Manly Musings: Shakir's recs of romances written by men
Welcome back to my blog corner, Manly Musings! I'm Shakir Rashaan (seriously, I'm gonna be here for a while, you'll get used to me). I'm a male erotic romance and mystery author for Strebor Books/Simon & Schuster, and now, a regular contributor to the Happy Ever After blog!
Join me every other Friday as I give you a MANLY perspective on some of the hottest shows and movies that are upcoming or already out! With this edition, I decided to give you a MAN's perspective within the literary world, giving you an All-Male Review of books that I highly recommend that you get for the man in your life.
Let's begin, shall we?
In light of my thorough enjoyment of Eric Jerome Dickey's latest romance, One Night, I felt the need to put together a list of other male romance and erotic romance writers who I have read and interacted with who deserve a bit of time in the spotlight. Each of these gentlemen have come up with books and series that I have enjoyed reading, and I have a feeling that once readers are exposed to them, that they will enjoy them as much as I have.
So, without further ado … I present to you, in no particular order: Keith Thomas Walker, The Black, Sascha Illyvich, Alvin L.A. Horn and Joseph Lance Tonlet.
Brick House by Keith Thomas Walker
About the book:
Korah Stewart and Brock "Brick" Avery are contractors competing for a multi-million dollar project. Korah is not above using her feminine allure to her advantage. And Brick, an ultra-sexy cowboy, will stop at nothing to catapult his company to the forefront of the Texas construction scene. Sparks fly when the powerhouses collide, vowing to take all or nothing in the boardroom as well as the bedroom.
Why you should read it: The Brick series, which also includes Brick House 2, already has elements that I love in my romances; an Alpha male and an Alpha female colliding, finding that mutual attraction, and reading to see what happens next between them, in and out of the bedroom. This particular series definitely does not disappoint in that aspect, and the other aspect I loved was that both hero and heroine were in their 40s and successful.
Oh, and did I mention that Brick is a cowboy? What woman doesn't love a cowboy?
The Brick series has the right mix of romance, sexual tension and drama to keep readers enthralled and clamoring for more. I know I am! (Get fellow HEA contributor Michelle Monkou's take on Brick House and Brick House 2.)
The Professional by The Black
About the book:
See, I travel in rarified air. It's nice up here.
I got started when I was eighteen years old. Not in the business of money, but in the business of taking care of women. Not just sex, which is what I thought it was all about when I was young and uninformed. I learned early on that it's not always about what happens between the sheets, though it could be. It's not always about wining and dining them either, though that's often a part of the package. I get paid to give a particular woman what she needs particularly. Sometimes it's nothing more than company and conversation. Not often, but sometimes. The bottom line is that each woman is different. She has her own particular beauty—which has nothing to do with the external—and her particular beauty needs its particular nourishment. This is where many men fall short. I get paid to take up the slack; to fill a void; to nourish her beauty, even if only for one night.
My name is Lucas.
This is my story.
Why you should read it: The time-honored ideal of "professional" escorts, regardless of gender, plays heavy with Lucas, whose path takes what could be construed as a tragic turn at the age of 18. From there, we are taken into his world of satisfied clientele, where he drops different nuggets of wisdom throughout the book, and of course, twists and turns that test the boundaries of love and loyalty, and the most fun of all (for me): lots of sex. Lucas evolved into a Renaissance man of sorts, walking the tightrope between being wise and being "preachy" extremely well. The Black is an author readers will want to get to know very well.
His Reign (The Opeth Pack Saga) by Sascha Illyvich
About the book:
Józsi wants to maintain a normal life away from the Opeth pack. Moving from Hungary to Texas was a big change that he felt was necessary in order to avoid a prophecy that would ultimately make him Alpha of a dying pack, a responsibility he doesn't want.
Ilona and Lukina grew up loving Józsi even after he moved away. Yet the current pack Alpha has gone rogue and begun kidnapping and abusing the younger wolves that remained without mates. Ilona, becomes his next target and Józsi must return to once again deal with pack politics only to find that his heart misses what it could have. Can Lukina and Ilona convince him to return to Hungary in order to rule the Opeth pack and mate or will Kiba destroy them in a fit of insanity?
Why you should read it: This is the first of a four-book series (so far) that is centered around wolf packs. (Don't give me the side-eye yet; I have eclectic reading tastes, OK?) Sascha weaves a tale where you find out the family value of wolf packs, the love of Ilona and Lukina for Józsi and their want for him to fulfill the prophecy (even as Józsi never believed in it to begin with), and all of the other subplots that help drive the book and the series. This series has it all: tortured Alpha, steamy sex and some serious fight scenes (I told you this is from a man's perspective, right?). Readers will enjoy the Opeth Pack Saga, I promise.
One Safe Place by Alvin L.A. Horn
About the book:
Friends and foes, politicians and lovers intersect in this exciting novel of love, lust, and crime in the Emerald City.
In One Safe Place, lightning strikes of dilemmas and storms of lustful deeds intertwine with the well-thought citizens, as well as the criminal-minded. Under Seattle's cloudy skies, the morally minded kiss the sexual deviant for advancement of careers and social status. Once again Alvin L.A. Horn rains down love, lust, and crime in the pursuit of clear skies in the Emerald City.
Everyone wants and needs one safe place, and former Secret Service agent Psalms Black puts thoughts and actions into his social righteousness. He knows how to exact revenge by any means necessary. His sexy lover, Gabrielle Brandywine, used to be the most powerful woman in the world as the Secretary of State of the United States. She still has clout, but has personal issues that can derail Psalms' desired purpose in life. He and his friends are stealthy and tend to interpret human nature with skillful cleverness. In the mix though, are their own lives and love, and sexual issues must be controlled to complete missions.
Life is complicated when the deviant creep out of waters and from behind snow-capped mountains and mix with politics, sex, and dark money shadows. If evil acts occur like putting hands on a woman, or threatening a child, or harming a friend, you better hope Psalms Black and his friends don't find out or someone could come up missing, or wish they had. Whether someone is on the right side of morality or if someone steps over the line, everyone wants and needs One Safe Place.
Why you should read it: All I needed was the description "former Secret Service agent" when it came to Psalms Black, and I was hooked. Pairing him with former US Secretary of State, Gabrielle Brandywine, and I was in heaven. Suspense, eroticism, an intense love affair between two powerful people and the poetry that was interspersed through this novel made this an absolutely engaging read. Oh, and the fact that it was set in Seattle helped me exorcise some demons of another book set in the Pacific Northwest. Kudos, Mr. Horn!
Grif's Toy (Tease and Denial Series) by Joseph Lance Tonlet
About the book:
Grif believes he'll live his life as a virgin. After all, who would want him? How could anyone find him, a guy who came with less than man-sized equipment, worthy of their love? What he hadn't counted on were the two amazing men who would change his life. After entering college, he meets Tate, his fun-loving, wealthy roommate. While years later, with Tate now just a memory, Wes, a handsome, rugged ex-marine who runs his own security firm enters his life. Both men force him to see his value, despite his size and insecurities.
Why you should read it: What did I say about my tastes being eclectic? This one definitely had my attention from the first chapter, especially the uniqueness of the story of a man who — gasp — is not well-endowed. This actually had me engaged more than I thought it would; the characters and their journey to happy ever after gave me a front-row seat into everything that went on with Wes and Grif. If you're a fan of LGBT romances, you need to pick this one up!
Shakir Rashaan lives in suburban Atlanta with his wife and two children. His catalog includes the Nubian Underworld series and the upcoming Kink, P.I. Series. He is also developing projects under the pen name P.K. Rashaan. You can see more of him at www.ShakirRashaan.com or you can connect with him on Facebook and Twitter (@shakirrashaan).