Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Final Stories

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here.  And as mentioned in earlier posts about this event, the interwebz couldn't handle it if mysterious and magically rare unicorns showed up in our reviews, so we'll just say this week we LOVED Until the Bitter End by L.L. Bucknor, before moving on to some of our other favorites from the final stories of the event, September 7-19.

Before we share those stories, though, we'd like to say thank you to the fabulous crew at M/M Romance Group who volunteer so many hours of their time and talent to host this event.  From coordinating everything to editing and proofreading to publishing the stories, they have their work cut out for them and the results are incredible.  Thank you for all the hard work!

And now Lorix will share her favourite story of the final week.

Lorix: In Your Veins by S.J. Eller

*Happy dance* - this was my prompt story!!

Thank you SJ for the perfect story to my prompt. I loved it. 

Warning, this review may contain spoilers.

I have been eagerly awaiting this story. I fell in love with the prompt picture, whipped up a prompt and have been wondering what story 'my boys' were going to get. It couldn't have been more perfect (well the only improvement would have been for it to be longer, I wasn't ready to finish reading it yet!!).

Where to start. Okay, the writing. SJ Eller writes beautiful prose, she has sentence structure of which I am entirely jealous. I like sentences that evoke amazing imagery and SJ writes these, seemingly with ease. Yet she kept it beautifully balanced - I wasn't weighed down with descriptions, they complemented the story rather than overwhelmed it. I've never been to Portland or Cleveland I have no idea about either of these places, yet I feel as though I know them (Cleveland especially) really well now. Even though the story wasn't laden with long, overdrawn details of the place, the author was so clever with her words, I really gained a sense of the city.

Kyle and Dalton, the MC's. The story is told from Kyles POV - yet I understood both characters perfectly. Kyle has just moved to Cleveland and is in an accounting job, that he thinks is perfect for him. On a night out with workmates he meets Dalton and they get on like a house on fire. The scene from the photo is included perfectly in this section of the story. It made me sigh - the writing was a s beautiful as the photo.

Dalton is actually the brother of Kyles co-worker, Billy, and through things Billy doesn't say Kyle works out that there is something in Dalton's past. Kyle is eager to find out what because he is already starting to fall for Dalton.

Dalton - SIGH - I really loved Dalton. I want more of him. Dalton is a man with a secret, with a burden. He has a history of drug abuse. Of addiction. He has been clean for three months though. He shares this with Kyle and promises to do his best to stay clean. He doesn't promise he will - just that he will try. I loved Kyle and Dalton's relationship. I could see them falling in love through the little things they did. Though it was yet to be admitted.

Unfortunately circumstances overwhelm Dalton and he suffers a relapse - at a time when Kyle is away. But Kyle is the one who finds him. And this is where I loved this story the most. It was realistic. Even in the epilogue, we hear there was no insta-fix. Love didn't solve all the problems. Love just helped Dalton work towards solving his problems. 

“I love you, too, Dalton,” he said, watching the light come to Dalton’s eyes, “but you can’t do this for me. You have to do it for you. No one else is going to be able to save you from yourself, Dalton. If you go to rehab, you need to do it because it’s what you want, not because of me, or your mom, or anyone else.” 

I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful story. As I said at the beginning, I wish it could have been longer, if I had a complaint it would be this. The story definitely would have worked as a full length novel, however I understand fully the time-constraints of the event (and the author!) and think she has done a wonderful job. I've just got to stop being greedy. As soon as this story is downloadable I will re-read it and savour it.

Thank you SJ, it is perfect.

Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Week Fourteen

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here.  And some of our favorites from the fourteenth week of the event, August 31- September 6, are below.

Ann: Billie Jean by Al Stewart and Claire Davis

Sometimes you read a story and you feel that two characters absolutely have to be together. Anything else just isn't an option, this is one of those stories. Niall and Dan couldn't be more different, except the fact that neither of them are so good with the words. BUT, half the time they really didn't even need them because they really got each other. Dan especially. It didn't read as contrived though, I totally bought that Dan could read Niall when it mattered most.

Niall is so charming and sweet in his wanna be diva ways. He really isn't a diva, but he plays it up mildly for Dan's amusement and to cover up past hurts. The fact that he's a shoe whore much like myself I could completely get behind Niall. The story had me at "he fucked me into heaven and saved my shoes". Dan's basically my dream man, so I really feel I only need to say, "Yeah, he's Dan" and be done there. He's protective and growly and shy and sweet and perpetually horny for Niall and I loved him.

The lingerie worked SO well for these two and it's obvious their adventures are just starting out which makes me happy.

A really fun and charming read with really memorable characters. Thanks to Al and Claire for the story!

Lorix: Bromance to Romance by Elizabeth Daniels

4.5 hearts. Actually, d'ya know what..Drew & Dan are in my head again & I keep thinking about little bits of the conversations and story. So I'm putting that extra half a heart back. 

I loved this. Yep - once again I was lucky enough to beta read and I'm trying to be as objective as I can in this review.

This is Elizabeth's second prompt - and she is the third one to claim this particular one. Third time lucky IMO!!

Elizabeth Daniels has a way of putting words together that I just adore. It's like she gets inside the characters, she isn't just writing them, she really, really understands them. From what they're wearing to how they think and feel, everything is the character's choice, not the writer's.

Dan and Drew - oh these two. You ever want to slap someone and say, look at what is right in front of you...yep. *nods head* THESE two!! I have to say, Ms Daniels makes the wait worth it. And we get a tease... He gave Dan their usual kiss goodnight: one kiss on the forehead and one kiss on each cheek, but Drew didn't stop there. He kissed his way from Dan’s cheek and along his jaw until he came to a pair of slightly parted lips that he had to taste. I mean UNGH, right?

I love her secondary characters. In fact good secondary characters are a weakness of mine, and even in their brief appearances I feel each person we meet has their own story to tell. Noah from The Backdoor for example. He's there for a few paragraphs and I already want to know his story!

This story isn't in your face sexy, but it is sexy. The kind of sexy that comes with good friends and longing and love. I'm getting shivers just thinking about it! As much as I like a good shag in my reading (I feel I've said this before recently, sorry) sometimes I really love NOT having it in a story. Sometimes the story doesn't need it. Sometimes it is much sexier without. IMO!!

I'm rambling, I know I am. I don't want to spoil this story. I really hope you all enjoy it as much as I have. I know I'll be re-reading it when I want a friends-to-more book (it is my favourite trope!).

Thank you for not one, but two (amazing) stories Elizabeth!!

 ETA -the phone sex. How could I have forgotten to mention his. Hot phone call is HOT. Way, way hot. Squirm in your seat hot. Me likey!


SheReadsALot: Assassin's Love by Sammy Goode

This story is a gem in the rough.

"Assassin's Love" delivers quite the premise, the good bits and the rough bits. My rating is 3.75 due on the author following the prompt quite excellently, staying true in form enough for a history nerd such as myself and giving a great snack.

