The Inside Reader: Ava March
Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man far better than through mortal friends - Silas Weir Mitchell
For the old romance lovers like me, Ava March is a dream comes true: she writes Regency romance with all male characters, she writes the Breeches Rippers! Sorry if I sound a bit over enthusiastic, but it's really good to have your teenager passions match with your more old self, and so, a new book by Ava March is a new book on my reading list. If you are like me, I bet you will love Ava March's Inside Reader List!
My top ten list of favorite GBLT books reflects the fact that I’m a huge fan of romances. I read for pure escapist pleasure and love nothing more than to be swept away into the characters created by the authors. As such, my list of favorite GBLT books is weighed heavily toward m/m romances. These are my go-to books. The ones I could read ten times and still not tire of them (some of which I have read almost ten times). And I think the list makes it obvious I have a decided preference for sex and angst in my romances. In my opinion, the happily-ever-after is so much sweeter when the characters have to really work for it and overcome formidable obstacles.
I should add the list is in alphabetical order by title. I couldn’t possibly rank them in order - they’d all be tied for the number one spot.
1) As You Are by Ethan Day. This book is one of my more recent reads. It’s a best friends turned lovers story (one of my favorite themes) with an unrequited love element (again, a personal favorite), and it was Julian Hallowell’s character that made me fall in love with the book. Sometimes he’s a bit dramatic, sometimes a bit too self-absorbed to see beyond himself, but he’s so distinctly his own person that as a reader, I couldn’t help but be charmed by him. I eagerly followed his story as he decided to give up his efforts to make his commitment phobic roommate Danny Wallace fall in love with him and to move on with his life, only for Danny and Julian to eventually realize they can only find true happiness with each other.
Publisher: Loose Id LLC (September 29, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/As-You-Are.aspx
ISBN-13: 978-1-60737-440-4
Amazon: As You Are
Operation Danny…that’s all bartender and recent college graduate, Julian Hallowell has had on his mind the past year. Julian may have no idea what he wants to do with his life, but he definitely knows he‘s in love with the boy next door: the next door down the hall to be exact, housing his roommate and used textbook store owner Danny Wallace. While Julian has done his level best to make Danny fall for him, all his hard work has been in vain. Danny doesn’t seem to view Julian as anything other than a roommate and friend. So when new guy in town Andy Baker asks him out on a date, Julian can’t think of a good reason to say no. Instead, he institutes a Reverse Operation Danny plan, which he’s positive will purge all thoughts of love and lust for his roomie out of his head. He’s ready to move on and start looking for his next Mr. Right, and Andy just might fit the bill. But has he given up too soon?
2) At Long Last by Shawn Lane. Again, another book with a strong unrequited love theme. I just can’t seem to help myself - I’m a complete sucker for them. The story is about Preston Reynolds, a divorced lawyer, who has convinced himself he was straight his entire life until his co-worker’s little brother, Scott Trask, returns to work at the law firm. Those feeling he tried to tamp down years ago return, but much stronger this time because now Preston is no longer married. Preston’s struggles to accept his sexuality felt so very real, and my heart went out to Scotty who refused to be the dirty little secret of the man he has loved for years.
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (March 25, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/AtLongLast.html
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-449-5
Amazon: Lawyers In Love
When his best friend's younger brother gets a job at their law firm, Preston Reynolds begins to feel the same overwhelming attraction he felt for Scott Trask years earlier. But he couldn't be sexually attracted to the young gay man. Preston isn't gay. Scott has been in love with Preston for years, but the man is straight, and he was married. And now that Preston is divorced, that doesn’t mean he is any more available. The more Preston tries to ignore his attraction, however, the more he thinks about it. Finding himself alone at the office one night with Scott, he finally surrenders to his urges. Afterward, Scott wants to talk about what happened, but Preston doesn’t want to analyze it, still certain he couldn’t prefer men. When Preston suggests to the openly gay man that they keep things between them secret, however, the situation comes to a head. Both men are forced to make difficult decisions, but will their choices tear them apart forever? NOTE: Don't miss the sequel, Until The End Of Time!
3) Bound and Determined by Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow. This story is about Sterling Baker and his determined pursuit to be the ideal sub for Owen Sawyer, his one time college professor and well respected dom. Sterling is young, and his youth comes through in his quick decision to jump head first into the BDSM world and that impetuous need for immediate gratification, which causes him to sometimes butt heads with Owen who is himself determined to take their relationship step by slow step. The book is scorching hot, but not because it contains page after page of sex. The heat comes from the build up, the anticipation, the slow pace set by Owen and the beauty of watching Sterling fully embrace his submissive nature.
