Oh boy. I love love love Christmas romances, but damn this one draaaagged quite a bit.
First of all, it has incredibly strong YA vibes, but once they geOh boy. I love love love Christmas romances, but damn this one draaaagged quite a bit.
First of all, it has incredibly strong YA vibes, but once they get down to it, their sex is the most graphic type of porn script, LOL.
[image]
Geeky nerd Jeremy aka Cherry is an 18 year old freshman who just came out to his parents and is still not over their rather cool (as in emotionless) reaction, fearing that they think about casting him out.
He's at college, away from home, depending on his parents financing his studies, he doesn't know anyone, and on top of his coming out, it's nearly Christmas and his parents spend the holidays in Hawaii with his younger brother, but without Jeremy.
Slipping on the street, he breaks his glasses and 22 year old student Max helps him back up on his feet.
Max is an athlete, popular, good-looking and has quite a number of sexual encounters under his belt.
However, despite their differences, the two instantly like each other and Max decides to take on a gay godfather kind of role, making sure that Jeremy loses his virginity as soon as possible.
When he arranges a date for Jeremy through a dating app, Max realizes that seeing Jeremy with another guy doesn't make him feel too great, so he invites Jeremy along to spend Christmas at his parents' maple syrup farm, so he can work on the project 'popping Cherry's cherry' himself.
The writing is great, as is a given with this author, but there were a few things I really didn't like about this book...
First of all, Jeremy is a damn annoying and insecure damsel in distress who tries to take back things he said and probably would rather never say anything at all so he doesn't say anything 'wrong'. Which I can relate to. Social anxiety is a thing I know first hand myself. Still, Jeremy shoved it in our faces a bit too hard for my taste.
Max is a typical romance hero guy who falls for his protege but constantly pushes him into another guy's arms which was totally weird.
And finally, their sex was really really odd. Like a porn script where the actor pretends to be a virgin with Jeremy begging Max to do things to him that a virgin shouldn't even know about.
[image]
I'm fine with most of those things in romance, but in a Christmas romance? Jesus, just give us a decorated tree, a mistletoe and a sweet kiss. This isn't an appropriate occasion to expand my porn vocabulary, LOL.
3.5 stars!
Merged review:
Oh boy. I love love love Christmas romances, but damn this one draaaagged quite a bit.
First of all, it has incredibly strong YA vibes, but once they get down to it, their sex is the most graphic type of porn script, LOL.
[image]
Geeky nerd Jeremy aka Cherry is an 18 year old freshman who just came out to his parents and is still not over their rather cool (as in emotionless) reaction, fearing that they think about casting him out.
He's at college, away from home, depending on his parents financing his studies, he doesn't know anyone, and on top of his coming out, it's nearly Christmas and his parents spend the holidays in Hawaii with his younger brother, but without Jeremy.
Slipping on the street, he breaks his glasses and 22 year old student Max helps him back up on his feet.
Max is an athlete, popular, good-looking and has quite a number of sexual encounters under his belt.
However, despite their differences, the two instantly like each other and Max decides to take on a gay godfather kind of role, making sure that Jeremy loses his virginity as soon as possible.
When he arranges a date for Jeremy through a dating app, Max realizes that seeing Jeremy with another guy doesn't make him feel too great, so he invites Jeremy along to spend Christmas at his parents' maple syrup farm, so he can work on the project 'popping Cherry's cherry' himself.
The writing is great, as is a given with this author, but there were a few things I really didn't like about this book...
First of all, Jeremy is a damn annoying and insecure damsel in distress who tries to take back things he said and probably would rather never say anything at all so he doesn't say anything 'wrong'. Which I can relate to. Social anxiety is a thing I know first hand myself. Still, Jeremy shoved it in our faces a bit too hard for my taste.
Max is a typical romance hero guy who falls for his protege but constantly pushes him into another guy's arms which was totally weird.
And finally, their sex was really really odd. Like a porn script where the actor pretends to be a virgin with Jeremy begging Max to do things to him that a virgin shouldn't even know about.
[image]
I'm fine with most of those things in romance, but in a Christmas romance? Jesus, just give us a decorated tree, a mistletoe and a sweet kiss. This isn't an appropriate occasion to expand my porn vocabulary, LOL.
I had a tough time working myself through this story. I gave up on it at the 40% mark, but I did read the last 10% in order to get the resolution of tI had a tough time working myself through this story. I gave up on it at the 40% mark, but I did read the last 10% in order to get the resolution of the story.
It’s an interesting family drama about three boys who are killed in 1975. One of the suspects is a family father whose alibi clears him quickly, but the damage in the small town community is done after the police take him away for questioning. As the killer is never found, the lingering doubt about the man remains.
The story is told more than 40 years later with lots of flashbacks to 1975 through the eyes of the family’s youngest son, Don. Don is a gay man living in San Francisco who returns to his hometown to care for his dying father. He’s in his mid-fifties and a hot gym rat. That’s literally all we get to learn about his adult self in the parts I’ve read.
His dad’s last wish is to finally be cleared of all accusations against him concerning the murders of 1975. And since Don doesn’t have anything to do but write some reports for a job he doesn’t really mention anywhere, he goes all PI and tries to find out who murdered them.
I am pretty unhappy with this story. It’s very plot-intense and is mainly a whodunit with a gay spin. Don tells us the story through his POV, but I never found myself get a grab on Don as a character. Even when he talked, there wasn’t any feedback on himself. It felt like reading a screenplay. All dialogue and no emotional explanations. In other words, it was incredibly dry and I didn’t care for Don at all. Actually, his 10 year old self in the flashbacks was much more relatable and approachable than his adult persona which I found particularly odd.
I was looking forward to the introduction of Bruce, a gay friend of a friend, who happened to be the random good looking hunky loner often found in romance novels who is miraculously single in his 50s and just waiting to be the love interest here.
I didn’t like the way they hit things off and I generally didn’t like the way their interactions were portrayed, which saddens me a bit, since I usually love a gay male author’s spin on things. After all, male authors are still a bit underrepresented in the m/m genre.
The plot was very interesting, although having read the ending, I really wasn’t surprised about the outcome. I hadn’t actually considered that turn of events because it seemed too obvious…
All in all, this story wasn’t the greatest reading experience for me. It was much more a mystery than it was a gay themed novel (like the cover suggests). It would probably have worked even better if it wasn’t trying to be a gay romance at the same time. I generally like the set-up and especially enjoyed the novels Jamie Fessenden created with a similar theme, but this one didn’t work for me.
2.5 stars!
Merged review:
I had a tough time working myself through this story. I gave up on it at the 40% mark, but I did read the last 10% in order to get the resolution of the story.
It’s an interesting family drama about three boys who are killed in 1975. One of the suspects is a family father whose alibi clears him quickly, but the damage in the small town community is done after the police take him away for questioning. As the killer is never found, the lingering doubt about the man remains.
The story is told more than 40 years later with lots of flashbacks to 1975 through the eyes of the family’s youngest son, Don. Don is a gay man living in San Francisco who returns to his hometown to care for his dying father. He’s in his mid-fifties and a hot gym rat. That’s literally all we get to learn about his adult self in the parts I’ve read.
His dad’s last wish is to finally be cleared of all accusations against him concerning the murders of 1975. And since Don doesn’t have anything to do but write some reports for a job he doesn’t really mention anywhere, he goes all PI and tries to find out who murdered them.
I am pretty unhappy with this story. It’s very plot-intense and is mainly a whodunit with a gay spin. Don tells us the story through his POV, but I never found myself get a grab on Don as a character. Even when he talked, there wasn’t any feedback on himself. It felt like reading a screenplay. All dialogue and no emotional explanations. In other words, it was incredibly dry and I didn’t care for Don at all. Actually, his 10 year old self in the flashbacks was much more relatable and approachable than his adult persona which I found particularly odd.
I was looking forward to the introduction of Bruce, a gay friend of a friend, who happened to be the random good looking hunky loner often found in romance novels who is miraculously single in his 50s and just waiting to be the love interest here.
I didn’t like the way they hit things off and I generally didn’t like the way their interactions were portrayed, which saddens me a bit, since I usually love a gay male author’s spin on things. After all, male authors are still a bit underrepresented in the m/m genre.
The plot was very interesting, although having read the ending, I really wasn’t surprised about the outcome. I hadn’t actually considered that turn of events because it seemed too obvious…
All in all, this story wasn’t the greatest reading experience for me. It was much more a mystery than it was a gay themed novel (like the cover suggests). It would probably have worked even better if it wasn’t trying to be a gay romance at the same time. I generally like the set-up and especially enjoyed the novels Jamie Fessenden created with a similar theme, but this one didn’t work for me.
Can you believe that I just looked at the cover of this book after reading it and almost fell off my chair laughing. OMG, don't judge it by its cover!Can you believe that I just looked at the cover of this book after reading it and almost fell off my chair laughing. OMG, don't judge it by its cover!
This is actually a very sweet mmm story that worked VERY well for me.
Sure, our main hero Mattin is a bit of an unusual fantasy type of master librarian who acts like a helpless damsel and wears sparkling hair clasps. He seems to put a lot of emphasis on styling his long hair, actually. And with his silky see-through night gowns, he might have stepped right out of a drag race episode, but no. He's a male master librarian from an old noble family who is 25 years old and looks up to his new king Arden Canamorra and the king's handsome warrior husband Mil Wulfa.
Both men are an official same sex couple in this fantasy kingdom. Their love is so epic that bards wrote songs about it, believe it or not.
Sadly, King Arden became king after a long period of turmoil when nobles schemed against their lords and each other, taking the crown forcefully and thereby ending the war. Still, some refer to him as 'The Traitor King' and call for an alliance between Arden and one of the old established noble families (called 'beat-of-fours', because they merged the noble family names so many times though marriage that the current names are so long they have four beats).
To everyone's surprise, the King doesn't reject the idea at all. He assigns Master Keeper Arlylian (aka Mattin) with putting together a list of prospects that he - and his husband - could form an alliance with to appease the noble families of his kingdom.
So Mattin does exactly that. Think of possible suitors for the king of his husband and compiling a long list of young male nobles who might have something in common with the king, either regarding warfare or other interests - because the king made it clear that an 'alliance' would need to go as far as sharing his life and bed too.
Mattin repeatedly visits the King and his husband in their private chambers to discuss possible prospects and to amend his list.
What Mattin doesn't realize in all this is that King Arden and his husband Mil have long set their eyes on someone (guess who), but wooing a young noble isn't exactly in Arden and Mil's repertoire, so they clumsily draw Mattin into their lives.
By the time Mattin realizes who is the most suitable suitor for the king and his husband, he is head over heels himself with the two older men.
Sadly, someone isn't too happy with the match and tries to destroy the new alliance by brute force!
It's a lovely slow burn romance with a main character who is so naive he doesn't even realize he's being seduced when he finds himself in the royal couple's bed. It's hilarious.
Don't expect too much sex. It is there, but it's not the kind of sex-fest you might expect. It's a very lovely fantasy story.
Definitely an entertaining read.
4.5 stars!
Merged review:
Can you believe that I just looked at the cover of this book after reading it and almost fell off my chair laughing. OMG, don't judge it by its cover!
This is actually a very sweet mmm story that worked VERY well for me.
Sure, our main hero Mattin is a bit of an unusual fantasy type of master librarian who acts like a helpless damsel and wears sparkling hair clasps. He seems to put a lot of emphasis on styling his long hair, actually. And with his silky see-through night gowns, he might have stepped right out of a drag race episode, but no. He's a male master librarian from an old noble family who is 25 years old and looks up to his new king Arden Canamorra and the king's handsome warrior husband Mil Wulfa.
Both men are an official same sex couple in this fantasy kingdom. Their love is so epic that bards wrote songs about it, believe it or not.
Sadly, King Arden became king after a long period of turmoil when nobles schemed against their lords and each other, taking the crown forcefully and thereby ending the war. Still, some refer to him as 'The Traitor King' and call for an alliance between Arden and one of the old established noble families (called 'beat-of-fours', because they merged the noble family names so many times though marriage that the current names are so long they have four beats).
To everyone's surprise, the King doesn't reject the idea at all. He assigns Master Keeper Arlylian (aka Mattin) with putting together a list of prospects that he - and his husband - could form an alliance with to appease the noble families of his kingdom.
So Mattin does exactly that. Think of possible suitors for the king of his husband and compiling a long list of young male nobles who might have something in common with the king, either regarding warfare or other interests - because the king made it clear that an 'alliance' would need to go as far as sharing his life and bed too.
Mattin repeatedly visits the King and his husband in their private chambers to discuss possible prospects and to amend his list.
What Mattin doesn't realize in all this is that King Arden and his husband Mil have long set their eyes on someone (guess who), but wooing a young noble isn't exactly in Arden and Mil's repertoire, so they clumsily draw Mattin into their lives.
By the time Mattin realizes who is the most suitable suitor for the king and his husband, he is head over heels himself with the two older men.
Sadly, someone isn't too happy with the match and tries to destroy the new alliance by brute force!
It's a lovely slow burn romance with a main character who is so naive he doesn't even realize he's being seduced when he finds himself in the royal couple's bed. It's hilarious.
Don't expect too much sex. It is there, but it's not the kind of sex-fest you might expect. It's a very lovely fantasy story.
I stumbled across this gem because it shares its title with a famous collection of stories by Isaac Asimov (I, RThis story is remarkably interesting.
I stumbled across this gem because it shares its title with a famous collection of stories by Isaac Asimov (I, Robot). This story is in fact a very early robot story that inspired Asimov to write about robots.
The plot is pretty interesting, as it turns the old Frankenstein theme around that was super popular in the early 20th century and which had many 'mechanical beings' act as evil monsters.
It features an important climax which I will explain in my review below, as it might be decisive in whether someone decides to read this.
This story is told from the perspective of Adam, a robot created by a scientist that is only referred to as Dr Link by Adam. Adam's body is fully assembled right from the start, but his early days have him discover the world much like a toddler with Dr Link teaching him to walk and speak. After a few months, Adam is developed much in the way of an adult human with the humanistic education of Dr Link's homeschooling. Just before Dr Link is about to introduce his greatest invention to the public, he dies in a tragic accident that has the humans around Dr Link's estate assume that Adam killed his creator.
They hunt Adam through the woods and don't listen to him when he tries to explain himself. Adam doesn't understand this world he suddenly finds himself in, a world that is so different to what Dr Link told him about life.
Going back in a circle and finding refuge in Dr Link's mansion, he finds the book "Frankenstein", well hidden in a drawer, so Adam wouldn't find it while Dr Link was alive, and he begins to understand why people seem to fear him wherever he goes.
He contemplates the decision to become the monster people see in him and defend himself against his hunters, but he understands that this would cause the death of several humans. He deems his cause not worthy this sacrifice and writes down his 'confession' (this short story) before he switches himself off, ending his 'life'.
Quite an excellent sci fi piece from the 1930s. 5 stars!...more
I don't have a single negative thing to say about this wonderful romance. The characters (ALL of them, also the minor ones) are absolutely amaAMAZING!
I don't have a single negative thing to say about this wonderful romance. The characters (ALL of them, also the minor ones) are absolutely amazing and taken right out of what feels like a real life setting. The research that went into their profession as wildfire fighters felt absolutely spot on and made the events grittingly real.
And the romance.... The romance was a true piece of art.
Of course, you gotta be comfortable with a little bit of separation angst, because holy mother of god, I haven't seen such a heap of separation angst dished out to me since Kim Fielding's Rattlesnake. Which is a good thing, I love that in a story.
[image]
Linc and Jacob are a perfect match - and they didn't know it most of the time. Gosh, I pined so hard for them and let me tell you, the wait paid off. What a satisfying resolution, I loved how they worked through their issues.
But first things first:
Linc is a guy in hid mid30s. He's had a rough childhood with an abusive father and a mom who died very early. At school he befriended a boy named Wyatt who started to look out for him, sharing lunches with him and taking him home to Wyatt's family. Over the years, Wyatt's parents and siblings more or less adopt Linc like another brother and Linc is eternally grateful to them, but especially to Wyatt.
As the years pass and both boys become men and work as wildfire fighters (which means they do parachute jumps from planes right into forest fires and cut trees to prevent the fire from spreading, which is one of the most badass jobs I ever heard of), Linc realizes he's gay while Wyatt grows up to be a pretty conservative narrow-minded guy who eventually marries with children.
Still, both men stay best friends and even though Wyatt isn't happy with Linc's low key homosexuality, the guys get along well on their team and save each other's asses time after time.
However, Linc is not out in public, especially not to the rest of Wyatt's family. So when Wyatt's little brother Jacob turns 19 and outs himself to the family, it is a big shock for everyone, but most of all for Linc, because not only is Jacob a hot muscled MMA fighter, he's also flirting heavily with Linc on the off chance that brooding and sexy Linc might be interested.
Wyatt isn't happy at all and warns Linc off, not to ever get involved with his little brother. Linc swears to stay away - and is hellbent on keeping his promise. Forever.
This is the background of the story and also the key of their relationship's tragedy.
As you may imagine, at some point Jacob and Linc do become an item and Linc's inner turmoil between being with a much younger man who gives him happiness and pleasing Wyatt's family, not to mention respecting his oath to Wyatt, is one of the most delicious reads ever.
I truly loved Linc for being a complicated, tormented character on the one hand, while also being a strong, solid caretaker, a guy who grows his own vegetables from seeds, who cares for two dogs that he saved from a shelter and who craves the love of Jacob's family, knowing full well that they would probably despise him if they knew his true self.
Actually, this story is taken right out of the biographies of many gay men from conservative parts of the world. BUT, there is no good and evil here. No hardcore fanatics who want to destroy what is not part of their world view. No, it's a much subtler approach here. One that most men experience with their families.
Not every mom immediately embraces a son being gay, but they also don't suddenly hate their own child. [image] At least I hope the majority of mom's don't.
Jacob's mom was one of the most lifelike 'mom to come out to' characters that I've ever seen in m/m romance.
I understood Linc's fears 100% and I also understood Jacob's frustration with Linc. Jacob was much fiercer than his secret lover and willing to fight his family if it came down to it. But why fight over something that the other guy is desperately trying to hide anyway, setting an expiration date on whatever it is that these two men are to each other.
So beautifully real and touching.
I love Annabeth Albert's work and some of her books are on the very top of my favorites list, but this one is definitely a new standard that I will be comparing books against.
I truly loved it!
5 stars! One of the best reads in 2020!
Merged review:
AMAZING!
I don't have a single negative thing to say about this wonderful romance. The characters (ALL of them, also the minor ones) are absolutely amazing and taken right out of what feels like a real life setting. The research that went into their profession as wildfire fighters felt absolutely spot on and made the events grittingly real.
And the romance.... The romance was a true piece of art.
Of course, you gotta be comfortable with a little bit of separation angst, because holy mother of god, I haven't seen such a heap of separation angst dished out to me since Kim Fielding's Rattlesnake. Which is a good thing, I love that in a story.
[image]
Linc and Jacob are a perfect match - and they didn't know it most of the time. Gosh, I pined so hard for them and let me tell you, the wait paid off. What a satisfying resolution, I loved how they worked through their issues.
But first things first:
Linc is a guy in hid mid30s. He's had a rough childhood with an abusive father and a mom who died very early. At school he befriended a boy named Wyatt who started to look out for him, sharing lunches with him and taking him home to Wyatt's family. Over the years, Wyatt's parents and siblings more or less adopt Linc like another brother and Linc is eternally grateful to them, but especially to Wyatt.
As the years pass and both boys become men and work as wildfire fighters (which means they do parachute jumps from planes right into forest fires and cut trees to prevent the fire from spreading, which is one of the most badass jobs I ever heard of), Linc realizes he's gay while Wyatt grows up to be a pretty conservative narrow-minded guy who eventually marries with children.
Still, both men stay best friends and even though Wyatt isn't happy with Linc's low key homosexuality, the guys get along well on their team and save each other's asses time after time.
However, Linc is not out in public, especially not to the rest of Wyatt's family. So when Wyatt's little brother Jacob turns 19 and outs himself to the family, it is a big shock for everyone, but most of all for Linc, because not only is Jacob a hot muscled MMA fighter, he's also flirting heavily with Linc on the off chance that brooding and sexy Linc might be interested.
Wyatt isn't happy at all and warns Linc off, not to ever get involved with his little brother. Linc swears to stay away - and is hellbent on keeping his promise. Forever.
This is the background of the story and also the key of their relationship's tragedy.
As you may imagine, at some point Jacob and Linc do become an item and Linc's inner turmoil between being with a much younger man who gives him happiness and pleasing Wyatt's family, not to mention respecting his oath to Wyatt, is one of the most delicious reads ever.
I truly loved Linc for being a complicated, tormented character on the one hand, while also being a strong, solid caretaker, a guy who grows his own vegetables from seeds, who cares for two dogs that he saved from a shelter and who craves the love of Jacob's family, knowing full well that they would probably despise him if they knew his true self.
Actually, this story is taken right out of the biographies of many gay men from conservative parts of the world. BUT, there is no good and evil here. No hardcore fanatics who want to destroy what is not part of their world view. No, it's a much subtler approach here. One that most men experience with their families.
Not every mom immediately embraces a son being gay, but they also don't suddenly hate their own child. [image] At least I hope the majority of mom's don't.
Jacob's mom was one of the most lifelike 'mom to come out to' characters that I've ever seen in m/m romance.
I understood Linc's fears 100% and I also understood Jacob's frustration with Linc. Jacob was much fiercer than his secret lover and willing to fight his family if it came down to it. But why fight over something that the other guy is desperately trying to hide anyway, setting an expiration date on whatever it is that these two men are to each other.
So beautifully real and touching.
I love Annabeth Albert's work and some of her books are on the very top of my favorites list, but this one is definitely a new standard that I will be comparing books against.
A very cute scene of Adrien and Jake finally making things official, albeit in an unexpected way. It was nice seeing them again. I miss reading this aA very cute scene of Adrien and Jake finally making things official, albeit in an unexpected way. It was nice seeing them again. I miss reading this amazing series....more
It's never a good idea to date someone because you consider him a loser. Even if you consider yourself one too andWhat a cute little Christmas story.
It's never a good idea to date someone because you consider him a loser. Even if you consider yourself one too and think you'd be a perfect match.
Unemployed writer Charlie learns this the hard way when he runs into his high school crush in Santa's grotto where sexy and confident Stu is rocking colorful tights as one of Santa's elves.
Of course we suspect pretty quickly that Stu isn't a low income elf at all.
I loved the resolution and the sweet ending, but I did nearly die of shame when Charlie found out what Stu's deal really was.
Story-wise, not much is happening here. Widower Chrys wants to sell his late husband's motorbike. Ruggendly hanThis is an incredible Christmas short.
Story-wise, not much is happening here. Widower Chrys wants to sell his late husband's motorbike. Ruggendly handsome farmhand Monroe shows up to look at it, but he can't afford it. Still, the two strike up a friendship and Chrys decides to gift the bike to Monroe.
It's sweet, but not exactly the most outstanding plot.
However, there is a tiny little detail about this story that I feel needs to be mentioned to make you understand why this story is special:
(view spoiler)[ Chrys is a tree spirit living among humans. He met his late husband Jeff and decided to live with him in his mortal form. The story's main tension is Chrys trying to hide his true identity from Monroe, but eventually revealing himself to him:
[image]
Which makes so much sense now looking back. I mean, there are so many tree references in Chrys' mind that I was convinced Chrys was an actual tree, but the tree spirit revelation was perfect. (hide spoiler)]
So.... this is unexpected, but it is exactly what made this short story a beautiful Christmas fairy tale that I enjoyed reading a lot.
Yes, it's very short, yes there is not much room for backstories or character development, but as a fairy tale, it is perfect!
I quite liked this book. The characters, Flint and Zach, are pretty interesting and even though they do stay true to the proven Lanyon character conceI quite liked this book. The characters, Flint and Zach, are pretty interesting and even though they do stay true to the proven Lanyon character concept of a brooding alpha male and a contemplative intellectual love interest (it works every single time for me), I found Zach and Flint pretty fascinating and fresh, if I may say so as a long time reader.
[image]
The crime case started off super interesting. After the death of his father, Zach and his sister run their dad's PI agency on their own - they just lack clients.
When wealthy toy maker Alton Beacher offers Zach a substantial sum to investigate death threats against him, Zach immediately takes on the case. The down side is, Beacher expects him to pose as his boyfriend too, so he can make his estranged wife jealous.
Even though everyone advises against this, Zach agrees and gets caught in a downward spiral of murder that nearly costs him his freedom and his life.
But luckily, his competitor on the local PI market, Flint Carey, is there to help him out. Initially wanting to buy Zach's agency to remove the competition, Flint starts being more and more helpful to Zach, a cooperation that - at some point - even extends to the bedroom.
It was definitely a super interesting story with a great atmosphere. Unfortunately, I found the resolution pretty anticlimactic. I feel that a lot more could have gained from that story. Especially the 'Corpse Bride'- lookalike Zora Alton-Beacher and her Disney's Haunted Mansion style home were heavily underused.
Still, a solid read and great entertainment on a rainy weekend.
I love that this was inspired by real life friends of the author's. It has exactly that 'unlikely' feeling that you get from some instalove romances, I love that this was inspired by real life friends of the author's. It has exactly that 'unlikely' feeling that you get from some instalove romances, but with real life being unpredictable as it is, I can totally see how this unfolded after Kevin's day pass visit to Bear Mountain Lodge Camp.
Kevin, a worker in his 50s, spends an afternoon at the camp before his shift and meets a handsome bodybuilder in his age group. Immediately sensing a connection, they take their acquaintance outside of the camp pretty quickly to follow their mutual spark.
Heck, I know a couple who met as guests at the Oktoberfest in Munich and one guy then moved to another country to be with the guy he hooked up with.
Life is sometimes so much more exciting than romance literature could ever be. A lovely short story! ...more
This little story goes along with the book Muscle Cub. It explains what's going on with Eric and Ben who invite Paul to the camp in the second full noThis little story goes along with the book Muscle Cub. It explains what's going on with Eric and Ben who invite Paul to the camp in the second full novel of the series.
It's hard to really make an impact with a short story, but Ben and Eric really touched me. Getting together at a very young age, when they were too distracted by life to make things work as a couple, they remained friends for 20 years.
And just where their story began in their teens, they take a full circle, coming back to the famous Bear Mountain Lodge Men's Camp Ground to celebrate their (shared) birthday.
I have been intrigued by Ben in the second book. He doesn't say much. Eric's the socializing one, so it was interesting to see Ben take matters into his own hands to finally resolve their decades long attraction.
I was really happy to see their own moment together here. I understand why it couldn't be part of the second book. It makes sense having it as a separate story.
I really need to get something off my chest right away: This was brilliant.
I expected it to be entertaining, but I didn't foresee that this book woulI really need to get something off my chest right away: This was brilliant.
I expected it to be entertaining, but I didn't foresee that this book would be so enlightening and empowering!
Why?
Paul and Austin are incredibly realistic characters. And I mean that in a particularly flattering way considering this series has a super strong gay nude camp steam bath orgy vibe - come on, it does. That's part of its charm too.
In this story we have an incredibly interesting pairing: Paul, a 40-something professor of British literature whose actual passion is writing (but he has writer's block right now), who considers himself aging and mediocre looking. He joins the camp for a weekend in hopes of a bit of 'entertainment' with like-minded gay men in his age group who don't cast him aside simply for being... himself.
Paul is very self-conscious, a bit of an intellectual, and he suffers from something very real yet something totally underrepresented in the mm genre: performance anxiety. Which is why he comes with some pills to bear camp, to help him along in case he does get intimate with someone.
So, all in all I would consider Paul one of the most lifelike middle aged gay male characters that you can find in this genre.
And now guess who glances his way and takes an unexpected liking to him: The young, muscled 20-something camp employee and resident bear camp slut Austin that EVERYONE wants to get their hands (and tongue) on.
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I remember Austin from book one, where I did get the impression he was not exactly shy about getting laid A LOT. Which I believe was also the reason why I did not pick up this book for a while even though I LOVED all other books I've read in this series. 'Special Forces' really ruined me a bit and instilled a reader's phobia of open relationships in me, LOL.
But now Paul gets to meet Austin a bit more closely and damn, I am so swept off my feet.
Austin's reputation as an easy guy precedes him wherever he goes because he never turns a guy down. He may not have sex with everyone but he flirts with everyone and let's everyone touch him because he's all about body positivity and he doesn't want anyone to feel like 'being the one guy he didn't flirt with'.
It took me a moment to wrap my mind around this kind of thinking, but OMG I realized what a great character trait this actually is. Austin is hot enough that he could brush off any guy he doesn't feel interested in and STILL have a ton of guys lining up for him and yet he makes a point of returning everyone's attention with an equally flirtatious line.
So to Paul's surprise, Austin is interested in him and - I think we can safely call it that - cruises him.
After their initial getting to know each other, this book (which is told from Paul's first-person POV ) is largely about Paul trying to make sense of Austin coming back for him again and again, even after his camp holiday was over, and sweeping him off his feet with his humour, his loyalty and his positive view of life.
It takes a while for Paul to realize what Austin gains from their relationship. And there is one moment where Austin describes his attraction to Paul so beautifully that it took my breath away:
“It’s… the spark. I don’t know if I can explain it. I’m not a writer. It’s a light in the dark, and I’m just following it. With other guys, it’s like chasing lightning bugs in the woods. There’s a thousand of them. They wink out, move around, disappear, but with you, the closer we get, the light keeps growing. Like you came out here to find me too.” He laughed nervously and groaned in frustration. “You show up. You picked a fucking red lanyard for me. And you care about what happens to me when the party’s over.”
(A red lanyard is camp hanky code for being in a monogamous relationship and not wanting sex with others).
This book felt so empowering, so full of body positivity, it was amazing to read this story.
You know how we always get these MM romance characters who act like circus artists in bed, or who can go again and again and again... We love reading that. I do too. It's entertaining. But damn, it's far from what real life looks like.
I'm a 40 year old gay man myself. I hate how everyone thinks gay men need to be porn performers. The average guy isn't. The average guy has lived through relationship bullshit in his past that can become baggage and can stay in his head when he's with a new guy. Paul's issues were so perfectly heartfelt and real. I loved him, even though he was a super dry character compared to his younger and hyperactive boyfriend. Seeing Austin treating every stranger as a new friend is such a wonderful view of the world.
This book will stay with me for a long time. I am super grateful that I picked it up after all and now I will give every single story in this series a chance. What a master author!!
This goes on my list of favorite reads in the year 2023! 5 stars!!...more
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