Title: Bastards and Pretty Boys
Author: K. Z. Snow
Genre: m/m romance
Print length: 101 pages
Publication date: September 14, 2009
Rating: Three Stars
Blurb: Charles Larkin is finally happy with his life…for the most part. He’s happy with his new summer getaway—a rustic cottage he just bought on a small Wisconsin lake. He’s happy that his ex-wife, whom he divorced because he couldn’t play straight anymore, has become one of his best friends. He’s happy he can breathe again.
It’s only Kenneth, Charlie’s boyfriend of five months, who makes this new life less than completely satisfying. Charlie feels they’ve never been quite right for each other, and Kenneth cements that conviction when he makes a disturbing confession. Charlie knows their time together is quickly coming to an end. Problem is, Kenneth doesn’t know it. And he tends to be rather possessive.
Planning to spend a quiet, relaxing two or three weeks at Cloud Lake—fixing up his place, reading, even attempting to overcome his fear of water—Charlie is less than thrilled to discover his next-door neighbor is one hell of a looker. He doesn’t need that kind of distraction, especially since his issues with Kenneth haven’t yet been resolved. But there’s a ninety percent chance the neighbor is straight, has a wife or girlfriend, and could be leaving the next day. Charlie clings to those probabilities.
Only, Booker isn’t going anywhere, and he isn’t that easily ignored. And neither is his unexpected, none-too-savory baggage. And neither, for that matter, is Charlie's. But when two people care enough about each other, they figure out how to help carry each other's baggage…or cast it aside.
This novella explores good and bad relationships. It just happens to feature men who enjoy having sex with each other.
Review:
This was definitely well written. I was most impressed by the landscape of the story which I think, must be real place unless it sprung from the figment of the writers imagination. I wouldn't be surprised if it did, considering that the rest of the story is littered with similarly breathtaking descriptions. You can always tell when the writer can actually see the surroundings and the characters. It's even more satisfying when the writer can see it and then paint it so vividly for the rest of us.
The connection between the two characters is real and very sweet. The sex scenes are descriptive without ever edging into the vulgarity that is so common in this genre (and if I may say unnecessary). I've read the other reviews and someone complained that there wasn't enough action in the book. I guess if you are looking for an action story, you might be disappointed. I don't think this was the writers purpose in the first place and I don't believe it was advertised as an action book.
Now for the bad stuff. Even for fiction, everything about this story is just too convenient. I understand having to neatly tie up the loose ands, but this was knitted so tight it could stop a bullet. Maybe a happy ending is a requirement for a lot of writers, and I'll never be the one to complain about a happily ever after. But, we all know life is messy. Sometimes, even in the worst mess, there is beauty that can't be matched by perfection. This is a nice story and well written but it mostly made me wonder what could be accomplished if the writer took a risk.
The connection between the two characters is real and very sweet. The sex scenes are descriptive without ever edging into the vulgarity that is so common in this genre (and if I may say unnecessary). I've read the other reviews and someone complained that there wasn't enough action in the book. I guess if you are looking for an action story, you might be disappointed. I don't think this was the writers purpose in the first place and I don't believe it was advertised as an action book.
Now for the bad stuff. Even for fiction, everything about this story is just too convenient. I understand having to neatly tie up the loose ands, but this was knitted so tight it could stop a bullet. Maybe a happy ending is a requirement for a lot of writers, and I'll never be the one to complain about a happily ever after. But, we all know life is messy. Sometimes, even in the worst mess, there is beauty that can't be matched by perfection. This is a nice story and well written but it mostly made me wonder what could be accomplished if the writer took a risk.
Buy it from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bastards-and-Pretty-Boys-ebook/dp/B002WB0ZSC/ref=cm_cr-mr-img
More titles by K. Z. Snow:
Title: The Zero Knot
Author: K. Z. Snow
Genre: m/m romance
Print length: 222 pages
Publication date: October 13, 2011
Overall reviewer rating: Four Stars
Blurb: Eighteen-year-old Jess Bonner is casting off pretense—and, with it, some friends from his past who aren’t particularly trustworthy. In just a few months he’ll be starting college, and it’s time for him to admit the truth: he’s gay, not bi, and only one of his old friends holds any kind of real interest for him. When Dylan Finch, aka Mig, follows his lead and puts some distance between himself and the old crowd, he and Jess give in to a mutual attraction that’s been building for years.
But navigating a fledgling relationship isn’t easy for beginners, and forces they can’t seem to control keep tripping them up: sexual appetite, personal insecurities, fear of discovery, and more. They need clarity. They need courage. Just as they’re on the verge of finding both, a vindictive act of jealousy sends one of them to jail. All their hard-won victories are in danger of falling to dust. And the only way to save what they have is to recognize it for what it is… and fight for its integrity.
More titles by K. Z. Snow:
Title: The Zero Knot
Author: K. Z. Snow
Genre: m/m romance
Print length: 222 pages
Publication date: October 13, 2011
Overall reviewer rating: Four Stars
Blurb: Eighteen-year-old Jess Bonner is casting off pretense—and, with it, some friends from his past who aren’t particularly trustworthy. In just a few months he’ll be starting college, and it’s time for him to admit the truth: he’s gay, not bi, and only one of his old friends holds any kind of real interest for him. When Dylan Finch, aka Mig, follows his lead and puts some distance between himself and the old crowd, he and Jess give in to a mutual attraction that’s been building for years.
But navigating a fledgling relationship isn’t easy for beginners, and forces they can’t seem to control keep tripping them up: sexual appetite, personal insecurities, fear of discovery, and more. They need clarity. They need courage. Just as they’re on the verge of finding both, a vindictive act of jealousy sends one of them to jail. All their hard-won victories are in danger of falling to dust. And the only way to save what they have is to recognize it for what it is… and fight for its integrity.
Review by Tom W:
"The scales will always tip in favor of what enriches your life. That's the thing you'll end up choosing."
Jess, a young man ready to start his college life away from his small hometown, friends with a group of young people who are "different" - sexually ambiguous, finds himself suddenly looking at one of his oldest friends in a totally new light.
Dylan, "Mig" to his buds, has been friends with Jess, has secrets of his own. He is gay, not bi, working as a welder, closeted, the only son of conservative parents, and looking for love not another one night stand.
As these two young men discover how love works, they will be tested in in ways boys their age should not be. From the first tentative kiss, to the realization that the hardest choice may be to trust each other and their hearts, Ms. Snow crafts an intelligent, beautifully written tale. Her prose is so well written, and her characterizations full and real.
"So Jess likely knew that books were often the best friends of shy boys who didn't quite fit in."
She gets it all right.
Such a good book. Read this one and SAVOR it!
Enthusiastically recommended.
Tom
Jess, a young man ready to start his college life away from his small hometown, friends with a group of young people who are "different" - sexually ambiguous, finds himself suddenly looking at one of his oldest friends in a totally new light.
Dylan, "Mig" to his buds, has been friends with Jess, has secrets of his own. He is gay, not bi, working as a welder, closeted, the only son of conservative parents, and looking for love not another one night stand.
As these two young men discover how love works, they will be tested in in ways boys their age should not be. From the first tentative kiss, to the realization that the hardest choice may be to trust each other and their hearts, Ms. Snow crafts an intelligent, beautifully written tale. Her prose is so well written, and her characterizations full and real.
"So Jess likely knew that books were often the best friends of shy boys who didn't quite fit in."
She gets it all right.
Such a good book. Read this one and SAVOR it!
Enthusiastically recommended.
Tom
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