Ratin
g: 4 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Anthology
Brit Boys: On Boys is a 8 story collection. All the stories are bundled together and feature British heroes and settings. Jason and Sammy have divided up the stories between them and reviewed them all below.
Dish Of The Day by Claire London
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Sammy
Richie is in a panic. He has invested every pound he owns into his first restaurant and it is his grand opening night…or so he thinks. As one small disaster after another threatens to be his mental and emotional undoing, his two best friends from college, who have been helping him along the way, arrive with the incredible news that the restaurant will not be opening that night, nor the next. In fact his friends have, unbeknownst to him, delayed his opening night for an entire month. Ben and Craig were much more aware than Richie that more time was needed to get the place in top-top shape and as Ritchie tries to recover from that shock of their manipulation in making him think all was well, the two men have another more intriguing secret to share, one that will lead to opening a door that Richie never thought possible.
Claire London dishes up a delicious ménage a trois in her sparklingly clever short story, Dish Of The Day. In short order, this author gives us a big glimpse into the thinking of all three key players and sets up a scenario for Ben and Craig to finally confess to Richie how much they admire and, yes, desire their friend. Incredibly erotic, humorous, and sweet, this story charges ahead at a fierce rate, unfolding delightful secret after secret and allowing us a prime seat at the banquet of lusty emotions and deep friendships. An erotic and sensual story of mutual respect and undying friendships with a dash of love and fantasy throw in for good measure, Dish Of The Day is a classy story of love with no boundaries.
E2 by Sarah Masters
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Sammy
Set in an alternate reality, London is suddenly divided in two by a seeming disaster that had fallen from the sky, nearly destroying one half of the country and leaving the other intact. Archie, formerly a firefighter, now shuffles papers in an office and tries to cope with the fact that he is on the “safe” side where people go about their business and live to not cause any waves that might see them carted off by the government to who knows where. It is a lonely existence, but fear of the disease ridden and burning other side keeps Archie in place, mindlessly following directions. It was a fluke that Archie survived the conflagration from the sky that hit the other side of London where he once worked as a fireman. A sick day is what seemingly had saved Archie, but from what? He has heard rumors that the other side was still safe, that, in fact, they were being lied to in order to keep them from going there to investigate—to maybe help those who had been hurt in the great change that had taken place. But Archie is reluctant to test those rumors—perhaps he is a coward as he sometimes tells himself and so remains alone, obedient, and safe. All is status quo, until Dan emerges from the river…a man from the other side who would bring Archie such incredible news that his whole way of living, of thinking, would be shattered for good.
Sara Masters writes a post apocalyptic tale of a government conspiracy so evolved and outrageous that it presents as staggeringly real. Alternate worlds set up as a means to gather information about whether or not being gay is a lifestyle choice or a genetic predisposition is at the core of her short story, E2. The world she creates, as well as the whole premise of her deftly created plot, captures the attention immediately and thrusts us instantly into an incredible story that sends shivers down the spine. As farfetched as her characters feel their current existence to be, it is a gritty realization that they are trapped in this world that turns what should be fantasy into reality. They are trapped only to be used by a government set on showing the world that gays can be changed—made to desire the opposite sex when deprivation of their desired and “chosen” lifestyle is taken from them. This was an incredible story that hooked me in immediately and found me rooting for our two underdogs all the way. By far, the most interesting of the four stories I have been given to review in this anthology.
Locked Out by Josephine Myles
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Sammy
Normally shy and less than a one night stand kind of guy, elementary school teacher Martin is on holiday with his sister who has just been dumped by her ex. When they spot the speedo clad Rod, Martin’s sister convinces him to live a little, even if it means lying about his mundane job in order to get a little action with the handsome man by the pool. After a drunken Valentine’s dinner with his sister, Martin thinks he is about to enter the ensuite in their motel room, when in fact he accidentally steps into the hallway and locks himself out of their room, stark naked. Who does he run into while trying to find something to cover himself before going to the lobby for a duplicate key? None other than speedo Rod, himself. Caught up in the moment, Martin fabricates an exciting job, and boldly tops the hunk of man. But lies tend to come back around to haunt us and this one may very well end what could be the promise of a lovely romance.
Who knew toe sucking could be so erotic? Locked Out by Josephine Myles was sweet, funny, and just a bundle of fun from page one on. Despite Martin being unable to keep himself from lying, Rod desiring to be topped and so sweet and loving made this story just shine. Another delightful story by an incredibly gifted storyteller.
The Chase by Lily Harlem
Rating: 2.5 stars
Reviewed by Sammy
Steve is the bartender at small comedy club whose headliner is a repeat performer loved by the crowds. And if Steve is being honest, Carrick is fairly easy on the eyes and a bit of a crush for the gay submissive as well. But Carrick did not only interest Steve, but also his former Dom, Robert. Robert had taken to hanging our at the club secretly hoping that Steve would reconsider their break up months earlier and return to being the sweet submissive he once was for Robert. So even thought this night both Dom and sub had their eyes on the comedy genius onstage, they also had eyes for one another—they just had yet to discover that very fact. Unknowingly Carrick would not only be the catalyst for the pair to potentially reconcile, he would also be a part of a steamy threesome that none of the men would soon forget.
Author Lily Harlem writes a very erotic vignette in her short story, The Chase. Between lots of steamy sex, ménage, and more steamy sex there is the bare thread of a story line that is worth pursuing here. However it is truly overwhelmed by the near constant sexcapades of the three men. Steve was a very conflicted and sweet sub. His need to be taken and give over control was something Robert cherished in him. However, the author blurred some very definite lines in the Dominant/submissive partnership when Steve so easily slipped back into calling Robert his Master.
The Master/slave relationship is very different and more complicated than a simple D/s one. Often it is more of a lifestyle that is lived out 24/7 and I am not sure that Robert ad Steve had this intense type of connection. Between that obvious error and the idea that we never really were filled in on exactly why these two had broken up in the first place, it was hard to believe that they could suddenly be okay again and ready to resume their life together. Everything was assumed and smothered in a lot of sex and while it was most definitely steamy, it was way more the focus of this tale, which weakened whatever plot line existed to make the story cohesive and complete.
Bodywork by Ashe Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Jason
Just Alex’s luck that his careless driving in a seemingly empty parking lot would result in a collision. Graham Parr, owner of the damaged BMW, is calm and accepts Alex’s offer to repair the damage at his auto body shop. An accident leads to a night of sex that leads to a relationship, until Alex arrives at Graham’s to find him in the arms of a woman. Soon after, Roy, Alex’s friend and employee, collapses and Alex’s focus shifts.
To be honest, Roy is quite possibly the best part of this story. He is gruff, grumpy, yet loving in his own special way. Alex, Alex, Alex, what are we going to do with you? Immature, irresponsible, impulsive, you are the epitome of a flake, while Graham is the picture of propriety, or so we are lead to believe. The other good, no, make that great thing about Bodywork was the central conflict, which suited the characters and situation perfectly.
Breaking the Marine by M.K. Elliott
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Jason
Brandon and Will hook up not knowing that the following day they will find out the truth of each other’s stories. Corporal William Stuart of the Royal Marine Commandos is now in charge of training new recruit Brandon Rosen. Their attraction is against all the rules, but the men can’t resist each other. When Brandon is injured during his final set of tests, can Will influence a successful outcome?
I really liked Brandon’s motivation for joining the Marines and how he kept reminding himself when things got tough that he is one diverse and strong guy. Will is a study in bad decisions and he knows it. He can’t stop himself, though. The story itself was pretty straightforward and I could guess the point of conflict almost from the start. Since I am a big sucker for well developed characters, Breaking the Marine would have to be my favorite in that respect.
Love on Location by Lucy Felthouse
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Jason
Theo and Eddie are brought together during the filming of a new television show in which Theo is the star. Both men are in the closet for their own valid reasons, and an off-the-cuff offer to stay with together in London, followed by a quick change of heart, threatens their budding friendship. Then Theo decides to come clean with Eddie and invariably their strong attraction to each other can’t be ignored. The sex is more than just sex. Eddie feels a connection and when he brings up his feelings, Theo feels the same way, but can’t see a viable solution for two closeted men to keep seeing each other.
If I had to describe my feelings on Theo and Eddie, to me they were middle of the road, neither poorly written or outstanding. Their inability or unwillingness to come out to the world was one of the things that felt the most realistic to me, that and the wonderful descriptions of the estate being used for the filming. The other thing that was middle of the road was the conflict, which could have been a bit more gripping, and to be honest, this was the weakest point in the story. Neither good, nor bad, it is a typical short story that lacks substance in the key area of character development, but was still worth the read.
Landscapes by K.D. Grace
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Jason
Alonso has returned home and is restoring the manor house, including the extensive gardens. Having seen Reece in the local cafe and fallen under his spell, Alonso has his succubus, Talia, seduce Reece for purposes Reece could never understand. When the truth of Talia’s seduction comes to light, an angry and betrayed Reece quits as landscaper and abandons any possible relationship with Alonso.
Grace incorporated smooth shifts in the POV, which made the flow of this story easy to follow, but the easy acceptance of vampires was a stretch. In terms of the characters, Talia showed the most depth and development, while our two MCs were on the two-dimensional side. Grace did a very good job creating the manor house and its grounds, allowing me to easily picture where Alonso, Reece, and Talia interacted during the story. In the end, it was a cute vampire story, enhanced by the addition of Talia, but the overall package left me wanting.
