Yup, I've Reupped!

I completed the 2014 Super Librarian Reading Challenge and had so much fun searching around for gay romances that fit the categories, I'm reupping for 2015 Reading Challenge.

The reading categories this year are

January 21 - We Love Short Shorts! (Category romance, novellas, short stories)

Unfortunately, my romance novella, What's in a Name?, doesn't release until this date, not giving readers much time to read and review it.  Is it cheating if I review my own book?  LOL.

February 18 - Recommended Read (A book recommended to you by another reader/blogger etc.)

Anybody want to recommend a gay romance for me to read?  I'll be happy to take titles into consideration if I haven't already read the book.

March 18 - Series Catch-Up (A book in a series you are behind on)

April 15 - Contemporary

May 20 - Kickin' It Old School (Copyright date is 10 years or older)

June 17 - More Than One (An author who has more than one book in your TBR pile)

July 15 - Lovely RITA (past RWA RITA winner and/or nominees - links to lists will be provided at later date)

August 19 - Impulse Read (The book you bought because of the cover or The book you bought on impulse or The book you cannot remember why you bought in the first place!)

September 16 - Historical

October 21 - Paranormal or romantic suspense

November 18 - It's All About The Hype (a book or author that got everybody talking)

December 16 - Holiday Themes (Christmas, Valentine's Day, any holiday!)

To sign up, go to the Super Librarian site for more information.

What's in a Name? Find out in January 2015

Quick, Fun Summer Read

Having once toured Europe with a college-age group, I enjoyed the glimpse of my former life in Ellis Carrington's Total Immersion.  Here's a hint of my review that was posted at All About Romance today:

A couple of college seniors on a two-week summer tour of Europe discover that not only do opposites attract, but human kindness and loyalty go a long way to making an immersive romance into a solid base for a potential lasting relationship.

Although Evan Stanton isn't one hundred percent cured after he slipped on steps going to class (which forced him into physical therapy), he still agrees to go abroad because his boyfriend wants to.  When Evan gets to the airport with his backpack, he's stunned to receive an email dumping him.

Rather than give up on the trip, the goth Evan guts up and gets on the transatlantic flight where he meets preppy Chris Bale whose cheerful disposition hacks away at Evan's tendency to brood.

This is a cute novella with one very glaring flaw. It's apparent why Evan might be attracted to Chris. Chris is the ray of sunshine Evan needs to keep him going on the trip. When Evan's back is killing him and they have a ways to walk, Chris plies him with questions and silly Jeopardy!-like quizzes to divert his attention.

Read the rest of the review at All About Romance.

British Vignette Not Enough for Memorable Story

An excerpt from my review of Out in the Sticks by H. Lewis-Foster that was posted today on The Romance Reviews:

This slim mundane vignette brings two men together, but doesn't explore any new ground as far as romance is concerned.

Thirty-three year old British lawyer Adam Sibden moves from a modern apartment in Nottingham to the charming, thatched Sage Cottage in the village of Sharpley after Roger, his partner of five years, proves to be a philanderer. When he has car problems, Adam visits a garage owned by Jim, who'd taken over the business from his father.

They get to know one another through visits to the local pub where they often share pints with Jim's pals. One snowy night, however, when Adam has a flat tire and calls Jim, they completely connect and commiserate on their bad luck in finding love up until they found each other.

Because the story is so short (23 pages), neither Adam nor Jim are very developed as characters, and their backstories of having partners and losing them are so typical as to be bland, this novella never becomes even a little bit memorable.

Read the rest of my review at The Romance Reviews.

More about Jed and Max

From my review of Awake and Alive by Garrett Leigh posted today at The Romance Reviews:

This very short sequel to Only Love cements the relationship between Jed Cooper and Max O'Dair and gives a tiny glimpse into their future life.

In the previous book, Jed returned home to live with his brother, sister-in-law, and nieces only to find that he needed much more peace and quiet than their chaotic household provided. Consequently, Jed moved to the countryside with his sister-in-law's brother Max, an epileptic whose service dog Flo rules the roost.

At the end of the book, Jed's stomach condition, a result of his military service, became critical and he underwent successful surgery to cure it.

This novella opens with Jed recuperating after the surgery and wondering what he is going to do with the rest of his life, the civilian years he hasn't planned. Fortunately, Jed has accumulated marketable skills during his military career, the most practical being his fluency in foreign languages.
Read the rest of the review at The Romance Reviews.

Swimmer's Delight

I dated a guy in college who was training to become an Olympic swimmer, so when I came across Nico Jaye's gay romance Different Strokes, I just had to read it for review.  In the novella, Tomas, like my college friend Frank, is tall and lean with huge upper body muscles and strong legs and arms.  I could relate to his body type immediately.

Frank also was the strong silent type and a little socially inept like Tomas, but once people got to know Frank, they found he was absolutely charming, a true gentleman.  He wanted to become a brain surgeon, which given his level of concentration and his intelligence seemed doable.  I've always wondered what happened to him, but since he has a common last name and since we lost touch so many years ago, he would be almost impossible to find, even with the miracle of the Internet.

Jaye's novella brought all of this back to me, including all the happy days we spent hanging around the pool during the summers and watching him swim in competitions.  In the world of reviewing reliving these happy memories was wonderful, considering how so many of the gay romances I review wallow in angst and horrible situations that the characters must overcome.

Was Frank gay?  Not that I know of, but having read so many M/M romances in which one or both of the characters finally admits his sexuality, who knows.  All I know is that Frank, like Tomas, was a good friend and someone I wish in retrospect I'd kept in touch with.