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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9bvsLKCyXE?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
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Strange Bedfellows – Cardeno C.
Can the billionaire son of a Democratic president build a family with the congressman son of a Republican senator? Forget politics, love makes strange bedfellows.
As the sole offspring of the Democratic United States president and his political operative wife, Trevor Moga was raised in an environment driven by the election cycle. During childhood, he fantasized about living in a made-for-television family, and as an adult, he rejected all things politics and built a highly successful career as far from his parents as possible.
Newly elected congressman Ford Hollingsworth is Republican royalty. The grandson of a revered governor and son of a respected senator, he was bred to value faith, family, and the goal of seeing a Hollingsworth in the White House.
When Trevor and Ford meet, sparks fly and a strong friendship is formed. But can the billionaire son of a Democratic president build a family with the congressman son of a Republican senator? Forget politics, love makes strange bedfellows.
In the last election, history was made when a trans woman won as representative of her district. She has lived as a woman for 20 years. I could imagine all the homophobic slurs her opponents might have said about her but she won by 62%, according to some articles I read. It was one bright moment in this giant mess of a country.
When I saw the blurb of Strange Bedfellows, I knew I had to read it. The book features Trevor and Ford who are both scions of rival political families (the former is the presidential son, the latter is a conservative Republican congressman) who met at a bar for a one night stand, had instant chemistry and now wants to keep seeing each other. Trevor is out but Ford keeps his sexuality under wraps because he has his political career to worry about so he can’t be seen with an openly gay guy.
70% of the book is spent agonizing over coming out. I skimmed most of it because it’s something I have read a million times before. When they finally (finally!) told Ford’s parents and started planning the election campaign, I felt a little more invested in the story because it was what I was looking forward to.
Cardeno’s style was sexposition sprinkled with some sugar. She has Trevor obsessing about Ford’s dick while they exchange info about each other’s family which didn’t really sound very sexy. People who like it steamy and sweet might go for her kind of stories. I don’t really go for steamy and the only reason I stayed is that I wanted to see how Trevor would win the election (not really a spoiler because it was pretty obvious he is going to win). This part was glossed over sadly. A gritty, realistic look at the life of a gay politician this is not but if you are looking for a cuddly love story about a gay politician and a tech billionaire, this is for you.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn bookSoundtrack: Fear and Delight
Artist: The Correspondents
Album: Puppet Loosely Strung(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25734007-strange-bedfellows)
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New love is grand. Savor all the crazy, muddled might of it.
Eli Easton -
[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A7zyqJJ0QwajaHaPLCqZFXN&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to Strange Bedfellows by Cardeno C.
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A-chan no pudding – Takao Hiroi
A one-shot about a patissier who eats a lot of pudding and his lover who wants some.
How are they eating all those sweets and not get fat?!
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFPc8SA1FUM?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]
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Sins of the Cities: An Unseen Attraction – K.J. Charles
A slow-burning romance and a chilling mystery bind two singular men in the suspenseful first book of a new Victorian series from K. J. Charles.
Lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer prefers a quiet life. He’s happy with his hobbies, his work—and especially with his lodger Rowley Green, who becomes a friend over their long fireside evenings together. If only neat, precise, irresistible Mr. Green were interested in more than friendship…
Rowley just wants to be left alone—at least until he meets Clem, with his odd, charming ways and his glorious eyes. Two quiet men, lodging in the same house, coming to an understanding… it could be perfect. Then the brutally murdered corpse of another lodger is dumped on their doorstep and their peaceful life is shattered.
Now Clem and Rowley find themselves caught up in a mystery, threatened on all sides by violent men, with a deadly London fog closing in on them. If they’re to see their way through, the pair must learn to share their secrets—and their hearts.
Clem and Rowley having crushes on each other are so cute! They have been eyeing each other for the longest time so I’m glad they finally hooked up. I love how Rowley is short like Stephen Day. You rarely see that type as MC in a romance novel. Nobody made a big deal about sexuality, which is how things should be.
Clem is a cinnamon roll. He is kind and trusting to a fault. He also has dyspraxia according to official sources so he has trouble with multi-tasking, crowds and people talking all at once. Rowley is definitely the guy for him. He has infinite patience, is comfortable with silence and tries really hard to understand Clem.
Lots of times they argue, Clem was frustratingly naive and valiantly trying to see the good in everybody and Rowley was scared. Couldn’t really blame them though. It’s that damn brother!
The fact that Clem was an Indian was not really focused on until the main part of the story where it became significant because they started dealing with Clem’s brother who is an asshole through and through.
Majority of the story deals with the issue of whoever is harassing Clem and Rowley, why are they doing it, what has it got to do with Clem’s brother and how should they deal with it. During this entire debacle, we meet Clem’s friends from the Jack and Knave who try to help out.
I liked Clem and Rowley’s story but it didn’t really wow me the way other K.J. Charles books have. However it still a great start in the Sins of the Cities series. Now, on to Nathaniel’s story…
Rating:
3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked itSoundtrack: Hey, Sunrise
Artist: The Charlatans
Album: Different Days(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30517107-an-unseen-attraction)
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If you’re happy in a dream, does that count?
Arundhati Roy -
[spotify id=”spotify%3Atrack%3A1chuYLETX23D3b8FzwwVCK&view=coverart” width=”540″ height=”620″ /]Soundtrack to Sins of the Cities: An Unseen Attraction by K.J. Charles
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At Home Happy System –
Kobato Mebaru & Munya Munya Sue
Two short oneshots about robots:1. Kyouichi is a young novelist who ordered a cute female maid-robot, but got a tall muscular male model instead! Life with Silom is difficult… But when Silom stops working, Kyouichi realizes how much he needs him.2. Akira receives a useless robot as part of his inheritance from his grandfather. The robot is spoiled and gentle, but Akira doesn’t want to become close to him…“Original” doujinshi by the circle Mumble Sue
Seme robot is more interesting than the spoiled uke robot.
