I said I would tell you more about the other “type” that catches my eye in m/m and here I am. Following my exposé on some favourite food books I decided to move on to my other love, guys with tattoos/piercings and/or eyeliner. Nothing like a Goth boy with a few tattoos or piercings. (Few, let’s not get mutant here.)
Why? Ummm, maybe it’s the bad boy thing. I do have a couple of tattoos so there is there is the personal connection and while I enjoy looking at some piercings I am way too freaked to get anything beyond my ears. Call me a chicken, I’m okay with that.
So in no particular order, some of the books in my library which include this archetype are:
Catching a Buzz by Ally Blue – This is one of my all-time favourite short reads. Straight laced college student Adam and Goth boy Buzz meet at the waterpark where they are working for the summer. No tattoos but lots of guyliner.
Hot Ticket by K.A. Mitchell – Okay, another fave, reread many times. Straight laced young travel agent Elliott meets older waiter Cade who has 15 facial piercings and an amazing back tattoo.
Under My Skin 1 and 2 by M.L. Rhodes – Travel book store owner Sebastian and Dylan the owner of a tattoo parlor next door in the strip mall. I really liked these books a lot, well, this author in general.
Favor by Alex Draven – This is a Torquere Halloween Sip set in a university dorm in the UK. Athlete Rhys asks Goth boy Mickey if he can hang out with his friends on Halloween rather than go to the local club. How many Goth points do you get for being blown by a vampire in a graveyard on Halloween?
Win or Lose by TC Blue – Winston (Win) a tattoo artist literally drags rock musician Luz out of the freezing cold when his bus breaks down and they are stranded by the storm.
Affair in Paradise by Matthew Haldemann-Time – Vacationing with his friend Adam meets Brett. When they finally hook up on the almost the last night Adam finds some VERY interesting penile piercings and a perfect submissive. (When I say piercings freak me out, penile ones more than any other. Ouch.)
In the Strangest Places by Willa Okati – Brit tattoo artist Rack meets Daniel, the carpenter hired to fix up his new shop. When I am talking penile piercings these guys take it to the extreme and to be honest I’m not sure you could even have anal sex with that much metal without doing serious damage. Well you probably can, I just don’t want to experience it myself. (Double ouch.) There is also a series of three shorts that follow Rack and Daniel as they go on a tattoo tour.
‘Nevermore’ by Addision Albright – Raven is a Goth boy who regularly hooks up with Caeser but won’t tell him his real name. Guess who he runs into on the beach when he’s there with his kids. Oops. This is part of the A Day at the Beach anthology.
Facets by Rob McKnight – This is a trio of shorts about recent college grad Paul who meets tattoo artist Six and Six’s live-in musician love Jules. Threesome fun ensues.
Passion and Satisfaction by M.L. Rhodes – Businessman Robert and tattooed bartender Jesse finally hook-up. Satisfaction is the continuation of their story. While tattoos aren’t the main focus of the story, Robert is very attracted to all of Jesse’s ink.
So tell me, have I missed any stories in this genre that I should be checking out? Sometimes the fact that someone is a tattoo artist is not the main point of the story like in Under My Skin but other times as in In the Strangest Places the act of tattooing and piercing plays a big part in the relationship. I’m not fussy, I can go either way. J
Kris + Books = Good. *Sometimes*. 
I love tattoos, too. Got a couple of my own as well. 🙂
I've read quite a few of the ones you listed. I particularly like “Catching a Buzz”, “Under My Skin/s” and “In the Strangest Places” (umm, despite, like you, being a little squicked by all of the piercings by the end).
A couple of others are:
Nate and his PA from J L Langley's “My Fair Captain”
Ty Bonham in B A Torgua's “Long Road Home” – tatt and piercings are symbolic of being true to oneself in this one – also by far the best work I've read by this author
I forgot about Nate. I'll have to track down The Long Road Home. It sounds familiar but I haven't read it.
I love tattoos and piercings, they can be so totally HOT on a guy!!
I love the ones you've listed. I'll add a few more that I remember.
Kimo Wilder from AJ Llewellyn's Phantom Lover series
The nipple piercings that Rock, Rig and Dick got from Sean Michael's Jarheads series
Morgan from Oil and Water by BA Tortuga
Vic Braunson from The Powers of Love series by JM Snyder
Nick and Brandon from James Buchanan's Taking the Odds series
Matthew form Laney Cairo's Bad Case of Loving You
I just finished Sean Michael's “Bent”. Tats and piercings.
Love a lot of the ones that have been mentioned so far.
Another I really liked was Breathing (the sequel to Enthralled) by Laura Baumbach. Colin spends most of the story getting a tattoo enlaced with protective charms and spells.
*orannia suddenly realises quite a few minutes have passed*
Sorry…the first photo kind of caught my attention 🙂 I never thought I was a tattoo person (and I don't have one – I don't have any piercings – how boring am I?) but they are growing on me. I don't like the picture or symbol tattoos – I like more what's in the first photo – the following lines, etc.
And Tam I've made massive notes on all these books. Anywhere I should start first?
Kelidonis – I was just about to mention Bent. What did you think BTW?
Well Orianna, the first two (both less than 100 pages) are my faves along with ML Rhodes. They might be a good place to start. If you are kind of squeemish about piercings I'd hold off on In the Strangest Places until you work up the nerve. LOL While Cade has lots of piercings in Hot Ticket they don't really talk about them in detail or him getting them done.
Thanks Lily, I will look into some of those.
Kelidonis, I'm always a little leary of Sean Michael's BDSM stuff as I only like it lite. 🙂 But maybe I just have no clue what Bent is about.
Nichem, I haven't read those books by Laura, I'll have to make a list and add these all to it.
Thanks everyone, its great fun to share faves.
I saw the most gorgeous cover at Liquid Silver the other day and almost bought it just because of the tattoos on the models. I didn't tho cos I'd just spent up big at Loose Id buying K Z's latest *suck up* amongst others.
Check it out tho. It's a gorgeous April Martinez. Oh, and it's m/f. Thought I'd let you know now rather than wait for the back lash of disappointment. 😉
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&cart_id=2848152.13797&product_name=Stolen+Earth&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact
Tongue piercings are always interesting. Joey has one in Collision Course by KA Mitchell.
Body Art by JCP in the new Partners in Crime book has a guy with lots of tats – too many for me to find sexy though.
Michael in the Channeling Morpheus series is a goth and wears eyeliner.
I don't have any tats or piercings (other than ears). My sister has a tat and has had several interesting piercings over the years – yes, she was the rebellious one in my family. I found it quite gratifying at how much I shocked her when I told her about my reading preferences – hee hee!
Girls, how could you forget Tor and Jack from Bareback who take both a PA instead of rings to celebrate their relationship?
Sedonia Guillone has several ones with tattoos as well mainly because of the yakooza link.
I just want to add “Incredible ” and “Stupid Question” by Matthew Haldeman-Time – Jason is an introverse goth boy and Trent an extroverse, everybody's darling swimmer. These two connected short stories are so sweet! I love them.
Jitterbug: OMG, I've never known anyone else who's read those stories. LOVE those guys. Sigh.
Jen: How could I have forgotten Michael's obsession with guyliner and Wild Bill's tattoos.
Tam: I remember reading somewhere good things about MH-T so I checked out his website where he has put online some of his works – this is how I found and read “Incredible” and “Stupid Question”. Jason and Trent are just too cute together! 🙂
If anyone's interested, here's the link: http://matthewhaldemantime.com/shortstories.html
I read those Matthew H-T stories after you recommended them, Tam. Really liked them too.
That is a pretty cover Kris.
Lordy, have I been pimping MHT that much? LOL
Tam: I think I reviewed one of his stories and you suggested I took a look at the free stuff on his site, especially those two. :).
I'd just spent up big at Loose Id buying K Z's latest *suck up*…
Did I read that right?
BTW, a main character in that series has scrotal piercings. But now I'm wondering if you should even be allowed to read about them. Maybe I'll do a magic text-erasure. I can do that, you know.
(I only have so big a stash of righteous indignation, and I use up WAY too much every time I come here. I think I should give Mumma a call and have a little chat with her.)
Hun, I think I've been picking on you too much lately. I meant I was sucking up to you by admitting I just went out and bought your latest. Maybe I'll take you off my 'people to take the piss out of constantly' list. Maybe.
BTW back, Tole's piercing is VERY nice.
Thank you Tam. I think I may just have to check out ML Rhodes 😉
Damn, I knew I didn't work that magic fast enough!
But since you claim you were the one sucking up, I won't stew over it.
This time.
Much.
I'm so glad that you have decided to be sort of reasonable about this, K Z.
Great list Tam – of which I've read exactly 0. But I love tats and I have a growing affinity for piercings. I have 2 tats and 3 piercings in each ear (though I never wear earrings.) I've actually been thinking of getting yet another tat but haven't figured out exactly what or where yet.
I'm making a list of all of these books – they sound gooooood.