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B01GJ0S5M4
| 4.24
| 83,707
| Jun 20, 2016
| Jun 20, 2016
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did not like it
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"My future," Joe said, "is Ox." Ah, god, that made me ache. "Is that so?" Mom asked. "How do you figure?" "He's really nice," Joe said seriously. "And sm "My future," Joe said, "is Ox." Ah, god, that made me ache. "Is that so?" Mom asked. "How do you figure?" "He's really nice," Joe said seriously. "And smells good. And he makes me happy. And I want to do nothing more than put my mouth on him." 28% Ok, this is not going to be a positive review. I understand this is a beloved book. Many, many people love this book. I picked it up expecting it to be good. I pick up every book with an open mind and hopeful expectations. I was not prepared. This is mainly suffering from being a y/n fanfiction-y type story. If you are unfamiliar, this is a fiction that used to exist... Still exists?... in which the reader inserts their name (y/n your name) into the story and therefore can use the story to fantasize about something happening to them. Always revolving around romance/sex. Very popular with pre-teens and early teens. It's not... this is not a fan-fiction OF SOMETHING (although Klune does lampshade Twilight A LOT in this book) but rather a self-insertion fantasy about m/m werewolf romance/sex. Is TJ Klune a talented author? I've only read this book by him. I hear he is very successful now. I mean, in the mainstream. If you are talking about my opinion after I read this book, then it's complicated. His weaknesses are tending to go on and on and on, leaving the reader bored. I was bored. The book was on my Kindle but was 485 "pages." And you could tell. A lot of authors, especially indie authors of romance, favor long books. (See also: Laurann Dohner.) This can be fun when you are feeling it, but tedious when you are bored by the material. I was bored by the material. His other weaknesses include melodramatic writing. Everything is SO dramatic. Everything is SO... written by a teenager. Not that Klune is writing at a teenage level, he is not. But his material is written with teenage levels of drama and teenage ideas of "what is cool." I think the book was supposed to be quite serious. Other reviews talk about how much the characters "suffer." But I was laughing hard through the entire book. Need an example? Feast on this: "You're SEVENTEEN - " He was snarling now, and I knew if I looked up at him, his wolf would be fighting through. "So? You think I don't know what I'm doing? You think that because I'm ONLY SEVENTEEN I don't know what I'm talking about? I haven't been a kid for a very long time, Ox. That was taken away from me the first time he made me scream into the phone so my mom could hear it as he broke my fingers. I haven't been a kid since he RIPPED it from me and made me into something else. I know what this is. I know what I'm doing. Yes, I'm SEVENTEEN years old, but I knew the day I met you that I would do ANYTHING for you. I would do ANYTHING to make you happy because no one has ever smelled like you did. It was candy canes and pinecones. It was epic and awesome. And it was HOME. You smelled like my HOME, Ox. I'd forgotten what that was like, okay? I'd forgotten that because HE took it away from me and I couldn't find it again until I found you. So don't you sit there and say I'm ONLY seventeen. My father gave Mom his wolf when HE was seventeen. It's not a matter of AGE, Ox. It's when you know." My voice was hoarse when I said, "But I'm not - " "Shut up!" he cried. "You know what? No. You don't get to decide what you're worth because you obviously don't know. You don't get to decide that anymore because you have no fucking idea that you're worth EVERYTHING. What do you think this is? A joke? A decision I made just for the hell of it? It's not. It's not destiny, Ox. You're not BOUND by this. Not yet. There's a choice. There is ALWAYS a choice. My wolf chose you. I chose you. And if you don't choose me, then that's YOUR choice and I will walk out of here knowing you got to choose your own path. But I swear to god, if you choose me, I will make sure that you know the weight of your worth every day for the rest of our lives because that's what this is. I am going to be a fucking ALPHA one day, and there is no one I'd rather have by my side than you. It's you, Ox. For me, it's always been you." 29% The whole book is like that. If you think that excerpt is cringe-y, avoid this book. If you think this is THE PEAK OF ROMANCE, then boy howdy, do I have a book for you!!! I would compare this book to Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight. Not because it's BDSMy, it's not, and not because it's written for teenagers, it's not YA. But the writing style is similar. AGE GAP, FATED-TO-BE-MATED I just want you to know that Joe pledges himself to Ox when he is ten years old. I found this to be creepy. NOTHING SEXUAL happens between them until Joe is 17 and Ox is 23, and they don't actually have intercourse until Joe is 20 and Ox is 26, but still. The idea of a child picking/knowing his future "mate," and his whole family (his parents and all his brothers) knowing that Ox and Joe are going to fuck from the time when Joe is 10 was skeeving me out. It skeeved me out. I don't like fated-to-be-mated anyway, even if the characters meet as adults. I like to see two people falling in love, not two people "destined" to be together. But there's an extra ick factor when it starts so young. Fated-to-be-mated is very popular in paranormal romance, werewolf or otherwise. People get kidnapped and tortured, kidnapped and tortured. It was concerning the first time, but by the third time I was like, "Just get on with it!" The MC also has daddy issues which seem immense. His dad said some shitty stuff to him and left when he was 12, and this is discussed over and over and over x30,000. I get it, your father was not a good guy. But considering you then discovered a perfect, superpowered "found family" complete with a built in perfect "mate," I don't really buy all the whining. The problem with Klune's writing style that it's hard for me to take it seriously. Even though Klune is often times trying very hard to be serious. It's just so cringe-y. GREYSCALE It's hard for me to describe but I was picturing this book in my head as a black-and-white feature. It's very greyscale. It's a greyscale book. It presents itself in black, white, and grey. Not sure if this is due to the setting (which I think is Pacific NW), but it definitely is due to the way Klune writes. This isn't a complaint - I think writing in a way that makes your readers picture a world in which color doesn't exist... well, color exists, but the readers can't see it... is quite interesting and skillful. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? There is explicit, described on-page m/m sex in this book. If you LOVE that, this is a good fit for you (although the characters take quite a long time to get there). M/m sex doesn't do anything for me personally, so I can't really rate it. The MC (Ox) is NOT gay. He's NOT gay, he is bisexual, and it was great to see bisexual representation. I am seeing more and more bisexual representation in books nowadays, they were much slower to get it than just lesbians, gay men, and trangender individuals. So I think that's nice. I have been noticing an uptick lately. "Fucking retard," Clint sneered at me the second day of school. Because that was his thing. I ignored him, as I always did, shoving books into my locker. It was easier. Apparently not for Carter, though. He grabbed Clint by the back of the head and threw him against the row of lockers, pressing his face against the cold metal. "You talk like that to him again and I'll rip your fucking heart out," he hissed. "Tell everyone that Ox is under Bennett protection and if anyone so much as LOOKS at him funny, I'll break their arms. Don't fuck with Ox." 9% "But I would be a Beta." "Yes. One of mine. Eventually, one of Joe's." "Why aren't Carter or Kelly going to be the next Alpha?" He said, "They weren't born to be. Joe was. He will be an Alpha." I didn't want to offend him, but I couldn't stop the words. "I would have something you wouldn't. If I turned." "Oh? And what would that be?" I touched the tree again. "I would remember what it was like to be human." 