THE BLURB

Ryan Gracin had a good life until he told his parents he was gay. Since they yanked their support for college he had to find a way to pay for it. Little did he know that joining the Army was going to change his life forever. Especially when he was introduced to a Drill Sergeant who was nicknamed ‘Big Daddy’.

Phillip Grabowski had joined the Army to follow in his father’s footsteps; by the time Ryan entered, he had already made a name for himself. He was a soldier’s solider, but Ryan was making it really hard for him to remember that.

THE REVIEW

 This book was recommended to me by several readers, but to tell the truth it took me a while before I decided to buy it because I don’t read books that are almost 600 pages long. Obviously I bought it but it languished in my TBR pile for a few months before I cracked it open. However, once I started reading I was blown away by the story.

I’ll Be Your Drill, Soldier is a story about four recruits who joined the Armed Forces for a variety of reasons and undergo basic training together for six weeks at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The story also spans their lives for almost 6 years after they become soldiers and takes us on a journey to see what happens to them as they are deployed in different parts of the world, including Iraq.

Our main protagonist Ryan Gracin soon realized that he fallen for Drill Sergeant Grabowski, the most evil, sadistic D/S in the Army who did everything he could to instill fear in Ryan and his three fellow recruits –  Brendan, Patrick and Kenneth. This mythical Army is a completely different universe from the one we are familiar with since being gay in the military was not against the Armed Forces code, there was no “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and no one had ever been kicked out because he preferred men.  It’s like an OK Homo world but Drill seemed real in every sense except for the tolerance of gays in the military. The plot takes us into the lives of these raw recruits and shows how they bond with each other during Basic Training, and details their adventures and misadventures along the way to graduation. You will root for the guys as they overcome obstacle after obstacle and pass incredible tests of human endurance.

I’ll Be Your Drill, Soldier is partly a tactical playbook for Basic Training in the Armed Forces as the guys are taught how to survive, save the lives of their comrades in dangerous situations, and the principles of “all for one and one for all”, brotherhood, loyalty and camaraderie were all part of their training. The book is gritty and real but funny in a morbid sense at times and the readers see the world through the eyes of these characters in every situation, no matter how horrible. Ryan or “Freckles” as Phillip calls him, is 22 years old in the beginning of the story and his lust for his D/S kept getting in the way of duty to his country whenever Phillip was around. Phillip was just as smitten and he made life hell for Ryan by touching him and doing most of the things a lover would do when he wanted to raise his temperature. Because he was Ryan’s superior there was only so much he could do without going over the line, but he walked a razor’s edge as he had fun at Ryan’s expense. These two characters steamed up the pages every time they were in the same room yet Ryan was deathly afraid of Phillip and his reputation as a crazy person, which Phillip cultivated.

All of the characters were well drawn and I fell in love with Ryan and that wonderfully complex man, Phillip Grabowski whose family became Ryan’s extended family because his own hypocritical Christian parents had kicked him out. I think that the supportive relationships, trust and loyalty that developed among the characters over the years was one of the reasons I liked this book so much. The characters kicked each other’s butts when needed but were supportive during the disasters and near misses. War is hell and this book showed  some aspects of that hell. But I don’t want you to get the idea that this book was totally serious. It wasn’t! The ribald humour which filled the pages was a laugh a minute and I have never seen the “F” word used so many times in a book - it was like sprinkling condiments liberally over food ten times over, so be warned.

Drill is warm, funny, gritty and sad and I went through every emotion while reading this book. I never expected that the characters would tug at my heartstrings or have the effect on me that they did.  The emotion at times was so powerful and poignant that I needed a lot of tissues.

Although the story spanned several years it didn’t seem long because the author moved ahead 5 years when we caught up with the characters again after Basic Training. There are too many high and low points to detail in this review but the best part for me were Phillip  and Ryan who were so hot together that at times they had to be scraped off each other. For its length there wasn’t too much sex to overwhelm the book, as Drill was all about the story and the men, their relationships and their families which made this lots of fun and an engrossing read. The author must have done an incredible amount of research to ensure that her story and characters were authentic, or maybe she was in the Armed Forces herself and  wrote from personal experience.

