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.
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.
Morning Report by Sue Brown
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Morning Report has all the elements of a satisfying romance yet lacks the execution to pull it off. The plot isn’t original but the bigger problem is that it never really goes anywhere. The numerous sex scenes make this feel like erotica despite the attempt at a complicated, angst heavy plot. In the end this is an ok attempt at romance but definitely not one I’d recommend. Continue reading
Totally Captivated: Volume 1 by Hajin Yoo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I got this one because of the gorgeous cover art and I have a weakness for mob related yaoi. Since this is pretty popular, there are a ton of stories to choose from. Totally Captivated deals with Ewon, a young twink that gets hijacked into the mob by his ex-boyfriend. Ewon then deals with the daily struggles of being the low man on the mob totem pole while his ex-bf is sleeping with the mob boss; a boss who of course wants Ewon’s ass.
Forces of Nature by Lily Grace
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
While I found An Angel for Christmas to be utterly delightful, Forces of Nature feels very meh to me. The story is decent and gives a happy ending to some friends secretly in love with each other but I sadly got bored with the couple right before they had sex and even good gay loving couldn’t re-engage my interest. The writing is decent, though I think Grace has gotten better, and this is likely to appeal to those who love the friends turned lovers theme.
Permanent Ink by Jaime Samms
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This short story plays off a minor character from “Goodbye Scrooge.” You don’t need to read the previous book at all as there is little to no cross over. Instead this new story focuses on giving a happy ending to an odd couple. The writing is decent and the story has all the right elements: complex characters, minor tension, a graphic sex scene, supporting friends, and so on but it never came together for me. Instead I finished the story glad it was over and not particularly caring for the main couple. I actually liked the m/f couple better. Continue reading
The Boy Next Door by Kate McMurray
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The Boy Next Door is a cute premise that just didn’t capture my attention. The characters have some good depth and the writing is perfunctory. There are several themes that are likely to appeal to fans and some nice use of tension. The conflict is kept real and believable throughout the story, so much so I didn’t actually buy into the happy ending and resolution. Unfortunately there are many issues left hanging as well with the hope that together the two men can get through them. Unfortunately I don’t really believe they will so that combined with a few other issues just killed my enjoyment. Continue reading
Obscurati by Wynn Wagner
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
While I quite enjoyed Vamp Camp #1, the sequel didn’t have the same entertainment factor for me. The characters are amusing with the same dry wit and tendency to tell the reader the story but unfortunately the plot meanders back and forth with no real tension and no strong purpose. Instead this feels like a bunch of scenes thrown together with the right elements: sex, romance, blood, vampires, wealth, power, fights, secret councils, and even death of major characters but it doesn’t come together in a cohesive, interesting narrative. Continue reading
Pleasures with Rough Strife by J.L. Merrow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I tend to like Merrow’s contemporary work best for the great comic timing and wit. Pleasures with Rough Strife is a historical Christmas themed story that’s decent but not enough to hold my interest unfortunately. One of the two narrators has a nice accent that grabbed my attention but overall neither character really came alive for me.
Shattered Dreams by Mychael Black
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Kulisael, also known as Li, is a demon in this sci-fi world going against taboos in having a human as a lover, Cody. However, Li has been keeping that detail about himself from Cody. The opening introduces us to Li and Cody, one year after Cody walked out on Li without an explanation. In that time, Li has been trying to understand why Cody left him just as Li was realizing the depths of his feelings for the human. Cody, for his part, has been out for vengeance, becoming a demon mercenary and killing the demons that attacked him and left him for dead.
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