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Emerald Idol
Once upon a time in the eighties, Nick Davanger’s soulful green eyes and successful record-producer partner turned him into the pop sensation known as the Emerald Idol. But Rusty has been dead for a year now, and though Nick is slowly putting his life back together, it isn’t easy—especially since someone is trying to derail his comeback by blackmailing him about his decadent past.
Enter LA detective Anson Bay, who’s been assigned to keep Nick safe. Anson is the total package, handsome as well as competent. He strives to keep business and pleasure separate, no matter how strong his feelings grow, but his attraction to Nick strains the limits of his professionalism.
To aid the search for a suspect, Nick finds himself reliving his time with Rusty, from London’s steamy all-male strip clubs to fame in the Hollywood Hills. Even if he can’t deny that Anson excites him, Nick’s not sure he can love again. Of course, if the villain who’s blackmailing him succeeds, Nick may never have the chance to find out.
Enter LA detective Anson Bay, who’s been assigned to keep Nick safe. Anson is the total package, handsome as well as competent. He strives to keep business and pleasure separate, no matter how strong his feelings grow, but his attraction to Nick strains the limits of his professionalism.
To aid the search for a suspect, Nick finds himself reliving his time with Rusty, from London’s steamy all-male strip clubs to fame in the Hollywood Hills. Even if he can’t deny that Anson excites him, Nick’s not sure he can love again. Of course, if the villain who’s blackmailing him succeeds, Nick may never have the chance to find out.
- GenresM M RomanceContemporary
340 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2012
35 people want to read
About the author
Hank Fielder
4 books2 followersHank Fielder is from Wisconsin and has lived in London and California, in big cities, and in the rural countryside. A passionate devotee of soulful romantic music, art, baseball, and good stories, he has worked a variety of jobs. He counts his blessings every night before bed. Visit him online at http://www.authorhankfielder.blogspot... and on Twitter at @HankFielder, https://twitter.com/HankFielder.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 21, 2012
Still not sure about this story, too many things happening and lots of information to absorb with Nick re-telling his life experiences and how he's got to where he is today, a journey and self discovery. The romance is not really there and the relationship with Rusty is more behind the scenes so I had no connection or feelings for them as a couple. Also there is some cheating involved here too, Nick is a bit of a wild a lost soul. The mystery blackmail plot and the investigation is wrapped up very quickly near the end. So another novel that had great potential but failed to really grab me. I didn't love it and I am finding a lot of releases lately from this publisher are missing the romance, affection and sexual chemistry I want and love, that spark is not happening for me lately and I really hope this is not the current trend from now on.
Detailed and great review from Deja Dei who explains it in a nutshell.
Detailed and great review from Deja Dei who explains it in a nutshell.
August 21, 2012
This is a difficult one to review. First off, I have to say the blurb is very deceptive. This is not a crime drama or suspense book. If anything, the blackmail plot is maybe one tenth of the book, tacked on at the end, and feeling like an afterthought.
I agree with Vio's review. This is a coming of age story and not a mystery or a romance. It is mostly the story of how Nick grows up and discovers who he is and what he wants. One thing that bothered me, and this might be personal, is the way it jumped around in time from present day, to Nick's college years, to his childhood in a catholic school with his rascist grandparents, to his adulthood at an Irish cottage with his partner, and back and forth. I for one hate flashbacks unless they're pretty brief and really necessary to the story. The story of Nick's life is an interesting one, and I could relate to a lot of what he went through, but I would have had a much easier time if it had been told in chronological order. Also, some of the incidents it flashed back to didn't seem especially relevant, and they just bogged the story down after a while. Some of the details might have been necessary to understand Nick's character, just not all of them.
The writing style is difficult. It is written in mostly passive sentences that make it seem even slower. In a book that is already dragged down by a lot of back story and some unnecessary detail, the prose really doesn't help.
The story had a lot of potential, just not as a mystery or a romance. If I had gone into it expecting a coming of age story, and if it had been told from beginning to end instead of jumping all around in time, AND if it had been edited to remove some of the excess dragging the plot down, I think it could have been very good, because Nick is a compelling character and his journey could have been interesting, if it had been told a little differently. I would have liked to feel more of a connection between Nick and Rusty, considering how long they were together. Nick didn't even seem especially upset when Rusty died.
As for Anson, he only shows up at the very end of the book and could have just as easily been left out all together, along with blackmail plot.
Overall, an interesting idea, but it needed to be trimmed down a lot and not forced into the romance mold.
I agree with Vio's review. This is a coming of age story and not a mystery or a romance. It is mostly the story of how Nick grows up and discovers who he is and what he wants. One thing that bothered me, and this might be personal, is the way it jumped around in time from present day, to Nick's college years, to his childhood in a catholic school with his rascist grandparents, to his adulthood at an Irish cottage with his partner, and back and forth. I for one hate flashbacks unless they're pretty brief and really necessary to the story. The story of Nick's life is an interesting one, and I could relate to a lot of what he went through, but I would have had a much easier time if it had been told in chronological order. Also, some of the incidents it flashed back to didn't seem especially relevant, and they just bogged the story down after a while. Some of the details might have been necessary to understand Nick's character, just not all of them.
The writing style is difficult. It is written in mostly passive sentences that make it seem even slower. In a book that is already dragged down by a lot of back story and some unnecessary detail, the prose really doesn't help.
The story had a lot of potential, just not as a mystery or a romance. If I had gone into it expecting a coming of age story, and if it had been told from beginning to end instead of jumping all around in time, AND if it had been edited to remove some of the excess dragging the plot down, I think it could have been very good, because Nick is a compelling character and his journey could have been interesting, if it had been told a little differently. I would have liked to feel more of a connection between Nick and Rusty, considering how long they were together. Nick didn't even seem especially upset when Rusty died.
As for Anson, he only shows up at the very end of the book and could have just as easily been left out all together, along with blackmail plot.
Overall, an interesting idea, but it needed to be trimmed down a lot and not forced into the romance mold.
August 20, 2012
2 1/2 - 3 Hearts
First published at MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Nick lost the love of his life a year ago and he is starting to get back on his feet again. On the brink of his one man show, Memoirs, someone decides to try to derail it by blackmailing him and it leads to Nick remembering how he started out and his actions since then. With the help of police detective Anson Bay they try to discover who is blackmailing him and Nick discovers that he just might have more room in his heart to love.
Do you know that feeling when you read a blurb and you get that ‘I must read this book’ feeling? Well, I got it from this blurb and I have to say I was heartily disappointed. Nick spends most of the book remembering his past, from his experiences in school to his first brushes with homosexuality, from his first meetings with Rusty to his shock hit single, from his dabbling in drugs to his short fling with someone he could have loved, all the while dealing with his own confusion about his race and how he sees himself. It is all laid bare, with flashes to the present time as he deals with a new blackmailer and a new hope for love.
If you are expecting a racing thriller or suspense or romance because of the blurb then tear your expectations up, this is more of a reminiscing story that goes back over Nick’s life and gives us the bare bones of his past. A lot of what he remembers doesn’t directly go towards the plot, it just shows us what molded Nick to be the way he is, and we see his growth and change as he lives his life. Rusty and Nick’s relationship during the early years was an open one so there are mentions of sex with others, there isn’t much in the way of sex scenes on page and although we are told that Nick loves Rusty we don’t feel the connection of romantic love.
When we finally get brought back to the present we are again left disappointed by the interaction that we see between Anson and Nick, we only really see them briefly together and I didn’t feel a connection to them because we just don’t get to see them together in a romantic way. The blackmail plot was quickly wound up towards the end, but left me with the question of how the hell did they get that set of photos?
What kept me reading this book? Because at times I did wonder when the past was dragging on, and I have got to say it was Nick, he was a fascinating character and I ended up wanting to know what happened to him, how he reconciled having a black father and a white mother when he had been brought up by his grandparents as white and not one of those. Of seeing him struggle and love and endure with a relationship that spanned 20 years and of him finding new love.
I will recommend this to those who want a story of a struggle to find yourself, of making mistakes but carrying on with the love of those around you and of finding love when you least expect it.
First published at MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Nick lost the love of his life a year ago and he is starting to get back on his feet again. On the brink of his one man show, Memoirs, someone decides to try to derail it by blackmailing him and it leads to Nick remembering how he started out and his actions since then. With the help of police detective Anson Bay they try to discover who is blackmailing him and Nick discovers that he just might have more room in his heart to love.
Do you know that feeling when you read a blurb and you get that ‘I must read this book’ feeling? Well, I got it from this blurb and I have to say I was heartily disappointed. Nick spends most of the book remembering his past, from his experiences in school to his first brushes with homosexuality, from his first meetings with Rusty to his shock hit single, from his dabbling in drugs to his short fling with someone he could have loved, all the while dealing with his own confusion about his race and how he sees himself. It is all laid bare, with flashes to the present time as he deals with a new blackmailer and a new hope for love.
If you are expecting a racing thriller or suspense or romance because of the blurb then tear your expectations up, this is more of a reminiscing story that goes back over Nick’s life and gives us the bare bones of his past. A lot of what he remembers doesn’t directly go towards the plot, it just shows us what molded Nick to be the way he is, and we see his growth and change as he lives his life. Rusty and Nick’s relationship during the early years was an open one so there are mentions of sex with others, there isn’t much in the way of sex scenes on page and although we are told that Nick loves Rusty we don’t feel the connection of romantic love.
When we finally get brought back to the present we are again left disappointed by the interaction that we see between Anson and Nick, we only really see them briefly together and I didn’t feel a connection to them because we just don’t get to see them together in a romantic way. The blackmail plot was quickly wound up towards the end, but left me with the question of how the hell did they get that set of photos?
What kept me reading this book? Because at times I did wonder when the past was dragging on, and I have got to say it was Nick, he was a fascinating character and I ended up wanting to know what happened to him, how he reconciled having a black father and a white mother when he had been brought up by his grandparents as white and not one of those. Of seeing him struggle and love and endure with a relationship that spanned 20 years and of him finding new love.
I will recommend this to those who want a story of a struggle to find yourself, of making mistakes but carrying on with the love of those around you and of finding love when you least expect it.
August 23, 2012
For someone who has lost the love of his life, has had a 'checkered past' (to put it carefully), and is now being blackmailed, life certainly isn’t easy. This book paints Nick's life story with all its colorful detail, and in that sense is a fascinating coming of age story and an 'accounting' of the times, events, and people that shaped Nick into who he is today. While the blurb focuses on the mystery and the blackmail, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a thriller. What makes this story special is the description of all the events that made Nick into who he is today, the colorful characterizations of the people he encountered on his way, and the deep love he felt for Rusty.
Nick is a troubled individual almost from day one of his life. With a black father (who has vanished) and a white mother (who dies when he is still very young, he ends up being raised by his racist white grandparents in rural Wisconsin. He is taught to ignore the black side of his heritage and ends up seeing himself as white. That, however, is only one of the factors making life difficult for him. He wants to be a pop star, struggles with drugs and his sexuality, and life goes downhill from there.
Rusty may be the older man in their relationship, and takes Nick under his wings, in a way, but he has his own issues. Addicted to alcohol and drugs, he stumbles through life wanting to make it big. His own studio is a dream that may come true, but he is a musician at heart, not a businessman. He does give Nick the stability he needs for a while, sort of, but, in the end, cannot keep up with life's demands and tragically dies.
Anson, the detective helping Nick figure out who is blackmailing him this time, really only plays a minor role in this book. I thought that was too bad, because there is a lot of potential for more between him and Nick, and I wanted to see that. Anson may be the first stable influence in Nick's life and I was certainly relieved to see him make an appearance!
If you expect a thriller, or a traditional romance, you will be disappointed. And if you don’t like flashbacks or puzzling out who did what when, stay away from this novel. But, if you approach this book with an open mind to finding out what it was like to be an up and coming musician in the 80s, if reading about a young man struggling with his mixed race background on top of being gay is what you're interested in, and if you don’t mind the very realistic descriptions of what goes on in parts of the music industry, you may like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Nick is a troubled individual almost from day one of his life. With a black father (who has vanished) and a white mother (who dies when he is still very young, he ends up being raised by his racist white grandparents in rural Wisconsin. He is taught to ignore the black side of his heritage and ends up seeing himself as white. That, however, is only one of the factors making life difficult for him. He wants to be a pop star, struggles with drugs and his sexuality, and life goes downhill from there.
Rusty may be the older man in their relationship, and takes Nick under his wings, in a way, but he has his own issues. Addicted to alcohol and drugs, he stumbles through life wanting to make it big. His own studio is a dream that may come true, but he is a musician at heart, not a businessman. He does give Nick the stability he needs for a while, sort of, but, in the end, cannot keep up with life's demands and tragically dies.
Anson, the detective helping Nick figure out who is blackmailing him this time, really only plays a minor role in this book. I thought that was too bad, because there is a lot of potential for more between him and Nick, and I wanted to see that. Anson may be the first stable influence in Nick's life and I was certainly relieved to see him make an appearance!
If you expect a thriller, or a traditional romance, you will be disappointed. And if you don’t like flashbacks or puzzling out who did what when, stay away from this novel. But, if you approach this book with an open mind to finding out what it was like to be an up and coming musician in the 80s, if reading about a young man struggling with his mixed race background on top of being gay is what you're interested in, and if you don’t mind the very realistic descriptions of what goes on in parts of the music industry, you may like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
August 3, 2013
Please leave comments on Pattycake's 4 1/2 sweet pea review at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index....
In Emerald Idol, Hank Fielder has written a gripping and gritty tale about Nick Davanger and his tumultuous life, from his rough childhood being raised by racist grandparents who treat him with contempt because he's biracial, through his whirlwind time as a "one-hit wonder" pop star during the wild and crazy eighties in London's infamous gay nightclubs, to his career as a successful writer. The blurb does a great job of covering the basics of the book, but you need to read it yourself to appreciate the true depth of the story.
This is a character driven story that is told through a combination of flashbacks and present day. The plot flows smoothly from beginning to end, with characters who are so solid and vital that they could be your neighbors, or someone who you would meet on the street. The backstory is fascinating and lays a solid foundation for the storyline with enough information to keep you from getting confused. The sex is wild, hot, and steamy without being over the top.
The author's writing style is eloquently solid, original, and crisp. I absolutely love how vivid and richly detailed the myriad facets of this tale are. The author offers an up close and personal glimpse into what life was like as a gay man living in London during the tumultuous eighties, and the glamorous yet dark world of the infamous gay nightclubs. The book does have a HEA ending after a pulse pounding confrontation that changes several people's lives forever. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fantastic way to pass a few hours.
In Emerald Idol, Hank Fielder has written a gripping and gritty tale about Nick Davanger and his tumultuous life, from his rough childhood being raised by racist grandparents who treat him with contempt because he's biracial, through his whirlwind time as a "one-hit wonder" pop star during the wild and crazy eighties in London's infamous gay nightclubs, to his career as a successful writer. The blurb does a great job of covering the basics of the book, but you need to read it yourself to appreciate the true depth of the story.
This is a character driven story that is told through a combination of flashbacks and present day. The plot flows smoothly from beginning to end, with characters who are so solid and vital that they could be your neighbors, or someone who you would meet on the street. The backstory is fascinating and lays a solid foundation for the storyline with enough information to keep you from getting confused. The sex is wild, hot, and steamy without being over the top.
The author's writing style is eloquently solid, original, and crisp. I absolutely love how vivid and richly detailed the myriad facets of this tale are. The author offers an up close and personal glimpse into what life was like as a gay man living in London during the tumultuous eighties, and the glamorous yet dark world of the infamous gay nightclubs. The book does have a HEA ending after a pulse pounding confrontation that changes several people's lives forever. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fantastic way to pass a few hours.
January 6, 2016
I was at 80% before Anson was even introduced but, by that time, I was completely uninterested in who was blackmailing Nick. So much unnecessary backstory dragged what sounded like a promising story down to snoreville. I didn't bother finishing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2012
A sexy and riveting good read. Deeply absorbing, fun and poignant. I ended up rooting for Nick -- his whole heroic life story is here, naked and unforgettable. An achievement that goes well beyond the boundaries of most m/m fiction.
August 18, 2012
OMG what an boring stile of writing. Its like you would read history.
August 30, 2012
Not quite a DNF, but more of a skimmed until the end.
I didn't care about the MC's and I didn't get the romance. Maybe its for some, but wasn't my cup of tea.
I didn't care about the MC's and I didn't get the romance. Maybe its for some, but wasn't my cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews