French billionaire Max Dantes never expected to spend his Saturday night at a sex-partner swap meet in one of Houston’s swankiest hotels. When smoking-hot firefighter Chris Collins hits on Max, his night takes an even more unexpected turn. Soon he’s pinned to a mattress beneath the sexiest specimen of raw masculinity he’s ever seen…and questioning everything he’s ever believed about himself.Chris went to the swap meet looking for a fling but finds so much more. Soon Max is treating him to the kind of luxuries only a billionaire can offer. But when Max wants something more than an illicit tryst, Chris bolts. He’s just not ready for that kind of commitment or the potential consequences—and prejudices—of going public.Or is he? But by the time Chris realizes his mistake, it just might be too late.
While browsing bookstore shelves as a teenager, Lo discovered the erotic writings of Anaïs Nin and A.N. Roquelaure. Certain her mother would not approve, Lo smuggled the books home and squirreled them away in the most likely of places: under her bed. Late at night, she delved into the sensual worlds both writers created.
As a co-ed studying biochemistry and genetics at Texas A&M University, Lo dabbled in creating naughty tales to entertain her friends. Study for a midterm or pen a deliciously dirty story to delight her small band of fans? Not surprisingly, Lo is now on an extended sabbatical from college.
Luckily, Lo stumbled onto the world of erotic romance publishers. She realized there were other readers and writers who loved and craved breathtaking romance with the spiciest of love scenes. She took a chance and submitted her first novella. The rest is history.
Lo lives in Texas with her family and beloved Great Dane, Bosley.
This is a favorite comfort read of mine that I re-read today for the third time. I hadn't written a review of it before because I wasn't a member of GoodReads the other two times I read it.
So, Swap Meet is one of those comfort reads that is almost complete perfection for me. It is also total fantasy and pretty far-fetched, in the best possible way.
A single, disenchanted billionaire looking for love in the wrong gender meets a beautiful, sexy male firefighter. The two connect immediately on a emotional and sexual level. And the sex here? Is. Totally. Fucking. Mind. Melting. *fans self* But the emotions make the sex so much better. Is it insta-love? Kinda... But not really. But, again, it is far-fetched fantasy, so work with me here!
One of our heroes decides that this magical relationship just cannot work out. There are too many differences between the two of them. Then disaster strikes and we get my favorite: Firefighter injured while on the job! Let's throw in some good old fashion healing comfort!
And to put a big, massive fucking cherry on this bad boy? The epilogue will leave you absolutely stupid with a case of the warm and fuzzies.
I am standing on a big 'ol rock, shouting to all my M/M romance friends that I HIGHLY RECOMMENDSwap Meet as a super-fun comfort read that will leave you with a HEA to beat all HEAs. Guaranteed!
Someone said in their review "A nice happy light comfort read". Unfortunately, it's not my kink :(
* Too much sex for my personal taste. * Insta-love doesn't always scare me, but this was full blown "let's have a relationship" after two dates and about 20 words. Not my thing either. * Everything happens too fast and smooths out too perfectly.
Read for a challenge.
@Valerie - thanks so much for loaning it out to me :) @Alissa - thanks for the rec :)
This was my very first (truly dedicated) m/m romance. That's a definitive statement for me as a romance reader. I've read some tidbits of m/m in m/f romances in the past, but wasn't really able to "connect" because I'm hetero -- it'd never been my first choice for "romance" because I've always figured I just couldn't "relate." That said, I saw this one while "browsing" on Elora's Cave for something sexy/fresh and interesting, and thought "What the hey," I'll give it a try (the blurb was both provocatively new to me, and yet sexy/sweet for a "newby" (and true romantic like me). Wow, I was shocked at how quickly I was engrossed in Max and Chris' romance as well as the different style, intense sexual scenes, yet typical insecurities of both the men in the romance exhibited to the reader. Who knew?!
On a whim, Max, a wealthy, yet bored single, decides to attend a "Swap Meet" sexual social gathering when invited. He doesn't "see" himself in the sense of a gay man, yet the very fact his curiosity overwhelmes him to attend such a function definitely lets the reader know he's just capitulating to probably all the sexual questions he's ever asked himself. At the swap/meet, he meets Chris, and is immediately drawn to Chris' sexual energy, despite all his "reasoning it away," as a curiosity, and the two quickly become sexually involved with each other. That said, Lopez gets the reader involved with each of their internal dialogues that make it clear they are extremely chemically attracted to one another, yet (like most males) unwilling to admit it's happening/what it REALLY is - perhaps something more than just sexy/can't turn away from so easily. This is the part that I found particularly interesting as a "newby" to m/m romance, because I still felt their longing and sexual attraction to one another, yet they retained their male dominance (initially) that made them act like they couldn't commit. (Bear with me -- I'm a first time female-perspective reviewer here.) The author did a great job (particularly) with a reader like me in keeping the story both romantic and sexy, yet I never tried to make these two fall into a male/female relationshp-sense mode. All that said, I felt Max and Chris little by little succombed to one another's feelings, and I fell right into wanting them to be together, loved their sexual chemistry and hot (REALLY HOT!) love scenes, and had no question that they were falling in love with one another and extremely scared about divulging their personal vulnerabilities to each other. Even more so than an m/f romance perhaps.
As erotica, this story was fresh and exciting, and as romance, it was new and completely novel to me in it's authenticity. Perhaps a more experienced m/m reader would find it boring or trite. I don't know, since I'm a novice?! And frankly ... I dont' care! ;) All I can say from my perspective is it was sexy, hot, well connected and ultimately sigh-worthy at the end. It even had an awesome epilogue that I'm a sucker for. If this is where you are in this genre, or if you're just a sucker for hot sexy traditional romance with m/m, this one is worth exploring. K.
Every now and then a classic plot suits die hard romance fans. Here the French billionaire Max falls in love with firefighter Chris. Although Max has never had a relationship with a man before, he soon discovers the passion and intensity is everything that’s been missing from his attempts with women. Max decides to throw caution to the wind and dive into the relationship with Chris. The only snag is that Chris is not exactly out to his firefighting brethren and more than that, he’s worried about the rather large disparity between their two lives. Love may not be enough for Chris.
The plot reads very similar to any well known romance fan. Of course this is published through Ellora’s Cave so that’s not shocking. It still works as an m/m romance though and fans of hot sex will certainly be pleased. There is a ton of sex in this book as the opening scene is Max in his first explorations of gay sex with Chris. From there the two men develop their relationship through, you guessed it, more sex. Now the story does a decent job in showing how each man’s emotions deepen with the successive sexual encounters, all the while giving readers some detailed and lengthy erotica scenes to enjoy.
There are some tension elements thrown in such as Chris’ reluctance to be really out in a relationship and Max’s heady wealth. Unfortunately these are the weakest elements because Chris waffles on them. One moment he’s worried about what his friends and co-workers will think and then the next minute he’s ok with it then back again. The same with Max’s money. One moment he wants to leave because he doesn’t belong in Max’s world and the next minute he loves Max enough to try and back again. Unfortunately this waffling feels authentic but too easy. While these could be great issues, instead they feel forced and thrown in to keep the tension going and prolong the happy ending. Not annoyingly so but more in a rather obvious way.
The happy ending is typically preceded by a big event that immediately sweeps all the issues aside. Again this isn’t annoying but obvious and well telegraphed. The story isn’t trying to create a fresh and different story so much as staying true to well recognized outlines. On the whole not horrible but also not especially memorable. A nice, easy read with plenty of sex for entertainment and quick enough not to bore most readers. Entertaining and fun if you’re looking for something lighter.
A little while ago Jenre from Well Read blog did a piece at DIK on how transferrable are the the plotline that are quintessential Harlequin/Mill & Boons into the M/M genre.
The post made me think and from the comments there are more books and transferred plotline out there than I even thought about and I made the comment
...Cool Post, I would love to see a genuine Greek Billionaire story line though.. I always love those.
Well SWAP MEET is that billionaire meet working man book and I loved it. Not Greek but French, Billionaire Max Dantes is at a swap meet, a privately held event and the last place he would voluntarily be and despite knowing the basic principle of the meet which is, a night out to enjoy no strings attached sex, no questions asked sex and walk away from it all when done sex, however does not really help him any – because Max has been in a slump when it comes to the ladies recently.
Not that there was not enough of them, he just was not getting that level of satisfaction that he yearns for with any of them. When a man makes a move on him and confidently presses his dance card with his room number on it into his hand, he is on the fence about what to do. This indecision doesn’t last long however and soon he is having one of the best sexual experience of his life and it was with a man.
Fire-fighter Chris Collins is gay and not out to this fellow co-workers, one of the places he goes to get his itch scratch is the swap meet. He’s been lucky to find a man that stands out in a crown and makes the night worth both their while. The icing on the cake is finding out that said man is new to the whole gay thing and wants to be with him.
Thus starts a wild ride for both Chris and Max, cross Atlantic travels, new experiences, new pleasures and then unimaginable and unexpected feelings set both of them up for a confrontation.
Max has not reach his level in the business world without some level of confidence and some spark of “knowing a sure thing” and as such he treats this budding relationship with Chris as a takeover and makes every effort to incorporate him into his life. Chris on the other hand is gun shy of any thing that screams exposure – and as such latches on to the first thing that gives him the opportunity to run.
And run he did, but Max is a man of the world and knows that sometimes you have to let a man do what he have to do.
I am going to be honest and say SWAP MEET reads like a Harlequin/Mill & Boons romance novel and any reader of these books worth their salt will tell you that if an author holds you from the first few pages in one of these books – you are hooked for the long haul – and I was.
I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. From the beginning Max is exactly what and how I imagined a French billionaire to be, suave, confident, demanding in his work life, decisive in his decisions and all round sex on a stick. At the start of the book Max is put in a position that he’s never found himself in before – being chased by a man.
While concerned and a little unsure about the usual in his world, blackmail and paparazzi – he hesitate for just a moment but once he hooks up with Chris – I fell in love with them both.
Chris is in some ways the opposite of Max, a bit more practical in his approach to certain things, very sensitive and not opposed to dragging his feet on letting the world know his sexual orientation.
With the mixture of loveable support cast and some Mr/Mrs nasties the book moves quite quickly and even when the predictables happen – I was feeling no pain about it. I just wanted the two to be in the same room to watch the fireworks happen..
SWAP MEET is a really simply book, two men meet, they connect on the basic levels, they talk, they laugh and they are great together in the sack. When problem arises and Chris walks away I was impressed with Max’s acceptance of this – on one hand it is probably because he had more experience of walking away or that in his world you just have to accept harsh decision even if he didn’t agree with them.
Chris is a bit more conservative in his outlook and is not prepared or even want to accept a sugar daddy. He likes to manage his own life, make his own decision and looking at the big picture he was never comfortable in the roll of kept man and I like that aspect of the book alot.
Ms. Lopez is a new to me author and if this is a sample of her work - I will be looking out for more from her. I thought she captured the vulnerabilities of the men quite well and she changed the scenery up quite a lot to fit in with Max’s jet set lifestyle. I personally accepted this book for what it was, a sweet read with a fairytale ending.
If you cannot abide a light read or books that isn’t weight down by the bell and whistles of gay life – please pass this book by. If however you are in between books or just want a book to read for the sheer pleasure of enjoyment – snap this book up – you’ll love it.
I really liked this story about two very hot men who meet, think they're going to have a one night stand and end up falling in love.
The plot isn't complicated, but I thought the characters were interesting. Billionaire Max discovers that he's bi and doesn't have a problem with coming out. Firefighter Chris knows he's gay but is afraid to come out because his colleagues might not understand. The men's emotions and the tension that develops held my interest and I liked the very happy ending.
Sweet story about a billionaire and a fireman meeting and having a one-night stand that turns into a lifelong love. This was an enjoyable 'Harlequin-style' story with some hot sex, tender moments, a bit of conflict/angst and a HEA feel-good epilogue.
This book was literally exhausting. It was sweet yes but mainly sex and little plot. I didn't connect with the characters. Maybe if there was more talking or at least talking with some substance. It just didn't do anything for me.
This m/m romance is terribly misnamed. It should be The Straight French Billionaire and the Gay Firefighter, especially since it reads like a smokin' hot category romance, complete with the slightly awkward writing. The straight French billionaire is accompanying a female coworker to a partner swapping event - he's just there because she needs to appear to be part of a couple to get in. A mysterious, magnetically handsome man gives the billionaire a card with just a name and a room number and the billionaire cannot resist going to the room... (Issue: If this is a couple's event, who the heck did said magnetically handsome man arrive with? That's never mentioned.)
I truly enjoyed this. The chemistry seemed to be there from the beginning. I will admit to some minor niggles that kept this from being a 5 star read for me. I will definitely try more by this author if this is the type of story I'm going to get. I LOVE easy, low angst stories.
With the exception of how this story started out with the "swap meet", I really liked this story about a billionaire and sexy firefighter. Although it was predictable how the story would play out, it was an enjoyable read and it was nice how the author gave a view in the future and tied the story up with that.
HOLY SHI*! i read this book in like 1 hour and half if not less. Was really good and romantic. Sure as hell i will read more books about this author, hoping they will be longer so i can give 5 stars.
The story starts with Max,a billionaire, entering with his friend and also collegue,a swinger club, where the woman was invited. There Max feels someone staring at him, and when he turns he sees the hottest men he has evern seen. The thing is that till that moment, he had always been only in relationships with women,and thought of himself as sraight. This for him is all new. The younger man (26), his name is Chris, gives him a business card with a room number on it, then leaves the room and turns just one last time smirking and winking at Max before he turns the coner and gets out of sight. Max doesnt know what to do, but he is sure of one thing, he wants to follow that man, he needs too. That room will change both their life forever. At the age of 37, the hadsome Max is still a virgin for what concers a gay relationship, he tells Chris that,and the other man doesnt pressure him, but tells him that they will do what he wants to. They explore each other bodies, with their hands and mouths.They make love, and Max is the one topping. He has never felt something like this, he feels complete like never before.For Chris the firefighter,already experienced and not a virgin, Max is a complete and beautiful surprise. When the time to leave the room comes, both of them think of asking to the other his number. In the end the one that does it for first is Max.
One month passes before Max calls Chris again, and in all the weeks before that call, there was only one thing he could think about, and that was Chris and their night together. Max calls Chris and they arrange another meeting. In the few days they can be together,Max starts to understand that he is becoming attached to Chris and wants to be with him all the time, and this is not because he is the only men he has been with, but bcs he is the best person he has been with. Max knows that Chris is starting to feel the same too, but his life is different from his and being so openly happy and in a gay relationship, couldnt be as easy for the firefigher as for Max. When Max asks Chris if he has any vacation time, he sees how Chris carefully studies him and asks why, and when Max tells him he wants to take him to France, he feels that Chris doesnt know what to answer. In the end Chris will say yes.
In France, Max for the first time will give all of himself to Chris. That is his decision, there is no pressure, Chris never asked for this, also if he always wished he could be this man first. Chris knows that this is an important moment, that he will be forever Max's first, and he will make sure that whatever happens, the man will never forget him. (i loved the fact that they change roles sometimes). Later when they are hugging and relaxing, Max will asks Chris how it had been for him, his first time, if it had been like now for him, but Chris will answer him that he had hated it, bcs he had rushed it and hadnt been good.
All is going well, till on the last day, they go to one of Max's friend party. There Chris, always confident, feels unconfortable. He is now sure that their worlds are too different. Chris knows he needs to break-up with Max.
Nothing can stop Chris, from his stupid idea, not even Max telling him that he is falling in love with him.Chris cant breath, cant speak, he knows this is the stupidest thing he has ever done, but he cant risk all, not even for love. He tells Max they have to stop this, that their life can never be together, he can see tears in Max's eyes, he kisses him for the last time and than leaves. Max doesnt want to run to him, he will not beg him to stay and make of himself a greater fool that he already did, not even if his heart is breaking.
One month passes, and both men are miserable, they cant stop thinking about each other. Chris'accident will bring them together. While on the work Chris gets hurt badly and his sister, a good woman i liked a lot, the only one who knew about him and Max, will call the older man and tell him what happened. We will understand that both men are still in love.
Max while in Chris' hospital room, will kiss the younger man on the lips and caress his cheek and Chris' sister will understand that the man really loves his brother. Chris while thinking he was dying had called for Max's name, telling him he was sorry, and one of the firefigher had heard it. Jack, his name, will ask Max if he is the one Chris was calling for, and will tell him he doesnt care if Chris is gay, the important is that they are in love. Max will tell him that he, yes, loves Chris very much.
When Chris, some days after, wakes up from the coma, they will have some time to talk, and understand they cant live without the other, and finally declare their mutual love. Max that same day will go to a tattoo shop and make the artist drawn a design with the patron of firefighters and with Chris name in its middle near his heart. When Chris sees the tattoo he is speechless and extremely happy.
Chris will need a lot of time to heal his broken arm, and the burns on his leg, but he will be fine and will heal completely. Chris co-workers, will visit him during the weeks and is a day like any other, when Chris will make them understand that Max is his boyfriend. Some make strange faces, others are happy for him, but Chris doesnt wanna hide anymore, he will never leave Max again he is sure of this.
(Chris all the time they had been apart after he had dumped Max, had had only one thought,that now any other man could have been with Max and that had killed him, had made him sick, his huge jealousy had surprised him.Luckly Max had never wanted someone else, so his fears had never been true.)
He is so sure of the fact that he will never leave Max again, that some days later he proposes to him and Max accepts.
The epilogue was sweet.
We see them 8 years later, married and with kids, 2 biological (one born from Max's sperm the other from Chris'), that they call the "twins", a boy and a girl they had with 2 surrogate mothers and that were born almost the same day, and 2 more kids they adopted. Is winter and they are making a snowman and they are happy and Chris' sister now works for Max.
Good end and story, is just a bit too short and i would have liked to read longer chapters. 4.5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is the third book I've read by Lolita Lopez and it was my favorite so far. While the author seems to stick to the novella length book, in her other books that I've read, this caused a lack of development in the story. I think because this book is a contemporary romance vs. the other PNR books of hers that I've read, the novella length worked a little better. Since she didn't need to really develop a plot or build a PNR world, this book was pretty good. Chris and Max meet at a swap meet and Max for the first time realizes he is attracted to men. Max is in his 30s so this is a little unusual because, while he has always been with women and hasn't really been stirred by them, for this to be the first time he's noticed a man is just a little unusual. But aside from that, their happenstance meeting works pretty well. This storyline is pretty typical, two men meet but the fear of coming out in an unaccepting workplace weighs heavily on their relationship, driving a wedge between them. Yes, it's been done. But I think the novella length helped in this case because I read this book rather quickly and was happy with the sappy ending.
This book had some really awesome aspects and some meh aspects.
* The Sex was pretty hot but I seemed to gloss over it a little bit, probably because I just read the Cut and Run series and my brain is all sexed out.
* The characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed the romance, it was sugary sweet.
* The epilogue was pretty nice as it gave me full closure and a sweet ending.
* I liked how the outcome was different, usually the poorer character gives it all up to live the life of the rich....this has a different twist.
However I did go Meh
* This is a bit of a harliquinn romance converted to m/m, same basic formula so I did get a bit bored in places.
* There was a lot of cliches used which kind of made the story much more bland that it had to be.
* It was a surface book - we dont really spend enough time getting to know the characters emotionally so by the end of it I dont really feel I know them.
Conclusion:
A simple and surprising sweet romance even with all the erotic content. So if you like you sugar to have a touch of sluttiness to it....please read :P
This book really surprised me. Chris and Max meet at an elite swap meet. Members must come as a couple, but then are free to swap mates and explore whatever naughtiness their minds can think of. Max is just there as the wing man of a friend. Chris is there just looking for a one night stand. Max has never experienced or even considered a manlove relationship, but something about Chris draws him. Who cares if Max is a French billionaire who lives in France? What difference does it make that Chris is a Houston firefighter whose sister bought his expensive suit? They burn up the sheets and will let tomorrow take care of itself.
This book surprised me. I figured it was going to be a pretty typical MM read. Boy meets boy. Boy does boy. Boys live happily ever after. Not! This is a pretty short read, but it has a nice mix of hot sex and well developed characters. The road to their HEA is bumpy, but sweet.
I couldn't really decide on my rating for this book. The most accurate would probably be 3.5 stars. The characters are very likable despite Max being overly sweet. Well he is;) and I loved their interaction. The plot is nothing especially new and the story flows easily between their sexual encounters and the events that lead to their HEA. With a bit more development it could have probably been more memorable, because all the elements to a good and interesting story were there. what pushed me in the end to go that extra star, was the simple fact that I like firemen. It's shallow, I know. But imagining those gorgeous wide chest and the amazing tattoos on both of them made me drop to my knees.
This was my first book by Lotita Lopez and I really enjoyed it. Max was sweet and Chris very conflicted. I liked the twist of how Max accepted his new relationship with Chris so easily. Chris' challenges of coming out in regard to his day job were handled very well. I would have loved for this to have been longer so Ms. Lopez could have really played with some more tension between the two men. Great, quick read.
Full of the usual tropes but I enjoyed this story a lot anyway or maybe because of these! :) Billionaire French jet setter Max meets down to earth semi closeted Firefighter Chris. They fall in love while having a lot of sex! ;) but their differences might be too much to overcome. No big surprises really, but a nice enjoyable read, although the epilogue was almost too much of a good thing, even for me!
Max and Chris' story will undoubtedly be one of my favorite re-reads. It was hot, sweet, a bit heartbreaking, hot.. did I mention hot? Chris can hold me down anytime! Wow! But beyond the sex it was just really good. From the moment they met there was this undeniable connection and that right there is what gets me every freaking time!
I won't say much more other than that I'm glad there is an Epilogue, I love seeing a glimpse into my favorite couples future. :)
I really liked the role reversal in the billionaire being less experienced than his "Cinderfella." One thing that detracted from my enjoyment was that the sexual aggressor was pretty deep in the closet with 95% of the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really like that the two men were from very different aspects of life. They were sexy as hell together from beginning to the end of the book. Everything followed along nicely and was a very nice H.E.A.
So good!!!!! These two were smoking hot from minute one!!! The emotional connection was awesome even if it was instant. Suspend reality and let yourself be taken away by this shortie. It really packed a punch! The epilogue was so sweet my teeth hurt!!!
I absolutely loved this sickly sweet, sexy as hell comfort read. Full of insta-loves and firsts, this was perfect for me! That epilogue was one of the best I've ever read also, I'll definitely be rereading this one!