Guest Reviewers’ Top Picks for 2012

1. Mourning Heaven by Amy Lane
2. Aaron by J. P. Barnaby
3. Cleave by Mickie B. Ashling
4. Chaser by Rick R. Reed
5. The Good Fight by Andrew Grey
6. Unconditional Love by Andrew Grey
7. Mayon by Mickie B. Ashling

1. Daddio by Mickie B. Ashling

1. Diversion by Eden Winters
2. He is Worthy by Lisa Henry
3. Brand New Flavor by EM Lynley
4. Melting Wax and Burning Feathers by Jennifer Cierra
5. Boats in the Night by Josephine Miles
6. The Rebuilding Year by Kaje Harper
7. First Impressions by Josephine Myles
8. Inertia Books 1 and 2 (i and Acceleration ) by Amelia Gormley
9. Devil’s Night Anthology by Storm Moon Press

1. Tie: Bonds Of Earth by G.N. Chevalier/Butterfly Hunter by Julie Bozza
2. Secret Light by Z.A. Maxfield
3. A Hole in God’s Pocket by K.Z. Snow
4. Cost of Repairs by A.M. Arthur
5. Whistle Pass by Keva D
6. The Rebuilding Year by Kaje Harper
7. Fall Into The Sun by Val Kovalin
8. An Immovable Solitude by S.A. Mc Auley
9. The Gravedigger’s Brawl by Abigail Roux
10. i by Mal Peters

1. After Ben by Con Riley
2. Cartography for Beginners by Jenna Jones
3. Sub Zero by Angel Martinez

1. The Lost Gods Series by Megan Derr
2. Scrap Metal by Harper Fox
3. From Darkness to Darkness by Jay Bell
4. Fire on the Mountain by PD Singer
5. Infected: Shift by Andrea Speed
6. The Island by Lisa Henry
7. A Brush with Darkness by Erastes
8. Sacrificed (Little Boy Lost book 6) by JP Barnaby

1. Albert J. Sterne: Future Bright, Past Imperfect by Julie Bozza
2. The Legend of the Apache Kid by Sarah Black
3. The Marrying Kind by Ken O’Neill
4. Home Work (Life Lessons 3) by Kaje Harper
5. It Takes Two by Elliott Mackle
6. Only Make Believe by Elliott Mackle
7. A Fresh Set of Eyes (David Lloyd Investigations 2) by Liz Strange
8. Dreams of a Hero by Charlie Cochrane

1. Pledged to Magic Series by Brandon Fox
2. Servitude by Rebecca Cohen
3. Wacky Wednesday by J.A. Rock

1. A Chip in His Shoulder by L.A. Witt
2. Riding With Heaven by L.C. Chase
3. Waves Break My Fall by Kendall McKenna
4. Private Eye (i #1) by SE Culpepper
5. Brass Balls by Mia Watts
6. Conduct Unbecoming by L.A. Witt
7. Midnight in Berlin by J.L. Merrow
8. Rock and a Hard Place by Jane Davitt & Alexa Snow
9. Pocket-Sized Prince by Stormy Glenn
10. The Square Peg by Jane Davitt & Alexa Snow

1. Bomber’s Moon by Alex Beecroft
2. Dogfighters by Alex Beecroft
3. The Celestial by Barry Brennessel
4. The Player and the Prude by Daisy Harris
5. Brook Street: Fortune Hunter by Ava March
6. The Painting of Porcupine City by Ben Monopoli
7. Came Upon A Midnight Clear by Katie Porter
8. Room to Grow by Kate Sherwood

1. Cooper’s Hawk by Victor J. Banis: A beautiful story from a master storyteller.

1. Perfect Day by Josh Lanyon
2. One Man’s Treasure by Nicole Kimberling

1. The Boys and the Bees by Mari Donne
2. Bear, Otter & the Kid by TJ Klunes
3. Moon Shadows by Neena Jaydon
4. Calling the Show by J A Rock
5. Good Bones by Kim Fielding
6. Gravitational Attraction by Angel Martinez
7. Frat Boy and Toppy by Anne Tenino
8. Shattered Glass by Dani Alexander
9. Academic Pursuits by Lou Harper
10. Sins of the Father (Angel and the Assassin 3) by Fyn Alexander

1. Last Dance with Mary Jane by John Goode
2. Play it Again, Charlie by R. Cooper
3. Countdown to Daddies by K-Lee Klein
4. Somewhere Only We Know by William Neale
5. Half Moon Chambers by Harper Fox
6. Redemption by Fire Series by Andrew Grey
7. Earthly Concerns by Xavier Axelson
8. By the River by Katey Hawthorne
9. Need You Now by Mary Celeste
10. How to Raise an Honest Rabbit by Amy Lane

1. Gives Light by Rose Christo
2. Latakia by JF Smith
3. Magic Mansion by Jordan Castillo Price
4. Fadeout (Dave Brandstetter number 1) by Joseph Hansen
5. The Fire’s Stone by Tanya Huff
6. Captain Harding and His Men by Elliott Mackle
7. You Will Meet a Stranger Far from Home: wonder stories by Alex Jeffers
8. Out of the Ashes by Olivia Duncan Craig
9. Kamikaze Boys by Jay Bell
10. Punk Ass (Sticky Shorts) by D. River

1. Day of the Dead by Erik Orrantia

1. I Spy Something Christmas by Josh Lanyon
2. Love in La Terraza by Ethan Day
3. A Token of Time by Ethan Day

I would have reviewed and certainly recommended the wonderful Junction X by Erastes, but someone beat me to it, so I will settle for adding my recommendation to his.

I can always recommend books by Anel Viz. Even when he doesn’t quite hit a bullseye, they are each of them so unique and so thought provoking that the discerning reader cannot but be glad to have discovered them.

I recommend Mykola Dementiuk also, but with a caveat or two – Mick has been called “the bard of 42nd Street. He writes about gay life in the New York City of the 60s and he writes down and dirty. So, his works are not for the squeamish nor for those who insist on fairy tale endings – If you are having a Christmas tipple, he’s more a shot of Jack than a sip of champagne.

Of course, we are fortunate in that there are so many fine writers producing fine books in the m/m and gay genre, more than anyone could hope to keep up with. I take a particular pleasure in that knowledge, remembering as I do a time when good reads in these genres were rare indeed, and might land a publisher or a writer in prison.

So, a tip of Santa’s hat to all our writers, and to those who encourage them by writing reviews, here and elsewhere.