I’ll be your Drill, Soldier is one of the longest romances I can remember reading, at almost 600 pages yet the time  flew by, which is the greatest compliment I can pay an author. I loved the characters, the plot, the world building, the humour and everything about this book and the pacing was incredible. If I had one criticism it was that Phillip’s family members, including his ex, were too darn perfect.

If you want to read a book with lots of hot men in uniform who will take your breath away, wonderfully crafted secondary characters, great man on man action, a plot that will go from the depths to the heights in a split second, and much more fun than you would expect in a story about four army recuits, then I’ll be Your Drill, Soldier should be next on your ‘to buy’ list. Crystal Rose is one hell of a writer!

The Amber Allure free book today is Soothe The Burn by T.A. Chase. Here’s the blurb

Lieutenant Cooper is the leader of an elite group of military men. Their loyalty to the Galactic Military led them to volunteer for an experiment that changed their skin into titanium flesh. On a desperate rescue mission, Cooper enlists the help of Alvix and, with that one action, changes their lives forever.

To win Soothe The Burn please leave a comment on the post.

 Browsing through Wave’s blog recently I came across the excellent article by Val Kovalin about archetypes, stock characters, and stereotypes. It was interesting and well written and it got me thinking about a certain type of character I’ve been experimenting with in my own writing lately—the anti-hero.

The anti-hero typically has a lot of the characteristics more common to a villain than your usual white-knight type of hero. Amorality, violence, greed, lust—he many have any number of undesirable qualities that would normally make the reader hate him and at first, they may. For instance, in A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin,   Jaime Lannister, one of the main characters in the rest of the Song of Ice and Fire series, is first shown pushing a nine year old boy out of a window. Later on we find out that he regularly commits incest with his sister and has fathered all of her children. This is perhaps an extreme example and the reader may actively dislike the character at first (I know I did.) But the question is, can an anti-hero like this be redeemed in the eyes of the reader and turned into a sympathetic character who they will want to read more about?

I believe the answer is yes. Turning a villain or anti-hero into a sympathetic protagonist the reader will root for is a complicated process but I think it can be done in one of three ways.

The first, and most interesting way to make a bad guy into a guy you can’t help liking is to show past trauma—what I like to call, giving a good reason for bad behavior. What happened to the character to make him the way he is now? Was he abused as a child? Born into slavery on a distant planet to a cruel master? Thrown into prison on false charges where he had to get tough or die? Letting the reader know your character isn’t just being a dick for the hell of it will go a long way toward winning their sympathy.

 I used this particular plot device in a M/M book I just turned in to my Loose id editor called Til Kingdom Come. It’s a Medieval M/M erotic romance with mystery, magic, and mayhem and, of course, lots of hot M/M sex. In it, one of the heroes has suffered tremendous losses as a child. I don’t want to spoil it for you but suffice to say, he does some pretty awful things at the start of the book. By the end of the story, however, I have hopefully turned him into a character the reader will be rooting for.

The second way to make the reader care about your bad boy character is to tell them one thing and show another. This is a subtler technique and requires a bit of finesse. I’m going to use a George R.R. Martin character as an example again because he does the anti-hero better than almost anyone else I have read. One of the characters in his Song of Ice and Fire series, Sandor Clegane, is a bodyguard to a rich and spoiled teenage prince. In fact, he is called the prince’s “hound” for his loyalty and willingness to do unspeakable things to serve and protect his master. Sandor frightens the other characters—he has a horrible reputation for remorseless cruelty (he also has some past trauma—his older brother held his face to a stove, making him permanently disfigured.) Yet, despite his supposedly black soul, the reader catches him over and over in small acts of kindness to another character being held prisoner by his master. He shields her from the spoiled prince’s anger and protects her when they are mobbed during a procession at great risk to himself. Martin does an excellent and believable job of making him a character you want to see more of, even if he is only secondary to the plot.

The third and easiest way to redeem an anti-hero is to have him come to an understanding of what he has done wrong and show genuine remorse for his past actions. For instance, at the very end of The Return of the Jedi, we finally see the formidable Darth Vader with his mask off. No longer is he a fearsome Sith lord—he’s a sick old man who is sorry for his actions and we ultimately forgive him for his evil deeds in the previous movies in the series.

