Tag: A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: The Second Half: A Gay American Football Story by Scott D. Pomfret

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

The Second HalfPeyton Stone, former star quarterback, is now an offensive line college football coach. And he’s totally in love with his quarterback, Brady Winter. Brady is older than the other students, having completed a tour of duty with the Army, and Peyton knows that even though he worships the ground Brady walks on, it’s inappropriate to start something with a student, and to top it all off, he’s not even sure Brady is gay.

An accidental locker room conversation nixes the latter worry and the two head out to demonstrate how much they want each other. Of course, things like that can’t be kept quiet, and Peyton eventually is outed, shamed, and kicked off the coaching squad. But it’s when Brady turns his back on him that he’s really rocked out of his complacent world.

Is there any chance for them at all? And what happens when Peyton finally stops running away from his problems and decides to stand and face them like a man?

I eventually liked the story itself because it follows Peyton’s path to self-discovery and subsequent maturity, but I didn’t care for the writing style. Sentences were short and choppy and the whole story was told from Peyton’s POV, whereas I would have liked to get Brady’s perspective on some things. Peyton was a bit of an “ass hat” and not a likeable character, IMHO. The world as he knew it revolved around him so he was constantly questioning why things weren’t going his way.

After a while, I started to think the story may have been written to come across as a satirical look at a bumbling, indecisive, egocentric, gay college coach and his lover—a strong, brave, and decisive Iraq war vet. Add to that the fact that the situations and secondary characters were not realistic or likeable and the story appeared to be a farcical poke at campus football, its players, and coaches, so I concluded that maybe that’s what the author intended. I really don’t know. It’s just not a style I normally enjoy.

In this case, I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt. If you are looking for something fluffy that pokes fun at college football, its players and coaches, this would be a good choice. Just don’t plan to take it seriously.

Cover art by Inkspiral Design features a very large, imposing football player—shirtless, pants slung low on his hips, but wearing his shoulder pads. It’s attention-getting due to the colors and the model used.

Sales Links:

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 234 pages
Published June 14th 2016 by Lethe Press
Original TitleThe Second Half: A Gay American Football Story
ASINB01H4232J2
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Boston Bauble Party by Susan Laine

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Boston Bauble PartyLooking for a sweet romance with a little BDSM kink thrown in? Add in menage and DP and this one might be just the ticket.

As the blurb states, Liam is inadequate below the belt, but what it doesn’t say is that it’s his balls that are small. The rest of him is a bit above average. But, his physical imperfection keeps him from getting involved with Doms or other sexual partners because he’s embarrassed. When he tells his roommate, Troy, that he’s going to have plastic surgery to enlarge them, Troy becomes determined to stop his foolishness and drags Liam along to a bauble party.

There they meet up with Burton, a wealthy Dom who Troy has previously met. Troy believes Burton and Liam will be a good match because the scar that keeps Burton from being able to open his mouth all the way prevents him from being able to enjoy sucking another man’s balls—until he meets Liam, and they all realize Troy was right.

The party, held in an exclusive club in a mansion, is all about pairing up in twosomes, threesomes, and more, and when the guys get to their room, Liam finds out just how happy Burton is with his little balls. And that’s before they all discover that they each mesh, including Liam and Troy. Apparently each of these best friends have been suffering from unrequited love.

The book is pretty much sex from beginning to end with a host of happy feelings thrown in for good measure. It certainly is not the best story I’ve ever read, and there’s quite a few times when I had to suspend disbelief, but I found it entertaining and sweet and just what I needed to take me away from some serious thinking for the day.

The very attractive, attention-getting cover by Harris Channing features three hot guys in various states of dress and undress—just right for this story.

Sales Links:  Siren Publishing|

Book Details:

ebook, 106 pages
Published June 28th 2016 by Siren Publishing
ISBN13 9781682953679
Edition Language English

A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Left of Center by Zathyn Priest

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Left of CentreBrandon Faulkner has a thing for Goth guys and hangs out in the Goth chat room hooking up with strangers. He hasn’t met any of them yet, but since he can’t decide between the three that he considers the hottest or most intriguing, he decides to play all three as if they were the only man in his life. Making plans to meet with all three over the course of a weekend leads to a few shocking discoveries when his “dates” turn the tables and he’s the one sent off-balance.

Pre-meeting them, Brandon finds the most interesting, and stunning, of the three to be Enigma. And in person he turns out to be a youthful, but domineering, guy with purple bangs and a bizarre set of behaviors. When Brandon finds himself in hot pursuit, despite Enigma’s obvious dislike of him, he can’t believe that this time he’s the one who can’t seem to walk away.

I liked this story and discovered that it had much more depth of characterization than is usually found in something this short. Brandon appears to be no more than a shallow, self-involved slut of a man who can’t even count how many men he’s been with, but with Lewis’s help, he taps into self-discovery and is horrified at what he learns. Lewis, aka Enigma, turns out to be a very complex character with secrets of his own, and he manages to flip Brandon’s world upside down.

I liked the storyline and the author’s ability to create these very three-dimensional characters. And I especially enjoyed watching the way Lewis got Brandon to face some surprising self-truths.

Cover Art by the author’s company, Scarlet Tie Designs, features a black-and-white floor resembling a game board with one man sitting on a stool slightly to the left and another balancing on a plank to the right in the background. The cover cleverly represents both MCs: one who seeks to be the center of attention and the other who is slightly off-balance.

Sales Links:  Torquere Press |

Book Details:

ebook, 1st Edition, 47 pages
Published January 2010 by Torquere Press
Original TitleLeft of Center
ISBN139781603709132
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Gays of Our Lives by Kris Ripper

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

GaysOfOurLives_600x900 (1)Emerson Robinette has MS.  He also has a huge case of chip-on-shoulder and another of social anxiety. Ever since his diagnosis, he’s limited himself to being only in safe situations, or situations he perceives as safe and follows his rules—only pick up guys on days his legs don’t tingle; don’t let his dominant side out for fear of failure; don’t make friends so they won’t be disappointed in him; and so on. 

He teaches ESL and GED prep classes at a community center and loves his job. Though he never intended to be a teacher, he pretty much just fell into it. He happens to meet a hipster named Obie on a bus ride home one day.  Obie is a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, dresses the way he feels, and seems to be attracted to Emerson.  The only problem?  When Emerson gets off the bus, he has to use his cane and he notices that Obie notices so he figures that’s the end of that hope. 

One thing about Emerson that we come to see as we read the story is that he just can’t muster up the courage to be positive about anything.  He so afraid of losing hope that he refuses to have it in the first place.  He’s isolated himself without even realizing it, and he refuses to let in the people who genuinely care about him: his GED class members, his boss, and most definitely, Obie.  But Obie doesn’t allow Emerson to wallow in his own depression.  Little by little, he chips away at that façade until he exposes the real Emerson, the young man who has hopes and dreams and the one Obie is falling for. 

Obie also introduces Emerson to Dred, his best friend. Dred is biracial, very pregnant, and a single parent, having been deserted by the baby’s father as soon as he found out she was pregnant. Dred is another person who slowly chips away at Emerson’s isolation.  If any character ever needed to change, it’s Emerson.  At first, I found him to be so abrasive that I wasn’t sure I could enjoy the story.  However, by about the 25% mark, I was intrigued. 

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and liked the parenthetical, often self-deprecating or snarky, comments that punctuated much of Emerson’s thoughts. The parallels drawn between Dred’s pregnancy and Emerson’s MS were spot-on, and Obie was not just the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—he was the rainbow. 

I recommend this story to those who love an MM romance with and anti-hero—someone you may hate at the beginning and love by the end—and those who love stories of overcoming disabilities, friends as family, and those who simply want to read something different and interesting.

~~~~

The cover art by L.C. Chase shows a close-up of a bearded, good-looking young man against a bright purple background.  The use of color makes this an attractive cover.

Sales Links:   Riptide Publishing | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 226 pages
Published July 11th 2016 by Riptide Publishing (first published July 10th 2016)
Original TitleGays of Our Lives
ISBN 1626494258 (ISBN13: 9781626494251)
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesQueers of La Vista #1

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Permanently Legless by JL Merrow

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Permanently Legless newChris came home from Afghanistan when he was severely injured and lost both legs. Finally released from medical care and adjusting to civilian life, with his sense of humor intact, he sets out for the local gay bar where he met a guy the week before he shipped out. Josh has been on his mind a lot, and he hopes to at least get to see him there, though he’s pretty sure Josh has forgotten him, and even if not, Josh may be turned off by Chris’s disability.

When Josh gave his number to Chris, he really hoped he’d hear from him again. It’s been close to a year but the man was truly unforgettable. Now, when he turns around and spots Chris, he’s shocked but finds himself still attracted. Can there be any hope for someone Chris probably filed away as a one-night stand?

I hope all readers enjoy this story as much as I did. Though brief, it packs a lot of punch. And it’s also full of humor, much of it from Chris and his light-hearted view of his circumstances. Both characters are sweet and seem genuinely suited to each other. A nice tidbit to make me wish for more about these guys in the future.

Cover art on this new edition, by Written Ink Designs, depicts a fully armed soldier in uniform looking skyward. There’s a British flag superimposed at the bottom of the cover with a small wheelchair in the left corner. The cover captures Chris’s spirit.

Sales Links:  JMS Books |  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition, 23 pages
Published June 4th 2016 by JMS Books (first published January 22nd 2012)
ISBN139781634860994
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Always Another Side by Annabelle Jacobs

Rating 4.5 stars out of 5

Always Another SideEight months ago, Jack’s world was shattered when he found out his long-time lover and life partner, Simon, was cheating on him and decided he no longer wanted to live with Jack. Eight months ago, when Tyler proclaimed his love to his boyfriend, James, he found out how foolish he was when James told him he already had a partner and what he and Tyler had together wasn’t love—it was just sex.

Two men with hearts badly bruised finally agreed to their friends’ machinations to bring them together for a blind date. Both went reluctantly, but both found the seed of what could and would become a second chance to find happiness—as long as they remembered their hard-won lesson of the importance of communication in a relationship. And it seems like the baby steps they take are going to lead them somewhere special. Even though Jack doesn’t want to get into another relationship, Tyler’s heart is set on finding the man of his dreams. That’s how he got in trouble with James—he jumped into what he thought was going to be forever, but he jumped too soon.

This time, both men take it slowly and they talk about what’s important to them and how they feel about the past. There’s a bump in the road to happiness when Jack finds out Tyler was involved in the breakup of someone’s relationship, but after thinking it over, and talking to Tyler about it, he realizes that Tyler is on the other side and was likely equally hurt. Finding they have a lot in common, they keep dating, spending occasional nights with each other<spoiler>

I really enjoyed this story, my first from this author. I found the characters were very well-developed, and the relationship, which initially seemed so fragile, proved to be strong, making it a pleasure to watch the men develop as a couple. And though I thought I knew what might happen, when it did I just went with the flow and knew that the author would move them to where they needed to be. That may sound odd or awkward, but truly, I simply enjoyed the storytelling, the characters, and their situation. This book was a pleasure to read—just the right amount of angst and romance, and wonderfully hot, sexy older characters. What’s not to like? I recommend this to those who enjoy contemporary MM romance with older MCs.

~~~~~

Cover art by Natasha Snow depicts a very handsome older man—the perfect depiction of Jack, one of the MCs.

Sales Links:   Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 167 pages
Published June 3rd 2016 by Annabelle Jacobs
ASINB01G8T7GIU
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Becoming Rory (College Rose Romance) by Ashavan Doyon

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Becoming RoryRory Graeble is a returning college sophomore and a new man. Or at least he’s trying to be a new man. Outed last year when a gay bashing turned the campus upside down, the former “Lawrence” Graeble, a geeky introverted guy who sucked men off in the steam tunnels off-campus, is now out-and-proud Rory, the sole leader of the Queer Alliance. Showing up early for orientation with other student leaders, Rory meets Danny Smits at a party, and the two literally make sparks fly together.

Contrary to his past introverted behavior, Rory decides to pursue Danny, who is the leader of the Young Entrepreneurs on campus. A skater, Danny and his group have designed a new board and are trying to find funding to move their ideas into reality. In the meantime, Rory’s RA, Barry, is becoming a close friend and is pursuing a relationship with Rory’s BFF, Stacie. Getting the support of his friends while he pursues Danny, who is sometimes like quicksilver, is important to Rory. But catching Danny, and defining their relationship is very difficult, and when he finds out why, Rory allows self-doubt to cloud the picture.

Danny suffers from a <spoiler> that has led to some very destructive behaviors in the past, including drug addiction and a criminal record. When the bank turns down the loan application to get the skateboard business up and running, he nosedives into a deep depression, knowing the cause is his criminal record. Rory has seen this disorder up close in a family member in the past, so he decides to find out more about it before he makes any commitment to his volatile lover. Will he go or stay? Will Danny’s moods even allow him to recognize his own feelings toward Rory? And what about Danny’s friends, his crew as he calls them; will they allow him enough slack to decide for himself about Rory? After all, they’ve been his rock and been his only stabilizing influence in the past. Will they now allow that role to be held by Rory?

There’s so much to this story that it’s difficult to sift through all the facts, emotions, and drama. There’s also a subplot surrounding Barry and Stacie, and there are references to the past gay bashing on campus and to the characters involved. I suspect these were featured in previous stories by this author and it was difficult to get them all straight, so this story should be labeled as part of a series. It can still be read as a standalone, but readers like me may be confused and long to have that backstory filled. I liked the basic premise of this story, however it felt too long. And there was a lot of sex, very rough sex, bordering on abusive sex. By the latter part of the book, I glossed over the sex scenes to get back to the rest of the action.

The disorder wasn’t revealed until later in the book, and it was treated with so much gravity that if I happened to suffer from it, I would have definitely tipped into depression. I don’t mean to make light of it, not at all. It’s just that it was treated like something insurmountable and fatal, and yet I’ve known many people with the disorder who have stabilized with treatment. But in this book it felt quite hopeless.

One other thing, perhaps minor, perhaps not—there was a concurrent romance between Barry and Stacie that I felt that would have been okay as a quick mention, but quite a bit of time was spent on it and I didn’t particularly care for what happened or the time spent on them in the story.

Overall, the storyline felt very dark and depressing. I honestly don’t recommend it if you are looking for a sweet young adult romance, but if you like hurt-comfort stories and don’t mind some dark angst mixed in, you might want to consider this one.

~~~~~

Cover Art by Kris Norris fits the story quite well as it features a headshot of a young man with a skateboarder jumping in the background.

Sales Links:  Torquere Press | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 240 pages
Published June 8th 2016 by Torquere Press LLC
ASINB01GLQA3KS
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesCollege Rose Romance

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Collars N Cuffs Anthology

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Wayward Ink Publishing Anthology

Collars N CuffsSince this is an anthology, my review is broken up into mini reviews of each section:

Forged in Steel by Layla Dorine
A sculptor named Finn takes in Trace, an eighteen-year-old homeless boy who lost his parents in a train accident. Finn offers him a job as his helper in his workshop. At first, only offering meals and minimum compensation, later he also offers a bed. First it’s in a separate bedroom, but over time, Trace’s submissive side and his attraction to Finn becomes more evident and Finn’s dominant side overrules his decision to keep Trace at arm’s length. The story is told in retrospect from Trace’s POV as Trace has left Finn, unable to forgive him from something we don’t learn until the end of the story. Very well done, this one is 4 stars

Playing it Safe by Aimee Brissay
Paul asks his friend Jackson if he would provide Paul’s sub, Michael, with the night of his dreams: a night where Michael doesn’t have a safe word. Though initially against the idea, Jackson finally decides to do it when Paul agrees to be present to witness the scene and intervene if he sees his sub in trouble. This story seemed to end abruptly. It just ended when the scene was over with no mention of any future for either man, nor was there further mention of the reason Paul chose Jackson to do the scene with Michael rather than doing it himself. The reason had been stated and it would have affected the future, possibly for all three men, but with the story ending so abruptly, I felt lost so this one was only 2 stars.

Room to Play by Lily Velden
This story is about an MM couple who get involved in BDSM without any formal training. Their occasional foray into a scene becomes more frequent until it gets to be too much for the sub and he calls a halt to their play. He needs to have them both list boundaries, learn more about BDSM, and confine playtime to a playroom. This was interesting with plenty of sex scenes, but it was just too short to get involved with the characters. 3 stars

A Touch of Kink by Alina Popescu
This story takes place in Romania where Tudor is awaiting a VIP at the airport. His coworker, Rahu, is along as this is apparently a major VIP, but the flight is delayed so they talk about Tudor’s upcoming birthday and how disappointed he is that his boyfriend, Kahoni, couldn’t make it from Hawaii. They’ve been successfully seeing each other once a month ever since they met in Hawaii six months before. Needless to say, Tudor is shocked when the VIP turns out to be Kahoni and Rahu was in on the surprise. But there’s further surprises in store for Tudor when the kinky gift Rahu gives him turns out to be something Kahoni really loves. The story was good, though a bit unbelievable. 3.5 stars

Let’s Dance in Sin by Kassandra Lea
A fairly short story about an angel who frequently visits Las Vegas, even though he shouldn’t, but he’s smitten by a devil he met there and neither man can seem to get enough of the other. 3 stars

New Love, New Sight by Carol Pedroso
This was a bit longer than the other stories. It takes place on the Earth space station in a BDSM club where an alien being is running through the club shouting Red. Thankfully, Sorl, the dungeon master understands what he’s saying as he grabs the frightened man. He’s from Sorl’s home universe and Sorl can speak his language. Finding out he’s been captured and almost sold into slavery is the first step, but finding out later that he is Sorl’s life mate adds another level to what becomes a sweet romance and D/s pairing. No explicit sex, though lots of warmth and caring. 4 stars

Switch by Eddy LeFey
This was a well-written story about a young man who is finally coming back into the BDSM scene after having been severely injured by his Dom two years before. The man was banned from the local clubs after it was proven that he had so severely hurt his sub, but the damage was done and now Robbie is struggling to step foot in the club. He shows up for his uncle’s birthday party and meets a Dom who happens to be a switch and a former counselor. Daniel is willing to go an extra step toward helping Robbie overcome his fears and in bringing out the dominant side of his cute little switch. When the Dom from the past threatens to upend all the progress he’s made, Robbie learns that he can switch to his stronger nature while still being Daniel’s submissive. 4 stars

Hell Bound by Asta Idonea
This one is a bit longer than the others and is a very interesting story about an angel who visits Amodeaus in Hell to deliver a reprimand. The lust demon has been exceeding his quota each month and Taharial warns him that he must stop. Something about the demon attracts him, however, and when Amodeaus catches on that Taharial would be open to being bound and having sex with him, he goes for it. The visits continue until Taharial is found out by the archangels and Amodeaus has to take steps to save his lover. This was creative, interesting, well-written, and fun so 5 stars for this one.

Averaging all the stories, my rating is 3.5 stars overall. This is a BDSM anthology, however, it is very mild and would be fine for someone who has never read BDSM before.

~~~~~
Cover art by Peculiar Perspectives shows a handsome, bare-chested, inked man holding a chain so it’s a good representation of the contents.

Sales Links:  Wayward Ink Publishing | ARe | Amazon

Book Details:

ebook
Published June 23rd 2016 by Wayward Ink Publishing
ISBN139781925222937
Edition LanguageEnglish