Tag: mm romance (Page 12 of 14)

Quid Pro Quo by LA Witt and Aleksandr Voinov

January 14, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I saw a tweet from Sarah Frantz which said this book was super hot so I pre-ordered. It was even on special. That’s called karma.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) For the past six months, Jared’s been selling sex at Market Garden, a London club that caters to the better-off. But business is slow in the run-up to Christmas, when businessmen and bankers are too busy bickering over bonuses to rent themselves a little high-class action.Though Jared’s wallet finds the downtime unnerving, the rest of him rather enjoys the opportunity it gives him to admire Tristan, an old hand in the club whose reputation usually sees him well-booked. Jared has been crushing on Tristan for months—he’s no more immune to Tristan’s cockiness and confidence than the johns, and those are just Tristan’s inner qualities.

Just as Jared’s about to chat Tristan up, a businessman asks for something a little different: he wants to book them both. They agree—and Jared finds himself going from crush to mind-bending lust as he’s made the pawn in a sexual power game. Tristan shows him how a pro handles a john while delivering the top-shelf sex for which the Market Garden is so rightly renowned.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): The blurb is spot on as to what happens in the book so I knew not to expect a traditional romance with HEA. It is an erotic short story, not a romance. There does appear to be some romantic interest between Jared and Tristan (certainly on Jared’s part anyway) but whether it will turn into anything remains to be seen. I gather that there are further books in this series planned, so I’m hoping to see a romantic arc develop. The story is told from Jared’s deep third person POV so Tristan remains largely unknown. I’m certainly looking forward to learning more of him. Continue reading

Custom Ride by KA Mitchell

January 6, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I was shocked (SHOCKED!) to realise that I had not read this early KA Mitchell book and rectified that error after a round of shopping in the recent ARe sale.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) A stint in the Air Force left Ryan MacRae with a bitter memory of life in the closet. Jeff Allstein is a mechanic who has too much to lose if his private life becomes public. The heat of their attraction boils over on a stormy summer night, but satisfying that need only makes them both crave more.Their searing connection makes it hard for Ryan to understand the road blocks Jeff continually puts down. Ryan will have to buckle up if he’s going to find love at the end of his custom ride.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Oh there was so much to love about this one. It is one of KA Mitchell’s earlier works, first published in 2007 so it could have been of lesser quality but I didn’t find that at all. Two hot men? Check. Hot sex? Check? An interesting story, a believable conflict? Check. Yes, the story had a lot of sex in it, as is standard for a KAM novel, but it also has a story. Jeff shares custody of his daughter with her mother (a real piece of work) and can’t risk coming out openly because it might lead to him losing his daughter. The connection between the 2 men was palpable and it was really only the custody issue threatening their relationship. I’ve no doubt that it is a very real concern for people in Jeff’s position (sadly). I loved that Jeff’s priority was his little girl. The problem for me came when the book ended suddenly. I felt I’d only just got the first part of the story.

*mild spoilers*

Last Stop by Lou Harper

December 31, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This book has been on my radar for a while and I bought it the other day at the ARe sale.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) When love drifts into his life, danger isn’t far behind.

Sam Mayne’s life is as dull as the dishwater in his small-town Montana diner, and that’s just how he wants it. Quiet, uneventful, safe from his shadowy past. The breezy young drifter who answers his help-wanted ad makes him uneasy in ways he dare not examine too closely. Except he can’t help but be pulled in by Jay Colby’s spunky attitude, endless stories, and undeniable sex appeal.

Fresh off yet another romantic disaster, Jay doesn’t understand his attraction to the taciturn line cook, but there’s no fighting the chemistry that lands them in bed together. Where Sam’s subtly dominant streak takes command, and Jay delights in discovering the pleasures of his submissive side.

Safe in the assumption their relationship is temporary, neither lover holds back when the heat is on. Until Sam’s deadly past catches up with them with a vengeance, forcing him to drop the life he’s built, pick up his lover, and run. As danger cuts closer to the bone, Sam and Jay are forced to face the truth. About themselves, about the depth of their love-and the newly forged bonds that are about to be tested to the limit.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Unfortunately, the book didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The main lack, for me, was the relationship build. I didn’t see Sam and Jay fall in love. I saw a lot of (pretty hot) sex and some action but the falling in love part was kind of missing for me. Jay seemed fairly sad – someone who’d been rejected time and time again, who traded a roof over his head for sex and nothing really changed in his relationship with Sam, other than that they ended up staying together. I didn’t see any cue which told me this relationship was different to Jay’s other relationships – other than that I knew that Sam was the hero. Jay didn’t seem empowereed to me, he seemed unhappy. I didn’t see Sam falling for Jay really, there wasn’t much introspection on his part so I couldn’t see why Sam fell for Jay other than that he was available for sex.

Also, (and this is mildly spoilerish) I found it hard to like Sam once I knew about his past. While people can change and redemption and rehabilitation is a good thing, Sam didn’t fit my own personal preference for hero material. Because I didn’t feel any particular emotional connection to either Sam or Jay, his past bothered me.

Still, the sex was hot and there was the occasional line which struck me somehow and was enough to keep me reading.

“Look, I’m not good with words. All I know is I want to put a big fucking brand on your ass that says you’re mine, so everybody knows. Don’t look so happy. I mean it literally.”

I needed more romance and courtship and emotion to really buy into the story. Unfortunately, this one was shy of “just okay” for me.

Grade: C-

Hide Out by Katie Allen

December 10, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: After the success of Private Dicks and seeing that many of my Goodreads friends loved the follow up book too, I bought this one as well. Damn ARe sales…

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) When Officer Peter Giordano is assigned to keep Trevor Haas safe until he can testify against his murderous father, he expects the hardest part of his job will be keeping his hands off the gorgeous witness. The two men hide out in the small, sleepy town of Honeysuckle, fixing up their dilapidated safe house by day…exploring each other’s bodies by night.Their small-town neighbors have some secrets of their own, however, including one that someone is willing to kill to protect. Soon, a neighbor is dead and Pete and Trevor are thrown into the middle of a murder investigation. The two men struggle to keep Trevor’s true identity a secret, knowing his father will stop at nothing to silence the star witness against him-even if that means killing his own son.Note: Pete and Trevor won’t have to go it alone. Wash and Rhodes, the crush-worthy heroes from Private Dicks, are along for the ride once again.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): This one didn’t work quite as well for me as Private Dicks. Possibly it’s because I read them back to back and that made the flaws in this one more obvious, because they were largely missing from the earlier book. I can believe a fast romance when the couple already know and like each other. Established relationships which turn romantic or return to romance work best for me in a shorter format or time frame. Hide Out was a bit longer than Private Dicks (nearly 200 pages) but the romance between Trevor and Pete occurs in a matter of days – when they had never laid eyes on each other before the start of the book. While I liked Trevor and Pete together, the blurb had set me up for a long slow burn – 7 months of home renovations – but, like the romance, the renovations were done at lightning speed (possibly it’s the fastest reno in history aside from TV reality shows).

The other thing which bothered me was that for the first part of the book, Trevor and Pete, who are both gay, don’t come out to each other and labour under the mistaken belief that the other is just “fucking with him”. It got tired real quick.

The murder in Honeysuckle made sense, but the wider story arc of Pete and Trevor hiding out and being effectively undercover to keep away from Trevor’s psycho dad, was not as well executed. It seemed to me that Pete and Trevor wouldn’t have been that hard to find. And, as it turns out, I was right.

Having said all that, it was an enjoyable read and the characters were charming and fun and sexy as all get out. Once Trevor and Pete admitted to both being gay, things moved much more smoothly. Then there was the appearance (much more than just a cameo) of Rhodie and Wash from book 1. Wash is still making those incomprehensible hand gestures (which Pete doesn’t understand either) and the pair help both to solve the local crime and to renovate the house. There is also a smoking sex scene involving all 4 of them – though 2 are only watching.

I would have to say however, that the description, used a couple of times in the book, of coming so hard that it felt like “his insides melted and shot out of his cock” was somewhat disturbing.

What else? This is a good book, but I don’t think it was as good as Private Dicks. I think though, that I would have liked it better if there had’ve been a gap between reading the two books. Again, it is on the pricey side. so wait for a special.

Grade: B/B-

Private Dicks by Katie Allen

December 6, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: There was a sale at ARe and there was my wishlist. Goodreads recommendations are bad for my wallet. Enough said.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Ex-cop Isaac Rhodes is a tough and intimidating private investigator with a talent for kicking in doors and knocking bail jumpers’ heads together. His only soft spot is for his partner, Nate Washington—though Wash makes him anything but soft. He’s silently lusted after Wash for a year, until his desire drives him to finally come out to his partner.

This confession leads to Wash admitting a few secrets of his own, unleashing needs that result in hot, sweaty, sexy, man-on-man intimacy. Rhodes is elated…until Wash admits he’s unsure if he’s willing to endure the often prejudice-filled life of an outed gay man. Crushed, Rhodes backs off. But one missing child—and a gun to Wash’s head—convinces Rhodes to do whatever it takes to get his man.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): In terms of the mix between romance and suspense and making the two work and play off each other, this book was pretty much perfect. Loads of romance and connection and fun. The suspense plot was believably intertwined with the romance and the two leads didn’t try and have sex when bullets were flying. Because Wash and Rhodes have been working together for about a year when the book starts, the speed of the developing romance works – they have an established relationship which becomes more than friendly. And, having to go undercover in a gay club helps get them thinking in the right direction.

And, did I mention it was funny?

“I’ve never seen so much leather,” Wash muttered.

Rhodes smirked at him. “Just wait ’til we get inside.”

“It gets worse?”

“Better, Wash,” Rhodes corrected as the bouncer unclipped the rope to let them through. “The word is ‘better’.”

Wash made me laugh a lot. Especially when Rhodes was baffled his “incomprehensible hand signals” – you know, those ones you see on the TV all the time and no-one knows what they mean? Well, Rhodes, who used to be a real cop, doesn’t know either. But Wash makes the signals and Rhodes goes along.

The chemistry between these two was apparent in every interaction but the conflict – whether Wash wants to deal with being out (he’s bisexual so he could be happy with a woman and have the occasional gay hook-up on the downlow) is believable enough. Although, now that I think about it, Wash never suggested he might need to have the occasional hook up with a woman… I digress).

Wash, even though he is a walking hard-on around Rhodes, asks for time to decide:

Wash looked at him with what appeared to be disappointment. “You’re not going to talk me into it?”

“You are a fucking teenaged girl,” Rhodes growled, pushing himself up from the couch. “Go home. If I don’t get to fuck anyone, I’m going for a run.”

“Fine,” Wash huffed, standing up. “But I’m going to write ‘Rhodes is an asshole’ in my diary like a hundred times.”

See what I mean about funny?

The suspense story involved sex trafficking which is obviously something very serious, but the humour doesn’t intrude on that. Rather, it lightens what could otherwise be a very heavy storyline. Both Rhodie and Wash take the safet of kids very seriously.

Rhodes even tries to make Wash clean up his potty mouth around their teenaged client.

Wash snorted. “Why would you think we’d do anything just to make you feel better? Ask Gonzo—he’ll tell you that we’re just a couple of assholes.”

Rhodes shot him a look and Wash made a face. “Sorry. Suppose I shouldn’t swear around a kid. Okay, so we’re a couple…” Trailing off, he glanced helplessly at Rhodes. “What’s another word for asshole?”

Rhodes just closed his eyes with a sigh.

What else? I enjoyed this book from start to finish. At just under 150 pages, it wasn’t super long, but it did everything it needed to so I thought the length was just perfect for the story actually. It is pricey, so get it when it’s on special somewhere. But – get it.

Grade: A-

Cost of Repairs by AM Arthur

November 24, 2012 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Various of my Goodreads friends have read and liked this one and I bought it on impulse. Sometimes when I can’t decide what to read from what’s on my TBR, I just go and buy something else. (This may explain the size of my TBR *sigh*).

What it’s about (from Goodreads): “Fixing the home can heal the heart-if you can find all the pieces.”

Police officer Samuel Briggs is getting to know the people on his new, third-shift beat, but he’d prefer they not know too much about him-or the painful past that drove him away from New Mexico to start fresh in small-town Stratton, PA.

All he wants is peace, a manageable routine, and time to fix up his project home. There’s no room in his broken heart for a new relationship. It’s crowded with too many memories. But there’s something about the Dixie’s Cup short-order cook, who’s flirty one minute, distracted the next, that piques Sam’s interest.

Part-time cook, part-time hardware salesman and full-time handyman Rey King lives to work-but not because he loves it. Relationships? No time. Until one glance at Sam’s haunted eyes sends a plumb line straight to his wary heart.

One afternoon of impulsive, no-strings sex begins to grow into a cautious friendship. But when Rey is seriously injured protecting a friend, the cracks in their already shaky foundation begin to show. Falling in love wasn’t in either man’s recovery plan…and this time, the risk could be too great.

Warning: Contains one emotionally wrecked cop, one angsty short-order cook, a few too many secrets, some meddling small-town folk, and plenty of hot man-on-man action.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I enjoyed this story, but ultimately, found it a bit too overwrought and somewhat incomplete to truly satisfy. I like an angsty story. I don’t shy away from tortured characters – in fact, just the opposite. Here, both Sam and Rey are very broken and hurt, each having major issues to deal with. That was one of the things which attracted me to the story, but for such a tale to completely win me over, I need to see the characters triumph over their adversity and there wasn’t quite enough of it in this one for me.

Sam’s lover had been horribly murdered and he is still coping with the after effects of that trauma. I could see that by the end of the story, he had mostly moved on and made a home for himself in Stratton but Rey’s story felt incomplete to me. I really wanted to know what was going to happen with his daughter – surely he wasn’t going to leave things that way? I was hoping for that story to be resolved and instead, there was a suspense subplot which I didn’t entirely buy, involving Sam’s previous trauma.

It seemed to me that the angst and adversity were just piled on these two characters so much, they could hardly get a break. Rey’s hand injury wasn’t completely resolved by the end of the story and I didn’t understand the mechanism of how he got out from under his loans (this may be a US thing that I don’t understand though). As for Sam, late in the book, further past trauma is revealed, in case they don’t already have enough going on.

The relationship between Sam and Rey was lovely though. I would have liked more of it in fact. I liked how they were together and the sex was pretty hot. I would have liked to see the story focus more on them and leave the suspense-y part out altogether.

What else? There was some strange word choices/sentence structure in the book which seemed clumsy to me (mostly in the front section of the book). For example:

“He deferred to her to lead them there.”

“Regaled with the image of Dixie standing next to a bathroom sink sucking on a candy cane made him chuckle.”

And in the first section of the book, there was way too much chuffing and huffing. It was used 10 times in the first 40 pages, 4 times within 2 paragraphs. But, after about page 40 I didn’t see it again which improved my experience of the story markedly.

I think the writing improved as the book went on but there were aspects to the story left undone that left me unsatisfied, ultimately changing the book from around the B/B- mark to the C+.

Grade? C+