Danvers was a successful lawyer who got a bit of a wake-up call when his thrill-seeking ex-best buddy and law partner died in a parachuting accident. Danvers was a successful lawyer who got a bit of a wake-up call when his thrill-seeking ex-best buddy and law partner died in a parachuting accident. They were ex-best friends in the sense that they’d been friends since childhood. But Danvers coming out as gay, and his law partner’s homophobic reaction ended their friendship and, to a large part, any professional partnership they had. As executor of his estate, Danvers discovers that his partner had a neurodivergent child whom he’d abandoned but for whom he’d left a trust. However, after meeting him, Danvers realizes that he may have found his perfect companion in Ethan.
This audiobook is rather brief, clocking in at just under four and a half hours, and is not intended to be a lengthy depiction of a relationship. In truth, it barely covers approximately a week’s worth of time. However, it does an amazing job of portraying what it could be like to start a daddy-boy relationship with someone who is neurodivergent. Some have unfairly criticized this story for its insta-love aspects. Both characters ARE decisive and both are used to taking action. Both are comfortably well off and at points in their lives where quick action doesn’t carry tremendous risk. To me the guys attractions to each other and the reasons behind them felt perfectly natural and credible.
In many respects, the two are made for each other, and the story swiftly becomes a fantasy come true. The story is portrayed from Danvers’ and Ethan’s perspectives. Both of the main characters having their own different speaking styles. In the audio-book version of this Michael Dean’s yoeman-like narration and voice acting make it a fun adventure.
Some readers have criticized how Ethan portrays neurodivergence. I gotta disagree. I’m a big admirer of the TV show Atypical, which stars Keir Gilchrest as a neurodivergent character. The similarities are obvious here. So are the distinctions that one might expect. After all, there is a reason that this is referred to as a spectrum.
It’s also kind of a light treatment of the whole daddy-boy scene focusing on the two’s vertical relations more than their playtime which is fine by me as that’s one kink that sometimes feels a bit silly to me.
There’s also been some criticism in reviews of how the neurodivergent character is portrayed. I believe both the author and the narrator did an excellent job. One tiny aspect that I did consider a bit off-putting was the way that chapter 2 starts with dialogue from Jordan, one of Ethan’s employees with a significant stutter. Jordan plays no real role in most of the story but, particularly as voiced by Michael Dean, does “get in the way” of us learning more about Ethan early on. Once introduced, I kept wondering if we’d ever get more details about this guy, and fearing it a bit as stutters CAN so easily be overdone in audio-books. Somewhat to my relief he never re-appears but I would be curious about his story and how he came to work with Ethan.
I tend to be drawn to any story where the main character sees the world differently than I do. Perhaps it’s because I see my own upbringing as happy but a bit boring in the way that only a late boomer white midwestern male might do. While that fostered a sense of entitlement in many of my contemporaries, in me it fostered a curiosity and a love of diversity. I’m always curious about new experiences, whether they be new foods, new cultures or new viewpoints and perspectives.
Michael Dean not only does a great job with the basic narration and the voice acting for the primary characters but gives voice to Ethan’s mother, one of Ethan’s friends, and one of Danvers’ friends and they’re all distinctive and “in character” whilst remaining innocuous enough to not detract from the story. Overall this is satisfying audio encounter.
I’d recommend this and will probably re-visit it from time to time. It’s a short work and doesn’t dig as deeply as I sometimes wish it had, so it’s probably not bound for my most frequent re-listen list. But it’s still a pleasurable trip.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
Fit horny athletes? Check. Sympathetic coaches? Check. Foiled lovers finally getting together? Check. This tale is a bit of fantasy fulfillment and prFit horny athletes? Check. Sympathetic coaches? Check. Foiled lovers finally getting together? Check. This tale is a bit of fantasy fulfillment and probably won’t be for everyone.
Cam is a closeted prince of the vault while Lucas, the first openly gay Team USA gymnast was given an ultimatum at the end of book 1. Drop Cam or lose all parental support.
Lucas chose wrong, broke Cam’s heart and it’s now 4 years later and they’re seeing each other again, this time in London.
The forced separation at the end of book one felt a bit unrealistic. I had trouble buying that an out Olympic athlete who medaled could be as much under his parent’s thumb as Lucas was at the end of book one. But that book really wasn’t about that as much as the team spirit and camaraderie of the team and the guys budding romance, so I was perhaps more forgiving than I should have been.
That said, it’s now four years later and while both guys have grown more skillful in their sport, they’ve not really progressed emotionally. Lucas has a strict female coach with explicit instructions to keep him away from Cam as much as possible. The fact that neither character has matured much and skipping ahead four years in time didn’t do this tale a lot of favors.
Once we get past the “sturm und drang” of that manufactured conflict and they guys re-unite, the tale once again gets to be an Olympic frolic; and this time the setting is London, one of my favorite cities.
Again this is told in a “he said/he said” manner with alternating chapters from the two main characters’ perspectives but with so many other male characters actively participating, the dialogue sections more than once get a bit confusing. More than once I found myself re-reading a section and still unable to determine who said what. This was also a problem in the first book but it seemed a bit worse here.
