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Secrets and Demons by Daniel Devine
The book was really short, maybe in a way even too short. The plot was nice and catching right from the beginning, high school student new in town from an loving and adjusted family meets the school paria, the anorexic, self-imposed mute kid who everyone avoids. Jayden is a romantic at heart, believing in true and forever love, but he is in a way more immature than Liam, above all from an emotional point of view: he doesn't understand that what he feels for Liam is love, and that is funny, cause his parents not only understand it, but are also so good people that aren't against those feelings. Liam too probably understand that he is in love, but he also understand his troubled past can harm Jayden.As I said, I loved the plot, above all cause, while dramatic, I never felt as it was impossible for these boys to find happiness, probably thank to Jayden's parents who were really perfect. And maybe that was another common feeling throughtout all the book, everything moved really fast and sometime usually overwhelming obstacles were in this case almost null. Instead of a whole story it felt like an appetizer, and I strongly suggest to the author to cultivate these two boys, not only giving them more time together after these current events (college perhaps?) but also maybe revisiting this story and make it a little longer.
And, by the way, catching cover too.
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Amazon Kindle: Secrets and Demons
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Quick and fast, but indeed nice. Even if Tony is doing something that, at most external eyes, is heroic, he doesn't see it like that. He is a good guy who started with a misstep, a troubled teenagehood that landed him in prison, but at mid-twenties he is trying to go back in track. Tony is also gay, but that is not really something that is characterizing him, it is who he is, just like if he had blue eyes, or brown hair. Sure being gay makes him the perfect match for Alec, the closeted cop who is put in charge of his security while he is the main witness on a mafia trial. Alec has always avoided temptation, but now temptation is there, at hand reach, in a very small, secluded mountain cabin.
While Slow Burn is a cop themed novel like the old classics, I was pleasently surprised the author gave more focus to the love story than the mystery plot. Sure Brody wants to solve the case he is following since he was a new recruit, but he will realize that is not his whole life, like it is not the fake persona he is presenting to the world, to safe the imagine he was taught was that of a real man. Contrary to most novel where the one in the closet comes from a difficult childhood, where he was taught more with fear than love, Brody's father was a good man, a cop as well, but he was old fashioned, and he had his idea on gay men. I'm not sure Brody wasn't giving him credit, and maybe if told about Brody, he was to surprise him, but we will never know, he is dead now, and as a dead man, he is even more difficult to compare with.
When the story started with best friends Asher and Oliver discussing Asher's passion for BDSM, to an almost hard core level, I thought, uhmm, not sure this is my cup of tea (not really a fan of BDSM stories...); but I'm used to Cardeno C.'s stories, and I know this author is very romantic, sometime to a level of being sweet, just bordering on too sweet... so how was it possible to concile these two side of the story? that kept me reading, and I was glad I did, cause, and yes, this is maybe a spoiler, the story is far from being BDSM, the most kinky these two men arrive to be is a good spanking session.
Snow Balls was a good mix of erotica and romantic comedy; the character of JJ, a flaming queen hiding inside the body of an alpha male, was original and sweet, and he gave a push to the usual scripts. Being big and sturdy doesn't mean you have to be a macho man, and that is exactly how it is for JJ; he fought all his life with the preconception he has to be a dominant top, while instead he would like to find a dominant lover for himself. While Ryan has the attitude of a dominant, he isn't reflecting it on his looks, Ryan is smaller than JJ, so much that, if they want to kiss standing, he has to stretch to reach him. But never once he gave me the impression he wasn't the one in command.
Not having the time to read much lately, I read the first book in this series, and so I know who Elliott Smith is and his background, and who is Steve, Elliott's partner, the whys and whens of their relationship. At book 4, Elliott and Steve are a steady couple, and I have to say I enjoyed reading about their "ordinary" relationship; they were extraordinary in being an ordinary couple in a romance thriller setting. Elliott, playing PI, isn't ultra-charming, uber-hot or any other superlative adjective. Maybe Steve, from what I gather, is on the handsome side of beauty, but even him, althought an artist, is struggling with a day job and with an uncertain future as newby gallery owner.
The title, Crazy from the Heat, is quite right for the story, cause, more or less, no one in this story is "normal", but they are all out of the ordinary, with a more than troubled past. The story of undercover cop, Paul, passing as a teenager student at the high school where Grey is a teacher is maybe a little far-stretched (32 years old passing for 17), but at least is original, probably more than having a really young cop in the same role. In this way, Paul is even older than Grey, that at 28 years old is a very young teacher, but not impossible. I think the author chose to have Paul older than Grey to avoid the usually pet/teacher scheme, and even if Paul and Grey "play" that game, it's only a game.
This installment in the Assassin/Shifter series by Sandrine Gasq-Dion is like a glue piece in the series, in a way, most of Tucker Storm & Austin Jacobson and Kurt Maguire & Wesley Foster's story is already told in the previous book, and with their book, Reflash, the author is simply giving them the time to consolidate their relationships. Tucker and Wesley seem to be joined at the hips, they were changed together, they found shelter in Wayne's home and they both became cops. They are not twin but it's like they were, and it was fitting that, not only they find their soul mate at the same time, but also that Austin and Kurt are friends and with very similar upbringing.
I was puzzled by this book, reading the blurb I had the wrond impression this was a paranormal story, but indeed the paranormal elements are so feeble, that, in a way, even if they weren't there the story was working good as well. Considering this is book 1 of a series of 3, all with the same release date, is it possible those elements will acquire importance in a later book, maybe.
I decided to read this mystery/thriller as soon as I received it cause I plan to visit Charleston in less than one month, and the chance to read a novel set in the town was too good to let it pass. And I’m glad I did, cause Charleston is as much as a protagonist as Cole Mouzon. The Trees Beyond the Grass is a thriller with a subtheme of romance, and, at least in this novel, the love interest of Cole, Cash Calhoun, will appear well into the plot, even if he is related to Cole since the day he was born. As you can learn in the blurb, the author is planning a series, and I suppose Cole and Cash’s personal story will develop more in the next novels.
Not being able to read all Mary Calmes' books at first I was a little confused, cause there were so many characters, and apparently so many interesting subplot, that it was like one of those romances where you meet couples from previous books, huddling all together to enjoy some festivity together. But that went away quickly and actually I was able to catch what the author was doing, introducing a new "world" and any possible future books (even if I know want the story of Matt and Eric).
The strength of this series lies on its main characters, Ben and Gavin, but also, odd considering they are the villains, the bad ones, the ones the good-boys, like Gavin, are supposed to oppose, but that, in the end, have their reasons, for how much twisted they are, to behave in that way. Like in Power Exchange, also in Safeword, I didn’t feel “happy” the bad one was “stopped”, or at least, it wasn’t a feeling of complete satisfaction, but more like an unavoidable event.
A solid good mystery plot with just that touch of romance to make it enjoyable for a wider public. An unusual time set, the early 1950s, at the aftermath of a famous was, WWII, but also a not so “famous” one, the Korean War: usually you are used to the loss of young souls that was the WWI or the drama of the WWII, or the tragedy of Vietnam, but the Korean War? That is more for who really was there or knew someone who was there. People don’t talk about it much. Here the setting is outstanding, the feeling is that or the author did a deep research, or he was somehow involved (maybe a relative was there?).
I haven’t read all the books in the series, but one thing I noticed, this series is more mainstream than genre fiction, actually I think the whole series is one of the best example of urban fantasy out there right now. The writing style is unique, the main and supporting characters are original, in their being heroic without being heroes, and the storyline is tragic and engaging, always leaving the reader with the feeling of wanting more, and more will be delivered.
I have never been an excerpt of Yaoi, cause, as for fanfiction, my background is not that but “classical” romances; I have read Yaoi at the beginning, cause, at the time there wasn’t much choice, but then truly Yaoi romances remained an exception in the majority of new releases. So take my saying on this novel with this preamble: I think this was a quite interesting Yaoi novel, where the author tried to mix western and eastern approaches without betraying one or the other side.
If you want to break some taboos, The Bacchi is probably your choice. First of all, this is not a gay or bisexual or even transgender novel, both Lefi, a Somian, than Afton, a Valoran, are in some way hermaphrodites, so basically they have no gender, or better they have both gender. They are not humans, but an alien breed, and the Somians have lost their hermaphroditism to basically mutate on a female or on a male, but in a way, they still preserve the double characteristic cause they are always twins at birth, and if they are a male and a female, they are a mated pair. Only that Lefi’s twin sister has died, and now for Lefi is like he has lost his heart and doesn’t believe he is capable of loving again.
I had completely the wrong assumptions on this novel, I was expecting for it to be more a mystery/thriller, lot of actions and well, not so romantic, but I was completely wrong. Not only this is an hot and sexy romance, it has even a comedy undertone that I loved, romantic comedy are my favorites, and when the main characters are able to make me smile, that is a big bonus for me.
Very nice small town mystery with an heavy English flavor, so much that you could almost “smell” it (and no pun intended with Tom’s job as a plumber).
So I’m working my backlog (finally!) and this is another of those novels I had in my reading list for a long time. Coincidences wanted I read this one soon after a completely different plot but with the same tune, cute character meets knight in shining armor. Michael is a little nerd young gay man, completely unaware of how attractive he is to other men probably exactly for that reason, that he is unassuming; other men can react to him in different ways, wanting to own him like he is a pretty object to display or wanting to protect him. In Michael’s past there is the first type, Gregory, his future maybe has in store the second one, Cash. Even if there is hypothetically a mystery/thriller subplot, this is not actually that type of novel, cause the author pushes more on the satiric/cute factor, making all the adventures Michael undertakes more like comic sketches than really dangerous situation. Kudos to the author to have one specific characters turning from best friend to villain in a turn of event that had me quite surprised, it was the first time I was feeling good for a character that in the end was the worst enemy of the main character.
First of all, let start with the point that I liked this novel, sex scenes and all, and this was odd for two reasons, one that I usually don’t care much for the sex, unless is good, and second, the sex happens between two men who aren’t the intended romance of the story. Miles is in a dying relationship with Itai, and that is clear, and he meets Nic, who could be the right man. But Miles is not a cheater, and so, while he is still committed to Itai, he will not betray him, if not with the feelings that he is starting to develop for Nic. But Miles and Itai are also young, and they like sex, Miles in particular, and they are healthy young men, and so, during the development of the story, there are intercourses between them, and as I said, they are good, even if unfulfilling from an emotional point of view. Here the odd, I usually don’t care for unemotional sex, but this time it was so natural, that I did, saving sharing the same disappointment as Miles, when, in the aftermath of the sex, he realized that good sex wasn’t enough to satisfy him.