Lake Effect

by Racheline Maltese, Erin McRae

When Kyle and Daniel return to their hometown to get married, they find themselves facing an obstacle course of family drama and small-town misadventure. Relatives misbehave, a reformed high school bully shares some surprising news, and the wedding party is in crisis.

But all the chaos only cements Kyle and Daniel's desire... for each other and their own happily ever after!

This story previously appeared in They Do, an anthology published by Torquere Press, June 2014.

Genres: Gay, M M Romance

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 18, 2014

About the author

Racheline Maltese is a queer writer living a big life from a small space. She flies planes, sails boats, and rides horses, but as a native New Yorker, has no idea how to drive a car.

A performer and storyteller focused on themes of celebrity, gender, desire and mourning, Racheline has a journalism degree from The George Washington University; studied acting and directing at the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School (New York City) and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney, Australia); and is a proud SAG-AFTRA member.

She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their two cats.

Reviews

[Anke · Rating 2 out of 5]

As the price for this short alone is a tad bit steep, I bought the whole anthology, They do :)

Finished and have to say, there is nothing more than what is in the blurb.

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of getting married in your hometown, with both families present, may sound good, but, as this story proves in spades, can end in complete disaster. Even with both Daniel and Kyle knowing their families still do not completely approve of their relationship, nor do they like the idea of them living in “the big city” of Pittsburgh, they still make the attempt. What follows is highly entertaining, totally aggravating, and almost does end in disaster.

Kyle is nine years younger than Daniel and can be a little less mature. Not that I blame him – with parents like that I’d revert to the stage of a two-year-old with a constant temper tantrum in no time. They are arrogant, bigoted, and overbearing. They still believe Kyle being gay is ”just a phase” on the evening before his wedding to Daniel, and insist on them sleeping in separate rooms. After they’ve been together for four years and lived together for three of them. Ridiculous!

Daniel is best friends with Kyle’s older brother Pat, and may be a little more mature, but there comes appoint after all the nagging at the rehearsal dinner and tying on one too many at the bachelor party when he loses it as well. And then the real hilarity starts, but at least the two of them find their way back to being more normal around each other.

If you like stories about wedding mayhem, if you enjoy reading about men who have built their own lives, yet try to fit back into their families who have not really changed while they have been away, and if you’re looking for an entertaining story with lots of funny situations, then you will probably like this short story.


NOTE: The anthology this story was published in has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute short story, I love the characters of Kyle, and Daniel.

[SA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is exactly what my sister's wedding felt like. /o\

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Lake Effect, a story in They Do, Maltese and McRae do a superb job setting the scene of Kyle and Daniel’s return home to Rochester for their upcoming nuptials. We get to watch the grooms deal with the foibles and horrors of small-town life, families who are not always approving, and the general difficulties we all face when asserting ourselves in early adulthood. This story is endlessly engaging, funny, sweet, and full of delightful dialogue. It was a pleasure to read, and I found myself grinning throughout.

[Shannon Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, breezy read -- originally part of the longer anthology They Do. While I wasn't overly fond of the younger Kyle at first -- and as a Philadelphia native, the thoughts of Pittsburgh as the big, welcoming city were foreign to me -- I thought this was a great, lighthearted update of the "home for the holidays/reunion/wedding trope" and the twist of both the age difference and the brotherly dynamics gave it more weight than the featherweight trope might otherwise have carried.

A perfect read-in-one-sitting treat.

[Beckie Rousseau Sloan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute novella. But wish it had more plot.

[Jane S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

very good read.