For some reason a “younger brother” character, Austen, caught my attention in book one and it was fun to see how he had “filled out” here in book 2. I’m guessing that book three will be set in San Francisco and be yet another four years in the future. While the boys are certainly worth reading about, I hope that the author gives them more scope to evolve in the next four year gap. While the sexcapades are fun, I’d like to see the characters grow beyond what some might say are still pretty two-dimensional characters.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
Take Franklin, one young man in Maine on the autism spectrum. Have him staying on his own for the first time while his parents vacation in Puerto RicoTake Franklin, one young man in Maine on the autism spectrum. Have him staying on his own for the first time while his parents vacation in Puerto Rico. Add another young man, Patrick, a red head who labels himself a “grey ace” (Demisexual/an asexual who’s able to enjoy sex when it’s someone he knows and trusts.) Make Patrick a bit locally notorious and the product of the foster care system. Bring the two together after a runaway killer virus pretty much ends civilization as we know it… You’d probably guess this is gonna get bleak.
You’d be wrong. This is (at least on some levels) a setup for an ideal romance. Patrick discovers Franklin still hanging out in the family home after three weeks. Franklin is afraid to go outside. But has basically exhausted all the foodstuffs the family had on hand. Patrick’s overjoyed to finally discover he’s not the last one on Earth.
The two join forces and camp in the abandoned local library. It provides all that knowledge, has no putrefying bodies and even has a small cabin with two bunks and running water in the back. Patrick is perhaps the perfect match for Franklin. He doesn’t really understand much about autism initially. But he cares enough to observe and learn.
When I first started this I wasn’t in the mood for anything dark. I immediately had to set it aside for a while. But once I re-started it, I was in a better state of mind. And, in many ways, this isn’t the depressing trek that I first expected. I’ve always had a soft spot for folks who see the world differently than I do, and boy do these guys qualify in that regard!
This post apocalyptic tale of m/m love involves a lot of aspects that never make it into the doom and gloom standards for this trope. It touches on aspects of autism and life after Armageddon. It even draws in Shaker beliefs and a surprisingly overabundant world following the rapid de-population of the planet.
The two do actually eventually encounter others. It’s even somewhat healing to see how the group go about recreating a society that has fallen. There are some romantic issues… Patrick is surprisingly horny once he’s gotten comfortable enough with someone to want sex. Franklin tends to fixate on labels as his way of understanding a world that’s often baffling to him. When he encounters all the variations of LGTQ+ et. al., he’s thrown for a loop.
In many ways this is a fantasy with optimal outcomes rather than the bleak speculative fiction I was expecting. As one might expect, the sex here mostly happens off page and is not at all graphic. The tale does cover some things (like a shut-down vs a melt-down) that I was expecting and some things I wasn’t (like a rather masculine woman blacksmith who gives Patrick and Franklin mixed signals.)
Once started, I was hooked. Though there were some troubling rumblings around the edges, this seemed like a pretty ideal outcome considering how things started. It did make me curious to see how things continue to develop and I’d love to see these same characters 5, 10, maybe even 20 years into this story.
There was another, earlier, book by this author (also set in Maine which seems to incorporate some of the same locales) But that sounds like it is set earlier than this one. Guess I’ll just have to check that one out as well.
This book certainly went in ways that I didn’t expect. In the opening scene we meet Will Fisher a British newly divorced single dad/ ex-pat returning This book certainly went in ways that I didn’t expect. In the opening scene we meet Will Fisher a British newly divorced single dad/ ex-pat returning to London after the woman he came to New York for follows her dreams to Hollywood. Will is sympathetically vulnerable and his six year old son is as charming as any munchkin of that age can be.
But then…
Next chapter we meet Niko Calus our Santa figure and are thrown into an odd Sillmarillion type world building chapter. Then we’re back into a contemporary office scene between Will and his abusive feminazi boss. The woman makes Dabney Coleman in 9 to 5 seem mild mannered. Then follows a scene in which our millennia old Santa figure develops an insta-lust crush on Will.
I love the father and son relationship between Will and his son Silas. I liked Will’s relationship with his parents and sister. I even loved the byplay between Nicko and his sister Esme. However too much of this novel felt like a tangled mess to me. Perhaps, Will’s familial back-story, his relationship with Silas’s mother, the Alvavale mythos, the story of Niko and his sister, and the story of a previously straight identified father of a six year old and his romance with Hot Santa were just too much for even a 300 page novel.
Also, several of the women here were almost entirely caricatures. I wondered more than once just how misogynistic the author might be. Silas’s mother is depicted as a thoughtless self-absorbed actress with no maternal instinct, and no redeeming qualities. Melody, Will’s putative boss was a walking worker harassment case. I tried to pass her off as just a failed attempt at humor. However, I found every scene she was in to be grating, and completely outside the tenor of the rest of the story.
Finally, while it makes no sense to argue believability in a Christmas story, A corporation owns less than a one third share of a family farm. Yet they dictate the terms under which that farm was run? Seemed ludicrous to me.
The mix of Christmas fantasy, Greek Myth, and Tolkein-esque tale felt odd and wasn’t at all suggested in the book blurb. Not even the non-binary Atropos was hinted at. There’s plenty of good stuff in this mixed-up stew of a book, but parts of it were just indigestible.
This tale just didn’t work for me. There may well be an audience for this story, but I feel that it needs serious editing & streamlining, a more revealing blurb/description, and a complete rethink as to what’s humorous.
Raised by Wolves? Not really, unless you consider the human variety. And I’m not talking shifters here so much as grifters.
Dennis Hascomb the one doinRaised by Wolves? Not really, unless you consider the human variety. And I’m not talking shifters here so much as grifters.
Dennis Hascomb the one doing the tackling here was something of a villain in the first book in this series. Here he’s one of the protagonists and his image is rehabilitated a bit in that we see the reasons behind the way he acted in the first book. Dennis was raised by an unloving pair of con artists. Yes, he was initially trying to “out” Will Ashford but that was at the direction of his abusive, unloving, parents. Now he’s being asked to pull the same sort of stuff on Raven Nez. But Raven is already out and proud and just spoiling to get out from under his father’s manipulative thumb.
Raven Nez, the titular “Tight End” is a student, a star tight end for the SCU football team, and (according to his domineering father) his tribe’s best hope for a bright future. Problem is Raven’s gay, or two-spirited as he likes to think of it, and he really wants to work with gay kids. He’s not interested in running an Indian Casino like his old man.
When I first read this back in 2016 this tale was a pleasant surprise. The author has good instincts as a story teller and there’s a real plot here that rises above the mere fantasy fulfillment/gay romance that I’d expected. Yes, there are some spicy sex scenes but they play a backseat role to an already compelling story. And while this is the third in a series that is football themed, most of the action here takes place off the field.
If you’re looking for just another m/m sex romp full of gay angst and coming-out drama, look elsewhere, but if a well told tale with two interesting main characters and a slightly more substantial plot sounds good, you could do worse than checking this one out.
As stated earlier, I read this when it first came out in 2016. I was particular interested in the intersection of football, an m/m romance, and a native American MC. On those levels it succeeds and was perhaps even better the second time around. This is one that I can see myself revisiting again from time to time, even if it lacks that unique epiphany yielding plot that makes it an unforgettable 5.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
This short tale of “businessman meets working boy” is noteworthy for its uncommon combination of fantasy fulfillment and verisimilitude. Kyle is the tThis short tale of “businessman meets working boy” is noteworthy for its uncommon combination of fantasy fulfillment and verisimilitude. Kyle is the thirty-something conventional white collar character that is entirely believable. I’ve never been as fond of classical music as Kyle is here, I’ve known plenty boys like Robbie. But I’ve never been so trusting as to leave one in my apartment while I went to work.
Ever since first encountering them back in the “bad ole days” (read that as the early 80s), I’ve been fascinated by “working boys”, though I’ve never had one accost me on my way into work. I could easily see myself doing exactly what Kyle does in this story, except that I’d never be as trusting as he is here.
Kyle’s attitude in the chapter “Betrayal” is one that I could completely identify with. Being used in some way is part of the equation in relationships of this sort, and while I’ve been used a time or two, I’ve never let myself be as vulnerable to it as Kyle was here. That Robbie was as sincere as he was here is part of what makes this a fantasy. Though, to be honest, I’ve encountered similar levels of momentary sincerity in lads like this.
Currently I’m reading another set of short novellas about "working boys" that just doesn’t ring as “true.” I’m wondering if part of the difference is that this one was penned by a male writer whilst the less believable set is penned by a woman.
The title of this comes from the Red Hot Chili Peppers song. In “Give it Away” there is a lyric that goes “Love is Free, love. Me say Hell yes!” Vinyl loving, Bach enamored, Kyle is introduced to the song thanks to younger, hipper, Robbie after inviting the young lad into his home. The song mentions kingpins and paupers and while I’d not consider Kyle any kind of kingpin, from the perspective of street-living Robbie, he might as well be. That and many other parallels may be found if one is familiar with the song.
At only 74 pages, this is a lightning quick read and is certainly worth the reading time.
At the beginning of this whimsical tale, Jordan Donovan has the holiday blues. After moving back to his old home town in order to care for his aging gAt the beginning of this whimsical tale, Jordan Donovan has the holiday blues. After moving back to his old home town in order to care for his aging grandmother, he's having to install her in a home because her Alzheimer's is too much for any one person to cope with.
He's now in a small town, at a job he despises because he left his real profession behind in the big city. He's also single and remembering how his "boyfriend" was a cheat. Now after dropping off granny, an auto accident when he swerves to avoid a deer adds insult to injury... or does it?
The next few pages are pure fantasy or maybe the imaginings of a concussed brain. But when things start to clear up and details from his dream state start to appear in his waking life, he follows through and begins to change fantasy to fulfillment.
This is just one schmaltz short of a Capra movie but at 67 pages is a quick enjoyable holiday read.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***...more
I volunteered to listen to this and review it with a profound sense of trepidation. While it’s been 20 years since the events of 9/11, I was worried tI volunteered to listen to this and review it with a profound sense of trepidation. While it’s been 20 years since the events of 9/11, I was worried that they might not be treated with the respect that they deserved. I lost friends and co-workers in the attacks. In fact, if I’d gone into work early that day, I’d not be here now. My office was on the 94th floor of Tower One. All my co-workers that had already gotten to work were lost.
That said, this book uses that event as just an opening event in a whimsical and telling tale about angels and saving lives. It isn’t disrespectful of what happened on that day. In fact, the tale revolves around an “Angel of Death” that is stripped of his wings for lowering the body-count that day. As a result of his punishment, the angel finds himself a homeless man on the streets of NYC. Now it’s a year after the fateful events and this tale revolves around the drag queen that took him in.
Doug is slightly overweight drag queen and hairdresser who takes in this fallen angel, calling him TAD. Though Tad is beautiful, he’s asexual. He has no sexual desire and doesn’t quite understand human desire.
While this is partly an allegory it is also a tale of humanity. With the advantage of being partly from the viewpoint of an innocent, unworldly outsider, one can see and say things about the human condition that we insiders seldom realize. Who better to explore what it means to be human than someone who never has been?
In spots this is a poignant portrait of man’s inhumanity to man. In others it’s a portrait on just one man’s life. They say that “Fate works in mysterious ways”, but when Fate asks for Doug’s help in this tale, one questions where it will all lead.
This tale out of time lacked some of the cohesiveness of more standard plot-lines. At points it’s confusing, and one feels like it should be better ordered. But then, that’s true of life as well.
This audiobook is narrated by Steve Connor in an upbeat manner that reveals his history as a children’s book narrator. The prose narrative is clear and well paced, and the different character voices are distinct without being over-done. Connor’s narration style wouldn’t work for every tale, but it’s perfect for this one. It adds emphasis to the “moral fable” aspects of the story. This Audio-book is outside the norm in a number of ways, and won’t be to all tastes.
I really enjoyed it, and I expect that those with a taste for things outside the norm will as well. It's one of those books that gives one a fresh perspective, and perhaps a deeper understanding of life.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
First let me make the disclaimer that I joined this series already in progress. I’ve not read Natural Twenty the first book in this series. To be fairFirst let me make the disclaimer that I joined this series already in progress. I’ve not read Natural Twenty the first book in this series. To be fair though, nothing in the book blurb suggested that it was required to enjoy the second book, and I’m pretty well still convinced that its not.
That said, this one initially felt a bit flat to me. As much as I loved the banter, and by-play, it felt a bit too sex-centric for me. The sex was very front-and-center and began as hate-sex but quickly went beyond that. OK, the fellatio amidst the flounces & furbelows was fun. But I found that the details of the two main characters lives, outside cos-play were much more interesting to me than their in costumed lives. Their insta-hatred was pretty much joined already in progress.
The “back seat author” in me feels compelled to say that this whole tale might have worked better for me if the backgrounds of the characters had been more fully developed early on. Edward in particular was hard for me to warm up to, but later, as we learn about his dysfunctional family, and why he is the way he is, he becomes a much more sympathetic character.
Izzy and Edward as a couple are fun to hear about. The scenes where the boys are out with their celebrity friends were some of the most interesting. I for one would be really interested in reading about how their buddies, actors Nate and Cayden had gotten together. Also there’s a laugh out loud moment when Edward quotes Elizabeth Bennett. It’s just the perfect “Edward” thing for him to do. Almost as good is his realization that they were really in love. “There was only the clear confidence that I’d found the man I wanted to annoy for the rest of my days.”
But this is supposed to be primarily an audio-book review…
Joel Leslie is a great narrator and his Aussie accents are second to none, but I felt he slipped a little bit in this one.
Chapters are narrated in the alternating viewpoints of his two main characters, staid and somewhat prissy Edward, and charming but earthier Izzy. For some reason the Edward voice seemed to keep intruding on the Izzy chapters. Perhaps I’m just used to more blue-collar Brits, but Edward’s voice (and attitude) were a bit grating at times.
The pacing overall was fine, the two main voices were very distinctive. They were clearly indicative of the characters they represented. The supporting character voices were good as well, but there wasn’t a lot of scope for their development here.
Having not read the text version of this tale, it’s only conjecture but I’d opine that the audio-book version is actually an improvement on the written word version. It was easy enough for me to listen through the less interesting bits where I might have set the text version aside prematurely.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
A six hour seduction? This tale of two workmates trapped together over Christmas seemed like the perfect holiday listen. That it was narrated by HamisA six hour seduction? This tale of two workmates trapped together over Christmas seemed like the perfect holiday listen. That it was narrated by Hamish Long, made it a must listen.
