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03May

Review: Before I Wake by Eli Easton

Posted in *Paddles - Story rating, *Sting Factor - kink level, 0 out of 5 Sting Factor, 3 out of 5 Paddles, Reviews | 1 Comment

Before I Wake by Eli Easton

Link to buy

ASIN B00CICP6NY

Story Rating: 3 out of 5 paddles

Sting Factor (kink): 0 out of 5

Review:

Jonesy is a nurse’s assistant working the graveyard shift at a hospital when a new comatose patient is brought in. The young man, named Michael, has been the victim of a gay bashing and the doctors aren’t sure if he will ever come out of his coma, or if there is any brain damage even if he does wake up. It soon becomes clear that the young man has nobody who really cares about him. His religious parents threw him out on the street when he told them he was gay, and after one visit to him in the hospital, they tell the doctors to take him off life support.

To everyone’s surprise, Michael breathes on his own when the ventilator is shut off. Bit by bit, he starts to improve and Jonesy spends as much time with him as possible, taking extra care to talk to him and keep his body healthy. When the hospital plans to move the uninsured patient to a state long term care facility, Jonesy makes plans to care for Michael in his own home.

In Michael’s own mind, he is trapped in a dungeon right out of his “Lord of the Rings” fantasies, alone for the most part. He spends his time trying to find a way out, but the dungeon is a maze and he isn’t sure which exit to take.

This is a sweet short story that you will almost certainly finish in a single sitting. There is no kink to this tale. There is almost no sensual contact between the two men at all. It’s just a ‘nice’ little story, which could be the start of something longer and more interesting but is complete enough on its own.

12Mar

Review: Taking a Chance by A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder

Posted in *Paddles - Story rating, *Sting Factor - kink level, 2.5 out of 5 Sting Factor, 4 out of 5 Paddles, Reviews | Leave a comment

Taking a Chance by A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder

http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_106&products_id=3694

Story Rating: 4 out of 5 paddles

Sting Factor (kink): 2.5 out of 5

Doctor Jacob Davison has outgrown the hookups of his younger days and wants to settle down. When he’s abandoned by the side of the road, a leather-clad stranger stops and offers him a ride. Chance Renton is different from anyone Jay’s ever met. He’s caring and helpful, yet cynical and world-weary.

From the first moment of their shared motorcycle ride, an attraction begins to simmer between them. Between Jay’s ex-boyfriend showing up and the misconceptions they have about each other, does this relationship have a chance?

About this book:

For 2012-2013, Torquere’s authors have chosen the theme “Leather Bound” in honor of Torquere’s ninth anniversary. The ninth is traditionally the leather anniversary, what better theme to let GLBTQ writers go wild. The charity which will benefit from this year’s Charity Blitz is NOH8, whose mission is to promote marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest. More than twenty five authors have written short fiction pieces and have agreed to donate all proceeds of the sales of these stories to this year’s charitable organization. Torquere Press Inc. will match the authors’ donations completely.

Review:

This is a very well written short story by the writing team of Noon and Wilder. The sex scenes (and there are a few) are incredibly hot. Even though this is a short piece, as a reader you feel for the character of Jay and wish he’d end up with a good guy after breaking up with his asshole of a boyfriend.

I have never read anything by this writing team before, but after reading this short I would be interested in reading more from them.

20Feb

Review: Shot in the Dark by H.J. Raine and Kelly Wyre

Posted in *Paddles - Story rating, *Sting Factor - kink level, 3 out of 5 Paddles, 3 out of 5 Sting Factor, Reviews | Leave a comment

Shot in the Dark by H.J. Raine and Kelly Wyre

http://www.amazon.com/Shot-in-the-Dark-ebook/dp/B0096BFEKA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361419839&sr=1-1&keywords=shot+in+the+dark+by+kelly+wyre

ASIN B0096BFEKA

Story Rating: 3 out of 5 paddles

Sting Factor (kink): 3 out of 5

Review:

The story starts out at a firing range where it goes into a flash back of Ellis and Maxwell’s time together as lovers. Ellis meets Maxwell originally in a PTSD group after a tour in Afghanistan where they become friends, and then later in the story they meet at a club and divulge some of their fantasies to one another. Maxwell takes charge and makes some of Ellis’ fantasies come true. Once the flashback ends, Maxwell proposes a new question to Ellis, but will he game?

This is a quick, HOT, fun M/m read with guns, suspension, and a romantic version of a Dom/sub relationship. The story was hard to follow to start off with but then I got lost in the ultra hot scene with these two characters. They already trusted each other beyond a shadow of a doubt due to their previous experiences together, so the trust aspect in their scene was beyond question and easy to lead into their BDSM dynamic with one another. This novella could easily be a prequel or a quick transition to some of the authors other works, but I am unsure if that is how this is intended. You’re definitely left wanting to know what happens next and asking for more!

Reviewed by Jennifer

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18Feb

Review: A Brown Eyed Handsome Man by DC Juris

Posted in *Paddles - Story rating, *Sting Factor - kink level, 3.5 out of 5 Sting Factor, 5 out of 5 Paddles, Reviews | Leave a comment

A Brown Eyed Handsome Man by DC Juris

http://www.amazon.com/Brown-Eyed-Handsome-Man-ebook/dp/B008UYO2GQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361222252&sr=1-1&keywords=a+brown+eyed+handsome+man

ASIN B008UYO2GQ

Story Rating: 5 out of 5 paddles

Sting Factor (kink): 3.5 out of 5

Review:

(may contain spoilers…read with caution)

Drake aka Angela is a transgender man. From my understanding transgender means a person that’s one gender but feels and wants to live as another gender. In this story Angela is married and her husband is quite rude to her about discussing her transgender issue. She meets Rocky at a bar, when she is dressed as Drake.

This is a novella so there is little background but the book does not suffer. You get a glimpse into the mental and emotional suffering about Angela’s Indecision but in the end she ultimately decides what’s best for her and Drake. Quite a lovely piece and I will look for more stories by this author.

Reviewd by Sizzling Miss Kim

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12Feb

Review: Cereus: Opening by Sean Michael, Julia Talbot, and BA Tortuga

Posted in *Paddles - Story rating, *Sting Factor - kink level, 2 out of 5 Sting Factor, 3 out of 5 Paddles, Reviews | 1 Comment

Cereus : Opening by Sean Michael, Julia Talbot, and BS Tortuga

http://www.amazon.com/Cereus-Opening-ebook/dp/B009DMLR7Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360680830&sr=1-1&keywords=cereus+opening

ASIN B009DMLR7Q

Story Rating: 3 out of 5 paddles

Sting Factor (kink): 2 out of 5

Review:

If, like me, you haven’t read the first collection of stories in this series, it seems to boil down to this: A dragon, a vampire and a werewolf walk into a bar… or whatever, and decide to open a resort for all the things that go bump in the night; sort of a Club Med for the fanged and furry. The first book contained stories covering the building of Cereus, and now this collection recounts three tales from the opening. Each of the short stories focuses on a different set of characters, although there are also common players that appear in all the tales.

In the first story, “Pack Rules” by BA Tortuga and Julia Talbot, werewolf security chief “Van” Donovan has to come to terms with his former lover Mik, a vampire. The two fell out some years ago over Van’s need to serve his pack, but the two have never really gotten over each other, and now they’re forced to work together. Van is determined not to let his ‘mate’ get away from him again, just as Mik is trying to avoid getting hurt by what he saw as a betrayal. He tries to keep away from Van, but the wolf enjoys a chase, just as he enjoys domination. And while vampires may be known as tops, in truth Mik likes being dominated, and even needs a little discipline from time to time.

11Jul

Call for submissions at Torquere Press

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Call for Submissions: He Loves Me for My Brainsss

Zombie stories are hot right now… and here at Torquere Press we think they could be even hotter! Get your delicious brains churning, and give us your unique, zombie-themed love stories! Is your hero a zombie-slayer — or is he in love with one? Maybe your hero is desperately searching for a cure to save an infected loved one. Maybe he’s the one making the zombies in the first place. Maybe he’s even a zombie himself!

These are the stories we want to showcase in “He Loves Me for My Brainsss”, a new anthology of sexy, romantic m/m stories about men finding love in the face of a zombie crisis. All settings and heat ratings are welcome, but we’re looking for strong characters in fully realized, happy-ending stories with a little more zing to them than the “survivors meet and fall in love” stock standard. Note: While it is true that the undead can be sexy, and it is also true that part of the fun of zombies is their gross-out factor, we ask that you avoid combining these two elements directly, in order to appeal to the widest possible audience.

Any word count from 5000 words and up is welcome, no stories shorter than the minimum please. Stories should be sent to the email address listed on submission page with Brainsss Anthology in the subject line. Deadline for submission is October 1, 2012 for a projected January 2013 publication. Stories will be contracted for first time print and electronic rights, and payment will be
$50.00 US plus contributor copies. Please see our general submission guidelines for how to format your submission.

https://www.torquerepress.com/submissions.html

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23May

Call for submissions– Torquere Press

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Charity Sip Blitz 2012

It’s that time again, where all of our great authors get together to donate

to a charity working within the GLBTQ community! This year, Torquere Press

has chosen NOH8 as the donation charity, and authors who contribute agree to

donate 100% of their royalties to NOH8, with Torquere Press matching the

donation.

This year’s theme, since this is Torquere Press’ ninth anniversary as well,

is leather. Nine is the leather anniversary, y’all! How cool is that?

Leather can be reflected in any way in the story. BDSM may immediately

spring to mind, but leather can also mean cowboys, fast cars, Italian shoes,

jewelry, or any of a million other things. We want stories that show LGBTQ

characters in positive situations, and have strong stories with happy

endings. (Or at least happy for now.)

Word count is 3000 to 8000 words, and those limits are firm. Please adjust

your manuscripts accordingly before submission. Deadline for submissions is

July 1, 2012. Please send all submissions to submissions@torquerepress.com

with Charity Sip Blitz in the subject line. For formatting questions or

other content questions, please refer to our general guidelines, here:

http://torquerepress.com/submissions.html

Leather up and send us your charity sips for NOH8!

Ink

Do you love the idea of a man with tattoos? We do too — all that lovely

skin with just the right mark on the shoulder, or over the heart. Maybe your

hero is decorated all over, or maybe he’s about to take the plunge for the

first time. Maybe he’s the one who puts ink to skin, or perhaps he loves the

man who does.

That’s the concept behind Ink, a new male/male anthology from Torquere

Press. We?re looking for sexy, romantic male/male stories about men and ink,

whether they have tattoos themselves, or love a man who does.

Stories can be from any sub-genre, but they should be fully realized with

strong characters and a happy ever after, or at least happy for now,

endings. They should be between 5000 and 12000 words long, and should be

submitted in full and include a synopsis and author biography in the cover

letter. Please put your name or pseudonym in the manuscript as well as in

your submission email.

Send submissions to submissions@torquerepress.com with Ink in the subject

line. Payment is a $50.00 flat fee for first time electronic and print

rights for three years, and a print copy of the book. No reprints, please.

Deadline for submissions is September 1, 2012 for a December 2012

Publication.

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26Apr

Review: Peace Within the Quiet, a Velvet Glove Story by Sean Michael

Posted in *Paddles - Story rating, *Sting Factor - kink level, 1 out of 5 Sting Factor, 3 out of 5 Paddles, Reviews | Leave a comment

Peace Within the Quiet, a Velvet Glove Story by Sean Michael

http://www.amazon.com/Peace-Within-Quiet-Velvet-ebook/dp/B007I6HGR4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1335398844&sr=1-1

ASIN B007I6HGR4

Book Rating: 3 out of 5 paddles

Sting factor (kink): 1 out of 5

Review:

Gloucester is an aging sub who hasn’t belonged to a top for a very long time. He’s throwing himself a bit of a pity party at being thrown over by yet another top for a younger sub when he decides to pull himself up and go on the prowl. Gloucester haunts the halls of The Velvet Glove, a giant BDSM club of the future. In his wanderings, Gloucester comes across Katashi, a top with an apparent talent for rope. Katashi seems taken with Gloucester and invites him to share a meal, and then a meditation session. The two men are quite enamored of each other and by the second night they seem well on the way to forming a relationship.

