Play It Forward

by Frederick Smith

Dirty little secrets can lead to public scandals and unexpected love affairs…


Malcolm Campbell is the director of a south Los Angeles organization focused on mentoring gay youth, and his nineteen-year-old nephew, Blake, is being sent to stay with him for the summer. Malcolm has always been a community and family role model everyone looks up to. But he also has a secret he never knew he had… until it pops up on the Internet.


Across town, in the closed and closeted world of Black Hollywood celebrity, pro-basketball player Tyrell Kincaid and R&B singer Tommie Jordan are public heroes in a very private relationship. After a series of indiscretions and slipups, the relationship becomes fodder for speculation and outing by the paparazzi and nationally-known gossip reporter Livonia Birmingham.


Despite living in two different worlds in L.A., Malcolm, Blake, Tommie, and Tyrell find themselves in the same arena, where they’ll have to risk it all to protect their hearts and their destiny.

Genres: LGBT, M M Romance

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2015

About the author

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Frederick Smith is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and Loyola University Chicago. A finalist for the PEN Center Emerging Voices Fellowship, and an alum of the VONA (Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation) Writers Workshop, Fred is a social justice advocate. He lives in Los Angeles and works with college students to help them find their voices and develop pride in their cultural and gender identities. He is the author of Down for Whatever and Right Side of the Wrong Bed, a Lambda Literary Award finalist.

(Source: Amazon.com)

Reviews

[Riina Y.T.]

I'd love to read this, but wow 9.99 USD / 9.54 EUR ?__?

[Jonathan David Pope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where the story lacked in character development, it made up for in drama. I read this with a glass of wine, on Kindle, and finished in one sitting. Better pacing would take this author's work to higher heights. But, I was thoroughly entertained, and sometimes that is all you really want from a book. It touched on a large amount of issues within in the Black queer community, which was great. I'll definitely be looking forward to what Frederick Smith releases next.

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from Malcolm's POV, this touches upon a variety of different experiences of a Black gay man in Los Angeles. There's his platonic best friend, who's in a long-term relationship with another man, his nephew, just beginning to explore adult life. There's revenge porn, and couples with fidelity issues, there's sex clubs and paparazzi and preachers, so many ways things could go wrong.

Kind of like a basketball game, fast-paced with a lot of moving parts. Which, speaking of basketball, there's a burgeoning romance between Malcolm and a closeted pro player, which goes right, wrong, and then right again. There's some explicit talk, but not many actual sex scenes.

If you're unfamiliar with this subculture *raises hand as a het white woman*, it's still a delightful romance with a HFN.

[Mr G williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an easy read, but it kinder went all over the place and touched on so many topics that affect gay communities of colour.

A little bit more Character development and story development was needed.

I would say it's worth reading based on the need for representation and the humour in Frederick's style.

[Cat Giraldo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely light on the romance, but it has great writing and is an excellent story from Malcolm's perspective. For the most part, the social commentary was insightful and just as relevant now as it was when it was originally published, and the story was packed with drama.

I enjoyed reading it and will definitely be adding more books by Frederick Smith to my tbr!

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Play It Forward
Author: Frederick Smith
Cover Artist: Gabrielle Pendergrast
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Reviewer: Jay
Genre: Contemporary
Type: Romance
Pairing: Gay
Length: Novel
Heat Rating: 3 Flames
Book Rating: 4 Stars

Malcolm Campbell and Tyrell Kincaid meet at an event sponsored by Malcom’s organization LADS. LADS is an organization that Malcom founded to help him make a difference with gay youth. There is an immediate attraction between these two men. But, there is always a but, Tyrell is a closeted professional basketball player, although there are rumors that Tyrell is in a relationship with Tommy Jordan and closeted R&B singer.

The world as both men know is about to implode. Malcom’s ex releases unknown sex videos of them on the internet and Tyrell’s relationship disastrously disintegrates. Blake, Malcolm’s cousin and one truly rebellious teenager, also enters the picture to stir the pot further. There are unscrupulous characters that are truly horrid individuals controlling each of their lives. Though it all, their story unfolds as the friendship, support, and love builds between these two men.

There is a lot that happens in this fast paced story dealing with race, religion, celebrity status, prejudices, manipulation, and the list goes on. There are numerous characters but the story is woven together nicely allowing the reader to follow along and enjoy the time spent absorbed within it. The celebrity aspect is interesting given what is currently happening in that arena in the real world. The love story aspect is intertwined with all of the situations that occur but it prevails in the end.

Review also at WoDF - Play It Forward

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Malcolm Campbell is content to quietly make a difference in the world. The organization he founded in Los Angeles, LADS, allows him to provide opportunities and positive examples to gay youth, himself being a role model to many. But when less than flattering videos of him and an ex-boyfriend show up on the internet, all of that may be in jeopardy. And even after the videos are taken down, Malcolm knows once something is on the internet, it can never truly go away.

There's also the matter of his nephew, Blake, coming to visit for the summer. And then there's Tyrell Kincaid, the professional basketball player that Malcolm met at a LADS event and the hint of a spark between them. Though it's widely rumored that Tyrell is in a secret relationship with R&B singer Tommie Jordan. But all things can only be hidden for so long before they bubble to the surface and come out in the open...

This is the first book I've read by Frederick Smith, but it certainly has me interested in reading more. There are a lot of players here and it's not an easy story to tell, but he does it well. The focus is on how Malcolm deals with all of the fallout of the situations and less on the endgame relationship, but it gets there.

The book is an interesting commentary, I think, on the closet, the nature of celebrity, community identity, and what it means to be an upstanding role model. There's a recognition that even those in the spotlight are entitled to make their mistakes as long as they're honest about them--especially with themselves.

[OOSA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth Be Told

Malcolm Campbell is the director of a south Los Angeles organization focused on mentoring gay youth. Once a secret from a money hungry ex lover arises, he must now seek to clear his name and reputation and regain his position so he can continue doing what he loves.

“Play It Forward” was a good read for me. I liked the twists and turns of the story. It did, however, initially take too long to get into. It wasn’t until around chapter five that it picked up and I really started enjoying it.

I always like to read about others who are helping young people in the community. The book reminds me of an E .Lynn Harris book.

Reviewed by: Alice