A Bit of Rough by Laura Baumbach

A Bit of Rough by Laura Baumbach

Genre: Gay/Lesbian Erotica

e-book

MLR Press, LLC 2008

9-781934-531365

Barnes and Noble Synopsis:

Architect James Justin impulsively lets himself be picked up in a biker bar by seductive hunk Bram Lord for a one nightstand that turns into something bigger. The physically impressive, forceful stranger meets, matches and exceeds James' sexual fantasies, but can shy, uncertain James be everything the strongly committed Bram wants? 

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First scene took place at a bar. Like a biker bar... (obviously right... it says it above). But the craziness I'm trying to relay here is that the first scene of the book, is pretty hot. And that's before they get outside to do the dirty stuff. I was tense through the whole thing, just waiting for someone there to yell out some kind of profanity and for there to be a fight. No matter the size of the 2nd character (Bram).

Speaking of, Bram was a gentle giant. BUT! He wasn't afraid to pull out the guns. He enjoyed the small things (i.e. James) and then doing baaad things to those little things (i.e. tie him up and "ee-ee" [bf & my lingo for sex/f**k/make love/horizontal tango/etc] aaalll freaking day and night). Seriously?! Almost TMI for a moment... I don't know of any male over the age of 30 that can do it multiple times a day. Plus, I heard it hurts. Maybe these too were really lucky though?! Probably, since the eroticism was off the charts. I don't think the Energizer Bunny could keep it going for that long!!!  And it was not strictly secluded to the bed. There was the bath, kitchen, alley, office, you name it, they "christened" it. Or marked it. 

There was a little bit of a story that went along with this book, which I think pulled it all together. James' past is what a lot of gays I think used to have to go through (I say "used to" because now it's now the kids that grew up thinking it was okay to be gay that are having kids). Bram's was the opposite. Both pasts helped shape the two men. I actually related more to James' than Bram's though.

Ratings:

1. Cover +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: :D +2

5. Re-readability: +.5

6. Suggest to others: +1

7. Lost time: nope! +1

8. Readability: +1

8.5 out of 10!!! :D Here's why:

If I were to re-read this book, I'd probably just skim through it to get to all the awesome dirty stuff. I also can only recommend this book to those that enjoy gay/lesbian books. So if you love that genre, I suggest giving this one a try! Bram, I think, steals the show from James, but you'll enjoy their relationship (between the sheets & out) as it progresses. 

Author's website

Author's Blog

[btw, I love her blog header: "The thoughts and challenges I come across in being a heterosexual woman, wife and mother who loves to write m/m erotic romances. I'm not gay or male, but the thoughts of two gorgeous, confident men together is my idea of a hot time! I write for others, both men and women, who feel the same." Totally understand that!!]

**please email me if you've read and reviewed this book so I can add a link to your site!**

Str8te Boys by Evangeline Anderson

Str8te Boys by Evangeline Anderson

June 2009

Gay, Romance, Erotica

Samhain Publishing

Why I read it: Loved the first book I read of hers, and I wanted to taste another. [go here for the review I did on The Assignment]

Synopsis from Barnesandnoble[dot]com.

How far would you dare to go…to win it all?

Maverick Holms and Duke Warren share almost everything—a college soccer team, an apartment and the same extremely competitive nature. Thanks to that never-back-down spirit, they’re about to share more than they bargained for.

The game is “gay chicken”. The rule: get as close as possible without kissing, and the one that pulls away first is the loser. The problem: neither of them likes to lose. It isn’t long before the game becomes an excuse to touch and kiss in every possible forbidden way. And after they pose for a gay website to earn extra money, things really heat up.

Suddenly Duke is talking lifetime commitment, and Mav is backpedaling as hard as he can, not sure if he’s ready to accept all his best friend is offering him. Or the truth about what he is.

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Str8te boys followed the same format as her other I read, The Assignment. So I already liked the way things happened, but it did leave me a bit disappointed that she couldn't have changed it just a bit more. There were obvious differences that are revealed in the end, so I won't spoil those, but it followed too closely to the other for me to get the full benefit I could have.

I did love how it was fast paced, and exciting. Daring even. The way it developed was a bit differently because of certain aspects, but there's still that uncomfortable feeling. I mean, not all scary relationships start out the same way right? 

I say scary because it's going outside of your comfort zone. It's not like they go out there knowing without a doubt that they like one way or another. They develop it and find out that it's true with each other. I still recommend The Assignment first, but I will add a "but" clause in there. If you're not ready for overly flamboyant-ness, then you should read Str8te Boys first. Because it does explore it from a different, less showy way than The Assignment.

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2

5. Re-Readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Grammar: .5

Same 9.5 out of 10 as her The Assignment.  Well deserved.

This is book 3 out of my 30 book challenge! check!! :D

The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson

How do I start this... I guess the picture does an awesome job of hinting at it. But for the obvious challenged, I'll elaborate:

I read a gay book. Not just any gay book either. It was my very first gay book, and boy was it HOT! And by "gay" I don't mean it in the sense that it sucked [pun half way intended]. I'm talking about a for realz man-LOVES-man gay book. And I lOvEd it! I've been curious to read one for a while now, I've just been nervous to purchase it at stores. But with this awesome technological time, I didn't even have to talk to anyone to buy it and read it that same day. I was partially prepared since I love reading the raunchiest of raunchy romance novels sometimes, so it wasn't too much of a stretch for my brain.

The best part about the whole book?? I think there was only one woman throughout the whole thing. And she said maybe two sentences in her brief appearance. Even in books, women can be so obnoxious, it's annoying. Especially the "extras".

What's a gay book like, you ask? Well, this one was just like a romance novel, but with less baggage.... [wow, everything I say can have a double meaning. I feel like every sentence should be followed up with "that's what she said" or in this case, "that's what he said"]. I guess a better way to say that is that there was no emotional baggage. Yeah, the characters had their pasts and they overcame it, but it didn't haunt them the way it usually does for women.

The difference? When confronted with a problem in their childhood, women [typically--please, I understand all women are different and there are exceptions] tend to become jaded because of it. Men however, use that to grow character. Be stronger, and better than what they had.

I think that's enough of the furious rant I'll do on women, back to the book!

The Assignment Synopsis provided by BarnesandNoble[dot]com.

Detective Nicholas Valenti, tall, dark and stoic, has been best friends with his partner, Sean O'Brian for six years. The two men have seen each other through divorce, disaster, and danger, and saved each other's asses more times than Valenti can count. Exactly when he started seeing his blond, intense partner in another light, Valenti isn't really sure. He only knows that he wants O'Brian in a way that had nothing to do with friendship and everything to do with possession. It is a desire he will have to hide forever because O'Brian is undeniably straight.

Just as Valenti is coming to grips with his new, unacceptable feelings for his partner their police captain puts them on a new case that could blow Valenti's cover once and for all. He and O'Brian are going undercover at the country's largest and most infamous gay resort to bust a notorious drug lord and stop the shipments of poison cocaine that are flooding the gay bars all over the city.

Now Valenti will have to make a choice between friendship and desire. He and O'Brian will play the roles of gay men that will push the limits of their relationship to the breaking point. Will their time at the RamJack forge a new bond between them or destroy their partnership forever?

That synopsis [and the cover of two really ripped guys] had me intrigued initially [naturally of course]. Then the price of $1.87 on BarnesandNoble[dot]com for the e-book made me forget objections.

Now, in case you didn't know, I hardly ever go after the "meaning of" or the "message" that books/movies have. I could care less. My criteria of an awesome book is much more platonic than figuring out whether the message helped along the meaning of the book/film. For example? I buy books based on cover [i.e. the two really hot bod's on the cover of this book ;)>]. But this book blew my mind [haha, so many puns, so little time].

One thing at a time might be easier I think, especially with it being such a delicate topic for lots to handle.

The relationship: These guys have been partners for longer than I've been with my #1. They're detectives, which means they have to be able to work together for longer than the normal 40 hours. They need to be compatible and care deeply for the other and their well being. That in itself is always a hard thing for a guy to express openly [which is one reason why they get the opportunity for this assignment]. They trust each other, and love each other completely. They already have the tracks laid and linked together.

The assignment: They have to go to this flamboyantly gay resort to find out the murder of a young kid that overdosed on deadly laced drugs. Now, I don't know how real this is, but the resort seems like a stereotypical dominance (sponsor)/ submissive (twinkie) gay... country club... or something like that. They're open and are free to express themselves sexually, which I understand, since they don't really get the chance anywhere else. But the assignment changes everything for these partners. They have to do things they probably wouldn't have done outside the resort, and it's obviously a crucial component of the story.

