Under the Hill: Bomber's Moon by Alex Beecroft (from Samhain Publishing)
Multicultural M/M Time Travel Fantasy
The faeries at the bottom of the garden are coming back—with an army.
Under the Hill, Part 1
When Ben Chaudhry is attacked in his own home by elves, they disappear as quickly as they came. He reaches for the phone book, but what kind of exterminator gets rid of the Fae? Maybe the Paranormal Defense Agency will ride to his rescue.
Sadly, they turn out to be another rare breed: a bunch of UFO hunters led by Chris Gatrell, who—while distractingly hot—was forcibly retired from the RAF on grounds of insanity.
Shot down in WWII—and shot forward seventy years in time, stranded far from his wartime sweetheart—Chris has been a victim of the elves himself. He fears they could destroy Ben’s life as thoroughly as they destroyed his. Chris is more than willing to protect Ben with his body. He never bargained for his heart getting involved.
Just when they think there’s a chance to build a life together, a ghostly voice from Chris’s past warns that the danger is greater than they can imagine. And it may take more than a team of rank amateurs to keep Ben—and the world—out of the elf queen’s snatching hands…
The first in a series (!!!), this one has it all: dangerous Fae, time travel, and a time-travelling main character from the Greatest Generation. Alex Beecroft is a big name in the M/M genre, but newbie that I am, I haven't read her stuff before. This book strikes me as Torchwood-meets-Outlander (by Diana Gabaldon)-meets The Hunter's Moon (my childhood favourite snatched-by-the-Fae novel) and I canNOT wait. Coming out April 3rd 2012, with the sequel coming out May 1st, 2012.
Power Play: Resistance by Cat Grant and Rachel Haimowitz (from Riptide Publishing)
Give me six months, and I'll give you the world.
Brandon McKinney has scraped and sacrificed for what little in life he’s ever had. Though it’s been fifteen years since he escaped his father’s abuse, the damage remains. Trust seems as far out of reach as his dream of becoming an architect, and though he’s come to accept being gay, he can’t deny the shame and confusion he feels at other urges—the deeply-repressed desire to submit.
Jonathan Watkins is a self-made Silicon Valley billionaire whose ex-wife took half his money and even more of his faith. Comfortable as a Dominant but wary of being hurt again, he resorts to anonymous pickups and occasional six-month contracts with subs seeking only a master, not a lover.
When a sizzling back-alley encounter cues Jonathan in to Brandon’s deep-seated submissive side, he makes the man an offer: Give me six months of your life, and I’ll open your eyes to a whole new world. Brandon doesn’t care about that; all he wants is the three million dollars Jonathan’s offering so he can buy the construction company he works for. But he soon learns that six months on his knees is no easy feat, and shame and pride may keep him from all he ever wanted—and all he never dreamed he had any right to have.
The first of the Powerplay books, which feature a Total Power Exchange relationship, a genuinely resistant sub, and a heavy dose of (consensual) sado-masochism. Rachel Haimowitz is already on my autobuy list (unless she does shifters or something, I guess), but even she weren't, I'd still be salivating for this book. I'm super excited about this kinky, psychologically complex set of books. Comes out April 9th, 2012, with its sequel coming out June 11th 2012.
Pearl by Kelly Rand (from Storm Moon Press)
Trans* historical
Edith sleepwalks through a life so normal as to be boring. She lives with her mother, works a mundane job to support them, and makes no waves among the ladies of her sleepy 1920's Canadian town. Secretly, though, she watches the flappers and so-called "loose women" with envy, dreaming of what glamorous lives they must have. And that's before Clark walks into her life.
Clark embodies the world that Edith wishes she could be a part of. He's slick and dangerous and sexy in a way Edith has never experienced. So when Clark offers her a window into his world, she dives through without thinking. On the other side, though, her black and white world explodes into shades of gray, challenging Edith in ways she never imagined.
Set in the 1920s AND in my native Canada? Be still, my beating heart! I haven't read anything by Kelly Rand before, but I'm ready and willing (haha) to take a chance on this story of sexual awakening in the roaring twenties. Coming out April 27, 2012.
The Lonely War by Alan Chin (from Dreamspinner Press)
Interracial M/M historical
The realities of war are brutal for any man, but for a Buddhist like Andrew Waters, they’re unthinkable. And reconciling his serene nature with the savagery of World War II isn’t the only challenge Andrew faces. First, he must overcome the deep prejudice his half-Chinese ancestry evokes from his shipmates, a feat he manages by providing them with the best meals any destroyer crew ever had. Then he falls in love with his superior officer, and the two men struggle to satisfy their growing passion within the confines of the military code of conduct. In a distracted moment, he reveals his sexuality to the crew, and his effort to serve his country seems doomed.
When the ship is destroyed, Andrew and the crew are interned in Changi, a notorious Japanese POW camp. In order to save the life of the man he loves, Andrew agrees to become the commandant's whore. He uses his influence with the commandant to help his crew survive the hideous conditions, but will they understand his sacrifice or condemn him as a traitor?
Where to start! To begin with, I'm just happy to hear that this is a big meaty book clocking in at 340 pages, something for me to really sink my teeth into. I also can't wait to see how the author handles the issue of an Asian-American MC dealing with the racist reality of the Pacific War. Add in Andrew sexually sacrificing himself to the enemy and the fallout of that choice, and you've definitely got me intrigued (and a healthy few of my kink buttons pushed hard). Coming out April 27, 2012.
That's it for me (so far!) How about you? What are you looking forward to?