Category Archives: M/M Book reviews

Review: Tipping the Balance by Christopher Koehler

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Tipping the Balance
Tipping the Balance by Christopher Koehler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nutshell: Out and proud gay guy falls for younger man so deep in the closet he can’t even see the door and they go into business together. Cuz yeah, that’s what you should do when you have an impossible crush on someone. ;-)

I loved this story so much I read it twice. Even more than Rocking the Boat, and I rather enjoyed that one as well. Of all the “out for you” / gay for you / late bloomer / whatever you wanna call it plots I’ve read, this was hands down the best written that I’ve come across. And I entered into it cautiously, because I always do, but it was clear that the author took his time with it. With the exception of a minor detail or two it really rang true for me and I thought that was particularly impressive because the author’s own coming out story is on his blog, and he clearly knew that he was gay from a young age so it isn’t as if this late discovery was something he had first-person knowledge of.

The roller-coaster ride of emotion and the sexual tension between the two characters was fantastic. Frustrating, at times, but I think it was supposed to be. And the buildup was so good, that when the hotties finally got down to having sex the connection and heat between them was great. And I really enjoy the way this author writes his sex scenes. They’re sensual and hot, and a little bit inventive, and work really well as an extension of emotion between the two characters. It’s not just two people getting it on because the page count demands that something hot and heavy finally has to happen. And again, working the nervous formerly straight guy around to being ready for sex with a guy was tricky, but done well, and I found it to be very believable. It was a darker story than Rocking the Boat, and it touched on harder more painful issues. There was more inner and outer conflict for both characters. It made for a better, stronger, more well-rounded story all in all. Really delicious. You. Go download now. S’okay, I’ll wait here. ;)

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Review: Rhapsody for Piano and Ghost by Z.A. Maxfield

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Rhapsody for Piano and Ghost
Rhapsody for Piano and Ghost by Z.A. Maxfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holy crap. I must have been so busy waiting with baited breath for the next St. Nacho’s book that I passed out and missed this one completely! Color me surprised. Oh. What. Fun. And this was a nice, long, meaty read that I could really sink my teeth into.

So Fitz is kind of young and innocent and on his own for the first time, and manages to dive head-first into the deep, shark-infested end of the dating pool. When he wakes up in a dumpster at the end of an awful encounter (sure, we’ve all been there, right?) he is rescued by two ghostly apparitions who decide to sort of adopt him as their own and help him navigate the slings and arrows of outrageous relationships. Somehow, Fitz finds himself trapped between his former stepbrother and a hot boyfriend who doesn’t necessarily have Fitz’s best interests at heart. Then, you know, hilarity and drama, and a little bow-chicka-wow-wow ensues.

I enjoyed that while Fitz kind of starts the story as an innocent rich kid, he isn’t a helpless, hapless omega who truly can’t fend for himself. And sometimes when he gets dicked around he knows it’s because he’s doing the right thing, and he still insists on being the good guy. The world needs people like that. I also loved that this was a little reminiscent of Crossing Borders with the younger protagonist and maybe also a little hint of The Long Way Home with the paranormal aspect, but it was *very* much its own story. I think Fitz’s age was a big part of what made the story so fun; the character voice and the humor that you just can’t get away with when writing an older character.

Disklikes? Minor nits maybe, the biggie being that I had difficulty getting a bead on the age of Ari, the major love interest, and that would have helped anchor the relationship a little better in my head. But it didn’t keep me from enjoying the story, and maybe I just missed something somewhere?

So listen, while you’re twiddling your thumbs waiting to see if Dan gets to ride the Camshaft, this book would be an excellent expenditure of your time. Srsly. ;-)

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Today’s Quickie: The OutWrite LGBT Book Festival–Saturday August 6th

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Washington DC area folks!! This weekend, August 6th from 10 am to 6 pm is the DC OutWrite book festival, and I hope everyone will come and support some amazing authors. A few I’m very excited about include Rick McGranahan who will be signing his memoir Visiting the Ghost of Puppyboy at 10, Bob the Book author David Pratt who will be doing a reading at 5:30, and Dirty One, stories by Michael Graves who I believe will be doing a reading at 5:30.

Please follow this link to checkout the whole lineup–the whole day looks like it’s going to be awesome.

I’m especially excited about meeting David Pratt and his Bob the Book, which I loved so much I have read it twice now. And while the author himself calls this gay literary fiction, I saw it in a lot of ways as a romance as well. He does something that you see a lot in children’s stories but not often in adult stories: he brings an inanimate object to life. Gives it thoughts, feelings, and experiences. We follow it through book sales and backpacks as it forms attachments and friendships and we see it view human interactions, and yes it falls in love.  And almost immediately, I fell in love with Bob.

Hope to see you there! :)

– Ellis

Review: Hot Head by Damon Suede

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Hot HeadHot Head by Damon Suede
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So this is the story of Griff and Dante, firefighters and lifelong best buddies–so close they’re practically brothers. Griff has fallen in love with Dante but can’t say anything because they’re supposed to manly skirt-chasing men, they run into burning buildings, and you just don’t DO that sort of thing. Right? Oh, but not so fast there, Griff. It turns out Dante’s in a tight spot financially, so he suggests they do a little gay for pay movie or two on the interweb to pick up some cash, and next thing you know Griff’s locked in a struggle between following his heart and his carnal desires, and doing what he thinks is best for his friendship with Dante.

And then, you know…the hot sex happens. ;-) *insert bow-chicka-bow-wows, here*

What I loved most was that underneath it all this is a really sweet love story. It’s set against a post-911 backdrop and the flashbacks of that horrendous day were carefully handled–dramatic, but not vulgar or insensitive. And while the sex was hot and filthy (in the good way) it was combined with a romance that was tender and touching and at times a little bit awkward as new relationships tend to be. There was also a lot of humor in such a serious story, not the least of which was more slang synonyms for male masturbation than you could, umm, shake your stick at. The obligatory happy ending was there in spades, and sets things up nicely for a sequel. The dislikes were so very minor–like the fact that I managed to notice enough references to plums and medium-rare steak that I may never manage a trip through the grocery store without naughty visions dancing in my head ever again.

Okay, maybe that’s not really such a bad thing either.

In addition, the story behind the story is pretty damn compelling all by itself. Damon tells all about how the idea for Hot Head came to be on Jadette Paige’s blog, here.

Finally, you can get to know more about the man himself by going to his web site or finding him on Facebook.
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Review: Homecoming

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HomecomingHomecoming by Rick R. Reed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is absolutely my favorite kind of story. The kind that takes me on a roller coaster ride and can make me cry, turn me on, and cause me to grip my e-reader more tightly before the uncertainty passes and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. And it’s a hard combo to come by, because not many books actually make me cry. Get emotional? A little misty? Sure. But out and out sobbing like a child? Not likely, but this book did.

In a way I felt like Homecoming was not one love story but two. The romance that is beginning and the one that ended tragically are woven together beautifully. One flows into the other but not, to my mind, in such a way that it feels contrived or forced. I LOVED the juxtaposition of a man’s struggle to grieve for his lost love against the raunchiness and no-holds-barred sexuality of International Mr. Leather. Sock you in the gut emotion and fisting all in one book? I’m not sure it gets any better. ;) I always want a story like this to be longer – I’ve gotten attached to the characters and invested in their story, and I hate to leave them so soon. At first I wanted to see more development at the end – more of the HEA. After a second read though, I actually felt that it really was done pretty perfectly.

And yes, I cried both times.

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Review: Rocking the Boat by Christopher Koehler

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Rocking the BoatRocking the Boat by Christopher Koehler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a refreshingly sweet love story. No BDSM, no vampires, just two guys at a college who had the hots for each other and fall in love despite the fact that maybe, technically, they probably shouldn’t. That said, I didn’t feel like I was reading two hundred pages of skipping though daisies. There was enough tension to keep me reading. The rowing angle was interesting and unique, and Koehler’s love of the sport really shows though. Fun AND educational! Perv that I am, I have to admit that my favorite part was the love scenes. They were wicked hot, and I felt the emotion in them progress from one to the next as Morgan and Nick’s feelings for each-other evolved.

I’ve seen some discussion about Nick and Morgan behaving in an immature fashion as they dance around their attraction to each other. I half suspect that this is intentional, not to mention realistic for the story line. They are college students, for crying out loud. Nick may be a little older, but he’s still in grad school, and his history suggests a lack of any long-term relationship to use as a barometer for wiser behavior. And seriously, don’t we all do some pretty boneheaded things when we’re sprung on somebody? I know I have. And with regard to the issue that Morgan is a student and Nick is technically in a position of power, Koehler paints Morgan as the aggressor,and he is a legally consenting adult. So for me, that part of it wasn’t a problem. The characters were likable and relatable to me and I thought the dialog was witty, especially Nick’s. The only minor thing was that in my opinion was there was a spot or two where the plot felt like it moved a little slowly, but it wasn’t enough for me to lose interest in the story. Oh, and he’s set things up nicely for a sequel at the end, and left just enough of a tickler for you to be curious. I’m looking forward to that.

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Review: Nothing Ever Happens

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Nothing Ever HappensNothing Ever Happens by Sue Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a sweet story. I had a little bit of an issue with the fact that one of the protags was a married man with small children, but the fact is that’s reality and divorce happens all the time to couples for a number of sad reasons. The writer kept me thoroughly engaged throughout the story, tugging at my heartstrings and making me turn pages so I could find out what happened. I might have liked a little more sex between the two main characters (not that there wasn’t plenty, but a lot was just alluded to, and I’m greedy), and a little more of how things developed for them at the end, but ultimately I thought the book was great and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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