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Aug. 15th, 2010 11:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wook77Reviews: All M/M Recs. Het edition coming.
I know the last few review posts were filled with snark but, honestly, most of the books I've read this year are crap. This post, however, is full of gems. I recommend each of these highly.
I will be linking to All Romance eBooks as they offer a really great rebate program (buy 10, get 1 free plus rebate cash to use towards future purchases depending on the book/publisher). I do not receive a commission or anything. Feel free to buy where you want from. I just happen to really like the rebate program here.
Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton. This book started out awkwardly. I wasn't well-impressed with either character. Jonathan is a self-important twat that's beyond wrapped up in his job and Cole is a walking, talking, annoying stereotype that won't answer a single question in a straightforward manner.
But then the true magic of the book took over. You could see the slow way these two fall in love with one another. You see the way that they both change into better people. Jonathan slowly starts stepping away from work a bit and Cole stops being so outrageously stereotypical gay guy. By the end of the book, I was cheering for both of them while, at the same time, wanting to wring their necks for their stubborn pride.
All of the conflict is internal here – there's no random gaybashing, there's no fag hag dissing one partner to the other, no random ex-boyfriends showing back up, there's no weird crazy boss impeding the Great Gay Love. There's just two stubborn, prideful people that do a great job of fumbling their way into Happily Ever After in a very realistic way. It's a regular joe sort of story.
I especially liked Jonathan's dad. He doesn't get the whole "gay thing" but he tries to understand and even fumbles along with Jonathan and Cole into falling into a different sort of love with Cole. He's supportive and the relationship between Jonathan and his dad get strengthened through Jonathan's relationship with Cole.
This book is all about being human – warts, foibles and all. I loved it. 10 out of 10
Bewitched by Bella's Brother by Amy Lane. Amy Lane is now on my auto-buy list. She's got a bunch of quality stories out there (which a quick perusal of this list will illustrate, I'm certain). Her stories resonate for similar reasons as the above – they're mostly about human foibles and internal conflict. This story has no great gaybashing boogieman, either. Instead, it's got two prideful guys who eventually end up with a relationship. Sebastian is a perma-student and Asa just got out of a divorce. Sebastian is out and proud while Asa is just starting to explore the bisexuality he's always had.
There is an evil ex-wife at the beginning but, at the end, the ex-wife turns out human, too. She's got demons but so do we all. The "evil" part isn't ZOMGGHEYCOOTIES, either, it's more drug abuse and a self-abusive spiral. I found that I could relate to her more than thinking that she was an awful woman and an overtly obvious caricature of the stereotypical evil ex.
I just really liked all of these characters. I thought the storyline was believable and the ending was, as well. It was a nice journey.10 out of 10
Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane. So, this one is a conditional recommendation. I really enjoyed the characters and the relationship building. I loved most of the drama in here but, by the end, I kept thinking OMGREALLYAGAIN!? There's way too much gaybashing in this book. Like WAY too much. The principal gaybashes. The cops gaybash (literally, the one character is pulled out of a car and beaten). The neighbors gaybash. It was freaking everywhere.
There's also dramerz with alcoholism and a military stint based on a bullshit thing and an evil, gaybashing preacher stepfather. There's teen pregnancy and omg so much dramerz.
But I loved the characters and the relationship between them all. There are a lot of secondary characters in this one. I didn't mind the dramerz so much because the author always takes it back to the relationships.
If you don't mind the dramerz, this is a fantastic book. If you do mind the dramerz, this is a conditional recommendation.10 out of 10 (conditionally)
Making Promises by Amy Lane. This book is the reason I included the above on the recommendation list regardless of the dramerz. This book has MUCH less drama but does make mention of the dramerz in Keeping Promise Rock.
This book features one of the secondary characters in Keeping Promise Rock. Shane is a gay cop who was sent into a tough situation with no back-up because he was gay and supposedly sexually harrassing his partner. (ok, so there's a bit of dramerz… but it's much less, I promise… no pun intended) He meets the whole group from Keeping Promise Rock and also decides to reconnect with his sister. Turns out that his sister is dancing with a hot Russian guy. Who just happens to be gay. And who happens to think Shane is fucking amazing. And who Shane refuses to sleep with at first because then it'll just be a one-off and Shane wants more.
That right there got me. Shane is a fantastic character who has this depth of innocence, trust and beauty in his heart even though he's been put through the wringer. He's a good guy and he eventually gets through to Mikhail, the hot Russian guy.
This is another book where I fell in love with the main characters and spent the whole book cheering for them.
And, ok, there are some dramerz. Mikhail was a prostitute drug addict in Russia (to support his mum. Come on, you can forgive a guy who does that for his mum :P). Mikhail's mum is dying. Shane's sister is a recovering addict, herself. Shane's sister's boyfriend is a dickwad. Plus, spillover dramerz from Keeping Promise Rock. But this dramerz seems much less overt because the focus is more on the pair of them rather than the dramerz. I loved this book a lot.10 out of 10
Jacob's Ladder by ZA Maxfield. ZA Maxfield is an auto-buy for me, as well.
From the summary:
Now do you see why I loved this book? It's got a bit of a crack premise. Poor Yasha. It's freaking awful (and hilarious) but it brings him to JT. JT spends most of the book trying to resolve the feelings for Yasha with the fact that he'd been straight up until now. JT is a good Jewish boy who wants to marry a good Jewish girl because that "good Jewish girl" is what his mum was.
This is the third book in the "St. Nacho's" series but it's also a standalone like the rest. All you really need to know is that St. Nacho's is definitely a very accepting town for gays so you don't really have to worry about the gaybashing or the dramerz related to that.
Another book where almost all of the conflict is internal in the relationship. The characters are fully fleshed out and the author did a fantastic job of making them easy to relate to. Even though I wanted to punch JT a bunch of times, I loved him, too. 10 out of 10
St Nacho's by ZA Maxfield. Ok, so there's a bit of dramerz here with a dark past that comes back to bite these two in the ass. But it's also fairly believable and does a good job adding to the story, tbh. Even with the dramerz, this is another book where the conflict is internal and the pair do a good job of bringing themselves back to one another.
Cooper is a musician that had been in a car that killed a little boy. A car driven by his boyfriend. Both of them had been drinking and that was definitely the cause of the accident. Cooper gives up his musical studies to travel around the US on his motorcycle. He pulls into St. Nacho's and the town grabs him. He gets a job playing music at the local gay bar where he meets the busboy, Shawn. Only problem is that Cooper barely talks to anyone except through his music and Shawn is deaf.
I cannot tell you that Shawn's life is a realistic depiction of being deaf but it felt fairly real (as a non-deaf person so if you find otherwise, please let me know). I especially liked the part where Shawn touches Cooper's violin when he plays. It was a touching scene that sums up why I was cheering for these two. There's a lot of UST (even in the midst of a pair that's actively fucking one another). There's true emotion between them so that when they got together at the end, I was just beyond happy for them. Highly recommend this one!10 out of 10
Physical Therapy by ZA Maxfield. This one features the alcoholic ex-boyfriend of the drunk driving accident above. I hadn't been much impressed with Jordan in St. Nacho's, must admit. So I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book. However, I found his rocky path to redemption to be fairly believable and human. I liked his skittishness and his fumbling. I was glad that he didn't just waltz into the town and act like he was 100% cured.
I really loved Ken, too. I thought Ken's reactions to his attraction to Jordan were believable, too. There were times that Ken seemed a little too good to be true but then he'd go fuck it up somehow and I'd go back to thinking that he was human. No Gary Stus in this one, either.
This one has dramerz but related to the characters themselves. Ken was in a horrific car accident that took away his ability to play baseball professionally. That's how Jordan and Ken meet as Jordan is Ken's physical therapist.
