i can't see the stars anymore living here | let's go to the hills where the outlines are clear
It's eighth week here in university land to give us a break from studying~. Naturally, I've got two book exams on Friday, which in turn means reading four hundred pages of linguistic theory in French. Agh. Thank god I'm actually interested in this stuff or I'd claw my eyes out.
Anyway, I kind of needed a break from studying. What better way to do that than pimp craptastic gay romance novels? :'D Behind the cut you'll find short reviews of some of my favorite romance ebooks, as well as links to shops where you can buy them. Ebooks tend to be pretty cheap (like, 2-10 bucks a pop -> 1-7 Euros) so these shouldn't break your bank.
Disclaimer: I lurrrve sweet, silly and/or fluffy stories with a minimal amount of angst. Traditional seme/uke roles are hot (and no, I don't give a flying fuck if that makes me a bad slash/BL/wuteva fan). I love interracial/cultural pairings, age differences and cold-at-first-but-secretly-sweet ukes/bottoms and/or semes/tops. I'm not into bondage, but I do like mild D/s stuff, so there will be some biting and manhandling. And finally, I prefer ~*~werewolves~*~ over vampires and mostly tend to buy books with shapeshifter themes. Consider yourself warned~.
And yes, all of these suck hairy monkey balls in some way. No, seriously. I read this crap for the escapism, not for the literary value. P.S. The covers are pretty much all absolutely hideous.
Oneshots
Bound by Deception by Ava March
This is one of the few period pieces I can stomach. It also features some BDSM, but it's not that bad and actually kind of hot. The basic plot is fairly cliché with a man in love with his best friend, but oh how my heart still ached for poor Oliver ;3; An enjoyable, porny read with sweet fluff at the center ♥
Snip: Over the years, [Oliver], too, had hired his fair share of men at Madame Delacroix’s. Each one had been a prime example of their gender. Yet none had come close to what he imagined Vincent to be like in bed. Their shoulders were not quite broad enough, even the few with blue eyes lacked the pure saturated hue that rivaled a clear summer sky, and not one of them possessed a deep cultured voice that swept over his skin like fine aged whiskey.
Out There in the Night by Laura Baumbach
Mmm, now this is werewolf porn at its best. Well, okay, the prose slips into purple more often than not and the main uke/bottom spends most of the time with a concussion -> reeeally romantic, u gaiz (except not). Otherwise I really liked the more animalistic main seme/top, the richness of the language and the side pairing ♥ Nom nom.
Snip: Each spurt and pulse of his cum was like breathing fire out of his cock. The tip burned and spasmed, as if he was giving birth as he emptied himself into Adam’s greedy throat. It was a terrifying mix of startling pain and delicious ecstasy.
The sure knowledge he had just given Adam more than his cum flashed across Connor’s jumbled mind. He had ejaculated a part of his soul, as well. A part he could never reclaim. (lololol, oh rly now? :'D)
Secrets and Lies by Amanda Young
Omg, a vampire romance I actually like and one that's pretty damn near to perfection. There are just a few things that I find iffy with the construction of the plot, but otherwise nom nom nom. And ungh, how I love a cold seme/top who eventually realizes that his fuckbuddy might just be the ~*~other half of his soul~*~. Also features an interesting take on the whole vampire cliché and hot porn. P.S. I love the side pairing like whoa :B
Snip: Teague watched the men exit the car, the passenger laughing at something Kyle must’ve said before they opened the doors. An irrational wave of jealousy surged over him, making his jaw clench with anger. The way he felt was ridiculous -- he had no claim on Kyle -- and yet he couldn’t help himself. Seeing Kyle with someone else, the pair laughing like bosom buddies, made his insides twist into a pretzel.
Wolf Dance by Anne Vremont
A short but terribly hot take on a very familiar cliché of a beautiful ~*~exotic dancer~*~ bumping uglies with one of his clients. Also features a deliciously werewolfy twist of scifi.
Snip: [Yuki] let his hooded gaze slide to the man in the corner, wondering what it would feel like to be possessed by the hard body and visibly strong hands. For that dark rough beauty he'd abandon, if only for the night, his promise not to succumb to the coarser side of the club's business trade.
Series
The Hawkins Ranch Series [Demon Moon (het) // Falling // ReneCade // Knowing Caleb] by Cameron Dane
Uh, where to begin? First of all, the series is about three demon "brothers" who all find twu wuv with humans. The porn is scorching hot, the guys are strapping, handsome cowboys (one of my main kinks >3) and the whole demon thing is fairly well handled. Unfortunately, especially the second book in the series is seriously way too long (with constant building towards the main conflict that keeps ebbing and flowing in the most annoying fashion ashkjfhksj) and the whole omg-my-tribe-will-kill-me-for-being-gay thing pretty ridiculous [I mean seriously, if they're so short on healthy breeding stock that they'll kill their own tribe members for being gay as a warning to others, why not just mandate breeding every once in a while and let the gay members live their lives otherwise freely? Because now they're losing valuable breeders anyway through killing them] but overall I still liked this series. It has serious problems, but it's worth a read~. P.S. The first book - the straight one - was the best, even with the second, slightly iffy-on-the-consent sex scene.
Snip: That all changed the second Cain heard his dog, Whisky, barking up a storm on the porch. The dog rarely barked, and when she did Cain was always grateful to be alerted to whatever had grabbed the mutt’s attention. He rolled out of bed and into a discarded pair of jeans in one smooth move, and pulled his front door open with a shotgun raised to his shoulder in the next.
That was how Cain officially greeted his first employee, Luke Forrester.
The Heaven Sent Series [Heaven // Purgatory // Hell // Faith // Genesis] by Jet Mykles
I usually positively abhor anything to do with artist types in my gay porn (one reason why I could never go for bandslash), but this series about a massively popular band - Heaven Sent - really turned my crank more than once. It had so many of the delicious little things and dynamics I like that I kind of forgave the whole ~*~sexy musicians~*~ aspect of it all :'D Anyway, the series is fairly well-written, happy, sweet and cliché fluff with a big cast that gets paired off to the last member. My favorite has to be the second book in the series, because I have a huge thing for the dynamic there (although Luc is a huge bastard for pulling the stunt that he did >( Poor Reese!). I very much recommend this series, even if it's not the best I've ever read.
Snip: "I overreacted and I ended our friendship. It was wrong. I'm sorry. I kept saying to myself that I needed to come back and tell you, but ..." [Luc] shrugged. "It's amazing how years can go by, isn’t it?"
Reese stared at those hooded sable eyes, took in the way the half light made interesting, gray-green shadows on that sharply defined face, and tried really hard to think. His heart was racing and his skin was all tingly. Luc didn’t hate him? Luc was apologizing?
The Hoosier Werewolf Series [Midnight Howl // Who Let The Wolf Out? // Things That Go GRRR] by Kate Steele
Hee, this series isn't really the best there is, but it's full of silly humor, hot sex scenes and at times even tolerable storytelling. I have to say, though, that I cringed more than once and that every once in a while the plot just sputters and tries its best to die, it's that badly constructed. Still, the series has a silly charm to it. Also? I'm a huge sucker for a) jock/geek pairings and b) big bad werewolves that protect their mates ♥ (no-not to mention my kink for multiple pairings -> the trilogy is about three brothers who all find their own werewolf to cuddle 8D)
Snip: [Chad] set his sights on Dustin, giving the young man a look that was ablaze with desire. A wave of satisfaction swept through him at the faint flush of Dustin’s cheeks, the thickening behind his zipper and the unmistakable musky tang of his arousal. No way was Chad losing him. Dustin’s supposed boyfriend didn’t know it, but he’d acquired some very determined competition.
The Pawprints Series [Pawprints // Second Nature] by Anne Cain
Hee, nicely cliché and fluffy shapeshifter stuff with some ridiculously angsty pasts and a completely gratuitous threesome. And that's just the first book :'D Seriously though, if you want sweet, fluffy stories, this is the series for you. It bothers me a little that Anne Cain solves the main conflict in both books in the exact same way, but otherwise I liked these two ♥
Snip: But [Gabe] still wished he could tell Hayden everything, he really did. Hayden might even find it funny, considering the irony of it all[:] Surprise, Hayden! You best friend and live-in lover of four years is a dog. That’s right -- when he’s not trying to pass as an ordinary English major, he has fur and a tail, enjoys long runs, and pees with one leg up. He also knows you hate dogs since you were bitten as a child -- a very traumatic experience, he understands that. But he swears to God the worst thing he’s ever done was chew up a pair of his mom’s high heels as a pup. Not too bad, right?
The With or Without Series [With Love // Without Reservations // With Caution] by J.L. Langley
I'm terribly embarrassed to say that this is actually my favorite series out of all these .__. The combination of pretty much each and every one of my kinks (uke/bottom that comes easily and often! interracial couples! age differences! domination and submission! a big cast to pair off! biting~!) is a delicious mix to miss, even if the characters in the first one and the plotline/pacing in the second are all kinds of horrible :'D The third book is by far the best of the lot, and even that has a few problems. Overall, though, I luuurrrve the stuffing out of this series and am very much looking forward to the next installment. (Matt gets a maaaate! \o/)
Snip: “Shit.” Jake leaned forward to keep from landing on his ass. Catching himself, he fell with his hands on either side of Remi’s head. His face poised inches from Remi’s, his glasses slipped, hanging on his ears by the earpieces. Sterling roared with laughter, but it seemed distant. Jake couldn’t focus on anything but his mate being so close.
Remi wasn’t unaffected. His breath hitched and the smell of arousal filled the air. A soft sound of surprise left his lips and fanned over Jake’s face. Blood rushed to Jake’s prick and his stomach tightened with anticipation. His vision went monochrome. He wanted to press himself against the lean body and claim Remi’s full mouth.
[lyrics in subject line from Bring on the Wonder by Susan Enan]
Anyway, I kind of needed a break from studying. What better way to do that than pimp craptastic gay romance novels? :'D Behind the cut you'll find short reviews of some of my favorite romance ebooks, as well as links to shops where you can buy them. Ebooks tend to be pretty cheap (like, 2-10 bucks a pop -> 1-7 Euros) so these shouldn't break your bank.
Disclaimer: I lurrrve sweet, silly and/or fluffy stories with a minimal amount of angst. Traditional seme/uke roles are hot (and no, I don't give a flying fuck if that makes me a bad slash/BL/wuteva fan). I love interracial/cultural pairings, age differences and cold-at-first-but-secretly-sweet ukes/bottoms and/or semes/tops. I'm not into bondage, but I do like mild D/s stuff, so there will be some biting and manhandling. And finally, I prefer ~*~werewolves~*~ over vampires and mostly tend to buy books with shapeshifter themes. Consider yourself warned~.
And yes, all of these suck hairy monkey balls in some way. No, seriously. I read this crap for the escapism, not for the literary value. P.S. The covers are pretty much all absolutely hideous.
Oneshots
Bound by Deception by Ava March
This is one of the few period pieces I can stomach. It also features some BDSM, but it's not that bad and actually kind of hot. The basic plot is fairly cliché with a man in love with his best friend, but oh how my heart still ached for poor Oliver ;3; An enjoyable, porny read with sweet fluff at the center ♥
Snip: Over the years, [Oliver], too, had hired his fair share of men at Madame Delacroix’s. Each one had been a prime example of their gender. Yet none had come close to what he imagined Vincent to be like in bed. Their shoulders were not quite broad enough, even the few with blue eyes lacked the pure saturated hue that rivaled a clear summer sky, and not one of them possessed a deep cultured voice that swept over his skin like fine aged whiskey.
Out There in the Night by Laura Baumbach
Mmm, now this is werewolf porn at its best. Well, okay, the prose slips into purple more often than not and the main uke/bottom spends most of the time with a concussion -> reeeally romantic, u gaiz (except not). Otherwise I really liked the more animalistic main seme/top, the richness of the language and the side pairing ♥ Nom nom.
Snip: Each spurt and pulse of his cum was like breathing fire out of his cock. The tip burned and spasmed, as if he was giving birth as he emptied himself into Adam’s greedy throat. It was a terrifying mix of startling pain and delicious ecstasy.
The sure knowledge he had just given Adam more than his cum flashed across Connor’s jumbled mind. He had ejaculated a part of his soul, as well. A part he could never reclaim. (lololol, oh rly now? :'D)
Secrets and Lies by Amanda Young
Omg, a vampire romance I actually like and one that's pretty damn near to perfection. There are just a few things that I find iffy with the construction of the plot, but otherwise nom nom nom. And ungh, how I love a cold seme/top who eventually realizes that his fuckbuddy might just be the ~*~other half of his soul~*~. Also features an interesting take on the whole vampire cliché and hot porn. P.S. I love the side pairing like whoa :B
Snip: Teague watched the men exit the car, the passenger laughing at something Kyle must’ve said before they opened the doors. An irrational wave of jealousy surged over him, making his jaw clench with anger. The way he felt was ridiculous -- he had no claim on Kyle -- and yet he couldn’t help himself. Seeing Kyle with someone else, the pair laughing like bosom buddies, made his insides twist into a pretzel.
Wolf Dance by Anne Vremont
A short but terribly hot take on a very familiar cliché of a beautiful ~*~exotic dancer~*~ bumping uglies with one of his clients. Also features a deliciously werewolfy twist of scifi.
Snip: [Yuki] let his hooded gaze slide to the man in the corner, wondering what it would feel like to be possessed by the hard body and visibly strong hands. For that dark rough beauty he'd abandon, if only for the night, his promise not to succumb to the coarser side of the club's business trade.
Series
The Hawkins Ranch Series [Demon Moon (het) // Falling // ReneCade // Knowing Caleb] by Cameron Dane
Uh, where to begin? First of all, the series is about three demon "brothers" who all find twu wuv with humans. The porn is scorching hot, the guys are strapping, handsome cowboys (one of my main kinks >3) and the whole demon thing is fairly well handled. Unfortunately, especially the second book in the series is seriously way too long (with constant building towards the main conflict that keeps ebbing and flowing in the most annoying fashion ashkjfhksj) and the whole omg-my-tribe-will-kill-me-for-being-gay thing pretty ridiculous [I mean seriously, if they're so short on healthy breeding stock that they'll kill their own tribe members for being gay as a warning to others, why not just mandate breeding every once in a while and let the gay members live their lives otherwise freely? Because now they're losing valuable breeders anyway through killing them] but overall I still liked this series. It has serious problems, but it's worth a read~. P.S. The first book - the straight one - was the best, even with the second, slightly iffy-on-the-consent sex scene.
Snip: That all changed the second Cain heard his dog, Whisky, barking up a storm on the porch. The dog rarely barked, and when she did Cain was always grateful to be alerted to whatever had grabbed the mutt’s attention. He rolled out of bed and into a discarded pair of jeans in one smooth move, and pulled his front door open with a shotgun raised to his shoulder in the next.
That was how Cain officially greeted his first employee, Luke Forrester.
The Heaven Sent Series [Heaven // Purgatory // Hell // Faith // Genesis] by Jet Mykles
I usually positively abhor anything to do with artist types in my gay porn (one reason why I could never go for bandslash), but this series about a massively popular band - Heaven Sent - really turned my crank more than once. It had so many of the delicious little things and dynamics I like that I kind of forgave the whole ~*~sexy musicians~*~ aspect of it all :'D Anyway, the series is fairly well-written, happy, sweet and cliché fluff with a big cast that gets paired off to the last member. My favorite has to be the second book in the series, because I have a huge thing for the dynamic there (although Luc is a huge bastard for pulling the stunt that he did >( Poor Reese!). I very much recommend this series, even if it's not the best I've ever read.
Snip: "I overreacted and I ended our friendship. It was wrong. I'm sorry. I kept saying to myself that I needed to come back and tell you, but ..." [Luc] shrugged. "It's amazing how years can go by, isn’t it?"
Reese stared at those hooded sable eyes, took in the way the half light made interesting, gray-green shadows on that sharply defined face, and tried really hard to think. His heart was racing and his skin was all tingly. Luc didn’t hate him? Luc was apologizing?
The Hoosier Werewolf Series [Midnight Howl // Who Let The Wolf Out? // Things That Go GRRR] by Kate Steele
Hee, this series isn't really the best there is, but it's full of silly humor, hot sex scenes and at times even tolerable storytelling. I have to say, though, that I cringed more than once and that every once in a while the plot just sputters and tries its best to die, it's that badly constructed. Still, the series has a silly charm to it. Also? I'm a huge sucker for a) jock/geek pairings and b) big bad werewolves that protect their mates ♥ (no-not to mention my kink for multiple pairings -> the trilogy is about three brothers who all find their own werewolf to cuddle 8D)
Snip: [Chad] set his sights on Dustin, giving the young man a look that was ablaze with desire. A wave of satisfaction swept through him at the faint flush of Dustin’s cheeks, the thickening behind his zipper and the unmistakable musky tang of his arousal. No way was Chad losing him. Dustin’s supposed boyfriend didn’t know it, but he’d acquired some very determined competition.
The Pawprints Series [Pawprints // Second Nature] by Anne Cain
Hee, nicely cliché and fluffy shapeshifter stuff with some ridiculously angsty pasts and a completely gratuitous threesome. And that's just the first book :'D Seriously though, if you want sweet, fluffy stories, this is the series for you. It bothers me a little that Anne Cain solves the main conflict in both books in the exact same way, but otherwise I liked these two ♥
Snip: But [Gabe] still wished he could tell Hayden everything, he really did. Hayden might even find it funny, considering the irony of it all[:] Surprise, Hayden! You best friend and live-in lover of four years is a dog. That’s right -- when he’s not trying to pass as an ordinary English major, he has fur and a tail, enjoys long runs, and pees with one leg up. He also knows you hate dogs since you were bitten as a child -- a very traumatic experience, he understands that. But he swears to God the worst thing he’s ever done was chew up a pair of his mom’s high heels as a pup. Not too bad, right?
The With or Without Series [With Love // Without Reservations // With Caution] by J.L. Langley
I'm terribly embarrassed to say that this is actually my favorite series out of all these .__. The combination of pretty much each and every one of my kinks (uke/bottom that comes easily and often! interracial couples! age differences! domination and submission! a big cast to pair off! biting~!) is a delicious mix to miss, even if the characters in the first one and the plotline/pacing in the second are all kinds of horrible :'D The third book is by far the best of the lot, and even that has a few problems. Overall, though, I luuurrrve the stuffing out of this series and am very much looking forward to the next installment. (Matt gets a maaaate! \o/)
Snip: “Shit.” Jake leaned forward to keep from landing on his ass. Catching himself, he fell with his hands on either side of Remi’s head. His face poised inches from Remi’s, his glasses slipped, hanging on his ears by the earpieces. Sterling roared with laughter, but it seemed distant. Jake couldn’t focus on anything but his mate being so close.
Remi wasn’t unaffected. His breath hitched and the smell of arousal filled the air. A soft sound of surprise left his lips and fanned over Jake’s face. Blood rushed to Jake’s prick and his stomach tightened with anticipation. His vision went monochrome. He wanted to press himself against the lean body and claim Remi’s full mouth.
[lyrics in subject line from Bring on the Wonder by Susan Enan]