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Reenacting
Micah needs one thing to complete his thesis—a weekend at a civil war era reenactment event. Two days of writing and research will make him free from college and free to move away from Missouri and all the bad memories it holds.
Dix attends reenactment events for a good time and to carry on a family tradition. He has friends there and every once in a while gets lucky. This time, he discovers a too-serious and all-too-delectable Micah Coble in the tent next to his and the sensual man Micah hides beneath his buttoned-up exterior.
But Micah’s comfortably in the closet, while Dix loves his carefree life. He might have responsibilities, but he’s never once denied who he is, and he needs his lover to do the same. When Dix moves to Illinois to be with his ailing mother, Micah’s left with a single choice: follow his heart to the future or live in the past.
Dix attends reenactment events for a good time and to carry on a family tradition. He has friends there and every once in a while gets lucky. This time, he discovers a too-serious and all-too-delectable Micah Coble in the tent next to his and the sensual man Micah hides beneath his buttoned-up exterior.
But Micah’s comfortably in the closet, while Dix loves his carefree life. He might have responsibilities, but he’s never once denied who he is, and he needs his lover to do the same. When Dix moves to Illinois to be with his ailing mother, Micah’s left with a single choice: follow his heart to the future or live in the past.
- GenresM M RomanceContemporary
ebook
First published October 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 21, 2013
Review Summary: If you can like Dixon, you might like this book, but I found him cardboard and clueless.
**REVIEW CONTAINS WHAT MAY BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS**
Review: I’ve enjoyed attending various historical reenactments, so I thought this book would be fun. It certainly made for an unusual and intriguing setting. I do think it will appeal to some people (probably those who can like Dixon), but it definitely wasn’t for me. The characters were mostly two-dimensional, though Micah had moments of being 3D. Despite being in his POV roughly half the time, I never understood – or liked – Dixon at all. That made it difficult to understand why Micah liked him, let alone supposedly loved him.
Dixon apparently had some former lover who’d been in the closet, and clearly that was a traumatic experience for him. Okay, I get that. Sort of. I’d have gotten it more with a few details. I definitely got that he didn’t want to repeat that. I can even understand how that would influence his feelings about Micah’s apparent closetedness. But what I didn’t get was how Dixon was so clueless about what being in the closet meant. Or how it worked. Or something.
He seemed to think being closeted meant having “lie back and think of England”-type sex, so when he and Micah had wild monkey sex, he’d perceive him as out of the closet. But then Micah would be busy working on his thesis, staying home all the time, and somehow that meant he was closeted again. At least in Dixon’s mind, which constantly flipped annoyingly between “yay, he’s out of the closet, this is good” and “oh no, we had such great sex yesterday but now he’s in the closet again, as he works on his thesis. And I can’t be with a closeted guy.” Dude, Dixon, get a freaking clue.
Even worse, Dixon forced Micah to come out to his dad, and I thought that was unforgivable. He pretended like he was doing Micah some sort of favor, but given his obsession with wanting Micah to be out of the closet, it was clearly self-serving. Micah maybe had some good reasons for staying closeted, and had explained them to Dixon. I wasn’t entirely convinced about how important staying in the closet was for Micah, perhaps because he was a bit ambivalent about it himself. But it was his decision to make, not Dixon’s, even if neither Dixon nor I entirely understood it.
I was proud of Micah for the way he responded in the moment to being outed, but then I wanted him to dump Dixon’s self-centered, clueless, obnoxious ass after; instead, he thanked him. I could see how Micah could appreciate it, given the way things played out. Though I thought there was surprisingly little angst or second-guessing on Micah’s part. But I still think Dixon doing it was unforgivable even if it turned out well.
Also, I thought they were both pretty stupid to have sex without condoms, and very little discussion, right after meeting. Then, back home, they use condoms, again with very little discussion. Condoms were apparently something like soft bedding – nice to have, but no big deal when you’re camping and it’s not available. Unfortunately, that was pretty typical. Most of what happened in this story did so with very little explanation or apparent motivation.
Dixon did more stupid things. Micah finished his thesis and got a job. In the process, I was surprised to discover that thesis was apparently for a PhD, not the Master’s I’d thought. Dixon did more stupid things. And then they lived Happily Ever After. The End.
This review was originally posted at Reviews by Jessewave, where I received the book for free in exchange for an honest review.