Peace Within the Quiet is a very short story recycled from a five year old collection. While there is quite a bit of discussion of pain and bondage, it’s all in the past. What’s actually depicted in the few scenes described is a very gentle seduction. It’s a rather sweet romantic story. Being a short story, it moves at a blinding, almost unbelievable, pace and there’s absolutely no drama to it. The writing is competent, but as a BDSM story it gives you nothing to fire your imagination.

Reviewed by Michael Joseph

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12Mar

Call for Submissions

Posted in 1kinkyreader, blog | Leave a comment

MASKS OFF!

Everyone loves a masquerade, right? The masks, the mystery, the seduction of the reveal! Now imagine a masquerade with an extra layer: some of the men wear a mask beneath their mask. They’re shapeshifters. Be they cats or canines, dragons or foxes, all shifters are welcome, as long they don’t forget to wear a mask.

We’re looking for sexy, romantic male/male tales for Masks Off! In which at least one partner is a shifter. Light BDSM is welcome, but is not mandatory. Stories should be between 5000 and 12000 words long, and should be submitted in full and include a synopsis and author biography in the cover letter. Please put your name or pseudonym in the manuscript as well as in your submission email.

Send submissions to submissions@torquerepress.com with Masks Off! in the subject line. Payment is a $50.00 flat fee for first time electronic and print rights for three years, and a print copy of the book. No reprints, please. Deadline for submissions is April 1, 2012 for an August 2012 publication.

WEIRD SCIENCE

Who doesn’t love the idea of the mad scientist, working away in his lab, his sexy creature or lab assistant just waiting for him to notice them? Or what about the grad student who discovers just the potion that will make him the stud his oblivious roommate has always wanted…

That’s the idea behind the Weird Science anthology. We’re looking for sexy, romantic male/male stories about what happens when science gets wild and wonderful in the name of love. Make us laugh, make us fall in love, and make us happy at the end! We’re not looking for hard science fiction or horror for this anthology, but we do want fully realized stories with strong characters.

08Mar

Review: The New Deal by HJ Raine and Kelly Wyre

Posted in 3 out of 5 Paddles, Reviews | Leave a comment

The New Deal
HJ Raine and Kelly Wyre
Torquere Press [link to buy]
ASIN B006GRYZCK

Rating: 3 out of 5 paddles

Daniel and Clark seem to enjoy an intense relationship. Former Drill Sargent Clark seems to be an extreme pain slut, and Daniel likes to dish it out. “The New Deal” is a short story chronicling one hot scene between the two, as Daniel binds Clark and then inflicts progressively more pain on his body. It’s implied that they’ve discussed the scene before-hand, but there’s still plenty of tension as well as apprehension in the air between the two.

The two characters seem to have quite a bit of history, with Daniel referred to as ‘the professor’ many times, although professor of what we’re never told. In fact, there’s quite a bit of what sounds like an interesting back-story hinted at early on. I found this rather frustrating, as it made the early parts of the story quite muddled. On checking out the authors, it appears that this story is some kind of short follow-on to “Hearts Under Fire”, featuring the same two main characters from that story. Having not read the first book, I was quite lost during the first parts of the story.

However, that confusion is easily forgotten as the scene finally gets heavy. It does get quite hot and heavy, with a slow build-up as Daniel restrains and teases Clark before moving on to inflict the pain Clark needs. Daniel comes of a wee bit wimpy at times, for a sadist, but as the scene progresses it becomes clear that some of this is due to how much he cares for Clark, and how much he wants to please the man. In a way, Clark comes off as the more dominant character, even though he is the one who gets trussed up and whipped.

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