The Luckiest by MJ O'Shea & Piper Vaughn

Well the first thing I can say is that this novel has a HELL OF AN OPENER...I gotta give props that was a hook and a half.

Nicky Ventura who we met in Moonlight Becomes You has finally hit rock bottom when we catch up with him in this second installment of the Lucky Moom Series. Nicky's partying and drugging has caught up to him and he has fucked up IN A BIG WAY. It's done, he finally has managed to become the old strung out rockstar cliche...And the only way to keep his dumb, arrogant ass out of the slammer is to do three months in rehab. Nicky is not a happy camper and he lets EVERYONE fucking know it, because he's Nicky Ventura MOTHERFUCKERS!! and there is no way he's gonna go quietly.

Nicky gets to the rehab facility with a chip on his shoulder the size of a glacier, and he just cannot stop bitching about it, and I SWEAR that this book is worth reading IF ONLY for the part when he is filling out the questionnaire they give him during check in... I was ROFLMAO, I think I broke something I was laughing SO FUCKING HARD...However, his posturing only lasts so long, specially once he lays eyes on his nutrionist, Luka Novak, who is a big ray of ULTRA GAY SUNSHINE, and well Nicky can't stop looking. The guy is hot, and so nice it's nauseating, but he starts getting Nicky out of that 20 foot wall of bullshit that he's built around himself, and little by little him and his cute little dog Steph make a place in Nicky's Life.

Luka is a strong guy, despite his sunny, flaymboyant personality, he gives back as good as he gets from Nicky. Luka can see that Nicky is broken and lost, he wants so badly to help him, to love him...He knows Nicky is trying, he still gets hurt though. Nicky just can't figure himself out, by the time he gets out of rehab he know he's a different person. Problem is he can't reconcile this new guy with his old life, and the more he tries to move forward the more he makes things worse.

He's adrift, his brother Shane the only person Nicky has ever had is now married to Jesse the love of his life. Nicky feels like he has no one left...The only thing that feels real is Luka, but he still can't seem to stop himself from fucking up with him. He is new at this emotions thing, and every time he builds something good with his hands, before he knows it he is kicking them down with his feet...They travel a rocky road these two men, they are both broken in different ways, but they still manage to make a home and a little family together. Even when things looked like they have been too damaged, and I wanted to rip out EVERY SINGLE ONE OF NICKY'S EYELASHES FROM HIS FOOL HEAD!!!! I still rooted for them, because the love was so genuine, but also also so new and fragile I just wanted them to have BIG HAPPILY EVER AFTER...And they did!! Cute puppies and all!

Most of the issues I had with MBY were not present in this book, both Luka and Nicky were well developed characters, I knew them equally and bought what they had completely. The secondary characters were well done as well, Luka's BFF Jeana, his mom Anna, were great. My favorite part though was getting some time with Shane and Jesse. If anything this book helped me to understand what Shane and Jesse had a lot better than their own story, I felt something missing in MBY and this book filled that in very nicely. There were very tender moments with Shane and Jesse, and Shane and Nicky that really made this book so much better for me.

The SEX...Well there was lots of it and IT WAS FUCKING HOT..All I can say is that I had the lyrics from "Anything Goes" by GnR going in my head for like three hours after I finished the book...Damn that was some hot sex. Like all kinds too! Angry sex, kitchen table sex..."Oh shit this book just melted my Kindle" sex...HOTNESS AND HALF.


Going back to Nicky and Luka, for the most part their characters were solid. Nicky was a bit TOO much at times, and his assholyness might have felt like overkill here and there, but not in a way that turned me off, just like in a "humm oookkkaaayyy I get it Nicky YOU TOTALLY SUCK" kind of way. Luka was not as flamboyant as I expected, he was toned down, which honestly I prefer to a character soooooo out there that he feels like a caricature. So, not what I expected but still good, he was very likable and I really enjoyed the contrasts in his personality. Sweet but STRONG, romantic but SO NAUGHTY. Oh Luka what a DIRTY MOUTH you had!!!

As far as this being a rocker book, to me it didn't really feel like one, the music was not really a big part of the story. So, to me it was more like an overarching theme in the book than an integral one.

All in all this was a solid romance, LOTS O' DRAMA, but also lots of sweet loving moments, BIG ending, good characters, and well just a satisfying read.

This sophomore novel my Ms. Vaughn and Ms. O'Shea from this reader, gets A for effort and A for Awesome. RECOMMEND.

The Luckiest is available at the Loose Id Website or Amazon.com

Midtown Spa by Joshua Skye

Hallucinogens Don't Even Cover It
**beware the spoilers**

If you take peyote, acid, LSD, PCP, methamphetamine, and mix them all together maybe you'll come close to knowing what it feels like to read this story.

