First Wound

London Dates #1

by Brad Tanner

Castor Evans leaves his native town and travels to London to commence undergraduate studies at Greenwich University. Upon arrival, he meets his first love, Mike, and a girl called Violet, who becomes Castor’s closest friend.

Castor is still a child in many ways, yet intelligent beyond his nineteen years. How will he cope with the first heartbreak?

First Wound is one of the most exciting LGBT short reads (8000 words), and the first installment of the London Gay Dates series about Castor’s adventures in the vibrant British capital.

Genres: M M Romance

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2014

About the author

Brad Tanner had his heart broken and mended numerous times (twice actually). Now he reflects on the past in his stories.

Brad grew up as a shy and studious person. He never realized he was gay until his late twenties. Perhaps he just kissed the wrong kind of men before that.

Brad doesn’t rule out he might be an alien from Venus or a reincarnation of Leonardo. Of course, it must be someone great and gay and ahead of his time.

When he’s not at work or writing, Brad loves cuddling up with a good book and a man, not necessarily in that order.

He lives in Oxford, UK.

Reviews

[Michael Ampersant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Castor is a gay newbie from the north arriving in London (“the city of sex”) to commence his studies in Digital Media. Castor is still a virgin, despite his 19 years of age. On the bus, he has been eying somebody in a red-checkered shirt, a certain Mike, and they have a brief conversation; we’re going to meet Mike again. But first we’re signing in to Greenwich University and its dorm, where our narrator will share a room with Tim, a hale American guy flaunting a superiority complex. Tim is very handsome and very strait, of course, but we’re not---spoiler alert---we’re not in for yet another gay-meets-straight-roomie-who-will-come-around-in-the-end plot, and that’s one of the charms of this novella.
Tim is from the textbook, better even, he’s from the text book about roomies who befriend only “people with no personality whatsoever, especially those who exclusively pursue marketing degrees.”
In the meantime, our narrator has happened onto Mike again, in Soho, on Friday night, and they talk and drink and club and dance and drink until Mike takes Castor home, and then---spoiler alert---falls asleep, sloshed. (“We now lay like two spoons, his left arm resting on my belly. This is love. Or so I hope.”)
Castor doesn’t hope in vain. He’ll lose his virginity to Mike, and then the complications begin, with (a) Tim and his girlfriends, (b) a new flame of Mike that appears out of nowhere, and, (c) a new guy whose “tight blue pants reveal more than they conceal…”
This is a delicious mini saga about innocence lived and exposed and dumped into the London cesspool of short-term sex. And it could be true, the story. The twist and turns, it reads as if this has happened to the author himself. Loved it. Five Stars.

[Phetra Hedlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is quick and easy to get into and starts out with young Castor coming to London to go to school. It is pretty clear from the beginning that Castor is new to being in the big city, any big city and doesn't really know "the ropes" of things. To help himself get off to a good start he takes up this strangers offer of being showed around and gives Mike a call to show him around. Mike quickly becomes a person of interest for Castor both sexually and romantically but just as quickly shows tendencies to not be all that into Castor as Castor is into him.

I love this book and I "hate" it. It is a honest book about young love, learning hard lessons of first love and that not everything that glimmers is gold. I love it because of this reason that it is real because this is how life is, full of disappointments and heartbreak. I hate it because Castor is a really sweet and likable guy and Mike in my books is a selfish prick. You really feel for Castor when Mike doesn't see how great he is. Thank god he has Violet that cuddles the hell out of him when Mike fails miserably.

I look forward to the next installment in this novellet series by Brad Tanner, he writes in a way that pulls you in and make it easy to read and enjoy the story. He's a good story teller who can give a story that mix between hot and steamy and real and honest.

[Rachel Hendry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly anyone who knows me understands I have a passion for M/M novels and am always eager to find new authors to read and add to my collection!
Now I read this book twice...yes that's right twice...first to just absorb the story and second to simply just enjoy it all over again.
Castor, having just moved to London, meets Mike.
His 'first love'.....
Now Castor has a lot of changes to deal with...a new environment, new friends,first love and I could feel his anxiety and his need to try new experiences whilst being unsure about doing so.
Back to Mike....now I think whilst reading this we all knew how it may end but it really took the reader on a journey that I think we have all travelled....those first feelings of lust, need and maybe love.
I'd didn't matter if you were or are in a M/M relationship or a F/F relationship or indeed M/F one ( or any other for that matter) the feels were the same.We all I am sure have felt what Castor did to some degree when we like someone....do I text? Or does that make me needy?...does he or she like me?...or why haven't they called me?....a myriad of emotions and you know what? I felt them all during this book.
A very clever piece of writing that was word perfect, it was to the point, almost like a diary in its appearance and I felt like a fly on the wall.
I was happy when Castor was and I was sad when he was too and the realisation that you simply like or love someone when they do not feel the same, yeah, I felt that too.
Loved Violet...we all need a friend like her.....
Hated Mike.....yeah we don't need anyone like him but betrayal makes us stronger right?
So this book and this author...Mr Tanner....yep he's a new fave of mine and after the ending of First Wound I am certainly looking forward to see where Castor's experiences take him next
A solid 5 shiny stars for taking me back to my dating days......

[Fee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book a while ago and put off reading because it said "First Heartbreak". I don't do well with those stories lol. But I pulled myself together and started reading....AND I'm so glad that I did.
This short, emotional, funny and sometimes infuriating (because I was angry with Mike!) story is a gem!
Let me tell you that I didn't like Mike. I wanted to reach in and grab Castor and shout "Stay Away". Maybe because it took me back to my first relationship when I had my heart broken. However, they do say we learn from past mistakes - don't we? Lol.
I loved Violet! She was good for Castor when he needed someone in his corner. We all need a Violet in our lives!
Even from the start it had me laughing and angry at the same time. I was so taken in by what was going on that I almost forgot how short it was!
Poor Castor, you just want to hug him and tell him everything is going to be ok. However, I know this is a first in a series so hopefully as we go on the journey with him, we can hope that he will find what he deserves. I'm a romantic at heart and I want him to have his happy ever after!
Brad Tanner is an author that I have recently discovered and now I am happy to say a fan of his writing (no stalking I promise lol). I loved the paragraph at the end of the book about this author!
I give this book 5 stars as it has everything and more for a short story and that's what us readers want! 100% recommend this book!
Now I'm off to read the next in the series.

[Tracy Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it's a great little read about a young man who's starting college life. Along with school work he begins to learn about friendship love and heartbreak. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to go through an emotional roller coaster ride

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

This book is exactly what I needed! Fun fun fun! 19 year old college freshman Castor falls in love for the first time and then sadly copes with heartbreak that follows. But all is not doomed for this romance newbie. It’ll be interesting to follow his journey.

[Mazmum · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't write mean reviews so I'll just say it wasn't for me.

[Smut Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing style wasn't really for me and I found it rather rushed. But the story itself was fun and interesting.

[Romance and Fantasy for Cosmopolitan Girls · Rating 2 out of 5]

Romance and Fantasy for Cosmopolitan Girls
In effetti si tratta proprio di una delusione, non solo quella subita da Carter, ma anche nel leggere di lui. Questo romanzo breve, solamente una trentina di pagine, affronta quella fase delicata della vita di ognuno di noi: la prima cotta, la prima volta. Il racconto dell’autore è, a mio parere, quasi “asettico”, manca lo spessore psicologico dei personaggi e il tutto sembra essere raccontato solo come un susseguirsi di eventi, quasi senza emozioni. Una lettura piuttosto piatta i cui pregi sono di essere breve e ben scritta.


Carter arriva a Londra e spera di poter vivere finalmente la sua vita e trovare l’amore, ma ovviamente si “innamora” di Mike che lo tradisce.
Metto il termine innamorarsi tra virgolette perché, a mio parere, il protagonista trova nel partener solamente il primo ragazzo ad essersi interessato a lui e ad avergli fatto provare determinate sensazioni. Il fatto stesso che avesse stilato una lista dei ragazzi carini del campus per capire se fossero disponibili, prima di decidersi di chiedere a Mike di uscire, fanno capire che non dovesse essere proprio una cosa serissima. Con questo non metto in dubbio che la loro frequentazione non avesse lasciato intendere un maggiore coinvolgimento che porta poi alla grande delusione di Carter ed alla sua conseguente depressione.
Nella sua semplicità questa storia avrebbe avuto un gran bel potenziale, peccato che non sia stato adeguatamente sfruttato dall’autore.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

