Move to New Website

Effective today no new posts will be uploaded on the blog because we have moved our operations to the new website. The URL is http://reviewsbyjessewave.com. That should be very easy to remember.

There is still a lot of work to be done and I estimate it will take about a month to move all of the posts and some of the other information on the blog over to the website. Please be patient. We're working as hard as we can - that means Christian Otto, our unpaid Webmaster and my great friend is doing all the work while I get in his way. *g* Many reviews have been transferred while you were sleeping so you should see a lot of the old and some new content.

Please do not leave any more comments on the posts here on the blog. Please do so on the website. Thanks .

Favorites: Please remember to add the new URL to your "Favorites" list.

New Look: All reviews and other posts will be on separate pages when you click on them on the front page of the directory. This should make it easy for you to view the posts you want to read. Also, the background is a much lighter colour (I listened to all of you who hated the black background on the blog) - right now it's pale grey - but we will continue to experiment until we get it right.:) Similarly, the header will undergo some changes in terms of the background colour which is currently black. This colour makes it difficult to read the description below the name of the website and see the "search" button, but all things in time. We're also looking into whether we can make changes to some of the text in the interviews that is presently a pale grey colour which makes it hard to read now that the background is no longer black. I hope I don't have to do this manually for all 50 or so interviews so far.:) However these are all minor changes (I think) which can be resolved over the next month.

I hope you like the new website but as usual I welcome your feedback. On the website under Navigation there is a "comments" button and you can use any of the email addresses to reach me. You can also continue to write me at jessewave@gmail.com.

Thanks everyone for your support for the blog over the past 15 months and I hope you will continue to visit us on the website in even greater numbers than you did before. Looking forward to talking to you at the new location. Goodbye from the blog.......


Wave

Timeless

Title and Link: Timeless
Author: Patric Michael
Publisher URL: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Genre: Contemporary GLBT (M/M)
Length: Novella
Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5


THE BLURB

Out since he was a freshman in high school, Nate meets Andy, who is gorgeous and unfortunately straight. They're best friends through thick and thin until a practical joke leads Nate to a surprise revelation: If I had known just how thoroughly it would turn my world upside down, I would never have kissed Andy in that damned banquet room. I would have kissed him a hell of a lot sooner.

THE REVIEW

Timeless is part of Dreamspinner's To Have And To Hold series about love and marriage and is told from the first person POV by Nate. Andy and Nate had been friends it seemed like forever. During high school Andy had always accepted Nate's sexuality and defended him when other kids made fun of him, and after they graduated they remained friends. The night things changed they were out celebrating Andy's new contract with an internet search engine company into which he had sunk all his money, when Andy's current girlfriend Monica insults Nate's sexuality -- a week later Andy dumps her. Even though Nate had other boyfriends through the years he and Andy continued to be good friends and they kept in touch regularly, with Andy showing up whenever he needed Nate.

Years later the guys, who are now in their early thirties, are going home to attend the wedding of Andy's cousin Lyndsay who was a bit of a matchmaker. The day before the wedding they were in a bar and, in order to avoid a woman who had her sights set on Nate, he grabs Andy and kisses him To his surprise Andy kisses him back - hard, which starts a chain reaction he never expected. One thing leads to another and Andy confesses that he has had feelings for Nate since the first day in high school that had nothing to do with friendship, but he thought that it was just hormonal and he had been too scared to follow through. When they consummate the sex Andy was at last able to express his love for his friend, but Nate's joy is short lived.

I loved this book for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the slow build-up of the romance between Andy and Nate as they struggle through adolescence, young adulthood, other lovers, and finally meet each other more than halfway 12 years after they first met. Timeless was a lot of fun, a terrific romance, with great dialogue and two protags who seemed made for each other. Of course the sex was incredibly erotic, fueled by anticipation since they waited all those years. But after the great sex Andy lost his nerve and Nate is not sure that they can overcome Andy's fear of coming out and being in a different type of relationship with him.

Timeless was realistic in many ways, particularly with Andy expressing his fears about what being gay really meant as a lifestyle. Despite his love for Nate he knew that his decision, either way, was not going to be an easy one. The couple seemed as if they had it together initially but the first time they were in public as a couple the cracks appeared and Andy failed the test, which is quite normal for someone who had projected a different image all his life.

I really enjoyed this story, the dialogue and the characterizations and I think if you're looking for a romance which is not angst filled but still manages to express normal apprehension about the impact of certain decisions, Timeless would be a good choice.

Because of the Brave

Because of the Brave, is an anthology of three contemporary stories written by Laura Baumbach (Designated Target), Z.A. Maxfield (Jumping Off Places), and Josh Lanyon (Until We Meet Once More).

Fifteen percent of the sales of Because of the Brave sold at the Aspen Mountain Press website will be donated to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network between release and September 11th!

This collection honors the men who've served in the military and labored with the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

In Laura Baumbach's Designated Target a soldier returns to his commander's hometown to tell his brother the truth about what happened in the field. Josh Lanyon's Until We Meet Once More pits a Naval Academy graduate against the Taliban and his own repressed past. Finally in Z.A. Maxfield's Jumping Off Places a soldier returns home to be with his dying mother and finds more than he bargained for in the place he'd hoped to never see again.

Please support this very worthy cause by purchasing a copy of Because of the Brave from Aspen Mountain Press between now and September 11, 2009.

The Next Step

Title and Link: The Next Step
Author: Mychael Black
Publisher URL: http://phaze.com
Genre: Contemporary GLBT (M/M), BDSM
Length: short story (6K words)
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5


THE BLURB

Master Ian Vaughn and his sub Kale Daniels are back for more in this sequel to Onyx

Both men are happy together, playing and living like any other Dom and sub. For Kale, though, it goes much deeper than that. He's fallen in love with his Master, but he has no idea how Ian feels about him. When Ian books them a private playroom at a new club, Kale is thrilled to find out all his Master has in store. And Ian has a surprise for him that Kale never expects to receive.

THE REVIEW

Kale and his Master Ian have been together for 6 wonderful months during which time their relationship had evolved from being simply Dominant and sub, which it was when they first met in a fetish club in Washington, D.C. where Kale had been a star. The Next Step is the sequel to Onyx, where Kale and Ian had an immediate connection that led to a bond neither of them expected. Ian had been away from the scene for awhile and Kale, who was blind, despaired of ever finding that special someone who would appreciate and share his kinks.

The Next Step opens with Ian preparing breakfast for Kale as he does every morning; he tells him of his special plans for that evening, culminating in a wonderful surprise. Kale is thrilled but he wonders if their relationship would ever get to the point where Ian, whom he loved with all his heart, reciprocated his feelings.

Like Onyx, this book is very short but it has considerable impact because of its intensity, the D/s rituals and the tension always present in this type of relationship where one partner is subject to and controlled by the other, even though this is done with love in some situations, as with Ian and Kale. The feelings between them are evident in the way that Ian tenderly cared for and supported Kale without making him feel disabled and Kale's touching need for more from his Master. The ambiance and high drama at the new club give the book its edge and the toys enhance their D/s play.

The Next Step is not for the faint hearted but it's a wonderful book about the love between two men whose status in terms of their relationship may appear to be unequal but is in every way a loving partnership. Mychael Black has done it again by giving us wonderful and special characters that are realistic and three dimensional and like Onyx I wish that this book could have been longer because Ian and Kale tend to grow on me.

This book contains the following: Bondage, D/s play and spanking

Friday Guys - July 17

Brazilian Anyone?

This post is for the girls and it's tongue in cheek (did I really say that?) *g* Guys, you don't need to read any further!

