Tag: Heidi Belleau

Review: Straight Shooter by Heidi Belleau

Posted June 19, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Review: Straight Shooter by Heidi BelleauReviewer: Tracy
Straight Shooter by Heidi Belleau
Series: Rear Entrance Video #3
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Publication Date: April 1st 2014
Genres: M/M
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

"This macho jock has a crooked little secret."

College hockey player Austin Puett is in trouble. Unless he starts treating his flamboyantly gay roommate with respect, he'll lose his room and his job at Rear Entrance Video. But Austin's got a not-so-straight secret of his own: nothing turns him on more than insults implying he's gay-even though he's definitely not -and all his old coping methods have stopped working.

Pure desperation drives him to rent a Mischievous Pictures porn flick about straight men tricked into servicing Puck, a male dominant. Instead of letting off steam, though, it just leaves him craving more, more, more, and suddenly, Austin finds himself at Mischievous Pictures studio for an audition. After all, you can be Gay for Pay and still be straight . . . right?

But meeting Liam Williams, the real person behind Puck, confuses Austin even more. Liam really seems to like him as a person, and Austin likes him back. And while Gay for Pay's okay, what does it make Austin if he still wants Liam when the cameras aren't rolling?

Austin is a hockey player and has always been a team player. He’s sees life as black and white so he doesn’t understand the fact that he pops a boner every time someone calls him a fag or pussy. He knows he’s not gay so why does that do it for him every time? He desperately wants to cure himself of his problem but he doesn’t know how. He works part time at a video store that was recently turned into a gay porn video store. One night a guy returns a DVD entitled Straight Sub Setup 4 Austin thinks he’s figured out a way to “fix” his problem . He takes it home to watch and realizes this is what he needs. He needs someone controlling and humiliating him and having sex with him…with his consent yet…then he can blame it on the setup. Huh? He wants it, he just doesn’t want to admit he wants it. He’s straight but with a definite kink that’s ruining his life.

When the star of Straight Sub Setup 4 walks into the porn store Austin is flustered yet impressed. He decides that he wants what Puck can give him so he tries to go after starring in one of Puck’s movies. Puck refuses. Austin is determined, yet by the time he actually gets Puck – real name Liam – alone he realizes that while he wants what Liam can give him he doesn’t want it on film. Liam agrees to help Austin and Austin ends up getting way more than he planned for.

This book had an intriguing blurb so I was looking forward to reading it. I definitely wasn’t disappointed.

This is a straight up GFY story. It takes Austin quite a while to embrace his kink and along that road we got plenty of humiliation & self-torture it did go on for longer than I expected it to, I must admit, but in the end it just showed how it all truly controlled his life and not in a good way. When Austin and Liam finally start working together to deal with Austin’s kink neither man knows what will be in store for them in the long run. I believe that Liam definitely has his eye on Austin from the start but it took Austin awhile to really see Liam for the man he was. Once that happened he could embrace him and that eventually helped him to embrace himself.

I wasn’t sure the pair was really going to end up together as even when the pair was together it wasn’t a hearts and roses type of love. The author, however, did a great job of putting them into a place in life where they both got what they wanted from the other and found love at the same time. It was a great ending and I really enjoyed the book.

My first full length read by this author and it won’t be my last, that’s for sure.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Heidi Belleau

four-stars

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Character Sketch: Sean O’Hara with Heidi Belleau

