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Archive for the ‘Authors: S-U’ Category

loveovergold185Title: Love Over Gold
Author: Glyn Soitiño
Length: 14,100 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Grade: B

Blurb:
Chris and Paul are about to register their Civil Partnership, the closest thing you can have to a same-sex marriage in England. The registrar has been booked, the reception is all laid on, and the invitations are ready to go out. Now, only two weeks away from the ceremony, all that remains is for them to break the news to Chris’ parents. But that shouldn’t be too much of a problem — everybody loves a wedding, right?

Right — unless the father of one of the bridegrooms cannot accept the fact that his son is marrying another man. Chris, an only child, is heir to both the family name and fortune. Clinging to the misguided conviction that Chris’ homosexuality is merely a transient phase, Roger resolves to do whatever is necessary to secure his family’s future. But stubbornness runs in the family — like father, like son — and when things come to a head, well, who knows what might happen?

Review:
Paul and Chris are in love and ready to tie the knot by registering their Civil Partnership. Both are excited about the event, but want to keep things low key. Paul has never met Chris’ parents, mainly because Chris knows his father won’t approve as he’s still clinging onto the hopes that Chris is going through a phase and will soon snap put of it, settle down and marry and nice girl. Chris is also worried about a jinx, where whenever he introduces his parents to a boyfriend, they break up almost immediately afterwards but Paul assures him that love will win out, no matter what happens.

This was a rather lovely story about two men in love. The beginning firmly establishes the relationship and one of the best parts of this story was seeing how well the gel as a couple and how they talk through any problems. The pair have only been together a few months but there’s a sense of rightness between them that made it seem believable that they should take the big step of a civil partnership so soon.

The story is about families, Chris’ in particular and although we find out some detail about Paul – his job for example – the focus is mainly on Chris and his parents. Chris’ father is boorish and rather unpleasant, used to getting his way and so utterly frustrated that Chris is gay. This was offset by Chris’ Mum whose lively personality helped save the book from too much nastiness. The twist in the story was one I saw coming but I liked the way Paul dealt with it.

Despite the theme of parental expectation and disappointment, this was actually quite a light read, mainly because of the deft touch with the narrative and Chris’ Mum. Things begin to escalate, and at one point stretched incredulity a little for me, but that soon passed. I also liked the way that the author played a little with convention – the angry dash out in the rain, the crashed car – but turned it on its head so that things were not as they may seem.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story. A British setting is always a plus for me and I liked the characters. If you’re looking for something light and sparkly with a happy ending that will leave you smiling, then I’d recommend this one.

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rhyshasacrush_3d_500Title: Rhys Has a Crush
Author: Melanie Tushmore
Length: 10,700 words
Publisher: Storm Moon press
Genre: m/m contemporary romance
Grade: B

Blurb:
Nineteen-year-old wannabe rockstar Rhys spends his days hanging out and drinking with his garage band in his friend’s house. It’s not like there’s anything else to do in their boring home town.

Then Seb’s older brother appears; a gorgeous vision in tight, black clothing, and long dark hair. Rhys is instantly attracted, though his attempts to flirt with the mysterious Damien don’t go all that well. So Rhys resorts to a fail safe plan: steal Damien’s phone number, and send him anonymous love-texts.

Review
This story is a free short from Storm Moon Press. It tells of Rhys who sings and plays rhythm guitar in a wannabe rock band. The band hangs out at the drummer, Seb’s, house and Rhys develops a huge crush on Seb’s brother Damien.

There were two parts to this very entertaining story. Firstly, there’s a lot of humour and gentle fun made of Rhys and his band as the teenagers doss about practicing their music and trying to be cool, but who are also very earthy young men. I giggled a couple of times over some of the observations over their behaviour. Rhys is a wry observer who’s fully aware of how ridiculous young men can be from time to time and invites the reader to share in the humour of the situation.

Secondly there’s the romance between Rhys and Damien. Rhys begins the story in absolute awe of Damien, with that wholly consuming and overwhelming feeling that teenagers get when they fancy the pants off someone. The way that Rhys sets about making his feelings known almost tips into painfully embarrassing but fortunately the author keeps us on that edge without crossing into too much. I also really liked how the romance develops and the change in the dynamic between Rhys and Damien. It was sweet and lovely as well as being hot.

If I have any complaints it’s that there were a few things left hanging at the end of the story, or maybe it’s just that the story finished before I was ready for it to end because I was enjoying being with these characters and the fun narrative style.

Overall this was a fun short with a great character in Rhys, plus it’s free so there’s no excuse not to read it. It’s certainly made me curious about this author’s other books and I’ll be sure to pick them up in future.

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masksofftoo-scented185Title: Masks Off Too: Scented
Author: Sam Schooler
Length: 5,300 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m paranormal romance
Grade: C

Blurb:
Ben Halloway: human, detective, so done with this serial killer vampire shit. Felix Whit: vampire, criminal psychologist, way too attractive. Ben’s life is just fantastic.

This story is also available in the Masks Off Too! anthology.

Review:
This short paranormal romance which mixes vampires and a masked ball began well with a tightly written dramatic scene. Ben is a police officer who is investigating a series of brutal murders. He’s checking out a clue when he’s viciously attacked at the start of the story. Ben is bleeding out and in danger of dying but is rescued by a former lover and vampire, Felix. The opening is visceral and tense as we are plunged straight into the drama. This scene grabbed my attention straight away and I read on quickly, wanting to find out more about Ben and Felix.

It was unfortunate then that after that point my interest in the story began to wane. Ben and Felix are paired up in the murder investigation and there’s a decent sexual tension between them. There’s a scene where Felix ‘marks’ Ben as his own as a way to protect him which could have been sensual but I was just a bit confused as to what was happening. The story was too short to cover such a complex thing as a murder investigation, so the end seemed a little too sudden and convenient. I finished the story thinking ‘oh, was that it?’ and rather disappointed that the promising opening didn’t follow through.

So, overall this had a great opening but tailed off at the end. This may not be the best story I’ve ever read, but that opening showed an author with a lot of promise and I will certainly read more of her stories in future.

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masksofftoo-superjuicy185Title: Super Juicy
Author: Julia Talbot & BA Tortuga
Length: 7,800 words
Publisher: Torquere
Genre: m/m Paranormal Erotica/Romance
Rating: C

Blurb: It’s Halloween and vampire Stryker is on the prowl for a good, fun meal when he meets Buck, a waiter with a t-shirt that reads “Super Juicy”. Stry can’t wait to find out if there’s truth in advertising, but will the vibrant stud turn out to be too much for Stry to handle?

Review: I generally know what I’m getting into when I read a story by one or both of these authors and this fell in line with that. It’s heavy on sex with a paranormal twist and a happy, wrapped up ending.

Stryker is a vampire and he’s on the hunt in Vegas. It’s Halloween and he’s looking for a trick and a treat (har har) among the sexy boys out partying. When he stops at a burger joint and bar for a drink, he finds the yummiest man he’s ever seen waiting tables. And across the back of his shirt is written, “Super Juicy”. Of course, Stry wants to find out just how juicy that man is and finds it easy to charm him as he sits in the man’s section. After convincing “Juicy” (named Buck) to come out with him after his shift ends, the pair sizzle up the dance floor at a club on the strip until their unbearable chemistry is too much to show in public. But Stry isn’t the one in for a surprise when they get home and he goes to drink Buck’s blood.

I specifically listed this as Erotica/Romance, because in my opinion, a tacked on romantic ending doesn’t really make the rest of the story a romance. This is mostly erotica (and there’s nothing wrong with that). The bulk of the story takes place as the two meet and later go back to Stry’s hotel room. It’s definitely sexy. I figured that the story would be sex heavy and I was right, but I also feared that the sex would be ho-hum and the typical scene without much to interest me. I was a bit surprised to find that though the plot didn’t stray too far from the usual scenarios I did really feel the connection between the two, which made the sex enjoyable to read.