Now that summer is here many of you ladies will be taking a trip to Brazil (you know what I mean) so that you can look great in that teeny, tiny, almost there bikini. And that 's a good thing -- but before you do, maybe you should think about what this new look "down there" will mean in terms of pain and suffering. You know what a Brazilian is don't you? For those of you not in the know, a Brazilian removes hair from the va jay jay to your buttocks leaving only a very thin strip of hair - or none at all - in front. This is a very painful process and biting on something hard :) doesn't help. Not unless he is into S & M.*g*

Yesterday in Brisbane, Australia, 13 brave, but woolly women volunteered for the first time ever to wax their" tassies" as part of a stunt by a local radio station. Here's the footage from the Brisbane Times. You may want to read the article from the Brisbane Times.

Before you try it, I'm enclosing a trailer here. And because I believe in sharing pain equally among the sexes, the enclosed video of Kevin getting waxed may titillate some of you. :DDD

A few serious things to consider before you take that trip to become a bald eagle:

First, there's a chance of infection because apparently waxing causes trauma. Who knew?

If you're a diabetic or have any disease that weakens your immune system you might want to skip waxing altogether because this increases your chances of infection.

Does the salon reuse the wax? (gross thought) I would strongly suggest that you avoid those that do.

Here are the fun things to think about -

Does he hate getting a mouthful of hair? *g* Suggest that he have his back hair waxed if he wants you to go to Brazil. Watch him run for them thar hills :)

Is the thought of being smooth all over a turn on for your guy? You could go to the salon for a twofer.

If he doesn't want to join you at the salon is he really worth all of that pain and suffering and effort? *g* Ditch him for a guy who likes underarm hair.*g*

So how do you ensure that your pubic hair doesn't show? I don't know, never having tried a Brazilian (it's painful enough to get my eyebrows waxed), but aren't there countries where it's against the law for women to be uncovered? You could move there -- you won't even have to wax your legs!

Ashamed of screaming? Do it in Space because in Space no one will hear you scream.:)

Another way to get rid of that pesky hair is threading. This is even more painful than waxing and is only recommended for the hardiest of women. :DDD

If your guy wants you to be bald "down there" tell him to take you on an expensive holiday to make it worth the trouble.

I don't want to frighten you but what if your hair grows back in patches and you will never be able to make love with the lights on anymore. What's that? You always make love in the dark?

Of course you could do without this procedure altogether by taking the following actions -

Wear a hairnet (you know where) :DDD
Instead of a bikini, wear bloomers
Wear a mumu on the beach (no one will look under there)

I've had my fun now it's your turn.:)

Like Coffee and Doughnuts

Title: Like Coffee and Doughnuts
Author: Elle Parker
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Length: 191 pages
Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

A Guest Review by Jenre

THE BLURB

Dino Martini might accept his friend Seth as a lover--if they can stay alive.

Dino Martini is an old-school P.I. in a modern age. Sure, he may do most of his work on a computer, but he carries a gun, drives a convertible, and lives on the beach. Best friend and mechanic Seth Donnelly will back him in a fight, and there's not a lot more Dino could ask from life.

Until his world is turned upside down.

A dangerous case and a new apartment are just the start. His friendship with Seth has turned into a romance, only Dino has never had a boyfriend before. Can he handle this sudden twist? Just as he begins to believe it's possible, he loses Seth in more ways than one...

THE REVIEW

Like Coffee and Doughnuts takes a friends to lovers story and through some interesting characterisation gives it a bit of an unusual spin. It's main strength lies not only in the reluctance of the heroes to solve the mystery in the suspense plot but also that the personality of Dino is different to any m/m character I've read so far.

Dino is a PI and part of his job involves repossessing cars. In order to do that he brings along his buddy Seth who acts as his back up. After a night of picking up cars, Dino and Seth discover an envelope in one of the cars containing a notebook with codes inside, a couple of keys and a keycard. This piques Dino's interest and he hangs onto the envelope for a while. This turns out not to be the smartest thing he has done, because pretty soon he has 'businessmen' after him, putting Dino and Seth in danger.

The character of Dino was really quite unusual. He describes himself as 'an old fashioned guy' and is proud of that image. He dresses with class and style rather than in the latest fashions; he listens to Dean Martin and Peggy Sue; he's charming and easy-going with a dry, witty sense of humour; he can ballroom dance; and most unusual of all he has a low sex drive. He prefers dating to one night stands and often goes months without sex. This doesn't seem to bother him at all and actually fits well with his calm, neat, methodical and perhaps somewhat cool personality. In fact the only person who seems to penetrate that slightly aloof exterior is his best friend Seth.

Seth is the complete opposite to Dino. He's a slob; he dresses in the latest fashion and listens to music that "sounded like someone knocked over all the garbage cans and stepped on a cat"; he's hot headed and sleeps around. Despite this, Dino regards Seth with affectionate amusement most of the time. Seth occasionally comes on to Dino, but Dino doesn't take him seriously, until one night Seth forces Dino to re-evaluate their friendship. Dino is surprised, mainly because he didn't really think Seth wanted him, but also because he is surprised with the strength of his own feelings for Seth. Dino has never seen himself as gay, although he has found both men and women attractive in the past. Despite Dino's reservations about Seth's sluttish ways and also the worry that they will ruin their friendship, Dino gives in and they begin a relationship.

The first part of the book deals with the friendship between the two men and how well they gel together as friends. Because of this, when they did start to have a relationship, it felt like a natural extension to what had gone before. This made the 'friends to lovers' story work really well. Both men knew each other's foibles and were accepting of each other. There was obviously a period of adjustment, and it was the small things, the kind, thoughtful gestures, especially on the part of Seth which showed the strength of feeling between the two men even though Seth voices his frustration several times at Dino's reluctance to believe that their relationship will work.

Seth drew his knees up and pointed at me. “We need to get you to stop thinking of me as a friend, and start thinking of me as that incredibly hot mechanic you’re sleeping with.”

The suspense plot was also a little different to what I expected. Usually when a character finds a mystery to solve they dig and dig until it's solved regardless of the danger that puts them in. In this book, Dino does a bit of digging, but once he finds out what he could be getting himself into, he backs right off and attempts to get rid of the contents of the envelope. It's only when circumstances force him to take it up again that the mystery is solved in a tense and gripping final few chapters. I found this quite a refreshing way to include a suspense plot and it added to my overall enjoyment of the book.

There were other things I liked about the book including the set of elderly ladies who live in Dino's apartment block and the way that the author allows the reader to really get to know the characters so that when they come together it is believable that they should be attracted to each other. In fact the only negative thing I have to say is that perhaps Dino is a little too perfect and also that Seth seemed to settle down with Dino very quickly despite being painted as complete man-slut for most of the early part of the book.

Overall, this was an unusual, well written and enjoyable book which will appeal to those who like friends to lovers storylines and want to read a different spin on the suspense plot. I shall certainly be looking out for more books by this author in future.

Feral

Title: Feral
Author: Joely Skye
Publisher: Samhain
Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance
Length: 171 pages
Rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

A Guest Review by Jenre

THE BLURB

Seduction is his only chance for freedom…and love is a death sentence.

Even among shifters, Ethan is a rare breed. So rare, he’s spent the last eight years in hiding from the werewolves who once captured and tortured him. Now a tranq dart has cut short his feral existence. Waking in human form in a locked room is more than a living nightmare…it’s reliving his worst one.

Yet in the troubled eyes of one of his captors, he senses a weak link. One he can use to escape—by seducing his jailer.

Bram’s life as pack omega isn’t easy. As long as he obeys his alpha he is protected. However, there are some things he just can’t bring himself to do. Keeping a precious cougar shifter prisoner is one of them, especially one who has somehow managed to capture his heart.

Setting Ethan free could be a death sentence for both of them, for Bram’s pack doesn’t take betrayal lightly. And the alpha is set on revenge.

