Tag Archive | Gay Romance

Guarded by L.A. Witt and Cat Grant (4 Stars)

Sep1

Overall, I really enjoyed this story about a rock star and his bodyguard navigating a relationship in the midst of other issues. Unfortunately, there were a few issues that bothered me during the story and took my enjoyment down a notch. There were elements of BDSM, including breath play, whipping, and multiple partners, but it didn’t include a lot of discussion outside of a single safeword. Jordan and Jase were both fairly well-developed characters, but their relationship needed more dialogue to establish a more believable connection outside of sex. In addition to dealing with their own issues, they were also dealing with the drug addiction of Jordan’s best friend and band mate, Daniel.  I liked the writing style of the two authors together.

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Book Blurb

Choices by Grace R. Duncan (2 Stars)

Aug31

Is freedom more important than spending your life with your one true love?

Teman and his friend, Jasmin, have been caught stealing for the last time. They have a choice of either going to the dungeon or becoming a pleasure slave for the palace. They both choose the palace and begin a very long sexual training process to learn how to pleasure their masters. During this time, Teman falls in love with his master, Amir Bathasar, who is also next in line to become the leader of his kingdom. Unfortunately, Bathasar’s father, Mukesh, is the current leader and an extremely cruel man, especially to the pleasure slaves. Teman forms a strong bond with other people in the palace including two other pleasure slaves, Nadir and Cyrus. The biggest obstacle for Tteman and Bathasar is freedom. If Bathasar becomes the leader, and has the power to free Teman, will Teman, who values freedom almost above anything else, stay with Bathasar or leave?

The vast majority of this story is focused on sex. The first quarter of the story is about the training that the young slaves go through which included hours upon hours, in very descriptive details, of all types of sex including oral and anal, with multiple partners. Orgasm denial was the single biggest component of this training. After Teman and Bathasar begin their relationship, the majority of the sex takes place with the two of them, but there are still many scenes which include other people basically resulting in an orgy. Since Mukesh is a very serious sadist, there are several scenes, described in great detail, where there is nonconsensual sex and torture. The few parts of the story that weren’t about sex made for a great story with the author’s smooth writing style.

All of the characters were interesting, but it was Teman and Bathasar that were the easiest to love. Teman’s angst over his freedom was very believable and tugged at the heart strings. They were both very kind people who truly cared about each other. Unfortunately, the excessive amount of sex overwhelmed the otherwise good story.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb

Simple by SJD Peterson (4 Stars)

Aug29

Brycen and John are insecure in their ability to have a relationship due to their past boyfriends. It’s unfortunate because both of them are very kind and compassionate people. What starts out as an incredible physical connection, quickly turns into an easy-going romance. Unfortunately, they can’t help but bring their prior issues into their current affair. They spent a lot of time having sex, interpreting words and actions incorrectly, and avoiding discussions.

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Book Blurb

Gumption & Gumshoes by Alex Kidwell (5 Stars)

Aug29

Love doesn’t always wait for us to be ready for it.

August Mendez just inherited enough money to quit the job he hates and live his dream as a detective. He’s struggling, and mostly taking pictures of cheating spouses, but he’s much happier now. Sam Ewing is his grumpy but sexy office landlord. He’s bitter after his divorce, and basically living his life as a lonely bachelor. August gets his first big case, and Sam ends up helping him out with it, leading to the beginning of their friendship and romance.

I am putting these two characters into my favorite couples list. They both had their own issues, whether it be low self-esteem or self-imposed loneliness, but when they looked at each other, they only saw perfection. Their love and adoration for each other was so romantic and sweet. I tear up just thinking about how perfect they were for each other. The fact that August was a chinchilla shifter didn’t even faze Sam. I was a bit afraid that a chinchilla shifter story wouldn’t work for me, but I actually found it adorable. The way it was weaved into both the case and the romance was perfect.

I’m not a fan of a character who is divorced because it’s too much of a reminder that a happily-ever-after isn’t always forever. However, I liked how the author treated the divorce and the prior relationship by using it to convince me that Sam had really changed. I actually believed that any issues he might have had in his prior marriage were resolved and wouldn’t negatively affect his future with August. The length of the story allowed us to see the two of them together quite a bit with plenty of great dialogue and steamy sex scenes.

This book is perfectly titled. It was the real life example of somebody who had some gumption. Even with his low self-image, which Sam tried so hard to correct, August still had enough spunk to go after what he really wanted in life. I just adored this humorous, sexy love story, and I highly recommend it.

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Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
Book Blurb