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Palm Springs Diaries #1
The Oasis
Elias has worked so hard to get into shape, and it hasn't been easy considering he never met a donut he didn't like. His whole life is a pressure cooker, and love, his distant fantasy, is nowhere on the horizon.
When his best friend and roommate, Josh, talks him into a weekend getaway, he says yes but soon wishes he'd said no. Elias doesn't think he's ready for a trip that involves Gay Leather Pride Weekend at The Oasis resort in Palm Springs.
Elias is finally starting to feel good in his clothes. Can he really parade around in a leather anything, or God help him, naked in front of dozens of horny men?
Can he handle a pornado of a weekend?
When his best friend and roommate, Josh, talks him into a weekend getaway, he says yes but soon wishes he'd said no. Elias doesn't think he's ready for a trip that involves Gay Leather Pride Weekend at The Oasis resort in Palm Springs.
Elias is finally starting to feel good in his clothes. Can he really parade around in a leather anything, or God help him, naked in front of dozens of horny men?
Can he handle a pornado of a weekend?
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 10, 2010
3 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Llewellyn
288 books452 followersA.J. Llewellyn lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips to all the islands, bags of Kona coffee in the fridge and a healthy collection of Hawaiian records keep this writer refueled.
A.J’s passion for the islands led to writing a play about the last ruling monarch of Hawaii, Queen Lili’uokalani as well as a non-erotic novel about the overthrow of her kingdom written in diary form from her maid’s point of view.
A.J. never lacks inspiritation for male/male erotic romances and on the rare occasion this happens, pursues other passions such as collecting books on Hawaiiana, surfing and spending time with friends and animal companions.
A.J. Llewellyn believes that love is a song best sung out loud.
A.J’s passion for the islands led to writing a play about the last ruling monarch of Hawaii, Queen Lili’uokalani as well as a non-erotic novel about the overthrow of her kingdom written in diary form from her maid’s point of view.
A.J. never lacks inspiritation for male/male erotic romances and on the rare occasion this happens, pursues other passions such as collecting books on Hawaiiana, surfing and spending time with friends and animal companions.
A.J. Llewellyn believes that love is a song best sung out loud.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 9, 2014
This was such a fun book to read. Elias, who tries to lose weight, and his best friend Josh, who supports him, are a very funny pair right from the beginning. The opening with Elias watching a program about cupcakes while using his desk treadmill had me laughing out loud. The disgusting sounding, but allegedly super-healthy drink, Josh makes him consume was equally hilarious (especially since I didn't have to drink it).
As the two discover they might be more than friends, the book heats up considerably. I thought that one of the best features was the addition of “sex god” Samuel, who is modelled on a real-life porn star. I also loved the other secondary characters - from the hot guests at The Oasis to Elias's son Julio. And the twists and turns at the end kept me wondering how it would all end until almost the very last page.
If you’re looking for an entertaining read with interesting characters, if you prefer lots of tension and adventures in your romance, and if you’re looking for a hot couple and a hotter threesome, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
As the two discover they might be more than friends, the book heats up considerably. I thought that one of the best features was the addition of “sex god” Samuel, who is modelled on a real-life porn star. I also loved the other secondary characters - from the hot guests at The Oasis to Elias's son Julio. And the twists and turns at the end kept me wondering how it would all end until almost the very last page.
If you’re looking for an entertaining read with interesting characters, if you prefer lots of tension and adventures in your romance, and if you’re looking for a hot couple and a hotter threesome, then you will probably like this novella.
NOTE: This book was provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
September 28, 2016
What a strange book. I have read books by this author before and enjoyed them but it seems that this was a completely different writing style, almost juvenile.
The premise was a good idea. A couple of friends go to Palm Springs for the weekend, plenty of sun and sex. In fact from then on the story turns to PWP.
I am still not sure why the mother stopped letting the father see the child.
Weird.
The premise was a good idea. A couple of friends go to Palm Springs for the weekend, plenty of sun and sex. In fact from then on the story turns to PWP.
I am still not sure why the mother stopped letting the father see the child.
Weird.