Midtown Spa is a seedy sex club that masquerades as an exclusive gym. Actually, let's rewind for a second. Midtown Spa is beyond seedy. It's damp and dark, the air is moist and smells like semen, and it sounds like the slimiest place in all the world. Literally...because there's a lot of unprotected public sex and orgies going on in Midtown Spa. Cum and other bodily fluids flying everywhere, bacteria and who knows what flourishing in that hothouse of a sex club. The place probably has a million new STDs brewing in it. Chlamydia and Syphilis had a baby in Midtown and named it Syphidia. Way to glorify unprotected sex.

In any case, our fearless narrator is in Midtown for the first time and he's hungry for some of that down-and-dirty anonymous loving. Why do I say he's fearless? Because he takes off his shoes and goes barefoot in the showers. You know a scene is set up wrong when the reader is going "NO!! Put your shoes back on!" instead of saying "Oh, yeah! Some raunchy sex coming up!".

So, the narrator sees a hot a guy and soon they're going at it down on the shower floor. The mood is broken though when a morbidly obese man tries to insert himself into the scene. Our lovers shun him and make their way to a private room.

Here is where the story took a turn that made me wonder if drugs were being pumped in through my apartment vents. When the sex is done our narrator is left in the room on his own. What does he do? Oh, he lights a cigarette, checks out his asshole in the mirror- What? Oh, yeah, he checks out his asshole. He thinks it's funny. Funny haha. No, It's not really funny haha, dude. It's funny weird, or just plain weird. Yeah, just plain weird.

But it gets worse because who's that at the door? Oh, Mr. Morbidly Obese...who is a demon. Wait. Okay, I just read it again, Mr. Morbidly Obese is definitely a demon. And now I know how to vanquish a demon. Do you want to know the secret? I'll tell you how. Stick a lit cigarette in its eye because demons, who come from HELL, cannot take the pain of burning. They're from HELL!! The one thing about Hell? There's FIRE there and it BURNS! The fires of Hell burn hotter than the cherry on your Marlboro cigarette. I'm pretty sure of that.

This story was so. Freaking. Crazy. I didn't know how to say how crazy without the spoilers but I warned you about the spoilers. And now I've warned you about this story in general. My job is done.

Distant Rumblings by John Goode

I just got Drop Kicked by AWESOME BABY!!

Wow I loved this story! John Goode has such a knack for writing great teenage characters. This story kepy me smiling, laughing and nodding in delighted approval the whole time.

Kane Vess is your average emo/snarky teenage boy. He lives in a corky little Hippie town called Athens, Iowa (and if you live in a corky little hippie town like Ithaca, NY ,Athens and its nuttiness is extra fun to read about I assure you!) he lives with his dad, and has a best friend named Jewel. For the most part he's a pretty happy teenager, even is life is a bit boring.

Kane is openly and also REALLY REALLY single. He is just biding his time to leave Athens, nothing exciting EVER happens here...Until the New Hot Guy comes to the high school and kinda stabs Kane in the chest with his sword...Wait! What?! Ummm yeah things get a whole lot more interesting in a hurry once Prince Hawk from Arcadia comes to town. He brings all kinds of excitement with him too...major other worldly family drama, betrayal, a changeling cat that is bad ass and SUPER mean, a talking Ruby that ROCKS...and well all kinds of awesome mayhem.

The POV's in this story switch around only Kane is in the first person, the rest are in Third. It's not confusing at all, just switches the pace of the story from time to time, which made it better for me.

All in all this story was GREAT FUN!! I loved it, and CANNOT WAIT to read the next. Kane and Hawk are adorableness times 100, Spike, Ruber, Dad, Jewel and pretty much everything about this story only made me want to read more and more. Funny, cute, creative, inventive, great characters, sweet love...

Please please please when is #2 coming out?!

Distant Rumblings can be purchased at Amazon.com

Monday's Most Wanted: March 28 - April 2

Well, this Monday the Most Wanted is being hosted by yours truly; Laddie. Let's see what I come up with....Bwahahahahahah!!! *eeeevil eeeevil*


Ambush by Clare London
Release Date: March 28
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Priority Rating: Curious. This is the sequel to one of Clare London's best known books; True Colors. So, if you're a Clare London fan then you're probably happy to see this one.













The Viking In My Bed by Jan Irving
Release Date: April 2
Publisher: Total-E-Bound
Priority Rating: NOW NOW, LADDIE'S GOTTA READ IT NOW!!!
I have brought many people over to the side of Irving and she put vikings in this book. VIKINGS!














Out In The Field by Kate McMurray
Release Date: ETA This will be out April 24. We'll just have to wait a little longer but I'm betting it'll be worth it.
Publisher: Loose-ID
Priority Rating: Laura will read this ASAP!!! Laura loves baseball, M/M Romance and hot Latino men. Seriously, I think this story was written just for her and she is SUPER excited.












