A – Z |The Dark Horse

April 18, 2020April 20, 2020 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 13 Comments

I’ve read The Dark Horse (The Dark Horse #1) by Josh Lanyon which means D now is completed as well. I guess most M/M readers have come across books by Ms Lanyon. I’ve read my fair share, though far from all of them. This, for example, is from 2012, so quite a few years old now. I think, of all Lanyon stories I’ve read, Winter (The Haunted Heart #1) is my favourite, but this isn’t bad either.

We have a tough detective and Hollywood actor who has managed to attract a stalker – all in classic Lanyon fashion.

As a teen Sean, the actor, had some mental health problems, and that makes everyone around act as if he’s fragile and unable to see things clearly. He might begin to believe them, but when his best friend and his lover start making decisions for him, things go from bad to worse.

While this is a mystery, a chase to get to the stalker before it’s too late, it’s just as much a story about a fragile relationship and what lack of trust and communication might cause.

It’s Lanyon, you know what you get, you know it’s gonna be good, so if you’re in the mood, check it out.

books2read.com/TheDarkHorse

The Dark Horse by Josh Lanyon Love is a dark horse—and Sean Fairchild is in for the ride of his life.

Paul Hammond is dead. That’s what tough and sexy LAPD Detective Daniel Moran tells his lover, Hollywood actor Sean Fairchild—and Sean wants to believe him, but what about those threatening postcards in Hammond’s handwriting? What about the fact that he’s seeing Hammond everywhere he goes? Yes, Sean’s had some emotional problems in the past, but that was a long time ago and he’s not imagining things, so why is Dan looking at him that way?

The last thing Sean needs is someone doubting him, especially when he’s competing for the coveted leading role in the screen adaptation of The Charioteer. But then again, as ex-lover and manager Steve points out, what does Sean really know about his new boyfriend?

Dan is a dark horse—and maybe Sean is betting too much on this relationship. It’s not just Sean’s career at stake, or his relationship, or even his sanity—-it’s his life.

A-Z Title Challenge 2020

A – All I See

B – Bearly Dating

C – Champagne Kisses

D – The Dark Horse

G – A Gentle Shove of Human Kindness

H – Howl

I – I Will Meet You at Asphodel’s Pit

L – Landslide

O – Out For Delivery

P – Purrfect Harmony

Q – Quill Me Now

W – Words

X – Xavier

I started a Pinterest board for M/M books sorted by title, if you need help finding a title on a certain letter.

Chicken Soup | Mel Bossa

April 14, 2020April 3, 2020 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

Are you spending your days reading, immersing yourself in long series to distract yourself from the world situation? Or are you like me and have a hard time to focus on anything for more than a few minutes?

If you’re like me, or just want to take a short break between books, I have a cute little read for you. I dedicated February to short reads and Nell Iris recommended Chicken Soup by Mel Bossa. If you haven’t read anything by Ms Iris, check her out. Especially if you’re on the lookout for shorter reads.

But now to the story I should be talking about – Chicken Soup by Mel Bossa. It’s ‘only’ 14 pages long, but oh so cute. It’s Pride week and Jimmy is in a bar celebrating his friend’s birthday. He’s not feeling well, his throat is scratchy and he should be home in bed, but there is this guy…

Nolan moved to the city not too long ago, and the next day he’s to be in the Pride parade, dancing. He exited and wants Jimmy to come watch. Jimmy says he will, but when morning comes that scratchy throat is worse.

I’m not gonna say anything more about it because then I’ll ruin everything, but it’s super cute.

Now, this would be perfect for my A – Z Title Challenge, but I already had a book on C.

books2read.com/ChickenSoup

Chicken Soup Though Jimmy’s ill and isn’t getting any better, he hopes to have a bit of fun during Pride weekend. When he meets Nolan, a young dancer in the parade, Jimmy takes a chance on making himself vulnerable for the first time in years.

What Jimmy doesn’t expect is how strong Nolan will make him feel with a simple gesture of support.

Note: This short story was originally published in the charity collection, Love Is Proud.

A – Z | Quill Me Now

April 9, 2020April 20, 2020 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 13 Comments

Q people! I have my Q LOL. I’ve read Quill Me Now (The ABCs of Spellcraft 1) by Jordan Castillo Price. It just hit me that I must come across as book hoarder (no at all true, nah ah… okay it’s totally true) because I begin most blog posts with ‘I’ve had this book for a long time’.

I got this when it came out, so while not that long ago, I’ve had it for about a year. And now I’m glad I’ve saved it, because Q! And while I read it, I was wondering if Jordan Castillo Price also enjoys reading challenges – book title beginning with Q, Character names Dixon and Yuri.

Dixon Penn comes from a family of Scriveners, people who write spells, but he failed his Quilling Ceremony and is now delivering food for a living. Failing had never even occurred to him, and ever since he’s been lost.

He was sure he could do magic. Certain.

When he spots a Valentine Card competition, he feels compelled to enter. From there, things escalate. Dixon needs to get into the card company, and there he runs into the head of security, Yuri. Things aren’t what they appear to be, though, and despite Yuri trying to help Dixon best he can, they end up in a bind.

My favourite scene in this story was the one with the tarantula! My most recently bought pet is a Venezuelan suntiger (Psalmopoeus irminia). And right now, it’s just a tiny little thing, but it’ll grow to be 12-14 cm pretty fast. But, despite being quite fond of my eight-legged monster, I wouldn’t want to have it crawl on me…

It’s Jordan Castillo Price, people. You know the writing will be good, and while I was a bit confused about the magic system in the beginning, I really enjoyed this story. Who knows, I might even read the next. That’s another thing, I’ve noted about myself – I most often only read the first book in a series, even when I like that first book.

books2read.com/Quill-Me-Now

Quill Me Now What if the words you wrote came true?

Spellcraft isn’t exactly a respectable business, but it does pay the bills. At least, it should. Unfortunately, Dixon Penn failed his Spellcraft initiation. Instead of working in his family’s shop, he’s stuck delivering takeout orders in his uncle’s beat-up Buick.

Winning a Valentine’s Day contest at the largest greeting card company in the tri-state area would be just the thing to get his life back on track—but something at Precious Greetings just doesn’t add up. And despite numerous warnings to quit pestering them about his contest entry, he just can’t stop himself from coming back again and again.

It doesn’t hurt that the head of security is such a hottie. If Dixon had any common sense, he’d be scared of the big, mysterious, tattooed Russian.

To be fair, no one ever accused him of being too smart….