Their love: Since this is in the mind and voice of Detective Nick Velenti, you don't get the prospective of Detective Sean O'Brien. You get caught up in the way that Nick feels, and the frustrating way Sean says stuff, then takes it back. Ugh! But, that makes it so great. The love they share is sooooooo genuine. And in at least Nick's point of view, he isn't attracted to any other guy. Just his partner. The same partner that's been there for him through everything, that he almost lost forever. And not in the cheesy "heroine runs away from hero because she feels sorry for the koala bears"... or whatever.

Tactful writing: It was written so tactfully that it expressed the fear of "coming out". I mean, they're straight guys. They double date... with girls. They're not attracted to other men. They're neither gay nor straight. In fact, that line doesn't exist here. At all. Sure, if you're one of those people that absolutely HAVE to place a label on them or your head my blow up with any other concept, you may think they're bisexual. But no! You couldn't be more wrong. If they just need a booty call, they'd just go find a girl. But they wanted the love they deserved. And for whatever's sake! They don't need to find a woman to get that.They found it from each other.

Character understanding: I was scared that it would be too wordy since it was written by a female [i.e.... look at how much I've written already] I mean, guys [whether gay or straight] don't talk much. They think more than they speak, but even then, it's not always this deep thought process women wish it was. So I was afraid that it wouldn't be believable because of the woman's nonstop talking quality it may have. But it was totally opposite!! It was great. short and sweet sentences, even those that were stuttered. The thoughts were direct, and there was no extreme speculation. So none of that "well, if he touches me this way and the stars are lined up with the sun on the 3rd Tuesday in November, then that means he likes cockroaches, and I'll be lighting candles to woo him. But that could also mean..."... etc. I wish i was joking. Even in the moments of uncertainty, there was no endless thoughts on "he loves me, he loves me not"

Message/Meaning: It's poetic how it develops their relationship. I think it's brilliant how they just love each other so much. They trust each other so much, that they do what they have to in order to get the job done.

Ratings: I give this book the well deserved 9.5 out of 10.

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2

5. Re-Readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Grammar: .5

Sure, on my e-file some of the grammar wasn't awesome, but I couldn't let that harm the score. It was such a great book.

Obviously!!!! If you're uncomfortable with homosexual.. well, sexuality, do not even dare pick up this book. It will offend you. It is a homosexual erotica!!! Buuut, if you're curious like I was, this is the best book to start with :D At least that I know of right now.. haha, since it is the only one I tried so far.

If you have a book you'd like me to read/review, please post it in the comments. Obviously you don't have to worry about offending me. All I ask is no cookbooks, health freak, history, memoirs/biographies, etc. I'm not all that in to boring books. Sorry. Most Non fiction is a no-go. Some just normal fiction is a no-go too. You can always ask though. I'll be honest.

Just in case you're keeping track. That's 1/30 on my 2010 book goal (started in April, that's why only 30) What a way to kick it off, eh? Nothing like a fantastic homosexual erotica/romance book to start the goal! haha.

Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi

Boys That Bite

by Mari Mancusi

April 2006

Romantic/Paranormal Young Adult

Penguin

$9.99

Why I read it: To decide whether or not my boss should put it in our stores (along with the rest of the series).

Synopsis (provided by BarnesandNoble[dot]com)

This is not your typical boybites-girl love story.


Technically Sunshine can't get killed-because she's immortal. Well, not quite yet. Due to the worst case of mistaken identity with her dark-side-loving twin sister at a Goth club called Club Fang, Magnus, a vampire hottie, went for Sunshine's innocent neck. Now if she doesn't reverse it in time, Magnus will be her blood mate forever and she's doomed to be a blood-gulping, pasty, daylight-hating vampire. That would seriously bite.


And now, after the unfortunate slaying of the vampire leader, Sunshine, her sister Rayne, and Magnus must find the one thing that can solve her problem: the Holy Grail. They wish it were a joke but it's not. It's absolutely necessary that Sunshine gets out of this in time, because somehow she scored the hottest prom date in her school, the mouth-watering Jake Wilder. So she just can't be a vampire for the prom-let alone the rest of eternity.

I got this book from work as an "assignment". One of my bosses (book buyer) was having a hard time deciding what was good Young Adult material to put in our stores (mainly grocery).

This book is the 1st in the "Blood Coven" series:

Boys that Bite

Stake That

Girls that Growl

Bad Blood (as of January 5, 2010) 

Mari doesn't waste much time getting into the grunt of things. Which, with the first in the series is always good since when you first pick it up, you don't know what it's about. You have no predetermined thoughts on how this will be. I learned very quickly that the language was very young. Mari used "like" a lot. And I finally understood what my dad was always bitchin' about when I was younger. It was scary to think that I couldn't relate to a young talking book though. Last time I checked, 23 wasn't that old!


So, Sunny's a bit different. I didn't feel Sunny as a character. In fact, she seemed more of like an actress playing a part. I couldn' get a grasp on her. Do you know what I mean? I wanted to like her, I really did! I wanted to love her, relate to her, feel her pain of what was happening to her. But it was as if she went from "what the hell" to "meh, whatev" in an instant. I wish I could have seen more into her mind. Feel her pain. Rayne, her twin sister is such a drama queen. But it's almost a forced drama queen. I really dug Magnus though :D The love interest in the story :D. He seemed to be more real than the others.


I'm really bummed about this, because I think Mari missed out in an awesome opportunity to go more into her characters and how they tick than she did. I understand that she was writing more to a short attention span audience, but it doesn't help when I can't connect with the characters. Sunny couldn't be upset that she was turning into a vampire. She couldn't fume, because she'd practically told to shut up. And then Rayne could have been angrier than she was. I'm sorry, but if you work for so long and hard on something, and the night that it's all coming together, your twin sister gets it instead.... I would be livid!!!! I'd hate the world. But Rayne... just brushes it off. I know she never knew the guy, but come on!!! [pst.. that's  not a rant towards Mari Mancusi, that's a rant towards the character Rayne... yes, as if she were a real person :D]. I just felt like a lot of sisterly bonding could have happened and I'm bummed I missed out on it. Because, not all of us get along swell with our sisters, so it's nice to see it go wrong and be worked on.


Their mom is one horrible piece of work. She doesn't know where her kids are, she's oblivious to EVERYTHING!! She's an emotional wreck... I feel like she should have 50 cats around her at all times. I don't wonder why the girls are as bad as they are. Though I do wonder how they got to be as good as they are.


Like I said above. I loved Magnus. He was probably my favorite character. His back story seemed real. And I felt that there was a genuine connection between Sunny and him. I would have loved more time with them finding each other, but it seems to be the theme here. I'm always wanting more!!! Which I would take as a compliment. If I didn't want more, I'd tell you ;). The vampire aspect of it was really neat to find. I like the "donor" system, instead of the "vegetarian" or the "stab everyone in the neck with your fangs" kind. If there were real vampires [I sorta wish there were], I could imagine them using a donor system these days. Although, if you did have to do the "stab everyone in the neck with your fangs" thing, can you at least get all the murderers, rapists, child molesting crack jobs before you go after innocents? Thanks :D


I know what I've written so far sounds like I'm bashing. But I'm not. I liked the book. The ending was the best part, and no, not because it was the end. That's where all the excitement happens! If that excitement could have gone on throughout the whole book, I could have honestly rated it higher. And most of what I've said that was bad was about the characters. I just couldn't be friends with them. It doesn't mean someone else wouldn't.


But I do have 1 complaint. Just 1! Everything seems so easy for the characters. Dodging their mom, getting to far away places, wrapping up the "case" and not to mention, everything gets wrapped up into a ribbon in the end. I'm sorry, but with all their problems they have with their parents, school, boyfriends, the whole vampire thing... It shouldn't have been so easy to accomplish their goal.


Okay! phew! I got that off my chest. Overall, good book and easy to read. I would recommend this. Though more of to be a filler.  I am going to suggest it to my boss to put in the YA section at grocery and grocery-type stores across the west side of the states, once I finish all 3 other books in this series and enjoy it. I'm a firm believer in keeping a series together, and I can't have 1 book in stores and not the others.




It's a quick and easy read, that is actually, well, enjoyable. Most of those that are quick & easy aren't very good. But this kept me entertained. The love interest in the story was expected... BUT... it took just long enough to get started where you start to second guess yourself. And it developed nicely. I was a bit disappointed in the end, but that's because it just went to quick and worked out fine without a hiccup... I would have preferred it to be a bit more dramatic.

Anyway, I would suggest reading this book. However, being that it's $9.99, I suggest getting it from your library or borrowing it from a friend. If they decide to make it the mass market version [the small books], for just a couple $$ cheaper, then buying it is warranted.


Ratings:

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +1

5. Re-Readability: +0

6. Suggest to others: +1

7. Lost time: a lil bit +0.5

8. Readability: +0.5


So, that's a 6 out of 10 on my rating system.

Caught! by Lori Foster

TAKEN

Things are heating up between security expert Dillon Jones and the notorious Virginia Johnson! They're trying to find out who framed Dillon's brother for embezzlement. As they search for the truth, Dillon can't help but draw closer to feisty Virginia. His code of honor is barely keeping him in check…but leave it to a take-charge woman to take what she wants!

SAY YES

After finding her—now former—fiancé in bed with another woman, Sara Simmons decides that love and marriage just aren't for her. What she needs is a hot fling. Enter hunky next-door neighbor Gavin Blake. But Gavin is playing for keeps, and he's vowed to hold out for more than sex. Begging isn't Sara's style…but she will if he won't!

This is another two book... book =) So it's double the pleasure and double the FUN!

Once again, I loved Lori Foster. She managed in such a short book to build a great foundation for the characters, giving them a realistic edge without overdoing it. The way she writes so simply, but... well, not is spectacular.

And so far... not two characters are the same. Sure they all end up the same way... tangled in bed sheets and sweating their skin off, but their stories, their passions, their values, how they get to that same ending... they're different. One thing I noticed in SAY YES was that she took the profession of the character and used that (and of course their upbringing) to form their thoughts and feelings and motives.

And just in case you didn't think that was enough of a praise, in TAKEN she made it easy for me to feel the love of a man when being overweight. I know you know what I mean girls ;). In all the romances (at least that I've read) and movies (besides maybe Shallow Hal) it's always the skinny chick who's being played down to be ugly, then all they have to do to show her "inner beauty" ignite is have her be her normal self... and that's just not all that realistic. That's why I stopped watching chick flicks too... well, part of it.

So I've mentioned the good, the great, and the excellent. Now on to the bad. This book is the size of a normal book, but it's a two in one. Meaning... they're very short stories. In fact...

TAKEN, though I loved it, was too long compared to the whole book size. It took me three (very busy days) to complete it and only one to complete SAY YES. I would have loved for SAY YES to be longer, even if the book had to be longer. That's why I'm only giving this one a four stars...

She's a very talented writer and I know she could have been exceptional with just a little more on Sara and Gavin.

Scandalous by Lori Foster

Scandalized!

Can passion challenge cool, levelheaded reason? Knee-melting kisses spark more than hotelier Tony

Austin or boutique owner Olivia Anderson ever planned. He wanted an heir, not a

wife. She wanted a no-strings affair…and delicious memories. Scandalous? Perhaps. And it was all going perfectly—until love got in the way.

Sex Appeal

Shadow Callahan sizes up sexy, successful Brent Bramwell as perfect hunk material, ideal for her shopping mall's contest. But take-charge Brent is much more interested in gorgeous, irrepressible Shadow, whose Sex Appeal shop and its, uh, eclectic merchandise make this in-control guy realize he's been missing out. He's got a wild side. And Shadow makes him want to misbehave….

I have found a new writer to follow and study! I absolutely loved these stories by Lori Foster. And I'm so glad I bought some of her other work. Which I would have done anyway, but doing it in advance makes it that much sweeter.

Her writing was fluid and quick but it never left me needing more. It definitely left me wanting lots more, but there's a major difference in the two. It was wonderful. I liked "Scandalized" best of the two, but "Sex Appeal" is very unique in its own right. One thing that I loved is that she didn't fall into the standard cycle that many romances do. Even though I was never faced with what the characters were faced with, I could relate to them easily. (At least for the most part when it comes to "Sex Appeal"... you'll understand why after you've read it). And I could actually see the characters doing what they were doing. And that's a hard thing to do when it comes to romances. [ummmm... I mean more towards the story and plot part.... hehe, not the... things that make it a "romance"] Sometimes it feels like everything they're doing is impossible, but not here :D

I recommend these short stories to anyone who loves a romantic story with pizzaz and enough comedy to keep you smiling through the whole thing.

Vamps by Nancy A Collins

When the sun goes down, New York's true elite all head to one place: Bathory Academy, where the young ladies of

the finest vampire families are trained in shapeshifting and luring their prey.

Bathory's reigning queen, Lilith Todd, is the daughter of a powerful vampire businessman, and she knows exactly what she wants from life. She wants to look beautiful for eternity and party till the sun comes up with her gorgeous boyfriend, Jules. And she doesn't want any New Blood upstarts standing in her way.

Enter Cally Monture, an unexpected threat from a trash zip code. When their first meeting leads to tragic results, Lilith is hungry for revenge.

It started out confusing, like all books do I suppose. It did go too much into expensive things and designer brands, and I think that's what confused me so much.

Recommended for: If you're not in for immediate action and don't mind hearing

about rich and spoiled kids, this book is for you.