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Mid Year Reading Goals

Ahem. So, apparently I did not write a list of reading goals for this year.  Shame on me.  So I can't review them and do a mid year check in like Kate did.  So, instead, I'll make "rest of the year" reading goals!

1. Read at least two more Rough Riders Books.  I started this series by Lorelei James Kay (now Naughty Book Snitch Kay's) recommendation.  I really like them, but I have to be in the right mood.  Up next for me are Shoulda Been a Cowboy and All Jacked Up.
   
2. Read a Tessa Baily book - this is to see what my book club is raving about.  I'm definitely late to the bandwagon on this one!  I'm planning to start with Protecting What's His.
   
3. Accept a reading challenge from Kate.

That's all I've got.  I have a Goodreads goal to read some number of books this year, but I totally low balled it.  Seriously.  I wanted to set a goal I knew I'd acheive, because it makes me anxious when I'm falling behind when I log into Goodreads!

I am accepting other reading suggestions, so feel free to leave a title or author in the comments that you think I MUST read!

Copper King by Vivian Arend

Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Shifter, Bear, novella

Series: Takhini Shifters #1
Published: 5/6/14 

Reviewed by Anne

*Note: This book is part of the Alphas After Dark Anthology

Jim is on a yearly vacation.  He's a workaholic, especially since his parents died, but his good friend pulls him out to play at least once each year.  This year they're in Vegas.  Lillie is also in Las Vegas.  She's having her very first and last wild weekend.  When Jim sees Lillie, sparks fly.  When he offers to show her around the shifter side of Vegas, her bear can't resist his.

I really enjoyed this novella.  I can't believe I haven't read Vivian Arend before.  She does shifters right!  Not the over the top humor of Shelly Laurenston, who is a favorite of mine, but just really well written shifters.  I love it when a shifter's animal side shows through in her human side, both in actions and little things like Lillie wearing a shirt polka dotted with teeny tiny teddy bears.  There is plenty of humor, too.  Not over the top humor, but the kind that makes you smile while you're reading

I did predict the twist coming in this novella, but it still worked really well, so I didn't care.  The whole setup (for the twist) stetched my willingness to suspend disbelief a bit, but again, overall the story worked for me.  I'm definitely going to be reading more Vivian Arend!

Ink and Flowers by J.K. Pendragon

Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m, Coming Out, novella
Published: 6/4/14

Reviewed by Anne

89 pages

 

Luke, a shy anxiety ridden college student, needs a place to live.  He's practically broke and determined not to have to move in with his overbearing family.  There's a guy that comes into the flower shop every week who scares the heck out of Luke, just due to his rough looks and many tattoos, and the fact that he hit on Luke once.  His name is Cooper.  Cooper makes Luke a hideous bargain - have sex with me and you can sleep on my couch.  Luke has spent a lot of time telling himself he's not gay, but he agrees to the bargain anyway.

This is a fairly straight forward set up for a novella, and you certainly get the story promised, but there's a LOT packed into this novella!  You've got a controlling and repressing family, severe depression, anxiety that's not really addressed, the question of paying for art school, Cooper's career and mysterious trauma, Cooper's habit of handling problems by running away, and erectile dysfunction!  It's a bit too much for this short of a story.

It was refreshing to read about a couple who didn't have immortal hardons for each other, but I was disappointed that it seemed like their sex life depended on the ability to have an erection.  I expected to see a discussion or practice of non-ejaculatory ways to be intimate.  But, then again, I'm already complaining that there's too much packed into this book!  It was also interesting to read about a character with anxiety and see how it affected his life.  But, again, it was disappointing that no treatment was pursued.  Luke's anxiety had a big impact on his life.  So much so, that it's difficult to believe that it will go away just because he's come out.

This story is told solely from Luke's POV, but that worked for me.  The mystery around Cooper's motivation and his transformation from jerk to sympathetic character was well done!  Luke's character growth made me want to stand up and cheer!  Despite having so much packed into it, I enjoyed the story and would read more by this author.

Static by L.A. Witt

Grade: A-

Hotness Level: Blaze

Kink Level: No Kink

Genre: Sci-Fi, Gender Bending

Published: 1/20/14 (first pubbed 6/17/11)

Reviewed by Anne

208 pages

Imagine a world where some people can shift into the opposite gender. And just like the werewolf shifter romances I've read, these shifters consider each of their forms/genders a part of them. It's a setup I couldn't refuse! Then you add in a society only starting to accept shifters, and you've really got an interesting world.

Damon has been dating his girlfriend Alex for two years. Her relationship with her parents is very strained. When he doesn't hear from her after a visit home, he goes looking for her and discovers that she's a shifter, and due to some surgery her parents forced on her, she's now stuck in her male form. 

