Month: May 2019

3.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 100 pages. Published June 26th 2013 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Former model Brent Phillips now works the other side of the camera. He makes his money on senior portraits but wants to create an art exhibition. His only problems are lack of a central image and a three-week deadline.

Enter Brent’s friends, who resolve to discover the perfect model for his project. They find him in Tristan Greer, a college student who left home after coming out and is trying to make ends meet.

Though initially reluctant, Tristan agrees to work with Brent to capture the image Brent wants—a gay version of Herb Alpert’s Whipped Cream album photo. It turns out the camera loves Tristan, and the photographer may as well. 

Likes:

• Only one gym scene.
• Brent’s hangup was unusual but reasonable.
• The plot.

Dislikes:

• The cover, while it works with the story, is different from the rest of the series.
• There is no real buildup of the romance.
• Brent’s issues with his appearance aren’t really dealt with.
• Only Brent’s issues with his photography project are dealt with, while none of Tristan’s are.
• No preparation before sex.

This is probably my favorite of the whole series. I’m not sure if it’s because Gray’s writing style changed, though it was definitely better in this book, or because this story only had one quick scene set at the gym. Either way, I’m glad I stuck with the series until the end.

Like the rest of the books in the series, this one followed the formula of the main character having a hangup about getting into a relationship with someone interested in them. Brent’s hangup came as a bit of a surprise, more because it wasn’t hinted at in the blurb than anything else. But I thought it went well with the story, and it didn’t annoy me the way some of the past character’s hangups did.

The plot in this story was what pushed it above the others in the series. There was a goal, something I could cheer Brent on for as he worked to accomplish it. The cover gives me a good idea of the sort of picture he came up with, even though the photoshop job isn’t great. It works with the story, but not with the theme of the rest of the series. I honestly think this book could have been written as a standalone novella, but seeing Dan and Gene one last time was nice.

I think this novella could have been stretched out to a full length book. The guys got together in the blink of an eye, without a lot of buildup or romance. And while Tristan makes it clear at the end that he’s happy being with Brent for now, there were still a lot of things left unresolved. Tristan’s living situation didn’t get any better, and the demands on his time didn’t get any less. The story had a happy ending for Brent, while Tristan felt more like he was a prize Brent got to take home than anything else.

My biggest complaint has to do with the lack of prep before penetrative sex. No matter what book or what author, if there’s no prep, not even a single quick sentence about it, I notice. Because prep = care for your partner, and without that care, my opinion of the relationship goes down.

2.75 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 110 pages. Published January 2nd 2012 by Dreamspinner Press 

Blurb:

In the battle to regulate his blood sugar, Jerry March joins a new gym, but while working out his insecurity, he overdoes it on the treadmill. His insulin drops and so does Jerry. Fellow gym member Gianni Lappatura rushes to his rescue with a glass of juice and a helping hand.

A few days later, Jerry gets to return the favor. After watching Gianni’s opera-singing strip act, Jerry finds him stuck in the rain with a dead battery and saves the day. As thanks and because he thinks Jerry is cute, Gianni asks him on a date. It’s too good to be true, and Jerry soon learns his Mr. Perfect needs a bit of help of own. But Gianni’s imperfections open Jerry’s eyes to the beauty of limitations. 

Likes:

• Characters with medical disabilities.
• Jerry wasn’t muscular and physically perfect.
• Gianni realized his good looks were pure luck and knew he was more than them.
• Strippers.

Dislikes:

• I didn’t really care for Jerry or Gianni.
• The way the characters acted felt juvenile.
• The dreaded misunderstanding.
• Jerry and Gianni both have terrible taste in men.
• Jerry’s diabetes being a relationship killer.
• Not much about Gianni’s life.
• I doubt they would last as a couple.

This book would have gotten 3 stars if it wasn’t for the classic misunderstanding. And I’m not talking classic as in a 1969 mustang but as in a classic mullet hairstyle. Immediately recognizable and hated by almost everyone. In this case, Jerry thought Gianni was cheating and didn’t talk about it. Ugh.

But I’ll go back to the beginning.

Jerry has the kind of diabetes that requires him to constantly keep tabs on his blood sugar – from test strips to multiple insulin injections a day to eating lots of snacks. And because he’s had some bad experiences, he thinks the diabetes makes him unlovable. Or rather, diabetes = high maintenance = too much work = getting dumped. After finishing the book, I’m convinced that 1.) Jerry has terrible tastes in men and 2.) Jerry getting dumped had more to do with his clinginess and insecurities than his diabetes.

There was a lot of jealousy in this book, to the point where it made me cringe. I don’t like clingy characters in the first place, and Jerry’s reactions felt over the top. He didn’t want anyone to look at, touch, talk to, be near, go shopping with, or flirt with Gianni. Some of it I could understand, what with Gianni stripping and all. But the insecurity that the jealousy stemmed from was never really put to rest. I have serious doubts that this couple would be able to last long term.

Because the book is from Jerry’s point of view, it’s mostly about him. I don’t know much about Gianni at all. They never even went to Gianni’s apartment. Everything between them took place at Jerry’s house. No interaction with Gianni’s friends and only a quick mention or two of his work. His function in the story was as a love interest and nothing more.

That’s funny because Gianni complains about how all the guys who come to watch him strip see him as a slab of beefcake. Well, duh. I’m sorry, but if I’m supposed to feel bad for him at being objectified when he’s one stage, I don’t. I do feel bad at how people still treat him like a stripper when he’s out and about in daily life, but that’s as far as my sympathy goes.

I did like some parts of this book, including how much a part of Jerry’s life his diabetes was. I wish he’d said why he had it since he was ten. Gianni became the one who had to tell Jerry that he was more than his disease, which was sweet. Unfortunately, Gianni’s ‘imperfection’ was almost laughable, especially at how it was tied to the miscommunication.

Honestly, the plot in this book was just weird. It was like Gray was scraping the bottom of the barrel for insecurities and reasons a guy could think of himself as unlovable. And the way the characters acted, especially at the beginning, from the giggling to Gianni’s mom booking the restaurant appointment, reminded me of something high school-ish. I don’t know how else to explain it. It didn’t feel like two adult men.

Personal Training (Work Out #6) by Andrew Grey

2.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 118 pages. Published August 3rd 2011 by Dreamspinner Press

Blurb:

Determined not to end up like his seventy-year-old diabetic father, Holton knows he needs to make a change. His quest to improve his health drives him to the gym, where he meets Marcus, a trainer with the body of a demigod. For three months Holton works hard, watches what he eats, drops a few pounds-and catches Marcus’s eye not only for his slimmer body but for his dedication. 
Holton can barely believe it when Marcus asks him out, but he isn’t about to say no. Despite several common interests, though, Marcus and Holton have some roadblocks to overcome. A harrowing event from Holton’s past has made him gun-shy, and Marcus has insecurities of his own. If their relationship is going to work, they’ll have to get past their hang-ups and prove that what really matters is the man inside.

Likes:

• Beginning hooked me.
• Not as formulaic as many of the others.
• Holton wasn’t athletic or buff at the beginning of the book.

Dislikes:

• The 0 to 60 in a flash romance.
• No spark between Holton and Marcus.
• I honestly have no idea why Marcus liked Holton so much.
• Holton’s trauma was so much worse than I expected, and the way it was ignored bothered me a lot.
• The blurb doesn’t really capture how depressing the book is.

After reading the blurb for this book, I thought I knew what was going to happen. I expected that something bad would happen to Holton’s dad because of his diabetes, and Holton would realize that he needed to get in shape or risk ending up like his dad. He’d go to the gym and meet Marcus, a shallow man with the body of a god who would come to realize how great a guy Holton was despite not being the most swole guy around.

That was not what this book was about. Holton’s dad’s diabetes was mentioned once at the beginning, and only in relation to him not being able to have a big piece of cake. In reality, it was Holton’s mom who had the degenerate disease that took up a large chunk of the book’s focus. Marcus and Holton didn’t slowly get to know each other. Marcus only spoke to Holton once before the day he asked him out, after Holton had been working out for months and lost forty pounds.

But I found all of that out after getting into the book. As for the beginning, I liked it. Holton was very relatable. His quest to get in shape for himself and his own health was admirable.

The fact that Marcus only develops an interest in Holton after the weight loss made me start out with a bad impression of him. I ended up just genuinely confused about why he liked Holton and why he was willing to go so far for a guy he knew next to nothing about. Marcus really goes above and beyond, often being the only driving force in the relationship.

I ended up feeling like Holton was a very passive character, both in his relationship with Marcus and his life in general. Even at the beginning, it’s clear that he has some sort of trauma, but instead of coming right out and telling the reader what it was to begin with, it was teased, which was annoying. I had an inkling of what it was, but the reality proved to be super dark.

Holton never got professional help, causing him to seal himself off from people. But what killed it for me was that, even after realizing that he should have gotten help back when the incident first happened, he continued not to seek out help. Instead, Marcus’s magical dick made all the bad things go away. Literally. “He’d tried to hold the ghosts of his past at bay for years, but nothing had worked until he’d found Marcus and fallen in love.”  Bullshit.

This story really didn’t work for me. The dark trauma, the sudden and inexplicable commitment from Marcus, and the focus on Holton’s mom’s disease made this a difficult read. I lost interest around the 27% mark and ended up skimming the last 20%. There was a lot going on that didn’t work with the romance. I really don’t understand what the thinking was behind making the story progress the way it did.

Positive Resistance (Work Out #5) by Andrew Grey

3.5 out of 5 stars

Ebook. 107 pages. Published June 8th 2011 by Dreamspinner Press 

Blurb:

Blobby Bobby and Lane the Pain. A thousand years ago, Lane spent his time in high school tormenting Robert Stephen Phillips to the point of tears. Stephen thought he’d left all of that behind, including his extra weight and his horrid nickname, when he came out to his parents. But now Stephen’s been transferred back to his hometown and will once again have to face his disapproving parents and childhood nemesis. 

Imagine Stephen’s surprise when Lane turns out to have changed from school bully to persistent, attentive suitor. If Lane the Pain can hear Stephen’s most painful of intimate details and still want to pursue a relationship, is it possible that Stephen can reconnect with the family that turned on him years ago?

Likes:

• Both Bobby and Lane.
• The issues they have to overcome in order to be together.
• The characters felt a little more real, their problems of more consequence.
• I connected more to these characters than some of the previous book’s characters.
• An ending that, while not everything was wrapped up, there was hope for the future.

Dislikes:

• The book blurb doesn’t do a good job capturing the tone or the main issues in the book.
• It took a while for the story to get going.
• Steven forgives Lane’s past actions surprisingly easily.
• Lane’s life could have used a bit more definition.

This book has the potential to be my favorite of the series. I like both ‘coming home’ stories and ‘ugly duckling to swan’ stories, and this one had both. Not that either was a huge part of the plot, but it was there in the beginning.

Written entirely from Steven’s point of view, the story focuses on him as he tries to make new memories in a town he was happy to leave behind. When he meets Lane, one of his former high school tormentors, I was expecting more drama. But the whole thing passed by really fast. Lane apologized and that was kind of it. After they’d known each other a while, it was brought up again, and Steven said he could see how much Lane had grown as a person. And while it worked for the story, I was expecting it to have a bigger impact.

The book blurb focuses a lot on Steven coming back to town, but the story is more about him learning to believe that he can love again, despite

being HIV positive. Honestly, I was hoping this was what the big ‘surprise’ was going to be. The hints were definitely there, and it was nice to see an HIV character. This isn’t the first time I’ve read a romance about an HIV positive character, but Steven’s concern for Lane felt really real. It made me respect Steven, even though he’d planned on never being intimate with someone ever again.

The personal journey Lane went through to accept Steven was really touching. This book had a great ending. It wasn’t perfectly wrapped up, but it ended on a high note that left me thinking that everything would be okay in the future. I wish all the rest of the books had touched my heart as much as this one, but I’m still holding out hope for the rest.