Tag Archives: Shelley Munro

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Congrats to Juliana, who won Chase in Shadow by Amy Lane! Chase in Shadow is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

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  • You’ll notice I read a lot of free online fiction this week. I actually read the stories as ebooks. Sometimes I create my own ebooks from the online stories, using Word (rtf) and Calibre. Sometimes, if the story has a lot of sections, it’s just easier to have Story Master do the compilation and conversion for me. (Thanks to the GRs friends who told me about Story Master!)

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Reading Update
Protection by SA Reid. ebook. Excellent historical m/m romance set in a British prison in the late 1930s. This isn’t going to be for everyone – it’s gritty and violent, as befits the setting… and that violence includes rape. But if you can get past that, you’ll find a powerful story that had me in tears at the end.
WMSmoker Seeks Seclusion by PirateGrrl. free online. Very good m/m romance about Clyde, an incredibly defensive and intentionally unpleasant guy who’s really only nice to his dog. He’s knocked for a loop when a guy who works in the same building persists in talking to him and asking him out… and finally wears him down. Being inside Clyde’s head felt like living inside of a non-stop anxiety attack!
The Pirate’s Gamble (2nd ed) by Eden Winters. ebook short. Very good short time travel m/m romance about an archeologist who travels back in time and rescues artifacts that are about to be lost forever, then returns home to the man he loves… but who keeps him a secret.
Drunk Text by seventhswan. free online. Very good m/m romance about a straight college student who wakes up hungover one morning covered in finger paint with a text on his phone that suggests he had sex with a guy the night before…
The Morning After by Magalina. free online. Good m/m romance about a guy who wakes up hungover (hmm, this is starting to look like a reading theme this week) next to one of his friends – the friend he’s been in love with for years. This one had a twist to it. 🙂
The Side Effects of Forgetting by seventhswan. free online. Good m/m romance about a college student who wakes up in the hospital with amnesia – everything that makes him himself is missing). He basically has to rediscover himself, including his sexual orientation. This is a story that actually needed an epilogue or an additional chapter.
Plastic Jesus by Poppy Z. Brite. ebook. Good short story about a band modeled on the Beatles, only the two main singer/songwriters are gay and together.
Accidental Love by Shae Connor. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about two college roommates, one who’s sworn off sex and the other who spends his weekends having anonymous sex with guys he picks up at clubs… and then he realizes how attractive his roommate is.
A Rare Thing by Alex Douglas. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a guy who’s gone back to college and needs to sell some of his grandmother’s old jewelry to make ends meet. It doesn’t hurt that the guy at the counter of the antique store is so attractive…
First Time, Forever by KC Burn. ebook arc. Good m/m romance about a couple in a long-term relationship who, after seeing their son off to college, hope to reconnect with each other, but… they don’t talk to each other about it, both too afraid that they’re losing the other. Sometimes I’m frustrated by stories in which the major conflict could be solved by a simple conversation, but with this one, I could see myself behaving exactly as did the main characters, so it felt realistic to me.
Safe Harbor by Derek Adams. ebook. Good m/m romance about a single dad who works at a marina, where he runs into the only guy he’d ever been attracted to. This would’ve been rated higher, but between the characters using each other’s names in conversation way more than was realistic and some rather silly euphemisms…
The Principal Cause of Death (Tom & Scott #4) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which Tom has an altercation with a student and accused of murder.
An Echo of Death (Tom & Scott #5) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which an old friend of Scott’s shows up, bringing trouble along with him.
Rust on the Razor (Tom & Scott #6) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which Tom and Scott go to rural Georgia after Scott’s dad has a heart attack. They are not at all prepared for the bigotry and hatred they encounter.
Are You Nuts? (Tom & Scott #7) by Mark Richard Zubro. Good gay mystery in which a conservative running for union rep is found bludgeoned in the school library and one of Tom’s friends is the top suspect.
Lone Wolf by Shelley Munro. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about a rebellious young artist who attends a getting in touch with your werewolf camp in Yellowstone and falls for one of the instructors. When he has to return to LA at the end of the course, his father tries to force him to become an architect. This had a number of loose ends, which will perhaps be tied up in the obviously planned sequel… Or perhaps not. I don’t plan to read it.
Starting Over (1 Night Stand #27) by Starla Kaye. ebook short. So-so short m/m romance about a divorced guy who knows he’s gay, but isn’t exactly sure how to hook up with another man so decides to go through the 1 Night Stand dating service. Apparently unclear pronoun references are a constant with this publisher.

“Just loafin’ around…” -Chaos

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Congrats to Chris B, who won Where He Belongs (Belonging) by Rachel Haimowitz (courtesy of Storm Moon Press)!

Congrats to Seanna Lea, who won Shattered Secrets (Shadow of the Wolf #1) by RJ Scott and Diane Adams! Shattered Secrets will be released by Silver Publishing on August 27.

Congrats to wildflower3d, who won For the Attention Of (Pushing the Envelope #1) by Kim Dare! For the Attention Of will be released by Amber Allure on August 28.

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Reading Update
Not One Word (Stand Alone Shorts #1) by Kim Dare. ebook short. I’m definitely biased, because a photo I took at Twin Cities Pride 2011 was the inspiration for this story. 🙂 But this was an enjoyably steamy, kinky short m/m story about a jogger who stops to make sure a mime in the park is ok… I hope the real life mime had as enjoyable an evening as did the mime in this story!
Landfall by Lori Toland. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a hospice nurse who rides with some firefighters (including the one he’s been crushing on) during a hurricane so he can reach an at-home patient.
Finding Eden (Eden #2) by Kele Moon. ebook. Good kinky m/m romance that left me feeling conflicted. I really liked the evolution of Paul and Danny’s friendship as it developed into something infinitely darker and more complex. However, I was frustrated by the story seeming to end in midstream. I see that Beyond Eden takes place a number of years later, and perhaps it addresses what happens after this story ends… but I don’t want to read an mmf story. I want Paul and Danny to sort things out themselves!
Heartsong (Fae #2) by SW Vaughn. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a prostitute who accepts a month-long contract, but has no idea that the man he’ll be staying with is a Fae prince (unsurprising, since he hadn’t realized the Fae existed). If only he found the Fae prince as compelling as the prince’s much abused bodyguard…
Unforgiven (Fae #3) by SW Vaughn. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about the Fae prince from the previous book, who’s returned to the human realm on his own and very out of his element… dangerously so.
Swapped by Christopher West. ebook short. Fun short paranormal m/m romance about a gay guy whose straight wizard buddy needs to switch bodies with him for 24 hours. How odd to be inside the body he’s been crushing on for years…
On the List (Changing Plans #3) by LA Witt. ebook short. Good short m/m romance that starts with Derek and Elliott just days away from their wedding… and then Derek’s family manages to shake Derek to the core.
Sometimes It’s Fate by Angela S. Stone. ebook. Good m/m romance about two members of the RCMP (Mounties) whose friendship slowly develops into something else. I think this book had the potential to be much, much better than it was – better editing would have helped tighten it up and would have resolved problems with punctuation and the like.
Wanna Do Bad Things With You by Shelley Munro. ebook. Good m/m romance about two rugby players on the Auckland team (one gay and out, one closeted) who get secretly involved with each other. I enjoy Shelley Munro’s stories, but always end up feeling as if a deeper edit could’ve smoothed out the roughness.
Cafe de l’Amour by JM Snyder. ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a barista and a guy who comes into the coffee shop and flirts with him every day.
Love’s Evolution by Ally Blue. ebook. Ok m/m romance about two guys who meet and feel a deep connection with each other. The book is a series of short stories about their relationship over the course of several years. I wasn’t a fan of the book’s structure, and I found one character’s constant use of “my darling” and “my love” to be cloying and annoying.
Hard Candy (Love’s Evolution #1.1) by Ally Blue. free ebook short. Steamy short m/m romance that’s basically just a sex scene involving chocolate.
Life, Love and Lemon Cookies (Love’s Evolution #2) by Ally Blue. ebook short. Good short m/m romance in which Chris is suddenly out of work after 15 years and not doing very well at all with the situation.
Protect and Serve by Eden Cole. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a cop and a district attorney, whose adversarial relationship conceals their mutual attraction.
Fighting Chance (Chances #2) by Viki Lyn. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance that picks up where Last Chance left off, with vampire Johan having the chance to live if he stays in the custody of slayer Corbin and takes a newly developed serum that might turn him human again. Corbin chafes at the responsibility, which prevents him from taking his revenge on the vampire who killed his father. While I liked the storyline, the writing often seemed rough and overdone, which I found very frustrating.
Artie, the Good Witch by Scarlet Hyacinth. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance about an innocent young witch who narrowly escapes an evil wizard with his virtue intact… and then further drama ensues. And ensues. And ensues. *sigh*