Publisher: Loose Id LLC (October 20, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Bound-and-Determined.aspx
ISBN-13: 978-1-60737-450-3
Amazon: Bound and Determined
When Sterling Baker discovers the wonderful world of BDSM, he's ready to literally throw himself at the feet of the spectacular Owen Sawyer, but Owen is unwilling to take on someone so new to the scene-or so he says. Determined to get what he wants, Sterling sets out to convince the doubting Owen that he can be the best sub in the world, the fastest learning, the most obedient. It's not as easy as he thinks it will be, and things get even more complicated when Sterling realizes that he's fallen in love with Owen. With the stakes that much higher, Sterling's more determined than ever to win Owen over. But now he'll have to convince Owen they can have more than a teacher/student relationship, more than just good kink.
4) Boys of Summer by Cooper Davis. A best friends turned lovers story. From the first page, this book grabbed hold of me and yanked me into Hunter Willis’s story as he comes to terms with his sexuality and his feelings for his best friend, Max Daniels. Told entirely from Hunter’s POV, the story is sweet and romantic, even though Hunter himself doesn’t come across as a soft and cuddly type of guy. It’s his uncertainty over whether he can be the man Max so very needs and wants that lends the vulnerable sweetness to the book.
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (August 4, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/boys-of-summer
ISBN-13: 978-1-60504-637-2
Amazon: Boys of Summer
I thought I knew what love was… My name is Hunter Willis and I’ve found love. The problem? I’m not sure I’m ready for the rest of the world to know I’ve fallen for my best friend. Everyone knows Max is gay. Me? They think I’m straight as an arrow. So did I, until Max and I shared a kiss three months ago that blew that theory right out of the water. Now, by the ocean in Florida, thousands of miles away from prying eyes, I’m finally ready to admit to myself that Max and I have something special. Max has been ready for a long time-and he’s been waiting for me. Really waiting. As in…he’s still a virgin. There’s nothing I want more than to be Max’s first lover. But I know when Max gives away that part of himself, it won’t be just a summer fling. It’ll be for keeps. Max deserves the best. I’m just not sure, when it comes right down to it, that I won’t break his heart. Did I mention I’m scared as hell?
5) Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice. This book has the distinction of being the only non-romance on the list, though it does have a sprinkling of romantic elements. When I think back, this is the book that sparked that ‘ah!’ moment. I bought it because I was a fan of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches series. I ended up with something entirely different than anything I’d ever read, and I loved it. I was completely captivated by the beautiful Tonio and his struggles to reconcile himself to his fate as a castrati and find his place in that world. It was literally years later when I stumbled upon erotic romances that featured bisexual heroes (no gay heroes in those), and it took another few years to stumble upon m/m romance ebooks. Though once I found m/m romance, it didn’t take me nearly as long before I started to write my own stories.
Mass Market Paperback: 576 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 1, 1995)
Publisher Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345396938
ISBN-10: 0345396936
ISBN-13: 978-0345396938
Amazon: Cry to Heaven
In this mesmerizing novel, the acclaimed author of THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES and the LIVES OF THE MAYFAIR WITCHES makes real for us the exquisite and otherworldly society of the eighteenth-century castrati, the delicate and alluring male sopranos whose graceful bodies and glorious voices brought them the adulation of the royal courts and grand opera houses of Europe, men who lived as idols, concealing their pain as they were adored as angels, yet shunned as half-men. As we are drawn into their dark and luminous story, as the crowds of Venetians, Neopolitans, and Romans, noblemen and peasants, musicians, prelates, princes, saints, and intriguers swirl around them, Anne Rice brings us into the sweep of eighteenth-century Italian life, into the decadence beneath the shimmering surface of Venice, the wild frivolity of Naples, and the magnetic terror of its shadow, Vesuvius. It is a novel that only Anne Rice could have written, taking us into a heartbreaking and enchanting moment in history, a time of great ambition and great suffering--a tale that challenges our deepest images of the masculine and the feminine. "To read Anne Rice is to become giddy as if spinning through the mind of time." --San Francisco Chronicle. "Dazzling in its darkness...Spellbinding." --The New York Times
6) Diving in Deep by K.A. Mitchell. A teenage crush can be a wonderful thing, full of new intense feelings, but it can be a painful thing when the focus of admiration is an older brother’s best friend who refuses to become involved with someone so young. Time, however, becomes Noah Winthrop’s ally though it doesn’t wipe away those painful memories of rejection nor has it dimmed his feelings for Cameron Lewis. This book doesn’t have big external elements. There are no killers and no family drama, no men hiding in closets. It is Cam and Noah’s story. The sex scenes burn up the page, and Noah’s internal angst really tugged at my heart.
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (January 1, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://samhainpublishing.com/print/diving-in-deep-print
ISBN-10: 1605040908
ISBN-13: 978-1605040905
Amazon: Diving in Deep
You never forget your first time. Cameron Lewis loves his job as an instructor/trainer for a water safety firm that inspects water parks. He gets to travel from March through September, always moving on to something different. When a strange emptiness starts plaguing him, he chalks it up to turning thirty. He manages to shake off the feeling-until he walks into a classroom and discovers that the eye candy in the front row is actually a very grown up version of his best-friend’s kid brother. Noah Winthrop never forgot his first time. Scary, painful and then absolutely amazing-and with Cameron, the guy he’d always wanted. He’s had a crush on his brother’s best friend since puberty and now nothing will keep him from finally getting Cameron Lewis to notice him. Even though Cameron once rejected him, Noah is determined to get it right this time.
7) The Englor Affair by J. L. Langley. A Sci-Regency love story between a young innocent prince and a newly crowned king. J.L. Langley’s carefully crafted world contains a wonderful mix of all the conveniences of the future and the regency era’s strict adherence to proper decorum. My Fair Captain used to top The Englor Affair, but I recently re-read The Englor Affair and on that reading Payton and Simon got the nudge over Aiden and Nate. Maybe it’s because the power dynamic is not quite so distinct in this book. Simon is only twenty-four years of age, much closer to Payton’s age than Nate was to Aiden. Neither is Simon quite as sure of himself - he feels the heavy weight of his new responsibilities. Whatever the cause, I found myself once again re-reading this book and falling in love with the characters all over again.
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (September 1, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://samhainpublishing.com/print/the-englor-affair-print
ISBN-10: 1605044075
ISBN-13: 978-1605044071
Amazon: The Englor Affair
In hiding who he was, Payton found himself…and the man he would grow to love. After his brother is kidnapped, Prince Payton Townsend masquerades as an Admiral’s assistant in order to track the culprits through the tangled mysteries of the planet Englor. He finds way more than he bargained for in the form of Marine Colonel Simon Hollister. Simon is no ordinary soldier. He’s heir to Englor and his life is mapped out for him: throne, bride, and eventually an heir. He never expected a dalliance with Payton to blossom into love, or that the organization that taught him to lead would threaten that love-and their lives. Danger and intrigue abound as they learn more about their shared enemy, and about each other. What they learn could help them rise above to an enduring love-or pull them apart.
8) Faith and Fidelity by Tere Michaels. A friends turned lovers story. The prologue is absolutely heartbreaking and sets the tone for this wonderful book. This one is light on the actual sexual elements but high on sexual tension and angst as Evan Cerelli and Matt Haight, two men who had never thought of themselves as gay, go from friendship to love, leaning on each other and helping each other out through the hard times.
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Loose Id, LLC (January 22, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Faith-and-Fidelity.aspx
ISBN-10: 1596328363
ISBN-13: 978-1596328365
Amazon: Faith and Fidelity
New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli has lost his wife, the only person he ever loved and slept with. He's trying to get on with his life, build a life for his children. Former Homicide Detective Matt Haight is a ladies’ man, all sex/no commitment. He's depressed, having a midlife crisis, and not sure where his life is headed. The two find friendship in the bottom of a shared bottle. When the friendship turns to love, it shakes two straight men to the core and flips their lives inside out. Kids, families, careers that are not gay-friendly -- can all the love in the world overcome the obstacles to faith and fidelity?
9) Pyromancer by Amanda Young. This was the first Amanda Young book that I read, and the one that turned me into a fan girl. There was just something about Christian Ryder & Tanner O’Bannon that really appealed to me. Perhaps it was that Tanner has steel in his spine, despite the fact he’s so young and turning tricks to pay the bills. Or perhaps it’s that Christian was so achingly lonely. The book is a paranormal, yet those elements didn’t take center stage, rather they are the underlying reason why Christian is so lonely. It was the relationship and the characterization that drew me in and kept me glued to the page until I reached the end.
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (September 26, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Pyromancer.aspx
ISBN-10: 1449527795
ISBN-13: 978-1449527792
Amazon: Pyromancer
Christian Ryder is rich and lonely -- and a pyromancer. When the people around him keep dying, he forgoes personal attachments. The thought of his pyromancy hurting anyone else isn't something he's willing to risk. Tanner O'Bannon is broke and desperate. The recent loss of his father has thrown Tanner into a tailspin of debt he can't afford to pay. Working as a rent boy allows him to pay the mortgage and his college tuition, but it's eroding his soul in the process. Through the machinations of Male Companions -- the escort agency for which Tanner works -- the men are thrown together. Smoldering embers of desire fan the flames of love, but will it be enough to make Christian overcome his fear of love, or to save Tanner from the fire? Only one thing is certain; both men will burn.
