Reading Round Up: January-February 2010

Despite an extremely busy period at work I did manage to do a bit of reading over the months of January and February with a mix of books from some new and familiar authors and a reread of a beloved anthology.

Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction by editors Timothy J. Lambert and R.D. Cochrane (Cleis Press) – Read Review

The Best Gift by Shawn Lane (Amber Quill Press/Amber Allure) – Read Review

Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing: Adrien English Mysteries (Books 1 and 2) by Josh Lanyon (Loose Id) – Read Review

The Hell You Say: Adrien English Mysteries (Book 3) by Josh Lanyon (Loose Id) – Read Review

Death of a Pirate King: Adrien English Mysteries (Book 4) by Josh Lanyon (Loose Id) – Read Review

The Dark Tide: Adrien English Mysteries (Book 5) by Josh Lanyon (Loose Id) – Read Review

Between Brothers by J.M. Snyder (JMS Books) – Read Review

Firecracker by Jaye Valentine (Noble Romance Publishing) – Read Review

Reading Round Up: The Best in Gay Fiction for 2009

Virtually all the books I read this year are in the area of gay fiction (erotica, romance, horror, suspense, urban fantasy, western/cowboy, young adult, etc.), and as the year draws to an end I thought I’d put together a list of my favourite books and stories for 2009.

The two books that standout the most and I consider my #1 reads for 2009 are Amnesic Nostalgia by Zea Miller and Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction by editors Timothy J. Lambert and R.D. Cochrane. These two gems rightfully take their place as part of the list of some of my most favourite books.

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No Place Like Home by Rick R. Reed

Burl is horny as hell and he’s just gotta have it! His boyfriend AJ is dead-to-the-world, resonantly snoring and absolutely no help at all. So Burl sets out to find someone who will assist him with his predicament. His unyielding quest for the three Rs: rutting, rimming, and ramming takes Burl from Pennsylvania across New York State, where, along the way he meets up with a series of interesting although progressively unpredictable and even dangerous characters – bears, trannies, and seriously disturbed psychos that have Burl more than clicking his heels and heading for the safety of home.

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Sins of The Messiah by Reno Macleod and Jaye Valentine

It is the year 2039 and the world is a better place, thanks to one man. Fresh from college, Malcolm Wilder engineered a cheap fix to fossil fuel dependence. The new energy-for-all economy brought on world peace with famine, disease and environmental degradation all but a thing of the past. As Earth and its people began to heal, creatures once thought to be the stuff of myth decided it was finally safe to reveal themselves.

A decade later, Malcolm is a corporate giant living in exotic Dubai. Malcolm’s business partner and lifelong friend, Levi Tanner, is concerned that Malcolm isn’t allowing himself to enjoy his fame and fortune. Levi finally takes Malcolm to Mortal Sins, a local hot spot that caters to those looking for something a little different in the way of adult recreation. There, he meets Suki, a demon, and other “mortal sinners.” Levi and Suki reveal themselves to him, but more importantly, reveal to Malcolm his pre-ordained destiny.

While Malcolm struggles to digest their revelations about who and what he is, he’s also dealing with the jealous tensions between Levi and Suki that have become noticeable to all and he begins to feel the weight of the sins that surround him. But, little does Malcolm know that the world still has a few problems of biblical proportions and that all hell is about to break loose. And, just when things seem their darkest, an unlikely visitor brings the world an unexpected message of hope.

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Love Means … No Shame by Andrew Grey

Geoff is in the city, living the gay life to the hilt, when his father’s death convinces him to return to the family farm. Discovering a young Amish man asleep in his barn, Geoff learns that Eli is spending a year away from the community before accepting baptism into the church. Despite their mutual attraction, Geoff is determined not to become involved with him, but Eli has discovered that Geoff shares his feelings and begins to court him, neatly capturing first Geoff’s attention and then his heart.

Their budding relationship is threatened by closed-minded, gossipy relatives and the society at large, a whole new world to Eli, and he must decide whether to return to the community, his family, and the world and future he knows or to stay with Geoff and have faith in the power of love.

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The StarCrossed Series (Stories 1 to 3.5) by Reno Macleod and Jaye Valentine

The setting is modern-day Salem, Massachusetts the New England coastal town famous for its witch trials of 1692. For centuries Salem has been trying to erase the horrible images of its past of witch hunting and twenty-first century Salem is nothing like the town immortalized in Arthur Miller’s “Crucible.” In a complete turnaround, the town began welcoming all witches, and today, one in four Salem residents either claims to be, or to know, a witch. There are other beings that have also made Salem their home – demons, angels, vampires and were creatures. Most of Salem’s residents both earthly and otherworldly try to live as peaceably as possible with one another. But dark forces hover and they are not always found amongst the seemingly obvious.

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Which Way To Dominance by Gavin Atlas, in How The West Was Done by editor Adam Carpenter

Teddy has worked on the Lawson ranch and sheep farm going on four years now, since the age of sixteen. Roy is the ranch foreman and quite a despicable man who abuses Teddy. For all of his twenty years on this earth, Teddy hasn’t had an easy life and doesn’t ask for much. Teddy feels that all things considered, his life could have been worse and at least he has a job and isn’t alone. One stormy night, Roy sends Teddy to the airport to pick-up the new ranch hand – Marco Belini. Marco becomes Teddy’s bunk-mate, and in getting to know him, Teddy finds a kindred spirit when it comes to gentling horses. In Marco, he also finds a friend and eventually a lover.

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La Playita by Gavin Atlas

Jamie is in Costa Rica on spring break. He has his books and writing notebook, but is otherwise alone in this tropical paradise. At dinner he meets two very attentive waiters – Rudiger and Luis – and the interest is mutual. They convince Jamie to accompany them to “la playita” — the “little beach” – a popular and fun place where no one wears anything. It is on la playita that Rudiger and Luis bring Jamie’s private fantasies to life.

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Special Forces: Soldiers (1980-1989) by Marquesate and Aleksandr Voinov (Vashtan)

Special Forces - Soldiers It took me a little over a month to read Cycle I of Special Forces entitled Soldiers (1980-1989), by co-authors Marquesate and Aleksandr Voinov (writing as Vashtan), all nineteen chapters and almost five hundred pages. I read Soldiers very slowly. It is anything but a light read so I managed a couple of chapters at a time and then had to stop reading and think about things.

Special Forces: Soldiers (1980-1989) is not gay romance or erotica, but it is a story of love, hate, violence, revenge, devotion, friendship and loyalty between Dan McFadyen an officer in the British Special Forces (SAS) and Vadim Krasnorada a Spetsnaz (Special Forces) officer of the Soviet Red Army. The backdrop of this story is the Soviet invasion and subsequent occupation of Afghanistan in 1979, the USSR’s eventual withdrawal from Afghanistan and events beyond.

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