Sirius and I are over at Dear Author with a joint review of Not Dead Yet by Jenn Burke. A refreshing and different paranormal romance with a silver fox hero!
Tag: queer (Page 12 of 35)
Monthly Mini Review
Wheels Up by Annabeth Albert, narrated by Greg Boudreaux – B- Navy SEAL Lt. Dustin Strauss has been exploring his bisexuality via an app called Joe for Joe and has developed a connection with a fellow SEAL, Petty Officer Wes Lowe. Although because they use avatars, neither knows the other is a SEAL until Wes joins Dustin’s SEAL team. They had a hot in person hookup in DC but Wes was called away suddenly and they hadn’t had a chance to do much talking. Also, Dustin had let Wes believe he was a marine and Wes had told Dustin he was in “security”. So, when Wes does join the SEAL team, it’s a very unwelcome surprise. As much as Dustin has enjoyed their cyber sex and exploring his kinky side with Wes, it is against the fraternisation rules for them to even be friends. Their attraction is too much to deny and a distraction on the job and it also puts their careers are risk. Dustin could be court-martialed. It’s a big deal.
Dustin is into submission with a bit of pain (no blood) and it turns Wes’s crank to let out his inner Dominant for Dustin. As they keep having more and more (and always unwise) encounters their feelings become stronger until something has to give.
Why I read it: I picked this one up when it was on special for 99c recently but it had been on my wishlist for ages.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Last month, Alex Barrow’s whole life imploded—partner, home, job, all gone in forty-eight hours. But sometimes when everything falls apart, better things appear almost like magic.
Now, he’s back in his Michigan hometown, finally opening the bakery he’s always dreamed of. But the pleasure of opening day is nothing compared to the lonely and beautiful man who bewitches Alex before he even orders.
Corbin Wale is a weirdo. At least, that’s what he’s heard his whole life. He knows he’s often in a fantasy world, but the things he feels are very real. And so is the reason why he can never, ever be with Alex Barrow. Even if Alex is everything he’s always fantasized about. Even if maybe, just maybe, Corbin is Alex’s fantasy too.
When Corbin begins working at the bakery, he and Alex can’t deny their connection any longer. As the holiday season works its magic, Alex yearns for the man who seems out of reach. But to be with Alex, Corbin will have to challenge every truth he’s ever known. If his holiday risk pays off, two men from different worlds will get the love they’ve always longed for.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): I didn’t really know what to make of this book at first. It’s in a genre all of it’s own I think. It’s contemporary with a touch of magic. It’s a fae book in so many ways. The writing style has more than a hint of faery tale to it, particularly in the sections told from Corbin’s point of view. It’s not quite PNR, it’s more ethereal than that. What it is, is quite beautiful.
The Remaking of Corbin Wale is told in the style of a faery tale and once I worked out what was going on I just went with it. There’s a surrealism to the writing and to the story and a lyricism to the language which fits the tone entirely. Some of the phrasing is just lovely and also innocently profound.
And sorry was just a wish about something that had already happened. Just a regret on someone else’s behalf.
Because of the style of the book, there’s not much by way of courtship. Alex falls for Corbin immediately, feeling a strong connection to him from the start. It becomes apparent that Corbin felt much the same way, although it is quite a bit later in the book before the reader is in his head to know for sure. Usually I’m not a huge fan of “insta-love” but that’s not really what it felt like here. It was obviously far deeper than lust (although their sexual attraction is definitely strong), more like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place somehow. It works in a faery tale far better than in a straight up contemporary story. I wasn’t left questioning the judgement of either character. Quite the contrary in fact.
Both men want quite desperately to be together but each is cautious because reasons (I won’t spoil them here; it’s much more fun to let the book evolve on its own I believe) and neither rushes into a relationship.
Corbin is very much a wild fae creature (although he is a human) and Alex senses instinctively that to push or persuade him into giving more than he is willing will only lead to disaster. Alex coaxes but always respectfully. He does not manipulate. It was kind of like tempting a feral cat to come to eat out of his hand, though Corbin is not an animal and the book does not ever portray him that way so the analogy only goes so far.
What else? Perhaps there was a time in the story where I wondered if Corbin would give enough to Alex to make the relationship feel balanced. Alex is always going to be more comfortable “in the world” than Corbin but Corbin does more for Alex than be someone Alex takes care of and I was happy with the way things worked out.
There are some earthy sex scenes (though not many, which is fine) but overall the book had a sweet and whimsical feel to it. It’s the kind of book which stays with you and which I expect will be richer on a re-read.
I do hope there is another book in this world one day. I’d like to know more about Gareth and Orin.
Grade: B+
BUY IT:
AMAZON KOBO
Why I read it: I received a review copy via NetGalley.
What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Elliott Thompson was once a historian with a promising academic future, but his involvement in a scandal meant a lost job, public shame, and a ruined love life. He took shelter in his rural California hometown, where he teaches online classes, hoards books, and despairs of his future.
Simon Odisho has lost a job as well—to a bullet that sidelined his career in law enforcement. While his shattered knee recovers, he rethinks his job prospects and searches for the courage to come out to his close-knit but conservative extended family.
In an attempt to manage his overflowing book collection, Elliott builds a miniature neighborhood library in his front yard. The project puts him in touch with his neighbors—for better and worse—and introduces him to handsome, charming Simon. While romance blooms quickly between them, Elliott’s not willing to live in the closet, and his best career prospects might take him far away. His books have plenty to tell him about history, but they give him no clues about a future with Simon.
What worked for me (and what didn’t): The Little Library is a fairly quiet book, gentle rather than action-packed and told from the perspective of Elliott Thompson. Elliott has a habit of buying books on Amazon when stressed and given his recent history he’s stressed a lot. He was in a closeted relationship with a professor at his previous university and that guy, it turned out, was embezzling funds. Elliott was accused by association but eventually exonerated – he really didn’t know anything about it. He exited the university and moved back to his home town of Modesto in California, where he teaches online community college courses as an adjunct. His ex is in prison. He is looking for a tenure-track position at a research university but the field is a tough one and his reason for leaving his last job works against him.
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I’m over at Dear Author with a review of Between the Lines by Sally Malcolm. A sweet and sexy contemporary mm romance.
Monthly Mini Review
Infamous by Jenny Holiday, narrated by Michael Fell – A- On the face of it, Infamous isn’t a particularly revolutionary story: slow burn romance between an out gay guy and a bisexual rock star whose image is decidedly straight. But what it does it does very very well. It delivers all the feels and kept me glued to my earbuds.
Rocker Jesse Jamison has made a deal with the manager of his dreams to tow the line and stay away from liaisons with men in order to project the ideal image for superstardom. After meeting Dr. Hunter Wyatt, a paediatric hospitalist on the way to Toronto one day, the pair strike up a somewhat unlikely friendship. The book skips forward two years after that initial meeting and the bulk of the story takes place as the pair become buddies and when Jesse’s career has really taken off. Hunter left a relationship with a closet case in Montreal and moved to Toronto for a fresh start. He won’t go back in the closet for anyone – not even Jesse.
It’s not really a surprise what happens but this is one of those cases where the what isn’t as important as the how. The characterisations are strong, the connection between the two men is built up over a long period of time and is based on a solid friendship that is completely believable notwithstanding their differences. While I was dismayed by the predictable black moment I was pleased that Jesse’s decision to come out was about being himself and not “for” anyone and it was a book where the grand gesture had appropriate context and worked really well. Continue reading
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