18% This sounds EXACTLY like what a nine-year-old would come up with to choke up readers. I can see them reading it aloud to their parents and choking up at what they've written while reading it. "I want your blood on my tongue. I want to break you open and crawl inside of you. I am a monster because of the things I could do to you that you wouldn't be able to stop me from doing." 32% This is what Joe says to Ox. To illustrate how... fucked-up he is, I guess? Or something? "Ox. Ox. You can't argue with me. Not on this. I am a BEAST. I was made to be this way by the might and folly of men and I stopped denying what I am a long time ago. I will take what is rightfully mine and all will be well." 37% This is how the villain talks. *rolls eyes* I said, "Your first mistake was underestimating me. My pack. I may be human, but I run with wolves." 59% This is how Ox "intimidates" the villains by showing he is so badass! LOL LOL LOL I almost died laughing at this part. I mean, come on. Tl;dr Read if you like: - Fated to be mated. - Explicit m/m sex scenes - Melodramatic writing - Books with a greyscale feel - Found Family Avoid if you struggle with: - A ten-year-old choosing his mate. Everyone knows about it (except the mate). It's creepy and weird, even if you wave your hands and say, "Werewolves!" - Lame ideas of "being badass" and "being cool" and "OMG I'm broken from the suffering in my past!!!!" - Melodramatic writing that will have you in tears... of laughter. - Fated-to-be-Mated - Special Chosen One MC NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Ox Oxnard m Curtis m Gordo m Jeremy m Clint m Jenny f Maggie f Mark m Rico m Tanner m Chris m Joseph Joe m Carter m Kelly m Elizabeth f Thomas m Jessie f Cassie f Felicia f Abel m Henry m Tyler m Dex m Eric m Nick m Marie f Osmond m Frankie m Richard m Robbie m Michelle f Beatrice f David m Megan f Adam m Gerald m William m Judith f (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 03, 2023
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Oct 15, 2023
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Oct 03, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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4.56
| 457,197
| Feb 06, 2020
| Feb 06, 2020
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liked it
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"There's this idea that if you're not straight, you HAVE to tell all your family and friends IMMEDIATELY, like you owe it to them. But you don't. You
"There's this idea that if you're not straight, you HAVE to tell all your family and friends IMMEDIATELY, like you owe it to them. But you don't. You don't HAVE to do anything until you're ready." pg. 107 A very wholesome, message-y series about two gay teenagers. You would have to read the first two books in the series to understand what's going on here. I don't recommend starting on this book, start with Book One. Now that Charlie and Nick are an established couple, this book mainly deals with coming out. Some of their friends know, some of their friends don't know. Charlie's family knows (obviously), but Nick's only come out to his mom - not his dad or his gay-hating older brother. A lot of drama. Oseman makes the choice to introduce the idea that (view spoiler)[Charlie has an ED (probably anorexia nervosa) and also cuts himself. I was rather appalled. Both of these topics are very serious. I'm kind of bracing myself for how Oseman is going to handle them. Anorexia can't be cured, period, but it also can't be put in remission by a kind, supportive boyfriend and some giggling. Most problems in this book are dealt with by having a kind, supportive boyfriend and giggling. Anorexia is hell. Hell doesn't even begin to describe it, actually. AND Charlie is cutting. NICK: "You can always tell me stuff like that." CHARLIE: "I dunno, I... I don't wanna, like, annoy you or burden you. Ever since I told you about... you know, how bad I felt last year... I've been scared you'd - I just don't want to feel like you need to look after me, like I'm some fragile, broken mess. Like you need to fix me. I would HATE that." pg. 219 And Nick's like, 'Oh, you should feel like you can tell me anything... I'm your boyfriend... I want to know what's going on with you..." blah blah blah supportive boyfriend BUT You can't just wave anorexia nervosa and self-harm away. I mean... they are psychological disorders, brain-fucks and no amount of "I love you"* can solve that. Whether they want to face it or not, Charlie's sick and it's serious. Not sure how Oseman is going to deal with this. She puts a cutesy spin on a lot of stuff - for example the people who made snide comments about Charlie in the last book fall over themselves to apologize and beg forgiveness in this book. It's very wholesome, cutesy, adorable, and frankly QUITE unrealistic. Is she going to treat anorexia the same way? Cutting yourself the same way? I mean... I know I'm an outlier in rating these books, but it annoys me the way Oseman presents and then solves problems. I can't tell you how devastating anorexia is, and how devastating would be to be in love with someone who is anorexic and also cutting themselves. This is serious shit, not giggling high-school drama. (hide spoiler)] I don't need the book to be realistic. IMO, if she wanted to keep these two wholesome, cute, I-'ve-never-drank-alcohol, I've-never-had-sex-and-maybe-I'll-never-be-ready-to-have-sex, teenage boys who are chaste and cute and blush a lot and giggle a lot and have tons of internal drama about what their friends think of them or how to come out to their friends or whether they should *gasp* sleep in the same bed on a class trip or whatever... that would be fine. Annoying and slightly nauseating, but fine. However, if she's going to make Charlie an (view spoiler)[anorexic self-cutter, (hide spoiler)] I'm going to have to prepare to be very angry, sad, and disappointed. It's very concerning. It's not easily solved, in fact it is not able to be truly 'solved' at all, and not only is Charlie (view spoiler)[ill, (hide spoiler)] but being a boyfriend who is going to stick around and be supportive during someone going through this (view spoiler)[severe illness (hide spoiler)] is very rough and very serious and frankly, not something I think many sixteen-year-olds can handle. It's HARD. So... it's not enough the boys are gay and (even though seemingly a third of the school is gay, lesbian, queer, or transgender) have to deal with gay-hatred and bullying and coming out to their family, but NOW she's piling on (view spoiler)[Charlie having some severe psychological problems?!?!?!?!?! (hide spoiler)] I don't know, I feel like she's just doing this for the angst and drama. We'll see what happens in Book Four but I don't have high hopes. If she trivializes Charlie's (view spoiler)[illness (hide spoiler)] or acts like it can be 'cured' by snuggling with Nick, I'm going to be FURIOUS. ... OK. Some parts of the book are pleasing. It's message-y, but I like its message. Especially about loving yourself and standing up for yourself. I like how Oseman portrays and is very accepting of different types of queerness and shows a diverse spectrum of LGBTQIA+ people. It gets a LITTLE ridiculous when it seems every single person introduced is a non-straight or non-cisgender person, but... I know the urge to turn every LGBTQIA+ book into a 'queer utopia' book is STRONG. I laugh at it, but it's forgivable. She's only got so much space in here. I also thought the dialogue / interactions between Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk were cute and funny. They annoyed me less than the MCs, and their leading of a class trip together was hilarious and also adorable. I can take 'adorable' in small doses. It's the overdoses that make me sick. Also, they are adults. I naturally prefer stories about adults and adult (view spoiler)[romance (hide spoiler)] to stories about teenagers and teenage romance. YA severely annoys me. The teenage boy MCs do nothing but some light kissing. They are still very chaste. I find this unbelievable, but ok. Alice Oseman isn't a gay man, so... I understand she's writing a complete fiction about two gay boys that seems designed to make straight women feel very cozy and wholesome and squee and scream about how 'adorable' it is and etc. etc. etc. That's ok. I don't find it realistic or authentic, but it isn't realistic or authentic - it's fiction and I've just got to accept she's writing for a certain aesthetic. TL;DR Some troubling developments creep up in this novel and I'm worried about how Oseman is going to handle them. I liked the inclusion of Nick's gay-hating older brother, he actually makes me worried, unlike the extremely mild gay-hating the boys experienced at school that was dealt with in this novel by having every single person who so much as looked at Nick and Charlie funny begging to be forgiven and falling all over themselves to apologize. Who knows, maybe the brother will end up the same way. Oseman makes everything 'wholesome and giggling.' However, my concern is that Oseman has now introduced topics that can't be solved with giggling, blushing, snuggling, and saying "I support you! I care deeply about you." I'm just going to say this bluntly: (view spoiler)[Charlie could die. Anorexia nervosa is VERY SERIOUS and so is self-harm. (hide spoiler)] I just don't know if Oseman has the chops to deal with this and honestly, if she can't handle it, she should have never introduced it. We'll see. I'll wait until the next book to pass final judgment. *Not that these two have said 'I love you' to each other yet. Oseman's milking that for all it's worth. Giggle! Blush! *gag* NAMES IN THIS BOOK: (view spoiler)[ Nick m Charlie m Christian m Sai m Otis m Harry m Tao m Aled m Elle f transgender Tara f Darcy f David m Daniel m Youssef m Sahar f Malik m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 11, 2021
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Jul 11, 2021
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Jul 11, 2021
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Paperback
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1444951408
| 9781444951400
| 1444951408
| 4.53
| 523,822
| Jul 11, 2019
| Jul 11, 2019
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liked it
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M/M romantic fiction written by a woman and as far as I can tell, mostly consumed by women who go "Awwwwww, this is so CUTE!" *squeals* Kind of bafflin M/M romantic fiction written by a woman and as far as I can tell, mostly consumed by women who go "Awwwwww, this is so CUTE!" *squeals* Kind of baffling to me. The majority of m/m is written by (mostly) straight women and consumed in great quantities by straight women. It also plays to these tropes. You know. Charlie agonizes about falling for a 'straight boy' but BING! Magically the boy isn't straight. He 'thinks he's bi.' He enjoys kissing Charlie, and after a few weeks is totally fine coming out. He ditches his rugby friends and starts hanging out with Charlie's group. He (relatively) easily and (relatively) comfortably defends Charlie, not only against sexual assault but he stands up to his cruel rugby friends when they make comments about Charlie being gay. I doubt this is what would actually happen if Charlie developed a crush on a straight guy. Nick is a 'big and strong' rugby player and Charlie is 'so light' and 'so small' and Nick frequently picks him up and runs around with him. Often comments are made about how 'small,' 'weak' and 'light' Charlie is. The boys just kiss a little bit. Nobody fucks. It's very cutesy, very romantic, and very 'aw, I'm shy' and etc. Nobody consumes porn and it's obvious the boys are going to be a monogamous, cutesy couple that embraces heterosexual norms and heterosexual romantic/sexual values. It's fine. You love it? Great. I don't have a problem with it being written nor do I have a problem with it being read and widely loved, but it's pretty obviously heterosexual-washed. It's ostensibly about two boys 'falling in love' but it's obviously a woman's interpretation of that. That doesn't mean people can't read it and love it. I just think it's funny we #OwnVoices everything except gay romance. Then it's women writing their fantasies 95% of the time. Besides that issue. It's monochromatic – I notice a deluge of monochromatic LGBTIA+ graphic novels lately. I'm not sure why. I find using shades of one color only to be kind of boring. The art is okay. It's not gorgeous, but it's not ugly like I've heard some claim. It's pretty cutesy and sweet – so if saccharine books annoy you you might want to avoid this series. It's quite shonen-ai (I guess people no longer use this term? I'm not an anime/manga expert) and fluffy. Even though some of Nick's friends may make some offensive remarks about Charlie being gay, and discussions are held about Charlie being bullied in the past, Charlie is accepted as gay now and everyone's family members are very accepting and calm about the boys being non-hetero. It's not a complete 'gay utopia' or 'LGBTIA+ utopia' like many that are created nowadays (see also The Hideaway Inn (written by a gay man)) in which almost everyone in the main characters life and city/town is LGBTIA+ in some capacity. Akin to Queer as Folk where, watching it, the show would have you believe 90% of Pittsburgh's male population is gay. However, Heartstopper may be headed that direction, unclear at this time. TL;DR – Not the book you want to read if you want gay male voices. Obviously female-written and heterosexual-washed. Which is ok. Romance genre is a fantasy by its nature. Certainly my m/f romance novels which I devour with gusto are not accurate nor authentic to real life and heavily involve both romantic and sexual fantasy. But if you're looking for #OwnVoices, gay male authors writing gay male love stories this isn't it. Cute, fluffy, monochromatic, a book to read if you want to think 'Oh, these boys are adorable!' and squeal. No sexual content, just some light kissing. P.S. Books by gay male authors: Basketball Jones by E. Lynn Harris The Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover You could say Call Me By Your Name, but André Aciman says he's not gay. Still has a more authentic flavor than this. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 22, 2021
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Jun 22, 2021
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Jun 22, 2021
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Paperback
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1488076278
| 9781488076275
| B082R9TVKD
| 3.55
| 672
| May 26, 2020
| May 26, 2020
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really liked it
