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Opposites Attract #1
Rosso e grigio
Un libro della serie 'Gli opposti si attraggono' Appena arrivato dai boschi del Minnesota, lo studente di scienze attuariali Ben Dutoit e entusiasta di aver ottenuto uno stage alla Sydney Sutherland Family Insurance, una delle poche aziende a offrire assicurazioni sulla vita per le categorie ad alto rischio di salute. Il fatto che l'ufficio si trovi a Gay central, ovvero San Francisco, e solo la ciliegina sulla torta, una torta dai colori dell'arcobaleno. Ben ha solo tre obiettivi da raggiungere: essere se stesso senza mai nascondersi e partecipare orgogliosamente al Gay Pride della citta, conoscere tanta gente interessante nei vari locali e, forse, se e fortunato, innamorarsi. Ma gli uomini che Ben incontra sono tutto il contrario di lui: galanti, sofisticati, sicuri e sexy. Al contrario di Ben, rozzo provinciale, loro appartengono a famiglie ricche e benestanti, nobili e conservatrici, e portano sulle spalle tutte le responsabilita che derivano dalle loro posizioni. Mentre Ben ancora si chiede se uno come lui potra mai appartenere al loro mondo, inizia a scoprire i rischi di cio che questo mondo sofisticato potrebbe comportare. L'economia globale e in crisi e il lavoro che tanto desiderava e sul filo del rasoio. Tutti i suoi sogni sono in pericolo, specialmente quello piu grande: l'amore.
456 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
16 people are currently reading
622 people want to read
About the author
A.B. Gayle
20 books192 followersUnlike many authors, I haven't been writing stories all my life. I've been too busy living life.
My travels took me from the fjords of Norway to the southern tip of New Zealand. In between, I've worked in so many different towns I've lost count. I've shoveled cow shit, mustered sheep, been polite to customers, traded insults with politicians and need to be forgiven on occasions when I get confused as to who needs what where. Now that I'm settled in Sydney, Australia, my real-life experiences can morph with my fertile imagination and create fiction which I hope readers will enjoy.
My philosophy on posting reviews is to recommend books I like which I think other people may not read and state why I like them. These are only the tip of the iceberg of books I read. If I do post a negative review, it's because there is some craft aspect (usually) that, to me, prevents the book from reaching its full potential. Books I straight out don't like or don't finish, don't even get a mention, as they may be someone else's cup of tea.
My travels took me from the fjords of Norway to the southern tip of New Zealand. In between, I've worked in so many different towns I've lost count. I've shoveled cow shit, mustered sheep, been polite to customers, traded insults with politicians and need to be forgiven on occasions when I get confused as to who needs what where. Now that I'm settled in Sydney, Australia, my real-life experiences can morph with my fertile imagination and create fiction which I hope readers will enjoy.
My philosophy on posting reviews is to recommend books I like which I think other people may not read and state why I like them. These are only the tip of the iceberg of books I read. If I do post a negative review, it's because there is some craft aspect (usually) that, to me, prevents the book from reaching its full potential. Books I straight out don't like or don't finish, don't even get a mention, as they may be someone else's cup of tea.
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May 29, 2012I would like to use this opportunity to give some background to the series "Opposites Attract".
In these books, I will be exploring differences between the protagonists backgrounds and personalities as this is what creates the conflict that all stories need.
So, be warned if that's not the type of book you like, stay away! There will be no murders to solve or car chases. Car crashes maybe....
Full length books will deal with different pairings (or back to back novellas in some cases).
Familiar characters will make appearances in other people's "books" and the final book in the series "Death+Glory" will draw them all together.
I've started this already, as the reporter who plays a pivotal role in "Red+Blue" actually starred in his own novella "Mardi Gras". One day I hope to write another novella as a sequel to this and re-badge the two as "Pride+Prejudice". (Mardi Gras is the term given to Australia's annual Pride parade.)
Similarly, fans of "Caught" will be relieved to hear that Taylor and Daniel will be revisited in "Bound" to create "Caught+Bound", but they also pop up in the next book in the series (due out March/April) "Leather+Lace".
The thing with "Opposites" is that, on the surface people may seem opposites, but they usually possess some characteristics that are common. The question then arises as to whether, when the realities of everyday life crop up, there is enough glue to bind them together in the long term.
Hence, as well as these main books featuring different couples. I definitely intend to write a follow up to "Red+Blue" called "Give+Take" which takes place about a year in the future.
Warning, though, I'm a slow writer so please be patient!
In the meantime, check out my Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/abgaylewriter/re...
In these books, I will be exploring differences between the protagonists backgrounds and personalities as this is what creates the conflict that all stories need.
So, be warned if that's not the type of book you like, stay away! There will be no murders to solve or car chases. Car crashes maybe....
Full length books will deal with different pairings (or back to back novellas in some cases).
Familiar characters will make appearances in other people's "books" and the final book in the series "Death+Glory" will draw them all together.
I've started this already, as the reporter who plays a pivotal role in "Red+Blue" actually starred in his own novella "Mardi Gras". One day I hope to write another novella as a sequel to this and re-badge the two as "Pride+Prejudice". (Mardi Gras is the term given to Australia's annual Pride parade.)
Similarly, fans of "Caught" will be relieved to hear that Taylor and Daniel will be revisited in "Bound" to create "Caught+Bound", but they also pop up in the next book in the series (due out March/April) "Leather+Lace".
The thing with "Opposites" is that, on the surface people may seem opposites, but they usually possess some characteristics that are common. The question then arises as to whether, when the realities of everyday life crop up, there is enough glue to bind them together in the long term.
Hence, as well as these main books featuring different couples. I definitely intend to write a follow up to "Red+Blue" called "Give+Take" which takes place about a year in the future.
Warning, though, I'm a slow writer so please be patient!
In the meantime, check out my Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/abgaylewriter/re...
August 6, 2014
Red+Blue was quite the engaging read! I actually read the second of this series first, not that it matters. They appear to be stand alones. However, the second one is kinky so *shrug* of course I read that one first. Shocker. I digress.
I was surprised by how quickly I was sucked into this one. As a matter of fact, I had a hard time putting it down. It's cleverly formatted into three sections the first being, Red (Ben's POV); he's called "Red" by Jason because he's a ginger aaannnndddd he hates it. Blue (Adrian's POV) which, I believe, is labeled "Blue" because Adrian is depressed. Finally, Red+Blue which is both of their POVs. I think this served the purpose of allowing the reader to get a true sense of who these two men are. What makes them tick. How they think. Plus, a little back story on them.
Ben is 24, a transplanted Minnesotan now living in San Francisco, sowing his oats in the Castro and studying to become an actuary at Adrian's insurance company. Adrian has been forced back into the closet at 35 by his father in order to effectively run the west coast office of his family's company. Adrian is also a talented amateur actor. He's got everyone fooled into believing that he's straight. He even has a beard (Laurel - The Bitch Extraordinaire) whom everyone thinks he's going to marry any second now. Little do they know, he's got no intention of even entering into another relationship after the love of his life met a tragic end for which he feels partially responsible. Until he meets Ben.
Ben. Full of life. Full of love. Full of laughter. He's the personification of joie de vivre. He's also one of many in Jason's coterie which, actually, doesn't bother him. Although, I'm not sure he realizes how large the coterie actually is. He sees Jason for what and who he is and doesn't have any delusions about their relationship. However, what Ben doesn't know is Jason uses Ben to goad Adrian, who happens to be his roommate. Jason… naughty, naughty boy that he is yet, I'm still fascinated by him and what motivated him to set his course on self-destruct.
A.B. Gayle is exceptionally talented at writing the slow burn. The character and relationship development were gripping, even the secondary characters were irresistible. Like I said, I'd love to know more about Jason (He's into kink and apparently found a leather daddy. WIN!) as well as Chris (Ben's brother), or Mick (Ben's friend) or even Pop and Nonna (Adrian's Italian grandparents)! I'm not holding my breath though since Ms. Gayle did this to me in Leather+Lace. Nevertheless, I'm going on record with my interest in future reads.
Aside from the characters, the plot was engaging with deft handling of some serious topics. I felt badly for Adrian on so many levels. Some may say his issues were self-created. I disagree. I believe this happens all too often in the real world, that people are coerced into leading a false life and made miserable by it. What made Adrian's story so compelling for me was how heartbreaking it was for him AND Ben: one path chosen by neither party ruins both their lives.
Adrian has to make some gutsy decisions that required quite a bit of faith. Ben, too, had to make some life-altering decisions and it seems as though this is just the beginning of their journey. At least, that's the way it read to me.
Not to end on too dour a note, there's lots of sexy times! WIN! Sexy times in the woods. Sexy times up against a tree. Some quasi kinky sexy times. *eyebrow wiggle* All good times.
Good times + good characters + good plot = 4 Slow Burning Stars.
A copy of this book was provided as part of the DBML program in the M/M Romance group on GoodReads in exchange for an honest review.
I was surprised by how quickly I was sucked into this one. As a matter of fact, I had a hard time putting it down. It's cleverly formatted into three sections the first being, Red (Ben's POV); he's called "Red" by Jason because he's a ginger aaannnndddd he hates it. Blue (Adrian's POV) which, I believe, is labeled "Blue" because Adrian is depressed. Finally, Red+Blue which is both of their POVs. I think this served the purpose of allowing the reader to get a true sense of who these two men are. What makes them tick. How they think. Plus, a little back story on them.
Ben is 24, a transplanted Minnesotan now living in San Francisco, sowing his oats in the Castro and studying to become an actuary at Adrian's insurance company. Adrian has been forced back into the closet at 35 by his father in order to effectively run the west coast office of his family's company. Adrian is also a talented amateur actor. He's got everyone fooled into believing that he's straight. He even has a beard (Laurel - The Bitch Extraordinaire) whom everyone thinks he's going to marry any second now. Little do they know, he's got no intention of even entering into another relationship after the love of his life met a tragic end for which he feels partially responsible. Until he meets Ben.
Ben. Full of life. Full of love. Full of laughter. He's the personification of joie de vivre. He's also one of many in Jason's coterie which, actually, doesn't bother him. Although, I'm not sure he realizes how large the coterie actually is. He sees Jason for what and who he is and doesn't have any delusions about their relationship. However, what Ben doesn't know is Jason uses Ben to goad Adrian, who happens to be his roommate. Jason… naughty, naughty boy that he is yet, I'm still fascinated by him and what motivated him to set his course on self-destruct.