February 7, 2011
I really enjoyed this friends to lovers story. As usual when reading a story by this author the characters grabbed me from the start and didn't let go til the end. Elias and Josh are best friends but a weekend away at a gay 'party' weekend at The Oasis resort finally opens their eyes to how they really feel about it each other. There is quite a bit of sex in this story, much of it including other people, but the amount of sex scenes surprisingly didn't overpower the story. I liked both Elias and Josh, the secondary characters were also interesting and the author's wonderful writing style brought everything together quite nicely. The subplot of Elias' struggle to reunite with his young son was sweet and the ending was very satisfying. Recommended.
January 3, 2011
This was a great story. I noticed that it was written in 3rd person POV this time, which is the first by AJ that I've read. I really liked seeing what each character was thinking.
I thought the pacing in the book was fantastic - the way that it was written during all of the party scenes was almost chaotic; I felt like I was there with them, trying to find someone, get a drink, etc. Great job on that.
I wish I could have had more backstory on Ramon and a little more with the final conflict with Carina, though, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. Great job - looking forward to the next in the series :)
I thought the pacing in the book was fantastic - the way that it was written during all of the party scenes was almost chaotic; I felt like I was there with them, trying to find someone, get a drink, etc. Great job on that.
I wish I could have had more backstory on Ramon and a little more with the final conflict with Carina, though, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. Great job - looking forward to the next in the series :)
May 24, 2013
I've read a few on Ms Llewellyn's books and enjoyed then but this one just fell flat. Half of it was pretty muck lightly veiled porn and repetitious at that. I enjoy the friends to lovers theme but Josh and Elias realize that they are in love while they are having sex with several men in Palm Springs. That doesn't work for me at all. The visitation fight between Elias and Carina would have made a much better story without the Palm Springs weekend. I felt like I was reading three different short stories all mashed into one disjointed novella. This was also part of a series that seemed to have been abandoned and probably with good reason. Save your money and pass on this one.
December 13, 2010
I do love AJ's books. This one is fantastic. It's hard not to fall in love with his characters. This is a story about best friends who go away for the weekend to realise everything they have been searching for was right in front of them. Elias is struggling with his confidence and a custody battle over his son. His best friend Josh takes him away for the weekend and the sparks fly. Julios, Elias son is adorable. And the descriptions extremely vivid. I do wish it was a bit longer could read about these two for hours.
May 29, 2011
Mostly PWP, occasionally very hot, nicely written, has Samuel Colt in the cover and as a character aaaand has a family sub-plot. Those are the things that can be said about this book. Without the Colt-connection, it would be two stars for me.
Honestly, A.J. Llewellyn's style of writing, from what I've read, is very to the point hot sex with a bit of plot. If that's what you're after, this is a good book for you.
If you're looking for multi-dimensional characters, deep storylines and cutesy sex, yeah...not so much.
Not great, not bad, just okay.
January 30, 2011
The Oasis by AJ Llewellyn is a steamy novel that follows Elias and Josh on a journey of love and self-discovery. The book opens to Elias working hard to remain loyal to his diet. Everything about Elias screams reserved and restrained. He seems to have some self-esteem issues, has to deal with the evil mother of his son who has been withholding visitation, and must somehow manage to keep under wraps his feelings for his best friend and roommate, Josh.
Josh is painted as a carefree soul. An entrepreneur who manages to hold down a lucrative job as a porn film maker and editor among other things. He’s sexy, young, and seems to live life with energy and zeal. Seeing his best friend Elias in such low spirits, he invited him to go to the Oasis in Palm Springs for the weekend, a gift from his boss, the owner of Eagle Studios, for work well-done.
Once there, a series of fire hot scenes play out. As if watching a porn video on the pages of a book, Mr. Llewellyn brings us into a safe but sordid weekend of sexual fantasies lived out; out by the pool, out on balconies, threesomes, foursomes, daisy-chains are all worked into the story. There’s even a scene where guys dressed in drag as nuns drag Elias and Josh to a field where all sorts of strange and wonderful things happen.
Despite the heat index topping the charts, there is a secondary story as well. Or maybe there is one story told in two parts. The main story line followed Elias and Josh as they discover their feelings for one another, but after the weekend trip to The Oasis, Elias and Josh are faced with a stranded Carina, the mother of Elias’s son, who needs them to pick up Julio. As we watch the reunion between father and son, the book takes a turn from steaming to sentimental in the most wonderful of ways.