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[image] I used to think the painted boy was weak, like I was as a kid. But I realize now he isn't weak at all. Being a man isn't something you become o [image] I used to think the painted boy was weak, like I was as a kid. But I realize now he isn't weak at all. Being a man isn't something you become or something you show people. I don't know what it is. I used to think it was the most important thing in the world. If I was a man, I could be safe. I wouldn't have my fate decided by the people around me. If I could be a man, in the way the world wanted me to be, maybe I would be worthy of love. 83% You guys. Harlequin has a line of queer romance! How did I not know this? The first one was published in June of this year. It's called "Carina Adores." Of course, I immediately bought one. A lot of people may say, "Oh, Harlequin is so late in doing this. Also, they are only doing this to make money. Gay romances are moneymakers right now." Of course they are doing this to make money. They are a corporation. As for being late, better late than never. I honestly never thought I'd live to see the day Harlequin had a dedicated release line for LGBTQIA+ books. And look, I am alive and I just finished reading one! I'll take it. I'll take it, and I'll reward Harlequin by purchasing these books. And it looks like - at first glance - that Harlequin is going to employ actual queer people to write these books. Which is GREAT. Most of the m/m romances I see on this site (GR) are written by straight women who like to masturbate while thinking about two men fucking. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, it's not like I'm morally opposed to this or anything, but I've never fallen into this category, and if I'm going to read gay fiction I'd rather read gay fiction that is penned by actual gay people. The two best things about this novel is Stover's writing, and his sense of humor. Stover is no slouch in the writing department. I enjoyed his descriptions of country-Pennsylvania and his two MCs, who were definitely fleshed out and psychologically developed. No cardboard cutout MCs here (I can't say the same for the side characters... but they have much less page-time and I don't blame Stover for this). I also found myself smiling and even occasionally lightly chuckling. Stover is funny. HE'S FUNNY, you guys. Romance novels are even better if you can include some laughs (unless you are writing heartbreakers). The plot involves Vince, who is returning to Pennsylvania after a 15-year absence in order to 'flip' an inn for profit. He is a Manhattanite through and through. He rolls into town (on a bus LOL) wearing a three-thousand-dollar suit. There's a lot of things you can object to about Vince until you see deeper. He's a rich, suit-wearing asshole. He thinks his money and his sculpted body and his job make him powerful and better than other people. He refers to himself as an 'alpha.' Straight, with no irony. Can you believe it? Men who literally think they are 'an alpha' and that 'alphas' exist are the worst. Any time you meet a man who talks about 'alphas' without any kind of humor it's a huge red flag. So you can see what we are dealing with here. But the beauty of what Stover is doing is that Vince is really a vulnerable character. He was tormented in Pennsylvania for being gay. Growing up vulnerable and mocked and tormented, he put on his 'suit of armor' after graduating high school, building himself a 'hypermasculine' armor and mask of the perfect body, a high-powered job, and killing all outward forms of expression. He fucks men, but feels like he won't be liked or respected by society without being a "hypermasculine robot." Vince had a thing for farmboy Tack in high school. They couldn't have been more different. Tack was a golden farmboy - popular, dated the most beautiful girl in school, drank, went to parties, was a poor student. He was handsome and had a good body. He was attracted to Vince, but being bisexual in this small town was a big no-no. So he kept dating his girl and ignoring Tack, even though they spent a summer hanging out and flirting (but not kissing or doing anything physical). Vince was a skinny, scrawny kid who read poetry all the time, dyed chunks of his hair purple, had acne and was a social outcast. Now Vince is back and although he's afraid of seeing Tack again and feels all these emotions (mostly negative) around being here, he also wants to show Tack that he's a man now. A big, powerful man. He thinks Tack will respect him because of his money and his job and his beefy body. Instead, Tack thinks he's an asshole. Because he is an asshole. Tack is a chef and Vince reluctantly hires him to work at the inn. STRENGTHS ONE:Stover's writing. It's descriptive. Pretty. As soon as we make it over the hill, the expansive countryside opens before me like an antique quilt unfolding at a county fair. ... It would almost feel calm and peaceful if riding in Tack's pickup didn't feel like being put in a cardboard box and kicked across a field. 5% If you want pretty, attractive depictions of small-town life, this is the book for you. Very Norman Rockwell. Or, as Stover puts it: As we turn on to Main Street I realize that the town is more like a Norman Rockwell painting if old Norm had been a power-bottom with a social activist consciousness. Rainbow flags hang from almost every storefront, same-sex couples walk hand in hand and "Love is love" signs cover the town like it's a mandatory municipal ordinance. 7% TWO: Stover's sense of humor. The book is genuinely funny. I found myself smiling frequently and even chuckling at times. Stover surprised me. It's not roll-on-the-ground-laughing funny, but it's pretty funny. I appreciate a dose of humor with my romances (unless they are gutwrenchers), and it was a nice touch. Sometimes shocking, I never knew what Stover was going to say next. Vince is really the funny one here, with his highly sarcastic sense of humor. Tack gets in one or two funny lines, but Vince is the one that was making me grin. "Oh, right. I remember now. Your family had a farm," I say, keeping my charade by pretending to piece the details together in my head and trying not to look at the outline of his dick in his pants. I respect having a great dick or a great ass but having both is really just obnoxious. 3% I'll avoid him with the same enthusiasm I avoid porta potties at outdoor music festivals. If I do run into him on the street I'll simply run into oncoming traffic or set myself on fire. 7% If I had thought for a second that buying this place would mean I would lay eyes on Tack again I would have opened an Etsy store and sold yarn art or kitten bobsleds or whatever crap people sell online. 17% I want to take off my suit and review every stupid decision I've made in the past few months, from buying this inn to forgetting to download more LAW & ORDER reruns. 17% THREE: MCs who have depth. It would be easy to just make Vince an 'alpha asshole.' But Stover adds genuine (not contrived) depth to the character with his backstory and his intense vulnerability that causes him to lash out. I'm not saying, "Yay," because you know I don't enjoy asshole-heroes, but he isn't the typical asshole hero IMO. He's performing, his asshole persona is, to some extent, a performance. Then there's Tack, who has to tackle the person he was in high school and the things he did (or, more accurately, didn't do). It's hard. He wasn't a gay-basher but he certainly didn't stand up for Vince when Vince was getting stomped. He also has an asshole religious father to deal with - who is elderly now and whom Tack is caring for. The father-plot was pretty undeveloped and quickly brushed aside, I feel Stover could have done more with that angle. Both men have to come to terms with their pasts and their presents. WEAKNESSES QUEER UTOPIA: Vince maintains that New Hope is not a queer utopia, but come on. It totally is. This almost reaches the level of parody. Of course our MCs are gay men, but Tack's child is genderfluid (they/them) (might be transgendered, but too young to really know so far), Tack's ex-wife is a lesbian, 95% of the supporting characters are gay, lesbian, transgendered, genderfluid, etc. I liked Anita - the butch lesbian who uses a wheelchair. But the idea that everyone is queer (or at least 95% of people) is a bit strange to me. But I guess this is going to be a series and Stover wants to establish a gay utopia here in Pennsylvania where he can write his series comfortably. It's kind of like when I read The Bull Rider's Son and three women in the novel (THREE) had secret babies they were hiding from the fathers. Three. I mean, that's pushing it. I'm willing to buy one secret-baby (reluctantly) but not three in one book. That was beyond stretching it, and I feel the same way here. DRESSING IN DRAG Maybe I don't know enough about this, but it seemed to me that pressuring Vince to do the charity run in drag and saying that he was a 'bad gay man' if he refused to do it was bad form. He's not allowed to be unwilling