*sigh* “You’d think I’d be able to get away from the picture taking up on top of the cabinets.” -Mayhem

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Congrats to Tracy W, who won In His Hero’s Shadow (EMS Heat #10) by Stephani Hecht! In His Hero’s Shadow will be released by eXtasy Books on August 15.

Congrats to Majken, who won the Cross Bones anthology, courtesy of Piper Vaughn and M.J. O’Shea! Cross Bones will be released on August 15 by Dreamspinner Press.

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Reading Update
Ashton and Justice by Stephani Hecht. ebook. Sweet m/m romance about the abused son of a prominent district attorney and the son of a notorious criminal. Their fathers hate each other – how can things possibly work out?
More Than Moonlight by MJ O’Shea & Piper Vaughn. free ebook collection. A collection of three sweet short m/m romances, about two of the band members of Luck in the band’s early days.
Moonlight Becomes You by Piper Vaughn & MJ O’Shea. ebook. Excellent m/m romance about two bands, Luck and Moonlight, going on tour together. The lead singer of Luck becomes fascinated by the lead singer of Moonlight, and is increasingly frustrated because Moonlight’s lead singer treats him coldly and keeps his distance.
A Change of Pace (Change #3) by JM Cartwright. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a guy who moves to North Carolina from Chicago with a chip on his shoulder about the whole thing and then meets a local carpenter he develops confusing feelings for.
Lucky by KM Mahoney. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a bear shifter who moves to a small town in Wisconsin known to be paranormal friendly and meets an extremely unlucky (but cute!) fairy.
The Tower by Chris Owen. ebook. Good m/m romance, set in the indeterminate nearish future, about a guy who works in an office tower where career advancement literally involves moving up the tower/ladder. When the CEO’s administrative assistant (from the very top of the tower) takes an interest in him, he has no idea what to think.
Seeking Kokopelli by Shelley Munro. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about the lead singer of a band who’s subtly pursuing one of the roadies (a widower), not realizing that his own odd paranormal secret might need to come out.
Change in Attitude (Change of Heart #2) by Kiernan Kelly. ebook. Ok paranormal m/m romance in which veterinarian and werewolf Dae is called by his brother back to the pack that cast him out, and his human mate insists on going along despite the danger. This felt less polished than other work I’ve read by this author.
Only Yours by JR Patrick. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a guy who asks his boyfriend to move in with him… and when he wakes up in the morning, his boyfriend is gone.
The Attorney (The Male Room #2) by Carolyn LeVine Topol. ebook. Ok m/m romance about the lawyer from The Male Room, who’s now trying the gay dating site himself. He’s not doing so well with his picks, though, so one of the site’s owners sets him with someone he’d never have picked for himself.
To Love Again (Bound Hearts, Book 1) by Simone Anderson. ebook. Ok kinky m/m romance about a writer and dominant whose vanished ex-boyfriend turns up on his doorstep as an abused and escaped slave. While the storyline had potential, I never connected to the characters and felt, at times, as if I was reading parts of a research paper or something.
Buried Treasure by DC Juris. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a guy who visits his father at the nursing home and one of the orderlies from the nursing home. I just couldn’t suspend disbelief that six months of weekly platonic lunches would seamlessly flow into one dinner date and then moving in together…

Yes, they are built very differently! 🙂 And although you can’t tell from that picture, Chaos isn’t overweight.

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Congrats to Jennifer, who won Packing Leather (Sun, Sea & Submission #1) by Kim Dare! (I never heard back from the original winner, so…)

Congrats to Maya, who won Ashton and Justice by Stephani Hecht! Ashton and Justice will be released by Amber Allure on August 7.