 I’m sure there are a few more ways to redeem bad boy characters but those are my favorite methods. The longer I write, the more interest I have in twisted, complex characters with shadowy, painful pasts. I suppose they represent more of a challenge to write than your average good guy in a white hat. Which means you can probably expect to see more angst from me in the future. Big surprise, right? 

 Anyway, I’d love to hear from some of you. Do you have other ways of redeeming irredeemable characters? Who are your favorite anti-heroes of all time and who do you think writes the best anti-heroes? Have you ever read a book where the author failed to convert you and you hated the main character you were supposed to like the entire time? I’d like to know and I’m sure Wave would too.

Thanks for reading!

PS—if you liked my previous M/M book, The Assignment, feel free to check out the latest installment about Detectives Valenti and O’Brian—Heart and Soul, available Feb 9th from Loose id. This is a darker book than the previous two but I think you’ll find it very satisfying in the end.

EVANGELINE ANDERSON’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: vangiekitty@aol.com 
Website:www.evangelineanderson.com

Lynn reviewed the second book in Bobby Michaels’ wonderful Jock Dorm series Drew and Vince yesterday and if you haven’t checked it out as yet you should do so because this is a great romance for those of you  who are brave enough to read Bobby’s books.  Jenre also reviewed A Man, A Jersey and a Tight End by A.M. Riley which is definitely worth a read.

Tomorrow, Monday, February 8 Evangeline Anderson will be guest blogging about villains so you can ask her questions about any topic your little hearts desire.

Also on Monday the Amber Allure free book is Soothe the Burn by T.A. Chase.

 M.L. Rhodes will review the movie Boy Culture.

On Tuesday, February 9 Erastes has mysteriously said “she hates the green eyed man” whatever that means. I guess you’ll have to log on to find out what in heck she’s talking about.

The Amber allure free book on Tuesday is Ring of Fire by Lee Avalone

On Wednesday, February 10 I’m  interviewing  M.L. Rhodes about her Draegan Lords series. I ask her pointed questions which she tries to avoid until I turn up the heat.

Also on Wednesday the Dreamspinner Press free book is The Replacement Guitarist by Lori Toland.

On Thursday the Dreamspinner Press “free” book is Sins of the Father by D.W. Marchwell

On Friday the boyz are here fresh from the Superbowl.
The Dreamspinner Press free book is A Note in the Margin by Isabelle Rowan. This is one of my favourite DSP books.

On Saturday we’ll have something for you but I’m not sure what.

The MLR Press free book is Big Diehl by George Seaton.

I have an announcement and a request. As you know the number of M/M romances released by publishers is increasing exponentially, and in order to serve you better I asked Lily, who most of you know because she’s a regular on the site, to be a guest reviewer. Lily was one of the very first bloggers who dropped by when I started my old blog and she has been a loyal visitor ever since.  She lives in North Florida, close to Jacksonville, and because she works odd hours (12.30 to 9 P.M.) Saturday through Wednesday she may not be able to respond to comments on her reviews immediately but she will eventually. She says that she’s hopelessly addicted to reading, blogging and playing Facebook games – I never knew there were Facebook games. Please join me in welcoming Lily to the website in her new capacity – she doesn’t know what she’s in for or maybe she does. Lily currently reviews for another site and has her own blog I Love books.

Now to the request. I also wanted you to know that I will be updating the list of Readers’ Favourite Gay Books which is the most popular post on the site. In March sometime I will add a few new books to the list that you believe are truly deserving. I will be posting something during the week with the details.
 
This Week’s Reviews

Aunt Lynn: Jock Dorm 3: David and Conner  by Bobby Michaels; Solitude and Sea Glass by T.D. McKinney and Terry Wylis.
Jenre: Puppy Love by Jeff Erno; Kingsoak by Willa Okati; Precious Jade by Fyn Alexander
Leslie: Tango in the Night by K.C. Kendricks
I was going to come up with a new list until I realized that last week I reviewed everything but the books I was supposed to, so my list is the same as last week’s with the addition of I’ll Be Your Drill Soldier by Crystal Rose. In case you forgot, the other books are:  Rough Draft by Chris Owen; and possiblyToy Box Shaving a Torquere anthology; and Lover’s Knot by Donald Hardy. Here’s hoping I don’t get distracted again.

