u/vvvgothere

I have been in such a book slump lately. I read voraciously, almost exclusively mm romance but I have been so meh about the books I have been reading lately that I almost thought, well, almost 3 years in, maybe this addiction is done. Thankfully I stumbled upon {The Last Kiss by Sally Malcolm} and it gave me faith that there are still good mm romances to be read.

This book is not a palette cleanser; it’s pretty intense, but yes, there is an HEA.

It’s just so well-written, the pacing is great and the historical details feel well-researched. Instead of regurgitating what I wrote, here is my GoodReads review for it: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8862712865

I am looking for a trope as old as time.

I have been desperately in the mood for a super possessive/protective MC, soft D/s type relationship (nothing formal, just the relationship dynamic), strict roles preferred, but the writing and storytelling have to be strong. Sounds easy, right? I feel like I have read them all — Brea Alepou Vitale Brothers, Onley James Necessary Evils, everything by Rina Saint, everything worth reading by Rina Kent.

I searched the board but kept finding the usual suspects.
I know there are a squillion out there and at least one eighth of a squillion good ones that I haven’t read yet.

My no’s are serial killers and anything with a kid in it. Don’t care if it’s contemporary, historical, omegaverse, etc.

I am looking for a trope as old as time.

I have been desperately in the mood for a super possessive/protective MC top, soft D/s type relationship (nothing formal, just the relationship dynamic) but the writing and storytelling have to be strong. Sounds easy, right? I feel like I have read them all — Brea Alepou Vitale Brothers, Onley James Necessary Evils, everything by Rina Saint, everything worth reading by Rina Kent.

I know there are a squillion out there and at least one eighth of a squillion good ones that I haven’t read yet.

My no’s are serial killers and anything with a kid in it. Don’t care if it’s contemporary, historical, omegaverse, etc.

I am an avid reader of MM romance. Besides Heated Rivalry (which I read a couple of years ago and am still shocked was made into a decent mini series), it’s very rare for these books to come to life in film/TV versions.

Lately I have been getting a lot of ads on my insta algo for AI series’ that are mm romance focused. Many of them are really bad acting (I am an absolute Luddite but if AI is going to steal from other artists, can’t they steal from good actors..?) but there is one where the acting isn’t god awful and the story is intriguing. The patreon is $7.50 a month and I am curious enough that I am tempted.

Do you think it’s ethically heinous to consider? If not, do you think these things get graphic (mm romance is nothing without a little smut) ? Any cautionary advice (e.g. once you join, it’s impossible to quit or they charge you for every little thing, etc.)?

I wanted to take a moment to sing the praises of Gale Ian Tate, whose work I just started reading this month.

I started with -{Immersed by Gale Ian Tate} which was very well-written but I have a 3/5 because I am not a gamer (it is set almost entirely inside a VR game) and it was more plot heavy than character driven, which is my preference.
I went on to read part 2 of the duet, {Entangled by Gale Ian Tate} which was a 4/5 for me because it was more character driven.

That got me curious so I tried the first book on her corporate dystopian omegaverse series, {The Sterling Acquisition by Gale Ian Tate}, another 4/5 and I was hooked enough to read {the Elysian Extraction by Gale Ian Tate} which I gave a 5/5 even though it clocked in at over 600 pages and I try to avoid romances over around 375 pages.

Guys she is really good at writing, telling a compelling story, and building out a romance. The craziest part, the part I can’t stop thinking about, is that she has written all 8 of her books since 2023. Eight big meaty books in 3 years. How on earth is she doing it???

Anyway, highly recommend!

Apologies in advance because I’m sure this question gets asked all the time, but I’m not even sure what the right search terms would be, so thanks for humoring me.
I live in Brooklyn and don’t eat out that often, so I’m pretty out of the loop on what's great these days. My husband and I are meeting my sister and brother-in-law for dinner next week and I'm looking for a place to go. They’ll be driving in from New Jersey, so I was thinking somewhere on the West Side might be easiest for them, though if Jerseyites see this and think there are more convenient locations, please chime in.

I’m looking for great food, good cocktails, and a lively but comfortable atmosphere. As a reference point, I love ABC Kitchen, so something in that general caliber/price range would be ideal. I assume there are plenty of newer spots I’ve completely missed.

I’m open to pretty much any cuisine. The only thing I’d probably avoid is sushi, not because I don’t love it, but I’m not sure if they'd be game or not.