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Openly Straight: Openly Straight – Bill Konigsberg
The award-winning novel about being out, being proud, and being ready for something else … now in paperback.
Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He’s won skiing prizes. He likes to write.
And, oh yeah, he’s gay. He’s been out since 8th grade, and he isn’t teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that’s important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.
So when he transfers to an all-boys’ boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret – not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate break down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben … who doesn’t even know that love is possible.
This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate feeling different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.
Did not really enjoy it as much as I expected. I thought it was pretty stupid how people ask inane questions about which sport or ice cream flavor a gay guy would like. The best characters in the books were Toby and Albie. I want to hang out with them and they seriously need a book of their own. Claire Olivia was also great, she was the best friend any gay guy could ever ask for.
I found the main character and his love interest dull. I totally get what Rafe said about being label-free and Ben was suppose to be this nice, sensitive guy but I prefer the scanner pong and apple gang adventures.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16100972-openly-straight)
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Whyborne & Griffin: Necropolis – Jordan L. Hawk
Introverted scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne has spent the last few months watching his lover, Griffin Flaherty, come to terms with the rejection of his adoptive family. So when an urgent telegram from Christine summons them to Egypt, Whyborne is reluctant to risk the fragile peace they’ve established. Until, that is, a man who seems as much animal as human tries to murder Whyborne in the museum.
Amidst the ancient ruins of the pharaohs, they must join Christine and face betrayal, murder, and a legendary sorceress risen from the dead. In the forge of the desert heat, the trio will either face their fears and stand together—or shatter the bonds between them forever.
I don’t know if this was shorter than the other books but I finished this one really quick. Griffin gets to take Whyborne to Egypt, Whyborne gets to do some bad ass magic and Christine gets what coming to her.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21533138-necropolis)
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A Charm of Magpies: Flight of Magpies – K.J. Charles
Danger in the air. Lovers on the brink.
With the justiciary understaffed, a series of horrifying occult murders to be investigated, and a young student who is flying—literally—off the rails, magical law enforcer Stephen Day is under increasing stress. And his relationship with his aristocratic lover, Lord Crane, is beginning to feel the strain.
Crane chafes at the restrictions of England’s laws, and there’s a worrying development in the blood-and-sex bond he shares with Stephen. A development that makes a sensible man question if they should be together at all.
When a thief strikes at the heart of Crane’s home, a devastating loss brings his closest relationships into bitter conflict—especially his relationship with Stephen. And as old enemies, new enemies, and unexpected enemies paint the lovers into a corner, the pressure threatens to tear them apart.
Warning: Contains hot-blooded sex, cold-blooded murder, sinister magical goings-on and a lot of swearing.
I’m sad about Stephen Day’s decision about his job. I’m sad that this is the last book. I love this series and I wish this could just go on and on. Heck, I want to be a magic police.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21529170-flight-of-magpies)
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Think of England: Song for a Viking – K.J. Charles
‘Song for a Viking’ takes place during/just after the events of the last chapter of Think of England and will be of no use at all to anyone who hasn’t read that book. It is not a standalone.
You will definitely get the most out of it if you remind yourself of Think of
England’s last chapter before readingThis I enjoyed more that the main story because we get to see what’s going on in Daniel’s head.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29754736-song-for-a-viking)
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Crossroads: Shifting Gears – Riley Hart
Rod Nelson is used to being someone’s good time, and that’s fine with him. Spending his days at his adult toy store, Rods-N-Ends, he never knows who he’ll meet. The second Landon Harrison walks in, he has Rod’s full attention. It seems as if Landon wants him too, so why won’t the man jump in the sack with him already?
Landon never thought he’d return home to the town where memories lurk around every corner. He has to admit, Rod makes the adjustment a lot easier. He keeps Landon laughing. Despite the fierce attraction between them, he’s not willing to risk his newfound friendship to get laid.
Neither man wants something serious, but the more they’re together, the harder it is to keep their hands to themselves, until eventually they stop trying.
But flings between friends are never simple, and as they attempt to shift gears, diving into their first relationship, they’re slammed with setbacks. If they want to truly move forward, before they hit the open road together, they’re going to have to let go of a past that could make them crash and burn.
I’m not really too keen on contemporary gay books or contemporary books in general (things are soo ordinary) and I only listened to this because I like the narrator. His voice acting is really superb.
The language here is really explicit with f-bombs, dicks and what-not. I’m ok with that but the story itself was boring. Ok, so you like hanging out with the guy, you have chemistry, he’s a good friend and that is a problem because you just want to sleep with the guy? The dad issues were also a snoozefest for me. What saved this book were the sassy lines by Rod. I think this is more of a it’s-not-the-book-it’s-me problem because the main MCs sounded good together. The other couple was great too and I would have liked to listen to more conversation between Bryce and Rod.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30262695-shifting-gears)
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Crossroads: Shifting Gears – Riley Hart
Rod Nelson is used to being someone’s good time, and that’s fine with him. Spending his days at his adult toy store, Rods-N-Ends, he never knows who he’ll meet. The second Landon Harrison walks in, he has Rod’s full attention. It seems as if Landon wants him too, so why won’t the man jump in the sack with him already?
Landon never thought he’d return home to the town where memories lurk around every corner. He has to admit, Rod makes the adjustment a lot easier. He keeps Landon laughing. Despite the fierce attraction between them, he’s not willing to risk his newfound friendship to get laid.
Neither man wants something serious, but the more they’re together, the harder it is to keep their hands to themselves, until eventually they stop trying.
But flings between friends are never simple, and as they attempt to shift gears, diving into their first relationship, they’re slammed with setbacks. If they want to truly move forward, before they hit the open road together, they’re going to have to let go of a past that could make them crash and burn.
I’m not really too keen on contemporary gay books or contemporary books in general (things are soo ordinary) and I only listened to this because I like the narrator. His voice acting is really superb.
The language here is really explicit with f-bombs, dicks and what-not. I’m ok with that but the story itself was boring. Ok, so you like hanging out with the guy, you have chemistry, he’s a good friend and that is a problem because you just want to sleep with the guy? The dad issues were also a snoozefest for me. What saved this book were the sassy lines by Rod. I think this is more of a it’s-not-the-book-it’s-me problem because the main MCs sounded good together. The other couple was great too and I would have liked to listen to more conversation between Bryce and Rod.
Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30262695-shifting-gears)
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Think of England – K.J. Charles
Lie back and think of England…
England, 1904. Two years ago, Captain Archie Curtis lost his friends, fingers, and future to a terrible military accident. Alone, purposeless and angry, Curtis is determined to discover if he and his comrades were the victims of fate, or of sabotage.
Curtis’s search takes him to an isolated, ultra-modern country house, where he meets and instantly clashes with fellow guest Daniel da Silva. Effete, decadent, foreign, and all-too-obviously queer, the sophisticated poet is everything the straightforward British officer fears and distrusts.
As events unfold, Curtis realizes that Daniel has his own secret intentions. And there’s something else they share—a mounting sexual tension that leaves Curtis reeling.
As the house party’s elegant facade cracks to reveal treachery, blackmail and murder, Curtis finds himself needing clever, dark-eyed Daniel as he has never needed a man before…
Warning: Contains explicit male/male encounters, ghastly historical attitudes, and some extremely stiff upper lips.
I couldn’t really connect with the main characters but it’s a testament to K.J. Charles’ writing skill that I still enjoyed the story. Can’t wait for the second book.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20822874-think-of-england)
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Whyborne & Griffin: Stormhaven – Jordan L. Hawk
Mysterious happenings are nothing new to reclusive scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne, but finding one of his colleagues screaming for help in the street is rather unusual. Allan Tambling claims he can’t remember any of the last hour—but someone murdered his uncle, and Allan is covered in blood.
Whyborne’s lover, dashing ex-Pinkerton detective Griffin Flaherty, agrees to prove Allan’s innocence. But when Allan is deemed insane and locked away in the Stormhaven Lunatic Asylum, Griffin finds himself reliving the horrifying memories of his own ordeal inside a madhouse.
Along with their friend Christine, the two men become drawn deeper and deeper into a dark web of conspiracy, magic, and murder. Their only clue: a missing artifact depicting an unknown god. Who stole the artifact, and why can’t Allan remember what happened? And what is the truth behind the terrible experiments conducted on Stormhaven’s forbidden fourth floor?
It will take all of Whyborne’s sorcery and Griffin’s derring-do to stop the murderers and save Allan. But first, they must survive an even greater challenge: a visit from Griffin’s family.
There’s nothing as scary as a lunatic asylum or being mistakenly trap in one with no one believing your sanity. So yeah, this book succeeded in making me feel uncomfortable. I really felt sorry for Griffin.
Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18633099-stormhaven)
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REVIEW: Prisoner by Megan Derr
Kria: Prisoner – Megan Derr
A man whom all men fear…
General Dieter von Adolwulf has led the Scarlet Army of Kria to victory for the past decade, holding the infamous field known as the Regenbogen against Kria’s hated enemies—the deceptive Illussor and the ruthless Salharans. War has waged between the three nations for longer than anyone can remember, but no one has held the Regenbogen as well as the notorious Wolf of Kria and his fearsome army.
A man who fears nothing…
Returning home at the end of the year, the Scarlet Army is attacked in the dead of night by a single man who manages to kill hundreds before he is finally captured. A Salharan soldier with no name, no purpose but to kill, he refuses to bend to the Wolf who takes him prisoner and forces upon him a despicable Krian name.
A man with nothing to lose…
When the rest of his army is slaughtered by Illussor soldiers desperately seeking his prisoner, Dieter determines to hold fast—both for answers and in revenge for the men he lost. But answers and revenge are hard to come by when surrounded by secrets and treachery, and the man least likely to kill him is the prisoner who most wants him dead.
I started reading the first few chapter but I couldn’t go on. I got lost and couldn’t figure out what was what so this book lingered on my shelf for months. Then I found the audiobook on Youtube and loved the narrator’s voice. Sean Crisden’s voices for most of the main characters were perfect. I think only Iah’s voice was off since he sounded like an old man.
This is one of the best enemies to lovers stories I have read. I live for Beraht and Dieter. I could listen to them bicker all day. Sol and Iah was kind of meh for me but I like them nonetheless. The female characters are not annoying so yay! Kalan deserves his own story.
The world and the magic of the three countries were equally fascinating. Each country has their own well-defined culture and language. I love the name of the Krian generals (Scarlet, Cobalt, Verdant, Saffron), the curses each nationality use but I wanted to see Illusor magic. Illusor was probably the less defined of the three.
This is probably a 4.5 stars but I would go ahead and give it a perfect score since I really enjoyed the book and I like the cover art.
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfect(source: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11116507-prisoner)
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REVIEW: The Lawrence Browne Affair by Cat Sebastian
The Turner Series: The Lawrence Browne Affair – Cat Sebastian
An earl hiding from his future …
Lawrence Browne, the Earl of Radnor, is mad. At least, that’s what he and most of the village believes. A brilliant scientist, he hides himself away in his family’s crumbling estate, unwilling to venture into the outside world. When an annoyingly handsome man arrives at Penkellis, claiming to be Lawrence’s new secretary, his carefully planned world is turned upside down.
A swindler haunted by his past …
Georgie Turner has made his life pretending to be anyone but himself. A swindler and con man, he can slip into an identity faster than he can change clothes. But when his long-dead conscience resurrects and a dangerous associate is out for blood, Georgie escapes to the wilds of Cornwall. Pretending to be a secretary should be easy, but he doesn’t expect that the only madness he finds is the one he has for the gorgeous earl.
Can they find forever in the wreckage of their lives?
Challenging each other at every turn, the two men soon give into the desire that threatens to overwhelm them. But with one man convinced he is at the very brink of madness and the other hiding his real identity, only true love can make this an affair to remember
This book ticks a lot of boxes: classy cover, adorable dog (hugs to Barnabus!), slim, slender good-looking MC (Georgie reminds me of Locke Lamora only gay), dual POV and lots of humor and fluff. The MCs really brought the best out of each other. Love this book!
Rating:
5 Stars – absolutely perfect(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30226770-the-lawrence-browne-affair)
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