As most of you who are regulars on this site know I’m a huge baseball fan, but this week is the Superbowl and I’m hoping that the New Orleans Saints will put a hurtin’ on the Baltimore Colts. It’s a tall order but doable.

Till next week boys and girls!

Feliz

Congratulations Feliz. Please email jessewave@gmail.com  so that I can forward your information to MLR Press.

Thanks for playing everyone.

 THE BLURB

The Boys are Back…

It’s been two years since tall, dark, and stoic Detective Valenti, and his partner, blond, intense O’Brian came to terms with their true feelings for each other.  Going undercover at the RamJack, the most notorious gay resort in the country, tested their friendship to the limit and forged a new love between them that has grown immeasurably since. The partners always have each other’s backs and never let each other down.

But now O’Brian has accepted a new, dangerous undercover assignment where Valenti cannot follow. Working for James Talbert, the man who is single-handedly responsible for more illegal pornography than anyone else in the country, is bad enough. But the porn kingpin is also suspected of making gay snuff films—and his last five stars have ended up six feet under.

 Valenti begs his partner not to go, but O’Brian is determined to take the assignment—and then fails to check in at the appointed time. Fearing the worst, Valenti goes undercover to rescue his partner, only to find himself caught in Talbert’s sadistic web. Now he and O’Brian will be forced to act out a madman’s darkest desires on film and hope they both survive. The ordeal will test and twist their love for each other, but will it draw them closer together or drive them apart? Whatever happens, it will force them to bare themselves to each other in a way they never have before, both Heart and Soul.

THE REVIEW

It’s no secret that  The Assignment reviewed here  is one of my top 10  M/M romances. Sean O’Brian and Nick Valenti can do no wrong in my book. This new adventure, Heart and Soul, their first book since The Assignment (other than a couple of fun shorts around Christmas and the Fourth of July), showcases O’Brian’s and Valenti’s talents as detectives and their ability to make the tough decisions when needed. This book also shows once more their love and devotion for each other and that they will do whatever it takes to keep that love going.

In Heart and Soul O’Brian volunteers for an assignment to bring porn kingpin James Talbert to justice. Talbert wasn’t your usual dealer of porn – he made snuff films using gay twinks. O’Brian had some experience playing a twink on their last mission so he felt qualified to take on this role again. Valenti was upset that O’Brian had accepted the job without consulting him as they had been lovers for 2 years since the Ramjack and whatever decisions Sean made affected him as well. Nick feared he could lose Sean, but despite his pleas he couldn’t change his partner’s mind. Outside of the love and hot sex between them they trusted each other and Valenti felt betrayed that O’Brian had violated that trust by not at least discussing this operation with him before signing on. In his mind this mission put both their lives at risk;  if anything bad  happened to Sean he couldn’t go on without him. Sean O’Brian on the other hand felt strongly that it was up to him to take Talbert out and shut down this monster’s operations..

A month after Sean had been on the job he didn’t call in as usual and Nick was so upset he demanded that Captain Harris send in a team to extricate Sean. He was sure that something was very wrong because Sean never failed to call every day as he knew how important this was to Nick, and the only way he wouldn’t do so was if he was incapacitated. When Nick was given permission by his boss to check on his partner his worst fear was realized, Talbert had him showcased as his newest star - bound, hands behind his back and blindfolded, with a noose around his neck; and now Nick was also Talbert’s prisoner. Would they be able to extricate themselves from this newest hell hole alive? This was another life or death situation for these two detectives who had come through relatively unscathed from the Ramjack assignment, but would this newest test prove to be their undoing?

This story is much darker than The Assignment and O’Brian and Valenti are Talbert’s newest recruits who are destined for stardom and then death at the end of the movie. But before they get there Talbert has plans to make their lives even more miserable, tightening the noose, literally, around Valenti’s neck with a gun trained on both of them to show he meant business, as he orders Sean to do his dirty work for him.

Evangeline Anderson upped the ante with her newest villain James Talbert who made Vincent Conrad the drug dealer from the Ramjack assignment seem like small change. Talbert played Russian roulette with our heroes and had many other weapons in his arsenal that didn’t involve firearms but were just as deadly.  He made O’Brian injure Valenti so badly he required medical care and both their professional and personal relationships were in danger of being terminated as O’Brian’s guilt and anguish about his partner’s injuries at his hands had a traumatic effect on him.

I loved Heart and Soul and the characterizations were just as good as I have come to expect from Evangeline Anderson but I did miss the humour between the guys that was very evident in The Assignment. The writer’s trademark angst is apparent although there wasn’t too much of this in Heart and Soul, mainly I think due to the length of the book. I should point out that the plot is quite similar to The Assignment – only the location, the villain and the crime are different. Also, I thought the end of the takedown was rushed. However, I realize that since this was a novella the author’s speed to wrap up the story and resolve Sean’s and Nick’s personal issues was quite understandable.

The best part of this book for me was the way the love between the protagonists has matured and deepened since I last met them. Although O’Brian and Valenti were in imminent danger in their current situation I had faith they would come out of it reasonably intact, otherwise there would be no hope for other adventures starring two of my favourite detectives.  As always, the sex between these two characters was intense as they climbed into each other’s skin and had a party that didn’t require firecrackers. 

Even though Heart and Soul didn’t have the complexity of The Assignment which introduced readers to these two detectives, it was unique in its own way by showing how suppportive they were of each other in the middle of an extremely dangerous operation. The Assignment was the first Gay For You M/M book that I had ever read where the romance between two straight men seemed realistic, and I became very fond of the guys because of the way the author made them so three dimensional. In this new story I thought that the characters were just as well drawn.

If you’re a fan of either the author or The Assignment and like GFY romances you won’t want to miss Heart and Soul, another dangerous but enjoyable episode with O’Brian and Valenti who just can’t seem to stay away from trouble and each other. While you can enjoy this book without reading The Assignment I would strongly recommend that you read the previous book first to fully understand O’Brian’s and Valenti’s story. I had a really hard time rating this book and waffled quite a bit even just before posting this review, but I had to be as objective as possible even though I love this series.

Heart and Soul will be released on Tuesday, February 9th, by Loose Id.

A Guest Review by Aunt Lynn

THE BLURB

Gregg Halversohn brings his younger brother Drew to the university on a wrestling scholarship. Drew is running away from the same rejection Gregg had faced at home because he’s gay. Drew, at first, figures he’s made a terrible mistake by coming to the university when he ends up rooming with Vince Collucci, a wrestler Drew had seen at a tournament and was strongly attracted to. He falls in love with Vince and is just about to finally tell him how he feels, when Vince has a surprising announcement of his own.

Can two jocks find love together?

THE REVIEW

Drew and Vince is the second book in prolific author Bobby Michaels’ Jock Dorm series. I am reviewing the three-book series in order. Book one, Dar and Gregg, is reviewed here.

Unexpectedly and joyfully reunited with older brother Gregg and rescued from his terrible living situation, eighteen-year-old Drew has arrived on State University’s doorstep with a wrestling scholarship and a new life. Drew had been living in fear that his hyper-religious parents would find out he was gay and disown him, the same thing that happened to Gregg three years earlier. Assigned to rooming with hunky Vince, a fellow wrestler and someone Drew has been attracted to ever since he snuck away to see Gregg wrestle at the state championships, his challenge now is to keep that attraction to himself because Vince isn’t gay, right? Vince is known across campus as a ladies’ man with a reputation of “bangin’” as many chicks as he can get his hands on. But things are not always what they seem; unknown to Drew, Vince had come out to Dar and Gregg several months before and is drawn to his new roommate as well. Once everything comes out, so to speak, can they work through the multiple challenges that life throws at them?

