Happy Gay Friday (almost Saturday)

I have to hurry to make it before midnight with this post (it's past 11 pm here in the Netherlands). I've been totally engrossed in html, widgets, plugins, themes and other design stuff for my Dutch website. I'm adding a Wordpress blog to the static main site and it's challenging to say it mildly. :) But it's fun too.
Anyway, that's why I almost forgot to browse my Happy Gay folder for today's picture post. *gasp*

On a more book-ish note, I've been reading some good stories this week. Among them was ML Rhodes Music of the Night, which I completely enjoyed.

Lis has reviewed the book a while ago. Here's a link to her review, which pretty much says it all. She gave it 5 stars, I would give it 4.5 stars because it was nearly perfect, if it only would've been more than a HFN ending. Agreed it was a very solid HFN, but it would've been even better if we'd gotten more than just the 24 hours of hot, sexy, physical and emotional connection. I'm hoping for a sequel in which we get more of Sam and Jared's amazing chemistry and a view into their everyday life together, because I'm curious how they will handle with the reality of their very different lives and demanding jobs, once they leave Venice.
I can definitely recommend this book, and other books by this author. She writes great characters that can make an emotional impact.

Anyway, back to my html cave now I still can. The rest of the weekend will be consumed by three birthdays, a house guest and the festivities of Queens Day! All fun things, but they don't leave me much time for tweaking that website. Hope you all have a fun weekend too!

Happy Gay Friday!

Happy Gay Friday, A date & Changing habits

Hope this animated gif will work...

After an explosive week at work, in which my boss had a nervous break down and is now recovering at home for god knows how long and in which I'm sort of appointed to be her replacement (O_o), I'm sooooo glad it's Friday!

Because today is my day off, and I have a date with Lis and Leontine this afternoon! I can use the distraction from work and I know I can count on these two girls to give me exactly that! :) All I want to do is talk about books, hot guys, blogging, GayRomLit, the latest gossips and more books. And of course about Lis' latest news regarding her Australia plans and about Leo's new job. We also have to tell Lis all about GayRomLit and I look forward to giving her the book and swag we brought her from New Orleans. I think she'll love the signed copy of the Draegan Lords volume by ML Rhodes. :)

GayRomLit swag for Lis aka Larissa with a lot of M.L. Rhodes goodies and Australian stuff from Geoffrey Knight

Later this weekend I hope to find the time to catch up on my blog hopping, maybe on Sunday... It's funny how little free time I seem to have since we live in this new city. Of course we still have to do some things in the house but those are small jobs compared to a couple of weeks ago. It's probably more the constant flow of visitors, invitations from new neighbours, and wide range of cultural and social events in the city that are very time consuming. I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong, but I still have to get used to all the changes.
And something else I have to get used to and which is forcing me to change my habits is the lack of wireless internet in our bedroom. It's on the top floor, and the little box from the provider is on the first floor. It turned out that the iron beams in the first and second floor's ceilings of our house are preventing the signal to reach the third floor. So, no more blog hopping when I'm in bed. It used to be a good time for me at night, while hubs was sleeping, to go surf the internet and catch up with my blog reading, but now I have to find a new rhythm and a new open spot in my daily routine to do so. Especially leaving comments has been a very random thing lately. I hate that, and I feel bad about it, so hopefully I find a way to change my habits soon.

Happy Gay Friday!

~

GayRomLit in pictures & getting ready for the After Party

There are already many GayRomLit posts out there. Yet, I like to add my little contribution, a bunch of pics of the wonderful time I had.

And on top of that, I invited a few friends and authors (all Riptide published) to write a guest post for me with their reflections on GayRomLit. Rachel Haimowitz will kick off the GayRomLit After Party & Riptide Party tomorrow. The other authors that will visit my place are: Cat Grant, Bryl Tyne, Brita Addams, Damon Suede and Aleksandr Voinov.

And the friends that have agreed on doing a blog post for me are the fab girls I shared a house with in New Orleans: Kris, Leontine, Tam, Kassa and Tracy. The seventh friend who was there, Chris, didn’t accept the invitation… Here we are:

Standing (from left to right): Tam, Kassa, Tracy, Chris

Sitting: me, Leontine, Kris

It’s impossible for me to describe everything that happened during the 4 days of GayRomLit. The schedule was packed, with parties, author readings, a book signing boat cruise, a vampire & ghost tour, a lunch with an author (mine was Simone Anderson), a cemetery tour and a pub crawl, among other things.

The most amazing thing for me was meeting the people behind all those names that I only knew from the internet or the books I read. I had so many fan girl moments, it's ridiculous, really. A good second place on the list of awesome things is reserved for the time we spent in gay bars, and not only because of the nekkid guys. ;) The girls and I had so much fun. I miss them and the rest very much!

Patti, me, Leontine

Ethan Day

me, Clare London, Marie Sexton, Kate McMurray

Chris, Tam, Clare London (unsuccessfully hiding behind the pole), Kassa

M.L. Rhodes, me, Stephani Hecht

me & Cole

Tracy, me, Heidi Cullinan, Leontine

Z.A. Maxfield (in blue, reading)

me, Damon Suede (in kilt *swoon*), Leontine

Kris, Tracy, Kassa, me, Tam, Leontine

me & Devon Rhodes

me & John

me, Leontine, Tracy

Rowan Speedwell, me, J.P. Barnaby

 me & Ellis Carrington

Disclaimer: If you want me to remove your picture shoot me an email and I'll remove it asap

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Guest Review: Music of the Night by M.L. Rhodes

M.L. Rhodes
Music of the Night
Amber Allure, 2011

Backblurb:
Jared Ross is at Carnevale to do a job. It’s the culmination of two years of blood, sweat, long hours, and agonizing patience waiting for his target to finally make an appearance. If he screws this up, he may never get another chance, and his mark, a man called Maestro, will once again disappear into the night. Jared can’t afford to let anything distract him from his elusive prize—not even the sexy stranger with the quick wit, the sinfully delicious mouth, and the bedroom eyes.
Sam Aubrey recently turned his back on his career. After years of having others dictate his every move and direct him like an unwilling marionette, he’s determined to live his life on his terms, and what better place to start over than at Carnevale, where he can become anyone he chooses. He wants no complications, and definitely no romantic entanglements with a hot hunk who has a questionable agenda and whose Southern drawl makes Sam ache in all the right places.
Sometimes, however, the best-laid plans take unexpected twists, and surprising complications are exactly what a man needs even if they’re not what he thinks he wants. After all, everyone should have a little unexpected music in his night…

Genre & Keywords:
M/M Romance, Contemporary, Insta-love, Music, Carnivale, Venice, Suspense

~~~~~
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 3 out of 3 flames
~~~~~

Guest review by Lis:

Wooooowwwieeee! M.L. Rhodes did it again. Ever since I first picked up one of her books way back when, I’ve been hooked (hook, line and sinker). I have yet to find a book by this author I don’t like and since last year I’m impatiently waiting for the next installment of the Draegan Lords.
In the meantime we got the novella Music of the Night. Definitely no Draegan Lords, but no less exciting. It contains all the elements of a M.L. Rhodes book: likeable, worked out characters, interesting (character) background, good – if somewhat short – plot, witty comments and instant love. I’m not a really big fan of the latter, but this author just always makes it work. It doesn’t matter if the characters are together for 1 day or 10 years, there is an instant connection.

The story:

Music of the Night is the story of Jared Ross and Sam(uel) Aubrey, two persons who are as different as night and day, who meet at the Venetian Carnivale. Both are there for different reasons. In fact, Sam doesn’t even know Jared is there at first. Jared, on the other hand, is very aware of Sam from the first moment he enters. For different reasons.

When they hook up there is an instant connection and both are more than willing to explore and see where it leads.

The characters:

As said, both Jared and Sam are very much different. Jared is the older of the two and more experienced. He’s a hardened soldier and has been around the block a time or two. Sam, in contrast, is younger, less experienced, a musician and has led a more sheltered life. This trip is the first thing he did to more or less take his life in his own hands and step away from what he is and the people who have controlled his life. That, by no means, makes Sam a whimp, but it’s clear he needs a little push when it comes to making up his mind. Jared is more self assured and very hot. He’s a man on a mission. While this story is short, it gives a clear view of both characters and who they are. Not just the role they play in the story. I liked that.

What did niggle me a bit is how long Sam let his family and manager control his life. He was by no means happy but he didn’t protest all too much either. Though I guess some people just don’t like to rock the boat too much.

A deeper look:

There is more to this story than Sam and Jared meeting and hooking up. Though, of course, this is the main intention of the story. Jared is on a mission and it soon becomes clear that Sam plays a part in that, even though he doesn’t know it yet. I found the story believable, but would have loved to see more of it. It’s unsure if this story will have a sequel or not, but if there will be one I would like to see what Sam will do next with his life and music career.

