Tag: queer (Page 34 of 36)

Aftermath by Cara Dee

November 8, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Mandi from Smexy Books recommended this one so I bought it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Austin Huntley and Cameron Nash are like night and day. One is a family man, works in a nice office, drives an expensive car, and is content to be content. The other one is an antisocial car mechanic with a short fuse.

Some things don’t change. Others definitely do.

After surviving a five-months long kidnapping together, they struggle to return to normalcy, all while realizing that they’re more drawn to each other than they ever could’ve imagined.

“I know I’m not normal, but I’m not fucking stupid.”

“Define normal,” Austin countered quietly, meeting Cam in the doorway. “And for not being normal, you’re the only person in the world who makes sense right now. What does that say about me?”

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I had been warned that the kidnapping and torture to which the men were subjected weren’t pretty – they weren’t but they also weren’t as bad as the average episode of Criminal Minds either. Spending five months locked in a cell together with little light, little food and water and no answers, with the occasional violent beating thrown in is sure to have a profound effect on a person. Austin and Cam had a shared experience which made them very different men. I didn’t have any trouble believing they would become close and, even the development of their sexual feelings toward one another seemed to grow organically out of it. I had expected a bit of an angst-fest, but it wasn’t really that. There were parts of the book which I enjoyed very much but other parts with bothered me.

Learning Curve by Kaje Harper

October 7, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: I’m a fan of the series. The books are expensive so I used a 50% off coupon at Kobo to ease the pain.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Mac is afraid he’ll never recover enough to go back to being a cop, while Tony is afraid that he will.

Three months after being shot, Detective Jared MacLean is healing, but he’s afraid it may not be enough to go back on the job. He won’t give up, though. Being a cop is written deep in Mac’s bones, and he’ll do whatever it takes to carry his badge again.

Tony used to wish he could have Mac safely home, but watching his strong husband battle disabilities is far from Tony’s dream come true. When Mac is asked to consult on a case involving one of Tony’s students, both men will have to face old demons and new fears to find a way to move forward together.

Warning: Series spoilers.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I like Mac and Tony and there is something attractive to me in seeing what happens “after the HEA” for some of my favourite couples. At the end of the last book, Mac had been shot in the head and was on disability, recovering from a traumatic brain injury, his goal being to get back to the job he loves. Tony is struggling with wanting Mac to be safe and wanting him to be the man he is – something which seems mutually exclusive.

September Round Up

October 1, 2013 / Kaetrin

on Paper/eBook

Screw The Fags by Josephine Myles – B- This free short follows on from the events of Screwing the System. I think it could probably be read as a stand alone and there aren’t really any spoilers in it but it does make much more sense if you’ve read the earlier story. Screw the Fags picks up some 10 months after the end of the Screwing the System when Alisdair is trying to decide what to buy Cosmo for his birthday (which is on Valentine’s Day). Cosmo wants a car and Alisdair agrees to buy him one if he quits smoking. How Alisdair asists Cosmo to take his mind off his cravings is… novel. ;P I liked it because it gave me a glimpse of the couple a bit further on in their relationship and showed me both how it had grown and also how it had settled. It is only about 30 pages so it’s a quick read. I enjoyed catching up with the pair and seeing a bit of their HEA. And I got a laugh out of the sex-yoga positions.

Coming Soon

Private Eye by SE Culpepper

September 30, 2013 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Some of my Goodreads friends have rated his series very highly so I bought all three using a 50% off Kobo coupon.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Rafe Bridges stopped mixing business with pleasure long ago, but when he receives a call from an intriguing cop who needs help searching for an old family friend, he breaks down and takes on the case. With each day that passes, Rafe becomes further fascinated with Jeremy Halliday…but the biggest problem isn’t his attraction to the cop or his growing need for him. It’s the tiny little detail of Jeremy being straight.

Jeremy isn’t as immune to Rafe as he’d like to believe and as they work together, sifting through a case that is more mysterious and dangerous than it seems, Rafe draws away from him. Knowing he might miss out on someone incredible, Jeremy has to figure out what and who he really wants. And soon.

Nothing is black and white anymore.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I found this book very hard to grade. It was very readable and there were things about it that I liked but there were also things which bothered me and the more I thought about them, the more they did. I appear to be an outlier regarding this book however, so YMMV.