Posts labeled Contemporary
Review - Fool Me Twice by JL Merrow
My rating: 
Zig’s father never treated him well. Yet, the homophobic thief still insisted that his teenage son take part in his crimes. The one bright thing in Zig’s life is his boyfriend, apprentice bricklayer Si. When Si finds out about Zig’s criminal activity, and Zig defends it, the pair split up. Six years later, both men are older and wiser. Si returned to Glastonbury soon after leaving Zig. For his part, Zig found his moral compass and parted ways with his father.
Tags: Contemporary UK Setting
Review - Nothing Left to Lose by N.R. Walker
My rating:
Brody and Miller have been best friends since high school. They remained so even after Miller came out. The two are often so close that people mistake them for boyfriends even though Brody is straight. The problem is that Miller has been in love with Brody almost since they met, and it has become torture to be around him. Sensing the distance Miller has started to put between them, Brody enters them in a contest for newlyweds, partly as a joke.
Tags: Contemporary Novelette
Review - Bread Crumbs by Kim Fielding
My rating:
Johnny plays drums in a band with his two half-brothers and Zimri, who Johnny has been secretly in love with for years. The band appears to be about to enter the big time when their manager, Johnny’s stepmother, announces some changes. Johnny is out. He just isn’t cute enough for pop music, even though he writes most of the lyrics for the band’s songs. Zimri quits the band as well in protest and convinces Johnny they can make it on their own.
Tags: Contemporary Music
Review - Sammy's Place by Sean Michael
My rating:
Sammy seems to make bad choices when it comes to men. The young man likes a bit of pain play, but his latest boyfriend really just likes to beat him up. Fortunately, Sammy’s best friend Jason notices the bruises and convinces Sammy to come stay with him and his boyfriend Harry. Jason and Harry try to cheer Sammy up by taking him to a party. They invite Harry’s friend Peter along as well.
Tags: Contemporary BDSM D/s
Review - When Harry Met Jason by Sean Michael
My rating:
Jason is celebrating his university graduation at a fraternity party. Only, someone has drugged the beer. When the police are called, officer Harry finds Jason too out of it to say where he lives. Rather than let the young man spend the night in the drunk tank, Harry makes the dubious decision to take Jason to his place to sleep it off. When Jason wakes up the next morning, badly hungover but clearheaded, he finds himself strongly attracted to Harry.
Tags: Contemporary
Review - Drifter by Eden Winters
My rating:
Killian is riding high as the lead singer of the band Trickster, but things aren’t going so well behind the scenes. Killian’s brother Eliot, the band’s bass guitarist, is involved in an abusive relationship with Rob, the drummer. Rob’s drug addiction sends him off the rails and results in the crash of their tour bus, killing everyone in the band and the driver. Except Killian. The young man is left with serious emotional and physical scars.
Tags: Contemporary Music
Review - How Much For A Broken Heart? by RJ Scott
My rating:
August blames himself for the death of a man he was hired to protect. The man’s daughter was also kidnapped in the assassination and August has spent the last two years undercover to take apart the criminal cartel, get to the mystery man behind it, and get the young girl back. Ryder and his partner are tasked with extracting the little girl once August confirms her location in a compound deep in a forest.
Tags: Contemporary Thriller
Review - Touch the Lightning by N.R. Walker
My rating:
Tully and Jeremiah are dealing with the aftermath of the cyclone that heavily damaged much of Darwin. Jeremiah’s office is in ruins, so there’s not a lot for him to do, but the head office wants him to visit a remote island where another weather station has also gone offline. It seems like a great opportunity for the two men to have another adventure, alone on a deserted island.
Tags: Contemporary Australia
Review - Starry Nights by Julian Archer
My rating:
Jamal spots Xavier across a crowded room at the opening of an exhibition of Xavier’s paintings. Both men feel irresistibly drawn to each other, and it’s the start of a serious relationship. Can they withstand the pressures that will try to pull them apart? Sadly, this short novella feels like the outline of a story with a few sample paragraphs instead of a finished work. The writing that’s there is good, but it’s very disjointed.
Tags: Contemporary Novella
Review - Lost Along the Way by Marie Sexton
My rating:
Daniel’s parents are killed in a car crash. He had been estranged from them for 15 years over their refusal to accept his homosexuality, but they had started to reconnect in the months leading up to their deaths. When Daniel finally faces the task of cleaning out the family home so it can be sold, he finds that his parents had become collectors, bordering on hoarders. Fortunately, their neighbor Landon is there to help.
Tags: Contemporary Fantasy