Posts Tagged ‘male-male’

Rock Fiction Coveting: The Rock Gods Series by Ann Lister

Posted: September 6, 2016 in Rock Fiction Coveting
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How’d this one slip past all the radars here at The Rock of Pages? It’s a seven-book series, for crying out loud, dating back to 2013!

It’s the Rock Gods series, written by Ann Lister, who has at least one other Rock Fiction series under her belt. Is she the real thing? Oh, I hope so!

All seven books (so far. Are there going to be more? Oh, Ann Lister, chime in and talk to us about what you’re up to!) feature a couple different bands. The first two books aren’t clear in the description, but then we seem to settle in with bands named Ivory Tower and Black Ice.

But… they’re all male-male. And we all know that’s not my cuppa. But the situations are interesting, and they are varied. Two dudes in the same band. A threesome. Strangers — more than once — who are brought together by fate and hormones and all that good stuff that brings people together. Yeah, there’s real potential in this series.

Susan would be GLAD to read these. All seven of them! Yes, it’s true. I would. — Susan, who wasn’t consulted before she got the post to look over and schedule.

Bring it.

And if you’ve read any and have reviews, I’m always glad to make Susan post them for you. More exposure for the book, for you, for the author… and more work for Susan (and less for me). No one loses.

Rock Fiction Coveting: Damned if You Do by Marie Sexton

Posted: August 30, 2016 in Rock Fiction Coveting
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This one’s a bit different, and it’s really hot right now. I’m seeing it talked about pretty much everywhere, so I guess I gotta get on the bandwagon. This does, after all, have serious Rock Fiction potential. Take a look:

Soul acquisition is a drag, but if Abaddon doesn’t catch up on his quota, he could be demoted to scooping poop for the Hounds of Hell. With a deadline hanging over him, he heads for the Bible Belt, looking for the perfect combination of sweetness and challenge.

Seth is a blind musician, part of a traveling tent revival. He’s cute, mystically talented, and quotes the Bible at every turn. His soul is pure enough to fill Abaddon’s quota for months to come, and Abaddon is determined to claim it.

The problem? There’s the revival foreman who watches Abaddon’s every move. Then there’s the mystery of Seth’s many unusual talents. Lastly, there’s Abaddon himself. He’s beginning to like Seth a bit too much. Maybe Seth deserves something better than damnation.

But Hell’s agenda isn’t negotiable, and time is running out. If Abaddon doesn’t play his cards right, he could condemn both of them to the worst fate of all—an eternity apart.

So Seth’s a blind musician. Kind of a cliche when you add in the traveling tent revival, but not so much of a cliche when you look at the body of Rock Fiction we talk about here.

The question, really, is how much music is in this story. Does it cross into Rock Fiction, or it just another near miss?

Okay, the other question is maybe a bigger one: can Jett stand an entire male-male story, or will I have to pass this off to Susan?

Only one way to find out. Even more than the male-male, which just isn’t my thing, I’m just not sure I can spend an entire book with a version of a devil named for a font. And not just any font, but the font Godsmack is currently using for their logo. And if it’s not Abbadon they’re using, it’s something close. Close enough that the idea of Abbadon the devil and a band named Godsmack… well, it kinda makes me giggle.

Rock Fiction Coveting: Rhythm and Blue by DP Denman

Posted: May 10, 2016 in Rock Fiction Coveting
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Wasn’t that long ago that I was coveting the first in this series, Blue. And here I’m back with the follow-up. Oh, sorry. sequel, although it looks more like a continuation to me.

Blue’s career is gaining speed, shaking up his almost quiet life. The unexpected success brings international recognition and sparks jealousy in a once trusted friend, shifting the precarious balance of ego and amity.

The increasing demands of Blue’s schedule prompt Brady to remodel his own career. Forcing him from the comfort of his obsessive schedule into something unknown.

Blue needs stability. Brady needs time to adjust. Can they pull it together before success creates more casualties?