So, while this story wasn’t spectacular, it was still a pretty good read. And if you’re in the mood for some paranormal lovin’, then by all means, go ahead and read this story.

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theprinceandthecowboyTitle: The Prince and the Cowboy
Author: Sam Singer
Length: 7,889 words
Publisher: JMS Books
Genre: m/m fantasy romance
Grade: C-

Blurb:
Pampered Texan James Walsh has been keeping a secret from his overbearing but well-intentioned mother. When she throws a lavish birthday party in the hopes that he will meet the woman of his dreams, she has no clue James is gay.

But a sudden storm blows rugged, rain-soaked ranch owner Jonathon Ross to James’ doorstep, and suddenly he can’t hide who he is any longer.

Review:
James is Prince of Texas whose mother is determined to see him married off to a princess, as he can only become king if he marries before he is 21. She holds a ball and invites all the local princesses and decides to plant a pea in their mattresses so that she can find James’ true love. James finds it hard to tell his mother that no princess is ever going to be for him, but he suffers through the ball to be polite. When ranch owner, Jonathon, turns up at the ball to collect his sister, James is overcome by the man’s rugged good looks and his rough hands.

This story is a bit like a cross between Cinderella/The Princess and the Pea and an erotic cowboy romance. I don’t think it’s supposed to be taken at all seriously, rather it’s a light and fun story which aims to blend the two genres. That’s all well and good, but for me, the blending wasn’t entirely successful. I think this may have worked better had it been given a different setting other than Texas, because I found that a little jarring. Texas isn’t a kingdom and every time it’s mentioned it niggled at me.

The story is also very over-the-top, with a few unbelievable scenes – such as when James discovers a murderess – which meant that I didn’t enjoy the story as much as I might have done. When Jonathon appears things do pick up a little and I enjoyed the coy interaction between the heroes, and the subsequent sex scene. This is an insta-love story, but given that it’s supposed to be modelled on a fairy tale, that fit in with the genre and I didn’t mind so much. I also rather liked the character of James’ mother, whose overbearing nature didn’t stop me from seeing how much she loves her son.

Overall, this was a decent read if you like fairy tales, but parts didn’t work well for me, even if the romance was quite well done, so it gets a low C from me.

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modelTitle: A Model Romance
Author: Michael P. Thomas
Length: 6,862 words (22 pdf pages)
Publisher:
JMS Books
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: C

Blurb:

When Bridger Bradford chases the wrong guy to South Korea, he falls in love … with his fantasies about Kai, a model whose handsome mug is splashed across every subway station and bus shelter in the country.

Kai has a big career and big money, but what he really wants is a shot at big, blond Bridger, who can’t believe his luck when the man of his dreams seemingly walks out of the stack of souvenir magazines and right up to him in his favorite San Francisco bar.

Review:

If you can let go of some logic and propensity for coincidence, you may enjoy this story more than others. Kai is one quarter Korean and curious about his heritage. Despite his family’s misgivings, he heads over to Korea to discover his roots. To earn some money, he falls into modeling. Apparently he is white enough to appease the Asian desire for North American models, but has enough of an Asian vibe that he’s soon one of the top models in the country, and even breaks into acting after perfecting his Korean.

Bridger is a bit your typical clueless jock, who came out in university and spends his time being proud of the fact he can get any guy and never has to buy his own drinks. However, he signs up with a religious choir from university to go on a Korean tour with them, in the sole hopes that he can seduce the leader into bed with him. When that goes awry, he discovers Kai, well, pictures of him all over Korea. Before long he’s buying up magazines with his ads and when he gets back to San Francisco, he even frames some of them and has a “shrine” wall in his apartment, obsessing over the guy.

One night at a gay bar he sees what could be the model’s double and figures hooking up with his double is the next best thing to the real guy, but before long, he discovers Kai is the real deal, and they even went to high school together where Kai was crushing on him, and Bridger didn’t know he was alive. Before the night is over, Bridger is agreeing to accompany Kai to the Academy Awards where the Korean film he’s in is up for best foreign film.

