Eli's Favs: Made for You by Anyta Sunday

I adored this book. I think it's my new number one from Anyta Sunday, which is saying a lot. It's slow burn romance , may-december, with hurt-comfort elements. Those are my favorite things in a romance.

We have two brothers -- Ben and Milo. Ben is trying to raise his little brother Milo after their parents are killed, but he's not quite making it. Between emotional issues, trying to work enough to pay the bills, and Milo acting out, Ben is drowning.

Enter Jack, one of Milo's teachers, and a guy who fixes up houses to flip in his spare time. When he sees the difficulties the brothers are in, he offers to help them fix up the family home for sale. Ben is much younger than Jack, but he's immediately attracted to him. Jack, though, tries to keep Ben strictly in the friend-zone because of the delicate situation, all while falling for the Ben-Milo-and Me family dynamic.

So well-written and excellent all around. I highly recommend!

GOODREADS LINK

AMAZON US LINK

Eli's Favs: "The Henchmen of Zenda" by KJ Charles

This book is so fantabulous, I want to hold it up and sing songs to it. 
OK, that might be a bit much. But it really is marvelous. The writing is excellent and the daring-do characters are so much fun. This is definitely an intrigue/swashbuckler tale with a dash of romance, as opposed to the other way around, but it is a perfect read IMHO. It gets the historical tone just right, and the first-person narration sparkles. Just smashing!

My Favorite Christmas Romances - Sinfully Sexy Guest Post

I'm on Sinfully Sexy today talking about my favorite Christmas gay romances for my "Midwinter Night's Dream" blog tour. Lots of wonderful books and all highly recommended. http://sinfullymmbookreviews.blogspot.de/2015/12/featured-guest-author-eli-easton-on-her.html

Book Rec: "Think of England" by KJ Charles

How do I love this book? Let me count the ways!

I've only read one KJ Charles before, A Charm of Magpies, which I really liked, but I didn't feel compelled to read the rest in that series. Now that I've read Think of England, I am firmly a fan!

First, I've always loved m/f regency romances, but it's hard to find a good m/m romance in set in anything but contemporary England for obvious reasons. This book handles that brilliantly. It is absolutely true to that era and uses the difficulties as part of the obstacles/plotline. The attitudes and lingo all felt very accurate. It still has that sort of 'cozy' Agatha Christie feel I love while also being a hot m/m romance. Bravo! That's a tough nut to crack (no pun intended).

Second, I adored the characters. Daniel is gorgeous with his wicked cruel tongue and sharp wit. I loved how he got them out of a jam several times just using his brain (even against weapons). I loved the foppish air he affected or dropped just as easily. And his 'Viking', Archie, is as stolid and steady and English as they come. I loved the slight GFY twist to this and loved Archie's bullheaded plodding forward regardless.

Third, the writing is just damn good. There's not an excess of flowery meandering but every line is well-written. The dialogue especially was just awesome.

Fourth, I also liked the secondary characters, most specifically the two ladies who helped save the day. Nice to see non-fainting femmes.

Fifth, I'm not much of a fan of continuing series with established couples, but KJ did a brilliant job of giving me some hot scenes with Daniel and Archie while holding enough of their relationship back that I definitely want to read the next book.

If you haven't tried KJ you definitely should. She's one of the best m/m writers out there IMHO.

When M/M Goes Wild

I love contemporary m/m romances, as those on who follow my goodreads reviews (or even this blog) know.  However, after reading hundreds of such books, I sometimes get a yen for something a little different. I grew up reading horror:  Stephen King, John Saul, Dean Koonz, Anne Rice.  Every book I read in high school—and that was a lot—had a shiny black cover. You know the books I mean.  I also love science fiction movies (I Robot, Bladerunner, 2001, Matrix, District 9, Battlestar Gallactica).  In a previous incarnation as an author I wrote thrillers and sci-fi in the 90’s.

So after getting addiction to m/m romance, and writing some contemporaries of my own, I find the “weird” and the “wild” creeping back in.  After all – a plotty plot, some chills and thrills, and m/m sex. What could be better than that?

