Today we have a treat for you! You don't just get one review, you get (counts)...eight! Gay Authors has always managed to remain free to its members, one of the ways that it has managed to do so is through its Premium Subscribers. Members choose to help support the site and keep it going by purchasing Premium Content which consists of a number of stories that are only available on the site by purchasing Premium. There are many great stories to be found in the Premium section, and today, the review team has decided to share some of their favorites.

RCMills

Word count: 52,560

Are you a fan of Dayne Mora’s E.P.I.C. stories? Then I bet you’ll like Comfort Only, which displays the same wit and catchy phrases. Especially the first chapters left me chuckling and reading the same sentences several times, to admire the brilliant word play. Judging by the comments left on the story I’m not the only one to  regularly. 

There are several well-known story elements here. The chatty and bratty BFF, who unbeknownst to himself makes a crucial difference in the life of a repressed guy with a difficult home life. The obnoxiously selfish but witty guy who pokes wicked fun at his (of course) irritating roommate, his ex-girlfriend, his teachers, his best friend’s younger brother and anyone else he feels deserves it. But we forgive him, because his caustic wit is also used against himself, and his loyalty to his best friend knows no limits.

There’s also an über-intelligent nerd, a mega-annoying girlfriend who sees nothing wrong with ‘kissing’ all her ex-boyfriends, a metrosexual fashionista, an unexpected love twist, and some painfully hot sex.   But RCMills blends all of these elements in breath-taking ways which at times leave you as confused and gob-smacked as the main character, whose POV we follow. There is no traditional happy ending, yet I was left with the hope that love would prevail and dreams come true.

Comfort Only was one of the unexpected bonus stories which made me feel I got extra value for my Premium membership.

Category: Fiction   Genres: Drama   Tags: college, anal, oral, psychology, modern  Rating: Mature

Do Over

dkstories

Reviewer: Spikey582

Word Count: 303,971

What if you could go back in time and relive your childhood a second time, only this time with full knowledge of all the things that went wrong the first time? That is essentially the basic premise of Do Over by dkstories. In an experiment gone wrong, Davey Jones, a man in his 30s, has his consciousness transported back into his twelve-year-old body.

There are a ton of themes and conflicts presented throughout this story. Davey, a man living in 2004, goes back to 1981, with all the memories of growing up in this era. At first, the conflict mostly hinges on Davey wondering if and when his mind will be brought back into the future. When he starts to realize that will never happen, he is presented with multiple conflicts of what horrible tragedies he should try to prevent. He tries first within his own family, and then with his memories of the era, world events. How much should he change? Will the changes he makes be for the better, or for the worse?

This very brief synopsis of the plot barely scratches the surface of the themes and events covered in this tale: the AIDS crisis, which was in its earliest and darkest days (then known as the “gay plague”); there’s the anti-gay politics of the era with the Moral Majority; the gay rights movement; and, of course, the most prevalent conflict of the era -- the Cold War. All of which Davey, with his knowledge and attitudes of the future, gets thrust right in the midst of. 

I think what I liked most about this story was that it had such a mix of genres. It was an alternate-history story, a coming of age story, a romance, and an action/adventure story, all rolled into one. Spanning 40 chapters, this story has a lot to offer. So check it out; you won’t be disappointed.
 

Category: Fiction   Genres: Drama, Sci-Fi   Tags: gay, alternate earth, coming of age, 20th century  Rating: Mature

MetaWolf Series

JohnAR

Reviewer: Puppilull

Word Count: 998,294

Anyone who’s spoken to me for more than five seconds knows I have a serious addiction problem. My addiction is the amazing MetaWolf series by JohnAR. It’s a series of eight books, or actually nine if you include the prompt collection (and you have to include the prompt collection to really get to know these characters).

It’s the story of lonely nerd Colt, very smart but not very liked. As he escapes his past to college, he hopes his life will turn around. With no such luck, he resigns himself to simply enduring the last years of college. Then he encounters three guys who change his world. Not only on a personal level, but his whole view of the world. He is brought into the eternal fight between wolf shifters and vampires. As he and his wolves struggle to figure out how to incorporate an odd nerd as their Meta (i e the one calling the shots, out-ranking even the Alpha), their pack gains wolf after wolf, growing in strength and preparing for their fate. All this while having to battle vampire attacks and other dangerous situations. From there, the story unfolds in many unexpected ways.

Meta can be read in different ways. It can be read as an action story of a man and his hunky wolves, with all the fighting and naughty sex. Who doesn’t like some hot, kinky action once in a while? If that is your fancy, not many do it better than JohnAR. It is also the story of a group of men, all pushed around by life and mistreated in various ways, learning how to trust and eventually love each other. This personal journey of our guys had me crying more than once, and I feel a definite connection to Colt and his life as a smart but not very popular person.

One big part of Meta is trying to figure out what it all means. Throughout the series, there are clues and red herrings distributed liberally. The story incorporates various myths and historic events, from ancient Greece, parts of Asia and also more recent times. For a true nerd, this is like an Easter egg hunt. Each little detail you manage to figure out, makes you go “Ha!” and feel very pleased with yourself. Then at the end you’ll go “Huh?” and realize you have to reread the whole series to really get what it’s about.

But don’t let the nerdness discourage you from reading. Above all, this is a series about love, loyalty, friendship, courage and determination. You will fall in love with at least one of the wolves, quite possibly more. And even though I have very strong feelings about Colt, I realize he’s not the easiest character to fall in love with. However, I have no doubt you’ll root for him and want what’s best for him. After all, if a pack of wolf shifters make him the center of their world, he can’t be all bad?

Category: Fiction   Genres: Mystery  Tags: were-creatures, vampire, adult, gay, fetish, menage  Rating: Mature

Ship Logs of the Santa Claus

Mann Ramblings

Reviewer: Renee Stevens

Word Count: 200,394

If I wasn’t already a fan of Mann Ramblings, this series would have changed that. The Ship Logs of the Santa Claus consists of three books at the moment: The Luxorian Fugitive, A Cook’s Tale, and Priest & Pariah. If I’m being honest, this review is hard to write. Not because I didn’t enjoy the stories, I did, but reviewing it as a series is difficult because each story has a different feel and what works for one wouldn’t really work for the others. Mann Ramblings has done a wonderful job building a true community of flawed individuals and making us empathize with each and every one as they struggle to accept and overcome the various obstacles put in their path. And there are a lot of obstacles! So, what is this series about? Well, let’s take a look at it.

Needing an escape following a devastating civil war on Alpha Centauri, Captain Marc Danverse has created a life for himself and his crew on board the Santa Claus, a cargo vessel that travels through space transporting various cargo, and occasionally passengers. The one thing that sets the Santa Claus apart from other ships? The rule of no women and no hetero on board. That’s right, no women or straight men allowed. Marc has his reasons, and takes a lot of flak for the rule, but it creates a very accepting community for his crew to live in. Sure, there are issues like there is everywhere else, but the one thing no one has to worry about is being judged for preferring other men.

But these stories aren’t just about Marc, in fact, Marc plays a supporting role for the most part. Instead, the three Santa Claus stories focus on his crew as they work their way through a number of obstacles. Whether it’s nightmares, medical issues, violence, guilt, self-image, or just memories of the past, the men of the Santa Claus work to persevere over the injustices life has thrown at them. If you decide to read Mann’s Ship Logs of the Santa Claus series, which I highly recommend you do, prepare yourself to run through a gamut of emotions. If you’re anything like me, there will be times you laugh, cry, and shake your head at the antics of the Santa Claus crew. But when all is said and done, you’ll hopefully be cheering for them as they each work toward making a better life for themselves. And when it ends, if you’re like me, you’ll be anxiously waiting to see whose story Mann will tell next.

Category: Fiction   Genres: Drama, Sci-Fi  Tags: mature adult, gay, psionics, anal, military, future, bdsm  Rating: Mature

Social Skills

Sara Alva

Reviewer: Aditus

Word Count: 105,010

There always comes this moment where I remember a scene from Sara Alva’s Social Skills, and I can’t resist looking it up, then I wind up reading just a few more pages and before I know it, I’m at the end! The story draws me in every time. So, why is that?

The main plot is quickly told: Connor, a shy, diligent college freshman, plays the violin in the student orchestra. He meets Jared while tutoring football players who need to keep up their grades. They fall in love, they fall out of love… But will they be together in the end?

The question What comes next? was always present on my mind while reading the book. It spurred me on until I turned the last page, still out of breath. However, it’s these wonderful, multifaceted characters who come alive in my head and never let me forget them that make Social Skills so special to me.

I suffer with Connor, who bravely battles social anxiety and general awkwardness with the help of his music—and later with Jared’s love. I feel for Jared, who is conflicted, as he wants to live up to his recently-deceased father’s legacy as a successful football player, even though he knows he will never be as good as his dad. Then there is his sexuality. For Connor, Jared not only acknowledges he is gay, but acts on it for the first time, albeit in secrecy.

Well-developed side characters underpin the events perfectly, bringing out certain aspects of the main characters, and generally spicing up the story. Rebecca, Connor’s stand partner in the orchestra, who became Connor’s best friend almost from the minute they met, is my all-time favorite. She is nosy, meddlesome, supportive, and inspiring. She is also a perfect role model for Connor, embracing her otherness instead of fighting it. I could go on and tell you about Ronnie, Ray, Tate, A.J., and Beth, but you have to see for yourself how they pull the plot in different directions.

There is one other aspect of Social Skills I really like. It’s the familiarity with the campus—buildings, secret passages, routines described as only an insider can know. It makes the story much more genuine.

Oh, I almost forgot the music. You should listen to it while reading the story. It’s perfect; each piece sets the respective scene.