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The Lines of Beauty
London playboy Danny Spark has it all - the penthouse, the contacts and the girls. And now he's about to open the venue that's set to be the hottest ticket in town - a Burlesque Club in the heart of the West End. He's risked everything on this venture - his reputation, his money and cash from his investors - who aren't the kind of men you mess around with. But when a disaster threatens the opening of the club, Danny finds his dream balanced on a knife edge. He needs a saviour, and quick. Enter Hugo - an enigmatic Frenchman with the body of an Adonis and the dance moves of an Astaire. Is the mysterious Hugo the answer to Danny's prayers? More importantly, is Hugo awakening feelings that have long been buried deep inside Danny?
Read The Lines of Beauty to discover why some men are just too beautiful to resist...
"An interesting and unique sort of story I don't think I've seen anywhere else."
Convergence Book Reviews
Read The Lines of Beauty to discover why some men are just too beautiful to resist...
"An interesting and unique sort of story I don't think I've seen anywhere else."
Convergence Book Reviews
212 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Jake Stark
5 books14 followersIn 1960, my Mum (transatlantic translation - Mom)
was in a club in the centre of her home town of Liverpool. The space was hot smoky and loud. On the other side of the room was a serious looking man with glasses and a long delicate nose. She smiled at him, he smiled back. Then, just as he was about to approach her, he was distracted by a blonde girl with white stilettoes and beehive hair. The young man in question was John Lennon. This little tale illustrates how the slightest beat of the butterflies wing carries away a moment of chance only to land it on some other girl's unsuspecting shoulder.
It also quite neatly explains why I do not own an apartment overlooking Central Park.
was in a club in the centre of her home town of Liverpool. The space was hot smoky and loud. On the other side of the room was a serious looking man with glasses and a long delicate nose. She smiled at him, he smiled back. Then, just as he was about to approach her, he was distracted by a blonde girl with white stilettoes and beehive hair. The young man in question was John Lennon. This little tale illustrates how the slightest beat of the butterflies wing carries away a moment of chance only to land it on some other girl's unsuspecting shoulder.
It also quite neatly explains why I do not own an apartment overlooking Central Park.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 31, 2016
*A free copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
I'm not sure if I have ever been as offended as I have while reading The lines of Beauty. Here a just a few reasons why:
-He wasn’t into guys, he was into having friends. But all his friends seemed to be into this, so if you cant beat them...
-Those fucking gays jumped into bed with each other at the drop of a hat.
-“The girls fucking love you Hugo, imagine if you were straight, how many of them could you have?"
-Because in Danny’s head that was what they all did, queers that is. They fucked each other at the drop of a hat, incessantly, constantly, wordlessly, coldly.
Oh Danny...such a stand-up guy you are. Not only was he extremely homophobic and misogynistic, but completely hypocritical. He would complain all the time about "the gays" and yet when he recounts doing his first line (at a young age) he tells us he also got his first blowjob - and more importantly that he liked it.
But of course when a woman gives herself, her body, her love ,she does expect (not unreasonably) something in return.
Word had spread on how desperately poorly he had behaved.
Unfortunately, even after overlooking all of the grammatical and punctuation errors (not to mention what I stated above), I didn't enjoy the book. Danny and Hugo fell flat for me and often felt detached and without feeling. The premise was promising but the execution was poorly constructed. With some major editing and proof reading I feel like this has potential.
On to the next!
I'm not sure if I have ever been as offended as I have while reading The lines of Beauty. Here a just a few reasons why:
-He wasn’t into guys, he was into having friends. But all his friends seemed to be into this, so if you cant beat them...
-Those fucking gays jumped into bed with each other at the drop of a hat.
-“The girls fucking love you Hugo, imagine if you were straight, how many of them could you have?"
-Because in Danny’s head that was what they all did, queers that is. They fucked each other at the drop of a hat, incessantly, constantly, wordlessly, coldly.
Oh Danny...such a stand-up guy you are. Not only was he extremely homophobic and misogynistic, but completely hypocritical. He would complain all the time about "the gays" and yet when he recounts doing his first line (at a young age) he tells us he also got his first blowjob - and more importantly that he liked it.
But of course when a woman gives herself, her body, her love ,she does expect (not unreasonably) something in return.
Word had spread on how desperately poorly he had behaved.
Unfortunately, even after overlooking all of the grammatical and punctuation errors (not to mention what I stated above), I didn't enjoy the book. Danny and Hugo fell flat for me and often felt detached and without feeling. The premise was promising but the execution was poorly constructed. With some major editing and proof reading I feel like this has potential.
On to the next!
June 16, 2016
The downside of being committed to writing a review is having to do so when I otherwise wouldn’t have bothered, as sadly this one isn’t going to do the author any favors.
This is a difficult review to write, the story had great potential, but so many things rubbed me the wrong way I now sit here struggling to find anything good to say.
Danny is a playboy, so this story has many references to guy on girl sex, way more than guy on guy, and when it comes to gay men, the derogative comments took me by surprise and are likely to offend a few readers. A man who is brought in to assist with the dance routine is scoffed at and referred to as being an unlikable little queer. Numerous side characters are described as being fat, which again started to wear thin, and might rub others the wrong way. “He was like a fat kid in a candy store.” The term works just as well, if not better, without the word fat.
Danny has racked up a debt of 60k for cocaine. I realize this is fiction so I didn’t dwell on it too much, but it struck me as odd when his supply dried up he didn’t suffer any withdrawal symptoms. The way the debt ends up being repaid, moves the story into sexual violence, so be warned the story contains a rather graphic non/dub-con scene.
Eventually, (a word which is used often in this story) Danny and Hugo get their act together, and playboy Danny has his first consensual MM experience. Hugo is pleased because I quote “I am here with you. A new man, a virgin boy without any of the hang ups of a gay guy.” Are we supposed to think a ‘straight or bi man' is less hung up about having sex with a man than an openly gay man?
All in all, I feel this story tried to be too much, and/or was rushed. It had a straight/gay lead, a druggie at that, then went into dark non-con. It is full of grammatical errors, and has way too many chapters, etc.
My advice as a longtime beta reader, reviewer, proofreader, would be to take this book down, give it the overhaul it deserves and then, only then, relist it. The basic plot has huge potential.
Footnote -I was informed an updated version is available on Amazon. At a glance, it appears the spelling mistakes have been corrected, however missing words, additional words, and character name slips remain.
Copy provided in exchange for an honest review
This is a difficult review to write, the story had great potential, but so many things rubbed me the wrong way I now sit here struggling to find anything good to say.
Danny is a playboy, so this story has many references to guy on girl sex, way more than guy on guy, and when it comes to gay men, the derogative comments took me by surprise and are likely to offend a few readers. A man who is brought in to assist with the dance routine is scoffed at and referred to as being an unlikable little queer. Numerous side characters are described as being fat, which again started to wear thin, and might rub others the wrong way. “He was like a fat kid in a candy store.” The term works just as well, if not better, without the word fat.
Danny has racked up a debt of 60k for cocaine. I realize this is fiction so I didn’t dwell on it too much, but it struck me as odd when his supply dried up he didn’t suffer any withdrawal symptoms. The way the debt ends up being repaid, moves the story into sexual violence, so be warned the story contains a rather graphic non/dub-con scene.
Eventually, (a word which is used often in this story) Danny and Hugo get their act together, and playboy Danny has his first consensual MM experience. Hugo is pleased because I quote “I am here with you. A new man, a virgin boy without any of the hang ups of a gay guy.” Are we supposed to think a ‘straight or bi man' is less hung up about having sex with a man than an openly gay man?
All in all, I feel this story tried to be too much, and/or was rushed. It had a straight/gay lead, a druggie at that, then went into dark non-con. It is full of grammatical errors, and has way too many chapters, etc.
My advice as a longtime beta reader, reviewer, proofreader, would be to take this book down, give it the overhaul it deserves and then, only then, relist it. The basic plot has huge potential.
Footnote -I was informed an updated version is available on Amazon. At a glance, it appears the spelling mistakes have been corrected, however missing words, additional words, and character name slips remain.
Copy provided in exchange for an honest review
June 8, 2016
This was a very interesting book to read.
Danny has it all. He lives a privilege life but nothing seems enough. Now he is trying to open a club, but his rushed decisions are risking his possibilities of success. He met Hugo, who seems to be what he’s been waiting for but, is he willing to make changes on his life to make their relationship works?.
It took me a while to get my-self into the story. I think one of the reasons of this was the slow pace at the beginning, but I think it served a purpose, at least I felt it that way because when the reader knows Danny he seems to be done with life. I couldn’t help thinking he had several characteristics a depressed person would have, and that’s why I think a slow pace worked fine at that moment.
The plot it start a little weak for me, but as the story keep going, I found myself more captive by it and it got so much better. It had a slow pace for most of the book, but that changes near the end when it gets really fast and it had some very exciting moments.
The part of the book I liked the most were the characters, or most exactly the emotions I felt reading about them. They weren’t likable characters, I didn’t like either of them, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy their story. I’m used to not liking the main characters, and for this two I have some particular reasons.
Danny was just so irresponsible, awfully frustrating. He always get what he wants and he doesn’t he acts in such dramatic ways, it made me mad so many times. He just can’t put his act together for a minute. He doesn’t care for anyone but himself and then wonders why he doesn’t have any friends? Really? Really?, just thinking about him again makes me so angry. Stealing some words from Hugo to a better description “…but your arrogance was unattractive, is unattractive…”. That was so true. But, as much as I disliked him, I have to give him credit because he got me so frustrated, I just wanted to scream at him all the time, and a character that can create such an intense feeling, it’s great one, so well done Danny.
Hugo was a little more likable, but there were moments when he was so confusing, I didn’t fully understood him. I kept guessing his motives even at the last pages of the book. He didn’t make me angry as Danny did, but there are moments on their relationship when his conduct is so contradictory that was also very frustrating, and I definitely wouldn’t like to be on Danny’s shoes at those times, probably the only sympathetic moments I had for Danny.
Their relationship was a little strange. There were reproachable conducts of both of them, I don’t think they got to trust each other that much, and that make hard to believe in their love. I don’t doubt that it might me the way their going, but right now I’m not sure, I think they have yet a long way to go. It would be nice to see more of this two in the future too see how it worked out.
Overall t think it was a nice story, as I mention, the characters were the strongest part, I really enjoyed reading it.
Danny has it all. He lives a privilege life but nothing seems enough. Now he is trying to open a club, but his rushed decisions are risking his possibilities of success. He met Hugo, who seems to be what he’s been waiting for but, is he willing to make changes on his life to make their relationship works?.
It took me a while to get my-self into the story. I think one of the reasons of this was the slow pace at the beginning, but I think it served a purpose, at least I felt it that way because when the reader knows Danny he seems to be done with life. I couldn’t help thinking he had several characteristics a depressed person would have, and that’s why I think a slow pace worked fine at that moment.
The plot it start a little weak for me, but as the story keep going, I found myself more captive by it and it got so much better. It had a slow pace for most of the book, but that changes near the end when it gets really fast and it had some very exciting moments.
The part of the book I liked the most were the characters, or most exactly the emotions I felt reading about them. They weren’t likable characters, I didn’t like either of them, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy their story. I’m used to not liking the main characters, and for this two I have some particular reasons.
Danny was just so irresponsible, awfully frustrating. He always get what he wants and he doesn’t he acts in such dramatic ways, it made me mad so many times. He just can’t put his act together for a minute. He doesn’t care for anyone but himself and then wonders why he doesn’t have any friends? Really? Really?, just thinking about him again makes me so angry. Stealing some words from Hugo to a better description “…but your arrogance was unattractive, is unattractive…”. That was so true. But, as much as I disliked him, I have to give him credit because he got me so frustrated, I just wanted to scream at him all the time, and a character that can create such an intense feeling, it’s great one, so well done Danny.
Hugo was a little more likable, but there were moments when he was so confusing, I didn’t fully understood him. I kept guessing his motives even at the last pages of the book. He didn’t make me angry as Danny did, but there are moments on their relationship when his conduct is so contradictory that was also very frustrating, and I definitely wouldn’t like to be on Danny’s shoes at those times, probably the only sympathetic moments I had for Danny.
Their relationship was a little strange. There were reproachable conducts of both of them, I don’t think they got to trust each other that much, and that make hard to believe in their love. I don’t doubt that it might me the way their going, but right now I’m not sure, I think they have yet a long way to go. It would be nice to see more of this two in the future too see how it worked out.
Overall t think it was a nice story, as I mention, the characters were the strongest part, I really enjoyed reading it.
June 4, 2016
Wow! I haven’t read such a good novel in the wide MM genre in a very long time. I don’t believe I have actually read any which is as multi-layered, universal and containing so many elements of different sub-genres as The Lines of Beauty. That makes that novel something much more than an MM romance. In fact, I wouldn’t categorise it simply as a romance.
The MCs – Danny and Hugo – are well written and multidimensional.
Danny seems to be a successful, determined entrepreneur, making his way up the showbiz ladder. But behind his shiny facade, his playboy hype, we can find a naive man-child, a big boy scared of responsibility, adulthood, hell – even of getting out of the well-known jungle of London.
On the other hand, we meet Hugo – a French bartender and (as we find out) a dancer/choreographer. He’s a handsome, easy-going, unassuming guy who might be all that Danny needs right now. He exudes an air of tranquillity and elegance, but also efficiency and quiet confidence.
When these two clash – that’s where the story (and the romance) really begins. And don’t worry – the romance part is not a shallow instalove – there is too much in Danny and Hugo’s pasts to make it an easy HEA.
I loved Danny’s awkward exploration of his sexuality. I loved that it felt so natural and so “unhurried”. I loved Hugo’s lead – subtle, gentle and insistent at the same time. I also liked the way Danny changes as a man – exploring and fighting his habits, fears and insecurities.
The other nice touch about the novel is its dual setting. There are three sections: 2 of them happen in London and one in Paris. And I loved the contrasts: the unobtrusive yet aggressive "big world" of this hefty melting pot of London, the casual, unaffected manner of Paris, the tranquility of the French countryside. London seemed so much more hectic, dirty, full of gangsters, booze, drugs. And Paris was so "normal", casual, even lyrical at times...
The only drawback for me is that the Paris section reads better than the London parts. It’s smoother and more fluent – but again, it might be the author’s way to show the contrast between the two worlds.
All in all, there is so much to this book: solid storyline, believable MCs, hot lovemaking, burlesque dancers, Paris’ idle, laid-back attitude, London’s underworld with its seedy corners and dangerous characters…
And I’m sure that you’ll find quite a few interpretations of the titular “lines of beauty” as I have while reading this captivating story.
[I’ve received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review]
The MCs – Danny and Hugo – are well written and multidimensional.
Danny seems to be a successful, determined entrepreneur, making his way up the showbiz ladder. But behind his shiny facade, his playboy hype, we can find a naive man-child, a big boy scared of responsibility, adulthood, hell – even of getting out of the well-known jungle of London.
On the other hand, we meet Hugo – a French bartender and (as we find out) a dancer/choreographer. He’s a handsome, easy-going, unassuming guy who might be all that Danny needs right now. He exudes an air of tranquillity and elegance, but also efficiency and quiet confidence.
When these two clash – that’s where the story (and the romance) really begins. And don’t worry – the romance part is not a shallow instalove – there is too much in Danny and Hugo’s pasts to make it an easy HEA.
I loved Danny’s awkward exploration of his sexuality. I loved that it felt so natural and so “unhurried”. I loved Hugo’s lead – subtle, gentle and insistent at the same time. I also liked the way Danny changes as a man – exploring and fighting his habits, fears and insecurities.
The other nice touch about the novel is its dual setting. There are three sections: 2 of them happen in London and one in Paris. And I loved the contrasts: the unobtrusive yet aggressive "big world" of this hefty melting pot of London, the casual, unaffected manner of Paris, the tranquility of the French countryside. London seemed so much more hectic, dirty, full of gangsters, booze, drugs. And Paris was so "normal", casual, even lyrical at times...
The only drawback for me is that the Paris section reads better than the London parts. It’s smoother and more fluent – but again, it might be the author’s way to show the contrast between the two worlds.
All in all, there is so much to this book: solid storyline, believable MCs, hot lovemaking, burlesque dancers, Paris’ idle, laid-back attitude, London’s underworld with its seedy corners and dangerous characters…
And I’m sure that you’ll find quite a few interpretations of the titular “lines of beauty” as I have while reading this captivating story.
[I’ve received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review]
June 14, 2016
Sounds interesting. With both English and French accents, an audio book would be impossible to resist even for a second read.
Like the premise of an MC with no redeeming social values, but he was so dumb in a common sense way. Maybe if he wasn't putting so much up his nose he could have seen how he was being used and abused. I liked the Frenchman more but did not understand why he would be attracted in any way to the other MC. In fact I did not feel their attraction at all. No heat. These guys were just people that I did not care about in any depth. This should not have had a HEA ending because there was no lead up to it. No reason for them to get back together.
There were some interesting ideas but needed more development. I did love the Paris scenes.
Like the premise of an MC with no redeeming social values, but he was so dumb in a common sense way. Maybe if he wasn't putting so much up his nose he could have seen how he was being used and abused. I liked the Frenchman more but did not understand why he would be attracted in any way to the other MC. In fact I did not feel their attraction at all. No heat. These guys were just people that I did not care about in any depth. This should not have had a HEA ending because there was no lead up to it. No reason for them to get back together.
There were some interesting ideas but needed more development. I did love the Paris scenes.
September 26, 2016
2.5 of 5 stars – Shaky Start, Salvaged Some by Frenchman & Setting.
[Thanks to the author for a free copy via Goodreads' M/M Romance Group in exchange for an honest review]
If you can last through the first half, this evolves into an okay read. Initially, it was the Londoner's (Danny's) horrendous behavior that made me want to put it down, but tension gradually built with several things going on in his life that kept me somewhat interested, including a budding romance with a French employee.
For the first half of the book, Danny was not likable. Maybe it was due to Jake Stark’s using third-person POV of Danny, and thus overexposing me to his ugly perspective and inner thoughts. Or maybe it was due to how Danny was painted one dimensionally, with every thought and action showing what an a--h--- he was (egotistic, unsympathetic, user, chauvinistic, clueless, addict, deadbeat, alienating, friendless, offensive). Interwoven with this were all of Danny's problems – no friends (due to his being so offensive), looming club opening (that he isn't prepared for), show not ready (because he's mistreated everyone), and a coke habit (which put him 60k in debt to a mob kingpin), and thus subject to thugs (who collect outstanding debts through physical intimidation).
What salvaged it was the entrance of Hugo, the French bartender/dancer, who gradually softened Danny, as well as sparked Danny's latent bisexual urges and stirred him to finally be emotionally attracted to someone (which in this case, was a man). I could see why Danny liked Hugo, but it wasn't spelled out well enough on why Hugo was attracted to Danny. Anyway, I liked it better when it moved to Paris, which felt more like I was there, than it did in London.
Usually I don’t comment about a need for editing, but its excessiveness became disruptive, literally 5-6 errors per page. I hear some of this has been corrected; but for me, I suspected this was a case where the lack of attention to this was also reflective of other aspects that also needed attention, and thus indicative of the overall quality.
The back and forth love-him, lose-him, love-him, lose-him yo-yo was somewhat unrealistic, especially on Hugo's behalf of why he'd fallen for Danny, but I was in it to stay in it to at least know how it turned out.
[Thanks to the author for a free copy via Goodreads' M/M Romance Group in exchange for an honest review]
If you can last through the first half, this evolves into an okay read. Initially, it was the Londoner's (Danny's) horrendous behavior that made me want to put it down, but tension gradually built with several things going on in his life that kept me somewhat interested, including a budding romance with a French employee.
For the first half of the book, Danny was not likable. Maybe it was due to Jake Stark’s using third-person POV of Danny, and thus overexposing me to his ugly perspective and inner thoughts. Or maybe it was due to how Danny was painted one dimensionally, with every thought and action showing what an a--h--- he was (egotistic, unsympathetic, user, chauvinistic, clueless, addict, deadbeat, alienating, friendless, offensive). Interwoven with this were all of Danny's problems – no friends (due to his being so offensive), looming club opening (that he isn't prepared for), show not ready (because he's mistreated everyone), and a coke habit (which put him 60k in debt to a mob kingpin), and thus subject to thugs (who collect outstanding debts through physical intimidation).
What salvaged it was the entrance of Hugo, the French bartender/dancer, who gradually softened Danny, as well as sparked Danny's latent bisexual urges and stirred him to finally be emotionally attracted to someone (which in this case, was a man). I could see why Danny liked Hugo, but it wasn't spelled out well enough on why Hugo was attracted to Danny. Anyway, I liked it better when it moved to Paris, which felt more like I was there, than it did in London.
Usually I don’t comment about a need for editing, but its excessiveness became disruptive, literally 5-6 errors per page. I hear some of this has been corrected; but for me, I suspected this was a case where the lack of attention to this was also reflective of other aspects that also needed attention, and thus indicative of the overall quality.
The back and forth love-him, lose-him, love-him, lose-him yo-yo was somewhat unrealistic, especially on Hugo's behalf of why he'd fallen for Danny, but I was in it to stay in it to at least know how it turned out.
July 29, 2016
Holy cocaine Batman! I feel like I need rehab after this story.
Danny Spark is a consummate party boy who is about seeing and being seen. Everything is about image, from the way he dresses to the new burlesque club he is opening. All at once everything start to crumble, his girlfriend leaves him, his dealer won't supply his because he owes too much, his head dancer walks out, and the man backing the club is looking to Danny for answers.
In walks Hugo, the new bar manager. Danny feels an instant pull to him, but he's never been with a man before. Hugo is appalled by the way Danny lives his life, all the cocaine and women are too much for him.
Danny's dealer starts to put serious pressure on him and as the stress gets to be too much he and Hugo go away to Paris for the weekend. Danny believes he may be falling in love with Hugo, but then Hugo decides to stay in Paris and not return to London with Danny.
Danny tries to get his life back to the way it was but there seems to always be obstacles in his path, and he really misses Hugo. Danny needs to clean himself up, and get out of his mess before he can be a man worthy of Hugo.
I don't know where to start, there is just so much I didn't like about Danny. It's hard to find one redeeming quality in him. It seemed when anything got remotely difficult he ran right back to sex and cocaine. He was quick tempered and lacked maturity.
Hugo kept testing Danny, like one time he may not disappoint but a leopard can't change it's spots. I'm not sure what Hugo saw in Danny, or why he kept giving him the opportunity.
The story itself was good, I loved the mob tie ins to the club. It made the story interesting gave it a gritty mob movie feel.
Overall, the story was good but the characters needed like ability to create a deeper connection with each other and the reader.. There were a few spelling/grammar errors that pulled you out of the story toward the end. If you are one that only likes the MC to have sex with the other MC this isn't the book for you. It seems Danny has problem keeping it in his pants, almost as big a problem as he has keeping his nose out of the coke.
Two and a half stars rounded to three.
Danny Spark is a consummate party boy who is about seeing and being seen. Everything is about image, from the way he dresses to the new burlesque club he is opening. All at once everything start to crumble, his girlfriend leaves him, his dealer won't supply his because he owes too much, his head dancer walks out, and the man backing the club is looking to Danny for answers.
In walks Hugo, the new bar manager. Danny feels an instant pull to him, but he's never been with a man before. Hugo is appalled by the way Danny lives his life, all the cocaine and women are too much for him.
Danny's dealer starts to put serious pressure on him and as the stress gets to be too much he and Hugo go away to Paris for the weekend. Danny believes he may be falling in love with Hugo, but then Hugo decides to stay in Paris and not return to London with Danny.
Danny tries to get his life back to the way it was but there seems to always be obstacles in his path, and he really misses Hugo. Danny needs to clean himself up, and get out of his mess before he can be a man worthy of Hugo.
I don't know where to start, there is just so much I didn't like about Danny. It's hard to find one redeeming quality in him. It seemed when anything got remotely difficult he ran right back to sex and cocaine. He was quick tempered and lacked maturity.
Hugo kept testing Danny, like one time he may not disappoint but a leopard can't change it's spots. I'm not sure what Hugo saw in Danny, or why he kept giving him the opportunity.
The story itself was good, I loved the mob tie ins to the club. It made the story interesting gave it a gritty mob movie feel.
Overall, the story was good but the characters needed like ability to create a deeper connection with each other and the reader.. There were a few spelling/grammar errors that pulled you out of the story toward the end. If you are one that only likes the MC to have sex with the other MC this isn't the book for you. It seems Danny has problem keeping it in his pants, almost as big a problem as he has keeping his nose out of the coke.
Two and a half stars rounded to three.
June 1, 2016
Danny Spark lives an ultimate playboy lifestyle: sex, drugs, and only the smallest amount of responsibility. And even when things start to catch up with him, he tries to shrug it all off. Everything will always work out in the end, right?
But then he meets Hugo, a young man he's hired to manage the bar at the new club he's running. There's something about Hugo that intrigues Danny, and it hearkens him back to an evening he spent with an old friend years ago. Used to simply pursuing whatever pleasures he desires, Danny thinks he might throw caution to the wind and pursue Hugo. But everything around him is spinning fast, and it's not going to stop just because Danny wants to have some fun.
Hugo is also far more complicated than he seems. He's not a pleasure-seeking playboy like Danny, and he wants more out of life. He looks before he leaps, and the two may not have as much in common as Danny hopes. And he's less than interested in becoming tangled up in the mess Danny has created for himself.
But Danny's never quite felt like this before. He can't shake Hugo. And will that be enough for him to leave his past behind and become a new--and more responsible--man?
--
The author has done a great job of presenting Danny to readers here. It's very clear that he is a pleasure-seeker, more interested in fun than consequences. The narration style itself adds to this sentiment, complete with throwing in brand names and an almost stream-of-consciousness feel at times. Danny certainly doesn't evoke any sympathy, and I'm not sure he's supposed to. While he may think his life is glamorous, he soon learns it's not everything he thought it was cracked up to be.
But the book isn't preachy. It doesn't have those overtones. But it tells an interesting and unique sort of story I don't think I've seen anywhere else.
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
But then he meets Hugo, a young man he's hired to manage the bar at the new club he's running. There's something about Hugo that intrigues Danny, and it hearkens him back to an evening he spent with an old friend years ago. Used to simply pursuing whatever pleasures he desires, Danny thinks he might throw caution to the wind and pursue Hugo. But everything around him is spinning fast, and it's not going to stop just because Danny wants to have some fun.
Hugo is also far more complicated than he seems. He's not a pleasure-seeking playboy like Danny, and he wants more out of life. He looks before he leaps, and the two may not have as much in common as Danny hopes. And he's less than interested in becoming tangled up in the mess Danny has created for himself.
But Danny's never quite felt like this before. He can't shake Hugo. And will that be enough for him to leave his past behind and become a new--and more responsible--man?
--
The author has done a great job of presenting Danny to readers here. It's very clear that he is a pleasure-seeker, more interested in fun than consequences. The narration style itself adds to this sentiment, complete with throwing in brand names and an almost stream-of-consciousness feel at times. Danny certainly doesn't evoke any sympathy, and I'm not sure he's supposed to. While he may think his life is glamorous, he soon learns it's not everything he thought it was cracked up to be.
But the book isn't preachy. It doesn't have those overtones. But it tells an interesting and unique sort of story I don't think I've seen anywhere else.
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.]
June 3, 2016
I will start this review with the reasons I liked the book...
The story line is good. It could be captivating at times. The book had sex scenes but not so much that it stole from the story. I can see how Danny's life can be taken from a celebrity's life: sex, drugs, and parties. Overall, I would say I liked the story and would read more Jake Stark's books.
Now for what I didn't like about the book...
First, there were 56 chapters for a 208 page book. This is way too many for a book this size. Second, I only read the first version with many typos and grammatical errors. Since then it has been revised and cleaned up. Third, there were sections of the book where there were character mix ups (Hugo looked at Hugo). It made the reading difficult and hard to understand at times without having to re-read the passage again. Fourth, the ending was rushed. The story should have built more on Hugo and Danny's time at the ranch (what happened with the withdrawal symptoms - did anything happened?). What happened to Danny's post addiction phase?
The story line is good. It could be captivating at times. The book had sex scenes but not so much that it stole from the story. I can see how Danny's life can be taken from a celebrity's life: sex, drugs, and parties. Overall, I would say I liked the story and would read more Jake Stark's books.
Now for what I didn't like about the book...
First, there were 56 chapters for a 208 page book. This is way too many for a book this size. Second, I only read the first version with many typos and grammatical errors. Since then it has been revised and cleaned up. Third, there were sections of the book where there were character mix ups (Hugo looked at Hugo). It made the reading difficult and hard to understand at times without having to re-read the passage again. Fourth, the ending was rushed. The story should have built more on Hugo and Danny's time at the ranch (what happened with the withdrawal symptoms - did anything happened?). What happened to Danny's post addiction phase?
August 28, 2016
Where to start with this train wreck. The book started with the most obnoxious character ever. Danny was such an asshole I had a hard time reading this book. He did drugs and had sex with any willing hole and didn’t even remember doing it. He cheated on his girlfriend and couldn’t understand that she was upset. Hugo was at least nicer. I really don’t see this couple making it.
September 18, 2017
To be honest I found this book to be meh. It was slow to get into and I just couldn't relate to the characters. The idea that is gay people all we are good for is partying and drugs kind of annoyed me. It did seem to build and have a nice conclusion but at the same time there was no real depth. If you're looking for a novel about sex drugs and partying then maybe you can pick this up.
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