pr0n reviews - Top Shelf, letters A - L
Mar. 3rd, 2007 08:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrMy collection of naughty ebooks is probably unhealthy, except to me buying erotica is no different than any other book I buy.
That being said, erotica is far more likely to piss me off than most other books. All too often people use the sex to replace characters, plot, basically everything. I hate that. Especially when they're calling it erotica, which in my opinion lends itself to a bit more substance than straight up porn. Maybe I'm just insane.
All of these are Torquere books, as that's where I buy 99.9% of my naughty ebooks, though too often they only wind up disappointing. Perhaps I expect too much. I own just about all of Torquere's books, and organize them in Torquere's style (according to length, generally, though they have 'theme' categories these days as well).
Also, not even going to try to link to each book. The main site is here
Also note I’m not reviewing all of them, and there are too many to go into lengthy detail. That being said, if you want to know about one not listed, or more about those that are listed, then just say so ^__^ I am more than happy torun my mouth offer my opinion. Eventually I will conquer everything, but there are a hell of a lot of them and if I do it all at once I will break something or someone. So we start with a few. I will try to start doing them once a week.
The Top Shelf
Novel length stories, usually about six bucks give or take.
*As a note, I'll be doing anthologies separately, though I think Torquere groups them with TS
A Bit of Rough by Laura Baumbach
I liked this. I think it lacked in some places, and there were a couple of elements that seemed contrived, but I’m not sorry I paid for it. I think I actually have it print, too, as that’s the sort of thing for which I use gift cards when I get them. Though I forget now where it’s gotten to…
My favorite scene is def the opening one, hot and rough and very yum. While the rest of the book is good, like I said, nothing is quite as intense as that opening scene.
There is a sequel, Roughhousing but it always sounded too much like a sequel-for-money for me to bother with it.
A Gentleman of Substance by Julia Talbot
I love love love this story. It’s fun, it’s pretty, it has awesome characters and a working plot, the sex is hot and it ends happily. Very much a slash-type bodice-ripper. Michael St. James was banished from the city by his parents after causing a scandal, and he decides Daniel can be his amusement while he’s stuck in the countryside – and of course it’s easy to see where it goes from there. It’s verra well done though, and I have it in print – it was released with two other novellas in Historical Obsessions.
An Agreement Among Gentlemen by Chris Owen
Cool story. Starts out with Edward Munrow being given an inheritance he didn’t see coming, and by the end he’s hooked up with both the grandson of a Duke and another pretty man. I’m downplaying the story loads. What pleased me most about the story was that nothing was rushed. The pace was exactly as it should have been, I loved all the characters, the threesome was just hot – and it was written in first person.
I actually bought this one in print, I was so pleased with it.
Broken Sword by Emily Veinglory
Okay, I read this years ago and all I remember is the part where the banished guy’s secret comes out - ZOMG HE’S A VAMPIRE.
I stopped reading at that point.
I could be misremembering, of course. I know I’ve never reread it.
Caged by Sean Michael
This is one of those stories that I just didn’t buy. I didn’t like the chars, I didn’t believe the chars, and to be honest the only part I remember is where the slave guy is punished by being made to sit on a dildo attached to the floor and told not to move, and I remember that more because I thought it was funny than anything else
Again, I’ve never reread it and don’t remember much of it except a ‘meh’ feeling.
Catching A Second Wind by Sean Michael
I don’t remember this story well, but I remember liking it and I know it’s one of those I open back up to reread a scene or three. A psychologist and a vet, I believe, with the former not having a whole lot of relationships under his belt and the vet recovering from the death of a lover. It was solid, and I remember their get together scene. Not a bad buy at all, though I will say it’s not a top – but mostly because I’m just not a huge fan of contemporary stuff.
Center of Earth and Sky by Sean Michael
A teacher winds up with a verra pretty set of twins, the story itself relating how they get together, grow and develop as a threesome. One of the earliest Torquere books, and one I still open to reread bits of from time to time. I think there was a sequel that sounded annoying as hell to me, where one of the twins is diagnosed with cancer or something. I suggest reading Center and ignoring the sequel, unless that sort of thing is what you like. Me, I prefer happy endings.
Torquere may have discontinued this one by now, I’m not sure. I don’t see it in their catalogue. If you want it, let me know.
Clear Cut by Alexa Snow
This one I liked, and have reread in full more than once.
Carter is an environmentalist, and writing a book against clear cutting – he manages to spend some time with a clear cutting crew and winds up liking the team and starts to question what he’s really doing.
In addition to this, he clashes hard with Nate, the foreman of the crew. I love couples that start out hating each other best, and this story does it very well. When everything goes to shit? Oh, man, it hurts but is so very well done and seeing everything work out is grand.
This story is worth something, and if it was in print I’d buy it.
Deviations I & II by Chris Own and Judi Payne
I don’t recall liking the first one at all, and never bothered to open the second one though I have it (Sarah and I take turns buying stuff).
Wish I could say more than that, but I honestly don’t remember the first one at all, except for a feeling of “no likey” Which is weird, b/c I like sub/dom stuff when it’s done well.
Fine as Frog Hair by Sean Michael
This one has a slight May/December thing going on, I think, though I don’t believe the age difference is all that drastic. I don’t remember very well, it’s been awhile since I read this one. But Marty is shorthanded and a friend finds him help – Russ. They sort of do the looking but not thinking the other one is interested thing for awhile, but the author does it well.
This story is sweet and cute and wonderful…except it does start to drag, and there’s one point where it feels a lot like the author added something Traumatic and Serious just to extend the story to full novel length.
But,overall, not bad. Just when you think it should stop? Stop. Won’t be missing much.
*Note* I will also say here that there’s a whole slew of cowboy stories on Torquere, and I don’t feel like going through all of them, though most I like well enough. But Bareback and Latigo come readily to mind as being good, and I should probably give them more credit than this, but one cowboy story is much like another to me, as they’re just not my scene.
His Beautiful Samurai by Sedonia Guillone
The only thing that really annoyed me about t his book, besides some cheesiness that I am ever willing to let slide, was the way the Japanese was respelled in English. It hurt. My Japanese teachers would have kicked my ass if I’d done the romanji that way.
Otherwise, the mystery with the swords and all was pretty cool, I felt bad for the dead lovers, the modern day ones were pretty pretty. Cheesy, like I said, but I’d never hold that against anyone. Good grief would I never hold that against anyone.
Honorbound by Wheeler Scott
This story is cool. Christian gives up the army and his secret lover there to return home to do his duty when his brother dies. He sets out to find a wife, thinks he’s found an all right woman…and she turns out to be the sister of the ma he loves. How he and his lover finally work things out is interesting, as sad as it is happy. The author did an excellent job with this story, really and truly. It’s not terribly light-hearted, but I don’t think it would have worked as well if it wasn’t. Def worth buying.
In the Strangest Places by Willa Okati
The thing that annoyed me about this story was that the premise advertised was not what played out at all. Otherwise, I like the chars fine and there are some cute scenes, I love the tattoos and the piercings – but the one big dramatic scene where the tamer guy loses his cool? I didn’t buy it at all. Didn’t seem like something he’d do. And the story gets redundant after a point. Mostly, though, I was irked by being told the story was about one thing only for it not to be about that at all.
I believe this story has a handful of short story sequels out. I never felt any desire to pick them up.
Jumping Into Things by Julia Talbot
This was, I believe, the third Torquere book I read and the second novel. It's actually two stories. The first is Hot Shots, about a Jed Thatcher who is a pilot and the injured smoke Jumper - Eli - whom he takes in. Their story is solid, fun, and very much worthy of attention. However, it was the second story, Ciphers, that made me a fan of Julia Talbot - Ross Thatcher (Jed's brother, obviously) is an Airborne jump instructor and muchly fond of sex -- with women. Until he meets Kevin, who is the cutest goddamn thing to ever live. I can easily say that once upon time, their story was my absolute favorite. I lost count of the number of times I read it. It was what I read when I was feeling down, frustrated, angry - whatever. Ross and Kevin were my OTP.
Then along came the sequel and my being stupid enough to think it would be happy. Oh, foolish, stupid me.
Landing With Both Feet is the sequel that made me hate the entire universe. No one will ever convince me things should have played out that way. I will die refusing to believe it. I love Julia Talbot, she's one of my fav torquere authors, but after reading this novel I nearly gave up on her entirely. I may just be an angry fan refusing to admit it, but I will never buy what she did with Ross and Kevin. In my opinion, Landing and the third and final book which just came out (and which I will never read) Taking the Leap, scream more of obeying the bank account than obeying the voices. There is only book I hate more than Landing, and I keep it only to remind myself which author I must at all costs avoid.
I can't even read Jumping anymore, which saddens me. So my rec is that you read Jumping but not the sequels.
Lightning in a Bottle by Mike Shade
Everything in me says I should not like this story – it requires a lot of suspension of belief, in that when his knight/bodyguard is severely injured, a wizard accidentally summons a doctor from our world and his somewhat unstable lover. Eventually the two couples all become a foursome.
I really do like it. Not sure why, precisely. I like the characters, and that none of them is perfect, that the one is a jerk, the one is unstable, the wizard is a brat…and the knight the poor good guy who has to put up with the rest. The story is fun and hot, I like the characters even as I wonder how they all speak the same language.
And Mike Shade always writes excellent smut. I also like the pacing of most of his stories. The only story of his with which I’ve ever had a problem is the desert one, and we won’t be going there quite yet.
Lightning is worth picking up, though. Definitely.
That being said, erotica is far more likely to piss me off than most other books. All too often people use the sex to replace characters, plot, basically everything. I hate that. Especially when they're calling it erotica, which in my opinion lends itself to a bit more substance than straight up porn. Maybe I'm just insane.
All of these are Torquere books, as that's where I buy 99.9% of my naughty ebooks, though too often they only wind up disappointing. Perhaps I expect too much. I own just about all of Torquere's books, and organize them in Torquere's style (according to length, generally, though they have 'theme' categories these days as well).
Also, not even going to try to link to each book. The main site is here
Also note I’m not reviewing all of them, and there are too many to go into lengthy detail. That being said, if you want to know about one not listed, or more about those that are listed, then just say so ^__^ I am more than happy to
The Top Shelf
Novel length stories, usually about six bucks give or take.
*As a note, I'll be doing anthologies separately, though I think Torquere groups them with TS
A Bit of Rough by Laura Baumbach
I liked this. I think it lacked in some places, and there were a couple of elements that seemed contrived, but I’m not sorry I paid for it. I think I actually have it print, too, as that’s the sort of thing for which I use gift cards when I get them. Though I forget now where it’s gotten to…
My favorite scene is def the opening one, hot and rough and very yum. While the rest of the book is good, like I said, nothing is quite as intense as that opening scene.
There is a sequel, Roughhousing but it always sounded too much like a sequel-for-money for me to bother with it.
A Gentleman of Substance by Julia Talbot
I love love love this story. It’s fun, it’s pretty, it has awesome characters and a working plot, the sex is hot and it ends happily. Very much a slash-type bodice-ripper. Michael St. James was banished from the city by his parents after causing a scandal, and he decides Daniel can be his amusement while he’s stuck in the countryside – and of course it’s easy to see where it goes from there. It’s verra well done though, and I have it in print – it was released with two other novellas in Historical Obsessions.
An Agreement Among Gentlemen by Chris Owen
Cool story. Starts out with Edward Munrow being given an inheritance he didn’t see coming, and by the end he’s hooked up with both the grandson of a Duke and another pretty man. I’m downplaying the story loads. What pleased me most about the story was that nothing was rushed. The pace was exactly as it should have been, I loved all the characters, the threesome was just hot – and it was written in first person.
I actually bought this one in print, I was so pleased with it.
Broken Sword by Emily Veinglory
Okay, I read this years ago and all I remember is the part where the banished guy’s secret comes out - ZOMG HE’S A VAMPIRE.
I stopped reading at that point.
I could be misremembering, of course. I know I’ve never reread it.
Caged by Sean Michael
This is one of those stories that I just didn’t buy. I didn’t like the chars, I didn’t believe the chars, and to be honest the only part I remember is where the slave guy is punished by being made to sit on a dildo attached to the floor and told not to move, and I remember that more because I thought it was funny than anything else
Again, I’ve never reread it and don’t remember much of it except a ‘meh’ feeling.
Catching A Second Wind by Sean Michael
I don’t remember this story well, but I remember liking it and I know it’s one of those I open back up to reread a scene or three. A psychologist and a vet, I believe, with the former not having a whole lot of relationships under his belt and the vet recovering from the death of a lover. It was solid, and I remember their get together scene. Not a bad buy at all, though I will say it’s not a top – but mostly because I’m just not a huge fan of contemporary stuff.
Center of Earth and Sky by Sean Michael
A teacher winds up with a verra pretty set of twins, the story itself relating how they get together, grow and develop as a threesome. One of the earliest Torquere books, and one I still open to reread bits of from time to time. I think there was a sequel that sounded annoying as hell to me, where one of the twins is diagnosed with cancer or something. I suggest reading Center and ignoring the sequel, unless that sort of thing is what you like. Me, I prefer happy endings.
Torquere may have discontinued this one by now, I’m not sure. I don’t see it in their catalogue. If you want it, let me know.
Clear Cut by Alexa Snow
This one I liked, and have reread in full more than once.
Carter is an environmentalist, and writing a book against clear cutting – he manages to spend some time with a clear cutting crew and winds up liking the team and starts to question what he’s really doing.
In addition to this, he clashes hard with Nate, the foreman of the crew. I love couples that start out hating each other best, and this story does it very well. When everything goes to shit? Oh, man, it hurts but is so very well done and seeing everything work out is grand.
This story is worth something, and if it was in print I’d buy it.
Deviations I & II by Chris Own and Judi Payne
I don’t recall liking the first one at all, and never bothered to open the second one though I have it (Sarah and I take turns buying stuff).
Wish I could say more than that, but I honestly don’t remember the first one at all, except for a feeling of “no likey” Which is weird, b/c I like sub/dom stuff when it’s done well.
Fine as Frog Hair by Sean Michael
This one has a slight May/December thing going on, I think, though I don’t believe the age difference is all that drastic. I don’t remember very well, it’s been awhile since I read this one. But Marty is shorthanded and a friend finds him help – Russ. They sort of do the looking but not thinking the other one is interested thing for awhile, but the author does it well.
This story is sweet and cute and wonderful…except it does start to drag, and there’s one point where it feels a lot like the author added something Traumatic and Serious just to extend the story to full novel length.
But,overall, not bad. Just when you think it should stop? Stop. Won’t be missing much.
*Note* I will also say here that there’s a whole slew of cowboy stories on Torquere, and I don’t feel like going through all of them, though most I like well enough. But Bareback and Latigo come readily to mind as being good, and I should probably give them more credit than this, but one cowboy story is much like another to me, as they’re just not my scene.
His Beautiful Samurai by Sedonia Guillone
The only thing that really annoyed me about t his book, besides some cheesiness that I am ever willing to let slide, was the way the Japanese was respelled in English. It hurt. My Japanese teachers would have kicked my ass if I’d done the romanji that way.
Otherwise, the mystery with the swords and all was pretty cool, I felt bad for the dead lovers, the modern day ones were pretty pretty. Cheesy, like I said, but I’d never hold that against anyone. Good grief would I never hold that against anyone.
Honorbound by Wheeler Scott
This story is cool. Christian gives up the army and his secret lover there to return home to do his duty when his brother dies. He sets out to find a wife, thinks he’s found an all right woman…and she turns out to be the sister of the ma he loves. How he and his lover finally work things out is interesting, as sad as it is happy. The author did an excellent job with this story, really and truly. It’s not terribly light-hearted, but I don’t think it would have worked as well if it wasn’t. Def worth buying.
In the Strangest Places by Willa Okati
The thing that annoyed me about this story was that the premise advertised was not what played out at all. Otherwise, I like the chars fine and there are some cute scenes, I love the tattoos and the piercings – but the one big dramatic scene where the tamer guy loses his cool? I didn’t buy it at all. Didn’t seem like something he’d do. And the story gets redundant after a point. Mostly, though, I was irked by being told the story was about one thing only for it not to be about that at all.
I believe this story has a handful of short story sequels out. I never felt any desire to pick them up.
Jumping Into Things by Julia Talbot
This was, I believe, the third Torquere book I read and the second novel. It's actually two stories. The first is Hot Shots, about a Jed Thatcher who is a pilot and the injured smoke Jumper - Eli - whom he takes in. Their story is solid, fun, and very much worthy of attention. However, it was the second story, Ciphers, that made me a fan of Julia Talbot - Ross Thatcher (Jed's brother, obviously) is an Airborne jump instructor and muchly fond of sex -- with women. Until he meets Kevin, who is the cutest goddamn thing to ever live. I can easily say that once upon time, their story was my absolute favorite. I lost count of the number of times I read it. It was what I read when I was feeling down, frustrated, angry - whatever. Ross and Kevin were my OTP.
Then along came the sequel and my being stupid enough to think it would be happy. Oh, foolish, stupid me.
Landing With Both Feet is the sequel that made me hate the entire universe. No one will ever convince me things should have played out that way. I will die refusing to believe it. I love Julia Talbot, she's one of my fav torquere authors, but after reading this novel I nearly gave up on her entirely. I may just be an angry fan refusing to admit it, but I will never buy what she did with Ross and Kevin. In my opinion, Landing and the third and final book which just came out (and which I will never read) Taking the Leap, scream more of obeying the bank account than obeying the voices. There is only book I hate more than Landing, and I keep it only to remind myself which author I must at all costs avoid.
I can't even read Jumping anymore, which saddens me. So my rec is that you read Jumping but not the sequels.
Lightning in a Bottle by Mike Shade
Everything in me says I should not like this story – it requires a lot of suspension of belief, in that when his knight/bodyguard is severely injured, a wizard accidentally summons a doctor from our world and his somewhat unstable lover. Eventually the two couples all become a foursome.
I really do like it. Not sure why, precisely. I like the characters, and that none of them is perfect, that the one is a jerk, the one is unstable, the wizard is a brat…and the knight the poor good guy who has to put up with the rest. The story is fun and hot, I like the characters even as I wonder how they all speak the same language.
And Mike Shade always writes excellent smut. I also like the pacing of most of his stories. The only story of his with which I’ve ever had a problem is the desert one, and we won’t be going there quite yet.
Lightning is worth picking up, though. Definitely.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 01:44 am (UTC)I'll have to go look at Lightning, I love poly stories.
ty for going through some of these, I wondered about them.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 01:59 am (UTC)Honor Bound annoyed me, but that had more to do with the tense than anything else. Still, it's enough to bar me from reading it ever again.
I don't even think I have any of the cowboy anthologies, anymore. I don't have anything against cowboys, but they all smacked of Amanda Quick--you know what I mean--(which is sad given most are anthologies of stories written by several authors).
Catching a Second Wind I found only so tolerable. Mostly the one guy (dead lover guy) got on my nerves. I couldn't say why exactly, just something about his character made me cringe.
Broken Sword. I laugh.
And about half of those I don't have. You stopped sharing. *sniffle*
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 02:04 am (UTC)Heh. At least we agree on Broken Sword.
You know, I don't even remember the tense for Honorbound.I haven't read it in a long time, but I know the story I liked overall. Hmm, maybe I should cracked it open first *shrug*
I didl ike Clear Cut, but you and I disagree oft ^__^
Dude, I'd share if I didn't think you'd hate them all. I don't even know what you have anymore, maybe I should just the whole lot off and mail. I stil ow you a package anyway...
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 02:11 am (UTC)Mayhap I didn't give Clear Cut a fair chance. *shrug*
Package for what?
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 02:48 am (UTC)Which is why I didn't just send it already. ^_^;;) and rather liked it (I think I was really enamoured with the way it was told and how much of a role storytelling played in what the characters were experiencing. Plus, the sex came at the end, which I usually appreciate as it at least gives the characters a fighting chance to get developed.) but I read another of hers (Hmm, Unspoken) that just really fell flat to me. And the singing/songs made me cringe.Some of these sound familiar. I think I have them saved...somewhere in the mass chaos of my computer. Will have to go look and reread.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 03:55 am (UTC)So what does that say about our world?
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 03:57 am (UTC)That I'm really disgusted by it.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 09:12 am (UTC)Torquere Press is all about porn and erotica. Perhaps you should consider starting an ebook company that specializes in plot based m/m love stories? As a webmistress, you would be perfect in making the right choices for the site.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 09:20 am (UTC)...What did Talbot do to Kevin and Ross. No touchie Kevin and Ross. They belong to the fangirls now.
Ooooh, Honorbound made me gooey and giggly, The angst, the sorrow, the despair, the hot sweaty man love. But most of all the true love.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 12:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 12:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 04:47 pm (UTC)That is exactly what happened with me. To the letter. *clings to otp and denies existence of sequel*
no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 10:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-04 04:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-05 02:55 am (UTC)But the relationship between the two main characters and their growth throughout their time together for 5, yes 5 years, is amazing, despite the fact that seme has serious commitment issues and uke is Mr. Perfectionist with bondage kinks. The amount of trust they have in each other is jaw-dropping, since its literally in life-and-death situations.
The writing is also, something to pay attention to. Great writing, doesn't make you feel like its draggy even though the fic is really long.
Site's here.
Word of warning though, there's no resolution yet. Each fic (of 20+) is a standalone, but there isn't any closure on certain issues so I'm assuming it hasn't ended yet.
I sympathize with your feelings of misspelled Japanese. For some reason, I can't stand it when that happens.
Thanks for the recs! I'll be looking out for them. Hope to see the rest soon!
no subject
Date: 2007-03-06 04:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-06 11:53 pm (UTC)Your wish is my command ^____^ To what email addy should I send? Will your LJ one work well enough?
no subject
Date: 2007-03-07 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-06 10:24 pm (UTC)