Cherry Brandy

The Liqueur Sextet #1

by Paul Dyer

Ædred Plantagenet teaches for supposedly altruistic reasons at a highschool in a rough industrial town, where, playing their little mindgames with him, his hunky blue-collar students feed his wildly submissive fantasies. His best friend, Cécile Valmont, runs a classy escort service, supplying rich men and women all over the world with the most sophisticated male lovers, but Ædred has always found her boys too well-read courteous and intelligent, and therefore completely effeminate. At the ripe old age of fortytwo, he obtains his fly-by-night thrills from the dominant trash-talking pilot of his jet or from a variety of hustlers. One day his naïveté about the noble savagery of his students leads him into a life-threatening incident and Cécile decides enough is enough. He needs to settle down with a boy of his own who will provide all of the thrill and none of the danger. And then the games begin.

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2011

About the author

Paul Dyer has also published as Thea Hamilton Reyd.

Reviews

[Ann Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was offered as a free read at the time for me and actually ends as a cliffhanger to Triple Sec (The Liqueur Sextet II). I have had a hard time pinning down exactly what I think about this book, simply because I'm still not sure how much of it the author--and thus possibly the various characters (Cecile, Aedred, Conrad)?--truly believe. If much of the novel is meant satirically, then I am laughing or ruminating right along with the characters. If most of what the characters say is being told to us with a straight-face, I am actually a little horrified that I spent so much time on the book! The author's writing style is reminiscent of many of the Greek and Roman philosophers I read in high school and college (both in the original and translation), so readers should know going in that this work is no frivolous undertaking! At least, that is, half of the time. Then, suddenly, there is a split-personality and the dialogue is definitely no longer highbrow and complex--it's straight out of a porno. And not the really good kind with great plot, music, and costumes, but the regular old amateur porno shot from someone's basement. That's about the only way I've been able to liken the dichotomy of the two sides to this book. This book is like nothing I've read before; now, I just have to decide whether to continue the strange journey with the sequel! Right now, I'm leaning toward a yes since I have to have my ending for poor, strange Aedred and find out whatever will become of Cecile!