to dress in drag? Refusing to dress in drag to do a charity run makes him a bad person? I wasn't really on board with this message. But then again, I'm not a gay man, so perhaps there's something going on that I don't grok. He was bullied for wearing eyeliner as a kid, so he has an innate desire to dress in drag and forcing him to dress in drag is a way of getting him to accept and love himself? I don't buy it and I don't agree with bullying people into doing things they are uncomfortable with. Just my take. NEUTRALS Stover published a warning in the beginning of the book about the use of the word "faggot" in the novel. He says his editor was hesitant to publish a romance novel with this word in it. It's a great little write-up. I'm not a gay man, but the use of the word in the novel didn't bother me (YMMV), it's not used by anyone except for the villains and Stover talks in his warning about how he's been called this word and how it shapes gay men's lives to a certain extent. He says Harlequin asked for authenticity and he gave it to them. I tend to agree with him. Again, not a gay man so if you want another perspective please read other reviews that might touch on this topic. If you think you can't handle a book that has this word in it, you are warned up front and I am warning you right now that it's in there. Language doesn't bother me for the most part, but if it matters to you this book does have more swear words than your typical Harlequin. Expect words like fuck, cock, asshole, and shithead. Doesn't bother me (obviously, if you are at all familiar with me or my reviews) but if it bothers you, don't pick this up. It's not offensive or trying to be offensive IMO, but you know the way I "talk" on GR and you know I'm not afraid of the word "fuck." LOL YMMV. HOW'S THE SEX, CARMEN? I really can't review gay sex. For one thing, I'm not a gay man. For another thing, I'm not the kind of straight woman who gets excited about two men fucking (or two women for that matter). So I can't even assess it as someone who is aroused by gay porn. I know some straight women love gay porn, and masturbate thinking about two men fucking, but it's never done anything for me and I'm afraid reading gay romance love scenes has about as much sexual effect on me as reading Consumer Reports. There IS sex, more than one sex scene, and it IS detailed. So you've got that going for you. Beyond that, I have no critique. TL;DR Can't tell you how tickled I was that Harlequin has a LGBTQIA+ imprint now. Bought a book immediately. I wanted to support this. I wasn't expecting as good of a book as I was presented with. That means props to Stover. Props to Harlequin for seeking authentic voices and props to Stover for having good writing skillz. The book is engaging, not stupid, actually funny - mildly funny - and Stover surprisingly gives his characters some depth. That's not a given in the romance world. I was impressed. I would recommend this book if you are looking for m/m fiction. My only caveat is that Vince is an asshole for about half of the book. You can understand WHY he's being an asshole - but that doesn't excuse it and it might be a major turn-off for some people. Use your own judgment. Other than that, this is a 'recommend' from me. Give it a chance if my review makes it sound appealing to you at all. ROMANCE CATEGORIES #OwnVoices Romance - gay man Contemporary Romance LGBT+ Romance Second Chance Romance - Kind of. They flirted and hung out in high school, but didn't date or get physical. He's a something. Big-shot, something with Investors and working for a Firm; Tack is a farmer and a Chef-in-Training. Vince is a gay man; Tack is a bisexual man. Takes Place In: New Hope, Pennsylvania and a little bit in Manhattan, New York City. U.S.A. NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Vince Vinny m Tack m 35 Evie f Anita f Carla f Clayton m Richard m Axel – pickup truck Serilda they/them Barry m Mrs. Waddles – duck Ines f Steve m Toula f Mark m Louis m Ralph m Cheryl f Paul goat Evan m Kevin m Chikira hen Hennifer Lopez hen Jamie – fox Jules they/them 6 born-James Toby m Manny m Arthur m Danny m Mario Luis m Rhoda f Max m Pete m Andrew m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 07, 2020
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Sep 07, 2020
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Sep 07, 2020
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Kindle Edition
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152722533X
| 9781527225336
| 152722533X
| 4.45
| 774,192
| 2018
| Oct 2018
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liked it
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"Charlie seems like a lovely boy. When did you meet him?" "A couple of months ago. He's in one of my classes." "He's very different from your other frie "Charlie seems like a lovely boy. When did you meet him?" "A couple of months ago. He's in one of my classes." "He's very different from your other friends, isn't he? You seem much more like yourself around him." "Do I?" "You do!" pg. 157 Charlie is a gay boy at an all-boys school and he starts to fall for an allegedly straight boy named Nick. Nick finds himself becoming attracted to Charlie and doesn't exactly know how to handle it. I can't tell you how much squealing and excitement I hear about this book, it's really intense. However, I was not squealing nor did I feel particularly excited. It's one in a seemingly endless line of monochromatic queer graphic novels that have been getting published lately, including but not limited to Bloom [image] Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me [image] My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness [image] I don't know why monochromatic ones are so popular, but even if you add in graphic novels that use the entire color spectrum, you have to admit queer graphic novels are having a huge moment right now. It was okay. Certainly better than both Bloom and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, but definitely not as good as the amazing My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. One reason I think I liked this book better than Bloom and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me is that the two main characters in this book are both likable. Also, I like when people stand up for themselves, and also when people stand up for those weaker than themselves and both of those scenarios happen here. Nick steps in and stops a sexual assault that's being done to Charlie, and later in the book Charlie himself gets forceful in standing up for himself against a villain. And there's a big advantage in making both of her MCs good people, I enjoy books about good people. Ari in Bloom really annoyed me, of course Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me is about a girl in a relationship with an asshole, and don't even get me started on The Prince and the Dressmaker. >.< I am rather upset that we are still reliant on this old trope of her0-saves-love-interest-from-being-raped. No one gets raped here, I'm not sure rape was even (view spoiler)[going to be the end result (hide spoiler)], but it was definitely sexual assault and sexual assault/rape always makes me queasy in fiction. On one hand, I appreciate what Oseman is trying to do with (view spoiler)[Ben and Charlie. (hide spoiler)] I think her points about (view spoiler)[Ben callously using Charlie for gay sexual activity (hide spoiler)] were valid and interesting and made a good point - a better point than Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me which also covered assholes and what drives them. But was it necessary to make (view spoiler)[Ben (hide spoiler)] a rapist? Or a wanna-be rapist? And was that only put in there so that Nick could swoop in a save Charlie? The more things change, the more they stay the same. We can never escape the old tropes. Everything old is new again, or just applied to LGBTIA+ stories instead of straight ones, but essentially the same things are happening. Oseman is also good at making the attraction between the boys seem natural and sweet. Like I said, they are both goodhearted boys. TL;DR I don't think I had the reaction of 'dying of cuteness' that so many people did reading this. It was okay. It was definitely better than some of the queer graphic novels I've read, but it wasn't the best. That honor would go to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness which I highly recommend. I'd say give it a go if you are interested in an m/m graphic novel where the two MCs are actually decent people. And if you don't mind YA. I'm not the hugest fan of YA. LOL NAMES IN THIS BOOK (view spoiler)[ Nick m Nicholas Ben m Charlie m Tao m Harry m Nellie - dog Victoria Tori f Tara f Christian m Sai m Otis m (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 17, 2020
