m/m

No Such Thing by A.M. Arthur

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
20261442
Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, Small Town
Series: Book #1 (don’t know series name, next book July 2014)
Published: 2/17/14
Reviewed by Anne
189 ebook pages

Alessandro grew up in a loving foster family in his small home town.  He didn’t have a very good reputation, but he’s come a long way since leaving home.  When his foster father passes away, Ale moves back home to help his foster mom with the two kids she’s currently fostering.  

Jaime grew up with a heart defect that made him pretty fragile.  Now he’s had a heart transplant and he’s adjusting to being normal and living a normal life.  When Ale starts working at Jaime’s sister’s bakery Jaime is attracted to him and decides that maybe it’s time for him to have his first relationship.

The only things that stand between them are Alessandro’s feeling that Jaime is too good for him,  the town bully they went to high school with, and some secrets Ale knows but doesn’t even want to think about.

There was a lot I really enjoyed about this story!  There’s the positive foster care experience, the realistic handling of Jaime’s heart transplant – especially his self consciousness about his scars.  There’s Jaime and his sister’s relationship, which I enjoyed.  There’s some harassment and vandalism directed toward Jaime and Ale, and while I was disappointed that Jaime didn’t want to call the police in on it, his response felt really real.  I really enjoyed Ale taking Jaime out to a club and watching Jaime come into his own, learn about his own sexuality and how that was all done without shame.

My biggest problem with the story was the secret and the villain.  Secrets annoy me, though this one was handled well.  The villain was pretty stupid, and it seemed a little unrealistic that things went on as long as they did.

Overall, though, it was a good read.  I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author.  While I’m waiting for July, do you have any m/m romance you’d recommend?

It’s All Geek to Me by JL Merrow

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
It's All Geek to Me
Grade: B
Hotness Level: Blaze
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, M/M, novellaPublished: 2/10/14
Reviewed by Anne
55 pages

This is a short story about Jez, who falls for Rhys when he meets him at the comic book store.  Jez wants to impress Rhys even though Jez isn’t really into comics and is only in the store on an errand for a friend.

It’s really well written and funny.  While Jez isn’t a comic book geek, he’s got a lot of geek cred in other areas.  There are TARDIS references, Star Wars references, so many, many more.  On top of that, the book is set in London and it doesn’t seem to be Americanized, so there’s lots of England-slang to enjoy.

It’s a cute, sweet story I really enjoyed and I’ll be watching for more by JL Merrow!

Bonds Of Denial by Lynda Aicher

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne
Bonds of Denial (Wicked Play, #5)
Grade-B-
Hotness Level-Inferno
Kink Level-Mild Kink
Series-Wicked Play #5
Genre-Contemporary/m/m
Reviewed by Kate
281 pages
 
Rock is a co-owner of the Den, an exclusive BDSM club. He’s also in the closet. After years of serving during ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ he’s never really even admitted to himself that he’s gay. However, he’s extremely drawn to Carter, an male escort he first sees on the security screens at the Den.
 
I have read the first 4 books in the Wicked Play series, and loved them all. However, this one was written in such a different direction. And I absolutely loved the new direction. The first 4 centered on the BDSM aspect of the relationships. In this one, BDSM is such a small part of their relationship. A very, teeny, tiny part. Despite the lack of BDSM, this was a steaming hot read.
 
The relationship that develops between Rock and Carter was filled with drama and tons of angst. Carter helped Rock discover things about himself, and Rock did the same for Carter. It was truly a joint partnership. Not a story where one character is near perfect and the other has to make all the changes.
 
I appreciate that the author has populated this series with a diverse group of characters. We have had the standard m/f books (#s 1, 2, and 4). But there has also been a menage book (#3-I loved it!) and now a m/m. They can each be read independently of each other but I would recommend the entire series. I can’t wait to see what the next book in the series brings us. Emotionally gripping with steamy scenes, I know this is one that I will be re-reading.