Review: Play Me, I'm Yours by Madison Parker

Play Me, I'm Yours by Madison Parker
Harmony Ink Press
Novel: 238pgs
3.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Fairy Tate. Twinklefingers. Lucy Liu. Will the taunting ever end? Lucas Tate suffers ridicule because of his appearance and sensitive nature. When he’s not teased, he’s ignored, and he doesn’t know which is worse. He feels unloved by everyone, but the one comfort in life is his music. What he wants more than anything is to find a friend.

Much to his dismay, both his mom and a schoolmate are determined to find him a boyfriend, despite the fact Lucas hasn’t come out to them. His mom chooses a football player who redefines the term “heartthrob,” while Trish pushes him toward the only openly gay boy at Providence High. But Lucas is harboring a crush on another boy, one who writes such romantic poetry to his girlfriend that hearing it melts Lucas into a puddle of goo. All three prospects seem so far out of his league. Lucas is sure he doesn’t stand a chance with any of them—until sharing his gift for music brings him the courage to let people into his heart.

Review:
This was my very first time reading Madison Parker, and if I am correct I do believe this is her first published work? I have to say a very good effort, and I will be willing to read any other released titles. Play Me, I'm Yours follows the typical YA novel style, and with that I felt like I've read it before, written in a different sort of style but the trope is so familiar that eventually it took away from the story and made it fall into the "ok" category.

Lucas Tate lives for his music, he's an amazing piano player and its also where he finds his comfort. He come alive when he plays the piano, the fact that he's shy and social outcast seems to have no meaning when his fingers hits those keys. The only problem is that he often embarrasses himself and those close to him. He has nothing in common with his father, a brother who would rather him be less of himself, and a pushy mom who thinks that all he needs is to work on fitting in (which also means being less of himself). The final blow comes when a popular boy asks him to hang out and then humiliates him in school the following week. Lucas thought maybe he had the opportunity to make a friend and it all just went up in flames. He fits in nowhere and its starting to bring him down.

Hope comes in the form of Alex and Tricia, Lucas's only allies or should I say friends. Alex is the hot guy friend that Lucas sorta has a crush on, and he tries to build his confidence but at often times crash and burns. Tricia is seasoned in having a gay best friend so she's all "hey baby dolls, let’s get you out there and to a party and you should also date my bestie Donovan". So with this glue intact, Lucas gets out there and starts having experiences, not all positive experiences but he's out there. Lucas also spends a little of his time waiting on his brother who is on the swim team, and mostly he watches Zach one of the school star swimmers, and of course there is just no way Zach is gay (or so he believes).

While I did enjoy Lucas (he cries often but that doesn't bother me), I wished he had a stronger voice. There are moments he goes and tries to speak up, but in the end he's the one that ends up crying. It’s the other characters that irked me more than anything else.

The Mom- meant to be supportive and all tender caring but she was causing more harm than good. While she was saying to go out and be more confident I kept reading it as this "Hey you Lucas stop being yourself no one likes you when you are yourself". She wanted him to constantly change.

Donovan- I really disliked him! He had the villain status but his everything was just too over the top. Yet, I feel like he has some story to tell, he's a bit too jaded for it not to have come from somewhere. I wanted to kick him!

The Dad- A character I really enjoyed but his relationship with Lucas just didn't go to the places I wanted to. The author barely scratched the surface on something I think could have been truly special.

I was really loving this one when I started reading it, I even got teary eye a few times but as the story progressed that something special kept disappearing. And with some over the top scenes, and talk of BDSM *raises eyebrow* it all just turned out to be an ok read. I don't know about you guys, but teens and BDSM sound like a spanking waiting to go wrong. As I said, a good effort by Madison Parker but in the end it lost a lot of its spark. I am glad Lucas found love but it was just so after school special...some people are gonna love this one or be like me and just find it to be a little better than "ok".

3.5 Pants Off

Guest Post: Thank God that Dragon was Dead – Megan Derr & "Dracones"

So, once upon a time in college, I started poking quietly at writing for a year or so, mostly fanfic and original stuff that never saw the light of day, but I never expected to pursue writing seriously. Then a friend talked me into using an elective slot to take a Creative Writing 101 class with her, because if she was going to be abused by her peers, damn it, someone was going to suffer with her. :3

Kyo & Kin from Treasure

The first round of story/review was supposed to be anon, but the professor messed up photocopying the batch of stories that had mine in it, so amusingly, the whole class was spent saying 'the author' when we all knew who was being discussed. It was a fun class, and I learned a lot (not the least of which was how to take criticism, no matter how harsh).

My story for that round was about a knight and ex-priest hunting for a dragon (Samantha is probably the only person who remembers this story). They go through this whole broken, falling-down temple all the way to a cave in the back... and discover the dragon had been killed by falling rock decades ago. My professor's first comment when the review started was basically, "I just have to say, I was extremely relieved the dragon was dead. I was dreading a fight scene. Those are tricky, and I was just not looking forward to it, and then the dragon was dead, and that was great."

I laughed so hard that if it had not been clear already who wrote the story, it would have been obvious then. I straight up said I was not up to writing that kind of scene, and I thought it would more interesting anyway. There was a lot of other helpful stuff said during that session that sticks with me to this day (your dialogue needs work for this and this reason. You describe how things look, and even feel, but how does it all smell?).

That poor dead dragon was the first one I ever wrote, and that story was the first time I realized "I could really do this" because the story was bad (it was one of my first; of course it was bad), but nobody in that class hated it, and I was like the only fantasy writer in the group. That little dragon, dead though he was, taught me that my ideas are not, in fact, all that awful. That poor dragon I killed before the story even started helped lead me to writing.

Since then, I've written several stories about dragons – involved fantasies of lost dragons, silly fairytales, modern dragons raised for pit fighting, and several others. I like writing anthro type characters, dragons especially, because it's a challenge and a lot of fun to figure out how a non-human creature would think and act, where their priorities are, and how that clashes with the humans around them.

Najlah, from "Lukos Heat", my contribution to Storm Moon Press' Dracones, is definitely one of my favorites so far, just because he's so different from those who surround him. He's built for brutal fighting in a harsh, dry, extremely hot environment, but is currently living in a damp, cold one and not particularly enjoying it. He is constantly frustrated by the 'soft' people around him and the lack of any real purpose, since a quiet palace life has very little in need of killing. A character like Naj is fun to write because his thought processes, his priorities, etc are so drastically different from most—seeing how he reacts, and how others react to him, made this story a hell of a lot of fun to write. I hope it's just as fun to read ;)

What was a blizzard? Najlah growled in irritation. Barkus only frowned at him with incomprehension, so he went to go find Fayth. Thankfully, he was already awake, as were the others, packing up their bedrolls and destroying what little remained of the fire. Najlah growled at him, clawing impatiently at the snow.

Smiling faintly, Fayth said, "A blizzard is a sandstorm of snow. Here, let me increase the strength of your warming stone." Reaching out as Najlah moved close, he wrapped his hands around the smooth, heavy stone on a thick chain around Najlah's throat.

Heat spread through Najlah, and he rumbled in gratitude. Without the warming stones, dragons could not leave their homeland. Nothing else was capable of sustaining their body temperature at the level they needed. It chafed to have to rely on outside help to survive, but the sands were the sands, and they could not change, only shift. Better to shift with the sands, than to resist them and be buried.

He moved away, to the edge of camp, leaving the others to do as they needed. For himself, he carried nothing. All he needed, he had or could hunt.

"Let's move," Barkus ordered, and everyone in camp shifted except for the bird shifters—which meant Fayth, unfortunately. Grounded by the strong winds and heavily falling snow, they would have to travel and fight the hard way. Najlah would have been happier if Fayth had possessed a stronger shift, but it little mattered in the end because Najlah would see to his safety.

They traveled on, following the wolves, Najlah tasting the air frequently, though it remained infuriatingly difficult to taste more than snow and whatever was immediately before him. Around them, the snow grew increasingly worse, while the wolves grew angry. Najlah growled in surprise when he realized he could taste fear on them as well, underscoring and aggravating the anger. What was alarming them?

"Lukos Heat" can be found with six other gay dragon short stories in Storm Moon Press' Dracones. Now Available!

Megan Derr is a long time resident of m/m fiction, and keeps herself busy reading, writing, and publishing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she's not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her cats, or watch movies (especially all things James Bond). She loves to hear from readers, and can be found all around the internet, including her website, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and on Twitter @amasour.

Review: Just Call Me Kris by Allen Mack

Just Call Me Kris by Allen Mack
JMS Books
Short Story: 20pgs
3.25 Pants Off

Blurb:
It’s Christmas Eve, but the season doesn’t seem very merry and bright for Mike and Karl. Interns in a major New York City hospital, both men are away from their hometown of New Orleans and miss it terribly. Their tiny apartment has barely enough room for a bed, let alone a Christmas tree.

Lonely, they console each other with a long, leisurely make-out session that looks like it will lead to something more between them. But before they get too involved, the doorbell rings, interrupting them. It’s a late-night delivery, a present from their friends, but when they open the door, who should appear?

Not a jolly old elf, but a southern Santa by the name of Kris Kringle stands before them, hot and hung and ready to satisfy their every sexual desire.

Short Review:
Its Christmas Eve and Mike and Karl are missing their hometown. As interns at a hospital they got stuck with holiday hours, so they'll be spending the holidays in New York, in their tiny apartment. With the tiny place having no room for more than a bed the make do with a tiny Christmas tree to bring holiday to cheer to their gloomy space. Though they would rather spend their holidays in New Orleans, they still have each other and there’s nothing like a little sexy time to put them at ease. But before things get heated up, there is a knock on the door which could only mean gifts from friends. When they do open up the door, it’s nothing but a sexy Santa come baring gifts.

At first glance Santa looks like old Kris Kringle but when he literally starts baring all good ole Kris is sexy man here looking for a sexy time. Mike and Karl have always wanted to try a ménage, but never found the right person but its seems to be their lucky night cus things are heating up fast, and sexy ole Kris is most definitely giving them a good night.

This is sexy short with a little paranormal twist to it (at least to me). Because it seems Kris was not a gift from friends and his appearance seemed to be different to both men, they don't question it but bask in the glow of the amazing sex. This is a short quick read that can be enjoyed if you're in the mood for something simple. The writing flows well, and bound to bring holiday cheer no matter which month/season you read it in. Very cute!!

Review: Scavengers September by K.A Merikan

Scavengers: September by K.A Merikan
Self-Published
Novella: 117pgs
3 Pants Off

Blurb:
--- Keeping his wife happy was hard enough without a gay lover and the zombie Plague. ---

In July of 1893, James Hurst, a perfect English gentleman, had retrieved a treasure that would secure the financial future of his family, got scarred by a zombie and lost his virginity to Ira Russell, the mercenary he hired. After a rocky start, their mutual fascination makes James happier than ever.

Despite initial worries, Ira has no trouble blending in with the aristocratic household. Even James’ young son comes to adore the new teacher of survival tactics and his maritime stories. His wife on the other hand takes a different sort of interest in Ira. Her infatuation with him is the living proof of James’ failure as a husband, but is it too late to pick up the pieces? With a political opponent watching his every move and the threat of a terrorist attack on London, James is walking a tightrope. Can he keep his family safe without giving up on his newfound happiness (and Ira’s skills in tying him up)?
*
"Scavengers: September" is the third and last book in a three part series and is set in the universe of “Gentlemen’s Tales of Love, Lust and the Undead”.

Review:
July 1893 finds James Hurst baring the zombie apocalypse to retrieve values from his family home. He had to take on the help of a Mercenary, one called Ira Russel a man who brought out feelings that another man should ever have for another. James has survived a zombie bite, hordes of zombie, and yet he can’t seem to win the fight of staying away from Ira. With a wife and young son at home, important job responsibilities, yet James finds himself unable to stay away. Succumbing to the sins of the flesh isn't something James is proud of, but he loves and adores Ira and there is just no way is he giving him up regardless of the living threat that hangs over their heads.

In Scavengers September Ira is now a part of the Hurst household, and James couldn’t be happier. He has his lover under the same roof, though being discreet for their rendezvous is at the outmost importance so he doesn't cause his dear wife distress. In all truth, James is cheating but his acceptance is clouded is that; his wife is like a friend he shares a child with. Yes, he married his wife out of obligation but he's brought the man he's sleeping with and introduced him as a friend. To add more spice to the spicy, James's wife is starting to feel a little something/something for Ira, because he clearly is very irresistible. With hordes of zombie barricaded outside the city, James and Ira's only threat is a devious little woman who happens to know the nature of their relationship and is dead set on a little blackmail which could possibly bring all James have worked for to an end.

Alright, so I really liked the first books in this series and found the characters to be delightful but now I can't help feeling like the conclusion is a letdown. First, I can't help like feeling that James has no backbone; I thought he would be bad ass (I feel no character development from him). Second, he brings his lover into his family home. That’s just a little too much, regardless of whether your wife is like a friend or not. Third, the development of the overall plot just kind of hit a wall, and provided filler with James/Ira sex scenes (hot scenes but filler nonetheless). Then the ending was somewhat ridiculous and it all felt very contrived, and in the end I was very disappointed. I think this one was missing the magic that the other stories managed to offer up.

Should You Read It? Well, I really like the first story, and the second was very enjoyable so those defi are worth a looking into. As for this one...I can't recommend it.

3 Pants Off

Review: Book #1 Scavengers: July

Review: Book #2 Scavengers: August

Guest Post & Giveaway: Here's How (Not) Smart I Am by Megan Derr (Backwoods Tour)

So as anyone who has to put up with me long enough knows, I am largely the loud, obnoxious face of LT3. My informal titles are "Marketing Crap That Sasha & Samantha Hate More So I Do It" and "Operations", both of which have loose interpretations. Not to say the business is run anywhere near as vague as that sounds, it's not. A successful business relies like hell on being organized, and we are that, but this doesn't mean we have strict roles and never shall our paths collide.

To get on with this already rambling post, lately I have started organizing blog tours for authors, especially the new ones who have not yet built up much of a fanbase and such. I generally try to schedule them a couple of months ahead of time so they have plenty of time to write, or plenty of time to cancel if they wind up not able. What this means is that I fall into a rhythm. I pull the stories/authors getting published, I add them to my blog spreadsheet, then I email the sites still tolerating my harassment (such as Darien :3) and schedule them. Unfortunately I get so into the rhythm of doing this that I don't comprehend all that I am reading.

Which means that I totally managed not to notice that one of the books up for May scheduling was in fact my own (even though I'd been babbling about it incessantly just a few days before) and I just accidentally scheduled a tour for myself. I had not wanted to do one; I'm busy enough doing other stuff that I did not really have time to write posts and track them and such (it's fun to do, I just don't have time).

So, yes. I accidentally gave myself a blog tour. It's sad how long it took me to notice what I'd done. You'd think one would notice her own freaking name on the spreadsheet, but I definitely did not until I'd already scheduled three days. I could have canceled them, but it seemed more fun to go ahead with it. I think all my brains go into the fiction.

The book responsible for these shenanigans:

Skylar is used to the way people think of him as frightening, mean, and dangerous. Snakes are not the most popular shifters around and the fact he grew up wild doesn't help. He knows the way he's chosen to live alone in the woods only makes things worse, but he didn't think it meant people thought him capable of killing a couple of wolf puppies.

Determined to find the real monster who left them to die, Skylar calls up the only wolf he knows, a man he always wished would see him as more than a snake …

Pre-order at LT3





GIVEAWAY

If you would like a chance at winning a copy of the book responsible for this accidental tour, leave a comment (with email). Bonus points if you tell me a favorite 'did I just really?' moment :3

Winner will be drawn next Monday, May 27th, using random.org

I hope everyone is surviving this Monday, and that your week goes well ^__^

Much love to Darien for having me, she has the best No Pants Zone on the internet


Megan is a long time resident of m/m fiction, and keeps herself busy reading, writing, and publishing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she's not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her cats, or watch movies (especially all things James Bond). She loves to hear from readers, and can be found all around the internet.


maderr.com
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lessthanthreepress.com
meganaderr@gmail.com
@amasour