Tag Archives: Cari Z

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Leaky skies means linkity cries

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Congrats to Philina, who won The Art of Words by RJ Scott and Meredith Russell!

Congrats to Irene J, who won Mind Magic by Poppy Dennison! Mind Magic will be released by Dreamspinner Press on April 23.

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Bookity

  • VacuousMinx on authors behaving badly. This is my favorite quote from the post: “Why read a book that might lead to a confrontation when you want to discuss it, especially since there are plenty of books by authors who don’t behave like that?” Yes. This.

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Reading Update
Written in the Stars by Alix Bekins. ebook. Very good humorous m/m romance about a prickly physicist working as a fact checker for a science magazine after a professional disgrace. When his editor and best friend bribes him to write an anonymous astrology column for the magazine, he doesn’t think things can get any worse… until his editor comes up with a plan for him to go on blind dates with guys from each astrological sign…
Different Spheres by Cari Z. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a professor who has MS and needs to ask his next-door neighbor for a ride to the hospital when he has a relapse.
The Ghost on My Couch by LA Gilbert. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a nurse who becomes friends with the ghost who appears in his apartment one day and changes the way he looks at his own life. I got sniffly more than once whilst reading this!
Witness by LA Gilbert. ebook. reread. Sweet m/m romance about a cop who meets a bike messenger while on a routine call, then runs into him again when he backs over the guy’s bike. This book would’ve benefited from a bit more conflict (0r perhaps conflicts not effortlessly resolved) and fewer point-of-view shifts, particularly near the beginning of the book.
No Remedy for Love by podga. free online. Very good m/m romance about a couple who were together for 25 years and then split up, painfully. Be warned that at least half the story is told via flashback.
It’s Like This by Oribiting Jupiter. free online. Very good kinky m/m romance about two guys who’ve been together for three years, since high school, but they’ve never talked about whether they’re actually in a relationship. I could definitely relate to Niles’ communication issues…
College Boys (Men of Holsum College #1) by Daisy Harris. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a college student who changes dorms partway through the semester, after his mom dies, so he can have some time alone, away from the soccer teammates he’d been rooming with. Strangely, he finds he’s ok with talking through the wall with the gay guy who lives next door…
Hot Hands (College Fun & Gays #1) by Erica Pike. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a college student who keeps getting groped in the halls, but can’t figure out who’s the culprit.
Grade-A-Sex Deal (College Fun & Gays #2) by Erica Pike. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a professor who realizes he’s developing feelings for a student he has a “sex for grades” agreement with.
The Walls Have Ears (College Fun & Gays #3) by Erica Pike. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a college student who develops a crush on the guy in the next apartment, whose bedroom is adjacent to his…
First Impressions by Christopher Koehler. ebook. Good m/m romance about a former porn star (now a mostly respectable businessman) who makes a terrible first impression on the store clerk he finds attractive. Of course, the store clerk is simultaneously making a terrible first impression on him, too… and things don’t really improve between them from there.
Music in the Midst of Desolation by Charlie Cochrane. ebook short. Good short paranormal m/m romance about a guy who dies in the trenches during WWI, then is sent to our modern time as a sort of guardian angel.
Relationships 201 by Alix Bekins. ebook. Good m/m romance about a first-year history grad student who’s crushing on the straight professor he TA’s for, at the same time he’s struggling to reconnect with his boyfriend after a summer apart. I think this would’ve been a stronger story if it had been shorter, with less time spent on introspection.
I’m Not Sexy and I Know It by Vic Winter. ebook short. Cute short m/m romance about a guy who knows he’s not a sexy stud, but who starts to feel a bit less awkward when dancing with an unseen man at a club.
Bartender, PI by Ethan Stone. ebook. Pretty good m/m romantic suspense about a rather dim hockey player whose career ends unexpectedly, so he tends bar and tries to get his PI license. This had some funny moments, but the thing with him never using the right word got old fast.
Spell Cat (The Aloysisu Chronicles #1) by Tara Lain. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about a gay pure-blooded wizard who’s betrothed to a female pure-blooded wizard and planning to go through with the marriage for the good of wizardkind, until he and his fiancee discover a very big secret indeed. Aloysius the familiar was probably the best part of the book.
Seizing It by Chris T. Kat. ebook. So-so m/m romance about a prickly veterinary assistant who can’t decide if he likes the overbearing guy who rescued him from a stalker. Everyone in this book was annoying. And I don’t believe that Kit would be all better psychologically from just the love of a strong man.

*lurking* -Chaos

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Linkity lounges about lazily

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Congrats to Laura M, who won Blind Items by Kate McMurray! Blind Items is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

Contests

  • Nicole’s giving away some of her lovely handmade cards. You can enter daily and the winner will be announced on August 1. To enter, leave a comment with a song to lift Nicole’s spirits, or let everyone know that you need your spirits lifted, too.

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Reading Update
Dance With Me by Heidi Cullinan. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about two men who’ve both lost (or given up) something they cared about and been living half lives ever since. It’s also about learning to accept and deal with chronic pain/injury/illness. Plus the story takes place in the Twin Cities; in fact, Laurie’s condo would be a ten-minute walk from mine. 🙂 Recommended.
A Matter of Time, Volume 1 and A Matter of Time, Volume 2 by Mary Calmes. ebook. Very good m/m romantic suspense about an architectural assistant who inadvertently witnesses a organized crime-related murder and then meets a straight police detective who keeps turning up in the oddest places. I read this story when it was released a few years ago, in its original and unedited ebook form. It was a delight to reread it all without the editing issues detracting from the story.
Bridges by M.J. O’Shea. free ebook short. Very good free short m/m romance about two guys who got off on the wrong foot with each other in grade school and remain enemies throughout high school. Then they end up working together at the grocery store as overnight stockers…
Breaking Point by S.L. Armstrong & K. Piet. free ebook short. Very steamy free kinky short m/m scene between two lovers.
Shadowed (Treasured #2) by Cari Z. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance in which Arcane Studies PhD student Daniel and his occasional lover Rhys head to Venice for Daniel’s winter break. Things start out well for them…
Family Unit by ZA Maxfield. ebook. Good m/m romance about two very different guys in their mid-40s (one a retired marine, the other a liberal raising his grandson) who get off to an awkward start, but then slowly grow to know each other better. While I enjoyed this one more than the other ZAM titles I read this week, I felt it suffered from a similar problem with the ending – the story stops, with many questions left unanswered, and then an epilogue is tacked on… an epilogue that doesn’t answer the questions. 🙁
Rhapsody for Piano and Ghost by ZA Maxfield. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a 19-year old pianist who’s brilliant musically, but very naive interpersonally. Then some well-meaning ghosts move in and start “helping” him with his social life…
All Stirred Up (Stir #2) by ZA Maxfield. ebook. Good m/m romance about the “evil” twin brother of one of the main characters from Stirring Up Trouble, who’s struggling with escalating PTSD. An intervention by his board of directors and his twin have him heading for rehab in the company of a very unusual doctor. I found the ending of this one very frustrating – it felt as if it just stopped, rather than providing closure, and the epilogue did nothing to assuage that.
What Child Is This? (Crossing Borders #2) by ZA Maxfield. ebook. Good holiday m/m romance about how getting away from it all for a relaxing holiday weekend doesn’t always turn out as one might hope.
The Truth About Al (Rocky Mountain High: Campus Hearts #2) by ML Rhodes. ebook. Good m/m romance about the son of a conservative politician whose family is pressuring him to present a “suitable” (i.e., straight) image so as not to damage his mother’s run for Senate.

“No, I’m not stuck. I’m just… thinking.” -Mayhem

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Another episode of linkity in which there are no explosions

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Congrats to Dianna, who won Accidentally His by Shawn Lane! Accidentally His will be released by Amber Allure on March 20.

Congrats to Tracey D, who won Trust, Love, Submit by Kim Dare! Trust, Love, Submit will be released by Total-E-Bound on March 21.

Congrats to Sandy Jay, who won Treacherous Sun (Nu Hayven, Book 1) by Jade Archer! Treacherous Sun will also be released on March 21 by Total-E-Bound.

Minneapolis made the news yesterday for a huge gas main explosion! Amazingly, no one was hurt, but if you look at the photo gallery in the linked article, you’ll see a melted vehicle and a huge crater. (This was about 50 blocks away from me, so the kitties were in no danger while I was at work.)

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  • Have you checked Unclaimed.Org to see if you have money due to you?