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Sep 17, 2020
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Jun 03, 2020
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Paperback
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0767926277
| 9780767926270
| 0767926277
| 3.93
| 2,183
| Jan 01, 2009
| Jan 27, 2009
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liked it
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Sometimes I don't know if I chose the life I lead or if it chose me. No, I don't mean the age-old question about whether or not one picks one's sexual
Sometimes I don't know if I chose the life I lead or if it chose me. No, I don't mean the age-old question about whether or not one picks one's sexual orientation (I know I was born this way), because I've always been comfortable with the skin I'm in. I'm talking about the situation I'm in with Dray. Why couldn't I have picked someone who wanted only to be with me? Why didn't I meet a man who was man enough to admit who he really was? I remember reading this book when it came out in January of 2009 and I remember clearly when E. Lynn Harris died, about 7 months later. And the statement his family released about his death. I don't know why, perhaps because both things happened pretty close together, this book - which I own - has always stayed with me. It's weird what books get a special place in your heart, and not even due to good writing or good plot. This is one of them, for me. Coming on GR you can see that the m/m market is dominated by white, hetero females. This book which was written by a gay black man is a lot different than what is written most frequently as m/m nowadays. I personally don't have a problem with people writing about groups they don't belong to - it's called fiction for a reason -, but there's a hugely different feel between a book that focuses on a m/m relationship penned by an actual gay man and one penned by a heterosexual female. Just as I've noticed *clears throat* that lesbian fiction written by heterosexual men is wildly different than the lesbian fiction I read that is written by actual lesbians. *cough cough* ANYWAY. I'd hesitate to classify this as a romance even though it does focus on the romantic relationship between two gay black men and does have lots of sex scenes both on and off-page (but mostly off). Instead, this is what I call "dick lit" which is like "chick lit" but by men. The focus here is not really on how the hero falls in love or what the hero does in the bedroom but instead on the hero's wants, needs, life, desires, and what is important to him in all aspects of his life. Yes, his relationship with Dray is one part of that, but the book's focus is not on falling in love or on getting to that kiss-and-get-married ending that romance always heads for. E. Lynn Harris is not the only male to write 'dick lit.' Mike Gayle, a black heterosexual British writer, writes great books about m/f relationships and life which fall into this category, like My Legendary Girlfriend [image] Turning Thirty [image] Mr. Commitment [image] His 'N' Hers [image] and Dinner for Two [image] among others. Funny, cute, and romantic and all told from a guy's point of view, Gayle's books charmed me. (I think they call this "lad lit" in Britain.) Nick Hornby also writes what I call 'dick lit.' I would describe High Fidelity as this kind of book, even though some may disagree with me... it's like the male version of Bridget Jones's Diary. Now that we've covered that. AJ has had a long-term relationship with NBA star Drayton Jones. They've been together for seven years, but Dray is deep in the closet and their whole relationship is top secret. No one knows about them, not AJ's family, not AJ's best friend... this is a secret he keeps from everyone. AJ gets benefits from this relationship - TONS of money which he uses not only for his own personal wants but uses to buy a house for his mom and 16-year-old sister, cars for them, etc. etc.; great sex; and he gets to be the partner of the man he's in love with. But his life is a complete secret from everyone and he's always going to be Dray's dirty little secret. Dray expects AJ to be at his beck and call, he expects AJ to drop everything and travel at a moment's notice, and he takes AJ's loyalty and love for granted. This only becomes worse when Dray gets married to a white woman - in an attempt to solidify his straight-man status. I showed no reaction when he announced that he was marrying Judi in what was to be one of the biggest weddings Miami's Star Island had ever seen. I'd seen it coming and told myself that I'd hold it together when he broke the news. I wanted to show him I could take care of myself. Needless to say, I didn't attend. Instead I spent the entire month of June touring Europe on Dray's dime so I didn't have to endure all the press attention their nuptials captured. Dray always thinks of himself first. It's obvious he loves AJ deeply, but he is selfish and narcissistic and brushes aside AJ's wants and needs like they are nothing. When AJ makes plans to visit his family and a chance comes up for Dray to see AJ, he just expects AJ to drop everything and cancel to come see him immediately. "When?" "Today." "Oh, I don't know if I can do that," I said. "Why not?" "I was thinking about going to see my family." "You see them all the time. Now do what I said, Mr. Richardson, and get that fine ass of yours on a plane ASAP." This happens more than once. He doesn't acknowledge or respect that AJ has a life of his own. Although I have two degrees, including an MBA from Georgia State University, I haven't worked a nine to five since I met Dray. When we first moved to Atlanta, I was kept busy furnishing his new condo and my town house... ... ...then pursued my MBA at night but didn't tell Dray about it because he made it clear he wanted me to be able to travel at a moment's notice to attend his road games. That's messed up, earning a degree at night that your man doesn't even know about. I mean, that's indicative of this whole relationship. AJ takes care of and babies Dray, and Dray just soaks it all up like it's his due. Even when they had just met and were both poor in college. Yes, Dray is giving AJ money (as a kept man) and a lifestyle that is very rich, and obviously they both love each other, but AJ hides things from Dray that he thinks Dray 'shouldn't have to deal with' or 'doesn't want to know about.' His secret MBA, his desire for Dray to kiss him more and be more affectionate, and later in the book a crisis he's going through - all of these things he 'shields' Dray from out of some bizarre idea of protecting his fragile man-child boyfriend. I personally don't think he was doing Dray any favors. I also don't think a healthy relationship is based on one person babying and catering to the other person's every whim. Dray completely thinks AJ is in the palm of his hand and he never even considers how his words or actions might affect him. They way he just tells AJ he's getting married to a woman AJ has never met and later the way he acts when (view spoiler)[AJ finds out Judi is pregnant (hide spoiler)] is just disgusting and abhorrent to me. He's truly narcissistic and unable to even understand how his actions and words are affecting loyal, nurturing AJ. He's also got a do-what-I-say, don't-ask-questions; when-I-say-jump-you-ask-how-high kind of thing going on which made me feel strongly for AJ. "What happened?" I asked. "Hey, I don't want to talk about it."