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Fly Like an Eagle
Dear Author,
I’m the one with the white shirt. I was the younger brother, boy next door (yea, just strikes against me) I fell in love with him when I was 9. He was the only one for me. Unfortunately he didn’t see me that way. So without telling him I left to go to college, never was able to get over him, in fact, I’m still a virgin, dammit! Every time I get close, I close my eyes and see him, in fact I hear him. How the fuck is that even possible? I am now graduated and ready to get on with my life. Mom has kept me up on his life, not that much going on, but I’m sure he keeps his lovers close to the chest.
Photo Description:
Two muscular young men kiss. One leans against the front of a spotless silver cooking range, white v-neck tee shirt rucked up and exposing the lower half of his chest. A medium sized ring hangs from his right nipple. His hair is short and dark. Though his face is clean shaven there is still a faint stubble shadow just beneath the skin along his sharply angled jawline. Both hands rest behind him on the stove. In the tilt of his head, the sliver of pupil visible between his thick, dark lashes, and the extreme upright posture of his body there is a clear air of authority. The other man is leaning ever so slightly forward, body angled out so they only touch pec to pec. The man on the right is shirtless. He has a thick silver chain around his throat and has one hand lightly resting on the dip of the first man’s waist. His other hand dangles at his left side. The muscles of that arm are taut and the cheek we can see is flushed. His face has a day or two of beard scruff, and yet he still appears the more vulnerable of the two. His hair is also dark and short on the sides and back. On the white wall behind him, above the brown tile backsplash, lies an intertwined shadow of their kiss.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
I’m the one with the white shirt. I was the younger brother, boy next door (yea, just strikes against me) I fell in love with him when I was 9. He was the only one for me. Unfortunately he didn’t see me that way. So without telling him I left to go to college, never was able to get over him, in fact, I’m still a virgin, dammit! Every time I get close, I close my eyes and see him, in fact I hear him. How the fuck is that even possible? I am now graduated and ready to get on with my life. Mom has kept me up on his life, not that much going on, but I’m sure he keeps his lovers close to the chest.
Photo Description:
Two muscular young men kiss. One leans against the front of a spotless silver cooking range, white v-neck tee shirt rucked up and exposing the lower half of his chest. A medium sized ring hangs from his right nipple. His hair is short and dark. Though his face is clean shaven there is still a faint stubble shadow just beneath the skin along his sharply angled jawline. Both hands rest behind him on the stove. In the tilt of his head, the sliver of pupil visible between his thick, dark lashes, and the extreme upright posture of his body there is a clear air of authority. The other man is leaning ever so slightly forward, body angled out so they only touch pec to pec. The man on the right is shirtless. He has a thick silver chain around his throat and has one hand lightly resting on the dip of the first man’s waist. His other hand dangles at his left side. The muscles of that arm are taut and the cheek we can see is flushed. His face has a day or two of beard scruff, and yet he still appears the more vulnerable of the two. His hair is also dark and short on the sides and back. On the white wall behind him, above the brown tile backsplash, lies an intertwined shadow of their kiss.
This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.
43 pages, ebook
First published September 2, 2014
58 people want to read
About the author
Cherie Noel
34 books125 followersI’ve been in love with words since before I drew breath, and I don’t see that ever changing. I write stories. Sometimes I write music with them, sometimes they’re poems, and lately, to my great delight, M/M erotic romance.
Yum.
Smexy man to the second…or third power…now that’s the kinda math I can get behind!!
The hair curls or frizzes as it will, the eyes are green and tend to look in two different directions—no, really—and the rest is subject to change. You know the guy who didn’t know if he was a butterfly dreaming he was a man or a man dreaming he was a butterfly? Yeah, that’s me, but substitute drag queen for butterfly and wacky, wild ex-Army chick for man.
Yum.
Smexy man to the second…or third power…now that’s the kinda math I can get behind!!
