Wonderful story/short novella about a young guy who crushes on his older brother's gay best friend. The story has it all. Fantasy fulfillment, first lWonderful story/short novella about a young guy who crushes on his older brother's gay best friend. The story has it all. Fantasy fulfillment, first love, friendship, understanding and just enough sex to keep it exciting.
The characters felt well rounded and realistic. The plot developments felt organic and the story seemed to flow naturally carrying the enthralled reader along with it.
This is a fun, light hearted summer camp romance novella for the Clearasil set. Set in 2010 in what I'm beginning to think of as the post-gay era, theThis is a fun, light hearted summer camp romance novella for the Clearasil set. Set in 2010 in what I'm beginning to think of as the post-gay era, the fact that the happy go lucky, confident, 13 year old gay protagonist and his love interest are both boys is of smaller difficulty than the fact that our protagonist has another out gay boy as a rival.
This is a sweet fun-filled story of romantic rivalry set in the great outdoors. With mostly accepting councilors and campers, this is the kind of story that would have been pure fantasy when I was going to summer camp. In fact there WAS a fantasy or two... But, that's another story!
Mark does his usual great job of crafting likable characters and a realistic midwestern feel and attitude that as a born and raised Michigan boy I enjoy.
At a round 100 pages this is a fast read and would make a perfect beach read or guilty pleasure book for those times when lighter fare is in order. Yes, most of the main characters could reasonably be called twinkies but there is absolutely nothing wrong with indulging in snacks from time to time. (PG-13 Nothing more torrid than a few chaste kisses)
This short (27 page )novella is the story of two boys who grow up hating each other but in the summer before their first year of college, they find a This short (27 page )novella is the story of two boys who grow up hating each other but in the summer before their first year of college, they find a way to bridge that gap.
It's a sweet tale of antipathy turning to adoration and its a fast fun read. While not the epic quality of Jane Austen's tale of Lizzie and Darcy, we do get a better than average story here with just a bit of M/M erotica thrown in toward the end.
I'm sure that for many readers the wish-fulfillment will be reason enough to check this out. ...more
Another satisfactory installment in the Star Trek TNG saga. This one makes good use of Worf and to lesser degrees Dr. Pulaski and Geordi to tell a talAnother satisfactory installment in the Star Trek TNG saga. This one makes good use of Worf and to lesser degrees Dr. Pulaski and Geordi to tell a tale about a world that has devolved into a gladiator entertainment centered society.
The story does raise some interesting issues about what develops strength of character and how a society that is decimated by an alien conflict might be psychologically scarred for generations. It doesn't make much use of the Star Trek mythos other than borrowing a few of the main characters and a few of the precepts but there's nothing inherently wrong in that.
Perhaps not the best Star Trek novel but still a worthwhile read. ...more
Connor wakes up with no memory in a London hospital. He has no recollection of his former life or the young woman who claims to beFirst Love... Again!
Connor wakes up with no memory in a London hospital. He has no recollection of his former life or the young woman who claims to be his wife. Yet when he meets a young man, a fellow sufferer at an amnesiacs support group and feels an immediate attraction to the man, Connor wonders how a straight man can have those kinds of feelings.
As he begins to piece his life back together, Connor is confused. Why does what he's been told feel so unnatural and why does what he desires feel so right? And since he's entirely forgotten his past he's in-line for a whole new series of firsts... first kiss, first love, but first he must rediscover exactly who he is.
This compelling novel turns the all too familiar story of first love on it's head allowing us to see it from a new perspective. While this novel suffers from some of the ills of a self published novel, the clearly British setting (at least for this American) compensated for most of the awkwardness of the sometimes less than practiced prose. The characters are likeable and easily empathized with. They feel three-dimensional and the story is intriguing with the mystery elements compelling us forward. Moreover, the main character's flaws and how he feels about them adds a touch of realism that is often lacking in this type of story.
This novel does have its minor flaws but still makes for a great read and a unique story. It's one of the best self-published e-books I've discovered to date. I highly recommend it. ...more
This 41 page novella/short story is a wonderful example of what E-books should be. It's a romantic cross between a gay love story and erotica and it aThis 41 page novella/short story is a wonderful example of what E-books should be. It's a romantic cross between a gay love story and erotica and it adequately fulfills both goals.
There's a young player, a high school crush who's he's always lusted after and yet, our hero finds out that there's more fulfilling things in life than just satisfying one's lust.
The author Jay Bell is also the author of The Cat in the Cradle a more traditional fantasy/magic tale with a happy go lucky gay bent (and talking cats) which I loved but this little book is a gem.
Given that I got it for FREE on Amazon Kindle just makes it that much more of a pleasant surprise. Check it out. ...more
Just finished this short novella. It was a good read but it stopped short of being great. It seemed that it couldn't decide what kind of story it wantJust finished this short novella. It was a good read but it stopped short of being great. It seemed that it couldn't decide what kind of story it wanted to be. There was a HUGE amount of back story for an erotic novella. Plus most of that was told in flashback. This is particularly evident with the somewhat dense prose in the beginning when there are several ideas packed into each sentence.
Still, each of the brothers could have used a bit more character development and while the title hinged upon references to Wilde's play, the ties were tenuous and never really fully explored. Also, the most potent character in the tale seemed to be the wicked stepmother who we never actually met. It felt like the author had been developing a plot for a full length novel then abandoned the novel idea and decided to "dump" the ideas into a free story.
I think that all the elements for a compelling story were all here but that what we have so far isn't really it. However the author did seem to have a good hand with prose toward the end and some of the scenes were framed very compellingly.
For a free novella, it did serve its purpose on one level. I'm now curious about the author's other works and will most likely check out one or more of them. ...more
Though I've been familiar with the story for ages I'd never read the original until now.
The story is fantastic. It's engaging and an easy read despitThough I've been familiar with the story for ages I'd never read the original until now.
The story is fantastic. It's engaging and an easy read despite a number of terms that I'm still unfamiliar with. It's justifiably a classic. I was unaware of just how faithfully the old Alistair Simm movie was to the original until now as well. It puts me in the mood to see it again.
Of all Dickens's stories this one seems the most accesible. Well worth the reading time....more
This novella is one of the better free reads of this type that I've found on Amazon. There are a few typos but not as many as in others I've seen. TheThis novella is one of the better free reads of this type that I've found on Amazon. There are a few typos but not as many as in others I've seen. The prose is workmanlike if not inspired and the story moves along.
As with most erotica, this will never amount to great fiction but for "friction fiction" its not the worst I've seen. ...more
A worthy installment in the Star Trek TNG book series. This novel features an interesting storyline while capitalizing on the characters and mythos deA worthy installment in the Star Trek TNG book series. This novel features an interesting storyline while capitalizing on the characters and mythos developed around the Star Trek TNG series.
We get to again spend time with characters we enjoy and consider how the stage of development of a planet might affect its inhabitants. We also get to consider the roles of masks and identities and the roles that people are forced to play by society.
While I had some vague recollection that C.S. Lewis was known for some vague religious controversy, I didn't know anymore than that until I read this While I had some vague recollection that C.S. Lewis was known for some vague religious controversy, I didn't know anymore than that until I read this book and a few of the accompanying reviews on GoodReads.
I did pick up on the Aslan / Christ parallels but didn't really ponder them much while I was reading the story. In hindsight they're well done and not at all obtrusive while still discernible to the knowing mind.
One can read and appreciate this story on a simple children's adventure level without considering the deeper significance and it's still an engrossing story that kids will enjoy. The "stealth-Christian" message is certainly not going to do anyone any harm and may potentially do many impressionable minds a great deal of good.
Of course on further reflection, Aslan's sacrifice was not for everyone but only for the guilty. This aspect bears further consideration...
Much has been written by others that will be more meaningful than my ponderings but by all means, if you haven't gotten around to actually reading this one, it's worth the time. ...more
Surprisingly upbeat for a book set in the Great Depression and dealing with the subject of autism. From the first paragraphs I realized that this was Surprisingly upbeat for a book set in the Great Depression and dealing with the subject of autism. From the first paragraphs I realized that this was not the light-hearted, funny book that the title suggested. And yet it was a good wholesome read that left one feeling better rather than worse. This book walks the fine line between tense and funny and yet has heart. It should be a good recommendation for reluctant readers, particularly of the young male persuasion.
Told from a young man's perspective, it in some ways it reminded me of a Walton's episode. Nevertheless, it was a fast engaging read that I'm glad I experienced. It certainly is worthy of the Newbury Honor that it received. It's entertaining and yet one somehow finds toward the end that the author has slipped you a nutritious book as well as an entertaining one.
One wonders what Dickens would have thought of the way convicts were portrayed here. ...more
Zach's Lie is a story of a young man (a seventh grader) whose life is uprooted when his father is arrested and his family must enter the witness proteZach's Lie is a story of a young man (a seventh grader) whose life is uprooted when his father is arrested and his family must enter the witness protection program. He, his mother and his older sister are given new identities and a new life history as well as a new place to live. Such changes are challenging at best but when this happens to a young man at a point in his life when he's struggling to define and discover his real identity, it can be devastating.
This fast paced, generally upbeat, book reads like an adventure movie and is consistently interesting although like most stories along these lines, some of the coincidences are a bit far fetched.
Still this is an engaging and entertaining read. While aimed at young adults, there is very little in this book that makes it feel juvenile. It can be read by adults without feeling that they've gotten into kiddie territory.
I grew up in Michigan just slightly before the period depicted in this book. It's a pretty accurate portrait of the attitudes of small-town life in ruI grew up in Michigan just slightly before the period depicted in this book. It's a pretty accurate portrait of the attitudes of small-town life in rural Michigan.
It's very strange to be reminded of some of the Michigan things that this novels brings back to memory... Boyne Mountain, Lake Charlevoix, REO Speedwagon, etc.
Overall, it's a fast fun read if a bit confused as to whether it wants to be a gay romance/coming out story or an autobiography. The prose is effective if a bit under-polished at points and the story is moving if somewhat inexpertly told.
While this book shows many of the traits of self-published fiction and could have used a bit more polishing, it is FAR better than many of the other efforts that have made it into E-books.
Personally, I had some moments of discomfort with the dominance /submission themes in the story but they were truthful and felt honest, even if the characters I'd been building in my head were a bit different.
I do plan on reading the sequel but the urge to acquire it is not urgent at this point. As an aspiring writer myself, I AM curious as to how much the author developed before the second book and look forward to comparing the styles. ...more
Two men, one an architect, one a school teacher find their lives and their relationship of six years disrupted following a school shooting tragedy thaTwo men, one an architect, one a school teacher find their lives and their relationship of six years disrupted following a school shooting tragedy that casts one of them into the role of hero and both of them into roles that they are unprepared for. Any event like the one described here changes people but will the two people who are at the center of this story be able to change and yet maintain the kind of perfect relationship that they've crafted?
Remember your first full enjoyable beer? Not the sip of your aunt's that had you swearing you'd never touch the stuff again, ever. Not the last one you had after a long day outside in the sun. I mean your first full beer where you decided you actually enjoyed the complex combination of tastes and knew that you'd be ordering it again, not due to peer pressure but simply because you'd acquired an appreciation for the combination and the experience. In some ways this book had me recalling that experience. This book is an odd compounding of styles that I found enjoyable and sometimes a bit off-putting at the same time. The prose bits and the story that they told were good and could have almost carried a book on their own. The sex scenes were graphic and kinda hot in their own right as well, but this book is a combination and is for a more developed palate. It's an odd combination of the two that not everyone is going to be comfortable with at first. The sex scenes were as graphic as any I've ever read but while reading them my head was often too involved in the plot to ever get fully into the eroticism. The plot-line was compelling on its own but depended on the sex so much that without it the book would have felt incomplete. And yet my mind (and my sense of taste) hasn't gotten used to this combination yet.
I did enjoy the book and it was worth the reading time. But at times I wanted there to have been more character development and at times I wanted there to be a less compelling plot-line and more mindless copulation. Still while this mix wasn't something that I'm currently entirely comfortable with, it does seem like the kind of thing that I'll enjoy more as my mind acclimates.
Not every book will be to every taste but one should sample this one themselves before deciding one way or the other. The prose is well written and clear. And, it's head and shoulders above much of the self published dreck that's currently out there. By all means, check it out and decide for yourself....more
I somehow missed this when these novels were originally release but I went back and filled the gap. This one seemed to lack some of the appeal of the I somehow missed this when these novels were originally release but I went back and filled the gap. This one seemed to lack some of the appeal of the series with most of the action taking place on an ecologically challenged planet with two warring factions. It easily reached the level of good science fiction but didn't rise to the level of brilliant or even inspired.
None of the characters revealed any new quirks or traits and it presented no truly new ideas.
Still, the prose was workmanlike and it was a speedy read. I'm glad to have finally filled the gap....more
This M/M romance is half wish fulfilment half erotica and is a quick entertaining (if somewhat one handed) read. It avoids truly purple prose but tellThis M/M romance is half wish fulfilment half erotica and is a quick entertaining (if somewhat one handed) read. It avoids truly purple prose but tells of a pair of straight room mates who realize that their physical demonstrativeness is a symptom of a deeper attraction.
This is NOT great literature but its the kind of story I'd loved to have found 20 years ago. Even today it's a fast fun read. ...more
Just finished this chilling depiction of one girl's desolation and recovery following a shattering act of violence that she cannot bring herself to teJust finished this chilling depiction of one girl's desolation and recovery following a shattering act of violence that she cannot bring herself to tell anyone about.
While the reviews that I'd read disclosed the secret and I knew what to expect on one level, there were many more levels here than just that. This book is as much about healing and understanding as it is about the damage that was done.
While the writer in me wondered about the perpetrator and wanted more details about him, in some ways it was appropriate that he was so one dimensional.
This book addresses a real problem and it is one that should be better understood so for that reason alone the book is worth reading. I recommend it. ...more
Loading...
