First Impressions and Fuzzy by Josephine Myles

First Impressions by Josephine Myles
Stars: 3/5

Length: 34 pages
Blurb
Surly artist Jez just can't help staring at the brightly colored socks of the businessman who sits opposite him on the train every day. He weaves a whole history for the mysterious stranger in a vain attempt to stave off his attraction, but it only ends up feeding his bizarre obsession. Then one hot morning, Jez finally snaps and starts sketching...

Overall
This is a cute story, but after a lengthy "courtship," the relationship moved too fast for me.

Review
This story is a fun idea and the characters are loveable, but everything felt underdeveloped. I would have liked to have seen more interaction between the main characters instead of so much happening solely in Jez's head. I realize due to the type of narrative, that’s going to happen, but the jump in time kept me from really getting to see a relationship develop. It’s hard to understand why these two men are together.

The visual descriptions, character interaction, and general storytelling were great, I just wanted more depth.

Fuzzy by Josephine Myles
Stars: 4/5

Length: 8 pages
Blurb
When sofas attack!

When Jez gets home early and discovers his incapacitated lover hiding something under the sofa cushions, he expects it to be porn, but what Steve's really hiding is something both embarrassing and strangely sensuous!

Overall
This was a fun little short that gives us a little more of a look into the lives of Jez and Steve. Despite figuring the "surprise" being fairly obvious, I found this to be delightfully cute and funny. It's got a little bit of everything for romance readers: humor, sweetness, and sexytime. Definitely worth picking up, I enjoyed it more than the first story, I think.

The Hot Floor by Josephine Myles

The Hot Floor by Josephine Myles
Stars: 5/5

Length: 233 pages
Blurb
Two plus one equals scorching hot fun.

Dumped by his boyfriend and reduced to living in a grotty bedsit, Josh Carpenter has gotten used to expecting the worst. Now he lives only for his job as a glassblower…and occasional glimpses of his sexy downstairs neighbors, Rai Nakamura and Evan Truman.

Every time he overhears the diminutive academic and the hunky plumber having loud and obviously kinky sex, Josh is overwhelmed with lust…and a longing for a fraction of what they have.

To his amazement, Rai and Evan find his embarrassing tendency to blush utterly charming, and the three men grow closer over the course of the long, hot summer. Despite Rai’s charming flirtation and Evan’s smoldering gaze, Josh is determined never to break his new friends’ loving bonds.

On the night a naked Josh falls—quite literally—into the middle of one of Rai and Evan’s marathon sex sessions, the force of their mutual attraction takes control. But just as Josh dares to hope, he senses a change. Leaving him to wonder if the winds of love are about to blow his way at last…or if history is about to repeat itself.

Overall
Y-U-M.

Followers of my reviews know that sex in stories is usually my least favorite part. This is an exception to the rule. A perfect mix of hot, steamy sex, a slow build of romance and drama, and a terrified narrator, who I associated with perhaps a bit too much. A perfect mix for a steamy romance that is just as delicious as the cover.

Review
Considering the smoking-hot cover and the steamy sex scenes later, the beginning of the book starts slow as the characters meet and become friends. It worked, and it helped lay the foundation that cemented their relationship.

The first-person narrator is a bit of a spazz and jumpy. I connected with him immediately. He worries about his job when he has no need, he can't imagine people wanting him, and he has a string of crap luck (or good luck, maybe), to get things to where they go. Despite his poor self-image, he's not overly dramatic about it, although his kicked-puppy personality is the motivation for most of his actions.

I think what worked best for this story (aside from the yummy sex scenes) was the fact that the characters didn't seem like they went together at all, but Myles made it work for just that reason. The three men are all so different, but in that way they complement one another and break up stereotypes (mostly). Even beyond the main three men, there is a great cast of everyday folk who are just like coworkers, neighbors, and flirty friends that you've probably met in real life.

I do have to admit, a little bit, that when the threesome first gets together the scene feels like something out of a porn, but for some reason it works, and I didn't even think about it until my second read through.

Finally, I just really enjoyed the story, the character dynamic, and the sex. The end is a little expected, but not so much that it's silly, and it felt completely appropriate and alluded to throughout. This story can be summed up with a few visuals: schoolboy role play with creative use of ties, bathtubs in bathtubs, '70s decor and owls, and giant glass dildos.

Enjoy!

Handle With Care by Josephine Myles

Handle With Care by Josephine Myles
Stars: 3.5/5

Length: 191 pages
Blurb
The best things in life aren’t free…they’re freely given.

Ben Lethbridge doesn’t have many vices left. After raising his little sister to adulthood, he wasted no time making up for the youth he lost to responsible parenting. Two years of partying it up—and ignoring his diabetes—has left him tethered to a home dialysis regimen.

He can do his job from his flat, fortunately, but most of his favourite things are forbidden. Except for DVD porn…and fantasizing over Ollie, the gorgeous, purple-haired skateboarder who delivers it.

Their banter is the highlight of Ben’s lonely day, but his illness-ravaged body is the cruel reality that prevents him from believing they’ll do anything more than flirt. Not to mention the age gap. Still, Ben figures there’s no harm in sprucing himself up a bit.

Then one day, a package accidentally splits open, revealing Ben’s dirty little secret…and an unexpected connection that leaves him wondering if he’s been reading Ollie wrong all this time. There’s only one way to find out: risk showing Ollie every last scar. And hope “far from perfect” is good enough for a chance at love.

