Tag: queer (Page 29 of 36)

Better Than Good by Lane Hayes

June 18, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I saw some buzz about this one in my Goodreads timeline so I bought it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Matt Sullivan understands labels: law student, athlete, heterosexual. He has goals: graduate and begin his career in law. One fateful night, Matt tags along with his gay roommate to a dance club and everything changes. Matt finds himself attracted to the most beautiful man he’s ever seen. All labels go flying out the window.

Aaron Mendez doesn’t believe in labels, and he’s leery of straight curious men. He makes it clear that he’ll hide his fabulous light for no one. While Aaron can’t deny the attraction between him and Matt, he is reluctant to start anything with someone who is still dealing with what this new label means—especially when that someone has a girlfriend.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I enjoy a good Out-For-You story. I liked that here, Matt acknowledges that he’s always been attracted to men and women but it was just easier to go with the flow and date women. Until he met Aaron, the risk/reward ratio was such that he was happy to date only women and stay in the bi-closet. That’s kind of my catnip actually – someone you care about enough to take risks for. I had mixed feelings about the book however. I can’t say that I liked the writing style. It felt choppy and pedestrian to me most of the time but I was engaged enough by the story that I found myself keeping on reading anyway.

Men of Smithfield: Sam and Aaron by LB Gregg

June 16, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’ve read and enjoyed the earlier books and was happily surprised to see a brand new story in the series. I was provided with a review copy by the publisher via NetGalley.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) With our family’s legacy, Meyers B&B, in the flailing hands of me, Sam Meyers, and my sister Wynne, we’re determined to revive the place. We’ve started a series of blind-date cooking classes, and taken on our first boarder. Granddad is even now rolling in his grave.

Signed up for the class is our new guest, Aaron Saunders, a Californian transplant who’s distractingly handsome and clearly up to no good. I can’t quite figure him out. He blew into town and has been relentless in his search for…something.

The sexy sneak is intriguing. And we’ve had a steamy moment. Or two. But now I can’t stop wondering why he’s searching in secret. From the library, to the historical society, to my own backyard, Aaron leaves no stone unturned or record book unopened. He’s definitely gotten my attention. But that might not be the only thing he’s after.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Anyone who’s ever read a book by LB Gregg before will know she has a quirky sense of humour – so it ought not be a surprise that the “meet cute” here is when Sam, his butt hanging out of his ripped jeans (argument with a fence), has his arm stuck in the after hours book return slot at the local library, meets Aaron, who appears to be a thief and has a bag of handy lock-picks tries to get him out. Until the police arrive that is.

Only Love by Garrett Leigh

June 13, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: My Goodreads feed was buzzing so I bought it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) The diagnosis of a chronic stomach condition leaves thirty-two-year-old Sergeant Jed Cooper with little choice but to call time on his Army career. Then on the dusty streets of Kirkuk, an ambush gone tragically wrong decimates his team, and he returns to the US with a shattered leg and the memory of his best friend dying in his arms.

Life in his sleepy hometown proves intolerable until he finds solace in a lakeside cabin with vivacious young carpenter, Max O’Dair. In the shadow of the epilepsy that periodically plagues Max, he and Jed form an unspoken bond. After a late night episode, Jed realizes how much Max means to him, and life has taught him not to waste time.

But the lines between contentment and complacency are blurred. Things left hidden resurface to tear through their world, and before they can repair the damage, death comes to call again. Faces, past and present, rally around them to weather the storm, but before long, they are left with only love.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I liked this book quite a bit but I have to say it doesn’t have the usual romance structure. Or, at least, the structure I expect anyways.