Posted May 22, 2012 by Tracy in Reviews | 4 Comments

Hi, I’m Heidi Belleau! I’m here to talk about my upcoming short story “Cruce de Caminos” an erotic horror being published as a part of Riptide’s Rentboys line. As with most of my published work, I share writing credits with my good friend Violetta Vane. Our particular co-writing relationship is pretty much a 50/50 split in all respects, so we share equal responsibility in creating characters and following through on that characterization. (IE, our stories aren’t like roleplaying, where one person is responsible for one character and control of the narrative is handed back and forth on that basis.) To keep things consistent, we write detailed character bios during the planning stages on every single thing we write so that we have something to refer to.
As a bit of a behind-the-scenes treat, I thought I’d give you a taste of that process by showing you the initial character sketch we came up with when we first dreamed up Sean O’Hara way back in the spring of 2011, when we were planning “The Druid Stone”, a longer novel featuring Sean. I’ve left it unedited, other than cutting a few spoiler-y things. You might even catch the first seeds of the backstory that would eventually become “Cruce de Caminos”!
Sean O’Hara:
Appearance:  
Prominent bone structure on long oval face, angular jaw, strong, straight nose. Full lips. Hazel eyes. Eyebrows form sharp, dramatic line. Thick, full, wavy dark brown (almost black) hair, grown out and slightly messy from cheap cut. Undefined muscles, fit but with a bit of padding, swimmers build. Photo inspiration: Michael Cardelle.
Defining Personality Traits: 
Brash, tends to overcome nervousness by throwing himself into the middle of new situations. Can seem impulsive, but actually thinks through situations pretty carefully, unless exhausted. Due to unpredictable life, rarely takes things for granted, and is prepared to act quickly/decisively when necessary. Has a hard time trusting new people.
Mannerisms / Style of Dress:
Expressive speaker, smiles easily, charming laugh. Tendency to be loud and crass. Laid back mannerisms. Generally wears jeans and (nice) t-shirts, especially gaudy A|X prints. A bit of a peacock in his styling.
Important Interpersonal Relationships: 
His mother, who died when he was 10, painkiller overdose – good relationship and memories of his mother, although he subconsciously blames her for not protecting him from his father. Father, abusive and dismissive, completely estranged. Aunt (Marisa), difficult relationship at first because she challenged him a lot, now fairly close. Cold relationships with Boston O’Hara family as they obviously do not accept him as one of them, and he’s not interested in trying to make them. Has decent relationship with cousin (Martha), though not as close as with his aunt.
Career/Education: 
Dropped out of high school when he ran away.
Defining Life Events: 
Death of mother. Decision to leave home – father moves his 20yr old girlfriend into house who is obviously a drug addict. Rough encounters on the road, ended up in jail a couple times, a fight over money ends up with him in the hospital with a concussion (tire iron to the side of the head, has scar but covered with hair so not visible).
Sexuality / Sexual Self-Perception: 
At present, flexible. Fairly average for a (straight) teenager his age, until he became a runaway and got exposed to transactional sex, prostitution.

Family Background:
Estranged from his father, a blue-collar worker with a string of short-term jobs, and his father’s family who don’t accept that he is mixed-race. Mother died; is close to her sister and her sister’s daughter, but never close “enough”. Not because they aren’t welcoming, but because he generally has a sense of never belonging with them.
Now of course, this document is meant to represent an older Sean, so it might not be a perfect match for the character you’ll meet in “Cruce de Caminos”, but see if you can spot the ways he’s changed!
~~~
Contest:
Want to win some “Cruce de Caminos” swag, as well as a few other surprise New Orleans goodies? Leave us a comment on this or any of our other Riptide Rentboys blog tour posts with your email (or other contact info), and we’ll enter you into our week-long draw!
How about a copy of “The Druid Stone”, which picks up Sean’s story five years later? Click here to try your hand at our Cruce de Caminos quiz!
About Heidi and Violetta:
Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane are two unlikely friends and co-writers from different sides of the same continent. Heidi, from Northern Canada, is a history geek with a soft spot for Highlanders and Victorian pornography. Violetta is a Yank (and a Southerner, and a Japanese-American) with a cinematic imagination and a faintly checkered past. Together, they write strange and soulful interracial and multicultural m/m with a global sensibility and the occasional paranormal twist.
Visit us online!
About “Cruce de Caminos”, out now from Riptide Publishing:
Addiction drives Sean O’Hara to a critical crossroads. Will he make the right decision, or will the floodwaters bound for New Orleans sweep him away?
Street kid Sean O’Hara never had it easy, but New Orleans has driven him to his knees. His girlfriend’s broken up with him for a sugar daddy, a gun-toting pimp has robbed him of everything but the clothes on his back, and he’s down to his last two OxyContin. Sean’s no seasoned streetwalker, but he’s not above it either, not when he’s already itching for his next fix.
A familiar-seeming stranger named Ángel may be his ticket to some quick cash, but only if Sean’s willing to help him indulge a high-class john’s weird fetish for the night. As Ángel tells him, in this city and this business, you have to get a little weird to survive.
When night falls on the French Quarter, Sean realizes Ángel and the john want more from him than he was expecting to give. What once seemed merely strange soon crosses the line into supernatural and sinister. And Ángel, the man Sean had viewed as a partner and protector, might also be his otherworldly judge and executioner.

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What I Read Last Week

Posted May 21, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 5 Comments

Happy Monday!
It’s a happy Monday for a couple of different reasons. First is the fact that my back is much improved. My back ended up being much worse than I originally thought and not only was it screwed up but I somehow exposed my sciatic nerve. Oh fun. I didn’t actually work at all last week except for 2 hours and was on some serious drugs. I’m a happy camper to be back at work. Second is that my youngest is back at school at feeling much better as well. Yay for good health! lol
The winner of the Joely Sue Burkhart giveaway is Ames. Congratulations! 
Since I was home all of last week it was a quiet week so there’s not much to say – I’ll just get on with what I read.
First up was a paranormal story that I got for free from Amazon called Samson’s Lovely Mortal by Tina Folsom. This is the story of a woman who is in San Francisco for work and accidentally meets Samson, a vampire. He has been impotent for about 9 months but when he meets Delilah things start looking up so to speak. But there’s someone who is after Delilah and they find out that that issue is related to Samson’s company. There were miscommunications and trust issues in the story and of course the whole he’s a vampire thing didn’t work in his favor. It was a good book but not fabo – not bad for a free read. 3 out of 5
Next up was my TBR Challenge read for the month – Everything and the Moon by Julia Quinn. This was the story of two people who are broken up for 7 years by their own huge misunderstanding. You can read my review here. 3.5 out of 5
Diva and the Frat Boy by Daisy Harris was my next read. This is the story of flamboyant Nathaniel and staid and conservative Greg and how they came together. You can read my review here. 3 out of 5
Cruce de Caminos by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane was a novella that takes place, for the most part, in New Orleans and deals with a guy who is on drugs and heading down the wrong path in life. He is assisted in a very strange way by a man who may be a god of some sort. You can read my review here. 3 out of 5
Crazy on You by Rachel Gibson is a novella in the Lovett, Texas series. This is the story of Lilly and her reputation for being a nutcase and the relationship with her younger next door neighbor, Tucker. My mini-review will post on Wednesday. 3.5 out of 5
Next up was The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan. The story is about a governess, Serena, who is basically raped by a Duke. The duke’s assistant, Hugo, is sent to get rid of her when she refuses to leave the premises without her demands being met. Hugo and Serena have an odd connection and end up falling in love. This is seriously one of the best novella’s I think I’ve ever read. It definitely is one of the top 10…and near the top of the list. The story is kind of a prequel to the Brothers Sinister series and tells how the Brothers Sinister came to be. The odd but compelling romance between Hugo and Serena was so very touching and sweet and warmed my heart. Definitely a must read and one that I will re-read many, many times in the future. 5 out of 5
Alien Mate by Eve Langlais was up next and was the story about Kor who’s from another planet who comes to take his mate, Diana from Earth, back home. The story deals with Diana’s resistance and how Kor deals with it as well as his crazy brother once they get back home. Not bad for an erotic sci-fi novella. 3 out of 5
My next read was The Harder They Fall by Trish Jensen. This is the story about a woman who is trying to save her families restaurants from being sold to a large corporation. Darcy and the rep from the corporation end up in a relationship but it’s not all fun and games. My review will post on The Book Binge – I’ll let you know when that goes up. 3.75 out of 5