A.B. Gayle is exceptionally talented at writing the slow burn. The character and relationship development were gripping, even the secondary characters were irresistible. Like I said, I'd love to know more about Jason (He's into kink and apparently found a leather daddy. WIN!) as well as Chris (Ben's brother), or Mick (Ben's friend) or even Pop and Nonna (Adrian's Italian grandparents)! I'm not holding my breath though since Ms. Gayle did this to me in Leather+Lace. Nevertheless, I'm going on record with my interest in future reads.
Aside from the characters, the plot was engaging with deft handling of some serious topics. I felt badly for Adrian on so many levels. Some may say his issues were self-created. I disagree. I believe this happens all too often in the real world, that people are coerced into leading a false life and made miserable by it. What made Adrian's story so compelling for me was how heartbreaking it was for him AND Ben: one path chosen by neither party ruins both their lives.
“Sometimes the path you need to take gets overgrown, especially in the flat section, so you have to get away from the problem area to see it clearly.”
Adrian has to make some gutsy decisions that required quite a bit of faith. Ben, too, had to make some life-altering decisions and it seems as though this is just the beginning of their journey. At least, that's the way it read to me.
Not to end on too dour a note, there's lots of sexy times! WIN! Sexy times in the woods. Sexy times up against a tree. Some quasi kinky sexy times. *eyebrow wiggle* All good times.
Good times + good characters + good plot = 4 Slow Burning Stars.
A copy of this book was provided as part of the DBML program in the M/M Romance group on GoodReads in exchange for an honest review.
Read
May 27, 2012
Hey....I didn`t read more than 300 pages to be left with unanswered questions! Where`s the epilogue?
After a rocky start this romance-only story and the characters really grew on me I could even relate to Ben`s youthful impatience and Adrian`s motives to stay deeply in the closet.
But the ending was a disappointment for me (for me!). I expected a flourishing vineyard and a completely different path in life for both men once they decided to stay together but all I got was a r** job in the end...huh?
June 28, 2012
Adrian is a thirty-something guy forced back into the closet by emotional blackmail from his father. Ben is an actuarial student from Minnesota, young, gay, and out, who goes to work for Adrian's insurance firm. They have a nice slow-building chemistry, a clean, believable plot, and some good if not very complex secondary characters. This was almost a five-star book for me, and I did feel the emotions, especially towards the end, and enjoyed the hard-won HEA.
But some of the guys' reactions to the issue of HIV when it rears its head seemed awfully low-key to me.
I would definitely pick up another book by this author - I really enjoyed her writing style, and my issues with this book were purely personal preconceptions. In fact, they reflect the fact that I believed and felt for her characters and had a whole image built up of who they were and how I expected them to behave. That shows the talent with which they were created. Oh, and as a Minnesotan? Yeah there were a couple of stereotypes but you know, they're stereotypes for a reason. Come visit and we'll show you guys just like that, you betcha.
But some of the guys' reactions to the issue of HIV when it rears its head seemed awfully low-key to me.
I would definitely pick up another book by this author - I really enjoyed her writing style, and my issues with this book were purely personal preconceptions. In fact, they reflect the fact that I believed and felt for her characters and had a whole image built up of who they were and how I expected them to behave. That shows the talent with which they were created. Oh, and as a Minnesotan? Yeah there were a couple of stereotypes but you know, they're stereotypes for a reason. Come visit and we'll show you guys just like that, you betcha.
January 21, 2014
This book was provided to me by the author through the M/M Romance Group DBML program in exchange for an honest review.
It took a few false starts for me to start getting into the book. For one thing, there's this introduction of the character(s), kind of, before the story even begins. I sat down in a crowded subway train car and the older lady next to me decided to prattle on and on about her precocious second cousin and all his antics and his cute little boyfriend and their antics and I pretty much just smiled and nodded, cringing inside because everyone knows you never even make eye contact with the random stranger you're stuck next to when any other time, you would have made sure there was at least one empty seat between you and anyone else.
Even as the story started unfolding, I kind of just nodded and smiled, and later started averting my eyes, hoping that the lady would take a hint and please, please, stop talking.
I found that I didn't care for any of the characters. None of them had any particularly redeeming features about them, nor anything more than possibly passingly appealing. They were also horribly underdeveloped. Actions happen and maybe a passing reference to motive, but that seemed to deeply resonate with a sense of character about any of them. There are also a ton of thinly veiled perpetuation of stereotypes: the bitchy queen gay; the "Italian temper"; geekiness, and the implications thereof, to name a few.
There were...what, 3 women in this? One of them is a full-on flat character, existing solely for the support of the main character. Another one was someone mentioned in passing. The last, of course, is the evil, diabolical Big Bad who conspires to keep LI ostensibly not-gay, but for the sake of her own profit and not, you know, love or anything. Reminded me of that one Pantene commercial, actually. The one that didn't really have much to do with shampoo, but had a pretty good message regardless.
Overall, I'd agree in saying the last 1/3 is definitely a lot better than the first 2/3 parts. It still, however, drags on. I kept glancing at the scroll bar on my pdf, wondering if I was finally nearing the end of the document and the end of Adrian's long, drawn-out denial and Ben's passive I-don't-even-know-what.
The biggest problem with the last part is that it depends on you liking/warming up to the characters through the protracted exposition. The exposition didn't do it for me, so when it came to down story stuff of stuff happening to the characters later on, I really didn't care.
I did want to care because I knew I'd have to finish it, but the most I could summon up was, "That's nice, dear."
If I hadn't had to finish it, I would have DNF'ed long, long ago, maybe sometime in part 1, or maybe I'd have managed to push into the beginning of part 2. Either way, I doubt, if I hadn't had to read on, that I would have. Technically, I got through it, but the ending got the most perfunctory of readings.
A pet peeve of mine is when books end with a sex scene, as this one does. However, a part of me was also deliriously happy I'd finally reached the end, so I'm torn about the ending scene.
Per my usual review format, below is my comment-as-I-go:
Adrian. What the fuck is up with Adrian. Is he actually the Love Interest? Because at about page 10, I could have sworn it was Jason. Ah, but that would have been too easy. I shall wait, then, to judge further.
The name "Red." Under other circumstances, that's a nickname I could have probably ignored as unfortunate, except at 13/323 the author turned it into a rather unfortunate gimmick and now it's kitschy.
Le boss-man eye thing. Sexy=no iris?
Am I a pretty girl? Am I sexy now?
I can understand attraction to light eyes, with a darker rim, cuz that just looks like Ellis-eyes (At His Throat, a Promise), but the author specifically said so pale there was little-to-no-rim (something like that). You know, the no-iris look. Those sort of eyes don't really often rate on conventional standards of beauty or sexiness. Normally, I'd just dismiss that sort of thing as personal taste, except the author claims the character read an article on a study in which people continually rated the no-iris look as top sexy-eyes. What. What exactly was the population sample, members of Sharon Needles' Haus of Haunt?
Compounding the eye problem, though she later describes le boss-man's eyes as gunmetal. To give you an idea of around what color range gunmetal is, here's a swatch:
Later, it turns out Mr. Sutherland (aka le boss man [seriously, the author refers to him as the boss so much I almost thought I was in some office-themed erotica]) has "smoky gray-blue" eyes, similar in color to white-flecked-blue carpet.
I also feel like I need to comment on the fact that at <20 pages in, we already learn about a black security guard named Tyrone.
The gym installment was...similarly gimmicky.
"Scarfing" a drink. A drink? I've heard food, definitely, but a drink? I mean, I've found one reference to a
"eat or drink voraciously" definition, but it's a single solitary reference and the drink part seemed more thrown in than purposefully included. Either way, it's atypical diction, more suited to those not as familiar with the linguistic subtleties of connotations and idiom, or to a middle schooler who first discovered the existence of the thesaurus.
"Honker." Honker? What the fu- are you trying to say penis? Or are we talking about some other equally indecipherable body part? Seriously, what the hell is a "honker"? Mouth?
I think the main problem for me at 36 pages in is the characterization. If we see the self, or in this case, character creation as a daisy, then each characteristic we're told about is a petal. The problem here, though, is that while we're presented with several petals, they don't quite seem to connect to a disc in the center. They're just free floating petals arranged in space and hanging there precariously, giving us the outline of a flower, but not quite an actual daisy. Some petals, even, seem to have come from several different flowers, so while placed in close proximity we get the outline of a flower, we're not quite sure what kind or if the parts we are presented with are part of the same whole.
Basically, at 36 pages in, I still have no idea who any of the characters are, and it's starting to get into some really characterization-dependent stuff.
The entire thing has a subtle underdone of disingenuity to it. It's one of those stories that, putting it nicely, feels like the characters are poorly rehearsed actors in a hastily put together play. They're not quite in character and too much of their own personality is leaking through to their performance, or maybe the personality of their last role, but either way, they haven't quite gotten it down yet.
I'm curious about the question about the deer. Are there really questions like that on a [insert random combination of letters] exam? The rest of it, okay, but the full moon thing? That makes it sound like purposefully bullshitty bullshit.
I find a lot of things don't quite make sense except to further a very specific end -- Adrian, out of the closet and together with Ben. Everything that happens doesn't happen because it happens, but because events are tailored to reach this end.
Aaand part two.
Getting into part two was weird. By then, I couldn't find it in myself to care overmuch about the main characters, so I didn't care much about what was going on. In fact, I find that, at page 96, I see to be completely indifferent towards the characters.
Part 3
Yes, it does start getting better, if I try to think of these characters as unrelated to those the author was attempting to forcibly introduce in the first two parts and just run with the bits I gleaned and what goes on in part 3.
confession:took a little break from reading, read some other stuff, and now am picking up where I left off. I find I care even less for the characters now and finishing has become quite an ordeal.
I thought the depth of Adrian's -- denial? Yeah, let's call it that -- denial was a bit hard to believe. He somehow came to the assumption that Ben was definitely Jason's boyfriend and stuck with it. That was either incredibly stupidly naive on his part, believing that carnal relations = love, or completely ostrich-head-in-sand of him. "He's with Jason, therefore he's nowhere near available." It got to a point where it was just annoying.
