows him to complete his grieving. At first I was a little worried about the use of flashbacks to show the past relationship between Garrett and Marc but after a while, I didn't find them intrusive to the storyline. Instead they drew a parallel between the past and the present. Marc and Garrett begin a relationship based on lust and friendship whereas his relationship with Song remains unconsummated for most of the book. Theirs is a gentle, tentative love that forms out of Song's wish to heal Garrett and Garrett's move away from the burden of his past. The fact that Song is straight is another hurdle for them to overcome and I felt that Song's reservations about starting a relationship with Garrett fitted in wholly with his young age and the homophobic attitude of his friends who, at least at the beginning of the book, exert some influence over Song. When the two men finally enter into a relationship, it brought with it a tenderness that seemed to be missing in Garrett's and Marc's relationship, despite their obvious love for each other. I felt that this theme was the strongest and most satisfying part of the book, especially when coupled with the other friendships that Garrett forms with some of the other town's residents.

The other theme in the book is that of the mystical spirituality of Grandfather and his ancient shamanistic ways. Garrett is drawn into this through the deep pain that he feels in mourning Marc. Once again, Song is a catalyst for this aspect of the book when a dreadful error of judgement sends Garrett into a pit of despair where he is able to experience the altered sense of reality that Grandfather wishes to promote across the world. I found it difficult to always understand this aspect of the book and, to be brutally honest it just didn't appeal to my sensible nature. Those who enjoy reading about mysticism or who like stories involving spirits or meditation may be able to identify more strongly with this part of the book than I did.

One 'character' which features heavily in Island Song is that of Hawaii itself. There are many lush descriptions of the nature, the beaches, the weather, the sunsets and the overall feel of the island that I was transported there. I loved the feeling that I was almost on this island, feeling the breeze and experiencing life in Hawaii, the good and bad. To me the best part of reading a book set in a different country, especially one which I know little about, is being able to experience that place through the eyes of the narrator. Alan Chin had that gift of making Hawaii seem so real, so alive in my imagination that I could almost reach out and feel the lei or smell the roasted meats at the luau. It was magical and far and away the best part of reading this book.

I have only one main criticism of Island Song which was to do with the final two chapters of the book which form a sort of epilogue. I didn't really feel it was necessary to have those chapters and certain parts, especially that the women in the book had been turned into baby making machines for the heroes, really made me rather cross and spoiled what had been an engrossing read up to that point. The book could have ended at chapter 30 as we look towards the heroes' future full of uncertainty and yet also hope and a security in their love for each other. However, this was just a minor annoyance in what was a beautifully written story.

If you are the sort of reader who likes gentle books about grief, recovery and the discovery of a second chance at love, then I highly recommend that you read Island Song. I'm giving it a grade of 'Excellent' and I have a feeling that it's a book which will stay with me for some time.

DIK Day 3

It's my last day on the DIK island and I'm having a spot of bother with my heroes - help!

DIK Day 2

It's my second day on the DIK island today where I'm talking about the books that I've brought to the island.

Why not pop over and tell me whether you agree with my choices.

Where am I?

Today is my first post as an official DIK lady on the DIK blog. Pop over to find out all about me and say hello.

I See Dead People and Big Hugs for Torquere

A few weeks ago Kris did a post on her blog about flashbacks (read it here) where there was a general feeling amongst those of us who commented that we didn't really like flashbacks too much.

I was reminded about this post as I began reading Island Song by Alan Chin because a couple of chapters in, the main character has a flashback to the time when he first realised he was gay and fell in love. Not so bad you might think, and it was actually a lovely, touching scene. However, the reason why the main character was having this flashback is because he is grieving over the death of his lover, the one who he falls in love with in the flashback. Now, I don't know what anyone else thinks about this but I don't like scenes where I know that one character is now dead. Yes, I understand that the author (and it's not just Alan Chin, this has happened a few times in other books) is trying to get the reader to understand the background of the main protag and the depths of his feelings for his lost love. It helps us to empathise with the grief that the character is going through. I also think that this can be achieved without the use of flashback.

The thing is, and I suppose this is my main objection, I find myself holding back emotionally from these scenes. I don't want to invest my feelings in a character I already know is dead and therefore try to distance myself from the dead character. As a reader, I want to understand the main (alive) character's feelings, but I don't want to attach any feelings of my own to the dead character as I find that a bit upsetting. So although I don't skip over these flashbacks, I do read them quickly wanting to get past them and back to the main story.

Does this make sense? How do you deal with scenes like these? Do they bother you too or do you not mind getting attached to a dead character?

On a lighter note, I want to sing the praises of Torquere Books today.

Yesterday the SD card in my Cybook became corrupted - don't ask me how this happened as I have no idea. Usually, this wouldn't be too much of a problem as I have my books backed up on the main computer and some on my laptop as well. Unfortunately, I remembered that I had bought two books from TQ about a month ago (Three Day Passes by Sean Michael and Deep Cover by Clare London - both of which I'm blaming on Tam) and I hadn't had access to the computer at that time so saved them on my Cybook with the intention of transferring the files over at a later date.

Then I forgot.

'Never mind', I thought, 'I'll just go to TQ and download them again from my account'. Except I hadn't realised that TQ only keeps the links live for a set amount of time and my links had expired.

HOWEVER, all is well because after sending a desperate email to the TQ helpdesk, they very kindly made my links live so I could download the books again.

HOORAY FOR TQ AND THEIR EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE!

Just thought I'd share that.

Review: Feral by Joely Skye

The start of Feral throws the reader into a thrilling chase. A pack of werewolves are hunting Ethan, a cougar shifter. He's been in his shifted state for 8 years after escaping from a previous capture and torture by werewolves who also killed his she-wolf protector. As the section ends, Ethan is caught and drugged, shifting helplessly to his human form. When he wakes up he meets Bram who has been assigned the job of 'taming' Ethan. It seems that the were-wolves are experimenting on Ethan to see how easy it is to tame a were-cat who has gone feral, as Ethan seems to have done. This rehabilitation is done through touch, as a shifter will naturally want to retain their human state when being touched. Bram and Ethan form a friendship and Bram looks to ways to release him from capture. The problem is that Bram is an omega wolf - the lowest of the low - and setting Ethan free means that he will have to risk his own life.

The strength of this book lies in the first half, when Ethan is captured and Bram attempts to tame him. There are several factors in this part which I liked a great deal. For a start I felt that the basic premise that Ethan longs to go back to his cat state and the only thing preventing that is constant interaction and touching from Bram, to be an interesting idea and well executed. There was a great deal of tension, both sexual and nervous in those opening chapters which gave an edge to the book and kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next.

I also liked the way that the pack dynamics worked in the context of the opening chapters. Bram's subservience to Doug, the alpha wolf and the way he was treated by him, fitted in well with the little I know of wild dog behaviour. Doug is Bram's protector and he abuses that power, throwing the knowledge of what could happen to Bram should he remove that protection in Bram's face any time Bram shows the slightest intent to mutiny. This obviously had the effect that I hated Doug from the start and distrusted his motives, as Bram starts to do further into the book. Bram is almost an 'untouchable' in the pack and is, at best, ignored by the other wolves. As a result he is starved for affection and rarely gets to touch or be touched by another person. It's no wonder then that he feels an attraction to Ethan when touching forms such a large part in his rehabilitation.

By the time I had got a third of the way through the book I was anticipating a great escape, a tense time spent on the run and a dramatic climax hopefully involving Doug's downfall. Unfortunately, I was a little too hasty in assuming how the story would enfold because the last two thirds of the book didn't quite match up to the tense first section.

I don't think I'm being too spoilerish if I tell you that Bram and Ethan do escape the werewolf compound and do so in a very satisfying manner. After that though, the book takes rather a quiet turn as both characters go their separate ways before being reunited by the shadowy character of Trey. This was obviously a deliberate attempt to change the tone of the book as the two heroes get to know each other and start to build upon the tentative feelings they began during Ethan's capture. However, the change of pace didn't work so well for me. I got a bit bored and wanted to press on towards what I hoped was to be an exciting finale. This also seemed to be a time when certain revelations were disclosed about the characters, especially Ethan and to a lesser extent Bram. Despite this, I was still left with a lot of unanswered questions especially about Ethan's mother, the she-wolf Lila and exactly why Ethan had been captured and tortured years ago. This quiet time would have been an ideal period for those questions to have been answered. Yet, instead we have Bram and Ethan playing house and cementing their relationship - I can't deny feeling rather frustrated at this point.

All this means is that I was delighted when things seemed to take a turn towards the gripping finale I was anticipating and for a time the breathless tension and excitement of the opening section returned to the book. Unfortunately, that time was all too brief as we get bogged down with conspiracy theories, politics and a wholly disappointing stand off between Doug and Bram - a sort of 'blink and you miss it' showdown.

So, as you can possibly gather from what I've just written, this was, in my opinion, very much a mixed book. On one hand I liked the characterisation, the world building and the taut, tense opening, but on the other hand the pacing throughout the book didn't work for me. All in all, Feral gets a 'Good' grade and I would recommend to those who like shifter books.

Shifters

I've come to the conclusion that I'm a bit odd.

Take shifter paranormal books as an example.