**REVIEW CONTAINS WHAT MAY BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS**
Review: I’ve enjoyed attending various historical reenactments, so I thought this book would be fun. It certainly made for an unusual and intriguing setting. I do think it will appeal to some people (probably those who can like Dixon), but it definitely wasn’t for me. The characters were mostly two-dimensional, though Micah had moments of being 3D. Despite being in his POV roughly half the time, I never understood – or liked – Dixon at all. That made it difficult to understand why Micah liked him, let alone supposedly loved him.
Dixon apparently had some former lover who’d been in the closet, and clearly that was a traumatic experience for him. Okay, I get that. Sort of. I’d have gotten it more with a few details. I definitely got that he didn’t want to repeat that. I can even understand how that would influence his feelings about Micah’s apparent closetedness. But what I didn’t get was how Dixon was so clueless about what being in the closet meant. Or how it worked. Or something.
He seemed to think being closeted meant having “lie back and think of England”-type sex, so when he and Micah had wild monkey sex, he’d perceive him as out of the closet. But then Micah would be busy working on his thesis, staying home all the time, and somehow that meant he was closeted again. At least in Dixon’s mind, which constantly flipped annoyingly between “yay, he’s out of the closet, this is good” and “oh no, we had such great sex yesterday but now he’s in the closet again, as he works on his thesis. And I can’t be with a closeted guy.” Dude, Dixon, get a freaking clue.
Even worse, Dixon forced Micah to come out to his dad, and I thought that was unforgivable. He pretended like he was doing Micah some sort of favor, but given his obsession with wanting Micah to be out of the closet, it was clearly self-serving. Micah maybe had some good reasons for staying closeted, and had explained them to Dixon. I wasn’t entirely convinced about how important staying in the closet was for Micah, perhaps because he was a bit ambivalent about it himself. But it was his decision to make, not Dixon’s, even if neither Dixon nor I entirely understood it.
I was proud of Micah for the way he responded in the moment to being outed, but then I wanted him to dump Dixon’s self-centered, clueless, obnoxious ass after; instead, he thanked him. I could see how Micah could appreciate it, given the way things played out. Though I thought there was surprisingly little angst or second-guessing on Micah’s part. But I still think Dixon doing it was unforgivable even if it turned out well.
Also, I thought they were both pretty stupid to have sex without condoms, and very little discussion, right after meeting. Then, back home, they use condoms, again with very little discussion. Condoms were apparently something like soft bedding – nice to have, but no big deal when you’re camping and it’s not available. Unfortunately, that was pretty typical. Most of what happened in this story did so with very little explanation or apparent motivation.
Dixon did more stupid things. Micah finished his thesis and got a job. In the process, I was surprised to discover that thesis was apparently for a PhD, not the Master’s I’d thought. Dixon did more stupid things. And then they lived Happily Ever After. The End.
This review was originally posted at Reviews by Jessewave, where I received the book for free in exchange for an honest review.
August 7, 2013
***Might contain some spoilers, but tried to avoid!***
I just read this because I want to read the sequel, but it was really problematic for me. I didn't "get" the love between the guys..it just didn't come off the page.
I didn't believe that Micah was still not out, and his roommate seemed to alternately know and not know. He didn't read as a closeted guy and I didn't "feel" the conflict from him. It seemed contrived.
I can't believe the relationship with his dad. Ok his dad was a wackjob- but the pieces with him later in the book? Totally unbelievable and I didn't buy either of their reactions.
Dix was an OK character but not really any depth. Why did he like Micah? Did he?
and a big one- NO SAFE SEX?! WTF. Not ok and not addressed at all in any meaningful way. Like a forewarning that wasn't followed and an after thought that was ignored. Then are we to assume safe sex wasn't an issue because it was forgotten once? Totally annoying to me and pulled me WAY out of the story. Made me feel like they were shallow and short sighted.
Mostly I hated the info dumped plot twists. A storm that ruins everything? A death in the family and a mysterious inheritance? Just weird and pulled me out again and again.
The guys were really 1-2 dimensional and I just didn't see Micah as an abuse survivor alternately totally in touch with his past and other times paralyzed by it. I didn't see why Dix cared or that he really did. It was all tell and no show.
I hope the sequel is better but I'm worried now. I usually find a lot more redeeming than I did in this book, but it just irritated me a lot.
I just read this because I want to read the sequel, but it was really problematic for me. I didn't "get" the love between the guys..it just didn't come off the page.
