Ice Cream on the Side by Wren Boudreau

Without doubt, from the cover and from the initial scenes, this novel appears to be light and pretty. Dylan is a 32 years old successful architect living in a liberal small town; he is well welcomed and with a lot of friends. Apparently is life is perfect; but suddenly strange coincidences start to happen: his former college boyfriend Ian, the one who broke his heart but despite that remained one of his best friends, call to invite Dylan to the opening of his exhibition and at the same time to ask if Dylan is willing to spend some days together, obviously with the intention to refreshing more than an old friendship. During a work meeting Dylan meets Michael, a young artist who happens to be in the same exhibition as Ian; Michael is young and cute and new in town, and willing to share more than a simple work relationship with Dylan. If being in the middle of an old lover and a new one was not enough, another past relationship comes back again in Dylan’s life to bite him.

From being a funny and light novel, the story suddenly shift almost in a stalking horror; Dylan doesn’t know who to trust, are all coincidences or there is a crazy lover out there who wants to have exclusively access to Dylan? Is it Ian who wants Dylan’s back? Or is it Michael who is unwilling to share Dylan’s love? Or maybe is it Quentin, who Dylan has always rebuffed in the past and who maybe is tired of it? Is it Jeff, the young architect who obviously comes to work for Dylan only since the boss was gay?

There is a clear shift in the story, almost a Red Sea separation: first part is basically a light and pretty romance, with two new lovers who have to know each other and test their possible love relationship; both of them were burnt in the past, and have to be careful with their hearts, but when they realize that it’s not a dream, and that maybe they have really found the perfect soul mate in each other, the step to happiness is easy and fast. Then the second part of the novel, the love story goes in background and one by one horrible events happen in Dylan’s life, and he is no more sure of anything or anyone around him. I have to say that the author was good enough to present more than one possible culprit, and in this way it was not easy to find the one, but she didn’t push too much on the mystery button: as the relationship between Dylan and Michael started fast and developed even faster, also the presentation and resolution of the mystery had the same fast approach.

Ice Cream on the Side is a good debut novel for this author, I think both side of the story, the light and the dark one, were well built and balanced.

http://www.loose-id.com/Ice-Cream-on-the-Side.aspx

Amazon Kindle: Ice Cream on the Side

Reading List:

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


Cover Art by P.L. Nunn

Ice Cream on the Side by Wren Boudreau

Without doubt, from the cover and from the initial scenes, this novel appears to be light and pretty. Dylan is a 32 years old successful architect living in a liberal small town; he is well welcomed and with a lot of friends. Apparently is life is perfect; but suddenly strange coincidences start to happen: his former college boyfriend Ian, the one who broke his heart but despite that remained one of his best friends, call to invite Dylan to the opening of his exhibition and at the same time to ask if Dylan is willing to spend some days together, obviously with the intention to refreshing more than an old friendship. During a work meeting Dylan meets Michael, a young artist who happens to be in the same exhibition as Ian; Michael is young and cute and new in town, and willing to share more than a simple work relationship with Dylan. If being in the middle of an old lover and a new one was not enough, another past relationship comes back again in Dylan’s life to bite him.

From being a funny and light novel, the story suddenly shift almost in a stalking horror; Dylan doesn’t know who to trust, are all coincidences or there is a crazy lover out there who wants to have exclusively access to Dylan? Is it Ian who wants Dylan’s back? Or is it Michael who is unwilling to share Dylan’s love? Or maybe is it Quentin, who Dylan has always rebuffed in the past and who maybe is tired of it? Is it Jeff, the young architect who obviously comes to work for Dylan only since the boss was gay?

There is a clear shift in the story, almost a Red Sea separation: first part is basically a light and pretty romance, with two new lovers who have to know each other and test their possible love relationship; both of them were burnt in the past, and have to be careful with their hearts, but when they realize that it’s not a dream, and that maybe they have really found the perfect soul mate in each other, the step to happiness is easy and fast. Then the second part of the novel, the love story goes in background and one by one horrible events happen in Dylan’s life, and he is no more sure of anything or anyone around him. I have to say that the author was good enough to present more than one possible culprit, and in this way it was not easy to find the one, but she didn’t push too much on the mystery button: as the relationship between Dylan and Michael started fast and developed even faster, also the presentation and resolution of the mystery had the same fast approach.

Ice Cream on the Side is a good debut novel for this author, I think both side of the story, the light and the dark one, were well built and balanced.

http://www.loose-id.com/Ice-Cream-on-the-Side.aspx

Amazon Kindle: Ice Cream on the Side

Reading List:

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


Cover Art by P.L. Nunn

Man Candy Day: Naked Beauty

This week post is devoted to the naked beauty, or better, to these pictures of naked men (but almost work safe) that caught my eyes. In one case, Samuel de Cubber, it was also the first example of a naked man in advertisement, after years that naked women were selling everything.

French model Samuel de Cubber appeared naked in the European edition of Vogue, advertisement for YSL's M7 perfume, considered too explicit for US readers. And for this reason the real photo is under the cut and out of the cut I will feature the "work safe" version.


Samuel de Cubber by Solve Sundsbor

( Samuel de Cubber )

Time magazine said: "Break out the champagne, get out the party lights, strike up the band-the last taboo has finally been broken." That's how the country's top news magazine announced the first full-frontal male nude in mainstream American advertising.

The product being promoted was a new Yves Saint Laurent men's fragrance called M7, but the real star of the historic ad was French model Samuel de Cubber. The black-and-white image shows de Cubber, a former martial arts champion, lounging nude on a bare floor, with his genitals in full view.

For those of us who pay attention to the media, the significance of the pioneering ad is that, after decades of women being stripped down to their birthday suits to sell products, here is a dramatic instance of a naked man being used for that purpose.

Most of the stories quote YSL artistic director Tom Ford defending the nudity. "Perfume is worn on the skin," according to Ford, "so why hide the body?"

---

Tyler Christopher (born Tyler Christopher Baker on November 11, 1972 in Joliet, Illinois, United States) is an American actor. He best known for playing on General Hospital as Nikolas Cassadine (1996-1999, 2003-present) and Connor Bishop (2004-2005).



( Tyler Christopher )

Christopher was born in Joliet, Illinois and grew up in Delaware, Ohio, the youngest of four children. He is of Native American heritage, as his mother Jimi-Ann is Choctaw and his father Jim Baker is Seneca. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University for two years and then moved to Los Angeles.

In the mid-1990s, Christopher was engaged to General Hospital co-star Vanessa Marcil. From 2002 to 2004 he was married to Eva Longoria, while she was working on the The Young and the Restless. He also dated his General Hospital co-star Natalia Livingston for a short while.

Christopher married Brienne Pedigo on September 27, 2008, and the couple currently resides in Los Angeles. Their first son, Greysun James Christopher, was born on October 3, 2009.

---

Ryan Kwanten (born 28 November 1976) is an Australian actor. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 on the Australian soap-opera Home and Away. After his stint ended he joined the American teen-oriented drama Summerland portraying Jay Robertson. In 2008, he was cast as Jason Stackhouse in True Blood.



( Ryan Kwanten )

Kwanten was born in Sydney, New South Wales to Eddie Kwanten, a worker at NSW Maritime, and Kris, a lifeline op-shop coordinator. He is of Dutch ancestry on his father's side. Kwanten has two brothers, Mitchell, who is an musician and Lloyd, who is a doctor. He attended Catholic school. Kwanten began acting on the television shows A Country Practice and Spellbinder. In 1997, he joined the cast of the Australian soap opera Home and Away, playing lifeguard Vinnie Patterson. He eventually chose to leave the series in 2002, shortly after his character married and became a father. Moving to the United States, Kwanten was cast as Jay Robertson in the Lori Loughlin-starring series Summerland, which ran from 2004 to 2005. He appeared in the films Flicka, with Maria Bello, Alison Lohman and Tim McGraw, and Dead Silence, a horror movie in which he played the leading role.

Kwanten made an appearance in a Law and Order: SVU episode that aired on December 2, 2008, in which he portrays US Marine Corps Master Sergeant Dominic Pruitt who is (falsely) accused of raping and murdering a fellow marine and murdering her unborn baby.

In 2009, he starred in the film Don't Fade Away with Mischa Barton and Beau Bridges.

Kwanten currently plays the role of Jason Stackhouse in True Blood, an HBO television series based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries. He was nominated for a 2009 Scream Award for his role as Jason Stackhouse. He stars in the psychological thriller Red Hill, which was directed by Patrick Hughes.

Man Candy Day: Naked Beauty

This week post is devoted to the naked beauty, or better, to these pictures of naked men (but almost work safe) that caught my eyes. In one case, Samuel de Cubber, it was also the first example of a naked man in advertisement, after years that naked women were selling everything.

French model Samuel de Cubber appeared naked in the European edition of Vogue, advertisement for YSL's M7 perfume, considered too explicit for US readers. And for this reason the real photo is under the cut and out of the cut I will feature the "work safe" version.


Samuel de Cubber by Solve Sundsbor

( Samuel de Cubber )

Time magazine said: "Break out the champagne, get out the party lights, strike up the band-the last taboo has finally been broken." That's how the country's top news magazine announced the first full-frontal male nude in mainstream American advertising.

The product being promoted was a new Yves Saint Laurent men's fragrance called M7, but the real star of the historic ad was French model Samuel de Cubber. The black-and-white image shows de Cubber, a former martial arts champion, lounging nude on a bare floor, with his genitals in full view.

For those of us who pay attention to the media, the significance of the pioneering ad is that, after decades of women being stripped down to their birthday suits to sell products, here is a dramatic instance of a naked man being used for that purpose.

Most of the stories quote YSL artistic director Tom Ford defending the nudity. "Perfume is worn on the skin," according to Ford, "so why hide the body?"

---

Tyler Christopher (born Tyler Christopher Baker on November 11, 1972 in Joliet, Illinois, United States) is an American actor. He best known for playing on General Hospital as Nikolas Cassadine (1996-1999, 2003-present) and Connor Bishop (2004-2005).



