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Two Weeks At Gay Banana Hot Springs
When Margaret Butler (aka "Ret" Butler) receives the rundown Gay Banana Hot Springs Resort & Spa from her rich, redneck father, she feels like she's been given a second chance at life. Her self-induced delusional euphoria is soon shattered by...uh, Daddy, who seems suddenly and mysteriously intent on running her out of business. Because he can? Or, does he have a deep, dark secret reason?
And what does Ret's seemingly clueless mother know? Quite a bit, it turns out! But Ret is pre-occupied: She has grand larceny on her mind, pink mischief on her lips and a chance to rendezvous with an old flame, the ever-lovely Wilhelmina White. Ret is not about to let some old geezer with too much money ruin her grand plans for the Gay Banana--even if he is her father. This will end well, right? What could go wrong?
And what does Ret's seemingly clueless mother know? Quite a bit, it turns out! But Ret is pre-occupied: She has grand larceny on her mind, pink mischief on her lips and a chance to rendezvous with an old flame, the ever-lovely Wilhelmina White. Ret is not about to let some old geezer with too much money ruin her grand plans for the Gay Banana--even if he is her father. This will end well, right? What could go wrong?
- GenresLGBTGay Fiction
Nook
First published July 27, 2011
11 people want to read
About the author
T.T. Thomas
19 books32 followersMy latest novel is out! Number 5 Babyn Yar Street: A World War II Novel—Ukraine.
Ektarina (Rina) Stepankova and Sofia Shevchenko, university students in 1941 Kyiv, have their whole lives ahead of them. The best friends look so much alike they could be twins—tall, blonde, sparkling blue eyes, alluring smiles.
But only Rina is Jewish.
Number 5 Babyn Yar Street is Rina’s story—a breathtaking, passionate, and suspenseful story of survival during the Nazi invasion of Kyiv in September, 1941. Where Sofia is slightly boy crazy, Rina is more reserved, shy, studious. That’s part of what her Russian history professor, Illia, finds attractive.
As the young women begin a university summer session in the 1500-year-old city, a new threat looms large. Over the centuries, Kyiv has gone from prominence to obscurity and back again, but nothing can prepare its inhabitants for the German war machine’s advance.
Within the first week of the invasion, Nazi forces rounded up over 33,000 Jews, took them to Babyn Yar ravine and murdered them in two days. Only a handful survived.
The women and their families maneuver a hostile and confusing Kyiv as the Soviet Red Army retreats and the Nazis advance. Staying fed, sheltered and invisible is hard. And nobody fully trusts anyone outside of family…even then—can one be certain?
In the shock and soul-crushing sorrow of brutality and inhumanity, Rina finds out that the price of freedom cannot be negotiated with the oppressors, and the reward of love is life.
I have a feeling that if you read Chaptere 1, you'll pretty much read the whole book nonstop!
Prior to Number 5 Babyn Yar, something a little (a lot) different from me. A project that began 6-7 years ago found the lockdown and lots of encouragement and became Dante Club and the Problem with Jane. I've written 6 Historicals, and I wanted a little lighter fare. Well, here we are!
It’s a bit late for Dante Club to wonder: Was it wise to accept an AI bodyguard from his ex-lover, the brilliant Dr. Celia Fang? But, Jane seriously needs an attitude fix. When you moonlight as the Robin Hood of assassins, you probably should have planned ahead. Awkward!
Almost nobody knows that Dante Club, a highly sought-after intelligence agency consultant, secretly moonlights as a reluctant assassin. Fueled by grief and a thirst for revenge, Dante takes on a contract to eliminate the man he believes is responsible for the death of his sister and niece.
Fate and the NSA intervene, giving Dante and his investigative team the cohesion they need for an assignment that takes them into the complex matrix of international organized crime. Humanity collides with homicide on the dark, enigmatic streets of Los Angeles, where the line between morality and immorality is as thin and sharp as a fresh razor in a pile of cocaine.
And then the stars come out in Hollywood.
Hope you have the fun reading that I had writing.
I will resume historicals with the January release of The Kensington Cat, a WW II, multi-generational historical/suspense themed story. The title of the book is the name of a (fictional) bookstore in Kensington that's been around for nearly 100 years——except when it got bombed out during The Blitz. Now it's got a new owner, and the connections of the modern generation to the war, the bookstore and one another is the stuff of surprise, wonder and, dare we say it, destiny.
______
House of Bliss. At the Intersection of Obsession and True Love lies humanity.
London, 1905 When ladies of the night begin showing up dead in the dark and bawdy alleys of Covent Garden, the victims are wearing House of Bliss corsets made by Sabrina Blissdon. Now the police want to know how and why Blissdon, the bohemian but successful upmarket corsetière, appears to be dressing the dead.
Sabrina does know a few working women, from a time when she found comfort and solace with a couple of the occupants of a
Ektarina (Rina) Stepankova and Sofia Shevchenko, university students in 1941 Kyiv, have their whole lives ahead of them. The best friends look so much alike they could be twins—tall, blonde, sparkling blue eyes, alluring smiles.
But only Rina is Jewish.
Number 5 Babyn Yar Street is Rina’s story—a breathtaking, passionate, and suspenseful story of survival during the Nazi invasion of Kyiv in September, 1941. Where Sofia is slightly boy crazy, Rina is more reserved, shy, studious. That’s part of what her Russian history professor, Illia, finds attractive.
As the young women begin a university summer session in the 1500-year-old city, a new threat looms large. Over the centuries, Kyiv has gone from prominence to obscurity and back again, but nothing can prepare its inhabitants for the German war machine’s advance.
Within the first week of the invasion, Nazi forces rounded up over 33,000 Jews, took them to Babyn Yar ravine and murdered them in two days. Only a handful survived.
The women and their families maneuver a hostile and confusing Kyiv as the Soviet Red Army retreats and the Nazis advance. Staying fed, sheltered and invisible is hard. And nobody fully trusts anyone outside of family…even then—can one be certain?
In the shock and soul-crushing sorrow of brutality and inhumanity, Rina finds out that the price of freedom cannot be negotiated with the oppressors, and the reward of love is life.
I have a feeling that if you read Chaptere 1, you'll pretty much read the whole book nonstop!
Prior to Number 5 Babyn Yar, something a little (a lot) different from me. A project that began 6-7 years ago found the lockdown and lots of encouragement and became Dante Club and the Problem with Jane. I've written 6 Historicals, and I wanted a little lighter fare. Well, here we are!
It’s a bit late for Dante Club to wonder: Was it wise to accept an AI bodyguard from his ex-lover, the brilliant Dr. Celia Fang? But, Jane seriously needs an attitude fix. When you moonlight as the Robin Hood of assassins, you probably should have planned ahead. Awkward!
Almost nobody knows that Dante Club, a highly sought-after intelligence agency consultant, secretly moonlights as a reluctant assassin. Fueled by grief and a thirst for revenge, Dante takes on a contract to eliminate the man he believes is responsible for the death of his sister and niece.
Fate and the NSA intervene, giving Dante and his investigative team the cohesion they need for an assignment that takes them into the complex matrix of international organized crime. Humanity collides with homicide on the dark, enigmatic streets of Los Angeles, where the line between morality and immorality is as thin and sharp as a fresh razor in a pile of cocaine.
And then the stars come out in Hollywood.
Hope you have the fun reading that I had writing.
I will resume historicals with the January release of The Kensington Cat, a WW II, multi-generational historical/suspense themed story. The title of the book is the name of a (fictional) bookstore in Kensington that's been around for nearly 100 years——except when it got bombed out during The Blitz. Now it's got a new owner, and the connections of the modern generation to the war, the bookstore and one another is the stuff of surprise, wonder and, dare we say it, destiny.
______
House of Bliss. At the Intersection of Obsession and True Love lies humanity.
London, 1905 When ladies of the night begin showing up dead in the dark and bawdy alleys of Covent Garden, the victims are wearing House of Bliss corsets made by Sabrina Blissdon. Now the police want to know how and why Blissdon, the bohemian but successful upmarket corsetière, appears to be dressing the dead.
Sabrina does know a few working women, from a time when she found comfort and solace with a couple of the occupants of a
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 25, 2011
I must admit, I am woefully under-read when it comes to lesbian fiction; so this review will not so much be based on specifics of the genre, but upon readability and the enjoyment the story brings. And on that front, author Thomas excels, delivering a thoroughly entertaining read for the beach or the living room.
Margaret "Ret" Butler is running the once glorious Gay Banana, a resort just outside of Palm Springs that her father and mother had once made into the social hot-spot. There were glamorous parties held here, with alluring women and classic gentlemen. Now, its days of being the place to be seen are far behind it, but the resort still manages to eek out a meager existence. But Ret has a problem. The deadline her father had given her to turn the resort around is fast approaching and, unless Ret takes some drastic action, ownership of the Gay Banana will revert to him. And who knows what Daddy will do with this magnificent place that Ret still finds romantic.
But things get complicated. One of the gentlemen Ret considers going into partnership with is a young genius...a snotty, know-it-all youth who sets her ill at ease with his cockiness and the slightly shady and mysterious business practices that just seems to hover about him. To make matters worse, Daddy has gone missing and Ret's high-society, no-nonsense mother--convinced he is cheating on her--is plotting his death. But let's not stop there. Enter Billie: the most beautiful and enigmatic woman ever to have visited the Gay Banana during its hey-day who returns after more than a decade just to see Ret. Will the Gay Banana survive? Will Mother get her way? Will Daddy turn up or just turn up dead? And what about the alluring Billie? Believe it or not, it all comes together in the end. But you'll have to read it to find out how.
In this debut novel, Ret is our narrator and Thomas imbues her with a wonderful voice: a little bit edgy, a little bit lost romantic. The style is a bit stream of conscious which only adds to the charm of Ret's character and adds much of the humor. Ret ping-pongs a bit between the unraveling--and at times overwhelming--developments in her life. She's pulled in all directions by a demanding (and funny as hell) mother, a concerned staff, and two potential business partners. And when Billie enters the scene, there is a wonderful romance between the two that is believable and charming, and which helps to create the romance and glamour of the bygone days of the Gay Banana. We see why the old place is so important to Ret and why she wants so desperately to save it.
The prose reads swiftly and easily and I found myself smiling through most of it and enjoying the various red-herrings that Thomas throws out in the story. Now, it's not the perfect novel: I would like to have seen some of those red herrings played out and I longed to see a bit more of the past (and present) relationship between Ret and Billie, but in the end, this novel charmed me to no end. It's a wonderfully fun novel, a breezy read with a little romance, a smidge of mystery and an infectious spirit.
Margaret "Ret" Butler is running the once glorious Gay Banana, a resort just outside of Palm Springs that her father and mother had once made into the social hot-spot. There were glamorous parties held here, with alluring women and classic gentlemen. Now, its days of being the place to be seen are far behind it, but the resort still manages to eek out a meager existence. But Ret has a problem. The deadline her father had given her to turn the resort around is fast approaching and, unless Ret takes some drastic action, ownership of the Gay Banana will revert to him. And who knows what Daddy will do with this magnificent place that Ret still finds romantic.
But things get complicated. One of the gentlemen Ret considers going into partnership with is a young genius...a snotty, know-it-all youth who sets her ill at ease with his cockiness and the slightly shady and mysterious business practices that just seems to hover about him. To make matters worse, Daddy has gone missing and Ret's high-society, no-nonsense mother--convinced he is cheating on her--is plotting his death. But let's not stop there. Enter Billie: the most beautiful and enigmatic woman ever to have visited the Gay Banana during its hey-day who returns after more than a decade just to see Ret. Will the Gay Banana survive? Will Mother get her way? Will Daddy turn up or just turn up dead? And what about the alluring Billie? Believe it or not, it all comes together in the end. But you'll have to read it to find out how.
In this debut novel, Ret is our narrator and Thomas imbues her with a wonderful voice: a little bit edgy, a little bit lost romantic. The style is a bit stream of conscious which only adds to the charm of Ret's character and adds much of the humor. Ret ping-pongs a bit between the unraveling--and at times overwhelming--developments in her life. She's pulled in all directions by a demanding (and funny as hell) mother, a concerned staff, and two potential business partners. And when Billie enters the scene, there is a wonderful romance between the two that is believable and charming, and which helps to create the romance and glamour of the bygone days of the Gay Banana. We see why the old place is so important to Ret and why she wants so desperately to save it.
The prose reads swiftly and easily and I found myself smiling through most of it and enjoying the various red-herrings that Thomas throws out in the story. Now, it's not the perfect novel: I would like to have seen some of those red herrings played out and I longed to see a bit more of the past (and present) relationship between Ret and Billie, but in the end, this novel charmed me to no end. It's a wonderfully fun novel, a breezy read with a little romance, a smidge of mystery and an infectious spirit.
April 9, 2021
Quick, humorous read. Ret can keep the Gay Banana if she meets her father's demands and keeps it solvent. In the meantime, her old flame returns to the scene after an unpleasant business arrangement is conducted. Some funny twists, some snark, and some surprises all make this a short fun story.
January 12, 2012
As Gil Grissom puts it in my favourite episode of CSI, “Murder is easy. Comedy is hard.” I’m always in awe of anyone who can write comedy, and who can maintain consistency in their work. T. T. Thomas’ debut novella is written with confidence, in a funny, sarcastic voice that carries through with such witty aphorisms as “It’s a numbers game, Ret. If you call enough fools, someone’s gonna agree to pay the phone bill.” I found myself smiling often, chuckling on occasion, and even laughing out loud once or twice, which is more than I usually do watching my favourite comedy shows (and Gay Banana delivers without an annoying laugh track).
Like the Amazon reviewer Bens, I’m behind on my gay fiction; and what I found interesting is how similar women’s experiences are, straight or gay, if Thomas’ characters are to be believed: disappointing dates that end before ten o’clock, crushed expectations, and awkward good-byes are clearly universal. As such I found I connected with Ret despite our different preferences.
I pretty much agree with Bens’ review, including his observation of the novella’s weakness: Thomas sets up a longer story than she delivers in the end; some of the storylines could have been developed more. I have bought two of her other books, one just for the title alone — My Second Stupid Suicide — and am curious to see how she develops as a writer. There’s clearly a talent and confidence here worthy to be nurtured.
Like the Amazon reviewer Bens, I’m behind on my gay fiction; and what I found interesting is how similar women’s experiences are, straight or gay, if Thomas’ characters are to be believed: disappointing dates that end before ten o’clock, crushed expectations, and awkward good-byes are clearly universal. As such I found I connected with Ret despite our different preferences.
I pretty much agree with Bens’ review, including his observation of the novella’s weakness: Thomas sets up a longer story than she delivers in the end; some of the storylines could have been developed more. I have bought two of her other books, one just for the title alone — My Second Stupid Suicide — and am curious to see how she develops as a writer. There’s clearly a talent and confidence here worthy to be nurtured.
January 9, 2016
This was my favorite lesbian novel I read to date. Beautiful writing and funny to boot. I've read A Delicate Refusal by the same author and loved it too and now I'm ready to devour everything Ms. Thomas has written as she is the real deal and true QUALITY in lesbian romance.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews