Book Reviews

Book Blurb

First Timers brings you a collection of eleven stories about first experiences. From sweet and innocent to smoking hot, these stories capture the exhilarating feeling that something wonderful is about to happen.

Humor and passion blend in Rob Rosen’s “Come Hell or High Water,” Gacy Grant treats us to a heartwarming first in “The Pickup,” long-time friends become lovers in “The King’s Guard” by Evelyn Burkhardt and “One Sneeze, a Wish, Two Sneezes, a Kiss” by Jacey Mills, and revelations abound first time away from home in Andrea Dalling’s “What a Man Wants” and Helena Maeve’s “Initiation.” “Sample and Hold” by Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese, Megan McFerren’s “Just Like That,” and Val Prozorova’s “Guitar Lesson” explore the intensity of a first coming out, first time, first kiss, while love can be found where you least expect it in “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by McKay and “Finding Home” by Katherine Halle.

Whether contemporary or fantastical, past or present, a sweet kiss on a riverbank or reveling in the Bayou, these stories are all uplifting, fun, and did we mention hot?

 

Book Review

A wonderful collection of a variety of first times in various settings and starring a range of wonderful characters.

Come Hell or High Water by Rob Rosen
‘Come Hell or High Water’ is a cute short story about two men dealing with their first fight. Paul tells the story, and he is very upset when he runs from Brian’s apartment to take shelter in his car. While he planned to drive home, the thunderstorm that follows stops him in his tracks. Torrential rain does the rest, and he is stuck where he is. Not a bad thing, since that offers Brian the opportunity for some very naughty make-up activities…

This is a fun story dealing with fights and how senseless they seem even minutes after they happened. Watching Paul and Brian make up was as entertaining as it was hot!

The Pickup by Gacy Grant
Watching two men flirt could be fun – or a complete disaster. Reading about Johnny and Carter was a bit closer to the latter. Johnny works nights as a shift supervisor because the money is better, and making a living for him and his daughter is easier. But because his focus is on her, his dating life is nonexistent, he isn’t even close to fashionable, and as for recognizing flirting? Fine-art-graduate-turned-waiter Carter almost despairs before he gets a result. They meet on the one night Johnny has agreed to go out, and Carter feels attracted to Johnny’s honesty. Not that their trouble is over once they agree to go make out in Johnny’s truck…

This is an entertaining story about two guys fumbling through the flirting and making out stages, and with one more insecure than the other, the suspense around will thy/won’t they ever see each other again was wonderfully maintained.

The King’s Guard by Evelyn Burkhardt
Becoming king against your will must be tough, especially when you never planned on it. Jamie faces that situation when his father, the king, and his older brother, the crown prince, die in a hunting accident. Suddenly Jamie has to deal not only with his grief, but the responsibilities of caring for his sister-in-law and her daughter, Tildie. As if that weren’t bad enough, the more than obnoxious advisers make his life hell rather than supporting him. Durrmond of the Privy Council is a particularly well-done nasty. Jamie’s one loyal supporter, Logan, is also his personal guard and I loved watching the two of them grow even closer and finally realize they can have what they want.

A very emotional story, with a fantasy historical setting, the tale of Jamie and Logan is heart-wrenching, yet full of gentle moments and hope for the future. A first-time story in more than one way, it was a joy to read and more than a little entertaining.

One Sneeze, a Wish, Two Sneezes, a Kiss by Jacey Mills
Unrequited love is hard on people, and Brendan has taken a beating. For twenty years he has loved his friend and business partner James from afar, watching him as he got married and had children. Then James’s wife dies in a car accident, and Brendan is there to help James through the grief. When the unexpected happens and an awful cold causes them to get closer, things begin to look up. Brendan doesn’t even notice it at first, but increasing “weirdness”, as he calls it, makes him realize that James is more interested than he’d ever dared hope.

This is a cute story, written with a lot of humor and even though the situation is dire, I had to laugh more than once. Brendan’s observations and self-deprecating comments are funny, and James’s kids and their antics are so true to life. I really enjoyed reading this one.

What a Man Wants by Andrea Dalling
Two young men, away from home for the first time at college, both gay, and attracted to each other. This could be a recipe for fun and maybe even love (but they’re too young and scared to accept that), or for disaster. Both Luke, who is white, shy, and a virgin, and Bertram, who is black, outgoing, and has had his heart broken, decide a sexual relationship is too big a risk—what if it goes wrong and they end up having to share the room for the rest of the year anyway?

Luke is so shy it’s almost painful. He is desperately attracted to Bertram, but doesn’t believe it’s possible for an amazing guy like that to be interested in him. Betram isn’t admitting it, but he is attracted to Luke as well. He really likes Luke and feels protective, so he comes up with a great plan to solve their dilemma. It made me smile, but the best part was that it made them realize there are worse things than breaking up and still having to share a room. It takes them long enough to get there, but I enjoyed the journey.

This story is entertaining, fun, very hot, and has two wonderful characters who will go on to do great things in life—hopefully together!

Initiation by Helena Maeve
Initiation into a new group can be scary, especially at college level. Eric faces that situation after having made the rowing team. He wants nothing more than to be part of the team, an equal, but he has heard rumors of the guys “initiating” new members and it not always ending well. His own past of being cornered in high school doesn’t make facing them ganging up on him any easier. This time it starts out feeling like fun, and he is attracted to his teammates Tanner, Mark, and Ashley, but Eric’s fears get the better of him and he runs. It takes him a while to adjust to the idea, but when his teammates start talking to him and make another offer, Eric reconsiders.

Ending in a very hot foursome of fit college guys, this is a story that shows how a young man full of fear learns to accept all the hot fun he can have once he decides that’s want he wants. Between the emotional ups and downs and the physical activities, it makes for an entertaining read.
 
Sample and Hold by Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese
Any sort of debut into the public limelight is scary for someone who is mostly a musician and not so much hungry for attention. But doing it like Nate, who comes out at the same time, must be even scarier. It’s also pretty clever, and as Nate says, at least he won’t have to be afraid of someone exposing him if he does it first. This story is set on the evening before the publication of his coming out interview, and Nate is clearly a bundle of nerves. It isn’t the only first he faces though, except getting rid of his virginity is way more fun than what he has done before. Luckily he has Carson to look out for him, and the somewhat older sound editor turns out to be a very considerate lover. I liked reading this very entertaining account of Nate’s first physical encounter with a man, and would have liked to read more about these guys.

If you like young inexperienced rock musicians, if two men out for some action between the sheets sound like fun, and if you’re looking for a read that is as hot as it is sweet, then you will probably like this short story.

Just Like That by Megan McFerren
A cute story, this is a variation on the Nerd & Jock theme I am very much a fan of. With Graham, the eighteen-year-old nerd, telling the story of how they first met, how they became rivals since Henry is as clever as Graham and gets great grades, and how he is now despairing at the short amount of time left before graduation for them to really bond, I was curious as to what would happen from the very first page. Graham’s fears of losing Henry for more than a summer, and this time potentially for good, is very well described and made the situation real. I ended up worrying with Graham. As they sneak off to one of their secret encounters (during class time, no less), it becomes apparent exactly what they have been getting up to. I was left with no doubt that their final two weeks of boarding school would be spent in much the same way.

If you like first times set in a boarding school environment, if a somewhat illicit first time in a dusty storage room sounds like fun, and if you’re looking for a read that is full of emotional tension and wicked physical activity, then you will probably like this short story.

Guitar Lesson by Val Prozorova
With more than a hint of the forbidden, this is the story of Laurent, an eighteen-year-old boy remembering an illicit encounter with a gypsy boy his own age, and the slightly more forbidden touches that followed. In the scheme of things, it was all pretty harmless – a few touches during a guitar lesson – but for Laurent, who is young and naïve, it’s very exciting. Enough even to help him satisfy his desire once he is back in his bedroom, safely locked in while his family attends church the following Sunday.

If you like lyrical language describing the heat of first love, if a fantasy and imagined touches sound almost as good as the real thing and if you’re looking for a sweet read, that is as fun as it is hot, then you will probably like this short story.

Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around by McKay
As plans to catch someone’s attention go, Landon’s is pretty out there. But since the man he is interested in only seems to want to look at drag queens, what can Landon do but become one himself? Raul “Anita Daiquiri”, the owner of the renowned drag bar “Mitzi’s Rainbow Room” where Landon pines after Craig, takes the initiative and even though Anita doesn’t really believe Landon should be hiding how cute he is under drag, her romantic nature gets the better of her and she agrees to help him. The idea of a “fairy dragmother” had me smiling, and the determination with which Anita sets out to help Landon is inspiring.

What follows is both fascinating and hilarious. Fascinating because I found Raul’s story of how he got into drag interesting, and some of the details he reveals as he teaches Landon how to transform himself are charming. The attention Raul pays to finding Landon’s type is amazing, and a lot of fun to read. Hilarious because Landon stumbles along at first – “drag boot camp” isn’t for everyone! -  and soon realizes Raul/Anita is far more interesting than distant, aloof Craig. That is also when things begin to really heat up between Raul and Landon. But – a plan is a plan, and both men believe it is right to go through with it so that Landon will know once and for all where he stands and what he wants.

If you like unusual stories that reveal a lot of background about the characters’ interests and psychology, if you find drag queens fascinating, and if you’re looking for a read that is as psychologically and emotionally intense as it is funny and hot, then you will probably like this short story.

Finding Home by Katherine Halle
First times can take many shapes, and this story is about a twofold “first” for established werewolf couple Brian and Duncan. They have been on the run for years, not liking the strict hierarchy of their birth pack, and finding a home is like a dream for them. Not one they trust easily, but Louisiana and the Bayou have a definite pull for them. And when they return to the alligator shifter’s pack for a Beltane celebration, they encounter their second "first” - a threesome with the enigmatic alpha. Combine both factors, and Brian and Duncan have a very interesting offer to consider, one that is extremely tempting but not to be taken lightly.

If you like mixed shifter threesomes with the potential for a more permanent setup, if you want to know more about what a dominant alligator might want to get up to with two very hot wolf shifters during Beltane, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read with some hot three-way action, then you will probably like this short story.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Anthology/11 short stories, 267 pages/74400 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	12-August-2015
Price	$5.99 ebook
Buy Link	http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=96&products_id=4450