MM Good Book Reviews - Thommie's Books

4.5 Hearts
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

So, I’m opening the pages of this book and start reading. I know it is bdsm themed and I expect it. The blurb indicates as much, as it also indicated that we will deal with characters that are “broken”, hence the Survivor Stories. But when I say I was surprised from this read not only is that a freaking huge understatement, but it doesn’t come nearly enough of what I felt while reading this book. I’m going to give it a shot though to pass my thoughts as eloquently as possible.

I’ll start with the kink factor here. I’ve read bdsm-y books, many of them. They are after all among my favorite genre. However, it is so rare to read a book that involves kink and that will utterly captivate you like this one did. You don’t need to have the same kinks these characters had in order to feel the sensuality, the intensity, the hotness of the scenes described here deeply in your core. You don’t even have to understand, or be in these characters shoes to feel their emotions slap in your face and enter your head and heart and soul. Even if you’re actually unnerved or repulsed by certain scenes I truly believe that the way this book is written is totally approachable and appealing. For me it was pure magic reading this, it was as if I was suddenly taken from this realm and dropped right in the middle of Inferno, or the guys’ room. How deliciously perverted I felt. Every single molecule of my dark side woke up and took notice. The impact was so strong, I literally had to take the day off today and clear my head. I think I managed some.

But this is not a fun read. This is not the easily read book you read for escapism purpose only. As a matter of fact this is quite thought provoking as the characters both of them had some serious issues. Jude, Ben’s roommate and best friend and aspiring lover, has pretty much an obsession with Ben. That was the only way I saw it. He’s already deeply in love with him and has been for the better part of the three years they know each other and live together. It’s so painful reading about a character who constantly beats himself up, pinning after a guy who seems to have no interest in him, that at some point I seriously thought I was going to dislike Jude, perhaps I even did for a little while.

As for Ben, oh my God, what a character. Have ever met a person so heavily ridden by guilt they can’t see straight? It is so impossible, so frustrating dealing with such people, so when I saw that this was one of the strongest characteristic of Ben I had half a mind to abandon the book altogether (thankfully I didn’t, I’d be seriously regretting it). I came to a point where I felt so bad for Ben’s sake I couldn’t stand it. He feels guilty for his sister’s rape and death to the point of having PTSD symptoms. He feels guilty for leaving home after that, because he couldn’t bear looking at the shrine his parents put and the constant reminder. He feels guilty for not telling Jude about what bothers him. He feels guilty for being freaking born. No, it’s not extravagant at all, it’s what his parents done to him over the years. No, they are not monsters intentionally, but one particular scene with Ben and his father literally made think they were the very definition of cruelty, and you know what’s worse than cruelty? Cruelty from love… It was Hell. And yeah of course I loved it. It felt so real it was as if I was living it myself.

Now, I went off a bit there. So imagine these two characters together. Ben is in this incredible place where he NEEDS to be hurt in order to forget about his heartache for a while. He found this in a D/s relationship, his Dom providing him with all the hurt he can take, and boy did he take a lot. But, it’s not only mental; he also gets off on it. He’s what we call a pain-slut. Start spanking, paddling, flogging and/or whipping him and he’s yours. Jude on the other hand screams VANILLA. As in kink=freak vanilla. As in spanking your lover equals abuse even when said partners erection goes above normal charters when he’s spanked and said partner is practically begging you to do that to him. So imagine, this book spends the better half of it with Jude pinning ridiculously for Ben, and most of the other half with him wanting to do anything not to lose Ben, even if the things Ben wants be done to him are making Jude cringe and loath himself. It was ANGST reading this pair’s… oh dear, they aren’t even together for most part of the book so I don’t know if relationship is the proper word here. The odd thing is that whenever they get intimate and emotional with each other, it rocks. It rocks so much you forget to breathe. Such a weird pair, so erotic and sensual, and so awkward too. I was not sure I was going to like them, but by the end of the story I adored them. They were simply fabulous.

As for the plot in its entirety, I think it was simply brilliant. I had this weird reaction when at the beginning Ben and Kage (his Dom) went to Inferno, I relaxed (God knows why) and for a moment there I thought how nice a feeling to read about Ben now. I thought Ben was on his path to healing for some stupid reason. I just believed in Ben and Kage so much I was still trying to see how Jude would fit in there. So when the plot took this massive turn (that’s when the weird reaction came) I felt so cold, I think I was frozen in the same paragraph over and over for a good five minutes. And down the road things changed again… and then just as I’d be comfortable with a setting they would change again. But not in ludicrous way, that was its brilliance, the plot doesn’t keep you reeling, it simply has you on your toes, it demands your attention without making you lose focus or concentration with unworthy details or incredible events.

So before I end this I have one more thing to add. Dear Author, I did not appreciate the attempt you made there at the end to try and make us feel sorry for Kage. I certainly did not fall in that trap. I’m perfectly happy despising him and basking with the revenge.

So these were my thoughts. I could not have written more about this book without actually giving away spoilers. As it is, I sincerely hope I gave an idea of what to expect, and how marvelous a read this really is. I do believe this is a must read even if you’re not attracted to the genre. As for you kinksters out there, enjoy! ;)

Thommie

3.5 Hearts for Charlie, Rentboy
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

So, how about a story that contains steamy hot scenes, a pretty-woman-like romance, and a story that surprises you with its twists and turns? Sounds good? Yeah, thought so.

So basic stuff: this is a rentboy story – just in case you missed that from the title – and a few things are given; highly erotic characters and sexual scenes. I loved all of it from the introduction as the story begins and continues with Charlie’s voice, the tone and personality that leaks through it, the dirty/slutty talking/thinking to the actual scenes that had me hot and bothered in no-time.

These kind of characters are highly appealing anyway (to me at least), but Charlie, oh my dear, dear Charlie. He’s a whole different level of appeal. He’s not so much cocky as he’s self-assured and content in his ways. He loves sex; he knows it and shows it without a segment of self-consciousness, he has a sense of humor underlying everything he does or says, and he’s as much sensitive as he is erotic. Put him together with John and they make an explosive pair, for John is quite the character himself. As a matter of fact John surprised the heck out of me as the story went on; he had too many secrets in that closet of his.

And that brings me back to the romance plot of this book. It resembles in many ways “Pretty Woman” because the characters, while not meaning to, fell in… not love exactly, but in a situation where the possibility of more was glaringly there. The rentboy let his guard down, the client overlooked many things and the one way path that was crystal clear in the beginning of the story suddenly split in half leaving the choice of what is to come to the characters and their willpower. By the end, the story was a “dare you to go that way?” kind.

Now, some parts of this story had me questioning a bit too much. Why did John chose to do what he did when he could achieved the same result with simply coming clean..?

Why chance ridicule when he could go the simple forward way and make the decisions he eventually made with a head held high and without the drama..?

Was it something, I missed or was this plot not thoroughly considered?

The questions were somewhat quite heavy on my mind by the end of the read that they managed to affect my total abandon and enjoyment of this book. However, in its entirety I cannot help but admit that this was a very satisfying read and I had a hot time reading it. If rentboys are your thing this book is strongly recommended.

Thommie

This short story has a very simple plot, an old-time classic he’s-not-my-typewhere the protagonist suddenly realizes he’s into a man who doesn’t check even one box of his preferences. In addition, this story has the insta-lust/insta-love thing going on for which I don’t actually care. This thing “I took one look at you and fell head over heels” is a total red flag for me. So how come I liked this?

I have no idea how it happened but I can safely declare that I was bewitched by this read in the exact same way Hunter got bewitched by Adrian. Those words in this text must have had some kind of a spell, because I was enwrapped in there from page one and when I came out of it I was even slightly bedazzled.

The plot was not challenging at all, but it flew so effortlessly. The character’s emotions were not only easily accessible but they kind of stuck with you and made you feel along with the characters with a smile plastered on your face, which you only notice after your face start to feel sore from its constant presence.

And he’s another thing that baffled me; the spanking. Hunter is this mean bear who’s in the hunt for a guy of his caliber, strong enough to handle what he can dish out. Is in a mean state to dish out pain, power, struggle, and hard sex. Instead, he’s stranded with Adrian, who’s the exact opposite of what Hunter’s looking for. And he turns mellow, caring, and considerate. Their only “rough play” is spanking and by all that is right with the world I should have disliked the Hell out of this. I’m still baffled that not only I liked it, I found so damn suiting this pair, and so very erotic, that I have my mind made. There is some serious spell in this book. It’s enchanted, no other way about it.

I suppose I should have expected this on some level as Ms. Kat’s work up until now has left me quite satisfied. She made this pair work and she did it with a dose of humor I can’t resist. I loved these men, loved their banter, and loved how they interacted, the awkwardness, the coming together. I found them hot and sexy, sensual and erotic. So much so that I didn’t mind at all the elements that usually put me off. No, not only I didn’t mind them, I found them mandatory into making this read the enjoyable and fun one it is.

For me this story worked, and it worked well. Recommended!

Thommie

Well there are several ways meeting a guy, but nothing beats saving him from distress.

There are also many types we like in a guy, but nothing, nothing beat that one and only type that you don’t like surprising the heck out of you.

So when Ranger Ethan was tasked with finding the city-guy, dumb-lost journalist, Ethan was not too happy about it. And I just love reading about the shock these types of characters get when they face their so-called nemesis. And if Caleb were a bit more confident making Ethan lose it a bit more, it would have made my day.

As it was, it was a pretty nice read, quite enjoyable albeit way too short. It leaves you with the wish of more, of being behind a plant when they have their first date, or in the closet when they have their first… uhm yeah, you get me.

So if you like a nice, quick read, settled in the wildness with two gorgeous guys, give this one a try. 

Thommie

Well damn, I just love WWII stories, and I wasn’t disappointed by this one.

Lieutenants Mackenzie and Harry Glassman are forced in a rescue mission that was doomed not only to fail, but put in danger the life of the rescue crew. The airplane they were using was lacking at best, its engines both failing them in the middle of the Pacific.

Out of the crew, the only survivors of the crash were Mac and Harry, with Mac being injured, and they missed being shark food by a hair. It seems almost impossible a rescue for them would happen anytime soon and their future is looming a bit dark.

It’s the fact that they may die that encourages Mac to confess he’s attracted to men and furthermore being in love with Harry.

And this is why I love War stories. You know those stories that have you face to face with death and therefore make you a bit reckless, going for it even if the results might not be what you hope for. It’s that desperation of dying that throws to the wind any fear of rejection we face on our times. Here neither one of the characters wanted to die without making one last effort and try to find that elusive feeling of love.

From there on the story moved with such a lovely impact, I was lost in the sensations of these two lovers. A bit macabre at first with all those deaths around, it swiftly turned utterly romantic.

Insta-love? Yes, but who didn’t say I love you back then when your life measured with days, not years. Insta-bond? Yes again, but stranded in the middle of the ocean, facing being shark food with one wrong move, and even  rescue seeming a bit slim, well I do believe I would’ve sworn eternal love myself. I liked the story a lot. I got lost in it and despite being a quick one, it felt wholesome to me.

Recommended!

Thommie

Now this was an interesting short story. Derek and Kane had once upon a time been lovers, but Kane had his sights on his career and made a choice. A choice that left loud and clear the fact that he’d Lost Derek forever. Now many years later Derek founds out that his tandem jumper is none other but the infamous Kane.

At this point, we get the impression that the tension is going to skyrocket the moment these two are going to get in the same room. Secretly I was expecting a bit of a fight, some punches flying, you know. That didn’t happen, but the author made a good job with the tension thing. Their first meeting after so many years was a bit of a rocker as Kane was nothing Derek expected. Kane had turn a one-eighty and the trouble Derek expected came in a completely different way.

A point that drove itself home once the jump took over.

The story being so short did not have much of a romance, but we got the feelings and what would be pretty loud and clear. I wished at some point for a small flashback in the days when this pair was together. I wished at some other point for a glimpse in the near future. I also wished for that chemistry that was all around the place to have taken a more solid outlet. While those wishes remained moot points, I did enjoy this read a lot. It was fast, it was solid, and it made my heart beat a bit faster.

Recommended!

Thommie

I remember this book when it was published; I remember thinking “what a nice bum” in reference to the cover - which by the way is a very nice cover – and I remember having too many books to review to pick this one up too.

So months pass and Shy makes its way onto my hands and I start reading it. From the first line till the end too many feelings and emotions pass through me. Only now that I’m a bit more calm, I am thinking that when a book winks its eye to me I should pick it up ASAP no matter how long my tbr is. At this point though there are so many reviews out there for this book that one more won’t make the difference, so instead of a classic review I’m going to go and dissect this book, while I’ll try and hold off the spoilers.

So I’m going to start with the characters of this book;

Tom, our main character and the person whose point of view this story is narrated from, is of course my favorite. He suffers from SAD (social anxiety disorder) and he has a very wandering mind. Why is that important? Well because all those wandering thoughts make it to narration, and while at one moment we’re reading about this very serious event happening, those wayward thoughts make an appearance and ridicule all seriousness. The effect; laughter till you feel the need to change your panties… literally. So back to Tom, who is obsessed with his cheating ex, Jerry, while hates the guts of his ex’s current boyfriend Stanley (the home wrecker/dick), while knowing all the time that he doesn’t stand a chance getting Jerry back, what with his extreme bouts of debilitating shyness. The fact that his “pecker” is huge makes no difference.

Frank; now Frank is Stanley’s brother (can you see the irony and hilarious possibilities?) and he suffers from a more severe SAD situation than Tom. Frank is also gorgeous and really, really nice guy. In short he and his brother have NOTHING in common.

Jerry; the cheating ex who as the story goes on turns out to be quite stupid as well – that is completely my opinion, others might find him a jerk and so on.

Stanley; the dick! Not my words, I’m simply quoting Tom here for he repeats that quite a lot.

Stanley is also known as asshole, but his most outraging characteristic is “mean”.

Now there are other characters in this story, but the one’s that make a strong impact are mostly non-humans.

Pedro, the Chihuahua, whom I would not mind to see strung up from a tree or stomped down by some cow hoofs. I totally hated that Rat-Hellhound so much so that while I don’t want a sequel on this book I wouldn’t mind a short story when Pedro finds a gritty death and not out of old age. The little bugger! Now you might think I’m a bit overacting or mean, you might find redeeming treat for Pedro once you read the story – and grudgingly I admit there are – you might think I don’t love dog (you’d be dead wrong), I don’t really care. This one character came straight from Hell as far as I’m concerned.

Moving on, there was Samson, the hog. I will not comment this character except to say that damn that HOG! He gave me the shock of my life. Or the author did masterfully using Samson for his deviant plans. It worked!

There were also blood-drinking chickens, nasty bumblebees, Grace, the momma-pig and her little piggies (a case that had me thinking “hmmm bestiality? Nahhhh! He wouldn’t…”) and many, many more.

Next stop chemistry and relationship mechanics.

Both main characters here had SAD, so the immediate question that arises is: how realistic is this?

For me this story was so NOT about being realistic that I didn't even go there. It was pure comedy and sarcasm and escapism. So if there were exaggerate elements involved (there were) it suited me just fine. It’s what comedy is made of and they made me piss my pants laughing on more occasions than I care to remember.

And that leads to the other issue I usually feel so uncomfortable with; instant love. Tom has this epiphany the very first time he lays eyes on Frank. All his previous obsession with Jerry instantly gone, his panic attacks, while still happening, have become less important because Frank is worse than Tom, and he feels the need to take care of him, ground him/each other facing their common enemy. So while it was quite ludicrous the fact that they saw each other and everything moved in lighting speed, I honestly didn’t notice it. The plot was so full with things happening right and left, the hilarity dripping from every single word I read was so overwhelming, I suppose the tears made it quite hard for me to “see” and get annoyed with the instant little thingy.

At that point in the book, the plot takes so many turns it would have had my head spinning if it wasn’t so wonderfully written. The ex turns jealous, the brother turns devil incarnate, the setting turns rural from urban, and a whole new range of characters are introduced. The story makes high and lows in the blink of an eye. One moment you’re crying and your face feels like it’s going to have the Joker’s smile for the rest of your life, and the next you get emotional and even a bit sad, because life is just like that, only to get elated once again with the most ludicrous twists you could ever think of.

Now I’m not forgetting the romantic part here. No sir, not at all; it is here where that half heart/star was kind of lost. As I mention at the very start, Tom is quite gorgeous, so is Frank. And while Frank is by no means lacking in the “pecker” department, Tom is constantly pointed out as very, very well endowed. Now, pay attention. The chemistry between these two is brilliant, I loved it. For me it was beyond perfect. But why? Why dear author would you have such a well-endowed character and have him limited to fellatio and hand-jobs? What was with that? The only sex scene that involved penetration in this book was the one between Stanley the dick and Jeff (Frank’s once upon a time hook up). Really? Really? Didn’t that slut have enough he had to get the fun as well? And while we’re reading and reading and patiently waiting for the BIG-BANG between Frank and Tom, and personally speaking, I was dying to see them in (anal) action, you go ahead and give us Stanley?What was up with THAT? Ok so, it obviously annoyed me, but rant over.

And all this brings us to the end of this lovely, hilarious story.

Oh My God! No freaking way! That gritty end! I just can't believe I read that. Oh God! I freaking LOVED it!

Thommie