I Was an M/M Virgin Until I Met Ty & Zane






If someone had suggested an m/m romance to me, I would have politely declined. Not because of the m/m, but because I'm just not that into romances. Too predictable.

Okay, fine. Reality check, m/m never really appealed to me, either. The idea of two men getting it on didn't do anything for me. Not my kink.

But the Saucy Wenches are a bad influence, I tell you! They kept sharing quote after sexy quote after steamy quote from these Cut & Run books until my curiosity got the better of me.



Is this what you want?” Zane ground out. “Hard and messy in a goddamn hotel bathroom?” He pressed him harder into the sink counter. Ty looked up to meet Zane's eyes in the reflection of the mirror, and he grinned slowly. --Cut & Run (loc 2372)


Shut up,” Ty hissed in response as his entire body turned over into tackle mode and drove all other thoughts from his mind. He ducked his head to lick a trail of water running down Zane's collarbone and then bit him lightly. --Cut & Run (loc 2396)


Something about hearing Ty breathe, so calm and close, was reassuring in ways Zane didn't examine too closely. --Sticks & Stones (loc 1185)


Zane didn't usually restrain himself when Ty was fucking him. It was a very vocal, very arousing experience, one that Ty rarely turned down the opportunity to enjoy. --Sticks & Stones (loc 1262)


His lips just barely brushed Zane's, tempting him, enticing him to dive down for the contact. Zane's tongue slid along Ty's lower lip as he chased those full, wet lips, and he nipped at Ty's tongue when Ty's hand closed over his erection.
Fuck,” Zane hissed. “You're driving me insane.”
Ty smiled against his cheek. “You're the one in the driver's seat. Do something about it.” --Fish & Chips (loc 398)


He slid his hands out to the sides, flexing his fingers against the sheets, silently inviting Zane to hold him down. --Fish & Chips (loc 435)


Now, in all honesty, if I were to describe the Cut & Run series to someone, I'd tell them it's about these two FBI agents, Ty & Zane, who get assigned to each other. One is a Force Recon Marine. The other is pretty damn handy with his collection of concealed knives. They've both worked some pretty intense undercover assignments. And they both bring an awful lot of attitude to their partnership. They work on cases involving serial killers, bombers, bank robbers, and backwoods marijuana growers. The character development is amazing, and with each new book you get to know them better and fall in love with them even more than you thought possible from the last book.

Oh. And. It's a love story. But it's not a lurve story (not that there's anything wrong with that). Ty & Zane don't have patience for that shit. Also, the fact that the two people falling in love are both men is incidental. It's part of the story but it's not THE story. Kind of how your sexuality is part of who you are but isn't the entirety of who you are. (I see what they did there).

The sex is pretty hot, but as a standalone I have to say I was surprised by it. The sex isn't gratuitous but instead reflects where Ty & Zane are in their relationship at any given moment. You could breeze through these books without much thought and enjoy them well enough. But if you actually PAY ATTENTION as you read, you'll discover just how the author(s)* have woven so much into this tale of how Ty & Zane's relationship develops over time. And that is what makes this a love story vs a lurve story.
As he gasped for a breath between kisses, Zane decided he'd have to try this again—slow and steady—because it sure as hell felt just as incredible as their usual hard but satisfying fucks. --Fish & Chips (loc 442)
The other hand groped its way down Ty's body, a languorous, intimate exploration of the space between them. --Armed & Dangerous (loc 558)


 By the way, the series isn't entirely without a bit of lurve for Ty.
Ty let out a relieved breath. He'd grown attached to Barnum. Something about the way the tiger looked at him with those golden eyes, one ear flopped to the side. He'd felt an instant connection to the animal. <snip> 
You lurve the tiger,” Zane crooned. 
Shut up, Zane.” 
Oh come on, admit it. You're a big bad tough guy who fell in love with an itty bitty kitty.” 
Ty barked a laugh, then tried to glare at Zane and failed. “Are you done?” 
Not nearly,” Zane practically giggled. “You just like things that can maul and maim you.” 
Explains my affinity for you, Hoss.” --Stars & Strips (loc 3178)

As for the m/m part? I am drawn to books with a strong female protagonist. Throw in an alpha male worthy of that protagonist and I'm in heaven (see: Bones, Barrons). Well, what can be sexier than a book with two, hot, alpha males who give each other a run for their money? FBI agents. Come on.

If you've never read m/m before, you should give the Cut & Run series a try. There's a lot going on in this series. Ty & Zane have a lot of hot sex, sure, but they also have a lot of tender moments, and a lot of everyday relationship-building moments. They also find themselves in the middle of crime mysteries and more than a few life-threatening situations. Ty & Zane will knock the socks off any preconceived notions you may have about the m/m genre.

Are you an m/m virgin looking to experiment? A Ty & Zane slut? An all around m/m connoisseur with other recommendations? Tell us about it below.

*The Books:
Cut & Run by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
Sticks & Stones by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
Fish & Chips by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
Divide & Conquer by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
Armed & Dangerous by Abigail Roux
Stars & Stripes by Abigail Roux



Comments

  1. Well said, Veronica! I was a m/m virgin myself and I never thought I'd be into it. Like you said, it just wasn't my kink.
    Was I ever glad to be wrong. I love these books and I love the hell out of Ty and Zane! I always encourage people to give them a try. You'll never know until you do. :-)

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  2. I can't say enough about how wonderfully you represented our boys. <3 I adore and feel closer to Special Agent Zane Garrett and Special Agent B. Tyler Grady more than any other characters I have read. I encourage everyone to give them a try. Their charm is irresistible. I, too, was an m/m virgin until Ty & Zane. So far, I haven't read any more m/m, but I do plan to read more in the future.

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  3. Veronica, wonderful post. So good to see you spreading hte Ty and Zane slut. While not a m/m virgin before meeting Ty and Zane, they are definitely my favourite m/m couple by a long shot. I recommend them as well, as they are so wonderful, easy to read and of course hot. Your quotes were making me start to pant as remembered all the great scenes.

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  4. These books have generated a lot of excitement in our group lately--I’ve wondered what all the fuss was about. Thanks for clueing the rest of us in! You might talk me into these yet, they do sound good. As you said, m/m is not my kink either, but J R Ward and a few of you Wenches steered me to Qhuay, so I’ve learned to pay attention to your recommendations. I’m a sucker for great characters and relationships!

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    1. Kathi, you'll have to come back and let us know if you give the books a try and what you think about them.

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  5. Loved your post Veronica. And your quotes made it hard to breathe in here and very hot.
    "But the Saucy Wenches are a bad influence, I tell you!" LOL, I know, that's why I love them all.
    If someone told me half a year ago that I would get all hot and bothered reading a m/m book, I would've thrown them an incredulous look and told them that I wasn't THAT horny and there were better books waiting for me to read them on my Kindle.
    Have I ever been more wrong.
    Thanks to Amanda Garrett-Grady, who knows how to sell her merchandise and who has never before disappointed me with her book recommendations, I read the first novel and dropped my jaw in awe. That's how I fell in love with m/m.
    And these books have taught me to look so much differently at the gays. In a good way.

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  6. Well, I completely and totally and absolutely fall under the category of Ty/Zane slut. I am very much a slut for those two hot men. They weren't really my first m/m pairing though...that distinction has to go to Qhuay and Butchous from the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. But Ty and Zane's books were the first actual m/m books that I read. And some of the first and only books where I read the entire series and then turned around and re-read them right afterwards. And waited impatiently for the next book (Stars & Stripes, released on August 13, 2012) to come out. And devoured it and then read it again. I basically read nothing but Ty and Zane from the end of May until the end of August this year. And I don't have one iota of regret about that. I love these characters and these books to the point of insanity. And the author, Abigail Roux, is one of the coolest women ever. It is a pleasure to call myself her fan.

    But before Qhuay/Butchous/and Ty & Zane came into my life, I had the same feelings about the m/m genre as some of you. Great if you like it, but not for me. I'll forever be grateful to these couples and these books (and the amazing women that recommended them to me) for changing my perceptions and really changing my life. As a small-town Southern female, I really have never had much exposure to gay people. So these books were much more than just wonderful stories (with amazingly hot sex in them) for me. They really helped me open my eyes and appreciate so much more what life can be life for homosexual or bisexual people.

    And now the m/m genre has become probably my favoite genre to read. The first book I picked up after finishing my re-read of Stars & Stripes was another Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux m/m book, Caught Running. (which I LOVED) and I'm currently reading Josh Lanyon's m/m series Dangerous Ground.

    I've also been led through this series of events to the wonderful world of slash fan-fiction, which was one of those things that I was aware before, but never thought I'd like. Boy, was I wrong again! Sterek, Destiel, Drarry, McDanno...the list of goodness goes on and on.

    But back to the topic at hand, Ty and Zane will ALWAYS be one of my very favorite couples and two of my very favorite men. I love that you ask what could be sexier than two hot alpha males giving each other a run for their money...the answer to that for me is absolutely nothing! I have to admit that in most book series that I've read before, the male protagonist pretty much always captures my heart more than the female. Examples: Eric and Sookie, Barrons and Mac, Bones and Cat, Any Brother from BDB and his shellan...I always love the man (or vampire or whatever Barrons is) more, so nothing better for me than the two main love interest characters both being these extremely hot, wonderful male characters.

    BTW, I could never, can never, and will never be able to choose a favorite between Ty & Zane. I love them both so equally and so much that it hurts. And that is definitely something I can't say about many books/characters. I'd encourage anyone to give Ty & Zane's book a chance. I don't know how someone could possibly read these books and not fall in love with Ty and Zane.

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    1. Well said!

      I'm also not sure how anyone can pick a favorite between Ty & Zane. Just when I think I might be favoring one more than the other, I'll read something or think about something on the other one that sways me right back to the middle again. They're equally great, but so different from each other, and complement each other so well.

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    2. Very well said. And accurate for me as well. I'm (or used to be) a Ty girl. But now I can't decide.

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  7. Great post I love the post more then the book (don't kill me).I read only the first book so far,so I will not give a judgment yet (no,I'm not an m/m virgin).The only thing I have to say for now is that somehow I was smiling while reading the book,don't know why,It will take me some time but I will read the second book and then we'll see.

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    1. Keep reading! Sticks & Stones is one of my favorites.

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  8. I must have been drunk when I posted my first comment as I just reread my sentence. Lisa you ahve summed up this series wonderfully as well and I wholeheartedly agree. It would be very hard to read these books and not fall in love with Ty and Zane. There is just something about them, aside from their hot, male alpha personalities that just reaches into you and makes you so happy that they have found each other. Ty and Zane definitely opened the doors to me reading more m/m, a genre only really discovered fully by me this year.

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  9. Great post!

    Ty and Zane slut I am for sure. Aren't we all? As for recommendations, I'm not sure whether to offer ones or not and what exactly they should be. Different things work for different people.

    The free (and long, epic and overwhelming) reads I recommend:
    Special Forces (I know you're aware of it, but it has to be mentioned)by Marquesate and Aleksandr Voinov
    The Administration series by Manna Francis
    In The Company of Shadows series (including Evenfall, Afterimage, The Interludes, Fade [Fade is a WIP, to be finished - hopefully - in December]) by Sonny and Ais
    They can all be easily found via google or goodreads.

    Other m/m books:
    ANYTHING by Aleksandr Voinov. Skybound. Incursion. Scorpion. Counterpunch. Test of Faith (!). Dark Soul (Vol. 1-5). Gold Digger. Anything, I'm telling you. Brilliant. I haven't read Blood Run Cold and can't vouch for it, but everything else you see, grab with both hands!
    Shattered Glass by Dani Aleksander
    The Gladiator's Master by Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe
    Ava March worked for me. My True Love Gave To Me; His Client.
    Amy Lane worked for me too, but not everyone likes her.
    Damon Suede - Hot Head
    Megan Derr for some m/m fairy tales. Very nice!
    There are more for sure - Cameron Dane, K.A. Mitchell, M.J. O'Shea, L.A. Witt, Jordan Castillo Price, Josh Lanyon (his works mostly didn't work for me, they leave me strangely dissatisfied, but they seem to be working for everyone else). Marie Sexton. Tere Michaels.

    That post got so long! And I didn't mention the fanfiction, even once. Till now ;)

    I hope I've been even a tiny bit helpful. Here's a list with good recs:
    http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/17150._m_m_books_you_must_read
    And my votes on it: http://www.goodreads.com/list/user_vote/1562269

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    1. Thank you for all the great recommendations! I'm certainly hearing a lot about Special Forces lately. So many recommendations there's got to be a little something for everyone on this list.

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  10. Great recommendations Doriana. The have read Special Forces and thought Soldiers was amazing. By far my favourite out of the three. I haven't read anything else by Aleksandr yet, but will get there, I am sure. Also loved Shattered Glass/Hot Head. LOL I am a Josh Lanyon fan but not an Amy Lane. Just goes to show there is something for everyone doesn't it. Also Jordan Castillo Price rocks. I haven't read some of the other authors yet, but will have to give them a try. Fanfic well nothing beats reading "Homework" does it?? There is so much fanfiction out there, sometimes it is hard to get your head around them all.

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  11. The context and meaning of "mm" and the significance of Ty Zane would need further information to How Invites Unblock fully understand the story or situation being described.

    ReplyDelete

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