2010-05-13

reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-05-13 09:00 am

Cattle Valley, Vol 8, by Carol Lynne

Recipe for Love (Cattle Valley 15) by Carol Lynne

This is probably one of the stories I was waiting most of all, I have a soft spot for girly looking guys, above all when it’s clear that, behind the fragile look, there is a strength that few men can demonstrate.

Jay is the favourite of all the inhabitants of Cattle Valley: he is young and innocent looking, and everyone wants to protect him. But no one wants to be his lover, maybe since they are scared to hurt him, or maybe since Jay is not exactly butch looking, and you need to like the waif style to like him; in few words, Jay is too pretty to be real, and this kept good men at distance; then, if a man gets close to him, he is often of the idea that he can control a fragile man like Jay.

There is one man who would like Jay not only as a pretty object to show off, but he is the Don Juan of Cattle Valley; Erico, the owner of the fanciest restaurant in town, is also quite famous to be always the buddy friend of every man but never the lover. At first Erico sees in Jay only a strangely attractive man, someone who is not his usual type; and then Erico can’t “use” Jay like he usually does with men, the townspeople are there looking at them and at once threatening Erico if he will hurt Jay, and then warning Jay against Erico. With this basis, nothing can really happen between them, and at the beginning of the book, Erico has lost hope.

And it’s at this point that Jay displays his real self: a librarian outside the bedroom, he is a slut inside, and he is also very horny and he needs a man. And Erico is there, willing to be that man, and scared enough by all their friends that for sure he will not dare to really hurt Jay; but a little bit of pain during sex is something not only Jay is willing to accept, but above all that he needs.

I was expecting for the drama to be on Jay’s side, given his past, and instead he comes out pretty much like a young and steady man, who perfectly knows what he wants in life and that is more than able to take care of himself; who instead needs help is Erico. This is an unexpected and nice turn that gives balance inside the couple, so much that, I realized or remembered only at the end of the book that Jay is way much younger than Erico, and that this was indeed a May / December relationship.

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=701

Amazon Kindle: Cattle Valley: Recipe for Love

Amazon: Cattle Valley Vol 8 (Volume 8)
Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing (May 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0857150693
ISBN-13: 978-0857150691

Series: Cattle Valley
1-2) Cattle Valley 1: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/211609.html
3-4) Cattle Valley 2: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/285655.html
5-6) Cattle Valley 3: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/326486.html
7-8) Cattle Valley 4: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/405427.html
9-10) Cattle Valley 5: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/528702.html
11-12) Cattle Valley 6: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/758931.html
13-14) Cattle Valley 7: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1003725.html
15-16) Cattle Valley 8

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by April Martinez
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-05-13 09:00 am

Männerküsse: homoerotische Geschichten von Juna Brock & Stefanie Herbst

Stefanie Herbst is one of my online friends on LJ, so I'm glad to let you know of her new release, pity that, again, it's in German! so I will have not the chance to read it, but I know there are German speaking friends among you, so, you who can, enjoy!

Kurzbeschreibung: 14 prickelnd-erotische Kurzgeschichten, die die Fantasie beflügeln und den Leser auf leidenschaftliche Reisen entführen. Mal zärtlich verspielt, mal melancholisch ernst, bis hin zu fesselnd-lustvollen Sessions der etwas härteren Gangart.

"Ein Mann ist heiß, aber zwei Männer sind definitiv heißer!
Juna Brock und Stefanie Herbst haben mir ein sinnliches Lesevergnügen beschert!"
John B. Wylder

Broschiert: 128 Seiten
Verlag: Dead Soft Verlag; Auflage: 1 (15. Mai 2010)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3934442684
ISBN-13: 978-3934442689
Amazon Link: Männerküsse: homoerotische Geschichten

Don't ask me what I paste above, I absolutely don't know! ;-)
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-05-13 09:00 am

Männerküsse: homoerotische Geschichten von Juna Brock & Stefanie Herbst

Stefanie Herbst is one of my online friends on LJ, so I'm glad to let you know of her new release, pity that, again, it's in German! so I will have not the chance to read it, but I know there are German speaking friends among you, so, you who can, enjoy!

Kurzbeschreibung: 14 prickelnd-erotische Kurzgeschichten, die die Fantasie beflügeln und den Leser auf leidenschaftliche Reisen entführen. Mal zärtlich verspielt, mal melancholisch ernst, bis hin zu fesselnd-lustvollen Sessions der etwas härteren Gangart.

