Jane Davitt - Wild Raspberries

When runaway Daniel Seaton inadvertently trespasses on Tyler Edward's land, Tyler nearly shoots him on sight.
Tyler's got a lot of years under his belt, and his past doesn't let him accept strangers easily. Dan's situation is dire enough that Tyler takes him home, at least for a little while, and that turns out to be a good decision when Tyler's injured and needs Dan's help.
Tyler's learning to trust, and Dan's settling in to a new life, but things aren't always what they seem. Between interfering friends, injuries, and their attraction to each other, Tyler and Dan have plenty of to deal with even before Tyler's previous career returns to haunt them. Can they overcome what lies in the past to have a future with each other?

Comment: Another of the several m/m books I had to read is this one and I finally picked it. I can't remember why I decided I'd read it or why I'd like it but here it is and it's one more book to get out of the pile.

This is the story of Daniel, a young man running from home because his father didn't appreciate the idea Daniel is gay.

Daniel is young but he soon realizes what it takes to live alone and on the road and the price to be given a ride. Daniel is hungry in one of his stops towards Canada and he is caught red handed eating raspberries by Tyler, the property's owner.

Tyler makes Daniel leave after a small conversation but feels sorry for him and catches him when he sees him faint from hunger.

Tyler decides to help Daniel until he leaves but then he is the one who needs help after a bad fall and the two of them start to exchange confidences, stories, their pasts' tragedies... there's a connection between them, but can they have something solid here?

This is my first full length book by this author but I had previously read a short story in an anthology and liked her style. I was curious to see what I'd think about a bigger story and I have to say it wasn't as impressive as I imagined.

How frustrating, to become interesting and eager to read a book based on its promising blurb or concept and then... the cake is not as tasty as it's decoration after all.

What made this story seem interesting to me was the idea someone needs help but instead of being given charity or the kick out, he is helped by helping, thus making him useful. I thought this would show me someone who knew things were bad and then by proving himself, he would find his own worth and maybe the romance would be great. This is labeled a romance, after all.

These words may be a summarized description of the plot but in reality, Daniel wasn't as humble as I imagined, he was young yes, but the focus was too much on the sexual aspect of things. I like romance and romantic scenes to make the books more vibrant but a bit more realism wouldn't ruin the story and it seems too weird people just happen to talk about being gay and sex so soon after meeting each other...even if both are gay. It just seems rushed, that's all.

Daniel is interesting enough, he's too young and immature at times for his personality to be completely charming to me. He apparently spent time on the streets but his personality doesn't show that yet, which is good for him but at times he does act like his age and that's not always captivating.

Tyler is the mysterious one, we get his past was tough, his military background too harsh and strong to bear easily but he is still a good person. I had a difficult time warming up to him, tough. I get all his ideas and decisions to not let Daniel come too close while still feeling attracted to him, I understand where his mind is at, but often he seems to act too much as a lone wolf and combining this with a younger kid who isn't sure about who he is can seem too unbalanced.

I think this was the thing that bothered me the most, not that there's a age gap between them (10 or 12 years) but the fact their backgrounds are too far part and I don't think the author convinced me they were better together. 

There is a sequel, which by the blurb indicates they are going to stick together while dealing with more issues but to be honest, I don't feel like reading it.

In a way, the pace of the story is good because it takes time for feelings and notions to change but at the same time, I lost interest in the two guys and how their relationship could evolve. Then there's this almost "division" between the main couple and everyone else, they barely interact with others, which is fine, they can totally be the focus of this story but there's something about the way they almost look like an island that makes this too confined in terms of development. I guess if more characters had a stronger role or we could compare their separate interactions with others or seeing them inserted in a community would be better than just having them analyze one another and their connection on their own.

Close to finishing the book I was just glad it would be over. I mean, this isn't bad and I did like there was a HFN very much close to being a HEA but I can't say I was wowed and impressed by everything.

It was a good way to be entertained but I don't think it will be memorable for me in a few months.

Grade: 6/10

Several Authors - Kegs and Dorms anthology

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. 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.

Comment: The last m/m book of the challenge and, obviously, of the year.
I decided to pick an anthology because it's different enough from a common book that would be a better "surprise" and because, well, I hadn't read any this year.
I chose Kegs and Dorms, edited by Jennifer B. because I had it in my TBR list for a long time and to be honest I'd rather go through something I had in waiting than to spend money in something more appropriate like with the christmas theme.
So, the only valid reason is the fact I had it already.
This anthology has 4 stories, all about the world of students, each one with a different aproach. Of them all, none was wow, but one of them I liked a bit more, and I read it faster too, because it was more interesting, I guess.
I've had read things by three of the authors and curiously enough, the one I preferred is by the one I didn't know, funny this.

So, in a few lines, here are the stories and my comment:

"Secui Domus" by Kiernan Kelly
This is the first story and it's very original. When the dorm where the characters used to be has problemas they are on their own, so Aiden has the idea of doing a strip show to finance a new place. With this comes the issue of the dean, who isn't very happy with Aiden's idea. The thing is, the dean used to have a relationship with the owner that has his gay bar near campus. hen there's the issua of finding people to participate in the strip...
The storyline is original yes, but I didn't find the end that interesting, it was predictable because of the way things went, although the author has points for putting on the redemption line in there. It was a nice story but it's not wow and to me it didn't really made an impression.

"Another Believer" by Stephanie Vaughn
In this one we meet two young students who start talking in a train. After some misunderstandings they see they have a lot in common and decide to finish the trip together.
I liked this one, the chemestry was obvious and I was very curious to know more about them and their personalities. I think it ends with a certain sense of hope because sometimes even what is unexpected can be good.

"Reading between the Lines" by Jane Davitt
My favourite of the lot and the only one by an unknown author to me.
I like the theme of hate turning to love and when they realize they're roomates, Seth and Gabe don't get along that much. But Seth is very curious about Gabe and the fact he seems to be hooking up with some of Seth's exs.
When they're together spaks fly and I liked to see them taking their relationship to the next level. Sometimes Gabe didn't look very approachable and I confess it made me a bit annoyed with him, but in the end his reasons made sense and I was happy to see him with Seth.

"What It's All About" by Tory Temple
This story is about Max, a young student who's gay and out but he hasn't met someone that makes his head spin, until Devin. However, Devin isn't very reliable and seems to be playing around a lot. Still, they hook up sometimes but there's never any serious conversation of what they're doing, which makes Max very confused.
I enjoyed the story but everytime things were looking up, Devin would act strangely, not showing up for dates, making excuses, even saying to Max college isn't about dating seriously.
I found exhausting this cat and mouse game and what saved this story for me was Max's standup at the end, when he tells Devin waht he really feels and goes away.
Of course I predicted Devin would come to him and try a relationship, but the best part of really Max telling him he was tired of being with him and then nothing.
It wasn't the one I preferred but it has some issues that left me thinking.

All in all, a good anthology. I'm aware I don't read that many and I could be missing some interesting things out there...I'll try to read more next year.
This one I read relatively fast and it had an appealing theme, so I recommend it.
And this is the conclusion of my participation in the challenge...I'll post soon the main ideas about this experience.