Title: Black Balled
Author: Andrea Smith and Eva LeNoir
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: May 11, 2015
Two dominant males, two worthy adversaries, in a business that takes no prisoners, will soon learn that fate refuses to be ignored . . .
My name is Troy Babilonia, but I'm best known as Babu, a renowned literary critic with my own online column. I'm followed by thousands! I'm a living god in the literary world. I have no filter, and for that, my flock of humble followers are forever grateful. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't know what to read. I have zero tolerance for the weak-minded attention seekers, nor do I have respect for the self-proclaimed geniuses of the Indie world. My advice to all Indie authors is to never break the cardinal rule in this cut-throat business. Ever.
My name is L. Blackburn and I'm an Indie author. My extraordinary genius was loved and worshiped throughout the literary world, until one egocentric critic tried to obliterate my career. It seems I broke some f*cking "cardinal rule," and now I'm paying the price for it. But I don't plan on going down without a fight.
After all, when a predator goes after your cub, it's time to go for the throat--and maybe more...much more.
Behind me I hear Larson, “Troy…hey, it’s…”
“Don’t!” I yell, my eyes narrowing as I stalk my prey, my
eyes flickering over Floyd’s hot pink shirt. I feel insulted and, for a moment, I debate whether it’s the dandy that should be on the receiving end of my fist or Larson. I quickly decide to strike the nearest prey first. My fist shoots out and cuffs him good with an uppercut to the chin, sending him sprawling backwards, where he unceremoniously lands on one of Larson’s black glass end tables, knocking the lamp to the floor. The sound of glass shattering echoes throughout the room, and I’m not done yet. I move towards him and, realizing he’s still in a daze, I take the opportunity to snatch him up with both hands fisting the collar of his shirt, and shove him against Larson.
eyes flickering over Floyd’s hot pink shirt. I feel insulted and, for a moment, I debate whether it’s the dandy that should be on the receiving end of my fist or Larson. I quickly decide to strike the nearest prey first. My fist shoots out and cuffs him good with an uppercut to the chin, sending him sprawling backwards, where he unceremoniously lands on one of Larson’s black glass end tables, knocking the lamp to the floor. The sound of glass shattering echoes throughout the room, and I’m not done yet. I move towards him and, realizing he’s still in a daze, I take the opportunity to snatch him up with both hands fisting the collar of his shirt, and shove him against Larson.
“Is he what you want, Larson, huh? You want to f*ck the
flamer here? Because I can clear out right now so that you and Pink Floyd can take up where you left off before I so rudely interrupted your cozy soiree.”
Larson chuckles and I’m not f*cking amused.
At all.
As I focus my gaze on Larson, I don’t catch the quick movement of Floyd as he lunges at me with a growl. “My name is Lloyd,” he hisses, “And I believe I made my position quite clear the last time we spoke. You’re not good enough for my Larson.”
And that’s when I deck him again. Hard. My fist meets his
perfectly straight nose, and the sound of crunching cartilage resounds just before his shriek of pain.
perfectly straight nose, and the sound of crunching cartilage resounds just before his shriek of pain.
“Sir!” he calls out, stumbling backwards, immediately tilting
his head upward and placing a palm over his bloodied nose so as not to allow anything to stain his expensive pink shirt.
“Sir,” he repeats, “Are you going to permit this?”
his head upward and placing a palm over his bloodied nose so as not to allow anything to stain his expensive pink shirt.
“Sir,” he repeats, “Are you going to permit this?”
Oh. Sir it is, huh? What kind of f*cking weirdness was Blackburn into with this dudette? I turn to acknowledge Larson, who is standing there, muscular arms crossed and
his sexy drawstring pajama bottoms hanging low on his narrow hips. He’s shaking his head, and I don’t miss the sexy grin.
his sexy drawstring pajama bottoms hanging low on his narrow hips. He’s shaking his head, and I don’t miss the sexy grin.
My. D*ck. Is. Hard.
His package is evident and his c*ck has made a bit of a tent
beneath those sweats. Not sure if that’s for me or if the sight of Pink Floyd’s blood is getting him hard.
“Well, sir,” I say, trying to mimic Lloyd’s voice and dripping sarcasm along the way. “Speak up. Who’s it gonna be, huh? Me or your Fifty Shades of Whack over there?”
I watch, a bit confused, as Larson casually strolls over to
the kitchen counter and takes hold of his beer before making himself comfortable on the bar stool. The room is silent but for the wheezing coming from the damsel in distress over there. I’m guessing he’s uncomfortably numb in the entire nose region.
the kitchen counter and takes hold of his beer before making himself comfortable on the bar stool. The room is silent but for the wheezing coming from the damsel in distress over there. I’m guessing he’s uncomfortably numb in the entire nose region.
“Let’s see,” my soon-to-be-ex-lover begins as he adjusts the
rapidly growing erection he is sporting, “Could you start over because the view is much better from here?” Then he takes a sip of his beer and waves his hand as though giving us permission to continue.
I've been a fan of M/M romance since the very first one I picked up. There's something about the dynamics of this type of story that results in the emotional impact of the relationships being larger which for me results in a more satisfying read. In Black Balled, once you get past the writing device of the reviewer/author clash that precipitates the whole story, what everything boils down to is a love story...albeit made more intense and impassioned due to the use of that device.
Now I admit, both main characters do seem to be a bit full of themselves regarding their occupations and how they see each other in light of what is only their jobs. But this personality flaw that they both possess actually serves as the catalyst to bring the two together-even if in a slightly twisted way. Push past this fault in their characters, and what you really have are two individuals who are exceptionally passionate in many areas of their lives which naturally feeds into a tempestuous and quite dramatic relationship once they finally come together.
This intensity and all that results from it makes for an entertaining read that held my interest from start to finish (the last half even more so than the first half). Do yourself a favor-don't read about hype, don't let stars color your opinion-if you are a fan of M/M stories, Black Balled will make for a compelling read that will make you laugh, make you feel the intensity of the relationship between Troy and Larson...and in the end, give you a story about love regardless of the partners' differing beliefs.
Oh, and let's not forget about some great supporting characters. I really got a kick out of Lloyd. ;-)
4 stars to Black Balled, recommend only for 18+ due to language and adult M/M sexual content.
Andrea Smith is a USA Today Best-Selling Author.
An Ohio native, currently residing in southern Ohio. The Past Tense Future Perfect trilogy is Ms. Smith's first self-published work. Having previously been employed as an executive for a global corporation, Ms. Smith decided to leave the corporate world and pursue her life-long dream of writing fiction.
Ms. Smith's second series, The 'G-Man Series' consists of four novels and a novella. Her 'Limbo Series' is her first venture into a blend of romantic/suspense, mystery with steamy scenes and a paranormal edge.
A listing of her published fiction:
G-Man Series:
Limbo Series:
Ms. Smith also publishes New Adult fiction under the pen name of Graysen Blue.
Eva LeNoir grew up travelling with her parents to various countries in the world. Reading was her constant companion during her travels and her ability to adapt to different cultures fed her mind with endless possibilities. The characters swimming in her head are always from various horizons with a multitude of dreams and aspirations. However, all of these voices always have one thing in common: The women are strong and independent. A true believer in the female cause, Eva's wish is to portray the women in her books as the leaders. She sees them walking hand in hand with their partners and not be the sheepish followers of the male gender. But most of all, Eva LeNoir wants to offer her readers a moment of pleasure as they dive into the world of her mind's creation. Email: eva.lenoir.author@gmail.com
A listing of her published fiction:
Underdogs of the Arena Series:
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