Stephanie VaughanRezensionen

3.5 stars

Secui Domus by Kiernan Kelly - 2 stars

Another Believer by Stephanie Vaughan - 3 stars

Reading Between the Lines by Jane Davitt - 3,5 stars

What It's All About by Tory Temple - 1,5 stars

I really liked this (much too short) follow-up to the two previous OC Pride books. We get to see how Ryan and Jamie settle into their life together. The mix of Jamie (an ex-Marine) who still has problems expressing what he really wants and Ryan who takes the initiative with 'difficult talks' was great. There's a nice surprise at the end as well!

Two fem dom novellas, one much better than the other. Cruel to be Kind is a romance between a domme looking for love and a guy who never before considered himself as a sub. I enjoyed it, though the ending was very sudden. It just cut off as the relationship was starting to really develop.
Black Widow, the second novella felt like an advert for BDSM. The domme is incredible careful about caring for subs, use of disenfectant, etc, yet she has unprotected sex with a guy she's never met before! (the domme in 'Cruel to be Kind' insisted on exchange of medical records before any sex took place and that worked far better for me).

It's interesting to see that the romance stereotype still holds - both guys are willing to sub, but both like to have a turn on top.

A Hearts On Fire Review

3.25 HEARTS--"Another Believer" is a new adult novella that takes place in one day on train traveling from California to Oregon. College student David Sato is geeky, snarky, vertically challenged and gay. He knows who he is and who he is not. So when jock athlete Jonah Simpson sits next to him on the train, he can't help but stare and have wicked fantasies in his head. It's not like it will go anywhere.

But what he doesn't expect is that the auburn haired jock sitting next to him is actually gay as well and totally interested in David. He's not just a jock and like his men to have something going on upstairs as well as downstairs.

The two strangers get to know each other, have minor struggles (David is insecure) and fall into lust all within 24 hours. It was light, a little sexy and easy to read.

The Good

Alternating point of view - I do like being in the head of each main character when possible.

The sex scenes were sexy - What's not to like about impromptu train sex? I wished some of the acts that David mentioned being done to him were described a little more in detail. But overall, David and Jonah can steam up a room.

The ending-the ending made me rate slightly higher than my original 3 Hearts rating. It might have been a little cliche but it was romantic and a little realistic at the same time. Plus, adorbs.

The Not as Good

There weer a few minor editing issues, it did not detract from the story. I like to get a sense of the main characters whenever I am reading a book. Jonah I mostly got - he's 24, a basketball college athlete (though at 24 I questioned why he was still in college-no info was ever provided) and well off. Not much depth but enough to keep the story interesting. David was geeky, slobbered all over Jonah from the moment he met him and was in a state of semi shock Jonah even looked his way...even after mutual blowjobs. David- I was on the fence with because his thought process was a little loopy. I could just brush it off as he's young (though his age was never mentioned) and still learning but I wanted to shake him him a bit. I'm not totally convinced about David's insecurity disappearing.

Also David claimed he was very shy and introverted...he never came across as shy or socially awkward. He had a few bumbling moments here and there but nothing that proved he was as shy as he told the reader he was. He slept with a virtual stranger in a few hours. Practices of the shy, socially inept? Not really. So I questioned his character altogether. Jonah didn't have to work that hard to get in David's pants in my opinion. I'm not saying all nerds are shy but don't claim to be something you're not.

The story is not exactly memorable and is a definitely a member of the tried and true trope' of geek vs. jock romance. But there was something about the ending, the last 5% that just worked nicely and made me smile.

Was it insta-love? Yep.
Did I believe the HFN/HEA? Eh...I can see them as a couple who could spend a couple of years together after their whirlwind one day hook-up.

The story is cute, not overly sweet with a few steamy moments. It might have been better if we got to learn more about the main characters and see them out of the magical train ride/ dickmatized atmosphere."

Uneven anthology about college students finding gay love.

Secui Domus by Kiernan Kelly - was awful, couldn't even finish it. Dreadful characterization, uneven plotting, stupid sub plot and totally unrealistic. Just didn't work on any level for me.

Another Believer by Stephanie Vaughan also didn't work for me. Two boys, a beauty and a Geek meet on a train, but David's stream of conscious thinking, never believing a thing t hat Seth said, feeling so completely inept and unattractive - well that made it hard for me to find him attractive. He was too insecure and gradually became annoying for me. I managed to finish this one but didn't really enjoy it and would never reread it. This is the second thing I've read by Stephanie Vaughan and not enjoyed, so I think I just don't like her writing style or the stories she wants to tell.

What It's All About by Tory Temple was better, about the inconsistent and charming Devin, and Max who wants to get over him but can't, and how the resolve it.

Reading Between the Lines by Jane Davitt was by far the best story in the anthology. Seth and Gabe are allocated to the same room but never manage to get on, though each is popular in their own way. Davitt actually gets the flavor of college life, and makes it feel real. Seth is intrigued by Gabe and wants to find out why he is so mean to him, and learning about Gabe and his mysterious scars teaches them both something.

All in all, there are better anthologies out there, and while Davitt's was enjoyable, the others were definitely weaker so I'm not sure it's worth the price.½

Are you tired of me? You have enough of all my amateur reviews on M/M romance? If the answer is yes, well blame it on Stephanie Vaughan and on her Crossing the Line. This is my first M/M romance and if I didn't like it so much more than 2 years ago, today you would be free from my presence on LJ. I still have the original file, it's dated February 27, 2006. In that period I was bored, or maybe full, of classical romance. I was trying some new genre, was pretty taken by the Carpathians of Christine Feehan, but still I hadn't found a genre which really took me. And then a friend of mine dared me to read an M/M romance and Crossing the line was the choice. I believe that all of you know what happened next 1.145 M/M romance books and 650 reviews later (and yes I don't review all the book I read...) I'm still reading M/M romance and this is all fault of Stephanie Vaughan.

Jamie is a mechanic for wealthy people. He has a garage like a private clinic, only the richer can afford his prices and times. And he is also an handsome man, built like a brick, well 'endowed' and caring. But till now he has only met greedy twinks or men who want only a friends with benefits relationship (like Ben, the main character of the previous book, Jumping the Fence). But Jamie is read for a steady relationship, even if he is still attract from the fair type of man.

Ryan is just his type. Blond, beach boys look, with almost a noble aurea around him. He is a waiter in Jamie's favourite restaurant and usually Jamie is used to go home with the waiters he fancies. But Ryan is not is usual pretty boy, he is just out from a long term relationship ended with the death of his lover, and he thinks to not be ready for climb again upon the horse. And so he offers resistance to Jamie's approaches and this awakens Jamie's interest. Now he wants Ryan more than before.

I like Jamie, he is a self-made man with a successful life but still he remains inside the poor gay guy who had to watch behind his shoulders. He can be strong in body but he is very fragile in soul. But he has not a frozen heart, au contraire he is till much open and exposed to hearbreaks. He needs a very careful man to comprehend and love him as he deserves.

Ryan is a man aged too fast. He jumped from careless sex to steady relationship with an older man in a blink of an eye, and after his lover's death, he has repressed his pain, maybe cause he thought to not deserve to suffer. And even if he has decided to give up for a bit to men and relationships, when he meets Jamie, he can't deny this wonderful man he stumbles upon. If only he would manage to convince the man to be wonderful...

As you can image the story is not so complex or full of twists... it's a pure and classical romance, very tender and sweet, but also pretty hot when we arrive to the sex scenes. It's a right way to start reading this type of romance, if you are not used to them, and an enjoyable and satisfying reading if you are addicted to them. I re-read it, more I re-bought it, initially to see if the author changed something, but in the end I read the second book without neither open the previous one.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603703845/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Crossing the Lines by Stephanie Vaughan was my first real M/M romance. Maybe two years ago I read Menage by Emma Holly that has a M/M relationship in it, but one of the guys in the end falls in love for a woman and left the guy. It's a good book, but sincerely I was sad to not have the happily ever after for the boys. So I gave a try to a M/M story. It was Crossing the Line. I like it a lot and soon after finished it I bought Jumping the Fence. Another good read but I remember clearly to be a little disappointed when the story abruptly finish when the two characters have just decided to give a try to their relationship. And when I read that Stephanie Vaughan decided to 'expand' it, I didn't understand exactly, I thought she wanted to rewrite the story. Instead she has added some more to the story, telling us what the guys do after their decision to try to be a couple.

Kevin is a latino guy who has had his share of girls in his life, but never been completely satisfy with them. And recently he has had some idea, about guys and about what guys can do when they are alone. He thinks to be only a sexual thing so when he meets Ben, a new colleague at work, he begins to fantasy about him and Ben, and when Ben makes a move on him he is ready to jump into the possibility. But Ken tries to convince himself that it is only sex, cause he is not gay. He only wants to be happy and comfort, and with a guy is more simple then with a girl.

Ben on the other hand is tired to hide. He has left his native home in a bad way cause he was not accepted by his family and now he has no intention to hidden no more. He is a lot attracted by Kevin, he is hot and cute in his inexperience, but Ben has no desire to be his school ship on the unknown sea of gay pleasure. I think Ben is a very patient man. He stands in front of all the insecurities of Kevin and gives him time and space. And everytime Kevin makes a wrong step, he is ready to forgive him.

This is a tender book which tells us Kevin's journey to discover himself. Kevin is a nice character, maybe a bit spoilt, but not bad. He is the product of the society where he is born, but he is good enough to try to overcome it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603703853/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

The best time of a young man’s life is when he hits the college scene. From figuring out the best way to meet guys on campus to testing untried limits, the men of Kegs and Dorms take university life and turn it upside-down. Edited by Jennifer B. with stories by Jane Davitt, Tory Temple, Kiernan Kelly and Stephanie Vaughan

In Kiernan Kelly’s “Secui Domus”, clever Aidan thinks he has a solution for solving campus housing problems, and all he needs is a little help from his friends — including the delicious Bobby Hatcher, who might just carry a torch for Aidan.
Stephanie Vaughan’s “Another Believer” takes a look at the train ride of a lifetime in which two college-bound strangers find they have a chemistry that can’t be denied.
Tory Temple’s “What It’s All About”, a rip-roaring adventure through Rush Week, tells the story of Max, who’s out, proud, and confused.
Last but not least, Jane Davitt’s “Reading Between the Lines” tells the story of Seth and Gabe, the odd-couple-from-hell roommates who are either going to kill each other or fall in love, and it’s anybody’s guess as to which’ll come first.

Being a bit of a fan of college pron (all that testosterone, dirty boys, freedom and young sweaty muscles) this book was immediately appealing. Not to mention it had work from Jane Davitt and Stephanie Vaughan who I have enjoyed reading in the past.

I think out of the 4 stories I enjoyed Stephanie Vaughan’s story the most. 2 boys on a train in a confined space and the tried, but true, beauty and the geek. Loved it! The story from Jane Davitt was entertaining and I did enjoy Seth and Gabe, it made me wonder if she will write more about the boys. They were interesting and I liked the angsty premise. Tory Temple’s work was good, but I think I enjoyed the friendship between Max and his co-worker more than the actual romance. Their interactions were amusing and had me sniggering. Out of the 4 stories I think Kiernan Kelly’s was the least enjoyable. It felt unedited and lacked the tightness that a short story should have. The plot was not great and the romance seemed odd as it was written for two particular characters to fall for each other and then it didn’t happen that way.
http://sharrow.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/kegs-and-dorms/

Cal is a very young man, with a gentle soul and a fragile body who wants to discover who has brutally murdered his friend Daphne.

The prime suspects of the crime is a crew of rogue soldiers who has stolen a starship and now is wondering on the universe. Cal steals a little navette and succeeded on find the crew: but they are very big and very hungry men who think he is a spy. And decide to captive him.

Fortunately the man in command is Sarhaan, an afro-american hunk of man who happen to be very interested in Cal, and not because he could possibly be a spy: Sarhaan is very fascinating from this blond and innocent guy, who never has had sex cause sex between male is illegal on the earth. But now they are off world and Sarhaan, even if he thinks he is too unpolish and brutal for a guy like Cal, will not throw out the chance to have him.

In this novel the sci-fiction elements are not the principal aspect of the story. And also the crime is an element not so delved. It is more a story of self-discovery: for Cal, who learns that sex with a man is not a crime and that his feelings are not perverse, and for Sarhaan, who learns how to love someone. Even if you can think that Sarhaan, with his body and his role of power, is the strong element of the pair, it is not total true: I can read in him feelings inedequacy and fears to lose who he loves, that decipt him like a big man with a tender soul.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603700277/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Caleb is found by two soldiers aboard a stolen ship. He is there to help the soldiers on the Vigilant but first must convince them he is not a spy… Convincing the handsome Sarhaan might not be too much of a hardship though! Merow!

Caleb’s best friend Daphne, who worked a coroner’s office, has died but Caleb does not believe her death was a mugging as reported. He believes that she was murdered to cover up whatever she has found out about a series of killings in Havana and Cuba. The men of the Vigilant are under suspicion for the murders and Caleb takes it upon himself to help the team escape framing by corrupt politicians on their home planet, Earth.

Initially I found Caleb to be a bit of an ingenue, but as I read on his spine began to show through and he was quite engaging in the 2nd half of the book. He becomes more than a match for the more physically imposing Sarhaan. Our big, tough, nasty “send in the marines” hero Sarhann was plenty smexy and has been living off world for some time. His sexual preferences are not an issue on the ship whereas on Earth they are illegal. He has had far more time to become comfortable with his sexuality than Cal and this was quite a sweet plot point. The intimate moments were hot for the most part but somewhat lacking variety… or maybe I am just jaded?? heh.

I guess the problem I had with this book was that you needed to read the synopsis very closely to help decipher what was happening in the book. Even then, I still spent the 1st 50 pages floundering a bit. It’s convoluted in parts and as its first novel of a series it suffers from trying build a complex world in 150 something pages. There were so many threads, often really great ideas, that were not fully fleshed out and just left hanging. It lacks the tightness of a Stephanie Vaughan’s stand alone novels and this did spoil my read just a bit. While not my favorite of her books she is an author to check out.
Check out more reviews here>>>http://sharrow.wordpress.com/

Are you tired of me? You have enough of all my amateur reviews on M/M romance? If the answer is yes, well blame it on Stephanie Vaughan and on her Crossing the Line. This is my first M/M romance and if I didn't like it so much more than 2 years ago, today you would be free from my presence on LJ. I still have the original file, it's dated February 27, 2006. In that period I was bored, or maybe full, of classical romance. I was trying some new genre, was pretty taken by the Carpathians of Christine Feehan, but still I hadn't found a genre which really took me. And then a friend of mine dared me to read an M/M romance and Crossing the line was the choice. I believe that all of you know what happened next 1.145 M/M romance books and 650 reviews later (and yes I don't review all the book I read...) I'm still reading M/M romance and this is all fault of Stephanie Vaughan.

Jamie is a mechanic for wealthy people. He has a garage like a private clinic, only the richer can afford his prices and times. And he is also an handsome man, built like a brick, well 'endowed' and caring. But till now he has only met greedy twinks or men who want only a friends with benefits relationship (like Ben, the main character of the previous book, Jumping the Fence). But Jamie is read for a steady relationship, even if he is still attract from the fair type of man.

Ryan is just his type. Blond, beach boys look, with almost a noble aurea around him. He is a waiter in Jamie's favourite restaurant and usually Jamie is used to go home with the waiters he fancies. But Ryan is not is usual pretty boy, he is just out from a long term relationship ended with the death of his lover, and he thinks to not be ready for climb again upon the horse. And so he offers resistance to Jamie's approaches and this awakens Jamie's interest. Now he wants Ryan more than before.

I like Jamie, he is a self-made man with a successful life but still he remains inside the poor gay guy who had to watch behind his shoulders. He can be strong in body but he is very fragile in soul. But he has not a frozen heart, au contraire he is till much open and exposed to hearbreaks. He needs a very careful man to comprehend and love him as he deserves.

Ryan is a man aged too fast. He jumped from careless sex to steady relationship with an older man in a blink of an eye, and after his lover's death, he has repressed his pain, maybe cause he thought to not deserve to suffer. And even if he has decided to give up for a bit to men and relationships, when he meets Jamie, he can't deny this wonderful man he stumbles upon. If only he would manage to convince the man to be wonderful...

As you can image the story is not so complex or full of twists... it's a pure and classical romance, very tender and sweet, but also pretty hot when we arrive to the sex scenes. It's a right way to start reading this type of romance, if you are not used to them, and an enjoyable and satisfying reading if you are addicted to them. I re-read it, more I re-bought it, initially to see if the author changed something, but in the end I read the second book without neither open the previous one.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603703845/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

There was lots of buzz about this book so I bought it. I liked the first story by Stephanie Vaughan alot and it makes the book a keeper. The second, by Lena Austin, was less satisfying. The first story, Cruel to be Kind, was both sweet and hot, and also about control, trust and domination. Nice combo!

I've had this book for a few years now and reread about once a year. It's definitely a keeper and I should be looking for more books by Vaughan!

Crossing the Lines by Stephanie Vaughan was my first real M/M romance. Maybe two years ago I read Menage by Emma Holly that has a M/M relationship in it, but one of the guys in the end falls in love for a woman and left the guy. It's a good book, but sincerely I was sad to not have the happily ever after for the boys. So I gave a try to a M/M story. It was Crossing the Line. I like it a lot and soon after finished it I bought Jumping the Fence. Another good read but I remember clearly to be a little disappointed when the story abruptly finish when the two characters have just decided to give a try to their relationship. And when I read that Stephanie Vaughan decided to 'expand' it, I didn't understand exactly, I thought she wanted to rewrite the story. Instead she has added some more to the story, telling us what the guys do after their decision to try to be a couple.

Kevin is a latino guy who has had his share of girls in his life, but never been completely satisfy with them. And recently he has had some idea, about guys and about what guys can do when they are alone. He thinks to be only a sexual thing so when he meets Ben, a new colleague at work, he begins to fantasy about him and Ben, and when Ben makes a move on him he is ready to jump into the possibility. But Ken tries to convince himself that it is only sex, cause he is not gay. He only wants to be happy and comfort, and with a guy is more simple then with a girl.

Ben on the other hand is tired to hide. He has left his native home in a bad way cause he was not accepted by his family and now he has no intention to hidden no more. He is a lot attracted by Kevin, he is hot and cute in his inexperience, but Ben has no desire to be his school ship on the unknown sea of gay pleasure. I think Ben is a very patient man. He stands in front of all the insecurities of Kevin and gives him time and space. And everytime Kevin makes a wrong step, he is ready to forgive him.

This is a tender book which tells us Kevin's journey to discover himself. Kevin is a nice character, maybe a bit spoilt, but not bad. He is the product of the society where he is born, but he is good enough to try to overcome it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603703853/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Cruel to be Kind is a gorgeous BDSM love story, exploring the emotions that link a Domme and her sub. Stephanie Vaughan has created a stunning piece that shows what erotica should be -- a story that happens to have sex as its subject, rather than being a string of sex scenes. I'll be recommending this to one or two friends I know will appreciate it. :-)