With the coming of one of the biggest, most anticipated books of the year by the #1 New York Times Bestselling author, J.R. Ward, LOVER AT LAST will finally gives readers the story of Qhuinn and Blay. The long awaited book has readers rabid for a chance to finally read the HEA for two of the most tortured and well-loved members of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. For some readers, this will be their first venture into the M/M genre while to others, it’s simply one of the books on their Most Anticipated of 2013 list.
If LOVER AT LAST turns out to be a success – as I’m sure it probably will be since pre-orders were sold out TWICE within a few hours – readers may be interested in looking for other M/M titles to appease their appetites.
The first M/M title I can remember reading is Tere Michaels’ FAITH & FIDELITY about a New York City Vice Detective named Evan Cerelli and a Former Homicide Detective, Matt Haight. Since then, I’ve moved on to Marie Sexton’s Coda Books and found my absolute favorite series, regardless of any genre in the Cut & Run series by Abigail Roux. I love Ty and Zane so hard that at this point, I love them more than Blay and Qhuinn. Shocker, I know. Between those obsessions, I’ve read other spectacular M/M books so that makes me ready and eager for Qhuay’s book.
While Ward’s big release may be the most talked about book that could potentially bring M/M Romance to more mainstream audiences, Ward certainly isn’t the first author to do this. Suzanne Brockmann touched on it in HOT TARGET. Since then, times have changed and more and more readers are becoming more accommodating, even going as far as demanding that Blay and Qhuinn receive full treatment and not have their story published as a novella or by an indie publisher. More recently, other Romance authors have tried their hand at it. Lori Foster gave fans what they wanted with WHAT CHRIS WANTS while Karina Cooper penned a novella for Jonas and Danny from her Dark Mission series called WICKED LIES. Several Erotic Romance authors are adding M/M scenes and romances into their series as well, such as Olivia Cunning in her Sinners On Tour series.
😀 I must say I started reading M/M Romances thanks to UTC and Ty & Zane about a year ago. Since then, I have read severals of them and now I’m adding more and more on my TBR list.
Last year I was capable of completing my challenge of getting ready for the 11th book of BDB (I had only read 3 books of the saga XD). Q&B are killing me…
It is not strictly erotic… that depends on the writer (althoug the most erotic scenes I have ever read are MM… I still have interesting dreams about Hot Heads and one particular solo play 🙄 XD).
Too bad in Spain this kind of books are almost imposible to get 🙁
I forgot mentioning Sherrilyn Kenyon… maybe I’m seeing things (or int his case reading things) but I hope the story about Jaden and Jared will be the first MM story of this writer 😀
Sherrilyn Kenyon released Cloak and Silence as part of the League series in Feb. It’s between Ture and Maris. But you’re right, Jared and Jaden would make a pretty hot couple.
I’m SO looking forward to this!!
Yay! Glad we would be a part of your M/M reading experience somehow, Marka! I love talking books with you!
LOL I’m glad we’re on the same page. I don’t see M/M as strictly erotic unless obviously it’s intended to be that way. I think more and more people are feeling that way too.
Ya know, I have to give credit to JR Ward for introducing me to m/m. When I read Lover Enshrined and the kiss between Qhuinn and Blay was my first m/m experience. Since then I’ve read m/m books. So Qhuay has been a loooooong time a coming for me.
Ah yes, that kiss was epic, wasn’t it!? I may need to go back and reread that part again! We’re definitely all eager for Qhuay!
Like Marka, I was introduced to the M/M genre by Under the Covers. I see absolutely no reason why M/M stories should be confined to the “erotic”. I mean, if it IS an erotic book then fine, but a series like Cut and Run, for example, doesn’t really strike me as something that should be qualified as erotic (even though it is smokin’ hot) just because the romance is between two guys.
Awesome, Ra! Glad we would be part of your reading experience! I have big love for the Cut and Run series so I definitely agree with you! The sex is smokin’ but isn’t the whole of the series. There’s so much more to the stories! The way I see it is…love is love is love. That’s all that matters.
I’ve only listened to one M/M book (Cut and Run) and though, I quited enjoyed the chemistry and sexual tension, I was glad it wasn’t very graphic. I’m no oppose to reading another book in the genre, and of course I’m downloading Lover at Last the minute it comes out!!! I hoping to welcome a more graphic scene from Qhuinn and Blay.
I like romance, love, commitment, and respect, so as long as I get those elements in a story I’m happy. 🙂
Hey babe! I wonder how the audiobooks of the series is because you know I adore it. The first book isn’t so graphic with it’s sex. it definitely holds back a little to create some delicious sexual tension, so I’m eager to see what you think of the rest of the series!
“I like romance, love, commitment, and respect, so as long as I get those elements in a story I’m happy.”
Well said, I couldn’t agree more! 😀
I really hope we’ll see M/M romance become more mainstream. I’ll admit it’s a favorite genre of mine and while I haven’t read the Black Dagger Brotherhood series (I know GASP!), this one may intrigue me enough to read it. I for one pestered the crap about of Lori Foster to write Chris’ story and while I know she’s taken a lot of heat for the fact that there wasn’t any sex in it, I loved it. I knew it wasn’t something she ever planned to do but she wanted to make her fans happy and her publisher agreed. I read a lot of M/M authors like Tibby Armstrong and L.A. Witt who write extremely emotional and well balanced stories that I think most women would enjoy if they’d just READ them!
The interesting thing about the Foster situation is that even though some people weren’t happy about the lack of sex, it means that there’s a whole new vista out there that people are willing to explore. People want more M/M and I think that’s slowly going to spill into more mainstream avenues.
I haven’t read Armstrong yet but I adore Witt’s work! She writes emotional, funny and well-balanced stories. More M/M readers means good things for other M/M authors too!
And you need to read BDB! ;p
I know…I’ll add you to the list of people peer pressuring me into reading BDB! LOL!
LOL, you’ll have to let me know if you like it! It’s my absolute fave series 😉
I’m sorry I forgot what we discussing after you mentioned Ty and Zane! I swooned and fell off my chair! Sorry… wipin up drool! Lol! Anywho love m/m. Would love for it to be more mainstream. I can’t wait for my VS copy of Lover at Last to come in the mail. I was lucky to get my order in. I’m also eagerly awaiting the next Cut and Run out in April!!! LA Witt was the first m/m author that I read, and love her work.
LMAO! Yep, that’s the affect Ty and Zane has on people! ;P I seriously loooove them and cannot wait to read TOUCH & GEAUX. I just hope my heart can handle it!
This won’t be my first M/M Romance. I’ve started the genre last year and love it! And I really hope that more authors will follow suit and there will be more M/M Romance books. Honestly, there is not enough!
I’m glad you’re all for it! I’m thinking M/M will get more and more coverage, especially after LaL release.
I hope the M/M trend does blossom!
I discovered QAF – Showtime series when I worked nights – WHAAAAT????
then I got HOOKED!!
then I searched for books — discovered JL Langley –
LOVE her With/Without series!!! and the Regency Romance!!!!
GREAT discussion!! THANKS!!
LOL, Pam, I love your enthusiasm!
I love the BDB books and really am not concerned at all about the M/M thing- J.R. Ward is just a dang great writer, and I love the Brothers. I AM curious about something though, and wondered if you or other people here could answer it. I’m subscribed to several blogs that cover romance, paranormal romance and other genres and was curious why I never see W/W (F/F?) books. I’m straight, but it seems counterintuitive that the majority of romance readers must be female, and that there would be just as much, if not more, of a market for two women as two men. Are lesbian readers being ignored?
Hey Susan! There are F/F books out there, you just have to look a little deeper to find them I think since romance readers usually like m/f or m/m but it doesn’t mean it’s not available. Usually when a site states LGBT that includes lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and trans as well! I’ve read some F/F!
Here’s a listing on Goodreads I’ve found of some titles: http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/bisexual-f-f
I don’t see myself looking for M/M stories to read. I am interested in their story because I’m a fan of the BDB series.
It’s totally cool if you aren’t into the whole M/M thing. If it doesn’t do it for you, it doesn’t do it for you. I wasn’t particual interested in the genre either until J.R Ward said she was releasing Blay and Quinn’sbook (God, I’m excited). Then I decided that I didn’t want Lover at Last to be a”gay” book for me. I wanted to read their story the way I’d read any hetero story. So I tried something else to sort of “blunt” the newness. And I actually found that I really enjoyed the genre. For years, I’d dismissed it as not my thing. It’s obviously entirely up to you what you read, but I do think that you’d find a whole lot of really great stories (the Cut and Run series being just one example – I really love those two!) if you broadened your scope a little.
