Anna Birmingham

Straight Men Can't Cook was written for the M/M Romance Group's Love Has No Boundaries picture prompt event. It's told in first person through the eyes of Russ.



The main characters are Russ, a cute boy next-door type and Tristan who's gorgeous and extroverted. Three years ago they were roommates at college but went their separate ways until they meet again in the grocery store of their college town. Russ has stayed in the same town and Tristan had moved away and was now back.

The story revolves around Russ' conflicted emotions about seeing Tristan again. Russ never admitted to Tristan that he was interested in him even though Russ knew he was bi. Not until later does Russ realize that Tristan had been lusting after the 'straight boy' all through college and still was.

I normally don't like stories told in first person but I enjoyed this one. Russ' personality came across as easily as Tristan's and I thought they made a cute couple.

I loved the way the author paced the story. For me the right words were spoken at the right times with just the right pauses so that I could feel the tension. It was especially obvious when Tristan came over for dinner and Russ was trying to get Tristan drunk. I really loved that scene.

Straight Men Can't Cook is a sweet, quick, fluffy read that I would definitely read over. My only wish is that it was longer because I adored Russ and Tristan as a couple. I can't give this anything less than 5 Stars.

… (mere)

Duke is the ranch cook and he's intrigued by the new guy, Justin. He's not sure what to make of him, but he suspects there's something under the surface. And when he finds it, it turns out there's even more there than he imagined.

I don't have much more in the way of a spoiler-free synopsis. This is short, but it's a well-written story and worth the read. Cowboys, pie, and sexy times. What more does a person need? The characters are developed and there is a richness to this world that just seems to flow right off the page. Can't really go wrong with this one.… (mere)