I also don't like that Jason's being blamed for everything. Of course, I wasn't incredibly enamored of either character. That the HIV thing was touched upon was kind of cool, only because STDs/STIs aren't really something people like to talk about.
I didn't like the way Laurel was handled. She seemed too one-dimensionally stock-villain to me. I thought their justifications of some things -- i.e. the office pool=morale -- were really forced and that Laurel swallowed it was more on the author than the character.
There's an undertone of holier-than-thou, which makes it comes off as forced allegory.
201/323 Oh, deities above, if only I could abort mission. Alas, I cannot. Or, if only I cared about the characters. Alas, I do not.
It took a few false starts for me to start getting into the book. For one thing, there's this introduction of the character(s), kind of, before the story even begins. I sat down in a crowded subway train car and the older lady next to me decided to prattle on and on about her precocious second cousin and all his antics and his cute little boyfriend and their antics and I pretty much just smiled and nodded, cringing inside because everyone knows you never even make eye contact with the random stranger you're stuck next to when any other time, you would have made sure there was at least one empty seat between you and anyone else.
Even as the story started unfolding, I kind of just nodded and smiled, and later started averting my eyes, hoping that the lady would take a hint and please, please, stop talking.
I found that I didn't care for any of the characters. None of them had any particularly redeeming features about them, nor anything more than possibly passingly appealing. They were also horribly underdeveloped. Actions happen and maybe a passing reference to motive, but that seemed to deeply resonate with a sense of character about any of them. There are also a ton of thinly veiled perpetuation of stereotypes: the bitchy queen gay; the "Italian temper"; geekiness, and the implications thereof, to name a few.
There were...what, 3 women in this? One of them is a full-on flat character, existing solely for the support of the main character. Another one was someone mentioned in passing. The last, of course, is the evil, diabolical Big Bad who conspires to keep LI ostensibly not-gay, but for the sake of her own profit and not, you know, love or anything. Reminded me of that one Pantene commercial, actually. The one that didn't really have much to do with shampoo, but had a pretty good message regardless.
Overall, I'd agree in saying the last 1/3 is definitely a lot better than the first 2/3 parts. It still, however, drags on. I kept glancing at the scroll bar on my pdf, wondering if I was finally nearing the end of the document and the end of Adrian's long, drawn-out denial and Ben's passive I-don't-even-know-what.
The biggest problem with the last part is that it depends on you liking/warming up to the characters through the protracted exposition. The exposition didn't do it for me, so when it came to down story stuff of stuff happening to the characters later on, I really didn't care.
I did want to care because I knew I'd have to finish it, but the most I could summon up was, "That's nice, dear."
If I hadn't had to finish it, I would have DNF'ed long, long ago, maybe sometime in part 1, or maybe I'd have managed to push into the beginning of part 2. Either way, I doubt, if I hadn't had to read on, that I would have. Technically, I got through it, but the ending got the most perfunctory of readings.
A pet peeve of mine is when books end with a sex scene, as this one does. However, a part of me was also deliriously happy I'd finally reached the end, so I'm torn about the ending scene.
Per my usual review format, below is my comment-as-I-go:
Adrian. What the fuck is up with Adrian. Is he actually the Love Interest? Because at about page 10, I could have sworn it was Jason. Ah, but that would have been too easy. I shall wait, then, to judge further.
The name "Red." Under other circumstances, that's a nickname I could have probably ignored as unfortunate, except at 13/323 the author turned it into a rather unfortunate gimmick and now it's kitschy.
Le boss-man eye thing. Sexy=no iris?
Am I a pretty girl? Am I sexy now?
I can understand attraction to light eyes, with a darker rim, cuz that just looks like Ellis-eyes (At His Throat, a Promise), but the author specifically said so pale there was little-to-no-rim (something like that). You know, the no-iris look. Those sort of eyes don't really often rate on conventional standards of beauty or sexiness. Normally, I'd just dismiss that sort of thing as personal taste, except the author claims the character read an article on a study in which people continually rated the no-iris look as top sexy-eyes. What. What exactly was the population sample, members of Sharon Needles' Haus of Haunt?
Compounding the eye problem, though she later describes le boss-man's eyes as gunmetal. To give you an idea of around what color range gunmetal is, here's a swatch:
Later, it turns out Mr. Sutherland (aka le boss man [seriously, the author refers to him as the boss so much I almost thought I was in some office-themed erotica]) has "smoky gray-blue" eyes, similar in color to white-flecked-blue carpet.
I also feel like I need to comment on the fact that at <20 pages in, we already learn about a black security guard named Tyrone.
The gym installment was...similarly gimmicky.
"Scarfing" a drink. A drink? I've heard food, definitely, but a drink? I mean, I've found one reference to a
"eat or drink voraciously" definition, but it's a single solitary reference and the drink part seemed more thrown in than purposefully included. Either way, it's atypical diction, more suited to those not as familiar with the linguistic subtleties of connotations and idiom, or to a middle schooler who first discovered the existence of the thesaurus.
"Honker." Honker? What the fu- are you trying to say penis? Or are we talking about some other equally indecipherable body part? Seriously, what the hell is a "honker"? Mouth?
I think the main problem for me at 36 pages in is the characterization. If we see the self, or in this case, character creation as a daisy, then each characteristic we're told about is a petal. The problem here, though, is that while we're presented with several petals, they don't quite seem to connect to a disc in the center. They're just free floating petals arranged in space and hanging there precariously, giving us the outline of a flower, but not quite an actual daisy. Some petals, even, seem to have come from several different flowers, so while placed in close proximity we get the outline of a flower, we're not quite sure what kind or if the parts we are presented with are part of the same whole.
Basically, at 36 pages in, I still have no idea who any of the characters are, and it's starting to get into some really characterization-dependent stuff.
The entire thing has a subtle underdone of disingenuity to it. It's one of those stories that, putting it nicely, feels like the characters are poorly rehearsed actors in a hastily put together play. They're not quite in character and too much of their own personality is leaking through to their performance, or maybe the personality of their last role, but either way, they haven't quite gotten it down yet.
I'm curious about the question about the deer. Are there really questions like that on a [insert random combination of letters] exam? The rest of it, okay, but the full moon thing? That makes it sound like purposefully bullshitty bullshit.
I find a lot of things don't quite make sense except to further a very specific end -- Adrian, out of the closet and together with Ben. Everything that happens doesn't happen because it happens, but because events are tailored to reach this end.
Aaand part two.
Getting into part two was weird. By then, I couldn't find it in myself to care overmuch about the main characters, so I didn't care much about what was going on. In fact, I find that, at page 96, I see to be completely indifferent towards the characters.
Part 3
Yes, it does start getting better, if I try to think of these characters as unrelated to those the author was attempting to forcibly introduce in the first two parts and just run with the bits I gleaned and what goes on in part 3.
confession:took a little break from reading, read some other stuff, and now am picking up where I left off. I find I care even less for the characters now and finishing has become quite an ordeal.
I thought the depth of Adrian's -- denial? Yeah, let's call it that -- denial was a bit hard to believe. He somehow came to the assumption that Ben was definitely Jason's boyfriend and stuck with it. That was either incredibly stupidly naive on his part, believing that carnal relations = love, or completely ostrich-head-in-sand of him. "He's with Jason, therefore he's nowhere near available." It got to a point where it was just annoying.
I also don't like that Jason's being blamed for everything. Of course, I wasn't incredibly enamored of either character. That the HIV thing was touched upon was kind of cool, only because STDs/STIs aren't really something people like to talk about.
I didn't like the way Laurel was handled. She seemed too one-dimensionally stock-villain to me. I thought their justifications of some things -- i.e. the office pool=morale -- were really forced and that Laurel swallowed it was more on the author than the character.
There's an undertone of holier-than-thou, which makes it comes off as forced allegory.
201/323 Oh, deities above, if only I could abort mission. Alas, I cannot. Or, if only I cared about the characters. Alas, I do not.
May 26, 2012
Relationships at work, between boss and employee, no less, are always difficult, frowned upon, and usually there is some rule against them. That seems to make them all the more interesting for some people; the ones who like the lure of the forbidden, live on adrenaline – or just cannot resist the other person. While Adrian isn’t Ben’s direct boss in this story, he is the company owner’s son so the conflict may be less direct, but it is there nevertheless.
Ben is not a hard worker to start with, but when he suddenly has to take over much of his sick boss’s responsibilities and gets to work with the owner’s son, he has to clean up his act. Losing his job is not an option he wants to think about, and since he has the mental ability to pass the actuary tests and get all his qualifications, he knuckles down and gets them. The romance with Adrian builds very slowly, but the passion is undeniable. Ben never expects anything permanent, but the longer they are together, the more tempting that becomes.
Adrian doesn’t want to take over the company, doesn’t like many of his father’s decisions, and isn’t out. His past, the five years of freedom he had traveling through Europe, haunts him and he is sure he can never be that happy again. In short, he is frustration personified, but controls all of it with an iron fist. The only one who seems to be able to get under his skin and make him feel anything is Ben. Adrian’s inner battle to be honest with himself and others is long and hard, but was interesting to watch.
The twists and turns in this book are as interesting, and some of the drops as sudden, as the up and down of a share price graph. Watching Ben and Adrian as they get to know each other, find out about mutual friends, their ambitions, and struggle through a tough period at work are very realistic. Fighting a nasty female manager Ben thinks is Adrian’s girlfriend and her money-grabbing ideas is a good side story that makes the novel even more complex. If you’re looking for an interesting story set against the background of company policies and the insurance industry, if a slow-building romance between work colleagues is your thing, and if you like some underlying suspense around the economic future of the company as well as the two main characters, you may like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Ben is not a hard worker to start with, but when he suddenly has to take over much of his sick boss’s responsibilities and gets to work with the owner’s son, he has to clean up his act. Losing his job is not an option he wants to think about, and since he has the mental ability to pass the actuary tests and get all his qualifications, he knuckles down and gets them. The romance with Adrian builds very slowly, but the passion is undeniable. Ben never expects anything permanent, but the longer they are together, the more tempting that becomes.
Adrian doesn’t want to take over the company, doesn’t like many of his father’s decisions, and isn’t out. His past, the five years of freedom he had traveling through Europe, haunts him and he is sure he can never be that happy again. In short, he is frustration personified, but controls all of it with an iron fist. The only one who seems to be able to get under his skin and make him feel anything is Ben. Adrian’s inner battle to be honest with himself and others is long and hard, but was interesting to watch.
The twists and turns in this book are as interesting, and some of the drops as sudden, as the up and down of a share price graph. Watching Ben and Adrian as they get to know each other, find out about mutual friends, their ambitions, and struggle through a tough period at work are very realistic. Fighting a nasty female manager Ben thinks is Adrian’s girlfriend and her money-grabbing ideas is a good side story that makes the novel even more complex. If you’re looking for an interesting story set against the background of company policies and the insurance industry, if a slow-building romance between work colleagues is your thing, and if you like some underlying suspense around the economic future of the company as well as the two main characters, you may like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
June 1, 2012
I enjoyed this book on so many levels. First of all I enjoyed the writing. I found the style to be engaging right from the very beginning and the story line kept my interest all the way through. I also enjoyed the way the different points of view were used to introduce the main characters and I liked the way the relationship between the main characters evolved. Both Ben and Adrian slowly moved from boss/employee, to friends, and then to lovers. Of course the journey wasn't that smooth and there were lumps and bumps along the way, which made the journey interesting. I knew that there would be a resolution at the end, but on the journey the main question was how will they work this out? How will they find common ground?
The aspect that I appreciated the most was the contemporary feel that this story had: the work place and all the politics that go with it, the insurance industry and all the politics that go with that too (hmmmm), but mostly I appreciated the way in which the issue of HIV was addressed within this book. If an author is unfamiliar with the challenges of HIV it can be difficult to weave it into a story in a meaningful way. This author has managed to weave the complex issues of HIV transmission, HIV testing and HIV prevention into the story in a way that doesn't pay lip service to the virus, doesn't overwhelm the story and that shows the reality of people's emotional lives and how easy it is to let go of the need to protect oneself. I deeply appreciated this.
I also liked the emotional strength of the characters especially Ben. I felt that was refreshing and although there was some angst, sadness and regret it found its place within the story and enhanced the story instead of overpowering it. This is the first time I have read a book by this author and I am glad to see that there will be others in this series. I would quite like to know what happened to Chris and also what happened to Jason and Vincent. This series has become an auto buy for me.
The aspect that I appreciated the most was the contemporary feel that this story had: the work place and all the politics that go with it, the insurance industry and all the politics that go with that too (hmmmm), but mostly I appreciated the way in which the issue of HIV was addressed within this book. If an author is unfamiliar with the challenges of HIV it can be difficult to weave it into a story in a meaningful way. This author has managed to weave the complex issues of HIV transmission, HIV testing and HIV prevention into the story in a way that doesn't pay lip service to the virus, doesn't overwhelm the story and that shows the reality of people's emotional lives and how easy it is to let go of the need to protect oneself. I deeply appreciated this.
I also liked the emotional strength of the characters especially Ben. I felt that was refreshing and although there was some angst, sadness and regret it found its place within the story and enhanced the story instead of overpowering it. This is the first time I have read a book by this author and I am glad to see that there will be others in this series. I would quite like to know what happened to Chris and also what happened to Jason and Vincent. This series has become an auto buy for me.
January 12, 2014
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
This is my first book by this author and I had no idea what to expect. I'll admit to not reading any other reviews too closely - sometimes I like books to surprise me and I don't like when the general plot of the book is spoiled.
Ben begins the book in a sort of fuck-buddies relationship with a coworker named Jason. I didn't like their relationship very much - it felt like Jason was using Ben. (If reading about main characters sleeping with other people in books bothers you, you probably won't like the beginning of this book.) I definitely felt that Ben had something with his boss Adrian. I really appreciated the way the author showed Ben's gradual attraction to Adrian and how he tired of casual sex with Jason. It felt like a natural progression, and I was hoping Ben would find a way to make it work with Adrian. Of course, if I read any other reviews I'd have known Adrian and Ben are the main couple, but I really liked the way the author set them up even when Ben was still sleeping with Jason.
What I liked most about this book was the realism - the characters deal with everyday problems like the economy, health scares, family troubles, etc. I felt like these characters really could be going about their lives right now. The events in the book aligned perfectly with real events in the past few years.
Ben and Adrian fit together really well as a couple. Neither of them were stereotypes and although they seem like opposites at the beginning of the book, I thought they had a lot in common and made a good couple. I liked the side characters in the book as well, like Ben's and Adrian's friends and families. I was left hoping for more about Ben's brother and Jason and his nurse. I'll definitely be checking out the next book, although it appears only loosely connected.
I did have a few slight problems with the book. I thought the pacing was a bit off. Parts of it read a bit slow to me, and by 90% of the way through I didn't see how Adrian was going to be able to come out and make his relationship with Ben work. I thought everything was wrapped up a bit too fast with grand gestures - I would have liked to see a bit better communication between the main characters so I could have been a bit better convinced that they could make the relationship work in regular life, since up to then they had only been together while on vacation. Also, I'm a hard sell on sex scenes and for some reason these didn't work for me. I got a bit bored during them. I felt like the characters were always focused on something else while having sex - Adrian on his past, Ben on his health issues, Adrian on how he didn't think the relationship could work in the future, etc. The smaller intimacies between them read much nicer to me than the sex scenes.
Overall this was enjoyable and very competently written. Definitely moving the next book up in the TBR pile.
This is my first book by this author and I had no idea what to expect. I'll admit to not reading any other reviews too closely - sometimes I like books to surprise me and I don't like when the general plot of the book is spoiled.
Ben begins the book in a sort of fuck-buddies relationship with a coworker named Jason. I didn't like their relationship very much - it felt like Jason was using Ben. (If reading about main characters sleeping with other people in books bothers you, you probably won't like the beginning of this book.) I definitely felt that Ben had something with his boss Adrian. I really appreciated the way the author showed Ben's gradual attraction to Adrian and how he tired of casual sex with Jason. It felt like a natural progression, and I was hoping Ben would find a way to make it work with Adrian. Of course, if I read any other reviews I'd have known Adrian and Ben are the main couple, but I really liked the way the author set them up even when Ben was still sleeping with Jason.
What I liked most about this book was the realism - the characters deal with everyday problems like the economy, health scares, family troubles, etc. I felt like these characters really could be going about their lives right now. The events in the book aligned perfectly with real events in the past few years.
Ben and Adrian fit together really well as a couple. Neither of them were stereotypes and although they seem like opposites at the beginning of the book, I thought they had a lot in common and made a good couple. I liked the side characters in the book as well, like Ben's and Adrian's friends and families. I was left hoping for more about Ben's brother and Jason and his nurse. I'll definitely be checking out the next book, although it appears only loosely connected.
I did have a few slight problems with the book. I thought the pacing was a bit off. Parts of it read a bit slow to me, and by 90% of the way through I didn't see how Adrian was going to be able to come out and make his relationship with Ben work. I thought everything was wrapped up a bit too fast with grand gestures - I would have liked to see a bit better communication between the main characters so I could have been a bit better convinced that they could make the relationship work in regular life, since up to then they had only been together while on vacation. Also, I'm a hard sell on sex scenes and for some reason these didn't work for me. I got a bit bored during them. I felt like the characters were always focused on something else while having sex - Adrian on his past, Ben on his health issues, Adrian on how he didn't think the relationship could work in the future, etc. The smaller intimacies between them read much nicer to me than the sex scenes.
Overall this was enjoyable and very competently written. Definitely moving the next book up in the TBR pile.
June 19, 2012
Note: Beta'ed for author, so I was exposed to the story before final editing. My review, though, is on the finished product. It was a pleasure and a privilege to help get this story published.
This is a story of "opposites attract", younger man who's out and proud with older man who's deeply closeted, the always taboo "boss and employee" liaison. But beyond the recognizable tropes, the characters have unique voices, the story is realistic and believable, and the sex hot and tender at the same time. As different as the MCs are from each other, it's in the interactions we realize that, below the surface, they are not what they look like and are perfect for the other.
It takes a lot of talent to pull together such a tight narrative, using original techniques like dividing the story in three parts so each main character can tell the story from his POV, then a conclusion in third person. Brilliant way to let the reader into the minds and feelings of each of the guys, without repetitive descriptions. Which is exactly how it happens in real life, no two people experience a situation in the same way, we each have our own perception of what happens around us. And talking about details, never too much or too little. No obvious telling instead of showing. Just enough information about the business and personal background to justify the thoughts and actions of the characters. Just enough description about the camping trip to make it easy to imagine being there, enjoying nature in all its majesty and glory.
Some pretty difficult topics are addressed in this book: homophobia in all kinds of environments, HIV and the effect it has on the individual and the community, the ripple effect of the economic crisis. All were woven into the story, their influence helping shape the plot and characters, without ever getting preachy or arrogant.
The one thing I would have liked to read is an epilogue, maybe a few months in the future, giving me a glimpse of the guys as a couple, sharing a bottle of their own wine with Evelyn and her partner? Still, this is a series so I guess I'll get to see Ben and Adrian again in the future.
If you enjoy a well-written story with mature characters, a clever and relevant plot, and just the right amount of hot sex scenes, this one is for you. Enjoy!
This is a story of "opposites attract", younger man who's out and proud with older man who's deeply closeted, the always taboo "boss and employee" liaison. But beyond the recognizable tropes, the characters have unique voices, the story is realistic and believable, and the sex hot and tender at the same time. As different as the MCs are from each other, it's in the interactions we realize that, below the surface, they are not what they look like and are perfect for the other.
It takes a lot of talent to pull together such a tight narrative, using original techniques like dividing the story in three parts so each main character can tell the story from his POV, then a conclusion in third person. Brilliant way to let the reader into the minds and feelings of each of the guys, without repetitive descriptions. Which is exactly how it happens in real life, no two people experience a situation in the same way, we each have our own perception of what happens around us. And talking about details, never too much or too little. No obvious telling instead of showing. Just enough information about the business and personal background to justify the thoughts and actions of the characters. Just enough description about the camping trip to make it easy to imagine being there, enjoying nature in all its majesty and glory.
Some pretty difficult topics are addressed in this book: homophobia in all kinds of environments, HIV and the effect it has on the individual and the community, the ripple effect of the economic crisis. All were woven into the story, their influence helping shape the plot and characters, without ever getting preachy or arrogant.
The one thing I would have liked to read is an epilogue, maybe a few months in the future, giving me a glimpse of the guys as a couple, sharing a bottle of their own wine with Evelyn and her partner? Still, this is a series so I guess I'll get to see Ben and Adrian again in the future.
If you enjoy a well-written story with mature characters, a clever and relevant plot, and just the right amount of hot sex scenes, this one is for you. Enjoy!
November 26, 2013
Too long and too much sex. I loved Ben and Adrian was OK. I think the second installment in this series Leather+Lace is the best book I have read this year. Just outstanding. But this one was not as good.
March 19, 2013
Okay, now that I'm sober, let's review this. Pardon me in advance; I'm not used to writing anything positive.
The characters in this book are pretty layered, and in a scale of one-to-ten with one being the depth of my kiddy pool and ten being the tectonic plates under the sea, I'd say this is something of a three.
Much of the writing is focused on their relationship; too much, I think, so that you know only the very basic facts about the characters and even that it can be neatly categorized. They're not exactly stereotypes, but they haven't run out too far from the starting line either.
We have Ben, who's a redneck hick with a brainticket that got him to the city and a great job there. He's a bit wild-eyed at all the gay buffet laid out for him, and goes at it rather carelessly. Then we have Adrian, who is basically a type-A, closeted white-collared executive type with a blood pressure of 560/150 mmHg.
As I mentioned, too much of the book is revolved around their relationship and their thoughts on each other, so much so that I don't get a feel for them as an individual, and more as an extension of each other. It feels like Ben is not a hick, but a hick who thinks a lot about Adrian, and vice versa. They're okay characters - just not world class.
The good news is that the writing is good enough to pull you into the story. The writing is what I would call functional writing. It hasn't got any of those fancy narrative devices and flashbacks and slangs and whatnot. Instead, it does it job and carries the whole story smoothly from point A to point B.
What it really excels at is showing the emotion, especially in the last 1/3 of the book, which is where the book really shines. The first 2/3 is really all about introducing the characters and setting up their relationship - with the part from 55%-70% all about them banging. It's that last 1/3 part that cinches it for me.
Gayle writes great emotion and heartbreak. The characters don't go off the deep end; none of this wallowing in my dirty laundry, wearing last week's underpants, dying in the shower business. They pick themselves up with dignity - aching, hurting, bruises and all - and carry on with their lives. They get drunk and throw up their guts and confesses that it hurts, that heartbreak is like a hemorrhoid that won't go away, and then they mop up that crap and get back to life.
It's beautiful, and gets you right there sniffling with them.
But obviously, you can't have a review from me where I'm not complaining about something. The book is divided into three parts: The first and second parts are first-person narratives from Ben and Adrian respectively, while the third part is a mixture of both in third-person. My gripe is with the second part - Adrian's perspective.
This part could have been used to flesh Adrian out as a character more - is in fact, probably the idea behind the whole section. The thing though, is that it didn't. It just ran like a commentary on what Adrian did and did not and what tennis shoes he wore and how he felt about something we've already seen from Ben's perspective.
It's not that it's bad, because it did reveal some things about Adrian, but it felt like there wasn't enough being introduced that we haven't already met/guessed from Ben's perspective. The fact that Adrian disliked Laurel's take on some things? Doesn't really need a degree to figure out, and certainly not a whole new section of the writing dedicated to it.
Overall, as far as MM romances go, it's a pretty good read. It really starts to pay out in the last 1/3 of the book, and although there's a good bit of stage setting, it serves up a good, realistic romance. None of that instant noodle love shit either.
This simmers to a boil.
The characters in this book are pretty layered, and in a scale of one-to-ten with one being the depth of my kiddy pool and ten being the tectonic plates under the sea, I'd say this is something of a three.
Much of the writing is focused on their relationship; too much, I think, so that you know only the very basic facts about the characters and even that it can be neatly categorized. They're not exactly stereotypes, but they haven't run out too far from the starting line either.
We have Ben, who's a redneck hick with a brainticket that got him to the city and a great job there. He's a bit wild-eyed at all the gay buffet laid out for him, and goes at it rather carelessly. Then we have Adrian, who is basically a type-A, closeted white-collared executive type with a blood pressure of 560/150 mmHg.
As I mentioned, too much of the book is revolved around their relationship and their thoughts on each other, so much so that I don't get a feel for them as an individual, and more as an extension of each other. It feels like Ben is not a hick, but a hick who thinks a lot about Adrian, and vice versa. They're okay characters - just not world class.
The good news is that the writing is good enough to pull you into the story. The writing is what I would call functional writing. It hasn't got any of those fancy narrative devices and flashbacks and slangs and whatnot. Instead, it does it job and carries the whole story smoothly from point A to point B.
What it really excels at is showing the emotion, especially in the last 1/3 of the book, which is where the book really shines. The first 2/3 is really all about introducing the characters and setting up their relationship - with the part from 55%-70% all about them banging. It's that last 1/3 part that cinches it for me.
Gayle writes great emotion and heartbreak. The characters don't go off the deep end; none of this wallowing in my dirty laundry, wearing last week's underpants, dying in the shower business. They pick themselves up with dignity - aching, hurting, bruises and all - and carry on with their lives. They get drunk and throw up their guts and confesses that it hurts, that heartbreak is like a hemorrhoid that won't go away, and then they mop up that crap and get back to life.
It's beautiful, and gets you right there sniffling with them.
But obviously, you can't have a review from me where I'm not complaining about something. The book is divided into three parts: The first and second parts are first-person narratives from Ben and Adrian respectively, while the third part is a mixture of both in third-person. My gripe is with the second part - Adrian's perspective.
This part could have been used to flesh Adrian out as a character more - is in fact, probably the idea behind the whole section. The thing though, is that it didn't. It just ran like a commentary on what Adrian did and did not and what tennis shoes he wore and how he felt about something we've already seen from Ben's perspective.
It's not that it's bad, because it did reveal some things about Adrian, but it felt like there wasn't enough being introduced that we haven't already met/guessed from Ben's perspective. The fact that Adrian disliked Laurel's take on some things? Doesn't really need a degree to figure out, and certainly not a whole new section of the writing dedicated to it.
Overall, as far as MM romances go, it's a pretty good read. It really starts to pay out in the last 1/3 of the book, and although there's a good bit of stage setting, it serves up a good, realistic romance. None of that instant noodle love shit either.
This simmers to a boil.
June 23, 2012
I like the layout of the story. We get 7 months from Red's (Ben's) POV, then the same 7 from Blue's (Adrian's), and then 5 months from their alternating POV for the rest (majority) of the book. I hope a similar layout will be used for the others in the series. (And we can easily see which characters will be picked up for the future stories of the series. I'm looking forward to Ben's brother Chris's story. He's got some unknown issues that should make for fun reading. Jason & Vincent's story should be good too.)
Ben is studying to be an actuary at the US economic downturn in 2008/2009. Whether or not his job will still exist the next day is constantly in question. Most of the time he does the "right" thing and studies for his next actuarial exam, but occasionally he still goes out clubbing with his buddy Jason. And Jason doesn't mind having sex with him occasionally either, though they've never been serious. Of course, those are usually the times when his boss, Adrian, finds him in compromising positions. After 2 or 3 of these, Ben gets tired of disappointing Adrian and buckles down.
Adrian is waaaay deep in the closet because his father expects him to take over the family-built and run insurance company started by his great-grandfather. He is expected to take over, marry well, and produce an heir who will also be passed the company. Adrian would much rather take care of his other grandfather's vineyard, but he feels responsible for the jobs of all the people in his West Coast office, which his father lets him manage as long as he "supresses his gay tendencies".
Ben stirs up long-buried emotions of a love lost when Adrian left that lover in Italy after his father had a heart attack, using that as an excuse to call Adrian back to the States to work in the business 8 years ago. And Adrian went, leaving behind the love of his life, who self-destructed and eventually died of AIDS. So there's a lot of guilt there. But Ben works his way under Adrian's defenses when they start working out together and working on a project for a conference.
Things boil over when Ben takes Adrian on a canoe tour of the Great Lakes areas of northern Minnesota (where Ben is from) and into Canadian forests. All the sexual tension they've been working on explodes, and then implodes once Adrian decides he needs to put himself back in his box at the bottom of his closet, tearing Ben up in the same way he did with Antonio many years ago before.
But seeing Ben stand up confidently to his overprotective older brothers gives Adrian some courage to finally stand up to his father. Adrian finally has something worth not backing down over: his and Ben's happiness. But just when Adrian gets his life in order so he can spend it with Ben, Ben (and Jason) disappear and can't be reached. Did Adrian wait too late and lose his chance a second time?
That's 95% of the plot. You can guess the last 5%. =)
I liked both MCs. I don't know that I felt they were "opposites", but they did have some preconceived notions to get past to truly see each other. At their cores, they are more alike than they are dissimilar, even through the 11 year age gap (35/24). Their problems were mostly external or with those preconceived notions of the other. Beyond that, they fit well. I might have given this 5 stars except that I don't feel like I ever completely connected to either MC that well. I definitely connected with Ben more than Adrian, but I'm very similar to Ben in background and temperament. (I don't suffer from the siblings.)
There is an HIV scare in this story, FYI.
I enjoyed the read very much and look forward to the next books in the series.
Ben is studying to be an actuary at the US economic downturn in 2008/2009. Whether or not his job will still exist the next day is constantly in question. Most of the time he does the "right" thing and studies for his next actuarial exam, but occasionally he still goes out clubbing with his buddy Jason. And Jason doesn't mind having sex with him occasionally either, though they've never been serious. Of course, those are usually the times when his boss, Adrian, finds him in compromising positions. After 2 or 3 of these, Ben gets tired of disappointing Adrian and buckles down.
Adrian is waaaay deep in the closet because his father expects him to take over the family-built and run insurance company started by his great-grandfather. He is expected to take over, marry well, and produce an heir who will also be passed the company. Adrian would much rather take care of his other grandfather's vineyard, but he feels responsible for the jobs of all the people in his West Coast office, which his father lets him manage as long as he "supresses his gay tendencies".
Ben stirs up long-buried emotions of a love lost when Adrian left that lover in Italy after his father had a heart attack, using that as an excuse to call Adrian back to the States to work in the business 8 years ago. And Adrian went, leaving behind the love of his life, who self-destructed and eventually died of AIDS. So there's a lot of guilt there. But Ben works his way under Adrian's defenses when they start working out together and working on a project for a conference.
Things boil over when Ben takes Adrian on a canoe tour of the Great Lakes areas of northern Minnesota (where Ben is from) and into Canadian forests. All the sexual tension they've been working on explodes, and then implodes once Adrian decides he needs to put himself back in his box at the bottom of his closet, tearing Ben up in the same way he did with Antonio many years ago before.
But seeing Ben stand up confidently to his overprotective older brothers gives Adrian some courage to finally stand up to his father. Adrian finally has something worth not backing down over: his and Ben's happiness. But just when Adrian gets his life in order so he can spend it with Ben, Ben (and Jason) disappear and can't be reached. Did Adrian wait too late and lose his chance a second time?
That's 95% of the plot. You can guess the last 5%. =)
I liked both MCs. I don't know that I felt they were "opposites", but they did have some preconceived notions to get past to truly see each other. At their cores, they are more alike than they are dissimilar, even through the 11 year age gap (35/24). Their problems were mostly external or with those preconceived notions of the other. Beyond that, they fit well. I might have given this 5 stars except that I don't feel like I ever completely connected to either MC that well. I definitely connected with Ben more than Adrian, but I'm very similar to Ben in background and temperament. (I don't suffer from the siblings.)
There is an HIV scare in this story, FYI.
I enjoyed the read very much and look forward to the next books in the series.
January 4, 2014
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the author and DBML.
3.75ish, teetering on 4.
Red+Blue is a novel of opposites. Ben is a young man, trying to spread his wings and find his way in San Francisco. From all accounts, he's never really been in love, and he's not afraid to go spend a night out on the town. Adrian, on the other hand, is older and established. He's also Ben's boss. Between society and family, Adrian's deep in the closet, with no plans of even letting that door crack open.
The environment of this was perfect. I have some experience with financial types with my own work, and the set up felt of the office just felt so fantastic. One thing is for sure, this is that taboo boss/employee romance done right.
I also enjoyed the outline of the book. It's split up in three parts, with the first being Red (Ben's), the second Blue (Adrian's), and the third a combination. It was unusual but really fitting. At first, when I got to the second part, I thought we were going to rehash everything in Red's section all over again but from Adrian's perspective, but it wasn't like that (thank goodness). Parts were glossed over again, but it really more focused on Adrian in that same time period instead of every same interaction again from the different POV. It also came together really smoothly in the third section. There was no awkward breaking between these perspectives, making for a better read.
Unfortunately, I fear this book may have suffered from the "two day syndrome" that so ails me. A lot of the more emotional aspects were in the later part of section three, which I came back to on the second day. If I had the emotional connection with them, I had lost it by that point. Additionally, I wasn't a fan of how their first actual sexual interaction happened. It lacked that spark of intensity for me, the surprise.
The writing was excellent, though, and the story good. All around an enjoyable read.
3.75ish, teetering on 4.
Red+Blue is a novel of opposites. Ben is a young man, trying to spread his wings and find his way in San Francisco. From all accounts, he's never really been in love, and he's not afraid to go spend a night out on the town. Adrian, on the other hand, is older and established. He's also Ben's boss. Between society and family, Adrian's deep in the closet, with no plans of even letting that door crack open.
The environment of this was perfect. I have some experience with financial types with my own work, and the set up felt of the office just felt so fantastic. One thing is for sure, this is that taboo boss/employee romance done right.
I also enjoyed the outline of the book. It's split up in three parts, with the first being Red (Ben's), the second Blue (Adrian's), and the third a combination. It was unusual but really fitting. At first, when I got to the second part, I thought we were going to rehash everything in Red's section all over again but from Adrian's perspective, but it wasn't like that (thank goodness). Parts were glossed over again, but it really more focused on Adrian in that same time period instead of every same interaction again from the different POV. It also came together really smoothly in the third section. There was no awkward breaking between these perspectives, making for a better read.
Unfortunately, I fear this book may have suffered from the "two day syndrome" that so ails me. A lot of the more emotional aspects were in the later part of section three, which I came back to on the second day. If I had the emotional connection with them, I had lost it by that point. Additionally, I wasn't a fan of how their first actual sexual interaction happened. It lacked that spark of intensity for me, the surprise.
The writing was excellent, though, and the story good. All around an enjoyable read.
May 29, 2012
I read this right after one of those insta-lovesex stories so this was exactly what I needed. The first part is told from Ben's POV, the second part from Adrian's and the last part alternates between the two guys and I thought this worked extremely well. We got to see how both of them viewed the same situation which is always interesting and the author added enough new scenes within each narrative to keep it interesting. Another thing I liked was that there was no sex for a long time in the book and that the growing affection between the two MCs felt very natural.
The only thing that kept me from giving this story five stars was the fact that the ending felt a bit rushed. If AB Gayle ever writes a sequel to this one, I'll add another star.
The only thing that kept me from giving this story five stars was the fact that the ending felt a bit rushed. If AB Gayle ever writes a sequel to this one, I'll add another star.
September 15, 2012
Good m/m romance about an actuary intern who finds himself very attracted to his deeply closeted boss as they slowly gets to know each other at work. I probably would've rated this higher had the actuary not purportedly been from Minnesota - the inaccuracies in dialect and geography were grating. If your familiarity with Minnesota is via Fargo, you shouldn't have this problem...
October 15, 2013
Despite feeling slightly unfinished I really enjoyed this book. Or maybe it’s just that it left me wanting more. I really liked both these characters and the story held my attention throughout. There’s really strong message here about health/life insurance and what’s right that I felt was really apropos for today’s current medical debates. This book is book is told in 3 parts and for once I didn’t hate the repetitive story line either.
Part 1: Red – Ben “Red” Dutoit is training to be an actuary. He’s got a great internship with a company and best of all it’s away from his home state of Minnesota and in gay friendly San Francisco. Finally he’ll be able to explore that side of himself without having to suffer too much abuse by the idiots of his hometown. Heck he’s even sorta dating one of the execs at work. He’s out and proud and everything seems to be going right. That is until his immediate supervisor ends up in the hospital after a heart attack and the downturn of the economy threatens his job. Still his head honcho boss, the son of the owner of the company is fighting for him to keep his job. He even puts in a gym at work to help people stay healthier. When the two of them start spending more time together working out and on the job Ben’s feelings start to change. Too bad Adrian’s straight.
Part 2: Blue – Adrian Sydney Sutherland IV secretly wants nothing more than to be able to go back in time to when he was able to travel Europe unencumbered with his then boyfriend. Having to take up the reins of the family business may have been what he was groomed for all his life, but it’s not his dream. Still he is the dutiful son and he will do as his father demands including hiding his “gay tendencies.” But it means that their company WILL keep offering high risk life insurance policies for those in need, most especially those who have HIV/AIDS. This is the one point Adrian won’t budge on. He knows what it means to have a loved one dealing with the disease. He may not have been able to help him, but he can do this. So he will live his life jealously watching those who can be open about who they are. Nothing’s ever threatened his straight façade though until one sexy redheaded intern unknowingly shakes things up and tosses Adrian’s safe little world on its head.
Part 3: Mix it on up – As one would assume the last half of the book deals with both guys together. I think the reason the whole repeated section didn’t bother me too much was because when Ms. Gayle was telling Adrian’s story she didn’t focus on all the same events that Ben’s story did. I felt like I was getting new information and not a regurgitation of the same info. Plus it’s only about half (maybe less) of the book. Of course after that it’s all togetherness building new material. Also that first half really deals with these two as business associates not as potential partners. Neither of them was seriously considering making a move. Ben had Jason and Adrian was deeply in the closet. There was an attraction of course, but not one that either felt they could ever act on. It was the getting to know you stage of any good relationship and gave time for feelings to develop unacknowledged.
I loved the slow build of this relationship. Both men, despite the age gap, had some growing up to do. In some ways Ben is the more mature of the two as he is comfortable with who he is. Adrian’s unwillingness to face down his father and fight for what he wants shows a little immaturity. Yet in the business world Adrian is the perfect model mentor for Ben to study under and grow and mature as a professional. The video they put together amused me to no end. There’s something to be said or watching two people fall for each other and each thinking there is no way they can ever act on it. It’s not all about the sex or the physical chemistry and is instead about real feelings they are developing for the other. The AIDS scare of course added a realness to the world and a fair bit of tension without taking this story too melodramatic or angsty.
Of course once we got to the point that Ben and Adrian discovered that the other had feelings for the other the heat index got turned WAY up! A bear in the woods up there in Minnesota would have had quite the show to witness. I also really liked the fact that despite the physical attraction and finally being able to act on it and release all that sexual tension it didn’t immediately solve everything. There were still battles to be fought and lost. There was still work that needed to be done.
Despite the page count this book flows really quickly and kept my attention and interest the whole time. I wanted these two men to figure out their own issues and find a way to come together. Adrian certainly deserves a little happiness in his life. I liked the fact that even though there was a third person involved in things there was no cheating and after everything that went on Jason does make his amends.
My only complaint about this book, as stated at the top, is it feels slightly unfinished, only because it ends so abruptly. I mean it just ends. I felt like I needed one more scene, or an epilogue to tie up a few loose ends between these two. They just found each other and are able to commit, but there are a lot of undiscussed issues. I would have loved to see them all resolved. One final sex scene does not a permanent relationship establish.
I enjoyed this book and would definitely read more by this author even though it doesn’t quite reach my favorites shelf. Really solid writing and a meaningful story will win me over any day.