The hair curls or frizzes as it will, the eyes are green and tend to look in two different directions—no, really—and the rest is subject to change. You know the guy who didn’t know if he was a butterfly dreaming he was a man or a man dreaming he was a butterfly? Yeah, that’s me, but substitute drag queen for butterfly and wacky, wild ex-Army chick for man.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 8, 2014
This was unreadable; weird, trying-too-hard stream of consciousness writing moved into a prolonged sex scene with barely an introduction. There was no world building. I couldn't keep the MCs straight. The story was nonsensical, random, and aggravating.
September 8, 2014
Well, that one should have stayed on my maybe shelf. Poorly written, strange dialogue, no real explanation of WTF Matt is - avian shifter, but also an alien? From some other world? I dunno, but I was not aware this was a bird shifter story, or I would stopped right there. Squawking and clicking during sex? Err, no thank you!
I'm just glad it was short.
I'm just glad it was short.
September 11, 2014
3 stars.
I was a bit confused reading this in places; I was also a bit confused checking out the author while trying to decide my rating. I'm not sure if the author is established and published or not from looking at their backlist so I'm not sure what to say. I felt like this was a new writer (which is part of the confusion, because Cherie Noel has a fair sized backlist) so I excused a lot of the jumpy narrative and odd juxtaposition of plot because the emotion and characters were enjoyable - it felt like I was reading potential, an author or story I would like to read more of following a bit of revision, rewriting and editing. I liked it a fair bit even when I had to go back a page to check I'd not missed something or squelch my instinctive need to wonder why I prefer my paranormals not be extraterrestrial as well (I still don't know why - my brain is fine with shapeshifters but not if they come from another planet....because an earth born humanoid turning into another animal is more believable than an extraterrestrial humanoid changing physical form......Oooookaaaay, then my brain, sure, thats right).
I was a bit confused reading this in places; I was also a bit confused checking out the author while trying to decide my rating. I'm not sure if the author is established and published or not from looking at their backlist so I'm not sure what to say. I felt like this was a new writer (which is part of the confusion, because Cherie Noel has a fair sized backlist) so I excused a lot of the jumpy narrative and odd juxtaposition of plot because the emotion and characters were enjoyable - it felt like I was reading potential, an author or story I would like to read more of following a bit of revision, rewriting and editing. I liked it a fair bit even when I had to go back a page to check I'd not missed something or squelch my instinctive need to wonder why I prefer my paranormals not be extraterrestrial as well (I still don't know why - my brain is fine with shapeshifters but not if they come from another planet....because an earth born humanoid turning into another animal is more believable than an extraterrestrial humanoid changing physical form......Oooookaaaay, then my brain, sure, thats right).
September 2, 2014
Adorable.
This was just a big ball of adorable. From the alien, eagle shifter, Matty, who was a stuttering mess of nerves and anxiety to the Zumba loving, king of the weird sayings Chase, this was just a smile worthy read.
Matty and Chase have had feelings for each other for years but Chase went away to college and with some divine intervention from his brother, these two men finally get together. Expect that Matty has a secret.
This was unique shifter story, with the most adorable eagle shifter ever. (Except in the prompt picture. There he's just plain lickable). His little "eagle ticks" made me smile and Chase's reaction was great.
Very well written with an excellent set of characters, this was a short and sweet, entertaining read. I would love to read an expanded version of this story.
My thanks to the author for their time and participation in the Loves Landscapes event.
This was just a big ball of adorable. From the alien, eagle shifter, Matty, who was a stuttering mess of nerves and anxiety to the Zumba loving, king of the weird sayings Chase, this was just a smile worthy read.
Matty and Chase have had feelings for each other for years but Chase went away to college and with some divine intervention from his brother, these two men finally get together. Expect that Matty has a secret.
This was unique shifter story, with the most adorable eagle shifter ever. (Except in the prompt picture. There he's just plain lickable). His little "eagle ticks" made me smile and Chase's reaction was great.