If I see a new shifter book I usually think, meh, don't like shifter books. If someone asks me which books I like, I tell them I like paranormals but not shifter books. I purposely avoid reading them, preferring to read books about vampires, demons, wizards etc rather than werewolves or werecats or werebirds.

However, I realised today that when I do read shifter books, I usually enjoy them. In fact I can't remember a shifter book I didn't like. I even read a whole anthology of werewolf stories and liked all of them. I'm reading one at the moment and enjoying it.

What's worse than that, is that if you were to ask me to name my favourite paranormal romance, I would tell you it's Bitten by Kelley Armstrong which is - yes, you've guessed it - a shifter book.

So why don't I buy them? Why do I avoid them and only read shifter books when I'm sent them for review?

I have no idea.

See, I'm odd....just plain odd.

Saturday Shorts

Got a couple for you today.

Change of Plans by TC Blue

This terrific short from TC Blue is a lovely friends to lovers story. College student, waster and man-slut Nicky decides to amend his ways. He needs to stop taking the drugs, drinking and whoring around and pass his course so he ditches all his druggie friends and straightens out his life. During this time he gains a new flatmate, Brad. Brad has heard rumours about Nicky's bad boy image and wants nothing to do with him. The trouble is, Nicky's fallen for Brad and has to convince him that he's not the guy Brad thinks he is. I liked Nicky and admired him for cleaning up his act. I also found it ironic that after all his manslut ways, he can't get Brad into bed. There's a real sense of urgency in the writing and their friendship as they are both leaving college for new pastures soon and this gave the story a 'will they, won't they take a chance on each other' feel to the story which was quite involving. All in all, a well written, pacy short with a fun, romantic story. Grade: 'Excellent'.

Catching a Buzz by Ally Blue

I bought and read this story this morning after reading Tam's article at Kris' blog about boys who wear eyeliner (and piercings and tattoos). I have to admit I have a bit of a soft spot for pasty, thin, black haired goth boys so this story sounded just my thing. It was. Adam is a straight laced college student who gets on better with older adults than people his own age. He's working for the summer at a water park when he meets Buzz. Buzz is the opposite of everything Adam usually finds attractive. He's a goth, he calls him 'dude' and listens to noisy bands. Buzz comes on strongly but Adam resists him for a month, growing closer and more fond of him the whole time. When they do come together it's delightful and explosive. I liked the witty, outgoing Buzz and thought that he and Adam worked well as a couple. I also enjoyed the ramped up sexual tension between them and the way they were so openly affectionate with one another. The only slight niggle I had was a case of a disappearing bottle (you'll have to read it to see what I mean) but that wasn't enough to spoil my enjoyment of this great short story. Grade: 'Excellent'.

That's all for today. Enjoy your weekend.

Nothing to See

Well, it's Friday and I've spent all day painting the bathroom. Which means that:

a) I'm covered in paint
b) I'm knackered
c) My brain is fuzz from all the paint fumes

So despite mooching about for the past half an hour trying to think of something interesting to write, I've come up blank and once again I'm blogging about nothing - why do I do this?

Friday evening is my designated 'hub' night when I put away my laptop and Cybook and spend a bit of quality time with him, cuddling up on the sofa in front of the telly with a couple of glasses of red wine. So that's what I'm off to do now.

On a side note, the Well Read m/m discussion group is just about up and running, but there's room for a few more if anyone would like to join us. Send me your email address to jenre30@gmail.com and I'll invite you to the group by email.

Review: The Bones of Summer by Anne Brooke

To be honest I'm a little nervous as to whether what I'm going to write now will actually do this book justice. It was that good. So good, in fact, that I may run out of superlatives. So good, that my mind disappeared into 'book world' and I spent every single spare moment reading. So good, that even when I had to do pesky real life things like cooking I was still thinking about the book, wondering what was going to happen next or mulling over the characters, their merits and their flaws.

At the beginning of the The Bones of Summer everything is going well for Craig. He's happy with where he lives and is good friends with the two women he shares a house with. He likes his modelling job, even if he's not been able to get on as an actor. Best of all, is that he gets a phone call from a guy he met a couple of months ago, Paul, who wants to get together and maybe start something. Things are on the up for Craig and he's happy to go with it and forget all about the terrible things that happened to him when he ran away from his Devon home seven years before.

Unfortunately for Craig, life has a way of kicking you in the teeth when you least expect it. Just after his first date (and night) with Paul, he receives a letter from an old neighbour and friend in Devon telling him that his father is missing. This starts off a chain of events which forces Craig to return to Devon and his past and confront all that he was attempting to forget. Paul is a Private Detective and offers to help Craig investigate his past. This then impacts on their tentative relationship.

There are two main themes running through this book. The first, and most obvious theme is that of facing up to your past. Craig ran away from his abusive Father at the age of seventeen and has spent the intervening years trying to avoid thinking of his childhood and the events which led to him leaving. The past, as they say, has a way of catching up with you and I found it admirable in Craig that he faces up to that once he realises that he can't stay in hiding forever. His reaction to going back to Devon was a mixture of heartbreaking and confusing for the reader. Craig himself has large gaps in his memory and often reacts to his surroundings in a very emotional way that even he can't understand, let alone explain to Paul. It takes time and a painful stripping away of the layers before Craig is even able to discover what happened. The reader is taken along with that emotional rollercoaster and I found that I had to be very patient and wait, like Craig does, before I got answers to the many questions that I had as I was reading.

Paul too has a past. He has suffered tragedy and betrayal in his life which you would think would make him the ideal person to help Craig through this difficult time. However, things are never that simple which leads to the second theme: That of secrets and lies. Both men have secrets from each other. In one sense this is understandable; they have just met each other and are starting a tentative journey on the road to love. Neither one of them want to share their past with each other yet. Craig doesn't want to scare Paul off and Paul has his own reasons to which we are not privy. It did annoy me that Paul often accuses Craig of lying to him, when, rather hypocritically, he never comes wholly clean about his own past. In fact, I found myself getting cross with Paul quite a lot throughout the book. On one hand he offers to help Craig and even spends a lot of time supporting him through this terrible time; but on the other hand he uses quite brutal methods to force Craig to open up and speak about his past. Methods such as the use of emotional blackmail by withdrawing his approval or acting coldly towards him or blowing hot and cold so that Craig is confused as to where he stands in their relationship. I wasn't sure I liked Paul, but that didn't mean he wasn't a terrific character. He was - as is any character who draws such a response from me.

If you are thinking that this sounds like a very angst filled book, then you will be right. Emotions run high throughout the novel. Both men are strong characters who are dealing in their own way with distressing things that have happened to them. Sometimes they break down in tears; sometimes they clash horribly and say dreadful things to each other; sometimes they make love fiercely in order to forget; sometimes they close up and suffer in silence. These were complex men and I was never really sure how they would react at any time. It was this unpredictability that had me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. What a thrilling ride!

Having said that, the book wasn't all doom and gloom and what saved it from being too heavy going was the internal voice of Craig. He had a typical British self-depreciating sense of humour and a ready wit, which brought out humour in the direst of circumstances. An example of this was his self-created list of 'rules for gay men'.

But he’d better not forget Gay Rule Number One: At least find out a name and a job before you do the business.

Craig also has a great optimism about him. He always tries to focus on the good, even if he does worry about the bad things which are happening to him. This idealistic cheerfulness was appealing and coupled with Craig's sarcastic humour often gets him into trouble, but did help to lighten the feel of the book.

I've only touched the surface of what was so great about this book. It wasn't just the realistic characterisation that made this book a fantastic read. The settings were so ordinary, so domestic, such as kitchens, bedrooms, an office, a club, and yet terrible things happened in those settings so that their mere ordinariness added to the chill down the spine. The plotting was tight, with each clue, each answer, being revealed slowly until a breathtaking, frantic, thrilling conclusion.

Have I waxed lyrical enough about this book? I don't think I can. All I can do is recommend that you read The Bones of Summer and although I'm giving this my top grade of 'Excellent', this book goes beyond even that, beyond recommendation to a plea - if you like mystery; if you like character driven books; if you like reading compulsively, unable to part with the story for even a short time; then you must read this book.

Talking About Books

I went out with a group of Friends on Monday night and about half way through the meal we fell into a discussion of The Time Traveller's Wife. It wasn't very long, just 20 minutes or so whilst we bandied about our thoughts on the themes and that ending.

Later on, I was thinking about this and realised that it was the first time in ages that I'd had a really good, indepth discussion about a book with a group of people who were sitting in front of me and had all read the same book. I'm not part of a book group - I don't have time and I'm not too good at just turning up to things (I need to be invited or have a friend who would start with me), besides these groups invariably read deep, depressing books. Nobody runs a group for m/m literature - well, not in Leeds, anyway.

I do have lots of discussions with my internet friends but these are mostly my response to a review or people responding to one of my reviews - apart from one notable exception when Sean Kennedy and I had a fun Twitter session on the merits of various Victorian authors. There are probably some Yahoo groups as well, but the trouble is I don't understand how they work!

So, I'm putting out a suggestion here. How about, every so often, I host a book discussion here? We could choose a book (probably an m/m) and set a date and then run with a discussion on what we thought of it. I know that blogger is probably not the best format for such things, but as an occasional event it wouldn't be so bad. What do you think? Would anyone be interested?