THE REVIEW

The start of Feral throws the reader into a thrilling chase. A pack of werewolves are hunting Ethan, a cougar shifter. He's been in his shifted state for 8 years after escaping from a previous capture and torture by werewolves who also killed his she-wolf protector. As the section ends, Ethan is caught and drugged, shifting helplessly to his human form. When he wakes up he meets Bram who has been assigned the job of 'taming' Ethan. It seems that the were-wolves are experimenting on Ethan to see how easy it is to tame a were-cat who has gone feral, as Ethan seems to have done. This rehabilitation is done through touch, as a shifter will naturally want to retain their human state when being touched. Bram and Ethan form a friendship and Bram looks to ways to release him from capture. The problem is that Bram is an omega wolf - the lowest of the low - and setting Ethan free means that he will have to risk his own life.

The strength of this book lies in the first half, when Ethan is captured and Bram attempts to tame him. There are several factors in this part which I liked a great deal. For a start I felt that the basic premise that Ethan longs to go back to his cat state and the only thing preventing that is constant interaction and touching from Bram, to be an interesting idea and well executed. There was a great deal of tension, both sexual and nervous in those opening chapters which gave an edge to the book and kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next.

I also liked the way that the pack dynamics worked in the context of the opening chapters. Bram's subservience to Doug, the alpha wolf and the way he was treated by him, fitted in well with the little I know of wild dog behaviour. Doug is Bram's protector and he abuses that power, throwing the knowledge of what could happen to Bram should he remove that protection in Bram's face any time Bram shows the slightest intent to mutiny. This obviously had the effect that I hated Doug from the start and distrusted his motives, as Bram starts to do further into the book. Bram is almost an 'untouchable' in the pack and is, at best, ignored by the other wolves. As a result he is starved for affection and rarely gets to touch or be touched by another person. It's no wonder then that he feels an attraction to Ethan when touching forms such a large part in his rehabilitation.

By the time I had got a third of the way through the book I was anticipating a great escape, a tense time spent on the run and a dramatic climax hopefully involving Doug's downfall. Unfortunately, I was a little too hasty in assuming how the story would enfold because the last two thirds of the book didn't quite match up to the tense first section.

I don't think I'm being too spoilerish if I tell you that Bram and Ethan do escape the werewolf compound and do so in a very satisfying manner. After that though, the book takes rather a quiet turn as both characters go their separate ways before being reunited by the shadowy character of Trey. This was obviously a deliberate attempt to change the tone of the book as the two heroes get to know each other and start to build upon the tentative feelings they began during Ethan's capture. However, the change of pace didn't work so well for me. I got a bit bored and wanted to press on towards what I hoped was to be an exciting finale. This also seemed to be a time when certain revelations were disclosed about the characters, especially Ethan and to a lesser extent Bram. Despite this, I was still left with a lot of unanswered questions especially about Ethan's mother, the she-wolf Lila and exactly why Ethan had been captured and tortured years ago. This quiet time would have been an ideal period for those questions to have been answered. Yet, instead we have Bram and Ethan playing house and cementing their relationship - I can't deny feeling rather frustrated at this point.

All this means is that I was delighted when things seemed to take a turn towards the gripping finale I was anticipating and for a time the breathless tension and excitement of the opening section returned to the book. Unfortunately, that time was all too brief as we get bogged down with conspiracy theories, politics and a wholly disappointing stand off between Doug and Bram - a sort of 'blink and you miss it' showdown.

So, as you can possibly gather from what I've just written, this was, in my opinion, very much a mixed book. On one hand I liked the characterisation, the world building and the taut, tense opening, but on the other hand the pacing throughout the book didn't work for me. All in all, Feral was a good read and one I would recommend to those who like shifter books.

Change of Plans

Title: Change of Plans
Author: TC Blue
Publisher: Torquere Books
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Length: 16 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

A Guest Review by Jenre

THE BLURB

Nicky has no trouble with change; when he has to, he can make it happen. Yet his efforts to change his friendship with his roommate fall flat, and things get ugly when Nicky gets a dose of how much Brad doesn't want him. Brad sees the whole fiasco in a different light, a spotlight that keeps shining on Nicky in spite of all Brad's efforts to pull the plug. Though their lives are poised to go in opposite directions, their hearts keep negotiating for a change of plans, trying to keep them together when time for love is running out.

