Happy Gay Friday & My Favorite Reads of 2011

The year is almost done and although I’m not done reading yet, I’ll do what other bloggers do and give you my list of favorite reads of this past year. :) It probably won’t be a surprise that my list only contains male/male romances, since that seems to be my most favorite genre.
These are all books I’ve read in 2011 (and according to Goodreads I’ve read 232 books this year) so they are not necessarily books that were published in 2011. Most are but some are older.
I had a hard time picking my favorites, so I divided them in a few categories, which gave me the freedom to mention more than a few. ;)
Here they are:

Favorite short story read in 2011

Beyond Reckless by Ava March

 Special mention:

Apples and Regret and Wasted Time by Cornelia Grey

Favorite new to me author read in 2011

Lisa Worrall

I loved both novels A Nanny for Nate & Unshakeable Faith

Fabulous conclusion to a favorite series read in 2011

All or Nothing by James Buchanan

Special mention:

Bound Forever by Ava March

Favorite series completely read in 2011

Conventions series by TC Blue (#1 Conventional Wisdom, #2 Conventional Education, #3 Unconventional)

Favorite historical romance read in 2011

The Gladiator’s Master by Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe

Authors I read the most books of (aka my favorite comfort read authors) in 2011

Stephani Hecht

Kim Dare

Shawn Lane

Best book I read in 2011

Double Blind by Heidi Cullinan

Special mentions:

Rules of Engagement by L.A. Witt

The Charlie Factor by Diana DeRicci

A to Z by Marie Sexton

Crossing Borders by Z.A. Maxfield

Anything for You by Ethan Day

One Real Thing by Anah Crow and Dianne Fox

For the rest of my Favorite reads of 2011 you can check this shelf on Goodreads.

Happy Gay Friday everyone!

~

Happy Holidays

Happy Gay Friday & A Couple More Christmas Reads

Yay, it's Friday again! And a Friday before a long weekend, that's even better. :) True, we have all kinds of family obligations, but that's just how it is. We're away for the weekend, but hopefully we'll be home by Sunday night and then we have Monday off from work (as we have a second Christmas Day in the Netherlands). Time to hang around the house together, watch some tv shows and read books, before going back to work on Tuesday. Sounds good, huh? :)
I’ve been reading a few more Christmas stories this week. It’s such a nice way to get in the mood for the holidays. Here they are:

Tam Ames

The Santa Problem

Torquere Press, 2011

Blurb:

Lane would do most anything to make his live-in love Gavin happy, but this is taking things too far. Just because Gavin can’t find someone to play Santa at his office building, doesn’t mean it’s Lane’s problem too. But Gavin can be very persuasive when he wants his way, and Lane may be taking on more than he can handle in order to keep his man content.

My thoughts:

I love a little bit of humor in my stories, and The Santa Problem just delivers that. And not only that. The plot is engaging, the characters feel very real, the chemistry is scorching hot and there's some sweetness to top it all off. The only complaint I have is that the story ended. This was such an enjoyable read, it perfectly showed the author's skill to make her characters three-dimensional and to bring a scene to life. From the first paragraphs on I felt as if I was there in the room with them. It's definitely a Christmas story, but not of the traditional, sappy kind. I think I almost peed myself when the little 'Santa problem' reached its peak, it’s hilarious. I highly recommend this story and every m/m reader should buy it, and I'm not only saying that because I know Tam and consider her a friend. She really wrote an entertaining and lovely story with The Santa Problem! 4.5 stars

Ava March

My True Love Gave to Me

Carina Press, 2011

Blurb:

Alexander Norton loathes the festive season. The revelry of the ton is a reminder of Christmas four years ago, when his first love, Thomas Bennett, broke his heart and fled to New York without a word. So when he encounters Thomas at a holiday ball, Alexander is determined not to let on how much he still hurts.
Thomas has returned for one reason only: Alexander. Having finally come to terms with his forbidden desires, he will do whatever he must to convince Alexander to give their love another chance. But instead of the happy, carefree man Thomas once knew, Alexander is now hard and cynical. Saddened to know he's to blame for the man's bitterness, Thomas resolves to reignite the passion he knows lies hidden behind the wall of disdain...

My thoughts:

This story is part of the Men Under The Mistletoe anthology - although it can be purchased as a single title as well - and is set in Regency England as we're used from Ava March's books. Characteristic for the time period is the forbidden nature of gay love, something the main character Thomas in this story struggles with when he and Alexander start falling in love. Given their young age, they're 19 years old, it's understandable he's unsure and feels the pressure of society and family who condemn sodomy. So, he flees and hurts Alexander deeply in the process. When he returns after four year, Alexander doesn't warmly welcome him back into his life and Thomas has to work hard to make Alexander even listen to his apologies, let alone to win him back.
Their story is an intense story, full of dark and deep feelings that made my stomach twist more than once, out of sympathy for both characters equally. The narrative alternates between both their perspectives so as a reader it's easy to empathize with and understand both men. I only wondered if Alexander understood Thomas' motives to leave to New York as well as I did, because some things remained unsaid between them while we learned about them through their thoughts. But other than that this story was perfect, it's written well, has intriguing, memorable characters, a compelling plot and hot and moving sex scenes. Especially when you love a historical setting and don't mind the angsty implications of that period's forbidden gay love, My True Love Gave to Me is a wonderful read, for any time of the year and not only for around Christmas time. Because although it is set in December and the season plays a role in the plot, it's not highly significant and the story doesn't have a very 'Christmassy' vibe. However, you won't be disappointed when you want I seasonal read either. 4.5 stars

Toni Griffin

My Christmas Present

Silver Publishing, 2011

Blurb:

Lucas has been in love with his dad’s best friend, Mitchell, for years. Arriving home after finishing university, he's determined to find out if the sexy cowboy returns his feelings. When Mitchell receives his Christmas present early, will he continue to fight his attraction?

My thoughts:

This is a May-December romance in which a son is in love with his father's best friend and vice versa and where the age gap is about 20 years. I have to admit that this is not one of my favorite themes, on the contrary, but this wasn't a bad read for me. The father's friend, Mitchell, was rather reluctant about starting something with his friend's son, Lucas, and his cautious behavior worked for me. And although the way the father gave his approval to the relationship was a bit weird, the first hesitant attempts to physical contact between Mitchell and Lucas were sweet and endearing. By that time I was all for them getting together.
Their story is told from both their perspectives which makes it easy to believe in the sincerity of their feelings. Both men have had a crush on the other for a long time, and through their thoughts we learn all about the why. When they finally give in to their attraction there's some hot smexing and unfortunately with that the end of the story presents itself as well. The story, which takes place around Christmas and involves some sort of a Christmas present, is an enjoyable read with a decent plot. 3.5 stars


Have you been reading good Christmas stories that you can recommend?

Happy Gay Friday!

~

ARC Review: The Forester by Blaine D. Arden

Blaine D. Arden
The Forester
Storm Moon Press, December 22, 2011

Links: Author’s website | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Kelnaht, a cloud elf, is a truth seeker caught between love and faith. Worse, a murder committed ten days before Solstice reveals an illicit affair between two tree elves he desires more than he can admit: Kelnaht's former lover Ianys, who once betrayed him, and the shunned forester named Taruif, who is not allowed to talk to anyone but The Guide, their spiritual pathfinder. When Taruif turns out to be the only witness for the crime, Kelnaht has to keep Ianys from sacrificing himself and losing his daughter, while at the same time realising he'd gladly sacrifice himself to end Taruif's loneliness.

Genre & Keywords:
M/M Romance, Paranormal, Elves, Mystery, Forest, Threesome, HFN ending

~~~~~
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 1.5 out of 3
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Reviewed by Lis:

Imagine a squee and a happy dance when Janna send me the ARC request for The Forester. I’d come across the book a few days earlier and couldn’t wait for the release. Needless to say, The Forester was read upon receiving a copy and I wasn’t disappointed.

Elves? Oh my!
No these elves are not Santa’s helpers, but a combination of elves in the high fantasy genre and the world of Magic the Gathering. And as you can gather from the well-drawn cover, they are pretty darn hot.

The Characters
This story is set around three characters: Kelnaht, a sky elf and Truth Seeker; Taruif, a shunned Forester; and Ianys, a blacksmith and Kelnaht’s former lover. All three are intricately drawn characters and bring their own peculiarities into the mix, but it’s Kelnaht we come to know best as the story is set from his point of view. He’s a Truth Seeker and investigates the murder of Cyine. For an elf he comes across as a bit jaded, but as we read on, he has a reason to. In fact, he is a very sweet elf.

Taruif is the Forester, a shunned elf. He is not allowed to talk to anyone as no one is allowed to talk to him except the Guide. Taruif is shunned for a crime he committed in the past. Of all three characters, he is the one we know least about. He gets the least page time, though he is talked about by others or on Kel’s mind. This is too bad, because Taruif is a mysterious, but very interesting character and I would have liked to see more of him.

Ianys is Kel’s ex-lover and they parted on bad terms, though there are still a lot of feelings between the two. As the story is told from Kel’s point of view, the reader will have an instant dislike for Ianys until more layers are added the story. Ianys is both passionate and impulsive, which contradicts nicely with Kel’s introvert nature and Taruif’s confident, quiet character.

The Story
The Forester is a short story, but for such a short story it tells quite the tale and is very well written and edited to boot. There is a definite focus on Kelnaht and the mystery surrounding Cyine´s death. The romance between the three is woven in between that mystery, and comes secondary. Personally, I would have liked to see the story extended and focused more on the romance as well as the mystery (come on, I love hot elves getting it on!). However, the plot is well done. The mystery is believable and nicely handled. I loved how the investigative techniques involve magic, but also CSI-techniques. The romance itself is sweet. There isn’t a whole lot of elf man-sex, but what there is, it good enough to melt your screen. Still, I wanted to see more of it.

More elves?
This story being so short is perhaps my only niggle about this book. As said, I’d hoped to see a more expanded story that focused a bit more on the relationship between the three. For me, what was given, was only enough to wet my appetite (and I’m ferocious.) When The Forester ends – with a believable HFN ending – you’re not sure where things will lead. The reader is left with questions about whether or not Kel, Taruif and Ianys will make it happen, with questions concerning the Forester and his past and future and of course Kelnaht himself. I can’t give away too much here, without spoiling the story. While I’m happy that this is not a storybook ending, I very much felt a part of the story was missing.

However, that could also just be me. Not everyone likes to constantly read nicely wrapped up, worked out books. Some readers actually like to be left with questions concerning what will happen next, so for those readers The Forester is the perfect book.
~

Lis’ Review: Witch Hunt by Nick Chivers

Nick Chivers
Witch Hunt
Dreamspinner Press, October 31, 2011

Links: Author’s Facebook | Goodreads | Buy book here

Backblurb:
Mike thought he could escape his past. He renounced his crown as High Mage of The Council, had the Bands of Binding placed on him, and tried to start over as a normal human.
It didn’t work. And now a part of that past wants him dead, and Mike is running for his life.
With his best friend, Andrew, and Andrew’s soulbound partner along for the ride, Mike can’t help but feel lonely until he meets Rick, an all-around gorgeous man who might just be the wrong guy—again—especially since Mike can’t shake an ex-lover who’s hoping for a second chance. It’s a lot to deal with as demonic forces pursue him from Mongolia to Brazil, but Mike has to make it to the safety of The Council if he doesn’t want to be the prize trophy at the end of this witch hunt.

Genre & Keywords:
M/M Romance, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Witches, Evil, Past, Betrayal, Mystery

~~~~~
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Heat level: 1.5 out of 3
~~~~~

Reviewed by Lis:

Every once in a while you come across a book you really really want to like, but the execution is just done so poorly, that you just can't. Witch Hunt by Nick Chivers is such a book. It's not easy to review a book when you can clearly see how much effort has been put into writing it and I'm not a person to needless degrade a book just because I don't like it. So I divided this review into pro and con sections. Just like a little demon and angel whispering into my ear.

What worked for me:

The storyline. Just because the romance - the couple only meets up briefly a few times - and hot sex *snif* are absent doesn't make a book bad. No, a book doesn't always need to have Hot Man Smexin' to be good. No matter how much I like reading about two hot men getting it on. The storyline for Witch Hunt is clearly thought through and interesting. It shows that you can't always hide from your past. I found that the backblurb was a little lacking in what this story is about. From reading it, you get the idea that this is primarily a romance. It isn't. There is more focus on the action and mystery and characters in this story than on the romance. So the blurb is a bit misleading.

The characters are all likable, if not a bit weird and possess a range of kick-ass powers. I liked that this story focuses on witches. Did I mention I like witches?

What didn't work for me:

The execution of this story. The writing in Witch Hunt is amateurish at best. It is very basic. Something you expect from an author who's just starting. There are too many uses of adjectives and words that amplify the noun. After a while of reading that it gets old, really fast. This book is a case where the writing actually gets the story and the characters down. This kind of writing would have worked better if it was a comedy.

While the characters are interesting, I sometimes wondered if they had some kind of disorder. For such old characters (most of them anyway) they sometimes act more immature than my 13-year old cousins. From reading this story, I didn't get the impression this was intentional.

Overall conclusion:

Witch Hunt is not necessarily a bad story, the author probably just needs a little more practice writing and the use of a really good editor or beta reader, and there is no shame in that. While this story had potential, it didn't work out for me. Nevertheless, it might just be the story for you.
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