I didn't want to put this book down! It made me think about gender and sexuality and it was a sweet romance to boot!   The world building was easy to understand, and the shifting was no harder to accept than any kind of animal shifter.  The re-developing romance was realistic and easy to read.  The process by which Damon fell in love with Alex again was slow, not immediate, and that read very true to me.  It also involved Alex accepting that someone could love him in whichever form he was in.  That made for a slow paced romance, but it was realistic.  There were times they were on the verge of having a conversation that got put off.  When they finally got around to it I could see that it was a good thing they had waited - they'd each grown over the course of the story to the point that they could discuss it without hurting each other as much.  That's some good writing!

I highly recommend this book - it's going on my best of the year list and it was one of my most interesting reads as well!  In the past year I've really enjoyed some other reads that have made me think about gender and what it means.  I recommend Butterfly Tattoo by Deidre Knight and Wallflower by Heidi Belleau.   I also found the blog  Raising My Rainbow  about a family raising their gender non-conformist son.  The blog and books have all made me think, and I hope they've made me a more accepting person.  How about you?  Any stories about gender bending sexuality and stereotypes you would recommend?

Educating Caroline by Patricia Cabot

Grade: B

Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: HistorcalPublished: 10/30/01

Reviewed by Kate

439 pages

This one read like a soap opera-in the best way possible.  I feel like a who's who might be the best way to start.

Cast of Characters:
Braden Granville-our hero, aka the Lothario of London
Lady Caroline Linford-our heroine, prim, proper, and, of course, virginal
Lady Jacquelyn Seldon-Braden's fiance
Marquis of Winchilsea-Caroline's fiance

Do you have it all straight now?  All right.  Here we go!

We start off with Lady Caroline walking in on the Marquis of Winchilsea (her finance, remember) in the arms (well technically, in the legs) of Lady Jacquelyn (Braden's fiance).  She's ready to call off the engagement, but her mother tells her there's no way she can end it without causing a reputation ending scandal.  Instead, she should use her womanly wiles to make her fiance fall for her.  Which wouldn't be a bad idea, except Caroline's not really sure if she has any wiles. 

Braden knows that Lady Jacquelyn has not been faithful to him.  But he can't call of their engagement without losing a lot of money.  Unless he can prove it, with a name or a witness.  Caroline decides Braden is the perfect person to teach her how to make the Marquis fall in love with her-all hands off of course. In exchange for teaching her, she'll be his witness against Lady Jacquelyn.

And from that point forward we have the story of Braden and Caroline coming to love one another.  My reading experience was filled with happy smiles, chuckles, gasps of shock and outrage, outright laughs, and contented sighs.  With just enough intrique thrown in, this one kept me turning pages from start to finish.

Thanks to Anne for the recommendation.

Mid Year Check In With Kate

Back in January I set some reading goals for myself and I thought it was time that I update you on how I'm doing.

1.  My first goal was to read 200 books this year.  Not a terribly lofty goal, I'll admit, since I read just over 200 last year.  However it seems life has stepped in this year.  I am currently at 60 books read this year (gulp!).  I'll really have to get cracking if I want to meet that goal.  I am going to say that life has kept me away from my books more than usual this year.  Job changes, busier children, house fires.  At least I've come to appreciate a day that I can spend quietly reading.

2.  I wanted to read more romantic suspense this year.  At least one a month.  And yeah.  That's not going to happen.  I've read 2-3 of them.  And struggled through each one.  I'm just not ready for that kind of suspense in my life.

3.  The Wallflowers (Lisa Kleypas) challenge from my friend Kay.  It's a good thing I'm doing this mid-year check, because that's a goal that I can still meet.  I've enjoyed the ones that I've read so far.  Memo to self:  get the rest.

4.  An challenge from Anne.  Hey Anne, did you ever give me a challenge?  If so, you'll need to remind me again what it was.

I have started so many good series this year but sadly for every good book I read, it seems that 5 more get added to my TBR list.  And there's no way to get caught up.  There are few that I just can't get out of my mind lately that I wanted to share with you.

The Mountain Masters/Dark Haven series by Cherise Sinclair.  I have re-read the entire series again this year and loved the new addition Edge of the Enforcer.  I wish she could write them faster.

The Naughty Bits series by Joey W. Hill. My biggest complaint is that it's being released one little part at a time.  Arg!  I want the whole story now.

And I'm looking forward to the latest release by Reece Butler.  No Strings Attached (release date 6/6).

How are your reading goals coming along?

Meet the Baumgartners by Selena Kitt

Grade: C+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/f, m/f/f, f/f
Series: The Baumgartners #0

Published: 9/12/10

Reviewed by Kate

85 pages

I'm not really sure where to even start with this one.  Carrie and Maureen are college roommates and lovers and Carrie's perfectly satisfied until she catches Steve "Doc" Baumgartner masterbating in the shower.  What follows is a sexfest involving the three of them, but especially Carrie and Doc.

To say that this one was steamy and hot would be the understatement of the year.    This is not a book that you read in the living room with the family all around.  They'll start asking questions about why you're blushing and sweating.  This is a book that requires privacy for reading.

True Love West by Claire Charlins

Grade: D+
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Historical
Series: Mail Order Romance #5

Published: 11/14/13

Reviewed by Kate

147 pages

Sarah feels lonely and ignored at home, all the attention is turned toward her older sister.  Add that to the fact that there's a shortage of men in the area and Sarah sees a bleak future stretching out before her.  When her sister suggests becoming a mail order bride, Sarah hesitantly agrees to look at some of the adds.  And then she reads Charlie's letter and knows that he's the one.  He feels lonely and invisible as well.  Sarah boards a train, anxious to meet Charlie.  When she arrives she discovers that Charlie has kept a secret-he has an infant daughter.  How can she marry a man who has lied to her?

I love, love, love a mail order bride romance.  From my first, Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke, right through my more recent reads like the erotic Bride Train series by Reece Butler. I just can't seem to get enough.  That being said...

This one was filled with tons and tons of emotional drama for Sarah.  Seriously.  She spent days agonizing over whether or not she could marry Charlie after he had lied to her, while we, the reader, could tell the decision had already been made.

What I typically like in a mail order read is watching as the hero and heroine become acquainted and figure out how they'll fit into each other's lives.  Sadly, there was none of that in this book.  Charlie was practically a saint, other than his one lie.  There seemed to be no adjustment at all for either of them.  It was all about Sarah having to make her decision.

The sex in this book barely warrants mentioning.  If Lauara Ingalls Wilder had written an erotic romance, I think the sex scenes would have read similar to this one. In fact, the writing style, in general, reminded me of the Little House books.

If you're like me, and enjoy mail order bride stories, you may like this one.  Just prepare yourself for lots of drama and rather dull sex.  

Just One Thing by Holly Jacobs

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Ember
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary

Published: 6/10/14

Reviewed by Kate

198 pages

Lexie has had a terribly tough adult life.  Seriously.  A really hard life.  Just one thing after the other.  As she struggles to come back from the last thing, she starts walking to the local bar each Monday, just for one drink. She slowly starts talking to the bartender Sam.  Each week he asks her to tell him "just one thing" about herself.  Through these small confessions, Sam and Lexie slowly start a relationship and start to heal.

This one is hard for me to review because it wasn't an easy romance (and easy romances are the kind I like to read).  An easy romance where the hero and heroine meet and you know that it's going to be pretty easy going except for that one conflict that would be resolved in the last few chapters.  No.  This is a romance where you know instantly there is going to be drama.  And a lot of it.  And no shortage of tears.

This one centers around Lexie and as she slowly tells her "one things" to Sam you get to discover her journey to Sam.  And just like Sam, you discover it one thing at a time.  One tear-jerking thing at a time.  Sam has a past that slowly comes out as well, but honestly it's Lexie's story that overshadows everything.  Everything including the budding romance between Sam and Lexie.

It would be easy to say that I didn't like this one.  It would be easy and wrong.  This story sucked me in during the first chapter and wouldn't let me go until it was finished.  The "one things" are written in flashbacks and I knew every time I picked it up I was going to be crying, but I had to get the next piece of the puzzle that is Lexie.

If you like your romances carefree and lighthearted this probably isn't one for you, but if you like Danielle Steel or similar authors, give this one a try.

Why I Love Geeks by T.A. Chase

Grade: C
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m, police, nerd
Series: Why I Love... #1

Published: 3/6/11

Reviewed by Anne

140 ebook pages

I'm a sucker for nerd books, and the blurb for this one really sucked me in!  You've got Chuck, a homicide detective and technophobe who meets Herb, a talkative and super-smart scientist.  There's instant attraction but not much in common - that's a recipe for a good story as far as I'm concerned!  

Because I love the nerd trope so much, I'm willing to suspend a lot of disbelief.  Unfortunately, this story just pushed too far for me.  The set up was really awesome and I really enjoyed about the first half of the book.  Then it just got to be too much.  Little inconsistencies pulled me out of the story.  In one interaction Herb doesn't know what a prostate is, but in the next he's thinking about how much better that felt than what he'd read.  Another time he's not sure what the lab normally looks like, and a few pages later he's musing that the lab is kept compulsively clean.  Neither of those things is huge, but it was this kind of thing that kept pulling me out of the story - even though I didn't want it to!  So, while in the beginning I could roll my eyes and accept what was being worked on in the lab, by the end I was just frustrated by the concept.

Herb is funny, and his verbal diarrhea made me smile.  Chuck was a character I loved, too.  A tough guy with a sweet side.  Chuck's family was awesome!  I really wish I could have liked this one more.

Bad Boyfriend by K.A. Mitchell

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: Bad in Baltimore #2

Published: 12/6/11

Reviewed by Anne

157 pages

Quinn lived with his closeted boyfriend, Peter, for 10 years before Peter came home and dumped him - confessing to an affair with a woman who got pregnant and Peter was going to marry.  Peter is an asshole, and Quinn is shocked.  He'd given up so much to be with Peter, and Peter's acting like they'd just been friends with benefits all along.  

Fast forward nine months and Peter wants Quinn to be the godfather of his baby.  Quinn decides to bring a date to the baptism.  He doesn't need to be in the closet anymore, and what greater revenge could there be than bringing a date - and if he could be a bit flaming and in your face about his gay-ness?  Well, that would be great.

So Quinn goes boyfriend hunting at a gay dance club bar and finds Eli.  Eli is much younger than Quinn.  Young enough that Quinn asks for Eli's ID to make sure he's legal!  After years of living with Peter, Eli is refreshing!  He knows exactly what he likes and he's not ashamed of it.  And an older man like Quinn?  That's exactly what Eli likes.

There were so many things l loved about this book!  Both Eli and Quinn are working through things.  Interestingly, Eli initially writes off a relationship with Quinn because Eli feels like he has enough drama in his own life, and he knows Quinn has even more!  The contrast between an older man who is getting used to being more openly gay and a younger man who is very confident in who he is and what he wants was wonderful!

There is some "Daddy" play that squicks me out a bit, but overall the two are so sweet together and it clearly was a kink they both enjoyed, so it ultimately felt ok to me.   I also had some concerns about Eli's financial stability.  He and Quinn never fully address this, which surprised me.

There is so much good to mention, though! The book gets bonus points for me in addressing the fact that Quinn is older than Eli.  Quinn needs recovery time between episodes of sex and he's a little embarrassed by that.  It's never a problem for them - in fact it becomes a sexy thing for them, but it's there and it's mentioned and dealt with - honesty that i really appreciated!  Another positive is that Peter, while definitely the villain of this story, isn't just two dimensional. He's done some awful things, but he's pretty pitiable, too.  I loved Eli's friends (and I had to go read their story - Bad Company - yes, I read out of order!) and I liked the family Quinn made for himself.

I highly recommend this book and it's going on my best of the year list!  As I mentioned, I haven't read this series in order.  Bad Boyfriend stands alone very well, but I kind of wish I'd read Bad Company first, since it features several of the same characters.

Bad Company by K.A. Mitchell

Grade: B+

Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: Bad in Baltimore #1

Published: 6/7/11

Reviewed by Anne

154 pages

Kellan and Nate were best friends as boys... up until right before freshman year of high school, when Nate trusted Kellan enough to tell him he thought he was gay, only to have Nate turn around and help a group of boys bully him at school.  Then their fathers had a falling out at work, and Kellan's family is pretty much responsible for ruining Nate's life. 

It's been years since that happened, and Nate's now a successful newspaper editor and advice columnist, but Kellan is still a sore spot with him.  So he's shocked to the core when Kellan approaches him in a gay bar asking for his help getting back at Kellan's dad.  Kellan wants to make his dad think Kellan is gay, and having Nate be his boyfriend would make it even harder on Kellan's dad.  Kellan is quite an asshole, but he persuades Nate to play along, but then confuses them both with his curiosity about all things gay, his ever decreasing asshole-ish behavior, and the feelings he seems to be developing for Nate.

What a great read!  Right now I'm fairly new to m/m books and I've been working through recommendations others have made of really good books.  It's a great place to be, reading one good book after another!  Oddly, Bad Company was a book that had mixed reviews.  I'd read that book two in this series was incredibly good, but not so much this one.  So, I actually read the second book, Bad Boyfriend, first.  I really liked it, so I decided to read this one, too.  Maybe my low expectations helped, but I really enjoyed the story!

I loved it when Kellan and Nate worked through issues by Kellan composing oral letters to Nate's advise column persona.  It was so sweet!  Kellan and Nate were actually both assholes in their own way to each other, and that's what really created teh conflict in this story.  Their affection for each other was believable, though.  Kellan's questions and concerns about gay sex seemed realistic.  Watching him figure all of it out was pretty entertaining.

Eli was an interesting character - even though I'd already read his story in Bad Boyfriend.  The causal sexual affection he had for others was a new thing for me.  I'm not sure what to make of it, but it worked for Eli.

I highly recommend this book.  It's going on my best of the year list!  What older book do you really like and think everyone should read?

Edge of the Enforcer by Cherise Sinclair

Grade: A-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: High Kink
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM
Series: Mountain Masters/Dark Haven #4

Published: 5/13/14

Reviewed by Kate

304 pages

A while back (during book #3 My Liege of Dark Haven) Zander deVries won a Dom/sub game.  The prize was certain "favors" from Lindsey.  Lindsey is on the run.  She can't afford to fall in love with anyone.  deVries seems perfect, since he only has casual relationships.  But what's a sub who doesn't like pain to do when she falls for a sadist?

Lindsey, as a heroine, was sweet, caring, fiesty, and strong.  deVries, as a hero, was dark, brooding, dominating, and swoon-worthy. The two of them together was like stumbling across a rare jewel in a box of costume jewelry.  I was so immersed in the story that I forgot to take any notes while reading (almost unheard of for me).

This one had it all.  Low self esteem, supreme confidence, confusion, understanding, conclusion jumping, suspense, drama, great secondary characters...the list goes on and on.  And let's not forget chains and cuffs and collars and floggers and paddles and whips. As a bonus, we get to see some of our favorite characters from the past books in this series.

If you read BDSM romances and haven't tried one by Cherise Sinclair, you're truly missing out on a great author.  Cherise Sinclair is one of two authors whose books I pre-order.  I mark the release dates on my calendar.  If you've read Cherise Sinclair before, do you have any other BDSM authors you would recommend?

Dangerous Ground by Josh Lanyon

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m, mystery, suspense
Series: Dangerous Ground #1

Published: 4/22/2008

Reviewed by Anne

89 ebook pages

Taylor and Will are special agents for the Department of Diplomatic Security.  They've been together for three years.  They're great friends and are both out of the closet gay men, but not lovers.  That doesn't mean they don't have an attraction to each other, but they've never acted on it.  Still, things were thrown out of balance a few weeks ago when Taylor was shot.  He's almost ready to come back to work, but the strain between them is an issue.  They decide that a weekend camping together will give them time to work through things.  As if working around emotional shrapnel between the two of them isn't enough, they stumble across the remains of a plane used in a crime a few months ago.  Now there's a lot more on the line than just their friendship and work relationship.

I'm pretty picky when it comes to mysteries.  I really enjoy some authors, but find others to be way too intense for me, especially without the balance of a romance or HEA.  I do enjoy JD Robb, Julia Spencer-Fleming, and Josh Lanyon, though.  I've been slowly working my way through Lanyon's backlist.  That's what brought me to Dangerous Ground.  

Lanyon hasn't failed me yet, and this was no exception.  Will and Taylor are interesting and distinct characters.  I liked the way they were both caught off guard by their feelings for each other and it was interesting to watch how they handled them.  They have a banter and humor together that kept me smiling.  The suspense was realistic enough to keep me wondering how in the world they would work things out.

I'm glad I read it, and now I've got a new series to read!  That said, it didn't grab me and refuse to let go the way that the Adrien English series did.  Still, I look forward to the rest of Taylor and Will's stories.  How about you?  Do you read mysteries?  If so, do you have a favorite series?

Tigerland by Sean Kennedy

Grade: A

Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m, sports
Series: Tigers and Devils #2)

Published: 10/15/12

Reviewed by Anne

306 pages

I first read Tigers and Devils (the book before Tigerland) in December 2012.  It was a book I instantly LOVED and is an all time favorite read of mine.  When I read it, I immediately bought its sequel, Tigerland, but I couldn't bring myself to read it.  See, it's not a story about another couple, it's the same couple from Tigers and Devils, Simon and Declan.  I was so elated that Simon and Declan were finally happy together at the end of book one, that I just couldn't bring myself to read a sequel where they would surely face more challenges. I just really needed them to be happy together in my head for a while.

So, I got around to reading book two.  I did a reread of Tigers and Devils first, and that was no chore.  Still an incredible read!  I went right on to Tigerland, and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long.  If you haven't read Tigers and Devils, go read my review here: http://dirtygirlsgoodbooks.blogspot.com/2012/12/tigers-and-devils-by-sean-kennedy.html and then get the book and read it.  You must read it book one before continuing on to book two.  Honestly, Tigerland could probably stand on it's own, but it's so much more enjoyable having already met the characters, so don't deprive yourself!

OK, so, if you've already read Tigers and Devils, read on for my Tigerland review.  

It's few years after Tigers and Devils and Declan has retired from the AFL and is working as a commentator.  Simon is now working at a community TV station developing shows with LBGT content.  Life is good.  Then Greg Heyward, retires from the AFL and comes out of the closet.  He's Declan's ex, and he's decided to write a tell all book about his time in the AFL and, knowing it will sell books and win him time in the spotlight, his time with Declan.  Simon and Declan don't exactly agree on the best way to handle this news, but they stumble through together.

This was a non-stop read for me.  Well, ok, I had to stop, but I resented it!  I tore through it without really making any notes to write a review on, which is a good indication that it was a great read for me!  Declan and Simon are great together.  Declan is so down to earth and Simon is so dramatic.  They each need to deal with Heyward in their own way, and they support each other, but the friction it causes is stressful.

Fran and Roger are still on the scene and are now trying to become parents.  The opening scene in the book was so hilarious I made my husband read it.  Abe and Lisa are separated, and their relationship is another thread in this story.  Sean Kennedy's humor is solid throughout the book, but there's also the heartclenching sweetness that made me love Tigers and Devils.

I highly recommend this book - but read in order!

Let It Ride by L.C. Chase

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m, cowboy
Series: Pickup Men #2

Published: 5/26/14

Reviewed by Anne

195 pages

Bridge Sullivan wakes up one day after a scorching wet dream and thinks he just might be gay.  After a hilarious talk with his penis he's not really sure about being gay or bisexual, but he's quite sure he's Eric-sexual.  He's a pretty self-accepting kind of guy.  Not much bothers him.  So, once he figures out he's got a thing for Eric, he decides it's time to act on it.

Eric Palmer is a paramedic on the rodeo circuit that Bridge works.  He's openly gay and has become good friends with Bridge and his circle of buddies over the past year.  For the first time in a long time, he feels like he belongs.  He's surprised by the signals his straight friend is sending him, and even if they mean what he thinks they mean, he'd never do anything to screw up this group of friends he has.  Eric is very attracted to Bridge, but determined not to take any risks.  Bridge only scares him more when he tells Eric he's not looking for a one night stand - he wants a relationship. 

This was a nice story that worked best in the last quarter of the book.  The reasons behind Eric's hesitancy to allow himself to attach to Bridge are hinted at during most of the book, but not spelled out until near the end. Unfortunately, it wasn't until those reasons were made clear that I found them believable.  So the first part of the book suffered because Eric came off as over-reacting.  I do think my own history as a foster parent makes stories including foster care a harder sell for me.  

Overall, though, it was a good read and a pretty low conflict story, which I enjoy.  I loved the rodeo setting and camaraderie between Eric, Bridge, and their friends.  The fact that Eric refused to just throw a condom on the floor, and in fact turned getting a garbage can into a pretty hot scene earned the book bonus points from me!

This story is the second in this series, but it stood alone just fine for me.  I'd recommend it for any m/m reader who has love for cowboys and rodeos!

Naughty Bits Part II:The Training Session by Joey W. Hill

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Moderate Kink
Genre: Contemporary, BDSM
Series: Naughty Bits #2

Published: 5/20/14

Reviewed by Kate

119  pages

I have been not quite so patiently waiting for this one.  I fell  in love with Madison and Logan in Part I (the Lingerie Shop), and this was just what I wanted from the second installment.  Logan is training a sub for another Dom and asked Madison to help out.  She hesitantly agrees.  Hesitantly because this submission stuff is all new to her and she's not sure what will be expected of her.  While the book starts off with a steamy training session, it only gets hotter as the pages turn.

This is one that will make you cancel appointments so that you don't have to stop reading it. I love the relationship that is building between Madison and Logan.  My only complaint is that Part III is not available yet!

If you enjoy strong Doms helping someone explore submission for the first time, this series is for you.  Start with Part I: the Lingerie Shop.  You won't be able to stop with just Part I.  Soon you'll be anxiously awaiting the release of Part III with me.

A note:  this book contains a steamy hot scene between Logan, Madison, and another sub, although no intercourse is involved.

King's Throne by Bianca D'Arc

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Shifter
Series: String of Fate #2

Published: 5/5/14

Reviewed by Kate

232 pages

Mitch is a tiger shifter.  When he's injured in the line of duty, Gina steps in to help him heal.  Gina is a rare white tiger shifter, a princess who was raised in exhile.  The attraction is instant, but can a soldier ever be good enough for a princess?

Although I have not read the first book in this series, I had no problem following this story.  In fact reading this book makes me want to go back and read the first one (I've added it to my already too-big TBR list).  The relationship that builds between Mitch and Gina was beautiful to read. A relationship where they make each other stronger.

The perfect combination of romance, magic, politics, and purring.  This one was a page turner.  Bianca D'Arc is quickly becoming an author I have to read.  I only wish her back list wasn't so large already!

Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino

Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: Romancelandia #1

Published: 1/14/13

Reviewed by Anne

247 pages

I've been on an Anne Tenino kick, and this book was part of her backlist I'm working through.  I think her TAG books are my favorite (start with Frat Boy and Toppy) but Too Stupid to Live was very enjoyable!  The back cover blurb bothered me, though, because it was a bit misleading.  So I'm going to edit it as I think it should be here: 

Reformed rakes make the best husbands.

Sam is too tall, too skinny, too dorky, too gay, and has that unfortunate addiction to romance novels.   His One True Love is certainly still out there, and he knows what he's learned from his reading is going to help him identify that man.  He’s cultivated the necessary skills to see the highlander hiding inside the jeans clad player.

That's when he meets Ian.

Ian’s a new man. He’s pain-free, has escaped the job he hated and the family who stifled him, and is now—possibly—ready to dip his toe into the sea of relationships.  His history of hookups and hiding his sexuality is over.  He's not sure how to do it, but he's going to have a meaningful relationship and be honest and open about it.  If he can only find the words. 

That's when he meets Sam.