Don’t miss the gripping sequel to the best-selling novel BLUE.

Yep, this feels like a middle child. I’d like to see more at stake here, but not in the over-the-top, crazed-fan-turned-stalker way. Just… more than “before success creates more casualties.”

I don’t know. Maybe there is more. Back cover copy is hard to write, Susan says. I’ll trust her.

Before I can read this one, though, I gotta read Blue. And yep, I’m still curious to.

Guest Review: Illumination by Rowan Speedwell

Posted: November 21, 2015 in Guest Poster, Reviews
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Let’s welcome author Cherry Cox back to The Rock of Pages! She’s got a review of a book that’s not hers, and we hope she’ll hang around this place and help us get through the ever-growing list of Rock Fiction that needs love, attention, and reviews.

Without further ado:

ILLUMINATION by Rowan Speedwell

Review by Cherry Cox

One night while he’s on tour, Adam Craig, a jaded, drunken rock star, jumps into a cab and tells the driver to take him to Indian Lake. Once there, he wanders onto the lakeside property owned by the anxiety-ridden, agoraphobic calligrapher Miles Caldwell and proceeds to make himself at home. The next morning, Miles discovers Adam sound asleep on his patio and the seeds of romance are sown.

The overarching theme of this book is the ‘unattainability of desires’. Both main characters yearn for things that seem beyond their control or reach. In-the-closet Adam yearns for some authenticity in his life, for some kind of genuine connection, and Miles is painfully crippled by his anxieties.

Much of the plot takes place in one location, given Miles’s inability to leave his home. This creates a bit of problem when Adam is forced to return to work in the band. Unfortunately, with the lovers now separated, the plot slows down and loses some important momentum.

The writer has an easy-going style and the book was a quick, easy read. However, I feel that the author may have been in two minds about how to categorize this story and so crammed it into Rock Fiction simply because the main character is a rock star. In reality, I feel this book is really about Miles. Miles specializes in illustrated manuscripts, and the book is called ILLUMINATION. There is very little to do with Adam and his band.

Despite the fact that the characters are well-drawn, I have to admit that I wasn’t all that invested in them. I suspect this comes from the fact that there is little to no development of Adam and Miles’s romantic relationship before they hit the sheets. It really is a matter of fuck first, ask questions later. In fact, it is so quick, it’s unrealistic. However, I pressed on and read to the end.

So, what did I think overall? Well, personally I like a little more depth in my plot, and little more ‘rock’ in my ‘rock stars’. And while I didn’t add ILLUMINATION to my list of all-time greats but I didn’t abandon it either.

About Cherry:

Ever since reading her first rock fiction book Cherry Cox has been hooked. More so, she loves m/m rock fiction. Cherry is the author of IT’S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP. Available now on Amazon & iTunes.

#Rocktober Book Spotlight from Cherry Cox

Posted: October 29, 2015 in Guest Poster, Rocktober
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So into my inbox pops a new-to-me author about to launch her first book, It’s a Long Way to the Top. It’s a male-male story, so it wasn’t for Jett, and let me tell you. I’m halfway through it and it is totally  knocking my socks off. Unless something happens between now and the end, expect another Rock of Pages Recommended Read!

 

Cherry was kind enough to send me the following blurb, and I’m more than pleased to post it for you.

 

Cherry Cox 

What’s it like to be a young, hot, talented, yet gay guitar god in a world that isn’t ready for gay?

 

Step back in time to 1985 where sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll rule the Sunset Strip, and where Jackson ‘Jax’ Reed and his band Acts of Insanity are forging their place in rock ’n’ roll history.

 

What can I say? I love rock music. I’ve always loved music. I’ve always loved rock music. Many years ago I even tried my luck as a vocalist in several rock music bands. The lifestyle was killer. Literally. It was hard on my mind and my body. It was also one of the greatest times of my life.

 

Fast forward to 2011. I was loading up my e-book reader with material to read on a long overseas journey when I came across my very first romance/erotica rock fiction book. And I was blown away. I’d just found a new passion. Subsequently, I downloaded all the romance/erotica rock fiction I could find.

 

I also knew I had to write my own story. And so I started tinkering with IT’S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP.

 

IT’S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP takes a behind the scenes look at a band navigating their way through the industry, and at a lead guitarist who is struggling with his sexuality.

 

 

“Well, let me tell you this rock star – the world isn’t ready for a gay guitar god, you understand me? The world isn’t ready for gay. One word of this gets out, one whiff of suspicion, and it’s over. Do you understand that?”

 

 

Melissa Cleeman, Senior Editor at Busy Bird Publishing, had this to say:

 

Raw, sexy, electrifying. A world where music is God and Rock n’ Roll is a religion, Cherry Cox delivers the sounds, smells and tastes that is the 80s rock era.

Jax is an unforgettable character, leading you down the dark slivers of the industry as he struggles to accept himself in a world that’s not yet ready to. I swayed from wanting to comfort him, slap him, jam with him, and fuck him.

Cox has captured the sexual tension and chemistry between Jax and Harley brilliantly, leading the way for a partnership that has to succeed in more ways than one. Each scene made me feel like I was there in the moment, whether that was being part of the band and playing music, to being in the corner of a seedy bar, reeking of booze and itching for my next fix.

Acts of Insanity paves the way to a new genre, where rock and sex come together in a spectacular way. I can’t remember the last time I read a story where I was so emotionally invested in the characters, and their plight, I just kept coming back for more!

 

 

Now, a year after I began tinkering with the concept, IT’S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP has finally hit the shelves. If you want a real, raw, and gritty story about sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, if you want to know about Jax’s journey, then IT’S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP is the answer to your rock fiction prayer.

 

But be warned, it is not for the faint-hearted.

 

Available Rocktober 21 – KINDLE, AUDIO, PRINT & iBOOK

 

For more info go to:

Paperback Pleasures

http://www.paperbackpleasures.com

 

And join me on:

My website/blog

http://www.cherrycox.com

 

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/CherryCoxAuthor

 

Twitter

https://twitter.com/CherryCoxAuthor

 

READ AN INTERVIEW WITH THE BAND IN CHEAP SHOT MAGAZINE

http://www.paperbackpleasures.com/acts-of-insanity-series.html

 

 

 

SEE THE BAND’S ONE AND ONLY MUSIC VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33z9e1c3GAo

 

 

Rock Fiction Coveting: Fever Pitch by Heidi Cullinan

Posted: September 29, 2015 in Rock Fiction Coveting
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As Rock Fiction gets more popular, I bet we’re going to be seeing more of this: books that are part of a series but only one here or there is Rock Fiction even though the series itself isn’t. “A smattering,” Susan would say.

I say bring it.

Today’s coveting (Yo, Trolls: that means I wanna read it) is one of those. Which I’m sure you guessed because if it wasn’t, why write that intro?

Here goes:

Aaron Seavers is a pathetic mess, and he knows it. He lives in terror of incurring his father’s wrath and disappointing his mother, and he can’t stop dithering about where to go to college—with fall term only weeks away. Ditched by a friend at a miserable summer farewell party, all he can do is get drunk in the laundry room and regret he was ever born. Until a geeky-cute classmate lifts his spirits, leaving him confident of two things: his sexual orientation, and where he’s headed to school.

Giles Mulder can’t wait to get the hell out of Oak Grove, Minnesota, and off to college, where he plans to play his violin and figure out what he wants to be when he grows up. But when Aaron appears on campus, memories of hometown hazing threaten what he’d hoped would be his haven. As the semester wears on, their attraction crescendos from double-cautious to a rich, swelling chord. But if more than one set of controlling parents have their way, the music of their love could come to a shattering end.

A violin? What happened to guitars? Drums? Emo screaming?

Yeah, well, music is music and violins can make some damn good Rock Fiction. Just ask Lindsey Sterling and Lzzy Hale. Maybe it ain’t fiction but that? That is Rock and Roll with a violin.

Besides, we know Rock Fiction is a catch-all phrase. It ain’t even ours, so don’t come whining to me.

So now that we got this out of the way, let’s talk about the plot. Lots of musical references in here, so I’m hoping this means music plays a big role in the story, especially because it’s a male-male and you guys know those aren’t my favorites.

Bring it. I want to know about that violin and the role it plays.

Rock Fiction Coveting: The Ugly Eternity Series by Charity Parkerson

Posted: July 24, 2015 in Rock Fiction Coveting
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Susan knows who Charity Parkerson is through some blog sharing thing she does, but didn’t really know she wrote Rock Fiction until I pointed the third in this series out to her. I think she’s sleeping on the job again!

Anyway, I have no idea why this series has the awful name of the Ulgy Eternity Series so maybe Susan can reach out to Charity and ask her if she’d write a guest post and let us all know. And maybe she can explain the cover, too. It’s … well, it caught my eye.

Here’s what the first book, Heart’s Beat, is about.

By day, Cade works as a mechanic. By night, he’s the drummer for a popular nightclub band. Music has always been his greatest love and biggest dream. That is, until Cade meets Dylan.

For Dylan, working as head bartender for Club Khronos is the ultimate job opportunity. There’s no way he could’ve foreseen how torturous the position would become. Six months of craving Cade has driven Dylan insane. No matter what he tries, Dylan can’t get a clear read on Cade. When Cade does finally make his move, Dylan realizes a fate worse than never having the man of his dreams—being kept a secret.

Makes ya wonder if this really is Rock Fiction, doesn’t it? What does Cade’s drumming have to do with the love story? Looking over the descriptions of all the books, it seems that Ugly Eternity is the band … until the fourth book. And it seems that all four books are male-male love stories, and you guys know that’s not my thing. But there’s no mention of anyone in the band starring in the fourth book and you gotta wonder what the chances are that three of the guys in the same band are all gay, unless that’s what brought them together, unless my own skewed view of the world is showing again.

Anyway, Charity? Help us out? I’m sure Susan would like to read these, since male-male’s more her thing than mine.

Rock Fiction Coveting: Games Boys Play by Zoe X Rider

Posted: July 14, 2015 in Rock Fiction Coveting
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Here’s the thing about this one: it sounds like the two dudes who star in the book are in a band together. That sets off the Rock Fiction radar around here. But when you read the description, it doesn’t sound very rock and rollish.

Brian and Dylan have been best friends for years. They have no secrets between them, except for the ones they’re keeping from each other.

When Dylan lets himself into Brian’s apartment to drop something off, it couldn’t be worse timing—for Brian. He’s tied himself up to play out a kidnapping fantasy. He’s mortified, but Dylan is intrigued. He even offers to help Brian out next time he has an urge to be tied up.

No. That’s all Brian can think. No way. But the idea of someone else being in control overwhelms his thoughts—and self-bondage is suddenly a pale substitute for the real thing. He gives Dylan permission, on a trial basis, and comes face to face with a side of Dylan he’s never seen before. A really hot side.

As their games pick up steam, so does their relationship, along with Brian’s courage to go after the things he wants. Like, Dylan.

It might be happily ever after, but there’s one secret left, and it could ruin everything.

So I’m getting near this one pretty cautiously. M/m isn’t my favorite, and there’s really not a lot in here about a band… maybe it’s just an excuse for the two to be together. From some of the reviews — yes, I read them to see if I could figure out how important the Rock Fiction angle is — it sounds like it’s a reason for stuff to be at stake. As in: Brian needs to be careful so Dylan doesn’t quit the band.

If you’ve read it, let’s hear what you learned. Rock Fiction, or not?

Rock Fiction Coveting: A Matter of When by Eden Winters

Posted: April 21, 2015 in Rock Fiction Coveting
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Not a series! But a guy-guy romance and I’ve said it before: these just aren’t my thing. But here, take a look anyway:

Wealth. Fame. Gold record. Hookers and Cocaine front man Henri Lafontaine has it all…including a control freak manager, band members who smile as they sharpen blades for his back, and last but damn well not least, a fan out to steal his heart. Literally. Trying to write hit songs and plan a comeback in the midst of the hi-fi white noise of LA feels more like watching his world implode, until he’s offered a month in the Colorado Rockies for vocal coaching.

Sebastian Unger’s rich, classically trained tenor inspires wicked thoughts. More than a pretty choir boy, he cracks the whip without hesitation to drive tattooed bad-boy Henri to give his all to his music. Working, fighting, and finally establishing a fragile peace, they find inspiration and perhaps more in each other. But the clock is ticking. Time will pull Henri back to the grit and gold of LA’s mean streets and fame machine, while Sebastian must return to the opera circuit, where a mysterious man known as “the patron” holds far too much sway. Only the trust they’ve built on a handful of notes bridges their two worlds…and shields them from malice.

I like the idea here of going to a vocal coach to get better. But why, when you’re on top of your game?

Why is a killer stalker mentioned in the first sentence and then dropped? Is there a thriller element to this book? How can a band who hates each other this much make it to the top? I bet there’ve been others who have, and I’d love to see the onstage antics of this band, always trying to one-up each other on stage until even the media knew it wasn’t working.

And why would Henri even WANT to make a comeback with these wankers? Comeback from…. what? From having it all?

This is one that I see so many issues with, I gotta read it just so I can be all, “Hey, I’m wrong and that’s an okay thing when a book’s this good.”

And I’ve never seen a book get so slammed on GoodReads for having an ugly cover. Just don’t tell Susan I’m reading the reviews again…

Rock Fiction Coveting: The Replacement Guitarist Series by Lori Toland

Posted: March 20, 2015 in Rock Fiction Coveting
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Seems every time I turn around lately, I’m hearing of a lot more of two things: Rock Fiction done in a series and male-male stories.

Like what Lori Toland’s cooked up. Check the description of the first book, The Replacement Guitarist:

Blaze Shinozuka has two goals: get a job as a guitarist and lose his virginity. At an audition for a famous pop star, he draws the attention of celebrity manager Jason Stockton—and their instant attraction sends his world careening off its axis just as he is thrust into the gritty world of rock ‘n’ roll.

Straight-laced music manager Jason Stockton is always professional and never dips his pen in the company ink. But there is something about Blaze that leaves him wanting what he shouldn’t. The guitarist’s exotic beauty and compelling innocence is a temptation Jason can’t resist.

After one lie in the national media pushes them apart, Blaze must decide whether he will trust Jason, a man he shouldn’t touch, let alone love. The cutthroat, jealous world of rock ‘n’ roll, has chewed up and spit out the toughest musicians, and Blaze vows he will be the last man standing, even after the music stops.

I like that when this opens, Blaze is a newbie. How much Rock Fiction is about either someone with Rock and Roll dreams, or else is about the jaded star who’s been into the groupie thing forever and is ready to be reformed?

And I like that it’s not another member of the band who Blaze has it for. In this scenario, I can see management getting involved and being around.

The rest of the series is interesting. Blaze and Jason weather hardships. Get fired. Break up. And by the fifth book, Blaze has made it and he’s an official pop star. (Really? A guitarist is a pop star?) And then Jason comes back around. This is one of those books that will either end the series or let it continue — If they break up, where’s left to go, story-wise? Isn’t the series about Jason and Blaze? But if they get back together, there’s a big world they can explore together…

I’m curious. Yes, me, who doesn’t particularly care for the gay lit. I’d read this series in a heartbeat.

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