Whims & Vices

by D. Thrush

Max is in love with Molly. And so is his best friend, Sam. Young and wild, the three friends share an apartment in the early '70s living by their whims and vices in an endless party of drunken flirtations, freedom and experimentation, transcendent drugs, and easy sex.

Sam is charismatic and unpredictable and easily charms Molly. Max struggles with insecurity and jealousy and, through a twist of fate, finds himself in her bed causing their lives to tangle into a romantic knot that threatens to divide them.

How can Max fight for Molly without losing his best friend? His choices will alter the course of their lives and things will never be the same.

Fate & Flirtations is the sequel to this standalone book.

233 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 4, 2015

About the author

D. Thrush mixes it up with Literary & Women’s Fiction, PG-rated Rom Coms, and a Spiritual Inspirational novel. All her books explore family and friendship, love and romance, relationships and life. She writes from the heart and finds it difficult to part with her characters when their stories end, hence several sequels. All books are standalones.

“Fairy Tale Karma” was a #1 Amazon Bestseller, “Guardian of the Light” earned a B.R.A.G. Medallion, and “The Daughter Claus” (which her mother told her to write) was a finalist for the Ian Book of the Year, Wishing Shelf Awards, and Readers’ Favorites. Three more books complete the popular Santina Series.

She enjoys reading (of course!), taking walks, brain games, movies (she was an extra in a movie), watching HGTV wearing sweats, and cohabiting with her significant other in Oregon. And she loves hearing from readers.

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Reviews

[Nick Iuppa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whims and Vices is an insightful, sweet, complex story of friendship and love. D. Thrush, tells it in the voice of Max, a college age kid in the early 70s who doesn’t need much in the way of material things, but does require a steady supply of alcohol, free-love, occasional drugs, and friendship. He meets a bartender gal named Molly and she tells him he can stay at her place. What she doesn’t know is that Max’s best friend Sam is one of the all time charmers of the world, a guy who can pretty much seduce anyone with a simple smile. Sam just assumes that he can move in with Max and Molly, and he does. Sam cooks; Molly works and takes care of the guys; while Max worries endlessly about everything.

D. shows remarkable insight into the complexities of the male mind, especially our deepest darkest fears, and our affection for - dependence on - and yet constant need escape from commitments to the opposite sex. She understands male friendships too and the honor code that comes with even the darkest of them. D. gives Max a resilience that turns out to be one of his greatest strengths. I’ll admit that I was very much involved in the story and as worried as Max about all the dangers and possibilities that came with each new day. The book is an accurate picture of the way things were in the seventies, but more than that it’s a chance for readers to develop real friendships with some complex and intriguing characters that they will really care about. I sure hope there will be a sequel.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my normal read. The cover... thumbs down. (I saw the blue tie-dyed version, not the one here on GoodReads) But the books description caught my attention and I always wondered what was so special about the 70s, so I started reading. Chapter 1.... I was lost, not sure who was "speaking". I kept going. By Chapter 3 I was rewarded with wanted to know more. The ending was a nice surprise. Overall, I'm still not sure what was so special about the 70s, but the story D. Thrush built proved a fascinating expose of friendship, intimacy, drugs, and polygamy, all viewed through the eyes of one man during a time I never fully experienced. Well done. I received this book from eBook Discovery. This is my honest review which I voluntarily post here.

[Brian Paules · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was a somewhat nostalgic visit to the 1970s. It covers the time of life where experimentation and curiosity seem to rule our every action such as drugs, sex, alcohol and the like. It's a story about struggles, hardships and the eventual consequences and outcomes. If you were coming of age in the 70s you'll probably enjoy it.

I received this book from eBook Discovery and reviewed it voluntarily.

[Nick Iuppa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whims and Vices is an insightful, sweet, complex story of friendship and love. D. Thrush, tells it in the voice of Max, a college age kid in the early 70s who doesn’t need much in the way of material things, but does require a steady supply of alcohol, free-love, occasional drugs, and friendship. He meets a bartender gal named Molly and she tells him he can stay at her place. What she doesn’t know is that Max’s best friend Sam is one of the all time charmers of the world, a guy who can pretty much seduce anyone with a simple smile. Sam just assumes that he can move in with Max and Molly, and he does. Sam cooks; Molly works and takes care of the guys; while Max worries endlessly about everything.

D. shows remarkable insight into the complexities of the male mind, especially our deepest darkest fears, and our affection for - dependence on - and yet constant need escape from commitments to the opposite sex. She understands male friendships too and the honor code that comes with even the darkest of them. D. gives Max a resilience that turns out to be one of his greatest strengths. I’ll admit that I was very much involved in the story and as worried as Max about all the dangers and possibilities that came with each new day. The book is an accurate picture of the way things were in the seventies, but more than that it’s a chance for readers to develop real friendships with some complex and intriguing characters that they will really care about. I sure hope there will be a sequel.

[Edward Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this and wasn't sure who was talking in the first chapter and where they were going with the story so I sure didn't expect what happened later. After a short time, I couldn't put the book down. When I did succeed in putting it down briefly to go eat or something, I was thinking about the characters and needing to know what was going to happen next. Before bed, I did that thing where you tell yourself, "just one more chapter, then I'll go to sleep." But then I ended up finishing the book and was dismayed to have reached the end.

When a book makes me put off other things, and stay up way later than I should before work the next day, I consider it to have done its job well. I'm really looking forward to the sequel the author hints at after the end.

It's a first-person narrative that takes you back to the early 70's. Max has two best friends, Sam and Molly, who loves very much. They have a great friendship until Sam and Molly hook up. The friendship is unaffected by this pairing off until one day Sam just takes off. Then everything changes between all of them.

[David Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written novel, which deals with some difficult subject matters – drugs, alcoholism, polygamy and infidelity, for example – without needing to sensationalize or romanticize them. The author keeps a very real and authentic flavour to both these issues and the 1970s, where the majority of the story takes place.

I struggled with the main protagonist, Max, at first. His insecurities and attitude to life don’t inspire sympathy to his many self-made problems, but they provide a great counterpoint to his soul mates Sam and Molly and their extended network of friends, musicians and dealers.

The pace of the story is constant, neither speeding up nor slowing down, but gently taking the reader through Max’s first person life struggles – his whims and his vices. It’s one of those stories where, when you’re not reading it, you’re wondering what’s happening in their world and wanting to get back to it – always a measure of a good book.

[Mischelle Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not something I usually read, but the synopsis caught my interest and once I started I couldn't put it down. I loved the energy and friendship between the main characters (even the times I wanted to grab them and say "what are you doing!?!). They genuinely loved each other and you can see it in some of their interactions. There's a lot of struggle in this book. Struggles with drugs, drinking, infidelity, etc...but there's also the good parts in it too. (And no, I'm not going to tell you the good parts. You'll have to read it for yourself to find out.) This book is pretty much every kid out there who has ever struggled to find themselves while dealing with life. They either just want to party for a while, or they don't know what they want or how to get there. The journey is hard, but the outcome is usually the best.

[Dermot Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from the point of view of Max, this is a lovely story depicting his loves and his losses over several decades beginning in the peace and love and drug era of the early seventies. Max is trying to find himself and goes through a series of relationships that manage to break his heart and invariably have the result of compounding his confusion. The backdrop of the seventies would seem to be both a hindrance and a help to anyone that was trying to find the meaning of life and of themselves; the free availability of drugs an aid to those seeking expanded consciousness but a trap for those who succumbed to their addictions. This is a story told with care and affection for each of the three main characters and I fell in love with each of them.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Whims & Vices
Author: D Thrush

Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 4/10
Of the 15 readers:
12 would read another book by this author.
4 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
13 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
12 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
‘Enjoyed this. I don’t remember the 1970s very well as I was born in on 1970, so the setting was particularly interesting. The characters developed well with the story, I thought the love/sex triangle was well plotted.’ Male reader, aged 48
‘Three strong characters make up for a not so strong plot. The 70s setting was also good.’ Female reader, aged 54
‘Max is a very earnest character and was by far the most interesting of the three. The dilemma was also the highlight of the story as Max attempts not to let Sam down but, at the same time, falls for the girl. The writing style is excellent, and I spotted no errors. A bit too slow in parts perhaps but, all in all, a compelling read.’ Male reader, aged 68
‘A complex novel of love, loss and a good supply of drugs. Entertaining.’ Male reader, aged 27
‘Enjoyed this story. The cover is terrible but, if you forget that, you will find a wonderful story within.’ Female reader, aged 51

To Sum It Up:
‘Drugs, drink and sex! A wonderful romp through the 1970s.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Carrie Terrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review contains spoilers!!

Whims and Vices is a trip down memory lane for me, but not the usual trip that you would expect for someone being born in the 50’s. I was not the flower child that was the norm in this era. I would consider myself the one that watched from afar, analyzed everything, and always wondered what the fuss was all about. To this day I still wonder what the fuss is all about, however, Whims and Vices has shed some light.

Molly, Max and Sam found themselves in a type of love triangle – Molly and Sam, Molly and Max, Max and Sam – but a triangle not only of love, but of best friends. Friends that should last a lifetime, but as most of us know, “People come and go in your life, but some never leave your thoughts” and I often find myself wondering what happened to Shelly, or Shawn or Barbara (these are my friends) and through social media I have been able to find a couple, but some of the names still haunt me to this day.

Molly was the stable one, the one with the job, the one that was more apprehensive, yet would try new mind altering drug experiences, but didn’t let life get in the way. Max was a type of freeloader that would have an occasional job if enough pressure was put on him, who also held reserve to mind altering drugs, but Sam, the wild one, was always up for a party, experimenting, the most unstable of the three. Sam reminds me a lot of my cousin who had the world at his fingertips, brilliant in math and electronics, the engineer brain, but got mixed up in the drug world, traveled to the Haight-Ashbury scene, became hooked on hard drugs and fried his brain. Maybe Sam knew early on that he had a brain tumor so subconsciously he didn’t care what the consequences of hard drug use might bring.

Like Max, “I mourn the friend I carelessly and unintentionally let time and distance take from me”. Max ran away from his perceived trouble in New York, leaving Sam and Molly to be a couple. He never kept in contact. Years later, through social media he reconnected with old friends who led him to an old band member friend and ultimately Molly. Max was too late to be by Sam’s side as he died, as I was too late to be by Barbara’s side when she took her life. I have never been able to forgive myself for not knowing the pain she must have been in to be able to do this. “Lessons learned on your own are much more valuable and enduring”, a lesson I learned years after my friend had passed because I didn’t know until years later this event had even occurred, ultimately because of my own negligence of nurturing friendships. This tragedy has opened a new light in my life to not let time pass without keeping in contact with both friends and family, to help whenever needed, no matter what time or place you may find yourself in, to make it work.

As I mentioned earlier I was never the adventurous one when it came to mind altering drugs and I never could understand why someone wasn’t just happy being themselves. One thing I found contradictory to my beliefs is a scene where the three friends find themselves in the kitchen with Sam having just cooked breakfast. “There was the delicious aroma of food mixed with the sweet scent of pot”. Boy is this wrong for me! To this day I get nauseated at the smell of pot. I believe this is why my life was so different than my peers. It is said that mind altering drugs alter your perception of life. In answer to my own question as to why someone can’t be happy with the way they are, this would be it. If you’re unhappy or believe there is something better out there, this would be a way to experience it.

I really enjoyed Chapter 22. Max had run away to California to make a new start, years had passed and he found himself looking back at life after being a successful realtor, divorced and wondering what happened. Money, “the green pacifier” can be the death of any relationship. We tend to work more and more, spend less time with family and for what? Material things don’t matter. They don’t satisfy “the deep craving we all have within ourselves for meaning”. It becomes a bottomless pit that many never see and Max was able to see after his divorce. What he needed now was a true friend, he needed Sam and Molly. This chapter ties it up. This is where he reunites with Molly, finds out his best friend, Sam, has died and opens new doors.

Max reunited with Molly through social media. I reunited with Shawn (a friend from the 70’s) through social media. Max and Molly are both in a position to start again as are Shawn and I. Our lives are a sequel in the making and I suspect Max and Molly’s will be also.

[Ashley H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I recommend this book.

The Characters. The inter-connected relationships between the main character and his two best friends are interesting, and in a way, endearing. The main character struggles throughout to determine where he fits within this group, and whether or not he even still belongs within them. This conflict is, in essence, the novel. Despite the selfishness--maybe rightfully exerted--of his friends, the main character always gives them the benefit of the doubt, even if it means he gets the short end, meaning that he does not get what he wants. They are just human beings trying to find themselves as well. But the main character gives more credence to the will of others than his own. He abandons self-confidence. My biggest gripe, then, is that the main character doesn't really know what he believes and, though he seems like a good person, he lacks spine and conviction, even in the end. On a positive note, there is real love between the characters and real drama. The book thus displays a realistic dichotomy existent in most relationships, where the natural compulsion to love others battles the natural compulsion to love thy self.

The Story. The book utilizes some cliches, is superfluous at parts, too short in others, and is relatively predictable, but ultimately gains back points at its heart by honestly demonstrating how some aspects of the "free love," "1960's-esq enlightenment" era produced both good and bad results, subtly calling attention to the negative results that exist amongst the positives of the fashionable condemnation of traditionalism in favor of a new-wave movement. It also illustrates how most former "new-wave" subscribers eventually and seamlessly end up ascribing to many of the traditional beliefs and lifestyles they mocked. It is a tug-of-war readily observable between sententious "free-thinking movements" and "ignorant, fearful traditionalists." The book therefore--maybe unintentionally--shows that both forms of thought have their flaws.

The Writing. The writing was solid but a bit choppy--what I called machine gun writing--in that it is short sentences back-to-back-to-back. It thus did not possess the most fluid rhythm, but certainly was proficient and easy to read.

Verdict. 3 out of 5. I recommend for a light read.

[Claire Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot put into words how much I enjoyed reading this book. I was completely immersed in the story and loved all three characters equally. It’s very rare to come across a book that captures the atmosphere of an era so perfectly and somehow manages to bottle the very essence of youth to serve it to the reader as if it was the most natural thing to do. It left me with a longing for a carefree life I never had but could have, had I grown up in a different environment. I am about to start on the sequel – the author has put the bar high with this book and I hope the second one just flows from the first.