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?

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?

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!

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!

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.

Mai Tai for Two by Delphine Dryden

Grade: C+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, COSMO Red Hot Reads

Published: 5/13/14

Reviewed by Anne

132 ebook pages

Julie and her "work husband" Alan both won a trip to Hawaii.  When the friend Julie brought with her starts flirting with Alan, Julie is jealous.  When Alan sees Julie talking with a local guy, he gets jealous.  They decide a vacation fling might be in order.  

This book was just ok for me.  It gets bonus points for some geek references and some funny jokes, but overall it was just ok.  Julie gets upset when Alan does something she asked him to do, and that's one of the mail conflicts in the book.  It made Julie seem immature to me.  Actually, the whole book just made me feel old.  So that's it, I'm throwing in the towel on COSMO Red Hot Reads.  I'm not the target audience.  And even when one of my favorite authors writes, it doesn't work for me.  (Well, ok, Lauren Dane worked just fine, but my odds are not good here.)

Double Feature: Whitetail Rock and The Fix by Anne Tenino

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

Published: 2011

Reviewed by Anne

73+27 ebook pages

*Note: I'm reviewing these two stories together because they are very closely linked and short!

Nik was adopted from India as in infant by his very white family.  He grew up in a very white town very conscious of his skin color. On top of everything else he's gay - just one more way to be different in his conservative home town.  Fortunately he's got a solid family who has always stood behind him and supported him.  It's when he's home from college visiting them that he meets Jurgen, who looks like someone Hitler would have drooled over and pushes all of Nik's buttons.  Unfortunately, those buttons are a mixed bag.  Nik is turned on by Jurgen, but also unwittingly reminded of some bad experiences in his past and people who were only interested in him because of his skin color.

Whitetail Rock is the story of how Nik and Jurgen meet and work through their issues.  The Fix is a very short update on them working through a new issue.  Both were good, hot reads.  Nik is very insecure, and Jurgen is more insightful than he looks.  I would have enjoyed these stories even if I'd paid for them, but it's an extra bonus that they're available for free!  And some of the characters apparently feature in the book Too Stupid To Live, which I *did* buy and am looking forward to reading!

The Kraken King Part II: The Kraken King and the Abominable Worm by Meljean Brook

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Ember
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Steampunk, Serial
Series: Iron Seas #4.2 (Part 2 of 8 parts for this story)

Published: 4/15/14

Reviewed by Anne

71 ebook pages

So, I'm still loving this story, and the serial format is still killing me!  This installment of the serial starts with another letter from Zenobia to her brother Archimedes.  This is a really clever way to trigger my awful memory and remind me what happened in the first installment. (Still, this is a serial, and MUST be read in order.)

This time Zenobia and her entourage set out over land with Ariq and his entourage.  They travel in mountain walkers which were fascinating to read about!  Zenobia and Ariq dance around their attraction to each other. Despite her decision not to have anything to do with him in Part I, she enjoys his continued pursuit.  Unfortunately this installment ends with yet another obstacle in their path.

I find it difficult to review this without giving away everything about it.  So I'll just say, if you can stand the serial format, I highly recommend this book!

Poster Boy by Anne Tenino

Grade: A
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: Theta Alpha Gamma #5

Published: 4/21/14

Reviewed by Anne

355 ebook pages

Jock (yes, that's his name) has recently transferred to Calapooya (college) after being horrifically outed as gay and kicked off the hockey team.  His big brother, Tank is a member of the Theta Alpha Gamma (TAG) fraternity and Jock becomes a member, too.  He's still feeling a lot of anger and shame about how things went down at his previous college, and he's also feeling a little lost about being openly gay.  However, he's looking forward to getting the hang of this hooking up thing now that he's not trying to hide anything.  That's easier in theory than it is in practice, and he's still not had that first encounter he's looking for.  So, seeing Toby, who is known for sleeping around, and ridiculously attractive to Jock seems like a situation meant to be.