Alternatively, can anyone suggest a better way of doing something like this? Sean and I jokingly discussed a Twitter book group, but there may be other more viable alternatives which don't involve me having to figure out how Yahoo groups work (yes, I know, I'm a lazy bint).

So let me know, good idea or not?

Not Quite a Review: To Have and to Hold - DSP June Anthology

This anthology is a collection of stories all based around the theme of weddings or marriage or commitment. It was originally offered as a 'story a day in your inbox' but all the stories can be bought separately.

I hate to start off in a negative fashion, but I was only a few days into this anthology when it dawned on me that I wasn't perhaps the best person for its target audience. You see, as I may have mentioned a few (hundred) times, I don't like sweet, overly sentimental stories. I like a HEA, don't get me wrong, I just don't like lots of lovey-dovey, sickly dialogue where characters stare deeply into each other's eyes and declare their undying devotion to the tune of sweeping violins.

Why it never occurred to me that an anthology made up of stories all based around weddings would contain all that sweet stuff in spades, I have no idea.

So, whereas, I enjoyed nearly all of the DSP Advent anthology and had a hard time choosing my 10 favourite stories to put in the review I did in January, with this anthology I was hard pressed to find 10 to actually recommend. It's not that the stories weren't well written - most of them were - and it's not that the stories were dull, or unoriginal or even badly plotted - most of them were not - it's just that nearly all of them contained a few pages where I thought 'oh here we go again' and rolled my eyes as the men spouted speeches of love and affection whilst all the secondary characters looked on misty eyed.

Bletch. I'm sorry but...bletch! It's just not my thing and therefore I shouldn't have bought the anthology in the first place. Instead, I should have just gone to the DSP site and bought the stories from my favourite authors. Authors I know I can trust not to overdo the sentiment. Because, guess what? They were the stories that I ended up enjoying the most and am going to recommend to you now.

There were nine stories in all, nine out of thirty, which isn't great odds, frankly. These nine stories were written by 5 authors. So, in no particular order, these are the stories which I, as a self confessed cold hearted, saccharine hating reader can recommend to those whose tastes run similar to mine.

Right Choice by Clare London
This was one of those stories where I was convinced I knew where the story was heading and then the author blindsided me right at the end. Clare London is good at that. The story takes place mostly in the bedroom of Pat as he prepares for his wedding day and flashes back to the beginnings of his relationship with a man called Nicky. The whole story was cleverly done with a deft touch even during the dramatic scenes.

Then and Now by Clare London
This was a story of two halves. The first part deals with 40 year Ned who mourns the loss of his friend, Jack, and the fact that he was never brave enough to act on his feelings. The second part deals with Thom, Jack's son, who is struggling with his own sexuality. The contrast between the sadness of missed opportunities with the hope that Thom wouldn't fall into the same trap stirred the emotions without ever falling into overt sentimentality. This was the story that inspired my 'downstairs loo' post.

The Simple Life by Chrissy Munder
I think I've said everything I want to say about this story here.

Promise of the Heart by Chrissy Munder
Despite the gooey title, this turned out to be a lovely story of second chances. Jacob was a famous photographer before tragedy changed his life forever. He recovered, but is a shadow of the man he was - and is perhaps also a better man for it as well. He agrees to help out a friend by filling in for him as a wedding photographer when he comes face to face with a man he loved and lost. I really liked that, for once, a character was allowed to say his piece without interruption. The whole story left me smiling.

Walking on the Moon by M Jules Aedin
This was the sequel to the historical story Vespers in the Snow from the Christmas Dreams anthology. We meet up with Phillip and Clive six years on from the previous story. They are about to move in together "where we would set up our swinging bachelor pad, just two teachers sharing the rent in a house that had better heating and insulation than the dorms at the old all-boys’ preparatory school." Before they go, Phillip takes them back to the place where they had first discovered their attraction. Out of all the stories that I enjoyed this one was the most sentimental, but not so much that it detracted from the story. It is worth reading just for the last paragraph which actually brought tears to my eyes.

Still Crazy by M Jules Aedin
I really enjoyed this, the final story in the anthology. It tells the story of two men who seem poles apart, and yet have a relationship which has survived 30 years. To me that is the most heartwarming theme - a love which lasts through the years. In some ways there were similar themes in this story to those found in The Simple Life, although this story had a lighthearted, humourous, less dramatic feel.

Wedding Favors by DG Parker
This story follows Bobby a man who gets invited to lots of weddings and uses them as an opportunity to find a willing bed partner for the evening. He's happy with his 'free and single' status until he finds himself running into Jason over and over again. Suddenly he begins to think that finding someone special wouldn't be too bad at all. Bobby's a bit of an anti-hero, but I loved his sly, sardonic humour and the way that he gets all his preconceived ideas tossed out the window.

