Freshly Found M/M Author: Darien Cox

I've been struggling with my love for m/m books for a while now, and have been reading more m/f romance for that reason too, but every now and then I try another m/m book again. Hoping to find what I loved about the genre once more. Last week I tried a book from a completely unknown author to me: Guys on Top by Darien Cox. It was discussed by Amy and Jen at Fiction Vixen and it piqued my interest because of the ménage that's not a ménage premise.
Reading this book accomplished what not many m/m books could lately: I couldn't put it down!

Doug Crandall’s perfect suburban life imploded after his boyfriend’s betrayal and a subsequent lawsuit left him personally and financially devastated. A year later, with a new place in the city and a fresh outlook, he’s back on his feet and ready to start over. Eager to lose his cynicism and heal his battered heart, he immerses himself in the local social scene, which includes a pair of charismatic men engaged in an open relationship. As Doug finds himself becoming emotionally and sexually entangled in their lives, he’s forced to reevaluate his views on fidelity, betrayal, love, and the often calamitous price of happiness.

Lis’ Review of Wild Magic by Poppy Dennison

Poppy Dennison

Wild Magic (Triad, #4)

Dreamspinner Press, September 25, 2013 | 108 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Joseph Anderson was heartbroken when his childhood best friend Dominick Levent moved away. Years later, Joseph is a successful real estate broker with good friends, an easy smile, and a stunning house. When he finds a dying mountain lion who miraculously shifts into Dominick’s sister, Joseph must find Dominick and reunite him with the two young sons she left behind.

Review of All In with the Duke by Ava March

Ava March

All In with the Duke (Gambling on Love #1)

Carina Press | November 11th 2013 | 81,000 words

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
London, 1822

Max Arrington, the Duke of Pelham, vows to never again let a handsome face blind him to a man's true intentions. But ten months of celibacy and lonely nights drive him to a decadent brothel, where a beautiful young man arouses his illicit passions as never before.

Review of Trace Evidence by Alexa Snow

Alexa Snow

Trace Evidence

Torquere Press | March 6, 2013 | 99 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Mitch is a police detective with a life that should be smooth sailing; unfortunately, his boyfriend is getting on his nerves, he has a murder to solve, and he has a mysterious stranger telling him details no one but the killer could know. Can Mitch make sense of the chaos before the killer chooses another victim?

Originally published in To Protect and Serve.

Review of Junk by Josephine Myles

Josephine Myles

Junk

Samhain Publishing | August 27, 2013 | 351 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Letting go is the first step to healing…or bringing it all crashing down.
When an avalanche of books cuts off access to his living room, university librarian Jasper Richardson can no longer ignore the truth. His ever-growing piles of books, magazines and newspapers can no longer be classified as a “collection”. It’s a hoard, and he needs professional help.

October M/M Releases I Look Forward To

I'm not sure what happened with September but it's October already. So, time for my monthly list of M/M releases. These titles caught my eye:

Love Lessons by Heidi Cullinan | Goodreads

Review of Whiskey and Wry by Rhys Ford

Rhys Ford

Whiskey and Wry (Sinners #2)

Dreamspinner Press | August 19, 2013 | 254 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
He was dead. And it was murder most foul. If erasing a man’s existence could even be called murder.
When Damien Mitchell wakes, he finds himself without a life or a name. The Montana asylum’s doctors tell him he’s delusional and his memories are all lies: he’s really Stephen Thompson, and he’d gone over the edge, obsessing about a rock star who died in a fiery crash. His chance to escape back to his own life comes when his prison burns, but a gunman is waiting for him, determined that neither Stephen Thompson nor Damien Mitchell will escape.

Larissa’s Review of Haffling by Caleb James

Caleb James

Haffling

Dreamspinner Press, July 11, 2013 | 274 pages

Author’s Facebook | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
A Harmony Ink Press Young Adult Title
All sixteen-year-old Alex Nevus wants is to be two years older and become his sister Alice’s legal guardian. That, and he’d like his first kiss, preferably with Jerod Haynes, the straight boy with the beautiful girlfriend and the perfect life. Sadly, wanting something and getting it are very different. Strapped with a mentally ill mother, Alex fears for his own sanity. Having a fairy on his shoulder only he can see doesn't help, and his mom's schizophrenia places him and Alice in constant jeopardy of being carted back into foster care.

Review of Bread, Salt and Wine by Dev Bentham

Dev Bentham

Bread, Salt and Wine (Tarnished Souls #4)

Loose Id | June 11, 2013

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Some wounds never heal. George Zajac grew up in a religious family with a father who beat “the swish” out of him. Now he's a troubled man. At thirty-eight he moves across the country to start a new life in Los Angeles, working as the catering chef for a prestigious French Restaurant.

Review of Absolutely Eric by Erica Pike

Erica Pike

Absolutely Eric (Boston Boys #2)

MLR Press | May 11, 2012

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Eric Wesley is short and snazzy, hot and happy. Or that’s what he thought. After three years of living on the wild side he’s tired of being a playboy and wants to find love.
Eric, however, has never been in love before and doesn’t see that the guy who’s been gazing at him all summer might be Mr. Right. Boring-suit-guy Alexander Centauri isn’t only style-less and clumsy, but also terribly awkward. After a miserable date, Eric plants Alex on another guy’s lap and goes after Mr. Wrong…who looks so right.
When Eric realizes his mistake, it might be too late.

Review of Safeword by A.J. Rose

A.J. Rose

Safeword (Power Exchange #2)

Voodoo Lily Press | June 1, 2013 | 110,000 words, 333 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Everywhere Detective Gavin DeGrassi looks he’s reminded of his attack by the Breath Play Killer. It’s in the house he lives in with his partner and Dom, Ben Haverson. It’s in the sympathetic yet pitying looks he receives from his fellow detectives when he returns to the force after a year-long hiatus. It’s in the suffocating coddling of his entire family, and the relentless reporter demanding an exclusive of his ordeal.

August M/M Releases I Look Forward To

It’s a hot summer here in the Netherlands! And what better way is there to spend those hot days reading hot romances, right? Here’s my list for this month’s most anticipated M/M romances:

Review of Dangerous Submission by Lori Toland

Lori Toland

Dangerous Submission (Dangerous Affairs #2)

Loose Id | April 23, 2013

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
British Agent Drake Steele never thought when he was hired on at the Serious Organised Crime Agency that his job would involve spanking a co-worker. But when the colleague is Lord Robbie Covington, the sexy red-headed computer hacker for SOCA and MI-6, Drake can't agree fast enough to pop Robbie's cherry and pull him into the sensual world of BDSM.

Series spotlighted: The Cole McGinnis Series by Rhys Ford

I've read the Cole McGinnis Series by Rhys Ford back to back; I started with the first of three books and I just couldn't stop reading until I finished the last one. Cole McGinnis stole my heart. He is the narrator of the books in this series and he's an ex-cop turned private investigator in Los Angeles. At the beginning of the first book he meets his (soon to be) lover Kim Jae-Min, when he is investigating the suicide of Jae-Min's cousin. All of Cole's investigations are, from the first book on, taking place in the midst of Korean culture. Jae is Korean and being gay in his culture is a big problem. This is a recurring theme in all the books. It's amazing how much these stories are drenched in Korean culture, without it being too overwhelming. I'm actually surprised at how much it fascinated me.

Review of Bound For Keeps by S.E. Jakes

S.E. Jakes

Bound For Keeps (Men of Honor #5)

Samhain Publishing | February 19, 2013 | 222 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Since losing their beloved third to cancer, Keith Masters and Johnny Lou Reed haven’t thought about filling the void in their lives with anyone else. Until a stormy Christmas Eve, when a half-frozen, newly discharged Army Ranger shows up on their doorstep—with no memory of who he is or how he got there.

Double Review of Herbal Remedy by Megan Derr & Beach Remedy by Sasha L. Miller

Megan Derr

Herbal Remedy

Less Than Three Press, June 12, 2013 | 12,000 words

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Jordan is used to being the butt of every hedge witch joke, painfully aware he's a checklist of clichés, and long resigned to never being as successful as the more favored elemental witches. Then a prestigious magic firm puts out a call for hedge witches, and the chance to prove himself and become more than a joke is impossible to resist—even if he has to put aside all those things he loves for a little while. It's only temporary, the money is great, and it will all be worth it in the end.

Review of City Mouse by Amy Lane & Aleksandr Voinov

Amy Lane & Aleksandr Voinov

City Mouse (Country Mouse #2)

Riptide Publishing | May 18, 2013 | 160 pages

Amy Lane’s website | Aleksandr Voinov’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
A magical weekend, a breathless declaration, a happy ever after . . . Right?
Wrong.
When Malcolm Kavanagh took his first step toward emotional maturity by declaring his love to Owen Watson, that was just the first chapter in their story. Anyone who’s ever been in love knows that happy endings take a lot more work than that.

Larissa’s Review of Save the Date by Kate McMurray

Kate McMurray

Save the Date

Loose Id, June 4, 2013 | 126 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Tristan knows he and his ex-boyfriend Stuart were not meant to be, but that doesn't make the invitation to Stuart's wedding any less of a punch in the face. Tris decides that the only thing for it is to find a super hot date to prove to Stuart that he's moved on and is doing just fine, thanks.
The path to the altar is fraught with obstacles, however, and Tris has to deal with the wilds of online dating, wardrobe malfunctions, men who look like pirates, emotional baggage, grooms with cold feet, and sports team rivalries before he even gets to the wedding.

Review of Never a Hero by Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton

Never a Hero (Tucker Springs #5)

Riptide Publishing | May 13, 2013 | 167 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Everyone deserves a hero.

Owen Meade is desperately in need of a hero. Raised by a mother who made him ashamed of his stutter, his sexual orientation, and his congenitally amputated arm, Owen lives like a hermit in his Tucker Springs apartment. But then hunky veterinarian Nick Reynolds moves in downstairs.

Review of Velocity by Amelia C. Gormley

Amelia C. Gormley

Velocity (Impulse #3)

self-published | March 2, 2013 | 210 pages

Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
REACHING OPTIMUM SPEED

For Detroit handyman Derrick Chance and his lover, Gavin Hayes, the holiday season is filled with the promise of new beginnings. Gavin’s officially moving in, and after the New Year, they’ll begin house hunting. But they both know all the talk of gift exchange, whose holiday