LGBT Romance

Review of Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

July 8, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

I love the fake dating trope and felt that this one was exceptionally well done. The story follows a young man named Luc, who is the son of famous rock star parents, meaning his life is under the constant microscope of the paparazzi. Because of this, a few “unflattering” photos of him have made it into the newspapers, and his reputation is in dire need of fixing.

So when his boss tells him in no uncertain terms that he needs to clean up his image…or else, Luc decides to find a nice normal boyfriend and sets his sights on Oliver, a rather stuffy and uptight vegetarian barrister who is in need of a date for an important family event. After a disastrous first date, the two men decide quickly that they don’t like each other, but they do agree to be each other’s fake boyfriend for the next several months, after which each man can go his separate way. Of course, our guys have to keep in mind the first rule of fake dating: don’t fall in love.

What I enjoyed about this story is that it was also an endearing romantic comedy of opposites attracting, as these two men couldn’t be more different. It was so much fun watching the ups and downs of their budding relationship as they slowly begin to develop real romantic feelings for each other once the lines of their “fake” relationship begin to blur. I also loved witnessing Luc’s journey as he went from a place of super-low self-esteem and low self-worth to being a confident and self-assured young man.

While the fake dating/romance theme does take front and center, the book delves into some serious topics as well, including abandonment issues, toxic family dynamics, homophobia, trust/mistrust, mental health, parental estrangement, and self-acceptance. In this way, the book is much more than a light, fluffy romance; it has quite a bit of depth.

It was refreshing that our main characters did not jump into bed right away just because they are fake dating, which we often see with this trope. And when the sex does finally occur, it’s mostly off-screen and fade to black, so if you’re looking for a sexy, steamy and explicit romance, this isn’t it. But what you will get is an emotional, gripping story with plenty of heart. It was so easy to fall in love with these characters as they’re amusing, somewhat angsty, super sweet, determined, flawed, and real.

I thought this book was hysterically funny, and the banter made me cackle out loud on several occasions. It’s also heartwarming and touching, with wry descriptions and excellent pacing — it’s the sort of book you’ll clasp to your chest with a happy sigh after you finish it. If you like witty banter and shenanigans, this is the book for you.

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Review of Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover

May 26, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

The Hideaway Inn is a character-driven LGBT romance that follows Vince Amato. We learn that as a child, Vince was bullied quite severely because of his sexuality. The moment he graduated, he blew town, and during his years away, completely reinvented himself from the skinny, frightened kid he used to be to a domineering muscular power alpha.

Now he’s back, but only because he recently purchased an inn called The Hideaway Inn. He plans to renovate the inn, flip it, make a gigantic profit, and then return to his life in the city. But what he didn’t count on was his childhood crush, Tack, a charming farm boy who broke Vince’s heart in high school. We also learn that Tack stood by and did nothing during Vince’s bullying.

But Tack has changed, and he’s determined to win Vince’s heart. But Tack unaware of Vince’s plans to sell the inn. So the question is: can Tack win Vince’s heart and cause him to change his mind?

This was a sweet, tender, and endearing novel about redemption and second chances. I really enjoyed getting to know these two characters and enjoyed how they both grew throughout the pages of the book. Character development was certainly among The Hideaway Inn’s list of shining accomplishments, and the author really brings them to life here, letting all of them thrive in their complexity, both haunted by the ghosts of their past. I loved the tension and chemistry between our two main characters, and they both tried to figure out how they fit into the other’s life.

I really, really cared about these two guys making it to a happy ending and thought the journey that takes them there is an utterly remarkable read. This is the kind of book that makes you laugh, makes you sad, and even makes you pine for lost love and lost opportunities. I thought that this is a beautifully rendered contemporary story of love and friendship, with all of its exhilaration, disappointments, and mistakes, and if you’re in the mood for a sweet and cozy read, then The Hideaway Inn is surely worth checking out.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this book.

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Review of Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert

May 24, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Conventionally Yours is a new adult romance follows our two main characters Conrad and Alden, both expert players of a fictional game called Odyssey. This book contained three of my favorite tropes: enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, and a road trip (complete with a hotel room with only…one…bed). I wasn’t sure about the gaming aspect of it, though, as I’m not a gamer, but I needn’t had worried as the tensions between our two characters along with their hidden pasts rendered this an utterly compelling story for me. This was the first book I’ve read about gamers and gaming conventions, and though I’m not personally a gamer, I found this aspect of the story a lot of fun.

What made this story especially intriguing was both of our characters’ backstories. There’s Alden, who may or may not be on the autism spectrum but who is suffering from crippling anxiety as well as the need to fulfill his moms’ expectations; and Conrad, who has suffered enormous setbacks over the past year and is on the verge of being homeless.

What’s fun is that each character sees the other in a completely different way than the person’s actual reality. And of course, there’s the “I hate you, I hate you….yet I find you strangely attractive” aspect of it, which I always love. So in this way, both of our characters are quite complex and leading complicated lives.

So our two enemies, each who is at a significant crossroads in his life, are forced to travel to a gaming convention together alone and in the same car. And as their trip progresses, they each find themselves developing more than a casual interest in the other, complete with unwelcome romantic thoughts.

I was nearly giddy as I saw them moving toward an inevitable romance, and it was so much fun watching these two fighting their attraction to the other and, ultimately, giving in to it. There was also the extra added intrigue of the uber-important Odyssey Con competition — where both of the men feel that they must win… NO MATTER WHAT.

Overall, Conventionally Yours is a sweet, fun, heartfelt, nerdy romance – an excellent, well-crafted story that was a perfect blend of romance and gaming — a rare find. It’s a heartwarming story of two boys finding their way to each other, and I ended up loving the quirky plot and the endearing secondary characters. A rivalry between two master gamers turns into a whirlwind romance in this charming story about true love and doing what’s right.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an ARC of this story.

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Silent Sin by EJ Russell

April 6, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Book Blurb:

When tailor Marvin Gottschalk abandoned New York City for the brash boomtown of silent-film-era Hollywood, he never imagined he’d end up on screen as Martin Brentwood, one of the fledgling film industry’s most popular actors. Five years later a cynical Martin despairs of finding anything genuine in a town where truth is defined by studio politics and publicity. Then he meets Robbie Goodman.

Robbie fled Idaho after a run-in with the law. A chance encounter leads him to the film studio where he lands a job as a chauffeur. But one look at Martin and he’s convinced he’s likely to run afoul of those same laws—laws that brand his desires indecent, deviant… sinful.

Martin and Robbie embark on a cautious relationship, cocooned in Hollywood’s clandestine gay fraternity, careful to hide from the studio boss, a rival actor, and reporters on the lookout for a juicy story. But when tragedy and scandal rock the town, igniting a morality-based witch hunt fueled by a remorseless press, the studio brass will sacrifice even the greatest careers to defend their endangered empire. Robbie and Martin stand no chance against the firestorm—unless they stand together.

Book Review:

I thought that this well-researched story about the silent movie era Hollywood was utterly fascinating. It’s 1921, and we’re immediately introduced to a young, naive Idaho farmboy named Robinson (AKA “Robbie”) Crusoe Goodman, who escaped to Hollywood. From what exactly he is running away is a mystery, one that is slowly revealed as the plot unfolds.

Robbie manages to land a job as a chauffeur for actor Martin Brentwood. The story then alternates between Martin’s and Robbie’s POV, and we learn that both men are extremely attracted to each other but give the era, they have to be careful to hide their feelings as it could not only ruin their careers but land them in prison.

It’s important to remember that this was a time when being gay had life-threatening consequences. It’s a time when morality-based censorship and witch hunts occupied first spots in the newspapers, morality clauses played a prominent part in Hollywood contracts, and queer people were beaten and even killed by the police. But despite the dangers, Robby and Martin embark on a cautious clandestine relationship, which becomes even more complicated when Robby is thrust into the limelight of Hollywood, and his place in the motion picture world becomes more prominent.

