Nanowrimo Commences Yet Again

Right, I thought I'd give myself the month off and skip Nanowrimo even though this would be my...  tenth year so... I'm in.  Let my groaning commence and not in a good way. 

Who else is in?  Does it really matter if we can actually write a story anyway? 
Isn't this all just for fun? 

Ugh. 

As usual I want to write something I can buckle down and edit later (i.e. after November) and actually have a story I can show other people.  Wouldn't that be nice for a change?  Yes, yes, it would be. 

For the last few weeks I've been 'brainstorming' or maybe just having headaches over what I'm going to attempt to write.  Today I panicked and tried to write out a few character sketches (why can't I just describe people around me?  Ugh) and then even tried to write out a simple outline.  Sometimes I make myself laugh but really I'd like to be proud of my writing just for once. 

Of course if I could do a good job once then I'd be doing it again and again. 

Join me in the madness and let those fingers fly on the keys.  Good luck. 

PS Take a look at www.readwritethink.org and see some of the materials they have for kids to create stories and seeing as I'm a big kid... wth. 

Tasty Blueberries

Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Blueberry Boys hit all the right notes for me so 5 stars out of 5.

I enjoyed the major characters Connor and Jed. It was great to see how Vanessa was able to bring them together and give them their HEA in the end of the story.

I liked the minor characters as well, even reading about Connor’s miserable brother made everything seem a bit more real.

Connor and Jed both had challenging families and kind of sad childhoods if Connor being teased at school for being gay and Jed’s homeschooling with a somewhat strict religious upbringing as sad. I certainly consider those as sad childhoods.[ if Connor being teased at school for being gay and Jed’s homeschooling with a somewhat strict religious upbringing as sad. I certainly do. (hide spoiler)]

However I was kind of ticked that Jed moved into Connor’s life at the end rather than the other way around which, yes, would have been almost impossible to do but still.  Of course Jed was only leasing Connor’s land and it needed to sell, especially for Scott but somewhat for Connor too and .... Fine, Vanessa's HEA was the one that made sense and I am happy for this loving couple.

Extra points to Vanessa for making Connor not have a perfect body (though Jed seemed to think it was quite nice). And I’d certainly love to help Jed calm down his stutter. Sigh.


*Copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.*

View all my reviews

Nanowrimo is upon us

Yes, it's time again for the rush of Nanowrimo. 

Once again I ask myself if I'll be joining in or running far away. 

I have automatically signed myself up to write this year, seems like that's a given, but it doesn't necessarily mean that I'll follow through.  However, IF I follow through I told myself to write a M/M romance and get it over with. 

Seems like I've always struggled to throw in a gay character or make my plot have something to do with religion and discrimination but why not just write an M/M romance?  Seems like that's often what I have in my mind anyway. 

I've got a few ideas though that doesn't really make a plot.  The plotting part is often one of the challenges for me, especially a plot that I would care to read again myself.  

Who else is writing this year? 

Catch a Falling Star

Then the Stars Fall by Brandon Witt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For the first third of the book I liked it but by the time I reached the end I really liked the story.

In some ways as much as I enjoy reading I’m always trying to rush through them as well and this one was just like a nice ride in the country with a few ups and downs but all well in the end.

This story felt real and it was nice to hear characters sound like real folk too. And the small town prejudices felt real as did the small town goodness. My parents live in a small town and it's a bit much on some of my visits.

Did the story feel a little drawn out? Maybe. Did the feelings Travis had for Wesley seem a bit off at first? Sure. But the story whipped everything together into a smooth delight.

And I kind of liked reading a story in which not every little detail of someone’s sex life had to be shoved down my throat. Grin. So if you’re into the hot and heavy smexyness of some books this one might not be your thing, then again maybe you could use a breath of fresh country air for a change.

View all my reviews

The Articles of Release

The Articles of Release by B.A. Tortuga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After several months I told myself to just buy this darn book because the blurb was just too good and I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Terms of Release so much.

As Gigi noted this is so different from the first book and is much lighter in tone. I'm not sure if this shouldn't have been a shorter story or perhaps longer. I kept wondering how many more stunts Troy was going to pull before he finally smartened up so that was a nice twist at the book's end[ how many more stunts Troy was going to pull before he finally smartened up so that was a nice twist at the book's end (hide spoiler)].

However no buyer's remorse for me because I just had to read this story and I did enjoy it. Glad the boys got a nice HFN because I can see it might fall apart if Tanner has his way with Troy one of these days and Eric is in a despairing mood and...

View all my reviews

Would You Date a Soldier?

Basic Training by Marquesate
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the military and gay? This was incredibly well done military romance. Never having been in the military (and the only British thing about me is my Mum and her cousins) I thought I'd struggle a bit with the book but it was simply great. Top notch really.

You have a gay soldier, Colin, soon to retire from the military and just learning to deal with the fact that he is gay (and a gay virgin at that I believe so this was a well written OFY). Colin's thoughts and feelings are very believable and understandable.

Colin's younger soldier boyfriend, Chris, has been openly gay since joining the military with the UK's more open attitude to gender identity and equality though it was still a struggle of course.

So there was a difference in how both men dealt with their own gender identities and also with their 14 year age difference. Then there was so much more to this story as well but rather than feel exhaustion I'm so happy with their HEA.





View all my reviews

Please teach me how to write a story, Eli Easton

The Lion and the Crow by Eli Easton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks, Eli. Books like this give me hope that maybe there were a few somewhat happy gay gents back in the day.

This was another book I'd avoided reading for awhile even though I really enjoy Eli Easton's books. Why did I wait to read this? Sometimes I do hesitate to read historicals usually due to all the pain gay folk had to wade through (as well as the rest of the folk too).

I couldn't settle on a book yesterday so reread one of my faves, another Eli great book, How to Howl at the Moon and then thought that Eli is that good so why not read The Lion and the Crow?

And this had such a clever HEA too. Loved it. Even though I wished the story had gone on and on it was a short story so... dang.

So glad I read it and I'll be adding this to my comfort re-reads as well.

View all my reviews

Artificial Intel in Your Bones or How to Feel Great Without Even Trying

Bone Rider by J. Fally
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow I really loved this title and I loved the book. Can we hand out more than five stars?

Riley, running from his Russian syndicate boyfriend, is possessed, actually forced, into a symbiotic relationship with a bone rider, an alien A.I . armor and weapons system eventually named McClane.

I noticed this book a few months back but kept telling myself I would not be able to follow the story. I’m a simple guy and while I enjoy a good fantasy some scifi is just too hard for me to understand. But this great story with an intricate plot is easy to follow and I even found parts of it hilarious.

My pulse is still racing from even thinking about the chases in this book and there was some good body heat too (let’s just say McClane was a fast learner).

And the characters are well written. I’m really surprised J. Fally doesn’t have so many more books out there. Even the secondary characters were great, I even loved the not-yet-so-evil syndicate sister who still loved her brother even though he threw away everything to chase a piece of... well to chase his boyfriend, Riley.

It made sense why the characters did what they did and I kind of fell in love with an artificial intelligence, McClane, who could probably make a lot of fantasies come true including repairing a lot of damaged bodies.

And yes, this is borderline menage which is definitely not my thing but is so cleverly done in this book. Or is McClane more like a guardian angel/devil sitting on all of Riley’s bones handing out interior licks, massages, conversations, body armor and weapons when needed?

I’ll think about this book for awhile and with Nanowrimo coming up a book I would hope to emulate but, deep sigh, never will.

View all my reviews

Vamp it up

Immortality is the Suck by A.M. Riley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Normally I shy away from vamp stories but this was just good.

I thought I'd get too confused with police procedurals, etc but Adam the vampire was just too funny and sarcastic and lovable in his own somewhat moody way.

I really enjoyed this.

View all my reviews

Some guys have all the luck

Latakia by J.F. Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't believe how good this book was and that I read it that fast but the story flew by. As others have noted the blurb really does not prepare you for such a delicious surprise as this plot and these wonderful characters.

At the start of the book I really disliked, fine I loathed Petey and by the end I wanted to hug him or even kiss him, with tongue, just to make him sweat because I grew to love him so much. And Travis and Matt? Nice doesn't begin to cover what these guys had between them (besides that, twits).

5 plus out of 5 stars. I'll be looking for more books by J.F. Smith, yes, yes I will.

View all my reviews

Kickboxers do it better

Point of No Return by N.R. Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I loved this one. I chuckled, I cried and now am kind of sad I finished the book.

A very nice Happy For Now ending too.

View all my reviews