"Ein Mann ist heiß, aber zwei Männer sind definitiv heißer!
Juna Brock und Stefanie Herbst haben mir ein sinnliches Lesevergnügen beschert!"
John B. Wylder

Broschiert: 128 Seiten
Verlag: Dead Soft Verlag; Auflage: 1 (15. Mai 2010)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3934442684
ISBN-13: 978-3934442689
Amazon Link: Männerküsse: homoerotische Geschichten

Don't ask me what I paste above, I absolutely don't know! ;-)
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-05-13 09:00 am

Cattle Valley, Vol 8, by Carol Lynne

Recipe for Love (Cattle Valley 15) by Carol Lynne

This is probably one of the stories I was waiting most of all, I have a soft spot for girly looking guys, above all when it’s clear that, behind the fragile look, there is a strength that few men can demonstrate.

Jay is the favourite of all the inhabitants of Cattle Valley: he is young and innocent looking, and everyone wants to protect him. But no one wants to be his lover, maybe since they are scared to hurt him, or maybe since Jay is not exactly butch looking, and you need to like the waif style to like him; in few words, Jay is too pretty to be real, and this kept good men at distance; then, if a man gets close to him, he is often of the idea that he can control a fragile man like Jay.

There is one man who would like Jay not only as a pretty object to show off, but he is the Don Juan of Cattle Valley; Erico, the owner of the fanciest restaurant in town, is also quite famous to be always the buddy friend of every man but never the lover. At first Erico sees in Jay only a strangely attractive man, someone who is not his usual type; and then Erico can’t “use” Jay like he usually does with men, the townspeople are there looking at them and at once threatening Erico if he will hurt Jay, and then warning Jay against Erico. With this basis, nothing can really happen between them, and at the beginning of the book, Erico has lost hope.

And it’s at this point that Jay displays his real self: a librarian outside the bedroom, he is a slut inside, and he is also very horny and he needs a man. And Erico is there, willing to be that man, and scared enough by all their friends that for sure he will not dare to really hurt Jay; but a little bit of pain during sex is something not only Jay is willing to accept, but above all that he needs.

I was expecting for the drama to be on Jay’s side, given his past, and instead he comes out pretty much like a young and steady man, who perfectly knows what he wants in life and that is more than able to take care of himself; who instead needs help is Erico. This is an unexpected and nice turn that gives balance inside the couple, so much that, I realized or remembered only at the end of the book that Jay is way much younger than Erico, and that this was indeed a May / December relationship.

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=701

Amazon Kindle: Cattle Valley: Recipe for Love

Amazon: Cattle Valley Vol 8 (Volume 8)
Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing (May 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0857150693
ISBN-13: 978-0857150691

Series: Cattle Valley
1-2) Cattle Valley 1: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/211609.html
3-4) Cattle Valley 2: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/285655.html
5-6) Cattle Valley 3: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/326486.html
7-8) Cattle Valley 4: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/405427.html
9-10) Cattle Valley 5: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/528702.html
11-12) Cattle Valley 6: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/758931.html
13-14) Cattle Valley 7: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1003725.html
15-16) Cattle Valley 8

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by April Martinez
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-05-13 11:17 am

Powerfully Beautiful: Classically Inspired Living Painters of the Male Figure

When I discovered this art book on Amazon, it was like meeting with "old friends": many of the artist inside I featured in the past, and many are in my agenda for the next future. With this post I'd like to do a summary of both: you will find the link to the past posts, but you will also have a foretaste of what you will soon see in these pages.



Powerfully Beautiful )

Amazon: Powerfully Beautiful: Classically Inspired Living Painters of the Male Figure

Powerfully Beautiful is powerfully beautiful. No other book on the market focuses on the classically painted male figure like this. Bold, beautiful, daring, strong, & sensual barely describe this collection. It is as if we are swept back to a time before conservative critics pushed works like these into a closet. The male figure is making a quiet comeback, collected silently by the NYC Museum Of Modern Art, Guggenheim & Tate Modern. They know something the rest of the world is about to find out; 2000 years of art history had it right & the masculine model is about to reassume his throne. These artists have chosen the most difficult route, bypassing the splashes, drips, & eroticism of a push-button culture. They have followed the path of masters before them, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, & Ingres to create images that will last long after we turn to dust. These are the living masters of a male figurative resurgence. Foreword by Grady Harp. Afterword by David Jarrett.

Barry Steely )

 

Bruce Sargeant ) 

Bruce Sargeant's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/503695.html

Cornelius McCarthy )

Cornelius McCarthy's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/524871.html

Douglas Simonson )

Douglas Simonson's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/410463.html

E. Gibbons )

George Towne )

Gerard Huber )

James Childs )

James Thacker )

Jeanine Laclaire )

Jody Thompson )

Joe Fanelli )

Jorge Posada )



Joseph Radoccia )

Li Ming Shun )

Matthew Stradling )

Philip Gladstone )

Philip Gladstone's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/991045.html

Richard Taddei )

Ron Griswold )

Steve Walker )

Steve Walker's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/659317.html

Ted Fusby )

Ted Fusby's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/416962.html

Victor Gadino )

Victor Gadino's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/754669.html

Wes Hempel )

Wes Hempel's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/942447.html



The same team is releasing “100 Artists of the Male Figure”, an hardcover book being distributed nationally and internationally by Schiffer Publishing as part of the “100” series of books including “100 Artists of the Southwest”, “100 New York Painters”, “100 Artists of the West Coast” and more. It will be in Barnes & Noble, Borders and other booksellers with wide availability. Submission deadline was February 28, 2010, so I believe we will see it soon on the shelves: of course I will keep you updated.
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-05-13 11:17 am
Entry tags:

Powerfully Beautiful: Classically Inspired Living Painters of the Male Figure

When I discovered this art book on Amazon, it was like meeting with "old friends": many of the artist inside I featured in the past, and many are in my agenda for the next future. With this post I'd like to do a summary of both: you will find the link to the past posts, but you will also have a foretaste of what you will soon see in these pages.



Powerfully Beautiful )

Amazon: Powerfully Beautiful: Classically Inspired Living Painters of the Male Figure

Powerfully Beautiful is powerfully beautiful. No other book on the market focuses on the classically painted male figure like this. Bold, beautiful, daring, strong, & sensual barely describe this collection. It is as if we are swept back to a time before conservative critics pushed works like these into a closet. The male figure is making a quiet comeback, collected silently by the NYC Museum Of Modern Art, Guggenheim & Tate Modern. They know something the rest of the world is about to find out; 2000 years of art history had it right & the masculine model is about to reassume his throne. These artists have chosen the most difficult route, bypassing the splashes, drips, & eroticism of a push-button culture. They have followed the path of masters before them, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, & Ingres to create images that will last long after we turn to dust. These are the living masters of a male figurative resurgence. Foreword by Grady Harp. Afterword by David Jarrett.

Barry Steely )

 

Bruce Sargeant ) 

Bruce Sargeant's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/503695.html

Cornelius McCarthy )

Cornelius McCarthy's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/524871.html

Douglas Simonson )

Douglas Simonson's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/410463.html

E. Gibbons )

George Towne )

Gerard Huber )

James Childs )

James Thacker )

Jeanine Laclaire )

Jody Thompson )

Joe Fanelli )

Jorge Posada )



Joseph Radoccia )

Li Ming Shun )

Matthew Stradling )

Philip Gladstone )

Philip Gladstone's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/991045.html

Richard Taddei )

Ron Griswold )

Steve Walker )

Steve Walker's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/659317.html

Ted Fusby )

Ted Fusby's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/416962.html

Victor Gadino )

Victor Gadino's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/754669.html

Wes Hempel )

Wes Hempel's Featuring post: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/942447.html



The same team is releasing “100 Artists of the Male Figure”, an hardcover book being distributed nationally and internationally by Schiffer Publishing as part of the “100” series of books including “100 Artists of the Southwest”, “100 New York Painters”, “100 Artists of the West Coast” and more. It will be in Barnes & Noble, Borders and other booksellers with wide availability. Submission deadline was February 28, 2010, so I believe we will see it soon on the shelves: of course I will keep you updated.
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-05-13 03:54 pm

Heart Doctor by Drew Zachary

One thing that I almost always find in a novel by Drew Zachary is the “easiness” of the characters, they are usually just a little over the average gay men, with ordinary job and a comfortable house in the suburbs. Maybe they are still young, students or just graduate, and the nice home in the suburbs is in their future. They are your neighbour, your brother, your son… and for this reason you can easily plunge in their love story, with a smile on your face, and enjoying their home-made love. But, one other thing that never lacks in a Drew Zachary’s novel is also the sex, nice, good and plenty as the story and as the home-made dishes that the story remembers.