Even though I included this in my review of Dar and Gregg, I thought I’d repeat it for those who happen upon this review first. I am a big fan of Bobby Michaels from back in his Nifty days, reading just about everything he has published under the name RimPig there. If you haven’t already read something by him, there are a few things to note before diving into any of his stories, including this one. First, I find his writing to be honest, opinionated, heart-felt and more-often-than-not very sexually graphic. He makes no secret about where he stands on social and political issues, and many times his stories are commentaries on one or more subjects, such as prejudice, gay marriage, gays having/adopting children, gay coming of age/coming out, parental acceptance and support — or not — of homosexuality of their children, religion, politics, war, the Marines, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” There is also no doubt that these are guys who love guys, with prevalent kinks including fit, athletic bodies, raunchy man scents, and rimming sessions that go on for days (note that there are other, less conventional ones on Nifty that don’t appear in his commercially-published works). Additionally, there is a healthy dose of autobiography in his stories; he has many decades of both writing and loving (his love life is legendary) and his stories usually touch upon some aspect of his many experiences. He is not to every reader’s taste, but I think his stories are worth it.

In some ways, I liked this second book both better and less than Dar and Gregg, which I will try to explain.

For me, the beginning of this story was like reading Dar and Gregg all over. The nerd/jock element may have been missing, but the instant attraction, the try-to-hide-the-attraction-then-the-reveal-of-feelings/I-want-a-committed-relationship-not-just-sex/the narrator-is-a-virgin aspects, the smexxin scenes and their kinks, the dialog all reminded me of the previous story — to a point. These early scenes, while not making me dislike the book — and I do like this author’s style — made me say “I hope things change up a bit because I’m ready for something new.”

I got my wish. From chapter five onward it became its own story to me. It became angstier — though never overly so — with conflicts the previous book didn’t have. We are introduced to Vince’s family, the members of whom have varying levels of acceptance of Vince and Drew’s relationship; there is a health crisis; there is an unexpected addition to their family. We also are treated to a longer timeframe of the story, which covers about five or so years, allowing us to witness perhaps a more solid relationship than in the previous book. The challenges thrown at them make them stronger as a couple, I thought, and I liked watching them deal with the issues as they come along.

I liked both protags, young men finding their way in the world: Drew, who has known he was gay for a long time, but had to live oppressed for years, and Vince, who just recently discovered his true sexuality. Once again, we have atypical jocks. Like Gregg, they are sensitive and willing to let their feelings show, not matter what those feelings are. Guilt, shame, love, lust, fear all make appearances here. But make no mistake — our heroes are men.

Because there is more focus on the internal and external conflicts and plot that happens after they get together, I found there was less smexxin overall, which for me was an improvement over the last story where I found myself skipping whole scenes. Don’t get me wrong; there is plenty of raunchy man smells and rimming and BJs to go around, just less description of them.

In this book we are also introduced to David, who is Vince’s older priest brother. We already know that the next book is devoted to his story, and the author took the opportunity to lay groundwork for that that here. Not only are issues around religion brought up, but we also get to know the Collucci family well, allowing for the possibility of some familial conflicts to carry over into book three as well.

A few things/niggles:

Although Drew and Vince become friends first over the course of several months, it happens just about all off-screen and not only did I feel denied of watching that happen, but their declarations of love and commitment felt very fast to me — almost too fast. In fact, there are parts of the book just felt rushed to me, and that could be a product of fitting five years into the story. It sometimes jumps months or even a year or more, and there were times where I was a little confused as to where I was in the timeline.

As is common in stories by this author, wanting/acquiring children happens in an almost insta-child way. Though this doesn’t necessarily bother me, it is possible that some readers may find the relative ease in which both a child (or children) is made available and the legal process — if there is one — gone through as being an exercise in suspending your disbelief.

As I said in my review for Dar and Gregg, the smexxin is quite graphic and if you are turned off by raunchy man smells, rimming and some serious dirty dialog, this may not be the book for you.

OVERALL

Once again, Bobby Michaels gives us a great romance in Drew and Vince, the second installment of the Jock Dorm series. Book three is waiting for me to re-read and review next, so I think I’ll go do that now.

A guest review by Jenre

THE BLURB

‘A Man, a Jersey and a Tight End’ picks up where AM Riley’s High Ball, ‘Goldilocks and His Three Bears’ left off, with Brian and his housemates and lovers sorting out the rues of their unusual relationship. Paul and Scott are away for long periods of time, their work putting stress in the relationship.

Add in Brian’s curiosity and need, where he fears the growth will send him farther from his men, and things to start to reach their breaking point. Jim feels the strain of holding the household together and Scott, being Scott, can always find a way to throw a wrench in things. Can the Goldilocks boys find a way to keep their unique family together?

THE REVIEW

A Man, a Jersey and a Tight End is the sequel to Goldilocks and His Three Bears (GAHTB) which has a place on my keeper shelf. GAHTB is, rather unfortunately, out of print – a great shame in my opinion because I love its cheeky humour and theme of four men who fall into a rather unconventional relationship. When this sequel opens it follows on almost directly on from the previous book. The four men – Dom & Alpha male Paul or ‘Daddy’; the other Dom and peacemaker Jim or ‘Momma Bear’; the irascible reluctant sub Scott and the bouncy sub Brian – are settling into their roles in the household based on their domestic discipline relationship. Paul and Brian are a couple and Jim and Scott are a couple, but within those dynamics there is a certain amount of fluidity as both subs answer to either Dom and they all have sex with each other should the fancy arise. It’s unconventional to say the least but it works within the context of the book. It is rather important to have read the first book to understand how these power dynamics came into being and I’m rather hoping that AM Riley will find a new publisher for GAHTB as it’s well worth reading.

This book then follows the four men as they seek to cement the rules of their relationship and move tentatively into a lifestyle based on reward and punishment with quite a lot of BDSM thrown into the mix. Brian is especially interested in some of the aspects of BDSM and although Paul is nervous about it there’s quite a few scenes where they are trying out that kind of role play in the bedroom. This led to a number of intense sex scenes which worked well in furthering the characterisation of Paul and Brian who were the main focus of the first book. I would say that the focus is more on Scott and Jim in this book as Scott finds what Paul and Brian are doing quite bewildering and reacts badly to it a number of times. Scott also brings another man into the house – Joshua – and there is a sub-plot between Joshua and another man, Freddie, which takes up some of the second part of the book.

The tone of the first book was generally very lighthearted and I got the impression that I wasn’t really supposed to take it that seriously. In this sequel the tone is much darker, and rightly so as we move more into the nitty gritty of what a domestic discipline relationship entails. There were still quite a number of funny, and even laugh out loud, moments, especially when Brian and Scott put their heads together to stir up trouble for Jim and Paul. On the whole though this book is designed to look at how reward and punishment can be used effectively in a relationship between a Dom and Sub. As a result of this there were also some scenes, mostly involving Scott, that I found uncomfortable. I can understand the use of spanking/paddles for sexual pleasure, but when it was used for punishing a sub for a wrongdoing, I felt a little uneasy. My unease was partly due to the fact that we don’t get Scott’s thoughts during this time and so I didn’t really understand why he needed to be punished in this way. I could only assume that his low self-esteem, which is another characteristic of Scott’s to be drawn out during this book, is what fuels him to need that punishment.

I always feel quite amazed when I read this book or GAHTB that the author who wrote this also wrote the very serious and emotional books Amor En Retrogrado and The Elegant Corpse. In some ways it shows how versatile AM Riley is as an author that this book is part of that author’s repetoire. Having said that, this book is one of AM Riley’s early works and there are some mistakes – such as the viewpoint being rather all over the place by randomly switching from one character to another – which have been ironed out in the author’s later books. Some readers may also be put off by the number of main characters in the book – six in all – but I found it quite easy to follow what was happening with each character so it wasn’t a problem for me.

Overall, A Man a Jersey and a Tight End is an enjoyable book: The writing is tight, the characters are well drawn and sympathetic, the sex scenes are a mix of hot and tender and the themes of the book were unusual enough to keep my attention. It’s a book I would recommend, particularly to those who have read GAHTB and who are interested in a well written book about men in a domestic discipline relationship.

Please email me at jessewave@gmail.com.

Thanks

Amy

Congratulations Amy. Please send your email address to jessewave@gmail.com so that I can forward it to Dreamspinner. Thanks for playing everyone.