Some of my favorite “Wild” m/m stand alone stories:

Bone Rider by J. Fally – A ‘first contact’ story that reads like a best selling thriller. Excellent plotting and characters, plus an unusual and hot m/m romance, make this a must-read for m/m fans.

Kraken by M. Caspian – A wonderful blend of horror and m/m romance, in Kraken a man visits an island only to become trapped there and in a dubious consent relationship with something that has… tentacles. Creepy and compelling.

Billy’s Bones  by Jamie Fessenden – A dark murder mystery/psychological thriller as well as a m/m romance, Billy’s Bones is an excellent story that will keep you hooked.

Wilde Stories: Year’s Best Gay Speculative Fiction anthologies:

This series collects the year’s best in gay sci-fi/fantasy/horror fiction. Not all of them are romance, but all are worth reading. My story “Caress” from Dreamspinner’s “Steamed Up” anthology will appear in the 2014 volume.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/65283-wilde-stories

Some good free stories from LHNB 2013:

Prisoner 374215  by Angel Martinez --  Sci-fi dystopian story about a man who no longer remembers who he was – angsty, dark and sweet!

The Sentinel by Eden Winters – Sci-fi story about a part android soldier who deserts in order to save a baby.  "Terminator" meets a gay version of "Two Men and a Baby".

When You Were Pixels by Julio-Alexi Genao – A highly rated bittersweet sci-fi story with a hurt/comfort, enemies-to-lovers theme.

You Get Full Credit For Being Alive by Cari Z. – I would classify this as a thriller with a m/m romance subplot. Really well-written assassin/thriller characters and plot.

The gothika anthology series

My love of this writing type of fiction inspired me to start a new series of anthologies of gothic horror/fantasy  stories with a m/m romance twist.  I brainstormed with Jamie Fessenden and gothika was born.  The first volume, “Stitch” came out Apr 21, 2014, and includes novellas by myself, Jamie, Kim Fielding and Sue Brown.  All of the stories in “Stitch” have a Frankenstine/made man theme. Each subsequent volume of gothika will have a different theme (the next one is called “Bones” and features Voodoo—it’s due out Halloween 2014).

I love all the stories in “Stitch”, which isn’t surprising given the fact that I love all the authors.  Kim’s story “The Golem of Mala Lubovnya” is set in 17^th century Eastern Europe and retells the golem legend with a lovely m/m spin.  “Watchworks” by Jamie Fessenden is set in Victorian London and involves a watchmaker and his unusual new client.   (hot!)  “Made For Aaron” by Sue Brown is a mostly contemporary story about a man who is rescued by an unlikely ally after being sent to an asylum for being homosexual.  My story, “Reparation” is set on a dystopian sci-fi planet but don’t let that scare you off—it’s a moody “Wuthering Heights” type story featuring a huge and sexy cyborg named Knox.

Go Wild

Check out “Stitch” of any of these other stories and take a walk on the wild side of m/m romance.  You might be surprised at how much you like the change of pace.

You can read an excerpt from my "Stitch" story here.

Eli Easton

Guest Kim Fielding: Heating Up Already?

Okay, so it's barely May and aleady it's in the upper 90s around here. I am stubbornly refusing to turn on the air conditioning--despite having a cold. I will suffer. The temptation in weather like this is to turn to something light and frothy. A beach read, right? Preferably one that actually occurs at the beach. If you're looking for that, I offer my novellaTreasure, which you can download for free here. Or maybe you want a road trip story, like my soon-to-be-released Motel. Pool. Or a vacation tale like Venetian Masks.

But you know what? I think you ought to be contrary. As those temps climb and the days grow longer, I think you should curl up with something a little dark. Something with monsters. Like our new anthology, Stitch, of course. It contains novellas by Sue Brown, Eli Easton, Jamie Fessenden, and me, each of which will make you think about what it really means to be human. Maybe you'll even be cooled a bit with a chill up your spine--or else heated up with some steamy lovin'.

The four of us will be joined by B.G. Thomas for a second book in the Gothika series; this book will contain voodoo stories. Mine's called "The Dance" and was submitted today. That book should release in time for Halloween.

In the meantime, pour yourself something cold and admire this cover:

Kim Fielding.

From Eli: thanks for being on my blog, Kim! As you know, I love all of your stuff. Looking forward to Motel. Pool.  And your story in "Stitch" is not to be missed.

Recommended: "The Reluctant Berserker" by Alex Beecroft

 

Amazing. This book will be in my 'year's best' for sure.

First, I want to say that as a writer I admire good writing, especially as I read so heavily in m/m romance where the writing is often just serviceable (and not exactly the point). That's not to denigrate any author, because my own work doesn't always soar like the eagles, only to say that when I find a book where the writing is as good as any book I've ever read, I'm very impressed.

I love this author's way with prose and there are so many wonderful and original analogies in this book. Here are just a few of the dozens I highlighted:

For when he looked up, he saw that all the clouds had drawn apart. The night was on them full, and acres and acres of sharp stars were poised to fall on him with killing cold.

This disappointment was strange and ungrateful in him, he thought, tasting at the back of his throat like blood from a nosebleed.

In his frustration, Wulfstan's sodden maze of pleasure-drunken thoughts turned into a sack full of snakes.

I could go on, but that gives you an idea. I am wary of books (and I have seen some reviewed lately) where the author's voice becomes so over-wrought and egotistically poetic that the story is lost in a vomit of flowers, but that is certainly not the case here. The story and plot are always driving forward with the strong prose supporting it but never detracting from it.

As for the story/plot itself. I don't read a ton of historical fiction, but when I do, I like it to feel authentic and take me to a time and place I know little about and make me feel like I'm there. This book achieves that. The attitudes towards homosexuality, the touches of witchcraft and religion, the characters of the scobs or musicians, all felt very true to the time and I enjoyed the texture a great deal. There was action and angst and miscommunication in the plot, but thankfully the miscommunication was not overly done and neither MC was overly weak or fearful of saying what they wanted. The plot was rich and fast-paced enough that it kept me reading til the end.

Like many contemporary m/m romances, the ultimate theme is a common one--accepting who you are. Nothing really new there, yet the journey to it was unique enough that I was happy. The romance was quite good too -- both MCs were beautiful and appealing and I loved the twist of their contrary natures and how beautifully they fit together.

"Your father--" "If he has any wisdom, would accept that our wyrd is woven for us in our very nature, and all our choices only tend to that end. Better to accept fate joyfully than to fight it, for it will win no matter what we do."

I would give this book more than 5 stars for the great writing and research, the fast-paced plot and taking me to another time, but I do have one nit. After 380 pages of waiting of our MCs to finally consummate their relationship, not giving us another paragraph or two of description (at least) felt a bit stingy on the author's part. The sex is basically fade to black. I don't need pages of detailed erotica, but wanted at least to be inside Wulfstan's head as he finally got his wish and experience his joy and pleasure.

Also, I will say, it is confusing the attitude portrayed about homosexuality in the book. In this story, it was acceptable for a Lord or warrior, or any older man, to keep and use a 'boy' for sex, quite openly, but somehow incredibly shameful for any 'man' to take it up the ass. So any boy or slave who was or had been so used was reviled as womanly and weak, the ultimate insult, and would never be free of such a reputation even once grown. This may or may not be completely historically accurate in the culture portrayed in this book--which was ancient Saxony. But if accurate, the attitude is confusing as hell. I can understand the idea that a man allowing another man to f*ck him would be considered weak and shameful to a warrior society, but the easy acceptance and common occurance of a Lord having a homosexual relationship with a boy lover for years (when women were freely available in the hall) is less believable. In my research into medieval England, though men did use boys thus, it was not open and was typically in a situation like travel or battle where women were not available as an alternative. But whether or not it was 100% historically accurate for ancient Saxony, it worked for this plot and anyway, there were touches of fantasy in this (as with the witchcraft), so I can accept it in that light. It just left me curious!

Thanks for a great read, Alex Beecroft. I need to go get False Colors now.

Eli

Book Rec: Know Not Why by Hannah Johnson

 

I *adored* this book so much. It's definitely going to be in my best reads of the year list. I've been in the mood for a good, solid, straight-up, slow build contemporary--no shifters or magic in sight--and this was exactly what I needed. There are so many things I loved about it.

First, the first person POV narrative voice was so witty and funny. It reminds me of a kinder, gentler "Tell Me It's Real". It took me a chapter or two to get into it, but then I just floated all the way through, often laughing outloud. I highlighted favorite passages like a wild person.

Second, I love gfy-coming of age stories and this one was ideal. The main MC, Howie, is 22 but he's been living at home helping out his mom after his father's death and he is still a virgin. He thinks he likes girls--until he meets Arthur. At first there's a lot of antagonism between the two, but Hannah places lots of hints that Howie's feelings are mixed, to say the least.

There's a slow-burn romance, which I love, and some lovely UST. Howie and Arthur are very cute together and crazy (obnoxious, funny) Howie helps stiff Arthur come out of his shell.

I loved the setting of the yarn shop and all the secondary characters were fully-fleshed and lovable. Kristy was hilarious and I loved the Mitch/Amber subplot. Lots of sweet, adorable feels and snarkiness. It doesn't get any better than that!

If there was one thing I would have liked more of, it was the sexy times. Other than a few kisses, all of it was off-page. Which, you know, it doesn't need to be endlessly explicit, but when it's an MC's first time, and first time with a guy, I at least would like to be present for it, even if it's described in a high-level way, because it is rather transformative. But compared to the joy this book gave me, that's a minor nit.

I hope Hannah Johnson writes more. I'll be first in line to buy it. Some of my favorite quotes:

My mind turns back on gradually, clunkily, the way lights go on in a warehouse, row after row, click-buzzz - click-buzzzz - click-buzzzz.

Every piece of me -- every nerve, every hair, every damn cell -- sings out one matching song in perfect harmony, and that song is FUUUUUUUCK.

...all of a sudden it's like, here he is, in the flesh, he's still a flesh-type creature that exists, and it's flesh that's been in contact with my flesh, I wish I would stop thinking the word 'flesh,' you know what's a gross, creepy, weird word? 'Flesh.' I think my brain is melting. I think I've having a stroke. Or a coronary. Or porphyria. I KNEW HE WOULD GIVE ME PORPHYRIA.

"Um," Arthur says. He's looking at me dead-on, like he's forcing himself to do it. God, I wish he would knock it off. I also wish he'd lose his eyelashes in a freak eyelash fire incident. And his lips, too, because all of a sudden I'm looking at them, what is that?"

I miss Lindsay, and we have, like negative chemistry. Innocent bystanders cringed when they saw us within five feet of each other.

"Come in," Arthur says brusquely in response to my knock -- the softest, reluctantest, unknockiest knock in the history of that long, complicated relationship betwixt doors and knuckles.

Well, I could quote this book all day. If you like humor and romance at all you should read this book. I wish I could send it a zillion readers.

Eli

Eli's Favorite Christmas M/M Romances

Originally posted on:  ThePenMuse I love Christmas stories.  I often will dig into my backlog on my iPad around August and September, when my yearning for Fall and for an end to summer’s heat makes me crave icicles and fireside snuggles.  And, of course, most of November and December are spent cracking the covers on holiday romances.

I have two Christmas stories out this year myself – “Blame It On The Mistletoe” and “A Prairie Dog’s Love Song”. You can read more about them on my blog at those links. But in this post I want to talk about some of my favorite holiday romances by other authors.

“Turkey In The Snow” by Amy Lane:

This was my favorite Christmas story last year.  I adored the flamboyant character, Justin, and how he wove his way into the heart of the much more masculine and stoic Henry.  Henry doesn’t think he could possibly be attracted to Justin at first—he’s *way* too over-the-top and it makes Henry very uncomfortable. But when Justin helps Henry with his unhappy niece, Josie, Henry realizes there is more to Justin than meets the eye.  Really adorable.

Sock It To Me, Santa by Madison Parker

Also in the “adorable” category is Madison Parker’s “Sock It To Me, Santa”. This is a YA story set in high school. Ryan hasn’t told anyone yet that he’s gay, but he admires Jamie, a boy who is openly gay, and who unfortunately suffers a lot of teasing because of it. When Ryan gets Jamie’s name in the secret santa exchange he wants to make something really, really special.  Super cute and sweet.  Nothing explicit here, but so lovely it’s a must read.

The Christmas Throwaway by R.J. Scott

Zachary is homeless thanks to be tossed out by his parents for being gay. He’s going to end up spending Christmas eve on a freezing church yard bench until he’s rescued by a cop,  Ben, who is moved by Zachary’s plight and takes him home. This is a longer, more developed romance and it’s a wonderful Christmas read.

Mistletowed by Tara Lain

This is a kind of crazy, Christmas-themed rom com. It involves a group of couples, all of whom are basically with the wrong person. Some magical mistletoe has the couples mixing up and finding their soul mates with someone else’s partner.  The primary romance that develops is m/m but there are also other configurations in the mix. Very cute and fun and light, with some very sexy scenes—all things you can count on with Tara Lain!

Holiday Outing by Astrid Amara

Jonah is stuck in his family home over Hanukkah due to a blizzard. There are 3 problems with this. One, his family doesn’t know he’s gay. Two, a guy he’s wildly attracted to is trapped with them. And three, a family heirloom vanishes and Jonah is accused of stealing it. I love an author who can mix really clever humor, schmoopy sweetness and steamy sex in a romance, and I have to bow to Astrid Amara because she really did it here! I found myself highlighting a lot of lines on my ebook because they made me laugh out loud. The family characters in this story were just hilarious and the little mystery was fun. A perfect shorter read.

Merry Gentlemen by Josephine Myles

If you’re an Anglophile like me, you will love this Christmas story that revolves around the Bath Christmas market.  Riley is the market manager and he is surprised to find that Stan, who is the ‘one who got away’ has a booth at the market. Sparks fly immediately between these two, but is there a Christmas miracle that can resolve the things that made them split up in the first place?  The writing is delightful with lots of humor (the ‘#gaysanta’ scene is hilarious) and some steamy sex.

Sweet and Sour by Astrid Amara

If you’re a foodie, or just like reading about one, you’ll love this holiday romance. Miles is struggling to make a go of the pickle shop he took over from his parents.  He’s in a pretty lifeless long-term relationship with a guy who is probably cheating on him. He’s rescued in both the shop and his love life by Dominic, a police detective who works in the pickle shop for a few weeks as part of a stake-out.  The readers will get right away that Dominic and Miles are perfect for one another. But seeing how it all shakes out (and reading about all the delicious relishes and pickles and fermented veggies) is too much fun.

Also recommended:

“Christmas With Danny Fit” by Amy Lane

“The Winter Courtship Rituals fo Fur Bearing Critters” by Amy Lane

I hope you find some new favorites on this list.  Merry, merry Christmas! May you find some hot boys in your stockings. J

Eli Easton

Book Rec: Training Season by Leta Blake

 

This book is truly amazing. Matty is a competitive figure skater who failed in the last Olympics and has dreams of coming back and winning gold at the next one. He's flamboyant and fabulous, very gay and proud of it. He takes a ranch-sitting job in Montana for six months from a skating patron because it's easy money and he can focus on his skating without the distractions of friends and the big city. Enter the next door neighbor, Rob, a gorgeous Montana rancher who is openly gay and who falls at first sight for Matty (of course, who wouldn't).

There's so much to love and admire about this story. I loved the descriptions of the beautiful Montana scenery. I loved that, despite being a fish out of water, there was no plot wasted here on homophobia and hate. People in the town of Whitefish were very curious about Matty, and there might have been some distant sneers, but there was also Rob, an out rancher, and his friend Bill, who ran the local gay club. This book wasn't about small town narrow-mindedness and thank God.

I loved Matty's strength and beauty (as Rob puts it). I take it he's loosely based on Johnny Weir, who is just adorable. And Rob, the rancher, was a nice surprise. He wasn't stereotypical at all. He had a lot of depth and maturity. His "toppiness", his ability to understand Matty, and give him what he needed, was intelligent and exciting.

I loved the imagery of a major world figure skater skating on a little iced over pond on a Montana ranch. It's very "Ice Castles" and you can feel the impact that Matty has on Rob's life and heart, as if a beautiful bird landed on the window of a prison cell. (OK, that may be taking it a bit far, but you get the analogy). Rob is not really happy ranching, he's rather stuck maintaining the family farm. Having a glorious creature like Matty show up next door is just too good to be true. For Matty, having the studly hot next door rancher, "Montana personified", turn out to be gay is like every sex fantasy made real. Only Rob turns out to be much more than that.

These two are wonderful together and they fall so deeply in love. The author does a wonderful job of building their relationship and she takes the time to do so. And it's not only Matty and Rob's relationship, but Matty's relationship with Rob's son, Ben, and Rob and Ben's with Matty's family. These are built scene by scene until you are totally invested in Matty and Rob as a couple as the only possibly sane way for reality to go on.

The book gets very angsty when it's time for Matty to go home and go back to the world of figure skating. And he doesn't have an easy time of it either. As Rob says, Matty's boyfriend Figure Skating fucks him in the ass without lube. Repeatedly. There was a point at maybe 80% where I thought I couldn't really take it anymore. But finally we get an HEA and it was worth it.

Besides being a lovely romance, I admired the examination of Matty's fear of failure on the ice and how Rob helps him overcome it with BDSM. Though this is not really a BDSM book, nor do I really like BDSM, there were scenes in here in which their sex play goes in that direction, but it's for a very good, real, emotional reason and it totally worked for me.

Highly recommended.

HERE'S THE GOODREADS LINK.

The Best of "Love Has No Boundaries" free m/m romance ebooks (June)!

I've been blown away by the fantastic "Love Has No Boundaries" event sponsored by the m/m romance group on goodreads.  Throughout June they've published FREE m/m romance stories by both well-known and new authors. This huge collection is like a sampler box of the best m/m romance in the business.  There's also a selection of genres--contemporary, historical, fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi.  I read mostly contemporaries so this has been a great way to break out of my comfort zone.

I haven't read ALL the stories published so far, but I've read quite a few.  ALL the authors who've submitted work, completely unpaid, deserve kudos.  This list I've compiled includes all of the releases rated over 4 stars by the goodreads readers plus a few of my other favorites.

Note that all these stories are m/m romances and most have some explicit m/m sex.

The books are all rated over 4 stars by the goodreads readers.

NOR IRON BARS A CAGE by Kaje Harper,  Rated 4.59 on GR (of 5 stars), 103K words

This is a monstrous fantasy novel at over 100K words.  And it is stellar.  I read it without stopping it was so good. It's a rich fantasy world and the story involved a scarred ex-mage and an ex-soldier who helps pull him out of his shell.

YOU GET FULL CREDIT FOR BEING ALIVE by Cari Z, rated 4.42 on GR (of 5 stars), 39K words

Contemporary/Thriller.  Wow, this is definitely one of my favorites of this event.  An ex assassin finds a man nearly beaten to death in the woods behind his home.  He takes him to the hospital, but the two of them make a connection.  The assassin watches over the man and eventually rescues him from the people who still want him dead.  Excellent thriller/espionage details, a sexy romance, and one bad ass motherfucker of an MC.  Yum.

TREASURE by Kim Fielding, rated 4.29 on GR (of 5 stars), 38K words

Kim Fielding has some excellent books out ("Brute" is on my top ten list).  This story is also a delight to read.  It's in a fantasy setting that is vaguely 14th century or so and involves a sickly young man who is sent to vacation in a sea town for his health.  He rescues a man on the beach and finds himself at odds with pirates.  Fun and sexy.

WINTER WINDS by Misouri Dalton, rated 4.26 on GR (of 5 stars), 40K words

A story about a beautiful deaf vampire rejected by his own kind who finds an ally and true  love.   I haven't read this one yet, but it's very highly ranked by the GR readers!

THE SENTINEL by Eden Winters, rated 4.25 on GR (of 5 stars), 16K words

Sci-fi m/m romance.  A part-man-part-droid who is a somewhat mindless soldier for the Federation saves a baby and breaks free of his programming. To save the child he hides on a remote planet and falls in love with the fisherman who rescues him.  This is an interesting tale with some nice myth-building and family dynamics.  Imagine the Terminator turning into a softie over an infant!

PRISONER 374215 by Angel Martinez, rated 4.22 on GR (of 5 stars), 10K words

This is a sci-fi story set in a prison during a dark, dystopan future.  This story is about a prisoner so abused that he's lost his own name and the male prison guard who helps him remember who he is.  Very poetic and hurt-comfort-y!

THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN by Lyn Gala, rated 4.20 on GR (of 5 stars), 40K words

An excellent character-driven sci-fi story about a gunner on a spaceship who is uber macho and homophobic--only to discover that his admiration for his new commander is beyond platonic.  It's fun to see this character turn around and to see these two guys both bond and out-alpha each other.  The world building is interesting too, particularly around sexual identity designations.

WORTHY by Lia Black, rated 4.19 on GR (of 5 stars), 47K words

This is a master/slave story set in a dystopian fantasy world. It reminds me a little of Anne Rice's early erotica written as A. N. Roquelaure (the Sleeping Beauty series). Seven was born a 'dreg' with a birthmark over part of his face.  He's rescued from poverty by a noble, Demetrie. At first their relationship is very much one of master/slave but it grows into something much deeper as Seven's inner and outer beauty blossom under Demetrie's care.  It's a sort of very kinky My Fair Lady story--and I loved it.

SIX by Tara Springs, rated 4.17on GR (of 5 stars), 49K words

Contemporary. This is a long novella about a gay kindergarten teacher who is left with a baby when his lover runs out.  Fortunately he meets the father of one of his students and a lovely romance blossoms.  Sweet contemporary with a baby and a five-year-old.  I loved it!

THE LION AND THE CROW by Eli Easton, rated 4.15 on GR (of 5 stars), 32K words

A historical m/m romance set in medieval times between two knights, Sir William and Sir Christian, who are forced together on a journey to rescue Sir William's sister.  This is a realistic look at same-sex attraction in medieval times as well as an action/romance story.

SO HOT WITH LOVE by J.H. Knight, rated 4.12 on GR (of 5 stars), 8K words

Contemporary/Established Couple.  Another quite short one that's popular with readers.  I haven't read this one yet but it's about two men on the night before their wedding remembering their journey to get to that point.

AN INTREPID TRIP TO LOVE by Charlie Cochet, rated 4.06 on GR (of 5 stars), 34K words

This is a contemporary shifter story with excellent, funny writing, clever banter, two macho wolf-shifting MCs, and cute kids.

NOTHING'S MISSING NOW by Westbrooke Jameson, rated 4.03 on GR (of 5 stars), 8K words

Contemporary. This is a short read about a man who's lost his leg and his new boyfriend.  Some nice hurt/comfort, a little humor, and some explicit sex.

A few more I really enjoyed.

Above are all the ones ranked 4.0 or above on goodreads (as of 6/30).  Here are a few more I personally really enjoyed:

HUMAN FRAILTIES by Jaye McKenna, 39K words

Fantasy.  A human who has 'never quite fit in' finds himself in a fantasy world with a god/hunk with a severely bad attitude.  This is a fun and sexy fantasy story with excellent writing and good banter.  There're also some nice, scary action scenes.

#FIRST IMPRESSIONS, #SECOND CHANCES by Heidi Belleau, 13K words

Contemporary, college setting.  A guy with a fashion-plate online persona and anxiety disorder is courted by a genuinely nice/cute jock.  Very fun story with lots of references to tumblr and online media.

ANYTHNG FOR YOU SIR by Max Vos, 52K words

Contemporary, BDSM.  A compelling and oddly sweet BDSM story.  Jerome is an older, grumpy Dom who lives in New Orleans. Due to a tragic past, he's not looking for anything other than someone to work in his shop.  Enter Jason, a new 'boy' who thinks Jerome is the hottest thing ever and wants to earn his love.  The New Orleans setting is evocative, the characters are fun, and the sex is hot and surprisingly tender.

WHEN IT'S RIGHT by Aria Grace, 33K words

Contemporary.  I'm a sucker for men-with-dogs stories, and this is a good one.  Alex, a man with an injured dog, falls for the new vet assistant, Shane.  Shane just moved to Colorado from Wyoming and is in the process of coming out. Their romance blooms apace but trouble back home threatens their future.

AND MORE

There are many more excellent stories published FREE for this event in June.  You can find a complete list here.  These free stories will continue to come out through July.

Eli

June Heat: "Make a Play" and "Love Has No Boundaries"

I'm so looking forward to June!  There are two great collections that will be releasing daily throughout the month. 1.  Dreamspinner's "Make A  Play" Daily Dose:

"Make a Play" is a "Daily Dose" from Dreamspinner.  Sign up for it and they will send you a m/m romance story every day in June.  The theme this year is sports-related stories.  Some great authors have stories in this line-up.

2.  The "Love Has No Boundaries" event

Throughout June and July, new stories will be released daily as part of the Love Has No Boundaries event.  The event is sponsored by the goodreads.com m/m romance reader's group.  These are FREE stories, by both new and established authors.

I can't wait!

Eli

Books I Love: The Art of Touch by Dominique Frost

It's not often I find a new author that I immediately fan/follow, but I knew within 10 pages that I was going to be slavishly loyal to Dominique Frost. This is her only publication to date, alas, but hopefully there will be more.

Jared is a high-powered CEO who does nothing but work.  He's a total grump (aka asshole) and his domineering secretary schedules a massage to chill him out before he scares away all their clients.   The masseur is Kyle, a cute young twink.  Jared doesn't want to be there and tries to run all over Kyle but Kyle handles him like a pro and soon has Jared a puddle of relaxed goo.  Jared is determine it won't happen again, but it does.  Kyle can always put him in his place.  Needless to say, since this is a romance, the two eventually become a couple.

This is is a short novella (79 pages) but a fully satisfying story, great for a quick read with lots of humor and UST.

So why did I immediately fan the author? She weaves  a solid, delightful, super fun character and prose voice in this story. I don't typically like "jerk" characters but Jared grabbed my interest from page one because the writing is FUNNY and sly. Yes, he is a jerk at the start but in the way the Sherlock or House are jerks--fascinating and funny and genuine. I loved the story all the way through.

Please write more, Ms. Frost!

Books I Love: "Organic Chemistry" by Andrew Grey

Andrew Grey is an incredibly prolific m/m romance author.  This novella came out last week, and I loved the blurb, so I picked it up right away.

One of the main characters is a young chemistry professor at a university and the other is a newly hired assistant football coach.  I have a soft spot for geeky, virginal characters and Brandon was all that and then some.  A genius who got his doctorate at 21, and has basically no social skills, Brandon has never really had friends and has no idea how to act around people without looking up social pointers on the internet.  Josh, a big, kind-hearted athlete, thinks Brandon is dorkily adorable and has infinite patience in getting him through the confusing pitfalls of dating.

I loved both characters and the romance was simply charming.  The requisite "angst sub-plot" with the department head was just enough to add a little tension but not so much that it detracted.  I liked the length too--about 150 pages on my ipad.  Enough to be satisfying but never a slog.

5 stars from me