Overall
Sweet and enjoyable, and definitely well researched, but I had trouble really sinking into this one. The blurb mainly focuses on the first 20% of the story, which left me surprised at everything else that happens. The characters were easy to empathize with, and I liked where Myles took them and the different issues she explored. Worth picking up, especially for readers who want a slightly different taste of a relationship.

Review
Going into this story, I had high hopes, as I'd heard nothing but good things, and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't blown away. All the positive things other reviewers pointed out are what I enjoyed, but something was missing to really make this story pop. Both characters were likable, but neither felt particularly inspired--although admittedly it could be that I've just read a rash of similar types recently. Despite my overall blasé review, I did enjoy the story, I just went in with higher expectations than was delivered.

One of my favorite elements of the story was that it touched upon a lot of topics that aren't brought up in romance--or rarely are. The biggest obviously is Ben's diabetes and kidney failure and all the resulting medical drama. I liked the focus on what he could and couldn't eat and how he would be on meds for the rest of his life if he did get the organs he needed. Ben's struggle with his attractiveness--not because he's unattractive, but because he feels unattractive due to his illness and the medicine helping him to live--and how Ollie and Ben's sister confront that.

Ollie is brilliant. He's young and a little stupid, but he's also brilliant. He's a bit over-emotional, but it's more a matter of not knowing how to react in a new situation rather than being a drama queen. I love that he has a rough history that affects him but doesn't stop him. I worried at times that he had a bit of a medical fetish, what with his tube fondling, but that seemed to be more an acceptance thing than a fetish thing (which relieved me!).

I want to stop by Ollie's cafe and grab a drink and I love how it's so much more mature than it appears at first, which is totally Ollie. Along those lines, I love the double play of names for Ollie and the cafe and what that means for both of them.

Fun, cute and sweet, worth giving a chance and the read but not amazing.

Four short stories

 

Roadside ASSistance by Evan J. Xavier
Stars: 2/5

Length: short story
Blurb
An evening out with friends turns into an extraordinary evening of wildly erotic sex when Chris Saturday’s truck breaks down on the way home. He couldn’t have asked for a more equipped tow truck driver, or one so driven to please him.

Rain, mud and two libidos in overdrive create an unimaginable heat in the midst of a downpour.

WARNING: Explicit erotic hot gay sex.

Overall
I'm not sure if this crosses into the line of so bad it's good, but it definitely gives a run for its money. This leaves behind erotica (which should have some sense of artistry in the writing) and becomes porn, with the cheesy setting and the bad dialogue.

Only pick this up if you want a laugh. Two of my favorite lines:

...he placed my dick into his mouth as if it were a harmonica.
The author doesn't seem to understand how a harmonica is played. Dude, you're doing it wrong....in so many ways.

"You taste like honey," he said.
Poor choice of words when talking about cum, but no, he's talking about eating the guy's ass out. Which, even if he was clean as a whistle (and since it's romance/erotica/porn, we'll assume he is), wouldn't taste like honey. But hey, maybe he did. Nomnomnom?


Bad Cupid by AD Cooper
Stars: 2.5/5

Length: 4,200+
Blurb
Cupid—or Eric, as he prefers to be called while on Earth—is exhausted after two weeks straight of pairing people up in time for Valentine’s Day, and decides to take the night off on Valentine’s Day for some well-deserved R & R. After one too many drinks, he decides to seduce the guy he’s been chatting with for fun. What’s the worst that could happen, right?

All Gabe wants to do is to drown himself in liquor to numb his broken heart after he finds out that his boyfriend has been cheating on him. He isn’t looking for a rebound but when the cute guy sitting next to him begins to tempt him with that lithe body while whispering naughty things into his ears, Gabe decides to teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget.

Overall
This is porny, but still kind of cute. Cupid is feeling down on Valentine's day and comes across a sexy man who gives him everything he wants (in bed, at least). The dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, but it's pretty much just a one-off, so you can't expect too much. Some light bondage and "naughty boy" talk. Not worth buying, but if you are in the mood and can get it free (I got it free off Amazon), then be prepared for an eye-roll.



Pole Star by Josephine Myles
Stars: 3/5

Length: 34 pages
Blurb
Injured pole dancer Matt Lovell meets attractive radiographer Sal when he’s in casualty for an x-ray. Trouble is, Matt’s firefighter outfit is pretty convincing, and the longer he keeps up the pretence the harder it will be to reveal the naked truth: that there’s nothing underneath his costume but a sequined thong!

Overall
This is a cute little free short that doesn't have much to it, but is worth reading for its price. Just a nice little fun read that has a similar ending. I think my favorite part are the patterned boxers...



Back Alley Sex by Evan J. Xavier
Stars: 1/5

Length: short story
Blurb
At one of Vegas’ sexiest clubs, where everyone cums for a good time, Ian discovers he’s caught the eye of one smokin’ hot dude. When an old flame tries to get more than just the music pumping, Ian decides he’d rather test out the heat he’s been feeling from the new guy in town.

Overall
This was not only mostly forgettable, it was very dark as well with some weird relationships going on, a player lead, and a stumbling man who turns out to be the kind to take what he wants. (Yep, this has a rape [or at least rape-ish] scene, which I did not expect.) This ends with a cliffhanger, either to encourage the reader to buy the rest of the series, or because it's the end of the story...it's unclear. Not worth picking up.