Heart Doctor is also classical, yes, really, it’s the classical Medical Romance, or Nurse/Doctor romance as was known in the ’50 and ’60: basically, since nurses and doctors spend most of their time inside a hospital, it was obvious that the nurse (it was a woman in the ’50) would marry the doctor (it was young and handsome). Now the nurse is the same committed and pretty, but he is a man, Drey. Of Indian origin, he was saved the burn to have traditional parents (his same father was disowned by his family for marrying a non-Indian woman), and so Drey grew up serene and happy, comfortable with his sexuality and satisfied of his work; when he sets his eyes on the new doctor, Brady, there is no way that he will not conquer him.

Brady is new in town and maybe also a bit eager for family; he is ready for that, he has just landed his first important job after long years of studying, he can afford that, and right there is Drey, handsome, friendly, and he cooks too! Drey is perfect in every aspect, and he is also good in playing his cards: Brady is a bit on the conservative side, he doesn’t like the too much forward approach but he is not against the subtle wooing… in few words, Brady is a romantic, and like those doctors in the ’50, he likes to be pursued but the hunter has to have all the right characteristics for a long term relationship. And he has to respect that Brady will not put out at first date!

There is no big drama in the story, the feeling is really of a sweet romance, with the added spicy of the sex (and it’s a curry flavoured spicy). Date after date, night after night, dinner after breakfast after lunch, Drey and Brady will have the time to discover that they are perfect for each other, like two halves of the same apple, and I so much see in their horizon long afternoons spent on an Ikea megastore finding the perfect furniture for their comfortable future home in the suburbs.

http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1970

Amazon: Heart Doctor

Amazon Kindle: Heart Doctor

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading+list&view=elisa.rolle
reviews_and_ramblings: (Default)
2010-05-13 03:54 pm

Heart Doctor by Drew Zachary

One thing that I almost always find in a novel by Drew Zachary is the “easiness” of the characters, they are usually just a little over the average gay men, with ordinary job and a comfortable house in the suburbs. Maybe they are still young, students or just graduate, and the nice home in the suburbs is in their future. They are your neighbour, your brother, your son… and for this reason you can easily plunge in their love story, with a smile on your face, and enjoying their home-made love. But, one other thing that never lacks in a Drew Zachary’s novel is also the sex, nice, good and plenty as the story and as the home-made dishes that the story remembers.

Heart Doctor is also classical, yes, really, it’s the classical Medical Romance, or Nurse/Doctor romance as was known in the ’50 and ’60: basically, since nurses and doctors spend most of their time inside a hospital, it was obvious that the nurse (it was a woman in the ’50) would marry the doctor (it was young and handsome). Now the nurse is the same committed and pretty, but he is a man, Drey. Of Indian origin, he was saved the burn to have traditional parents (his same father was disowned by his family for marrying a non-Indian woman), and so Drey grew up serene and happy, comfortable with his sexuality and satisfied of his work; when he sets his eyes on the new doctor, Brady, there is no way that he will not conquer him.

Brady is new in town and maybe also a bit eager for family; he is ready for that, he has just landed his first important job after long years of studying, he can afford that, and right there is Drey, handsome, friendly, and he cooks too! Drey is perfect in every aspect, and he is also good in playing his cards: Brady is a bit on the conservative side, he doesn’t like the too much forward approach but he is not against the subtle wooing… in few words, Brady is a romantic, and like those doctors in the ’50, he likes to be pursued but the hunter has to have all the right characteristics for a long term relationship. And he has to respect that Brady will not put out at first date!

There is no big drama in the story, the feeling is really of a sweet romance, with the added spicy of the sex (and it’s a curry flavoured spicy). Date after date, night after night, dinner after breakfast after lunch, Drey and Brady will have the time to discover that they are perfect for each other, like two halves of the same apple, and I so much see in their horizon long afternoons spent on an Ikea megastore finding the perfect furniture for their comfortable future home in the suburbs.

http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1970

Amazon: Heart Doctor

Amazon Kindle: Heart Doctor

Reading List:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading+list&view=elisa.rolle