Review: Complementary Colors by Adrienne Wilder

My sister Julia manipulated my life into a prison to keep me silent about our dirty family secret. Her greed made me a slave and circumstance left me with no way to escape.

Trapped, the only way I could silence the nightmares driving me to insanity was to wrap them in color, hold them with shadow, and stitch them to negative space with line.

But no matter how bright the pigments, no one could see my confession.

Except for Roy Callahan.

I thought he was just another nameless one-night stand in a long line of many.
But I was wrong. Roy could see past the façade of my life and through the veil color over the canvas. He could see what the world couldn’t.

And with him I’d find the courage to tell the truth about the boy.

The boy who kissed me.
The boy who loved me.
The boy whose name I couldn’t remember.

"What would life be like filled with simple moments like this? For time to be measured in heartbeats and exhales rather than seconds and minutes?"

This book. Oh my god, this book. I loved it. Hurt and angst and pain are books I read sparingly. Sometimes I can find books featuring disabilities or PTSD or mental health or abuse issues very manipulative. Manipulative in that parts of the story seem to there just for the sake of being there, to add trauma and not a natural part of the story - formulaic maybe. This book though was not at all like that, not one little bit. It was written with beauty, a beauty that shone through even the ugliest parts of the tale.

Paris is the MC and it is through his eyes that we see this story unfold. It's his emotions, actions and broken memories that we are witness to and I have to say I was so drawn into his story that when I fell asleep reading it at stupid o'clock, I found myself waking up an hour later and carrying on into the middle of the night. I felt every single bit of Paris - the parts he exposed and those he tried to hide.

Paris is an artist and I ADORED the way Adrienne Wilder used colours to explain his feelings, his emotions...or I should say, how Paris used the colours. His brain was so full of his half remembered childhood that there weren't always sufficient words to say how he felt...oft times he didn't know how he felt, it was all colour to him. The good times and the bad. Adrienne has a beautiful, descriptive way of writing - poetic really.

"Morning turned the kitchen into gold, and dust motes dance and twirled in the sunbeams. A door slammed somewhere, and a woman yelled. An infant cried for his mother. Then someone turned up their radio drowning out the sounds of urban poverty under a steady bass thump."

Along with the wonderfully broken MC, the author managed to create some vivid characters. Part of me felt almost shocked at how nasty and manipulative Julia was, not I think because she was female, but because she was his sister. Malignant from the inside out, she terrified me and I truly did not know how this story would end. Roy. The saviour really, I will always have a soft spot for Roy from now on. I Love characters that protect, characters whose love means more than their own life.

I think that really this story is a love story. It is the love between Roy and Paris but it is also Paris learning to love himself. It is not an easy book to read, you will be dragged down and up again and then back down. It will get you in its grasp and you won't be able to stop reading. You'll need to know just s little bit more, just a little bit more. I would totally recommend this book to everyone, though those who find abusive stories a trigger will want to avoid it. A fantastic book written with depth, feeling and understanding.

An arc of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Think of England by KJ Charles

Lie back and think of England . . 

England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage.

Curtis’s search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts.

As events unfold, Curtis realizes that Daniel has his own secret intentions. And there’s something else they share—a mounting sexual tension that leaves Curtis reeling.

As the house party’s elegant facade cracks to reveal treachery, blackmail and murder, Curtis finds himself needing clever, dark-eyed Daniel as he has never needed a man before…

Warning: Contains explicit male/male encounters, ghastly historical attitudes, and some extremely stiff upper lips.

 



I have a couple of go-to action items in books that make me sit up, take notice and balance that book right on top of the mountain of TBR beauties that are completely out of control. Think of England has those tags in SPADES!

Let’s run down that list shall we?

Historical?. . . a
Snark? . . . a
Wit? . . . a
Mystery? . . . a
Charming Brits? . . . a
Murder & Mayhem? . . . a
Awesome sidekicks? . . . a
Nipple Piercing? . . . wait, what? . . .Awwwww YEAH! . . . a

Yep, historical nipple piercing FTW!

Archie Curtis is a well-bred and well respected war veteran who has come home after an accident where he lost many friends as well as sustained major trauma of his own. He’s feeling a little lost and when he is visited by the gun manufacturer whose weapons caused the tragedy that ended his military career. The man speaks of sabotage and treason and Curtis cannot let that go uninvestigated. Justice must be served if any of what the man says is true. He gets himself invited to Sir Hubert’s country house for a fortnight (I love saying ‘fortnight’), the man in direct competition with the original manufacturer and the alleged perpetrator of said sabotage.

The country house is 30 miles out in the middle of nowhere, but has any and all modern conveniences that must cost the man dearly to keep running, raising suspicion. Enter a cast of characters that, on the surface, seem like typical English gentry, but underneath, all is not what it seems at the country house. There is one character that stands out more than the rest, Daniel da Silva. He stands out because he doesn’t want to fit in and Curtis takes a disliking to him right away. But again, all is not what it seems and da Silva has reasons for being at the country house as well. His affectations, irreverent dress code and rapier like wit make him a target for both bully’s and fans.

I really can’t say too much about the mystery without giving away too much good stuff, so you’ll have to trust me when I say, the tension and stakes are high and the murder and mayhem tag on the blog here is well deserved. Men will face their greatest fears and there are a couple of kick ass female sidekicks. The bad guys are SO bad, the good guys are deliciously good and Daniel da Silva is one of the most memorable characters of all time.

I highlighted so many of Daniel’s snarky comments but by far my favorites were the ones between he and Archie. Once they settle into their uneasy partnership to thwart the evil doings that are going on, they start to open up to one another and we see the connection between the “real” Archie and the “real” Daniel. One of Daniel’s professions is as an editor and he has written and published some of his own poetry. While his work is not understood by many, the very straightforward and very simple Archie, gets it. When I say simple I definitely do not mean stupid. He’s a military man who has never had the luxury of being able to indulge in imagination.

As Daniel says –

Unfortunately, my dear, you are so straightforward I sometimes have trouble understanding a word you say.

Between Daniel's verbosity and Archie's direct simplicity, you can imagine how fun their exchanges are to read. When the barriers start coming down it just gets better. Archie is so charmingly chivalrous and poor Daniel has NO idea what to do with that, but I could tell part of him wants to eat it up like the most delicious dessert imaginable.

Daniel and Archie are going on my list of most memorable couples and so worth reading about. Highly recommended read (and re-read).

 

*a copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Author of the Month Interview - Anyta Sunday

Our author of the month for July is the FANTABULOUS Anyta Sunday. I am a huge fan of her work (as are some of the other Unicorns *cough Jenni Lea *cough*) and so it has been an honour and pleasure to have her visit the clubhouse and answer some questions for us. So without further ado...

BMBR: Hi Anyta, thank you so much for visiting the clubhouse and being our AOTM. To get to know you better we put together a few questions....

AS: Thank you Boy Meets Boy for inviting me to come chat about bits and books. ;)

BMBR: My (Lorix) favourite book of yours is Lenny for your Thoughts. To me, though it carries the trademark Anyta Sunday slow burn and fabulous characters, it has a different feel to it to most of your contemporary novels. Was this intentional or did it just evolve this way?

AS: (Whispers) It’s my favorite too. ;)

I feel very close to this book; it was one I just had to write, I couldn’t sleep properly thinking about Lenny and Julien and their story, and each scene snuck up on me, grabbed hold and wouldn’t let go. I felt Lenny, felt Julien, felt their story so badly I couldn’t rest until I’d written it. I guess you could say the story stemmed from an emotion, that yearning and knowing you shouldn’t, that maybe this love was even wrong, and yet . . . and yet it just felt so right. And so I explored it the best I could.

It was the first book I wrote where I played with the time-line having chapters alternate between “then” and “now” and how their history shapes the insecurities/and deep need of their present.

I originally wrote this book in chronological order, even though right from the beginning, I knew I would chop it up and mess with the timeline. I did this so that I could understand each motivation and mental/emotional head space of the character at that point in their lives and how it then went on to affect the next stages of their lives. It was through writing their childhood/teenage years together that I discovered with Lenny and Julien where and how they very slowly move from a family/cousin-based love to something more intimate.

When I cut the story up, I added clues in the present and or past that would then have some emotion significance at another point of time. For example, there is a moment about a quarter way through the book where Lenny locks up his best friend Ben and sister Caro in the attic after they’ve fought. Only later the significance of that action comes out and why Julien remarks that he took delight in doing it; and that is when we get to the flashback with Lenny and Julien after their fight as teens, when they made up in the attic.

BMBR: I know you have a whole series for enemies to lovers - but I still have to ask.... Friends to lovers or enemies to lovers?

AS: LOL. Funny you ask . . . I am a big enemies-to-lovers and friends-to-lovers fiend, but the first series I wrote (Shane & Trey, St-st-stuffed, William, The F Words) got pegged early on by a reader as enemies-to-lovers and it stuck. I was kind of at a loss that anyone was reading my books at all, so when they put it up on GR as enemies-to-lovers, I was so speechless (and stoked) that I smiled and nodded, and the subsequent books I tagged as that as well.

BMBR: Do you have a favourite character (or couple) from your books - and why do they earn the title?

AS: I love all the boys I write about. As a couple, Lenny and Julien have claimed the most emotion, but as a single character . . . I think I feel for Rory from The F Words the most, because he’s gone through a lot with losing his best-friend, and he redeems himself for being an asshole to Eric. (I like redemption stories and anti-heroes . . . )

BMBR: Liam, from Liam Davis and the Raven, is a fantastic character. In general you avoid the typical alpha male stereotypes, is this by design or accident?

AS: Liam! :D He’s a special guy with a mild case of Asperger’s, rendering him a little socially awkward, he has a big heart—just shows his love differently.

It’s true, I don’t often write about the alpha male, but . . . well . . . I have written an urban fantasy novel that is centered on an anti-hero (This is an m-f novel with an m-m subplot). So there will be a dose of alpha in future books.

BMBR: Where do you find inspiration for characters such as Liam?

AS: Liam was loosely inspired by someone I knew growing up. A man who was/is socially a wee bit challenged, but you know that he means well, even if he doesn’t express it as others might. Of course, that is as far as the resemblance goes. Liam also reflects the time I was in Pittsburgh and the atmosphere/feelings I felt living there for a couple of years.

BMBR: Part of our book discussion covered the fact that Shane and Trey was set in a nameless/ stateless generic country, what inspired you to make this decision?

AS: The book discussion! LMAO. Okay, so I stumbled across it when Jenni Lea friended me over FB, and I couldn’t help myself. I was nervous, because Shane & Trey was the first gay romance book I wrote and, well, it’s one of those “jeez, I’ve learned so much since writing this 'cringe' book". Lol. So I went in with a wince and came out at the other end in tears—of laughter!

Really, it’s a magical book. Everyone got a different version. Jenni Lea had Shane & Troy, Lori had the no camping or dorm party scene, Natasha had clown orgies, and there were various unicorns making guest appearances, as well as some toe licking going on just for Breann . . .

Ah, crap, I’m giggling just remembering! First of all, thank you for that fun and for all of you taking your time to read it.

Secondly, to address the different version thing . . . I mentioned cringing above, well, a few months ago I went over the story again and I just went through shaking my head. I couldn’t re-write the entire thing, but boy something needed to be done. So I got my red pen (delete button) and slashed the thing apart. I took out about 20K of story and tightened it up a bit, got rid of the misunderstanding that even drove me crazy re-reading it (although, can I admit here, that I don’t mind a wee bit of this in other stories I read), and I added in a second sex scene (where Shane bottoms) because I felt like I had left something out in their coming-of-age-and-sexual-experience. I also wanted to have the ending more hopeful with the father, so I tweaked a few lines with him as well. Oh, and a couple of other bits and pieces to make it seem less “cheaty” which was never my intention in this book. It was more meant to be an exploration of teenage angst and figuring out oneself and what one likes/needs etc. Yeah, the guys make mistakes and screw up a bit, but hell, didn’t we all at that age?

Now to the actual question, because it’s a really interesting one: the setting.

I think the setting-less state of the story really came from a feeling of homelessness. When I wrote this book, I didn’t feel at home anywhere. I mean, I love New Zealand and I was happily brought up there, but it didn’t feel like the place where I was going to settle, and then I began travelling and ended up in Berlin, and back then, while I loved Germany, I still felt like it wasn’t “my place” either. It was like I had no “me” in association with a place. I was just me regardless of place. And I still felt real and alive and I still had emotion and relationships that worked. So when I wrote Shane & Trey and St-st-stuffed the characters and the story, and their emotions and journey was important, but it didn’t matter where they were. I wanted it to be a story that could exist anywhere, and tried to be vague with details of place.

However, linguistics failed me in this aim. Because I grew up a Kiwi, there are words, and syntax and grammar etc. that I use without even thinking—like the beloved fish-slice ;)—that mark the story and force it to have a setting.

Because of that, I realized it was a mistake not to have set it somewhere concrete, and which was why in the third book, I moved the series to New Zealand, where I could ground readers more in a sense of time and place.

(Oh, and just to clarify, Emma was not a beta reader for Shane & Trey. Have no idea where and how that came about???) :P

BMBR: What inspired you to have siblings (twins, even!) as the "rivals" for the MC's affections in Shane and Trey?

AS: I can’t remember! I think I just wanted to create some immediate tension right from the start, and figured . . . yeah, twins who like the same guy, that’s a nice pickle!

BMBR: Did it feel controversial using cousins as the MC's in Lenny for Your Thoughts?

AS: I know two cousins falling in love is controversial to people, but it made me need to write the book more, because I understood it . . . love has no boundaries. Lenny and Julien fell in love with each other, and that’s beautiful.

 (It so was, their relationship was...ungh!)

BMBR: What is your favourite thing about writing? And the worst?

AS: Favorite thing . . . I love it when a story comes crashing into your heart and you just need to get it written, and I also love the feeling that comes when it’s done, it’s written, and that little bit of love that was only in your head is now alive and real.

BMBR: and lastly, but very, very important...starters, mains or pudding?

AS: PUDDING!

Thank you so much Anyta for stopping by. Of course we couldn't invite an Author of the Month into the stable without immortalising them forever as a unicorn. So, from the 'pen' of the talented Natasha Snow, I'd like to introduce....

Now ain't that just the most adorable unicorn ever?

Review: William (Enemies to Lovers 3) by Anyta Sunday.

William needs to learn to think before he speaks. He accidentally outed his last boyfriend to his bigoted family. Looking to make a new start, he escapes to the most distant place he can think of: New Zealand. There he boards with a substitute mom and her too-hot-to-be-real son, Heath, but Heath and his homophobic friend Rory want William to leave before things “crash and burn,” whatever that means. 
Unfortunately, traveling to the end of the world isn’t far enough for William to lose his runaway mouth.
But is it far enough to lose his loneliness?

The third in the Enemies to Lovers series William is lovely little story. Moving away from the generic setting used in the first two novels, William is firmly based in New Zealand, the author's place of birth. It is a rich setting but, as ever, it is the characters that shine through in the book.

This is not my favourite of Anyta's books, but it was still a fabulous read. William, uprooted from America, struggles to fit into his new life across the ocean. His landlady is overly loving, her son overly distant. Whilst he enjoys his work and his colleagues his home environment is not very easy to fathom. There is a mystery that he feels the need to solve, though god knows sometimes it's best not to poke the fire.

His growing attraction to Heath is hampered by many factors, not the least being his homophobic friend, Rory.William is fighting against the odds to find a chance of happiness. He'd already had his heart broken once (by Karl from St-St-Stuffed) is he about to get it broken again? 

All the trademark Anyta Sunday traits are in this novel - fab characters, great story line and UST to blow the roof off. I literally cannot wait every time I start a new novel of hers because I know I'm going to love it and that, for the time it takes me to read, I'll be in a world that I love, with people I love, hoping for an HEA, safe in the knowledge I'm very likely to get one.

Review: Hideous by Devon McCormack

Eight years ago, Luke Retter witnessed the brutal murder of his mother and sister at the hands of his demon-possessed father. He survived but lost a hand and an eye. The demon also burned its emblem into his skin, marking him as a cursed. Those who bear this mark are at risk of becoming possessed themselves, so they are monitored and enslaved by the state-run UCIS. Working as a slave is hard, but Luke prefers it to the possibility of being controlled by a demon.

One night, Luke wakes to find his worst nightmare coming true. His father's demon has returned. In a panic, he runs to the only person who might be able to help: Zack, a cursed who ran away from the state and created an underground community to protect other fugitive curseds. Zack helps him suppress the demon. But the city's become a time bomb, and Luke's demon itches to escape.

With the UCIS closing in on Zack's underground operation and Luke's demon crafting its own, nefarious plot, Luke realizes that he must take a stand.

“Being a laborer with one hand is about as useful as being a sperm donor with one nut.”

Ain't it the truth?

This is my second time reading this author. This is also the second time I am left full of questions, hopes and awe. My mind has been screwed, my face is full of snark/wonder/horror/happy. Basically, me after reading Devon McCormack.

Hideous is a gay YA story with a graphic novel feel about a sixteen year old cursed boy named Luke Retter. In this world, demons are possessing people at random, their victims (if they survive) become cursed bearing a mark. And those who are demon possessed are called infected. Demons are like parasites looking for human hosts to cause mayhem. Luke is a survivor from a brutal and horrific attack committed by his demon possessed father when he was only eight years old. He was left with physical scars (he is missing a hand and eye) and the psychological scars (he watched his family be butchered).  Luke is a cursed, wearing a demonic mark that acts like a conduit for demons.

Guillermo del Toro is one of my fave directors, he makes dark and creepy beautiful. And I am finding myself falling for this author's creepy and dark words.

Luke is one very lonely boy. Not only is he ostracized by humans (or regulars), he is shamed and brutalized by them too. Think extreme bullying where physically harming someone is okay because they are considered different. What people do out of fear is hurtful and scary. Factor in Luke's disability and it makes it worse for him. He has no friends, no family, a crappy job which is basically demeaning and slave-like and no hope. Once you're cursed, you're considered lower than scum. He works as a janitor/laborer in a exclusive rich boarding school. Luke's pain is visceral.

One day he tries to save a cursed child and his act of bravery changes his life. Don't think a golden platter is handed to Luke and a magical knight comes to save him. Sadly, no. Luke is saved by a hooded, deviant (a cursed that refuses to register with the cursed corralling government agency.) by the name of Zack meets him. And the two sort of save each other. But Zack is a teen running from the law with a good heart that Luke can't help crushing on. As well as a regular teen named Tom to make a faint crush triangle (I don't want to say love triangle) for Luke. Who does he choose? What happens? Not telling, read to find out. ;P

The other book I have read from this author, Clipped, continues to linger on my brain as will Hideous. The world building is great. At first, you're thrust into a world that takes some time to understand. It is like the author grips you by the shirt collar and pulls you to view a world from his twisted mind. And I enjoyed the ride. And the depraved, devious mind, of course. As the story progresses, the thrilling suspense kicks in. You don't know who to trust, save Luke, or what is going on with these demons.

I have burned myself out on reading YA but it is a genre that I do enjoy from time to time. While this story does a great job of portraying a teenage boy's life in a dystopian-like world, this story is not like any YA story I ever read. The filthy mouth on Luke, the gore and pain described, the brutality of the attacks, the author does not hold back. Well maybe in one area...smutsters there is no sex in this one. But this story kicks so much ass, it does not need it. This is YA any adult or teen can enjoy. I would not classify this as a romance, it is there but that is secondary to Luke's tale. The ending is HFN. (As usual I want more!)

The author's info at the end states: "The inadequate representation of gay heroes led him to creating his own." Hmm... this author has written a gay hero who is realistic. Hideous does not soften the blow, it packs a wallop of a punch. Piss, blood...no sugarcoating here. The author gives a positive gay hero in Luke. Is Luke perfect? No. But he's a great faceted main character to read about.

If this author plans to continue with this world he created, I will be there with bells on.

Highly recommended especially fans of creeptastic-fantastic such as this.

Review: Sharp Love by Ava March

London, 1822

William Drake has lived among thieves, bastards and beggars all his life, doing what's necessary to survive. As a young orphan, that included looking after his best friend, Jack Morgan. But as they grew older, Jack took the honest path, leaving Will behind to fend for himself the only ways he knows how.

When an unsavory errand for his employer brings Jack back to London's underbelly, he needs Will's help. It's there, among the alleys they ran through as children, that the love he's always felt for Will returns. As their nights together grow hotter, Will discovers something new about his old friend—Jack's need to serve extends into the bedchamber.

Will has never fully abandoned his dream of escaping London with Jack. But what could the Duke's driver want with a dishonest cheat like him, beyond a bit of rough sex? It takes the gamble of Will's life to find out if he can win Jack's heart…

Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: D/s theme and elements, and male/male sexual practices.

I'm so happy I was introduced to this author. I feel like I found a kindred spirit. If she would put some kilts, panties and maybe a corset on one of these cats, I'd be over the moon. No? Too much? *shrugs* The cheese stands alone.

Sharp Love overlaps All in with the Duke with the focus on Jack Morgan and his childhood friend, Will Drake. Both were orphaned as children and came to rely upon one another. Will's always been quite clever and Jack was the braun of the operation with his 6'5" burly frame. Neither of them care much for London and Jack made his way out of the stews by finding work with Max leaving Will behind to scrimp, save and engage in some unsavory deeds to accomplish his dreams of a farm in the country.

"Anything for you, Jack."

Jack comes to Will whenever he needs assistance but doesn't believe people like him are destined for everlasting love; never dares to hope that Will may reciprocate his feelings. Jack has been ridiculed and shamed for his desires leaving him defensive, vulnerable and abstinent for the past 6 years. Jack is one of the incantations of submissive that triggers all sorts of gooey feels for me, the servant. He needs to serve and protect. He feels out of sorts otherwise. He needs someone to give the orders which he will follow to the letter. Being 6'5" and massive has been counterproductive thus far, sexually.

Will recognizes "his bashful giant" needs a strong hand quickly, yet still manages to make a few missteps which is precisely what I like about these characters. They struggle, falter, miscommunicate and have both endured hardships. Ms. March has excelled at making all of the characters in this series unique. They are adults, take responsibility for their actions and have honest conversations. There was quite a bit more angst in Sharp Love which bogged down the story for me. Nevertheless, I'm a smitten kitten with this series and this author and cannot wait until the next book!

The kink is of the sugar variety with their burgeoning relationship. There also seemed to be less sexy times, but perhaps that's just my perversity being a glutton. I do love when the big guy is the little guy. A lot.

Yet Jack wanted more. Wanted to drop to his knees. To suck will's cock. To suck Will's cock until his seed was coating Jack's tongue. Wanted to give himself over to Will. Wanted Will to push him up against the door, push Jack's trousers down around his knees, and use him in that dark, dirty alley until he was sobbing with pleasure.

*sputters*
Damn, Ms. March fire off a warning shot before you throw the smack down next time, please.

Recommend to those who love Regency, believable characters who act like adults, angst lovers and great writing.

I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Author Visit & Giveaway: RJ Scott

Okay RJ fans, the questions have been put to RJ and answered here and here. We've shared tea and (tales of crumpet) and the lovely lady herself has gone home...now it's your turn. RJ is providing some prizes and to be in with a chance to win them answer these questions about her. The replies with the most correct answers will be put into the prize generator and one first place winner and two runners up will be chosen at random. Don't forget to leave a way to contact you with your answers! Good Luck!!

1) We'll start with the important stuff - Sterek or Destiel, who did RJ prefer?

2) What has been the high point of RJ's writing career so far?

3) What genre will RJ avoid writing at all costs?

4) Do her characters' talk to her?

5) What is RJ's unicorn name?

So there we have it folks, five simple questions and some luck is all that's standing between you and some free books....

(NB: Competition closes at 12pm pacific time on Friday 25th of July.)

Review: Rent Me by Brina Brady

Rent Boy Brennen wants to belong to his lover Dmitri Dubrovsky. The Russian mobster controls every inch of his life in and out of bed. Brennen works for Dmitri’s escort service. His only desire is to please his lover. When Dmitri marries Nika, his lover moves him out of their home to an apartment in Beverly Hills and tells him nothing has changed. What is Brennen going to do now?

Warning:  
This is a Gay adult consensual story focused on themes of corporal discipline punishment and explicit sex with some elements of BDSM between adult men over the age of eighteen.

I know. Psychos need love too. The best way I can describe this book really, truly is like a David Lynch film. Normally, I can get in the general vicinity of where a book is going. The only thing I could come up with here was Brennen ending up face down in a gutter with his throat cut, his skinny jeans down around his ankles and ‘Rent Me’ written across his butt cheeks. <---not what happened. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained by this nutbaggery, though.  Kinda like a Lynch film in that is leaves you with a ‘Huh? WTF just happened?’ feeling afterwards.

When I read the blurb I had a Russian version of The Sopranos  in my head. Tony bending Christopher over tables and car hoods would’ve been so fucking hot, but the mafia angle wasn’t the focus. Rent Me is told entirely through Brennen. Brennen is temperamental, vain, insecure… wait, wait. Let me save all that and say it succinctly. He’s a hot mess. THIS SONG:

describes him better than anything I can say. Ever.

Ms. Brady dropped a lot of psychiatric buzz words and she did an excellent job of presenting Brennen as a product of his environment and upbringing. I understand why he is the way he is and as I said, she did an excellent job of putting the reader inside the mind of a mentally ill MC, but that doesn’t mean Rent Me was an entirely pleasant experience. I did chuckle more than once at the antics on display by all involved. Brennen is 21 going on 12 and very exhausting. I still find it ironic that the two Mafiosos are more stable than him. Not by much but still…

Dmitri and Mischa are brothers who are Russian mafia whose empire is based in LA. Brennen was taken in by them after they rescued him from a lunatic named Adrik when he was 12. The dynamic between the three of them is… weird as hell, pseudoincestual. Brennen sees them as family but he fucks Dmitri and wants him to be his Master. Both brothers frequently spank him when he acts out, just flat out smack him across the face or worse. *shakes head* Lynch film. In case you haven’t figured it out Brennen acts out All. The. Time. Particularly if Dmitri has to spend more than 5 minutes away from him with his old lady, Nika, or just 5 minutes period.

I need him to breathe. He is my everything.

Dmitri LURVES Brennen. He has plans for them to be together F.O.R.E.V.E.R. but he’s tight lipped as to how. Obviously, this calls for Brennen to respond by latching onto… well, pretty much anyone who pays attention to him for a minute or so. The next thing you know Brennen decides he’s going to give this whole girl thing a try and picks a kleptomaniac! *refer to gif #1*

I don't feel good about myself unless I have tons of people wanting me for sex.

Oh, man…

*wipes eyes*

 Christ Almighty! This thing really has to be experienced firsthand. Hop on board this crazy train, folks. I haven't even scratched the surface here. The storyline is completely nonsensical. These characters are freak shows. The situations that arise are akin to a bad acid flashback. And somehow all these whackadoodles know each other! Utter and complete weirdness.
 
Kink:  Mafioso + kink = not exactly SSC, maybe RACK, though I'm going with kinky fuckery and that's my final offer. The escort stuff was in the same vein-some of it was sort of hot, most of it was like a Lynch film minus the dancing dwarves. Opportunity wasted there.  

Writing:  Needs improvement. Far too much redundancy and repetition; too much emphasis on the mundane; too many descriptions of things rather than an actual plot. I couldn’t care less that Brennen carries minty toothpaste in his backpack. The dialogue is stiff as a board and much of it felt stilted. The characters all sound exactly the same. There were some continuity errors:  one cannot crawl on one’s hands and knees when one’s hands are cuffed behind one’s back without being a stellar contortionist. However, Ms. Brady did introduce me to the terms ‘boy clit’ and ‘whorebagel’. A heartfelt, Thank You for those gems.

*pets new words*

For those of you out there (and I know you are. Don’t lie) that enjoy reading about dysfunctional, codependent, abusive, possessive, irrationally jealous crazy trains that are bigoted, like to break stuff and screaming is their default conversing voice… WHOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEE! You guys just hit ALL the jackpots!

I'm going with 2 Hearts for the Lynchyness entertainment value and Brennen's characterization.

I would like to thank the author for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. 

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.