Beyond Reckless by Ava March
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As most have said this is a short, but smoking hot story. Ava March writes absolutely delicious regency romances and this short offering is no different. We’re introduced to Rhys, a young man on this 25th birthday about to come into a large inheritance. He has a thirst for adrenaline and risk, thus his sexual appetite. He meets his lover Martin for a quick, BDSM flavored tryst at a ball.
Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sometimes I believe the perfect combination is kinky sex and angsty men. Add in a cowboy theme and an intense, yet easy to read story and gay erotic romance fans are likely to devour this. Nowhere Ranch offers all these highlights and more, yet offsets this with a somewhat preachy anti-homophobic message and a very sweet, overly idealistic ending. The first half of the book is near pitch perfect with incredibly hot sex scenes and truly fascinating men. This tapers off towards the end with family drama, an overly manipulative female presence and a wrapped up ending but the attempt at such a complex story is still pretty successful. This is an easy story to recommend even considering the flaws.
I Once Had a Master by John Preston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I reviewed the uber popular Mr. Benson, I was struck by the author’s writing and voice more than anything. So my next foray is into I Once Had a Master, a collection of short stories set in the same bald BDSM world. This collection is a stunning glimpse into the author’s mind and personal life. The writing is unembellished and in some ways clinical yet there is a wealth of subtle emotion available to the right reader. The focus is graphic sex, the beginning of gay erotica genre and incredibly successful at that. However there is infinitely more to the stories as well. If nothing else, this collection is incredibly compelling and fascinating as it depicts a lifestyle that is still relevant decades later.
Putting Out Fires by Marie Sexton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Putting Out Fires is a short story featuring the main characters from Promises and cameos from those in A to Z. You definitely don’t need to read the prior books to understand and appreciate the story offered here but fans of the series will delight in revisiting favorite characters in a familiar setting. The typical guy behavior about the holiday offers some nice humor mixed with tons of romance. This is easily worth reading and I think will be a big hit with romance fans.
Waterways by Kyell Gold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the second book by Gold I’ve read and I think this author has a real knack for clever, interesting stories. The anthropomorphic world he creates is vibrant, engaging, and fresh even while at the heart the stories are simply about a boy meeting a boy and struggling to come out and mature. These young adult stories are warm and charming, even more so with the animal element. I’ve heard some readers say they’re put off by this very detail but I urge readers to take a chance, I think you’ll find this is as romantic and delightful as any contemporary ya m/m romance. Continue reading
Red Light by Thom Lane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Red Light is a sequel of sorts to Thom Lane’s White Flag. The characters are related in a general sense but you don’t need to read the previous book in order to appreciate this one. In fact they are so similar it’s probably best not to read them too close together. I didn’t mind the similarities since it’d been a while since I read White Flag and all the reasons I liked the previous book are here once again; the beautiful lyrical prose, the sense of ease, wonder, and vivid beauty of the setting and characters. This isn’t a heart stopping book, it’s a languid journey into love that’s satisfying for its ease and lightness than anything else. Continue reading
First Impressions by Josephine Myles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ll admit this short story had me at the opening line. “When ugly socks attract” just sounds fun and interesting. The story definitely lives up to that expectation with an entertaining and really enjoyable narrative. The short length is well used here to entice readers and leave them satisfied. As with any short I like I want more and that’s true here but I think the author does a really good job with this length and delivers a warm romance within the allotted pages. Definitely one to pick up for those that like short stories.
Read the whole review at Three Dollar Bill Reviews HERE!
Catalyst by S.L. Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Catalyst is a hardcore BDSM story filled with tension and emotion. The characters are flawed, human, and very complex. The BDSM kink featured – in this case blood play – is woven intricately into the story. It’s essential to the characters, their dynamic, their obsessions, and ultimately their failure or success as a couple. The complexity of the men is what elevates the story from being simply a heavy BDSM erotica into an angst filled emotional journey. The writing is somewhat languid but with each story I read by this duo it gets tighter and crisper. I personally like Catalyst more than anything I’ve read by these authors and easily recommend it to readers. Continue reading
Icarus volume 6: The Magazine of Gay Speculative Fiction by Steve Berman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fall 2010: Halloween is coming. Store shelves are filled with objets d’autumn and jack o’lanterns. The air is cooling and mornings are darker. Trees are stripping bare. There’s the rushing sound of fallen leaves swirling through deserted streets. Don’t be afraid to turn the pages that follow. We have a naughty infamous bogeyman, trips gone awry, Norse poems and boys that haunt in this issue of Icarus. So turn down all the lights but one.
Stories by Thomas Fuchs, Jeff Mann, Viet Dinh, Troy Carlyle, Kelly McQuain; interview with Robert Duncan.
To review is posted over at Three Dollar Bill Reviews HERE!
Title: Brady’s Choice
Author: Anne Brooke
Publisher: Amber Allure
Length: 20 pages
Buy the book: Publisher
Blurb:
Thirty-six-year-old potter Brady Treherne is shocked to come face-to-face with his ex-lover, Philip, during what appears to be a simple job interview. Philip was both the love of Brady’s life and the man who got away, and seeing him now catapults Brady into revisiting memories he’d hoped he’d left behind. […]
Read the review in full at Three Dollar Bill Reviews:
http://threedollarbillreviews.com/2011/02/08/bradys-choice-by-anne-brooke/
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