The author gives a good view of the Venetian background and it’s clear that she either did her research or has been to a Carnivale. The way the story is told, it’s almost as if you’re there with Jared and Sam!

There is one bump in this story and that’s the editing. Originally the character of Sam was named Max. You can even see that on Goodreads in the story blurb. However, in between the name has been switched to Sam in all but a few places and it left me wondering who Max was! Normally, the author treats us to better edited books.

As said this story was brief. As it is a trend in the current e-publishing business I miss the longer stories. Especially by this author! However while it doesn’t make this story any less good, it would have benefitted from a longer plot. One in which things are just that bit more wrapped up that would make this story go from excellent to brilliant.

Overall outtake:
Fans of M.L. Rhodes will love this one. Critical fans might notice a few niggles. Personally I think you’ll either like this story with its sweet and very hot characters who will make your screen melt or you’ll complain that it’s the basic meet and hook-up with a meager plot kind of story. For me it was a fantastic hot read that almost made the train stop in its tracks!


Buy Music of the Night here

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A Few Quickies

I wish I had time to write long(er) reviews of all the books I read, but that just isn’t the case, unless someone insists on offering me a job doing so. ;) As I don’t see that happening soon… uhm ever… I settle for a few quick thoughts on some of the m/m books I read lately. All were novellas except the one by Shelley Munro and M.L. Rhodes which were a little over 100 pages, and the yaoi novel.
Clicking the title will bring you to the synopsis at Goodreads, clicking the author’s name will lead to the publisher’s or bookseller’s site. I’ve read all books as an ebook, except the first.


Yuki Shimizu, Love Mode Vol. 1 (192p)

I actually don't know how to rate this, being it my first yaoi novel, but I liked it. And some parts I really liked. So, I go for 3.5 stars atm. Let's see how the other yaoi novels I have on the shelves will compare to it... Next is either I Want To Be Naughty or Barefoot Waltz.

M. L. Rhodes, Bring the Heat (121p)

I like M.L. Rhodes' writing a lot and she's really good at making me feel the emotions of her characters, which was done well in this story. But it felt also a bit too rushed and I'm not a big fan of the insta-love theme. Still an enjoyable read with likeable heroes. 3.5 stars

Sara Bell, Pool Hall Green (66p)

This was a fun, light read about some heavy topics (homophobia, blackmail, addiction, violence). Luckily, it never became dramatic and the problems were dealt with in an unexpectant way. But I just didn't feel the attraction between Drew and Evan. I didn't believe they were meant for each other. The story was more focused on Drew and Evan dealing with their family and their problems than on them falling in love. The family story lines were interesting though. 3 stars

Devon Rhodes, A Detour Home (43p)

A Detour Home was the first book I've read by Devon Rhodes, but definitely not the last. It was a great read. The heroes are cute and hot and perfect for each other, only they need a few years to find that out. I loved the careful exploration of their attraction, and their first love scene was beautiful and exciting - and not only because of the risk of discovery by their roommate. Maybe the break was a bit long, but luckily their love survived all those years. ;) Cam and Jon's love story is cute, sexy and entertaining! 4 stars

Stephani Hecht, Double Shot Cappuccino (60p)

I really enjoyed Double Shot Cappuccino which was the first book I've read from this author. It’s a sweet love story between a cute coffee shop owner and his deceased brother’s hot best friend. The shared history of friendship and loss is in the end the glue that makes their relationship more than just a bunch of steamy, sexy encounters. I loved the heroes and I loved the setting of the coffee shop and the secondary characters coming with that setting. I also loved the old video operating as the catalyst for Tyler’s eye-opening moment. It’s not a long read but it certainly feels like a full-fledged story. 4 stars

Kim Dare, Gay Friendly (47p)

This was a really cute D/s story about a young novice and an older Dom who feels the urge to protect the other man from groping hands during their stay in a ‘gay-friendly’ hotel. Ellis is adorably innocent and a natural sub. Mitchell can’t help himself to feel attracted and protective. Their relationship is a D/s one but very light and mild. I loved both the inexperienced, cute Ellis and the gentle, patient Mitchell. They were a great match. 3.75 stars

Shelley Munro, Seeking Kokopelli (149p)

Musician Adam and roadie Nate feel attracted to each other. But Nate is still mourning the loss of his wife. This story had the potential of a sweet Gay For You romance, but somehow I didn’t feel Adam and Nate’s chemistry and love. I had some trouble getting past the continuity problems regarding Adam’s tattoo (which seems to be there in the beginning while it shouldn’t be there) and Nate’s sexuality (did he like men before he met his wife, is he straight, has he wanted to be with a man before, is he not gay, or is he bi? Does he himself remember what sex he likes?). Aside from this, I felt their romance and feelings for each other drifted to the background when Adam’s history and family issues became more prominent. Plus I didn’t buy Adam’s brother’s change in behavior after his marriage nor that the assassin freaked out and ended things the way he ended them. This story just asked a bit too much suspension of disbelief for my taste. For those who don’t mind a few over the top secondary characters and some discontinuities, this might be a sexy read about a rock band and two hot guys, mixed with a light paranormal ingredient. 2.75 stars

Cameron Dane, Finding Home (97p.)