I loved Jordan's mum most of all. I absolutely and totally adore her in this book and in Jacob's Ladder. She's an amazing woman.
Give the whole series a try. You won't regret it.10 out of 10
Seeing You by Dakota Flint. Oh angst filled delicious yumminess. Simon's been in love with Wade for forever. Only problem is that Wade had been his brother's partner and Simon's brother died in the car accident that Simon walked away from.
It's not an easy path for these two. Gotta admit that I think this is a Happy for Now ending rather than a Happily Ever After. Still, it's painful and angsty and wonderful. I loved each of these as they work their way through their relationships with one another, with Simon's brother and with their world around them.
So much emotion is packed into this novella that I couldn't believe that it was as short as it was. 10 out of 10
Carol of the Bellskis by Astrid Amara Remember This review? Well, see, the reason I'd bought Water was because I loved Carol of the Bellskis so much. So then Loose ID tells me that I'd love Water, too and I was all, ok! Sooooo, oops.
But Carol of the Bellskis is AWESOME. I laughed so hard that I snorted and cried. It was hilarious and relate-able and just well done. The characters were funny and one of the few Hanukkah books I've been able to find. Poor Seth, the main character, is stuck tending his aunt's B&B while his aunt and uncle are completely gone. His lover decided at the last minute to bail on him so Seth dumped his lover. Who decides that he loves Seth so he heads up to the B&B where he gets roped into spending his vacation tending to kosher vegan guests in addition to a variety of other issues.
The secondary characters made this book for me. And, don't worry, his aunt and uncle are fine.10 out of 10
Double Blind by Heidi Cullinan. This is another case of "omg,she wrote what?!" Hands down, the craziest book I've ever bought is the book where the one main character is a were-house. here is that review and it was by the same author as Double Blind.
Thank God there are no crazy were-houses or kitsunes or evil elves or sanctuaries or anything.
Instead, it's got a poker player that always knows the odds and plays them. Because it pays his bills, he has a weird relationship with a casino manager. Until he takes a bet with that casino manager for the idiot at one of the tables playing his last five bucks. That idiot, Ethan, turns out to be Randy's savior. Randy teaches Ethan how to play the odds and Ethan teaches Randy what love is.
They end up fumbling their way into a happily ever after complete with group sex, BDSM, D/s, spanking and hot, hot sex scenes. 10 out of 10
Winner Takes All by Jenny Urban. A business rivalry turns into a failing business turns into a business deal turns into a relationship turns into a business merger turns into a happily ever after.
Just two guys that turn out to love one another. Plenty of external conflict but it keeps pushing the pair of them together. I just loved these guys and the entire story. It was believable and human, complete with fumbling over words and actions. 10 out of 10
Finding Zach by Rowan Speedwell. This is a conditional recommendation, too. I found the ending to be more of a Happy For Now ending and there's a lot of emotional trauma and abuse in this one. There's a lot of dramerz, as well.
That being said, I thought it was a good journey, not entirely believable the whole time as the resolution seems rather pat and too easy after all the nightmare-ish happenings. But I loved the characters and spent the entire time cheering for them. 9 out of 10
Mobry's Dick by KZ Snow. This book's got a crack premise, too. Seems there was an illusionist that created his greatest machine ever… it just happened to look like a giant cock. In the modern days, Cameron buys this random, weird, ugly piece of sculpture that Paul insists is Mobry's Dick. Back in the day, Mobry struggles with his feelings for a fellow magician and gets burned, big time.
Paul's got a crazy sugardaddy and Cameron is far too trusting. That being said, I wanted Mobry and Paul and Cameron to all end up with happy endings because I liked them so much. Their reactions were human and not over the top. The drama never reaches a point where I sat back and went ZOMGWUT. Just a fantastic story.10 out of 10
I know the last few review posts were filled with snark but, honestly, most of the books I've read this year are crap. This post, however, is full of gems. I recommend each of these highly.
I will be linking to All Romance eBooks as they offer a really great rebate program (buy 10, get 1 free plus rebate cash to use towards future purchases depending on the book/publisher). I do not receive a commission or anything. Feel free to buy where you want from. I just happen to really like the rebate program here.
Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton. This book started out awkwardly. I wasn't well-impressed with either character. Jonathan is a self-important twat that's beyond wrapped up in his job and Cole is a walking, talking, annoying stereotype that won't answer a single question in a straightforward manner.
But then the true magic of the book took over. You could see the slow way these two fall in love with one another. You see the way that they both change into better people. Jonathan slowly starts stepping away from work a bit and Cole stops being so outrageously stereotypical gay guy. By the end of the book, I was cheering for both of them while, at the same time, wanting to wring their necks for their stubborn pride.
All of the conflict is internal here – there's no random gaybashing, there's no fag hag dissing one partner to the other, no random ex-boyfriends showing back up, there's no weird crazy boss impeding the Great Gay Love. There's just two stubborn, prideful people that do a great job of fumbling their way into Happily Ever After in a very realistic way. It's a regular joe sort of story.
I especially liked Jonathan's dad. He doesn't get the whole "gay thing" but he tries to understand and even fumbles along with Jonathan and Cole into falling into a different sort of love with Cole. He's supportive and the relationship between Jonathan and his dad get strengthened through Jonathan's relationship with Cole.
This book is all about being human – warts, foibles and all. I loved it. 10 out of 10
Bewitched by Bella's Brother by Amy Lane. Amy Lane is now on my auto-buy list. She's got a bunch of quality stories out there (which a quick perusal of this list will illustrate, I'm certain). Her stories resonate for similar reasons as the above – they're mostly about human foibles and internal conflict. This story has no great gaybashing boogieman, either. Instead, it's got two prideful guys who eventually end up with a relationship. Sebastian is a perma-student and Asa just got out of a divorce. Sebastian is out and proud while Asa is just starting to explore the bisexuality he's always had.
There is an evil ex-wife at the beginning but, at the end, the ex-wife turns out human, too. She's got demons but so do we all. The "evil" part isn't ZOMGGHEYCOOTIES, either, it's more drug abuse and a self-abusive spiral. I found that I could relate to her more than thinking that she was an awful woman and an overtly obvious caricature of the stereotypical evil ex.
I just really liked all of these characters. I thought the storyline was believable and the ending was, as well. It was a nice journey.10 out of 10
Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane. So, this one is a conditional recommendation. I really enjoyed the characters and the relationship building. I loved most of the drama in here but, by the end, I kept thinking OMGREALLYAGAIN!? There's way too much gaybashing in this book. Like WAY too much. The principal gaybashes. The cops gaybash (literally, the one character is pulled out of a car and beaten). The neighbors gaybash. It was freaking everywhere.
There's also dramerz with alcoholism and a military stint based on a bullshit thing and an evil, gaybashing preacher stepfather. There's teen pregnancy and omg so much dramerz.
But I loved the characters and the relationship between them all. There are a lot of secondary characters in this one. I didn't mind the dramerz so much because the author always takes it back to the relationships.
If you don't mind the dramerz, this is a fantastic book. If you do mind the dramerz, this is a conditional recommendation.10 out of 10 (conditionally)
Making Promises by Amy Lane. This book is the reason I included the above on the recommendation list regardless of the dramerz. This book has MUCH less drama but does make mention of the dramerz in Keeping Promise Rock.
This book features one of the secondary characters in Keeping Promise Rock. Shane is a gay cop who was sent into a tough situation with no back-up because he was gay and supposedly sexually harrassing his partner. (ok, so there's a bit of dramerz… but it's much less, I promise… no pun intended) He meets the whole group from Keeping Promise Rock and also decides to reconnect with his sister. Turns out that his sister is dancing with a hot Russian guy. Who just happens to be gay. And who happens to think Shane is fucking amazing. And who Shane refuses to sleep with at first because then it'll just be a one-off and Shane wants more.