Bridger claims to bring guys home all the time, but personally, if I went home with someone and their apartment was plastered with pictures of a model, I’d be freaked out. He is also arrogant about his ability to attract men, and yet he has a good old boy thing going that makes him less annoying than it could have been. Kai came across as a nice guy. Even after he become famous in Korea, he still lives with his model friends and doesn’t seem to have any great desire for the wealth and fame that fell into his lap.

I found the ending a bit rushed and suddenly, after one weekend, Kai gives up his career to move back to the US with Bridger. I think either a longer story letting them get to know each other or a HFN ending would have worked better for me. I did enjoy the story of Kai adjusting to Korea and exploring a heritage his Grandmother had been determined to put behind her. However, as I said, some people will find Bridger’s fascination with an unknown model and the odds of meeting him in a bar rather off-putting, others won’t mind it as a pure form of entertainment.

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BelladonnaTitle: Belladonna
Author: T. Strange
Length: 4,500 words
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m BDSM erotica
Rating: D

Blurb:
Max is looking for the real BDSM deal. He complains to his friend Randy about the lack of kink in his life, so Randy gives him an address and tells him to go there before he gets too desperate. Max gives in and ventures to what he’s expecting to be a club. Instead, he finds a rough, blue-collar drinking establishment where he seems less than welcome. He’s rescued by Adam, a rough, no-nonsense top who shows him that BDSM is still alive and thriving.

Review:

*This review contains spoilers*

This very short piece of BDSM erotica began well. Max is fed up of all the posers at the clubs and longs for a decent BDSM experience. His friend gives him the address of a club and when he arrives there Max thinks he’s made a huge mistake. Instead of leathermen he finds a bunch of flannel clad men drinking beer. He’s about to leave when he’s waylaid by Adam who ends up giving Max the experience he craves and more.

The story was in two halves. The first half takes place in a back room of the club and this part worked pretty well for me. Max is spanked and caned and loves every minute of it. There’s a good intensity to the writing here and I liked the way that the nervous Max gets a thrill out of being caned by a near-stranger.

Then the story moves into the club where Max is tied to a pool table and has sex with the other men in the club. It was at this point that the story worked less well for me. It stopped being realistic and drifted into the realms of a sexual fantasy – sounding good in theory but maybe not in practice. Max was caned and yet when he is laid bottom down on the pool table he barely winces when he should have been in great physical pain. He is then fucked both ends by several men, with double penetration at both ends at one point. Whilst Max still enjoys this in the story, the whole thing just made me wince. I didn’t find it sexy just ouchy and possibly implausible.

The character of Max, whilst promising at the beginning becomes a sex object, describing what is happening to him but without any real emotion attached, other than to express joy at being pounded by several men. Towards the end Max says:

I was sure I was going to be sore in the morning

More like he would have to visit a hospital to have his anus stitched back together.

So, overall whilst this story had a good beginning, and I liked the scene between Max and Adam at the start, the flat characters and the scene on the pool table meant that this one just didn’t work for me. I also wondered where all the other subby men were in the bar but this was never explained, nor did we find out anything about Adam. Maybe if you are into group sex scenes then this one may appeal. It was too far a step for me.

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SipTitle: The Gaucho Code
Author: Julia Talbot
Length: 8,400 words (32 pdf pages)
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m historical
Rating: B+

Blurb:

Pete is running from the law, all the way from Texas to Argentina, where the local cowboys are a sight different than the horse thieves Pete knew back home. When he meets Jorge, he’s on his very last leg, and he needs a friend. Jorge would love to be more, but he tries to be content with helping Pete out of the gutter. Can Jorge convince Pete that the gaucho code is worth living?

Previously published in Cowboy Up!

Review:

I found this in my e-mail from waaaay back and am glad that I decided to open it up. It starts with Pete, nearly dead of thirst and even his horse dying on him, when he staggers into a small town in Argentina. He is taken in my Jorge’s mother whom he happens to be visiting. Jorge is a gaucho, who travels around finding lost cows which he returns to their ranches for a finder’s fee. He could have a permanent position, but in part due to his preference for me, he prefers the life of solitude.

However he offers Pete the chance to work with him, and they get a chance to know each other on the way to Jorge’s next stop. He’s pretty upfront about being gay, and even Pete’s not against the idea, but until they reach the ranch owned by Jorge’s old war buddy who is sympathetic to his plight as a lonely gay man. The two finally get together before they depart, but Pete’s past is about to catch up with him.

It seems Pete and his brother were not such good boys and robbed a few banks. As well, his brother killed a man in jealousy and before he died in Mexico, he told everyone that Pete had killed the man. Now the man’s father is after Pete and determined to take is revenge, but Jorge believes that Pete is a good person and believes him when he says he didn’t kill the man.

I’m not sure what it means, but I found myself reading this story with a Spanish accent in my head. LOL It was kind of soft and gentle, the two men getting to know each other, dancing around each other and eventually coming together. Jorge did change Pete’s life for the better, only he didn’t realize it until it was almost too late and the noose was around his neck, yet again.

I found it interesting that the men would chase Pete all the way to Argentina. That is FAR to say the least, but I think I’ve heard of such things, so not completely unrealistic. There was a bit of information about the gauchos and how many of them were less than honourable men, having common law wives they got pregnant and came home when they needed somewhere to crash. Jorge’s Italian/British mother was a sensible woman of the times, and I liked Jorge’s ranch owning friend a great deal who just wanted his friend to be happy.

So if you’re looking for a different time and place historical I think this might fit the bill. I am not much of a historical reader, but I really enjoy those that go out of the normal time periods and locations for a more unique setting.

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jimmietheadonisTitle: Jimmie the Adonis
Author: F Gorden Scott
Length: 7,505 words
Publisher: JMS Books
Genre: m/m Contemporary Fantasy Erotica
Rating: B-

Blurb: Jimmy keeps coming into Thomas Sebastian’s magic store. Eventually he plucks up the courage to ask for something to help him win a dance audition at Manny Malone’s gay bar, the Golden Slipper. Jimmy explains he’s desperate for the job to help pay his rent.

The 500-year-old Thomas is captivated by the young man’s sexy good looks. He gives Jimmy a charm with a confidence-boosting spell, warning the spell can only dispense its magic a limited number of times.

Thomas and his boyfriend Kevin go to watch Jimmy’s audition, but when the young man begins his strip tease, it soon becomes obvious Jimmy has already used up all the charm’s magic.

Kevin sympathizes with Jimmie’s plight and urges Thomas to do something. The results surprise and delight the eager and horny crowd, leading to a night none of them will ever forget. But will Jimmie be able to stay in his apartment because of his talent or will it be his fate to finish his audition on Manny’s office couch as so many before him have?

Review: I didn’t know what to expect from this story. F Gorden Scott is a new-to-me author, though his (?) stories have been reviewed before here at Brief Encounters. And the blurb really intrigued me. First, magic and the fantasy element in the modern world, plus strippers? I totally got it and ended up really liking the story.

Thomas is 500 years old and runs a magic shop in Durham, when a lurking visitor “the adonis” finally comes to him to ask for help. The beautiful young man’s name is Jimmie and he’s in dire straits. He’s flat broke, about to lose his apartment, and the only way he can save it is to get the job he’s interviewing for in the next week — as a stripper. The only problem with that (besides the owner of the bar having some different “ideas” about what an interview means) is his total lack of confidence. Thomas is tempted, of course, and helps the young man out with a boost of confidence that will hopefully ensure Jimmie a successful trial run dancing on top of the bar at the Golden Slipper.

There’s a lot to like about this story. The best part is that it doesn’t try to make itself something it isn’t. The story is proud to be erotica, yet at the same time offers a bit of romantic sub-plot with the addition of Thomas’ lover, Kevin. Kevin knows all about Thomas’ power. He’s the first man that has really captured Thomas’ heart in his long life and he understands that sometimes Thomas needs a little extracurricular activity. They maintain a loving, committed relationship, which we get to see when the two show up to witness Jimmie’s big night.

The story is also rather funny. Thomas is world-weary in many ways and for all his young looks shows his age in his comments about the futility of ‘kids these days’. Thomas is a larger than life character, whose charm draws the reader in along with the characters.

I had a bit of confusion both in the beginning and the end of the story. As the story starts we get a bit of background on Thomas, coming from his own voice. He tells us a bit about his childhood and growing up through the ages. He mentions learning he liked men and not women as a young boy surrounded by lusty ancient greek soldiers — at which time I thought… isn’t he only 500 years old? Then, in the end Thomas mentions that he first met Kev “the first night he had conjured me up from the lamp,” leading me to think he’s a djinn. It left me wondering what the actual truth is, a problem that could have been avoided by omission, as the whole question of it doesn’t really add to the story anyway.

Otherwise, I liked this story and it was rather enjoyable.

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weallscreamTitle: We All Scream
Author: Elias True
Length: 5,994 words
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: m/m Contemporary Erotica/Romance
Rating: C-

Blurb: A massive storm is brewing and Seth is ready to head back home. But when he sees an unrequited crush from high school driving an ice cream truck, he must pursue. When they meet, Seth flirts and finally gets what he craved from Aaron all those years ago – and much more – in the back of the truck as they wait out the storm of the century.

Review: This is the first story I’ve read by this author and I’ve been looking forward to reviewing it. Sometimes it’s nice to have a quick erotica tale and as an Oklahoman, I’m well used to storms. This story takes place in Oklahoma during a storm, so I knew I wanted to read it, just to see how it was.

What I discovered was some of what I expected and some not, including a few mistakes that were pretty glaringly obvious to me. I’m going to get picky here, and many of you probably won’t mind these details because you either aren’t as familiar with modern meteorology as we are or with Oklahoma. The first sentence and paragraphs were where all the problems were (picky, I know, but it’s also the story’s first impression on the reader). Here’s they are (corrections in brackets):

The air was still and humid and the AC [in] Seth’s mom’s Saturn had chosen to stop working.

Breaking news on the radio: thunderstorm warning for all of northeast Oklahoma. Seth punched the off button. A chance of violent thunderstorms in the Midwest in May was not a surprise. Progressive rock on a commercial radio station in Oklahoma City would be a surprise.

So my first impression wasn’t that great. Besides a editing problem in the first sentence, that paragraph is a mess. Oklahoma is a pretty big state (approx. 70k square miles, compared to all of the UK together which is approx. 94k square miles) and OKC Is nowhere near northeastern Oklahoma, where I live. Also, at the most, I’ve seen probably 4 or 5 counties under tornado warnings at once. To say “thunderstorm warning for all of northeast Oklahoma” is like saying that 1/3 of the state is being hit by tornadoes at once.

Reading on, I found that I still enjoyed the story. There’s a fair bit of history shown between Seth and Aaron and I felt like I got a pretty accurate taste of what growing up gay in Oklahoma is like from Seth’s history, though much of it is only alluded to. I did find myself a bit incredulous at the two having sex in an ice cream truck during a tornado, but then people are known to be rather stupid during tornadoes and heavy storms all the time! No, the real problem wasn’t the little nit picky things that stood out to me because of my geographical closeness to the setting of the story, but that instead of leaving this as an erotica story, the author had to throw an “I love you” in there, between characters who haven’t seen each other since they were kids with the exception of a quick romp. Why couldn’t it have stayed as an erotica short? Why did it have to have a tacked on insta-love HEA to make it a romance short. It wasn’t really a romance if you ask me.

So, I honestly wouldn’t really recommend this one. But, I know that Ruby recently reviewed one of this author’s other stories and liked it, so I’ll keep faith in the author and read some more of Elias True’s work.

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