Nicole Forcine (–2016)

Smoky Glimpses was written for the M/M Romance Group's 'Love Has No Boundaries' prompt event. The prompt was an image of:

Eight hunky, half-dressed firemen of assorted nationalities and hair color stand in a parking lot, all looking up at the camera, which is obviously positioned at an elevation well above the group. It looks like the cover for a sexy firefighter calendar, with an attractive bald fireman in the front middle spot. The caption reads “Please excuse me while I light my house on fire.”



Kaden is a bit of a geek and recluse, he also happens to be 'gifted' meaning he can 'see' a person's future. 'Gifteds' keep low on the radar and hang out with others of their kind. Kaden works as a psychic for his friend Max who happens to be a Morph. Normal people are known as 'Mundanes' and aren't told that Morphs and Gifteds live among them.

I loved how the author created the interesting paranormal background and it has a lot of potential if the author wanted to expand on what living as a Gifted or Morph in a world of Mundanes is like.

The author did a good job of describing the characters so it was easy for me to imagine each one. Kaden was great, but his best friend Max was a real character. I'd love to see a story written about him.

I think the only problem I had with the story was that when Kaden was having a vision, Jeremy the Nice-Ass firemen and Kaden's lust interest, would shake Kaden out of the vision. If someone shook me out of a vision I don't think I'd like that. I would want to get as much information from the vision as possible and being rudely yanked out of it would not be helpful.

This story was a fun quick read, with interesting characters and a great background premise. I wouldn't mind reading more from this world if the author decided to continue it.

… (mais)

Relationships with one partner in the closet are tough enough. But with him in two closets – that of being gay and a submissive? Makes it almost impossible for the couple to even have a relationship. Larry and Ollie in this story face exactly that situation. Ollie is incredibly understanding, but Larry knows it is wrong not to be who he is anywhere outside Ollie’s apartment. That doesn’t make it any easier to figure out what to do about it and how to approach it.

Larry, the jock, thinks he needs to be “macho” for his hockey buddies, yet he is a gay submissive. Not something he believes they will accept. Add the fact Ollie is a “nerd”, and Larry knows he is in trouble. He has also had some time to think about things, and he definitely has feelings for Ollie, so he ends up making a very public mistake. What follows is not just an extremely hot “punishment”, but a long-overdue change in his thinking.

Ollie may look like a twink, and be a total “nerd”, but he is also a total DOM and a very understanding lover. He knows what Larry needs, but would never force him to do something he isn’t ready for. The contradiction between what he looks like and who he is inside fascinated me – just like it does Larry, I suspect. He is also clearly devoted to Larry, and that makes two of them.

If you like stories with unconventional Doms and subs, if you enjoy reading about a man who battles his inner demons who tell him to behave “as he should”, and if you’re looking for a short, hot read about two men who complement each other, then you will probably like this short story.


NOTE: The anthology this story was published in has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
… (mais)

A story about a male belly dancer has to be fun, right? Especially one who is trying to get his life back in order. But what a life it is! A best friend I wouldn't want as an enemy - yet he keeps trying to be nice to her. She then rapes a friend of his, only to downplay the whole thing - as if it weren't serious. I could go on, but there is little point; there were too many characters and situations that just rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall, unfortunately, this is one of those books I could just not get into, hence my rating of "okay" or 2 stars. You may like this if you're looking for an out-of-control guy who struggles when defining who his friends are and how to become mentally and emotionally independent of a group he has clearly outgrown.… (mais)