The only guy-on-guy romance I read before this was as a subplot in Suzanne Brockmann’s fabulous Troubleshooter series. Gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy is one of my favorite characters of all time. You can read the raves on my Favorites page.

Jules’s hookups are hot, but not graphic, and I think Brockmann has done a great job with his storyline. I was a little wary about trying a more explicit book, because m/m isn’t a particular interest of mine. Neither is BDSM, though, and I’ve enjoyed several romances with that theme. So I read an excerpt for Happy Ending at Nose in a Book and thought it was rather good. Carolyn Crane blogged about the first-person POV at The Thrillionth Page, and posted another short, racy excerpt. I was intrigued. I bought the novella and read it in one day.

As it turns out, I found Happy Ending to be well-written and surprisingly touching. The hero, Seth, is so clear-cut in his views and unapologetic about his behavior. His interior dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny. He’s very manly and likeable. Seth’s love interest, David, is a kind-hearted massage therapist, sort of bohemian and adorable. The relationship between Seth and Molly, his niece, was unexpected and sweet.

There were two love scenes, both fairly graphic, but I wouldn’t call the story over-sexualized in the least. Of course, they did make this book different than any other romance I’ve read, so I’m going to focus on those two scenes!

The first is a down-and-dirty blow job in the public restroom. Or was it a dark alley? Either way. Seth acted inappropriately during his massage and isn’t sorry. David wasn’t amused by the incident at work, but that doesn’t stop him from getting on his knees for Seth when the opportunity arises. Seth, who is a tightly wound type of guy, lets his control slip and treats David a bit roughly. They both enjoy this. At the end, Seth comes on David’s face.

That doesn’t happen in straight romance, so it raised my brows. I don’t think women find it romantic. But here, it works. Because they’re guys, I guess.

So I had no problem getting into this scene, and the grittiness didn’t bother me. The interaction seemed authentic, but not strange or foreign. Giving a guy oral sex is just as common in the m/f world as the m/m, after all. I’ve read, and written, similar scenes.

Moving on. Love scene number two was also well constructed, and it offered more of an emotional punch than the first, but I was left feeling disconnected. Perhaps my inherent preference for reading about men with women is the reason. I love the male/female dynamic. I’m fascinated by our physical differences. Hard and soft, rough and smooth, out and in. I like writing from the hero’s perspective because I think women are sexy and beautiful. As a woman, I certainly know how it feels to get hot and bothered over a guy.

In the first scene, I wasn’t thrown off by the fact that both participants were men. In the second, I was. I mean, two penises were out at the same time. It was impossible to ignore!

The feeling of displacement (not sure what else to call it) detracted from my enjoyment of the book in a minor way, and the resolution of a mystery subplot didn’t hold my interest. I skimmed the last few pages. But, by and large, I thought Happy Ending was a compelling read from a talented author. I don’t say that lightly, either, because I bore easily and DNF all the time. LB Gregg is one to watch.