I think that’s the idea Ward is going for. She’s trying not to see Blay and Qhuinn’s book as a M/M romance per se, just another epic love story she wants to tell and share with her readers.
Also, nice to see so many Cut and Run fans! 😀
Hey Rita! And there’s nothing wrong with that at all 🙂
I’m so into the M/M genre that I can’t even remember now how or when I started! But I think it might be JR’s Qhuay thay got to me and now I try to read more from it, I absolutely enjoy it! I think there’s a certain sexiness that appeals to me but I agree that every book that belongs to this genre shouldn’t be classified as erotica. Just like in m/f stories, erotica is simply a general term that can refer to any story that’s written in an explicit way. Just because both people in the relationship happen to be males doesn’t equal explicit and/or erotica.
I hope this can be overcome soon and each book can be classified according to their theme instead of the gender of the couples.
And by the way, thanks for putting this up for discussion, I’m so glad to see this addressed because it saddens me to see one of my favorite genres to be generalized like this.
Well said and I totally agree with you! I personally do not see it as erotic unless the sex is explicit or something like that. You couldn’t have said it better!
I think it’s becoming more mainstream as I’m seeing it more often than past years. I most certainly don’t see M/M as only erotic as the few I’ve read have had great emotionally heart wrenching storylines.
Yes! M/M romance do pull on your heartstrings, dont they? And I love them for it!
Exactly. I agree with Timitra, they contain all kinds of plotlines, emotional rollercoasters, action, PNR, contemporary, crime..And yes, they’re more mainstream now but I still wish we didn’t even have cause for this kind of discussion you know? 😀
There’s really so much to explore. It has everything you could ever want! You want mystery? Check out Adrien English series! You want suspense? Cut and Run! You want heartbreaking? T.J. Klune is your man! Funny? Head over to see Anne Tenino’s website! So many great things and well-written too!
I do read M/M fiction. I sort of hope it doesn’t become mainstream because then it will become the same repetitive shlock that is all over the romance arena. I like that the M/M fiction authors are so creative and so open to trying something new. Some of the most emotional and gripping reads I have experienced in the past year have been M/M fiction.
I hate that all M/M is being tagged as erotic. There is some really beautifully written M/M romantic fiction. Honestly, some of the mainstream M/F fiction I have read is a lot more erotic than the M/M fiction. And you can find the M/F stories in any bookstore on an endcap at eye level!
Hey Jen, I can understand your concern and hesitancy. You make some very good points. I guess the book pimp in me wants others to have the chance to discover how great M/M books can be too. But you’re right, if not done right, or gets too repetitive, it can becoming boring.
I’ve enjoyed many m/m romance books. I think if people keep an open mind they will become mainstream.
I agree too!
A love story is a love story in my book. And I’ll always enjoy a very well written one.
Who the h/h or even h/h/h— shouldn’t define it as erotica. The level of heat and description should determine that. IMHO.
Nice discussion point, thanks!
I couldn’t agree more, Sophia Rose!
The thing about JR Ward books is that there are multiple sub plots going on. I’m listening to Lover Unleashed on CD (again) and I just want Payne and MANNY’S story but so many people you need to keep up with. (Or put up with). So I’m sure Lover at Last will be the same.
Right, I think that’s why people are so excited about this upcoming release. It’s been a long time coming and we’re yearning for that HEA that these two characters desperately need.
I love love love BDB and was one of the ones praying that Q&B got their own novel and not a novella. I am so happy that Warden was able to write it the way she envisioned it. I am a big fan of MM. Decadent by Shayla Black was the first I ever read anything MM and loved it. I then moved on to other authors. One of my fav’s is The Making of a Man Series (Our December is book 1) by Diane Adams. I hope that one day MM stops being erotic and more mainstream. Honestly I have read some wonderful books that were MM but nowhere near what I would call erotic. It seems silly to me to call a book erotic just because it’s about 2 guys. I downloading Lover at Last ASAP cause I am hoping to read it before I see her in Cinci! Can’t wait!!!
woot woot! A fellow fan! Awesome to hear that Foretta! Leigh, one of our guest reviewers here loves Diane Adams and that series. She’s been getting me to try it out so since you love it too, I think I’ll push it up on the TBR pile!
Thanks for sharing!
I think one day it will become mainstream and acceptable. And no, it’s not all erotic.
I agree!