Camping Again

Unfortunately I am and the forecast is for rain and more rain.

*sigh*

Well, we've packed lots of games and checked out the times for the local cinema, so like stoic Brits we are determined to enjoy our holiday, despite the rain.

I'll be back on Tuesday so have a good weekend folks!

Twu Wuv

Jenre: Ah yes. Twu wuv. That moment when you realise that the vague feelings you were experiencing towards this other person is actually a full on forever and ever and hearts and bunnies and flowers and growing old together feeling. Awww. Isn’t it cute?

However, for the discerning reader of m/m, certain clues can be picked up throughout a book that instantly flag up that the two heroes are destined for twu wuv. So my good buddy Kris from ‘Kris n Good Books’ and I have come up with a list of these clues so you, the reader, may never again be unsure that the heroes in your m/m books are destined to be together.

Kris: “Twuuuuuuu Wuvvvvvv.” Yes, we all know this is something the mostly dead Westley moaned about Buttercup, but what would he have said or done or thought if it was Inigo Montoya who was his soul mate? Ever thought of that? Really, you haven’t?? But what about all the thrusting, etc in their sword fight scene? It fair sizzled with sexual tension and BDSM overtones. Maybe it’s just me again. *sigh*

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes. Twu wuv. So my mate Jenre from ‘Well Read’ and I put together this list of warning signs when reading m/m to either prepare yourself or avoid altogether that sickly sweet, sugar rush feeling. Aww, who am I kidding, we... well, most of us... get warm and steamy when we realise that the heroes were meant for forever-style lovey doveyness. That’s why we read romance after all. *g*

So, here it is. Our Top 25 “You know it’s Twu Wuv whens...”:

1. He can swallow your enormous cock down to the root without gagging
2. You're a top and he's a natural bottom
3. Having sex instantly heals you of all psychological problems
4. You go from manslut to insta-fidelity
5. You feel compelled to get a wash cloth and clean him up after sex
6. You cuddle after sex even though you usually hate the cuddling stuff
7. You stop trolling the bars and want to stay at home and watch TV with him
8. You swallow when it's always something that you've refused to do before
9. All of a sudden you're insisting he go bareback when it's always been a thing that someone (unsuccessfully) has tried to get you to do in the past
10. Although you've always been a top/bottom before, you are willing to switch for him for the rest of your life
11. You want to come out of the closet for him and shout your love to the four corners of the world
12. He's the only man that you've ever wanted to have sex with
13. Even though you prefer doggy style you want to do it missionary so you can watch his face while he/you fuck you/him
14. You can come a gazillion times in one night without suffering the effects of severe dehydration
15. Body modification suddenly becomes a way of proving your devotion
16. And so does purchasing stock in Crisco
17. You have the longest, hardest orgasm of your life the first time you have sex (and on every subsequent occasion)
18. You're a Dom and he has a, hitherto undiscovered, desire to be a sub
19. The fact that he wears women's underwear turns you on even though you've never liked it in your men before
20. Developing a taste for rosebuds, especially after bareback sex, is your new favourite fetish
21. The fact that he is technically dead is a big turn on
22. Even if you haven’t seen him for years you fantasise about him whilst having sex with other men
23. You’ve known him for 2 days and yet you are prepared to quit your job and move to the other side of the country to be with him
24. When you meet again after 5-15 years of separation following a Big Misunderstanding, family interference and/or amnesia you realise that you’ve never stopped loving him despite having 3 long term relationships and countless hook-ups in the interim
25. You come simultaneously

Now it’s your turn. Can you think of any clues to twu wuv in m/m that we may have missed? Possibly some that don’t reveal how superficial and sex-obsessed the readers are??

Desk Meme Thingy

Can someone please explain to me what the heck a meme is?

Anyway, Lily tagged me on a meme (?) about your desk and bookcases, which originated from Sassy Brit at Alternative-Read.com, and then Kris pestered reminded me about this so I thought I'd better do it in case Kris Kicks my arse because I'm sure you are all dying to know what my desk looks like.

In my house I don't have a desk, I have a set of shelves/unit where the computer is situated along with an assorted amount of junk which any large family accumulates and needs to store. I suppose this could be construed as a desk, so here it is.


However, I very rarely get to spend any time here because the computer is usually occupied by either hub or the kids. Plus the computer screen faces out into the dining room and anyone passing through to get to the kitchen gets to see the screen. Thus hub has banned me from looking at Wave's blog on it or (until recently) Sean Kennedy's blog. Apparently the pictures were too rude.

So actually my 'desk' is upstairs on my bed. Here it is:


Now I'm supposed to list 5 book and 5 non-book things on the desk/bed area. Erm, well here goes...

Book
1. My Cybook Gen 3 ebook reader
2. My laptop which contains all my ebooks
3. Under the Cybook is a copy of Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
4. The bottom drawer of the bedside table is where I'm currently keeping some yaoi books and a copy of 911 by Chris Owens (safe from accidental prying eyes)
5. That's it!

Non-Book
1. My Razr phone which is sadly out of date and dropping to pieces
2. Assorted empty mugs which need washing up
3. Glass of water which belongs to the cat (don't ask)
4. Stuff you usually get on bedside cabinets like lamps and phones
5. Elliot the cat who usually comes and sits with me on the bed

Now I have to show you my bookcases. I'll be honest here and say that there isn't enough room in my house for lots of books so I only keep the ones I'm really fond of. This is why my ereader has been such a blessing.

Bookcase 1 - the poncy books



Bookcase 2 - the smutty books



You will notice that there are only two shelves visible. This is because the top shelf is for hub's books. There are also a few books missing from my shelves as I've just loaned about 8 books to a friend.

I'm supposed to nominate 5 people now, but to be honest everyone I would have nominated has already been tagged by someone else. Except perhaps for KZ Snow and Sean Kennedy (I know for a fact that Sean's got a posh new desk so I'm sure he'll want to show it off) so I'll nominate them - they can thank me later through gifts of flowers and chocolates, please.

So there you go. I hope I've satisfied your curiosity at least for now!

Review: Ghost Star Night by Nicole Kimberling

This intricate novel is more fantasy than romance with the relationship between the two heroes taking a back seat in favour of elaborate world building and a breathtaking tale of magic and manipulation.

Ghost Star Night begins with three men: Thomas Myrdin is a lord in the court of the king. He has been the king's favourite bed-mate for a while until recently when the king married. Thomas comes from a wizarding family but has not been able to practice magic since his parents were found guilty of treason and executed. Zach Drake is a wizard who has not affiliated himself with any of the four 'courts' of the aristocracy. One day a courtier from the west court, Adam Wexley who is loyal to the queen's mother, calls on him on behalf of his employer to ask for his help. Zach is attracted to Adam, but Adam is attracted to Thomas, whom he has seen from afar and spoken to briefly. All three men are caught up in events that follow the sighting of the 'Ghost Star' which foretells of drastic changes in the life of the city.

There are two distinct yet intertwined parts to this complex book. Firstly there is the world building. The fantasy world created by Nicole Kimberling is a lush, colourful mix taken from different areas of fantasy, all blended together to create a unique world. On the surface the world is similar to that of medieval England. The city is ruled by four 'courts' yet under the banner of the King. Each court has its own ruler and colours. However, within this world there is also evidence of the modern world with cars, electricity, clubs and clothing similar to today. Alongside this is the magical aspect of the story where magicians are highly favoured for their ability to extract the souls of people and either place them within an animal, another body or an object. Thus many of the menial tasks are done by the soulless - people whose souls have been removed by wizards and can only function at a basic level, like animals - or by animals such as monkeys or gorillas whose bodies are inhabited by the souls of people. This whole aspect of being able to remove souls was quite chilling and yet the characters have a, sometimes uneasy, acceptance of this part of their world.

Politics also plays an important role in the world building and magic is used to reinforce and dominate within the political structure. For example when the queen's baby is born, wizards representing all four courts stand guard with a magical shield to prevent any enemies from cursing the baby as it's born. All wizards have 'familiars' which are animals connected to them containing the souls of people owned by the wizard. these familiars act as servants and spies of the wizard. In fact it is the political machinations which causes Zach so much disgust and prevents him from affiliating himself with one of the courts.

The second theme in this book is the odd triangle between Zach, Adam and Thomas. For the first half of the book I wasn't quite sure which of the three men would end up together until an event, both misguided and horrific, changes the course of their relationship. This had the effect that I felt distanced from all three men and I found that, although I was glad that there was a definite pairing at the end, I didn't really feel that there was any great depth of feeling between the men, other than sexual interest. This could also have been because I was far more interested in the story and the events leading up the the tense, thrilling climax than I was in the romance. Certainly those of you who need to have lots of sex and close romantic bonding in your m/m novels need to look elsewhere than Ghost Star Night as this book is firmly plot rather than sex based.

There are so many secondary characters in this book and all of them were well written. From the ambitious Lady Langdon; the two senior wizards whose plotting causes no end of suffering; the selfish king and the numerous minor characters; all were necessary to further the plot. Despite this, I never lost track of who each character was and their role within the novel which can sometimes happen with complicated fantasy worlds.

Overall, I found Ghost Star Night to be a fascinating read. I have to admit that I am a great fan of fantasy novels, so this book was ideal for me. I was engrossed from start to finish and applaud the author for creating such a distinctive setting for her novel. I would recommend this book with a grade of 'Excellent' for fantasy fans like myself and for anyone who wants to read an m/m book which is completely different from what is normally found from m/m publishers.

Saturday Shorts Part 2

Yes I do know it's Sunday.

Fair Winds by Chrissy Munder
Rudy has taken unpaid leave from his job to take part in a big sailing race at Port Huron. He arrives at the boat that he has sailed on for the past 4 years to discover that the owner of the boat has found out that Rudy is gay and so he is no longer welcome to sail with his crew. In desperation Rudy finds a notice for a boat, Devlin's Due, looking for another crew member and manages to get taken on with them. Rudy has an instant attraction to the captain of the boat, Ike, but doesn't want to lose another opportunity to sail in the race. It was very obvious from reading this book that the author is a huge fan of sailing. There were lots of references to sailing, to boats, to technical equipment and the skills needed when sailing. I have to be honest and say that much of this went over my head as I know next to nothing about boats. However, Chrissy excels at writing great characters, and this book was no exception. Rudy's passion for sailing shone through on every page, and his gripping disappointment and frustration when he is barred from the boat he has sailed on for years was just heartbreaking. The men who sail on the second boat were a little difficult to tell apart at first, but that didn't detract from the story, especially as Ike is a well drawn, larger than life character. The scenes aboard Devlin's Due were filled with action and excitement which contrasted nicely with the simmering sexual tension between Rudy and Ike. All in all a great novella which kept my attention from start to finish, despite my lack of knowledge about sailing. Grade: Very Good.

Out of Time by Clare London
This short story took the vampire myth and examined it from the concept of coping with immortality. The story is told in the first person by vampire Ambrus. He is wandering the trenches of WW1 when he comes across newly turned Edward. Edward is frightened and bitter at being turned against his will and rejects Ambrus' offer of help. Over the next century the two vampires meet and develop their relationship as Edward struggles to come to terms with his immortal state. Normally vampire stories are focused on the aspect of having to survive on drinking blood but even though that is mentioned briefly in this story the focus is really on Edward, through the eyes of Ambrus. Edward is frightened and disorientated by his immortal vampire state. Although the vampires in this story can live 'outside of time' in that they are not stuck within a chronological time scale, Edward clings determinedly onto a life similar to that as a human, despite his obviously ability to make himself invisible to humans when he wants. He is angry that he was turned against his will and it is only as he faces the death of his human friends time and time again that he realises that he has to take the advice and help of Ambrus. Alongside this are the growing feelings of both men for each other which becomes the anchor for Edward when he starts to accept what he cannot change. Although this was only a short story, there was a lot of complexity built into the world building and the characters of both vampires which made this one of the more interesting takes on the whole vampire myth. Grade: Excellent.

Sleeping Bears Lie by Alex Draven
Dan is in his favourite bar when he sees Matt, a man who he fell in love with and who took off and abandoned him 8 months ago. Matt is apologetic but secretive about why he lied to Dan before he left. Dan has been in a serious car accident in the time since Matt left him which has badly affected his leg. Eventually Matt persuades Dan to give him a second chance and they resume their relationship. But Matt's secret cannot remain hidden for long and, as spring approaches, Dan discovers what Matt really does during the summer. I really liked this story up until that last couple of pages. The relationship between Matt and Dan was loving and they obviously cared about each other. I liked how Dan's friends were deeply suspicious of Matt's return as that fitted in well with how friends do react when one of their group is hurt. As the story hurtled towards its conclusion I was gripped by the disorientation and panic felt by Dan. Then there was a rather confusing ending which left the reader hanging and I thought 'huh, is that it?'. To say that I was a bit disappointed would be putting it mildly. I also thought I would find out a bit more about Dan's accident and that it would be linked in some ways to Matt's disappearance but it wasn't and ended up being just another loose end flapping about. Nevertheless, I liked the written style and would read another book by the author. Grade: Good.

Saturday Shorts Part 1

I've gone a bit mad with the shorts this week: Possibly the result of Toy Poodle Flu or possibly just that I've found it difficult to concentrate with all the other crap going on.

*Note to self: it's time to stop feeling sorry for yourself and get on with some reviews*

Anyway, because I don't want to bore you with a huge list of shorts, I'm going to divide them up into two lots and post one lot today and another tomorrow (yes, I know I don't usually post on Sunday, but I'm making an exception this week).

Win and Lose by TC Blue
Luz is an aspiring singer in a pop group. His coach breaks down and rather than stay on the bus as he's been told, he sets off walking in the middle of a snow storm. Win is trapped in his tattoo shop by the snow, he hears knocking at the door and goes to investigate. He finds Luz passed out on his doorstep and takes him in. The two men hit it off straight away and have a wonderful few days of smexing before the snow clears enough for Luz to leave. I've said before that I enjoy TC Blue's stories but this one wasn't such a hit for me. I liked the initial situation, the sex scenes and the way that the two men gradually came to an independent realisation that they wanted this to be more than just a quick fling. However, a separation was looming on the horizon because the men didn't talk to one other. They made incorrect assumptions about how they believed the other hero felt about their time together and didn't bother to discuss this with each other. I have to be honest and say that this isn't my favourite plot device, so at that point my sympathy for the two men began to fail. However, all's well that ends well and I did finish the novella feeling happy that they'd come to their senses, even if I did want to bash their heads together at one point! Grade: Good.

Serendipity by Glyn Soitino
This British set story begins with our hero Jeff in an airport. He's been in Britain for his father's funeral and is now travelling back to Geneva where he lives and works. Before he can do that he has to suffer through his bags being searched by security, waiting for ages for his flight and then his flight being cancelled. This struck home to me because exactly the same thing happened to me in February when I was travelling from Aberdeen back to Leeds, so immediately I could connect with Jeff's frustration and rising temper. Jeff lets his temper get the better of him and makes an angry comment. Before he can be arrested for trouble causing, Jeff is rescued by a cute bloke, David, who Jeff had been checking out earlier. The situation is diffused and the two men make their way to the hotel to await their flights the next day where they discover that there aren't enough rooms for everyone. Jeff offers to share his room with David and, of course, the inevitable happens. This was an amusing story with very likable characters. As I said I could identify with Jeff and the impotent rage he feels about being stuck in the airport which springs more from his grief over his father's death than his current situation. David was a little less rounded but then again we have the story only from Jeff's point of view and he hardly knows David, so that is understandable. All in all, a well written story about a chance encounter which may lead to more. Grade: Excellent.

The Right Kind of Help by KC Warwick
This fantasy story involved trainee wizard Rowan who has been sent to help a city in need. He is partnered by his Elfin bodyguard, Valiance. Rowan is a pretty useless Wizard who has no confidence in his abilities and it doesn't help that Valiance spend most of the time making unhelpful sarcastic comments on Rowan's lack of ability. It isn't until trouble arises and Rowan has to prove himself that the dynamic changes in the relationship causing both men to re-evaluate how they really feel about each other. This was a funny story which had quite a serious theme of being true to yourself. Valiance uses his cutting wit and sarcasm to hide the fact that he has feelings for Rowan, only stepping out of that when Rowan really needs him. Rowan isn't really useless but his lack of self-esteem causes him to make mistakes. Together they make a strong team and I found it satisfying when the two heroes used that knowledge to essentially save the day. Grade: Very Good.

That's it for today. I'll be back tomorrow with three more shorts.

Take it from the Top (or Bottom)

When I started reading m/m I found out all sorts of things that had never occurred to me before. The use of lube for example. In fact, I'd never heard of lube (which probably says more about the sex life of me and hub than any of you really wish to know).

Today I went to the supermarket and looked at the shelf with the condoms and stuff on it. The only form of lube was KY jelly (which I had heard of) which made me wonder a) does this mean there are no gay men where I live? and b) If there are, do they just settle for KY jelly? I came to conclusion that they probably ordered it from the Internet.

Anyway, this is a major digression because what I really wanted to discuss today is the other surprising thing I discovered after reading m/m - that some men have a definite preference of 'position'. In my naivety, I just assumed that gay men went both ways, enjoyed topping and bottoming. I'm not sure where my assumption came from as I've never asked my gay friends about their sex life - just as they would never dream to ask me about mine (we are British, after all). I just made that assumption.

Having read m/m, I now understand that gay men do have a preference - even if that preference is that they like it both ways. This allows authors to make certain statements about their characters, eg alpha = top, beta = bottom, etc. Sometimes this leads to a certain amount of stereotyping but can also be a powerful way to denote character - for example could you imagine Jake Riordan bottoming for Adrien? Or alternatively authors can have fun by inverting stereotypes - like making the small, feminine-looking Hell into a top.

So that's all well and good. I get it now. I understand that most gay men (at least in m/m books) have a sexual position they are comfortable with. However, the other day I read a book where the two heroes were both bottoms. The conversation went something like this (and I'm paraphrasing not quoting):

H1: What position do you like?
H2: I'm a bottom.
H1: So am I.
H2: But you're bisexual, surely you top as well?
H1: I only top for women. What's the point in having gay sex if you're on the top when I can do that with a woman?

At this point H2 caves in and tops. This was a HUGE WTF moment for me. H2 was gay and had a preference and yet for the whole book (except the last sex scene) he tops for this guy. It rather threw out all the notions I had about sexual enjoyment because surely if the H2 preferred bottoming then he wouldn't get as much fun/sexual pleasure out of being a top? Surely?

What do you think? Am I just showing my naivety yet again by believing what could be just m/m conventions? Do gay men actually have a preference or will they get just as much enjoyment out of having sex in a position different to their first preference?

Review: Fire on the Mountain by PD Singer

I’ve not read a book by this author before but the blurb to Fire on the Mountain sounded so attractive, I thought I’d give it a go. It turned out to be a an engaging story with realistic, likable characters.

Jake is spending his summer season as a forest ranger before heading off to Pharmacy college. His job is to drive through the forest park looking out for the beginnings of forest fires and putting them out before they can catch and do too much damage as well as keep an eye on the various tourists, walkers and occasional scout groups who wander around the park. He is partnered by Kurt who has spent a few years doing this job. Jake and Kurt are basically living in each other’s pockets in a tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere so it’s a good job that they gel and work together. Jake is gay and he finds Kurt, who he believes to be straight, very attractive. He’s managed to keep a lid on his feelings for a few weeks now until something happens to put a spark to his lust for Kurt. The following few weeks are difficult for Jake as he struggles with his raging lust and growing respect and admiration for Kurt, until one day both men are thrown into a life threatening situation and Jake can no longer keep his feelings to himself.

Fire on the Mountain is what you might call a ’slow burner’ – no pun intended. For most of the book we are treated to descriptions of the daily lives and job of a forest ranger. I didn’t know anything about this job before I read this book, so I found this part completely fascinating. I had no idea about how much effort goes into seeking out potential fire hazards and dealing with them. I also loved the descriptions of the forest park and the simple life that these two men lead, cut off from civilisation:

The road had been heavily shored up with rocks where the truck was supposed to back up to the water, to prevent erosion and tire tracks, but the rest of the lakeside was untouched. The trees came all the way to the water in a few places. One was tall and sturdy enough to hang a Tarzan rope on. There was a rim of long grass around most of it, but no real beach, unless the rocky section leading into the water by the truck ramp counted. The lake was only about sixty yards across, and deep, a beautiful blue jewel set into the mountains. A little stream fed the lake with snowmelt –deer liked to come down to the water there. I’d spent evenings here with a fishing rod, watching the stars come out. The stars don’t look like that in the city, where there are too many competing lights. In the wilderness, it’s like it must have been thousands of years ago, when men started naming the constellations. I loved the lake; it was one of the great joys of being out here.

As you can see from this quotation, the story is told in the first person by Jake. I liked Jake very much. He has almost a wide eyed innocence about him and the way he views the world which I found utterly charming. Jake is also somewhat of a naval gazer, being introspective, and he perhaps worries over his problems a little too much, especially later in the book. He has tried so hard not to fall for Kurt because he knows that it will cause a rift in their burgeoning friendship. Once he realises that it is too late and he has a huge case of unrequited lust, he tries to deal with it the only way a man can and takes himself in hand (literally). The number of masturbation scenes in the story was at first mildly amusing but got a bit tiresome after a while – there’s only so much that can be said about a man masturbating, after all, and I began to wish that some of them had been ‘fade to black’. Although Jake’s naivety was endearing most of the time, when it came to his assumptions about Kurt’s sexuality I was astounded that he didn’t figure it out before he did. Even Kurt is exasperated at what he saw as his obvious attempts to get Jake’s attention:

“I spent most of two weeks trying to get your attention, and you have to ask that? I did everything but drop one wing and run in circles,”

Because we only see Kurt from Jake’s point of view it was a little more difficult to get an idea of his character. Jake has an obvious case of hero-worship when it comes to Kurt so he comes across as a little too wonderful. Having said that he acts kindly to others, gets on well with people and is an all round ‘nice guy’ so it was very difficult to dislike him at all. The other characters were also interesting, if a little stereotyped at times, but not enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

By the time I had finished Fire on the Mountain, I was pleased that I’d taken a chance with this ‘new to me’ author. The book was tightly plotted with a number of tense, exhilarating action scenes; the relationship between the heroes as friends and then lovers was beautifully done and contained a lovely gentleness which I found delightful; finally the descriptions of the forest park in all its terrible beauty just added to the overall positive feelings I had for this book. I recommend that you read Fire on the Mountain, which I'm giving a grade of 'Excellent' – you won’t regret it.

Where am I?

Am I here, under this rock?

Well, no actually. I'm doing a joint blog post at jessewave's blog along with Wave and the lovely Sean Kennedy (I'm his number one stalker fan - don't believe Kris, it's me, I tell you).

Ahem.

Anyway, we are blogging on the contentious subject of the portrayal of women in m/m books. I've previous posted my views here on one type of female character - the annoying female friend (which you can find here) - but this time we're widening the scope to encompass all types of female characters that can be found lurking within the pages of m/m books.

Pop along here and tell us who you agree with the most - or whether you disagree entirely with all of us.

BTW, for those who are interested, the dreaded review will be up at the same blog at 8am EST *bites fingernails*.

I'm a bit nervous...

Yesterday I finished reading a book which I hated. It was the worst book I've read in ages. It was a book which Wave had asked me to review for her site and so I duly wrote a scathing review citing all the reasons why the book didn't work for me.

I hate writing reviews like that. If it were up to the 'little me' who lives inside my brain I would only review books which I really like. However, the larger, sensible part of my brain brands the 'little me' a coward and points out that if I did that, how would people be able to make a fair judgement about any book? I may as well throw away all my credentials as a reviewer and set myself up as Mistress Nice of the Nice Review Site. Bletch. I'm not nice, I'm fair, I'm 'refreshingly honest', I'm...scared.

The review is coming up at Wave's tomorrow - I'm not going to post it here, the 'little me' has ruled on that decision - and frankly, I'm feeling bad enough about the whole thing already. This is partly because I made the mistake of looking up some other reviews for this book which were universally positive: Five stars; the reviewers loved it. I also happened to know that this particular author is a best seller at ARe and has a large fan base. I didn't know any of this before I read the book or wrote the review, not that it would have made a difference even if it did - reviewer integrity, remember!

Having made that mistake, I now know that I am going to get absolutely slated tomorrow. People will hate me. I've set myself up as a target for the fangirls.

The thing is I didn't like the book, damnit! I should be able to tell people that I didn't like a book without all the gut-churning and feeling awful.

Perhaps I'll go away and hide under a rock for a couple of days. Except I won't, of course. I'll ride the storm, be as polite as possible in the face of criticism of my taste in books and within a few days it will all have died down and I'll be able to continue on as normal.

I'm still nervous though...

Review: Conventional Wisdom by TC Blue

Conventional Wisdom taps into two of my m/m favourites: A famous hero and a geeky goth hero. How could I possibly resist? Fortunately, it also turned out to have TC Blue's usual light touch, great characterisation and interesting story.

We begin the story with our two heroes arriving at a sci-fi convention a day early. Trent is there mainly to check out the new games which are being showcased at the convention and Lucas is there to sign autographs and meet the fans of his sci-fi TV show. As an actor, Lucas is very much aware that image is everything and so hides behind a false name of Bill. He meets Trent in the bar of the hotel and there's an immediate attraction between them. Lucas is even more delighted to discover that Trent has no idea who he is and the pair indulge in a weekend of great sex and the beginnings of a good friendship.

What I loved about this book was that it was one of those where I was convinced I was in for a huge 'Big Misunderstanding'. I spent most of the story bracing myself for the inevitable stupid break up and forced separation before the two men realised how idiotic they were being. Then I had the wind completely taken out of my sales when Trent turned out to be (gasp) a sensible person! This meant that all my fears were completely unfounded and I can't begin to tell you how relieved that made me.

In fact both of these characters were extremely likable. Trent embraced his geeky-goth image, but was also personable and an all round nice guy. Even though Lucas, with his button down shirts and chinos, is the opposite of what he normally finds attractive, he takes a risk which pays off when they hit it off. Trent also has a great self-depreciating sense of humour which just added to his attractiveness as a character. Lucas has the same humourous internal voice but his is tempered by caution and by the fact that he has to deal with a number of difficult people in his life and job. He's slightly more nervous about acting on his attraction to Trent but decides to grasp what fate has thrown at him with both hands when he realises that Trent hasn't recognised him. Lucas is very aware that he has to be careful, especially once the convention starts, but he has spent such a long time building his career and as a result hiding his sexuality that it's a relief to him to find someone with who he can share that side of him.

...was he really going to do this? Well, yeah, Lucas answered himself, even as he stripped quickly and stepped into the shower. He was absolutely going to do it, and he was going to enjoy every minute.

One thing that was slightly different to some of the other TC Blue stories which I have read so far was that there was rather a lot of sex in the book. These men have come together for a weekend hook-up, so it's not surprising that most of their interaction involves sex. However, it doesn't take long before the two men find that they genuinely like each other and are more than just compatible in bed. This leads to a certain amount of guilt on Lucas' part as he realises that by not telling Trent who he is, or even his real name, he is deceiving him. The scenes scenes develop and change as the story progresses and become less just sex and more meaningful. By the time the story ends both men have come to the conclusion that there could be so much more to their relationship than just sex and are wishing there was a way they could continue to see each other, but the barriers of distance and Lucas' job makes it difficult for them.

The story focuses mainly on the two men, and rightly so as there's not enough page time for too many secondary characters. Those that did appear were used mostly to add humour to the book, especially Trent's sudden friendship with Mississippi housewife, Cindy-Lou.

Overall, this was an entertaining story from an author who is fast becoming a favourite. The light, humourous tone of the book; realistic, sensible heroes; along with a realistic story of two men who hook up for a weekend of sex left me wanting more. Conventional Wisdom ends on a tentative HFN so it's a very good job that there is to be a sequel as I've definitely not tired of these two characters. I highly recommend that you read this book, which gains a grade of 'Excellent', if you are interested in reading a lighthearted book which nevertheless does not shy away from dealing with the disadvantages of fame for a closeted gay man.

Saturday Shorts

Hero in Me by JB McDonald
This cute short story plays around with the m/m convention of the alpha male who rescues and then takes care of the beta male, to great amusing effect. Zach is an ex-cop who is minding his own business whilst checking out a hot bloke in a gay bar. When the hot bloke gets into trouble Zach rescues him and takes him back to his apartment. When Will wakes up on a strange man's sofa the next day he can't remember how he got there but he isn't too put out and is rather pleased to discover that Zach is hot. Zach is more concerned about Will's welfare and resists Will's charms. Will, however, is determined that 'playing the hero' is not going to stand in the way of what he wants - that being Zach in bed. Zach was what you would expect from this type of story. He wanted to protect Will and refused to 'take advantage of him' as he saw it. Will was a delight. He refuses to be the damsel in distress and overturns all the usual ideas of the helpless beta male by riding roughshod over Zach's protestations. A clever funny story that gets a grade of 'Excellent'.

Blank Canvases by Winnie Jerome
Kurt is an middle aged artist whose muse has deserted him and so he works in a book store to make ends meet. A young man, Garrett, comes into the store and makes a play for Kurt which sparks the beginning of a relationship between the two men. Garrett is the spoiled son of a rich businessman who is wasting his life and talents working for his father. Kurt knows that he is just an amusement to Garrett but can't help developing some feelings for him. However, their opposite views on life form a wedge between the two men. I liked Kurt in this story. He has no delusions when it comes to the relationship he forms with Garrett and I was pleased that he stood up for what was right, even if it did jeopardise that relationship. Garrett was a little more difficult to like as he has all the hallmarks of a selfish, spoiled rich kid. The ending (which I won't give away) was highly satisfying and left me with a smile on my face. A great story from an author who is new to me which gains a grade of 'Very Good'.

Maritime Men by Janey Chapel
I loved Janey's story in the Reflections of Love anthology and so was eager to read this story when I saw it at DSP. The story is told from the viewpoint of Cooper who is training to be a navy SEAL. He's a rough talking, tough military man who loves women and his best friend, fellow trainee Eli. One night Cooper returns from a night out to discover that Eli can't sleep and 'helps him out' by way of jerking him off. This then leads to the men forming a relationship of mostly getting each other off when the opportunity arises. In some ways this story is more about friendship, especially that strong, fierce bond often associated with men who live and work in adverse conditions. While the sex scenes are hot, they are also imbued with a sense of fun and camaraderie which I found really appealing especially as both men see sex as an extension of their friendship. The other part which I felt worked well was the way that Cooper and Eli looked after each other and helped each other through the difficult times, all of which was done without sentiment or the need to express emotions in words. The story ends with lots of questions about the future for these men which in some sense is realistic - after all they may be posted away from one another - but left me wishing to know more about them and whether they manage to keep their relationship going. This was an engaging, affecting story which I can't recommend highly enough, so unsurprisingly gains a grade of 'Excellent'.

Review: Wild Hunt by Willa Okati

This unusual book by Willa Okati is described as a paranormal by the publishers. However, with its strong overtones of fairy tales and legends I felt that it fit much more comfortably in a fantasy genre. The story creates a mix of two worlds: the modern day and a dream-like world peopled with creatures and people straight out of Brother's Grimm.

Delaney is a talented guitarist who, with a small group of other musicians, is working at a festival site, cleaning and maintaining the grounds during the summer festival season. Delaney has a song going around his head which he can't seem to finish and commit to paper but one night, as he and a group of others are playing and partying, a stranger appears with a violin who plays with Delaney and completes the song. After the song has finished the stranger runs off. Delaney runs after him and becomes dragged into an alternative world ruled by the malevolent 'Huntmaster'. Delaney captures his 'prey' Robbie and as payment gets to keep him until the next night. However, the Huntmaster has taken an interest in Delaney and wants to keep him in his world. Delaney wants to keep Robbie but will not submit to the Huntmaster's demands. The story follows Delaney as he falls increasingly for Robbie and strives for a way to get them out of the clutches of the Huntmaster.

There are two parts to Wild Hunt. Firstly there is the world building. Delaney and his band are drifters, moving from place to place and only really interested in finding a place to make music. As a result they are already removed from the real world, living simply and enjoying what they can of life. The alternative world of the Huntmaster is a dense forest full mostly of sentient trees and plants which help or hinder Robbie and Delaney in their search for escape. The descriptions of this world were green and lush but with undertones of fetid decay. These descriptions of the world of the Huntmaster the sights, sounds and smells that Delaney experiences were by far the best part of the book. At times the world is dangerous and disorientating and I struggled on occasion to understand quite what was happening but the excitement as Delaney chases Robbie was captured perfectly and I was enthralled on more than one occasion by the pacing of the action sequences.

Muscle memory that wasn't Delaney's, that was ancient, older than time, seized control of him as he fell. Even as bracken scored his bare skin in a dozen places and broken bits of wood and bits of rock marked him, he covered his face with his arms and drew his knees tight to his chest. Not halfway down and he knew how to land, how to roll up to his feet, poised to run again.

He'd run forever if he had to, but it wouldn't be long now.

Whilst the pacing and descriptions of the two worlds were done extremely well, the relationship between Robbie and Delaney failed to captivate me. At first their relationship is based solely on sex. Delaney captures Robbie and takes him in the bracken where he is caught. They spend the following day together, again mostly having sex and the next night Delaney has to chase (or hunt) Robbie again. They barely speak to one another and as the Huntmaster has a certain amount of control over Robbie not much is shared until later on in the book. Even though this is the case Delaney falls for Robbie pretty quickly and is prepared to do anything to keep him. Robbie spends most of the book clinging onto Delaney whilst also trying to protect him and only shows any emotional involvement when the pair are having sex. This may have been due to Robbie's 'otherworldliness' but had the effect of making the whole relationship just ring false to me which marred my enjoyment of the book. They spend much of their time fleeing from the Huntmaster in the alternative world which leaves no chance for them to get to know each other in the real world on more than just a physical level. In some ways I felt that Delaney knew the Huntmaster better by the end than he did Robbie as he spends much more time talking, bargaining and sparring with him than with Robbie.

I said at the beginning that this was an unusual book. It is: The descriptions of the two worlds; the complexity of the plot as Delaney fights for himself and Robbie against an all powerful figure; and the interactions between Delaney and his friends all combined to make this book different from anything I've read recently. It reminded me greatly of a m/f fantasy, War for the Oaks by Emma Bull, which has the same confusion of two worlds living alongside one another and how music is used to breach that gap and in many ways Wild Hunt is worth reading for that aspect alone. I'm giving it a grade of 'Good' as this book will appeal to those who like dark legends and the struggle of an honest man against a lying, selfish being.

Review: Sindustry Volume 2 by Dreamspinner Press

I have to admit I had mixed feelings about reading this anthology. On one hand I'd enjoyed Sindustry Volume 1 so much I was looking forward to another set of stories about those who live and work in the seamier side of the gay lifestyle. On the other hand I was practically convinced that these stories were probably the ones which didn't 'cut the mustard' enough for the first anthology and would therefore be of lower quality than the first. I'm happy to say that although, unlike the first anthology, there were a few stories which I didn't connect with, the quality of the stories was still consistently high - and some which surpassed those in Sindustry Volume 1.

My three favourite stories from the anthology were mostly from authors who were new to me.

Wanting More by Cari Z begins with a cringe-making scene where our hero Alex, a lap dancer and prostitute, is take home by a 'client' whose lover returns early from a business trip and walks in on them. Alex is numbed by embarrassment but is treated kindly by the wronged man, James. A few days later James turns up at the lap dancing club and requests a private lap dance with Alex. Alex is deeply attracted to James who begins to take Alex home for sex. Alex then finds it harder and harder to takes James' money but can't see a way of letting James know of his feelings.

The main thing that attracted me to this book was the sexual tension between the two men. The entire story was heavy with it and the scenes where James and Alex come together incendiary. It was so obvious that they were right for each other. The relationship develops over weeks so the growth in love and affection was very realistic and I was cheering these men on all the way.

The Meaning of Perfection by Taylor Lochland told the story of prostitute Felix who, along with his friend Jack, strike a deal with a local hotel owner that they can use a couple of his rooms for their business at a low cost. Part of the deal is that the owner, Julian, gets to have a regular appointment with Jack at a discount rate. Felix and Julian hit it off straight away with a common interest in Greek mythology and it isn't long before they become friends and, on Felix's side, affection and love begins to grow. Felix wants there to be more, but Julian has always rejected his offers until Jack steps in to lend a hand.

Once you get over the unlikeliness of the premise - would there really be a hotel owner willing to offer out rooms to prostitutes? - then this story was quite lovely. Julian was a very shy man who preferred his books to real human interaction. The way that the two men form a friendship first was a delight to read and I was highly satisfied when the men finally came together. The character of Jack was also well drawn and he had a great down-to-Earth attitude which counterbalanced Felix's idealism. A great all round story which brought a smile to my face.

Exposure by Marguerite Labbe and Fae Sutherland was another story crammed full of exciting sexual tension. Sebastian is a photographer for a gay porn magazine. He is instantly attracted to one of the models, Angel, and asks him to return for another job shooting photos for a BDSM catalogue. Angel isn't so sure he likes the idea of being restrained for photos but throughout his time with Sebastian, Angel begins to realise that he may have submissive tendencies which Sebastian is happy to indulge.

The story is very similar to that of A Strong Hand by Catt Ford but in Exposure the character of Angel is strong and unwilling to fully embrace the submissive lifestyle. I liked that Sebastian liked this in Angel and that there was a sense of give and take in the relationship which can sometimes be missing in D/s stories. The way that the authors added layer upon layer of tension between the two men in both the photo sessions was compelling and I read the story through quickly, eager to discover how their relationship would develop. The story ends as the two men move tentatively into a D/s relationship which is to be continued in a story coming up in another anthology later in the year.

Honourable mentions need to go to Sunshine by JL Merrow and See Me, Feel Me by Zahra Owens, both of which had a character with a disability, and to Unorthodox Utopia by GS Wiley whose story of a hairdresser and an Internet porn star dealt with the serious issue of partner abuse. It was heartening to see stories such as these, which address difficult situations, included in this anthology.

Sindustry Volume 2 was another great set of stories with a wide variety of themes and characters. I'm giving it a grade of 'Very Good' and I'd recommend this to anyone who liked Sindustry Volume 1, but also to those who want to read good quality writing.

Homage in Haiku

Once again I'm in a silly mood.

I love the simplicity of a haiku, the beautiful imagery encased in just a few syllables. The way that it can contain universal truths about life, emotions, nature, the m/m book.

Yes, today I'm going to treat you to an affectionate homage to one of my favourite set of m/m books - the Adrien English Series

Apologies in advance for ruining the haiku with my dreadful attempts...

Author Josh Lanyon
I bow down in total awe
of your writing skills.

Adrien English
You are the bestest hero
in m/m romance.

Jake Riordan, cop
Mass of insecurity
hides in the closet.

It is far too long
until December when the
series is ended.

I could go on, but already I can hear the screams.

Why not have a go at your own, either from this series of books or from another beloved m/m book?

The Goth Hero

I've just finished reading this great story where one of the heroes is a goth. This got me thinking a bit because I've come to the very sad realisation that there's a perverted part of me that loves pale, skinny goth boys. I love reading about them in m/m books, especially when they're paired with a non goth hero.

I'm not quite sure why this is. I didn't like goths when I was in my late teens/early twenties because I was an indi-chick. I may have had a copy of a Jesus and Mary Chain album, taped from a friend and I did wear a lot of black and purple, but I could never understand the appeal of tight black trousers, big boots with lots of buckles, clinches, frock coats and an air of determined gloom that goth boys exuded. Besides, if I'd gone down the goth route myself, I would have had to throw away all my considerate modesty and wear one of those awful basque thingies which, given the size of my bust, may have caused people to walk into lamp-posts or crash their cars when I wore it.

Now I'm in my 30's I can see the appeal, the earnestness of gloom which, in the Channeling Morpheus books by JCP, Wild Bill describes as being like crack for vampires. I like their pale bodies and inability to fit in with others. Their introspective personalities and, often, bookishness.

Or maybe it's just the eyeliner.

Anyway, I've discovered I can't resist these characters in m/m books. Books such as Cheating Chance/Inland Empire by James Buchanan; The Channeling Morpheus/Sweet Oblivion books by Jordan Castillo Price; the cute free short Incredible on Matthew Haldeman-Time's website and the follow up which I can't remember the name of; Catching a Buzz by Ally Blue; and probably lots of others which I can't think of right now.

Have you discovered a character type recently which just pushes your buttons? Perhaps one which has never attracted you before you started reading m/m?

Review: Because of the Brave Anthology

I usually make it a policy not to review books or anthologies where some of the proceeds are going to charity. This is because most anthologies contain one or two stories which don't work for me and I wouldn't feel able to recommend the anthology wholeheartedly in a review. Having said that, this anthology of two novellas and a short story from Laura Baumbach, ZA Maxfield and Josh Lanyon contained such a high quality level of writing, I felt that I could confidently and highly recommend Because of the Brave.

The fact that 15% of the proceeds of this book are going towards the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is just an added bonus.

Each of the stories contains a lead character who is serving in the US military. In fact they are all US Army Rangers which appears to be an elite force which takes part in covert operations and search and rescue (yes, I did have to look this up!). I'm not sure whether this was deliberate or not, or just that men who are rangers have more appeal due to their dangerous job and therefore are more suited to being a tough m/m hero. Anyway, I'm digressing. Let's take each story in turn.

Designated Target by Laura Baumbach

This story takes place over Thanksgiving and begins with our hero Carson helping out at a food bank over the holiday season. His brother who was an army ranger and Carson's only relative has recently been killed in an overseas mission, leaving Carson grieving and alone. He's also been having some trouble with alpha creep Steve with whom he went on a couple of dates before deciding that he didn't want to see him any more. Steve did not take rejection well and now Carson is sporting a black eye. At the food bank he meets China who also helps him out when Steve comes back for more. China is currently on sick leave from the army after taking part in a disastrous mission which left him heavily scarred with bullet and shrapnel wounds. Over the next 24 hours the pair gradually get to know each other until Carson discovers a secret that China has been keeping from him which may ruin their tentative relationship.

What I liked most about this novella was that although Carson is the obvious beta hero in this story, he's still tough enough to stand on his own two feet. He's grieving deeply for his brother and spends quite a lot of time thinking about him, which was understandable given the circumstances and the time of year. Despite this, he never starts feeling sorry for himself or wallows in self pity. I found this admirable and it made me like Carson a great deal. China is a little less well rounded but I found his bravery - not just as a military man, but also in taking a risk with Carson - very endearing. There isn't time in the story for the men to get to know each other very well, but I ended the story convinced that they can work as a couple.

Jumping Off Places by ZA Maxfield

Out of the three stories this tale was the least overtly military. It follows army ranger Peter who is on compassionate leave because his mother is dying. He comes to the nursing home run by his aunt in order to spend some time with his mother and possibly help her through her last days. Despite these good intentions, Peter is nervous and practically useless when faced with the reality of how his mother now looks. His mother's nurse is the openly gay Jamaican Robin. Robin is the ideal nurse, being kind and compassionate with Peter's mother which antagonises Peter no end. He feels even more useless when faced with Robin's competence and withdraws by attempting to fix his mother's car. Robin convinces Peter that he needs to be open with his mother about being gay and the two men eventually fall into a friendship.

In some ways this was an opposites attract storyline. Peter doesn't feel that he can be openly gay and not just because of his career. His dad was a cop hero who died trying to save some children from an icy lake and ever since then he has tried to emulate his father and doesn't want to disappoint his memory by failing to live up to his father's image. This has been made more difficult in that he was raised in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business. Robin is openly gay and in some ways is the braver of the pair for being so. I liked Robin's sunny character, the fact that he was so understanding of Peter's situation and yet gently tried to get him to open up to his mother. The scenes involving Peter's mother were realistic and heartbreaking as she battles with pain making Peter feel useless when faced with the reality of his mother's impending death. Although Peter and Robin have a strong sexual attraction, I also felt that they became firm friends by the end of the story. The ending leaves us with a lot of questions, especially regarding Peter's position in the army, but I felt that the relationship between the two men was strong and was going to last. As I read this novella I was treated to a whole range of thoughts and emotions the overwhelming one being that it's always best to be true to yourself no matter what the circumstances. A great story.

Until We Meet Once More by Josh Lanyon

This short story uses a structure of moving back and forth between the present day and the past to tell the story of two military men. We begin the story with our hero, army ranger Vic, who is currently on duty in Afghanistan, being assigned an operation to rescue a navy SEAL who is trapped in a notorious set of mountains overun by the Taliban after a failed operation. When Vic hears that the SEAL is called Sean Kennedy, it takes him back to his days training as a SEAL when he and Sean had a clandestine relationship. The story then follows Vic as he attempts to rescue Sean whilst also reliving the important parts of their relationship 12 years ago.

I'm not normally a fan of the lengthy flashback, but in this case the flashbacks worked well as they were an important part of the structure of the story. The present day story was a breathtakingly dangerous operation which had me on the edge of my seat as I wondered whether Vic would be able to save Sean. There was a great sense of pathos as Vic realised that he might actually lose the man he fell in love with all those years ago and stupidly let go. The flashbacks showed the progression in the relationship between Vic and Sean and each were slightly different in tone as the men struggle with the futility of a gay relationship within an atmosphere of 'don't ask, don't tell'. The story ends with a great sense of hope for the men but I also wondered how they were going to make the relationship work in their present situation.

These were three very different but equally well written and compelling stories about military men. I enjoyed them all thoroughly and highly recommend that you buy this book. Not just because some of the proceeds are going to charity but also because these are three authors who are writing at the top of their game. Grade 'Excellent'.

BTW, you need to buy this book before the 11th September as after that the 15% charity donation no longer applies so get to it!

Saturday Shorts

Passion by ML Rhodes

This book is a sort of sequel to The Elf and the Shoemaker, a book that I enjoyed a great deal. It contains one of the characters in the previous book, but can also be read as a stand-a-lone. Robert is a businessman who doesn't have time for relationships. He's admired Jesse, the bartender at his favourite gay bar, for months but thinks that Jesse may be straight as he never shows any sign of flirting with the other men in the bar. Jesse is gay, but has his reasons for keeping to himself. One very snowy evening Robert's car is damaged and Jesse offers to give him a ride home. The weather gets worse on the way and it becomes obvious that Jesse will have to stay for the night. The book then takes the obvious turn much to everyone's satisfaction. I enjoyed the book, but not as much as the previous one. I liked Robert, he has worked hard to get where he is and taken a long, lonely road to get there. I didn't like Jesse as much - and not just because of his facial hair. He was too quick to make assumptions about Robert and his own lack of self worth felt more like self pity to me. Still, ML Rhodes writes a good story and, although I wouldn't class this as one of her greats, it still merits a grade of 'Very Good'.

Destiny Drops in/Destiny Goes Spare by TC Blue
These two sips centre around the relationship between Raj and Andrew. The first sip tells the story of how they meet and has a 'love at first sight' theme. The second sip picks up the story a few months later when Andrew arranges a surprise 21st birthday party for Raj which becomes a bit of a disaster when two guests arrive to interrupt the proceedings. I enjoyed these stories which both get a grade of 'Very Good'. A more detailed review of these sips can be found at Wave's blog here.

Good Company by JL Merrow

I loved the two stories by this author in the Sindustry anthologies so I had high expectations when I picked up this sip from TQ. I wasn't disappointed. I have to admit that one reason I liked the story so much was that one of the heroes, John, is a middle-aged, bluff, Yorkshireman. He picks up twentysomething Londoner, Aidan who is hitchhiking from London to Glasgow. There isn't too much action in the story which follows the pair as they make their way up the country travelling on M1 and M6. Through travelling and stopping for rest and overnight breaks the two men come to know each other and attempt to ease each other's loneliness. It was a marvellous study in how to make a story interesting through character interaction only and I was quite sad to leave the pair at the end of the story. This story gets a rating of 'Excellent' and I'm going to look out for more from JL Merrow in future.

Enjoy your weekend!

Review: Transgressions by Erastes

Set in the mid-1600s, during the English Civil War and spanning a period of seven years, this complex, intricate book about the love and fortunes of two men was an engrossing read from start to finish.

At the beginning of Transgressions we are introduced to David. He is the son of Jacob, the local blacksmith. David is supposed to be learning the trade from his father as well as helping to tend the farm. Unfortunately, David is lazy, vain and self-indulgent. He shirks his work as much as possible, spending his days lazing by the river, dreaming of joining the King's men and fighting in the war. To say that he was an unsympathetic character is putting it mildly. Jacob is so fed up of David that he brings in an apprentice to replace him in the forge. Jonathan is the opposite to David: Pale and dark haired to David's golden skin and white-blond hair; quiet and hardworking to David's outgoing but lazy nature; A puritain with a strong faith to David's agnosticism. It doesn't take long before they are firm friends and for a while Jonathan seems to be having a positive influence on David. This all changes when two of the King's soldiers call at the forge when the young men have been left in change. One of the men, Tobias, seduces David whilst Jon is kept talking by the other man, Hal. Suddenly David realises why he has never felt any stirrings for the local girls and also why he has strange urges to touch Jon. After that David seduces Jonathan, despite the other man's reservations and they begin a passionate affair. Circumstances conspire against them though and they are forced to take separate paths: David to join the King's men and Jonathan to take the path of religious fanaticism.

I said at the beginning of the review that this was a complex book. Its complexity lies mostly within the characterisation as well as a little in the circumstances that these men endure. The story is mainly character driven and is written mostly from the point of view of either Jonathan or David but did also include the thoughts of other characters from time to time. The shifts in point of view worked well most of the time, but there was some occasional head hopping. The reader would be in one character's head for a while, then would swap between two characters' POV for a paragraph or so, before settling back down into one character's head. At times this was a little confusing whilst my brain switched from character to character. However, this is just a minor criticism in what was a terrific study of how personality and fate shape and control a person's destiny.

As I have said, I didn't really like David too much at the beginning. I feel that this was deliberately done by the author since as the book progresses, David loses his selfishness and begins to grow and develop into a mature, thoughtful man. By the end of the book, I liked him a great deal, even if he never really overcomes his tendency to run away from difficult situations. David's maturity comes not only from fighting as a soldier and learning to cope with living a harsh life, but also the relationships he forms with other men after he and Jonathan separate. Those of you who like the sort of romance where once true love is found, then a character stays completely faithful, despite a long separation, may not find this book to their taste. David experiences several different types of love throughout the book both platonic and sexual and I found it interesting to discover how they shaped and molded David into the man he became at the end of the book. Jonathan too does not remain celibate during that time although his experiences are very different and darker than David's.

I found Jonathan more of a difficult character to like. On one hand I understood how his religious beliefs made it difficult to accept that he was homosexual and also allowed him to be seduced into a lifestyle of religious fervour similar to that of a D/s relationship, but on the other this gave him an other-worldliness which formed a slight barrier to me identifying with him.

For those of you who may be put off this book because it is an historical or because you don't like stories which are set in times of war, I urge you to reconsider when it comes to Transgressions. I never felt preached at or that all the historical detail was forced down my throat. Instead the historical details were seamlessly intertwined with the daily lives of these men and the other characters in the book. The war formed a backdrop to the men's lives, and although there is one short battle scene and a few tiny references to another battle, it is the way that the war affects the ordinary citizens of the towns which is the main focus. For much of the first part of Transgressions there is a sense that most people do not care for either side of the war and only wish to be left to carry on with their lives. I found this an interesting contrast to those books which focus on the glory and the gore of battle and I learned much about a period of history about which I previously knew very little.

Apart from the headhopping I mentioned, there were only a couple of minor annoyances which affected my reading of this book. Firstly, there were at least 5 typing errors which pulled me out of the story on each occasion. Secondly, I was left with a number of questions at the end of the book both in terms of other characters whose fate we never discover and in relation to David and Jonathan's relationship. I'm not sure how the author could have resolved those questions though without a dreaded epilogue, so I have to be content with using my imagination instead!

Overall, Erastes has brought the past back to life in this involving story of two very different men who find love. I found the story deeply affecting at times and could hardly bear to put the book down. I would highly recommend that you read Transgressions and it gets a grade of 'Excellent' from me.

Not a Review: Revelations by Jet Mykles

Or rather, Jen finally gets around to reading the m/m/f menage.

OK, I admit, I was supposed to be trying a m/m/f menage before this book came out, but other commitments and RL sort of got in the way, so I never got round to reading one. However, I didn't allow that fact to put me off buying this one because, let's face it, I love the Heaven Sent series, so how bad could it be having some girl cooties with my men?

Hmmmmmmmm.....

I'm going to take this in two sections. Firstly, I'll look at the story and the character dynamics and then I'll look at the sex.

Character/story

This isn't my first menage book. I've read quite a number of m/m/m menage stories and I really like them. Revelations wasn't actually that different to the types of stories that crop up in m/m/m menage. Two characters are in a relationship (in the case Gretchen and Archer) and somehow a third gets introduced (Owen) and the relationship builds from there. At some point during the book there is a bit of a misunderstanding where one or two (or in this case all three) feel that the other two people will be better off without them, before everything is resolved. As stories went, I enjoyed this one; it was cute and fun in places, but with darker overtones than the other Heaven Sent books. Quite often in a menage book we get the pov of all three characters at one point or another. In Revelations we only get Owen and Gretchen's pov. That didn't bother me too much, I liked both characters, but it did mean that I didn't feel I knew Archer as much as I did the other two.

As for characterisation, as many of you will know, the Heaven Sent books are yaoi based so the characters were as you would expect. Archer is the dominant alpha with Owen as the beta. Gretchen was a bit of a mix between the two with her personality tending more towards a strong and aggressive woman. She likes to take charge both in and out of the bedroom but is not as dominant as Archer. I liked Gretchen, she had a sensible, no-nonsense viewpoint similar to mine which meant that I was able to identify with her and went a long way towards my enjoyment of the book.

Sex

Well, here's the crunch really. Did I enjoy the sex scenes? First of all, I just want to point out that I've never been too fond of m/f erotic romance with its crude phrases and imagery. This meant that the scenes between Gretchen and Archer at the beginning of the book didn't really work for me. Archer has a goatee beard or a 'Van Dyke' as it was described in the book. The low point during the sex scenes was when there was a description of Archer's beard covered in Gretchen's 'juices' which had the opposite effect to what I think was intended and turned my stomach rather. Some people may not be bothered about this, but it just wasn't to my taste. Fortunately there are only a couple of m/f sex scenes at the beginning and one small blow job scene between Owen and Gretchen so I just about coped with this bit.

The menage scenes worked better. They didn't put me off, but I didn't find myself engrossed in them either. I'm sorry to say that the thought, 'this would be so much better if Gretchen were a man' crossed my mind several times. The sex itself was fairly vanilla considering what they were doing, with no rimming or double penetration, just sex and/or oral sex. I finished the book thinking that the menage scenes didn't gross me out, nor did they 'float my boat' as it were.

The best sex scene in the book is the first m/m scene between Owen and Archer where Archer seduces Owen in an attempt to get him to agree to the menage. This was by far the hottest scene for me. The rest of the m/m sex scenes were also good with a real heat to them that I personally felt lacking from the other m/f or m/m/f scenes. Then again that could just be my feelings of ambivalence towards the menage rather than a criticism of the sexual tension in the writing.

Overall

Well, I got the end and I felt happy for our three characters. I liked the book, thought it was written well (although maybe not up to the standard of the first three HS books). However, I wasn't wholly convinced the hea was a long term thing and I admit that even though I liked Gretchen, I still wanted her ditched in favour of the two men!

Would I read another m/m/f menage? I'm not sure I will, actually. The sex scenes (which after all are what most menages are about) didn't do anything for me and there are so many great m/m books out there that I do enjoy and do want to read, why put myself through reading something I don't care about either way?

One thing I will be doing though is reading the new m/m series about the Indigo Knights. There were a few hints in Revelations about what is to come and it's certainly sparked an interest in me as to how Jet Mykles is going to proceed with that series.

Review: The Vampire Fred: Wicked Game by Vaughn R Demont

THE BLURB

Being a vampire sucks, especially when you’ve got to deal with things like a dead-end job as an office drone, avoiding vigilante vampire slayers on the subway, and being price-gouged on blood from the slaughterhouse. Add in a crush on your annoyingly charismatic sire, and unraveling a little conspiracy to upset the balance of power among the vampires of the City, and it’s all in a night’s work though for fledgling vampire Fred Tompkins, as long as he doesn’t miss out on any overtime.

THE REVIEW

Ah, the power of a great blurb. I read the blurb to The Vampire Fred: Wicked Game and thought 'How unusual, a comedy vampire book, It sounds really funny', so of course I snapped it up hoping for something light and amusing. Did the book live up to the blurb? Read on to see!

I have to admit that the first part of the book wholly lived up to the promise of that blurb. At the beginning we meet Fred, who had the misfortune to be killed by a speeding car. The person driving the car was Daniel, a vampire, newly awoken from an 80 odd year sleep. As he tells Fred:

"The last car I drove could go twenty-five miles in an hour." Spoken with true awe. "How was I supposed to know automobiles could go so quickly now?"

Filled with remorse for his actions Daniel makes Fred into a vampire and then proceeds to sponge off him as Fred copes with having to change his job to the night shift, negotiate the price of cow's blood at the slaughterhouse and come to terms with his undead state. Fred is also coming to terms with the fact that he might also have a teeny crush on his 'sire'.

I shake my head quickly. I'm not crushing on him or anything. Of course not. He's an irritant. An annoyance. He killed me and he won't leave my apartment. I'm not falling for the guy. At all.

As Fred is our first person narrator his personality dominates the book - in a good way. I found Fred to be very likable. He has a wry self depreciating sense of humour that made me quickly warm to him and his situation. He struggles throughout the book with his shy, non-confrontational personality and I liked how, as he becomes more comfortable with what had happened to him, he begins to gain confidence in himself. The witty asides he makes to the reader had me laughing out loud on several occasions throughout the first part of the book.

Daniel was very endearing. He has an irascible sense of humour which hides a caring heart. He has a dubious background and ambivalent morals but has the decency to feel guilt and remorse when he does wrong. He genuinely felt that he was doing Fred a favour when he turned him and can't quite understand why Fred is so cross with him at the beginning. His relentless cheerfulness and kindness to Fred wrong-foots Fred on a number of occasions and I just found it a shame that Daniel's personality and influence on Fred fades into the background later in the book in favour of other characters.

If the book had ended half way then this would have gained a much higher grade than it has. That first half concentrated on the growing relationship between Fred and Daniel and Fred's adjustment to vampire life. Once the pair begin to make their tentative way towards love, then the focus of the story shifts wider and begins to encompass the general world of the vampires. It seems that there are several kinds of vampires, all of whom serve a different leader. Fred now belongs to the 'Guards' who are loyal to the Queen. The Queen has been dead for centuries but, as this loyalty is passed down through generations of vampires by the blood of the sires, they still continue to defend her against other types of vampires. Despite Daniel's best efforts, Fred gets dragged into this fight and finds that even his 'dreams' are proving dangerous as some of the past guard vampires invade his sleep and try to take over his body. This leads to a struggle for Fred to stop a past vampire taking over his body so that the past vampire can resume a relationship with the head Guard vampire and possibly kill Daniel in the process. Meanwhile other vampires in Fred's dreams are either helping or hindering him. Confused? I was. As the book drew to a close, events became more and more confusing as even more odd details and facts were added to the world building. I finished the book thoroughly flummoxed as to what had happened. Perhaps this was just me and I was unable to 'get it' for some reason.

The world building wasn't the only thing which deteriorated during the second half. The light, amusing tone which characterised the first half was replaced by something much darker. I understood that it was probably necessary to change the tone slightly as Fred is pulled further into danger, but it jarred with the first half and left me feeling rather disappointed that the humour had been replaced by serious themes.

So did The Vampire Fred: Wicked Game live up to its blurb? Well it began well: It was witty, amusing, light-hearted and enjoyable. It's just such as shame that the promising beginning didn't carry through to the end of the book. It looks like there is to be a sequel at some point, which I'll be quite happy to try. Until then I'm giving this a grade of 'Good'. I'd recommend The Vampire Fred: Wicked Game to those who are looking for a humourous story and are perhaps better than me at following slightly confusing world-building!

The Forced Separation

Ah yes, the Forced Separation. Usually as a result of a Big Misunderstanding leading to our hero and heroine or two heroes being apart for a chunk of the book.

When I read m/f historical romance this type of book would bug the hell out of me. We'd be just getting down to some lovely possible hea and then....wham!...the jealous ex or horrid family member would drive a wedge through the budding relationship and I would be treated to 100 pages of frustration before they both finally saw sense.

I have been known to thrown a book across the room when this happens (not my Cybook, I hasten to add).

My hatred of this plot device springs from the idea that often these separations fall in the latter part of the book. We've had the meeting, the sly dance of getting to know each other, the declaration of love and (sometimes) even a marriage. Then, for some inexplicable reason a big misunderstanding and forced separation is tagged onto the end and it all feels forced. I can't tell you how many times I've read books like this and speculated to myself as to whether the author was just trying to fill in time to make up the word count. It makes me feel a bit cheated.

But, do you know, I've just finished reading Transgressions by Erastes and it has a forced separation in it. In fact for the majority of the book the heroes are apart, and yet I really enjoyed it. There was no frustration at all. This was mainly due to there being a legitimate reason why the separation took place and also because the journeys that the two men took for the next few years were extremely interesting and varied. This meant that although I was looking forward to the time when the men would be reunited, I never felt the overwhelming frustration and feeling that the author was just wasting my time. The separation was a necessary part of the two men's emotional growth.

So it just goes to show that even a most hated plot device can work for me if it is done well.

Whilst I was camping in a field with no Internet access...

...Lisabea very kindly gave me a blog award (she's so lovely). I'm supposed to think of 7 of my favourite things (which presumably don't have to include hub and the kids as they are a given) and then nominate 7 bloggers to pass the award onto.

My seven favourite things are:

Please bear in mind that they might be a bit skewed by the fact that I've been living in a tent for the past week and now I am tired and smelly....

1. A bubble bath - As hot as I can stand with lovely smelling bath foam.

2. My Cybook ereader - Even though it has developed a very annoying tendency to freeze, I still love this gadget with a passion.

3. Traditional Sunday dinner complete with Yorkshire puddings. Not one for the vegetarians amongst you.

4. Hills and mountains. I purposely moved to the area where I live because it's in the Yorkshire Dales. There's something awe-inspiring about hills and mountains that I don't find with other aspects of nature.

5. Friday evenings with hub. A glass of wine, a cuddle on the sofa and comedy on the TV is just my idea of a perfect evening.

6. Writing reviews. I never thought I would admit to this, but I find constructing reviews immensely satisfying - especially when I get 'in the zone'.

7. Good friends. I've got a number of RL friends who I've had a fabulous time with this week but I also love the interaction with my invisible Internet friends.

And my seven bloggers are:

Kris

Tracy

Carolyn Jean (The Trillionth Page)

Jessewave

Kassa

Lily

Marquesate's Camouflage Men

Now it must be time for that bath...