Let me start by saying that I tend to avoid book series like the plague, especially when they feature the same protagonists.

Anyway, rather than rant as is my wont (I’m sure that I’ll do that in another blog), when a series does catch my eye it is generally because the genre and content looks interesting, the characters seem like ones I will have an affinity with, and – the main one – that I enjoy the work of the particular author.

I have been perusing with an eye to purchase an m/m series for a while now and finally caved after reading and enjoying the shorts and excerpts posted by the author on the Fiction with Friction blog. (Nope, no willpower whatsoever!) I read the first book, wasn’t quite sure that I really wanted to read any more of the series, but decided to try the second book.

I love way the stories are written as well as where they seem to be heading and really like the characters especially the main protagonist; however, the aspect of the books making me ‘stuck’ is his love interest and the other lead. He just seriously pisses me off!

At the moment I’m really struggling to read the second book because I think the guy is such a selfish little prick and I just want to reach in, slap him and tell him to get over himself because he’s not the centre of the universe!

I’m talking about Ally Blue’s Sam (*sigh*) and Bo (*slap*) from the Bay City Paranormal Investigations series. (I know that I’m only reading book 2, but I just love the cover of book 3. I seem to have a thing for pretty kisses at the moment.)

I think that the last time I was so annoyed with a character was Jake (*grumble grumble*) in Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English (*another sigh*) Mysteries.

I was in two minds about Adrien and Jake (appearing to) get together at the end of Death of a Pirate King. On the one hand it was HEA-ish, but on the other I wanted Adrien to dump Jake’s arse, find another love of his life, and then lord it over Jake and his selfish, abusive and denial-to-the-point-of-compromising-himself-and-nearly-getting-Adrien-killed ways.

I’ve said before that I know a book has really worked for me by the extent to which I’ve engaged with the story and the characters and that this is how I personally judge whether or not a book is ‘good’. Given my reaction, there is no denying I’ve definitely become involved in the stories of Sam and Bo and of Adrien and Jake.

So I guess it’s just a matter of continuing to put the book down when Bo acts like a wanker, rather than throw my e-reader at the wall and write abusive emails to Ally strongly suggesting that Sam gets given another guy.

Both of which would be really bad; not to mention expensive, since I know from reading the blurbs on the books that come later in the BCPI series – it’s associated with the compulsive-reader-of-endings thing I have – that the two work out the challenges in their lives and end up together.

I’m trying to avoid as much embarrassment as possible this week.