Tag Archives: romance

Review of Aqua Follies, by Liv Rancourt

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Author, Liv Rancourt sent me a copy of her novel Aqua Follies for review.

Description from Goodreads:
The 1950s. Postwar exuberance. Conformity. Rock and roll.

Homophobia.

Russell tells himself he’ll marry Susie because it’s the right thing to do. His summer job coaching her water ballet team will give him plenty of opportunity to give her a ring. But on the team’s trip to the annual Aqua Follies, the joyful glide of a trumpet player’s solo hits Russell like a torpedo, blowing apart his carefully constructed plans.

From the orchestra pit, Skip watches Poseidon’s younger brother stalk along the pool deck. It never hurts to smile at a man, because good things might happen. Once the last note has been played, Skip gives it a shot.

The tenuous connection forged by a simple smile leads to events that dismantle both their lives. Has the damage been done, or can they pick up the pieces together?

Review:
This is a hard on for me to review. The book is really well written, easily readable and well edited. It has two likable characters and a realistic plot and setting. However, I didn’t enjoy it personally, and that’s not the fault of the book. It’s just that, while I understand that 1950s America was a horrible time and place to be gay and there were very real reasons to be afraid of being outed, I got really tired of Russell’s back and forwards. I understood it, but I had a hard time liking him each time he treated Skip poorly because of his own insecurities. And I never could forgive Ryker (and to a lesser degree Susie), so Rancourt’s attempt to redeem them in the end totally flopped for me.

So, how do you rate a book that you can objectively say is a good book, but not a book for you? I don’t know either. But it is what it is.

Spectred Isle

Book Review of Spectred Isle (Green Men #1) by K. J. Charles

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I received a copy of K. J. Charles‘ Spectred Isle from the author.

Description from Goodreads:
Archaeologist Saul Lazenby has been all but unemployable since his disgrace during the War. Now he scrapes a living working for a rich eccentric who believes in magic. Saul knows it’s a lot of nonsense…except that he begins to find himself in increasingly strange and frightening situations. And at every turn he runs into the sardonic, mysterious Randolph Glyde.

Randolph is the last of an ancient line of arcanists, commanding deep secrets and extraordinary powers as he struggles to fulfil his family duties in a war-torn world. He knows there’s something odd going on with the haunted-looking man who keeps turning up in all the wrong places. The only question for Randolph is whether Saul is victim or villain.

Saul hasn’t trusted anyone in a long time. But as the supernatural threat grows, along with the desire between them, he’ll need to believe in evasive, enraging, devastatingly attractive Randolph. Because he may be the only man who can save Saul’s life—or his soul.

Review:
Honestly, I didn’t love it. I liked it. Charles’ quality is still there and she simply does historical so well. But I really felt like I’d been dropped into the middle of this story. Maybe it’s because I’ve not read The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal, which is set in the same world, but this isn’t supposed to be a sequel to. Maybe it’s because Saul and Randolph each have so much history that we’re told about, but don’t engage in. I don’t know, but I never ever felt connected to them or the side characters. I liked the story, was invested in the mystery, but it’s just another book I’ve read, not something that will stick with me, like most of Charles books are.

Book Review of Abroad: Book One (Abroad #1), by Liz Jacobs

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I received an ARC of Liz Jacob‘s Abroad.

Description from Goodreads:
Nick Melnikov doesn’t know where he belongs. He was just a kid when his Russian-Jewish family immigrated to Michigan. Now he’s in London for university, overwhelmed by unexpected memories. Socially anxious, intensely private, and closeted, Nick doesn’t expect to fall in so quickly with a tight-knit group of students from his college, and it’s both exhilarating and scary. Hanging out with them is a roller coaster of serious awkward and incredible longing, especially when the most intimidating of the group, Dex, looks his way.

Dex Cartwell knows exactly who he is: a black queer guy who doesn’t give a toss what anybody thinks of him. He is absolutely, one-hundred-percent, totally in control of his life. Apart, maybe, from the stress of his family’s abrupt move to an affluent, largely white town. And worrying about his younger brother feeling increasingly isolated as a result. And the persistent broken heart he’s been nursing for a while . . .

When Nick and Dex meet, both find themselves intrigued. Countless late-night conversations only sharpen their attraction. But the last thing Nick wants is to face his deepest secret, and the last thing Dex needs is another heartache. Dex has had to fight too hard for his right to be where he is. Nick isn’t even sure where he’s from. So how can either of them tell where this is going?

Review:
This is a situational, character-driven novel if I’ve ever read one. It is essentially conflict-less, or at least there isn’t any conflict from outside the characters themselves. Then there are all the points of view.

There are three first-person POVs, which confused me for a while. Two are very obviously a couple-to-be, which in most such books makes them the main characters. But then there is this third POV, which honestly felt like a 3rd wheel to me. That is until I realized it’s not the individual characters the story centers around, but their collective lives, negotiations, and self-discoveries. It’s in how they relate and compare to one another, their similarities and differences that this book shines. And shine it does. Everyone should read it.

My complaints are few, but I do have some. I felt like Dex and Nick’s attraction was a little too instant and there was so little direct interaction between them that I didn’t feel their relationship grow. I feel I learned a lot about their insecurities and various social challenges, but very little about them outside of these narrow disclosures. I thought the sex scenes, though wonderful, were too long and too similar; this despite one being F/F and one being M/M. (It’s wonderful to have both in the same book, BTW.) I thought the writing, which was mostly fabulous, got a little too purple at times, especially toward the end. And I thought the 3 POVs, diluted the story a bit. It made obvious that the intent was to explore different sorts of sexuality and sexual discovery, but it made for a thin plot.

All in all, I didn’t think it was perfect. But I liked it enough to be looking for more.