Jed Cooper returns to Ashton, Oregon after being medically discharged from the Army. He suffered some severe burns to his left shoulder and a serious wound and break to his left leg (multiple surgeries and pins in his femur) in a mortar and air attack while on convoy in northern Iraq (circa 2006). Those injuries were so severe he was shipped stateside and he was in hospital for months. They are the obvious injuries. But he also has a condition called gastroparesis. It is a paralysis of the vagus nerve which controls the stomach and means that the stomach doesn’t move food on into the small intestine in the timely manner it should. It causes abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, anemia (iron is much harder to absorb through food) and is a lifelong incurable condition. Eating is difficult and it can obviously be a very debilitating condition. Jed, being the person he is, doesn’t tell anyone about the gastroparesis. He’s a man used to being relied upon, not one to rely upon others.

Enlightenment Trilogy by Joanna Chambers

May 28, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’ve had my eye on this series for a while. I knew from the author that there was no HEA until the third book and that by the end of the first book, the protagonists are apart. That being the case, I decided to wait until the third book was out before I read any of them. That way I could get my HEA fix. While there are no cliffhangers, and book two does have a kind of happy for now ending, the big payoff is in book three.

I decided to review them all together because I think it is a story in three parts. Unless the writing style doesn’t work for a particular reader, anyone who picks up Provoked will read Beguiled and Enlightened as well. I read them one after the other and I suspect new readers are likely to do the same.

Necessarily, the blurbs for the second and third books contain some spoilerish things for the previous stories but given that readers know that it is a romantic trilogy, I don’t think they give that much away.

Provoked

Lowborn David Lauriston lacks the family connections needed to rise in Edinburgh’s privileged legal world. Worse, his latest case—defending weavers accused of treason—has brought him under suspicion of harbouring radical sympathies.

Troubled by his sexuality, tormented by memories of a man he once platonically loved, David lives a largely celibate life—until a rare sexual encounter with a compelling stranger turns his world on its head.

Cynical and worldly, Lord Murdo Balfour is more at home in hedonistic London than dingy, repressed Edinburgh. Unlike David, he intends to eventually marry while continuing to enjoy the company of men whenever he pleases. Yet sex with David is different. It’s personal, intimate, and instead of extinguishing his desire, it only leaves him hungry for more.

As David’s search for the man who betrayed the weavers deepens, he begins to suspect that his mysterious lover has more sinister reasons for his presence in Edinburgh. The truth could leave his heart broken…and more necks stretching on the gallows.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’m really glad I waited for all three books before I read this one. While it is the necessary first chapter and provides context to the relationship between David and Murdo, it doesn’t have a satisfying ending in terms of romance. The story was complete – the mystery regarding the agent provocateur was resolved and there really was no other way for the story to end – neither man was remotely read for a happy ending but my romance loving soul was not soothed. I was very happy to be able to move straight Beguiled. It would have been a mistake for me to read Provoked when it was first released.

His Fair Lady by Kimberly Gardner

May 23, 2014 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I bought this after I saw Jayne’s review on Dear Author.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Mark Talleo is something of a dog with the ladies. Any girl, anytime, anywhere is his motto until he meets Josie Frazier. The long lean redhead not only shares his love of musical theatre, but her smoky sexy voice and infectious laugh drive Mark wild and haunt his every step. Equally fascinating is his sense that she has a secret, one he is determined to uncover on his way to becoming her leading man.

Josie does have a secret, one she guards with her whole self. Although she has always known she was female, her name used to be Joey and she’s still biologically male. As much as she yearns for love and acceptance, her fear of rejection is just as strong.

Mark’s need to know the truth is matched only by Josie’s need to hide it. But when malicious gossip reveals her deepest secret the price of honesty may turn out to be too high to pay. But if each can accept that the woman he wants is the woman she is then at last he may find His Fair Lady.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’m so glad I read this book. It was so good.

I’ve been meaning to diversify my reading further but so far have largely been defeated by the size of my TBR. Since I started reading m/m romance and hanging out on Twitter, I’ve become more open generally and much more socially aware. I still have a long way to go of course but I’m not as blind to things as I once was. And I’ve found that fiction is both a safe space and a great way for me to learn about people I might not get to meet in my real life white bread world.
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