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A Model Romance
When Bridger Bradford chases the wrong guy to South Korea, he falls in love ... with his fantasies about Kai, a model whose handsome mug is splashed across every subway station and bus shelter in the country.Kai has a big career and big money, but what he really wants is a shot at big, blond Bridger, who can't believe his luck when the man of his dreams seemingly walks out of the stack of souvenir magazines and right up to him in his favorite San Francisco bar.
23 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 2013
11 people want to read
About the author
Michael P. Thomas
36 books25 followersMICHAEL P. THOMAS is a flight attendant whose passions include the coffee in France, the hundred-yen stores in Japan, and the men in Argentina. His writing is continually inspired by his work with the flying public, who flatly refuse to be boring. He writes gay fiction because when he was coming out he sure was glad to have it to read. After misspending his youth in San Francisco, he now lives in his native Colorado with his husband. He blogs at www.misterstewardess.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @MrStewardess. His first novel, Kiss Me, Straight, is available in eBook and paperback from JMS Books. His next, Crazy Like Fox, comes out on September 8th!
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 20, 2013
This review can be found at Brief Encounters Reviews.
If you can let go of some logic and propensity for coincidence, you may enjoy this story more than others. Kai is one quarter Korean and curious about his heritage. Despite his family’s misgivings, he heads over to Korea to discover his roots. To earn some money, he falls into modeling. Apparently he is white enough to appease the Asian desire for North American models, but has enough of an Asian vibe that he’s soon one of the top models in the country, and even breaks into acting after perfecting his Korean.
Bridger is a bit your typical clueless jock, who came out in university and spends his time being proud of the fact he can get any guy and never has to buy his own drinks. However, he signs up with a religious choir from university to go on a Korean tour with them, in the sole hopes that he can seduce the leader into bed with him. When that goes awry, he discovers Kai, well, pictures of him all over Korea. Before long he’s buying up magazines with his ads and when he gets back to San Francisco, he even frames some of them and has a “shrine” wall in his apartment, obsessing over the guy.
One night at a gay bar he sees what could be the model’s double and figures hooking up with his double is the next best thing to the real guy, but before long, he discovers Kai is the real deal, and they even went to high school together where Kai was crushing on him, and Bridger didn’t know he was alive. Before the night is over, Bridger is agreeing to accompany Kai to the Academy Awards where the Korean film he’s in is up for best foreign film.
Bridger claims to bring guys home all the time, but personally, if I went home with someone and their apartment was plastered with pictures of a model, I’d be freaked out. He is also arrogant about his ability to attract men, and yet he has a good old boy thing going that makes him less annoying than it could have been. Kai came across as a nice guy. Even after he become famous in Korea, he still lives with his model friends and doesn’t seem to have any great desire for the wealth and fame that fell into his lap.
I found the ending a bit rushed and suddenly, after one weekend, Kai gives up his career to move back to the US with Bridger. I think either a longer story letting them get to know each other or a HFN ending would have worked better for me. I did enjoy the story of Kai adjusting to Korea and exploring a heritage his Grandmother had been determined to put behind her. However, as I said, some people will find Bridger’s fascination with an unknown model and the odds of meeting him in a bar rather off-putting, others won’t mind it as a pure form of entertainment.
If you can let go of some logic and propensity for coincidence, you may enjoy this story more than others. Kai is one quarter Korean and curious about his heritage. Despite his family’s misgivings, he heads over to Korea to discover his roots. To earn some money, he falls into modeling. Apparently he is white enough to appease the Asian desire for North American models, but has enough of an Asian vibe that he’s soon one of the top models in the country, and even breaks into acting after perfecting his Korean.
Bridger is a bit your typical clueless jock, who came out in university and spends his time being proud of the fact he can get any guy and never has to buy his own drinks. However, he signs up with a religious choir from university to go on a Korean tour with them, in the sole hopes that he can seduce the leader into bed with him. When that goes awry, he discovers Kai, well, pictures of him all over Korea. Before long he’s buying up magazines with his ads and when he gets back to San Francisco, he even frames some of them and has a “shrine” wall in his apartment, obsessing over the guy.
One night at a gay bar he sees what could be the model’s double and figures hooking up with his double is the next best thing to the real guy, but before long, he discovers Kai is the real deal, and they even went to high school together where Kai was crushing on him, and Bridger didn’t know he was alive. Before the night is over, Bridger is agreeing to accompany Kai to the Academy Awards where the Korean film he’s in is up for best foreign film.
Bridger claims to bring guys home all the time, but personally, if I went home with someone and their apartment was plastered with pictures of a model, I’d be freaked out. He is also arrogant about his ability to attract men, and yet he has a good old boy thing going that makes him less annoying than it could have been. Kai came across as a nice guy. Even after he become famous in Korea, he still lives with his model friends and doesn’t seem to have any great desire for the wealth and fame that fell into his lap.
I found the ending a bit rushed and suddenly, after one weekend, Kai gives up his career to move back to the US with Bridger. I think either a longer story letting them get to know each other or a HFN ending would have worked better for me. I did enjoy the story of Kai adjusting to Korea and exploring a heritage his Grandmother had been determined to put behind her. However, as I said, some people will find Bridger’s fascination with an unknown model and the odds of meeting him in a bar rather off-putting, others won’t mind it as a pure form of entertainment.
March 19, 2013
1.5 stars. So much telling, not enough showing.
March 30, 2013
I read this story while I am now living in Korea, so really enjoyed the Korea references (though some of the story happens in San Francisco and LA too.)
In general, I like novels better than short stories, and I found myself wanting more. More character development, more twists. So I wasn't ready to end the story when it did. As far as the story goes, I prefer his full-length novel, Kiss Me Straight, more. Kiss Me, Straight
But, I am left feeling profoundly touched by one lingering thought And that is how a gay person's life is impacted so deeply by those that speak negatively to and about gay kids, and by those that say 'Not cool' and stop it.
In general, I like novels better than short stories, and I found myself wanting more. More character development, more twists. So I wasn't ready to end the story when it did. As far as the story goes, I prefer his full-length novel, Kiss Me Straight, more. Kiss Me, Straight
But, I am left feeling profoundly touched by one lingering thought And that is how a gay person's life is impacted so deeply by those that speak negatively to and about gay kids, and by those that say 'Not cool' and stop it.
March 17, 2013
: Kai went to South Korea and quickly became a modeling sensation. Bridger went to South Korea on a trip to follow the man of his dreams to find that he fell in love with the hot model Kai, but only in his dreams as they never met. Then one day he is at the local bar and sees a dead ringer for Kai and the man is checking him out so he decides to go for it.
I thought this story was cute. The way Bridger was infatuated with Kai though seemed quite stalkerish for a man of his age. But all in the entire story was funny hot and sweet.
Recommendations: If you like short snappy stories, models, jocks and hot mansex you will like this one.
I thought this story was cute. The way Bridger was infatuated with Kai though seemed quite stalkerish for a man of his age. But all in the entire story was funny hot and sweet.
Recommendations: If you like short snappy stories, models, jocks and hot mansex you will like this one.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews