3.5 debut-stars

A good debut for a new M/M writer.


I stumbled over this one, and was intrigued. Derek, a young man who could've had everything he wanted, leaves his life and love in New York behind and goes home. Means back to the South, his mother and curious Uncle, a bunch of true friends and most importantly, getting away from his fiancé. And he loves it, all of it. The food, the language, the nights out with his friend and his new job as a teacher. The only blib on his negativity-radar? His old high school crush and former tormentor.

I enjoyed reading this debut of Jordan Nasser. I liked the groundwork Nasser layed out, and I warmed up to Derek after a little while. He isn't bad, he's just not the easiest character to like. He has his issues, one of them running away every time it get's too hard to try. Which is not one of the most admirable personality traits in my book. On the other hand, Derek is sweet and caring, if a little self-absorbed. What made me really like the story though, were the side characters. Granted, some of them might come over as clichéd a time or two. But in the grand scheme of things, it was an adorable, wildly mixed bunch. They made me laugh and chuckle a lot.

It would have been nice to get to know a little more about Derek's motivations. Why all the running? Why the need to go back to "safety" when you already know it's a bad idea? But maybe stuff like that could be part of a second part in the series? *wink-wink-nudge-nudge*

Why "only" 3.5 stars? I liked the story, just had some issues here and there with Derek. But mostly, I was not really satisfied with the ending. It didn't feel right to have Derek "switch" sides like it was nothing. You don't want me anymore? Fine, I'll go back to my ex - and vice versa. In a heartbeat. Alright, not really in a heartbeat - he took his time and it was written in a somewhat believable manner. I just didn't like it.

The other thing? Tenses! I'm not that nit-picky when it comes to grammar or vocabulary - I'm not a native speaker mayself. But here, I was irritated every so often because the tenses were all over the place. Past, present, perfect - you name it, you got it and not always in the correct way. So yes, I was a little distracted by that.

All in all, a really good debut novel that I enjoyed quite a bit. Looking forward to the second installment in the series and other works by this author.

3,5 stars

I have never read BDSM before. No dark erotica. Only fluffy, HEA stuff. This is an attempt to evade my comfort zone and read the reportedly amazing series that is "The Original Sinners".

Since I didn't want to get in over my head, I decided to read one of Tiffany Reisz's short stories to see if I would be able to handle "The Siren".

I have to say, I was expecting worse. There were no pears of anguish or anything resembling medieval torture devices. It was surprisingly normal. A little whipping and restraining. Nothing too shocking. This was my idea of light-BDSM, but somehow I thought this would be more hardcore. In the actual books there will be those kinds of situations, I suppose.

So far, I am liking Nora very much. We get the notion that her Dominatrix lifestyle isn't about personal satisfaction, but in giving it to others in exchange for heavy sums of money. Nora is exhausted. And Kingsley will give her her vacation, if she ventures into their rival BDSM club and manages to gather intel about the Dame. However, to get to this elusive woman no one has ever seen or talked to, Nora, armed with her red riding crop, must face the Big Brad Wolfe...

It's decided, I'm giving "The Siren" a go. I'm intrigued.

4 stars

Wow.

Definitely better than "Bully".

These are extremely high four stars, just so you know. More like 4,25 stars.

Being inside Jared's mind, learning more about his past, his relationship with his family, and how he and Tate left things, was amazing.

I especially adored reading about Tate and Jared's childhood and how their friendship developed into something more.

Besides, I got some more Madoc! He's hilarious. I absolutely cannot wait to learn some more about him.

About K.C.: I haven't made up my mind about her yet. But I'm leaning towards the negative feelings.

"Until You" instilled in me an urge to read the entire series. And I will.

4 stars

Finally, a nicely written erotica novel!

There haven't been many of those in my life lately.

This is the story of how Kady Dresco and Colton Briggs who, after years of pent-up sexual tension, finally gave in to their desire.

Three years ago, Kady and Colton shared a scorching hot moment in the pool house after he returned from the military. Now, trapped in a raunchy motel for two days after a monsoon led to the canceling of their flights, they won't be able to resist their repressed needs for much longer.

I love, love, love a good best-mate's sister complex!

Yup, Kady is Colton's best friend's little sister. And there are lots of guilty feelings associated with that.

Everything felt believable and real, despite the short-length of the book (or novella, I don't know). That was amazingly refreshing. Because of that, and even though each installment is written by a different author, I'll continue on reading this series. Here's hoping they're as good as "Dare to Resist"!