Happy Gay Friday & Merry Christmas

Not a Happy Gay Friday picture today, but a HGF video that I found at the beautifulmag.eu website. It’s originally from the gaytube site, which was new to me (I swear) and definitely NSFW. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. ;)

I’ve been busy this week with rounding up things at work, packing for our trip to New York and guest blogging at Stella’s place at Ex Libris. If you’re curious about how I started reading romance you can find my guest post here. Stella’s place is worth the visit, she has this wonderful feature called “Spot On” (this time it’s ‘Spot On Romance’) in which you can win some great prizes.

To end this busy week on a high note we’re going to spend Christmas day tomorrow with our family, eating, drinking and talking and some more eating…
And then Sunday we’re flying to New York City, woohooo! I don’t know if I have the time or the internet connection to post from NY next week (and I haven’t prepared any posts in advance of course), so I might not be back on the blog before January the 4th.

I’m wishing you all a Merry Christmas and (in case I won’t be online in time) a Fabulous New Year!

Guest Review: Texas Tangle by Leah Braemel

Leah Braemel
Texas Tangle
Carina Press, 2010

Backblurb:
Thanks to her cheating ex-husband and her thieving brother, all horse breeder Nikki Kimball has left is a bruised heart, an over-drawn bank account and an empty home. When sex-on-legs Dillon Barnett and his brooding foster-brother Brett Anderson start showing more than just neighborly attention, Nikki is intrigued…and a little gun-shy.

Dillon and Brett have a history; back in high school, the two friends fought a bitter battle over Nikki. Now, ten years later, Brett still longs to be the man in Nikki’s life, but he’s determined to stand back and let Dillon win Nikki’s heart.

Society says Nikki must choose between the two men she loves. Is Nikki strong enough to break all the rules in order to find happiness?

Genre & Keywords:
M/F/M, Menage, Cowboys, Foster-brothers

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 3 out of 3 flames
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*Review copy received from the publisher through Netgalley*

Guest review by Lis:


Wooooweeeee. Where can I find a pair of these sexy as sin, hot as hell cowboys as described in this book? Hot damn people. The times I wanted to switch places with Nikki, the female lead in this story. This sure is a story to keep you warm on a cold December night!

Oh right, you don't know what I'm talking about yet! Texas Tangle is the story of Nikki, Dillon and Brett. Nikki is on the down and out after a no good, dead beat ex hubby and a self-centered, egotistical and thieving brother left her. Not to mention her bible waving and quoting parents.

Brett and Dillon are foster brothers. Brett came to live with Dillon’s family at a young age after he was almost beaten to death by his drunk father. He now is a cop in the small Texas town and not to mention stubborn. Dillon is the knight (or cowboy) in a black hat who is responsible, caring, problem solving, loving and hot as hell. They're both good neighbors (where can I find neighbors like this?!) to Nikki and have been there for her since before she got married to that no good ex-hubby of hers.

It is not a complex story. More than anything else, the focus is on the relationship between the three and how it should work out and some problems from the past. The fun part is that the suggestion for a permanent menage-relationship comes from the grandmother.

What I missed in this story is depth. Yes there is depth in the conflict between the three on how everything should work, but that's it. Of course, the story involves a lot of hot, screen-melting and very imaginative sex scenes. Because of the tunnel-focus on the relationship, I missed a bit of the surroundings, support characters and the general world building. It is mentioned that Nikki works with horses, but we almost never get to read about her handling the horses. Brett is a cop, yet we never get to really see him do cop things. Just as Dillon is a landscaper and we never get to see him get all dirty.

While the story reaches a satisfactory ending (yes it is a HEA), it sort of leaves the story unfinished. Not in a bad way, but we never get to see their relationship evolve. There were also some issues that, while minor, were never talked through. The small subplot, in the form of her thieving brother, never reaches the end I thought it should have gotten. If my brother took off with all my stuff and 19 creditcards in my name, there was no place for him to hide where I would not find him and beat the living shit out of him. Then again, I'm a little more vengeful than Nikki.

This story is a nice, lovely read. It restored some of my faith in m/f books. I'm a strong believer in strong female leads. While Nikki wasn't really much of one, nor reaches the full potential of one, you do see glimpses. That was enough for me.

Now if you're looking for a melt-you-in-a-puddle-of-goo book to curl up on a cold night, then Texas Tangle is definitely the book for you!

Linking:
Leah Braemel’s website | weblog | on Goodreads | on Twitter | on Facebook
Buy Texas Tangle here

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Winners!!

.
The guys from random.org have done their job this morning. The two winners of William Cooper’s books are:

Lily

who won

Texan Summer

and

Elaing8

who won

I'll Be Home

Congratulations Lily and Elaing8!! I’ll email you about your prize.
Many thanks to William for donating his books for this giveaway!

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Nice or Naughty Weekend, part 3

Again I've spent a part of my weekend reading a bunch of seasonal stories from the Dreamspinner Advent Calendar set. I can really recommend doing this, it's very entertaining. The Christmas or holiday elements in these stories make them very enjoyable and cute. Here are my thoughts on a few of them.

Revelations of the Heart
Lori C. Hawkins
Purchase link
3 stars

This story starts promising but then ends a bit rushed and slightly predictable. Owner of a flowershop, Danny, is single and facing a lonely Christmas. He would like to find a nice man to spend Christmas with, and maybe the rest of his life. His friend and co-owner, Amy, is willing to help him hook up with a man she knows, the lawyer Kent. Coincidentally Danny meets a sexy man himself on the same day: Sean, a former Marine. He starts to see both men. Complications are ahead of him.
Who he's going to end up with is not a big surprise, even when the author tries to mislead us. It's not about the outcome in this story but about the way that leads to the outcome and that's nicely done, although I thought it felt a bit schematic and rushed. Nevertheless, Revelations of the Heart is a pretty good read, but this particular story probably could've been great, instead of just good with a few more pages.

"I use the flower code all the time when I do bouquets for my clients. There are the obvious ones, of course, like red roses, but my favorite is purple lilac for 'love’s first blush'."

Fishbowl
Dawn Kimberly Johnson
Purchase link
3 stars

Mick is a shy guy living a quiet life as a gay man who still feels the hurt of his family rejecting him after his coming out. His seasonal job as a window-shop model suits him perfectly: standing still all say, quietly observing the outside world. Until one day a handsome man takes a good look at him. This man's gaze is making it hard for Mick to stay still.
This is a well-written, sweet, seasonal story, which is actually no more than what might be the beginning of a lovely romance. The protags don't really touch, let alone kiss - it's all about a mental (and magical) connection. It almost is a modern fairy tale (the first window display Mick's a part of, is in fact a fairy tale setting). When the church clock is beating the twelve chimes on New Year's Eve the story reaches its climax. Rather classic and in its sort a pretty good and enjoyable story.

It took every ounce of willpower not to move, not to react, and luckily, the stranger was currently captivated by some of the pricey gifts displayed beneath the tree.

The Hanukkah Surprise
Rebecca Lynne Fullan
Purchase link
3.5 stars

This is a story about a couple that has been together for a while. The opening scene shows them in bed in the morning, David watching his sleeping boyfriend, Andrew, while playing with himself at the sight of his beauty. After their morning romp they head off for a three day vacation, which is a surprise from David for Andrew. But Andrew is not big on surprises, and in the end David ends up the one being surprised.
I enjoyed this one for its cute and very hot couple, the small emotional layer in the story, and the playful and humorous elements. In the small amount of pages it's made very clear how great these men are together, how their characteristics complement each other's personalities. I thought this was done very well. My only complaint is that the story ended rather abruptly, with a few unanswered questions left (or maybe I'm the only one thinking there was something more to the missing keys and the unexpected presence of the stuffed moose...). Overall, a good short story and a pleasant way of spending my time.

Andrew was something like a forest, he thought. Seeming serene and quiet, but also full of secret life, chipmunks and rabbits and even wolves. He would like it in the woods. He would be able to relax, slowly unraveling his thoughts into ease.

Ice Around the Edges
Mary Calmes
Purchase link
3.5 stars

Evan is recovering from being shot at the shelter where he works when his first boyfriend, Dixon, comes to visit him unexpectedly. Ten years ago they broke up over a misunderstanding and now Dixon wants him back. But the reason of their break-up is still a bit of a problem.
As I've seen in other books by Mary Calmes, one of the heroes is pretty much of a macho. In fact, in this case I found Dixon to be a bit of an (over)confident ass. And there's nothing wrong with that, because it can bring some amusing friction the a story. But I have to admit that it was difficult for me to rhyme the confidence and egotism of the 'present Dixon' with the cowardliness of the 'past Dixon'. I'm not completely satisfied with how Evan and Dixon dealt with the past mistake. Other than that this was a great story: well-written, entertaining, hot and engrossing.

I had kissed the man a million times, and each and every time, it made my blood race, pulse pound, and my skin go up in flames. The whimper rose up out of me as his tongue swept inside my mouth. And the way his lips sealed so perfectly to mine, the way I was devoured, the sound he made in the back of his throat, I understood that his ache for me was as bad as mine for him.

Happy Gay Friday, New York & the TBR dilemma

The past week flew by. And I wasn’t even having that much fun…
In fact, I spent too much time to my liking being tired and at the doctor’s and the blood lab. When you know that I haven’t been to the doctor’s in the past 5 years, not even once, then you can understand that a few hours was way too long for me, lol!
The doc didn’t know why my lymph node is still that swollen, so she ordered a blood and ultra sound examination (I’m not sure how’s it called in English, it’s something radiological) to exclude a lymphoma.
But you know what? Today the lump felt smaller already. Figures, right? I probably could’ve spared me the trip to the doctor’s and the lab, through the snow. *sigh*
Good thing I couldn’t get an appointment for the ultra sound until the first week of January. So maybe I can skip that one: By the time I have to go, I expect the lump to be gone completely. :)

On a more cheerful note, hubs and I are starting to get excited about our trip to New York City in only 9 days! It’s something we really look forward to, because we’re still going to be there on New Year’s Eve. I hope there won’t be a blizzard or something that will prevent us from landing at JFK airport, but otherwise I’m kinda hoping for a bit of snow. I don’t know, it just seems so romantic to be there together when everything is covered in snow and serene. Yeah, I’m a romantic sap, what’s new? ;D
How about you, are you taking off a few extra days from work or other obligations, the next couple of weeks? Have you planned something special with the Holidays or on New Year’s Eve?

Btw I started to make a list of books that I wanted to take with me on our trip, exclusively. I thought it would be a good opportunity to read a few books that have been on my TBR for a while now. All books that I bought because I really wanted to read them. And all books that I don’t necessarily have to review, only when I want to. But wow, the list seems endless… I stopped selecting when I reached book #70. No way I’m going to read that many books in one month, let alone in one week!
That brings me to the question: how do you choose what to read next from the giant TBR pile?? I’m always struggling with that, so I’m really curious.

Have a Happy Gay Friday!
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