10) Seeking Redemption: Aidan and Ethan by Cameron Dane. Cameron Dane really knows how to write angst and since I’m an angst junkie, I just lap it up. This book also has the added plus of featuring two best friends who were on the cusp of becoming lovers on the day they graduated from high school, only to be torn apart. The love that Ethan Ashworth feels for Aidan Morgan in the prologue felt so real. That young love, that ‘yes, I will go away with you and only be with you’ love. So wonderfully pure and untainted, and a stark contrast to the man Ethan has become in chapter one.
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Publisher Link: http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&cart_id=4631567.65250&product_name=Aidan+And+Ethan&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact
ISBN-13: 978-1-59578-515-2
Redemption, Maine. Never had the name of a town been more apt or mocked a person more. Aidan Morgan made many mistakes in his young life, but moving to Redemption gave him a chance to wash away his poor choices and repair his relationship with his siblings. Ethan Ashworth had the blond good looks of a hometown football star, but the picture didn’t match the heart and mind of the young man living inside. The new kid in town with a history of getting into trouble and an unlikely geek don't often make a match, but a unique friendship forms. With one searing kiss on graduation day, promises of a future are made. One day later Aidan is gone, and Ethan’s heart is left broken. Redemption, Maine. Never had the name of a town been more apt or mocked a person more … twice. Thirteen years ago Aidan disappeared in the dead of night, but he is home now. Aidan has come home to take the job of chief of the fire department and to reconnect with his brother and sister. He wants Ethan back too. Unable to forget their kiss, Aidan wants to explain why he went away, and he wants a second chance to win Ethan’s heart. Too bad for Aidan, Ethan isn’t so quick to forgive and forget. He dealt with a life-changing crisis after Aidan went away. His hurt and anger at how Aidan left him alone has resurfaced, bringing the controlled man back to life. Ethan will listen to Aidan’s reasons for leaving when he’s damn good and ready … and not a minute before. Redemption, Maine. A place for second chances. Will the town--and Ethan Ashworth--give Aidan Morgan another shot to get it right?
So there you have it, my list of favorite GBLT books. You may have noticed something’s missing from the list - historicals. I write Regency-set historical romances and they are the only type of books I can write. Trust me, I tried to do a contemporary once - complete fail. I do read and enjoy historical GBLT books, and I read m/f Regency and Victorian romances for years and still do (my all time favorite of favorite book remains Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen), but for whatever reason contemporaries dominate my list of go-to m/m books. These ten books were the ones that stuck with me long after I read ‘the end’, the books I go back to time and time again when I want to be completely swept up in a story.
About Ava March: Ava March is a multi-published author of regency-set m/m historical erotic romances. She loves writing in the regency time period, where proper decorum is of the utmost importance, but where anything can happen behind closed doors. She has a daughter and is married to a wonderful man who doesn’t mind in the slightest that she spends her evenings writing naughty books.
She is published with Loose Id, LLC and Samhain Publishing. Her titles include BOUND BY DECEPTION, BOUND TO HIM, CONVINCING ARTHUR and OBJECT OF HIS DESIRE.
Author website: www.AvaMarch.com
Author blog: www.AvaMarch.blogspot.com
Newest release: FROM AFAR, available February 23, 2010 from Samhain Publishing: http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/ava-march
From Afar by Ava March
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publisher Link: http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/from-afar
ISBN-13: 978-1-60504-896-3
Amazon Kindle: From Afar
Some rules are destined to be broken.
Loneliness. A concept with which Raphael Laurent is very familiar. He’s lived a solitary life for thirty-six years, shunning the excesses of the local vampire clan-until he spots Lord Aleric Vane, the handsome and dissolute third son of a duke. For three years Raphael has watched from a distance, for only when he is near Aleric does the hollow, empty ache in his chest ease.
Cut off from his family for refusing to follow his father’s dictates, Aleric’s nights are filled with vice. But after three years in London, the city has lost all appeal. Desolate and penniless, his future appears bleak. Until a mysterious man drops from the shadows to drive off a trio of murderous thieves.
When Aleric awakens, he finds himself forever changed. The itch for more that drove him to London is gone. In its place is the feeling that he’s known the beautiful Raphael all his life.
But to save Aleric, Raphael had to break the rules, giving him a chance to love the one man he never thought he could have-a chance that could be ripped away by Aleric himself…
For the old romance lovers like me, Ava March is a dream comes true: she writes Regency romance with all male characters, she writes the Breeches Rippers! Sorry if I sound a bit over enthusiastic, but it's really good to have your teenager passions match with your more old self, and so, a new book by Ava March is a new book on my reading list. If you are like me, I bet you will love Ava March's Inside Reader List!
My top ten list of favorite GBLT books reflects the fact that I’m a huge fan of romances. I read for pure escapist pleasure and love nothing more than to be swept away into the characters created by the authors. As such, my list of favorite GBLT books is weighed heavily toward m/m romances. These are my go-to books. The ones I could read ten times and still not tire of them (some of which I have read almost ten times). And I think the list makes it obvious I have a decided preference for sex and angst in my romances. In my opinion, the happily-ever-after is so much sweeter when the characters have to really work for it and overcome formidable obstacles.
I should add the list is in alphabetical order by title. I couldn’t possibly rank them in order - they’d all be tied for the number one spot.
1) As You Are by Ethan Day. This book is one of my more recent reads. It’s a best friends turned lovers story (one of my favorite themes) with an unrequited love element (again, a personal favorite), and it was Julian Hallowell’s character that made me fall in love with the book. Sometimes he’s a bit dramatic, sometimes a bit too self-absorbed to see beyond himself, but he’s so distinctly his own person that as a reader, I couldn’t help but be charmed by him. I eagerly followed his story as he decided to give up his efforts to make his commitment phobic roommate Danny Wallace fall in love with him and to move on with his life, only for Danny and Julian to eventually realize they can only find true happiness with each other.
Publisher: Loose Id LLC (September 29, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/As-You-Are.aspx
ISBN-13: 978-1-60737-440-4
Amazon: As You Are
Operation Danny…that’s all bartender and recent college graduate, Julian Hallowell has had on his mind the past year. Julian may have no idea what he wants to do with his life, but he definitely knows he‘s in love with the boy next door: the next door down the hall to be exact, housing his roommate and used textbook store owner Danny Wallace. While Julian has done his level best to make Danny fall for him, all his hard work has been in vain. Danny doesn’t seem to view Julian as anything other than a roommate and friend. So when new guy in town Andy Baker asks him out on a date, Julian can’t think of a good reason to say no. Instead, he institutes a Reverse Operation Danny plan, which he’s positive will purge all thoughts of love and lust for his roomie out of his head. He’s ready to move on and start looking for his next Mr. Right, and Andy just might fit the bill. But has he given up too soon?
2) At Long Last by Shawn Lane. Again, another book with a strong unrequited love theme. I just can’t seem to help myself - I’m a complete sucker for them. The story is about Preston Reynolds, a divorced lawyer, who has convinced himself he was straight his entire life until his co-worker’s little brother, Scott Trask, returns to work at the law firm. Those feeling he tried to tamp down years ago return, but much stronger this time because now Preston is no longer married. Preston’s struggles to accept his sexuality felt so very real, and my heart went out to Scotty who refused to be the dirty little secret of the man he has loved for years.
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (March 25, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/AtLongLast.html
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-449-5
Amazon: Lawyers In Love
When his best friend's younger brother gets a job at their law firm, Preston Reynolds begins to feel the same overwhelming attraction he felt for Scott Trask years earlier. But he couldn't be sexually attracted to the young gay man. Preston isn't gay. Scott has been in love with Preston for years, but the man is straight, and he was married. And now that Preston is divorced, that doesn’t mean he is any more available. The more Preston tries to ignore his attraction, however, the more he thinks about it. Finding himself alone at the office one night with Scott, he finally surrenders to his urges. Afterward, Scott wants to talk about what happened, but Preston doesn’t want to analyze it, still certain he couldn’t prefer men. When Preston suggests to the openly gay man that they keep things between them secret, however, the situation comes to a head. Both men are forced to make difficult decisions, but will their choices tear them apart forever? NOTE: Don't miss the sequel, Until The End Of Time!
3) Bound and Determined by Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow. This story is about Sterling Baker and his determined pursuit to be the ideal sub for Owen Sawyer, his one time college professor and well respected dom. Sterling is young, and his youth comes through in his quick decision to jump head first into the BDSM world and that impetuous need for immediate gratification, which causes him to sometimes butt heads with Owen who is himself determined to take their relationship step by slow step. The book is scorching hot, but not because it contains page after page of sex. The heat comes from the build up, the anticipation, the slow pace set by Owen and the beauty of watching Sterling fully embrace his submissive nature.
Publisher: Loose Id LLC (October 20, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Bound-and-Determined.aspx
ISBN-13: 978-1-60737-450-3
Amazon: Bound and Determined
When Sterling Baker discovers the wonderful world of BDSM, he's ready to literally throw himself at the feet of the spectacular Owen Sawyer, but Owen is unwilling to take on someone so new to the scene-or so he says. Determined to get what he wants, Sterling sets out to convince the doubting Owen that he can be the best sub in the world, the fastest learning, the most obedient. It's not as easy as he thinks it will be, and things get even more complicated when Sterling realizes that he's fallen in love with Owen. With the stakes that much higher, Sterling's more determined than ever to win Owen over. But now he'll have to convince Owen they can have more than a teacher/student relationship, more than just good kink.
4) Boys of Summer by Cooper Davis. A best friends turned lovers story. From the first page, this book grabbed hold of me and yanked me into Hunter Willis’s story as he comes to terms with his sexuality and his feelings for his best friend, Max Daniels. Told entirely from Hunter’s POV, the story is sweet and romantic, even though Hunter himself doesn’t come across as a soft and cuddly type of guy. It’s his uncertainty over whether he can be the man Max so very needs and wants that lends the vulnerable sweetness to the book.
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (August 4, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/boys-of-summer
ISBN-13: 978-1-60504-637-2
Amazon: Boys of Summer
I thought I knew what love was… My name is Hunter Willis and I’ve found love. The problem? I’m not sure I’m ready for the rest of the world to know I’ve fallen for my best friend. Everyone knows Max is gay. Me? They think I’m straight as an arrow. So did I, until Max and I shared a kiss three months ago that blew that theory right out of the water. Now, by the ocean in Florida, thousands of miles away from prying eyes, I’m finally ready to admit to myself that Max and I have something special. Max has been ready for a long time-and he’s been waiting for me. Really waiting. As in…he’s still a virgin. There’s nothing I want more than to be Max’s first lover. But I know when Max gives away that part of himself, it won’t be just a summer fling. It’ll be for keeps. Max deserves the best. I’m just not sure, when it comes right down to it, that I won’t break his heart. Did I mention I’m scared as hell?
5) Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice. This book has the distinction of being the only non-romance on the list, though it does have a sprinkling of romantic elements. When I think back, this is the book that sparked that ‘ah!’ moment. I bought it because I was a fan of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches series. I ended up with something entirely different than anything I’d ever read, and I loved it. I was completely captivated by the beautiful Tonio and his struggles to reconcile himself to his fate as a castrati and find his place in that world. It was literally years later when I stumbled upon erotic romances that featured bisexual heroes (no gay heroes in those), and it took another few years to stumble upon m/m romance ebooks. Though once I found m/m romance, it didn’t take me nearly as long before I started to write my own stories.
Mass Market Paperback: 576 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 1, 1995)
Publisher Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345396938
ISBN-10: 0345396936
ISBN-13: 978-0345396938
Amazon: Cry to Heaven
In this mesmerizing novel, the acclaimed author of THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES and the LIVES OF THE MAYFAIR WITCHES makes real for us the exquisite and otherworldly society of the eighteenth-century castrati, the delicate and alluring male sopranos whose graceful bodies and glorious voices brought them the adulation of the royal courts and grand opera houses of Europe, men who lived as idols, concealing their pain as they were adored as angels, yet shunned as half-men. As we are drawn into their dark and luminous story, as the crowds of Venetians, Neopolitans, and Romans, noblemen and peasants, musicians, prelates, princes, saints, and intriguers swirl around them, Anne Rice brings us into the sweep of eighteenth-century Italian life, into the decadence beneath the shimmering surface of Venice, the wild frivolity of Naples, and the magnetic terror of its shadow, Vesuvius. It is a novel that only Anne Rice could have written, taking us into a heartbreaking and enchanting moment in history, a time of great ambition and great suffering--a tale that challenges our deepest images of the masculine and the feminine. "To read Anne Rice is to become giddy as if spinning through the mind of time." --San Francisco Chronicle. "Dazzling in its darkness...Spellbinding." --The New York Times
6) Diving in Deep by K.A. Mitchell. A teenage crush can be a wonderful thing, full of new intense feelings, but it can be a painful thing when the focus of admiration is an older brother’s best friend who refuses to become involved with someone so young. Time, however, becomes Noah Winthrop’s ally though it doesn’t wipe away those painful memories of rejection nor has it dimmed his feelings for Cameron Lewis. This book doesn’t have big external elements. There are no killers and no family drama, no men hiding in closets. It is Cam and Noah’s story. The sex scenes burn up the page, and Noah’s internal angst really tugged at my heart.
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (January 1, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://samhainpublishing.com/print/diving-in-deep-print
ISBN-10: 1605040908
ISBN-13: 978-1605040905
Amazon: Diving in Deep
You never forget your first time. Cameron Lewis loves his job as an instructor/trainer for a water safety firm that inspects water parks. He gets to travel from March through September, always moving on to something different. When a strange emptiness starts plaguing him, he chalks it up to turning thirty. He manages to shake off the feeling-until he walks into a classroom and discovers that the eye candy in the front row is actually a very grown up version of his best-friend’s kid brother. Noah Winthrop never forgot his first time. Scary, painful and then absolutely amazing-and with Cameron, the guy he’d always wanted. He’s had a crush on his brother’s best friend since puberty and now nothing will keep him from finally getting Cameron Lewis to notice him. Even though Cameron once rejected him, Noah is determined to get it right this time.
7) The Englor Affair by J. L. Langley. A Sci-Regency love story between a young innocent prince and a newly crowned king. J.L. Langley’s carefully crafted world contains a wonderful mix of all the conveniences of the future and the regency era’s strict adherence to proper decorum. My Fair Captain used to top The Englor Affair, but I recently re-read The Englor Affair and on that reading Payton and Simon got the nudge over Aiden and Nate. Maybe it’s because the power dynamic is not quite so distinct in this book. Simon is only twenty-four years of age, much closer to Payton’s age than Nate was to Aiden. Neither is Simon quite as sure of himself - he feels the heavy weight of his new responsibilities. Whatever the cause, I found myself once again re-reading this book and falling in love with the characters all over again.
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (September 1, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://samhainpublishing.com/print/the-englor-affair-print
ISBN-10: 1605044075
ISBN-13: 978-1605044071
Amazon: The Englor Affair
In hiding who he was, Payton found himself…and the man he would grow to love. After his brother is kidnapped, Prince Payton Townsend masquerades as an Admiral’s assistant in order to track the culprits through the tangled mysteries of the planet Englor. He finds way more than he bargained for in the form of Marine Colonel Simon Hollister. Simon is no ordinary soldier. He’s heir to Englor and his life is mapped out for him: throne, bride, and eventually an heir. He never expected a dalliance with Payton to blossom into love, or that the organization that taught him to lead would threaten that love-and their lives. Danger and intrigue abound as they learn more about their shared enemy, and about each other. What they learn could help them rise above to an enduring love-or pull them apart.
8) Faith and Fidelity by Tere Michaels. A friends turned lovers story. The prologue is absolutely heartbreaking and sets the tone for this wonderful book. This one is light on the actual sexual elements but high on sexual tension and angst as Evan Cerelli and Matt Haight, two men who had never thought of themselves as gay, go from friendship to love, leaning on each other and helping each other out through the hard times.
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Loose Id, LLC (January 22, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Faith-and-Fidelity.aspx
ISBN-10: 1596328363
ISBN-13: 978-1596328365
Amazon: Faith and Fidelity
New York City Vice Detective Evan Cerelli has lost his wife, the only person he ever loved and slept with. He's trying to get on with his life, build a life for his children. Former Homicide Detective Matt Haight is a ladies’ man, all sex/no commitment. He's depressed, having a midlife crisis, and not sure where his life is headed. The two find friendship in the bottom of a shared bottle. When the friendship turns to love, it shakes two straight men to the core and flips their lives inside out. Kids, families, careers that are not gay-friendly -- can all the love in the world overcome the obstacles to faith and fidelity?
9) Pyromancer by Amanda Young. This was the first Amanda Young book that I read, and the one that turned me into a fan girl. There was just something about Christian Ryder & Tanner O’Bannon that really appealed to me. Perhaps it was that Tanner has steel in his spine, despite the fact he’s so young and turning tricks to pay the bills. Or perhaps it’s that Christian was so achingly lonely. The book is a paranormal, yet those elements didn’t take center stage, rather they are the underlying reason why Christian is so lonely. It was the relationship and the characterization that drew me in and kept me glued to the page until I reached the end.
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (September 26, 2009)
Publisher Link: http://www.loose-id.com/Pyromancer.aspx
ISBN-10: 1449527795
ISBN-13: 978-1449527792
Amazon: Pyromancer
Christian Ryder is rich and lonely -- and a pyromancer. When the people around him keep dying, he forgoes personal attachments. The thought of his pyromancy hurting anyone else isn't something he's willing to risk. Tanner O'Bannon is broke and desperate. The recent loss of his father has thrown Tanner into a tailspin of debt he can't afford to pay. Working as a rent boy allows him to pay the mortgage and his college tuition, but it's eroding his soul in the process. Through the machinations of Male Companions -- the escort agency for which Tanner works -- the men are thrown together. Smoldering embers of desire fan the flames of love, but will it be enough to make Christian overcome his fear of love, or to save Tanner from the fire? Only one thing is certain; both men will burn.
10) Seeking Redemption: Aidan and Ethan by Cameron Dane. Cameron Dane really knows how to write angst and since I’m an angst junkie, I just lap it up. This book also has the added plus of featuring two best friends who were on the cusp of becoming lovers on the day they graduated from high school, only to be torn apart. The love that Ethan Ashworth feels for Aidan Morgan in the prologue felt so real. That young love, that ‘yes, I will go away with you and only be with you’ love. So wonderfully pure and untainted, and a stark contrast to the man Ethan has become in chapter one.
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Publisher Link: http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&cart_id=4631567.65250&product_name=Aidan+And+Ethan&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact
ISBN-13: 978-1-59578-515-2
Redemption, Maine. Never had the name of a town been more apt or mocked a person more. Aidan Morgan made many mistakes in his young life, but moving to Redemption gave him a chance to wash away his poor choices and repair his relationship with his siblings. Ethan Ashworth had the blond good looks of a hometown football star, but the picture didn’t match the heart and mind of the young man living inside. The new kid in town with a history of getting into trouble and an unlikely geek don't often make a match, but a unique friendship forms. With one searing kiss on graduation day, promises of a future are made. One day later Aidan is gone, and Ethan’s heart is left broken. Redemption, Maine. Never had the name of a town been more apt or mocked a person more … twice. Thirteen years ago Aidan disappeared in the dead of night, but he is home now. Aidan has come home to take the job of chief of the fire department and to reconnect with his brother and sister. He wants Ethan back too. Unable to forget their kiss, Aidan wants to explain why he went away, and he wants a second chance to win Ethan’s heart. Too bad for Aidan, Ethan isn’t so quick to forgive and forget. He dealt with a life-changing crisis after Aidan went away. His hurt and anger at how Aidan left him alone has resurfaced, bringing the controlled man back to life. Ethan will listen to Aidan’s reasons for leaving when he’s damn good and ready … and not a minute before. Redemption, Maine. A place for second chances. Will the town--and Ethan Ashworth--give Aidan Morgan another shot to get it right?
So there you have it, my list of favorite GBLT books. You may have noticed something’s missing from the list - historicals. I write Regency-set historical romances and they are the only type of books I can write. Trust me, I tried to do a contemporary once - complete fail. I do read and enjoy historical GBLT books, and I read m/f Regency and Victorian romances for years and still do (my all time favorite of favorite book remains Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen), but for whatever reason contemporaries dominate my list of go-to m/m books. These ten books were the ones that stuck with me long after I read ‘the end’, the books I go back to time and time again when I want to be completely swept up in a story.
About Ava March: Ava March is a multi-published author of regency-set m/m historical erotic romances. She loves writing in the regency time period, where proper decorum is of the utmost importance, but where anything can happen behind closed doors. She has a daughter and is married to a wonderful man who doesn’t mind in the slightest that she spends her evenings writing naughty books.
She is published with Loose Id, LLC and Samhain Publishing. Her titles include BOUND BY DECEPTION, BOUND TO HIM, CONVINCING ARTHUR and OBJECT OF HIS DESIRE.
Author website: www.AvaMarch.com
Author blog: www.AvaMarch.blogspot.com
Newest release: FROM AFAR, available February 23, 2010 from Samhain Publishing: http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/ava-march
From Afar by Ava March
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publisher Link: http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/from-afar
ISBN-13: 978-1-60504-896-3
Amazon Kindle: From Afar
Some rules are destined to be broken.
Loneliness. A concept with which Raphael Laurent is very familiar. He’s lived a solitary life for thirty-six years, shunning the excesses of the local vampire clan-until he spots Lord Aleric Vane, the handsome and dissolute third son of a duke. For three years Raphael has watched from a distance, for only when he is near Aleric does the hollow, empty ache in his chest ease.
Cut off from his family for refusing to follow his father’s dictates, Aleric’s nights are filled with vice. But after three years in London, the city has lost all appeal. Desolate and penniless, his future appears bleak. Until a mysterious man drops from the shadows to drive off a trio of murderous thieves.
When Aleric awakens, he finds himself forever changed. The itch for more that drove him to London is gone. In its place is the feeling that he’s known the beautiful Raphael all his life.
But to save Aleric, Raphael had to break the rules, giving him a chance to love the one man he never thought he could have-a chance that could be ripped away by Aleric himself…