Tag Archives: Gay Romance

Guest: Katie Porter “Notices Stuff”

… She’s probably going to hit me for that subject/topic. So it’s a good thing I live far away from her. 😀 It’s been that kind of day, friends. That kind of day. As you see we’ve got Katie Porter visiting with us again! \o/ Specifically, the Lorelie Brown half. Just in case you were wondering.

Have you ever noticed…   
By Katie Porter

That the people in romance novels just aren’t quite like regular people? I don’t mean being billionaires, though that’s cool. And I don’t mean the fact that they never stumble bleary-eyed into the bathroom and take care of business in the morning. Nor do I mean the fact that they’re all stuntmen and film producers (obligatory shill: Came Upon a Midnight Clear. Out this week. Just sayin’.) or investigative journalists and black ops soldier.

No, I mean the fact that they never seem to have the same concerns as the rest of us.

Just before I sat down to write this post, I checked my carb ratios for the day. (They’re way jacked up. Nutrients? We don’t need no stink’ nutrients.) And that was after I spent the afternoon running around to the post office and the bank and buying a new vacuum. (It has a self-retracting cord! Do you hear me?? A SELF RETRACTING CORD.) (Maybe I need ADD meds.) All the stupid little things that make up a day and a life. The things we have to get done to make sure our worlds don’t fall apart.

And yeah, I totally get why we don’t follow Mary Sue Heroine around for an afternoon of post office and pharmacy and bank-runs. It’d be boring as hell. But why don’t they ever say at dinner with the hero, “You know, the spaghetti carbonara looks so good, I think I’ll blow my carb levels for some.” I’m not even asking that they walk the straight and narrow, because we all know I love a naughty hero or heroine, but just acknowledge that they have the same concerns as us? Maybe?

I’m totally guilty of writing the same thing though. Nate and Kyle of Came Upon a Midnight Clear are two gay guys in prime physical condition. (Of course. You oughtta see who they’re modeled on. Nom.) So you know they’d be eating carefully, occasionally having protein shakes and hitting the gym five times a week.

I have them eating gyros and fish and chips and kidney pie. (Maybe it was mincemeat pie? That scene was courtesy of Carrie Lofty and she’s married to a British guy, so she totally made it something authentic.) It’s all about the fantasy, I suppose.

Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Or maybe I’ll easter egg my next book: “No, I think I’ll get the salad. But I need more lean protein today, so I’ll add tuna.”

I better not write a historical next, or that one will be hard to explain.

What the critics are saying: Came Upon a Midnight Clear has been described as “masterful,” (Publisher’s Weekly), “a complex gift,” (Library Journal), and “the perfect piece of erotica: nuanced, complex, dirty, loving, and intimate (RT BookReviews). Not only did the folks at RT make Came Upon a Midnight Clear a 4½ Star Top Pick, they’ve selected it as a Reviewers’ Choice nominee for Best Erotic Romance Ebook of 2012—the first gay romance to receive that honor!

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For more about Katie Porter, the co-writing team of Carrie Lofty and Lorelie Brown:

Don’t forget about our “Amazing Race to a Kindle” contest, which is going on now. Review Double Down on Amazon for your chance to win a gift certificate or even a Kindle Fire!

In January, Lead and Follow will launch the five-part “Club Devant” series of erotic romances set in a glitzy New York City burlesque club. RT BookReviews gave Lead and Follow 4 Stars and raved, “Fans of erotica will be left breathless as they cha-cha straight into a cold shower.”

Where to find us:
http://KatiePorterBooks.com
Twitter: @MsKatiePorter
Or individually: @carrielofty and @LorelieBrown

We’d like to give away a copy of Came Upon a Midnight Clear in any digital format. Just answer the question: What’s the one thing you never want to see in a romance novel?

Thanks again to Lime for featuring Katie Porter and Came Upon a Midnight Clear!

Oooo great question. What is something you never want to see?

Review: The Only Gold by Tamara Allen

Liz’s Review:

The Only Gold by Tamara Allen
Historical romance released by Dreamspinner Press on March 21, 2011

Jonah Woolner’s life is as prudently regulated as the bank where he works. It’s a satisfying life until he’s passed over for promotion in favor of newcomer Reid Hylliard. Brash and enterprising, Reid beguiles everyone except Jonah, who’s convinced Reid’s progressive ideas will be the bank’s ruin. When Jonah begins to discover there’s more to Reid than meets the eye, he risks succumbing to Reid’s charms—but unlocking the vault to all of Reid’s secrets could lead him down a dangerous path.

Losing his promotion—and perhaps his heart—is the least of Jonah’s difficulties. When the vengeful son of a Union army vet descends upon the bank to steal a government deposit of half a million dollars during the deadliest blizzard to ever sweep New York, Jonah and Reid are trapped, at odds and fighting for their lives.

The Only Gold begins as Jonah prepares for what he expects to be a promotion within the bank and the bank’s upgrade to National status as they accept a large deposit from the government.  When Reid takes the promotion instead, Jonah is swamped with anger, jealousy, and insecurity.  No matter how hard he tries to appear unaffected, he cannot help butting heads with Reid as he implements change after change to Jonah’s beloved bank.

Jonah’s family turned their backs on him because of his proclivities, and the bank became his haven.  He looks at it as if it were a living thing that he needs to protect from harm and degradation.  Reid is the wrench in the works of Jonah’s love of the bank, making changes hand over fist and forcing him to come along for the ride or leave forever.  Jonah is heart breaking to read as he struggles with his growing feelings for Reid and begins to blossom as a man once love begins to take hold.

Reid is a complex character.  At first he appears to be a man that is wholly fixated on bringing the bank into the present and doing away with the old ways of doing things.  And he seems most insistent on deviling Jonah in the process.  Then the author teases us with little glimpses of Reid’s nature:  the charmer, the playful young man, the reverent son, and finally….the lover.  There is more to Reid than meets the eye, and he is one of the best written characters I’ve come across in a long time.  His character kept me guessing, as surprise after surprise were thrown up in the storyline.

There are a number of incredible secondary and tertiary characters, from the employees of the bank, to the renters in the boarding house where Jonah lives, and finally to the bank robbers who had their own skewed view of right and wrong.

The Only Gold is the story of a romance between two men and the love scenes between them are not explicit.  Rather, they weave the emotion of the growing bond between the two, sharing the intimacy of the nights together in a way that leaves it to the readers’ imagination.

This award winning novel is well worth the read to anyone who enjoys historical romances with a unique twist.  While the average romance novel that takes place in the late 1800s tends to overflow with descriptions of ball gowns and dance cards, those are exchanged here for waistcoats and bank ledgers but are no less enchanting in their detail.  Well written, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Grade: B+