Recently I quite enjoyed N.R. Walker's male/male romance novella A Soldier's Wish (The Christmas Angel Book 5) which takes place in the late sixties, early seventies. It's one of a series of stories that feature an angel ornament.
— the graphic novel/comic book Fence Vol. 1 by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad which I quite enjoyed. While this has no romance to date, I'm fairly certain this will have at least one male/male relationship develop.
— Keira Andrews’ male/male romance In Case of Emergency. It was an okay read, but I could wish have wished for more story.
— Dust of Snow and The Winter Spirit both by Indra Vaughn. These were pleasant m/m novellas but not likely stories I’ll be re-reading.
Post by big red dragon on Dec 24, 2018 13:20:49 GMT -7
Read the following:
Wanted: Bad Boyfriend -T.A. Moore 3.5 stars. - I had issues with the "boy boyfriend" being tainted by youthful misdeeds, most of which were made up, instead of by his actions later in life.
New York Christmas- R.J. Scott - 1 star. The characters were annoying, and then one of the men was written as if he was the worst example of a female protagonist you can find in romance.
Treble Maker - Annabeth Albert - 2.5 stars. The showboating and only thinking about himself (Cody) ticked me off, especially since he was supposed to be part of a group.
Between Ghosts - Garrett Leigh - 5 stars. I don't generally like Leigh's writing, because I find it a little OTT with the angst, but this one was very lovely and understated.
Love Around the Corner - Sally Malcolm - 4 stars. The m/m version of "The Shop Around the Corner" or "You've Got Mail". Nicely written, with what felt like real reactions.
Snowblind - Eli Easton - 4 stars. Things took a turn about halfway through, and this book became something else entirely. I was feeling nostalgic about the character name "Jude Devereaux", which reminded me of the author Jude Deveraux, so I rated this higher than I probably should have.
Ugliest Sweater - Gillian St. Kevern - 4 stars. This was cute, although things happened a little too fast, with not a lot of on page getting to know you time.
True of Heart - M.L. Rhodes - 3.5 stars. The premise was interesting, and I liked the characters together, but nothing felt really fleshed out.
Wild - Adrienne Wilder - 4.5 stars. The humanization of the bear (revenge motives, not having any cubs in 10 years because of revenge motives, etc) REALLY annoyed me, so the fact that I only took off .5 stars for it says how much I liked the rest of the book.
Last Edit: Dec 24, 2018 13:21:34 GMT -7 by big red dragon
Woke up this morning with a terrific urge to lie in bed all day and read. - Raymond Carver
I got a newsletter from Lisa Oliver and she's published a new book. She said she was getting burned out on her other series, and having to keep track of everyone, so she wrote this standalone new book as a breather. I, of course, had to 1-click as I love her writing.
Below the Belt (Baum's Boxing Book 1) by E.M. Lindsey. 3.5 to 4 stars. I liked the book and characters, but it's not without its problems. I do plan to continue with the series when book 2 is released. Book 1 is standalone with an HEA, and the MCs for book 2 are introduced in this one. Given the way Below the Belt is written and contains the cast of characters for the boxing gym, I'm not so sure that when book 2 is released it could stand by itself.
I had to come on and comment. I bought Chaser by Rick Reed and while I was reading it, I started to wonder if it was going to be too much of "oh woe is me, I just don't know if I can like Kevin any more now that he's lost weight" but it quickly became much more and turned into a great book for me. Enough that before I finished it, I went to the Brooklyn Public Library and got the sequel Raining Men by Rick Reed.
Then I started reading Raining Men. Have any of you read it? If so, I'd love to talk about it. There were times that I was very uncomfortable with the book (just feeling pain for the MC in how he responded to his life) but I also felt compelled to finish it to see how his life ended up. It ended up being an incredible read for me so now I'm wondering if anyone else felt the same.
I don't want to post spoilers (unless of course, one of you wants them). I'm hoping someone else has read the books and feels the same way as me. :-) Let me know!
Detour by Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore was a contemporary male/male romance which I quite enjoyed. It had me laughing aloud several times despite the dark backstory each character had.
Blue Unicorn (3 Book Series) Really enjoyed it. I still had a few questions but overall the world building was very good. It’s a lot more fantasy than romance but the romantic elements were nice. Ending was a bit unsettled but it fit the story. I’d rec and I hope the author writes more of the same world. Not a huge spoiler but possible deal breaker for some
One of the Hs trades sex (with a tentacled water monster) for information and help. Sex is detailed (and pretty weird) and the other H watches.
Crossroads (Skins Book 4) Eh, a nice-ish extension of the couple from book 1 and it gives them a little more closure but nothing special. Book 1 was disappointing too. I gave this a shot cuz I like the author.
Rogue Rescue (3 Book Series) (Read book 1 last time around) I think the premise is very creative and the stories are pretty good but I’d have liked a little more depth. There’s a lotta potential so hopefully the author will continue to grow. Book 3 seems to set up more books or another trilogy and I’ll definitely read more. I picked these up on sale and don’t think the length can justify a $4.99 price. Grizzly Rim (3 Book Series) Only read 2 & 3. 2 had a strong start and was a little more mystical than the Rogue books but I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much. The connection seemed weak and the storyline with the younger H’s mother was odd. Book 3 was the crossover with the Rogue series and it was good. Again, I’d have liked more depth but a good novella.
Dust of Snow Meh. H broke up with his boyfriend a year ago and suddenly *everybody* wants him...his boss of 5 years, his Secret Santa, and the ex. Editing was generally okay but I’m not checking out her backlist. I’d prob give a freebie a go though.
Giving Chances Good little novella. A bit of politics but the emphasis was on finding common ground and forgiveness so it didn’t bother me too much. A compressed story (it *is* a novella) but cute epilogue.
Love Around The Corner: A New Milton Novella Online friends decide to meet IRL and the one discovers that the other is his RL nemesis and bails w/o explaining...basically an MM book version of You’ve Got Mail. Cute but prob not a reread. It was kinda funny that they get off on the wrong foot cuz the one H mocks the other’s grammar (auto’s instead of autos in his store sign) then the mocking H’s dialogue has the same mistake later on (bestseller’s when it should have been bestsellers). A few more minor errors. Perfect Day Didn’t work for me. The original breakup didn’t make a lot of sense and I didn’t really believe them as a couple.
[[Author can’t seem to stay away from political snarking and sniping, which is really not what I want or need in my leisure reading right now. Her writing is good but it diminishes my enjoyment and draws me out of the story. Comments are brief and prob won’t bother most.]] Less Than Three I liked it. The H ends up sleeping with both twins (separate relationships and no cheating) but I could have done without it. Still, good story and they felt authentic. I hope the other twin gets his own book. The Other Half I liked this too. Kinda icky that the one H has slept with the other H’s aunt but I could overlook it.
The Ghost Had an Early Check-out Well, it released without any issue (beyond the original moving release dates) and how sad it is that that is a noteworthy event? A few cute relationship scenes with the Hs but not much substance, I’m afraid, and I didn’t think it was worth the price of admission. Set 10 months after the original and takes place over Halloween weekend. Everything is pretty much wrapped up but open ended enough that she could do another book. Overwhelmingly, I was just aggravated that I waited so long for this.
The Christmas Visit Quite a lot of story packed into a short length but sorta odd (the wife was very strange) and not sure I’d believe in their long term success with such a short reacquaintance. Still, decent way to pass 5-10 minutes.
In Case of Emergency: Gay Christmas Romance Well-rated but not for me. The potential boyfriend was way too OTT horrible and the ex was a bit too much too. And again, they’re planning a future after meeting again after 10 years apart.
Bad Habit (Bad in Baltimore Book 6) Very good. I liked that everything wasn’t all tied up in a nice bow at the end. They’re happy and together but it is still true to life. Real characters and dialogue...not perfect but worked for me.
Every Other Weekend Another winner. She has at least 1 I really enjoyed but she’s pretty inconsistent. Mixed reviews but I really liked it. The one H’s family was ludicrously dysfunctional but somewhat came around. There was a jarring scene when the Hs are first intimate. There’s just a brief “I’m clean. U clean?” and they’re willing to forgo condoms. Considering the one H wakes up with a ONS just a few days earlier...it smacks of irresponsibility. Nice epilogue and I’ll definitely be rereading. I hope this gets expanded into a new series.
A lot going on lately so I had a number of rereads that I didn’t bother to mention. Waaaay too many rereads this year but sometimes it’s just easier than picking something new.
@every Other Weekend Couple more things....there was a good balance of suspense and romance and the plot had a twist I didn’t see coming. It wasn’t perfect but it was one of the best MM reads for this year. I’m still primarily reading nonfiction and I’m not counting the rereads so it isn’t a huge field of comparison but very good.
Private Charter Decent but predictable and not particularly memorable.
Omega Required (Wolves in the World Book 1) **mpreg universe but no mpreg in the story Quality was a lot better than I was expecting. Summary intrigued me enough to open it but I really thought it would end up in the DNF/Never pile. There were some errors (mostly run on sentences) but surprisingly well edited and the world building wasn’t bad. Mpreg still isn’t for me but I’d give the author another try.
Masters & Boyd Eh, short enough to be a quick read but I didn’t really connect with the characters and wasn’t a huge fan of the style.
Two more things: Cooper West (of the Guardsmen series) will have a new book coming out on February 14th (preorder February 10th).
And.....I'm reading BA Tortuga's latest book that she wrote with Jodi Payne Heart of a Redneck Kindle Edition by Jodi Payne (Author), BA Tortuga (Author) . I'm enjoying it as I always do Tortuga's books but I have to say that Gordon is not my favorite H. He seems to take Colby way too much for granted. Gordon's not bad, he's just busy and clueless. :-) The other thing I didn't care for is it went one chapter to the next; they got together for the first time, then boom, the next chapter is a year later but you don't know that right away. I thought I'd missed something but no, the way you know a year has gone by is someone asking Colby "hey, didn't you work on Gordon's master bathroom last year?" Then I started wondering why Colby hadn't been given a key to Gordon's place even though they'd been exclusive for a year. Anyway, I like my characters to be all "BOOM -- THAT'S MINE" and this book is not that. I'm enjoying it but this isn't my favorite.
Two more things: Cooper West (of the Guardsmen series) will have a new book coming out on February 14th (preorder February 10th).
Do you happen to know if it is another Guardsmen book? I do like that series.
Regards, Kareni
Yes. The email says "a Valentine's Day Guardsmen 'verse short story". So I'll order it and read it but I'll probably end up wanting more..... :-) I have enjoyed her writing (or maybe it's his writing -- not sure). Anyway, I could go see what else he/she has written but I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed anyway with the size of my TBR pile.
ltr said, " The email says "a Valentine's Day Guardsmen 'verse short story". So I'll order it and read it but I'll probably end up wanting more..... :-) I have enjoyed her writing (or maybe it's his writing -- not sure). Anyway, I could go see what else he/she has written but I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed anyway with the size of my TBR pile."
I will certainly be interested to hear your thoughts. I looked on Amazon after your post but did not see a listing.
I did try something else by her (the author) but it did not grab me; I no longer recall what it was. And I hear you on the size of your TBR pile; mine has (cough, cough) thousands of books.
Post by big red dragon on Jan 29, 2019 11:25:28 GMT -7
I recently read Switched - N.R. Walker, and really enjoyed it. Slow burn, and friends to lovers. I liked that everything wasn't fixed magically, that they all had to work at it.
I re-read Chasing Seth - J.R. Loveless and disliked it as much, if not more, as I did the first time I read it. I just...so many of my GR friends and other people seem to like it, so I thought I would give it another try. I mean, it worked for Widdershins - Jordan Hawk and Take My Picture - Giselle Ellis, which I did not like when I first read them. "Chasing Seth", though, had very simplistic writing and one dimensional characters.