So, that's what we're looking forward to this week. The Jan Irving has me jumping up and down like a crazy person and Laura is all *gimme gimme gimme* for the baseball book. What are you all looking forward to reading this week?

Book To Look For: Split by Mel Bossa

The Futility of Fighting Fate

Derek O'Rielly's aunt has cancer, and in her process of sorting out their family memories she comes across Derek's childhood journal.

Derek has not thought of that journal or what he wrote in it for years. He is settled in his life now. He's with a man that is beautiful, successful, that wants him (although he's not sure why), so he should be happy. The thing is the moment Derek reads the first entry all the memories of his childhood come flooding back. One memory is particular changes Derek's contentment with his life.

The Lunds, the family that lived across the street. His friend Boone who was his same age and got him in so much trouble, Lene the little sister who was a bit crazy and more than a little infatuated with him, Helga and Johan the parents who actually provided Derek with a lot of the affection his parents never seemed able to give...and Nick...Nicolai Lund, the most important one of all. Boone's older brother and the object of Derek's every desire.

Derek revisits his youth through his journal, all the good and the bad memories. The hurt and the happy he put it all in those entries written to Bump. Bump, the baby that was growing in his mom's belly but never came home. The baby who also took with him the light out of his mom eyes for good, and destroyed the happiness of his home. Derek was a sad and lonely child and the only genuine love that he received for most of his life came from his Aunt Frannie and from the Lunds. Remembering them adult Derek recovered a lot of the light in his own life he had allowed to seep through, and once and for all he was compelled to do something about his own happiness.

This book has such an interesting and creative style. We go back and forth between Derek's 11 year POV and his 28 present POV. How the realizations of his feelings towards Nick dawn on him are fantastic. The description of the actual physical reactions that Nick's presence had on Derek are SOOOO heartwarming and adorable, loved that.

Nick was a troubled boy, with a lot of anger, he was destined to fall through the cracks and he ended up disappearing completely from Derek's life. The whole Lund clan did. Until one day fate put him back in touch with the people that he was always meant to have in his life. Nick too.

I loved this book for how different it is, and for how tangible the emotions were, especially from Derek he was such a touching character fully developed and engaging. I was not always happy with him, but I always felt like I understood him. And his reconnecting with Nick was lovely. The writing style in this book changed to something incredibly poetic when the time for Nick and Derek to be reunited came. Such pretty writing.

Loved this book and would totally recommend it!

Monday's Most Wanted March 19-27

Another Monday another list. This coming week has some really great looking new stuff from known authors, some awaited sequels, and a couple other really interesting releases from new authors (for us anyways).

Amy Lane has a novella on Donnie and Alejandro from "Chase in Shadow", Carole Cummings' second novel from the Wolf's Own Series is also out this week, both from Dreamspinner Press.

The second installment in the "Lucky Moon" series by Piper Vaughn and MJ O'Shea and a new book from Tara Lain will be coming out this week from Loose Id. The sequel to Gambling on Maybe by Fae Sutherland is being released by Amber Allure and Total E Bound has two books that look AMAZING, one from SA Meade whose book Stolen Summer was one of my absolute favorites last year, and one from author Lavinia Lewis who we have not read, but look forward to trying out.

This week we are listing by Release Date since we couldn't decide what we wanted to read the most...Because mostly we want to READ THEM ALL! Sooo here are our Most Wanted:

Bollywood Desires by Lavinia Lewis

Release Date: March 19th

Publisher: Total e Bound

Priority Rating: VERY curious, it has an IR theme which we LOVE, the cover is gorgeous and the blurb looks great. So we shall read.

Goodreads Page

Orion Rising by SA Meade

Release Date: March 19th

Publisher: Total E Bound

Priority Rating: VERY VERY curious, This author's other book "Stolen Summer" was one of my favorites last year, so I really want to check this one out.

Goodreads Page

Spell Cat by Tara Lain

Release Date: March 20th

Publisher: Loose Id

Priority Rating: Curious, it's PNRish which we have not read from Tara Lain, but we do love her characters, so it shall be read.

Goodreads Page

Super Sock Man by Amy Lane

Release Date: March 21st

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Priority Rating: Read ASAP

Games Boys Play (Glitterbomb! #2) by Fae Sutherland

Release Date: March 25th

Publisher: Amber Allure

Priority Rating: Read ASAP

Goodreads Page

The Luckiest (Lucky Moon #2) by Piper Vaughn and MJ O'Shea

Release Date: March 26th

Publisher: Loose Id

Priority Rating: Read ASAP. I LOVED, I repeat LOVED, Nicky in MBY, so cannot wait to read his story.

Goodreads Page

Weregild (Wolf's Own #2) by Carole Cummings

Release Date: March 26th

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Priority Rating: Read ASAP

Goodreads Page

Nobody's Hero by Katey Hawthorne

Sweet, cute, sexy, snarky, with a hot nerdy tattooed Irish boy with a comic books addiction who listens to "The Tossers" and the "Dropkick Murphys"? UMMM HELL TO THE YESSSS! Where do I sign up???

This is the third installment in the The Superpowered Love series by Katey Hawthorne and all I can say is, her writing just works for me. I love these stories and the characters are FAB and so likable. I loved Kellan and James. Kellan was a little skittish, and it took me a while to figure him out, but when I did he just charmed me. James was a bit TOO snarky and his "I'm Shallow" bit was frustrating at times, but he was soooo into his boy. They were great together and OH MY HOTNESSS....SO SMEXY!!

Kellan is the new guy at the office and as soon as James' gaydar gives him the go ahead he is shameless in getting a piece of the geeky hottie. Their relationship is a bit tumultuous because Kellan is grumpy, and James has a lot of secrets, but the falling in love is too sweet.

The secondary characters especially the time with Kellan's family is vivid and so really lovely. On the contrary James' mom and his people were a bit strange and not easy to understand, which could have been the point.

My only issue was the feeling the PNR sub-plot is starting to dwindle, it's useful in terms of providing a bit of conflict for the characters, but I'm not sure it adds much to the actual story. Maybe it will be like Cameron Dane's "Hawkins Ranch Series" where the PNR thing kind of just went away.

Anyways sexy, funny and sweet, if you're after a light read with a really LOVELY Happy Ending...This is it!!!

Nobody's Hero can be purchased at Loose Id's Website

Dark Soul Vol. 5 by Aleksandr Voinov

This was the last volume of the Dark Soul Series and as endings go, this one was practically flawless for me.

Undoubtedly this is one of the best series I've read in this genre.

Like with all of Aleksandr Voinov's stories there is a shroud of darkness, and an edge to the characters and the stories he tells that make them unique. No one else is saying what Voinov is saying, and even if they are trying, they are not doing it this well. I really really respect a writer that GETS where he can shine, that understands where his voice can really have depth and brilliance. Voinov knows his sweet spot, and with this series IT SHOWS.

Overall this arc kept me on my toes, it pushed my sensibilities, it kept me guessing, I was in love with the characters from the start and it was set phenomenally. I've said before this felt like an opera to me, and when the curtain went down on this one, I was a satisfied customer.

Unlike the other volumes in this series, the acts in Volume 5 felt a lot less like individual stories. One flowed into the next seamlessly, which I guess was the point.

So, we open this story and meet Sebastiano Beccario, US Attorney, he is a man that has a bone to pick with the Cosa Nostra and as luck would have it he might have a chance to bring down the Marino Family. There is obviously a lot more to Beccario than what we see at first, and more than a little of it seems to be a deeply personal grudge.

We come back to Silvio and Stefano when they have already begun a relationship. Stefano is certain of what he feels and wants with Silvio, but as always Silvio can't express what he wants, much less how he feels about Stefano.

Stefano understands that Silvio needs permanence that abandoning him will be too cruel, but he can't get a handle of where he stands with Silvio. At the same time there is Donata. His wife, the woman he loves. He is not divided between them, he loves them both, but he is fearful that one will cost him the other.

Things are getting difficult outside of Stefano's love life as well. There is betrayal brewing in his organization and Sebastiano Beccario has him in a spot that he can only get out of by becoming a traitor or a martyr. NOT VERY GOOD PROSPECTS...Even for a mafioso.

But Stefano is a realist he knows where he stands, and he makes his choices. He accepts the truth of what his life, his "Family" and the people he loves mean to him. It is a hard path and it is painful. Feeling like a traitor, or a weakling are not things that sit well with a man like Stefano. But he admits to who he really is, and decides he will just have to live with the consequences of his decisions.

As always with Voinov the characters made the story, they were layered and surprising. Stefano was increasingly sincere and expressive. He was willing to say what he needed to, so that Donata and Silvio could be certain in the love he had for them. Donata was always a likable and interesting character, but in this volume we finally got to know her. I LOVED that she was not a silly little wife, with a blind eye to what her life was or who she married. She assimilated her situation, she made her decisions with intelligence. But she was not selfless either, she took for herself too. I loved that.

Silvio...What can I say? One of the most powerfully enigmatic characters I've read, and yet the key to him...SO VERY SIMPLE. Who he was became clear in the blink of an eye. BRILLIANT. Because once Stefano knew what it was about Silvio that made him different, then I knew they could be alright.

