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Congrats to Anke, who won Face Value (Sanctuary #3) by RJ Scott! Face Value will be released by Silver Publishing on April 7.

Congrats to blodeuedd, who won Fortune Hunter (Brook Street #2) by Ava March! Fortune Hunter will be released by Carina Press on April 9.

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  • If you’re amused by vintage ads that have homoerotic overtones, you must check out Kate Roman’s tumblr.

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Reading Update
Scrap Metal by Harper Fox. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about a linguistics student who returns to his family’s sheep farm after his mother and brother are killed, leaving his grandfather to work the farm alone. When someone breaks into one of the barns, he has no idea that things are about to take a turn for the better. Make sure you have tissues handy for this one!
The Rare Event by PD Singer. ebook. Very good m/m romance about two radically different hedge fund traders before the subprime mortgage meltdown: one takes too many risks in both his personal and professional lives, while the other is far more careful in both. He finally realizes that loving the risktaker, who scoffs at monogamy, is tearing him apart… The heavy focus on the stock market and stock trading details very nearly lost me in the early part of the book, but I persevered and got sucked into the rest of the story.
Handle with Care by Josephine Myles. ebook arc. Very good m/m romance about a diabetic computer programmer who works from home because he’s on dialysis, and the high point of his days is when the cute purple-haired skatepunk stops by to deliver a package. Bonding over a shared love of the X-Men, they become friends… and then everything changes in a day. I must confess that there was something I really felt needed to happen that didn’t, which was what prevented this from being a five-star read for me.
Face Value (Sanctuary #3) by RJ Scott. ebook arc. Very good m/m romantic suspense picking up where the second book left off – the guy they rescued is safe… for now. But will his doctor be able to keep him safe?
Ambush (True Colors #2) by Clare London. ebook short. Steamy short m/m scene between Zeke and Miles that will leave Miles with some distracting memories of his office.
Crooked by Missouri Dalton. ebook short. Good short m/m paranormal romance about a cop who goes astray after killing the monster who killed his partner. This could easily have been much longer (so much plot! So few words!) and had an extremely open ending (not really even HFN) that makes me fear one of those Torquere serials.
On the Other Hand, Death (Donald Strachey #2) by Richard Stevenson. Good gay mystery in which Don’s hired by a sly developer to find out who vandalized a lesbian couple’s barn, in the hope that they’ll be more willing to sell their property out of gratitude.
On the Dotted Line by Alexa Snow. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who’s deep in debt and falling further behind, but none of his friends have any idea; neither does the doctor he starts to date. Something about the writing style felt really awkward to me.
Drowning in You by AR Moler. ebook. Ok m/m romantic suspense about two DEA agents who become much closer after one of them nearly dies… This felt really choppy – it jumped from scene to scene instead of transitioning. Also, the ending leaves it open to become a series.
View from the Top by Carson Shepherd. free online. Very short steamy m/m scene that just doesn’t have enough context to really work.
Not That Type of Guy by Sara York. ebook. Meh m/m romance about a CIA assassin who’s been in denial that he’s gay until something happens on the job that makes him reevaluate things. The plot was over-the-top implausible and the relationship between the two MCs had me rolling my eyes.

“I’m sure I can come up with something to be crabby about…” -Chaos

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Alas, poor linkity, we knew it well

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Since I never heard back from the first winner, Jaime Samms is the new winner of Ambush (True Colors #2) by Clare London!

Congrats to Dorome, who won The Rare Event by PD Singer! The Rare Event is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

Congrats to Cole, who won For the Living by L.A. Witt! For the Living will be released on April 1 by Amber Allure.

Congrats to Erica Pike, who won Queen’s Man by K.D. Sarge! Queen’s Man will be released by Turtleduck Press on April 1.