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Reading Update
Time To Do (Perfect Timing #3) by Kim Dare. ebook. reread. Excellent m/m romance about two guys – one gay, one straight – who have been best friends since they were small and are now roommates at college. The gay guy’s been quietly in love with his best friend for years, but has been resigned to never being able to touch him… until he finds his friend’s list of things to experience, which segues from kissing and having sex with women (all checked off) to kissing a man (not checked off)… This was my first Kim Dare book, and remains my very favorite. 🙂
Settling the Score by Eden Winters. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a small-town mechanic whose formerly small-town, now Hollywood actor boyfriend dumps and outs him on national television. A Pygmalionesque story unfolds after that, as the mechanic goes to work for a bestselling author with his own axe to grind. My only real problem with the book was a personal one – I always get frustrated by books that use dialect; instead of immersing me, the dialect kept jolting me out of the book.
Sebastian’s Wolves by Valentina Heart. ebook. Excellent, intense paranormal m/m romance about a wolf shifter who turns wolf for a long time when his mate dies. I had a hard time putting this one down to do anything else!
Of Cocoa and Men by Vic Winter. ebook short. Delightful short paranormal m/m romance about a lone wolf shifter addicted to hot chocolate, even though it’s not good for wolves. He becomes fascinated by the scent of the new baker in town, who smells like chocolate to him.
Surviving the Change by Cari Z. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a lone wolf shifter who can only stay in one place for a few weeks before other shifters force him to move on. Right after he arrives in Denver, he becomes fascinated with an elusive law student bartending in a shifter bar.
Sunrise by Elizabeth Jewell. ebook short. Very good short paranormal m/m romance about a guy with a mysterious lover who shows up every few years and always has to leave by sunrise.
An Assassin’s Touch (Lost Shifters #9) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about Leopard shifter and assassin Shane and Panther shifter Trevor, whose lives are much complicated by an evil Cobra shifter.
Shane’s Fury (Lost Shifters #10) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about Leopard shifter and assassin Shane trying to find his kidnapped mate.
Tool for Change by P.D. Singer. ebook short. Good short m/m encounter between the nerdy facilities supervisor at a convention center and a sexy electrician. I wanted just a little bit more story…
Herbs de Provence by Jenna Jones. ebook. Good m/m romance about a chef with wanderlust who discovers that his friend’s ward has grown up into a gorgeous young man while getting his MBA.
Everyone’s Man by Edward Kendrick. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a rent boy who is brutally gang raped and left to die. The ER doctor who treats him realizes he’s not safe in the hospital and takes steps to keep him safe. With better editing, this could’ve been a very good book… presumably editing would’ve removed such silliness as being able to reach the prostate with a tongue.
Touch My Wolf (My Wolf, Book 2) by Eden Cole. ebook short. So-so short paranormal m/m romance with a dash of m/m/m tossed in. This story about beta wolf Blaine finding out that his mate is one of his pack’s enemies was definitely nowhere near as good as the first book. The whole thing was choppy and felt rushed and incomplete.
Make Me (KinKaid Wolf Pack, Book 2) by Jessica Lee. ebook short. Disappointing short paranormal m/m romance that’s basically two sex scenes between the couple from Bloodlines, strung together by a bit of plot that was left unresolved.
Heads or Tails by Jenna Byrnes. ebook short. So-so short m/m romance about an accountant, engaged to the boss’s daughter, who’s been in denial about his attraction to men until he keeps running into the sexy new guy. Warning: This book contains infidelity and graphic m/f sex.

“It’s been a long week. I’m hiding!” -Mayhem

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Linkity: The one with the tiara (oh, come on, you had to see this coming)

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Congrats to LoriO, who won Memories by Valentina Heart! Memories will be released by Silver Publishing on March 12.

Daylight Savings Time starts on Sunday, March 13, at 2 am. All contest end times will be adjusted accordingly! (aka whoops…)

Contests

Bookity

  • If you find business books too dry to bother with, maybe you need to check out the comic book versions.

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  • Fun kitty and book linkity from mrspao – don’t miss the cat library or the video about kitties having thumbs. (Trivia: Chaos has abnormally flexible dewclaws, which I’m pretty sure are proto-thumbs…)

Wha…?

LOL
Hmm. Apparently I didn’t find things very funny this week.

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Bound Forever (Bound #3) by Ava March. ebook. Very good kinky historical m/m romance in which Vincent and Oliver need to work out some issues of trust and respect if they hope to have a future together.
The Duty of a Beta (Pack Discipline #3) by Kim Dare. ebook. Very good kinky paranormal m/m romance about a beta wolf who was brought into the pack to be mated to a troublemaking gamma, but who finds himself drawn to the omega…
With Love (With or Without, Book 1) by J.L. Langley. ebook short. reread. Well done m/m paranormal romance about werewolves, set in North Carolina. (It doesn’t feel like it fits as part of the series, however.)
Without Reservations (With or Without, Book 2) by J.L. Langley. ebook. reread. Very good m/m paranormal werewolf romance about a straight vet (and werewolf) who realizes that the injured male wolf brought in to his office is actually a werewolf… and his mate.
With Caution (With or Without, Book 3) by J.L. Langley. ebook. reread. Very good kinky paranormal m/m romance about a guy who was recently transformed into a werewolf to save his life. He’s a little freaked out to discover that he has a mate and his mate is male, but is absolutely terrified that his homophobic, abusive father will find out and hurt his younger brother (who still lives at home) as a result.
A Sterling New Year (With or Without, Book 3.1) by J.L. Langley. free ebook short. Very good short paranormal m/m romance in which Sterling shows up with a friend at Rhys’s door just after the New Year starts.
A Lot To Be Thankful For (With or Without, Book 3.2) by J.L. Langlely. free ebook short. Very good short paranormal m/m romance about Rhys arriving home from work the evening before Thanksgiving to discover Sterling waiting.
Not My Wolf (Fenrir Wolves, Book 1) by Eden Cole. ebook short. Blame it on Tam’s review at Brief Encounters. 🙂 Good short paranormal m/m romance about a straight alpha werewolf who’s been dreaming that he’ll meet his mate soon, but is so not prepared for his mate to be male.
Treasured by Cari Z. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a grad student in magic who works at a museum and is surprised to be wooed by a mysterious shifter he runs into at the museum.
My True Love Sent to Me (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 4.5) by Charlie Cochrane. free ebook short. Good short holiday m/m romance about Jonty feeling taken for granted and Orlando realizing Jonty’s right.
Lessons in Seduction (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 6) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance, in which Orlando, Jonty, and Jonty’s father look into the death of the king’s former mistress.
Lessons in Trust (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 7) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Very good historical m/m mystery/romance, in which Orlando discovers that most of what he believed about his family isn’t true – a discovery that leaves him feeling very lost.
Once We Won Matches (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 7.5) by Charlie Cochrane. free ebook short. Good, albeit brief, historical m/m mystery that takes place behind-the-scenes at a cricket match between England and Australia.
All Lessons Learned (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Book 8 ) by Charlie Cochrane. ebook. Excellent historical m/m mystery/romance that takes place ten years after the seventh book, after the Great War. I cried quite a bit during this one, which I’m pretty sure is the last book. But rest assured that there’s a happy ending, copious tears notwithstanding.
Between the Pipes (Blue Line Hockey #2) by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Good m/m romance about another of the battling hockey brothers of Battle Creek. He doesn’t want to date a cop because of a dark family secret or two, but he just can’t help himself. I wanted this to be a bit longer, because an awful lot of things were included for a story of this length.
Ivory by J. Rocci. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about an oncologist who’s been trying to be the person his family expects him to be, even though it’s killing him.
Beneath the Shield by Diana DeRicci. ebook. Good m/m romance about a cop, filled with self-loathing for the one he couldn’t save, who doesn’t get involved with anyone and stays beneath his emotional shield. Then a guy gets pushed into him at a club… could that be the first crack in the shield? (Although a guy punching himself in the groin hard enough to drop himself to the floor seemed damned unlikely to me, no matter how much self-loathing was involved.)
Acquired Taste (Icing on the Cake #2) by Shayla Kersten. free ebook short. Good short kinky m/m scene that takes place about three months after Icing on the Cake, when things aren’t looking so good for Ollie and Jeff.
Driving Me Crazy by L.M. Brown. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a guy who keeps failing his driving test so that he can keep spending time with his driving instructor.
A Good Bargain by D.C. Juris. ebook short. Ok short m/m encounter between a man (who hasn’t been with another man in nearly 20 years) and a much younger guy.

“Smells… pink. And feathery. And sparkly!” -Mayhem