Boy Meets Boy Reviews: 2015-05-17

Group Review: Out in Time by Grey Cole

A closeted football star. An out and proud photographer. And a road trip.

Wade Truman had grown accustomed to admiring Heath Taylor from afar. Now, years of denying himself and the irresistible Heath are wreaking havoc on Wade’s resolve. The odds are stacked against them … they’re graduating college soon. Wade just signed a multimillion dollar football deal—thrusting him even further into the spotlight. Not to mention, what would the gorgeously refined Heath want with a small town jock boy like himself anyway?

Heath grew up privileged, accepted, and out. And the two hells he swore he would never put himself through—crushing on a straight guy and being anyone’s dirty little secret—have presented themselves in one sweet talkin’, dream hauntin’ package. One weekend with Wade, and Heath’s sure the devil himself has come a-knockin’.

Warning: Contains Southern accents wielded like weapons of desire, a snarky, do-gooder Pennsylvanian, and two boys deserving of true love.

Ann: 4 Hearts

There was SO much about this story I loved and only one thing I didn’t. Considering the one thing I didn’t was the fact that I really wasn’t ready for it be over and I wanted more, I’d say that’s pretty damn good. I would say that going in, keep in mind the story ends with a super optimistic HFN and not necessarily a rock solid HEA you’ll be prepped. It made sense actually because anything else wouldn’t have fit with the characters and in order to complete the HEA the book would have to be three times as long. So, consider it the beginning of the HEA, There, that works.

Wade and Heath are incredibly appealing characters on pretty much every level imaginable and while they were both good guys they weren’t too perfect making them more accessible to the reader. One of the most appealing things to me was the communication between them. The banter was witty and refreshing and there wasn’t a bunch of unnecessary misunderstandings to move the story along. The story relied on honesty in a realistic way to get these two together.

And damn I did love reading about them getting together. Wade’s way with words is amazing and it could have been over the top if the groundwork with his background hadn’t been laid. He’s an English major and writer, so he knows his way around the words and he’s not afraid to use them. I could feel Heath melting through my Kindle. I loved reading about supporting families too and I think overall the story was a refreshing change that I appreciated muchly.

Justin: 3.75 Hearts

Nooooooooooooo! That can't be it! Who in the hell wrote the first "slice of life" story and why did this author chose to torture readers with that type of story for our two MCs, Wade and Heath?!?!

Ok, on with the review. Out in Time was a very good story for me. I adored the main characters and I really liked the supporting ones. I had a few moments of uncertainty when reading this but the author ultimately convinced me that Wade and Heath belonged together. I had one or two eye rolls but they weren't over anything major.

My biggest complaint would be the editing issues. This story was too good to be plagued with so many errors. It seemed to get worse toward the end of the book. There were missing words, extra words and in some instances I'm not even sure how the sentence was supposed to read. These kept pulling me out of the story and that really sucked. If the errors bothered me there's a problem. I can usually roll right past them but there were too many to ignore in this story.

This author definitely has talent and as I understand it is writing this under a pen name to keep her identity on the DL. I don't have a problem with that at all but I do recommend getting a good editor. But editing aside, I'd read more stories from this author and I'd definitely read more about Wade and Heath.

For more information on Goodreads or Booklikes!

Review: With Tongue and Teeth (Outlaw MC #4) by James Cox

What if bad guys ruled the world and the good guys were the outlaws?

The future is a city on Mars where the government rules with an iron fist of hatred. Romeo is part of the Outlaw MC. He’s a patch member with a hard-on for danger and flirting is like breathing to him. His world caves when the government finds him having sex with another man. In this world, homosexuality is punished by death, dark skinned men are slaves and women are used for breeding. With a warrant now out for his execution, Romeo must take his leave of the only life he knows and join another MC that lives under Mars’ surface.

Justice is the Underground MC president. He’s survived slavery and the harsh environment outside the city. He’s prepared to push all the MC’s toward taking down the government but he hadn’t planned on his attraction to Romeo. The flirt thought with his penis and it almost got him killed. The war for equality doesn’t need that kind of liability. Justice has a hard past but when his life’s in danger, only one man comes to his rescue and he sure wasn’t expecting it to be the flirty white guy.

Can Romeo handle Justice’s tongue and teeth?

With Tongue and Teeth continues with the story of the Outlaw MC’s and their mission to take down the oppressive government on Mars. We met the Amazons in Deviant and Tage’s story in Behavior Problem and we’ve known about the Underground MC’s for the entire series, but this time around, the focus is on their world and I loved the brooding atmosphere that James created.

Firstly Romeo, the dick-centric and deliciously slutty hero of the Outlaw MC’s gets himself into some seriously dangerous shenanigans when he thinks with his dick. Problem is, he’s almost always thinking with his dick. The beginning of With Tongue and Teeth is his biggest mistake. He’s been caught having sex with a man and homosexuality is a crime punishable by death on Mars. Well, damn right? We can’t forget these are the Outlaw MC’s and they never leave a man behind and Romeo is saved from his ominous fate by his leathered brethren, but life as he knew it is over. He’s a marked man and can no longer live out in the open. The Underground MC’s agree to welcome Romeo and the man he was caught sexing it up with, Edmond. (I kinda liked Edmond, I hope we learn more about him, the poor horny bastard really got himself in a sticky pickle here.)

So, Romeo and Edmond are on their way to the tunnels to live, and join the fight with, the Underground MC’s. They’ve gone from being undesirable according to the government above ground; to their mere existence being completely illegal as they are forced to live underground with Justice and the rest of the people who would be marked for death if they were to be seen above ground. The atmosphere that James delivered about life in the tunnels was so well done. It’s dark and slightly ominous but not without hope. The people living under Justice’s leadership have created a home in the tunnels and it’s far from ideal, but these people are not defeated by the hand that Wexmen has dealt them. There’s a successful society under the city and Justice is the man driving them forward.

Romeo is attracted to Justice, but let’s be realistic, how flattering is that? Romeo is attracted to a lot of things with dicks, but there is more to their connection and I liked reading the evolution of the relationship between these two. Justice has lived a brutal life and his stoic personality makes total sense. As he and Romeo grow closer and Justice opens up to Romeo, his personality remains consistent but the depth of his character expands and the way they fit together makes total sense.

The MC groups are working on their path of destruction for the government and their plans to take out the Peacekeeper strongholds doesn’t go nearly as well as planned. I loved this part of the story. It kept the tension high and opened the door for Romeo to be a hero for Justice. That just made me happy. This is the part of the story that brought their relationship to the next level. While they were going through life threatening (and saving) heroics, it was the little things that I love so much that were sprinkled throughout. When Justice gives Romeo one of his rare, but very real smiles Romeo goes all melty. It was absolutely adorable to read about a shameless slut getting butterflies and flustered over a smile from the right man. *insert heavy sigh here*

Sexy times between these two was, in a word, dayum! Pay attention to the title, love nibbles are involved and it read edgy and sweet and hot all at the same time. Just because love is happening, doesn’t mean that Romeo is losing his edge. The man still needs to do some submitting, he’s just focused on one man now which is so much hotter than reading about a one off. It was really sweet how Romeo had the revelation that he wanted to “know more about the man behind the big dick.” But, he also wanted “to do the least amount of talking and the most amount of groaning.” It was a good balance between the sweet and the hot.

Favorite character flashback moment:

That’s when I heard the loud bang that made my bones damn near rattle.

Mayhem glanced back and smiled.

It was fucking creepy. He only smiled when he was about to come or when he blew something up. I was thankful he was on our side.

That pretty much sums up why I love this series so much. These cats are awesome.

For more information on With Tongue and Teeth (Outlaw MC #4) check it out on Goodreads.

Cover Reveal: Love Spell by Mia Kerick

Mia Kerick is stopping by with some info on her upcoming, Love Spell! Check out the blurb, an excerpt and the cover of her new YA novel. Plus... there's a giveaway!

Cover & Blurb:

Strutting his stuff on the catwalk in black patent leather pumps and a snug orange tuxedo as this year’s Miss (ter) Harvest Moon feels so very right to Chance César, and yet he knows it should feel so very wrong.

As far back as he can remember, Chance has been “caught between genders.” (It’s quite a touchy subject; so don’t ask him about it.) However, he does not question his sexual orientation. Chance has no doubt about his gayness—he is very much out of the closet at his rural New Hampshire high school, where the other students avoid the kid they refer to as “girl-boy.”

But at the local Harvest Moon Festival, when Chance, the Pumpkin Pageant Queen, meets Jasper Donahue, the Pumpkin Carving King, sparks fly. So Chance sets out, with the help of his BFF, Emily, to make “Jazz” Donahue his man.

An article in an online women’s magazine, Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love with You (with a bonus love spell thrown in for good measure), becomes the basis of their strategy to capture Jazz’s heart.

Quirky, comical, definitely flamboyant, and with an inner core of poignancy, Love Spell celebrates the diversity of a gender-fluid teen.

Pages or Words: 44,300 words

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Romance, Young Adult

Excerpt:

“Do you really wanna go there?”

Unlike the fake lunch block that I spend every day with Jazz, my real lunch block with Emily has been a total bitch lately. I can’t say who the major target of the bullshit is—Emmy or me—as neither of us has a sizeable fan club at Fiske High School. But I will say that the front table by the salad bar can be a cold place, and that’s not just because of the draft that comes in from the hallway.

“Nice makeup, girl-boy.” It seems Edwin Darling hasn’t forgotten my nickname from grade school, which sucks for me.

But this diva never backs down. “Thanks. Haven’t you heard—I was the head makeup artist on Evita?”

“Eh-what-uh?” Eddie the Appalling wrinkles his greasy forehead and runs his hand over his buzz-cut hair. Clearly, he is unfamiliar with Tony Award winning Broadway musicals. Not that I’m shocked. He quickly shifts his attention to Emily. “How do you put up with him, fat-ass?”

My BFF isn’t as good as I am at deflecting evil taunts. She looks up at him with wide eyes and seems to lose her appetite, pushing her salad toward the middle of the table.

“Oh, that’s cold, my darling Eddie.” (See what I did with his name, there? Clever, I know.) I stand up. “I wouldn’t go there if I were you.” I then “rawr” at him like a ticked-off tigress, throwing in a clawing gesture to get my point across. “Do you really wanna go there?”

I can tell by the look on his face that he’s remembering how long it took for the scratches on his face to heal after our last entanglement.

“I personally could live without going there, but you know me—I’m impulsive as hell.” I fold my arms across my chest and thrust out my right hip. “Piss me off and I’m likely to do abso-fucking-lutely anything.”

The bulk of my attention is focused on my adversary, but it’s impossible to miss that we’ve gathered an audience. An audience of indifferent “watchers”—the multitudes of apathetic teens who will later text each other, “did you see the homo and the bully go head-to-head at lunch today?” They don’t matter one smidgeon in the scheme of things, but my Emily does.

At this point, Eddie and I are eye-to-eye and chest-to-chest. Lucky for him, one of his thugs bails him out. “Get too close to that fag and you’ll get AIDS—am I wrong?” The big oaf grabs Eddie by the arm and pulls him away.

But he doesn’t remove his gaze from mine. “You better watch out when we’re off school grounds, pansy.”

If I said I didn’t shudder, I’d be lying.

About Mia:

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty-two years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young people and their relationships, and she believes that physical intimacy has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press, Harmony Ink Press, CoolDudes Publishing, and CreateSpace for providing her with alternate places to stash her stories.

Mia is a social liberal and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of human rights, especially marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

Stop by Mia’s Blog with questions or comments, or simply share what’s on your mind. Find Mia on Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Author Links:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Goodreads
Publisher: Cool Dudes Publishing

Enter below to win a $25 Amazon gift card!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Dates & Stops:

A special thanks to Will from Pride Promotions for organizing the tour.

Author Visit & Giveaway: Jay Bell

JAY BELL IS HEEEEERRRRRRRREEEEE!!!!!!!!! And he brought goodies! We have an excerpt from his upcoming book, Something Like Thunder (*squee*). It's his tenth book (Congrats, Jay!) and to celebrate he has an amazing giveaway.

Cover & Blurb:

This isn’t a coming out story. Nor is it the tale of a lonely heart seeking companionship. This is about how I learned to fight.

My name is Nathaniel Courtney and I’m a survivor. I didn’t let the cruelty of others wear me down, and I’ve weathered the more subtle hardships of the heart. Love is a Trojan horse, slipping past your guard and leaving you ransacked and vulnerable. I emerged from that war not unscathed but as a new man. The only mistake I ever made was letting the right guy get away. Now I’ve got one more chance. This is the final battle, because if I fail now… I won’t. You’ll see. Just listen to my story, Kelly Phillips, and when I’m done, please don’t walk away. Take this weary soldier into your arms so we can find peace together.

Something Like Thunder is the sixth book in the ongoing Something Like… series, shedding light on past events while leading the reader toward an exciting new future.

Excerpt:

“What now?” Caesar asked, glancing around the tent. They had their own, and aside from a couple of sleeping bags, an electric lamp, and privacy, they didn’t have much to work with.

“What now?” Nathaniel repeated with an incredulous twist. “You’re ready for the next adventure already?”

Caesar grinned at him. “Sure!”

“I’m ready to sleep,” Nathaniel said. “It’s late.”

Caesar groaned, as if disappointed. Then he stripped off his shirt, tossing it casually aside before reaching for his jeans. “What about tomorrow?”

Nathaniel forced himself to focus on unzipping his sleeping bag. “Up to you. Maybe we’ll go back to Warton. But at night, this time. We’ll hang out in the graveyard, light some candles, spill some blood. Then we’ll see if any ghosts want to share their secrets with us.”

“Dude,” Caesar said. “You’re freaking me out. Seriously.”

Nathaniel smirked. “Don’t like ghost stories?”

“Nope.”

He looked over to find Caesar already in his sleeping bag, his jeans a crumpled pile next to him. He didn’t see any underwear, but that still seemed awfully undressed for a chilly spring night. Nathaniel left his clothes on and reached to turn off the lamp. A few minutes later, he started sweating. Whatever material these bags were made of, they were hardcore. He squirmed out of his to shed some clothes.

“What are you doing?” Caesar whispered.

“Getting naked.”

“These sleeping bags are hot, huh?”

“Yeah.”

The silence was thick with sexual tension, even if it was one-sided. Stripping down to his underwear this close to Caesar felt erotic. Nathaniel started to hurry, becoming aroused and wishing he had taken care of business in the communal shower room earlier. Maybe he could wait until Caesar fell asleep or—

“Hey.”

Nathaniel made sure he was back in his sleeping bag before he answered. “What?”

“You’re not alone.”

Nathaniel scrunched up his face in confusion, despite his expression being invisible in the dark. “Huh?”

“What you said earlier, about being gay. You’re not alone.”

Pep talk. That was sweet, but he didn’t need it. “Okay,” Nathaniel replied, rolling over and getting comfortable. His eyes shot open soon after. Was Caesar simply trying to cheer him up? Or was there more to it? “I know there are other gay people,” he whispered. “I told you, I’ve been on dates and stuff.”

A long pause. Had Caesar fallen asleep? No. “There was this guy I met once. Well, I didn’t meet him. I called an ambulance because my grandma was having a stroke and he picked me up— Not like that! I don’t mean he flirted with me. Ugh, I’m telling it all wrong.”

Nathaniel tried not to laugh. “You met a paramedic once, and he turned out to be gay. Unless you’ve got his email address for me, I don’t see your point.”

“That’s not what I was trying to say.”

Caesar sounded hurt, so Nathaniel made sure his voice was softer when he spoke. “Try again.”

“He was beautiful,” Caesar said hurriedly. “Even though he was only in my life a few minutes, I never stopped thinking about him.”

A guy calling another guy beautiful… That didn’t happen often. Any guy could tell if another was hot and might mention that in conversation. Johnny Depp sure is a good-looking motherfucker. Guy probably gets all the girls! Banter like that didn’t raise red flags. But a gentle word like ‘beautiful,’ was something different. Still, Nathaniel didn’t leap to any conclusions, despite being tempted.

“There’s a difference between admiring a guy and finding him attractive.”

“Sometimes it’s both.”

“But you and Steph…”

“I love her,” Caesar said. “I’m into girls. Especially her. But I’ve always noticed guys too. I used to think I lacked a filter or just hadn’t made up my mind about who I am. But I don’t wonder anymore. Like I said… Sometimes it’s both.”

Bisexual? Nathaniel felt like sighing and groaning at the same time. Over the past few weeks, he had wished more than once that they were compatible, that Caesar was gay. He should have been more specific because he got his wish. He and Caesar could be together. Except Caesar already had someone he loved. The revelation was bittersweet. Mostly bitter though.

“Nathaniel?” Caesar said.

“Hm?” he managed.

“I’m really glad we met.”

Nathaniel kept his expression neutral. When he remembered he couldn’t be seen, he allowed the pain to show. “Yeah. Me too.”

About Jay Bell:
Jay Bell never gave much thought to Germany until he met a handsome foreign exchange student. At that moment, beer and pretzels became the most important thing in the world. After moving to Germany and getting married, Jay found himself desperate to communicate the feelings of alienation, adventure, and love that surrounded this decision, and has been putting pen to paper ever since.