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Reading Update
A Ring and a Promise by Devon Rhodes. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about two guys in the military who start a friends with benefits relationship as cadets… but what will happen after they’re commissioned and sent in different directions? I got a little sniffly on this one.
Cold Turkey by Zebbie. free online. Very good m/m romance about two guys who dance around their attraction to each other, but are too stubborn and proud to admit to any such weaknesses. Be aware that this just barely has an HFN ending.
No Other Life Than This by podga. free online. Very good m/m romance about a fifty-ish guy who’s resistant when his best friend wants to set him up with a date for said best friend’s third wedding. This could’ve used a bit of groveling and explaining near the end, but it managed to work without that.
A Year Full of Days by seventhswan. free online. Very good m/m romance that follows up with Nate from The Side Effects of Forgetting, who isn’t doing very well at all watching Kellan date Will.
I Know What I’m Doing by AzanianHeat. free online. Very good m/m romance about a guy on holiday who unexpectedly runs into the straight guy he once made out with in university five years prior… the straight guy who fled, but hasn’t been able to forget their encounter. Set in South Africa, which was a refreshing change of pace.
Gambling on Maybe (The GlitterBomb #1) by Fae Sutherland. ebook short. reread. Very good short m/m romance about a delightfully flamboyant guy who decides he needs to add some sparkle to a closeted cop’s life. My only complaint was that I wanted more!
Games Boys Play (The GlitterBomb #2) by Fae Sutherland. ebook short. Cute short m/m romance following up on “the gayest of the gay boys” Zach and “Officer Hotness”. As others have mentioned, it was just too short – these two could’ve filled a novel. 🙂
Coming Out With the Truth by zolia_lily. free online. Good m/m romance about a writer who moves to a small town after he’s dumped by his boyfriend for a woman, then gets involved with someone deeply closeted.
The Good Old Boy by Carson Shepherd. free online. Good m/m romance about a guy who returns to the small town he grew up in (and fled years ago) after he loses his job, gets dumped by his boyfriend, and breaks his arm.
I Read a Lot by lill_street_writer. free online. Sweet m/m romance about an intense guy who mostly reads during his free time, not really needing to be around others until he meets an intriguing bookstore clerk. This story had some missing words and letters that were an ongoing, lowgrade annoyance.
Life Between Day and Night by podga. free online. Good, but very short, m/m romance about dancing around the edges of attraction, not wanting to ruin a friendship.
All That Matters by podga. free online. Good short m/m romance about two closeted colleagues, one of whom is married, who work for an international corporation and travel a lot.
Chicks Just Get in the Way by Carson Shepherd. free online. Steamy short m/m/m scene that takes place when things don’t go at all as the scheming friend planned. Be aware that there’s dubious consent in this one.
Happy World by Kiernan Kelly & Tory Temple. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who works at Happy World (basically Disney World) and rigidly follows the rules until a free-spirited trainee disrupts his routine and gets under his skin.
Dharma Cafe by Jessica Freely. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about sorcerers and demons and food magic and dreams that you should possibly not read if french fries are your favorite food. The writing was very simplistic, but I got sucked into the story anyway.
Po’ Boys by Lydia Nix, Kiernan Kelly, TC Blue, Julia Talbot, & BA Tortuga. ebook. Ok collection of m/m romance stories (one paranormal) set mostly in New Orleans. I mostly kept reading because I was feeling too lazy to not keep reading…
Fire by DWSimon. free online. Meh short m/m romance about a closeted firefighter who never sleeps with the same guy twice. There was plenty of poorly written sex, instalove, and the arson subplot wasn’t resolved.

“This spot was a lot more pleasant when the heat was on…” -Mayhem

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Looks like spring in linkity land

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Congrats to Evelyn A, who won Playing the Point (Blue Line Hockey #6) by Stephani Hecht!

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  • RWA put out an equality statement – it’s definitely a step in the right direction, although they really need to change “sexual preference” to “sexual orientation.”

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  • Grow portrait gourds. (via CRAFT) (I can’t be the only one with a dirty mind re: some of the shapes you could grow, right?!)

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Reading Update
The Epic Love Story of Doug and Stephen by Valerie Z. Lewis. free ebook. Doug is straight, not too bright, and a former mechanic who’s now a male model on staff at a gay magazine in New York City, where he decides he’s gay for miserable and sort of scary editor Stephen. This romance manages to be funny, touching, and memorable.
Between the Bars by Carson Shepherd. free online. Very good kinky m/m romantic suspense about a romance writer who hooks up with a guy in town on business, with no idea that his life is about to change forever. Other than a little too much story time devoted to sex at one point and some bits of past progressive tense that I found odd, this was one of the better romantic suspense books I’ve read in a while.
The Luck of the Irish by Megan Reddaway. free ebook short. Very good short and fun m/m romance about a Dubliner, cursed by a leprechaun to have bad luck, who meets an intriguing guy at a training seminar on St. Patrick’s Day.
Owen’s Home and Garden by Evie Kiels. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a guy with a crush on his slutty and oblivious best friend – his best friend who vanishes after a very, very messed up day. Be warned that part of this taking place in northern Minnesota (albeit near a fictitious town) probably weighted my rating. 🙂
Facing Fitz by Kim Dare. ebook short. Sweet short kinky m/m romance about a submissive who’s convinced his severe claustrophobia will make it impossible for him to submit to the dominant he finds attractive.
Fortune’s Favor (PowerUp! #4) by Marie Harte. ebook. Good m/m paranormal romantic suspense about two psychics trying to resist their attraction to each other as they hunt a crazed killer.
On Thin Ice (Ariel Estates #1) by Jessica Lee. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a lone wolf shifter/doctor in the Alaskan wilderness who rescues the amnesiac sole survivor of a plane crash. Who and what is the man he rescued… and was he responsible for the crash?
The Mask of Narcissus by Vincent Lardo. Good gay mystery (originally published in 1987) about a successful society reporter still trying to recover from the suicide of his lover, a closeted cop, the previous year. When he tries to figure out the truth behind why one of his good friends murders her husband and his young girlfriend, he slowly realizes that nothing is quite what it seems. Unfortunately, I found the title to be something of a spoiler for the mystery.
Brass Balls by Mia Watts. ebook short. Pretty good short m/m romance about a cop who’s had a crush on his dad’s best friend, now the captain of police, for years but didn’t think the guy was gay. Wish the ending hadn’t felt so rushed.
Tapping Darkness (Kavanagh #1) by Kracken. ebook. Ok yaoi-themed romantic suspense about a goodhearted private detective who is hired by a gorgeous painter’s model worried about a missing artist. This moved slowly and never fully engaged me.
The Set Up by JP Bowie. ebook short. Ok short m/m romantic suspense about a movie extra who gets set up for murder. Let’s just say I didn’t achieve suspension of disbelief on this one.
Cam’s Best Friend by Jaxx Steele. ebook short. Ok short paranormal m/m romance about a wizard who’s punished by being turned into a dog and set loose in New Orleans. While this had potential, the execution felt really awkward.

*drowsing* -Chaos

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Sometimes I can’t think of a linkity title and then I am very sad

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Congrats to Raevyn, who won the M/M Week books by Erastes, Kim Knox, Ava March, KC Burn, Dev Bentham, and Larry Benjamin from Carina Press. All six books will be released on March 19.

Congrats to Sarah Madison, who won Diversion by Eden Winters! Diversion will be released on March 18 by Amber Allure.

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Reading Update
Moving in Rhythm by Dev Bentham. ebook arc. Very good m/m romance about a closeted online math instructor whose crippling shyness and social anxiety have him living a hermetic life. When his brother is deployed to Iraq, he agrees to take care of his pregnant sister-in-law during the deployment, and finds himself being forced, protesting, out of his shell… not always smoothly. This was a wonderful combination of sweet and serious.
Social Skills by S Alva. free online. Good m/m romance about a college freshman who plays the violin and has crippling social anxiety. He’s nearly incapacitated by anxiety when he realizes that the closeted football player he’s tutoring is gay and likes him.
Ghosts & Flames by Kaje Harper. ebook. Good holiday paranormal m/m romance a guy with a ghost problem who runs into a guy with a vampire problem. While the final 2/3 of the story was very involving, the first third simply had too much info-dumping – I kept wondering if this was the second book in a series.
Question Mark (Liaisons #2) by SE Culpepper. ebook. Good but uneven m/m romance about Mark from the previous book, who finally realizes that he needs to get over his ex and decides that a trip to Bora Bora is just what he needs. While I was rooting for Mark and his guy, parts of their interactions just didn’t make sense.
Stroke! by MJ O’Shea. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a guy on his college crew team who’s struggling to keep a freshman from taking his varsity spot. The big mystery was pretty obvious from the beginning.
Maple Leaf Red: Sugaring Off! by Vic Winter. ebook short. Cute short paranormal m/m romance about a guy living alone on a remote Canadian sugar bush who helps an injured wolf…
And Then I Met Him by L Arthur. free online. Pretty good m/m romance about a straight college student who works at a tutoring center and becomes strangely fascinated by a defensive and troubled young man.
Sorry Now? (Paul Turner #1) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery about a Chicago police detective trying to figure out who killed the daughter of a homophobic minister and politician.
Political Poison (Paul Turner #2) by Mark Richard Zubro. Pretty good gay mystery in Chicago police detective Paul Turner tries to figure out who killed a professor/alderman. The background stuff that doesn’t change much between books was copied and pasted from the first book. Grrr. Strangely not feeling the urge to check more of this series out from the library… And seriously – why would you try mouth-to-mouth on someone who was poisoned?!
Promise in a Kiss by Piper Vaughn. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about two guys who made a promise to each other when they were kids, then lost touch. While this was sweet, it felt more like a tease than an actual story.
In the Penalty Box (Seattle Marauders #2) by Riley Shane. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a closeted hockey player and the freelance writer who used to have a crush on him. Alas, this did not stand up well against the fabulous (and free) m/m hockey player romance, Heart in Hand.
In the Name of the Law by Sue Holston. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a cop who’s been in love with his straight partner for years.
Schooled in Murder (Tom & Scott #12) by Mark Richard Zubro. Ok mystery in which Tom stumbles a dead body or two at school and is under suspicion for murder, with unsuspected enemies coming out of the woodwork. The whole thing with the blurb for this and the previous book saying that Scott is a former professional baseball player is beyond weird. Quote from the book itself: “Scott plays professional baseball.” That seems pretty clear to me at least!

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

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Land sakes, linkity!

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Congrats to Sara V, who won Hot Hands (College Fun and Gays #1) and Grade-A-Sex Deal (College Fun and Gays #2) by Erica Pike!

Congrats to Darcy, who won Lesson Learned by Lillian Francis!

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  • How fast do you read? (Thanks, Jase!) I only got 533 words/minute – I think I’d do a lot better on a test using a contemporary example. 🙂

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Reading Update
Heart in Hand by salifiable. free online. Very good m/m romance about two hockey players on rival teams who become friends – and more – through an unusual turn of events. I got sniffly more than once while I was reading this one. What didn’t work so well for me were all the hockey details in the last third of the book, which got to be a bit much. (Note that this is, as Kate puts it, set in an alternate universe and features two real-life NHL players.)
Private Eye (Liaisons #1) by SE Culpepper. ebook. reread. Very good m/m romantic suspense about a PI who gets involved in the case of a missing teenager when he’s contacted by a cop who’s a friend of the family. Too bad the extremely hot cop is straight… I’m looking forward to the sequel and wondering how SE’s going to get me invested in Mark.
Waking Up Naked (Sex Sells #2) by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about a guy who wakes up naked and hungover in a strange bed with no idea how he got there. And when he eventually does figure out where he is, things don’t go so well…
Songs You Know by Heart by Dr. Noh. free online. Good short m/m romance about a wealthy jerk of a businessman with a taste for rough sex who offers to blow the straight guy who mugs him in the park, never expecting to see him again…
Technicoloured Something by Zebbie. free online. Good m/m romance about a prickly gay architecture student who’s in a wheelchair. He’s not happy that his partner for a major class project seems to be bicurious and hitting on him.
Second Wind by Mickey S. free online. Good m/m romance about a widower with a young son and a conservative family who becomes friends with a gay man and finally acknowledges the feelings he’s always had for men. It doesn’t go over so well with his family… This story suffered from excessive name use during conversation and could definitely have been shorter, but it was sweet anyway.
Here Comes the Corpse (Tom & Scott #9) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery which starts with Tom and Scott’s getting married. Too bad Tom finds a body in the bathroom at the reception.
File Under Murder (Tom & Scott #10) by Mark Richard Zubro. Ok gay mystery in which Tom finds a severed head in a file drawer at the clinic for gay teens where he volunteers. This one was kind of dull, and Scott was nearly absent from the story.
Everyone’s Dead But Us (Tom & Scott #11) by Mark Richard Zubro. Ok gay mystery in which Tom and Scott vacation at an island resort and bodies start turning up everywhere. This was beyond silly, actually. And what the heck is up with the book blurb, which says that, “Tom Mason, former Chicago area high school teacher, recently made a public splash by marrying his long-term lover, former professional baseball player Scott Carpenter.” The problem is that, as far as I remember, neither of them has retired from their professions. Their wedding a few books back was timed after the end of the baseball season. The next book is set at the school where Tom teaches, and it sure sounds like he’s still teaching. The blurb on GRs matches the blurb on the dust jacket.

“Oh oh… what was that scary noise?!” -Mayhem

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Congrats to Melanie M, who won Shattered Glass by Dani Alexander!

Congrats to Tawnie and Chava, who won Mine by Mary Calmes! Mine will be released by Dreamspinner Press on March 5.

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  • If you’ve always wanted to be a crazy cat lady or guy and simply didn’t have enough cats, there’s hope!

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Reading Update
Taking These Chances by Karuso Tendo. free online. Very good paranormal m/m romantic suspense about a college student who helps get psychic predators off the streets… and then one’s after him.
Out of Orbit by American Schokolade. free online. Very good m/m romance about a high school senior who has a crush on his best friend, although it takes him a while (and a lot of angst) to realize it. This story had plenty of over-the-top moments (satellites and spies and baseball memorabilia, oh my!), but it pretty much worked anyway. I got sniffly more than once.
When Love Walked In by Charlie Cochet. ebook short. Very good short historical m/m romance set in 1934 about a private detective who helps out a homeless man he finds sleeping in the stairwell.
Of Sweaters and Heartache by LyingOutLoud. free online. Very good short m/m romance about a guy who unexpectedly runs into the ex who left him to take a job in France and doesn’t react well. I got a bit sniffly reading this one.
Just Friends by Natasha5. free online. Very good m/m romance about two high school seniors who have been best friends since they were small. Now love professed but not returned and a girlfriend are coming between them…
Johnny Was (Just Friends #2) by Natasha5. free online. Although the description says there’s more than one story here, there isn’t. The extremely short story is just a scene that takes place 11 years after Just Friends.
Love, Coffee, and a Giant Problem by aggybird. free online. Very good fairy tale m/m romance based on Jack and the Beanstalk… but it’s not complete and was last updated in 2009. Woe!
The Grave Watchers by Missouri Dalton. ebook. Good m/m urban fantasy with a hint of romance about a Grave Watcher, who helps protect the dead from the living, and his ancient Egyptian feline sidekick as they track down an evil they’ve not seen before.
Educating Alex by Ardveche. free online. Very sweet m/m romance about a college student who advertises for a roommate after he breaks up with his boyfriend and is surprised when a straight guy he knows from school wants to move in. Too many exclamation points!!
Creative Employment by Noel Blue. free online. Good m/m romance about a newly hired manager who knows he shouldn’t, but hooks up with the irresistible straight, confused, engaged IT guy anyway.
In Theory by Sirivinda. free online. Good m/m romance about a straight guy who keeps running into this strangely intriguing guy everywhere he goes… and then wakes up to find himself hungover in the guy’s bed. The ending really felt like it was HFN – I’d definitely like to read a bit more about these two.
One Dead Drag Queen (Tom & Scott #8) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which Tom is injured when a family planning clinic he volunteers at is bombed. The beginning of the story was from Scott’s POV (a first!) and the last half was from Tom’s. I understand why it was done that way, but I would’ve preferred sticking with Scott for the whole thing.
Loose Snow by Julia Talbot. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about two guys who work together for a forestry service and were briefly together. And then one of them nearly dies in an avalanche…

“What if I go to sleep and when I wake up, all my furry mice are gone?!?!” -Mayhem

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Congrats to Juliana, who won Chase in Shadow by Amy Lane! Chase in Shadow is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

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  • You’ll notice I read a lot of free online fiction this week. I actually read the stories as ebooks. Sometimes I create my own ebooks from the online stories, using Word (rtf) and Calibre. Sometimes, if the story has a lot of sections, it’s just easier to have Story Master do the compilation and conversion for me. (Thanks to the GRs friends who told me about Story Master!)

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Reading Update
Protection by SA Reid. ebook. Excellent historical m/m romance set in a British prison in the late 1930s. This isn’t going to be for everyone – it’s gritty and violent, as befits the setting… and that violence includes rape. But if you can get past that, you’ll find a powerful story that had me in tears at the end.
WMSmoker Seeks Seclusion by PirateGrrl. free online. Very good m/m romance about Clyde, an incredibly defensive and intentionally unpleasant guy who’s really only nice to his dog. He’s knocked for a loop when a guy who works in the same building persists in talking to him and asking him out… and finally wears him down. Being inside Clyde’s head felt like living inside of a non-stop anxiety attack!
The Pirate’s Gamble (2nd ed) by Eden Winters. ebook short. Very good short time travel m/m romance about an archeologist who travels back in time and rescues artifacts that are about to be lost forever, then returns home to the man he loves… but who keeps him a secret.
Drunk Text by seventhswan. free online. Very good m/m romance about a straight college student who wakes up hungover one morning covered in finger paint with a text on his phone that suggests he had sex with a guy the night before…
The Morning After by Magalina. free online. Good m/m romance about a guy who wakes up hungover (hmm, this is starting to look like a reading theme this week) next to one of his friends – the friend he’s been in love with for years. This one had a twist to it. 🙂
The Side Effects of Forgetting by seventhswan. free online. Good m/m romance about a college student who wakes up in the hospital with amnesia – everything that makes him himself is missing). He basically has to rediscover himself, including his sexual orientation. This is a story that actually needed an epilogue or an additional chapter.
Plastic Jesus by Poppy Z. Brite. ebook. Good short story about a band modeled on the Beatles, only the two main singer/songwriters are gay and together.
Accidental Love by Shae Connor. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about two college roommates, one who’s sworn off sex and the other who spends his weekends having anonymous sex with guys he picks up at clubs… and then he realizes how attractive his roommate is.
A Rare Thing by Alex Douglas. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a guy who’s gone back to college and needs to sell some of his grandmother’s old jewelry to make ends meet. It doesn’t hurt that the guy at the counter of the antique store is so attractive…
First Time, Forever by KC Burn. ebook arc. Good m/m romance about a couple in a long-term relationship who, after seeing their son off to college, hope to reconnect with each other, but… they don’t talk to each other about it, both too afraid that they’re losing the other. Sometimes I’m frustrated by stories in which the major conflict could be solved by a simple conversation, but with this one, I could see myself behaving exactly as did the main characters, so it felt realistic to me.
Safe Harbor by Derek Adams. ebook. Good m/m romance about a single dad who works at a marina, where he runs into the only guy he’d ever been attracted to. This would’ve been rated higher, but between the characters using each other’s names in conversation way more than was realistic and some rather silly euphemisms…
The Principal Cause of Death (Tom & Scott #4) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which Tom has an altercation with a student and accused of murder.
An Echo of Death (Tom & Scott #5) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which an old friend of Scott’s shows up, bringing trouble along with him.
Rust on the Razor (Tom & Scott #6) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which Tom and Scott go to rural Georgia after Scott’s dad has a heart attack. They are not at all prepared for the bigotry and hatred they encounter.
Are You Nuts? (Tom & Scott #7) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which a conservative running for union rep is found bludgeoned in the school library and one of Tom’s friends is the top suspect.
Lone Wolf by Shelley Munro. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about a rebellious young artist who attends a getting in touch with your werewolf camp in Yellowstone and falls for one of the instructors. When he has to return to LA at the end of the course, his father tries to force him to become an architect. This had a number of loose ends, which will perhaps be tied up in the obviously planned sequel… Or perhaps not. I don’t plan to read it.
Starting Over (1 Night Stand #27) by Starla Kaye. ebook short. So-so short m/m romance about a divorced guy who knows he’s gay, but isn’t exactly sure how to hook up with another man so decides to go through the 1 Night Stand dating service. Apparently unclear pronoun references are a constant with this publisher.

“Just loafin’ around…” -Chaos

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Congrats to choccygrl, who won Going With My Heart by Stephani Hecht and My Subby Valentine by Amber Kell!

Congrats to Paul B, who won First Impressions by Josephine Myles!

Congrats to Nette, who won The Only Easy Day (Sanctuary #2) by RJ Scott! The Only Easy Day will be released by Silver Publishing on February 18.

Congrats to Melissa, who won The Pirate’s Gamble by Eden Winters! The Pirate’s Gamble will be released by JMS Books on February 19.

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  • Toas-Tites are back! Or, as we called them when I was growing up, flying saucer sandwich makers! 🙂 They work well with a gas stove, too.

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Reading Update
Midnight in Berlin by JL Merrow. ebook. arc. Excellent paranormal m/m romance about an American who’s been drifting around Europe for a while. One rainy drunken night, he accepts a ride from a devilishly handsome man in a Porsche… and his life (and his reality) will never be the same again.
Lesson Learned by Lillian Francis. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about two teachers at a Welsh secondary school who become close friends, although one finds the friendship increasingly challenging, due to the attraction he feels for his oblivious, obviously attracted to women friend.
The Only Easy Day (Sanctuary #2) by RJ Scott. ebook. arc. Very good m/m romantic suspense picking up where the first book left off. As the Sanctuary guys work to build a case against the mobsters responsible for the murder Morgan witnessed, things are complicated by the murder victim’s Navy SEAL stepbrother showing up on a mission of vengeance.
The Hanged Man’s Ghost by Missouri Dalton. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a Chicago police detective with a drinking problem and a crush on his straight best friend. When he realizes he can see ghosts, his life spirals quickly out of control. Sloppy proofing and a storyline that needed to be reined in just a bit kept this from being a five-star read. (But! There is knitting!)
Fiends in Low Places by Missouri Dalton. ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m romance about a guy who works for the MC from The Hanged Man’s Ghost and who’s trying to get back together with an FBI agent. Apparently the rest of this story (much alluded to throughout this one) is still being written.
Getting It Right (Life Lessons #1.8) by Kaje Harper. free ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about both Mac and Tony agonizing over what to get the other for Valentine’s Day.
I Dare You, Back (Dare #3) by Tam Ames. free ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a college senior who’s been sleeping around for two years, ever since his boyfriend dumped him and left for grad school. Now his ex is back in town…
The Swimming Swan (Cob Brothers #2) by Amber Kell & Stephani Hecht. ebook. Fluffy m/m paranormal romance about a merman come to land to meet his mate, who he doesn’t know is a swan prince.
Taking the Dare (Truth or Dare #4) by Lee Brazil. ebook. Ok m/m romance about the last unattached Blake brother, who habitually manipulates people and just can’t seem to stop. I didn’t particularly care for him or for his love interest.
Reluctant Mate by Eden Cole. ebook short. So-so short paranormal m/m romance about a wolf shifter who’s pissed off that his father has arranged for him to mate a man instead of a woman.
Awakenings by Tara Larson. ebook. DNF. I only made it to 8% – this looks to be another unedited book from Dreamspinner Press. It featured random and constant POV shifts, non-stop infodumping, and passive voice. Ugh.