Part 1: Red – Ben “Red” Dutoit is training to be an actuary. He’s got a great internship with a company and best of all it’s away from his home state of Minnesota and in gay friendly San Francisco. Finally he’ll be able to explore that side of himself without having to suffer too much abuse by the idiots of his hometown. Heck he’s even sorta dating one of the execs at work. He’s out and proud and everything seems to be going right. That is until his immediate supervisor ends up in the hospital after a heart attack and the downturn of the economy threatens his job. Still his head honcho boss, the son of the owner of the company is fighting for him to keep his job. He even puts in a gym at work to help people stay healthier. When the two of them start spending more time together working out and on the job Ben’s feelings start to change. Too bad Adrian’s straight.
Part 2: Blue – Adrian Sydney Sutherland IV secretly wants nothing more than to be able to go back in time to when he was able to travel Europe unencumbered with his then boyfriend. Having to take up the reins of the family business may have been what he was groomed for all his life, but it’s not his dream. Still he is the dutiful son and he will do as his father demands including hiding his “gay tendencies.” But it means that their company WILL keep offering high risk life insurance policies for those in need, most especially those who have HIV/AIDS. This is the one point Adrian won’t budge on. He knows what it means to have a loved one dealing with the disease. He may not have been able to help him, but he can do this. So he will live his life jealously watching those who can be open about who they are. Nothing’s ever threatened his straight façade though until one sexy redheaded intern unknowingly shakes things up and tosses Adrian’s safe little world on its head.
Part 3: Mix it on up – As one would assume the last half of the book deals with both guys together. I think the reason the whole repeated section didn’t bother me too much was because when Ms. Gayle was telling Adrian’s story she didn’t focus on all the same events that Ben’s story did. I felt like I was getting new information and not a regurgitation of the same info. Plus it’s only about half (maybe less) of the book. Of course after that it’s all togetherness building new material. Also that first half really deals with these two as business associates not as potential partners. Neither of them was seriously considering making a move. Ben had Jason and Adrian was deeply in the closet. There was an attraction of course, but not one that either felt they could ever act on. It was the getting to know you stage of any good relationship and gave time for feelings to develop unacknowledged.
I loved the slow build of this relationship. Both men, despite the age gap, had some growing up to do. In some ways Ben is the more mature of the two as he is comfortable with who he is. Adrian’s unwillingness to face down his father and fight for what he wants shows a little immaturity. Yet in the business world Adrian is the perfect model mentor for Ben to study under and grow and mature as a professional. The video they put together amused me to no end. There’s something to be said or watching two people fall for each other and each thinking there is no way they can ever act on it. It’s not all about the sex or the physical chemistry and is instead about real feelings they are developing for the other. The AIDS scare of course added a realness to the world and a fair bit of tension without taking this story too melodramatic or angsty.
Of course once we got to the point that Ben and Adrian discovered that the other had feelings for the other the heat index got turned WAY up! A bear in the woods up there in Minnesota would have had quite the show to witness. I also really liked the fact that despite the physical attraction and finally being able to act on it and release all that sexual tension it didn’t immediately solve everything. There were still battles to be fought and lost. There was still work that needed to be done.
Despite the page count this book flows really quickly and kept my attention and interest the whole time. I wanted these two men to figure out their own issues and find a way to come together. Adrian certainly deserves a little happiness in his life. I liked the fact that even though there was a third person involved in things there was no cheating and after everything that went on Jason does make his amends.
My only complaint about this book, as stated at the top, is it feels slightly unfinished, only because it ends so abruptly. I mean it just ends. I felt like I needed one more scene, or an epilogue to tie up a few loose ends between these two. They just found each other and are able to commit, but there are a lot of undiscussed issues. I would have loved to see them all resolved. One final sex scene does not a permanent relationship establish.
I enjoyed this book and would definitely read more by this author even though it doesn’t quite reach my favorites shelf. Really solid writing and a meaningful story will win me over any day.
December 26, 2013
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Red+Blue is an opposite attracts book in every sense of the phase. Ben is in his mid-20s. He is from a small town in Minnesota and grew up in a middle class environment. He lives his life openly gay. Adrian is from a privileged family, is in his mid-30s and is deeply in the closet. Adrian’s family owns the company Ben works for and he is Ben’s boss. These two guys come together and help each other with their own personal troubles.
Ben is a great character. He is a typically person in their 20s who is starting to live their life on their own. Ben is apprenticing as an auditor for an insurance company in San Francisco. He loves his job and is certainly taking advantage of the city. He appears to be very confident and for the most part he is, but he still desires the approval of his family who continues to treat him as a kid.
Adrian’s character was good, but not my favorite. He is a typical closeted character. His father pressures him into being in the closet. This caused Adrian the loss of his first love, his freedom and happiness. It was frustrating to read about his character because he does have loving and accepting grandparents and friends who would help him out. What I liked most about Adrian was his sweet and caring nature. I loved his interaction with Ben and his staff. He has everyone’s best interests, besides himself, at heart.
The book set-up was interesting. The first 15% of the book was from Ben’s point of view then the next 15% was from Adrian’s. Each point of view overlaps the other, but it was not repetitive. The rest of the book is from both points of view. It was great to see what each character thought and felt.
The overall story was great. Adrian helps Ben stay focus on his career and not fall into trouble being young and living in San Francisco. Ben helps Adrian to realize that happiness is worth taking risks for. At first I did not realize the age gap between the two characters, but once I did it didn’t bother me. It was extremely well written. My only true issue with the book was I felt it just ended without any real conclusion. Yes, the ending was happy, but there was little closure. Did it take away from the whole story….no, but I would have liked to have something more.
Once again A.B. Gayle comes through with another outstanding story.
Red+Blue is an opposite attracts book in every sense of the phase. Ben is in his mid-20s. He is from a small town in Minnesota and grew up in a middle class environment. He lives his life openly gay. Adrian is from a privileged family, is in his mid-30s and is deeply in the closet. Adrian’s family owns the company Ben works for and he is Ben’s boss. These two guys come together and help each other with their own personal troubles.
Ben is a great character. He is a typically person in their 20s who is starting to live their life on their own. Ben is apprenticing as an auditor for an insurance company in San Francisco. He loves his job and is certainly taking advantage of the city. He appears to be very confident and for the most part he is, but he still desires the approval of his family who continues to treat him as a kid.
Adrian’s character was good, but not my favorite. He is a typical closeted character. His father pressures him into being in the closet. This caused Adrian the loss of his first love, his freedom and happiness. It was frustrating to read about his character because he does have loving and accepting grandparents and friends who would help him out. What I liked most about Adrian was his sweet and caring nature. I loved his interaction with Ben and his staff. He has everyone’s best interests, besides himself, at heart.
The book set-up was interesting. The first 15% of the book was from Ben’s point of view then the next 15% was from Adrian’s. Each point of view overlaps the other, but it was not repetitive. The rest of the book is from both points of view. It was great to see what each character thought and felt.
The overall story was great. Adrian helps Ben stay focus on his career and not fall into trouble being young and living in San Francisco. Ben helps Adrian to realize that happiness is worth taking risks for. At first I did not realize the age gap between the two characters, but once I did it didn’t bother me. It was extremely well written. My only true issue with the book was I felt it just ended without any real conclusion. Yes, the ending was happy, but there was little closure. Did it take away from the whole story….no, but I would have liked to have something more.
Once again A.B. Gayle comes through with another outstanding story.
November 29, 2012
I really enjoyed this one. I liked reading about the developing relationship from the POV of both MCs. It is nice to read a book where the author takes the time to allow affection & love to develop at a natural & languid pace. There was some minor angst in the book but the story line definitely wasn't angst-driven. It was simply a story about men coming to terms with their sexuality; their past decisions/choices; & where their future happiness lies. This book isn't fast paced so you need to enjoy a slow development to enjoy this book.
May 28, 2012
One thing I've notice about A.B. Gayle is that she writes well. She's on my auto-buy.
As for this story, talk about building sexual tension between the 2 MC's. Wow! Even though the story is long, I felt well connected with the plot, unlike others that simply lose me with "too much" detail.
Looking forward to the next one since I notice that this is first installment of Opposites Attract.
As for this story, talk about building sexual tension between the 2 MC's. Wow! Even though the story is long, I felt well connected with the plot, unlike others that simply lose me with "too much" detail.
Looking forward to the next one since I notice that this is first installment of Opposites Attract.
December 22, 2013
Red+Blue (Opposites Attract) A.B. Gayle
Review from Jeannie Zelos Book reviews.
NB: ARC supplied via Goodreads and author
It's no secret that I love a good romance whether hetero or gay. Good being the key, not one of those very simple, sweet, sickly A meets B, they fall in love and live happily ever after. I do need the HEA part, but I need the journey to be rocky and problematic, if it makes me tearful then its a job done romance....
Ms Gayle is an author new to me, but she's going to be one whose work I’ll certainly look out for in future. She delivered all my needs in this book, and more. I had emotion, angst, love and sensuality all wrapped up in an excellent story. I like the idea of two people from opposite backgrounds coming together too, and it worked really well here. You'd think they have nothing in common, that their interests would be so divergent they'd have trouble communicating, and yet the way the author gets them into situations where they're together they mange to d find common ground. Then there's the rich boss, student employee conundrum. I'd have guessed at Adrian being more dominant, and yet we see Ben in situations where he's confident taking the lead, and showing just what a strong personality he has.
I loved Ben, we meet him first, and he's left his backwoods family and business behind to move to the city and his actuarial career, in a family owned Agency. One of the reasons he chose this firm was because of their open policy for minorities that can't always get insurance elsewhere including gays. Ben's lovely, very honest, open, no back biting or malice in him, he's one of those people who try to get along with everyone simply because that’s his nature. He's out, loud and proud, but after his first fun foray into the citys gay areas, he really wants something more than the no-strings, casual, friends with benefits relationship he has with Jason. Its his boss Adrian that really attracts him, but he's the subject of dreams only as Ben assumes he's straight.
Turns out Adrian isn't though, and yes, he has the hots for Ben, but he's deeply in the closet. Really, really deep. Like so many families his father thinks its something he can put aside – calls it a “gay tendency”, and makes it a condition that Adrian leaves all that behind now he's working for and is CEO of the family firm.