Don't sweat it, Tweety, I'm good with my hands...
Very well written with an excellent set of characters, this was a short and sweet, entertaining read. I would love to read an expanded version of this story.
My thanks to the author for their time and participation in the Loves Landscapes event.
September 3, 2014
What a good story. It isn't your typical shifter story, wolves. Not even cats, but a story about a eagle-shifter. It isn't instant(the attraction is there) but it takes a while for them to get on the same page.
Matt, moved next door to Chase and Ryan's family many years ago. The moment he meets Chase as a small little kid, he knows he is his mate. But, as eagle-shifters, you are not suppose to claim your mate until they are of adult age.
An incident occurs when Chase is seventeen, that sets things rolling out earlier with Matt. Some miscommunication leads to years of misery for both of them. Neither of them truly happy. Then we have Ryan, Chase's brother is who the mediator.
I would have liked to read more about them. I feel that their is much more to their story. Does Chase stay home, move in with Matt. Does everyone come to accept them as mates(now that Chase is of age).
Matt, moved next door to Chase and Ryan's family many years ago. The moment he meets Chase as a small little kid, he knows he is his mate. But, as eagle-shifters, you are not suppose to claim your mate until they are of adult age.
An incident occurs when Chase is seventeen, that sets things rolling out earlier with Matt. Some miscommunication leads to years of misery for both of them. Neither of them truly happy. Then we have Ryan, Chase's brother is who the mediator.
I would have liked to read more about them. I feel that their is much more to their story. Does Chase stay home, move in with Matt. Does everyone come to accept them as mates(now that Chase is of age).
September 29, 2014
While the setup for this story was interesting - an alien shifter species living on Earth - unfortunately, for me personally, the actual world building was too sketchy for me to understand what was really going on. I would have loved to find out more, and think this could have been really interesting, but it just wasn't there.
Now, if I take Matt to be "just" a shifter, the story about the mating bond with an unsuitable (because too young) human becomes understandable, if not, to me personally, fascinating. The bond is nothing new, and the "falls for the younger brother of his best friend" is also not new, but some of the shifter details were good - if a little gross.
So, all in all, if you're looking for a somewhat entertaining shifter story, you might like this. But if you're expecting a fully developed paranormal or science fiction world, you might be disappointed.
Now, if I take Matt to be "just" a shifter, the story about the mating bond with an unsuitable (because too young) human becomes understandable, if not, to me personally, fascinating. The bond is nothing new, and the "falls for the younger brother of his best friend" is also not new, but some of the shifter details were good - if a little gross.
So, all in all, if you're looking for a somewhat entertaining shifter story, you might like this. But if you're expecting a fully developed paranormal or science fiction world, you might be disappointed.
December 27, 2014
Cherie Noel creates a contemporary, boys-next-door story in which an alien shifter youth falls in love with his best friend's younger brother, but with a hitch. If the object of his affection does not love him back, he will lose his humanity and shift to eagle morph more or less permanently. The story is sweet and sexy, smart and very witty. It abounds with clever allusions to pop culture but in a way that just makes the main characters all the more engaging and endearing. Cherie pulls you into her world within our world and you start wishing it was just as real and captivating as she makes it. As with most really good novellas, my only complaint is that I wanted more when I reached the end.
September 14, 2014
The prompt and blurb had me so excited to read this. Again, maybe I had my expectations set too high.
Neither of the main characters was even likable, let alone sympathetic. Chase should have been the main PoV according to the prompt, but we spent more time in Matt's head. And Chase waffled back and forth between being a complete asshole and making these ridiculously stupid jokes that the narration then tried to convince me were his trademark.
I couldn't understand why they were both so hostile to each other when they'd both supposedly been crushing on the other for years. And Chase went way past hostile into downright being a dick.
Disappointing.
Neither of the main characters was even likable, let alone sympathetic. Chase should have been the main PoV according to the prompt, but we spent more time in Matt's head. And Chase waffled back and forth between being a complete asshole and making these ridiculously stupid jokes that the narration then tried to convince me were his trademark.
I couldn't understand why they were both so hostile to each other when they'd both supposedly been crushing on the other for years. And Chase went way past hostile into downright being a dick.
Disappointing.
October 4, 2014
I liked this but wished I had more background - where they aliens or "just" shifters. And what exactly did Matt do that made Chase hate parties?
September 16, 2015
Story wasn't bad but It was a very hard read. Spent more time rereading to understand what was written than I did getting into the story.
October 13, 2017
OMG this was terrible. I really enjoy a good shifter story but this was just soooooo bad. The beginning made no sense. The prologue tried to set up the story but when the next chapter was just four years later, it was really really confusing because the way it was written, the timeline made zero sense. The writing was stilted and awkward and as for the two MCs, Matt, for an eagle shifter, was a blithering idiot, and Chase, his “mate” was a complete and total @$$ and spent 90% of the story acting the angry fool. No communication at all betweent the characters. And why the mystery surrounding Chase’s brother Marlon. That lent nothing to the story. Ugh!
November 13, 2016
A long time of friendship, of taking the high road, almost keeps the best thing from happening. After some coming to terms with the truth a happy ending in on the way.
April 2, 2016
I enjoyed the characters, and their world and hope I get the chance to read the story again and/or to read more within the series.
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
October 18, 2014
Matt is a Aquillian, a eagle shape shifting alien who came to Earth with his family/flock/Accipitridaehenis. Chase isn't, he's human, his brother Ryan is Matt's best friend and they've been neighbors ever since Matt moved in. This is sweet and kind of adorable, mate bonds and confused teenagers in love/lust.
March 23, 2015
This book was very confusing. I can't tell how many times I had to re-read a paragraph just to be sure I understood what was happening.
I'm so sad this happened as I loved the story prompt. This could have been a great story if it had lived up to the prompt.
Besides that...Kudos to the cover artist!
I'm so sad this happened as I loved the story prompt. This could have been a great story if it had lived up to the prompt.
Besides that...Kudos to the cover artist!
Want to read
November 6, 2014
Offered for FREE from the M/M Romance Group's Love's Landscapes event. Thank you too all the amazing authors who participated!
March 21, 2021
This was short, and there was quite a bit more information that I would've liked to make the story feel more complete, but it was well written and a great story to come out of one of the annual writing challenges. I enjoyed it.
event-stories-unread
September 22, 2014[NOTE: I rate most writing event stories (free reads) 4 or 5 stars because of my appreciation of the author's participation and gift.]
November 8, 2014
Review to come
Want to read
September 8, 2014STORY INFO:
Genre: contemporary
Tags: friends to lovers, science fiction, alien-race shifters, first time, destined mates, coming of age
Word Count: 15,814
Genre: contemporary
Tags: friends to lovers, science fiction, alien-race shifters, first time, destined mates, coming of age
Word Count: 15,814
October 1, 2014
A bit confusing and...under-explained? I think there was a story here I could have enjoyed but I struggled to make sense of things at times and I think that kept me from truly liking it.
Want to read
October 25, 2014Ok, I like the prompt. I would like to try this..
April 7, 2016
2.5 stars
November 10, 2014
2.5 stars.
Short, which I like and M/M which is always a plus. But it was hard to follow the story line.
Short, which I like and M/M which is always a plus. But it was hard to follow the story line.
July 1, 2015
Confusing... Hard to read and understand.
Unfortunately I didn't like it (but I apreciate it's a freebie.... So... Thanks)
Unfortunately I didn't like it (but I apreciate it's a freebie.... So... Thanks)
July 26, 2016
1.5 stars
November 15, 2014
Weird. To much slang. Some of the writing was really confusing.
dnf
March 14, 2016dnf
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews