Tag: Zane’s Reviews

No Straight Boys by Cecil Wilde

81BoCyEkfYL._SL1500_Title: No Straight Boys
Author: Cecil Wilde
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short (49 pages)
ISBN: 9781622101290
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books (August 10th, 2014)
Heat Level: Medium
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 3.5 hearts
Reviewer: Zane
Blurb: Find out what happens when refusing to date straight boys means turning down the man of your dreams! No Straight Boys by Cecil Wilde is a heart warming story about friendship, love, and finding yourself via late-night text messages.

Not dating straight boys is a pretty good strategy for long-term relationships if you’re a gay man, but what happens when one particular straight boy turns out to be the man of your dreams?

Cute, funny, and sometimes borderline philosophical, No Straight Boys is about what happens when perfection isn’t what you think it is, and love is best found via late-night text message.

Purchase Link: http://www.lsbooks.com/no-straight-boys-p932.php

Review: I was enticed by the blurb, as vague as it was. Who wouldn’t want to read a story about “friendship, love, and finding yourself via late-night text messages”? That definitely caught my attention. Overall, this is well written with well-developed, layered characters. While I enjoyed this read very much, I do take exception to one thing – the beginning.

Without spoiling – the book starts mid-conversation and mid-situation; it takes a little bit to determine who is who and what has transpired. While that did not detract from the rest of the read, I would have much preferred an extra page or so of character/story building.

Moving past that, what do we have here? Two lonely men (for different reasons) with social issues. Ethan is shy and stuck in the closet with no idea how to navigate the maze out. Jace is socially inept with a propensity for insta-love (and therefore an easily broken heart). They’re the perfect example of two individuals whose own neuroses SHOULD make them inappropriate for one another. But of course, that is not the case in the world of romance and ‘happily ever afters’.

I enjoyed Ethan and Jace. I was drawn to their friendship, the path they had to take and the pitfalls they had to navigate. I absolutely loved that much of their initial bonding took place via late-night text messaging (so now, so believable, so fun).

Life is confusing. Finding love is messy. Those involved often don’t see what is right in front of them. So, yes, I did moan and groan at missed opportunity, confusion, misunderstanding, and bad choices. I did smile because throughout all of that there were so many good moments where their friendship and love shined through. I saw that, even if Ethan and Jace didn’t. And for all my eye rolling, I did get my HEA, so no complaints there.

This is a quick read, fun and sexy with a good amount of depth to both the storyline and the characters despite its brevity. I like Ethan and Jace. I think they (and their text messages) are absolutely fun and adorable. If you like a little bit of flirty goodness along the slightly bumpy road to happiness, then you should get to know them too.

** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through www.mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com **

Catch Me When I Fall by John Wiltshire

81VrLN4VgUL._SL1425_Title: Catch Me When I Fall
Author: John Wiltshire
Genre: Paranormal
Length: Novella (110 pages)
ISBN: B00ODF2U2E
Publisher: MLR Press (October 9th, 2014)
Heat Level: Medium
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Zane
Blurb: Being an ex-soldier, Jake doesn’t know much about angels, but shouldn’t they be…angelic?

What would you do if your guardian angel fell into your backyard? When an angel, Gabriel, falls from heaven, Jake takes him in.

Unfortunately, the presence of this beautiful creature stirs passions in Jake that should have remained buried in the mountains of Afghanistan. Why has Gabriel come to earth? Is he being entirely truthful about his mission? Gabriel’s presence forces Jake to make the hardest decision of his life: rekindle a relationship left bruised by the Taliban, or take a leap of faith on the promise of a creature made of sunlight and love.

Purchase Link: http://www.mlrbooks.com/Bookstore.php?bookid=JW_CMWIF

Review: From the start, I was drawn to John Wiltshire’s beautifully crafted characters, who are teeming with vulnerability and sweet innocence. Gabriel the fallen angel is beautiful, he’s sexy, and he’s in love with a human. Jake (said human), is hiding from himself and his sexuality. A retired soldier, (now a park ranger), he’s the hottest one in the room (well, he used to be) and quite the womanizer – until Gabriel literally falls into Jake’s life.

Cue giggles and laughter (such well-written humor) as Jake deals with the intrusion of this angel into his life, as Gabriel deals with everyday life as a human, and as they both deal with Jake’s doubts and self-realizations.

The smooth, easygoing nature of the book does abruptly shift, and complications come into play. Jake and Gabriel are weighed down by harrowing uncertainty – Can an angel and a human find a happily ever? Will the forces beyond them allow such a thing? Will Jake’s fears and issues from his past intrude upon their present because of this uncertainty?

With this story, John Wiltshire delivers a literary Rom-Com complete with good feels and the requisite bit of angst. True to the genre, you do have the breakout supporting character that steals the proverbial show. In this case, it is Bob the wolfhound/dog, which is able to fully communicate with Gabriel (of course), and helps to forge a bond between the three that is both amusing and touching.

The path to true love is never smooth (especially when one-half of the couple is otherworldly) but in this case. It is at least vastly entertaining. I laughed at Gabriel, Jake and Bob and the hijinks that took place from the beginning and as they grew together. My gut clenched as I experienced their sadness (yes, Bob too) and I became fearful that their love wasn’t going to prevail. When I did finally put the book down, I’ll be damned if I didn’t have a huge grin on my face, because, yes, I was happy with the ending.

If you want to take a delightful and heart-warming journey with a fallen angel, an ex-soldier in denial of his sexuality to everyone including himself, and a wolfhound/dog named Bob, grab this one up. You’ll be glad you did.

. ** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through www.mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com **

Touch Me by Chris Scully

81f1pYLNjrL._SL1500_Title: Touch Me: An Erotic Romance
Author: Chris Scully
Genre: Erotic Romance
Length: Novella (73 pages)
ISBN: B00NBJCPE6
Publisher: Chris Scully (September 23rd, 2014)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Zane
Blurb: Massage therapist Erik Morgan offers a very special after-hours service to a handful of select clients. From a young man anxious to explore his sexuality, to a stroke patient who fears he’ll never be a man again, Erik touches them all. But no one touches him. Not anymore.

Faced with a personal tragedy, Erik loses himself in helping others. Until one brave client turns the tables and gets under his skin, and Erik finds himself touched in unexpected ways.

Warning! This gay erotic romance novella is intended for an adult audience. It contains explicit scenes of erotic massage, edging, rimming, m/m sex and a vibrator or two.

Purchase Link: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-touchmeaneroticromance-1651358-356.html

Review: I had a feeling I would like this novella (I’m a fan of Chris Scully’s work) and I was not disappointed. From the start, Erik is a character you feel for – harboring his own emotional trauma. He helps others and uses that to bond with his ailing partner. What an emotional ride – the journey of love, loss, finding new love, and a May-December romance as well.

The characters are very likable; the two MCs are absolute sweethearts. The story is gripping from the get-go, and I was rooting for everyone, including the secondary characters being helped by our lovely Erik. The points of view are very clear, the love between couples is strong, and the sex, well, that was hot, too!!!

This book may be short in length but it certainly is not short in substance. Chris Scully is a great storyteller with the ability to elicit deep emotion, both from her characters and her readers. If you are looking for love, lust, laughter and tears in a short read, this book and this author are definitely worth your while.

** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through www.mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com **

Love Without Knowing It by Bronwyn Heeley

91njgpVIzqL._SL1500_Title: Love Without Knowing It
Series: November
Author: Bronwyn Heeley
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (50 pages)
ISBN: HEELE00000001
Publisher: BonyDee (November 1st, 2014)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Zane
Blurb: When everything Paul had ever known turned upside down, suddenly he needs to man up and fight for the love he’s always feared.

Paul’s life was set. He had what he needed and what he was comfortable with. Then a night with one of his regular lovers pulls him into the drama of sickness, love, and death.
In the end, Paul needs to work a few things out first: Is he strong enough to fall in love with a man who may need more than he’s able to give, or will he fall into old habits and run when the relationship gets too complicated?

Purchase Link: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-lovewithoutknowingit-1635456-145.html

Review: This is my first Bronwyn Heeley read, and I am definitely impressed. This quick but full read packed quite a punch. I love a book that (literally) opens up with a bang! A good hot sex scene never fails to start me off smiling, and this was no different. However, within the first few pages the character (and readers) are rocked with a major shift in events and emotion.

Paul and Matt, fun-time lovers, are forced to deal with issues that could cause even the most dedicated married couples to stumble. How they, or more accurately, how Paul navigates this is what really drives the story. Paul, the self-proclaimed playboy matures before our eyes and battle his own issues as Matt deals with a pretty horrifying health scare. When things are difficult in life is when the hard truths surface, as is the case here.

It’s easy to let illness become its own character in a book, but Ms. Heeley does not allow this to happen. Although we do see detail of how Matt and Paul deal with things of that nature, it is with forthright honesty, and mostly so that we see how things affect them. This story is driven by character and emotion, and this book is a reader’s dream.

For a short while, I was transported into the world of these men, and even though I’ve finished reading, I have a feeling Paul and Matt will remain with me for quite some time.

** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through www.mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com **

Memoirs of a Transsexual Call Girl: Enter the Butterfly by Dee Dee Jackson

91ldnCyjFTL._SL1500_Title: Memoirs of a Transsexual Call Girl: Enter the Butterfly
Author: Dee Dee Jackson
Genre: Autobiography/Transgender
Length: 122 pages
ISBN: BOOMNXXOGS
Publisher: Dee Dee Jackson (August 12, 2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3 Hearts
Reviewer: Zane
Blurb: Besides the sensational title, this is a well-written, compelling book with a hard edge. You see, Dee Dee is the woman who lived inside the young boy Denny. Sound confusing? Imagine what young Denny went through? This powerful narrative follows the change in body, mind and life of a transsexual girl.

After a turn to prostitution to finance her sex change surgery Dee Dee makes the best of it and expands her new sex worker life to include owning and operating an escort service. After her surgery, this narrative follows her as she indulges in some of the sexual behavior she had only dreamed about pre-surgery.

OK, this book does have a collection of Dee Dee’s excesses, but it also contains the story of how she overcame some huge obstacles. Courage is courage, be it in sex change surgery or from the view behind the bars of a locked jail cell. Most people would have given up or sought an easier way, but not Dee Dee.

This book is her legacy. Her hope is that it will endure and bring some clarity to readers about the trials of the transgendered. We know Dee Dee endured long enough to finish her journey and see her life’s dream come true, a claim few can make. In a way this book is a success story, it’s about a win, it’s about hope triumphing.

Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/MEMOIRS-TRANSSEXUAL-CALL-GIRL-Butterfly-ebook/dp/B00MNXX0GS

Review: Most of us take what life hands us as right and true, and we don’t question the very basic things that are part of our makeup, but not Dee Dee Jackson. Dee Dee was born Denny, but from her youth she knew she wasn’t supposed to be Denny. This book is the self-penned story of how Dee Dee came to be.

From the beginning, we are given a very transparent window into her life starting with childhood, leading up to and beyond her surgery. Dee Dee talks about traumatic experiences, sexual experiences , family, as well all the things she had to do to get through this life she was living.

Dee Dee is a pioneer of sorts – having a sex change operation at a time when the surgery was new and unfamiliar. It takes great courage to open yourself to the public. I have such respect for this author being able to do something that most of us could never attempt. The things shared here are deep, personal, and by no means easy to divulge or read.

That being said, I wanted more. I wanted a view into her heart as well as her mind. I didn’t just want to KNOW what happened in her life, I wanted to FEEL her emotions and connect with Dee Dee herself.

This is a direct, honest narrative, with a no holds barred approach to storytelling. Dee Dee is not afraid to tell it like it is and it shines through in her writing. My attention was captivated from word one; I read this from beginning to end without pause. I did enjoy this, and it is my hope that perhaps one day Dee Dee will gift us with a deeper look into her story.

. ** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through www.mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com **