Sadly, this story is a snack and not the full course meal it should have been.

The first quarter smoothly ensnares with a story about a mute little boy named Miles. I ached for Miles and his horrible life. The author captures his innocence and jadedness from his nine year old eyes very well. (I can't stand adult-like kids) Now if the story held that tone it drop kicked me with into the feelz territory, I would be stealing everyone's stars and ratings to stuff this review.

The story progresses nearly a decade later, Miles was taken at nine by the evil earl of Wessex, trained and beaten into an assassin, newly dubbed "The Shadow". He's a silent killer. This I loved. Gimme a dagger wielding, sword swinging assassin over a gun toting bad boy ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.

The story carries a good story line with Miles/Shadow killing at the evil earl's will. During one of his assignments, he meets eyes with Sir Anthony, a Duke's heir. Cut to a year later, both men still are intrigued with one another. Sadly the earl is evil and wants Sir Anthony out of the picture. Guess who he employs?

The story has romance. Some nice words to convey what the men feel.

"Without uttering a word, your eyes and touch still speak volumes to me. You and I will learn each other’s ways. We will take delight in finding each place that gives pleasure and builds to release. You are mine now, as I am yours."

BUT...there is not enough time given to the men for me to fully believe it. I mean MANTEARS so quickly? You can argue it's because Miles can't express his feelings verbally but I expect a teen who has had a shitty existence- ridiculed, tormented and beaten to be a little harder to crack. Someone fell to their knees too quickly and declared their feelings in haste. Instalove in hosen.

Do the main characters belong together? Yes.

But they needed more story length for me to believe it. It read rushed. I can't ignore it even if the setting gave the tingles or the premise made my heart smile.

I can't rate this 3.5 in good conscience because I can see the author's work and attention to detail in some aspects. It reads good.

I just wish there was enough length of time to make me 100% believe these boys. I'm swimming in the 85-90% mark.

So gem in the rough, you see.

Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Week Thirteen

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here.  And some of our favorites from the thirteenth week of the event, August 25-30, are below.

(No stories were posted the twelfth week due to the Anniversary Celebration in the Goodreads group)

Ann: A Heart of Klondike Gold by E. Davies

 Beautifully written tale of two lonely men who meet at the right time and find the treasure they least expected.

The research the author put into the story is obvious and the effort paid off. It read so perfectly for the time period that it kept me right in their moment. The language felt organic for that time with its slight formality and manners (even when insulting someone) making it a pleasure to read every conversation. Every phrase just felt right.

I loved Walt and Edwin together and how they spoke to one another (towards the end) was perfect. It wasn't hearts and flowers, that's not what these guys were about. It was about what they knew, giving the words more value. It was about claiming their treasure and their fortune in each other.

They had "a bond formed of sweat, blood and honesty from start to finish" and it came across very clearly in the story. I'm a total slut junky for a good historical and this one ticked off all my boxes for everything I love about the genre.

Breann:  Of Gods and Monsters: Menoetius by Wulf F Godgluck

Holy alpha male! Sheesh. This dude was full of the crazies.

 Colt is mad at the world and may be one of the grumpiest characters I've come across. Which made him turning into goo at the sight of Beo that much better. I wouldn't say Beo calmed him, though. He just helped Colt focus his crazy somewhere else. Which was on his Babyboy, Beo. Ha! Poor Beo. But he handled Colt perfectly.

 I really wanted to strangle Colt, like, a million and a half times. But his reactions were true to his character, even if they were completely stupid. I liked him and I was rooting for him from the beginning.

 Whew, the language in this book was diiiiiiiirrrty. Damn. There were boy holes and boy pussies everywhere! Very porny. NomNomNom. I liked it, thankyouverymuch.

 I seriously couldn't put it down. It was quite angsty, very sweet and tender at moments and downright filthy most of the time.

 Couldn't. Stop. Reading.

Lori: Overkill by Elizabeth Daniels

I'm not usually a fan of band stories, but I fell in love with these boys. If UST is something you like in a story the this is the one for you. It is so hot at times. SO HOT. It has everything I love in a story, great characters, a good storyline and beautiful writing.

Firstly, I would say that Elizabeth took the prompt and delivered, whilst making the story completely her own. Her characters are wonderful (Chuck, *growls*) and they each shine in their own light.

For the umpteenth time since he met Tate Newman, Declan thought about how screwed he was and how much he was starting not to care.

The two MC's are Declan and Tate, and I can't remember a time when I wanted two people to get together more. From day one the need and want they have for each other is evident. It's just there, bubbling under the surface and boy was this apparent in the writing.

Band stories are so not my thing, I'm not that interested in music and famous/wealthy MC's generally do nothing for me...with this book though I totally made an exception. I initially read this to help a friend with her story - I stayed because I could not walk away from these characters. I think it's because, in this book, passion is evident. The passion of the writer for her characters, the passion of the characters for what they're doing and who they are. The passion of a story that needs to be told.

Declan annoyed me at times - he really did. I mean, talk about bullheaded...yet, I understood him. I could see why he was making the decisions he did. Even when it came to there being a  misunderstanding?miscommunication, a trope I generally DESPISE, I could deal with it. It was there for a reason - the character's reason and not just to get from A-B in the story. ED took another trope I dislike and turned it on it's head.

The UST..yep, I mentioned it before, but I need to mention it again. It was hot. If UST is something you like then you need to read this story...the pay-off is SO worth it.  And guess what, she manages it without on-page sex. You won't be left wanting I promise and this is a skill I admire very, very much!

I don't want to get all spoilery so I'm stopping there...of course I couldn't not mention the beautiful cover, another amazing one from the talented Natasha Snow. The retro record cover vibe is just perfect for this story, and showcases artist and writer working together inordinately well.

Just one last reminder - Chuck is MINE. So hands off!

Chuck swallowed and nodded. “Got it, boss. Only be the bad boy in private.”

*growls* Yes Chuck, that's right!

Sunny: Adam's Flight by Penny Wilder 

Loved it! Ginger dragon shifter...how could I not? :D

Sexy, sweet, and at times, nerve-wracking. Wonderful characters, world building, and plot. The build up was especially well done. I was happy :)

The ending came fast, though, and a felt a little rushed.

Future stories might happen, and if so, I'd love to read them. 

Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Week Eleven

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here. And as mentioned in earlier posts about this event, the interwebz couldn't handle it if mysterious and magically rare unicorns showed up in our reviews, so we'll just say this week we LOVED Game On by Olley White, before moving on to some of our other  favorites from the eleventh week of the event, August 10-15:

Lorix: Bird Meets Cage by Anyta Sunday 

This is possibly my favourite prompt of the event, so when it was chosen by one of my favourite authors I began an agonising wait....until, finally, today, I got to read, Bird Meets Cage. I was not disappointed.

While reading it I was transported back in time, my study disappeared and I was in the hot and humid circus field. The descriptions...oh, wow, the descriptions. Each sentence is beautifully crafted, almost lyrical in it's execution, creating the most wonderfully real atmosphere. Stardust & Floss...both as magical as their names. Anyta achieves in 15,000 words what some fail to do in 50...she made me believe in magic, she made me fall in love.

Thank you a million times for this story.

(And the cover...oh, my, god, the cover. Stunning.)

Natasha: Bird Meets Cage by Anyta Sunday  

This story is the single most beautiful, flawlessly romantic story I've read (at least) all year.

Do you like romance? No, not the power-hungry, needy kind I so often find associated with the m/m genre. I'm talking romance. Romance so thick and surreal, it's practically tangible. Romance that starts as a hum, and then, within a moment, there's a full orchestra blaring in your ears. Romance that keeps you up at night thinking about the effect of a few simple word choices.

(This review is spoiler free, except for a few characters real names)

I've loved my share of men. I've loved my Adrien English and his Riordan drama. I've loved Gordon Frost and Adam Blake. I’ve loved my poor Sebastian Swift and Max Prescott. I’ve loved Ty and Zane, and who hasn’t, at some point?
But now it’s time for Stardust and Floss.

Trying to describe Bird meets Cage is like trying to describe what your childhood wants were. Everything. Possibly the whole sky, but probably the earth and the sea, too.

I asked for a cookie, and Anyta Sunday gave me a wedding cake. This story is the child of my prompt from this year’s MMRG event, Love’s Landscapes. I’m not prone to sugar-coating much, and if I thought this story deserved fewer stars, I wouldn’t be afraid to mark it so. But since Goodreads only allows 5 stars, those will have to do. I’ve also added this book to my 100-stars shelf, and Anyta Sunday earned herself every damn one of those.

I’m struggling to say everything I need to, to find some way to thank Anyta for giving me such a beautiful story, but like all great love, my heart can barely comprehend the things my mind wants to say.

Floss, Nathan was such a beautifully real character. His stardust-struck looks had me in an instant, and his sweet, down-to-earth charm made me love him even more. His attitude toward Stardust at both ages was… real.

Stardust, Blue, Jean was everything I wanted him to be, and more. He was quirky and kind and felt just like one of his sparkling cigars—all boom, and pop, and luster, until he finally wore down at the end. He was flawed, and perfect, and one of the only men who was magical enough for Nathan's love.

Danny, my fantastic clown. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. He actually had me laughing with his antics. Anyta Sunday’s writing is so strong, I easily visualized this silly clown doing these devilishly hilarious things, almost like a black and white film playing behind my eyes. And god, did he make me laugh. At a moment when my heart was breaking for Floss, Danny showed up and smoothed everything over. He was dangerously funny, and I felt all his goofiness felt so real for the time this story took place.

My favorite trope in my romance is long-lost lovers, and when I asked for there to possibly be a clown in this story, I was given one of the best clowns that’s ever been written. I was given so much more than I asked for, and I feel so greedy, because I’m taking it all.

Oh, and a moment for the dialogue. God, the dialogue was amazing. Not a single word was uttered that was not needed, and the flow of it was completely seamless. It’s so rare and magical when characters don’t say overly much, but what they do say, is so powerful, that you’re glad you weren’t given filler words.

Thank you, Anyta, for this. I’m afraid I couldn’t possibly rip my heart out of my chest and give it to you, so we’ll never be quite equal in gifts.

Optimist ♰King's Wench♰: Blood in the Water by Tami Veldura

High seas high jinks, battles, some freakiness, some sexy times… I mean…how's a girl to keep up?

Every time I turned around something else was happening! Action packed fails somehow. I tell you what though, I want more. More. MORE! When's part two coming out? Ms. Veldura put me through the wringer and left me dangling on a cliff by my fingernails and yet… I'd do it all over again.

It was awesome. If I smoked, I'd be doing so now.

Eric and Kyros are both pirates with their own ships. Pirate ships. ARRR! There is some sort of history between them which we're not privy to and I'm hopeful at some point will be addressed. Kyros seemingly has been carrying a torch for Eric for some time. What better way to demonstrate ones affection than by shooting at him and putting a huge hole in his sail? Nothing says 'I've missed you' like a hole in the sail and a middle finger.

*smh* Pirates.

Everything that happens from about 13% to 99% I can say nothing about. You should experience it for yourself. I will say most of that time I gaped like a wide mouth bass.

UNLESS it was the sexy times. Then it was more of an 'awww yeah' look.

They didn't make another step toward the bed. Eric pushed him to the wood floor, slicked himself, and staked his claim. Kyros clawed and scratched him closer, faster, harder. He bit what he could reach and cursed what he couldn't. He didn't know how to express the blinding relief flooding his veins with adrenaline.

It is violent, folks. They're pirates. Hello. I think I'm ready to take my pirate training wheels off now and brandish my own pirate sword. I do like the democratic nature of pirate society. I'm not as badass as Araceli, but a few months as a pirate and who knows?
What?
It could happen. >___>

Sunny: Bird Meets Cage by Anyta Sunday 

Yes, I'm throwing my vote to Bird Meets Cage, too.  It was so good!

Beautiful...
A bit melancholy, but not depressing.

Such vivid imagery...the sights, the smells, the atmosphere.

Wonderful characterization...distinct personalities, consistently shown thru actions and dialogue. Special nod to Danny, here. What an awesome character :)

So many feels...all those emotions Anyta yanked out of me, so effortlessly, it seemed, and with an economy of words.

So very romantic.

I had quotes all picked out for this review, but they are too special not to be read in the story first.

Because I also loved two other stories, I have to mention them, as well:

I chose Bird Meets Cage because of the incredible writing, but a close second for me was Into the Wastelands by Gywnn Marssen.

My review on Goodreads was overlong, so I won't post it here, but this was a fantastic story with incredible world building and wonderful characters, including a pony :)

And I'm going to add just one more favorite, because I still can't think of it without smiling...

Fleece, Fleas, and Flirtation by Ava Penn

An adorable story about Jace, a human, and Dios, a satyr. 
Caution: tail kink is present :D

Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Week Ten

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The M/M Romance Group is celebrating its five year anniversary!
see below for more information :D

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The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here. 
And some of our favorites from the tenth week of the event, August 3-9, are below:

Breann: Going Home by Kris Ripper

I can't even be coherent about this, so here we go:

Geo's complete adoration for Rory was so evident the entire time. My goodness, he loves his boy. It's obvious right from the beginning. The author never had to tell us he's completely lost without Rory, we knew because it was shown to us. Beautifully.

Rory is such a strong character. He's willing to take the hard road to do things right with Geo. He could have very easily gone right back into the life they shared, but instead he found out who he was without a Master before going home. (<-see what I did there? Heh.)

Because they did things right, it added to the complexity of their relationship. They didn't want to be a Master and his slave, but they wanted to act like a Master and his slave. They had a lot to work through and I loved everything about how they did just that. They worked at it.

But in the bedroom things were hot as hell and they definitely fell back into their natural roles. Geo for sure knows how to take charge juuuuuuuussssst how his Roar likes it. *bites lip*

I really couldn't have asked for more. I loved everything about Going Home.

OMG. Demon. Demon! Please tell me there will be more Demon and Teddy. LAWD, I need her to have an HEA.

Lorix: Indian Summer by D.C. Williams

This story was short and quiet and gentle. It seemed the kind of story where much was said in the silence between the sentences..if that makes sense. It wasn't obvious and in your face, but subtle. A friends to lovers with a difference. I did feel sad for the wasted years though, but know that the years ahead should be more than enough to make up time.

I liked the setting - it was simple, like the story itself. I like a change of pace in my reading sometimes and I found it with this book. 

Optimist ♰King's Wench♰: The Arroyo by M. Caspian

“The people who make the rules don’t have to follow the rules. That’s the one thing that stays the same no matter where you go.”

I’ve been waiting for this one ever since I saw the prompt and who picked it. Checking my computer and the event page like a madwoman.

If you haven’t read Kraken that shit is whack and a must read. This author certainly has a penchant for mindfuckery with a hint of horror. If you know me, you know horror isn’t my thing, but this author has a way of constructing worlds, characters and storylines wherein the horror bits are incorporated into the landscape. I find myself cringing and cheering simultaneously. An odd dichotomy to be sure, but I somehow crave it all the same.

The Arroyo is a dystopian tale wonderfully told with rich imagery, loathsome characters, and some of the most beautiful sentences I’ve read in quite some time. I blasted through this thing so quickly I didn’t have time to status update, but the language is both evocative and provocative. There aren’t many authors who can utilize such a dearth of words that conjure so much. There’s a precision here, a succinctness that’s very gratifying.

He clenched and unclenched his hands, and Trace was there, touching him, grounding him, smoothing across the landscape of his body and giving him something to cling on to that wasn’t this growing urge to come and come and shout and flail.

Oh, this was better; he could move now, mumbling incoherent words against Trace’s back as he pumped his hips and wished his skin could speak his feelings.

Trace is a slave, harvested twenty years ago with eight weeks left on his sentence to the Colonel. The Colonel is a bastard. Excuse me, a monstrous, fuckwit bastard. Trace has endured unspeakable things. He doesn’t remember a time when he made his own decisions, chose his own path and that sort of suppression leaches all the optimism out of a soul. The sense of despair and hopelessness permeates his thoughts until Isaac. Isaac doesn’t transform everything to rainbows and butterflies, no. Isaac does give Trace a sense of purpose and an emotion long forgotten, possessiveness. He wants Isaac. He knows it’s an impossibility, but the heart wants what it wants. 

The world building here is divine. I could see what’s become of America in all its desolate glory through this author’s eyes. Medical kink doesn’t do much for me, but it’s done well here. Trace and Isaac definitely have chemistry. Some will say this is instalove. I disagree, but I can’t say why for it’d be too spoilery. I like both of these characters so much, neither of whom are perfect, one of which has a touch of malevolence in him, both of whom leapt off the page. The literature references were a lovely touch. This author clearly enjoys reading. I, personally, would’ve liked a prologue with some further explanation of the Protectorate, the Federation of American States and why the harvest was instituted, but that’s probably me being curious by nature. And greedy. A solid 4.5 Hearts rounded up.

Don’t let the warning tags scare you away from reading The Arroyo. It’s beautiful and awful like any great story should be.

SheReadsALot: Elevation by Jenna Jones

“Have I been harassing you? I didn’t think of it that way.”

“It’s a fine line between harassment and aggressive flirting.”

I punched my bed. I punched my pillows and my bed. While reading you see. From utter enjoyment of this story.

I quelted.
I squealed.
I got all gooey and mostly pink. (Excuse my gushiness, cause I'm kinda soft and pink at the moment.)

“Sometimes you meet someone and you know not only are you going fuck them, but you’re going to fall asleep next to them and wake up beside them, and you’re going to be there for everything in between.”

“Some people call that falling in love.”

This was on my list of prompts I couldn't wait to read. And I just took a peek this afternoon...and well you see I finished it. You know how that story goes.

To put it succinctly, this is Cinderfella. But good Cinderfella.

Could this happen in real life? I highly doubt it but who gives a shit, it's fiction. :D

Cruz Morales has it rough. Life has shat on him and continues to do so. His mother left when he was fourteen, his father is emotionally comatose and depressed, he has to focus on taking of his family, leaving no time for himself. I get Cruz. I know Cruz. Life gives you a kick in the pants but you have to keep living, keep surviving.

He's a college student but his family situation keeps making him have to put his dreams and college education to the side to deal with reality. Enter the playboy knight who has a funny way of seducing which I enjoyed. Some readers probably won't but I thought it was fitting to the rich Malcolm.

(I loved when the main characters called each other Mr. King and Mr. Morales...I just adored that *gushes*)

A possible one night stand turns in a sort of reunion which turns into elevator camera seduction which turns in yummy words of characters who are circling around the L word but aren't quite there yet.

But they can be.

“We should go out,” he says. “See a movie, go out to eat?”

“Like, a date?” I say slowly, and he grins.

“Like a date.”

“Are we a dating sort of couple?”

“We are if we actually go on dates.”

This isn't instalove. There's time to watch feelings grow. There's a little twist that was unexpected but added more depth. The story got a little Disney-esque towards the end. But the main characters make up for any quibbles I have. (I have a few but the story just hit my buttons, I'll put them to the side. For now.)

There's hot, intense sex...that was hot but not perfect. There's some fade to black sex too but I enjoyed it just as much as the sex scene. And that first kiss scene was adoringly embarrassing.

I really loved these main characters. They made this story for me. So romantic yet with a dose of real life kinda fairy tale.


P.S. Cruz's job choice...that was unique and cool. Never read about a draftsman. And I loved the grandmother! :D

Sunny: Going Home by Kris Ripper

Wow...this was a wonderfully complex story. So much showing, and the emotions perfectly played out. Geo and Rory were so good together.

I liked their desperation to see each other, and their determination to do it right. When they did reunite, they struggled to adjust to new relationship dynamics, getting caught up in old habits, working to create new rituals. No easy fixes here, and the process added a lot of depth to their new relationship.

The secondary characters were also wonderful. Their strong, distinct personalities added so much to the story.  (More Demon and Teddy, please?)

This was everything I hoped for and more when I saw Breann's prompt.

The only detraction was the drama at the end. I thought it was unnecessary and too jarring. The sudden wrap up after the earlier slower build up was also disappointing.

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The M/M Romance Group is celebrating its five year anniversary!

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"In celebration of the groups five year anniversary, we're going to celebrate ALL WEEK LONG! We'll be posting lots of games, puzzles and contests with chances to win fabulous prizes. We'll be wrapping up the festivities next Sunday with another of our famous marathon chats where you'll have a chance to talk about the group, ask the mods questions, offer suggestions, schmooze with the authors and win prizes!"

For more information, see the Celebration 2014 topics under the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads. And check out that PRIZE VAULT!!! Woohoo!

Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Week Nine

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here.  And some of our favorites from the ninth week of the event, July 28-Aug 2, are below:

Lorix: Count Your Blessings by Amelia Mann

Count Your Blessings, is a wonderful little story. Rather than following a traditional story arc it gives us a slice out of the lives of Isaac & George.

I love how it shows us an established couple who are so obviously in love. A couple who, when tragedy strikes, don't completely fall apart, but are there for each other. It felt so real. George suffers a great loss and Isaac deals with it amazingly well, and he himself reaches out for help when he needs it.

It shows us that even the best laid plans go awry, that life sometimes steers us in a direction we'd not planned on taking. It also shows us this doesn't have to be bad.

I love the characters in this and I can't write a review without mentioning Isaacs family. I'd totally let them adopt me! A wonderful entry in the LL event.

Breann: Count Your Blessings by Amelia Mann

What Lorix said :)








 
Optimist ♰King's Wench♰: Consorting With Dragons by Sera Trevor

Brace yourselves, people. In fact, you might want to sit down for this. There is NO SEX in this book AND I loved it.

I'll give you a minute to catch your breath. Trust me I surprised myself. I'm chalking it up to the dragons.

DRAGONS!!!!!!

I'm stunned again by a novice author's contribution to the LL event. There is a lot of talk about "a warm feeling" that Jasen feels frequently and at some point I started to feel the same. I found myself grinning and when it was over I felt a little sad that we had to part ways.

Ms. Trevor certainly isn't lacking in storytelling skills nor world building. I wish I could live in the Draelands with the Tasenred and Woria (the dragons). She created this AU with a Regency feel complete with corsets. Love Regency AND corsets, but… don't get too esssited. Jasen is not exactly a fan of the corset. It's not as much fun when they don't like it, but maybe if Rilvor got to unwrap him… I digress.

Jasen gets sent to the court in an effort to marry and keep his father in booze. This court feels like the ton complete with a nemesis in the pernicious Princess Polina. She is a BIIIIIIIIIIITCH. I kind of felt sorry for her. A tiny little bit. He also meets his partner in crime, Lady Risyda, who is hilarious! She's incorrigible, goads Polina every chance she gets, smoke kara wood from a hookah, has a wealth of pithy one-liners, relishes being in trouble… she's a great character. Lady Isalei Is tasked with trying to prepare Jasen and the other lords and ladies to become queen or lord consort and is the epitome of a stern but fair headmistress. I couldn't get Professor McGonagall out of my head.

Consorting With Dragons is very much a romance between Jasen and Rilvor. It's told entirely through Jasen who struggles mightily with the possibility of taking on all the responsibilities that would accompany becoming Lord Consort of the Drae. In addition to courtly responsibilities Rilvor has four small children who still need parenting. I appreciated that he (a) wasn't a gold digger, (b) stayed true to himself and (c) carefully contemplated his future. Yes. Yes, I liked all the characters even the bitch, but the world building was exceptional.

The dragons have the ability to bless people which transmutes into some sort of magical ability. I won't spoil all the wonderful dragon stuff, but… THEY GET TO RIDE THE DRAGONS!!!!!!!!!

ERMAGAHD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great, great story and yet another fantastic addition to the LL event. Many thanks to Ms. Trevor and her team. I do hope she'll continue to write. I'd dearly love to read more about Draeland.

Ms. Trevor has in fact written a follow up called Bound and Determined. One word: Meow.
Bound and Determined

SheReadsALot: The Raven's Luck by Laylah Hunter

Urban fantasy? Assassins? 2 Alphas? RIVALS TO LOVERS?!ELVES?!!

Oh yes! Yes! Yes! I hit the jackpot right ch'ere!

“Here I thought you’d have liked the view out there. No romance in your blood, Saramathlar?”

Sam rolls his eyes. “Sounds like you have more than enough for both of us. I could cut you open to get it out, if you’d like.”

The noise Rio makes into the headset sounds like a gargoyle purring. “Save it for after the job.”

Fuck. “I’m not going to pretend I’ve never done a job with a hard-on, but it’s not how I prefer to work. So save that for after the job, too.”

I got to read all about that and knives. I love when assassins use knives and swords. *growls* Way hotter than bulky guns. *nods* And this pair of rival assassins hits all of my buttons. Sam and Rio are paranormal assassins set in a cyberpunk/fantasy work. They vie for the same kills. They snark and compete each other into some great lines and action. Oh, snark was grand:

“I’m sure you’ll be relieved to know my virtue is intact.”

“Sorry, your what?”

“Asshole.”

The nipple piercing...The tattoos (and its placement)...the sex...yes! Rough pounding fit for two warrior assassins! I like it when they do it the way they did. *preens*

Why this book isn't as popular is anyone's guess. Maybe it's because you really don't get a description of the main characters (a pet peeve of mine). Or maybe because we only get just enough to keep the story interesting when the characters definitely are novel worthy. This story has legs for more. A helluva lot more.

But what you get, it's pretty hot and tempting.

Here's the thing. I want more from this world. I want to read about the intricacies and the different paranormal races. I want it all, greedy reader I am.

Sunny: Dreaming of Fire by J.J. Cassidy

THAT WAS AWESOME!

Wow. Just...wow. I started reading the story before I even got out of bed to see if I wanted to add it to my to-be-read pile, and I didn't stop reading until the end. I'm still in my pajamas!

I'm just going to ramble, because I didn't take notes as I read. The story is intense, fast paced, with fascinating characters, and incredible world building. It is AMAZING!

There is magic, and adventure, and...and...and I loved it all.

*twirls around*
I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE!!!

*clears throat, calms down*
Uh, yeah, I kind of liked it :D

Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Week Eight

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here. And as mentioned in earlier posts about this event, the interwebz couldn't handle it if mysterious and magically rare unicorns showed up in our reviews, so we'll just say this week we LOVED Geeking Out on 11C by L.L. Bucknor, before moving on to some of our other  favorites from the eighth week of the event, Jul 20-26:

Breann: Under Pretenses by Jessa Ryan

Whaaaa? That's it? That's THE END? Yer killin' me.

I know it's a goodie when I'm dying for more and yet, I feel completely satisfied with this adorable story.

I loved the slow build and the tension between Mark and Landon before they really even got to know each other. Their attraction from afar was just so cute and apparent through their awkward interactions. They were awesomely awkward.