( Tyler Christopher )

Christopher was born in Joliet, Illinois and grew up in Delaware, Ohio, the youngest of four children. He is of Native American heritage, as his mother Jimi-Ann is Choctaw and his father Jim Baker is Seneca. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University for two years and then moved to Los Angeles.

In the mid-1990s, Christopher was engaged to General Hospital co-star Vanessa Marcil. From 2002 to 2004 he was married to Eva Longoria, while she was working on the The Young and the Restless. He also dated his General Hospital co-star Natalia Livingston for a short while.

Christopher married Brienne Pedigo on September 27, 2008, and the couple currently resides in Los Angeles. Their first son, Greysun James Christopher, was born on October 3, 2009.

---

Ryan Kwanten (born 28 November 1976) is an Australian actor. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 on the Australian soap-opera Home and Away. After his stint ended he joined the American teen-oriented drama Summerland portraying Jay Robertson. In 2008, he was cast as Jason Stackhouse in True Blood.



( Ryan Kwanten )

Kwanten was born in Sydney, New South Wales to Eddie Kwanten, a worker at NSW Maritime, and Kris, a lifeline op-shop coordinator. He is of Dutch ancestry on his father's side. Kwanten has two brothers, Mitchell, who is an musician and Lloyd, who is a doctor. He attended Catholic school. Kwanten began acting on the television shows A Country Practice and Spellbinder. In 1997, he joined the cast of the Australian soap opera Home and Away, playing lifeguard Vinnie Patterson. He eventually chose to leave the series in 2002, shortly after his character married and became a father. Moving to the United States, Kwanten was cast as Jay Robertson in the Lori Loughlin-starring series Summerland, which ran from 2004 to 2005. He appeared in the films Flicka, with Maria Bello, Alison Lohman and Tim McGraw, and Dead Silence, a horror movie in which he played the leading role.

Kwanten made an appearance in a Law and Order: SVU episode that aired on December 2, 2008, in which he portrays US Marine Corps Master Sergeant Dominic Pruitt who is (falsely) accused of raping and murdering a fellow marine and murdering her unborn baby.

In 2009, he starred in the film Don't Fade Away with Mischa Barton and Beau Bridges.

Kwanten currently plays the role of Jason Stackhouse in True Blood, an HBO television series based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries. He was nominated for a 2009 Scream Award for his role as Jason Stackhouse. He stars in the psychological thriller Red Hill, which was directed by Patrick Hughes.

The Delaneys and Me by Anne Brooke

This is a contemporary story, mainly due to some hints here and there giving a modern “taste” to it, but for all other that matter, the feeling I had was almost of a black and white crime little story. Liam is a young and handsome man who had the bad idea to threaten in public his cheating boyfriend. Pity that said boyfriend has two twin cousins who are also dangerous gangsters and who don’t like someone to mess with their family. To Liam is offered a choice: or being shot on the spot, and in a very delicate part of the body, the family jewels, or playing the role of Mark and Johnny’s little pet for a night, in public and private. Obviously is not really a choice and Liam is more than willing to devote one night to the twins to preserve his “integrity”.

Even if Anne Brooke tries with all herself to describe Mark and Johnny as dangerous men, I haven’t really had the idea of them like deadly weapons; instead they seemed more like two grown boy with a new toy, and they had all the enthusiasm you usually have for something new, overplaying with it at the risk of breaking it. Only that, even if not so daring and more than willing, Liam is also a clever boy, and he understands immediately that, even if the twins are stronger, he can probably play with them and be safe; maybe with some sore muscles, but for sure with all his body parts intact.

This is only a short story, but it was funny and sexy, and truth be told, I wouldn’t mind to read more: I have the idea that Liam will end up as the Master of the two boys instead of their toy.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/DelaneysAndMe.html

Reading List:

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

The Delaneys and Me by Anne Brooke

This is a contemporary story, mainly due to some hints here and there giving a modern “taste” to it, but for all other that matter, the feeling I had was almost of a black and white crime little story. Liam is a young and handsome man who had the bad idea to threaten in public his cheating boyfriend. Pity that said boyfriend has two twin cousins who are also dangerous gangsters and who don’t like someone to mess with their family. To Liam is offered a choice: or being shot on the spot, and in a very delicate part of the body, the family jewels, or playing the role of Mark and Johnny’s little pet for a night, in public and private. Obviously is not really a choice and Liam is more than willing to devote one night to the twins to preserve his “integrity”.

Even if Anne Brooke tries with all herself to describe Mark and Johnny as dangerous men, I haven’t really had the idea of them like deadly weapons; instead they seemed more like two grown boy with a new toy, and they had all the enthusiasm you usually have for something new, overplaying with it at the risk of breaking it. Only that, even if not so daring and more than willing, Liam is also a clever boy, and he understands immediately that, even if the twins are stronger, he can probably play with them and be safe; maybe with some sore muscles, but for sure with all his body parts intact.

This is only a short story, but it was funny and sexy, and truth be told, I wouldn’t mind to read more: I have the idea that Liam will end up as the Master of the two boys instead of their toy.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/DelaneysAndMe.html

Reading List:

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