🏳️‍🌈 MM novel
✔️Unexpected twists
✔️Strangers to lovers
✔️Easy read
❌ cheating
❌ hurt/comfort read
🌶 slow burn 🔥🔥

Multi short stories of dating escapades! Firstly I had no idea it was a connected set of short stories so I thought there would be a happy ending and was so confused temporarily. I’m not paying too much to the description of the stories for GLO most of the time or I’ve forgotten by the time I read it. Don’t mind my hot mess reading!

That aside! I did really like this first date short story as it speaks to the innocences of first romances. I’d be interested to find out how the rest of the stories go to see if Castor becomes a bit guarded.

Good element of details whilst not overwhelming for a short novel! Definitely would read the rest!

Can we also take a moment to appreciate Violet? How one woman or any man would be able to manage, how many lovers… 3 or 4? I need that story more than anything! Plus the drama of none of them knowing of the others. Brilliant addition to a side character!

[Aurora Corsini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il titolo di questo racconto svela molto della trama, ma questo non deve impedirvi di leggerlo, perché perdereste una piccola gemma. Castor arriva a Londra per frequentare l’università e, a diciannove anni, iniziare in qualche modo la sua vita da giovane gay alle prime armi. Il suo obiettivo è l’amore, ovviamente, ma non si lascia scoraggiare dalla prospettiva di poter incontrare ostacoli sul cammino verso la felicità.
Così seguiamo questo ragazzo e sorridiamo per la sua “voce” irriverente, autoironica e caustica, mentre muove i primi passi nella grande città, incontra Mike, qualcuno che potrebbe essere il suo vero amore, ma si scontra con, appunto, la prima delusione. Castor, però, non si lascia abbattere e si riprende, anche grazie all’amica Violet, una sorta di sorella maggiore/chioccia che gli consiglia di non “aggrapparsi al primo tronco” e continuare a guardarsi intorno.
Questo è il primo di una serie di libri dedicati a Castor e la scrittura di Brad Tanner scorre veloce e leggera, accompagnandoci con ironia, tramite lo sguardo un po’ ingenuo ma sincero del ragazzo, alla scoperta di Londra, verso altri incontri e, si spera, l’amore che il nostro protagonista sta cercando.(recensione pubblicata anche su Romanticamente Fantasy Sito)

[Elyxyz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un racconto breve, ma piacevole.
Il protagonista della storia è Castor, un giovane studente universitario che dalla provincia si sposta a Londra per studiare e per sperimentare, finalmente, la propria sessualità nascosta.
Giusto al suo arrivo nella City, Castor fa la conoscenza di Mike, che sembra essere proprio un Principe Azzurro e Castor si illude che sia il grande Amore, quello con la A maiuscola.
Purtroppo per lui, come anticipa il titolo del libro, le cose non vanno come sperava.
Eppure Castor, anche se col cuore spezzato, non è solo: incontriamo interessanti personaggi secondari come Tim, il suo compagno di stanza, e Violet, la responsabile del suo dormitorio, che si rivelerà un’amica preziosa e un’utile confidente per il nostro protagonista.
Proprio grazie a lei, forse, la cura per il mal d’amore potrebbe essere più vicina di quel che si crede e sono davvero curiosa di leggere il prossimo volume, dove le avventure di Castor continueranno.

[booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book read a bit like a diary for me as i could envisage, if it were a film, the main character, Castor, sitting at a desk writing down the events that happen in this book as we go through his recollection of events. It's got an "Adrian Mole" kind of feel to it. I quite liked Castor and how he was rather nerdy and loved his sense of humour. I felt bad for what he went through with Mike but loved that he had Violet there to help him whether he wanted it or not.

[Meledy Blumberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book

I love the characters in this book Violet is really funny and I think she will help Castor come out of his shell. I think Mike is going to regret what he did to Castor but we will see what happens.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

racconto carino,personaggi credibili,indecisa sul giudizio aspetto il prossimo per farmi un'opinione più convinta