Sam’s convinced that Ian is no one’s Mr. Right. Ian’s sure that Sam isn’t his type. They can’t both be wrong . . . can they?

So, Sam and Ian meet each other and stumble into a relationship that plays out sweetly as they try to figure out themselves and each other.  Ian is actually seeing a therapist and trying to figure out how to have a real relationship.  Sam is trying to believe that he deserves a good man.  It's a pretty low conflict story, which I love.  Just these two men trying to sort themselves out.  It's very cute and funny, and the sex is very hot and steamy.  

When I was typing up this review I saw that there's a second book in the series listed as coming out later this year featuring secondary characters from this book.  I'm looking forward to it!  I should also mention that this book is linked to two short stories written by Anne Tenino,  Whitetail Rock and The Fix.  Sam was a secondary character in those books and Ian is a cousin to one of the main characters.  I don't think it's necessary to have read them before - but they are good stories.

Lumberjack in Love by Penny Watson

Note: the top cover is the latest cover for this book.  I feel like I should get bonus points for bravery for reading it when it had the original hand drawn cover!

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary
Series: Lumberjack in Love #1

Published: 9/7/12

Reviewed by Anne

114 pages

Ami is a city girl through and through.  She's visiting her sister in the boonies of Vermont while nursing a broken heart.  She was just dumped by her boyfriend, who she not realizes was a total loser.  Her sister sends her on an errand to deliver something (papers, I think) to Marcus, a very lumberjack looking man who is building a custom treehouse for Ami's niece.  They're each attracted to the other, but also very aware of how unsuited they are.  And very aware of how attracted to each other they are.  So a little fling couldn't hurt, right?

This was a quick and funny read.  It's full of lines like this one: "Was there a Mrs. Mountain Man in the picture, maybe sewing the checkerboard curtains and keeping his axe well oiled?"  I love this kind of humor, so the story flew by with me chuckling a lot.

The ending had me rolling my eyes a bit.  It annoys me when otherwise rational characters choose not to communicate and the main reason seems to be to set up conflict.  That was the case here.  Also, while I appreciated a discussion of birth control, neither character seemed concerned about STDs, which didn't seem responsible.

Still, it was cute and I enjoyed it and would try another story by this author.  I recommend it if jokes about wood still crack you up - I know they do for me!

Love, Hypothetically by Anne Tenino

Grade: C-

Hotness Level: Inferno

Kink Level: No Kink

Genre: Contemporary, m/m

Series: Theta Alpha Gamma #2

Published: 8/27/12

Reviewed by Anne

89 pages

Paul is a graduate student and tutor.  Trevor is a new coach at the same college, and he's got student athletes Paul will be working with.  Paul and Trevor have history.  And lots of baggage.  Horrible painful baggage. Trevor terribly wronged Paul nine years ago in high school, and he's hoping that now Paul will forgive him.  Paul's not sure he wants to forgive Trevor.  He might just want a little revenge.

This story was believable, but painful.  It doesn't have a lot of the humor I expect from Anne Tenino.  Or if it's there, I just don't remember it because of how sad the rest of it was.  I also think I had a hard time feeling like these two were going to be ok together.  Trevor was awful to Paul in the past.  Then Paul is awful to Trevor in the present.  That's a lot of awfulness to set aside.  In the same way that two wrongs don't make a right, two really emotionally painful experiences don't cancel each other out.

This story does get bonus points for a sex scene with a deflating erection.  It's not something you read of often in romance - every man seems to be some sort of super stud.  I appreciated that scene, and it was really well written.  Actually the whole story was well written, I just didn't enjoy it.

Frat Boy and Toppy by Anne Tenino

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: Theta Alpha Gamma #1

Published: 3/26/12

Reviewed by Anne

165 pages

I started this series in the middle, and after finishing the fifth story, Poster Boy, I decided it was time to go back and read the first couple I had missed.  I'm so glad I did - I loved this story.  It's a coming out and coming of age story with a lot of humor and sweetness.  The opening lines set the tone for the whole story:

One of Brad's frat brothers bent over naked in the locker room showers early one Thursday morning, and he thought, "I'd tap that."

He stood there frozen, skin stinging from the pelletized water, soap suds streaming down his chest while his world made a... What did they call that? Paradigm shift.

Dammit, dammit, dammit.  He'd been trying to avoid this.  Admitting it to himself.  Consciously.  His subconscious had been admitting it for a while in his sleep.  Emitting it.

Brad flicked another quick look at Collin.  Yeah, he still had a delectable ass.  Dammit.

Brad finally admits to himself that he's gay.  Now what?  Well, maybe he could catch the attention of his really hot TA Sebastian?  And what about his frat brothers?  And his family?  Brad tackles his problems with sweet and funny results.  Between all of that, he has some really hot sex with Sebastian.

It's a great story that I loved.  I did fine reading the series out of order, but this first book is actually one of the best of the series.  I highly recommend Frat Boy and Toppy, and really any book by Anne Tenino!

