Bachelor Marriages: We do everything together: work, play, dance and dream.

by Bruce Watkins

I’d’ve been happy staying in San Francisco as a carpenter or salesman; but my matey, Harry, said, “Clarence, honey, we gotta follow Connor and Mike east to mine gold. I wanna roll up in a blanket at night under the stars with you - just you and me.

“It’ll be full of men and excitement. Yes, we’ll hafta deal with bullies like Bart Todd, who’s under the spell of the Mormon sociopath, Azariah Smith, and is beating up miners to extort our gold. But, there will be a ladies man like Clint, who doesn’t know he wants a man to make his life complete. He’ll want us to show him man-on-man sex and romance, and maybe our friend Terry’ll mate up with him in a Bachelor Marriage.

“Trust me, we’re gonna be startled from time to time not only by the occasional wolf but also by the mob of fox men that inhabit the area. “And, then, there’s the gold! We could just get by, or we could strike it rich together. You and me, babe!”

195 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 27, 2024

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was slightly more complicated. The two men from the ship end up in Gold Country at the height of the Gold Rush, and begin to pan for gold. They have the usual amount of sex, and they eventually make their "rival," who extorts gold seekers, their friend. It's a really nice book, Bruce.

[Bruce R. Watkins, PhD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a unique book. It combines history with LGBT culture. Given the historical context, the characters come alive and stay real for the whole book. I loved the way Bruce developed various characters and brought them together, cleverly, making the book sizzle throughout without any sag. The two main characters, Clarence and Harry, emerge as romantic heroes, loving each other in their laissez-faire relationship. Sex is an opportunity to visit heaven. Romance is inevitable and forever. The title, Bachelor Marriages, is very apt. It is historically correct. They actually existed. And, given that there were no sexual labels in the 1800s, they wouldn't be a gay marriage. They would be a marriage between (or, yes! among) bachelors.