Author Links:
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Are you ready for the awesomeness of this prize pack? Here it goes...

Any book from Jay's back catalog (excluding Thunder), in eBook or Paperback format
A set of autographed art cards
A $25 Amazon gift card
A download code for any of Jay's Audible audiobooks

OMG, right? I know. All you have to do is comment below with your contact info (email, Goodreads, Twitter, etc.) and you'll be entered to win this prize pack! The giveaway ends May 26th at 9:00 PM (PST) and a winner will be randomly drawn. Good luck!

Review: Something Like Thunder (Something Like #6, Storms #2) by Jay Bell

"Love is a revolving door. The only trick is timing when you step in."

Ah, Marcello. What a wise man you are.

Nathaniel has been through a lot of hurt by people he loved and who were supposed to love him back. He put up walls and decided that it's easier to just not love anyone that much, that way he can't really be hurt. That is, until he realizes that it the possibility of getting hurt is worth having Kelly.

So, he tells Kelly everything.

Jay Bell has a way of making me love a character. Really, in my heart, love them. I adore Nathaniel and I hurt from all he went through. I can't say I blame him for running from Kelly and all that he felt. He was hurt by his parents, his brother, his friends, his first love. Those who should have loved him, let him down, again and again.

While, I think Kelly and Nathaniel are perfectly matched, this was more about Nathaniel's journey than their romance, for me. And what a journey it was. He went from this hurt teenager to a strong man, one who is strong enough to risk loving someone again. He faced a past that he never fully voiced to anyone, all the heartbreak and betrayal, that made him this strong, loving, generous person.

So, in Spring, I loved Caesar. Now? I looooooooooooooooooooooove Caesar. Can you feel my affection? Can you? It's strong. I know this isn't his story, but he stole the show for me. I knew he was going to cause trouble every time he showed up, but I couldn't help but want him around. I'm so intrigued by him. Will he get an HEA? Will he finally meet someone and fall in love one final time? I hope so.

This is my least favorite of the series so far, but at 4.5 hearts, obviously, I still loved it. I think my main problem was the overlapping timelines with all of the previous books. Instead of just focusing on Nathaniel's story, I couldn't help but try and make one big timeline in my head. Whenever a character or an event from another book popped up, I became very distracted by when this would have happened in their story or how old they were at the time. It was just...distracting. I'm curious to know if other readers have this problem, or if it's just my crazy (<- totally possible).

Now, it's all a waiting game to see who is next... please be Caesar, please be Caesar....

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Johnnie (Siphon Collection #1) by Cardeno C.

A Premier lion shifter, Hugh Landry dedicates his life to leading the Berk pride with strength and confidence. Hundreds of people depend on Hugh for safety, success, and happiness. And at over a century old, with more power than can be contained in one body, Hugh relies on a Siphon lion shifter to carry his excess force.

When the Siphon endangers himself and therefore the pride, Hugh must pay attention to the man who has been his silent shadow for a decade. What he learns surprises him, but what he feels astounds him even more.

Two lions, each born to serve, rely on one another to survive. After years by each other’s side, they’ll finally realize the depth of their potential, the joy in their passion, and a connection their kind has never known.

I loved the original take on shifters! After reading a few series' some things start to become redundant, so it was refreshing to read something different.

Hugh is the Premier lion shifter, which is like the alpha. A Premier can live much, much longer if it has a Siphon. A Siphon is a lion that takes on the Premier's extra energy and if something were to happen to the Siphon, the Premier would also suffer. This makes Siphons really precious and protected.

Sounds like a good deal, right? No, not really. Especially not for Johnnie.

He was so protected that nobody really saw him as anything other than The Siphon. He didn't even have a name, FFS! They just called him 'The Siphon', made sure he was fed, and basically ignored him. All this made it really hard for me to like Hugh. I couldn't get past how he treated Johnnie for years. Yeah, he acknowledged his mistakes and made up for them, but it still got under my skin quite a bit.

But I did like seeing Hugh start to pay more attention to Johnnie, to realize that he's a person and appreciate him. There was a nice slow progression of their relationship and it made what they finally had together that much sweeter.

I really like CC's kind of romance. It's always sweet and you can betcher ass it's gonna be sexy as hell. It was borderline cheesy at times, but still it's a cute and light story.