Category Archives: Rear Entrance Video Series

Review: Straight Shooter by Heidi Belleau

shooterTitle: Straight Shooter by Heidi Belleau
Rear Entrance Video Series Book Three
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, M/M, Romance, BDSM
Length: 277 pages/Word Count: 73,400
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

This macho jock has a crooked little secret.

College hockey player Austin Puett is in trouble. Unless he starts treating his flamboyantly gay roommate with respect, he’ll lose his room and his job at Rear Entrance Video. But Austin’s got a not-so-straight secret of his own: nothing turns him on more than insults implying he’s gay—even though he’s definitely not!—and all his old coping methods have stopped working.

Pure desperation drives him to rent a Mischievous Pictures porn flick about straight men tricked into servicing Puck, a male dominant. Instead of letting off steam, though, it just leaves him craving more, more, more, and suddenly, Austin finds himself at Mischievous Pictures Studios for an audition. After all, you can be Gay For Pay and still be straight . . . right?

But meeting Liam Williams, the real person behind Puck, confuses Austin even more. Liam really seems to like him as a person, and Austin likes him back. And while Gay For Pay’s okay, what does it make Austin if he still wants Liam when the cameras aren’t rolling?

The Review:

In Straight Shooter, Heidi Belleau once again brings readers another brilliant and thought-provoking journey of self discovery and more importantly, self acceptance. In this final novel in the marvelous Rear Entrance Video series, jock Austin Puett explores his puzzling sexual desires and in the process, he comes to term with not only his kinks (for wont of a better word) but his good friend Bobby’s as well.

Austin did not take his friend Bobby’s transformation very well and in fact, he has turned into a homophobic jerk that no one (including himself) can stand. The warning from his landlord to treat Bobby with respect is the wake-up call he needs and fearing the loss of his home, friends and job, Austin finally gives serious thought to why these changes bother him so much. For someone who is not prone to introspection this seems like an almost overwhelming task, but Austin gives the situation serious thought, and he learns a lot about himself along the way.

Austin sees the world in absolutes-everything is black and white with no shades of grey. Someone is either gay or straight, and Bobby does not clearly fit in either of these categories. Unfortunately, Austin has been dealing with a (self-perceived) humiliating dilemma of his own that defies categorization and when he tries to figure out how to get his friendship back on track with Bobby, he comes face to face with his own problem. Austin has always identified as straight, so when he gets turned on by trash talking in the locker room, he cannot quite understand why this pushes his sexual buttons. He has repressed these desires for years and when that no longer works, he decides it is time to tackle this issue head-on but his explorations take him in a very unexpected direction.

The first half of Straight Shooter deals mainly with Austin’s internal struggles with his fear and self-loathing. Trying to “fix” himself, he tries watching a LOT of gay porn, hoping immersion therapy will get his unwanted urges out of his system. Regular gay porn does nothing for him, but BDSM movies about submissive “straight” men who are dominated by Master Puck? These are the movies that make him (and his unruly dick) sit up and take notice. When he meets Liam Williams (AKA Master Puck), Austin is ready to star in the next movie as Master Puck’s “straight” submissive.

Of course, the older and wiser Liam is too much of a professional to take Austin up on his offer but they eventually become personally involved. Liam guides Austin through the very convoluted and often complicated path of D/s relationships. Liam is extraordinarily patient with Austin both in and out of bed and it is through Liam’s insightful questions that Austin fully begins to not only understand, but come to terms with his very confusing sexual proclivities. Their relationship is slow-growing with a few missteps, but in the end, Austin emerges a much stronger and well-grounded person.

The sex scenes in Straight Shooter are plentiful and erotic, but they are sometimes uncomfortable to read. They are well written but filled with kinks including submission, humiliation and emasculation. If you are not a sexually adventuresome reader, I definitely recommend checking out the “additional details” and “warnings” sections on this book’s page at Riptide Publishing.

A novel that pushes a few boundaries, Straight Shooter explores a different side of human sexuality with frankness, honesty and sensitivity. Heidi Belleau does an excellent job showing how fear is often the driving force behind intolerance and she beautifully and realistically redeems a character whose acceptance of other’s differences leads to a better understanding of his own desires. A wonderful conclusion to the Rear Entrance Video series.

My reviews of the other novels in the series may be found HERE.

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Filed under BDSM, Contemporary, Erotic, Heidi Belleau, M/M, Rated B, Rear Entrance Video Series, Review, Riptide Publishing, Romance, Straight Shooter

Review: Wallflower by Heidi Belleau

Title: Wallflower by Heidi Belleau
Rear Entrance Video Book Two
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance, M/M
Length: 205 pages/Word Count: 54,500
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

This gamer geek has a lacy little secret.

Art student and MMORPG addict Robert Ng has always been a loner, but he’s recently made it his goal to make more (IRL) friends. Which is how he winds up working nights at Rear Entrance Video, shilling sketchy porn and blowup dolls as a favor to his roommate. The longer he works there, though, the more he realizes he’ll never be truly happy until he becomes the person he is online: his female persona, Bobby.

Bobby is cuter and funnier than Rob is, and a thousand times more popular with boys. Becoming Bobby IRL presents its own set of challenges, though . . . especially when you’re sitting on the fence between two genders, only one of which has caught the attention of your seriously cute customer/classmate.

Dylan Ford is a six-foot Inuit comic book artist who always says what’s on his mind, and screw anyone who doesn’t like it. As rough as he appears, though, Dylan has a soft spot for Rob. But will out-and-proud Dylan still want Rob if he’s not all man?

The Review:

Wallflower, the second installment in the Rear Entrance Video series, is a wonderful journey of self-acceptance for Rob Ng. More serious than Apple Polisher, Heidi Belleau has written an insightful romance about gender fluidity with Rob exploring all the facets of his sexuality.

Rob is shy, insecure and socially awkward and more comfortable in the virtual world than the real one. Filling in at Rear Entrance Video is way out of his comfort zone but it eventually provides him the opportunity to dress as his feminine alter ego, Bobby. The lines of Rob’s sexuality become a bit blurred and while he is gay, he is not transsexual. And everything is about to become even more confusing for Rob when he becomes romantically involved with his classmate/video store customer Dylan Ford.

The first half of Wallflower takes place mostly inside Rob’s head as he struggles with his gender identity. The anonymity of internet has allowed him the freedom to express his more feminine side and his comfort with his online persona leads him to act out one of fantasies with one of his virtual friends. Following this encounter, Rob decides it is time to bring Bobby into the real world, but only at work. Ultimately, Rob is going to have to figure out how to merge Rob and Bobby into his everyday life.

Physically, Dylan is the antithesis of Rob and his character is larger than life. He is less conflicted than Rob, but Dylan does a have few issues stemming from his adoption by a white family. Overall, he is outgoing, friendly and has absolutely no filter-whatever he thinks comes spilling out of his mouth. But Dylan somehow manages to keep a few things hidden from Rob that play a key role in the story’s resolution.

The second half of Wallflower is when the action begins. The confidence that Rob discovers as Bobby begins spills over into his “regular” life. A class project unexpectedly brings him and Dylan together and their desire for another explodes in a very hot encounter. Despite his hesitation in revealing his secret and some mixed signals from Dylan, the two throw themselves wholeheartedly into their relationship.

Wallflower is a delightfully unique novel and I love that Heidi Belleau steps out of the box with both the subject matter and the characters. Rob’s issues are sensitively portrayed and his explorations provide fascinating insight into different gender identities and roles. It is also quite refreshing that Rob and Dylan are not the stereotypical white characters usually found in M/M romances.

Although Wallflower is the second novel in the Rear Entrance Video series, it can be read as a standalone story.

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Filed under Contemporary, Erotic, Heidi Belleau, M/M, Rated B, Rear Entrance Video Series, Riptide Publishing, Romance, Wallflower

Review: Apple Polisher by Heidi Belleau

Title: Apple Polisher by Heidi Belleau
Rear Entrance Video Series Book One
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, M/M, Romance
Length: 230 pages/Word Count: 60,800
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

This straight-A student has a dirty little secret.

Christian Blake dreams of being a kindergarten teacher, but making the grade means maintaining a squeaky clean image: no drinking, no drugs, no swearing, no sex. And definitely no falling for his new roommate—tattooed bad-boy Max, who may or may not be a drug dealer.

Most of all, it means no working at a porn store. But Christian’s aunt has cancer, and her beloved Rear Entrance Video will go bankrupt if Christian doesn’t take over managerial duties. Soon enough, Christian finds himself juggling sticky twenty-five cent peep show booths, a blackmailing employee, and a demanding professor who likes to make an example of him.

And then there’s Max, who doesn’t know anything about the store, but hates Christian’s preppy sweater vests and the closet Christian forces him into when they’re together. Max just wants Christian to be himself—even though Max is keeping secrets of his own. Christian struggles to find the impossible balance between his real life and the ideal one he thinks a teacher needs to live . . . all while trying to keep his aunt’s dream alive without losing his own.

This title is part of the Rear Entrance Video universe.

The Review:

Apple Polisher is a funny, sexy and thoughtful journey of self-discovery. Heidi Belleau perfectly balances real life issues with plenty of humor in this page-turning first installment of the Rear Entrance Video series.

While Christian Blake’s dear Aunt Beverly is fighting cancer, her video store, Rear Entrance Video, is about to go under but he is afraid that working in a video porn store will destroy his chances of becoming a kindergarten teacher. Throw in his (unwanted) attraction to his sexy new roommate, Max, and Christian spends much of his time fretting about his future.

Apple Polisher is written in third person from Christian’s point of view. The narrative is a little rambling and slow moving at times and Christian occasionally veers off on some lengthy thought tangents. But the story begins to come together when Christian begins working at Rear Entrance Video and he finally hooks up with Max.

Christian’s single-minded pursuit of his teaching degree makes him oblivious to a lot of things in his life. Everything and everyone takes a backseat as he devotes himself to school. Christian is slowly losing himself as he makes change after change in an effort to avoid his professor’s scrutiny. But his biggest mistake is his failure to make Aunt Beverly a priority. Trying to save Rear Entrance Video is Christian’s first selfless act and it is the first step in his much needed transformation. He sometimes takes one step back for every two steps forward, but he is putting a lot of effort (and risk) into his efforts to keep the store from going under.

Christian’s other saving grace is his relationship with roommate Max. Their romance is rocky in the beginning but once Christian commits to making the relationship work, he throws himself into it wholeheartedly. Max is just what Christian needs-he does not put up with Christian’s crap and he challenges Christian to think about the choices Christian is making. For the most part, their romance is a slow simmer but when it does heat up? Their sex scenes are positively incendiary and so down, dirty and smokin’ hot your eReader is in danger of melting.

Max remains an enigma for much of Apple Polisher. Tantalizing glimpses give away frustratingly little about him so it is completely and utterly shocking when the truth about him is finally revealed. Christian’s reaction to Max’s revelation is absolutely, positively, without a doubt, the best scene of the whole book.

An excellent beginning to Heidi Belleau’s ingenious Rear Entrance Video series, Apple Polisher is an entertaining and thought-provoking novel. The cast of characters is diverse and multi-layered. The video porn store is a wonderfully unique setting and it provides an interesting backdrop for the various characters and their upcoming stories.

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Filed under Apple Polisher, Contemporary, Erotic, Heidi Belleau, Rated B, Rear Entrance Video Series, Review, Riptide Publishing, Romance