Sebastiano Beccario...The catalyst, the guy who brought the house of cards down. He was a disconcerting character to me, I did not understand his intentions too well, but he had a role to play in this book that was pivotal. He opened doors for Stefano not just for a new life, but to Silvio's mind. Again BRILLIANT.

The ending was tidy, yes. But I was reading a love story, with characters that were written for me to LOVE. I don't like to see characters I love broken and in the wind when I come to the end of my time with them...I like hopefulness and I like fresh starts. There was nothing in this story that cut corners or went for the convinient...Nope it was just right.

Fantastic Series, one of the best I've read. Recommend one thousand times over.

Dark Soul Series can be purchased on the Riptide Website

Sweet Lyric by Lisa Marie Davis

Melodrama, Melodrama, Where Are You, Melodrama? Oh, There You Are.

Ever since reading Loving Lucas I have been looking for a Lisa Marie Davis book that I could enjoy half as much. After this I think I'm giving up the search.

Lyric is a drifter with a past. Jonas is the owner of a lucrative construction company. Lyric goes into Jonas' office looking for a job and...

"Hi, I'm Lyric Spencer." *moony eyes*
"I'm Jonas Lamar" *smoldering moony eyes*

....and then they suck face, suck face, suck face and hump.

There is also talk of how they feel electricity when they shake hands for the first time and how they know they are at a crossroads and their lives are going to change and OH! Can you feel the magic in the air?!

This was an unbelievably clichè and disappointing beginning to the story. It was all downhill from there. I'm going to say this: If it is nothing else, this book is clichè, melodramatic and full of gushing sentimentality. I love a sweet story but this was too much.

They're making out within five minutes of meeting each other and deciding that they are boyfriends. It's all due to some magical, mystical, soul-deep feeling of life-changing love. I was rolling my eyes during 95% of this book. I'm rolling my eyes just thinking about it.

The drama. Oh, the drama. Suicide(more than one), severely depressed parents, media scandal, affairs, homicidal maniacs and much, much more. This was soap opera central and it was EXHAUSTING. Why was it exhausting? Because I got tired of going "WTF??! Oh, WTF??!"

I was looking forward to this story because I really want to like Lisa Marie Davis' work but...I just can't. I know that she can write good stories because she wrote Loving Lucas. Maybe I'll try her work again one day but I think next time I'll wait for reviews before I buy.

I Found a Treasure in the Blogosphere: Boyonboys.com Must Be Read By All

So, earlier this week I was checking my twitter account, and I saw that I had just been followed by boyonboys.com…Being new to the whole twitterage thing I went over to this Boy’s profile thingy. I saw a cute little pic of the top of a head with spiky hair and hot pink sunglasses that immediately made me smile, and think of John Hughes films. Then I saw that his profile said “I am a boy who writes about boys”…Well…shit, it might as well have said “Hey Laura! Someone’s writing a blog just for you. You should go read it!”…And so I did.

How do I say this without sounding like I’m exaggerating? For starters, it’s one of the best things I’ve read from a blog, EVER. I read every single word that is on there, which I have never done before. I get bored easily, and hate reading on my computer or phone, but I was enthralled and I read the WHOLE DAMN THING.

Ok, so this is the deal. This blog is written by a Boy, this Boy is in his early twenties. He is a New Yorker who has moved to L.A. to try and make it as a writer in Hollywood, he blogs about his experiences living in L.A. primarily in the gay community, and more specifically his experiences with other boys.

The format of the posts are written like a journal, so there is an arc, the Boy lets us into his world, his impressions of the gay community in L.A. (which are frankly brilliant, and so poignant and insightful, it’s worth reading if only for that), the men he meets, his feelings about mostly everything, the contrast of being gay in L.A. to being gay in NYC, a big part of it is about his relationship with a man he calls “The Writer”. It is a hard relationship and it cuts this Boy to shreds constantly, but he wants it so badly.

This Boy’s writing is BRILLIANT. One of the most moving things I have read in a long time. The writing is so raw, honest and soooo on point. Funny, smart, witty, abrasive, a little arrogant but frank, subdued and humble when it counts…Simply put, there is good writing, and then there is pure talent. This falls in the second category.

Reading this blog I went to many places, thought of authors I love and why I love them, sat in wonder that something this fucking good isn’t on TV or being sold in bookstores. I thought of authors like Candace Bushnell, and how much “Sex and the City” impacted women and how we saw sex, dating, men and other women…I didn’t stop there, I thought of Edith Wharton, one of my favorite writers and certainly one of my favorite New Yorkers. I took the liberty of imagining Edith having a blog just like this one, bursting with brilliant, brutal honesty about people and their pettiness and of their goodness. I could see her, like this Boy saying it all bluntly, but from a private place.

This Boy writes about being young, his work, his desires, his friends, the places he goes, and how he takes us with him it’s just exquisite. As someone who pretty much can’t recall a time of life when I have NOT been reading something (I’ve consulted this with family and friends and they can’t remember either) I always look for a writer’s inspiration when I read. Good books are important to me, and I think to be a good writer a person needs to be reverent to what has come before. I always ask where is this writer getting inspiration from? What is he/she reading? This Boy at the top of every entry has quote that leads us into the topic of the post, that more than answered those questions.

Most of all, this story resonated with me deeply. This Boy is so SELF-AWARE, he understands the importance of this time of his life. That this youth he has must be LIVED. That this time is so full of moments that he will remember forever, moments of breathless beauty, of stupidity and pettiness, his as much as from others, of doubt, of need, of despair, of friendships that are so powerful that they feel like they will be there forever, of unspeakable heartache, of bone jarring pleasure...He knows that this time is THE TIME, so much so that even in the hurt he tries to see past it, and to understand what it means…Reading this blog, I saw myself at 23 coming straight from JFK International Arrivals, in the back of a cab on the 59^th Street bridge in NYC and thinking “I am a New Yorker now, I am a graduate student…The world is actually an oyster in my pocket (this might be incorrect but English IS my second language!)”.

This Boy he is a survivor, he is in love, he is funny, he is smart (and he knows it), he is beautiful, he is vulnerable and sometimes all of it is just too much. But he has a story to tell, and he tells it soooo sooooo well. This blog/journal/story is truly fantastic, and honest to Pete some of the best writing I’ve read in a very long time. It makes me feel greedy knowing this treasure is sitting on the internet waiting to be discovered.

I hope this Boy keeps living his life and writing about it, and I can only pray that he gets his Golden Ticket because talent like his deserves a much bigger stage. By the time I read the latest entry I was so invested that I was talking MYSELF off the ledge…”He’ll be OK…He’s stronger than this…He is so self-aware…Living through a toxic relationship like that in your twenties brings about a rebirth that lays out your priorities and builds character, We’ve all been through it…GOD I hope he’s OK…

And THAT Ladies and Gents is what brilliant writing is…We all have a story to tell, but very few of us can write in a way so that whoever reads it can make it a little bit theirs as well.

Boyonboys.com…It’s out there peeps…Take a chance on The Boy. You can thank me later.

Book To Look For: Heart in Hand by Salifiable

FANTASTIC Sports Fan Fiction

This book made me feel Triumphant...Like yeah the Good Guys DO win sometimes and when they do...Well, IT'S FUCKING GLORIOUS it's what it is!

First of all I can safely say this so far is the best Sports book I've read in this genre. Sure, it has stiff competition but still, it is fantastic. The scenes that are focused on hockey were great and most of all I seriously loved the reverence and respect that was given to the Spirit of sportsmanship, playing with pride and honor, being a team, understanding that there are things more important than individual glory...It was all SO well done.

But to the important stuff, the boys...In this book "Star" is spelled O-V-I-EWhat a character! Ovie he stole the show, my heart, and not a little bit of my friggin' sanity!!

Alex Ovechkin is together with Sidney Crosby undisputedly the the best in the NHL. He is a Russian powerhouse. He doesn't have an Olympic Gold Medal, and hasn't won the Stanley Cup, but he is the best there is, but so is Sidney, who actually has the trophies and medal to prove it.

They are rivals kind of, but since Sid has the trophies and Ovie REALLY wants them too, he asks Sid if they can practice together in the off season. They do, and Sid realizes that Ovie despite his loud and obnoxious ways is actually a great guy. They are so different Ovie flashy and fun and Sidney serious and methodical. Despite all that they become friends and end up having to keep that going for a show being filmed featuring the two of them...Things happen, a bet gets out of hand and well...Things progress. Sid had no clue what he's doing, Ovie is not very clear in what he wants, and that of course can only end in some major fuckery.

I cannot explain how much I loved this book. It was beautiful, seriously it was. It gave such an uplifting view of what people can be in the face of serious difficulties. How those who you least expect can show FIERCE bravery and love. That when it matters people will stand up for what is right and fair. The families, the teammates, friends in this book were amazing.

Those two men, oh they killed me slowly. Ovie's character was COURAGE and DIGNITY and Sidney was FEAR and ATONEMENT...Together they were FORGIVING, and willing to move forward when they go their chance...They got it all in the end, but they had to fight hard for it...Ovie the whole time, he was like a warrior and Sid, he hid, but he did what was right in a moment that mattered.

Damn I loved this book, and it's FREE!

You can download Heart in Hand here for free

Why Laddie Is Excited About GayRomLit This Year

From the time I was little I knew that my mom was different from alot of other moms. She clubbed down in The Village in Manhattan on the weekends. She used to take me to the flea market on Houston street. She wore cool and edgy clothes. When all the other moms had long hair, my mom and her best friend had super short and spiky hair. My mom, in a word, was and still is unique.

She and my dad raised me to love everyone. I knew gay people, straight people, bisexual people, people with vices and people with no vices. The first wedding I went to was a beautiful lesbian commitment ceremony that my dad took me to.

So, when I told my mom about the GayRomLit Retreat this October and how I was DYING to go she got SO excited and said "Can you ask me to go with you because I need to go to something that's called Desire In The Desert? I have a cowboy hat and cowboy boots". Because my mom is one of my best friends and full of life I asked her to go. Everything is better when my mom is around.

And then I went all out and said "Why don't we ask Miss C to go?!"
Miss C is my mom's dance club partner, best friend of more than 30 years, and the quirkiest, most vibrant and coolest Puerto Rican woman to ever grace the planet. When they're together my mom magically acquires a Spanish accent and the world becomes a brighter place.

Miss C said "YES!! Do you see that hot, naked cowboy on the GRL website?! I'm bringing my daughter!"

And then I told them that there might be gay strip clubs involved and got a resounding "Oh HELL YES!!"

So, this year I'm beyond excited about the GayRomLit Retreat. I'm bringing some of my favorite people. It's pretty much impossible to be around my mom and Miss C and not have a crazy, happy, fun time. They make everyone around them feel loved and special. Also, they tend to adopt people and give alot of hugs.

While I'm excited about meeting authors and people I talk to online every day, what I'm really excited about is bringing the joy and laughter that is my mom and Miss C into the lives of my GR friends.

Watch out Albuquerque, NM...that smile up there is coming to a Hard Rock Resort near you.

Monday's Most Wanted March 13-20

It's Monday...Night, but hey! It is still Monday and there is so much goodness to share!!! The fifth and last installment of Aleksandr Voinov's Dark Soul Series is out from Riptide Publishing. Dreamspinner Press has two books that are looking good, and I've already starting praying a Novena pleading that they are actually readable. PLEASE LET THEM BE GOOD!

The third book on the SuperPowered Love Series by Katey Hawthorne is out this week on Losee ID...I (LA), LOVED Riot Boy, and will read that as soon as I get it. Ava March has the first of her new series out from Carina Press...And last but NOT LEAST Ms. Eden Winters has a new book coming out with Amber Allure...Too much good to wast your time dearies...

Here are this Monday's Most Wanted:

1. Dark Soul No. 5 by Aleksandr Voinov

Release Date: March 19th

Publisher: Riptide

Priority Rating: I would love to own a time machine, so that I could make it be the 19th

Dark Soul Goodreads page

2. Nobody's Hero (Superpowered Love #3) by Katey Hawthorne

Release Date: March 13th

Publisher: Loose Id

Priority Rating: Can Hardly Wait!

Nobody's Hero Goodreads page

3. Thief (Brook Street #1) by Ava March

Release Date: March 19th

Publisher: Carina Press

Priority Rating: Pre-Ordered, Read ASAP

Thief Goodreads page

4. Diversion by Eden Winters

Release Date: March 18th

Publisher: Amber Allure

Priority Rating: Read ASAP

Diversion Goodreads page

5. What Ever Happened to Jan Phillips? by Michael Halfhill

Release Date: March 16th

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Priority Rating: I'm not even sure what this book is about, but DAMN look at that cover! Once again foiled by Anne Cain's awesomeness...

WHtJP Goodreads page

6. Sweet Lyric by Lisa Marie Davis

Release Date: March 14th

Publisher: Dreamspinner

Pritority Rating: Curious and again DAMN look at that COVER !

Sweet Lyric DSP page

That is all for this wee's list smut loving folk. There is MUCH to read this week and I am counting my blessings.

Happy Reading!

Stroke! by MJ O'Shea

@Laddie SOOOOO!!! Did you read it?!!!!!

@LA Yup! I loved it!

@Laddie YAY!!! OMG Me too! Cutest Short I've read in a while! And it was JUST RIGHT

@LA I know! I loved the way it felt like a full story even though it was short

@Laddie I LOVED the characters they were so easy to connect to...Owen <3 I knew the kid! It was such EFFICIENT writing you know?

@LA Owen was definitely a vibrant character….And how much did I love that the story was about the rowing team? I felt like I was in the boat with them

@Laddie YUP!! The parts about the crew team were perfect!! Action was spot on, and so colorful!...And the gaming and getting to know each other online thing was a really cool way to let us get to know Davis too…I mean HELLO!! Of course two college boys would bond like that...I seriously AWWWED the whole time

@LA OMG Me too! How sweetly dorky that they bonded over killing zombie lunch ladies

@Laddie HOLY SHIT! They fucked up those zombies!!! I mean, it was a little predictable, but I actually was surprised with how it all played out, and when they met, how that happened was unexpected and awesome

@LA I really enjoyed how MJ O'Shea orchestrated the first time they met in person, it was predictable but I just loved them so much that I didn't care

@Laddie I felt the same way, I knew them so well, and was SO SURE they were meant to be together, I knew it would work out *sighs* The end was JUST PERFECT

@LA The end had me smiling so hard that my cheeks were hurting

@Laddie ME TOO ME TOO! I friggin' LOVE reading something and thinking "This author was in her Sweet Spot writing this" you know? I started reading and for an hour I WAS GONE...Only those two boys and me.

@LA It was totally satisfying but even still…I want MORE of those boys!!

@Laddie I haven't read much from MJ but what I have, I've enjoyed. She has a knack for the shorts…I wouldn't mind a little more Owen and Davis that's for sure *sighs* I'm glad we spotted this one...Made my weekend in the reading department...Just thinking about it makes me smile.

@LA Totally agree! I recommend this one a million times over, because everyone should read it and fall in everlasting love with it!!

@Laddie Ditto! It was a perfect little bite of AWESOME...I wish we could make people read stuff. I'd force everyone to read this if I could...

Stroke! Can be purchased at the Dreamspinner Press Website

The Starving Years by Jordan Castillo Price

As always Jordan Castillo Price just carves out her own place in this genre, and makes you come to her.

JCP is like a one woman awesome show. She writes, promotes, creates on her own terms, no compromises and for this reader, it works like a friggin charm...This story was like nothing I have read in this genre as of yet, smart, edgy, kind of horrific at times, blunt and with a substantial dose of OPEN YOUR EYES BAD SHIT HAPPENS A LOT!!!

Nelson Oliver is sitting at an atrocious job fair snooze fest for Canaan Products in NYC. Canaan are the main producers of Manna. The synthetically made food introduced to the world in the 1960s that has effectively staved off famine, and has kept the world fed for 50 years.

But Manna is not some philanthropic 'save the world' miracle food anymore. It's Big Fucking Business. Nelson is an expert in Manna, and even though he knows he'll never get a job, he's still at the fair. He has a tendency to tell those who follow the party line to go fuck themselves, which might have gotten him a bit of a reputation. He stays anyways, he needs the money, just the medication he needs for his migraine is enough to leave him permanently broke. Oh also and the dude sitting next him...Javierrrrrrrrr has an EYE PATCH and is so damn hot...Like a "Sexy Pirate" (his words not mine). While Nelson is desperately trying to flirt with Javier WHO IS NOT BITING, all hell brakes loose. There is a shooting, and when they manage to step out of the conference New York City is in the midst of violent rioting.

With Javier leading the way Nelson plus two more newly made friends, are rescued just in time by Tim, Javier's mysterious friend. Tim takes Nelson, Javier, Marianne and Randy to his place while things cool down and tries to figure out just what exactly prompted such violence at the door of Canaan Products. Tim aka The Voice of Reason (a subversive blogger) knows Canaan must be up to no fucking good, and he plans to finally figure out why, and SAY IT. With Javier and Nelson working with him he might just do it...If they can only take a brake from the lust triangle from hell they all have going. What with Nelson panting after Javier, Tim pining over Nelson, and Javier practically wanting to pounce on Tim, things could get dicey in a one bedroom in Chinatown...Oh and there's also the thing with the two others that have no clue what the hell is happening.

This book was just awesome story making goodness. The Manna... The miracle food. No famine in the world because of it, but the greed of the corporations has let it descend into a corrupt thing. They've gone to the dark side and all kinds of bad shit is going down in these corporations. There are some crazy ass conspiracy theories weaved into this story. In addition to that we had the stories of the characters, there was very little frustration to be had here. Things were revealed precisely and as they were need. The pace FOR ME, was perfect, things kept uncoiling, and I swear I wanted to actually absorb this book by osmosis because the more I knew the better it got.

The action was really great, the setting of NYC was fab, the characters...WOW. Palpable. Nelson was so brilliant that self-deprecating/self-destructive charm that JCP can do so well with her characters. Tim was so open and vulnerable, and Javier was a big mystery. Those three men dancing around each other, finding how they went together was delicious. Randy and Marianne were also so great, and added so much to the story.

But you know what the best thing about this book was for me? It cut me no slack. There was a story for me to figure out, there was bad stuff for me to see, there were harsh realities that were not going to be glossed over for me to get a perfect ending. Nope, not here. This was edgy, brutal at times, so different, and simply good writing. I was totally taken in by this story to the very end.

Alternate fiction at it's best Ladies and Gents. No Fooling.

Jordan Castillo Price man...She brings it, like every time.

The Starving Years is for sale at jcp books and Amazon.com