That right there got me. Shane is a fantastic character who has this depth of innocence, trust and beauty in his heart even though he's been put through the wringer. He's a good guy and he eventually gets through to Mikhail, the hot Russian guy.
This is another book where I fell in love with the main characters and spent the whole book cheering for them.
And, ok, there are some dramerz. Mikhail was a prostitute drug addict in Russia (to support his mum. Come on, you can forgive a guy who does that for his mum :P). Mikhail's mum is dying. Shane's sister is a recovering addict, herself. Shane's sister's boyfriend is a dickwad. Plus, spillover dramerz from Keeping Promise Rock. But this dramerz seems much less overt because the focus is more on the pair of them rather than the dramerz. I loved this book a lot.10 out of 10
Jacob's Ladder by ZA Maxfield. ZA Maxfield is an auto-buy for me, as well.
From the summary:
Jacob "Yasha" Livingston is having a bad day. First there is the head cold. Then the orgy, the fight, and the hospital. Between that and the bus driver who ejects him -- after accusing him of transmitting the Swine Flu -- the rest of his day seems fairly vague. Now he's stuck in a small town called Santo Ignacio and he has a whole lot of thinking to do.
Now do you see why I loved this book? It's got a bit of a crack premise. Poor Yasha. It's freaking awful (and hilarious) but it brings him to JT. JT spends most of the book trying to resolve the feelings for Yasha with the fact that he'd been straight up until now. JT is a good Jewish boy who wants to marry a good Jewish girl because that "good Jewish girl" is what his mum was.
This is the third book in the "St. Nacho's" series but it's also a standalone like the rest. All you really need to know is that St. Nacho's is definitely a very accepting town for gays so you don't really have to worry about the gaybashing or the dramerz related to that.
Another book where almost all of the conflict is internal in the relationship. The characters are fully fleshed out and the author did a fantastic job of making them easy to relate to. Even though I wanted to punch JT a bunch of times, I loved him, too. 10 out of 10
St Nacho's by ZA Maxfield. Ok, so there's a bit of dramerz here with a dark past that comes back to bite these two in the ass. But it's also fairly believable and does a good job adding to the story, tbh. Even with the dramerz, this is another book where the conflict is internal and the pair do a good job of bringing themselves back to one another.
Cooper is a musician that had been in a car that killed a little boy. A car driven by his boyfriend. Both of them had been drinking and that was definitely the cause of the accident. Cooper gives up his musical studies to travel around the US on his motorcycle. He pulls into St. Nacho's and the town grabs him. He gets a job playing music at the local gay bar where he meets the busboy, Shawn. Only problem is that Cooper barely talks to anyone except through his music and Shawn is deaf.
I cannot tell you that Shawn's life is a realistic depiction of being deaf but it felt fairly real (as a non-deaf person so if you find otherwise, please let me know). I especially liked the part where Shawn touches Cooper's violin when he plays. It was a touching scene that sums up why I was cheering for these two. There's a lot of UST (even in the midst of a pair that's actively fucking one another). There's true emotion between them so that when they got together at the end, I was just beyond happy for them. Highly recommend this one!10 out of 10
Physical Therapy by ZA Maxfield. This one features the alcoholic ex-boyfriend of the drunk driving accident above. I hadn't been much impressed with Jordan in St. Nacho's, must admit. So I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book. However, I found his rocky path to redemption to be fairly believable and human. I liked his skittishness and his fumbling. I was glad that he didn't just waltz into the town and act like he was 100% cured.
I really loved Ken, too. I thought Ken's reactions to his attraction to Jordan were believable, too. There were times that Ken seemed a little too good to be true but then he'd go fuck it up somehow and I'd go back to thinking that he was human. No Gary Stus in this one, either.
This one has dramerz but related to the characters themselves. Ken was in a horrific car accident that took away his ability to play baseball professionally. That's how Jordan and Ken meet as Jordan is Ken's physical therapist.
I loved Jordan's mum most of all. I absolutely and totally adore her in this book and in Jacob's Ladder. She's an amazing woman.
Give the whole series a try. You won't regret it.10 out of 10
Seeing You by Dakota Flint. Oh angst filled delicious yumminess. Simon's been in love with Wade for forever. Only problem is that Wade had been his brother's partner and Simon's brother died in the car accident that Simon walked away from.
It's not an easy path for these two. Gotta admit that I think this is a Happy for Now ending rather than a Happily Ever After. Still, it's painful and angsty and wonderful. I loved each of these as they work their way through their relationships with one another, with Simon's brother and with their world around them.
So much emotion is packed into this novella that I couldn't believe that it was as short as it was. 10 out of 10
Carol of the Bellskis by Astrid Amara Remember This review? Well, see, the reason I'd bought Water was because I loved Carol of the Bellskis so much. So then Loose ID tells me that I'd love Water, too and I was all, ok! Sooooo, oops.
But Carol of the Bellskis is AWESOME. I laughed so hard that I snorted and cried. It was hilarious and relate-able and just well done. The characters were funny and one of the few Hanukkah books I've been able to find. Poor Seth, the main character, is stuck tending his aunt's B&B while his aunt and uncle are completely gone. His lover decided at the last minute to bail on him so Seth dumped his lover. Who decides that he loves Seth so he heads up to the B&B where he gets roped into spending his vacation tending to kosher vegan guests in addition to a variety of other issues.
The secondary characters made this book for me. And, don't worry, his aunt and uncle are fine.10 out of 10
Double Blind by Heidi Cullinan. This is another case of "omg,she wrote what?!" Hands down, the craziest book I've ever bought is the book where the one main character is a were-house. here is that review and it was by the same author as Double Blind.
Thank God there are no crazy were-houses or kitsunes or evil elves or sanctuaries or anything.
Instead, it's got a poker player that always knows the odds and plays them. Because it pays his bills, he has a weird relationship with a casino manager. Until he takes a bet with that casino manager for the idiot at one of the tables playing his last five bucks. That idiot, Ethan, turns out to be Randy's savior. Randy teaches Ethan how to play the odds and Ethan teaches Randy what love is.
They end up fumbling their way into a happily ever after complete with group sex, BDSM, D/s, spanking and hot, hot sex scenes. 10 out of 10
Winner Takes All by Jenny Urban. A business rivalry turns into a failing business turns into a business deal turns into a relationship turns into a business merger turns into a happily ever after.
Just two guys that turn out to love one another. Plenty of external conflict but it keeps pushing the pair of them together. I just loved these guys and the entire story. It was believable and human, complete with fumbling over words and actions. 10 out of 10
Finding Zach by Rowan Speedwell. This is a conditional recommendation, too. I found the ending to be more of a Happy For Now ending and there's a lot of emotional trauma and abuse in this one. There's a lot of dramerz, as well.
That being said, I thought it was a good journey, not entirely believable the whole time as the resolution seems rather pat and too easy after all the nightmare-ish happenings. But I loved the characters and spent the entire time cheering for them. 9 out of 10
Mobry's Dick by KZ Snow. This book's got a crack premise, too. Seems there was an illusionist that created his greatest machine ever… it just happened to look like a giant cock. In the modern days, Cameron buys this random, weird, ugly piece of sculpture that Paul insists is Mobry's Dick. Back in the day, Mobry struggles with his feelings for a fellow magician and gets burned, big time.
Paul's got a crazy sugardaddy and Cameron is far too trusting. That being said, I wanted Mobry and Paul and Cameron to all end up with happy endings because I liked them so much. Their reactions were human and not over the top. The drama never reaches a point where I sat back and went ZOMGWUT. Just a fantastic story.10 out of 10