I didn't believe that Micah was still not out, and his roommate seemed to alternately know and not know. He didn't read as a closeted guy and I didn't "feel" the conflict from him. It seemed contrived.
I can't believe the relationship with his dad. Ok his dad was a wackjob- but the pieces with him later in the book? Totally unbelievable and I didn't buy either of their reactions.
Dix was an OK character but not really any depth. Why did he like Micah? Did he?
and a big one- NO SAFE SEX?! WTF. Not ok and not addressed at all in any meaningful way. Like a forewarning that wasn't followed and an after thought that was ignored. Then are we to assume safe sex wasn't an issue because it was forgotten once? Totally annoying to me and pulled me WAY out of the story. Made me feel like they were shallow and short sighted.
Mostly I hated the info dumped plot twists. A storm that ruins everything? A death in the family and a mysterious inheritance? Just weird and pulled me out again and again.
The guys were really 1-2 dimensional and I just didn't see Micah as an abuse survivor alternately totally in touch with his past and other times paralyzed by it. I didn't see why Dix cared or that he really did. It was all tell and no show.
I hope the sequel is better but I'm worried now. I usually find a lot more redeeming than I did in this book, but it just irritated me a lot.
October 15, 2012
REENACTING is a decent MM romance with two everyday leads that I liked.
Micah and Dix are both everyday men. They're both students trying to figure out what comes next in their lives and wondering if it may be each other. These are men of power or prestige but I liked that average-Joe appeal.
Micah has cut himself off from nearly everyone so Dix crashing in his difficult for him. I like that Dix doesn't push Micah for more than he's ready for but he also expects Micah to figure out what he wants before Dix will commit. This romance is a mature but sexual one that I enjoyed and think other MM fans will too.
The plot is meandering and relationship focused. There are circumstances that force Dix and Micah into close proximity but they didn't feel too forced or out of place for their everyday characters.
REENACTING didn't wow me but it was an enjoyable novella.
Micah and Dix are both everyday men. They're both students trying to figure out what comes next in their lives and wondering if it may be each other. These are men of power or prestige but I liked that average-Joe appeal.
Micah has cut himself off from nearly everyone so Dix crashing in his difficult for him. I like that Dix doesn't push Micah for more than he's ready for but he also expects Micah to figure out what he wants before Dix will commit. This romance is a mature but sexual one that I enjoyed and think other MM fans will too.
The plot is meandering and relationship focused. There are circumstances that force Dix and Micah into close proximity but they didn't feel too forced or out of place for their everyday characters.
REENACTING didn't wow me but it was an enjoyable novella.
November 15, 2012
WM Kirkland’s REENACTMENT is an entertaining story of two gay college men. This trope has been done many times but to give it a unique POV the author has it set during a Civil War reenactment. It was fun to see how these scenes take place and the fact that the participants are people from all walks of life, including serious students of the era.
Dix is an out gay man who enjoys his family and friends while Micah is a closeted gay man who fears being outed. Micah has a past that keeps him tied in knots while Dix is fun-loving, meaning that for the two of them to find common ground might be difficult.
The story seemed to skip around and I got lost a few times but generally it’s a good story with people you want to see do well and find love.
Dix is an out gay man who enjoys his family and friends while Micah is a closeted gay man who fears being outed. Micah has a past that keeps him tied in knots while Dix is fun-loving, meaning that for the two of them to find common ground might be difficult.
The story seemed to skip around and I got lost a few times but generally it’s a good story with people you want to see do well and find love.
January 24, 2015
This short story was a free read from Reviews by Jessewave. I would give it a 3.5
The reenactment served as a backdrop to Micah and Dixon's first meeting, and gave some insight into how they are staged from the inside, though most of the story happened after this event. Micah has some serious history which has forced him deeply into the closet for safety, while he is finishing his phd. Dixon spends the rest of the story trying to encourage him to be more open.
I felt that some areas were skipped over and others were given as fact with no lead up. It was a good college story which I enjoyed and I would have enjoyed a longer fleshed out version of the story.
The reenactment served as a backdrop to Micah and Dixon's first meeting, and gave some insight into how they are staged from the inside, though most of the story happened after this event. Micah has some serious history which has forced him deeply into the closet for safety, while he is finishing his phd. Dixon spends the rest of the story trying to encourage him to be more open.
I felt that some areas were skipped over and others were given as fact with no lead up. It was a good college story which I enjoyed and I would have enjoyed a longer fleshed out version of the story.
October 13, 2012
3.5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews