REVIEW: Anything For A Dollar by Todd Gregory!!

"What would you do to make a buck?

They are the objects of desire—dancing on the bar or on boxes at circuit parties, performing for either the video camera or their own webcams, or coming to you for a night of passion at a price.

But they aren’t gods. They are men with needs and desires of their own, fantasy men with fantasies of their own. Some of today’s top writers of gay erotica take on the notion of using your body to make a living—and the result is a collection of erotica so steamy it might burn your hands.

Handle with care!"

While I'm not necessarily into books about people selling themselves for money, not because I'm a prude, but because those books tend to be just a way for the author to write about people having sex, often violent and the story be damned, "Anything For A Dollar" manages to avoid this!

There were a couple of a odd stories that I did not like because they didn't feel authentic and I did not connect with the characters, but for 90% of the book, I really enjoyed everything!

The men in this book are people who are in need to for security and they are willing to have sex or fulfill fetishes for this cash, while struggling with their own inner turmoil that have nothing to do with their need for money. This fact most definitely helped make the characters both more complex and more likeable, because while yes, they often had sex with random guys because they liked the sex, they were also trying to "fix" something within themselves and that's what makes for a good read. The anthology and nearly every story had an actual plot, if not, a message of trust, identity, relationship, pain/pleasure and love.

The stories while having actual plots can get graphic and aggressive and strange, but it is to be expected. If this is not your thing, don't read.

I read the book in about three hours, so buy it and spend a rainy afternoon with it! Its worth the read!

-A

REVIEW: Light by 'Nathan Burgoine!!

"Kieran Quinn is a bit telepathic, a little psychokinetic, and very gay—three things that have gotten him through life perfectly well so far—but when self-styled prophet Wyatt Jackson arrives during Pride Week, things take a violent turn.

Kieran’s powers are somewhat underwhelming but do have a habit of refracting light into spectacular rainbows for him to hide behind. Even so, it’s not long before Kieran is struggling to maintain his own anonymity while battling wits with a handsome cop, getting some flirting in with a hunky leather man, saving some drag queens, and escaping the worst blind date in history. It’s enough to make a fledgling hero want to give up before he even begins.

One thing’s for sure: saving the day has never been so fabulous."

I loved this book!

Action packed, dangerous, sexy, funny and dramatic!

Kieran was a witty and realistic character whose ability to refract light might seem silly to the max, but because of Burgoines' writing skill, it made for not only a pretty rad power, but a terrific usage in the story, and a lot of funny moments!

Wyatt Jackson was creepy as hell! I mean, seriously. I loved this aspect of the book and its clear allusion to Westboro Baptist. The surprise involving Stigmatic Jack, while I did see coming, was still, pretty awesome!

I loved Kierans' relationship with Karen and Miracle Woman and his brother and found them all to be sweet and believable. I liked that they all had their own type of humor too.

Sebastian was a good love interest and totally hot, but I did not like him completely. He was bit too strange.. There was a crazy dire and dangerous moment involving ropes and a van and Sebastian was horny which completely bugged me! He was at times too possessive and aggressive, but I guess(??) that's what Kieran likes/liked... Personally, I was hoping for something with the cop. He was cute and sweet and seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. Maybe in the next book...

... Cus honestly, I can see this becoming a series in lieu of Sookie Stackhouse, which is what Light somewhat reminded me of. And if Sookie can have sex with everyone, why cant Kieran too!!! ;~)))

Highly Recommend!
-A

REVIEW: Strange Angels by Andrea Speed!!

"Death is the family business, and Brendan Connolly is about to come into his legacy. Nobody warned Bren that Dad was a death god, or that someday he’d inherit his powers. So far, falling in love with the angel sent to protect him has been the only good thing to come out of this whole mess.
Bren’s guardian angel, Lorygdarain, knows the aura of a ticking supernatural time bomb when he sees one. Add to that the angel’s first taste of the human emotion called love, and protecting Bren from the god who killed his father could be Dar’s hardest job in an eon.

Snakes, amnesia, and a mysterious god named Bob might not be much of a rescue plan, but one guardian angel can only do so much. With a veritable pantheon on his heels, and the universe hanging in the balance, Bren must learn to lock and load the most dangerous weapon of all: himself."


Unfortunately I did not love this book, though I did like it! Strange Angels by Andrea Speed was strange, but not in the best way, but again, it was good. Bren and Dar are assumingly in love, but I never really felt that or bought it. They had no chemistry and no real romantic scenes together, which I was put off by. I wanted a lot more romance between Bren and his god, but it did not happen. The book mainly focused on Bren going to different worlds on the run as they try to get rid of a bunch of crazed gods who want Bren dead. The book is about this and Bren learning to get abilities under control.

The book has loads of action which was awesome and some interesting and strange characters and good humor, but the book felt more like two friends who liked each other but where too afraid to admit rather than an actual couple and that was frustrating! I wanted more angst to go with the action, but no.. hopefully a sequel will provide this!

I do say, however, you should check it out! Its fun!

-A

REVIEW: In Such Dark Places by Jospeh Caldwell!!

"When a photographer witnesses a violent crime in New York’s Lower East Side, he hunts down the missing camera that may hold answers

Eugene is a midwesterner living in New York, an erstwhile Catholic and not-quite-openly-gay photographer. When a Holy Week pageant in the gritty Lower East Side erupts into a riot, he is sucked into the city’s shadowy depths. While photographing the parade, Eugene has his eye on a handsome teen, but when things turn violent the youth is stabbed and Eugene’s camera is stolen. To find the camera and its precious film, which may provide evidence, Eugene has to become acquainted with a seedy, unfamiliar world, and hold on to his sanity in the process. In Such Dark Places is a thrilling debut novel of awakening and obsession."

In Such Dark Places by Joseph Caldwell, we are introduced to Eugene who is pretty messed up, to be honest. He is gay and Catholic and pretty tortured, which makes for a compelling and at times a both frustrating character and read, but I greatly enjoyed this book for its frank honesty.

The writing is poignant and direct and clean and the prose is truly lovely and lively, despite the fact how moody and lonely Eugene is and therefore the story.

This book is about the near trenches of a depressed man and his near repressed "gay lifestyle" with no true happy ending .. or beginning or middle, just life. I loved it, but if you want something more
hopeful, this is not for you!

--V

REVIEW: The Charioteer by Mary Renault!!

"Mary Renault’s landmark novel about a wounded soldier who returns from the front and must choose between relationships with two very different men

After being wounded at Dunkirk in World War II, Laurie Odell is sent back home to a rural British hospital. Standing out among the orderlies is Andrew, a bright conscientious objector raised as a Quaker. The unspoken romance between the two men is tested when Ralph, a friend of Laurie’s from school, re-enters his life, introducing him into a milieu of jaded, experienced gay men. Will Laurie reconcile himself to Ralph’s embrace, or can he offer Andrew the idealized, Platonic intimacy he yearns for?

This novel has been called one of the foundation stones of gay literary fiction, ranking alongside James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room and Gore Vidal’s The City and the Pillar. Celebrated for its literary brilliance and sincere depiction of complex human emotions, The Charioteer is a stirring and beautifully rendered portrayal of love."

 

The Charioteer is a dreamy, beautiful novel that says so much when it doesn’t say anything. The queer factor of the book is obvious and evident and of course, prominent, but the issue of being ‘gay’ and being labeled as such not only during the time period in which the novel is set, but the time in which Renault’s novel is published, has to be addressed by other means and other words in order for the characters to thrive and the novel to see the light of publication. Renault’s craftsmanship of writing allows her to effortlessly do this in a way that brings the story to a richer and more lavish arena. Some things may go over a readers head, but if you allow yourself to reread or to perhaps read slower and with more care, you will see the artistry in Renaults words choices and characters actions, and plot and prose and everything! Truly, a splendid novel! Romance, society, pressure, the human psyche, homosexuality, sexuality, war, right and wrong and so much more are explored and beautified and creates a wonderful, wonderfully sad and beautiful novel!

Purchase HERE!!

-A