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Reading Update
His Faithful Servant (Knight Errant #2) by KD Sarge. ebook. Excellent m/m scifi romance continuing the story of Taro and Rafe as they leave Taro’s sister’s ship in order to make their own way. While Knight Errant was told from Taro’s point-of-view, this one’s told from Rafe’s… and he’s not quite as focused as Taro. 🙂
Gathering Storm by Lyn Gala. ebook. Excellent kinky m/m romance about the submissive son of a wealthy man who’s been fascinated by one of his instructors since he was in military school several years before. But in his insecurity and neediness after not getting what he wants, he makes a very poor decision… that could cost him his life.
Swept Away by Sloan Parker. free ebook short. Excellent free short m/m romance about lawyer, part of a couple who’ve celebrated their anniversary the same way for 15 years, who’s dreading this year’s anniversary celebration.
Surrender by K. Piet. ebook short. Very good kinky m/m short about a Dom who finds himself very drawn to another Dom doing a public scene at a club party… and then finds his core assumptions about himself challenged. If you’ve ever been annoyed by a smug Dom story, you’ll appreciate this chance to see a smug Dom shaken to his core. 🙂
Blind Items by Kate McMurray. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a liberal gay journalist who finds himself attracted to and then involved with the deeply closeted son of an ultra-conservative, anti-gay Senator running for President. Since he’s not willing to go back into the closet and the Senator’s son is too terrified to come out… The only thing I didn’t like about this one was the somewhat abrupt ending, although I appreciated that there wasn’t an epilogue. Perhaps a sequel? 🙂
Wanting by Piper Vaughn. free ebook short. Very good free short m/m romance about college student Laurie who’s taken by surprise when his best friend’s younger (18-year old) brother informs him that he wants Laurie to take his virginity.
Hourglass by Jane Davitt. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a Hollywood producer whose 11-year old daughter falls in love with his tv series Hourglass, which only lasted two seasons, ten years ago. Under pressure, he agrees to make a follow-up movie, then has to get the estranged stars to agree to be in it… and hope that they’ll get over hating each other and recapture some of their previous chemistry.
Prise de Fer by AR Moler. ebook short. Very good short m/m paranormal romance about a chemistry professor who’s attracted to one of his former students, with no clue that the student is a werewolf. And there’s fencing in this story, which was a fun flashback.
Hanging Loose by Lou Harper. ebook. Good m/m romance about a straight guy from the Midwest who moves to LA after college to escape winter. When he ends up stranded overnight at Venice Beach, a friendly surfer gives him a place to sleep for the night and changes his life.
Appearing Knightly by JM Cartwright. free ebook short. Fun short free m/m story about Batman rescuing a naked guy and being strangely excited by him…
Packing Leather (Sun, Sea & Submission #1) by Kim Dare. ebook short. Good kinky short m/m romance about a guy who wins a weekend away at an exclusive resort and invites his office mate to join him.
Modeling Death (Hidden Magic #2) by Amber Kell. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about a centuries-old wizard who runs into a model at a club and realizes the model is his fated mate. Too bad someone’s out there, killing models…
Hitting It Big by Shawn Lane. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about Billy, whose brother drags him to a party celebrating his brother’s friend Mitch winning the lottery… Mitch, the guy to whom Billy lost his virginity to years ago in a one night stand. I had a couple of niggles about this one.
CatNap (Middlemarch Mates #8) by Shelley Munro. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about an amnesiac tiger shifter who’s rescued by two other tiger shifters (brother and sister) and becomes part of their family. But what if his bloody, fragmented dreams are actual memories?
Del Fantasma: Toasted Almond by Sharon Maria Bidwell. ebook short. Ok short paranormal m/m romance about a guy who always feels cold arriving at the bar Del Fantasma and running into a guy who suddenly makes him feel warm. I found the writing frustratingly dense.