Larry Fletcher Checks Out the Heartbreak Hotel by DG Parker
If you are looking for a story which is a laugh all the way, then you can't go wrong with this one. The whole set up is played for laughs, with every character being slightly exaggerated and the story being just one step outside the realms of believability. I loved it! Larry is in Las Vegas to act as a best man to his friend who is getting married in the 'Love Me Tender Wedding Chapel'. The man performing the ceremony is dressed as Elvis and, after the wedding, Elvis takes Larry for a night on the tiles to help him recover from a recent break up. I found myself laughing several times during this story especially at the over-the-top wedding and the descriptions of Elvis' manly attributes. Great stuff.

Protests and Proposals by Sean Kennedy
This little story followed Paul and Leo as they take part in protests against Prop 8. During one rally Paul tries to find some peace and quiet to discuss the importance of marriage and how that will effect their relationship. This was a sweet story containing much of what I have come to expect from Sean Kennedy: realistic 'blokey' dialogue, slightly sarcastic humour and interfering friends. It also contains one of the best marriage proposals from the entire anthology.

There were other stories I enjoyed out of the anthology and some new authors whose other books I shall seek out in the near future. However, I'm afraid to say that I don't think I'll be buying the anthology at Christmas this year, despite the thrill of getting a story each day in my inbox. Instead, I shall just be selective and buy the stories from the authors I know will give me value for money.

Review: Animal Attraction 2 Edited by Vincent Diamond

Normally when reading an anthology there are always one or even two stories which are either complete duds or just don't compare favourably to the rest in the collection. One surprising and delightful find in this anthology is that all the stories were above par and I enjoyed all them a great deal. One thing I'll mention here so that I don't need to say anything in the story descriptions is that all the stories were very well written with great pacing, lively descriptive styles and interesting plots. Each story contains either one animal or a set of animals and I found it gratifying that, within that remit, each of these stories were different and original.

Elusive Blue by Keirnan Kelly

Paul is a sheriff in a small town which is currently being visited by a carnival. Paul is drawn time and time again to the show laid by the stars of the carnival and mostly to the final act - the lion tamer. Paul is attracted to Max Lowe, but as he keeps his sexuality under tight control all he can do is admire him from afar until the carnival leaves. However, tragedy strikes leaving many of the carnival folk injured or worse and one of Max's tigers loose in the countryside. Together Max and Paul set off to find Elusive before the angry townsfolk do.

When I first started reading this story I thought it was a contemporary. It didn't take long for me to realise that some of the attitudes of the characters and the setting was rather overly intolerant and old-fashioned, even for small town America. At that point the author helpfully put in a clue for me:

He tried to shrug off the inner voice condemning him, and didn't look or speak to anyone on the way back toward his truck. It was a '43 Ford, bought new three years ago from Delaney's lot in Saddle Brook, painted black and white courtesy of Mickey's Garage down on Fifth Street, and fitted with a red bubble light on the roof. Sheriff, Township of Poplar Grove was printed in gold lettering across both side panels.

Thus it all became clear once I realised the story is set in 1946. I did wish I'd had it been spelled out a little clearer from the beginning, but as it was the only niggle in what turned out to be a colourful and unusual story of a small town sheriff who falls in love with a carnival lion tamer, I'm not holding it against the author! I liked the reserved Paul, who spends most of the story fighting a battle against his small minded townspeople, his responsibilities as sheriff and his sexuality. I also respected Max who had a quiet acceptance of his sexuality and allowed Paul the space to make decisions about his future and his feelings for Max. Rating: Very Good.

The Case of the Missing Boa by Aaron Michaels

Jake is a smalltime Las Vegas private detective who is hired by Leo, the owner of a pet sanctuary to find a stolen snake. Jake then spends the rest of the story searching for clues whilst fighting his attraction to Leo.

The plot of this story was deceptively simple. It was, in many ways, an old fashioned PI detective story with Jake searching for clues, interviewing potential suspects and digging about before he finally solved the mystery. What set this apart from the norm and also made it my favourite story in this anthology was the witty, deadpan humour that permeated the whole tale. Jake had such a delightful dry sense of humour and his observations, especially in the many occasions that he compared himself to other, famous PIs, brought a smile to my face a number of times. Take this bit from the start of the book:

This guy wasn't the Chippendales dancer of Jake's daydream. He was better. Smooth, tanned skin, strong jaw, lightly muscled arms, and chest shown off to great advantage by an old-fashioned wife-beater; the guy was maybe late twenties. He had deep brown eyes surrounded by the thickest lashes Jake had ever seen on man or woman. His dark hair was cut to medium length and curled in a haphazard way, giving him an adorable bed head look. At least Jake thought it looked adorable.

Just to make sure he wasn't still daydreaming, Jake pinched his forearm. Nope, he definitely felt pain. Reality check number one passed with flying colors.

He cleared his throat. "What can I do for you?"
"Someone stole my boa," the guy said.
"Feather?" Jake asked. After all, this was Las Vegas, and the guy did have the long-legged, athletic body of a stage dancer.
"Snake," the guy said. "About seven feet long." He pulled a picture out of the back pocket of his jeans. "His name's Marty."

Marty the snake. Right. What was Jake's reality check number two again?

All in all, this was a great mystery with a witty, sardonic PI - what's not to love? Rating: Excellent.

Driven by Destiny by Jane Davitt

Set in Hollywood during prohibition, this story follows our hero, Kerr Owens, who is agent to the Hollywood starlet Destiny Devine. He is alarmed to discover that Destiny is considering obtaining a leopard as a pet. Fortunately, Destiny's bodyguard, Tony, manages to persuade her that this isn't the best idea, leading to Kerr and Tony becoming friends. After a few illegal drinks and a lot of flirting the men arrive back at Destiny's deserted house all ready to take their friendship to the next level. Unfortunately for them, the leopard has been delivered and somehow it's got out of its cage.

This was another story filled with sly humour. From Destiny, the petulant starlet to Tony, the beefy bodyguard who hides the heart of a submissive in his bulky frame, the characters in this story brought not only a sense of time but were also recognisable without being unoriginal. I liked Kerr and the discovery he makes about himself when faced by Tony's request for him to be the dominant partner. The scenes where the two men were working out their roles was also a refreshing spin on the D/s dynamic. Even the leopard had a character all of its own! A refreshing spin on the 'trapped in the house with a dangerous animal' plot. Rating: Excellent.

Slow and Steady by CB Potts

Four men are trekking through the Amazon in search of footage for a nature documentary. Just as they are about to give up they discover a rare breed of snail which could bring fame and fortune to the small group. Whilst on the trek, biologist and our first person narrator, 'Professor', starts a relationship with Rafe, the guide. Shortly before the cameraman is due to film these elusive snails for the first time, Rafe disappears with the camera, leading everyone except the professor to believe he has abandoned them.

The most interesting thing about this story was the characterisation and differing motivations of each of the men. The Professor wants only to find and catalogue new species, the cameraman, Everett, wants to find original footage, the presenter, Gregg, is after fame and glory and Rafe wants to find a way to prevent the political big-wigs flooding the area for a new dam and reservoir. These diverse and conflicting motivations generate an interesting push and pull between the men. This is further hindered by the relationship between the Professor and Rafe which initially seems to be a way for the two men to find relief, but it may also be that the Professor is being taken advantage of. The jungle itself is almost another character in the way it swallows up the men as they make their progress, adding another layer to this deceptively simple story. Rating: Very Good.

Rodeo Mafia by Julia Talbot

This story follows Lanny, a skinny city-boy animal rights activist who is challenged by cowboy Harley to spend the weekend on his ranch to see what life is really like in the country. Lanny is determined not to show weakness in front of Harley and gains a number of aches, pains and bruises on his first day as he learns to ride and help out with the feeding. They may be poles apart, but the two men can't hide their growing attraction for one another and it's not long before things get personal between the two of them.

This 'opposites attract' story was a hot and tender read. I liked Harley, especially his patience with the initially uptight and defensive Lanny. He was all ease and friendliness which went a long way to breaking down Lanny's perceived notions on what actually happened on a ranch. Lanny's prickly character and stubborn determination to be calm and polite, even when faced with the difficult task of learning to ride a horse was admirable and I was cheering wholeheartedly for their relationship, especially for Harley who seemed to lead such a lonely life. A great short story with lots of heat and heart. Rating: Excellent.

Hiding in the Snow by Sean Michael

Biologist Mickey and documentary maker Boston are heading out to the mountains of Uzbekistan to film the elusive snow leopard. However, before they even make their first camp, bad weather hits and they are stranded. Things are further complicated when an avalanche practically buries them alive. With no means of communication, save for a beacon and only energy bars to eat, things become frightening for the two men and they turn to each other for comfort, each of them hoping to survive the ordeal and further their tentative relationship.

Although this has a similar beginning to the CB Potts story, this tale by Sean Michael has a completely different feel. Mickey (Mouse) is a man who takes his work very seriously and runs on nervous energy most of the time. He's a little prone to mood swings so he needs to be balanced by the more steady, pragmatic Boston. The scenes in the snow and the fear that both men feel was realistically done, as was the way that the men initially clash and bump heads. if I have any complaints, it was that the story veered towards a slightly forced ending. However, that didn't detract at all from the general feel of the story. Rating: Very Good.

Overall, Animal Attraction 2 gains a grade of 'Excellent' and I'd highly recommend it to those who like these authors, like animals or just want to spend a bit of time reading a set of interesting, well written stories.

Born on the Fourth of July

Hello blogworld.

“Hub” here.

Possibly you were expecting a post from Jenre, but she’s reviewed loads of books already this week and hasn’t read anything more that she can tell you about. So, since it’s my birthday today - far more important than all this “independence” stuff – she suggested she might give me the opportunity to address the nation. Kind of a “readers’ husbands” spot, I suppose. So, somewhat tentatively, here goes.

Well, fighting the temptation to begin with “10 things you didn’t know about Jenre”, let’s start with a moan. Do you know how many hours she works on your behalf to bring you this blog? Honestly, the woman is obsessed…. every spare moment (when not deep into the book reader) it’s tap, tap, tap, constructing reviews, checking for comments, and the rest. And Twitter……. she was supposed to be marking (oh yes) but she had that laptop open the whole time, I assure you. She has a husband and (large) family, you know. I hope you realise the sacrifice we make on your behalf, just for your daily read! Can’t you persuade her to work on it part time or something?

There are some things I am curious about.

Firstly, why do there appear to be so many women out there obsessed with this m/m genre? I can only imagine it’s sort of a reverse of that frequently caricatured male fantasy about lesbians – but, honestly, I thought women were more sensible. As the caricature goes, men just like breasts – the more, the better: two good, four – even better. Poor creatures, we men simply can’t help ourselves, it’s written into the genes or something. So, ahem, to summarise, I was surprised to discover there is this m/m romance genre, and that most of the readers seem to be women! Please explain.

Jenre just read progress so far. “It’s fine,” she said, in a somewhat clipped tone. Evidently not fine, then. Well, let’s press on.

Secondly….. all these photos of nude men. Well, I don’t want to sound a prude, but I’m going to. Frankly, if I sat there with pictures of semi-clad females on my screen, it would be called pornography. Really. But, the other way round is OK, it seems. It’s “celebrating the male form” (oh, the irony). And you have these votes on which one you take home for the weekend (so I’ve heard….). So the simple question: soft porn, or not?

Finally – I’m on a roll here, might possibly have upset the whole readership - finally… could someone please, please tell me why the cats speak like that?

Well, don’t want to turn you all completely against me, so I’ll leave you with a favourite scene from the Muppets, which I am sure is at about the right level. When I saw it again recently, I thought of you all.

Headless Torso Covers

Last week I did a poll on the side bar asking you for your opinions on headless torso covers. Thanks to all who voted (to be honest I was amazed at the number who did vote!).

The results were as follows. Drum roll, please...

9% of you love em, and want more, more more.
18% of you think that they are OK for erotic romance only.
28% of you will scream if you see another cover like that (start screaming now people :))
43% of you are fed up of them and would like to see more variety.

My vote would go with the majority, I think that headless, and especially naked, torsos have been done to death and it would be nice if we could see a bit variety in our m/m covers. Having said that, 12 months ago I would have given a different response. About this time last year I really liked headless torso covers and was often attracted to books that had them on the cover. After all, it was a headless torso which got me into reading m/m in the first place.

Although, admittedly it was the hairy chest which first caught my eye.

However, although the majority of people would like a change, most m/m covers have naked torsos. Josh Lanyon said on this blog last week that his editor has told him that m/m readers like them, which is why so many of his covers feature the naked torso.

There are some cover artists, most notably Catt Ford, who seem to trying to move away from those types of covers. Here are a couple of her covers:





Then, of course there are the PL Nunn covers which I have said before that I find very attractive. I may never have read any Jet Mykles if I hadn't seen this cover over at Loose Id.

So, you see, it is possible to have attractive, striking m/m covers without the need for man titty or rippling abs or headless torsos.

On a final and only partially connected note. I realised the other day how much I rely on the cover of the book to inform me of the content. I was looking at a publisher's site when I saw a cover with two men on the front. It was by an author I'd never heard of so I clicked on the book to find out what it was about. After reading the blurb I realised that it was actually a m/m/f menage, at which point I thought 'where was the woman on the cover?'. We readers are so conditioned by the covers of books, aren't we? If a book is a menage then I expect there to be three people on the front, not two and I was slightly peeved that the publisher had wasted my time by allowing me to assume the book was a m/m so that I then read the blurb. This was the first time this had ever happened to me before and I wonder whether anyone else has had a similar experience.