The dialogue was funny and engaging between all the characters, not just the MC. I especially loved Sam. Which, I think, is a theme amongst reviews for Under Pretenses.

Please, pleasepleaseplease, tell me there's more.

Please.

Lori: Five Dates by Amy Jo Cousins 

Five Dates is the kind of gooey, yummy short little romance that I adore. Devin just can't stop betting with his little sis - even though he always loses and the forfeits are always embarrassing. This time is no exception, when the team he backed loses he has to agree to five dates, of his sister's choice. Oops.

The first hottie she sets him up with is Jay, and Jay is amazing, but about ten years younger. He's also pissed off because the picture Devin's sister had used of Devin was a decade old.

Fun, sweetness, sexy times and friendship ensue as Devin works his way through his dates and his new friend Jay is never far from the scene.

I would tell anyone who loves a little bit of sweet and fun in their romance to read this. Five stars from me.

Optimist ♰King's Wench♰: Stranded by Lies by Finn Marlowe  

"Are you lonely, Aiden?"
…"Not anymore," he answered.

Did this thing ever start off with a BANG!

"Don't say anything," he ordered. "it's true and we both know it. I don't give a fuck how young you are, and I'm not going to fight it anymore. You're mine now, and I'm going to own you. I'm going to fuck you until you can't walk, until you're so sore you'll be begging to suck my cock so I'll leave you alone for five 

minutes."

Faptastic Angry Sex! I tell ya that Aiden has a dirty, filthy mouth.

For those not as keen on the smexy times as I there was an actual story with a plot and everything. Aiden and Jase have known each other all of Jase's life. Aiden is half Vish/half human. The Vish's lifespan is quite a bit longer than that of a human. Jase has crushed on Aiden for years and has given up hope of him reciprocating his feelings. The events that transpired which lead up to Jase going on the run also propel the story forward once Aiden tracks him down.

You see, they have to go on a mission which involves a road trip on Route 66. This was like a trip down memory lane for me. I love road trips. The trip to Santa Fe has become somewhat of a Christmas tradition, so when I read Tucumcari, I squeaked. I've been to the Cadillac cemetery and stopped to see the petroglyphs. The music was an excellent accompaniment for any decent road trip, so Stranded by Lies made me a bit nostalgic.
The glimpse we get into the Vish as a society is imaginative and one I wouldn't mind exploring further. I'm always amazed by those creative types who can envision these things. Finn did an excellent job of translating her ideas to the page. The action/adventure aspects were entertaining with all the cryptic clues and whatnot.

Jase is hilarious! Aiden aka ginger bossy dude is bossy. He's also patient, so not an alpha hole.

Jesus. What the hell was wrong with me? No way did I have an inner submissive dying to get out- and if I did, I was going to kill him. With fire.

Aiden and Jase's relationship is complex and beautiful. Not a drop of instalove. They're both gaga about each other and that oozes off the page.

The dialogue is fresh and funny. The story captivated me. The ending is… sort of cliffy. Well, maybe open-ended is more accurate. All of it was great, great, great, but the sex…

My secret desire was no longer secret. I was his. Tied, dominated, and used. My body wasn't mine anymore, it was Aiden's.

Scoot! Get to reading it already. ;)


 SheReadsALot: My African Prince by Vona Logan

Zithembe Kekana, also known as Zee, is an African prince and black lion shifter. He's the future ruler of his pride. He's protected by his best friend and second in command, Ben, and has a lot of his shoulders trying to play the future leader role. He puts the pride first above all things, runs a wildlife park with little complaint. But there's just one thing. Zee is gay. He know his lion shifter pride would never accept a gay king. So other than his best friend knowing, he hides who he is.

The new groundskeeper, Luka Petrov, is 6'5", blonde and super hot. And a shifter in his own right (it's kinda of a mystery that gets solved within the story- his animal is pretty hot). Luka is taller than Zee, different than Zee...and Zee's mate.

The story delves into a tried and true plot theme - you're my mate, I need to deny it, but damn do I need to jump your bones, no matter our differences or that I'm in the closet. This story delivered enough of the main characters feelings that I could ignore the short time frame that passed. I usually do when mates/bonded pairs are involved.

This prompt was excellent. And it was given to the right author to breathe life into it. I am so excited from the moment I read the legend/fairy tale prologue.

It was a joy reading this story. What I also found refreshing was that this was not cliche IR that played into stereotypes. And the hot alpha sex? *nods head slowly and licks lips* Smutty goodness...biting, mating, hot smexing...oh yes. Hint: (view spoiler)

There's some minor angst that was expected. Does love prevail or that yucky closet and its unfair strictures? Guess you'll just have to read to find out.

I hope the author does consider carrying on with sequel with Ben as the lead, the other gay lion deserves to have a HEA just as happy as Zee and Luka. That little teaser at the end has got me anxious. ;)

Major thanks to the author (I'll be checking out other works from her), the prompter and the team behind this story! This is definitely one of my favorites from this event.

Sunny: Stranded by Lies by Finn Marlowe 

A bossy alpha with a serious talent for dirty talk and a boy who protests too much, but secretly (not at all secretly) loves it all.

“Are you hard? Again?”
“No,” I muttered.
“Liar.”

And man, did they argue. Aiden knew exactly how to handle Jason, though, and all those hot emotions often led to some fiery sex. The bickering, the bantering, it was all so well done. I was impressed with all the dialogue, actually, especially Jason's. He cracked me up with some of his comments and thoughts.

The world Finn created was fascinating, with aliens living on Earth, hidden from most humans. It took me awhile to understand the timeline because information came slowly, in bits and pieces, but as I learned more of the back story, things became more clear.

The story itself was intriguing and kept my interest. I can't wait to read more, and based on the ending of this story, we'll be getting more. OMG, tell me we are getting more!!!

Favorite quote:

"Are you lonely, Aiden?"
..."Not anymore," he answered.

Side notes:
"vichyssoise"...*snicker*

I liked getting Aiden's POV, but after being in Jason's head for so long, it took awhile to get used to a new voice, especially because Aiden's thoughts were milder than I expected, not quite as bossy. Which makes sense because he wouldn't think he was bossy, but Jason totally would :)

Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Week Seven

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here. And some of our favorites from the seventh week of the event, Jul 13-July 19, are below:

Breann: Spring, Bax & Butterflies by Riina Y.T.

Oh. My. Fucking. Geesecake.

Cute boys are CUUUUUUUUUUUUTE.

I'm such a sucker for a cutesy YA romance and these two cutie-pa-tooties were no exception. Jacob and Baxter were so sweet and the way their relationship progressed from friends to more felt real and genuine for who they were at the time. They had angst when there didn't need to be any and there was tension with just a touch.

There was a lot of telling. Sometimes a whole chapter it seemed without any dialogue, which made the story feel longer than it should have.

But way cute and definitely worth the read for a YA fan.

Lorix: Scent of Hope by Summer Devon

Thank you for this enjoyable and different short story. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this going in, I soon changed my mind. It is short, and yes greedy little me would have loved this to be a full length novel with all the aspects of it made longer, but it really did still work as a short story.

Both Carl and Dez were great characters and I think they would have worked well in a longer version..sorry, I'll stop harking on about this being longer (and I'll ignore the juvenile length joke trying to get into this review) because it honestly does work well as a short story.

I loved the setting, the writing style, the set up and execution. It was all good. I'll definitely be checking out more work by Summer Devon.

SRAL: Sugar& Sawdust by Debbie McGowan

The Big D.

Leaves a lasting impression, hmmm?

*whispers* One of the MC's has got a foot long between their legs.

Let's have a few seconds of silence together, shall we?

Okay, I seriously dug this story. A pretty twink model who is not the sharpest tool in the shed (don't worry he has someone looking out for him) meets a possible love match in an older one night stand who has a past and a few surprises up his sleeve.

Alec is older, sweet and different. And a great match for Jorje because I can see Jorje flitting about in the future and he needs a partner to help keep him grounded.

There's a porn star MC, a big D and some family drama. I'd watch this story if it was a show. I liken this story as a not-so-good-for-you-but-fucking- delicious snack.

I actually liked Jorje's sister. I saw it as her caring for her brother, who is not so good with money. Some may say she's invasive or hovering but I see it as love. (Can you tell I'm the eldest sister? Don't worry I'm not as bad Taylor...but I might have my moments.)

Adorable, smexy story with an age gap lovers that I think will actually last for the long haul. They get each other. Loved the title. :D

Thanks to the author and the team for the story.

Sunny: The Court of Lightning by Amy Rae Durreson

Another amazing, I can't believe it's free, story!

Fantastic world building...incredibly imaginative, and clearly described. I loved the details...of the wings, the toys, the land and the people.

Likeable characters with distinct personalities. I could easily picture them, and wondered if they were based on real people.

Intense, gripping storyline, although I didn't like parts of it because I was too nervous/scared for the characters. In general, I don't like stories set during wartime. Too many good people die and the survivors live in fear and misery. So, this was uncomfortable for me to read at times, but those characters! I couldn't get enough. And, luckily, there were moments of humor to ease my stress :)

The ending, though...please, please, please...tell me there will be more stories. Tell me we'll see what happens to the Seven Courts!

Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Week Six

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here. And some of our favorites from the sixth week of the event, Jul 6-July 12, are below:

Jenni Lea: Strange Charm by A. Phallus Si

I had so much fun reading this story. It has just the right amount of adventure, excitement, silliness and fun to make this an entertaining and enjoyable read.

Well done!




Lorix: Watching Elijah Fall by Amy Spector

In amongst the stories written for the LL event you will find fantasy, contemporary, sci-fi, shifter, BDSM, comedy. There are established authers and newbie writers, authors from all corners of the globe, authors of many different races and sexual and gender identities. We have the choice between epic novels, short tales....and just about everything inbetween. The only thing all these stories have in common is the fact the MC's are both male.

I am thrilled to have the choice of so many FREE MM stories and know that whatever mood I'm in I will find something to it. Happy, sad, excited...This week among the books I read was Watching Elijah Fall and the best word I can think of describe the story is calm.

In my opinion it is a beautiful story that uses its simplicity and elegance to tell the tale of love without drama. It is a gem of a story, sweet, sincere and true. I am so thankful I've had the chance to read it. Thank you author for this calmness in my reading week.

SheReadsALot: Making it Work by Cari Z.

This prompt was quite the great one and then it went into supernova by having a ginger MC paired with a silver fox. Like seriously, call it in, genitals will be taking a definite trip to FuckYesVille: population you.

I love a lot of tropes (hate quite a bit too) but I love a good office romance story especially a great boss/secretary romance. And this story delivers the goods. Eric, executive assistant to lawyer silverfox Beau, has lusted for his boss for two years, knows the ins and out of the older man but never thought he'd be good enough because:
a) he's just an executive assistant
b) feels he's way out of Beau's league in all categories.

But life throws a curve ball with an upcoming family dinner which has thrown Eric for a loop. Let the scrambling commence. Great dialogue, realistic character portrayal, delicious slow burn and a satisfying ending without touching diabetic territory. Light, fun with a sense of realness.

“No, you don’t get to touch yourself in my car.”
“Why not?” It wasn’t a whine, it wasn’t. My voice was too deep to whine. It was more of a… whoan. Or something. I couldn’t think.
“Three reasons. One, I don’t want to get into an accident trying to keep my eyes on you. Two, if I got into an accident, or if we were pulled over for indecent exposure, the mood killing would be the least of our problems. Three,” and here it was, the tone I loved, that I could barely wait for even though I knew I wasn’t going to like what he had to say, “for the rest of the night, that’s mine. Don’t touch it.”

Oh and desk sex. Desk sex. I have a feeling I'll be rereading this story soon. Anyone who puts "whoan" in a story is someone I need to read. (My first Cari Z. - what rock have I lived under? Won't be my last).
4.5 STARS

Sunny: Where Willows Won't Grow by Lia Black

Pleasure and pain, how the two mix. It's a theme in the story, but it also describes my experience reading it. It's beautifully written, but the darker parts were painful to read.

I think Lia must have a very dark imagination. This was not an easy read, but everything that happened fit the story. Nothing felt gratuitous or over the top. For me to tolerate torture in a story is kind of amazing. And then to read about the hate for a tormenter all mixed up with a messed up love for a protector and how that impacts someone...
*shudders*
The psychology of it was perfectly demonstrated in a stunning fashion.  

The young warrior prince howled in triumph, yet the slave pleaded forgiveness. 

Lia's talent for writing shows in the fantastic world building and compelling characters. It was all so well done. I was firmly stuck in the story and it didn't shake off easily.

I was impressed by the variety of aliens and I liked how the author painted such a clear picture of them. I did get freaked out by some of the alien sex, though. Freaked out by what happened, and by my reaction to it; it left me cringing and turned on at the same time. Later, though, I only cringed. Illythe touched my heart, and then put it through a shredder. His despair, desperation, cautious hope...it all just stomped all over my poor little heart.

Unicorn Favorites: Love's Landscapes Stories : Week Five

The M/M Romance Group on Goodreads hosts a Don't Read in the Closet event each year where they invite members to submit a photo with a story prompt.  Interested authors then volunteer to write the requested stories, which are published for free for everyone to read.  It's a fun/exciting/stressful process, and a great opportunity to read stories from favorite authors.  And chances are, you'll also discover some new authors, who hopefully have a backlist of goodies to check out :)

This year's event was named Love's Landscapes and they started releasing the completed stories on June first. Here at BMBR, we've been following along on comment threads, anticipating the stories from our favorite prompts, and now greedily reading the stories as they become available.

You can read about some of our favorite stories from earlier weeks of the event here. And some of our favorites from the fifth week of the event, June 29-July 5, are below:

Breann: Soaring Past Death by Morticia Knight

Reunited lovers. Aliens. Whips. Collars.(!)

A precious and pretty subby boy.

Can you feel my excitement growing? Can you? S'cause it is.

Awesome sci-fi with so much to offer in under 100 pages. World-building I could see and feel, along with character and relationship development that I could feel and believe.

44 and 13 had immediate tension because of their past. They had me waiting and wanting for them to get through their hangups just so I could see what 44's Dom was made of.

But first, 44 had a mission. I loved how brave 44 was for his family. He had to endure a lot to get there and it hurt him (oh, but it hurt so good), but the mission was his. He totally owned it and was a complete badass with the creepy alien-Lord-dude.

Once it was complete, 44 and 13 were free. Well, 13 was free. 44? Heh. Sexy, sweet boy doesn't wanna be free. Not from 13, at least. They were hot and kinky and I want more. More whips, more floggers and more collars.

Optimist ♰King's Wench♰: Pink Lace and Stolen Hearts by J.C. Wallace

"I don't consider myself a cross-dresser. I like to wear this kind of underwear. I like how it feels. I've worn some other stuff, like stockings and a corset, but I don't want to dress like a woman. I also don't want to be a woman, so I'm not transgender. I think they're pretty, and I like them."

Wooooooooooo baby, come to Mama!
Let's do this!
We'll work our way up the lingerie food chain incrementally.

Greg is a dreamer. Looking for his Prince Charming and so desperate to find him that he's settled for a douche canoe who judges him for his panty fetish. His loss, button.

The only thing that came to mind seeing his hard, lean body was beautiful.

His roommate, Law… *sigh* God love him, he's a little clueless regarding his feels. Everyone and their sister knows he's in love with Greg. I'm fairly certain even people in other solar systems got the memo. His first clue should've been that he drops everything to get to his anxiety riddled roommate every single time there is a sprinkling of rain. Hello, McFly! That's a skosh more than "just friends" wouldn't you say? 

But NOOOOOOOOOOOO what throws the light switch was seeing his roomie in some pink panties.  

Can't say I can fault the man there. *fist bump*

Pink Lace and Stolen Hearts has quite a bit of angst packed into a mere 10 chapters. Mr. Wallace did an excellent job of making Law's apprehension about being attracted to a man for the first time in his life believable. The dialogue was honest and genuine. The secondary characters added to the story in positive ways which moved the story forward.

I liked that the MCs had an existing relationship that evolved rather than going the instalove route. There were some fluffy feels that I'm overlooking in the interest of panty solidarity.

Yes, YES, YAAAAASSSSSSS!!!!

My thanks to Mr. Wallace for hitting me right in the panties. Tip o'the hat, sir.

Lorix: Pink Lace and Stolen Hearts by J.C. Wallace

 Like Wench, my favourite this week from the LL event is Pink Lace and Stolen Hearts. Now seeing as we claim to like different ends of the reading spectrum (Wench's kinky to my sweeeeeet feels), and this is the SECOND book this week we've agreed on, don't be surprised if the world stops turning or pigs start flying or you find a Leprachaun at the end of the rainbow, offering you gold.

Anyhoo - agree we did, so here am I telling my side of the tale. What was good about this sexy little knicker story? Well first of all, let's pause right there and think about that. Sexy knick-knacks on men. Yes please. OH DEAR GOD YES PLEASE. I mean lace and satin encasing all that manliness. Ho hum be still my throbbing...nope, never mind.

Moving swiftly on, and I'm going to shout again, FRIENDS TO LOVERS. Yep, this is my all time favourite story line of always and forever. There is something that just gets me about it - because love should be about friendship first. Friendship is the important part that lasts even on the days when lust doesn't. A good bit of how's your father is always very nice but friendship is the bit that makes my heart beat faster. The trust and love between two friends...OH EM GEE. Then add that lust into the mix and yes, yes, yes....please. And thank you muchly.

Was this book perfect...nope. I really enjoyed the first three-quarters, the UST was so hot but the last quarter I enjoyed less...it kind of moved from real to a bit OTT for me. First time sex is not that good for anyone. Little niggles but not enough to ruin the story. Yep, this little hottie was my pick of the week.Wench and I agree. Now go get your shopping done before the price of bacon goes up.
 
SheReadsALot: The Bigger They Are by Kim Alan

"Normal is overrated"

Tags: BDSM, spanking, discipline, Daddy kink, age difference, size difference, first time, multiple partners, multiple orgasms, rimming, cum play

See those tags up there? This story has earned every single one of them. HARD. I'm rating this all of the damn stars. *twirls around*

DADDY KINK!!! *wiggles*

I wanted this story since reading Mission: X last year and boy did this one up the game. KimAlan (yes, I call her by one name), got smuttier and I appreciate sooooooooooooooooo much!

Charlie and Wren, bodyguard and spoiled rich kid...also a Daddy and his boy. And that anaconda of a trouser snake. C'mon you've seen that prompt pic. It lingers on the brain.

Wren, naughty twink that he is, keeps pushing the limits until his Daddy has to come claim and reign him in. Kinky, delicious, boner worthy and smutty deliciousness. Wren is just enough of a brat to make the story interesting and Charlie is possessive enough to make it work

And as usual, there are awesome secondary characters I'd love to know more about (Ace & Joe with a third search...Devin? I'm not making hints or anything but I'd love some writez on those guys)

And the sex in this story? Look at the tags! Very hot!!!!!

Sunny: Wand-Losing & Other Things You Shouldn’t Be Doing by Gabbo de la Parra

This week, two stories tied for my favorite.  The Bigger They Are, by Kim Alan was deliciously kinky and I LOVED it! Because that story was already included in this post by SheReadsALot, also known as SheHasGreatTaste, I was free to add my other favorite :D

This was so much fun! I laughed and grinned at so many parts of the story, bit my lip at the steamy bits, and appreciated the more serious moments.   Max and Rezzu were an entertaining couple.

Other things I enjoyed ever so much:
Content warning of robotic foreplay
The world the story is set in
The sly, tongue in cheek humor
The dialogue
Rezzu's sister, Keda
The wands...how they are created and how they work

What I wish had been done differently:
I wish we had witnessed the initial meeting.  The Colviri didn't even know the planet was inhabited, what was their reaction to finding the mechanical humanoids?

I didn't understand Rezzu not sharing his mission sooner.  It didn't make sense to me and I wish he hadn't delayed telling Max.  I also didn't understand his reaction to the magic.

The telling of Colviri history and how Rezzu's fathers got together was a little rushed and confusing.

Some of the writing got a little unwieldy/confusing in the last quarter of the story.

Mostly, though, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

One word to describe this story?
Exuberant  :)