THE REVIEW

This terrific short from TC Blue is a lovely friends to lovers story.

College student, waster and man-slut Nicky decides to amend his ways. He needs to stop taking the drugs, drinking and whoring around and pass his course so he ditches all his druggie friends and straightens out his life. During this time he gains a new flatmate, Brad. Brad has heard rumours about Nicky's bad boy image and wants nothing to do with him. The trouble is, Nicky's fallen for Brad and has to convince him that he's not the guy Brad thinks he is.

There were many things that I liked about this short. Firstly I enjoyed the characterisation. The reader spends a bit of time in both Nicky and Brad's head so it was easy to understand the men and their motivations for acting as they do. I liked Nicky and admired him for realising what an idiot he had been in the past and cleaning up his act. I also found it ironic that after all his manslut ways, he can't get Brad into bed and he is frustrated that what had come easy for him in the past wasn't happening when it came to someone he actually cared deeply about.

The reason that Brad was resisting Nicky was because he is warned off Nicky by members of the GBLT society. Rather than taking the evidence of Nicky's recent quiet, studious behaviour he allows others to influence him, even when he is attracted to Nicky. This conflict between rumours of Nicky's past behaviour and actually liking Nicky makes Brad rather confused about how he feels. This made the story all the more satisfying when Brad actually makes a decision for himself rather than what other people believe he should do.

There's a real sense of urgency in the writing and the friendship between the two men as they are both leaving college for new pastures soon and this gave the story a 'will they, won't they take a chance on each other' feel to the story which was quite involving. All in all, a well written, pacy short with a fun, romantic story.

Protests and Proposals

Title and Link: Protests and Proposals
Author: Sean Kennedy
Publisher URL: www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Genre: Contemporary GLBT (M/M)
Length: short story
Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5


THE BLURB

Paul and Leo are comfortable in their committed relationship, content to coast there for the rest of their lives. But everything can change in one moment, and in the unlikeliest of places.

THE REVIEW

Protests and Proposals is part of the Dreamspinner Press To Have and To Hold series about love and marriage and this story was fun as well as unusual. The protagonists, Paul and Leo, have been together for 7 years and and are lovingly committed to each other. Then came a dark cloud on the horizon, Proposition 8, which represented the death knell to the hopes of marriage for gays in the State of California, including this couple.

Paul and Leo love to squabble good-naturedly about almost everything and Prop 8 is no exception. They decide to join a protest where Paul immediately gets into trouble for hitting a Jehovah's Witness with his sign instead of the real target, the Mormons. As Leo drags him away before he gets arrested Paul protests vehemently and accuses Leo of not being passionate enough about the cause.

When they get home they make up in the time honoured fashion by kissing and joking about the day and eventually Paul tells Leo how much he loves him and in return Leo said he would be pleased to accompany him on the next protest the following week. However, things did not go exactly according to plan, Leo's plan that is, but he ends up with the best prize of all and makes a statement for their cause in a totally unexpected way.

More and more as I read his stories I have come to respect the writing ability of Sean Kennedy who it seems can tackle just about any topic and create wonderful stories and great characters. This was a charming story about a couple who had been together for a number of years yet their love was still fresh and vibrant, and even though they disagreed sometimes they used humour to settle their differences. Kennedy's writing in this book is funny but it's touching as well and reminds me of at least two of his other stories that I have read. There is no explicit sex in Protests and Proposals but it's not necessary as the love between the couple is quite evident without becoming hot and heavy.

If you're looking for a romance with political overtones this wonderful short story is sure to please, and you will love the antics of Leo and Paul just as much as I did. I don't normally like sugary sweet stories but the offerings in To Have and To Hold seem to have a few gems that you will want to read.