Taste Test: Rainy Days & Mondays

Title: Taste Test: Rainy Days & Mondays
Authors: G.R. Richards, Mercy Loomis & Taylor Lochland
Publisher: Torquere Books
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance/Anthology
Length: Short story (34 pages)
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

A guest review by Lily

Review Summary

Spilled coffee leads longtime lovers to the next step in their relationship. An unexpected kiss between friends opens up new possibilities for the future. Finding creative ways to keep an ongoing love affair secret. These three short stories are fun and entertaining and I enjoyed reading them.

BLURB
Don’t let rainy days or Mondays get you down. Let the boys of the Rainy Days Taste Test brighten you up instead! In I Don’t Like Mondays, by GR Richards, Brent and Mitch are having a rotten commute in to work. Going home to change clothes makes the rain go away pretty quickly.

In Encore, by Mercy Loomis, bandmates Derrick and Nate have great chemistry onstage, but it takes a certain kind of rainy night to really get them making music together. And in Rain Delay, Aaron loves spending time with his young lover, Nathan. What he doesn’t love is all of the interruptions that a thriving farm and a busy veterinarian practice give them. Can they tale advantage of a rainy day and snatch a few glorious hours of pleasure?

REVIEW

I Don’t Like Mondays by GR Richards
3 out of 5 stars

Brent and Mitch are lovers and coworkers who carpool together. One Monday morning their commute is hampered by rain and Mitch’s somber mood begins to worry Brent. When a sudden stop spills coffee on Mitch the men get a chance to restart their morning. Heading back to Mitch’s place they talk about his reluctance to announce their relationship at work. Although Brent understands the reasons he’d still like to have it out in the open. Once at Mitch’s place the lovers spend a few sexy minutes in bed and at the end of the story Monday mornings, even rainy ones, may just be a favorite time for Brent and Mitch.

This short story, only 7 pages, starts out in a somewhat somber mood and ends quite romantically. Brent and Mitch have been together for a long time and while the story takes place in just a couple of hours their connection shines through. Overall a well written story with likable characters. I enjoyed this little glimpse into Brent and Mitch’s life.

Encore by Mercy Loomis
3.5 out of 5 stars

Derrick and Nate are band mates and friends. After a particularly good performance and still feeling high from the rush of being on stage they decide to spend some time together working on their next song before heading off to bed. Once in the room Nate is nervous and jittery and when Derrick asks him what’s wrong the answer he gets, a kiss, is totally unexpected. It seems Nate’s been thinking about Derrick for a while now and since learning Derrick is into a bit of kink his attraction to the other man is even stronger. Despite never having been with men before Derrick is intrigued with the idea of being with Nate and his Dom personality soon has Nate finding his inner sub. Band mates and friends now, could this night set them on a path for more?

I really enjoyed this story. Despite never being with a man before, never even having had thoughts about it, Derrick has no problem after his initial surprise. His dominant side takes over and soon has Nate begging for more. I liked both men and was quite satisfied with the tentative HFN ending. I’d love to read a longer book with these two sexy rockers, nine pages was just too short.

Rain Delay by Taylor Lochland
2.5 out of 5 stars

Aaron and Nathan have been involved for a while now. Aaron is a vet and often sees Nathan, ten years younger than him, at the farm where he still lives with his parents. Despite keeping their relationship a secret they’ve been quite happy but lately Aaron finds himself wanting more. The men meet at Nathan’s place for an afternoon of riding and hopefully more but their time is cut short by a rainstorm. A fall from a horse leaves Aaron hurting and when they try and steal a bit of time together in the shower Nathan is left frustrated when his parents return home early. The next morning brings relief for them both and Aaron comes up with a plan to spend more time with Nathan making them very happy.

Aaron and Nathan are likable characters but I didn’t care for the fact that Nathan is hiding who he is and his parents are obviously clueless when it comes to their son and his ‘friend’. Aaron loves Nathan and while he wants more he accepts the state of their relationship. He does however question himself at times, such as in this line at the beginning of the story.

“That’s what I get for going out with a guy ten years younger than me. A guy who still lives with his parents.”

At 12 pages this is the longest of the three stories in this anthology. It’s well written but was my least favorite. The subject matter, in the closet and in a secret affair, is not a theme that I enjoy reading. I was also a bit disappointed in the ending. I had hoped to see them working towards coming out of the closet instead at the end we see Aaron coming up with more ways to continue seeing each other without letting anyone know they’re together. It’s a nice story that just didn’t work for me but I’m sure there are other readers who will have a different opinion.

Overall I liked this anthology. The three stories are well written and despite sharing a common theme, rainy days, they are different from each other. It was interesting how each author included the theme in their story. If you enjoy reading short sexy stories this would be a good book to try.