m/m

M/M Monday – Good Boy by Anne Tenino

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Good Boy (Theta Alpha Gamma, #4)
Grade: B+
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Contemporary, M/M
Series: Theta Alpha Gamma #4

Published: 10/7/13
Reviewed by Anne
83 pages
 
Brad (a college student) and Sebastian (a grad student) have been together for 9 months now.  They love each other very much, but Sebastian’s writing his thesis and stressed to the max.  Unfortunately this shows itself in him taking Brad and everything he’s doing for granted.  This is especially concerning because Seb and Brad have a D/s relationship.  It usually works very well, but when the story opens, it’s not working, and in fact, Seb is feeling entitled and Brad is feeling like a pet begging for attention.  
 
Tenino does such a good job writing this initial set up, I truly wondered how she would redeem Sebastian!  In the end though, I really enjoyed reading a dom who was NOT psychic!  It was interesting to see them work through things.  Oh, and I should mention it was super hot, too!  Their relationship is presented as one that has always been physical, so it’s no surprise that working through their issues involves more sex than it does talking.  The sex and the talking were both well written, though and I enjoyed the whole thing!
 
This book is the 4th in the series and only the 2nd I’ve read.  It’s even a novella follow up to the first book in the series, (Frat Boy and Toppy) which I haven’t read.  All this means that I can testify that Tenino’s writing can stand up to being read out of order.  I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more!

M/M Monday – After the Fall by L.A. Witt

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne


Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: No Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: Tucker Springs #6

Published: 10/7/13
Reviewed by Anne
206 pages

My love affair with Tucker Springs continues!  Nathan (who we met in the very first book, Where Nerves End) saved up to buy a horse he’d always wanted. Then, on the very first day he got to go out riding, the horse is startled by a motorcycle in the wrong place and throws Nathan off. Nathan breaks his leg and then his hand.  When Ryan, the motorcyclist wants to apologize and help Nathan through his recovery, Nathan hesitantly accepts that help.  They decide Nathan will teach Ryan to ride his horse to keep her in practice while Nathan heals up.
 
This bad luck beginning turns into a sweet love story!  Nathan is like an open book.  Ryan is much more guarded with his past and he has his own baggage, but he’s very understanding about Nathan’s issues.  The flirting between these two had me smiling throughout the book.  The angsty parts were realistic, too.
 
The main source of conflict in the story is Ryan’s lifestyle.  He’s happily nomadic, moving from place to place.  He has no problem committing to stay until Nathan is on his feet again, but he’s open about his plans to move on after that.  At first Nathan is fine with this set up, but as his feelings get more involved he feels like he needs to stop this relationship from developing, since Ryan’s wanderlust has doomed it from the start to being nothing more than casual.
 
Besides their flirting, my favorite part of the book is how Nathan and Ryan treat each other as their physical relationship is developing.  They communicate very well, and that leaves them open to taking care of each other and understanding each other’s issues.  And it’s really well written sex, too!
 
I can’t recommend this series enough!  I think every entry has been solid for me, and I enjoyed this one very much, too!

M/M Monday – Wallflower by Heidi Belleau

Posted on by Dirty Girl Anne

Wallflower (Rear Entrance Video, #2)

Grade: B
Hotness Level: Inferno
Kink Level: Mild Kink
Genre: Contemporary, m/m
Series: Rear Entrance Video #2
Published: 10/21/13
Reviewed by Anne
206 pages
Rob is a college art student.  He’s a very shy nerd and enjoys gaming online.  He’s gay (but still in the closet) and he has a crush on one of his roomates (who happens to be straight.)  Rob just started working at Rear Entrance Video, a store that rents porn movies and sells sex toys.  He also fantasizes about dressing up like a woman and he’s really not sure what to do with those thoughts.
Dylan is a confident, tall, and big man.  He’s in one of Rob’s classes, he frequents the video store and he’s also gay.
This story is about how Rob and Dylan meet and what happens between the two of them, but it is much more about Rob coming to terms with himself.  It was a story that grabbed me and I didn’t want to put it down.  It was very interesting to think through how Rob felt as he considered spending time as “Bobby” and what that would and wouldn’t mean to him.  It’s not an easy path for Rob to walk; some of that is due to other people in his life, and some of it is due to his own hang ups.
I enjoyed Rob/Bobby’s growth throughout the story.  His choices on how to deal with things led to a precarious situation which was scariest because I could see how easily it could be true, and not without the happy ending this story had.  That was a sad reality to consider.  It was really a high to see Rob come to terms with himself, though – totally worth the angst that came before it!
I do imagine that this story was a little sweeter than real life would be for someone in Rob’s situation.  Only one asshole picked on Bobby.  Of all his friends and relatives, only one had a hard time with him coming out.  Dylan and his parents were all very understanding of what Rob/Bobby was going though.  I think real life is probably a bit more painful.  That’s not a criticism of the story, but a nod to the fact that this is the kind of HEA/HFN the book has.
The biggest criticism I have of the story is that the romance between Rob and Dylan felt very much like insta-love once they had sex.  They went from hating each other to loving each other pretty darn quickly.  I also found Dylan’s nickname for Rob (Puny) to be annoying, but I know I’m being overly sensitive on that front.
I do have to give bonus points to any story with references to Twilight AND Flowers in the Attic.  It’s also got a well adjusted and happy adopted character with adoptive parents who are lovely – all this while acknowledging the challenges of being adopted.
Overall this was a good read.  It made me think about gender in ways I hadn’t before, and I enjoyed it.  The romance was a bit rushed, but it still worked for me.  I recommend this book and I think I’ve found a new author and new series on the m/m side of things.