Beyond Machu

by William Maltese

Take an exotic trip to the Incan city of Machu Picchu—and beyond—to discover romance and adventure! Enter a jungle of passion, greed, and danger. Take a wild trip Beyond Machu and discover high adventure, hot sex, and true love! Two gay men must gather their strength and courage to travel to the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu, dodging bullets, unsavory villains, and even jaguars—in search of lost ruins and hidden treasure. This thrilling romance gallops from the hotels of Lima, Peru to the exotic once-lost city, and then beyond into the impenetrable South American jungle rife with perils. Will our heroes get out alive? Will they ever find true love together? Dan Green, investigative reporter to his very soul, finds himself shunted off on what he thinks is a simple travel piece for his newspaper—all because his overprotective and highly influential mother fears for his safety. Through a chance meeting with the handsome and incredibly sexy Sloane Hendriks, he is yanked from his comfortable surroundings into the jungles of Peru—and to the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. Whenever Dan thinks he’s seen the last of the irrepressible Sloane, the hunk reappears, beguiling and irresistible. Sloane is a man whose past holds more than a few dark secrets, yet he enflames Dan’s passion beyond all reason. And through it all Dan smells a newspaper story here, in the rampant exploitation of illicit archeological finds by shady characters. He knows he cannot let the opportunity pass. Soon he discovers just how dangerous a healthy curiosity can actually be. Sloane was trying to grab the blade-blown sling when Dan finally reached him to capture the lifeline and pass it over. Sloane attached it to Eduardo who (thank God!) was passed out and unaware of the pain that the none-too-gentle maneuver would have otherwise caused him. "Let’s get the hell out of here!" Sloane stepped back and waved the chopper winch into operation. The connecting cable went taut, and Eduardo’s limp body lifted. "You’re next, Dan!" A ladder unexpectedly dropped from the helicopter door. A man appeared, waved frantically, and pointed. Dan and Sloane looked where he directed. Surprisingly almost upon them, confidently following the trail of Eduardo’s splattered blood, the giant jaguar had them in sight. What does Sloane’s past have to do with an expedition into the perilous jungle? Is Sloane somehow furtively involved in a search for gems? Who is the mysterious Eduardo Jacos, and what is his connection to priceless artifacts from the ancient city’s ruins? For a thrilling ride of romance, sex, and high adventure, read Beyond Machu and have the time of your life!

Genres: Romance, M M Romance, Contemporary, Gay Fiction

209 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2006

About the author

Pseudonym of William J. Lambert III.

I've been in the business of writing books for a very long time, and I derive particular enjoyment from visiting different places and then trying to relay the "essence" of those places to my readers. Likewise, I'm very adventuresome regarding trying new things, whether it be exotic and strange foods and/or other more personal "things".

Reviews

[Jilles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun.

[Charly · Rating 3 out of 5]

M/M erotica obviously written by a man: romantic, but quite graphic

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 6/10

PROS:
- Intriguing characters. Sloane is mysterious and sexy, and even though another reviewer found Dan a little too soft, I found him believable and endearing. True, he sits around much of the time while Sloane is off treasure-hunting, but what else could you expect a city boy reporter to do in the jungle? He’s actually quite brave when it comes to facing down armed mercenaries and hungry jaguars.
- Fairly nail-biting plot. There’s a passage near the end, especially, that’s quite exciting and which made me stay up a good hour past my bedtime to reach a stopping point at which the characters’ lives were not in immediate danger.
- Lots of good description pertaining to the setting. I learned a lot about Machu Picchu--I hadn’t ever thought about altitude sickness being such a problem for tourists who visit the city, for example--and I got online more than once while reading to look up pictures of various parts of Peru.

CONS:
- Sex that’s a little over-the-top for my tastes. It’s different than what I’ve encountered in almost any other book that contains m/m erotica or romance in that the descriptions are decidedly MALE (obviously written by a man) and graphic--sometimes to the point of being vulgar.
- Scenes involving the rape of a 10-year-old are described in WAY too vivid of detail for me. The rape is necessary as a plot device; I get that. It contributes hugely to the formation of that character’s personality. What AREN’T necessary are the detailed descriptions of those scenes. And in the version of the book I have, which is the 2006 Southern Tier Edition, those flashback scenes are printed in a different font than the rest of the story, which is odd and just makes them stand out all the more.
- Dan and Sloane fall in love very quickly. Some of the tenderness in later scenes is touching in a way that wouldn’t be possible if the characters weren’t “in love” yet, but I couldn’t quite make myself believe in the strength of their connection beyond an obvious sexual attraction.
- Maltese is a good storyteller, but he relies a little heavily at times on purple prose (overly ornate or flowery language). Examples: “Exceptional excitement resulted from the almost imperceptible movements of Sloane’s mouth,” “Mutual sucking commenced without delay.”

Overall comments: This book is unlike any other I’ve read, but to be honest, I discovered the genre of m/m erotica less than a year ago, and I’ve read only 10 or 15 written by male authors. (I’m a romantic, so I find that I really enjoy the female-authored ones, unbelievable and sappy though they might be.) The only other book I can sort of compare this one to is Her Majesty’s Men by Marquesate, but I didn’t find the sex in that book quite as off-putting as the sex in this one.

[Elisa Rolle]

Dan is a photoreporter sent in Peru to make an article on Machu Pichu. But he accidentaly (or maybe no so accidentaly) meets Sloane, an adventurer in search of an airplane crushed which holds the key to clean the good name of his family. The fact that the two men are openly gay and willingly to let the heat between them to flare adds romance to an adventurer old type novel (and old type has not a negative meaning in this case, but a really positive one)

Dan is a beautiful character, so helpless to manage his sex driven mind when he is in front of an hunk man like Sloane: but I can't be sorry for him, when the result is so much enjoyable for both of them.

In an amazon review I have read a comparison between Sloane and Indiana Jones, but I have to say that Sloane remind me better the character of Michael Douglas in Romancing the Stone, even if more beautiful (Michael Douglas is not really my tipe...)

William Maltese is a master in create wonderful supporting characters who didn't stole the scene to the leading couple: I love Edouardo, and was a little sad for his non happily ever after story with Miguel.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934531685/?...

[C.M. Torrens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say this was a good read. I think I might have added a star if not for the print formatting. Missing periods, lacking indentations, returns where there shouldn't be, brought me out of the story.

That said the story was solid and sweet. The characters interesting and engaging. There were a few info dumps and a subplot with a secondary character that really didn't go anywhere, but the main story was very good. The men and their love affair believable, the setting stunning and a great atmosphere all around.

I enjoyed it.

[S.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read...the constant tug-o-war with Dan and Sloan kept my interest the entire way...

I wasn't sure at first about Eduardo, but him telling the tales of his horrific childhood made me bond with him as well; and helped his case.

Overall, great story, with hawt sex, danger, and a hea..what more could you want? :)

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

great adventure book filled with gay romance.