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Notes from Boston #1
Anthem
Trevor Davidson has everything going for him. He’s just moved out on his own with three friends, and he’s landed a job as music director at a large Boston church. He has high hopes for marrying his long-term girlfriend and settling into a comfortable, devout lifestyle.
Andre Cole has spent the past few years throwing himself into a dead-end job at a Cape Cod-based call center. When an opportunity to move back to Boston arises, Andre believes it will be the do-over he needs to put his past behind him.
A chance meeting in a club on New Year’s Eve brings Trevor and Andre together for a brief but steamy encounter. Both assuming that’s the end of it, they are unexpectedly thrown back into each other’s lives when Trevor’s church hires Andre for their website design. While Andre is content at first to move on, Trevor’s conflicted feelings bubble over into his songwriting. Before he can stop it, his ode to Andre becomes an inadvertent Christian radio hit.
Unfortunately for Trevor, he isn’t the only one who knows the song’s hidden meaning. Someone has leaked the story and upended Trevor’s life. In order to put the pieces back together, he needs to learn to be honest with his girlfriend, with Andre, and especially with himself.
Andre Cole has spent the past few years throwing himself into a dead-end job at a Cape Cod-based call center. When an opportunity to move back to Boston arises, Andre believes it will be the do-over he needs to put his past behind him.
A chance meeting in a club on New Year’s Eve brings Trevor and Andre together for a brief but steamy encounter. Both assuming that’s the end of it, they are unexpectedly thrown back into each other’s lives when Trevor’s church hires Andre for their website design. While Andre is content at first to move on, Trevor’s conflicted feelings bubble over into his songwriting. Before he can stop it, his ode to Andre becomes an inadvertent Christian radio hit.
Unfortunately for Trevor, he isn’t the only one who knows the song’s hidden meaning. Someone has leaked the story and upended Trevor’s life. In order to put the pieces back together, he needs to learn to be honest with his girlfriend, with Andre, and especially with himself.
- GenresContemporaryBisexual
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2016
2 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
A.M. Leibowitz
40 books64 followersAuthor. Editor. Spouse, parent, queer, feminist, reader, and writer falling somewhere on the Geek-Nerd Spectrum. Agnostic Christian offering commentary on faith, culture, and writing. Read more: http://amleibowitz.com/about-me/
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 1, 2016
First off, thank you, dear author, for writing a story about two bisexual MCs, and not leaving the M/F off page.
Secondly, thank you again, dear author, for not tying up the end in a pretty little bow, and giving me a HFN that leaves Trevor, Andre and Marlie in a good place, with hopes for a future that will make them all happy.
Anthem is the story of a young man finding himself and the freedom to be who he truly is. It's the story of growing a spine and growing up, shedding the shackles, and forging your own way.
Trevor is the music director for a large Christian church in Boston, having just moved into a place of his own with three of his friends. One of them, Nate, shares a room with him. Trevor is also off-again, on-again dating Marlie, whom he expects to marry and have a family with, despite his dallying with Nate when he and Marlie are off-again.
Andre has recently moved to Boston to work for his friend Justin's company designing websites. After a personal tragedy, in which he lost his wife and unborn children, Andre isn't looking for a new romance, and his grief is obvious when we spend time in his head.
When their paths cross in a bar on New Year's Eve, Trevor and Andre have a hot, but short encounter in the men's room.
Afterward, Trevor can't forget the man, and his longing translates into a song he writes, which is then confused by his pastor for a song of worship.
Soon, the song makes it onto Christian radio and becomes a local hit. Except nobody knows that it's really a song about Trevor's men's room encounter.
What I liked about this story was the internal conflict. While Andre is willing to forget and move on, Trevor finds himself drawn to the man more and more, talking himself into a tentative friendship but soon finding it to be not enough.
Presumed straight by his church elders and Marlie, Trevor is reluctant to tell her about his bisexuality, even though his friend Nate (for not entirely unselfish reasons) and Andre recommend telling her the truth.
When he does, Marlie doesn't react positively, and Trevor seeks comfort with Andre.
I had my suspicions early on as to who was going to out Trevor, and while it was interesting how this unfolded, my suspicions were confirmed. It's a huge betrayal of trust, and while some may understand the motives behind it, I was appalled nonetheless. It also causes strife between Andre and Trevor, and while Trevor's panic was believable and understandable, I felt sorry for Andre who was cast to the side, as Trevor tries to figure out what to do.
I liked the lead-up to the climax, and the solution that was presented for all concerned at the end.
The author created a realistic story, with likable characters who all experience personal growth throughout, and some steamy scenes as well. Don't let the on-screen M/F scenes turn you away from this book, and don't focus too much on the religious parts either.
At its heart, this story is about figuring out who you truly are and finding the strength to not live a lie.
Recommended.
** I received a free copy of this book via Pride Promotions. A positive review was not promised in return. **
Secondly, thank you again, dear author, for not tying up the end in a pretty little bow, and giving me a HFN that leaves Trevor, Andre and Marlie in a good place, with hopes for a future that will make them all happy.
Anthem is the story of a young man finding himself and the freedom to be who he truly is. It's the story of growing a spine and growing up, shedding the shackles, and forging your own way.
Trevor is the music director for a large Christian church in Boston, having just moved into a place of his own with three of his friends. One of them, Nate, shares a room with him. Trevor is also off-again, on-again dating Marlie, whom he expects to marry and have a family with, despite his dallying with Nate when he and Marlie are off-again.
Andre has recently moved to Boston to work for his friend Justin's company designing websites. After a personal tragedy, in which he lost his wife and unborn children, Andre isn't looking for a new romance, and his grief is obvious when we spend time in his head.
When their paths cross in a bar on New Year's Eve, Trevor and Andre have a hot, but short encounter in the men's room.
Afterward, Trevor can't forget the man, and his longing translates into a song he writes, which is then confused by his pastor for a song of worship.
Soon, the song makes it onto Christian radio and becomes a local hit. Except nobody knows that it's really a song about Trevor's men's room encounter.
What I liked about this story was the internal conflict. While Andre is willing to forget and move on, Trevor finds himself drawn to the man more and more, talking himself into a tentative friendship but soon finding it to be not enough.
Presumed straight by his church elders and Marlie, Trevor is reluctant to tell her about his bisexuality, even though his friend Nate (for not entirely unselfish reasons) and Andre recommend telling her the truth.
When he does, Marlie doesn't react positively, and Trevor seeks comfort with Andre.
I had my suspicions early on as to who was going to out Trevor, and while it was interesting how this unfolded, my suspicions were confirmed. It's a huge betrayal of trust, and while some may understand the motives behind it, I was appalled nonetheless. It also causes strife between Andre and Trevor, and while Trevor's panic was believable and understandable, I felt sorry for Andre who was cast to the side, as Trevor tries to figure out what to do.
I liked the lead-up to the climax, and the solution that was presented for all concerned at the end.
The author created a realistic story, with likable characters who all experience personal growth throughout, and some steamy scenes as well. Don't let the on-screen M/F scenes turn you away from this book, and don't focus too much on the religious parts either.
At its heart, this story is about figuring out who you truly are and finding the strength to not live a lie.
Recommended.
** I received a free copy of this book via Pride Promotions. A positive review was not promised in return. **
March 8, 2016
How often do you come across a romance book that tells you a love story of two bisexual men? It was my first of this kind. I’m not going to warn you about a single hetero graphical sex scene in the book. We’re not sexists.
The plot:
Trevor Davidson is a Director of Music Ministry at a non-denominational church in Boston. He loves his job that is not very well-paid, but it gives him a feeling of a great inner satisfaction and a great possibility to do what he always wants to do- to write songs. Christian ones. (I had no idea that there are so many people who indeed love this music direction, that there is a big fan community with festivals and stars, and groupies!)
Trevor is one of them. Music, Christian music plays a big role in Trevor’s life: besides his main occupation, he is a voice of a podcast of contemporary church music on a Christian radio and plays in a Christian band. If you imagined a religious fanatic straight away, I have to calm you down- Trevor is a normal guy.
He shares an apartment in Boston with 3 other guys, two of them are not-yet-famous musicians with their own band, and Nate, his former college roommate and his best friend. Well…with benefits, talking about “fooling around to let off a little steam between
partners”. Trevor’s life seems to be settled: he knows that one day he will marry Marlie, his longtime on-and-off girlfriend, and he hopes that one day his biggest wish- to become a father- will come true. Someday. In the near future. Not right now. A firm commitment is what Marlie expects from his longtime boyfriend, and Trevor wants it too, but….so they fight AGAIN and their relationship is shortly on an OFF-mode AGAIN on a New Year’s Eve. It is when he meets Andre Cole, an IT-Specialist, a widow since three years, who just has moved to Boston to leave his past behind and start a new life with a new job.
It is alcohol, it is music, and a sudden attraction, and lust, and longing for something that he’s missed in his life… that lead to a very short but very steam and intense… encounter in a gay bar’s bathroom. Trevor’s first BJ.
He gets in panic straightly after and flees from the bar, hoping that he will never ever see this attractive stranger again, but he can’t forget him. And what a NORMAL musician would NORMALLY do if he can’t put someone out of his head? He writes a song…
…Hold this moment
On my knees, sinking low
Can’t describe it
Spilling over, letting go
Heal my spirit,
Make me real, make me whole…
He knows that it is about BJ, I know that it is about BJ, Pastor Bret doesn’t. Or he pretends not to get it. He is sure that it is a very…spiritual love song to…God.
IT IS WHERE the story starts to be REALLY interesting, and it is where a steady lie of Trevor starts to fell apart…
There are many conflicts and happenings and intern struggling and suffering in this books, and yes, there are not just many main and secondary characters, but also a lot of detailed descriptions. Normally, when all these facts come together, the plot could easily appear overloaded, but it didn’t have this effect on me HERE. I do not recall that it ever bothered me or that I became impatient during reading. Oh, well, I was impatient, because I wanted to know what would happen on the next page, and on the page after the next one, and then the page after…The author managed to keep my full attention up to the very end.
In spite of the fact that Trevor drove me up the wall in many situation with his insecurity and denying of his nature, with his stubbornness and fears, somehow I could understand WHY he was such conflicted. He had to make a very important decision that would concern not only himself and his future but also the fate of people around him, and it was not THAT easy.
I really enjoyed the writing of A. M. Leibowitz, it was flowing, refreshing and felt very real, EVERYTHING. Including sex scenes. And the ending too, maybe a bit stereotyped but even if I complain about, I can’t imagine another ending for a MM Romance.
Some marginal thoughts:
I have to be honest, I normally not a big fan of books where MCs are strong believers, because most of religious representatives in my favorite genres (as well as in a RL) are pretty much evil in the flesh themselves, and I don’t have too much understanding for their statements. But ever since I have known Ije, one of my favorite
Anthem is a good plotted and well-paced novel, and a very recommended read from me to all gay fiction and gay romance fans.
******ARC of Anthem provided to Gay Book Reviews by the author, in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2020
At the heart of Anthem is the love story of Trevor and Andre, who first meet at a gay bar on New Year’s Eve and share a very steamy interlude. Later they meet at Harvest Church in Boston, a non-denominational mega-church, where Trevor is the music director and Andre has been hired to update their website. Both are bisexual and although Trevor has been dating Marlie on and off for nearly half his life, he has never shared this with her, while Andre had a brief but happy marriage to a woman who was aware of his sexuality. This is the crux of the problems with their relationship. Andre does not want to be anyone’s dirty little secret, while Trevor is torn between Marlie, his growing love for Andre and all the complications that go along with a career in the religious sector.
Beyond this basic story, we also have Trevor’s roommates Nate, and Mack and Jamie who are in a band plus a guy only known as The Boyfriend, Amelia, Andre’s friend/employer Julian and wife Elisa, his friend Jagathi, his grandmother (who heads up a homeless shelter) and sisters Trinity, Phyllice, then there’s Lina, Pastor Bret, Irina Clay-Jones, etc.
Similar to a soap opera, these characters and their friends and relationships are brought into the story — crazy bloggers and a mysterious post outing Trevor, an unplanned pregnancy, saving the homeless shelter, a Christian concert with gospel singer Irina Clay-Jones, long-simmering jealousies, a praise and worship song where the words “on my knees, sinking low” is more about Trevor and Andre’s encounter in the bar than anything having to do with religion, an awkward marriage proposal, an amazing public relations campaign – all these subplots were too distracting, and slowed down the pace of the story too much.
There are numerous sex scenes in the book, including a M/F scene. The chemistry between Trevor and Andre didn’t really sizzle and I was distracted by some odd wording throughout, such as “His usual morning semi had taken notice of his stray thoughts about sleeping with Andre and decided to react like a disobedient child.” Or “the last guy I was with who stuck his thing where it didn’t belong left me for someone else.” Wait, what?
Even with all the various subplots, everything is neatly tied up at the end of the story ... perhaps a bit too neatly. For example, Andre accidentally runs into a woman he had one date with earlier in the book (as she is volunteering at his grandmother’s homeless shelter), who then explains why she wasn’t disappointed she didn’t hear from him for a second date. Just so, you know, we tie up every last thread of the plot. [Sigh.]
I received an ARC of this book from the author (via GayBook.Reviews) in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
Beyond this basic story, we also have Trevor’s roommates Nate, and Mack and Jamie who are in a band plus a guy only known as The Boyfriend, Amelia, Andre’s friend/employer Julian and wife Elisa, his friend Jagathi, his grandmother (who heads up a homeless shelter) and sisters Trinity, Phyllice, then there’s Lina, Pastor Bret, Irina Clay-Jones, etc.
Similar to a soap opera, these characters and their friends and relationships are brought into the story — crazy bloggers and a mysterious post outing Trevor, an unplanned pregnancy, saving the homeless shelter, a Christian concert with gospel singer Irina Clay-Jones, long-simmering jealousies, a praise and worship song where the words “on my knees, sinking low” is more about Trevor and Andre’s encounter in the bar than anything having to do with religion, an awkward marriage proposal, an amazing public relations campaign – all these subplots were too distracting, and slowed down the pace of the story too much.
There are numerous sex scenes in the book, including a M/F scene. The chemistry between Trevor and Andre didn’t really sizzle and I was distracted by some odd wording throughout, such as “His usual morning semi had taken notice of his stray thoughts about sleeping with Andre and decided to react like a disobedient child.” Or “the last guy I was with who stuck his thing where it didn’t belong left me for someone else.” Wait, what?
Even with all the various subplots, everything is neatly tied up at the end of the story ... perhaps a bit too neatly. For example, Andre accidentally runs into a woman he had one date with earlier in the book (as she is volunteering at his grandmother’s homeless shelter), who then explains why she wasn’t disappointed she didn’t hear from him for a second date. Just so, you know, we tie up every last thread of the plot. [Sigh.]
I received an ARC of this book from the author (via GayBook.Reviews) in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
February 6, 2017
Before I even begin with reviewing the story, I have to say something about the cover. It's the first thing I noticed about the book, back at the start of the release day blog stops etc. The cover drew me in. OK, I have a soft spot for musicians and Boston, MA, but now I've read the story, I can add to this that with the blue, pink and purple illumination and the piano keyboard, the cover perfectly captures the themes of this novel.
This is the fourth story I've read by A.M. Leibowitz, and the third with Christian main characters. Now would probably be the time to tell anyone reading this review that I'm an atheist, and not an especially tolerant one at that. Some of the events that occur in Anthem only add to my conviction that organised religion needs legislating in some way. Other institutions that serve vulnerable people are governed based on democratically agreed notions of social justice and responsibility. Inevitably, these discriminate against minorities, but there are at least systems in place to redress this.
I'll stop harping now and just say what Trevor's church puts him through is horrifying (to me). Even more mind-boggling is that he would want to stick around and try to be someone he is not to gain acceptance, particularly as I never truly got a sense of Trevor's devoutness. His religion is, as far as I can tell, his music, and it is in his music, not prayer, that he seeks solace when the going gets tough. Ultimately, it is his music that brings about his downfall.
Andre, on the other hand, reads as the real deal. Every moment he is on page is underpinned by his Christianity - not of the controlling Christian Right kind, but faith in God and the desire to live by Jesus' teaching. Even when he's mad or he's hurting, he does it with such fortitude, and yeah, Andre's hot. I'd definitely agree to go to church with him. Every Sunday.
Behind these two leading men is a great and diverse cast of supporting characters, all with their own unique foibles. I especially liked Julian and Jagathi, although I imagine readers will find their own favourites.
Anthem is 'Notes on Boston #1', and the conclusion is satisfying, but there's enough there to see how it is also part of a series. What I do know from reading the first two books of the author's other series (Passing on Faith and Walking by Faith) is that each story is written in a way that it will stand alone, but when read as part of the series, there are over-arching storylines. What I've also found with A.M. Leibowitz's series is that they don't necessarily need to be read in order, although it goes without saying that there will be spoilers.
All in all, this is a great, character-driven read (there is a strong plot as well, but my thing is people) that had me alternately swearing and 'aww'-ing at my Kindle. And it's actual, real LGBTQ+ fiction with strong bisexual main characters. This, I like very much.
This is the fourth story I've read by A.M. Leibowitz, and the third with Christian main characters. Now would probably be the time to tell anyone reading this review that I'm an atheist, and not an especially tolerant one at that. Some of the events that occur in Anthem only add to my conviction that organised religion needs legislating in some way. Other institutions that serve vulnerable people are governed based on democratically agreed notions of social justice and responsibility. Inevitably, these discriminate against minorities, but there are at least systems in place to redress this.
I'll stop harping now and just say what Trevor's church puts him through is horrifying (to me). Even more mind-boggling is that he would want to stick around and try to be someone he is not to gain acceptance, particularly as I never truly got a sense of Trevor's devoutness. His religion is, as far as I can tell, his music, and it is in his music, not prayer, that he seeks solace when the going gets tough. Ultimately, it is his music that brings about his downfall.
Andre, on the other hand, reads as the real deal. Every moment he is on page is underpinned by his Christianity - not of the controlling Christian Right kind, but faith in God and the desire to live by Jesus' teaching. Even when he's mad or he's hurting, he does it with such fortitude, and yeah, Andre's hot. I'd definitely agree to go to church with him. Every Sunday.
Behind these two leading men is a great and diverse cast of supporting characters, all with their own unique foibles. I especially liked Julian and Jagathi, although I imagine readers will find their own favourites.
Anthem is 'Notes on Boston #1', and the conclusion is satisfying, but there's enough there to see how it is also part of a series. What I do know from reading the first two books of the author's other series (Passing on Faith and Walking by Faith) is that each story is written in a way that it will stand alone, but when read as part of the series, there are over-arching storylines. What I've also found with A.M. Leibowitz's series is that they don't necessarily need to be read in order, although it goes without saying that there will be spoilers.
All in all, this is a great, character-driven read (there is a strong plot as well, but my thing is people) that had me alternately swearing and 'aww'-ing at my Kindle. And it's actual, real LGBTQ+ fiction with strong bisexual main characters. This, I like very much.
October 23, 2021
A ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Review.
On New Year’s Eve two guys discover a connection between them, but is this spark going to lend itself to a relationship or is it to be denied…?
Trevor Davidson has always kept a secret from his fiancé, Marlie. But when a one-night stand ends up as an inspiration for a song that gets mistaken as a prayer song, it is a high time he confess, lest other people figure out the significance of the song.
Andre is looking to start his life over with his move to Boston and things are looking up already when he meets Trevor at midnight on New Year’s.
When the choice of words in Trevor’s song brings Trevor’s sexuality to the forefront, Trevor needs to decide and fast because his decisions affect his loved ones.
This book can be summed up as - starts with a guy uncomfortable with even admitting his sexuality and ends with an almost threesome. I don’t know how many people can make this leap of faith but as far as I am concerned I would have liked Trevor to have some time to come to grips with his sexuality instead of jumping into making decisions left, right and centre.
This book had great potential, I really liked where the story was going. I liked the whole drama about the song and how it was being interpreted and how it could be interpreted. I liked the fact that the author made Trevor deal with his denial early on, instead of making him string along Marlie till he came to terms with himself. Also the story early on hit the right plot points and just when things were heading towards a nice conclusion, the story devolved into something completely unrecognizable from the start. I for one never, ever expected this story to end like this.
I think what really put me off was this story had a traditional feel to it what with Trevor’s and Andre’s devotion to their faiths not that I feel that their faith should in any way dictate their lifestyle but still all the polyamorous relationships that came to light near the end, hit me out of left field. Truthfully at least I never saw it coming that Andre was in a polyamorous relationship, in fact the likely placement of this revelation near the end of the book makes me doubt this was a very well planned decision. I mean Andre talks about his wife from the very beginning and I already had the image of a monogamous (sue me) happy marriage and believe me there is nothing in the book that suggests otherwise till Andre confesses that it was not so.
I am not a big fan of polyamorous romance personally because I for one think it isn’t done well enough. Knowing the problems two people face in a relationship I know things with three people in the relationship will be even more over the top and personally I feel doing justice to a threesome requires many more pages than the same for a twosome. But by the end of the book it seemed like everyone we knew had been in an unlikely threesome. Also a big reason I didn’t like this fact was because I never saw it coming.
I should confess now and say that this book doesn’t end on a very conclusive note, probably because this the first in a series, I don’t know if the author wishes to follow up on Trevor and Andre but she totally can, since there are a lot of issues they can still deal with, which in turn means that they might not end up like they ended up in this story but I for one am not going to find out.
Overall I liked the characters barring their mild insanities towards the end. I really liked Andre, he had this really calm and composed aura to himself, like that of a guy completely assured of his place in life and that created a nice contrast to Trevor’s indecisiveness and how he was still coming to terms with his own place in life. There was Nate, Trevor’s best friend who was kind of hung up on Trevor who I would have rooted for thoroughly had this story not so clearly been about Andre and Trevor. Then there was Marlie, we don’t see enough of her to make an informed decision but overall I didn’t pay much attention to her seeing as how she was not supposed to be a major character.
So if I have to summarize the book I would say this book held great promise and had the right elements in place to make for a satisfying read but the author is not going to take this story where you think she is and if every book has a core that’s its story, and I didn’t really like where the story of this book ended up.
Cover Art by Brett Kessler. I liked the cover of this book with the skyline and the piano (which is what Trevor plays as a musician).
On New Year’s Eve two guys discover a connection between them, but is this spark going to lend itself to a relationship or is it to be denied…?
Trevor Davidson has always kept a secret from his fiancé, Marlie. But when a one-night stand ends up as an inspiration for a song that gets mistaken as a prayer song, it is a high time he confess, lest other people figure out the significance of the song.
Andre is looking to start his life over with his move to Boston and things are looking up already when he meets Trevor at midnight on New Year’s.
When the choice of words in Trevor’s song brings Trevor’s sexuality to the forefront, Trevor needs to decide and fast because his decisions affect his loved ones.
This book can be summed up as - starts with a guy uncomfortable with even admitting his sexuality and ends with an almost threesome. I don’t know how many people can make this leap of faith but as far as I am concerned I would have liked Trevor to have some time to come to grips with his sexuality instead of jumping into making decisions left, right and centre.
This book had great potential, I really liked where the story was going. I liked the whole drama about the song and how it was being interpreted and how it could be interpreted. I liked the fact that the author made Trevor deal with his denial early on, instead of making him string along Marlie till he came to terms with himself. Also the story early on hit the right plot points and just when things were heading towards a nice conclusion, the story devolved into something completely unrecognizable from the start. I for one never, ever expected this story to end like this.
I think what really put me off was this story had a traditional feel to it what with Trevor’s and Andre’s devotion to their faiths not that I feel that their faith should in any way dictate their lifestyle but still all the polyamorous relationships that came to light near the end, hit me out of left field. Truthfully at least I never saw it coming that Andre was in a polyamorous relationship, in fact the likely placement of this revelation near the end of the book makes me doubt this was a very well planned decision. I mean Andre talks about his wife from the very beginning and I already had the image of a monogamous (sue me) happy marriage and believe me there is nothing in the book that suggests otherwise till Andre confesses that it was not so.
I am not a big fan of polyamorous romance personally because I for one think it isn’t done well enough. Knowing the problems two people face in a relationship I know things with three people in the relationship will be even more over the top and personally I feel doing justice to a threesome requires many more pages than the same for a twosome. But by the end of the book it seemed like everyone we knew had been in an unlikely threesome. Also a big reason I didn’t like this fact was because I never saw it coming.
I should confess now and say that this book doesn’t end on a very conclusive note, probably because this the first in a series, I don’t know if the author wishes to follow up on Trevor and Andre but she totally can, since there are a lot of issues they can still deal with, which in turn means that they might not end up like they ended up in this story but I for one am not going to find out.
Overall I liked the characters barring their mild insanities towards the end. I really liked Andre, he had this really calm and composed aura to himself, like that of a guy completely assured of his place in life and that created a nice contrast to Trevor’s indecisiveness and how he was still coming to terms with his own place in life. There was Nate, Trevor’s best friend who was kind of hung up on Trevor who I would have rooted for thoroughly had this story not so clearly been about Andre and Trevor. Then there was Marlie, we don’t see enough of her to make an informed decision but overall I didn’t pay much attention to her seeing as how she was not supposed to be a major character.
So if I have to summarize the book I would say this book held great promise and had the right elements in place to make for a satisfying read but the author is not going to take this story where you think she is and if every book has a core that’s its story, and I didn’t really like where the story of this book ended up.
Cover Art by Brett Kessler. I liked the cover of this book with the skyline and the piano (which is what Trevor plays as a musician).
January 27, 2016
Title:Anthem
Author: A.M. Leibowitz
Series:
Publisher: Supposed Crimes
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Genre(s): M/M Romance
Page Count: 200
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:
“Andre rested his hand on Trevor’s cheek and closed the distance between them. When their lips touched, all the nervous energy inside Trevor exploded, sending sparks radiating down his spine and out to his arms and legs.”
4 sing to me stars!!! Sweet and sexy rolled into one!!
Trevor has everything he could want in life, he’s got his dream job as a music director and he’s hoping to pop the question to his girlfriend and hoping to settle down into a happy life. Andre is over working at a call center and jumps at the chance to move back to Boston. On New Year’s Eve, Trevor and Andre meet and let me just say it’s explosive. Never thinking they’d see each other again, they meet up unexpectedly when Trevor’s church hires Andre to help with the website. Trevor is confused about his feelings for Andre, so he puts pen to paper and what was supposed to be a private song turns into a Christian radio favorite. But his secret comes to the surface and threatens to ruin everything Trevor has…..can he come to terms with who he really is??
Such an intriguing ing story. I really loved Trevor and Andre’s story, they were refreshing characters. The storyline was exciting to read and I loved every page!!
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Melissa from Alpha Book Club
Author: A.M. Leibowitz
Series:
Publisher: Supposed Crimes
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Genre(s): M/M Romance
Page Count: 200
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:
Trevor Davidson has everything going for him. He’s just moved out on his own with three friends, and he’s landed a job as music director at a large Boston church. He has high hopes for marrying his long-term girlfriend and settling into a comfortable, devout lifestyle.
Andre Cole has spent the past few years throwing himself into a dead-end job at a Cape Cod-based call center. When an opportunity to move back to Boston arises, Andre believes it will be the do-over he needs to put his past behind him.
A chance meeting in a club on New Year’s Eve brings Trevor and Andre together for a brief but steamy encounter. Both assuming that’s the end of it, they are unexpectedly thrown back into each other’s lives when Trevor’s church hires Andre for their website design. While Andre is content at first to move on, Trevor’s conflicted feelings bubble over into his songwriting. Before he can stop it, his ode to Andre becomes an inadvertent Christian radio hit.
Unfortunately for Trevor, he isn’t the only one who knows the song’s hidden meaning. Someone has leaked the story and upended Trevor’s life. In order to put the pieces back together, he needs to learn to be honest with his girlfriend, with Andre, and especially with himself.
“Andre rested his hand on Trevor’s cheek and closed the distance between them. When their lips touched, all the nervous energy inside Trevor exploded, sending sparks radiating down his spine and out to his arms and legs.”
4 sing to me stars!!! Sweet and sexy rolled into one!!
Trevor has everything he could want in life, he’s got his dream job as a music director and he’s hoping to pop the question to his girlfriend and hoping to settle down into a happy life. Andre is over working at a call center and jumps at the chance to move back to Boston. On New Year’s Eve, Trevor and Andre meet and let me just say it’s explosive. Never thinking they’d see each other again, they meet up unexpectedly when Trevor’s church hires Andre to help with the website. Trevor is confused about his feelings for Andre, so he puts pen to paper and what was supposed to be a private song turns into a Christian radio favorite. But his secret comes to the surface and threatens to ruin everything Trevor has…..can he come to terms with who he really is??
Such an intriguing ing story. I really loved Trevor and Andre’s story, they were refreshing characters. The storyline was exciting to read and I loved every page!!
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Melissa from Alpha Book Club
February 9, 2016
This book is way out of my normal spectrum. I generally avoid anything with religious overtones for personal reasons, and this book is loaded with them. That being said, while I’ll still be actively avoiding religious overtones, this was a good book! Trevor is diametrically placed. He’s actively bisexual, but working in a church as the musical director and writing religious as well as secular music. In order to keep his job, he can’t tell the world that he likes men, but he regularly indulges in sexual acts to satisfy that part of him.
Andre is a walking heartache after the loss of his wife and unborn twins. He’s openly bisexual, and he avoids any situations in which he might be asked to hide any part of him. I really appreciated his dedication to living his truth and letting his light shine.
Their initial encounter is a false-identity giving steamy New Year’s Eve scene that sets the chemistry rating high, but then things fizzle as Trevor actively heads into the closet to pretend he’s straight and settle into what he considers a “normal” life. Andre is tapped to rebuild the website of the church where Trevor works, and when the two men cross paths after Andre gets lost trying to find the exit, Trevor’s reaction is less than serene.
I was frustrated with Trevor trying to play both sides of the coin through a good portion of this book. His dishonest actions toward himself bothered me more than anything else, I think, but so many men really do live this double life that his storyline just screamed “ripped from the headlines” to me. Also, Trevor’s and Andre’s supposed dedication to their faith is brought down by regular use of cursing and blaspheming their deity’s name in an array of situations, something that most devout people rarely do.
To the benefit of the book, there is a great twist in the plot that goes places I never would have expected it to, and I felt that was a wonderful addition. All in all, though, this felt remarkably like a soap opera to me with a new subplot at every turn. I can’t give it more than three stars.
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Cat from Alpha Book Club
Andre is a walking heartache after the loss of his wife and unborn twins. He’s openly bisexual, and he avoids any situations in which he might be asked to hide any part of him. I really appreciated his dedication to living his truth and letting his light shine.
Their initial encounter is a false-identity giving steamy New Year’s Eve scene that sets the chemistry rating high, but then things fizzle as Trevor actively heads into the closet to pretend he’s straight and settle into what he considers a “normal” life. Andre is tapped to rebuild the website of the church where Trevor works, and when the two men cross paths after Andre gets lost trying to find the exit, Trevor’s reaction is less than serene.
I was frustrated with Trevor trying to play both sides of the coin through a good portion of this book. His dishonest actions toward himself bothered me more than anything else, I think, but so many men really do live this double life that his storyline just screamed “ripped from the headlines” to me. Also, Trevor’s and Andre’s supposed dedication to their faith is brought down by regular use of cursing and blaspheming their deity’s name in an array of situations, something that most devout people rarely do.
To the benefit of the book, there is a great twist in the plot that goes places I never would have expected it to, and I felt that was a wonderful addition. All in all, though, this felt remarkably like a soap opera to me with a new subplot at every turn. I can’t give it more than three stars.
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Cat from Alpha Book Club
March 26, 2016
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes.
This was a fantastic book. When I first started reading I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, but the way the story unravels is perfect. The book begins just as Trevor starts a new job in Boston and is living with his friends. Trevor is bisexual and has had an on and off relationship with one of his roommates, but he’s intent on marrying his girlfriend. The problem is that he hasn’t ever told her that he’s bi, and during their separation he ends up having what he imagines is a one night stand with a guy that he’s never met before. Things become complicated when, Andre, the guy he hooked up with happens to be working with him and a song Trevor writes about Andre gets aired on Christian radio. Trevor comes out to his fiancé and everything is downhill from there.
This book was great. I loved the characters and their situation, and I loved how it ends. I don’t read very many books with bisexual characters so this was a refreshing and welcome change for me. Trevor is trying hard to live the life he feels he was meant to live, but circumstances force him to face who he really is, and he ends up with something far better than he could have ever imagined for himself. As for Andre, I felt pretty bad for him and even in the end I still wasn’t sure if he had the best deal, but his character was very likeable. The only thing that threw me off was that so many characters were introduced so quickly in the beginning that it took me awhile to sort out who was who. However, after the story started rolling, it was impossible not to love it. Even the church aspect, which I was wary about at first, were entirely appropriate and in my opinion, perfect. This is the first novel I’ve read by A.M. Leibowitz, but I’ll definitely be reading more. I recommend this book to anyone who loves bisexual themes, unconventional relationships, and m/m romance.
February 28, 2016
Book – Anthem
Author – A.M. Leibowitz
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages - 200
Movie Potential - ★★★★☆
Ease of reading – fairly easy to read and follow, with a few hiccups
Would I read it again – Definitely. And I can't wait for the next one.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
*This review may contain spoilers.*
~
PLOT
I really enjoyed this one. As the first book in a series, I was pleased to get a HFN at the end, with nearly everything wrapped up excerpt a few problems that, I suspect, will crop up later in the series.
It was about 90% very easy to follow and 10% confusing, but I think that may be a cultural thing rather than the writing. I'm form the UK and the book is set in Boston, so I stumbled over a few things:
First Night – I'm guessing this is our version of Hogmany (the night before Jan 1st)
Moxie �� it says it's a drink, but I have no idea what it might be.
“well-dressed brother” - I assumed this was slang, since it would have been a grammatical error and an unexplained relation otherwise.
“reaching into the box on his chair” - I also have no clue what this means. As far as I know, he's sitting in a desk chair, but I don't know of any desk/office chairs that have boxes anywhere on them. It was confusing.
“Trey's palm made slow circles on Andre's back” - this is impossible. Try it and you'll discover that you can't snog, dance in a bump and grind and do this at the same time. Your brain won't allow it. It's like trying to circle your right hand and foot in opposite directions. It's impossible.
As a bisexual story, about two bisexual men, there is one explicit MF scene, with Trevor and Marlie.
The crux of the plot – and the title – is a song Trevor writes about his conflicted feelings towards Andre. I loved the cringe-worthy factor and the idea of all these dedicated worshipers singing about Trevor blowing Andre in a club.
~
CHARACTERS
There were a lot of characters to keep track of, when I started. I wasn't a fan of being introduced to three room mates by their first and last names, as it came across a little forced and unnecessary. As with a few information dumps – history of the characters – there was a more fluid way of doing this that was more natural. However, it's a small matter and one that I forgave.
The introduction of those three characters, by first and last names, made me wonder if they were the three that would be most involved in the story, as this was billed as a poly romance (though that aspect is very light and doesn't result in any sexual scenes, which I approve of). However, only one was a main character and the other two were surplus, but good friends. It is, however, only the start of complicated introductions to many, many characters. Within two chapters alone, we were introduced to eleven characters, who would all be recurring, important and pivotal to the way the plot moved forward. This made it difficult to keep track of who was who and what their role in the story might be. If they'd been introduced in a more gradual manner, it might have been easier.
Moving on to individual characters, I hate Marlie. At every turn, she's done the wrong thing, but even at the end of the book she got everything she wanted. I don't like that. I don't like a hypocritical, judgmental person being rewarded with their dreams, when they've caused nothing but harm and problems all throughout the story. She's uncomfortable with gay people, but is a supposedly dedicated Christian, having sex with her boyfriend out of wedlock, who even considers an abortion and only decides against it, because of what her parents might say.
Trevor, as the main character, is very realistic. He makes mistakes, he's naive and selfish, but it makes sense. He's spent his whole life fighting against the idea of being bisexual and is suddenly surrounded by people who are trying to tell him how to live his life. He'd done things that are unfair to himself, Nate and Marlie, as well as Andre at points, but he owns his mistakes in the end and does everything he can to remedy or correct them.
Nate and Julian, for me, are very similar. They're the best friends of the main characters and they do everything they can to push them towards the inevitable, no matter how reluctant they are. Although they both make mistakes, pushing too hard or not hard enough, they're always there for their best mates. I love them both and really hope Nate can get his HEA or even an HFN in another book.
The flat mates are cool, but kind of irrelevant, as they don't really do much. I want to read Jamie's story, but find Mack too judgmental and arrogant to care about his. The Boyfriend intrigues me.As for everyone else, I like Irina, Jagathi and Grams, but they're all background characters and I don't feel a pull towards any of them in particular.
Andre is a great character. The chemistry between him and Trevor is brilliantly written and really well explored. I like that they take things slow, even when they find it hard to keep their hands off each other. I also love the way they try to help each other, when problems pop up and things get crazy. They both have to deal with a lot grief and drama, but they make it through because they're open with each other and work together.
~
OVERALL
The characters were unique, but all holding their own dark secrets, their own drama and heartache, while trying to keep each other sane and together. I can't wait to read the other books to see who gets a story and how it will progress.
I don't get the poly theme. For me, Marlie doesn't deserve to have any part in Trevor's life. She's messed up so many times in such important ways that I'd love to see her get her comeuppance, but I don't imagine that will ever happen. Right now, she's settled with Trevor and Andre, about to have a baby. I'd much rather she handed her unwanted child to Trevor and Andre to raise, rather than pretending that she can be a mother, when she doesn't want to be.
The writing and storytelling are both fantastic. I love and hate characters and know what I want to see in future books, which is a good sign of how invested I am in the characters involved.
~
FAVOURITE QUOTE
“Trevor shifted then ground his teeth against the pain that shot down his back. He used the pads of his fingers to press on the sore spot.
“Here,” Jamie said. “Let me.” He moved to sit behind Trevor and began massaging his neck and shoulders.
“Oh,” Trevor moaned. “So good.” He leaned into the touch, reveling in the way his muscles loosened.
Jamie snickered. “Bet you say that to all the boys.”
“Please shut up and just rub.”
“Bet you say that, too.”
“Oh, my God.” Trevor nearly reached around to smack Jamie, but the massage felt too good, and he didn't want to interrupt.”
Author – A.M. Leibowitz
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages - 200
Movie Potential - ★★★★☆
Ease of reading – fairly easy to read and follow, with a few hiccups
Would I read it again – Definitely. And I can't wait for the next one.
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
*This review may contain spoilers.*
~
PLOT
I really enjoyed this one. As the first book in a series, I was pleased to get a HFN at the end, with nearly everything wrapped up excerpt a few problems that, I suspect, will crop up later in the series.
It was about 90% very easy to follow and 10% confusing, but I think that may be a cultural thing rather than the writing. I'm form the UK and the book is set in Boston, so I stumbled over a few things:
First Night – I'm guessing this is our version of Hogmany (the night before Jan 1st)
Moxie �� it says it's a drink, but I have no idea what it might be.
“well-dressed brother” - I assumed this was slang, since it would have been a grammatical error and an unexplained relation otherwise.
“reaching into the box on his chair” - I also have no clue what this means. As far as I know, he's sitting in a desk chair, but I don't know of any desk/office chairs that have boxes anywhere on them. It was confusing.
“Trey's palm made slow circles on Andre's back” - this is impossible. Try it and you'll discover that you can't snog, dance in a bump and grind and do this at the same time. Your brain won't allow it. It's like trying to circle your right hand and foot in opposite directions. It's impossible.
As a bisexual story, about two bisexual men, there is one explicit MF scene, with Trevor and Marlie.
The crux of the plot – and the title – is a song Trevor writes about his conflicted feelings towards Andre. I loved the cringe-worthy factor and the idea of all these dedicated worshipers singing about Trevor blowing Andre in a club.
~
CHARACTERS
There were a lot of characters to keep track of, when I started. I wasn't a fan of being introduced to three room mates by their first and last names, as it came across a little forced and unnecessary. As with a few information dumps – history of the characters – there was a more fluid way of doing this that was more natural. However, it's a small matter and one that I forgave.
The introduction of those three characters, by first and last names, made me wonder if they were the three that would be most involved in the story, as this was billed as a poly romance (though that aspect is very light and doesn't result in any sexual scenes, which I approve of). However, only one was a main character and the other two were surplus, but good friends. It is, however, only the start of complicated introductions to many, many characters. Within two chapters alone, we were introduced to eleven characters, who would all be recurring, important and pivotal to the way the plot moved forward. This made it difficult to keep track of who was who and what their role in the story might be. If they'd been introduced in a more gradual manner, it might have been easier.
Moving on to individual characters, I hate Marlie. At every turn, she's done the wrong thing, but even at the end of the book she got everything she wanted. I don't like that. I don't like a hypocritical, judgmental person being rewarded with their dreams, when they've caused nothing but harm and problems all throughout the story. She's uncomfortable with gay people, but is a supposedly dedicated Christian, having sex with her boyfriend out of wedlock, who even considers an abortion and only decides against it, because of what her parents might say.
Trevor, as the main character, is very realistic. He makes mistakes, he's naive and selfish, but it makes sense. He's spent his whole life fighting against the idea of being bisexual and is suddenly surrounded by people who are trying to tell him how to live his life. He'd done things that are unfair to himself, Nate and Marlie, as well as Andre at points, but he owns his mistakes in the end and does everything he can to remedy or correct them.
Nate and Julian, for me, are very similar. They're the best friends of the main characters and they do everything they can to push them towards the inevitable, no matter how reluctant they are. Although they both make mistakes, pushing too hard or not hard enough, they're always there for their best mates. I love them both and really hope Nate can get his HEA or even an HFN in another book.
The flat mates are cool, but kind of irrelevant, as they don't really do much. I want to read Jamie's story, but find Mack too judgmental and arrogant to care about his. The Boyfriend intrigues me.As for everyone else, I like Irina, Jagathi and Grams, but they're all background characters and I don't feel a pull towards any of them in particular.
Andre is a great character. The chemistry between him and Trevor is brilliantly written and really well explored. I like that they take things slow, even when they find it hard to keep their hands off each other. I also love the way they try to help each other, when problems pop up and things get crazy. They both have to deal with a lot grief and drama, but they make it through because they're open with each other and work together.
~
OVERALL
The characters were unique, but all holding their own dark secrets, their own drama and heartache, while trying to keep each other sane and together. I can't wait to read the other books to see who gets a story and how it will progress.
I don't get the poly theme. For me, Marlie doesn't deserve to have any part in Trevor's life. She's messed up so many times in such important ways that I'd love to see her get her comeuppance, but I don't imagine that will ever happen. Right now, she's settled with Trevor and Andre, about to have a baby. I'd much rather she handed her unwanted child to Trevor and Andre to raise, rather than pretending that she can be a mother, when she doesn't want to be.
The writing and storytelling are both fantastic. I love and hate characters and know what I want to see in future books, which is a good sign of how invested I am in the characters involved.
~
FAVOURITE QUOTE
“Trevor shifted then ground his teeth against the pain that shot down his back. He used the pads of his fingers to press on the sore spot.
“Here,” Jamie said. “Let me.” He moved to sit behind Trevor and began massaging his neck and shoulders.
“Oh,” Trevor moaned. “So good.” He leaned into the touch, reveling in the way his muscles loosened.
Jamie snickered. “Bet you say that to all the boys.”
“Please shut up and just rub.”
“Bet you say that, too.”
“Oh, my God.” Trevor nearly reached around to smack Jamie, but the massage felt too good, and he didn't want to interrupt.”
July 6, 2024
After reading just the first chapter, the writing comes across as very simple and straightforward, bordering on fanfiction style without quite crossing that line. The story is a classic queer love narrative reminiscent of the early 2000s, featuring familiar elements: a homophobic church and congregation, a protagonist who is clearly queer but not openly out, and the internal struggle of wanting to have it all before realizing the impossibility of that desire. But that's also the books downfall, Its so predictable there isn't much to say about it because of that.
February 1, 2020
I hate cheaters. DNF
September 10, 2016
I chose this book to read because the plot intrigued me: "Trevor’s conflicted feelings bubble over into his songwriting. Before he can stop it, his ode to Andre becomes an inadvertent Christian radio hit." How could I resist reading this story?
I do feel I need to warn you that the blurb is a little misleading. It states that "Trevor Davidson has everything going for him...apartment, job, girlfriend." Weeelllll, that's not all accurate. Trevor has indeed just moved into an apartment with his best friend, Nate, sharing it with two other friends, Mack and Jaime. What the summary leaves out is that Trev and Nate have a friends with benefits arrangement and have for YEARS. Whenever they are both free of relationships. And speaking of relationships, I wouldn't say Trevor "has high hopes for marrying his long-term girlfriend." Trevor and Marlie have known each other since they were in diapers, and have been dating on and off, again, for years. It's not clear what causes them to break up each time, but it IS clear they get back together because of the familiar and long history they share. Trevor is very conflicted about what he wants, and Nate isn't shy about telling Trevor he would be happy with a bigger relationship with him.
Everything is set into motion when Trevor meets Andre in a club and instead of fighting his feelings, Trevor acts on them. I liked this part of the story. A.M. Leibowitz crafted a scene where the MC doesn't fight his feelings. All too often in romance books, the MC fights what they feel and runs away. Trevor doesn't do that (yet) and goes into an encounter with Andre open and ready. His reaction after it's over felt natural and I never once questioned why he did what he did. My questions come later. Unfortunately I can't go into much more detail without giving away big parts of the story.
Andre's history is missing from the blurb, and it too plays an important role in how he came to be in that night club where he meets Trevor. Again, I can't go into details without revealing too much, but I can tell you that Andre is a widower, and bisexual.
At times I felt the pace of the story was very slow and umm, boring?, but then it would pick up again. I'm not sure if I felt that way because I didn't care for the scene I was reading at the time, or if it was just dragged out too much and could have been more concisely written. It is important to point out that I didn't skip or skim any scenes, which I've been known to do. So that should tell you something...I hope.
The story ends with a Happy For Now, and I don't know that there will be a follow up book. There isn't a cliffhanger but there is certainly room for a continuation. But sometimes it's best to leave things as they are and allow the reader to finish it in their own way. This is a unique story and yet I wasn't surprised by how the plot played out. There were events that were foreshadowed and if the intent was for the revelations to be surprises, that didn't work out so well. Of course, I may read too much so not much can surprise me anymore. Hard to say. ;)
Overall, I would recommend this book, but I wouldn't rush out to make it the top of the list. Grr, review writing can be so frustrating!!!!
I do feel I need to warn you that the blurb is a little misleading. It states that "Trevor Davidson has everything going for him...apartment, job, girlfriend." Weeelllll, that's not all accurate. Trevor has indeed just moved into an apartment with his best friend, Nate, sharing it with two other friends, Mack and Jaime. What the summary leaves out is that Trev and Nate have a friends with benefits arrangement and have for YEARS. Whenever they are both free of relationships. And speaking of relationships, I wouldn't say Trevor "has high hopes for marrying his long-term girlfriend." Trevor and Marlie have known each other since they were in diapers, and have been dating on and off, again, for years. It's not clear what causes them to break up each time, but it IS clear they get back together because of the familiar and long history they share. Trevor is very conflicted about what he wants, and Nate isn't shy about telling Trevor he would be happy with a bigger relationship with him.
Everything is set into motion when Trevor meets Andre in a club and instead of fighting his feelings, Trevor acts on them. I liked this part of the story. A.M. Leibowitz crafted a scene where the MC doesn't fight his feelings. All too often in romance books, the MC fights what they feel and runs away. Trevor doesn't do that (yet) and goes into an encounter with Andre open and ready. His reaction after it's over felt natural and I never once questioned why he did what he did. My questions come later. Unfortunately I can't go into much more detail without giving away big parts of the story.
Andre's history is missing from the blurb, and it too plays an important role in how he came to be in that night club where he meets Trevor. Again, I can't go into details without revealing too much, but I can tell you that Andre is a widower, and bisexual.
At times I felt the pace of the story was very slow and umm, boring?, but then it would pick up again. I'm not sure if I felt that way because I didn't care for the scene I was reading at the time, or if it was just dragged out too much and could have been more concisely written. It is important to point out that I didn't skip or skim any scenes, which I've been known to do. So that should tell you something...I hope.
The story ends with a Happy For Now, and I don't know that there will be a follow up book. There isn't a cliffhanger but there is certainly room for a continuation. But sometimes it's best to leave things as they are and allow the reader to finish it in their own way. This is a unique story and yet I wasn't surprised by how the plot played out. There were events that were foreshadowed and if the intent was for the revelations to be surprises, that didn't work out so well. Of course, I may read too much so not much can surprise me anymore. Hard to say. ;)
Overall, I would recommend this book, but I wouldn't rush out to make it the top of the list. Grr, review writing can be so frustrating!!!!
March 22, 2016
I’ve read several novels now that deal with the conflict between homosexuality and religion, but ‘Anthem’ is one of my favorites. Although Christianity is an integral part of both heroes’ lives, this is brought across in an understated way that never veers into preachy or moralistic territory, and without resorting to prose littered with quotes from scripture. Faith might be the overriding theme, but the story touches on a whole host of issues—the importance of being truthful with yourself as well as others, and the complexities of love and friendship.
Life is going well for Trevor Davidson. He has a steady girlfriend, a job he loves as musical director for a popular local church, and has recently left home to share an apartment with three of his mates. To top it all, the Christian pop band Trevor is a member of has been contracted to record its debut album. He and his best friend Nate may have fooled around when they were between relationships, but Trevor refuses to examine his actions too closely. They were just letting off steam, after all; it doesn’t have to mean anything.
A steamy encounter in a night club throws his world into chaos. Andre Cole is sexy and warm, still coming to terms with the death of his wife and their unborn twins . . . and Trevor can’t stop thinking about him. While Andre is eager to explore their instant connection, Trevor holds back. If his church discovered him to be involved with another man, it could spell the end for the traditional family life he’d envisioned, and threaten his entire career. Yet, unless he finds the courage to be honest with himself and others, happiness will surely slip through his fingers.
A.M. Leibowitz demonstrates a real empathy with the struggle that can arise when reconciling sexuality and faith, and does a great job balancing the religious element with the other topics in the book. I especially enjoyed the heroes’ contrasting outlooks—the way Andre is so comfortable identifying as a gay Christian, while Trevor has a far tougher time accepting himself. I liked, too, that the Christians in this story aren’t exclusively anti-gay. There are those who condemn homosexuality, just as there are those who embrace it, and the author portrays this brilliantly.
Written for Rainbow Book Reviews and Boys on the Brink
Life is going well for Trevor Davidson. He has a steady girlfriend, a job he loves as musical director for a popular local church, and has recently left home to share an apartment with three of his mates. To top it all, the Christian pop band Trevor is a member of has been contracted to record its debut album. He and his best friend Nate may have fooled around when they were between relationships, but Trevor refuses to examine his actions too closely. They were just letting off steam, after all; it doesn’t have to mean anything.
A steamy encounter in a night club throws his world into chaos. Andre Cole is sexy and warm, still coming to terms with the death of his wife and their unborn twins . . . and Trevor can’t stop thinking about him. While Andre is eager to explore their instant connection, Trevor holds back. If his church discovered him to be involved with another man, it could spell the end for the traditional family life he’d envisioned, and threaten his entire career. Yet, unless he finds the courage to be honest with himself and others, happiness will surely slip through his fingers.
A.M. Leibowitz demonstrates a real empathy with the struggle that can arise when reconciling sexuality and faith, and does a great job balancing the religious element with the other topics in the book. I especially enjoyed the heroes’ contrasting outlooks—the way Andre is so comfortable identifying as a gay Christian, while Trevor has a far tougher time accepting himself. I liked, too, that the Christians in this story aren’t exclusively anti-gay. There are those who condemn homosexuality, just as there are those who embrace it, and the author portrays this brilliantly.
Written for Rainbow Book Reviews and Boys on the Brink
March 7, 2016
I really enjoyed this story. The struggle with being bisexual is a big part of this story. Not to mention the struggle of whether or not to follow your feelings and come out when you will possibly lose quite a bit because of who you want to be with.
While I really enjoyed the plot of the story and found it really interesting, I struggled with the pacing at times. It seemed to drag at times and I found myself losing interest or wanting to scan to get to a part of the story that was moving it forward. Part of it was that it was a very intricate story line so there were a lot of parts that didn't necessarily feel important until later in the story when we found out why they'd be introduced earlier.
I have to say that I really connected with Trevor even with all his insecurities because I understand what that is like.. to struggle with the feelings that you don't necessarily want to acknowledge while not being able to stop them either.
Overall, I have to say that even though A.M. Leibowitz doesn't normally write such romantic stories, I really found this one quite good and would happily pick up another of her romance themed books.
I received a free copy of this book to read for Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.
Read
August 20, 2016In Queue
*ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Jaime from Alpha Book Club
and Gay Book Reviews
January 7, 2017
Once I got past the slightly confusing cascade of characters in the first few chapters, I got into Anthem after the abrupt sexual encounter between Trevor and Andre. The ensuing connection through a local church established the author's recurring themes of religion.
Andre is hired to revamp the church's website, while Trevor writes a song that becomes a Christian 'anthem,' despite its lyrics secretly described his and Trevor's men's room quickie. Clever!
That the two main characters are bisexual adds a unique and contemporary twist, with potential antigay reactions at their jobs, girlfriends and families. It's just a lot of conflict, but something that many people face.
Andre is hired to revamp the church's website, while Trevor writes a song that becomes a Christian 'anthem,' despite its lyrics secretly described his and Trevor's men's room quickie. Clever!
That the two main characters are bisexual adds a unique and contemporary twist, with potential antigay reactions at their jobs, girlfriends and families. It's just a lot of conflict, but something that many people face.
October 22, 2021
I don’t think it was specified anywhere but this book is MMF or MFM or whatever.. I find this piece of information important so I won’t hit the spoiler button. For me it was disappointing. Practically Trevor wanted his cake and eat it too since it wasn’t exactly a threesome (Andre and Marli didn’t even like each other) so basically it was Trevor who wanted to have ( and to sleep with) both of them and gave Andre an ultimatum : either you let me have her too or you’re out. The end was weird as hell (I mean, come on, even the freaking priest was in a polyamorous marriage), and it ruined the entire book. The first half was really interesting. Too bad..
September 5, 2019
I loved this book. I loved both Andre and Trevor, and the development of their relationship, even if it wasn't always a forward progression. Neither of them were perfect, which made it all even better. It pulled up a lot of emotions, and just made me want to keep reading right until the end. And even then, I wanted to keep reading(but, alas, there were no more words). Looking forward to more with these characters.
March 25, 2016
This entertaining, sweet story broke down stereotypes about Christians, bisexuals, and black church-going families. A lot of gay romances leave the men's female ex-partners out in the cold. Not here. The way they resolved the MMF love triangle (for the time being) was a refreshing surprise. I hope there will be more in this series.
December 23, 2021
I actually didn’t truly understand the journey that Trevor and Andre are going through in the story. It’s not my story to understand because I’m not in that situation. I found it very compelling to see this insight of church and sexuality.
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