A Good Bargain by DC Juris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
A Good Bargain is a hot short story with an overly idealistic ending. The premise is an older gay man recently divorced picks up a younger attractive man for an evening. Things naturally advance between the two and sparks fly. Following the sexy encounter the young man admits he actually knew the older man and a relationship is formed.
The past few weeks have been filled with a flurry of posts about many topics. There are the usual wanks that go around about this or that, the same topics brought relevant again since the topics and behaviors never really change. While that’s not a bad thing per se, what I noticed is the majority of posts are pretty negative. They focus on bad behavior, rants, and general disgust with the current state of things in the romance genre.
While I agree with many of the posts it occurred to me that these negative posts got a lot of attention. Recently on twitter a blogger commented that they try to focus on controversial topics to get a lot of attention and comments. 
On the one hand I get that but on the other comments are not what I personally strive for so I don’t judge the success or failure by comments. [Though I already talked about that]. But regardless I know there is a ton of pressure in the competitive blogsphere to write witty, amusing, and entertaining posts.
What I’ve found is that the easiest way to garner a lot of attention is to be negative. Point out all the crappy things about something/somewhere/someplace and a lot of people seem to agree and comment. Some recent posts have been critical and negative about the m/m genre and why it’s terrible. I don’t think the blog authors intend it that way but these posts come across very negative and critical. Typically these posts got a lot of comments.
So it is true? As blog readers are we addicted to negative posts? Do we love to talk about negative things more than the positive?
A few weeks ago Kris posted a fabulous piccie on her tumblr and I was curious about the artist. A little help from @rainonroof and @dalelazarovXXX and the artist was exposed to be Cris. If you haven’t poked through this artist’s website the you’re seriously missing out. She’s a fanartist and apparently has a comic though I haven’t found it yet. I love the artwork though. It’s gorgeous, colorful, and very very yummy. She does some great comic and super hero work (a weakness of mine). I highly recommend everyone go drool over her sites.
Dutch’s Boy by Xavier Axelson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I picked this wild west story due to the publisher, Seventh Window Publications, but sadly it didn’t that well for me. The setting seems to blend historical and contemporary times while offering a lot of sex scenes between metaphors about finding yourself. The message isn’t bad but it’s also obvious with easy resolutions everywhere. The initial concepts are intriguing but the writing is basic and the characters aren’t given enough depth and interest to really make this sing for me.
Death by Misfortune by A.M. Riley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
4.5 stars rounded up
Death by Misfortune is a whirlwind story from start to finish. I feel almost as if I sped read the novel with it’s frantic pace and engaging manner. I couldn’t get enough and this is easily a book I’ll read again and again. It’s not perfect once you stop and try to put the various pieces together but the excellent writing and complicated, flawed characters will suck you in from the start and never let go. The ending is very good even with no exuberant happy endings, there are beginnings and the complex characterizations leave you rooting and hoping things may work out. For fans and those new to this author, this is an excellent book you simply won’t want to miss.
One of the great things about two men is the inherent variety during sex. Now I know you’ll say the same is true of men and women together – and those with a great imagination, more power to you – but sexually or erotically speaking in fiction that imagination seems to be more evident in gay erotica.*
I love that the guys have all the standards options you see time and time again – hand, mouth, or ass – but then those often get employed in clever ways. Plus all the frottage! I truly didn’t know what I was missing ‘til the guys started rubbing all over each other. I don’t even need the greased oil image (actually no thanks). Two cocks together gives a perfect visual right there, thankyouverymuch.
I do love a good frott (frot?). Definitely something there isn’t enough of. I also like that sex seems to encompass so much more than just insert cock into ass, pump and cum. Sure those are the basics and who doesn’t love a great pump and dump scene.
But I love that the erotica often extends beyond just that. There are truly numerous different ways that show sex and the happy, necessary cum scene without just being penetration.
This isn’t even getting into the comic sex or intense sex, the fabulous kinky sex (hehe), and so on. The basics have plenty variety all on their own. I personally find the variety among the basics just as interesting, and sometimes more so, than the wild and kinky scenes. When an author can deliver the same details hand, mouth, ass but keeps it interesting, sign me up. I’ll even read it twice. Or maybe more but that’s private.
So what about you? Do you love variety in your fictional sex scenes or do you want the same 1,2,3 insert cock 2 pump chump?
*Yes this is a generalization and no doubt everyone has a ton of examples to the contrary. Just sayin’ in my experience the guy-guy smexin’ is more creative than the guy-chick fucking. That’s all.
Trifecta by Kate Sherwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Trifecta is a nice, sexy ménage that has some incredibly hot sex scenes and a pseudo believable relationship resolution. I didn’t really buy into it, nowhere near as much as the Dark Horse series by the same author. However those that like m/m/m romances should appreciate this offering, especially since there is an abundance of sex to help smooth over the rough parts. Those that are iffy on ménage may not appreciate this one since the main couple essential cheat on each other with the same young man before deciding to stay together and make a threesome.
Passing Time by Ash Penn
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Although Passing Time is definitely a romance, I found it rather depressing. The main character is well crafted and comes across as fully complex and deeply flawed. His struggle with letting his dead lover go takes up the majority of the story and focus. His sexual affair with a younger man is supposed to draw Louis back into the world of the living and it does to some extent. Unfortunately I found the ending to be pretty depressing and sad despite the slight sense of hope amid the realism.
Surprise sex, wha?
There are a lot of books out right now that have rape as an integral element to the story. Some are rape fantasy where the rape is violent and graphic. It may or may not lead anywhere, it could simply be to reinforce an alternate universe where these things happen frequently. It could also be a way to create tension and later resolution. Many have suggested it’s the hurt/comfort trope from fan fiction finding its way into books.
There are too many reasons to count for why authors include rape in books from literature to horror to romance. I think it’s up to an author to decide if the rape belongs in the book and then up to readers to decide if they agree and like it or hate it. Everyone has different tastes and fantasies and hot buttons so there’s no question rape in any form is bound to be a polarizing element in books.
What gets me though is the rather mild warning of “forced sex.” Now of course I know what this means but I wonder why publishers use a mild term when they are speaking of rape. Is rape such a horrible word that it’s ok to use the action in the book for dynamic effect but we can’t warn anyone about it?
In the gaming group I play with there was someone that hated the word rape. We of course used it all the time. “That boss raped us!” “That monster raped your ass.” “I got raped at the auction house.” In deference to the player’s feelings the guys started calling it “surprise sex.” The context didn’t change and the usage if anything went up, but somehow calling it by something else made the term less objectionable.
I think using the term “forced sex” is somehow less objectionable and less true. If the story is going to rape someone for whatever reason, I think the warning should say rape. Not forced sex. Rape. Call it what it is.
Kris over at Kris ‘n’ Gay Good Books is doing a series of posts on ratings on Goodreads. She’s slightly obsessed with the topic of how people rate and why they do it, if 1/2 stars are essential, if they ever change their mind, how those ratings are used, and oh yes.. there is more! She recently did a post on which reviewers are helpful to readers.
Thankfully this is not a high school popularity contest but instead has actually given me at least two new reviewers to look for/at. It’s nice to see the range and breadth offered by commenters. I encourage everyone to go check out the post, especially the comments, and see if there are a few new reviewers to add to your watch list.
However since Kris said such nice things about me (and I swear I didn’t even bribe her with my first born – which she wouldn’t want anyway – or my yaoi collection – since she no doubt has better) here’s a cookie for you Kris and for everyone on hump day…
three am 