“Why do you say I have anime eyes, Mom? I have Mayhem eyes!!” -Mayhem

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Reading Update
The Tourist by Clare London. ebook. Excellent paranormal m/m romance told from the perspective of a tourist, a spirit who can head hop, albeit with limited control. Usually he just stays for the sex and then moves on… but something’s different for him this time. This totally sucked me in and I couldn’t go to bed until I finished it. To be released 2/28.
Another Enchanted April by Eric Arvin. ebook. Excellent and cleverly written m/m romance about three friends on vacation in a seaside town, staying at an Italianate villa with intoxicatingly lovely gardens. Each of them will be profoundly changed… but not necessarily in the ways they expected. (And I may have gotten sniffly whilst reading this. I can neither confirm nor deny.)
A Strong Hand by Catt Ford. ebook. Very good kinky m/m romance about a famous photographer of erotica who’s shooting a catalog of high-end sex toys when he begins to realize he’s attracted to his assistant after his assistant models for the shoot.
Ruby Slippers by Alexi Silversmith. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a police detective who thinks that men shouldn’t wear makeup or do anything feminine, so when he finds out what his boyfriend does for a living, things get ugly. I enjoyed the chance to see James and Ethan from What They Say About Love as secondary characters.
Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries by Marshall Thornton. ebook. Very good collection of three m/m mysteries featuring Chicago PI Nick Nowak. Set in 1980 before AIDS devastated the gay community, these gritty stories reminded me of Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski mysteries, only with a lot more sex. 🙂
Boystown 2: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries by Marshall Thornton. ebook. Another very good collection of three mysteries featuring Chicago PI Nick Nowak. I really, really hope that the author is busily working on Boystown 3, because the final story ended on a surprising (but sadly realistic) dark note.
Out on the Net by Rick R. Reed. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a guy who finally accepts that he’s gay 20 minutes before he’s supposed to get married to a woman. The story is told via his blog as he tries to figure out being gay and meeting guys in his small town.
Bloodlines by Jessica Lee. ebook. Very good (and smokin’ hot) paranormal m/m romance about a wolf shapeshifter, supposed to be the next alpha of his pack, who’s kicked out of his pack when his father discovers he’s gay.
Red Hot by Kate Roman. ebook short. Very good short m/m romance about a straight guy who breaks up with his girlfriend because he can’t stop thinking about his male roommate.
Brush with Desire by Chrissy Munder. ebook short. Very good steamy m/m short that starts with an exhausted IT guy drooling over a hot man in a suit he sees in the grocery store and ends with a smoking hot (and humorous!) encounter between them.
Hearts and Flowers by Chrissy Munder. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about an accountant, a found puppy, classified ads, and quite a bit more. While I enjoyed the story, I felt there was just too much going on for the story’s length.
Driven to Distraction by Anah Crow & Dianne Fox. ebook. Good m/m romance about a professor who inherited his grandfather’s collection of classic cars. When he damages one of the cars, he has the chance to get to know his mechanic much, much better…
Possession (Devlin Island, Book 1) by S.W. Vaughn. ebook. Good paranormal m/m romance about an unfortunate vacationer who runs aground on Devlin Island with the worst possible timing, then meets a crabby male witch trying to figure out if there’s a demon loose on the island.
Where He Belongs by D.C. Juris. ebook short. Good kinky short m/m/m romance about a sub who left his two masters and now has to try to convince them to take him back.
Sandpipers’ Secrets (Sandpipers, Book 1) by Jade Archer. ebook. Good m/m/m romance about a guy who desperately needs a job to keep he and his brother off the streets and so is happy to get a kitchen job at Sandpipers, despite the attraction he feels to the couple who own the restaurant.
Xavier’s Way by Diana DeRicci. ebook. Good m/m romance about a guy who realizes that his now ex-fiance was siphoning money out of his business. But what are these strange feelings he has for the handsome auditor he’s hired to gather evidence of his ex’s wrongdoing?
A Measure of Discipline by Diane Adams. ebook short. Ok m/m short about a guy who’s leaving his university number crunching job and needs to train two student workers to take his place. I haven’t read the two previous stories and, alas, this was just confusing as a standalone.
Best Man by Shelley Munro. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about two closeted rugby players and teammates, neither of whom knows the other is gay, who’ve been lusting after each other.
Work of Art by Rob Knight. ebook short. Ok short m/m romance about a neurotic artist and a guy who manages musicians. This was basically just a little slice of their life together and I couldn’t really see a point to it.
Tryst by Stone Richards. ebook. Meh m/m romance about a PI who gets sent to London to investigate a prominent businessman for a company considering a deal with the man. The whole thing was so implausible…

“Ok, you’re right, your phone doesn’t have a flash…” -Chaos

“…But the big kitty and I think you need to stop taking pictures of us anyway, flash or not.” -Mayhem