Showing posts with label Nico Jaye Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nico Jaye Review. Show all posts

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Holiday M/M Recs from Nico Jaye


Nico Jaye has some awesome M/M holiday recs for us. 
Thanks, Nico!

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Wow, when I wasn't looking, Christmas just snuck up on me and went boo! Oh, wrong holiday? Um, maybe tinsel! Either way, it's suddenly Christmas, and I haven't had my fill of holiday stories. *makes grabby hands at the gingerbread books* To remedy that, I picked one up the other day that I just adored, and in the spirit of the holiday season, I figured I'd share with y'all some m/m holiday recs that might be a little under the radar. =)

Mending Noel by Charlie Cochet – Ahhhh! Holy Holly, I just picked up this story, and I absolutely adored it. For some reason, I saw the stitching on the little heart on the cover and was under the impression that this was a baseball story. Boy was I sooooo not even in the ballpark (heh heh!) with that one! This fantasy holiday novella is set in the North Pole and stars worker bee elves, hottie Rein Dears, and a Prince of Frost. I imagine this is what Penny's world would look like if it had hot man on man action. *winks* Mending Noel is adorable as office worker elf Tim muddles through the holiday season under the critical eye of his boss Noel. Of course, not everything is as it appears, and the romance that blossoms between these two boys – I mean elves – is wonderful. This is also a sweet romance with only some kissing and petting; nothing else is onscreen. Highly recommended!



Sixty Five Hours and Sixty Five Hours: The Twelve Days of Christmas by N.R. Walker – Sixty Five Hours is one of my favorite m/m stories, period. It's so much fun and totally hot. Unlike Mending Noel, there's plenty of sexytimes in this one, so have your fan ready because it's gonna get steamy! Sixty Five Hours is about two ad execs and follows another enemies-to-lovers type of storyline. It's wonderful, and, awesomely, it's FREE. So give it a whirl, and, after you finish falling in love with Luc and Cam, go read the freebie holiday story Sixty Five Hours: The Twelve Days of Christmas, too.




The Christmas Throwaway by RJ Scott – A feel good and heartwarming story about a young man who was thrown away from home—that is, he didn't run away from home, but rather was thrown out for being gay.  Ben's on duty when he finds Zach sleeping on a church bench one cold winter night, and instead of bringing him into the police station, he brings him home to his mama. Young throwaway Zach is a super sympathetic character, and his romance with Ben is gentle and develops organically. The Christmas Throwaway is just a feel good story and perfect for cozying up during the holidays.




Secret Santa Surprise by Tam Ames – This story is as crazy and wacky as its cover. Yes, that's a *ahem* used in the mistletoe. Secret Santa Surprise was one of the first m/m stories I ever read, and I ended up liking it a lot. It's just fun and zany, featuring a doesn't-realize-he's-gay manager of a *ahem* "special" toy company, bikers-as-reindeer, and an adorable little baby who brings her uncle and the aforementioned manager together. It's silly, fun, short, and free. Nothing happens onscreen between the characters, but be forewarned that it's definitely suggestive with lots of sex from the other characters. It's hard to describe, but for a freebie, I really liked it and revisit it around the holidays every year.

On deck right now on my Kindle are Amy Lane's Christmas with Danny Fit, Eli Easton's Blame It on the Mistletoe, and Madison Parker's Sock it to Me, Santa! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and that you have plenty of fun stories lined up to keep you cozy and warm. Happy reading!

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From Penelope...

Nico--Thank you so much for these reviews. The stories sound adorable.

ALSO, READERS TAKE NOTE: Nico Jaye has a super fluffy holiday story called A Man-to-Man Christmas. And it's a free download! Yipppeeeee! Get it HERE!


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

A Couple of Amazeballs Movie Recs from Nico Jaye


❅ Movie Reviews by Nico Jaye ❅

We're all just kids at heart!

Cartoons are awesome. I love 'em, and there are some reeeeeeeeeeally good ones out there.  Disney's Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorites, and to this day I still gravitate towards that trope. In the m/m world, I suppose you could take my love of geek/jock stories as evidence of that. =)

I saw two animated movies this past holiday weekend that were amazeballs! Totally recommend them if you're looking for an uplifting story and some smiles.

Frozen just came out in the theaters and features lots of the beautiful animation for which Disney is so famous. The film is just gorgeous with a really heartwarming message at the center of it. The story follows a princess as she tries to convince her sister, who has accidentally cast a perpetual winter over the land, to come back to their village to reverse the winter and bring back summer.  The sisters are strong heroines, and it's awesome to see such positive and empowering role models for young girls out there. Frozen promotes family and loving people for who they are, and the true love in the end is such a wonderful twist on Disney fairy tales.

Wreck-It Ralph was available On Demand, and since I was one of the five people who hadn't seen it yet, I finally decided to take the plunge. IT WAS AWESOME. I loved this movie. Wreck-It Ralph, the titular antihero, is the bad guy in a retro-popular arcade game.  When he decides he doesn't want to be bad all the time—and who can blame him for just wanting some love?—he goes on a quest to win a medal that would prove he's worthy of everyone's respect and affection.  The journey that he goes on is so gorgeous and fun and quirky. Some of the scenes feature cameos from famous bad guys in other cartoons; I was so excited to spot Bowser from Super Mario Brothers and M. Bison from the Street Fighter series. The story itself features wonderful messages about self-acceptance, confidence, and teamwork. There's even a little (unexpected!) romance between some of these cartoon cuties. Overall, Wreck-It Ralph was fantabulous, and I even found myself brushing back a tear at the sweet and poignant ending.

Frozen: B+
Wreck-It Ralph: A

Reviews by Nico Jaye

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(Quick comment from Penelope...Wreck-It Ralph is out on DVD and that would make an awesome holiday gift! Just saying!)

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Review of THE WINTER COURTSHIP RITUALS OF FUR-BEARING CRITTERS by Amy Lane (A Nico Jaye Review!)




Review for The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters by Amy Lane


❆ A review by Nico Jaye ❆


Hi romance readers! I'm Nico Jaye, and I'll be popping into the site with some m/m (a.k.a. male/male) romance reviews.

With the holiday season coming up, Penny has me thinking about (i.e., drooling over) gingerbread men and peppermint spice lattes. I can't get enough! Ahhh! *slurps peppermint cocoa* *ahem* While Penny's in the midst of reading her Christmas-themed stories, I figured I'd swing by to share an m/m romance Christmas rec of my own. :)

Amy Lane's The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters is a cute, sweet, angst-free novella of adorable and yarnfully-awesome proportions.  It's filled with character, from the narrator Crawford's gruff ways to the gentle hand with which he cares for his alpacas to the titular courtship rituals he engages in to woo his new neighbor. I adored it and thought it was just the thing to snuggle up with for a nice little dose of winter holiday joy.

In the m/m romance world, Amy Lane is known for her angst-filled stories, and this novella is a nice break from that trend.  I'm definitely not an angsty reader—in fact, I'm pretty allergic to it – ACHOO!—and this one hit just the right mark for me. It's heartwarming, and, if you haven't read m/m romance before, then I think it'd be a great little introduction to the m/m romance world.  There's a sexytimes scene in it, but it's not terribly explicit.  It's also at a point in the story where you'll be celebrating that the two men finally got their signals in tune and opened their hearts to each other.  :)  In addition to two wonderful men finding love, you'll also read about quirky side characters, winter prep in the Colorado Rockies, and yarn-related awesomeness.  There may even be a scandalous knitting pattern included at the end of the book. ;)

This story was super sweet and lighthearted, and I look forward to enjoying it for many holidays to come. Hope you all are having a great holiday season! Keep an eye out for more m/m Christmas-y goodies from yours truly. :)

Making merry with menfolk under the mistletoe,
Nico

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Thanks so much, Nico, for this adorable review. This book sounds RIGHT UP MY ALLEY. I can't wait to read it!

(I am trying to imagine a scandalous knitting pattern...hmmmmm................)

Happy reading,
Penny