For his part, Toby is surrounded by happily committed couples and is starting to think maybe it's time for him to look for something more permanent.  Jock pushes all the right buttons for him and he's hoping to actually get to know the guy before having sex.  However, when one thing leads to another, he's happy to proceed straight to sex with Jock.  This leaves his feelings pretty bruised, though,  when Jock thanks him for a great experience and walks out the door looking for other guys to hook up with.  Toby understands, but was hoping for more.  The two of them manage to avoid each other pretty well until circumstances push them together on a semester abroad in France, where Toby is basically an RA and Jock is one of the TAG students he's supervising.

I loved this book and I didn't want to put it down!  It's really funny, but the issues Jock is facing are real and given the weight they deserve.  Once I was done and thought about it, I realized there were things that should have bothered me, but really didn't. The biggest issue is that Jock is young - young enough to need a fake ID at a bar - and Toby is not.  Toby is a grad student working on his masters thesis.  Jock is also just barely out of the closet and Toby has been out for years.  It didn't bother me while I was reading it, though.  Other than his new sexual freedom, Jock comes off as pretty mature.  I also felt like the ending really addressed this age difference and resolved any issues I might have had.

Besides the humor, my favorite part of the book was how Jock and Toby actually talk to each other.  Their road isn't smooth, but they acknowledge hurting each other when it happens and they work to fix things together.  That was a joy to read.  Their relationship is sweet and hot, and the background of the hilariously immature TAG brothers kept me smiling and rolling my eyes through the whole book.  Seriously, it's hard to explain how funny this story is!  Beer terrorists.  Testicle poems.  Toby feeling like a babysitter for a bunch of fratbros.  A very unexpected May/December romance.  (Actually, that was more sweet than funny.)  I highly recommend this book, and it's going on my Best of 2014 list!

I can't wait for the next book in the series, and I'm hoping it will be about Turbo, one of the TAG brothers they are all sure is straight, but seemed a little confused to me.  Here's hoping for more TAG fun soon.  In the mean time I'm checking out Anne Tenino's backlist!

Once Upon A Billionaire by Jessica Clare

Grade: B-
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary

Series: Billionaire Boys Club #4)
Published: 4/15/14

Reviewed by Anne

248 pages

Griffin is not just a billionaire, but a member of the royal family in Monaco-like country in Europe.  He's pretty proud that he has just one staff member, but as it turns out he relies heavily on that assistant to do everything for him.  When this assistant is too sick to attend to him on a trip back to his home country, he finds himself desperate enough to accept his friend's offer of lending his assistant, Maylee to Griffin for the trip.

Maylee is a small town southern girl who still hasn't lost her accent or her Golly Gee! outlook on life.  As it turns out, though, she's an incredibly good assistant and Griffin comes to rely on her.  He's as rude as he is good-looking, though, so it's a good thing Maylee has a thick skin and is determined to complete this assignment for the money it will let her send home to her family.

My initial impression was that Griffin was an asshole.  Unfortunately that changed very little during the book.  Maylee walked the line of being TSTL.  Had she not been extremely competent, I wouldn't have been able to forgive her actions on the plane when she met Griffin for the first time.  As it turned out, Maylee saves this story.  She's aware that she's a little backwoods country girl, but she also knows what she's good at, and she knows that Griff needs her.   Griffin might be incredibly rude to her, but that doesn't make her feel bad about herself, and that was wonderful to read!

This would have been an A read, but the last few chapters of the book just felt really rushed to me.  I thought MayLee and Griffin had issues to talk through that couldn't be solved by grand guestures.  I cheered every time Maylee made a stand for herself, so I cringed a little bit when their problems resolved themselves the way they did when she returned to New York.

It especially bothers me that she ends up being completely dependent on him.  It bothers me because, while I'm convinced he loves her, I'm not convinced that he won't trample all over her feelings and keep thinking he's better than her.  They've got a lot to work through and it leaves me uncomfortable feeling like she's really stuck with him  - and she's given up trying to do anything independent.  (Yes, she mentions a business she'd like to start, but I find that improbable, because she's never mentioned it before this and has no business experience.

All that said, I know I'll keep reading Jessica Clare.  I adore her sense of humor!  Harry Potter references always win with me!  Maylee and Griffin do a pretty good job communicating with each other about sex, even if they don't talk enough about their relationship.  Jessica Clare has all the elements I like, even if this wasn't a favorite read for me.