Finding Home is a cute Gay For You story and Adam and Rhone are such a sexy couple. What I liked best about this book is that the heroes spent the first ten years of this story just as friends, gradually becoming closer and closer, although Rhone stays clueless about Adam’s crush on him. It’s so sweet that Adam never considers telling Rhone about his feelings but chooses for the friendship. Until one day Rhone finds out and recognizes his own feelings as love. I must admit that this ‘discovery’ felt a bit rushed in the end, maybe because I was yet trying to grasp the over the top scene in the office with Adam and his female colleague! I’m reading the sequel Saying I Do now and am still enjoying Adam and Rhone’s hot chemistry. 3.5 stars

That was it! Back to reading Saying I Do. :)
What are you reading at the moment?

Blog lovin’ & Last Five Books I Read

The lovely Tracy @ Tracy’s Place has given me the Bodacious Blogging Book Reviewers Award. Thank you so much, Tracy!

Here's how it works:

1. Leave a comment on the post you were nominated on.
2. Then copy and paste the post and add it to your own blog. Make a list of the last 5 books you read and pass the award on to 5 other bloggers.
3. Please also identify the blog from which you got the award and don't forget to tell them they have a blog award!

I took the chance to share my thoughts about the 5 books, although that’s not requested for the award. So, don’t worry, my sweets :)

I am paying this award forward to:

Heather @ Darkly Reading
Lynette @ Lynette’s Two Cents
Renee @ Renee’s Book Addiction
Pattepoilue @ One Book Away From Heaven
Miranda @ Sweet Vernal Zephyr

The last 5 books I read were:

Out of My Mind by M.L. Rhodes (151p.)

Summary: Police detectives Rafferty and Nick are best friends and colleagues for four years now. But since his divorce a couple of months ago Raff’s been having erotic fantasies about Nick, which shocks him, being the straight man he is. Nick’s always known he’s gay, but keeps this under wraps on the job. When the two of them make a weekend trip on Raff’s boat things get stormy.
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My thoughts: I’ve never read anything by this author before, but I’m definitely going to make up for that. Because I LOVED this story! I’m always a sucker for friends become lovers stories and for the GFY (gay for you) theme, especially when it’s been exercised so well as in this story. Raff and Nick both got to me, almost instantly, and I felt really connected with each of them. Ms. Rhodes shifts the point of view from one character to the other at the right moments to accomplish that. And OMG, the emotions were so tangible, it was heart wrenching! I couldn’t help sobbing for these guys. Besides the heart aching moments this story also had some nail biting, thrilling scenes, very hot smexing and sweet kissing scenes, great interior monologues and a satisfying ending. So, what are you waiting for, go grab this book! ;)
4.5 stars

Somatesthesia by Ann Somerville (177p.)

Summary: 2041. Devlin and Connor are both investigators of the Federal Justice Agency. Connor is not an ordinary human, he has scientifically enhanced senses, as some sort of cyborg. He’s known to have zero social skills. When he’s being partnered up with Devlin this rapidly changes together with the building sexual tension between the two of them. But their attraction puts everything at risk, not in the last place their jobs.
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My thoughts: This book was recommended to me by blogger and twitter friend Lynette @ Lynette’s Two Cents. I bought it more or less blindly, so I was kind of surprised when I started reading it to find out that it’s a futuristic novel. The cyborg thing caught me off guard and I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. But, it didn’t take me more than 20 pages to get used to the idea and actually start liking the premise. The awkwardness of Connor and the openness and quirky humor of Devlin did work for me and I couldn’t wait for the teasing sexual tension to turn into something concrete. Meanwhile the case they were working on, about child abduction, brought some good suspense too. But then in the middle of the book I started to get bored a wee bit. There was not only a dip in the plot – not a lot happened regarding the investigation or the romantic evolvements – but I also couldn’t appreciate the narrating choices of the author. There was too much telling instead of showing imo. And, not unimportant for me, the love scenes mainly took place off stage. Fortunately, the flow came back in the story when the suspense got high again and some decisions were to be made regarding the relationship. All in all, this was a good futuristic novel that had its highs and lows for me, but that I enjoyed pretty much.
3.75 stars

Positive Possibilities by Shayla Kersten (82p.)

Summary: Gabe's life has just turned upside down. His lover of six years is cheating and his supposedly straight best friend of twenty-something years claims to be in love with him. Throw in that his cheating ex has possibly exposed him to HIV and Gabe's world is a confusing place. Dean has always been attracted to both sexes, but staying on the straight and narrow seemed an easier path. Now he has to convince Gabe of the positive possibilities of taking their friendship to another level.
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My thoughts: Ms. Kersten always writes wonderful characters, that I can feel connected with. The way she shows a snippet from their lives, makes you understand them completely. In this story we meet Gabe and Dean, who are such hot, delicious and sweet guys. And their chemistry is great! They are friends for decades and one is straight, the other gay. So, both my favorite themes are present: friends become lovers and GFY! Add some tension to the mix in the shape of a cheating boyfriend and the threat of HIV, and Positive Possibilities has all the ingredients that make me happy. The only thing that could’ve made me even happier, was a little more anxiety or angst, for example when they had to fight another obstacle to be together over a longer period of time. Now the complete story took place within only a few days. But it’s my standard reaction to want more when I really like a couple, so nothing new there. I enjoyed this story anyhow, so I’ll better put my demanding inner self back in the box. ;)
4 stars

Gaps in Your Soul by Shayla Kersten (52p.)

Summary: Jared can handle any challenge life throws him, whether in combat or at his best friend's wedding. Facing the groom's brother and the memories of their one-night stand isn't so easy. Even tougher is the excitement he still feels for the man he left behind. For ten years Dalton hasn't forgotten the pain of Jared walking out on him or the passion of their one night. He has the perfect plan for revenge. Bring Jared to his knees with pleasure and leave him there.
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My thoughts: Jared is breaking my heart, he’s a tortured soldier who’s lost one of his men in Afghanistan in the attack that wounded his leg. And he’s so deep in the closet that he doesn’t know how to find the door when he wanted to. And then there’s Dalton, light-hearted and happily gay, but still crushed on Jared after avoiding him for ten years. His plan to take revenge does of course backfire. And then the awkwardness begins. Everyone can tell that they are meant for each other, sparks fly around when they’re together, but how to get this closeted gay out of that dark closet? That’s a tricky thing in romance stories and I got to say that Ms. Kersten didn’t convince me completely with the way Jared came out. First there were the alcohol and drug induced previous encounters with Dalton that left me with doubts about Jared’s willingness to admit he’s gay. Then there were the symptoms of him having some sort of post traumatic stress problems, that made me think he should get therapy first, before he could decide who he loved or what life altering changes he could make. Alas, when you don’t mind to suspend some disbelief I guess the ending was pretty cute. But I think maybe only a full length novel could’ve shown this kind of subject to full advantage. It would’ve given Jared some more time to come to terms with his feelings and that would’ve made the happy ending more believable. But this still was an enjoyable read, despite the length.
3.5 stars

Mark’s Toy Box by Laine Williams (33p.)

Summary: Mark and Keith have a good relationship. Even though Mark is way more experienced than his cop lover, he knows Keith loves him, and he's pretty happy. Every once in awhile, though, Mark thinks about the box of toys he's collected over the years. When Keith catches Mark playing with a few toys by himself, things heat up fast, but will Keith be freaked out by some of Mark's collection?
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My thoughts: This is the prequel to a series of shorts about the sexy couple Mark and Keith, that’s called Lessons in Mastery. Tam @ Tam’s Reads brought it to my attention a couple of weeks ago when she did a New Zealand post (haven’t discovered the NZ connection in this first one yet, Tam, ;) but that’s not what I bought this series for of course). It was Tam’s praise and the to be discovered D/s aspect of Mark’s and Keith’s relationship that piqued my interest. Although it’s a very short first story, I instantly liked this couple. Mark is the playful, smaller guy that has the happy, bouncing around attitude, despite the bad experiences he must have had. Keith is the big, caring alpha who’s self-assured even while he lacks experience when it comes to gay love. They have chemistry in kilos but still a lot to discover together. That’s why Mark doesn’t know how Keith will react when he finds out about Mark’s toy box which contains quite some collection! Well, I can only say that I loved his reaction! A lot. The rest you should check out for yourself. :)
4 stars