While Mr. Llewellyn manages to maintain hot sex between the two men, he infuses a whole new level of emotionality and sense of family into the story that was not present in the first half of the book. That’s not saying that the first half was lacking at all. It’s saying that Mr. Llewellyn managed to place action and events in the proper place so that the story remained believable and meaningful. In following Elias and Josh back home, we get to see the characters as whole people who live full lives with complex problems. It gave the story a degree of humanity and realness that lifted it from a tale of hot sex to be read on a beach to a story about love in all of its forms that can be appreciated for the portrayal of human emotion.
I have had the pleasure of following AJ on various social circles and find his style, his humor, his blog posts, and his writing to be candid, entertaining, and genuine. He is a truly gifted writer and one that should be on your to-read lists.
Josh is painted as a carefree soul. An entrepreneur who manages to hold down a lucrative job as a porn film maker and editor among other things. He’s sexy, young, and seems to live life with energy and zeal. Seeing his best friend Elias in such low spirits, he invited him to go to the Oasis in Palm Springs for the weekend, a gift from his boss, the owner of Eagle Studios, for work well-done.
Once there, a series of fire hot scenes play out. As if watching a porn video on the pages of a book, Mr. Llewellyn brings us into a safe but sordid weekend of sexual fantasies lived out; out by the pool, out on balconies, threesomes, foursomes, daisy-chains are all worked into the story. There’s even a scene where guys dressed in drag as nuns drag Elias and Josh to a field where all sorts of strange and wonderful things happen.
Despite the heat index topping the charts, there is a secondary story as well. Or maybe there is one story told in two parts. The main story line followed Elias and Josh as they discover their feelings for one another, but after the weekend trip to The Oasis, Elias and Josh are faced with a stranded Carina, the mother of Elias’s son, who needs them to pick up Julio. As we watch the reunion between father and son, the book takes a turn from steaming to sentimental in the most wonderful of ways.
While Mr. Llewellyn manages to maintain hot sex between the two men, he infuses a whole new level of emotionality and sense of family into the story that was not present in the first half of the book. That’s not saying that the first half was lacking at all. It’s saying that Mr. Llewellyn managed to place action and events in the proper place so that the story remained believable and meaningful. In following Elias and Josh back home, we get to see the characters as whole people who live full lives with complex problems. It gave the story a degree of humanity and realness that lifted it from a tale of hot sex to be read on a beach to a story about love in all of its forms that can be appreciated for the portrayal of human emotion.
I have had the pleasure of following AJ on various social circles and find his style, his humor, his blog posts, and his writing to be candid, entertaining, and genuine. He is a truly gifted writer and one that should be on your to-read lists.
Read
January 24, 2023This is one of those books where I've had a hard time actually deciding how much I really liked it. Yes I did enjoy it, yes I would recommend it as a quick enjoyable read, but I don't think I'd rave about it.
There were some elements that were great - some humour and a light-hearted touch plus the inclusion of Elias' son Julio (I love stories of men who love their children and place their happiness above all else).
But the story felt a bit disjointed. Elias and Josh are best friends and roommates and this is a friends-to-lovers story with a lot of other stuff happening. The story jumps from the men planning a weekend away, discussion about Elias' struggles with work and pleasing his father, long scenes at Josh's work where he films gay porn, a trip to a resort for basically a huge sex party, worry about Elias' weight and his obsession with pie, bumping into Elias' ex, the leather scene, custody issues regarding Elias' son, Josh and Elias falling in love, work troubles and run ins with the police for Josh......it's almost too much to cram in to a book of this length!
And did I mention the sex? Sex at the porn studio, sex at the resort, sex in their apartment - sex with so many people it was a little like watching porn - and most of them were porn stars! I enjoyed the sex between Elias and Josh but not so much the sex with the others, except for when jealousy started to rear its head giving some indication of the feelings between the men.
However, overall I did enjoy the story and read it in one sitting and will read the sequel The Haven.
On a final note, I did find the cover slightly misleading. It shows three gorgeous men and I fully expected a story between the lead characters and a significant third. This was more like sex with a lot of other men although I believe that one of these will make an appearance in the next book. I should have paid more attention to the blurb so as to not have been influenced by the cover!
I publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
There were some elements that were great - some humour and a light-hearted touch plus the inclusion of Elias' son Julio (I love stories of men who love their children and place their happiness above all else).
But the story felt a bit disjointed. Elias and Josh are best friends and roommates and this is a friends-to-lovers story with a lot of other stuff happening. The story jumps from the men planning a weekend away, discussion about Elias' struggles with work and pleasing his father, long scenes at Josh's work where he films gay porn, a trip to a resort for basically a huge sex party, worry about Elias' weight and his obsession with pie, bumping into Elias' ex, the leather scene, custody issues regarding Elias' son, Josh and Elias falling in love, work troubles and run ins with the police for Josh......it's almost too much to cram in to a book of this length!
And did I mention the sex? Sex at the porn studio, sex at the resort, sex in their apartment - sex with so many people it was a little like watching porn - and most of them were porn stars! I enjoyed the sex between Elias and Josh but not so much the sex with the others, except for when jealousy started to rear its head giving some indication of the feelings between the men.
However, overall I did enjoy the story and read it in one sitting and will read the sequel The Haven.
On a final note, I did find the cover slightly misleading. It shows three gorgeous men and I fully expected a story between the lead characters and a significant third. This was more like sex with a lot of other men although I believe that one of these will make an appearance in the next book. I should have paid more attention to the blurb so as to not have been influenced by the cover!
I publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
November 2, 2014
4 star review by Dan
We meet Elias while he is working at home doing his job as a storyboard artist for court trials. Elias not only works at home, but he is working on a desk treadmill and he is watching Cupcake Wars on television at the same time. It turns out Elias used to love to eat, but has been forcing himself to lose weight by abstaining. Elias is described as a borderline hairy, Greek Daddy type who gains weight even looking at food.
Enter Josh. Josh is Elias’ roommate. One of those perfectly built guys who can eat anything and never gain an ounce. Josh, and his brother Van work predominantly in the gay porn DVD industry, with a steady parade of hot naked men. Josh has just received a free weekend at “The Oasis” a gay resort in Palm Springs and insists that Elias come with him.
Thus begins their tale of an extremely wild weekend in Palm Sprngs. Gay Leather Pride weekend is going on, and there are tons of naked men, public sex, slings, BDSM, hairy drag nuns and the like everywhere. Along the way they tumble into group sex, three ways and sex with real life porn star Samuel Colt (incorporated as a character with his permission). The sex is hot, and on almost every page of this book.
Weaving through the book is the story of Elias and Josh, and Elias’ fight to get visitation rights to his young child. The child’s mother has not allowed Elias to see him for over a month, in violation of their agreement when he agreed to father her child.
As I said above, there is a lot of sex in this book, but the author did a good job balancing some actual story line in between the sex. I enjoyed reading the book, which I found to be a very fast read because I couldn��t put it down until I finished it! I recommend it.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
We meet Elias while he is working at home doing his job as a storyboard artist for court trials. Elias not only works at home, but he is working on a desk treadmill and he is watching Cupcake Wars on television at the same time. It turns out Elias used to love to eat, but has been forcing himself to lose weight by abstaining. Elias is described as a borderline hairy, Greek Daddy type who gains weight even looking at food.
Enter Josh. Josh is Elias’ roommate. One of those perfectly built guys who can eat anything and never gain an ounce. Josh, and his brother Van work predominantly in the gay porn DVD industry, with a steady parade of hot naked men. Josh has just received a free weekend at “The Oasis” a gay resort in Palm Springs and insists that Elias come with him.
Thus begins their tale of an extremely wild weekend in Palm Sprngs. Gay Leather Pride weekend is going on, and there are tons of naked men, public sex, slings, BDSM, hairy drag nuns and the like everywhere. Along the way they tumble into group sex, three ways and sex with real life porn star Samuel Colt (incorporated as a character with his permission). The sex is hot, and on almost every page of this book.
Weaving through the book is the story of Elias and Josh, and Elias’ fight to get visitation rights to his young child. The child’s mother has not allowed Elias to see him for over a month, in violation of their agreement when he agreed to father her child.
As I said above, there is a lot of sex in this book, but the author did a good job balancing some actual story line in between the sex. I enjoyed reading the book, which I found to be a very fast read because I couldn��t put it down until I finished it! I recommend it.
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review. Please visit www.lovebytesreviews.com to see this and many more reviews, author interviews, guestposts and giveaways!
January 25, 2011
Elias lives with roommate Josh, a porn videographer. Elias has had a rough year, his best friend who he fathered a child with is withholding visitation, his BF left him and he gained a lot of weight. He has since lost the weight and Josh convinces him to go to Leather Pride in Palm Springs, all the sex you can handle. They aren’t there 5 min. until Josh is caught up in a threesome with twins. Elias isn’t sure why, but he feels weird about that, he then gets himself caught up in a fivesome (is that a word) with Josh the twins and a marine and again, feels a bit weirded out after the fact. He runs into real-life porn star Samuel Colt and has a fun time and tries to hook up a threesome with him and Josh but now Josh is getting squicked out that Elias is having sex with someone else and FINALLY they clue in that they actually love each other. If you like your sex ONLY between the two main love interests this is not the book for you. There’s sex between everyone pretty much, although once they confess their love they decide to remain exclusive (except for anniversary sex with the porn star). There are descriptions of porn shoots and all manner of combinations. Despite what could seem to be a sex overload, I didn’t find it so. I liked Elias a lot as a character, his love for his son and apathy about life with all his stress. I also enjoyed seeing Josh, a guy who floats through life with all good things falling at his feet, kind of having to wake up and smell the coffee. The author is personal friends with Samuel Colt, and I assume he has a pretty good insider view of the gay porn world, so if you want to get a less glamorized glimpse it will be interesting and if you don’t mind lots of sex with lots of different people. Well, in your books, not that I’m judging mind you, whatever floats your boat. ;-)
December 31, 2014
The Oasis by A.J. Llewellyn has the story of Elias, a workaholic who loves the food Network. His best friend Josh drags him to the Oasis spa resort for a Leather Gay Pride weekend. Elias is unsure about going at first; he is in a bitter custody battle to get his son. But Josh knows his friend really needs this vacation so Elias goes reluctantly.
What they both discover on their trip is a love worth fighting for.
I loved how this author brings two friends into a deeper love. The level of love and connection in this book really kept me turning the pages. It is bitter sweet and full of hot man love. I liked the heart and soul of this book very much.
When you want a book that will heat up your night, and keep you wanting more this is the one to pick up.
Four Twinkling Stars
What they both discover on their trip is a love worth fighting for.
I loved how this author brings two friends into a deeper love. The level of love and connection in this book really kept me turning the pages. It is bitter sweet and full of hot man love. I liked the heart and soul of this book very much.
When you want a book that will heat up your night, and keep you wanting more this is the one to pick up.
Four Twinkling Stars
November 17, 2018
This was such a fun book to read. Elias, who tries to lose weight, and his best friend Josh, who supports him, are a very funny pair right from the beginning. The opening with Elias watching a program about cupcakes while using his desk treadmill had me laughing out loud. The disgusting sounding, but allegedly super-healthy drink, Josh makes him consume was equally hilarious (especially since I didn't have to drink it).
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
May 28, 2012
It's just tons of sex with occasionally side trips into discussion of how glad they are there are no women around because Elias' ex has gone full-stereotype and is some kind of deranged harpy who won't let him see his kid, the witch. I'm pretty sure things get resolved at the end, more because the story was running out of pages than because there was a natural buildup to a conclusion. A real-life porn star is a guest character. What's not to love?
November 4, 2013
Liked the story but the style was rushed, so rushed I got confused sometimes with who was doing what to whom and how did they get there! Would have preferred fewer scenes with a lot more detail or the same amount of scenes with a lot more detail - making a much longer book. Fun story, though, with some really funny lines.
March 1, 2014
This was FUN! I so enjoy those friends to lovers, especially when they are just all of a sudden hit up side the head with it. Elias and Josh are the best of friends and roommates who go away for the weekend together to The Oasis Resort to have lots of sex with other people and realize they are jealous of seeing the other with someone else.
September 6, 2015
I really couldn't get into this one. The characters were good but there was soooo much sex. I get that one was part of a company that filmed and directed porn but it over-road any plot. I couldn't connected to the plot of the book because the sex took over. Just too much with little feeling.
April 6, 2011
friends to lovers theme with some hot action in between. Love the idea of a ready made family with Juilo.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews