12 Of My Favourite Books & Characters

Plainly stealing this off NJ Nielsen’s post, of same name(ish), click here to see

 

Clearly I have nothing else to do, or could think of for this day, it’s not that the idea of this isn’t interesting, hell, I would have probably done it for next week. I just really like the idea of it, and therefore here we have

 

So, here are the top 12 books and/or characters that have touched me so much I can’t help re-reading (or some that I may never pick up again because they invoke to much feels)

 

In no particular order:

 

Again & Heart of the Race by Marcy Calmes

Simply put these two stories are beautiful to me. I can’t read this book without starting from the very begging and not putting it down until the end.

Again is about two men torn apart by a third party, and then reunited. It’s simple and yet the moment you see Noah laying on the floor heartbroken because of the man he loves… it grips you, and you get to me Dante, and everything happens so face and heated but you feel every bit of love each man has for the other.

Heart of the Race is a friend to lovers (and to an extent forester brother to) and quite simply this line: ‘Look at me! I see you!’

 

 

 

See Right Through by Sara Winters

*sigh* roommate, a man who is afraid of newness, of commitment, or newness, who has just been propositioned by someone who wants all that and more from him.

I think the true reason that I love this story so much is because of Devon, he’s just…perfectly presented. He shows us his love and the fight he puts up as he tries to work out what he wanted and if Sam is that person, but he doesn’t believe he’s good enough for Sam, and more so he doesn’t want to lose Sam if they tried and it didn’t work out.

I say this because Sam irritates me a little, as the tale goes on. It’s not bad, and he’s perfect for Dev, but truly, the reason to read and read again is because of Deb.

 

 

 

Sterling for Christmas by DJ Manly

Oh, man, this book is sweet and tingly and I love it.

This story is starts with a break-up and ends with him coming to his senses and them making up. like I said, it’s a simple sweet Christmas story that I love.

 

 

 

Not That Type of Guy by Sara York

Closet man sudden finds a man to love, only he’s got secrets he’s got a job and a life that may leave him broken hearted.

This is a romance, and yet Aiden steels the show in a way that you sometimes you forget Trace and yet that sweet doctor is no less important, maybe more so because Aiden needs him. Not only for the connection, the love, but because he needed to come clean with himself, he needed to learn what he’d been told in the past wasn’t true.

 

 

 

Ripples in the Water series by Jackie Nacht

 YA short stories about tragedy in life. They are sweet, they are moving, and something I think people should read.

See is about suicide, it starts with a rundown kid who takes a knife into the trees behind his house to end his life, and ends up going on a journey of what his life is going to be, and what it would be like if he wasn’t there anymore.

Fireflies and Crickets takes us into a kid being thrown out of his house when his parents learn his gay. This one has a different approach it became a romance more so then the first one was, and that didn’t take away from the story, or the series.

 

 

 

Pricks and Pragmatism by JL Merrow

I’m not really sure if I can tell you why I love this story, it could be the beautiful Luke how sleeps with men for a room, and the socially awkward and shy Russell who takes him in and somehow get all of Luke’s attention.

I had to have this book from title alone, but it is worth a butt load of money and more, it’s one of those books that just stays with you forever – at least it is for me

 

 

 

Love You So Hard by Tara Lane

This is kinda like the opposite of the book above, the shy awkward guy gets up some courage and he asked the kid he’s been crushing on to teach him how to be a top.

That’s it, and it’s sweet, and it’s beautiful and you get lost in this little story from beginning to end. Both characters are awesome, they are perfect for each other and they are perfectly suited to this story. I love it.

 

 

 

And Call Me in the Morning series by Willa Okati

Middle aged men who act like husbands get a rude awakening when they kiss and realise there’s something there, something they’ve never wanted to see before

And Call Me in the Morning one of my favourite books, I love both characters. I love how they love each other and the journey to them getting together, to realising what they could have, and embracing that…just perfection on page. 

Then to come into And Call Me in the Evening, with their lives needing to slow down, and Eli’s health in jeopardy, just wonderful. You get more of these characters you love, these characters that are too old to change their ways, and yet are trying to find solid footing when they thoughts they knew it all. 

 

 

 

I Spy series by Josh Lanyon

Out of all the books and series that I have read from this author (and it’s getting to the point that I’ve read them all) these two – the series, the single story are the ones I always come back to. 

I Spy Something Bloody is the main story, we have Mark ringing up his old lover Stephen who he pushed away, breaking the other man’s heart, asking for help. He needs a place to rest and the only one he can think of his with Stephan. This book is about depression, PTSD, lost lives, love, and a need to just stop. He needs to stop.

I’m not sure if it’s my own head that helps me relate a lot more to this character than any other in most books, but it definitely sit’s in my head as one of his better books (for me)

 

 

 

Reverb by Jet Mykles

Sex, drugs, rock n’ roll and a near death that puts tears apart two lives, and that’s just the beginning, the rest, is putting then back together.

I am a fan of Mykles and I could have chosen a few different ones here, but Reverb, this book has stuck with me through it all, it was one of my first MM reads and I still consider it one of the bests

 

 

 

Broken H by JL Langley

Like above this probably isn’t the first book or series you’d think of when the authors name is mentioned and I love the With or Without series, but this book… oh god is it beautiful.

I want to start that not only is this a cowboy book, but the other MC is the sheriff… I now, what more do I need to say?!

What I truly loved about this book was actually the backstory and that the age between the MC’s was such a big problem, but more so, the simple fact of Shane’s need to give Grayson everything he deserves and more. 

 

 

 

Faith & Fidelity and Duty & Devotion by Tere Michaels

I was just going to do book one for this series, but the series itself is just that good that you can’t think of one without the rest of them.

These two books got threw the lives of Evan and Matt as they navigate a gay relationship when all either of them new before this was woman, Matt because he was a player and Evan because he married his high school sweet heart and would have been with her forever if it weren’t for an accident that killed her.

The first book is a lot more about grief, and trying to understand something when it’s so different from what you knew, and book 3 is them defining there relationship, making it stronger, more of what it should have always been.

 

 

And that’s it, my 12 *smiles* these are the books that first came to my head when I thought about this list. They are the ones that have hit my heart and have logged themselves in there. which isn’t saying that I don’t have a shit load more, and different books that I re-read a whole lot. Or anything like that, but we’ll see, maybe I’ll do them next week.

 

And I’m done and dusted, why not join in and tell us yours (link them in my comments so everyone knows where to find you, or not, up to you)