It’s interesting that during this time period, there still wasn’t a word for being queer, and instead, someone who had gay tendencies was referred to as “being in the life.” You still hear this term occasionally, though in recent years, it’s fallen out of favor. It reminded me of the period of my own coming-of-age during which being gay was often called “being a friend of Dorothy.”

It was so much fun going behind the scenes of the golden age of silent film and learning firsthand about the rich history of this period and the machinations of the movie industry. Though our two main characters are fictional, many of the elements, including the scandals and tragedies, are based on actual events that affected real people, all of which the author explains in the novel’s addendum. For instance, the author includes circumstances surrounding the murder of William Desmond Taylor as well as Fatty Arbuckle’s famous trials for rape and manslaughter. These tidbits added a riveting extra layer and dimension to the story, which I especially enjoyed.

In Silent Sin, we got to experience the “real” Hollywood — the Hollywood behind the flashy movie stars and all the glamor. In this way, I thought the world-building was phenomenal. It was so much fun experiencing the movie era that was still in its infancy and was just beginning to take off, still, as of yet, on unsure footing. The author really brought this story to life for me, and I continue to ruminate over it several days later.

I also thought that the author exhibits an uncanny insight into the human condition, and parts of the novel were a pretty honest and raw commentary on humanity. I was amazed at the way Russell was able to weave together historically accurate renderings of the times with a series of unlikely events and coincidences in a way that felt absolutely authentic.

Silent Sin hits at such a visceral level that it’s hard to describe with words, and parts of the book were so emotive and moving that they left me gutted. It’s a rich story that deals with very loaded issues like grief, homophobia, fear, hatred, regrets, the oftentimes difficult journey of personal growth and loss; but also with courage and the opportunity to start anew. It’s eye-opening — and heartbreaking — to witness how the systemic prejudice and homophobia our characters deal with every day has affected their lives in both small and big ways. I was also surprised by the profound impact the story had on me.

Note that though there is a romance between our two main characters, the romance takes a backseat to the historical aspect of the narrative. This is a low-heat story with all the lovemaking taking place off-screen. So if you’re looking for a steamy romance, you won’t find that there. What you will find, however, is a sweet and tender romance between two gentle and charming souls living in a time period where being their authentic selves could prove deadly.

All in all, I found Silent Sin to be an exceptionally unique, surprisingly profound, and beautifully written story that is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It’s a well-written and smoothly plotted novel of many layers with fully realized and endearing characters and will undoubtedly appeal to historical fiction lovers. I also felt that the ending is perfect, and there were definitely tears of happiness and a wonderful grin plastered across my face during those last final pages.

This is the second book that I’ve read and loved by this author, and I definitely plan on reading more of their books. This one is a gem!

Heat Level: 1

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Review of Winter Masquerade by Kevin Klehr

February 21, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

50433565 SY475 Winter Masquerade is an absurdist fiction story that follows a young man named Ferris who awakens on the Sea Queen, a ship that is sailing on a sea of chocolate and which contains passengers with names like Miss Calculation, Miss Communication, Miss Assumption and Miss Represent. He had no idea where he is or how he ended up in this bizarre, surrealistic world; all he wants to do is get home to his boyfriend, Harris. On the ship, he befriends an eclectic group of individuals who agree to help him find his way back. There is supposedly one person on the ship who can help him called The Alchemist, but unfortunately, he’s just been kidnapped, creating another mystery to solve.

A further mystery is the fact that Ferris seems to keep temporarily slipping into a darker, grittier, more menacing alternate dimension in which one of the ordinarily friendly musicians is trying to kill him, the ship he is on is nothing more than a rusted hunk of scrap metal, and the ocean is chock-full of garbage. What’s strange is that this only seems to happen when he thinks about a certain someone back in his “real” world.

This story really had an Alfred Jarry/Alice in Wonderland vibe to it, which was a lot of fun. Though at first glance Winter Masquerade seemed like an absurdist, possibly silly story, there were actually many layers to it, especially once we figured out the true reason that Ferris found himself on the Sea Queen, which was slowly revealed to Ferris throughout the course of the book.

I found it fascinating how Ferris’s new experiences paralleled what was going on in his real world and how the book ended up being a story about survival and finding your own inner strength — about taking back your power. It also served to remind us how easily someone can take that power away from us and, in the process, asks a lot of complex questions.

The characters in the story were charming and yes, silly, and each of them served a purpose in Ferris’s narrative as each helped Ferris to understand the life lesson his time on the Sea Queen is proving him. I especially liked Cole’s character and enjoyed how Ferris slowly unraveled the mystery, thanks to Cole’s influence. There’s also an interesting backstory surrounding Cole and Ferris’s relationship, which added an extra compelling layer to the story. All the quirky and outlandish events in the narrative were kept steady and were grounded by the realism and truth behind it all.

This was a wild ride of a story with stellar world-building, a fun cast of zany characters, and an important message underneath it all. I loved seeing Ferris come into his own and become the person he was meant to be. I thought this was utterly enchanting and a treat for anyone who enjoys an off the wall tale with many layers — an intense roller coaster ride through a world of chocolate and danger. This story is so inventive and so much fun that it repeatedly brought a smile to my face as I worked my way through it. I loved this little gem!

But at the end of the day, one cannot forget one of the most important lessons of the book: “Never fall in love on Wednesday. Nothing good can ever come from anything happening on a Wednesday.”

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Review of Unraveling by Rick R. Reed

February 13, 2020 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Unraveling follows our main character Randy who has lived a lie most of his life. He loves his wife and his adorable son, but he has a dark secret: he’s gay, and it’s tearing him apart. At his wife’s urging, he finally comes clean. His wife is supportive and encourages him to get out in the world and discover who he is.

So he does and meets John, a paramedic who, though comfortable being gay, isn’t happy with his life and is looking for a change. But even though John is attracted to the man, Randy being currently married and newly-out has set off John’s internal warning alarms, and he’s hesitant to enter into a romantic relationship with him. It’s about at this point that Randy’s life takes an extreme turn, and before long, things begin to unravel quickly.

I enjoyed the fact that this novel took place in the 80s as it was during this time that I came of age as well, so in this way, it was quite nostalgic for me. I also had several friends who went through a similar event as our main character Randy — coming to terms with their sexuality and going through a divorce in the process. I thought the author handled that aspect of it wonderfully and illustrated nicely that pain and anguish to all involved. The fact that the story is told from a variety of POVs — Randy’s, Violet (the wife), and John (the boyfriend) — added an extra depth and richness to the story.

Unraveling was such a powerful story of acceptance, especially self-acceptance. Though this is sort of a love story, it isn’t your typical gay romance. In fact, passion isn’t the main focus of the story. Instead, it’s raw, emotional, and quite heart-wrenching in places, especially the self-hatred that our main character exhibited and the homophobia of certain family members. It’s a hard-hitting story about the prejudice that gay people have to deal with as well as the pain that leading an inauthentic life can cause. I liked how the story examined the effect of Randy’s coming out on his wife and son and showed how such a decision impacts everyone around you.

I think this is such an important story to be out in the world. In fact, I know of someone who is currently going through a similar situation as Randy now; hence those issues of acceptance, self-hatred, fear, and confusion about one’s sexuality are still very real concerns even today.

Unraveling is such an amazing, thought-provoking, and gut-wrenching read with vivid and wonderfully rendered characters. Though parts of it were dark and gritty, this book hit me right in the heart, and I found it engaging, poignant and ultimately hopeful — and the lovely epilogue was the cherry on top of this tender and heartfelt story.

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