A Gaythering Storm

Happy Monday to one and to all. In honor of MLM, I have a couple of videos (one depressing, one hilarious) to share with you.

First, this truly awful "anti-ghey" ad by the ironically named National Organization for Marriage. ooooh, teh ghey...iz scary! I am afraid!



There are a plethora of awesome parodies of this on youtube, but one of my favs is the following. Cuz it makes me laugh. And it has Jason Lewis!

A Gaythering Storm from Jane Lynch

And on that note, today sees the beginning of gay marriage in Iowa. Congratulations to all the happy couples!

MLM - Gobsmacked!

The past few weeks have seen me slide into more and more blog neglect as work and school obligations intensify. I feel guilty and keep thinking I ought to post more but then I open up the blank page and get writers block. Sux. But here's something very noteworthy which is not only easy to blog about but FUN!

As you may or may not know, my pal lisabea has been busy scribbling great m/m stories in addition to maintaining her outrageously entertaining blog Nose In A Book. And just last week her first story was released!

First of all, check out the cover...



Tasty, no? Makes you wanna see more. Here's a brief synopsis...

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Mild mannered Mark Meehan’s good judgment flies out the window when he finds his lover banging another man. Things go from bad to worse as Mark’s crazy revenge scheme uncovers shocking secrets—sending him straight into the arms of hunky lawman and old friend, Tony Gervase, a man of limited patience and secrets of his own.

Hunky lawmen? Crazy revenge and no more Mr. Nice Guy? Oh yeah, I'm so there. Without giving away the whole plot, let me just assure you that there is gonna be witty fun and hawt smex all rolled up into one tasty treat of a story. You know you wanna read it. So surf your way on over to Aspen Press and get your copy today.

Happy ManLove Monday and Congratulations ms. bea!!!

MLM - wedding edition

Since weddings are very much on my mind now, this short clip seemed apropos. Specially for a Monday. Yay love!

Whassit

Good morning friends. Did everyone have a nice Labor Day weekend? I was just thinking to myself that one of the best parts of a 3-day weekend is that it is accompanied by a 4-day work week. yay!

Random notes for the day in no particular order.

1. Lisabea and I collaborated on a ManLoveMonday post yesterday. If you haven't already done so, you can read it here. It's fun and goofy and full of pretty menz photos. Hope you like.

2. Way back in February, I thought it would be fun to see how many people were already wishing for JR Ward's Lover Enshrined on paperbackswap.com before it was even out. 477! And for shits and giggles I put myself on the list to get it at position 478. Well, guess what? It just arrived on Friday. LOL! Think about that. Some 400+ people bought it, read it, and traded it out on PBS. That's a high traffic, high volume book there. To compare, I've been on the wait list for Judy Cuevas' Dance for freakin' EVER and I still haven't budged from number 33.

3. In reference to LE, I'm about halfway through it at this point. Initial thoughts include:
- Yes, Phury is a whiny baby and I want to slap him
- Cormia is not turning out to be as wussy as expected
- Normally I get really tired of the John Matthew interludes but this time they are interesting
- Like others have noted, this book is definitely NOT romance-centric. Pretty standard urban fantasy with a big cast of characters. Not sure how I'm feeling about that.
- Rhevenge!!!!!!
- Regardless of my jonesing for the old-skool type of BDB book (Lover Eternal *sniff*), JR's writing is still freaking addictive and I'm still compelled to find out WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! I had to force myself to put the book down and get to bed last night. So I guess that means the series isn't done with me yet.

3. I had a lovely time unplugging and relaxing yesterday at my cousin's country cabin up in WVA. My DBF and her DBF fished, and we gals lounged on inflatable rafts in the pond. Clear blue skies, sun, breeze, Corona beer and all is right with the world. Good times.

MLM - The Hell You Say!

I should have known. I was warned. Everyone said that Jake Riordan would break my heart and it's true. *sniff* I may never get over this.

Oh hi there. Did you come to celebrate ManLove Monday? Yeah. I'm sorry, but I'm not in the festive mood. Let me tell you why. I fell in like (as in, plz be my BFF) with this guy named Adrien English. He's everything a BFF should be. Funny, witty. Wry and sarcastic. Good taste in books and movies and a thoughtful gift shopper. S'rsly. Every girl needs a good gay friend. And I want Adrien to be mine. But I can't stand watching him get his heart crushed by his erstwhile closeted boyfriend, Homicide Detective Jake Riordan. The rotten bastard!!!!

Lemme go back a bit. I'm clearly getting worked up. See, there is this mystery series written by the incomparable Mr. Josh Lanyon. The Adrien English Mystery Series. And this past week, I read book 3. Title: The Hell You Say. I think it's been reviewed very soundly and thoroughly by many other bloggers out there. So I'm not even going to try to do a proper review. This is my quickie review. But yeah, I'll attempt a brief summary.

Adrien finds himself in the middle of a mystery that includes young college-aged occultist wannabes, missing persons, pentagrams drawn in red blood and a university professor that may or may not be all that he seems. In the meantime, Adrien's mother is thinking of getting remarried and he has to negotiate the relationship with the new potential in-laws. And of course there is the police detective that he's been seeing secretly. Secretly because said policeman is totally in the closet and can't admit to himself let alone the world that he is teh gay! The plot moves along at a good pace. We're not sure who we can trust and the one person we ought to be able to trust (the rat bastard boyfriend) ends up pulling a whopper of a betrayal. But I'm not bitter. No. Uh uh. *ahem*

Anyways, back to the writing. It's good stuff. I've read short stories by Lanyon before and the elements I liked about his writing there stay true here. He has a deft touch with humor and takes the maxim of "show me don't tell me" to heart. The writing is tight, and we're treated to Adrien's take on events as they happen. Being inside Adrien's head is a great place to be. He's funny and sarcastic but also has an edge of vulnerability. It's the vulnerability, the ordinariness and realness of him that really gets me. Because unlike some heros in a murder mystery, Adrien acts like you might expect a normal person to react to finding things like dead bodies. Shock, fear, confusion but with a stubborn determination to feret out the truth behind the lies. It's this determination and ability to move beyond the knee-jerk reaction to horrible events that makes Adrien such a scrappy contender. He may not be a muscle-bound he-man, but he's got a brain and he's not afraid to use it.

I finished this book in a swirling mix of emotions. Happy that I had had the chance to meet Adrien. Satisfied with the denouement of the mystery. And absolutely spitting furious at Jake. Really. Angry. (just ask my buddy lisabea...I was sending her raging emails. lol) I think that it's a testament to Lanyon's writing skill that I feel so strongly about these fictional characters. I may not like what he's done with them, but I'm going to trust (fingers crossed) that it will all work out in the end...be that the next book or the one after it. I'm certainly going to be along for the ride.

Visit Josh Lanyon's official website here. Buy The Hell You Say here as an e-book or at Amazon in paperback.

Oh and be sure to visit my partner-in-crime lisabea for more MLM today.

MLM - Mini review

Good morning MLM lovers! It's that day of the week again. While I do not have anything lengthy prepared, I thought I would put up a very short review of a Jet Mykles story. To go along with galpal lisabea's interview with Jet today.

The story Key to Me is an entry in an anthology called The Ties that Bind published by MLR press (that stands for ManLoveRomance...love it!) Noah has been in and out of relationships always looking for that special someone whom he can truly fall in love with but never quite finding his match. Lately, he has been receiving gifts from a secret admirer, and the fact that each gift indicates this admirer really knows him and his most intimate desires is both driving him crazy and seducing the hell out of him. Longtime friend and roommate Mitch continues to tease him about finding his mystery man. His work friends are also involved and eagerly await the details of the latest gift. Noah wonders who it could possibly be.

Then one day Noah receives a note along with his latest gift telling him when and where to meet his secret admirer. Hotness ensues. Mr. Mystery manages to keep his identity shrouded by having Noah wear a blindfold. Did I mention that hotness ensues? Lots of great sexy sex with a slight touch of light BDSM play. Noah becomes more and more emotionally fixated on his mystery lover because he seems to know instinctively what Noah wants, what Noah needs. Hell, who wouldn't be seduced by that? It's romantic fantasy at its best.

Um, so I won't give away the big ol' spoiler, but I'm guessing you can figure it out. The finale is very emotionally satisfying, and I finished the story with a big smile and an "awww, that is so romantic" kind of sigh. Definitely giving this little story a thumbs up. And the rest of the anthology looks good too (I've read about half of the other entries so far). If you're looking for a tasty manlove collection, you can't go wrong with this one.

As I mentioned earlier, miz lisabea is interviewing author Jet Mykles over at her blog today. So go forth and enjoy! Happy MLM!

MLM - I got nothin'

...well, in fact I DO have something. But that something is a book and not a review (yet). What I have in my hot little hands is the second book in the Jesse and Gideon series (I'm sure they actually have a name, but I am going with Jesse and Gideon because I luvs them). You remember Master of Obsidian by Jamie Craig? This is book 2. Oh yes, there are MORE stories with these two fantastic guys.

More crimes to be solved. More mysteries to unfold. More kinky vampire sex games. More hot manlove!

You can read an excerpt here

Happy ManLove Monday everybody! Head over to lisabea's for a totally fun interview with m/m author Ally Blue.

ManLove Monday - Master of Obsidian by Jamie Craig part deux

WAIT! Lisabea and I are doing a dueling review today. And the party is so big and fun that it cannot be contained on only one blog. No, no, we are spreading our tentacles of MLM across both our blogs. If you haven't already read part one, you gotta head over to lisabea's blog for the beginning....found here. Done reading part one? Ok, now you can begin. :)

...

whew. No one ever said that this book was hearts and flowers. Gideon reminds me just a little bit of an ethically challenged super hero. Super-hero because like Batman et al, he has “sworn to protect the city” and lurks in the shadows fighting the evil bad things that go bump in the night. Ethically challenged because, let’s face it, the guy is in many ways amoral. He’s not a cuddly vampire. Hell, his idea of a first date is taking Jesse to a vampire bar and screwing his brains out in front of an audience. With audience participation. *fans self* Did I mention that this amorality is in fact part of what makes him so goddammed attractive and irresistible? Uh huh. A bad boy who really is bad.

So. wait. Goddamnit. The plot? I always stray from the POINT! OK, well basically the drug Obsidian heightens a vampires desire. Frees them of their restraint. And they kill.

Someone is trying to hook the vamp population on Obsidian and then incite them to do evil things. You might even call this drug lord the MASTER of Obsidian (sorry, had to say it). Between bouts of hot manly manlove, our heros must track down the Obsidian pushers and end their nefarious plans. JUST SAY NO to drugs, kids! Actually, it is nice to see Jesse and Gideon work together in tandem as a partnership outside of the bedroom as well as in it. For all the rough and edgy sexxoring, both of these guys have a sense of humor. The banter between them and the way they are so clearly in tune with one another just adds another layer to the story and the nature of their friendship contrasts with the way they interact in the sexual realm. It's fascinating to see the duality in each of their characters. Gideon likes his partners to beg but he also respects the hell out of Jesse for his strength and intelligence. Jesse is smart, clean cut and something of a brainiac but he craves submission.

"What about what I want?" he countered. "You're the best friend and partner I've ever had. Doesn't that count for anything?"
"What makes you think I'd stop being those things, Gideon? I'm still your friend. I still know you better than anybody, and the only way I'd ever stop being your partner is if you fired me. And we both know you'd never do that, because you don't like to research."
"Because sex is messy, Jess. Especially the kind of sex..." He braced himself for being honest. "...I'd want."
"That's why we shower afterward," Jess joked, but it fell flat. "Gideon, the kind of sex you want is the kind of sex I want. You haven't frightened me, or horrified me, or maimed me, or damaged me. We're both consenting adults, and I'm not so naïve I don't know what I'm consenting to."

The glue that holds this the festival of fluids and buddy love together is the underlying theme of trust. Soooo many layers of trust going on in this book. The obvious...clearly any two characters involved in a BDSM relationship have got to have a foundation of trust to build upon. Although our heros have a strong friendship, they both make a leap of faith in risking that relationship. Gideon must learn to trust that Jesse can make his own choices. However, the erotic thrill ride within this little novel is the gripping fear that Gideon may accidentally kill Jesse by going a step too far. And it's not Jesse who possesses the will power to say no. His trust is implicit. The will to stop lies solely within the tattered moral compass of that reformed killer of humans for sport and pleasure, Gideon. It's one DARK fucking adventure. And I mean that most literally.

"And what was her great sin, Gideon?" Anger rippled through his every word. It was the reaction Gideon had feared.

"She killed a man, remember? She did more than kill him. You read the coroner's report. He was still alive when she tore into his gut."

Jesse yanked at his collar, revealing the bites on his neck. Even the one that was over a week old still looked deep and red. "I never stopped you because I trusted that you wouldn't leave me an empty husk. Even later that night, when you practically turned me into your chew toy. I would bet money that Toby trusted her the same way, and I believe she never meant to get high on obsidian when she was with him. Henry infected her, Gideon. I don't know why, but I think she's telling the truth. She didn't intend to hurt him."
Gideon wanted to point out that there was a distinct difference between Tricia and himself, but realized as the words poised on his tongue that maybe the difference wasn't as great as he thought. Tricia had tried to hold back because Toby was important to her. It was the exact same reason he'd given himself for protecting Jess.

S'riously. I'm not an expert in the ways of writing good BDSM, but I have to say that I think one key for me as a reader is that balance between the threat of violence and the foundation of trust. Love, desire, and fear all wrapped up in one heckuva erotic cocktail. You have to believe that the characters could be in actual danger even as you believe that everything is gonna be alright. Gideon and Jesse? All I can say is, it worked for me. Me too. Yowza.

I have to hand it to Pepper and Vivien. Sula and I worked for hours trying to figure out how to do this properly, what the hell we were going to say and how to divy up the work load. And, well ok, I need to admit that I didn't finish reading until 5 on Sunday (suck AND blow as a partner). I wondered how the pair could possibly write one paragraph at a time, back and forth, and maintain that voice...but it does happen through the shared process. We opted to color coordinate our writing cuz we is very proud of ourselves....

Pepper and Vivien both will be around the blogs today to answer any questions. There are quite a few books in this series (5) and this here book was on the Debabahahlrl. Jamie Craig will be posting a serial over at Bam's big ole website (woot to free lit-ticher!) soon.

Man Love Monday - video quickie

heh.

Well, I had hoped to have a review of Master of Obsidian all ready to go for MLM. I got started on it, but life in the way of MBA finals week and other committments seems to have gotten in the way. And I really want to give the book enough thought and time to write a substantive review. Soooo.

Is it really any surprise that I default to another clip of my new boyfriend Captain Jack smooching it up with yet another one of the Torchwood guys? That Cap'n Jack...he sure knows how to kiss.



thanks to katiebabs for finding this one!

And now everyone must head on over to sarai's blog where she has written an excellent review of Josh Lanyon's book Fatal Shadows. It's her first time to participate in MLM, so go over and give her some luuuuurve!!! :)

MLM - A Bit of Rough

Before I start, let me just say that I decided to read A Bit of Rough earlier this weekend without being conscious of the fact that author Laura Baumbach would be guesting at lisabea's blog today for MLM. (Go read all about it!) So the fact that I'm reviewing one of her books is a happy coincidence. Or at least I hope it will be. Actually, it just makes me freaking nervous because I don't want to write a poor review and be ridiculed by all my friends and closest internet buddies. Oh the pressure!!!

Well enough of that, on to the book.

The distant sound of a brief argument down the alley reminded James of the possibility of discovery and he groaned and shuddered, the tremor running the length of his tense, exhausted frame. The low, throaty voice vibrated at the base of his ear lobe, coming in short, electrifying pants that pushed James' excitement even higher.
"That's it, that's it. Tremble for me, baby. I'll give you what you need. I'll take you as rough as you can stand. Fucking shake for me, baby."

A Bit of Rough may have THE single best opening chapter I have read in a very very long time. It's tight, it's hot and it throws us right into the emotional heart of our main character. Up and coming architect James Justin is trying to get over a really shitty day by knocking back a few beers in a dive bar on the wrong side of town. He happens to lock eyes with a rugged blue-eyed man across the room and before you know it, one thing leads to another and they are out in the alley behind the bar against a brick wall, having the most amazing, mind blowing sex. James doesn't even know the other guy's name at this point, referring to him in his mind only as Cowboy.

A knee was forced between his legs and Cowboy's weight settled heavily against his aching groin. James looked up into a pair of hungry eyes that glittered in the dim light. Waves of lust rolled off of his captor, washing over him like pounding surf, dragging him along with the dangerous undertow, and making it hard for him to breathe. A noticeable shudder ran down his spine.
....

"No, you wouldn't be on this side of town, in this bar, if gentle was what you were looking for. Maybe you want it a little rougher."

Cowboy seems to know exactly what James wants even if James isn't able to admit it to himself. And boy does he give it to him (heh). And boy, does the author give it to us. In every luscious sweat-drenched, body-pounding detail. Really, this one goes on my list as a definite contender for BFF (*Best First Fuck as defined by moi in the recent awards show chez lisabea.)

After this heated encounter, James is not altogether sure if he ought to see this man again, but he can't quite help himself. He makes the phone call and pretty soon he and Bram (that's his name btw, NOT Cowboy) are headlong into a torrid and fast-moving courtship. Bram owns a construction firm and gets out there on the job from time to time. I dunno about you, but to me, construction worker is shorthand for ultra-manly-man. Which can come off as just a little stereotypical, but I do like how Bram is openly gay and proud in a profession that would seem to be a tad hostile.

Both in and out of the bedroom, Bram is a very take-charge kind of guy, and James seems content to be swept off his feet (sometimes quite literally). The sex between these two is smoking hot and takes up a lot of screen time. While there are other elements to the story, most notably some run-ins with a menacing neighbor in James' apartment building and James' insecurity about his public identity as a gay man, the focus really is on the relationship between Bram and James.

And this is actually one of the things that detracted from my appreciation of the book. I had a hard time believing the breakneck speed at which these two guys go from anonymous bar alley quickie (well, ok it wasn't all THAT quick but you know what I mean) to lovers forever, mated, in luuuurve. By the end of the first date, Bram is already making noises like James is THE ONE for him. For his part, James tends to be indecisive and needy and this made me doubt the authenticity of his sudden feelings for Bram. While the sexxoring between these two guys is hotHOT, I didn't feel like I got to know them as individuals or as a couple outside the bedroom.

I think that the plot suffered from too tight a focus on the action between our two leads where it could have benefited from more character development. That said, Baumbach writes in a very smooth prose, and I thought that the dialogue flowed easily. I think that romance readers who like a strong alpha hero who rescues the hero(ine) and saves the day would enjoy this book. Oh, and that first chapter...seriously worth the price of admission all by itself.

Grade: B-

Man Love Monday

omg, my gal pal lisabea has an exclusive interview with JL Langley (much beloved m/m author, see previous entries on this blog and chez LB) for the ongoing celebration of Man Love Monday. Check it out and enter the contest! I hear that a PRINT copy of My Fair Captain is available for the winning as well as a copy of With Caution. Most excellent! Go forth and win!!!! *g*

Man Love Monday strikes again...

...but not on lazy sula's space. Thankfully dear lisabea has prepared an entry of awesomeness which is so good that it is worth two blog entries (mine and hers). So please, surf on over to Nose in a Book for your weekly dose of manlovin'.

Cheers!

Man Love Monday: Cops edition

Hello friends. It's Man Love Monday and for once in a long time I have more than just a Captain Jack video to share with you. (although goddamit, that Cap'n Jack is so good with the manlove). Anyways, our topic today is an m/m anthology of three short stories called Arresting Developments. In each story at least one of the heros is involved in law enforcement. I'm going to review them in order of best, pretty good, and nope that didn't work for me. Let's start with the best, shall we?

In a Dark Wood by Josh Lanyon
Thanks to my blogging buddy, lisabea, I had already been exposed to Josh Lanyon's witty persona via livejournal and blog comments. I knew the guy had a way with words, but dayum! What I didn't know was that he had such a knack for drawing realistic characters and sucking you into a narrative within one page flat! This is a taut little gem of a story. It has a creepy mystery angle mixed in with an emotional journey of self-discovery and a tender budding relationship. Travel writer and columnist Tim is set up by a friend with detective Luke. The two of them embark on a weekend camping trip to explore a spooky house in the woods where Tim had a traumatic childhood memory. Along the way, they learn more about each other and Tim faces some realities about himself that he's been avoiding. The story is told in first-person from Tim's point of view, but rather than being limiting, this device adds to the layers of how we access both characters.

I mentioned that there's a mystery, and I'm not kidding. It got truly SCARY for a few minutes there, and I was turning the pages quickly and hoping that everything would turn out ok in the end (it does). *whew* You may be saying, fine fine, that's all well and good but what about the sex? Here's the thing, I found the lovemaking between our two heros to be really organic and romantic. It's not as HAWT as you might be expecting, but I loved it. Again, Lanyon has this way with his words. It felt earthy and natural, and not just tossed in to spice things up. The sex isn't there just for sex's sake. It serves the story and expands our awareness of the characters' emotional development.

"I need so much. There's such a big gaping emptiness in me. I need him to fill it with heat and hungry demands; I want his need to overwhelm my own."

le sigh. In my inexpert opinion, this is a character study drawn in confident strokes. The guys jump off the page, and you get a sense for what makes them tick but without long passages of boring or obvious exposition. Lanyon's writing makes it look easy. Give the man an A and for goodness sake, give me more of his books.

Coyote Crossing by James Buchanan.
Now on to my second favorite story in the anthology. This one is about a border patrol officer in the Southwest. One night while stopping a group of illegal immigrants, he finds the leader of the group is none other than a childhood friend. Actually, it's the little brother of his best friend from high school but lil' brother is all grown up now. Augustin, or Augi, has fallen in with the wrong crowd since Rick knew him as a teenager. Now he's mixed up with trafficking people across the border and possibly with drugs as well. Rick is allowed to vouch for Augi so that he won't have to get tossed in jail immediately and takes him back to his apartment. (This whole bit I wasn't real sure of...is that legal? ethical? I dunno...just roll with it, it's fiction). There's some nice angst between these two guys. Rick can't believe that he's attracted to his best friend's kid brother. Back when they were in high school, Augi used to shadow him and look up to him. It's pretty obvious to the reader that Augi had a crush on Rick back in those days, but apparently this never occured to Rick. They spend some quality time together talking about family and the past. Rick gets the chance to rescue Augi from some nasty drug dealers (awww) and then Augi comes out of the closet to Rick. hooray! (oh come on, we knew it all along didn't we?) Imagine making it with that guy you always dreamed about as a teenager but who never even knew you existed as a potential romantic partner. I think anyone can relate to this, and I know that I found the consumation of Rick and Augi's attraction to be rather sweet and emotionally satisfying. We're left with a definite HFN which is fine and dandy with me for such a quick story.

Grade: B

Gamble Everything by L. Picaro

I didn't really want to review this one. Not because I am squeamish about bad reviews. But frankly, this story bored me. I'll do my best to be quick, honest, and fair.

Adam is a police officer who comes to the aid of a man who just ran off the road because someone shot at him. This man, Marc, looks vaguely familiar to Adam, but he can't place him. Marc says that he's pretty sure he was shot at because he's gay, and that he'd just received threats while leaving a local bar. Adam thinks this is a bit odd because he's also openly gay and has lived in this town for years without any issues. After taking Marc to the police station to fill out some forms, Adam drives him home. The attraction between them is immediate and intense. Then Adam realizes why he recognizes Marc. He's a famous porn star who disappeared from the industry some time ago. Porn star? alrighty then. And it goes from there. Bow-chicka-bow.

I dunno, maybe I'm being too critical. Or maybe this just wasn't the right anthology for this story after the previous two entries. But in any event, I did not connect emotionally with either Marc or Adam. It all felt just a little too, dare I say it...porny. Oh well.

Grade: D+

Two out of three ain't bad.

You can find Arresting Developments at Aspen Mountain Press.

And for more ManLove Monday fun, please surf over to lisabea's to catch her awesome interview with author Samantha Kane!!! And also, don't miss azteclady's review of JL Langley's The Broken H over at Karen's blog. Happy MLM!

Manlove Monday Lite

I'm emerging from my cocoon of financial data analysis overload (don't ask...big MBA class project due next week, entire weekend spent manipulating numbers in spreadsheets and creating financial models, w00t).

Anyways, blogger buddy lisabea and I decided to hold an abbreviated version of our patended MLM ™. This week's entry will be short and sweet (at least on my end...I think hers will be longer and bettah). But hopefully still entertaining and fun. *g*

This is yet another short clip from Torchwood. That Captain Jack...he knows how to kiss teh mens! But rather than tender and romantic, this interchange tends towards the aggressive and violent. whoooeeeee, it's hot in there! All you Buffy fans will no doubt recognize the object of Jack's affection/aggression.



Happy Manlove Monday to everyone!

Man Love Monday - version 3.0

Hello again. Well, we're back with another edition of Man Love Monday. Yes, that's right. A whole day dedicated to blogging about the beauty of m/m. As always, please be sure to check out my uber-cool buddy lisabea's blog for an exclusive interview with author Josh Lanyon, and of course (her specialty) HOT photos.


As I talked about last time, I had a great experience reading JL Langley on my first venture into straight-up (teehee) m/m romance. So I figured that I would try another book by her. This time I read With Caution which is an entry in what appears to be a series based around a pack of gay werewolves. (Well, to be fair, I don't think it's a requirement that they be gay to be in their pack, but it seemed like 90% of them were. So I guess we can call it that.)

Our story starts off with a bang. Nothing like a wetdream about oral sex to pick up the pace. Yowza! Our young hero Remi is trying to come to terms with his new werewolfness and what seems to be an unlikely attraction to his friend Jake. He has these new tingly exciting feelings of arousal which confuses him because he can't possibly be gay. Or can he? Remi comes from an abusive background in which his homophobic father routinely beat the crap out of him. His younger brother still lives at home and Remi will do almost anything to protect Sterling. He doesn't want to do anything to piss off his father to the point that he'll hurt Sterling and this makes him afraid to explore the new feelings he has for Jake.

Jake knows that Remi is destined to be his mate. Why? Don't ask me, it's some sort of magic having to do with werewolves and karma and stuff. In any event, Jake knows that Remi is THE one even if it's going to take Remi a while to figure this out. Once he does though, LOOK OUT! Actually, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised that the 'getting together' part didn't get dragged out too long. Once the idea of being Jake's mate has been introduced to Remi, he seems to get used to the concept with relatively little angst. Hooray, now let's get down to the good stuff! Jake and Remi are really good together. Their love scenes are tender and emotional yet passionate and forceful. Oh and down-right hot. Exhibit A: Leather chaps + red jock strap = oh hell yeah!

Of course, trouble brews with the mean old father, but in the end, Remi's pack has his back. What I liked about this story was that the guys were, well, guys. They played football and drove Harleys and shot pool. They razzed each other and tussled. The dynamic between Jake, Remi and the rest of their pack felt very natural. A bunch of guys who happen to be werewolves, and oh yeah, many of them are coupled up as mates. While this book didn't work as well for me as My Fair Captain (most likely because I'm a historical reader at heart and don't read many contemps), what I do like about Langley's writing is a sense of respect for her characters. I never feel like the m/m factor is there to shock or titillate. It's just a fact of life and you're sucked into the story and are rooting for the HEA just as you would for any other romance couple.

So three cheers for a happy ending for two hot and sexy men. I give this book a solid B.

And now I leave you with possibly one of the most romantic (and achingly sad) things I've seen in quite some time. Merci beaucoup to Carrie Lofty for the heads up on this. Just watch and be moved. Talk about Man Love! le sigh.



Oh, in case anyone wants to know, the clip is from the television series Torchwood and you can catch it on BBC America on Saturdays and Sundays.

And the winner is...

....(drumroll)...

Cathy B! Your name was drawn out of the hat in my little contest for a copy of the most excellent My Fair Captain by JL Langley. woot! congrats! Shoot me an email at sulawesigirl4 at yahoo dot com so I can figure out how this whole e-book gift certificate thingy works. lol. A hot bundle of man love will soon be winging its way to you. Nate and Aiden! Humina yumina! :)

If it's Monday, it must be...

...yes, that's right, Manlove! Back by popular demand. A day to talk about all things related to the men lovin' the men. Of course, you will have already checked out the fabulous blog of dear lisabea for hijinks and hot man pics. And if you haven't checked it out, then hurry up and do so!

For myself, I have a bit of a confession to make. I was all set to do some pondering and deep thinking and had planned to write about my introduction to m/m love in books. And then I got side-tracked. Basically, my whole day got eaten up by obsessively watching Season 1 of Doctor Who. Did you know that Netflix does this thing where you can stream video over the web and watch movies instead of waiting for them to come through the mail? Yeah. Pretty cool stuff! Um yeah, so that's why this entry will be short and probably a lot less intelligent-sounding than first intended.

But let's go back to the beginning. I have been trying to think back and recall the very first time that I read a book that included some m/m action. I don't want to count the bits from some of Robin Schone's books (I'm vaguely remembering something from The Lady's Tutor?) where m/m is a kind of shorthand for 'evol and depraved' cuz honestly, where's the love? No, I think the first time I ever stumbled across manlove would have to be when I picked up the last installment in Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty erotic novels. Holey wow! For a nice little Christian missionary girl like me, this was an eye-opening experience. (*cue music to "A Whole New World"*)

From there I moved on to some good ol' Emma Holly. First up was Menage which I got because I thought it sounded kinda spicy. And it was. Only the spiciest bits were not so much the threesomes, they were the intense and passionate exchanges between Joe and Sean. That whole ending where Joe comes back all alpha male and "marries" Kate? Rubbish. I don't buy it for a moment. Those guys have to be together. Whether or not they add Kate to the mix is immaterial. Point being, it was the first time that I was emotionally rooting for the other guy (something like cheering the notorious "other woman" perhaps?) to get the guy.

More Emma Holly followed. Cooking Up a Storm featured a hot Quebecois chef who was very, shall we say, comfortable with his sexuality? And another Holly book, Fairyville, again was all about the connection between the two men that made the book worth reading. All that crap about Magnus and his magical wee wasn't nearly as compelling as Bryan and Alex. (Although I will say that the best scene in the book, for my money, is when Magnus goes down on Bryan...hothothot!)

Which leads me to my first REAL m/m romance novel. Yes, you knew I had to mention it. My Fair Captain by the incomparable JL Langley. I already blogged about this one, so I won't rehash it here. But since then, I'm both eager to jump into more m/m books and also terrified to do so for fear that none of them will live up to my very high expectations after Langley. Now that I've typed that, the solution occurs to me that I should probably start by...um...reading more Langley? righto, sula, you're a real bright one.

Anyways, to finish this rather rambling entry, I figured I'd take a page from my dear buddy lisabea and offer a copy of My Fair Captain to one lucky reader out there. Yeah, ok, perhaps it's just a scheme to get you to comment on my blog, but consider...you could win one of the best reads of 2007! So join in the fun of the day and share your thoughts, recommendations, cheers, jeers, or whatever.

Happy Manlove Monday!

another week gone

Well at least it is Friday. Haven't really felt like blogging much this week. I did finish Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts and Vixen by Jane Feather and may try to write up some very brief comments on them this weekend. But to be quite honest, I'm still feeling a little blue about the previous entry's subject. I know, that's crazy. I didn't know the guy. But there you go. Makes me think about mortality and life and all that serious stuff.

Anyways, I'm also back to having my Tuesday and Thursday nights taken up with MBA classes. I'm studying Operations and Supply Chain Management as well as Financial Management. As boring as it sounds, there are moments of coolness, the times when I'm reading a textbook or sitting in class and I get an "aha" moment. What I'm really hoping for is to be able to take some of the ideas and apply them to my own job. I have a fair amount of flexibility and say-so in how my area is run, but I get so busy in the day to day tasks that I don't often take the time to step back and make a master plan for the year. This is something that I really have to do. I don't want to stay a worker bee, I want to move up in the world. Probably would be a good idea to develop some more organizational skills.

Oh, it looks like lisabea and I (and others?) will be resurrecting Man Love Monday, so stay tuned. I'm contemplating my contribution but still haven't settled on an exact topic. Most likely Emma Holly will figure into it though, since I'm a relative newbie to m/m anything. I'm almost worried that My Fair Captain will have spoiled me. Can they all be that good? Inquiring minds want to know.

K, time to go to work and be productive. See you on the other side!

(I'm posting white shirt just to cheer me up and make me smile. Nothing new to see here, but sometimes you just need comfort eye candy. le sigh)

Man Love Monday spillover...

Just because it amuses me, here's a Guy of Gisborne/Robin Hood slash-y fan video. Enjoy...

Man Love Monday - Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade review

And now for the second part of my contribution to Man Love Monday...(if you still haven't checked out the awesomeness on lisabea's blog, make sure you do!)


Now we move to a more somber and serious story. I’m a longtime reader and fan of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books. When Lord John Grey showed up, I must admit that I wasn’t very fond of him. Mainly because he carried a torch for Jamie and I’m irrationally protective of Jamie. He’s Claire’s (and mine of course, but that doesn’t count), and I don’t want anyone else lusting after him. Like, I said…irrational. But since Lord John has started starring in his own series of mystery stories, my views on him have taken a complete turn.

I “read” Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade as an audiobook. There is something to be said about curling up in bed, in the darkness of the night and falling asleep gently to the sound of a story. Each night as I got further into the story and got to know Lord John better, the more I was intrigued by him. He’s a man of intense honor. A soldier who knows how to lead men and how to inspire loyalty. And yet, he must keep the most essential part of him a secret. I found it fascinating how LJ is both completely comfortable with his sexuality (in a conversation with a lover, he says that he’s never wished he was not gay) but yet completely in the closet. He HAS to be for the sake of his career, his family, and his very life. Being a gay man in 18th century England was not accepted. Indeed, there were repercussions far worse than simply being looked down upon. Dishonor, ruin, even prison and death.

This book is not a romance novel but does contain romantic elements. As far as the actual plot of the story is concerned, it is like any good Gabaldon tale. Long and seemingly meandering but everything falls together in the end. Long ago, the death of Lord John’s father cast a shadow of scandal over the entire family. Although it was accepted a suicide, LJ is certain that it was in fact murder and new information prompts him to undertake a quiet investigation. In the meantime, his regiment is preparing to reenter the war in mainland Europe, he embarks on a new love affair and all the while manages to balance everything with his trademark wit, grace and dry sense of humor that makes him such a memorable character. Something that I particularly enjoyed was the delicate and unspoken dance of words, gestures and double meanings that serve to convey meaning between himself and other gay men right in plain view of everyone. For an excellent example, check out the following excerpt.

As it happened, I was listening to this book at the same time I was reading My Fair Captain. The juxtaposition of gay men in an open society vs. gay men in a closeted society was really quite interesting. It made me very sad that Lord John would never be able to openly experience a loving relationship with a partner of his choice. By the end of the book, I was aching for him and what seemed to be a lonely future stretching before him. I know that Gabaldon isn't finished with him yet and he still has a role to play in the Outlander books, so I'll continue to hope that he finds some measure of happiness. And I'll continue to have a little crush on him.

A