In the male/male romance realm, I recently finished The Ghost Slept Over by Marshall Thornton which featured (surprise!) a ghost. This was not a scary book but nor was the ghost entirely benign. I enjoyed this and look forward to reading more by this author.
I also read and quite enjoyed Pins and Needles by A.J. Thomas which had an element of suspense. I also look forward to reading more by this author.
I started reading Perfect Imperfections by Cardeno C., and I swear I have read this storyline before. Rock star goes into a bar in the middle of nowhere, strikes up a convo with the bartender, then invites bartender on worldwide tour to act as pretend boyfriend. Does anybody recognize that from a different book? Or maybe I did read this one a while back and it was just that forgettable. Whichever the case, it's not a storyline I care to read a second time.
I got an email from Lisa Oliver (who also writes as Lee Oliver). She has a new standalone book out. She's an auto-buy for me as I love her books. I'll probably start reading it tonight. Would any of you want to borrow it when I'm done?
And when I say "I got an email from...." I mean I signed up for her newsletter because I wanted to know when she's published a new book. Not that I'm anything special..... :-)
I started City Boy (Hot Off the Ice Book 1) by AE Wasp but it's not holding my interest. It's not a particularly bad book, but there is nothing beyond physical characteristics distinguishing it from many small town m/f books I've read. You have the injured millionare hockey player who inherits an orchard from an unknown relative, and the younger small town, foster system orchard hand convinced no one and nothing can be trusted not to disappear. Writers like BJ Daniels have made a living off this plot and characters in m/f for decades.
Just started Where Do I Start?. Not very far but it's good. Next up is Ben & Gavin , which I had no idea was in the works. It's a sequel to Last Thing He Needs, a favorite. (Last Thing was reissued so watch out for another edition. Thanks, Dreamspinner:() If you read Last Thing, Ben is the tattoo artist who makes a brief appearance and it sounds like this book picks up shortly after that scene.
-- My copy is titled In Front of God and Everyone by Nealy Wagner, but it’s since been reissued as Goodbye Paradise by Sarina Bowen.
— Tell the Wolves I’m Home: A Novel by Carol Rifka Brunt, a book that I’ll describe as moving. It’s the author’s first novel and was published in 2012; I’d happily read more by this author when there is more to be read. It's not really a gay romance. It's set in the eighties and is the story of a teenage girl and the partner of her gay uncle. AIDS is a significant part of the book.
— And A Forbidden Rumspringa by Keira Andrews which was a very enjoyable re-read.
Still reading Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Price, just finished Taken by the Enemy by Jennifer Bene, His Purrfect Mate by Laurann Dohner and Against the Ropes by Sarah Castille.
Ended up reading Ben & Gavin . I just couldn't resist. It was cute--some issues but a solidly average read. Not something I'd rave about but it was entertaining. No appearance of anyone from Last Thing, if anyone wondered. Now back to Where Do I Start?.
Ended up really liking Where Do I Start?. I liked it so much that I preordered book 2 and I haven't done that in prob a year or more. Both POV and mostly clean. Really one of the better books (in genre) that I've read this year.
Also squeezed in By His Rules. Eh, not bad but not one I'd go around rec'ing either. A few things were glossed over and the ending was a bit inadequate.
Halloween is Murder was pretty much a bust. Overpriced for the length (I finished it in less than 15 min) and not even a kiss between the Hs. Lanyon is usually light on romance but the story/emotion usually makes up for it. <<sigh>> and her entire release schedule has been pushed back.
Spirit Sanguine meh. Reasonably intriguing world building but didn't care for the writing. I might pick up book 2 on sale.
Romancing the Werewolf pretty good. The main characters were originally introduced in her Parasol Protectorate series and I don't think this would entirely work as a standalone--world building is a bit lacking if you're going into this as a new reader.
I did a quick reread of Point of No Return by NR Walker in preparation for reading the next 2 books in the series. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that book and the characters. I will probably start the next book, Breaking Point, tonight.
I read His Quiet Agent which I enjoyed very much. Cute, clean novella with only one POV. Another chapter or two would have been nice but I was satisfied. I decided to stick with the author and moved on to Empty Nests (Nested Hearts Book 1). Book 1 of 2 following the same couple and I'm not sure if more are planned. It was decent. The sex scenes were kinda meh but the story was good and I generally enjoyed it. I'll prob pick up book 2 at some point. Next up was Tactical Submission: A Windsor Club Story. BDSM, D/s. Mixed feelings but overall a bit disappointed. Some editing issues (missing commas, wrong homonyms) but not too bad. Quite a bit of sex--if there had been one more scene I probably would have skipped it. Ending is a HFN and there are a few unresolved plot points. I'm not sure if the next book in the series will follow the same people or diff club members. I'd cautiously rec but I really don't think that it's worth $6.99.