... I reached out to him. "Okay, come over here and let me take your shoes off and we'll take a nap." "I knew you'd take care of me. Nobody can make me feel better than you, AJ." I don't know how AJ has put up with this for all these years and, the point of the book is, AJ is starting to wonder this, too. Was I really about to lose everything? I could stand losing the house and I could even stand losing all Dray's money, if it came to that. But the thought of not having Dray in my life was something I couldn't fathom. I needed him and I hoped Dray needed me, too. Will things with Dray come to a head? Will AJ finally leave the man he loves, fed up with all his bullshit? Will Dray ever come out of the closet? Can AJ resign himself to being 'the dirty little secret' forever? Should he have to? Is there only one love, one true love in a person's life or can there be more? There's also a mystery here, which I won't broach because I want it to be a surprise for readers, but there's a lot of secrets and snakes in this cast of characters. For a moment I wondered about what would happen if someone exposed Dray and ended this lie once and for all. At least then we could finally live our lives openly and honestly for the first time. But I knew that closeted as Dray was, even if the truth came out, I was kidding myself by thinking we could live our lives freely. Don't get me wrong, there are cute and romantic moments in this. The funny thing about the strange relationship I shared with Dray that was different from a lot of gay couples I knew was that I was completely faithful to Dray. I saw fine dudes all the time, and it wasn't as if they didn't notice me. But I wasn't about to risk the life I had for a roll in the sack with some wannabe thug. Plus I was the old-fashioned type, never one to go around looking for something bigger or better. My mother raised me to be more responsible than that. And Dray cooks AJ breakfast after a night of sex. We all know how I feel about that. ROMANTIC. "What are you doing here?" I said, sitting up in the bed. "What, you expecting your other boyfriend?" Dray teased. "Now, you know he comes during the day when we know you're at practice." "Just don't let me catch you with that nigga." "Who said he was black?" I said as I got ready to leave the bed, only to be pulled back by Dray grabbing the bottom of my white T-shirt. ... When I came back some ten minutes later, after making sure I'd brushed and flossed my teeth, combed my hair, washed my face, and moisturized my body, Dray wasn't there. I called out his name but he didn't answer. I went down the stairs and when I got halfway down I could smell food. Wonderful food. That sounds like a lot of work just go down to breakfast with your lover of seven years, but perhaps I'm just a more of a slob than AJ (LOL) but this is indicative of their whole relationship - AJ feels like he always has to look perfect and be in perfect shape in order to please Dray. I walked into the kitchen and there was Dray in his boxers and T-shirt, managing three different pots and pans on the stove top. "I hope you're hungry, baby, because I sure am." "What are you doing?" "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm cooking us breakfast." ... "When was the last time you cooked for me?" I asked. It had been so long that I'd forgotten what a great cook he was. When we started dating in college, he used to make hamburgers and homemade potato chips and then pour blue cheese over them. I loved the fattening snack. "It's been a while. That's why I'm making your breakfast favorites." Gesturing from one pan to the next, he said, "We got scrambled eggs with onions and cheddar cheese, grits, honey-glazed bacon, and some store-bought biscuits. It looks like you're out of blueberry jam but I found some strawberry." "It smells great." This sounds cute, doesn't it? But Dray ruins everything when "What would you like to drink?" "Some coffee." "That's not good for you, baby. How about some cranberry juice?" "So I can't have coffee?" "Cranberry juice." "Why?" "Because it's better for you." "So you know what's best for me," I teased. "I think I do." Ever tell me what to eat or what not to eat and risk losing a finger. Definitely never going to be allowed to kiss or touch me ever again. Not joking. But AJ seems just fine with all this. o.O Anyway, you can see why I don't classify this as a romance. It's not about two people falling in love, it's about a long-term couple who are already in love. And Harris sees the problems within their relationship and presents it plainly. He's not sugarcoating it or romanticizing the way Dray treats AJ. OTHER POINTS IN THE BOOK - Not all females are horrible people, like in some m/m I see. AJ has close, kind female friends and a loving mother and sister. There ARE some pretty nasty women in here, but also loving, kind ones. - The book is like a time capsule to 2008. Tons of talk about Obama, if he's going to be president, if he can win against Hillary. Tons of talk about Mike Vick. Tons of talk about what was going on in popular culture in 2008. I actually really enjoyed this, it was a trip. Rather than try and make his book timeless, Harris just goes for actual conversations he and his friends were having that year. - Lots of clothing descriptions of what everyone is wearing in every scene, lots of brand-name dropping. I went into my dressing area and pulled out some black sweats, along with a white V-neck T-shirt. I put on some white ankle socks and my bright red Converse sneakers. Expect a lot of this. Even in tense or emotional scenes, Harris will always pause to note what everyone is wearing in great detail. - AJ is a loyal and loving person to Dray and his friends and family, but Harris isn't making him a perfect man. He can get snippy with strangers for no reason, and he does some questionable things in the book, morally. Dray is also a mixed bag. I know I've made him sound pretty horrible in my review, but he's also loving, cute, and sweet in his own way to AJ (not enough to justify staying with him, IMO - but you can see why AJ is with him). Tl;dr - Not what I would call an m/m romance IMO. Instead, this is more like "chick lit" written by a gay black man about the relationship of a gay black man. Instead of focusing on the sex and the romance (which ARE elements of the story), Harris chooses to make this about life. Should you stay with someone you are deeply in love with but is in the closet and makes you his 'shameful little secret?' Should you stay in a relationship with someone who you can't tell ANYONE about? What are the burdens and damage caused to a person from being in this kind of relationship? How much shit can you put up with from your lover before you throw in the towel? Harris also covers topics like "Is it cheating if your man isn't sleeping with any other men but IS married to a woman?" "Should you date someone who is in the closet or is that unhealthy?" "How can a relationship's established dynamics change over time?" Etc. etc. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest. Harris has an honest and unique voice IMO. The book is completely not what you would expect from the cover, or at least not what I expected. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered this, 7 years ago. However, it's not literary gold or anything. Don't expect an exquisite writing style or a plot that is anything more than entertaining. I wouldn't read this for the sex, well, personally m/m sex does absolutely zero for me. But even if you are turned on by two men having sex, this isn't exactly written to be sexually titillating. The sex scenes are NOT written the same way they are in erotica books, although there are sex scenes. This probably isn't going to be anyone's masturbation material, is what I'm saying. Read it for the story, not for the sex. ...more |
Notes are private!
