Review: While My Wife's Away by James Lear

To all appearances, Joe Heath is a typical straight married man, living with his wife and two teenage children, commuting to work, playing sports and going to the gym, enjoying a beer and a barbecue. But there are things about Joe that his friends don't know. For one thing, his relationship with his wife has deteriorated to the point that they're sleeping in separate bedrooms, only staying together until the kids have left home. And there's something else: for the last few years, Joe has wanted to have sex with another man.

While My Wife's Away recounts Joe's recognition of his sexual nature in a series of encounters--some short, some repeated, some comic, some sad, all of them extremely hot in the way that only James Lear can make them. Each chapter is a self-contained episode from Joe's life, but throughout the book we see him coming to terms with what he really is, and struggling with his feelings of guilt and betrayal as it becomes clear that his marriage is over. Much of the dramatic tension in the book arises from the difficulties of negotiating his family life with his new personal life, the awkwardness and potential disaster inherent in each situation.

Well that was a very interesting book which left me with very mixed emotions. I love a good cheating book, one where the relationship is shrouded in taboo, lust and a splash of guilt. However be aware, this isn't a love story. This isn't the story of a man falling in love with another man while he happens to be married. This is the story of a lonely but selfish man who is searching for a connection with someone.

Don't expect to like Joe, he's very self indulgent and knows it. Don't expect a HEA, there isn't one. Some people would say there's a HFN, which I guess for some parts of Joe's life that's true, for some others... absolutely not. Despite all of this I felt for Joe and felt with him, probably because this was so well written. We understand Joe on such depth you can’t help but feel his loneliness and want him to find his HEA and then in the same breath he can make you feel sooo angry you just want to punch his silly head.

I've read a few books where the whole mindset of the cheater was very glossed over because let's face it, it's not a pretty thing, but that was not done here. One of my most favorite aspects of this story was seeing Joe's own justifications of what he was doing, it felt very realistic to cheaters. For example after one of his trysts he comes home feeling guilty, ready to make up with his wife, when he finds she's not there he is angry at her for missing her chance at making up. Like I said not pretty, but quite realistic.

Now all of this is sounding pretty depressing, which is totally not my thing, so why 4 hearts? The sex. Seriously, the sex! Joe plays with voyeurism, exhibitionism, threesomes and moresomes, subbing and dominating, he has sweet sex and rough sex…. Really he does it all!

The end of this story really started to stress me out, like I said some of Joe’s life works out for the better while others don’t. By this stage in the story, he’s so used to feeling connected to the men he has meaningless sex with that he can’t separate sex from human connection and it gets him into some real pickles...

I really enjoyed this story, the sex was hot hot hot and varied. Joe was a complex and realistic character but man I was stressed out reading this towards the end and couldn't help but feel sooooo angry at Joe. If you go into this knowing it's not a love story I think a lot of people could really enjoy it, just be prepared to feel a large amount of different emotions.

NSFW-ish Review: From Top to Bottom by Kevin Klehr

Can a dedicated top really learn to bottom? Tony wants to find out but he’s scared another die-hard top will just plow through him, instead of taking it nice and slow on a newbie.

Enter Butch, a bear who’ll try anything, and Ford, a guy whose curiosity is tempting him to cheat on his boyfriend. Like Tony, both are dedicated tops wanting to try something new, and on this journey of physical self discovery, all will find that being open means more than taking it doggie-style.

Before Reading:

1 room, 3 tops and someone will be ENTERED


After Reading: It's all about the C's. Cum , Cocks and...Cakes?!

"You brought cake," I said. I tried not to let the look of horror show on my face.
"For afterward," Butch replied. "I baked it myself. Is there room in the fridge?"
Hadn't this guy heard of the definition of "eternity"? The time between you cum and they leave. Who ever heard of cake after sex?

Actual cakes.

Not an ass euphemism. Don't look at me like that, we both know you went there. ;) It's an erotica short, it's to be expected.

"But you're not thinking of topping him--you want him in your secret chamber."
"Secret chamber?"
"Man cave. Boy pussy. Man-gina. Lurve canal."

From Top to Bottom by Kevin Klehr was not what I expected it to be based on the blurb. I thought it was just going to be 3 cherries served on a platter. However it happened in this PWP, it was just going to happen.

Not so, totally not so.

Told from 1st POV in a British setting possibly(?), Tony is thirty, very close to his father (like they discuss their sex lives--his dad was actually my fave character--get to that later). Tony loves sex and isn't very discriminate. Plus, he's a bonafide top.

He gets told by a bottom, "it's just another way to feel cock". And Tony has a revelation. Why not try bottoming? So he places an ad online, "top curious about being a bottom, wants to meet likeminded tops." Two like-minded blokes respond: Butch, cake baking bear with a philosophical look on life and Ford, a top who has a boyfriend and just wants to get down to fucking.

I was in accord with Ford. Butch and Tony were very poetic, and the prose had a tendency to get purple-y.

I won't say who first pops their road to "nirvana", but the story gets straight down to sex.

*growls*

While erotic, it also was quirky. There were so many slang for ass. Soooooooooo many. Some good, some weird as fuck like "chew my gremlin". I have to save that in my all time quotes. Some I haven't even heard before. And this is coming from a Dallas Sketchman fangirl (RIP).

Who wouldn't laugh at:

"My gremlin feels satisfied"

or

"My gremlin is hungry. My gremlin's been watching soap opera and wants to feel the leading man."

The leading man, of course being:

While chewing over the gremlin ass talk, the author ups the ante with a spoken word session on the joys of gay sex. And it's hosted at an honest to goodness orgy.

Here I am thinking it's just going to be quick one and done type of deal. But no ma'am, Tony and Butch pound their way through the flesh "playground". The sex was described in a joyous, ritualistic tone, where it was an ode more than erotic.

For the smutsters: rimming, felching, snowballing, double penetration was had. (pssst...someone fibbed about being a backdoor virgin)

The story was different. And while weird euphemisms get thrown in the mix, Tony's dad added more hilariousness. He's very upfront. Tony explores the pleasures of being topped.

As does his dad.

His dad goes into detail how much he shot after discovering his G-spot. Truthfully, my favorite scenes included Tony's dad from getting a colonic, to his pegging joy. I was fully there for Dad, despite the weirdness.

There was a message with this erotica. I think I know what the author was going for and I enjoyed that. The story was memorable more to me for the odd words and descriptions, not so much for the erotic bit. Which is the point of PWP for me.

The story ends at an odd place. Two of the original three tops form a friendship. A crush isn't returned. I wouldn't say it was faptastic. Weird and poetic mainly.

But hey at least there was cake?

Am I right?

Review: Warlock in Training (Studies in Demonology #1) by T.J. Nichols

Angus Donohue doesn’t want to be a warlock. He believes draining demons for magic is evil, but it’s a dangerous opinion to have—his father is a powerful and well-connected warlock, and Angus is expected to follow the family tradition.

His only way out is to fail the demon summoning class. Failure means expulsion from the Warlock College. Despite Angus’s best efforts to fumble the summoning, it works. Although not the way anyone expects.

Angus’s demon, Saka, is a powerful mage with his own need for a warlock.

Saka wants to use Angus in a ritual to rebalance the magic that is being stripped from Demonside by warlocks. If Angus survives his demon’s desires and the perils of Demonside, he’ll have to face the Warlock College and their demands.

Angus must choose: obey the College and forget about Demonside or trust Saka and try to fix the damage before it’s too late. Whatever he does, he is in the middle of a war he isn’t qualified to fight.

I knew this author's first novel would be great. It was magical.

This isn't my first T.J. Nichols; all previous works were urban fantasy/ paranormal short stories: The Vampire's Dinner and A Wolf's Resistance. Both works had great world building and paranormal ideas. The same can be said for Warlock in Training. But what I wanted to see is what the author could do with something novel length.

Not disappointed.

Earth has changed, new countries have formed and magic is known. Well I should say warlocks and wizards are real on Earth, or Humanside. The Earth is continuing to change, forget global warming, it's approaching an ice age. Most of the population doesn't know what the cause is for it. Warlocks are believed to be the saviors to stop it, But what they don't want people to know is they're the culprits. Magic exists in Humanside and Demonside, a second world where demons and other paranormal beings live. Demonside is experiencing extreme global warming, the world turning into a desert, water is scarce. Do these changes share something in common?

Wizards practice magic without using demons. Warlocks on the other hand drain demons for their magic to be more power, have stronger magic. Wizards are looked down on in the magical society. Warlocks are the upper echelon, the 1% if you will.

Nineteen year old ginger Angus Donohue doesn't want to be a warlock, despite his prestigious warlock family history. His father is forced him to attend warlock college and threatened him not embarrass the family name or him. Angus doesn't even want to summon a demon during a requisite class and tries to fail.

And that's where the magic begins.

Enter demon Saka (I am 1000% for him). He chooses Angus despite Angus trying to fail and takes him to Demonside across the void (the bridge between the two worlds). Points to the story being dual POV. Both worlds are too interesting not to immerse yourself in.

The cover is so fitting! Because I think Angus has the potential to be the bridge.

Saka is a demon mage and is trying to help his world. He's smart, calm and wicked with a knife. He shows Angus there is more to life and magic. I couldn't help but imagine Saka something like Hellboy (black horns instead, no hair, the similar skin tone)

I always try to find a Hellboy in demons I read about. LOL

Saka teaches different types of magic: soul, blood and sex. Saka's really great at the last two.

A lot of urban fantasy, tends to have an alpha type as the lead. Not the case in Warlock in Training. Angus is nineteen and reads nineteen - unsure of himself, still learning his place in the world, exploring relationships with potential partners. But he's not the typical teenager. Demonside helps open his eyes.

There is a battle between two magical worlds that felt similar to what the political and global feel is right now. The 1% is ruining both worlds, damn the results as long as they're in power. It's magical politics. People are dying for a cause that does not benefit the greater good. The ones in charge lie to the masses and attacks any form of resistance.

But there is a resistance.

And it's growing.

The book ends with a cliffhanger of sorts. There are loose threads that need to be answered. Such as who really is in charge? Why the harvesting of so much power? The suspense is well written.

Before jumping all over this, I feel I should warn potential readers of possible triggers/deal breakers: There are romantic undertones rather than a defined romance. Both main characters have sex with other people (But I feel I should explain demons have different views on 'relationships' - monogamy is not the norm,) There were brief MF moments. (Also, didn't mind. The moments were a blip on the entire scale of things) Cutting is practiced for magical purposes.

How erotic does this get? There is on page sex but don't expect pages of a drawn out sex scene. (Quite happy about that, it can be a chore to read drawn out pages) The relationship between Saka and Angus is still forming, is kinda fluid. There is another character that has a potential of maybe making this a love/lust triangle. It's not romantic. More as a means to an end but there is potential for deeper feelings. Sex on Demonside can be and is used for ritualistic needs. If you are a reader who needs the one and only, I would say to approach with caution. Because the way the sex, relationship and openness is written fits the characters. And they struggle. But it's secondary to the world building, action and suspense.

I want to rate this all the hearts but I have tiny issues, pretty minor. Technically, the story reads well. But I feel some of the chapters ended in odd spots. I like the fact the chapters aren't overly long but some ended with where it could have just combined with half of the next chapter for better impact.

But I see this book as the foundation for more to come. War is approaching. What side are you on? Will the resistance win?

Bonus was that this book stars my favorite paranormal beings: DEMONS!

And a ginger warlock! It was like it was written just for me. ;P

Fans of urban fantasy should definitely check this series out because the world building is tops. The author obvious is an urban fantasy fan and it shows in their work. The first third is mostly building. The other two thirds are fast paced and filled with intrigue. My heart started to crumble in the last 5-8% but the author pulled it through.

I am so there for this series! And I'm definitely a fan of this author after this. It's 3 out of 3 for me!

Recommended.

Find on DSP Publications or Goodreads!

Missed the Warlock in Training tour stop? See here!

Review: Casto (Gods of War #1) by Xenia Melzer

All is fair in love and war. Renaldo has lived happily by that proverb his entire life. But he has finally met his match, and he’s about to discover how unfair love and war can be.

When demigod and warlord Lord Renaldo takes a beautiful stranger captive during an ambush, he is delighted to have found a distraction that will keep him entertained during the upcoming siege. Little does he know, Casto is keeping more than just one secret from him. Slowly, Renaldo gets sucked into a turbulent roller-coaster relationship with his mysterious prisoner, one that begins with hatred and soon spirals into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. And when it seems that things can get no worse, an old enemy stirs right in the heart of his home.

Determined to keep Casto by his side, Renaldo has to find a balance between the capricious young man and his own destiny as a ruler and god to his people.

DNF - 33%

So...

Casto...

This was a disaster for me from page 1.

*clears throat*

Not the first time I've read books that don't work for me. I try to see if I can attempt to catch the plot the author tries to deliver, look for something positive about any story I read.

First time author Xenia Melzer's fantasy/mythology Master/slave based debut efforts does show that she is very interested in the world she created in Casto. So much so, that there is centuries of history, math lessons and hundreds of characters introduced. The author was indulgent with new plot thread and tangent written. You can literally read pages and pages of mythology before getting to the premise of Casto.

Meaning a bogged down info dump in the form of a base...

Then we get through millenia of history and convolution to get to two gods who was reduced to a demigod to teach the humans of the new world a lesson, Renaldo and his older brother Canubis (which I kept reading as cannabis). I questioned how all the other mythological beings could have fantasy-ish names and then we get Renaldo as the main character.

Anyway... Renaldo is thousands of years old and he sees 16 year old virgin warrior, Casto, do some impossible feat and take down Renaldo's top warriors. He takes Casto as his slave. And there is fighting and infighting with too many warriors/slaves/people/witches? to count nor care about.

Casto hates Renaldo. Renaldo wants to bed Casto. Doesn't for awhile because he wants Casto to want it. But then we're told there is chemistry. After months/days/years, they fight and a cherry is taken.

 Then an orgy pops up as a spring ritual.

I got off the Casto ride after that. The sex was too forced. The chemistry was the same. And the story telling was all over the place. I don't know why a five year old pops up in between Casto's slavery. Maybe a metaphor? Or flashback?

What the story needed - a clear plot, editing, and reorganization of a lot of paragraphs.

When there are more than 10 characters to keep up with, I think index of all of the characters might be necessary. We go from 2 to 4 then 6 gods, then there are 8 demigods on top of the 6 to keep track of.

Too much.

The Master/slave relationship? I wish there was a different way the entire Casto/Renaldo pairing was written. It read awkward and weird. I've read better stories with this semblance of a plot - war prize/ owner pairing - too much convolution to let the characters come to life in Casto.

Maybe the story got better by the end. (Though I doubt it as more characters kept getting added as I progressed) I'm not interested in finding out or even reading more of this series.

I do not recommend this to fantasy lovers.

Find on DSP Publications or Goodreads

Review: Double Header: My Life with Two Penises by Diphallic Dude

He was featured on the front pages of RollingStone.com, Jezebel.com and was covered by The Huffington Post. Both Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno featured him in their opening monologues. Countless news agencies around the world broke the story when he went on Reddit and did an Ask Me Anything (AMA). Ranking as the 4th most popular Reddit AMA of all time (beating out the likes of Peter Dinklage, Bill Murray, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford), DoubleDickDude spent 48 hours discussing his life with a genetic condition known as diphallia. Only 1 in 5.5 million males worldwide are born with two penises. However very few (if any) are born with two working, and by all accounts, attractive penises. After having managed to stay under the radar for over 20 years DoubleDickDude (or DDD for short) amassed thousands of followers on Twitter and Tumblr in a matter of hours. In fact Twitter (temporarily) suspended his account for replying to his followers too many times!

For the past year he has taken to writing a more lengthy and detailed account of his life so far. Very little could be detailed during a frenzy of questions from thousands on Reddit. DDD goes from discussing his childhood, and explains how he knew he was special at an early age. His parents support grounded him in his early youth. We find out how he lost his virginity and was exposed to his peers. From there he discusses his wild streak of sexual adventures fresh out of high school. Recapping his favorite questions and answers, discussing sexuality and acceptance DDD covers the gamut.

Don't worry, all the saucy and steamy stories he hinted at in his AMA are covered and then some. Like that 7-way orgy he briefly detailed amid the torrent of questions during his AMA. Not to mention the hunky straight gym jock who "went gay" and the poor girl who... shall we say, her lady place was a wreck after one time with DDD. It's all in there and more!

Written from first person perspective the narrative is raw, honest and often times gritty. Details are not spared and readers beware, naughty moments are revealed! The next time you see a man on the street with more than an adequate bulge in his jeans, it might just be DDD. 

I like many, many others discovered Double Dick Dude (DDD) about this time last year through his Reddit AMA. I wouldn’t go so far to say I became obsessed with him, more like fascinated. Let’s call a spade a spade, you put two cocks in the same room, you’ve got my attention. Two cocks on the same dude and… C’mon man, there’s only so much restraint I can muster up. Just look at them! Since the surgery a staggering 10" each.

DO STRAIGHT GUYS LIKE YOUR COCKS AS MUCH AS YOU CLAIM?

Yep, at least the ones who’ve seen them in person. My cocks are like a unicorn or… in my case a magical ram.

Alas, the Reddit AMA exploded into something akin to one of those giant man of war jellyfish with the tangle-y tentacles and I was forced to admit defeat.

I have a day job and a semblance of a life. I can’t be reading about DDD’s sexcapades all the day long! Then I found out about this book! I thought, ‘oh, I can catch up on all the sexcapades!’ Well… turns out a lot of this is on Reddit, so if you kept up with DDD on Reddit or Tumblr this is really going to bore you to tears.

He expounded upon his gym experience with the straight dude who “spotted” him which was probably my favorite part. It's bukkake porn gold because DDD comes by the bucketload.

DDD likes dudes that are straight or who claim to be, so I’m thinking a DDD St82gay series. Put him in an RV with a big ole mattress in the back covered in plastic, of course, and let’s GET 'ER DONE! Course that would leave out the ladies… 

How can we forget about that time he pounded that girl in the Princess Leia bikini so hard that her cervix followed his cocks out and landed on the couch? That just doesn't happen every day. Well, it did for them for about three months or so. What about the orgy where he fucked 6 other people. 6!!! 

I pull them both out and wag them at her, she gets wide-eyed. I stuff them in her pussy and she orgasms instantly. She then tells me to stop and to take off the strap on and just fuck her with my dick. I tell her it's not a strap on and she refuses to believe me until she grabs them both and suddenly doesn't want to have sex anymore.

"We should stop before you come or something."

"I already did, three times."

She looks shocked, reaches down and feels my loads oozing out of both her holes.

 "I'm so going to hell for this." She put on her clothes and left.

THREE TIMES?!?!?!

Yes, whichever one I start with, after I come I can use the other immediately and keep going. Then switch back and keep going. I can go a few hours, having orgasms roughly every five to 10 minutes.

All this time I thought the penis sorcery in these romance books was a bunch of hooey. Turns out, DDD's got them all beat and he's a real dude!

Those three sexcapades largely encompass the book although there are snippets of humdingers peppered throughout.

A few hours passed and I finished emptying my prostate into him. The mattress was soaked, his ass wide open and gaping. I tugged them out and went to the bathroom. A moment later he walks in as I'm taking a piss, looks down and sees them again and then looks up at me and full out faints right there in a pile of laundry.

DDD doesn't always trouble himself with informing his sex partners of his condition prior to the banging. Details. He haz needs.

That include a fuckload of fisting. This I missed. I had no idea the lengths he went to to empty his prostrate which reportedly has to happen regularly otherwise it swells to grapefruit size and causes his ass to start yawning open. He's now taken to relieving it with a 2 liter soda bottle when without a willing partner or 5.

That he doesn't need lube for. I… I… really, I have no witty comeback for that. Tip of the hat, DDD.

I'm in fantastic shape, I work out weekly and at a glance I'd be considered the all American guy. I've got two dicks, a set of big stretched nuts and a huge asshole, big deal. I'm not bending over and showing it to old ladies outside the beauty parlor.

There is that.

As for the writing, it's not good. It's very rudimentary which is a shame because this, in the right hands, could've been great. I don't know who edited this thing but they need to find success in another field. Clearly, editing is not his/her forte. 

Lastly, I've heard/seen mention of DDD exaggerating or embellishing events and without sounding like a complete thundercunt here, I have serious reservations regarding DDD's ability to pull off a web of lies this extensive. 

Exhibit A:  DDD tried to have a foursome with a hooker and two of his buddies and told the hooker there were five cocks in the room. 

Exhibit B:  He had a buddy in high school who specifically asked him not to discuss their relationship in the book or elsewhere. He admits that he was his first male lover. Now, everyone who went to high school with them (minimum) knows they did the deed. Yes, everyone knew about his two cocks after he lost his virginity to Chatty Fucking Cathy. 

I rest my case.

Don't get me wrong. He seems to be a nice guy, believes in karma, is a proponent of positive body image and loathes labels, all things I can respect. Just… everyone can't be Stephen Hawking, y'know? And that's ok. Think how boring the world would be.

I have to say the amount they're charging for this equates to highway robbery, but I was entertained. I just wish it had been developed better minus all the regurgitation from Reddit and Tumblr. Verbatim no less.

Recommend to those with disposable income and/or fisting enthusiasts. 

Find out more on Goodreads.