Product Description

From award-winning and best-selling gay-fiction author M.L. Rhodes......Now merged together in one paperback volume, readers can enjoy the first two parts in the sizzling Under My Skin series! In Under My Skin...Sebastian Keller's been called 'the smart guy' most of his life. Though he hasn't always appreciated the label, and it hasn't exactly made him a man magnet, he's put his intelligence to work building his store, Great Escapes Travel Book Shop, to the point it's now the favorite recommendation of travel agents in the St. Louis area. His customers love him for his extensive knowledge and his amiable personality. He doesn't feel very amiable, however, when Rad Tattoos moves in next door to Great Escapes. Its owner, Dylan Radamacher, rubs Sebastian the wrong way from the get-go. The man's insufferable, stubborn, and worse, a bad boy. Everything Sebastian loathes! And yet, much to his annoyance, the teasing sparkle in Dylan's eyes, his hot, inked body, and come-hither voice set Sebastian's libido on fire. Sebastian's been there, done that with the bad-boy type before, though, and almost lost everything because of it. There's no way he's going down that road again. Yet when Dylan sets his sights on Sebastian and is determined to take him for a walk on the wild side, Sebastian knows he's in big trouble. It's going to take all his smarts and a whole lot of willpower to resist the sexy tattoo artist before the man finds a way to burrow deeper under his skin......And the story continues in Under My Skin II......For two months things between Sebastian and Dylan have been sinfully spectacular, and Sebastian hates to rock the boat. But the truth is, in spite of his own commitment issues, he's fallen in love with the sexy tattooist. Dylan, on the other hand, seems determined to avoid the 'L' word at all costs. As their relationship shifts toward the serious side, can the guys overcome their fears and take the steps that will bring them the kind of love that lasts a lifetime? Or will their old baggage come back to haunt them and tear them apart for good?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #275500 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-08
• Binding: Paperback
• 174 pages

Review
"5 Nymphs!...A compassionate love story that deals with overcoming real fears...characters [are] so alive...[their] emotions...melt your heart, and the very sensuous love scene causes a rise in the temperature...A well-written, fantastic and exciting story that has me breathless for more."--Chocolate Minx, Literary Nymphs Reviews

"4 Blue Ribbons!...I love heroes with tattoos and stories where opposites attract. This story held my interest. I really liked that on the surface Dylan and Sebastian couldn't be more different but the connection between them is undeniable. The romance develops in a very believable way. It is evident that these two men really care for one another. Dylan is very sexy and I really identified with Sebastian's insecurities...A very hot and enticing read."--Christina, Romance Junkies

Customer Reviews

My type of M/M romance!
This may consists of 2 novellas, released months apart, but the story flows seamlessly, the romance heartfelt and sexy as hell. As for her 2 characters, Sebastian and Dylan, they are credible, well developed and very likable. Sebastian is the intelligent and good looking American boy next-door who owes a little bookshop. Far from being confident, Sebastian feels that people are somewhat repulsed by his looks and brains. His failed past relationships affirm that, especially a recently emotionally abusive one which leaves him heartbroken, insecure and unable to trust again.
Dylan is a tattoo artist, operating his growing tattoo/piercing business beside Sebastian's little bookshop. Dylan exudes confidence and sex, a handsome hunk with his tattoos, bike and jeep. However he sucks in his relationships which are confined to sex and never his heart as he is much affected by his mother's unhappy past after being abandoned by his father.
Rhodes has penned a lovely and credible story delving deeply into these 2 vulnerable and sensitive men's feelings as they struggle with their emotional obstacles which they need to overcome before they could trust, love and commit.
The first novella, which has Dylan relentlessly trying to convince a flighty Sebastian his sincerity once he realizes Sebastian is much more than a one-night stand, is more light hearted, their growing romance very sexy.
The plot picks up in the second novella which is even better. Emotionally charged, the verbal exchange between the 2 men in the second novella is stirring and absorbing. The plot turns suspenseful towards the end when one of the men's past catches up with them and as Rhodes has shown in "Always", she really knows how to keep you at the edge of your seat. Highly recommended to all M/M romance fans.

Under My Skin 1 & 2 by M.L. Rhodes
Under My Skin by M.L. Rhodes

Sebastian is an up-tight librarian. He owns a bookstore specialized in travel guide and his average customers are old couple who travel after their retirement. He has a profitable business but he strives to close the month cause fifteen months before his former lover stole all his money and put his business in danger.

So when in the next door shop opens a new tattoo shop, who draws all type of not so encouraging face, and above all he has to suffer the loud music he can clearly listen from his shop, Sebastian can only present his complaints to the owner, Dylan. But the problem is that Dylan is a very sexy man who turns Sebastian.

Sebastian doesn't think himself able to have a right judgement on the man, cause his body is distracted by the other man's body, and so his mind is not called in for the decision. But still he has some proofs that Dylan could be a different man, not like his former lover, and someone to build something beautiful together.

All the story spans only few days in Sebastian and Dylan's life, but it's sweet and romantic, and also pretty sexy. In a so short period, truth be told, the two make more sex than chat, but still the story is more romantic than erotic. I like Dylan better than Sebastian, well I have always had a soft spot for bad guy, but really Dylan is not a bad boy: he has the looks, bike, boots and tattoo, but he is really a simple guy, with a comfortable house and a cat as roommate. All in all he has his life addressed to the right path, and he is ready to move on on a steady relationship to fulfill all the side of his life.

Sebastian instead has some issue to overcome; he regrets to be judge by his looks and not by his real be. He appears like a good guy, a geek, and maybe he is like that, but he was always drawn by the bad boy type, maybe cause deep inside him he desires to be like them. So for some twisting game, Dylan has the looks of a bad boy and instead is a steady guy, while Sebastian has the looks of the All American boy and instead he is still wandering to find his real being.

Under My Skin 2 by M.L. Rhodes

Sebastian and Dylan are lovers since two months, but Sebastian is still unsure. He is not over his past bad experience, who left him with the idea that he is not enough for his man. Dylan is so perfect, handsome and gentle, and Sebastian can't possible imagine why he is so taken by him.

And now Dylan has to go visit his mother and he will be away for ten long days. During this period Sebastian has the time to understand that by now he is in love with Dylan, even if he didn't want to fall in love. But even if Dylan is always tender and caring with him, he never once said he loved him. And then he is still suffering for his former boyfriend's betrayal, and maybe he needs to learn to live alone again before deciding to share his life with another man.

Even if this one is longer than the previous book, the story is more centered on the feelings between Sebastian and Dylan than on the setting. Actually, the social distance between the two, so clear in the previous book since Dylan is the owner of a tattoo shop and Sebastian a bookseller, here is almost non existent, since Dylan's work make no appearance here.

The story is not very long, less than 100 pages but it's good. I like both Sebastian than Dylan's characters. They are quite "normal" guy, with a good thing between them, but with the normal fears of a new couple that it's not just full conscious of its strenght.

Under My Skin
Labeled "the smart guy" all his life had ironically become a bad stigma to Sebastian Keller. He may be book-smart and business-smart, but when it came to his love life, he made dumb choices and stupidly fell for the wrong guys.

But now he's learned his lesson and he's smart enough to realize that jocks and bad boys could never have an interest in him and falling for them would only lead to humiliation and heartbreak. Bad boys are taboo, especially the tattooed ones and that includes the sexy tattoo artist Dylan Radamacher who just opened his tattoo parlor next to Sebastian's travel bookstore.

Under My Skin is fantastic! It's over a hundred pages, but it read like ten. I was amazed at how quickly I breezed through this book and was so disappointed when I reached the last page, not because of how it ended, but because it was the end. Sebastian is so sweet; he makes you want to kick the butt of all his prior boyfriends who made him feel worthless and used. And Dylan is just as sweet. Sebastian and Dylan have in common the fact that people judge them based on what they see and not who they truly are. In Sebastian's case, he's viewed as being easy to take advantage of and sadly, past boyfriends have taken advantage of his kindness. It took a lot of courage for him to lower his walls and allow Dylan into his life, even if it was only for physical gratification to start with, but past scars caused him to judge Dylan and almost lose what may be the best thing to happen to him. As I stated earlier, I was very disappointed when this book ended, but knowing M. L. Rhodes and her penchant for sequels, I'm hoping Sebastian and Dylan are two guys she would like to visit with again. Under My Skin is a great book and I'm certain readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

Will Marshall and Davy Archer serve aboard a ship in His Majesty's Navy. Will and Davy have been lovers for quite some time and so far they have been lucky to remain together during their ship re-assignments. Word has just come down that they are being transferred yet again under their current captain to help find a saboteur aboard another vessel. Will and Davy have managed to stay above suspicion into their personal lives and appear as good friends only. But in taking on this newest mission, their captain asks them to give off the signals that they are perhaps more than just friends, thereby hoping to draw out the scoundrel. Only all does not go as planned when Davy gets shot and is forced to return to land thus separating the men. With Will on the water and Davy on the land only time will tell if they can manage a distant relationship.

I found Winds of Change to have a very in depth storyline. The characters are very detailed in background and personality. There were spots where I had a tough time following the ship jargon, but overall I understood most of it. Will and Davy's tale is full of misadventure and drama mixed with some stolen lover's moments, and yet some tender moments as well. I believe if you like a historical style M/M story Winds of Change may be for you as it has a good plot, storyline and happy ending.


Ley
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed