Bookish Shenanigans

3+ stars? Gorgeous illustrations. The story is introspective and metaphorical to the yin yang, and I'm not sure if my brain is smart enough to get all of it. However, I liked it overall, and the pretty pictures definitely helped. Both the detailed illustrations themselves and the product design - from the size of the illustrations to the very textured and tactile heavy paper used - combine to make this a lovely book. It makes me curious to read some yaoi manga, to be honest, even though I've never tried them. :)

Great little freebie "Teen Wolf" AU fanfic. A little over 30K+ words of secret pining, adorably awkward crushing, and surprisingly cute kiddos. :) No need to watch the show to get a kick out of this one. I really enjoyed it.

I'm surprised to report that I enjoyed this story. True to its title, its first impression on me was not so great; I didn't really care for either MC and wasn't sure if I was even rooting for them to get together. Furthermore, they don't meet until the 5th or 6th chapter/maybe 15% into the book.

However, I actually enjoyed it. The characters take a nice, long journey from the awful first impressions they make to reconciling in the end as explanations and revelations re: character and motivations come to the fore.

Also, bonus points because this novel features an ex-porn star as a MC, and that aspect was handled gracefully with a surprising amount of tact and realism, too. I thought the characters overall were well rounded, and the secondary characters were fun, fleshed out, and sometimes incredibly frustrating.

All in all, it made for a good read. :)

Eh. I just wasn't into this one. It felt kind of like a throwaway book, to be honest, and I don't think I'm alone in saying that Paul was definitely not a character whose story I needed to know. He didn't make a great impression in book 1, [b:Frat Boy and Toppy|13484085|Frat Boy and Toppy (Theta Alpha Gamma, #1)|Anne Tenino|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1329187226s/13484085.jpg|19018978], and although we at least get his motivations in this book (so his asshattery wasn't completely one dimensional), he still doesn't grow on me much.

Maybe 2.5 stars? It's weird, but I just felt like nothing happened that was worth noting in this book.

Adoooooorable #Sterek fic!

Derek was a little less alpha than I'd normally expect based on the show's character, but holy hell was it adorable nonetheless.

So I've rediscovered reading after a very long hiatus, and the driving force behind my newest binge has been "Teen Wolf" fanfic, particularly with the #Sterek relationship. If you've seen me on Twitter and/or Tumblr, you'll know that this show has pretty much taken over my life for the last week or two as I got caught up on all of the seasons and episodes...and THEN dived headfirst into the world of #Sterek fics.

I'm not going to add all of the ones I've read, but I wanted to add this one because I thought it was really sweet. I thought the characters stayed true to the show, and I enjoyed seeing the Stiles/Derek relationship develop in a way that I actually could see happening "IRL" (where IRL = in the show's real life).

Also, I'm a sucker for the fics where Derek is pining and has no idea how to show it, and Stiles knows everything, but is clueless about that one fact. It's the romcom lover in me. :)

Please.

There's so much power in that one little word, and in this story, the main character, Adam, finds his voice with it.

4+ stars.

I really enjoyed His Roommate's Pleasure, a bon bon of a novella that's pretty much the fluffiest you can get in a story that still features paddles and spanking. You guys know me -- I'm a non-angst, non-BDSM reader usually, and I thought this story was just lovely.

The plot, in brief.
One night, Adam accidentally finds his roommate's porn stash. Josh catches him red-handed, but rather than turning into A-Situation-Of-Which-We-Will-Never-Speak, the two roommates instead find that they're both turned on by the same things. Soon enough, they decide to act on their mutual interest and *ahem* "play" out some scenes together. However, what happens when their scenes lead to feelings and desires for...something more?

The characters.
Loved them! They're both college freshmen, and although they've been roommates all year, it's only in this second semester of freshman year that they actually become friends -- and, obviously, much much more.

Adam, the MC narrator, is the skinny guy who got picked on by jocks in high school. He's kind of finding his way through his college experience, and unfortunately that hasn't included much by way of sexual exploration. However, when he finds Josh's porn collection, Adam is awakened to a whole new set of desires he never even knew were out there to explore. He finds his inner sub, and OMG, it is insanely hot and sweet and adorable and intense as he recognizes his kinks and desires.

Josh, Adam's roommate, is a total jock. We don't get anything from Josh's POV, but he seems like a good guy. Adam initially has a built-in prejudice against him because of the jock thing, but they do find common ground soon enough (and not just their sexual proclivities). I wish we could have learned more about Josh, but I understand that this story is third person limited POV and, as such, much more about Adam's discovery about himself.

The sexytimes.
*fans self*

*fans self again*

Is there some water around here? I'm rather parched.

It was smooooooookin' hot. Loved the sexytimes.

As I mentioned before, I'm not much of a BDSM kind of reader, but this story had just the right amount of playfulness and genuine discovery to give their D/s play a lighter kind of feel. It wasn't about chains, whips, or pain; rather, it was more about control, pleasure, and discovering what each of them liked. It was a great combination.

I particularly liked that neither of them was very sexually experienced or at all experienced in D/s types of encounters. As such, it was really sweet and hot to discover what pushed each of their buttons at the same time these wonderful characters found out themselves. I really appreciated getting Adam's POV and thought process as he felt his way through his turn ons and kinks.

Also, if you're into dirty talk, this is a great book to check out. Just sayin'. :D

Overall.
I truly enjoyed this story, and I'd recommend it highly to m/m readers who like their kink with a lighter touch. There's a really sweet HFN at the end of the story that shows the boys move beyond just acting out scenes and into a much more promising and emotionally-involved relationship.

Basically, this was the fluffiest that a book could be while still involving D/s, collars, leashes, safe words, paddles, and spanking. I adored it. :)



Thank you to Carina Press and the author for providing a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.

3.4 stars. "Teen Wolf" Sterek AU fic. Stiles is a rent boy. Enjoyable.

Man, that was intense. Usually I shy away from non/dub-con stuff, but this was set in a world that I liked the first time around when we saw it in Skye's story from last year's event, [b:Leashed|13699441|Leashed (Love is Always Write)|Skye Warren|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1367002556s/13699441.jpg|19320325]. This story has a sex slave as one of the MCs, so if that makes you uncomfortable, then you might want to skip it. I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit, and the twist that comes mid-way was like "wow."

The characterization is strong, and the setting is dark, complete with abusive authority and multiple different partners thrown/forced upon our poor MC. Again, it's pretty intense (all of it, including the sexytimes), but if you're in the right mood, then this one should hit your buttons in the right spot.

3.5 stars.

3+ stars. Cute nerd/jock college m/m freebie that's part of the Love Has No Boundaries event.

4+++ stars - I really enjoyed this sweet and humorous established couple story. The guys are different, but totally right for each other. And, seriously, any story that features a sparkly red thong and a cat who's a smartass is a win in my books. :D

3.6ish stars. Virgin hero and fallen woman heroine...or is she? Let's just say that appearances may be deceiving.

The story would already be a weakish 2 stars based on my lack of enjoyment of the annoying Mary Sue heroine, the even more annoying kiddo, the super predictable babylogue, and the fact that the male lead doesn't actually show up until about 1/2 or 60% into the book. That all gets dropped to a 1 star because of the most annoying thing of all: the narrator. Ugh, double ugh, and a shining ugh on top. Apparently Lisa Kleypas CAN do me wrong, and that happens when I pick up her non-historicals.

Available now through the Goodreads M/M Romance group: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1353739.

Free downloads of the ebook files in multiple formats are available here on Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/342531.

The story is also available for free on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E89E050.

Happy reading!

Sports story, and BPL has it. *squees*

This cover is amazeballs. <3