A rollicking good read! Not having read the original Wodehouse (although feeling a sudden desire to) but being a huge fan of the TV series I adored these stories - I could hear Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry in my head. True to character and quick of wit, I couldn't stop laughing. Bally good show wot!
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Excellent book about the BLF deregistration from someone who was involved in the class struggle and union movements at the time. Very informative and contains plenty of references to era documention, newspaper articles, laws, statements etc. Highly readable.
Beth is willing to do almost anything to meet her dream man—including taking boxing lessons. She passes Harry’s gym for weeks before mustering up the nerve to walk in and talk to the gorgeous owner. Once she does, sparks fly as well as punches.Their budding relationship is tested with the arrival of Ky, Harry’s old Army buddy. After years of frustrated longing for his fellow soldier, Ky is hoping that he can win Harry’s heart. He hadn’t planned on Beth, however—or the scorching desire she inspires.As the trio struggle to accept their feelings for each other, a menacing figure stalks Beth, watching, waiting—and preparing to snatch her away from the two men she’s grown to love
Normally what I'd call chick lit, One-Two Punch can be very funny but also deals well with more serious issues. There is much less sexism in this book than there is in most of the genre, and the sex is quite good. The plot also stands up to a second read.
The sub-plot of Beth's stalker is nicely interwoven with Beth's crush on Harry, her feelings for Ky and snippets from Harry's point of view about his feelings for both of them. Beth's attitude towards Ky is refreshing and natural and she really gives us a sympathetic insight into his character. Unusually (and wonderfully) Harry and Ky are both macho and unselfconsciously affectionate with each other. I'll definitely be looking out for more books by this author.
Normally what I'd call chick lit, One-Two Punch can be very funny but also deals well with more serious issues. There is much less sexism in this book than there is in most of the genre, and the sex is quite good. The plot also stands up to a second read.
The sub-plot of Beth's stalker is nicely interwoven with Beth's crush on Harry, her feelings for Ky and snippets from Harry's point of view about his feelings for both of them. Beth's attitude towards Ky is refreshing and natural and she really gives us a sympathetic insight into his character. Unusually (and wonderfully) Harry and Ky are both macho and unselfconsciously affectionate with each other. I'll definitely be looking out for more books by this author.
Doctor Stephen Grey is kidnapped and taken to treat a pirate captain, John, on board his ship. But after the doctor patches him up the captain decides he wants to keep this pretty young doctor as a bed-warmer, whether the doctor wants to be kept or not.
Sean Michael is an excellent writer but the consent issues in this book mean that it's not my favourite of his. This isn't just playing with consent and even though it ends up all fine and dandy I would classify most of the sex in this book as rape, which just isn't something I'm looking for in my average gay romance.
Still, the story is eminently readable and the sex is hot.
Sean Michael is an excellent writer but the consent issues in this book mean that it's not my favourite of his. This isn't just playing with consent and even though it ends up all fine and dandy I would classify most of the sex in this book as rape, which just isn't something I'm looking for in my average gay romance.
Still, the story is eminently readable and the sex is hot.
Dae is a gay werewolf. Hurting after his tumultuous relationship with Jack finally ended - Jack having cheated on him one too many times, he goes for a run shifted and gets struck by a car. Brought to his own vet clinic and treated by his assistant Sean, he starts to realise that maybe what he's been needing was right there all along.
A Change of Heart has an interesting plot, a fair bit of mystery/suspense as well as the usual romance. It's very well written, the characters detailed and real, and their emotions ring true. I didn't think that the writer made enough use of the fact that Dae is a werewolf personally and I would have preferred if some of the scenes were more drawn out - I think a full=length novel could have been made of this. Nonetheless I count it as a rollicking good read.
A Change of Heart has an interesting plot, a fair bit of mystery/suspense as well as the usual romance. It's very well written, the characters detailed and real, and their emotions ring true. I didn't think that the writer made enough use of the fact that Dae is a werewolf personally and I would have preferred if some of the scenes were more drawn out - I think a full=length novel could have been made of this. Nonetheless I count it as a rollicking good read.
Kevin and Zach are committed partners, but Zach wants his sexy friend Abby too and Abby wants both of them. The only problem is that Kevin is gay... or is he? He agrees to have one kinky night with both of them - playing good cop, bad cop, and slutty escaped convict. But will one night be enough? Can Kevin handle more?
In my opinion this is ‘gay man finds out he isn’t maybe so gay’ done right. One of the stereotypical straight woman’s cliché fantasies, I’ve never before seen it written in a way that didn’t send me into gales of disgusted laughter, let alone seen it actually done well. In Arresting Abby however, this hoary old chestnut was believable. Quite frankly I’m amazed as I didn’t think this scenario could ever be anything but ridiculous. Written in smoothly alternating points of view, Kevin – the self-professed gay man, speaks to me loud and clear. All the characters are convincing but Kevin’s internal conflict rings truest. Zach’s hopeful manipulations are also a winner.
The sex was well written, and my only complaints are that there was too much of it, and they had an impossible number of orgasms. But since that’s par for the course with this kind of book I’ll overlook it.
No book with lots of man-woman sex in it is likely to get more than three and a half stars from me (unless there’s some serious D/s anyway) – just my personal preferences, so ignore my rating if you like. I found this worth reading.
In my opinion this is ‘gay man finds out he isn’t maybe so gay’ done right. One of the stereotypical straight woman’s cliché fantasies, I’ve never before seen it written in a way that didn’t send me into gales of disgusted laughter, let alone seen it actually done well. In Arresting Abby however, this hoary old chestnut was believable. Quite frankly I’m amazed as I didn’t think this scenario could ever be anything but ridiculous. Written in smoothly alternating points of view, Kevin – the self-professed gay man, speaks to me loud and clear. All the characters are convincing but Kevin’s internal conflict rings truest. Zach’s hopeful manipulations are also a winner.
The sex was well written, and my only complaints are that there was too much of it, and they had an impossible number of orgasms. But since that’s par for the course with this kind of book I’ll overlook it.
No book with lots of man-woman sex in it is likely to get more than three and a half stars from me (unless there’s some serious D/s anyway) – just my personal preferences, so ignore my rating if you like. I found this worth reading.
Marty Jones is a 38-year-old carpenter, estranged from his family and living in another state, California. Intrigued by his painfully shy neighbour 29-year-old Larry Travis, Marty asks him out. As Larry comes out of his shell, Marty discovers that inside Larry's shy exterior is a sweet and sexy man. Whilst falling for each other they deal with little problems along the way - like Larry breaking his arm, a jealous ex of Marty's, and general insecurities. They hang out with Marty's friends Ronald and Ray, and Marty decides to get back in contact with his family bringing Larry along to meet them as well. Larry also introduces Marty to his family. While it isn't all fun and games it works out well in the end.
I found the book a bit schmaltzy in places, although given the title that can be expected. The writer has obviously tried to flesh out the characters, although she hasn't completely succeeded. I did find the dialogue somewhat forced at times and the book was a little slow in places.
Nonetheless I found it worth a second read. The plot is sweet and the romance believable. The viewpoint alternates between the writer's main characters (Marty and Larry) and they are depicted well. The sex was decently written if not thrilling.
Not to overemphasise it, but the interaction of the couple with both set of families was a winner for me. Real without being angsty, it was just right, even down to the subtle details. The subtext, all the little things, the unsaid things, looks, actions, show more all builds up to enhance the words with a lot of meaning. It feels to me like the writer knows how families work. Portrayed with understanding, Addison Albright has shown the good and the bad of family life.
I think the book shows promise and considering it is (I believe) only the writer's second full length novel, I'd count Addison Albright as a capable up-and-coming author. show less
I found the book a bit schmaltzy in places, although given the title that can be expected. The writer has obviously tried to flesh out the characters, although she hasn't completely succeeded. I did find the dialogue somewhat forced at times and the book was a little slow in places.
Nonetheless I found it worth a second read. The plot is sweet and the romance believable. The viewpoint alternates between the writer's main characters (Marty and Larry) and they are depicted well. The sex was decently written if not thrilling.
Not to overemphasise it, but the interaction of the couple with both set of families was a winner for me. Real without being angsty, it was just right, even down to the subtle details. The subtext, all the little things, the unsaid things, looks, actions, show more all builds up to enhance the words with a lot of meaning. It feels to me like the writer knows how families work. Portrayed with understanding, Addison Albright has shown the good and the bad of family life.
I think the book shows promise and considering it is (I believe) only the writer's second full length novel, I'd count Addison Albright as a capable up-and-coming author. show less
This is a story about a 16 year old boy growing and finding his independence.
Well told and well worth reading, Greg Mannering is a believable and courageous protagonist. In this wonderful coming of age story, Greg figures out what he really want to do - become a mechanic and participate in rallies - and goes after it.
Realising that no matter how hard he tries he isn't smart enough (or interested) in academic learning to please his parents, he knows that he's never going to be what they want from him. So he sets out to be his own man, with some help from a friendly mechanic/rally driver, his wife, Greg's Car Maintenance teacher, and schoolmates Chris and Megan. Who knows, maybe he'll even get the girl...
Well told and well worth reading, Greg Mannering is a believable and courageous protagonist. In this wonderful coming of age story, Greg figures out what he really want to do - become a mechanic and participate in rallies - and goes after it.
Realising that no matter how hard he tries he isn't smart enough (or interested) in academic learning to please his parents, he knows that he's never going to be what they want from him. So he sets out to be his own man, with some help from a friendly mechanic/rally driver, his wife, Greg's Car Maintenance teacher, and schoolmates Chris and Megan. Who knows, maybe he'll even get the girl...
Extremely interesting. Melissa Katsoulis not only tells each story engagingly, and when called for, amusingly; she also explores the simularities been types of hoaxes and a bit of the motives thereof. The book is accessible without being sensationalised. A worthwhile read if you like hoaxes and/or the history of literature.
Absolutely dreadful version of a wonderful book. I'm rather ashamed to own this version but I was given it free by some religious types (I'm being polite here). The part of the book that actually is Darwin's deservedly famous The Origin of Species is marvellous, informative and groundbreaking (for his time) as always.
The 'introduction' by Ray Comfort is nothing but a laughably transparent attempt to discredit the great man by use of fallacious logic etc. – I wouldn’t bother reading the intro unless you want a chuckle, but Darwin’s book is simply one of the best books ever written in my opinion.
The 'introduction' by Ray Comfort is nothing but a laughably transparent attempt to discredit the great man by use of fallacious logic etc. – I wouldn’t bother reading the intro unless you want a chuckle, but Darwin’s book is simply one of the best books ever written in my opinion.
I like bisexual romances but this one is dreadful. The entire thing reads like a woman's fantasy (no offence meant - but this is supposed to be from the point of view of a gay man), and a badly executed one.
There is no plot and it has more exclamation marks than Enid Blyton. Its shallow and vapid characters show no character development and jump into bed with each other without so much as a by-your-leave, let alone a believable connection to each other. The fact that the self-professed GAY man suddenly decided that yes he could and will get it on with a woman, without even an attempt at a plausible reasoning process beggers belief. For all the gay men I know a woman even being present would be a major turn-off, let alone actually engaging in penetrative sex with her - yet he doesn't even seem fazed.
Their 'falling in love' was 100% unbelievable - too quick, no emotions involved, no introspection, nothing.
And the sex! The writing is rampant with clichés and I very sincerely doubt that J.P. Bowie has ever experienced anal sex or even done any research on the topic. And I'll normally suspend disbelief on the amount of orgasms they have, but four in a row pushes my suspension...
In my opinion, the best thing about this story is the man on the front cover. It isn't worth reading even as porn let alone a romance story.
There is no plot and it has more exclamation marks than Enid Blyton. Its shallow and vapid characters show no character development and jump into bed with each other without so much as a by-your-leave, let alone a believable connection to each other. The fact that the self-professed GAY man suddenly decided that yes he could and will get it on with a woman, without even an attempt at a plausible reasoning process beggers belief. For all the gay men I know a woman even being present would be a major turn-off, let alone actually engaging in penetrative sex with her - yet he doesn't even seem fazed.
Their 'falling in love' was 100% unbelievable - too quick, no emotions involved, no introspection, nothing.
And the sex! The writing is rampant with clichés and I very sincerely doubt that J.P. Bowie has ever experienced anal sex or even done any research on the topic. And I'll normally suspend disbelief on the amount of orgasms they have, but four in a row pushes my suspension...
In my opinion, the best thing about this story is the man on the front cover. It isn't worth reading even as porn let alone a romance story.