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Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which we have linkity and no one is surprised at all

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Congrats to Lora G, who won Smart Ass: Close Quarters from LB Gregg!

Congrats to Marie, who won the Uniform Appeal anthology, courtesy of Dreamspinner Press! Uniform Appeal will be released on April 11.

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Randonymity

  • Long ago (in the mid-1990s), I lived with a guy who made videos for local bands. I have a very, very tiny cameo in one of them: I’m at 44 seconds in the video for “Smile” by Arcwelder. Check out my long, spiral-permed hair (complete with crazy white streak from the sun) and my Lennonesque glasses. 🙂

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Taste (Horizons #2) by Mickie B. Ashing. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a San Francisco architect visiting friends (Jody and Clark from Horizons) when he meets a cute tattooed guy working at Taste of Chicago.
Mandarin Orange: Sweet and Sour by T.C. Blue. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who eventually realizes he might not be as straight as he’d always believed after he meets the guy who will be living in the apartment downstairs.
Three Alarm Fire (EMS Heat #8) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Sweet m/m romance about an EMT who was in an abusive relationship a few years ago and since then has been afraid to let anyone that close to him.
Wrong Number, Right Guy (Celebrity #1) by Mia Watts. ebook. Cute m/m romance about a guy who misdials and doesn’t realize that he’s talking to a closeted movie star in town for a film shoot.
Getting Off the Ground (Postcards from Paradise #1) by L.A. Witt. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who was left at the altar by his live-in boyfriend of six years. He decides to use one of the honeymoon tickets to go to Hawaii by himself and meets a very intriguing man in the airport when their flight is delayed. Please note that this is just the first part of the story – the second part will be released in a few weeks.
Anything in a Skirt (Gay Until Graduation #2) by Kim Dare. ebook short. free. Very good short kinky m/m romance following up on the two guys from Gay Until Graduation (G-A-Y #3). (I took that photograph at Twin Cities Pride 2010!)
Handcuffs & Ball Gags (Rawlings Men #6) by Kim Dare. ebook short. Good kinky short m/m romance about a police constable who gets upset when his flatmate attends a potentially dangerous environmental rally, which leads to a most interesting discussion…
Cut & Run (Book 1) by Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux. ebook. reread. Good m/m romantic suspense about two wildly different FBI agents who are tossed together to try to catch a serial killer. I think this would’ve been a better read if it had been tightened up – parts of it seemed to drag.
Sticks & Stones (Cut & Run #2) by Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense two FBI agents who can’t go back out in the field until they pass their psych evals, so their boss sends them on vacation to relax for a few weeks… Usually Urban & Roux’s headhopping doesn’t particularly bother me, but it did a few times in this book.
Fish & Chips (Cut & Run #3) by Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux. ebook. Excellent m/m romantic suspense in which our two FBI agents are sent on a cruise to impersonate a high rolling couple. As usual, nothing much goes as planned.

“Put the computer down and feed me now and no one gets hurt… much.” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity for the April Fools (feel free to interpret that however you’d like)

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Congrats to Kimberly, who won Three Alarm Fire (EMS Heat #8) by Stephani Hecht! Three Alarm Fire is being released today by eXtasy Books.

Congrats to Kero, who won Precious Possession by Clare London!

Congrats to Lily, who won Resisting the Temptation by Valentina Heart!

Congrats to Dana A, who won Taste by Mickie B. Ashling! Taste will be released by Dreamspinner Press on April 4.

Contests

  • Knitnzu’s having her annual Snow Melt Contest! Hurry and get your guesses in by 6 pm EDT today, April 1, for your chance to win yarn, a needle case, or a $25 donation to your favorite human rights, child advocacy, or animal welfare organization.

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  • So back when I was in grad school and would clean my apartment instead of writing a paper, it was because I knew the clutter was reducing my mental focus! (Um, right. I was procrastinating.)

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Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

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  • I hope my kitties remember the hungry part before they start such a project…

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 9) by J.R. Ward. Well. It was better than Phury’s book, covered a lot of ground at breakneck speed, didn’t have any boring chapters focused on the lessers, and ended most unexpectedly.
Shades of Gray by Brooke McKinley. ebook. Excellent m/m romantic suspense about an FBI agent who’s spent his whole life looking at things in black and white and blocking out what he doesn’t want to see or acknowledge. Things get infinitely more complicated for him when he has to keep an ex-con alive to testify against a drug kingpin.
Concubine by Jill Knowles. ebook. Very good kinky m/m fantasy romance about a prince who suddenly and most unexpectedly finds himself as a demon warlord’s concubine.
Out There in the Night (Out There, Book 1) by Laura Baumbach. ebook. Very steamy paranormal m/m romance about a doctor working in Alaska for six months who’s rescued by a very mysterious and compelling man after being seriously injured.
Horizons by Mickie B. Ashling. ebook. reread. Very good m/m romance about a deeply closeted college football player with a homophobic family who finds himself falling (despite himself) for the very out ER doctor who cares for his broken arm. That bizarre cover does such a disservice to this book!
Accidentally His by Shawn Lane. ebook. Good m/m romance about two guys who sort of meet after a bus accident during their commute.
Breaking Point by Chris Quinton. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a guy who’s supposed to meet his ex to accompany him to a book auction but gets upset and a bit vengeful when his ex doesn’t show.
Clue Game (Breaking Point, Book 2) by Chris Quinton. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about two guys who’d really rather spend the day in bed together, but get up to help an annoying friend with her scavenger hunt clues.
Breaking Logan’s Laws (Quinn Security, Book 4) by Cameron Dane. ebook. Steamy m/m romantic suspense about Quinn Security’s newest employee, Logan, who lives by a series of rules designed to keep his heart safe. The sex and romance are completely overdone and unrealistic in the usual Cameron Dane way.
Christmas at Reynolds Hall (With or Without, Book 4.1) by J.L. Langley. free ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m romance about Matt’s first Christmas dinner away from his family in New Mexico.
Attack of the Killer Dust Bunnies (With or Without, Book 4.2) by J.L. Langley. free ebook short. Cute short paranormal m/m romance about Aubrey, Matt, and Matt’s young twin brothers.
In the Light of Day by Sasha Devlin. ebook. Good m/m romantic suspense about a straight cop who’s been struggling with his feelings for the guy he went undercover with to break up some sort of porn film ring. I kept thinking there had to be a previous book about their undercover stint, but this is the author’s first book.
Mane Attraction by Sarah Masters. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about a London man who see a lion change into a man on his fire escape. Little does he know that things are going to get stranger after that… This was obviously the first book in a new series (things were left really open-ended), but I can’t say that I have any interest in reading future books.
Undercover Sins by Hayley B. James. ebook. Trainwreck. This m/m romantic suspense about an undercover cop working as a rentboy in order to get close to one of the honchos in a human trafficking ring was extremely convoluted. The plot had as many holes as loops, no one behaved consistently or believably, and I never came to care what happened to the main characters. Be warned that there’s noncon and a complete absence of lube.

“What are you doing, Mom? I hope you’re not trying to sneak that tiara onto my head!” -Mayhem

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Linkity for the snowy first week of spring

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Congrats to Nikyta, who won Looking for Adventure by Valentina Heart!

Congrats to Sandy Jay, who won Wrong Number, Right Guy by Mia Watts! Wrong Number, Right Guy will be released by Amber Allure on March 27.

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Reading Update
The Morning Star (Shadow of the Templar, Book 1) by M. Chandler. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense, heavier on the suspense than the romance, about an FBI agent and an elusive jewel thief. I’ve definitely read books that cost a lot more than this ($0.95) that weren’t anywhere near as good! Also, make yourself a post-it to keep track of the team’s names and codenames – thanks for the tip, Kassa!
Double Down (Shadow of the Templar, Book 2) by M. Chandler. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about a jewel thief who’s hired by the FBI to help solve a string of industrial prototype heists by someone with a style eerily similar to his…
With a Bullet (Shadow of the Templar, Book 3) by M. Chandler. ebook. Excellent m/m romantic suspense in which an old enemy gets out of jail and comes after the team. Each book in this series is a bit longer… I stayed up until 2:30 am because I had to finish this one.
High Fidelity (Shadow of the Templar, Book 4) by M. Chandler. ebook. Excellent m/m romantic suspense in which our FBI agent ends up in his jewel thief’s world for a while. I cried an awful lot near the end, even though I was pretty sure it would turn out ok, and stayed up to late because I absolutely had to finish. While I had a complete immersion experience in this series and it just really worked for me, that’s not the case for everyone – check out the discussion on Kassa’s Goodreads review of The Morning Star for another perspective.
Assorted Shadow of the Templar free fiction that fits before, during, and after the four main books.
With Abandon (With or Without, Book 4) by J.L. Langley. ebook. Pretty good, yet somewhat disappointing paranormal m/m romance about a closeted alpha werewolf who’s convinced himself that he can secretly enjoy his male mate for a few years, then let him go with no one the wiser. I never warmed to the alpha… and there was a stalker, which is what, the second or third in this series already?! Definitely time to find something else to add external tension.
The Boy Next Door by Kate McMurray. ebook. Good m/m romance about a designer who moves from NYC back to his small Connecticut hometown to keep an eye on his mom after his dad dies. He discovers that the house he just bought is next door to the guy he had a crush on in high school, who’s now divorced with a six-year old daughter.
Two-Man Advantage (Seattle Marauders, Book 1) by Riley Shane. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a guy who gets dumped via text message as he’s supposed to be heading off on a romantic weekend getaway with his boyfriend. Going on his own, he discovers there’s a naked man asleep in the bed in his cabin. This story suffers from insta-love, and perhaps got some of its inspiration from Ethan Day’s Sno Ho…

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

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Another episode of linkity in which there are no explosions

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Congrats to Dianna, who won Accidentally His by Shawn Lane! Accidentally His will be released by Amber Allure on March 20.

Congrats to Tracey D, who won Trust, Love, Submit by Kim Dare! Trust, Love, Submit will be released by Total-E-Bound on March 21.

Congrats to Sandy Jay, who won Treacherous Sun (Nu Hayven, Book 1) by Jade Archer! Treacherous Sun will also be released on March 21 by Total-E-Bound.

Minneapolis made the news yesterday for a huge gas main explosion! Amazingly, no one was hurt, but if you look at the photo gallery in the linked article, you’ll see a melted vehicle and a huge crater. (This was about 50 blocks away from me, so the kitties were in no danger while I was at work.)

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  • Have you checked Unclaimed.Org to see if you have money due to you?

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Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

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Teh Cute

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. 🙂
Settling the Score by Eden Winters. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a small-town mechanic whose formerly small-town, now Hollywood actor boyfriend dumps and outs him on national television. A Pygmalionesque story unfolds after that, as the mechanic goes to work for a bestselling author with his own axe to grind. My only real problem with the book was a personal one – I always get frustrated by books that use dialect; instead of immersing me, the dialect kept jolting me out of the book.
Sebastian’s Wolves by Valentina Heart. ebook. Excellent, intense paranormal m/m romance about a wolf shifter who turns wolf for a long time when his mate dies. I had a hard time putting this one down to do anything else!
Of Cocoa and Men by Vic Winter. ebook short. Delightful short paranormal m/m romance about a lone wolf shifter addicted to hot chocolate, even though it’s not good for wolves. He becomes fascinated by the scent of the new baker in town, who smells like chocolate to him.
Surviving the Change by Cari Z. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a lone wolf shifter who can only stay in one place for a few weeks before other shifters force him to move on. Right after he arrives in Denver, he becomes fascinated with an elusive law student bartending in a shifter bar.
Sunrise by Elizabeth Jewell. ebook short. Very good short paranormal m/m romance about a guy with a mysterious lover who shows up every few years and always has to leave by sunrise.
An Assassin’s Touch (Lost Shifters #9) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about Leopard shifter and assassin Shane and Panther shifter Trevor, whose lives are much complicated by an evil Cobra shifter.
Shane’s Fury (Lost Shifters #10) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about Leopard shifter and assassin Shane trying to find his kidnapped mate.
Tool for Change by P.D. Singer. ebook short. Good short m/m encounter between the nerdy facilities supervisor at a convention center and a sexy electrician. I wanted just a little bit more story…
Herbs de Provence by Jenna Jones. ebook. Good m/m romance about a chef with wanderlust who discovers that his friend’s ward has grown up into a gorgeous young man while getting his MBA.
Everyone’s Man by Edward Kendrick. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a rent boy who is brutally gang raped and left to die. The ER doctor who treats him realizes he’s not safe in the hospital and takes steps to keep him safe. With better editing, this could’ve been a very good book… presumably editing would’ve removed such silliness as being able to reach the prostate with a tongue.
Touch My Wolf (My Wolf, Book 2) by Eden Cole. ebook short. So-so short paranormal m/m romance with a dash of m/m/m tossed in. This story about beta wolf Blaine finding out that his mate is one of his pack’s enemies was definitely nowhere near as good as the first book. The whole thing was choppy and felt rushed and incomplete.
Make Me (KinKaid Wolf Pack, Book 2) by Jessica Lee. ebook short. Disappointing short paranormal m/m romance that’s basically two sex scenes between the couple from Bloodlines, strung together by a bit of plot that was left unresolved.
Heads or Tails by Jenna Byrnes. ebook short. So-so short m/m romance about an accountant, engaged to the boss’s daughter, who’s been in denial about his attraction to men until he keeps running into the sexy new guy. Warning: This book contains infidelity and graphic m/f sex.

“It’s been a long week. I’m hiding!” -Mayhem

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Linkity: The one with the tiara (oh, come on, you had to see this coming)

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Congrats to LoriO, who won Memories by Valentina Heart! Memories will be released by Silver Publishing on March 12.

Daylight Savings Time starts on Sunday, March 13, at 2 am. All contest end times will be adjusted accordingly! (aka whoops…)

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  • If you find business books too dry to bother with, maybe you need to check out the comic book versions.

Ebookity

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  • Fun kitty and book linkity from mrspao – don’t miss the cat library or the video about kitties having thumbs. (Trivia: Chaos has abnormally flexible dewclaws, which I’m pretty sure are proto-thumbs…)

Wha…?

LOL
Hmm. Apparently I didn’t find things very funny this week.

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Bound Forever (Bound #3) by Ava March. ebook. Very good kinky historical m/m romance in which Vincent and Oliver need to work out some issues of trust and respect if they hope to have a future together.
The Duty of a Beta (Pack Discipline #3) by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky paranormal m/m romance about a beta wolf who was brought into the pack to be mated to a troublemaking gamma, but who finds himself drawn to the omega…
With Love (With or Without, Book 1) by J.L. Langley. ebook short. reread. Well done m/m paranormal romance about werewolves, set in North Carolina. (It doesn’t feel like it fits as part of the series, however.)
Without Reservations (With or Without, Book 2) by J.L. Langley. ebook. reread. Very good m/m paranormal werewolf romance about a straight vet (and werewolf) who realizes that the injured male wolf brought in to his office is actually a werewolf… and his mate.
With Caution (With or Without, Book 3) by J.L. Langley. ebook. reread. Very good kinky paranormal m/m romance about a guy who was recently transformed into a werewolf to save his life. He’s a little freaked out to discover that he has a mate and his mate is male, but is absolutely terrified that his homophobic, abusive father will find out and hurt his younger brother (who still lives at home) as a result.
A Sterling New Year (With or Without, Book 3.1) by J.L. Langley. free ebook short. Very good short paranormal m/m romance in which Sterling shows up with a friend at Rhys’s door just after the New Year starts.
A Lot To Be Thankful For (With or Without, Book 3.2) by J.L. Langlely. free ebook short. Very good short paranormal m/m romance about Rhys arriving home from work the evening before Thanksgiving to discover Sterling waiting.
Not My Wolf (Fenrir Wolves, Book 1) by Eden Cole. ebook short. Blame it on Tam’s review at Brief Encounters. 🙂 Good short paranormal m/m romance about a straight alpha werewolf who’s been dreaming that he’ll meet his mate soon, but is so not prepared for his mate to be male.
Treasured by Cari Z. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a grad student in magic who works at a museum and is surprised to be wooed by a mysterious shifter he runs into at the museum.
My True Love Sent to Me (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 4.5) by Charlie Cochrane. free ebook short. Good short holiday m/m romance about Jonty feeling taken for granted and Orlando realizing Jonty’s right.
Lessons in Seduction (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 6) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance, in which Orlando, Jonty, and Jonty’s father look into the death of the king’s former mistress.
Lessons in Trust (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 7) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance, in which Orlando discovers that most of what he believed about his family isn’t true – a discovery that leaves him feeling very lost.
Once We Won Matches (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 7.5) by Charlie Cochrane. free ebook short. Good, albeit brief, historical m/m mystery that takes place behind-the-scenes at a cricket match between England and Australia.
All Lessons Learned (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 8 ) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Excellent historical m/m mystery/romance that takes place ten years after the seventh book, after the Great War. I cried quite a bit during this one, which I’m pretty sure is the last book. But rest assured that there’s a happy ending, copious tears notwithstanding.
Between the Pipes (Blue Line Hockey #2) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good m/m romance about another of the battling hockey brothers of Battle Creek. He doesn’t want to date a cop because of a dark family secret or two, but he just can’t help himself. I wanted this to be a bit longer, because an awful lot of things were included for a story of this length.
Ivory by J. Rocci. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about an oncologist who’s been trying to be the person his family expects him to be, even though it’s killing him.
Beneath the Shield by Diana DeRicci. ebook. Good m/m romance about a cop, filled with self-loathing for the one he couldn’t save, who doesn’t get involved with anyone and stays beneath his emotional shield. Then a guy gets pushed into him at a club… could that be the first crack in the shield? (Although a guy punching himself in the groin hard enough to drop himself to the floor seemed damned unlikely to me, no matter how much self-loathing was involved.)
Acquired Taste (Icing on the Cake #2) by Shayla Kersten. free ebook short. Good short kinky m/m scene that takes place about three months after Icing on the Cake, when things aren’t looking so good for Ollie and Jeff.
Driving Me Crazy by L.M. Brown. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a guy who keeps failing his driving test so that he can keep spending time with his driving instructor.
A Good Bargain by D.C. Juris. ebook short. Ok short m/m encounter between a man (who hasn’t been with another man in nearly 20 years) and a much younger guy.

“Smells… pink. And feathery. And sparkly!” -Mayhem

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Linkity, now with knitting finished object!

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Congrats to Leni, who won Sebastian’s Wolves by Valentina Heart!

Congrats to Susan C, who won The Duty of a Beta (Pack Discipline #3) by Kim Dare! The Duty of a Beta will be released by Total-E-Bound on March 7.

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  • A book bed! (This is SFW; rest of site is NSFW.)

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Cool

  • Speaking of rainbows, I finished this subdued rainbow toddler jacket last weekend (project details on Ravelry, if you’re interested):

Wha….???

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
GhosTV (PsyCop, Book 6) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook Excellent m/m paranormal romantic suspense in which Vic and Jacob head to California to find their friend Lisa, who’s vanished without a trace. Definitely looking forward to the next book! (I read this book twice this week: I read it as soon as I bought it, then I reread all the other PsyCop books and read it again.)
Among the Living (PsyCop, Book 1) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. reread. Excellent m/m paranormal romantic suspense about a PsyCop, who can see ghosts even though he really would prefer not to. After I read GhosTV, I needed more Vic and Jacob. 🙂
Thaw (PsyCop, Book 1.1) by Jordan Castillo Price. free ebook short. reread. Sweet short m/m romance about Vic and Jacob going ice skating.
Criss Cross (PsyCop, Book 2) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. reread. Very good m/m paranormal romantic suspense that takes place a few weeks after Among the Living. Jacob’s staying with Vic while looking for a new condo, and Vic has a creepily eager-to-please new partner at work.
Striking Sparks (PsyCop, Book 2.1) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook short. reread. Steamy short m/m encounter about a guy who’s too late to get his palm read by the fortune teller in Crash’s building and runs into Crash instead…
Many Happy Returns (PsyCop, Book 2.2) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook short. reread. Steamy m/m short about Crash attempting to exchange a shirt at SaverPlus.
Mind Reader (PsyCop, Book 2.3) by Jordan Castillo Price. free ebook short. reread. Good m/m short about Vic and Crash wandering around a museum.
Body and Soul (PsyCop, Book 3) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. reread. Very good m/m paranormal romantic suspense in which Vic gets another new partner at work and Jacob continues hunting for an unhaunted place to live.
Stroke of Midnight (PsyCop, Book 3.1) by Jordan Castillo Price. free ebook short. reread. Very good short m/m romance, told from Jacob’s point of view, about him going to a New Year’s party alone because Vic got called into work.
Secrets (PsyCop, Book 4) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romantic suspense in which Vic and Jacob’s living situation changes dramatically and Vic stumbles upon an epic conspiracy.
Camp Hell (PsyCop, Book 5) by Jordan Castillo Price. ebook. Excellent m/m paranormal romantic suspense in which Vic experiences some personal growth (beyond his paranoia, even!), and both Vic and Jacob have unexpected professional growth.
A Change of Scenery by J.M. Cartwright. ebook. Good m/m romance about a construction project manager who’s frustrated by his job in Chicago, so he takes a job in a small West Virginia town.

*hee hee* “No one will notice I’m sticking my tongue out at them, because I look so noble and dignified!” -Chaos

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It’s a beautiful day for some linkity, don’t you agree?

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Congrats to SusieQ, who won Woke Up in a Strange Place by Eric Arvin! Woke Up in a Strange Place is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

Congrats to Marsha, who won The Tourist by Clare London! The Tourist will be released by Carina Press on Monday, February 28.

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Cool

Wha….?

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Reading Update
Lessons in Power (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 4) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance in which events conspire to bring up a dark event from Jonty’s past that continues to haunt him.
Lessons in Temptation (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 5) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance, which finds Jonty and Orlando in Bath for academic pursuits, mostly. This one had me quite anxious (the temptation bit).
Putting Out Fires (Coda Book 5) by Marie Sexton. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about Matt trying to figure out what he can do for Valentine’s in order to make Jared feel appreciated.
Promises (Coda, Book 1) by Marie Sexton. ebook. After reading Putting Out Fires, I really wanted to read more Matt and Jared, so I read Promises and The Promise again. 🙂
The Promise (Coda, Book 3.5) by Marie Sexton. free ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about Matt and Jared, after they’ve been together for about 18 months. Reread.
First Impressions 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.
Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan. ebook. Excellent kinky m/m romance about a guy who stays on the move since his family discovered he was gay and started praying for his soul. When he starts working at Nowhere Ranch, he certainly was not prepared for the interpersonal complications… but will he stay or will he go?
Long-Term by Angelia Sparrow & Naomi Brooks. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about a university president who takes in a sub whose top kicked him out with not much more than the clothes on his back.
Finding Sanctuary by D.C. Juris. ebook. Good kinky m/m romance about a guy who’s felt only half alive for a long time, even though he has all the trappings of success (nice house, lovely fiancee, good job). He’s slowly beginning to realize that what he actually needs are things that his father beat into him as being wrong.
Eros Rising by Ally Blue. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who’s staying in his not-so-good  relationship out of complacency, until he becomes friends with a stripper…
Ten Percent by R.J. Scott. free ebook short. Good m/m snippet (covering maybe an hour) about a guy sitting at his desk, thinking about what being out at work would mean.
Another Little Secret (Sandpipers, Book 1.5) by Jade Archer. free ebook short. Sweet, steamy short m/m/m romance that takes place some months after Sandpipers’ Secrets, at Valentine’s.
Granite: A Rocky Start by G.H. Worth. ebook. So-so m/m romance about a police detective and an assistant district attorney who’ve had the hots for each other for months, but neither realized the other was gay.

“Look at how cute and snuggly I am! You’re jealous, I know.” -Mayhem

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Linkity means that I can happily overindulge in exclamation points!!

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Reading Update
My Summer of Wes by Missy Welsh. ebook. Really sweet story about figuring out what you want, coming out, first love, and dealing with bullies. (Although I don’t like this cover at all…)
Lessons in Love (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 1) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance set at a small Cambridge college in the early 20th century. The newest English fellow at the college starts to get under the skin of a repressed mathematics fellow… and then they find themselves working together to help the police try to figure out who is murdering students.
Lessons in Desire (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 2) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance in which Jonty drags Orlando off to Jersey for the first holiday Orlando’s ever taken.
Lessons in Discovery (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 3) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m romance/mystery – influenza and amnesia and a centuries-old murder, oh my!
The Back Passage (Mitch Mitchell Mysteries, Book 1) by James Lear. Delightfully raunchy m/m mystery in the best 1920s English country house style. Protagonist Edward “Mitch” Mitchell manages to be endearing as he attempts to solve the mystery… when he’s not distracted by sex.
Hot in Here (Time To Do, Book 2) by Kim Dare. free ebook short. Steamy short m/m interlude that takes place as Brennan and Rigby move into a flat together after graduating from university.
A Thread of Deepest Black by Finn Marlowe. ebook. Very good kinky paranormal m/m romance about a werewolf and a shifter who become involved with each other in a very complicated fashion, even though their people are mortal enemies. Some pacing issues in the first half of the story prevented me from rating this higher.
Dead Men Don’t Wash by Ally Blue. free ebook short. Completely insane (and fun!) short paranormal m/m romance about an octopus shifter and his soap thief lover.
Oscar’s Soul by Missy Welsh. free ebook short. Wickedly funny free short paranormal m/m romance about the devil collecting a soul and realizing he’s fallen in love.
Dinner and a Movie by Alex Marcus-Jacobs. free ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a straight guy who’s more than little surprised that the blind date his coworker set him up on is with a guy.
The Queen of Wands by Jenna Jones. ebook short. Good short May-December m/m romance about a guy who’s spent the last 15+ years working as the behind-the-scenes problem fixer for his vast family, atoning for a night he can’t quite remember – the night his best friend drowned. The ending felt a bit too quick and tidy for me.
Whatever It Costs (Whatever You Want, Book 2) by Taylor Lochland. ebook short. Ok short holiday m/m romance about a guy who loses his job, which makes it seem impossible that he’ll be able to afford to take his boyfriend to Ireland for Christmas so his boyfriend can see his grandfather before he dies.
Keeping Secrets by L.D. Madison. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about an injured police officer who won’t take off his shirt and reveal his dark secret.
A Fated Love by Diana DeRicci. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a guy whose vintage car is damaged in a hit-and-run. Fortunately, an attractive stranger was able to snap a few pictures of the accident… I think I would’ve liked this one a bit better if it hadn’t been for all the unclear pronoun references and ongoing editing/writing oddities.
Raising Seth (First Time, Book 1) by Eden Cole. ebook short. So-so short m/m romance about a straight guy whose foster sister dumps her 18-year old ex-stepson on him for a month…
Lemon Kisses: A Yaoi Anthology edited by Augusta Li; A. Steele, Eon de Beaumont, Imari Jade, & B.J. Franklin. ebook collection. So-so collection of yaoi-inspired short stories.

“Oooooooh, shiny!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity for an interminable winter

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Congrats to Juni, who won Yearning (Green’s Hill Werewolves, Book 1) by Amy Lane! Yearning will be released by Torquere Books on February 12.

Contests

Bookity

Ebookity

Make, Think, Do, Learn

  • A very good post about what gay marriage means, from L.A. Witt. (This does the same thing, but be aware that you’ll likely hit NSFW stuff if you wander from that link.)

Valentine’s

Cool

Huh

  • I’m not sure I’m ready for Monopoly Live, which is controlled by a tower in the middle of the board.
  • Nose vibrator?! (Completely SFW. I know you’re surprised. But really, it is.)

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Rinse and Repeat by Amberly Smith. ebook. Excellent paranormal m/m romance about a guy who’s a Repeater, stuck repeating the same day over and over again until he can change some key event from the day. Things are different on this Repeat, because he’s started to care way too much about a skateboarder he’s watched die far too many times. (Hi, Pouty Guy!)
These Haunted Heights by Ally Blue. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a photojournalist who’s staying alone at his aunt’s house on the Oregon coast while he shoots a story about the area. Mysterious crying from the empty tower room and a handsome brooding neighbor complicate things in interesting ways…
How the Other Half Lives by Clare London. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about two guys, one very tidy and the other very untidy, who exchange flatsitting duties with each other, but never actually meet… until they do.
A Russian Bear by C.B. Conwy. Very good kinky m/m romance about a grad student and a Dom who meet through a case of mistaken identity that leads to the Dom helping the grad student explore his attraction to submission.
Maleria, Cholera and Bubonic Plague (A Russian Bear, Book 1.5) by C.B. Conwy. web short. Good short m/m romance about Mischa waking up with hangover. (Although I would’ve eaten toast first, not chili!)
Call Me Sir, Boy! by Kim Dare. ebook short. Cute kinky short m/m romance about a dom who loses a bet and is stuck wearing a hat that says “Call Me SIR, Boy!” at the club for an evening when he’s approached by a submissive he’s never seen before – a submissive who seems perfect for him.
Opposites Distract by Stephani Hecht. ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a party boy who’s really attracted to a geeky guy he sees at their college’s GLBT student center, but the geeky guy doesn’t trust the party boy’s intentions.
Chocolate Dreams by Em Woods. ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about an accountant who’s been burned by love before and lies about having a boyfriend to the chocolatier he finds attractive.
Sagittarius Blues by Katrina Strauss. ebook. Good holiday m/m romance about a college student whose inflammatory vlog personality has unexpected negative impacts on his life. For some reason, this never really came together for me and I haven’t been able to figure out why.
Into the Light (Clear Water Chronicles, Book 1) by Scarlet Blackwell. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a sheriff who’s a good man now, but was part of a bullying gang when he was in high school… and other members that gang raped a gay student while he stood by and did nothing. Now the victim of that rape has returned to town and wants the sheriff to pay for his part in the unreported crime. This was a really mixed read for me – I felt that it started out strongly, but by the end had turned into a melodramatic soap opera. 🙁
One True Thing by Amanda Grayson. ebook short. What an unsatisfying read! This m/m romance about an agent who has to go into deep cover by having his cover story planted in his brain was frustrating, particularly since it had so much potential. There was way too much story for a short, so the story had no depth and often seemed to jump around. And then the story just stopped, so you have no idea if they successfully completed the mission (i.e., the purported reason for the story).

“Go away. Being noble and dignified was exhausting.” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Sometimes I absolutely cannot come up with a clever title for linkity… this would be one of those times

31 Comments

Congrats to Tam, who won Possession (Devlin Island, Book 1) by S. W. Vaughn!

Congrats to Natasha, who won Opposites Distract by Stephani Hecht! Opposites Distract was released yesterday by All Romance Ebooks as part of its Perfect Strangers series.

Congrats to Otter, who won How the Other Half Lives by Clare London! How the Other Half Lives will be released by Amber Allure on February 6.

Congrats to Carmel, who won Chocolate Dreams by Em Woods!  Chocolate Dreams will be released by Total-E-Bound on February 7.

Contests

Bookity

Ebookity

Do, Think, Make, Learn

Valentine’s

Cool

Huh

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Rubbing Vignettes: The Wrong Way and the Right Way by Wren Boudreau. free ebook short. Cute short m/m Valentine’s romance split into two scenes as Greg tries to figure out how to celebrate his first Valentine’s with Finn, and then as they celebrate. I really hope that the first scene was the set up for a sequel to Back to Normal, featuring a couple of guys who rub each other the wrong way…
One Night Stand by Cassandra Gold. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a guy whose friends drag him to a club to help him get back out there after a few years. He seems to have a real connection to the guy he brings home… until the guy freaks out about having stayed over night and leaves. (This short story was originally part of the Friction anthology.)
Love Ahead: Expect Delays by Astrid Amara. ebook. Very good m/m romance about two guys driving a 1989 Geo from Seattle to drop off in Boulder, hoping to get there for part of Hanukkah, until the drive turns into the roadtrip from hell.
Half Pass by Astrid Amara. ebook. Good m/m romance about a horse phobic guy who inherits his aunt’s boarding stable and moves back to the small town in which he grow up so he can get the stable ready to sell. Unfortunately, it felt like all the details about the horses and their training and care overshadowed the actual story.
Handcuffs & Spreader Bars (Rawlings Men, Book 5) by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about a dom (and police officer) who’s had his eye on one of the newer constables for a while, but has only just learned that the constable equates submission with being taken advantage of due to a prior bad experience.
MIA Case Files 1: Wolfsbane by K.C. Burn. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a closeted agent who works in a secret government agency (MIA) that investigates dangerous paranormal activities. While he and his partner are trying to figure out what’s going on in the small town of Rothburg, he meets and becomes fascinated by a gorgeous young man working at a coffee shop.
MIA Case Files 2: Blood Relations by K.C. Burn. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about another MIA agent who gets involved with a young man who seems too good to be true. I didn’t enjoy the second book in this series nearly as much as I did the first – it was just too predictable.
Del Fantasma: Duck Fart by Jade Buchanan. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about an innocent Siamese cat shifter who just tracked down the best friend he’s had a crush on for years, only to discover that his friend is now mated to someone else. He thinks his heart is broken – so why is he leaving with that duck shifter and that human?!
High Flow (EMS Heat, Book 7) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good m/m romance about a medic who was gay bashed and now can’t let anyone get close or touch him. But maybe the handsome doctor in the ER will be patient enough to past his defenses…
True Hollywood by James Buchanan. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about two stuntmen who haven’t seen each other since their breakup years before until they run in to each other at their former mentor’s wake.
Second Helpings (Table for Two, Book 2) by Scarlet Blackwell. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance continuing the story of Luc, the arrogant French chef, and Daniel, the closeted British food critic, as Daniel’s obnoxious mother (who doesn’t know he’s gay) arrives for a visit and ratchets up the tension.
Beach Reading (Book 1) by Mark Abramson. ebook. Ok m/m mystery about a waiter in the Castro who spends a lot of time wandering around stoned and picking up guys. I did enjoy being able to picture the various locations mentioned. I didn’t enjoy the rambling brain dumps from everyone in the story.
A Bid for Love by T.D. McKinney & Terry Wylis. ebook. Ok m/m romance about an FBI agent who participates in a charity auction and is “purchased” by an anonymous bidder he assumes to be a woman. Ah, the surprise that awaits him when he and the bidder meet up in Italy. Sadly, the language was too flowery and overwrought for my tastes.
Knight or Daye by Jude Mason. ebook short. Ok short kinky m/m/m romance about a guy who infiltrates a human slavery ring, hoping that he can reconnect with and rescue the lover he drove away.
Howl by Lacey-Anne Frye. ebook. Ok m/m paranormal romance about a couple who stays at an isolated B&B in the middle of the woods. The proprietor tells them not to go outside after dark… Why don’t people ever listen??
What You See by C.J. Black. ebook short. So-so short m/m encounter between a waiter and an older man who always sits in his section at the restaurant.

“I’m hiding in my Plastic Tub of Invisibility. You can’t see me.” -Mayhem