Month: July 2011

Heart Thief – Claire Thompson

Author: Claire Thompson
Publisher: Romance Unbound Publishing
Page Count (ePub): 144
Published: 2011
Rainbow eBooks: $4.76

The heat started right from the start and was very intriguing. A very powerful, wealthy and aggressive Dom going after a hot security guard, a cowboy to boot! As they explored their relationship, their interactions started off sizzling, until their dynamic shifted. Or rather, Luke (the cowboy) finally realizes that their dynamic is not based on love, but something else.

The heat between Griffin and Luke was immediate and intense – I couldn’t put the book down. However, when things shifted for Luke, it was a bit hard to continue reading. The whole “safe, sane and consensual” mantra was, well… missing. I tend to fight it hard to relate as soon as that boundary is crossed. I struggled to continue with the story as it was not clear where it was going. But I kept on, and it was definitely worth it! When Luke figures out what he is really looking for and what a D/s relationship should be about, the results were very enticing.

For the most part, the sex was hot with a good dose of D/s – including some bondage and the somewhat less explored/written about, needle play (I could have done without that, but it was done tastefully). There was a lot of sex, so probably not for someone who likes their plots interrupted or furthered by sexual interactions, and not for the new D/s or m/m reader – there were key missing elements from their D/s play mainly the “safe, sane and consensual” part, along with missing safe words and trust.

Out of four…
Overall Read: ♥♥♥
Sex Heat: ♥♥♥
Plot: ♥♥

I’d recommend this book to those who love a good cowboy story in Texas; hot sex with a new-age feel to a D/s relationship; and most importantly, someone who is committed to reading through the rough parts to get to the goodies awaiting the other side!

Khyber Run – Amber Green

Author: Amber Green
Publisher:  Loose Id, LLC
Word Count: 62,023
Published: 2011
Fictionwise: $5.94

The name of this book intrigued me – mostly because I had no idea what it meant. This story is set in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the middle of the current war. The beginning was a bit confusing as you are unsure not only where the character is, but also what all of the nicknames mean – both are settled somewhat, but I found that the confusion of location was constant throughout. I had to refer back a few pages every now and then to confirm where they were.

This was an intense read, but not because of the sex or interaction between the apparent love interest. In fact, there was no sex until page 105 (other than a random quickie around page 60 or so) – consider yourself forewarned. This is a war story, plain and simple. The main character is searching to find his place in the war as a Pakistani in the U.S. military – on a mission to avenge his fallen brother. The sex was rough and about circumstance, not feeling, lust or love – and it was rough, although it only occurred twice (maybe three times) during the entire book. I wish that there was more of a connection or character development here, as I usually love military men stories.

Out of four…
Overall Read: ♥♥
Sex Heat: ♥
Plot: ♥

Read this book if you are interested in learning about a different perspective of the war and enjoy reading about rough, meaningless sex – although you will be waiting awhile for it to happen!

I Kissed a Boy – Addison Avery

Author: Addison Avery
Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press
Word Count: 86,849
Published: 2010
Fictionwise: $6.00

It’s never a good thing when you finish a book and still can’t figure out where the title came from. But to be honest, that was the least of the issues for this story. Luckily, for my taste at least, neither of them were boys in this tale, but instead, they were child-hood friends who finally decided, somewhat randomly?, to take it a step further. The beginning was promising – one of them was coming home to finally take action on their desires. But after things became blurred during their first encounter, the tale just got strange.

Paul, the person who lived in Los Angeles, had some secrets – big ones, that only came to light when Adam moved to LA with Paul as a snap decision, fearful that he’d lose Paul forever – mind you, this was still during their initial encounter. Anyway, what unfolds was so jumpy, unrealistic, and quite frankly, WEIRD, that I’m still not really sure what happened. Think: a random love square (four people, like that play), but I am not sure whom loves who and all of the details.

The focus here was clearly creating as much hot steamy sex scenes as possible – m/f, m/m, m/m/m. The sex itself could probably have been hot since it took up most of the book, but it was so unclear what the relationships were, that the sex became distracting. In the end, I was rolling my eyes quite a bit, and finally, relieved when it was over.

Out of four…
Overall Read: ♥
Sex Heat: ♥♥
Plot: ♥

I would not recommend this to anyone. It was way too confusing, even if all you want is hot sex. There were too many partners without any clearly defined roles, and then very end (last five pages), was SO ridiculous, that even if the rest of the book was ok, it destroyed any redeeming qualities.

Reverb – Jet Mykles

Author: Jet Mykles
Publisher: MLR Press
Word Count: 86,849
Published: 2011
Fictionwise: $6.99

Before I even start, I must confess that I enjoyed Mykles’ first “band” series (Heaven) – although after the first two, they did seem to be repeating the same themes. That being said, I was excited and a bit weary before reading this one – and I had no reason to worry! This felt like an entirely different story and I was glad that Mykles was able to add new life into this setting. Be forewarned, the story isn’t as straightforward as it appears to be in the beginning few pages – there are some interesting twists and turns (ok, really only one, but still).

As in typical Mykles style, the sex is very… tame and vanilla. The characters are well-written and go through surface transformations; there was room for additional growth, but overall you were able to connect with both characters and laugh and cry, depending on the situation. The strength in this story is the setting (who doesn’t love the fantasy of being with the band?) and the plot. While I was definitely engaged in the characters and excited to see where they went and what happened, they weren’t standouts per se. I’m curious if this will become another series and if so, who will be the next character – I sure hope it’s the manager, not other members of the band…

Out of four…
Overall Read: ♥♥♥
Sex Heat: ♥
Plot: ♥♥♥

I think I may have lost my edge if I’m leaving this as an overall three, but it was an entertaining read and a nice rocker love story (even if the sex was tame). This is a great read for beginners, fans of rock gods, and anyone who’s looking for some light m/m romance entertainment.

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Amanda Steiger – Feet of Clay

Author: Amanda Steiger
Publisher: Torquere Press
 Word Count: 28,950
Published: 2011
Fictionwise: $3.99

This was a very short read – about 64 pages or so, and I was wishing that it was longer. Steiger wrote a beautiful story with all of the necessary elements, jammed into a short read. The characters were both complicated and relate-able, even if the circumstances were a bit unrealistic. As you read it, you’re not stumbling over sex or the relationship like so many short stories tend to do – the relationship develops with time, and happens only when forced.

The prose was well written and somewhat inspiring for anyone who fancies themselves as a writer. This was what kept you wanting more. Which is why I wanted this story to be full-length – I want to know how both of the characters developed, a bit more of each back-story, and how they would overcome everything together going forward. While none of those items were addressed in this read, the fact that there is so much more to explore and I STILL enjoyed it, is a feat in itself.

This is a m/m romance – Steiger plays a little with the thought or notion of Dominance/submission, but it’s not fully played out, nor would it be considered D/s (yet – maybe book two?) for those within the lifestyle. The sex, once it happens later in the read, is hot, but the heat comes from their connection, not the graphic details – which is always a nice change of pace.

Out of four…
Overall Read: ♥♥♥
Sex Heat: ♥♥
Plot: ♥♥♥

I would recommend this for anyone looking for a one-sitting read and enjoy every minute of it. Also, great inspirational words are written into the plot for aspiring writers (I’m going to keep this one on my eBook reader in case I need a jolt). Very tame sex, when put in perspective, but a great starter book for anyone interested in the genre without wanting to commit to a full-length novel.

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Laura Antoniou – Musclebound

Author: Laura Antoniou
Publisher: Renaissance E Books
 Word Count: 49,899
Published: 2011
Fictionwise: $5.99

I finished this book a day or two ago, and literally was FUMING throughout – so much so, that I made myself take a cooling off day before writing this review. That being said, I did force myself to finish it to try and figure out the point of the book. Before getting into the review itself, I have to say that I am floored that anyone would dare publish this book – yes, I firmly believe in freedom of speech, but this tale of sexual abuse without conscience (among many other missing pieces), is what perpetuates stereotypes and damages progress. Just saying.

This story was only about sex (sorry, ABUSE) – the plot was not developed, nor was there depth in the characters – which was surprising, as at the beginning, you could see some depth trying to be painted. Unfortunately, that’s where the development ended – and in fact, the character that was discussed, did not end up “coming to life.” There were brief flashes of a consensual relationship between two characters, but even that was peppered with abuse. The characters were not relate-able, the setting was not appeasing, and there was nothing to really grab onto (unless, of course, you enjoy reading about long-ongoing abuse…).

Out of four…
Overall Read: ♥ (zeroes if I could)
Sex Heat: ♥
Plot: ♥

I do not recommend this read for… ANYONE. And furthermore, I will never be purchasing another eBook from this publisher.