Cop Out by KC Burn

Cop Out by KC Burn  is one of those gay mystery / romantic novels and truth be told, I quite enjoyed it. The cover almost made me not to start the book, but in the end I figured I should give it a try; given the fact that I needed an easy read. It's not like I had enough of intelligent literature, but since I am single again, I needed a bit of fantasy. Oh man, this book had lost some points due to its cover. But, as the saying goes: don't judge a book by it's cover. This time the saying is spot on.

The book starts when two cops do a drug bust that turns bad. One dies and his partner survives. The surviving cop, a decent guy, is trying to connect with his former partner's family, during this process he finds out that his partner was not the man he thought it was. Actually, he finds out things about himself that he never expected. This is as much as you get from me about the storyline. I assure you that is pretty entertaining. At least it was for me, in my actual state of mind. 

The character development is decent by today's standards. It's not as complex as any of the Crazy Russian Authors', but it is a whole lot better than other books. The dialogues are fast paced and seem genuine, not forced or written in haste. The inner workings of the main character are accurate and the sex scenes are hot. They were a lot hotter and more detailed than... 50 shades of Grey; and I am not saying that just because of the gay sex. 

For an erotic novel, I found it lacking that much eroticism. There are a few scenes here and there, but the story as a whole was much more interesting than the sex bits. I'd say it's more of a romance, than an erotic novel. So, if you're gay or bi, it is a good read. If you're straight, and a man, then the cover is a clear indicator that it's not for you. If you're a fag-hag, then MAYBE you'd enjoy it.

50 ways to play: BDSM for nice people by Debra and Don Macleod

50 ways to play: BDSM for nice people is a book about kink. I would call this book a short introduction to the vanilla side of BDSM. It is a light book and an easy read and I think that the cover is a definite indicator of the target audience. Oh hell, I'll just say it, it's for those straight folks that have sex under the covers with the light turned off in the missionary position, who might need a bit of spicing up of their sex life.

I did mention vanilla BDSM because the authors are trying not to scare those "nice people". On the other hand this book kinda misses the entire point of BDSM as a subculture, by trying too hard to make it seem like a walk in the park, than a walk to the dungeon. Ok, maybe I am more hardcore than the authors. They manage to cover the basics, but I was hoping that they'd get into more detail about  the kinky stuff. They talk about the atmosphere, domination and submission, mind games, bondage, spanking, flogging, clamps, dirty talk, temperature play, pornography and a bit of the psychology of the entire thing.

While reading this book, you can have a feel what are the authors' favorite sex positions and plays (hint: spread eagle, face up on the bed or on an ottoman and glass toys). Since Don is not fond of anal play on himself, he doesn't even mention it for men, not even a finger up the ass, not even fisting. The book is ok as a whole, but the structure is kind of lacking because they tried to hit the 50 mark. They mention temperature play where they talk about glass toys, but ice and hot wax are 2 different subjects. Does this make sense? Not to me. Also, they state that a woman masturbating in front of a man can definitely get him crazy hot with desire, as if that is every man's fantasy. I can argue about that too.

I can honestly say that it seemed like a brochure for a spa vacation, than a book about BDSM and kink. This book is more innocent than today's high school kids and although it wants to be risque and sexy, it fails on both accounts. If you never tried BDSM and want some tame ideas for sex, get this book; otherwise hit a BDSM forum and talk to the real Masters and slaves and everybody in between. One word of advice: if your partner is bound and gagged, I don't think he/she will appreciate the idea of being gang-bangged by your other Master friends without a prior talk. Just saying...

Corrupted by Todd Young

Another easy read, a book that lasted a few hours. This is another gay-themed book about a high-school dropout - Bradley and how his life turned from bad to worse in a way due to his own fault and weakness.

Bradley dropped out of high-school because he got bullied by a stupid jock called Tom who shamed him in front of the entire school. Now Bradley is living from day to day with his friend Justin. Justin is taking advantage of Brad's crush for him and keeps hustling him for money, by playing a sexually ambiguous mind game.

From lack of money and lack of jobs Bradley turns to porn and a life of striptease and hustling. Being an orphan this was Brad's only chance of survival in New York and he keeps supporting his sexually confusing room mate. His life goes downhill with every bad choice he makes. This book is not a coming of age read, it is more of a story about compromise for a 19 year old in a harsh environment where sex and money play the main roles in his young life.

Though sexy at times and harsh from time to time, the book makes you feel glad that you do not have that life. The choices are somewhat immature and rushed, hence the title. It is a story about how people take advantage of the needy, corrupting them. This is definitely a good read though.

Sucking Sherbet Lemons by Michael Carson

A coming-of-age novel, this is how I'd describe this book. This one has heart and if you are gay or bi, you will probably find yourself in some of the characters. As a chubby gay kid, I know what Benson was going through: the torment from the peers and the conflicting feelings about my sexuality. Lucky for me, I was never a believer in the Christian dogma, so I guess that my angst was not influenced by the Church.

 

Benson is a chubby kid who finds out that he's gay after playing with a couple of boys in the garage. He turns to religion, hoping that he'll be able to find help and a cure. You can probably guess what a Catholic school might be like, but the depiction seems genuine and you can relate to the main character in many levels. 

Would I call it "The Great British Novel"?  Probably not, but as a novel about growing up I can definitely compare it with "The Catcher in the Rye". I can honestly say that, I my opinion, "Sucking Sherbet Lemons" trumps the hell out of the latter. But, since it is a gay novel, it will never get its well deserved recognition. 

I am glad I found this little gem. I usually am weary about gay novels, because they turn lewd at one point or another. This book has some sexy moments, but leaves out the raunchy details. I think this is a serious book from which everyone can learn something about himself and about the world. Moral of the book: accept who you are and be happy with it.

Down the road by Bowie V. Ibarra

This time I come up with an easy book. It is a horror novel about zombies. Yes, I admit: I am a zombie geek. I am more fascinated how people imagine the collapse of society due to an epidemic (this time zombies) than the actual gore-fest of the undead. I like the idea of survival in a world that had lost its rules and how people start relating to each-other in extreme situations.

Down the road by Bowie V. Ibarra is the classic zombie story: the hero finds himself at the beginning of the zombie-apocalypse and he's trying to get back to his family. This short novel is entertaining even though I think the sex scenes are gratuitous in details and so is the gore. I believe that the author had seen himself in the shoes of George (our hero) and he wanted him to be some sort of geeky playboy. He made George a chick magnet and, go figure, he's Latino.   I did like the fact that it has a beginning and it has an end and the plot is not that bad (believe me, I had read far worse than this).

If you like the genre, read it. You won't be disappointed. You get zombies, sex, violence, the evil government, rebels, survivors, rapists, drug lords and druggies, Texans with lots of guns and a sexy widowed professor who fucks the women he saves and who can drive stick. Did I mention zombies and gore? I guess I did.

Final words: entertaining, somewhat predictable, but definitely worth your while.