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5
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Jun 25, 2016
not set
not set
not set
not set
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Jun 26, 2016
not set
not set
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Jun 04, 2016
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Hardcover
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1609288521
| 9781609288525
| 1609288521
| 3.77
| 1,709
| Feb 14, 2012
| Feb 14, 2012
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it was amazing
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"Whores are meant to be bought with money, my lord, not flattery." Another quick reply, one Wes gave almost without thinking. "Perhaps it is not the who "Whores are meant to be bought with money, my lord, not flattery." Another quick reply, one Wes gave almost without thinking. "Perhaps it is not the whore I am trying to buy." Ugh, this book was SO AMAZING. I loved it. I was struggling the other day to think of a genre I've neglected. It was very difficult because I read everything. But finally I was like, "I am challenging myself to read one m/m romance novel and one f/f romance." Boo-yah! How exciting for me! (Now, this is not completely new territory for me, but rare enough that I think it counts as a challenge.) Unfortunately, a quick Amazon search revealed a bunch of garbage. I definitely wanted to avoid erotica and I definitely wanted to avoid poorly written PWP crap. Quickly the Romantic Times Book Review magazine swooped in to rescue me. They usually feature one m/m fiction in among the hundreds of m/f romances they review. (However, f/f fiction is conspicuously absent.) This book was featured and it sounded like an amazing plot, actually. "D-did s-someone h-h-hurt you?" Vallant's sudden, careful stillness told Wes all he needed to know. I will kill him, he thought. His mind began to catalog the many, intricate plant-based poisons he knew, several of which were rendered tasteless in a simple cup of tea. I was NOT disappointed. This book just was slamming me with all the emotional and psychological drama I look for in romance. Not to mention two MCs who are sweet, patient and loving to each other. That's what is most important to me - no sneering asshole hero. I can't stand being told that jerks are "romantic" or "charming" or "sexy." Luckily, both these men were wonderful people who treated each other with kindness and respect. Yay! ... Wes is a rich man in Georgian (?) or Regency (?) England. He has a bunch of problems. For one thing, he has a severe and pronounced stutter. This, combined with a good dose of social anxiety, makes him a near-recluse. His judgmental father criticizing him at every turn and his love of men which is seen as a sickness by society just add topping on the cake of nerves and anxiety that makes up Wes. It's for this reason that he turns to opium. I know, I know, this guy is a mess. Where can we even begin to help this man? One thing that helps him is his love of plants. He works for the Royal Botanist Society and he is great with flowers and orchids, even "bringing some back from the dead," as the book puts it. But he is basically very unhappy. ... Enter another unhappy man, stage left. This is the pretty, blond, well-dressed flirt (and prostitute) Michael. He seems to be fine, until (due to his very poor eyesight) he mistakes Wes for his... pimp(?) mentor(?) ex-lover(?) rescuer(?) Rodger. Well, let's just say Wes is shocked to be taken by surprise and felt up by this young, blond, gorgeous man. Once Michael realizes his mistake and everything is worked out, one thing leads to another and this book completely slams you into the ground with the feelings and psychology and messy pasts of both these main characters. "I'm not in love with him. I couldn't be. I can't be." His hands tightened around his gown. "I WON'T be." Wow, I just LOVE romance books that get into psychology and damaged characters and the healing power of love. Cheesy, I know, but I just eat it up. Unrealistic, I know, but it makes me so happy. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough I was so wrapped up in Wes and Michael's story and so eager to find out what would happen next. And at no point does the book slow down or let you go, because Cullinan has SO MANY issues to resolve. Which, to me, is super-fun! And, there's tons of cute, sweet, adorable scenes. Full of love. I just really like love and stories about love and when two people are in love. I am a fan of love. <3 "You shall make me fat," Michael accused, falling to the sweet with relish. Wes sincerely doubted that, but in any case, he wouldn't mind. He would feed Michael all day long, were he allowed. But he only said, "Eat quickly. There is a b-b-bookstore ahead." Because Michael loves books! And there's lots of book-worship in this novel, too. Another great thing about the book that I want to note is that there's no stupid misunderstandings, miscommunications, or dumb fights. I hate when those are in romance, they are very frustrating. But Cullinan neatly sidesteps that, to my relief. ... How's the sex, Carmen? I don't feel like I can really weigh in on this because I am not really interested in sex unless there are vulvae involved. If it's only penises, I just can't work up any excitement. I know tons of heterosexual women who enjoy gay porn (for example, a friend of mine watches it all the time), but it just leaves me bored. So... perhaps you should check other reviews to find out if this book is sexually exciting or not. I will say that if you love the slow burn (and I do), then this book will be right up your alley. The romance between these two (even though they sleep together early on) is so slow, so gradual, so glacier-slow and that is JUST how I love it. I wish more romance books did this. I love slow-moving, "we actually are going to fall in love, not just fuck or instantly be a couple" plots. ... TRIGGER WARNING: This book deals rather heavily with the sexual abuse of children. If that upsets you, SKIP THIS, I am warning you. ... THREE REAL STARS, FIVE ROMANCE STARS Completely worth the $4 I paid for it. And that's saying a lot, for me. P.S. I tried valiantly and I think successfully to ignore the cover picture and create my own imaginings of what Michael and Wes looked like. Not that the cover is bad, but I'm trying to fight it destroying my mind-pictures. o.O I am strange. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 25, 2015
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Jul 25, 2015
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Jul 25, 2015
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ebook
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B00O2ZX1LE
| 4.09
| 897
| Aug 02, 2013
| Oct 01, 2014
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really liked it
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Antho is a surveillance desk jockey. He witnesses a bad-ass, Matrix-looking man murder Antho's jerk boss. Instead of turning the assassin in to the au
Antho is a surveillance desk jockey. He witnesses a bad-ass, Matrix-looking man murder Antho's jerk boss. Instead of turning the assassin in to the authorities, he decides to take the sexy, unconscious murderer home with him. This story takes place in future reminiscent of Blade Runner. I really enjoy science-fiction that takes place in this kind of urban, slick, gritty setting. Genao does a good job of painting this world without giving you so many details that you begin to doubt it or overthink things. He gives you just enough specifics and leaves the rest to the imagination - which makes the world stronger, in my opinion. The writing style is amazing and gorgeous. I love the way Genao talks and describes things. One of the things that works in Genao's favor is that he is using one of my all-time favorite tropes: the "take the wounded, sexy, dangerous man home and nurse him back to health" trope. This is a great trope. I always love to read stories and books that have this plot. Of course, it can be garbage (see my review of LABOR DAY by Joyce Maynard for proof), but luckily Genao does it right. He even adds in a little amnesia for extra drama. Lastly, I want to tackle the characters. They are not very fleshed out - but then again, consider that this is a romance AND a short story. Assassin-man is a badass killer who wears a leather duster and has lightning-fast reflexes. Antho is a lonely man who apparently has no friends or family or acquaintances and is so consumed with lust for assassin-man that he ignores repeated threats on his life, and the apparent psychosis/amnesia of his lover. Anyone who knows me is familiar with the fact that I don't like people with a temper. This is softened in this story by the fact that perhaps assassin-man is lashing out physically because he is frustrated and confused because he has amnesia. I, personally, would not put up with constant death threats and extensive destruction of my personal property - but then again, this is a romance. So, you know, assassin-man is JUST SO hot and irresistible that Antho will forgive him anything. Again, this idea of "he's a merciless, trained killer - but also so vulnerable" thing is very popular in books. In real life, you'd want to stay the hell away from this kind of male, but in fiction of course this is portrayed as very sexy. All in all, an enjoyable short story with beautiful writing and a great setting. The romance plot involves one of my favorite tropes, but also portrays a deeply violent and troubled man as very sexy, irresistible, and somehow in need of rescuing. I'm giving it 3 stars - which is my HIGHEST possible rating for a romance book. (Just based on the silly nature of romances, no romance book gets more than 3 stars from me). THREE REAL STARS, FOUR ROMANCE STARS P.S. You can download this story for FREE on the GR website. If you are interested. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 14, 2014
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Oct 14, 2014
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Oct 14, 2014
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Kindle Edition
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