The Malorie Phoenix by Janet Mullany was a historical novel about a woman pickpocket who has a tryst with a man one night at Vauxhall Gardens. She ends up getting pregnant and when she believes she’s dying not long after giving birth she finds the man and gives him the baby. Seven years later she’s asked to impersonate a woman and ends up engaged to her daughter’s father. It was a good romance as well as having some suspense involved. The hero started out ok in my mind but went downhill throughout the book. I didn’t hate him by the end but my admiration for his good deeds quickly died near the end. Another Book Binge read – I’ll let you know when my review posts. 3.5 out of 5
Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins was the story about Parker who is a single mom of 35 who suddenly has lost her fortune (well her dad lost it all) and is left with very little money. She was left a home in Maine that she wants to flip so she heads up. Her fathers lawyer heads up to help her and the two start a relationship. The story is about Parker finding her way now that she doesn’t have millions as well as her romance with James. I’ll post my review later this week. 3.75/4 out of 5
Next up was Undone by Her Tender Touch by Maya Banks. This is about Cam who has a one night stand with Pippa and no plans for either of them to ever contact the other. But Pippa ends up preggo after a condom breaks and the story deals with Pippa and Cam dealing with the situation as well as their feelings for each other. I’ll post my review later this week. 3.5 out of 5
Last for the week was Coveted by Shawntelle Madison. This was a strange paranormal story about a werewolf woman with OCD who is a hoarder. She has fear and anxiety issues as well and is subsequently kicked out of her pack for being weak and according to them, a little bit nuts. Natalya tries to deal with her issues along with a rival pack trying to take over her old pack in New Jersey but they’re after Natalya and she can’t quite figure out why. Then there’s her ex boyfriend Thorn who was the love of her life. He left to go to San Diego 5 years prior and never contacted her. Now he’s back in town but his father, the alpha has promised him in marriage to someone else. The story is about Natalya trying to live a normal life, deal with her feelings for Thorn, going to a support group for others like herself and trying to remain alive. The story was ok but kind of all over the place. It wasn’t a romance at all but had a few romantic elements in it with Nat and Thorn. I never truly understood why Thorn left all those years ago and never returned nor ever contacted Nat if he loved her so much. The pack treated her like crap and her family did too for the most part. It was an odd story but definitely readable. 2.5 out of 5
My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Happy Reading!

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Review: Cruce de Caminos by Heidi Belleau and Violetta Vane

Posted May 17, 2012 by Tracy in Reviews | 3 Comments

This book is part of the Riptide Rentboys 2012 Collection

Warning: This reviews does contain some spoilers

Street kid Sean O’Hara has never had it easy, but New Orleans has driven him to his knees. His girlfriend’s broken up with him for a sugar daddy, a gun-toting pimp has robbed him of everything but the clothes on his back, and he’s down to his last two Oxycontin. Sean’s no seasoned streetwalker, but he’s not above it either, not when he’s already itching for his next fix.

A familiar-seeming stranger named Ángel may be his ticket to some quick cash, but only if Sean’s willing to help him indulge a high-class john’s weird fetish for the night. As Ángel tells him, in this city and this business, you have to get a little weird to survive.

When night falls on the French Quarter, Sean realizes Ángel and the john want more from him than he was expecting to give. What once seemed merely strange soon crosses the line into supernatural and sinister. And Ángel, the man Sean had viewed as a partner and protector, might also be his otherworldly judge and executioner.

Sean is down and out. His girlfriend has left him, he’s been robbed and now has no money for food or shelter. He turns to panhandling and then turns to prostitution. Ángel turns up as Sean is about to make a bad decision with a john. Ángel says he’s an males escort and he has a client who wants brothers together. Sean feels extremely comfortable with Ángel so he agrees. After cleaning up they head to the appointment. Sean is having serious doubts but trusts Ángel so moves ahead. Unfortunately Sean was drugged and blacks out. He wakes up the next morning and can’t remember a thing.

Ángel is not who Sean thinks he is and seems to keep showing up when Sean least expects it. But what he is saying to Sean is basically that he’s fuckin up his life and if he keeps heading on the drug induced road that he’s on that the future will be bleak and short. When Sean describes the man to his girlfriend Cristina she believes that Ángel is a some sort of God and since Ángel said that Sean should leave the city Cristina’s anxious to go and not tempt fate.

Sean and Cristina get to Florida but life keeps getting worse and worse and eventually Sean has to truly think about the things that Ángel told him.

Let me start by saying this is not a romance. It’s stated to be erotic horror but frankly I didn’t find it too erotic or horror ridden. It was definitely in the odd/bizarre category for me but it didn’t seem it all that dark.

Sean is definitely in a bad place in his life. He has his priorities screwed up beyond belief and Ángel shows up when he’s truly needed. Ángel was an enigma as he was never truly explained. Yes, we heard who Cristina thought he was but it was never confirmed.

Ángel and Sean share some hot kisses with the john that Ángel had who wanted the brothers and though the warning on the book says “non-explicit rape” I never got that. I actually didn’t see the warning until after I read the story and was actually surprised as what happened was a blank. It was weird and unexplained and a bit disturbing, I guess, but that was all.

There is m/m in the book but Sean thinks himself in love with his girlfriend and that presented a strange angle for the story. He didn’t seem all that into the m/m aspect although he was getting hot for Ángel there for a bit.

The story was not something I would normally read as it wasn’t a romance but the rentboy aspect of it intrigued me. While I liked it the book showed us a portion of Sean’s life and how he dealt with it. As a reader I think I would have liked the story to be longer as I wanted more information on Ángel as well as Sean. His life experiences once he left New Orleans was told but not shown and I think that would have added a more in depth aspect to the story and made it a tad more emotional for me.

From what I understand we will be able to read more about Sean in the upcoming book The Druid Stone which is an m/m urban fantasy. I have to admit that I’m interested enough in Sean after reading this story that I might just pick it up.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Violetta Vane
Heidi Belleau

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