Tag: Pender Mackie

Single Use Only by Pender Mackie

18308785Title: Single Use Only

Series:   NA

Author: Pender Mackie

Genre: Contemporary

Length:   Novel (286 pages)

Publisher: Loose ID (September 30th, 2013)

Heat Level:   Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Reviewer:   Eli/Mandingo

Blurb:  Mike Strenton is tired of the hook-up scene. All the men he meets in the Las Vegas gay bars are interested in only one thing and only one night. Been there done that. About to turn thirty-eight, Mike avoids casual sex until his need for contact is too great to ignore. He secretly longs to meet someone who sees beyond his laugh lines and broad shoulders to the sensitive lover underneath. A man who’ll chose him over the walk of shame.

Twenty-seven year old Chris Bennington has never even been to a gay bar though he’s into men as well as women. He sees the funny side of just about everything, even his first time with Mike. Chris wants a lover who doesn’t have a problem with his quirky sense of humor, his inability to cook or his bisexuality and he thinks Mike fits the bill. All he has to do is convince the big guy he’s not just sticking around for breakfast

Purchase Link:   http://www.loose-id.com/single-use-only.html#product_tabs_description

Review: So many m/m stories paint the picture of man meets man, man falls for man and they live happily ever after. If that were the case then more people would be in HEAs instead of out constantly trolling for their next conquest or someone to spend their lives with.  Single Use Only explores the themes of what it means to be gay after the age of 30, and what happens to a man after his preconceived ‘use by’ date?  By the time the reader grapples with this first notion, the author introduces a second conundrum: How does a gay man relate to a bi-sexual man? How do they overcome their differences to build a life of trust and acceptance with each other?  Having now been presented with the main characters, the reader is sucked into the meat of the story – How does a man, Mike, riddled with poor self-esteem begin to believe that he is worthy and deserves a HEA? 

These are the issues which Chris and Mike must navigate if they are to build a life together. First they must overcome their own insecurities and prejudices before they can even begin to think about how they can be together.  The author creates a very real tale told from both men’s perspectives.  Their relationship has a natural progression and the reader is able to see how each of the men feel and what it will take for each of them to overcome their obstacles.

As with any good story, there is angst, misunderstanding and then the final drama which creates the conflict which the lovers must overcome.  You don’t actually ‘see’ the big drama coming, but when it happens, it seems natural and organic and not contrived and it allows you to root for Chris and Mike even more; because at this point, they’ve both overcome their own personal demons and must now battle the external ones in order to be worthy of their HEA.

A thoroughly realistic and enjoyable read.

Wishful Thinking by Pender Mackie

13069912Title: Wishful Thinking

Series: N/A

Author: Pender Mackie

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Short Story

Publisher: Silver Publishing (November 19th, 2011)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3 Hearts

Reviewer: Thommie

Blurb: Quiet, reserved Derrick has never had a date. That doesn’t stop him from wishing and dreaming, especially when he’s working a boring shift at the coffee shop. On a cold, rainy evening, the shop is deserted, and Derrick daydreams about his fantasy boyfriend, Rory, a fellow university student. Derrick doesn’t know much about Rory. They’re not in the same classes. They’ve never even talked.

When Rory is his last customer of the night, Derrick comes face to face with the man of his dreams. The real Rory is even better than the fantasy and he wants more than coffee… he wants Derrick. By the end of his shift, Derrick will find out if all his fantasies can come true.

Product Link: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-wishfulthinking-1213368-145.html

Review: Ah, this little short was too sweet and adorable. It was all about this freshman college kid named Derrick who is extremely shy. He’s been having daydreams, night-dreams, and all sorts of fantasies about Rory, a very cute guy he keeps seeing on campus, but never had the courage to actually go and talk to. He’s wanted to ask him out forever, or would have asked him if he ever found it in him to overcome his shyness.

So, there he is trying to spend the time in a very slow shift in the coffee shop where he works, when a bit before closing time a last customer comes in. And who would that customer be, but the very man who haunts his dreams and literally every waking minute. Rory, making Derrick’s heartbeat go frenzy and tying his tongue up in the most embarrassing way. But, little did Derrick know Rory’s true cause for entering the shop this late rainy afternoon.

As I said, too sweet, too adorable and extremely frustrating. You see this story focuses only on the fact that all that wishful thinking Derrick has had comes true when Rory makes the move Derrick has been dying to. It’s all about how these two lovely characters make the first step toward a date. The end. And I’m left there hanging and wanting more because I liked the writing, I liked the approach. I loved the feeling I got from Derrick and the way his oh so adorable reactions were described. In the end, I wanted to damn well read Derrick’s and Rory’s story. So please, pretty, pretty please, dear author write it for us and give us the pleasure of actually experiencing this lovely couple.

As it is, with the above in mind, I’d recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind the cliff-hanger