The Bottom Line by Sandy James

Grade: C
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Contemporary

Published: 5/6/14

Reviewed by Kate

336 pages

Contractor Ben needs another project, fast.  When high school teacher Mallory asks him to finish all the projects her ex-husband left behind, he's drawn to more than the money the project will bring.

This one pulled at my emotions a bit.  Mallory has been through a terrible year of life and is trying to bounce back.  Ben is trying to provide a stable home life for his daughter Amber.  The two of them fit together.  Yet they don't rush into things, which I appreciated.  I didn't care for the drawn out suspense of what had happened in the last year for Mallory.  It frustrated me, more than drawing me into the story.  And there was some mild kink that just didn't work in this one for me.  Other than that, this was a solid read.

I'm guessing this is the first book in a upcoming series.  I will read the second one when it comes out, because I'm predicting Beth's (Mallory's friend) Vegas vacation will turn out to have some unexpected consequences and I want to see if I'm right.

Abducted By A Prince by Olivia Drake

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Historical

Series: Cinderella Sisterhood #3

Published: 4/29/14

Reviewed by Kate

352 pages

Raised by a guardian who died shortly after he started at Eton, Damien's one clue to his parentage, a key, was stolen by Walt.  Now as an adult, Damien is desperate to find out who his parents were.  So he hatches a plan.  He will kidnap Walt's sister and hold her hostage until Walt delivers the key.  What could possible go wrong with that plan?  Except he accidentally kidnaps Walt's unwanted cousin instead.

Once I got past the fact that such a level headed man could come up with such a foolish scheme, this book worked for me on so many levels. A hint of fairy tale without being an outright retelling.  Deep characters.  An intriguing plot.  I couldn't stop turning pages. I'll be reading the first two books in this series soon.  If you like fairy tales and historical romances, give this one a try. 

This historical was has put me in the mood for more historical romance.  Do you have any recommendations?

It's Complicated by L.A. Witt

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m

Published: 4/28/14

Reviewed by Anne

201 pages

Brad and Jeff have a history of serially breaking up and getting back together.  The argue a lot, and their latest breakup left them in separate apartments, missing each other, but tired of fighting.  Brad works in retail and Jeff runs a business with his ex-wife, with whom he is on friendly terms with.  Brad and Jeff have decided to start over from scratch and try to make things work.  They really love each other, but are stuck in their bad habits, and trying to cope with Jeff's hectic work schedule.  This situation becomes even more difficult when Jeff's ex-wife ends up pregnant after a one-off night with Jeff that happened when Jeff and Brad were broken up.

I love a good marriage in trouble story, and this one fits the bill (despite the lack of marriage between Brad and Jeff).  One of the downsides of a marriage in trouble story is that it's a painful situation.  In this case, really all Brad and Jeff have is their love for each other.  Their pattern of behavior and their situation is just rough.

So, as expectied, this is a painful read.  It's also very good.  It comes across as a very realistic relationship, but that makes it harder to believe they do work things out.  They have so many problems, and while there's a fundamental change before the end of the story, I felt like it ended with so much more work for them to do.    The tone of the ending was happy and hopeful, but I felt like the skip ahead to the epilogue was both needed and a little too happy to believe.   It's probably my least favorite of the Tucker Springs series, but I still enjoyed it.

A Baby for Easter by Noelle Adams

Grade: B

Hotness Level: Spark
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary

Series: Willow Park #2
Published: 4/7/14

Reviewed by Kate

226 pages

Alice and Micah spent a summer together as camp counselors in high school, culminating in hand holding and a memorable kiss.  But while Alice hoped for some kind of commitment, Micah left for college where he became a bit of a wild man.  Now, years later Alice has returned home to Willow Park after two broken engagements. She's made a set of rules for herself, to keep her from falling for the wrong guy again. Tired of trying to live the playboy life, Micah has also returned home, hoping to live a life that makes him feel better about who he is. When a baby is dropped off and turns out to be his daughter, Micah turns to Alice for help.

Yes, this book includes religion.  Both Alice and Micah were raised in religious families.  Both are actively involved in their church.  But I wouldn't classify this as a Christian romance, it was more just a part of who Alice and Micah were, rather than being preachy. 

What this one was a gentle tale of two people striving to be better people and yet sometimes being their own worst enemies.  Alice is so caught up in her list of rules that she forgets to trust herself. Micah is so caught up in trying to overcome his past that he can't get out of his own head at times. Yet the story manages to be emotional and gripping, rather than whiny and annoying.  If fact, I was so involved in the story and characters that I didn't even realize that there wasn't any sex.  I perfer my romances to have some sex in them (this is the Dirty Girls' Good Books blog after all), but this one was great without it.

If you like small town contemporary romances, give this one a try.  Noelle Adams has a unique voice that I've enjoyed at every turn of the page. I look forward to investigating her backlist more.