Becoming Ted

Title: Becoming Ted

Author: Matt Cain

Publisher: Storm Publishing

Release Date: June 4, 2024

Genre(s): Contemporary M/M Romance

Page Count: 416

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

43-year-old Ted is devastated when his husband of what Ted thought were 20 wonderful years, Giles, leaves him for a younger, more exciting man. And once Ted begins to realize how Giles has demeaned him and held him back from his dreams, Ted begins working toward his childhood dream of becoming a drag queen. It takes Ted a while, but he gets there in the end, and in between is a big-hearted story that captivated me to the very end. 

There's a lot of characters here but Matt Cain richly develops each one - Ted's parents and their expectation that Ted will continue with the family's ice cream business, his new relationship with Oskar who grew up in homophobic Poland, Ted's best friend and top supporter Denise who values her independence but hopes for "a future that might just involve happiness", 90+ year old Stanley who is not letting life pass him by, even Lily, the very un-cute terrier with "weapons-grade halitosis." 

There's a lot of baggage to get past here, but the book resonates with the idea that "There's no point regretting things we did in the past because if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be where we are in the present." There are numerous flashbacks to Ted's childhood and his relationship with Giles, but at times it's hard to immediately realize the time period has shifted. And there's a subplot involving mysterious letters that just didn't work for me, but I absolutely loved the conclusion of this book, which admittedly is a total feel-good fest of happiness

although I think Giles should NEVER be seen again and doesn't deserve one bit of forgiveness, but then that's just my bitchy belief

Click here to reveal a spoiler

But I love how Ted becomes liberated from his sense of duty and realizes that he can "put myself first and follow my dream - but I can also take the people I love along with me." 4 stars and many thanks to Storm Publishing for the ARC. 

I received an ARC from Storm Publishing, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Curio

Title: Curio

Author: CS Poe

Publisher: Emporium Press

Release Date: February 5, 2024

Genre(s): M/M Contemporary Romance

Page Count: 60

Rating: 5 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

Llewellyn Cooper (Lew) and his aunt Julia ("Remember the summer you took up performance art in the park and destroyed all your panties in front of picnicking families?" "It was art, Lew. I was making a statement.") run the Curio Cabinet in NYC's West Village and have lately been fascinated by Professor Bow Tie (Henry), a natty dresser (albeit with thick thighs and a lumberjack beard) who sorts endlessly through old photos in their shop, occasionally buying a photo or two.

Julia insists Henry and Lew would make a great couple. And even after a somewhat fraught first date ("I started to giggle. And not in a cute way either - but in a hysterical way that'd have had a nineteenth-century woman locked away."), Lew and Henry find they are, indeed, a good fit. 

This novella packs in a lot - quirky well-developed characters, an Easter egg (or two?), and the start of what looks to be an interesting relationship. Toss in a robbery, a WWI-era mystery, a steamy sex scene (and, yes, this all fits nicely into this 60-page novella) and you have a thoroughly enjoyable story that I personally loved. 5 stars.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cross My Candy Heart

Title: Cross My Candy Heart

Author: A.C. Thomas

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: February 6, 2024

Genre(s): M/M Contemporary Romance, Valentine's Day

Page Count: 95

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

This novella answers the question: "How do you let someone know you're totally crushing on them when dressed as a slightly mangy teddy bear or in a duck costume with candy-striped tights and big webby feet?" 

After his latest bad relationship with a truly horrid ex, Justin is working three jobs to get his head anywhere close to above water. And as an employee of "Season's Greetings," he delivers singing telegrams. AND his latest one is a doozy - Adam Hubert (who I picture as James Garner with a heavier brow and a scowl) is definitely not feeling the Valentine love with this anonymous embarrassing delivery. And to make it worse, Adam is his daily 7:15 am "extra-large Americano with a double shot of espresso" order / crush at the coffee shop where Justin also works. 

What follows is a sweet story of two guys who find they may not be perfect, but they are perfect for each other. But along the way, each man spends far too much time bemoaning their unworthiness - way, way too much time, IMHO - plus the requisite miscommunication and some angst. But no worries - a very improbable resolution to who is sending Adam these singing telegrams (plus a pretty darn steamy sex scene) makes for a very satisfying HEA. 4 stars. 

I received an ARC from IndiGo Marketing and Design in exchange for an honest review.

The Problem with Perfect

Title: The Problem with Perfect

Author: Philip William Stover

Publisher: Canelo Hera

Release Date: May 10, 2023

Genre(s): M/M Contemporary Romance, Fake Boyfriend

Page Count: 336

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

Okay, I loved this book. Every snarky aside, every astute comment about the horrors of celebrity worship, Uncle Clams and the rests of the glamorous Giblet Triplets, Fire Island, etc. It's all very good stuff. 

From page one, the (okay, very implausible) story grabs your attention with the tale of Ethan, who quickly learned "I couldn't control the big things but I could make the details of my life shiny" and as the creative genius behind gay lifestyle show Myles of Style, strives for his next big network promotion to VP of Diversity Programming while keeping his star Chase Myles engaged and charming, not to mention stopping him from using an iron in a segment about getting rid of facial wrinkles ("So what? I wasn't going to plug it in") or claiming he is a queer role model like "Harley Milk." 

But when Chase jets off to "Dabu Bobby" ("It's in the Middle East somewhere ...") with a Greek fishing tycoon, Ethan realizes the only way he can finish all the promotional material he needs yesterday is to find a Chase Myles substitute ... one Beau Myles, Chase's twin brother who lives in a yurt in upstate New York ("His hair must have been cut with a rock, his beard makes him look like he should drive a buggy or brew his own ale in Williamsburg ...") and is desperate enough for money he is willing to be manscaped, tweezed and spray-tanned to within an inch of his life. 

What follows is a sweet, sexy, irreverent adventure (no explicit on-page sex but the perfect touch of lusting and longing) complete with a fake/fake boyfriend plot, a weekend on Fire Island (more Cherry Grove than the Meat Rack), and the realization that, as Beau says, "You don't have to be perfect, you just have to be yourself." 

Granted, it takes a while (okay, far too long) to get Ethan to fully understand how he is not living the life he wants to, but the perfectly lovely epilogue and HEA is like the icing on the cake. 

4.5 stars for a great read with plenty of heart mixed with gobs of snark (and topped with "Power Top Pop" - a ghastly "combination energy drink and personal lubricant" [...] in four fabulous flavors. Each one inspired by a different Golden Girl.") Let's just say I adore Philip William Stover's snark. 

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Hide and Seek

Title: Hide and Seek 

Author: Josh Lanyon 

Publisher: JustJoshin Publishing

Release Date: October 19, 2022 

Genre(s): M/M Romance, M/M Mystery 

Page Count: 305 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

I devoured this book in one sitting because, bottom line, I am a total sucker for second chance romance. 

And this story of Andy returning to the appropriately-named Safehaven to help out his injured great uncle Cuthbert and reconnecting with his first love, bad boy Quinn Rafferty, fits the bill.  

Leaving an abusive ex-cop boyfriend, Andy returns to Safehaven to tend the antiques shop "Time in a Bottle" while Uncle Cuthbert lies in a coma, the victim of a savage beating in connection with a break-in. There are a few obvious suspects - the deliciously dysfunctional couple Clark and Fleur Skylar - and as the break-ins continue, the mystery grows. 

When Quinn Rafferty disappeared one night (when he was 18 and Andy was 16), Andy believed him dead ...

"Because otherwise why wouldn't Quinn have let him know where he was? Why wouldn't Quinn have told Andy what was going on? After everything - after what they had meant to each other -  But it turned out Andy had been as wrong about that as all the rest of it. Clearly, Quinn had not felt the same."

Sometimes the bad boy is just a messed-up kid who doesn't know where to turn. And sometimes that kid becomes (how can I say this ....) an "international man of mystery" which works for the story but lets Quinn off the hook in a way by too quickly encapsulating what made Quinn the man he is today.

In any case, Andy finally solves the mystery which has led us through a tantalizing array of suspects and motives.  I suspect some readers are not going to be as forgiving of Quinn; however, the mystery kept my interest throughout and c'mon, the bad boy and a geeky museum curator get back together. 4 stars.

I received an ARC from the author, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Being John Church (A Bucks County Mystery, #2)

Title: Being John Church (A Bucks County Mystery, #2)

Author: Neil S. Plakcy 

Publisher: Samwise Books

Release Date: September 1, 2022

Genre(s): M/M Contemporary, Murder/Mystery

Page Count: 346 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 

Read book blurb here

I will admit it took some time to truly become engrossed in this book, but I ended up really appreciating the narrative structure of this story and it definitely held my interest to the very end. 

Pascal Montrouge, Jeff's lover, is dead and Jeff soon discovers that Pascal is not who Jeff thought him to be. 

"I've been wondering about Pascal's lies. That when he said that he loved me, was that a lie, too? But maybe the real question is would I have loved Pascal if I knew the real man behind the facade?" 

Jeff learns that Pascal's exotic and exciting childhood - something all of his friends took as gospel - is completely false, and some of his subsequent experiences are suspect as well. Jeff wonders if this subterfuge is also the reason for Pascal's accidental death .... or is his death a murder? 

There are reasons why someone reinvents themselves, why they turn their back on family and make new bonds, why sometimes the past is so unyielding and oppressive that dulling one's senses is the only way to cope. And the way in which the author reveals that history is equal parts compelling and heartbreaking. 

As I finished the book, I wondered if some of the additional plot elements (suspected crimes, murders) were really needed here, as the central plot of discovery is enough. I recently found a great quote - "When you meet someone for the first time, that’s not the whole book. That’s just the first page” (Brody Armstrong) and the author's take on that dichotomy is what really works so well in "Being John Church." 4 strong stars. 

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.