Patrick is about a decade older than his younger workmate Kyle. He’s been tasked with “mentoring” the charming younger man. Though he’s tried to remain properly professional, the young and out gay man, comfortable with his casual sexual liaisons, pushes all Patrick’s buttons. The younger man is clearly aware of his charms and loves winding the older guy up. And while Kyle is pretty sure that Patrick is gay as well, the two of them clearly have different ideas. Not only about work, and about personal boundaries (Kyle’s a bit of a compulsive organizer) but also about casual sex and how useful Grindr can be. While not exactly enemies, their mutual annoyance with each other is just the beginning. Combative chemistry often leads to the most passionate romances, and this one is no exception.
Being locked in a confined space with these two due to a snowstorm makes this a teasing tale that will have you as horny as the two participants. Poor Patrick tries to stay professional while Kyle does his bratty best to cause the man to combust. The spanking that he receives partway though is richly deserved, and clearly, completely enjoyable for all three of us. This had to be one of the most organic, best integrated, spanking scenes I’ve ever encountered. That, and the equally hot subsequent sex scene, just worked in a way few erotic scenes outside of “friction fiction” have ever worked for me.
The “stranded at Christmas” theme makes this one a cinch for a perennial Christmas favorite and is actually Jay’s “second swing” at the stranded in a cabin together theme. In 2015 there was “Cold Feet” in which Sam gets snowed in in a cabin in Wales with his straight crush Ryan. That one’s been on my “want to Read” list for years now. In this one we have the added appeal of the Christmas theme. The duo’s growing relationship with each other has a good complement in their improving relationship with the aged, and initially stand-offish, old-lady host.
Listening to Hamish Long reminds me of Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda. Remember how Kevin Kline’s character could be brought to an erotic frenzy by merely hearing Jamie Lee Curtis reciting nonsense? It’s probably a personal kink, but for this Yank, and admitted Anglophile, there is something about the “oh so British” way that Hamish says words like arse that just turns the titillation to ten. Hell, I’d get hard hearing him reading Ikea assembly instructions.
Mr. Long turns every text he reads into that smooth, “storyteller recounting a tale” pleasure with good timing and great vocal characterizations of pretty much all his characters. While the women’s dialogue doesn’t necessarily sound like women speaking, it certainly conveys the quality of a man recounting what a woman said. For all the character voices, Mr. Long captures a bit of the speaker’s personality as well as just the dialogue. This makes an already pleasurable tale just that little bit more delightful.
While I’m sure this would be a great Christmas read in its text form, I highly recommend the audio format. You’ll want to listen to this one every year around Christmas.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
I observed in book two of this series that the strong silent types, especially cowboys, often make the worst narrators. This book is a bit better in tI observed in book two of this series that the strong silent types, especially cowboys, often make the worst narrators. This book is a bit better in that regard as the chosen main character is not a cowboy but a veterinarian.
We're back in Sweetwater Oregon which is cowboy country. It's a small town and Nate left it long ago to become a vet and to experience being gay in a place that's more accepting than rural small-town Oregon. Problem is his mom's got some health issues, and his sis's husband passed and Nate's returning to take care of his family.
The problem is also Tucker Grace. Tucker was Nate's soulmate growing up. Tucker pretty much raised himself after his dad left - his mom turned to drugs and the wrong kind of boyfriends to ease her pain. As boys, Tucker and Nate were inseparable - until Nate's sexual attraction and Tucker's growing outbursts of rage split their friendship down the middle leaving both a little broken.
Nate's had gay sex but he's never had what he wanted. What he thought he wanted, when he thought about Tucker. Nate is now back and is more in control of his desires. He finds out that Tucker is still a bit of a loose cannon. But he is a bit calmer after getting involved with horse training. Trying “equine therapy” in an anger management camp he attended helped... a lot.
The two are now forced to deal with each other again,. partly by proximity and partly in that Nate is the vet to the ranch where Tucker is working. That, and by a troubled mustang that Tucker is trying to “gentle.”
I've often referred to cowboys as hard headed men, but it turns out that Tucker needed to be harder headed than he was. Part of his anger issues stem from an undiagnosed TBI (Traumatic Brian Injury) That the horse he was “gentling” had a similar condition was a nice (if somewhat sappy) touch
I liked this book and didn't miss the second POV as much as I did in the earlier books in this series. The POV we do get here is that of a more communicative individual. It was also nice to get some more background on Calvin Craig from book one. And seeing Calvin and Eli together was a treat.
This is perhaps the most credible gay-for-you tale I've read in a while, It's not so much that Tucker is bi-sexual, he's just pretty much Nate-sexual. The two grew so close as kids that nothing, not even his deep seated conviction that he's bad news and unworthy of anything with Nate, will keep them apart.
This is my favorite book of the series so far and if my “gaydar” is functional I'm guessing that there's romance ahead for Briar Phillips, the veterinary assistant that followed Nate to Sweetwater. Here's hoping.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
Ira Hughes, our main character here, is a 30 something man who grew up in rural upstate New York before leaving for college and the big city. Now his Ira Hughes, our main character here, is a 30 something man who grew up in rural upstate New York before leaving for college and the big city. Now his father is ill, and Ira returns, ostensibly to spend time with his father and his cold, undemonstrative mother. Ira’s parents have pretty much let Ira be his own man while away in the city, and apart from periodic visits, they’ve not kept him posted on what’s going on in their lives.
Other than his dad’s kidney disease problems, the main detail that they’ve omitted is that they sort of “adopted” Colton McCabe, the orphaned son of their best friends/next door neighbors, when the couple were killed while touring Europe.
Unknown to Ira’s parents, Colton was the bully that made Ira’s teen years miserable. Adding insult to injury, Colton came out to them as gay shortly after he lost his parents,. and Ira’s parents were supportive in a way that they never really got a chance to be for Ira.
I’m a sucker for coming home tales and for Christmas tales, and this is both. While this has a “Hallmark Movie” quality to it, it’s also bit more. The book focuses as much on Ira’s relationship with his undemonstrative mother, as on Ira’s relationship with his old nemesis.
His antipathy for her new “business partner” is explored and it’s the evolution of Ira's viewpoint that makes this one as enjoyable as it is. Though told strictly from Ira’s POV, we can quickly see that, in many ways, Ira is stuck in his old mind set, while Colton has grown up quite bit. That evolution in viewpoint, his relationship with his mother, and his growing realization that, in many ways, he’s a lot like her, made this more than just another traditional Christmas tale.
Rather than reading this one I listened to the audio-book version of this as narrated by John Steinkamp.
Steinkamp is more of a traditional narrator than many of the guys who are more “voice actors” than narrators these days, but once one grows accustomed to his style, he’s perfectly fine. He did sound a bit older than the Ira I envisioned in my head, but that dissonance was pretty minor overall.
Ira’s and Colton’s voices were distinctive enough to easily tell apart. (though Colton got precious little time to speak in this one) The voices of Ira’s mom and dad, and those of the shop clerks were all done well enough so as to fit in. There was none of the “man trying to do a woman’s voice” issues that so many voice actors fall into.
Given it’s theme and the general feel, I can see this one easily falling into my seasonal playlist of holiday tales to listen to whilst “doing Christmas things.”
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
My friend in the UP (Michigan’s upper peninsula) this week lamented that they got their first dusting of snowfall that stuck around into the next day.My friend in the UP (Michigan’s upper peninsula) this week lamented that they got their first dusting of snowfall that stuck around into the next day. With that in mind, I thought this was the perfect time to check out this book freebie. This book was Free on Amazon (and it's Kindle Lendable).
As a Michigan native, now living in Florida, I enjoy a few Christmas reads every year and this was the first for this year. The author Indra Vaughn is Belgian but spent seven years living in Michigan. Those years must have been a bit traumatic for her. As much as I despise Michigan winters, she makes the Michigan winters sound even worse. Greg is forever kvetching about how cold it is and he has to clear his driveway several times in a single week during this tale.
That said, if you’re in the mood for a romantic holiday read, this might be the ticket. Greg split with his boyfriend around Christmas time maybe this year that luck gets reversed. Snowblowers, secret santas, and some sexy bedroom time. What’s not to like?
This does feel like a full tale rather than just a teaser even though its under 200 pages. And you can’t beat the price....more
The first chapter of this tale is told as a flashback from the POV of Kylar. It dumps us directly in a story already in progress. Kylar starts this taThe first chapter of this tale is told as a flashback from the POV of Kylar. It dumps us directly in a story already in progress. Kylar starts this tale about as vulnerable as one can be. He’s naked in a shower, and apparently on the run from unspecified gunmen that are looking to kill him.
Kylar had been a foster kid. Sawyer and Jackson were older foster bothers to 14 year old Ky. That is right up until their foster mom “supplies” Ky to a pedophile cousin of hers (for a profit). Though the two older boys try to intervene and do to some extent they’re too late to save Ky from most of the trauma. Jackson gets severely injured (flat-lining at one point) and the boys get separated with Ky believing Jackson dead and Sawyer hating him.
The story jumps ahead a few years. Both Sawyer and Jackson have served in the military and been Special Forces and now work in a private security firm and we’re now looking at things from the POV of Sawyer. Not only is he a security force employee, but he has the special ability to feel danger toward those that are of concern to him. When he gets a flash of Kylar after two years of radio silence, he heads off to Oregon to find the young man and bring him back.
This tale is told in third person with alternating points of view by chapter. And at times the plot gets far-fetched. This is an M/M/M tale where the title character is gender fluid. Yet, he’s also the heir apparent to a New Jersey Mafia family. There is an awful lot going on here and a lot of discussion about it. The dangers were painted as being so significant that the somewhat lengthy sex scenes felt a bit like interruptions to the story.
That the author could maintain any sense of credulity with all these plot elements in play attests to her ability. In some ways this one touches all the bases. Fans of danger and crime centered stories will find it appealing. Those looking for a story with a realistically drawn gender fluid character will like it. Fans of sweet tough guys, and M/M/M couples will like it as well. There’s even a little something for those that like things a bit kinkier.
Given all that, I’d have rated the text version of this a strong 3 ½ and possibly a 4, but I’ve got mixed feelings about this one. There’s a lot of good stuff here, but then so many of the plot elements never really fulfilled their early promise.
To be honest I listened to the audio-book version of this rather than read the text version. And that may have (in this case) been problematic.
Tristan James does a barely adequate job with the narration here. The prose is clear and reasonably well paced. However, there are some rough spots where it’s clear that a another practice run through the material would have made the prose more fluid.
Often where one pauses matters. – There’s an old rhubarb that there’s a big difference in saying “A woman; without her, man is nothing.” and saying “A woman without her man, is nothing.”
That applies here. One example directly from the text “…while the dog’s mouth opened in, what could only be a huge grin” seemed stilted. Only after hearing it, does one realize that it should have been read “…while the dog’s mouth opened, in what could only be a huge grin.” The proper placement of these minor pauses make all the difference.
The first feels like someone reading to us, and the second, like a storyteller recounting a tale. Narrators are artists painting a picture with their words and sometimes the most minor mistake can effect the outcome.
This is a challenge that few narrators consistently get perfect. A few misses are always to be expected. But I would have expected that a veteran narrator like Tristan James could have pulled it off better than he did here. Perhaps with a bit more work…
Also, know that James is one of those narrators that leans toward being a narrator rather than a voice actor. His characters do sound different but their vocal qualities are almost always understated. So much so that it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s speaking. On the upside, he doesn’t try to emulate women’s voices (and miss) by adopting that falsetto that I find so annoying.
Here the lack of voice acting is not a show-stopper. Various chapters are presented from the viewpoints of Kylar, and Sawyer, and Jackson by turn. Each chapter is clearly labeled as to who is speaking. And yet, in the best audio books, the tale takes on another dimension when voiced by the right narrator. Here the overall effect is something of a wash, some aspects are better than they’d be in print, but almost as many are worse.
I’d rate the text of this tale a solid 3 ½ hearts. Unfortunately, the audio performance doesn’t elevate it into a 4 or higher as I’d initially hoped it might.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
I’ve always been a sucker for cowboy tales. I’m a sucker for coming home tales. I’m a sucker for tales with lots of personable, wholesome, likable peoI’ve always been a sucker for cowboy tales. I’m a sucker for coming home tales. I’m a sucker for tales with lots of personable, wholesome, likable people. This one hits the trifecta. Here we have Hugo, Texas born and bred, who fled his rural Texas town to avoid an untenable living situation with an abusive step-brother and to get some distance from his best friend's big brother who he’d made the mistake of kissing.
Brand, the big brother in question had been surprised by that kiss but unable to forget it. And though he’s since had sex with both men and women, somehow he still yearns for what he was too surprised and afraid of back in that barn years ago.
Coming back and helping his best friends ranch stay in business, means Hugo may get a chance to mend fences with his mom. If it means that he’ll be working for his former crush, well, maybe that’s to the good as well. He’s not the scared young kid he was when he left and maybe this time he’ll be better able to deal with it all.
This sweet, only slightly angsty tale has some great realistic depictions of what a gay man in rural Texas might feel, and the guys’ feelings for each other after years apart is fascinating. It also makes for some great fantasy fulfillment. Their prickly natures and careful renegotiation of their relationship is so much more interesting than all the insta-love prose so many of these types of stories are rife with.
This is the first in a new series but is actually a spin off of the earlier Clean Slate Ranch series by the same author. With six books in that series and another in this series already announced, it looks like I’ve got some reading to do.
For those who love audio-books or are on a budget, this is now available in audiobook form on HOOPLA
I’ve read a lot of books outside my norm this year. That included the normal number of wolf shifter and big cat shifter tales. There was even a Dino sI’ve read a lot of books outside my norm this year. That included the normal number of wolf shifter and big cat shifter tales. There was even a Dino shifter in there somewhere. When I saw the description for this one, I knew I had to read it for completeness. Besides, it would be fun. This little novella is set in the town of Fox Hollow, a shifter-friendly community in the Adirondacks.
One of our main characters is Milo a raccoon shifter. He drives a garbage truck for a living, but is really a “found objects” artist.
He’s crushing on Jack, a possum shifter. Jack works as a baker and is in turn, continually inventing new donut varieties as a means of courting Milo.
Both boys are orphans of a sort and without families. Neither is confident enough to “come out” to the other as to their unique species of shifter. Both sort of assume that the other is a shifter as well. Seems like most people in this town are. But neither is confident enough to admit that they’re not one of the sexier ‘apex predator” style shifters.
I knew from the outset that this would be sweet, if a bit offbeat. I also wondered just how many fun animal facts would make it into their shifter personas. I wasn’t disappointed on either front. This novella also gave me an excuse to resurrect my copies of The Beatles Rocky Raccoon and America’s Muskrat Love (to listen to as a background to my reading). I couldn’t think of an appropriate song featuring Possums, and Dame Edna was of no help whatsoever.
Strangely the boys' shifter personae are handled differently than in many shifter tales. It’s as if their inner animals are constantly weighing in. They have these inner monologues with their furry selves, even when the boys are in human form. It’s a quaint conceit and it’s charming in this context.
At only 59 pages this is a lightning fast read and as an M/M romance it has a guaranteed happy ending. Though there was that one awful moment when I thought it wouldn’t…
Of course, now I’m curious about the rest of the denizens of Fox Hollow. If you’d like a short quick read about some of the odder varieties of shifters, this would be a fun choice. But be forewarned, you’ll probably be as curious as me about the other inhabitants of Fox Hollow.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
When I lived in NYC, I had a (hyper-masculine?) ex-Navy buddy who was into, poker, pup play, and attending the opera in full leather. I met him througWhen I lived in NYC, I had a (hyper-masculine?) ex-Navy buddy who was into, poker, pup play, and attending the opera in full leather. I met him through poker nights, which I’ve always enjoyed, though I never fully understood the appeal of the latter two.
I’m a BIG fan of diversity. So, although I don’t “grok” it, I have always been curious to better understand why pup play might appeal to others. When I got the opportunity to review this, I figured it was just one step further; I’ve always been more of a dog person. I thought that reading about it might help me understand the scene better.
I suppose in some ways I do now understand it a bit more, but it’s still not something I’d be interested in participating in. That said, this is a fun story that really explores this area of kink. Given that it’s presented from the POV of a cat person, it does it in a charming, and at times funny, way.
Brad is a take-charge person, and a friendly good guy. When he gets involved in a recreational kickball team, he naturally becomes the player/coach. While it’s never really made clear how he makes his money, it’s clear that he works for himself, and has been moderately successful.
Harley works as an actuary and loves statistics more than people. If you’ll forgive the pun, not to be mean but his deviation is not at all standard. He likes kitten-play.
Brad’s personality seems to that of a “dog person” outgoing and easy going. He’s an adult who seems to like being a caretaker, as much as a friend and lover. He had a pup, for a time, but the pup abandoned him for another “master.” Now he’s looking to fill the void.
Harley is more of an introvert and (like a cat). He seems to barely tolerate most of those he must share the planet with. But it’s clear that Harley is lonely as well. If only he could find someone to share his life with that was at least tolerable.
That said, and given his perspective, Harley’s use of the word “Owner” seems a bit weird. I’ve always thought one might own a dog, but cats view their room-mates are barely acceptable help.
There was a laugh out loud moment there when Harley admits he got into the kink through “kitty porn.” There was also a LOL moment when Harley is presented with a large empty box. And before you ask... No the box didn't contain an even more expensive item meant for Harley to enjoy.
Christopher Solon does the narration here. Each chapter is from one of the main character’s points of view. Chris does very different voices for Harley and Brad, and both seem appropriate. This is a solo narration, audio-book. So, we don’t get the dissonance of hearing the same character voiced by two different narrators as often happens in dual-narration audio-books.
This book is certainly not for everyone. The pet play kink is central to the story, and the less curious may find this to just be silly. But others will disagree. The sex does pretty graphic. If you’ve been curious about this scene, I’d recommend this as it might be the ideal intro.
*** Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***
First off: This book blurb needs a warning. This book is a pleasure trip, but it ends in a cliff-hanger. If you read this, and enjoy it as much as I dFirst off: This book blurb needs a warning. This book is a pleasure trip, but it ends in a cliff-hanger. If you read this, and enjoy it as much as I did, you WILL need to read the second part of this duet. Apparently from other reviews that I’ve read, anyone who reads Ella Frank books “knows” to expect this. I didn’t. and a little warning would have been nice.
Jacob is the kind of guy to jump into situations head first with both feet. And if that imagery isn’t well thought out, that’s pretty much how Jacob rolls. His attitude is forever writing checks that his body has to cash. When he lusts after “Tall Dark and Powerful” but is assured that the man wouldn’t be interested in any “small fish” Jacob assumes his new boss’s name and persona. Never say No is just something Jacob naturally does. Of course that lie is found out almost immediately, and Jacob soon has two powerful men he’s somewhat indebted to.
With Marcus being the president of a major cable TV news network, there are bound to be some comparisons for me with Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom.” But tall, fit 40 something Marcus St. James is no Charlie Skinner. And unlike Charlie, Marcus is a buttoned-up “everything is in my control” kind of guy.
Seeing the brash, completely irrepressible Jacob beard Marcus, (his roommate’s boss’s boss), in his own newsroom and end up seducing him the first time they meet was fun. Marcus exacting “revenge” for the fact that Jacob lied to him that first night, made me wish he was punishing me. This book is basically a sex-filled joy-ride with two guys that can’t seem to keep their hands off each other.
The ending IS a total cliff hanger but that doesn’t really lessen the fun. This book is told with alternating chapters form Jacob’s and Marcus’s points of view. We’re not separated from the events by a “disembodied narrator”. Here we have these two guys, both likable, telling the story as they see it. It’s the perfect format for a dual narration audio-book.
And the narrators here, Tim Paige for Jacob and Aiden Snow for Marcus both do a stellar job. Their characters are spot on and the few supporting characters are ably done as well. Tim and Aiden are doing book two as well. Of course now I’ll need to grab the second book in the series. It starts distribution November 23rd.
Listened to courtesy of HOOPLA Check if your local library supports this great program
Loading...