*scratch scratch scratch* -Mayhem

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Congrats to Morgana, who won Academic Pursuits by Lou Harper!

Congrats to Demetra, who won The Swimming Swan (Cob Brothers #2) by Stephani Hecht and Amber Kell!

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Reading Update
Cinder (A CinderFella Story) by Marie Sexton. ebook. Excellent fairy tale m/m romance based on Cinderella. It was cute and sweet and left a smile on my face.
The Rebuilding Year by Kaje Harper. ebook. arc. Excellent m/m romantic suspense about a firefighter who was seriously injured in a fire a year ago and is now going to med school. When he falls down some stairs on campus, the head groundskeeper comes to his rescue and they slowly become friends. What made this book so amazing was how it felt organic to me – the story slowly built and grew and developed… and that worked really, really well. Recommended. Comes out March 6 – and look for a contest here the week before. 🙂
Beyond Moonlight (Lucky Moon 1.5) by Piper Vaughn & MJ O’Shea. free ebook collection. Excellent collection of three short stories that take place after Moonlight Becomes You, but before the forthcoming The Luckiest. The first one tied up a loose end from Moonlight, and the second two bridge into The Luckiest.
Fall into the Sun by Val Kovalin. ebook. Very good m/m romance about two guys who were best friends and then lovers when they were growing up, until one of them broke the other’s heart. It’s 20 years later – is this a second chance? Or will fear and family split them apart again?
Shattered Glass by Dani Alexander. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about a guy with a fiancee and a trust fund who works as a police detective and uses humor to keep people at an emotional distance. But for some reason his defenses start to break down when he sees a beautiful young man working at a diner… wearing bunny slippers. This is one wild ride of a book! In fact, I hid in the bathroom at work to finish reading because I couldn’t wait until evening to see how things turned out. Definitely looking forward to reading the author’s next book.
First Impressions (2nd ed) by Josephine Myles. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about an artist who becomes fascinated by the guy wearing a suit and crazy socks who he sits across from on the train every day.
Like the Taste of Summer by Kaje Harper. free ebook short. Very good short m/m romance that flashes back to how a long-term couple got together.
Tougher To Love by Diana DeRicci. ebook. Good m/m romance about a deeply closeted motorcycle mechanic who unexpectedly becomes the guardian of his teenage niece…. and fascinated by the cop who brought her back into his life.
Why Isn’t Becky Twitchell Dead? (Tom & Scott #2) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which high school teacher Tom is asked to help out a student accused of murdering his girlfriend. I really enjoy the dynamic between Tom and his partner Scott.
The Only Good Priest (Tom & Scott #3) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery about Tom and Scott getting involved in the investigation of the suspicious death of a priest who ministered to the gay community. This one was kind of all over the place…
Chicago by Shae Connor. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a guy who finally realizes that his older, mostly long-distance boyfriend is a jerk and dumps him. And then he meets an absolute sweetheart of a guy…
Under One Roof by Diana DeRicci. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a writer who rents out part of his house to a cop newly moved to the area. Neither is aware the other is gay as they mutually lust after each other.
Fire Balls by Tara Lain. ebook. Good m/m romance about a flamboyant artist with a crush on a hunky firefighter – a hunky firefighter who, though gay, stays away from flamboyant guys, even if he finds them attractive.
Packing Heat by Kele Moon. ebook. Steamy m/m romance about a firefighter who thinks his straight cop roommate is going to want to move after their drunken makeout session…

“So itchy!” -Chaos

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Congrats to Giselle, who won The Decisions We Make by RJ Scott!

Congrats to Orannia, Eva, Bogusia, SarahM, and Zanara, who all won copies of Fall into the Sun by Val Kovalin!

Congrats to Helena, who won Cinder (A CinderFella Story) by Marie Sexton! Cinder will be released by Silver Publishing on February 4.

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Reading Update
Time To Do (Perfect Timing #3) by Kim Dare. ebook. reread. Excellent m/m romance about two guys – one gay, one straight – who have been best friends since they were small and are now roommates at college. The gay guy’s been quietly in love with his best friend for years, but has been resigned to never being able to touch him… until he finds his friend’s list of things to experience, which segues from kissing and having sex with women (all checked off) to kissing a man (not checked off)… This was my first Kim Dare book, and remains my very favorite. 🙂
Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan. free ebook short. Smoking hot kinky short m/m story about a timid grad student doing his laundry on a Friday night and the cowboy who comes to his rescue.
Forever in One Second by Finn Marlowe. ebook. Very good m/m paranormal romantic suspense about a rescue worker who can heal with touch. When one of the people he’s healed comes to find and thank him, neither of them have any idea how much their lives will change.
The Yearning by AJ Rose. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance told from the perspective of a ghost anchored to a young mortician who is in love with his oblivious best friend. This took some unexpected and enjoyable twists. 🙂
9:05 by KC Burn. free ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about an office worker who’s the only one moving around while the rest of world is stuck at 9:05 am.
Chapter Five and the Axe-Wielding Maniac by Marie Sexton. free ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a writer with writer’s block hiding out at his Oregon cabin… and then a young man with a pick-axe knocks on his door with a surprising request.
Carbon & Ash by Chris Owen. ebook short. This was a short but sweet m/m romance about slowing sliding into something other than friendship without being fully aware. And it’s one of my comfort rereads.
A Simple Suburban Murder (Tom & Scott #1) by Mark Richard Zubro. Very good gay mystery about high school teacher Tom, who finds a much-hated math teacher dead in his classroom, and his closeted baseball player boyfriend, Scott.
All the Gear, No Idea (I Blame Brett #2) by Kim Dare. ebook short. Good short kinky m/m romance about a dom who’s asked to look after a clueless new sub.
Not a Whore by Jaime Samms. free ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a young man who’s sleeping with his boss, but things are more complicated than they appear at first…
Method Acting by Clare London. free ebook short. Cute short m/m story about two guys in bed… with a surprising twist.
Death Trick (Donald Strachey #1) by Richard Stevenson. ebook. Good gay mystery set in Albany in 1979, when things were wild pre-HIV. Donald Strachey’s been hired by the parents of a missing gay man suspected of murder, but nothing is quite adding up about the case. (This is such a weird cover! Pretty sure there wasn’t a dog in the book…)
Hair of the Dog by Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a guy who wakes up covered in blood the morning after his father’s funeral and quickly learns (from the mysterious men waiting outside his door) that he was bitten by a werewolf. It was an interesting storyline, but the timeline was too murky for my pattern-matching brain, leading the story to feel jumpy.
Melting by VJ Summers. ebook short. Good short kinky m/m romance that consists of an extended wax play bdsm scene between a dom and his beloved submissive. I really wanted to read more of this couple’s backstory.
Plan B (A Candyland Story) by VJ Summers. free ebook short. Steamy short m/m story about two guys hooking up in a bar, which appears to be the prequel to Liar, Liar.
Hold the Sky by AC Fox. ebook. Good m/m romance about two architects – one just starting out and the other quite successful – who can’t stop competing with each other.
How Much for the Whole Night? by RJ Scott. free ebook short. Good short m/m story about a guy who picks up a hooker for the first time ever on the night before his final divorce custody hearing. There was just way too much story for the number of pages!
The Librarian by Lee Brazil. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a university librarian who’s had a crush on his former college roommate, now his hairdresser, for ten years. I was going to rate this higher until nearly the end of the book, when it turned out that the entire premise was based on a big misunderstanding. *sigh*
Want (1 Night Stand #81) by Ann Mayburn. ebook short. So-so short m/m about a straight construction foreman who’s been lusting after one of the stonemasons working for him. Via the 1 Night Stand service, he manages to arrange a blind date with the man. The pronoun confusion in this one was painful – I really couldn’t figure out who was doing what to whom most of the time.

I know this is an exceptionally crappy picture, but it amused me so much to see them both sleeping in the same pose. 🙂 (May is closer to the camera, so she looks the same size as Chaos.)