Its a terrific story, packed with so many problems that must happen in real life. Jason's family who know he's gay, but are wealthy enough to ignore it, and just hope he keeps reasonably on the rails. Ben's family who know he's Gay, and are a close knit group and worry about him. Ben's father died and his four older brothers have always acted in his stead, so as Ben says its like having four dads....and they all want what's best for little bro, for him to be happy and woe betide anyone who threatens that. Then there's poor Adrian, in a position so many people must find themselves, with a nature that's one way, and a family pressing for the opposite. Without alienating them and causing huge repercussions for the firm he's trapped. Why is it that in a so called “free” society homosexuality still causes such a stir in the press, with all those snide slurs and suggestions? Its almost like the Victorian attitude I think – the “do anything but don't get caught” attitude. Sad isn't it when a persons happiness is less important than a families public standing :(
I loved the way Ms Gayle weaves all these problems into a story that had me engrossed to the last page, the little day to day incidences, the things that got me thinking “ but that's unfair “ while knowing that's still the way it is in real life.
The characters were great too – we see things from Ben's POV and then from Adrian’s, and that works really well as we can see that what one thinks about the other isn't necessarily true. I loved the way they were so different people and yet found common ground, and felt so much for Ben with his “lets just do it, it'll work out somehow” philosophy against Adrian’s think it through, look at all the repercussions and see what’s right for everyone else and not himself caution. That makes it sound like Ben was selfish – he's not, its just that he's prepared to stand up for what he believes, but having had family support its easier for him, whereas Adrian has been told all his life that he can't be open about his feelings, and that marriage and family is his duty to his father.
Its so emotional in parts, had me on the edge of tears, and just so happy when things go right, its a perfect balance of love and good story. There is sex in the book, but not too much, much more just sensuality through touches, glances, brushes against each other – that sort of stuff. So often books just wade into all-out, in-your-face, graphic sex and think that’s enough – I wish there were more like this one which has a great, solid storyline, with sex and love as part of it, and not dominating it.
Stars: well, after all that how could it be less than five :)
Review from Jeannie Zelos Book reviews.
NB: ARC supplied via Goodreads and author
It's no secret that I love a good romance whether hetero or gay. Good being the key, not one of those very simple, sweet, sickly A meets B, they fall in love and live happily ever after. I do need the HEA part, but I need the journey to be rocky and problematic, if it makes me tearful then its a job done romance....
Ms Gayle is an author new to me, but she's going to be one whose work I’ll certainly look out for in future. She delivered all my needs in this book, and more. I had emotion, angst, love and sensuality all wrapped up in an excellent story. I like the idea of two people from opposite backgrounds coming together too, and it worked really well here. You'd think they have nothing in common, that their interests would be so divergent they'd have trouble communicating, and yet the way the author gets them into situations where they're together they mange to d find common ground. Then there's the rich boss, student employee conundrum. I'd have guessed at Adrian being more dominant, and yet we see Ben in situations where he's confident taking the lead, and showing just what a strong personality he has.
I loved Ben, we meet him first, and he's left his backwoods family and business behind to move to the city and his actuarial career, in a family owned Agency. One of the reasons he chose this firm was because of their open policy for minorities that can't always get insurance elsewhere including gays. Ben's lovely, very honest, open, no back biting or malice in him, he's one of those people who try to get along with everyone simply because that’s his nature. He's out, loud and proud, but after his first fun foray into the citys gay areas, he really wants something more than the no-strings, casual, friends with benefits relationship he has with Jason. Its his boss Adrian that really attracts him, but he's the subject of dreams only as Ben assumes he's straight.
Turns out Adrian isn't though, and yes, he has the hots for Ben, but he's deeply in the closet. Really, really deep. Like so many families his father thinks its something he can put aside – calls it a “gay tendency”, and makes it a condition that Adrian leaves all that behind now he's working for and is CEO of the family firm.
Its a terrific story, packed with so many problems that must happen in real life. Jason's family who know he's gay, but are wealthy enough to ignore it, and just hope he keeps reasonably on the rails. Ben's family who know he's Gay, and are a close knit group and worry about him. Ben's father died and his four older brothers have always acted in his stead, so as Ben says its like having four dads....and they all want what's best for little bro, for him to be happy and woe betide anyone who threatens that. Then there's poor Adrian, in a position so many people must find themselves, with a nature that's one way, and a family pressing for the opposite. Without alienating them and causing huge repercussions for the firm he's trapped. Why is it that in a so called “free” society homosexuality still causes such a stir in the press, with all those snide slurs and suggestions? Its almost like the Victorian attitude I think – the “do anything but don't get caught” attitude. Sad isn't it when a persons happiness is less important than a families public standing :(
I loved the way Ms Gayle weaves all these problems into a story that had me engrossed to the last page, the little day to day incidences, the things that got me thinking “ but that's unfair “ while knowing that's still the way it is in real life.
The characters were great too – we see things from Ben's POV and then from Adrian’s, and that works really well as we can see that what one thinks about the other isn't necessarily true. I loved the way they were so different people and yet found common ground, and felt so much for Ben with his “lets just do it, it'll work out somehow” philosophy against Adrian’s think it through, look at all the repercussions and see what’s right for everyone else and not himself caution. That makes it sound like Ben was selfish – he's not, its just that he's prepared to stand up for what he believes, but having had family support its easier for him, whereas Adrian has been told all his life that he can't be open about his feelings, and that marriage and family is his duty to his father.
Its so emotional in parts, had me on the edge of tears, and just so happy when things go right, its a perfect balance of love and good story. There is sex in the book, but not too much, much more just sensuality through touches, glances, brushes against each other – that sort of stuff. So often books just wade into all-out, in-your-face, graphic sex and think that’s enough – I wish there were more like this one which has a great, solid storyline, with sex and love as part of it, and not dominating it.
Stars: well, after all that how could it be less than five :)
August 11, 2016
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any compensation for this review, it's freely given.
Essentially this book is told in 3 parts: Ben's (Red) first-person POV, Adrian's (Blue) first person POV, then a joint third person POV. An unusual format, but it worked.
Red: Out-and-proud Ben leaves his family and childhood home in Minnesota for San Francisco. He has some goals he wants to accomplish there: march in a Pride parade (done), hit the club scene (definitely done), maybe meet the man for him.
He interns at SSF Insurance, a small family-owned company that includes high-risk policies for it's clients. He admires this because his father was one of their high-risk clients before he died. While working at SSFI, Ben meets Jason who is one of the company's sales reps. He & Jason have somewhat of an on-again/off-again relationship, but Ben is really attracted to his boss Adrian whom he thinks is hetero. The pair become close while working out together & working on a presentation for the company & Ben's attraction to Adrian continues to grow as he gets to know him better.
Blue: Adrian is buried deeply in the closet. He was living in Europe with his lover when called home due to his father having a heart attack. Adrian's father bullies him into staying in the States & gives him a prime position in the company, but Adrian has to suppress his "gay tendencies" or his father will cut him off & sell off the division that handles the high-risk policies. Adrian agrees (view spoiler) in order to keep the division running because he believes that everyone should have access to these types of policies. He's attracted to Ben, but has to keep his attraction hidden to keep the office open. Plus he believes Ben & Jason are a serious couple.
Joint POV: As Ben & Adrian continue to grow their friendship, Ben is hit hard (view spoiler) Jason clues Ben in that Adrian is gay, but in the closet & that Jason was doing everything he could to torment Adrian with his "relationship" with Ben so that maybe Adrian would finally step out.
Adrian decides to take some time off & books a canoe trip with Ben in Minnesota/Canada. While on the trip, Adrian finally admits his attraction to Ben & decides that he'll have a fling since his promise to his father was that he'd suppress his gayness while in the States, but since he'll be in Canada it will be ok to let go just while on the trip. This brings the pair even closer & Ben admits he's in love in Adrian. Unfortunately even though Ben's feelings are returned, Adrian just can't step away from everything he's been fighting for. Until he comes back home & finds out that Ben's position in the company has been eliminated & he misses Ben so much he works out a solution to cover the high-risk clients then confronts his father
Finally after Ben's interfering brother compounds the problem by not telling Adrian how to get in touch with Ben after Ben moves into a different apartment, Adrian returns to his grandparents' vineyard where Ben has helping to make upgrades & the pair is reunited.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. Jason was an asshat for being so reckless & then putting Ben at risk with his carelessness. Ben's brother was an asshat for keeping Ben's new location from Adrian, even knowing that Ben had feelings for Adrian. And my heart just broke for Adrian being forced to stay in the closet & not being able to be himself in order to protect other people.
Essentially this book is told in 3 parts: Ben's (Red) first-person POV, Adrian's (Blue) first person POV, then a joint third person POV. An unusual format, but it worked.
Red: Out-and-proud Ben leaves his family and childhood home in Minnesota for San Francisco. He has some goals he wants to accomplish there: march in a Pride parade (done), hit the club scene (definitely done), maybe meet the man for him.
He interns at SSF Insurance, a small family-owned company that includes high-risk policies for it's clients. He admires this because his father was one of their high-risk clients before he died. While working at SSFI, Ben meets Jason who is one of the company's sales reps. He & Jason have somewhat of an on-again/off-again relationship, but Ben is really attracted to his boss Adrian whom he thinks is hetero. The pair become close while working out together & working on a presentation for the company & Ben's attraction to Adrian continues to grow as he gets to know him better.
Blue: Adrian is buried deeply in the closet. He was living in Europe with his lover when called home due to his father having a heart attack. Adrian's father bullies him into staying in the States & gives him a prime position in the company, but Adrian has to suppress his "gay tendencies" or his father will cut him off & sell off the division that handles the high-risk policies. Adrian agrees (view spoiler) in order to keep the division running because he believes that everyone should have access to these types of policies. He's attracted to Ben, but has to keep his attraction hidden to keep the office open. Plus he believes Ben & Jason are a serious couple.
Joint POV: As Ben & Adrian continue to grow their friendship, Ben is hit hard (view spoiler) Jason clues Ben in that Adrian is gay, but in the closet & that Jason was doing everything he could to torment Adrian with his "relationship" with Ben so that maybe Adrian would finally step out.
Adrian decides to take some time off & books a canoe trip with Ben in Minnesota/Canada. While on the trip, Adrian finally admits his attraction to Ben & decides that he'll have a fling since his promise to his father was that he'd suppress his gayness while in the States, but since he'll be in Canada it will be ok to let go just while on the trip. This brings the pair even closer & Ben admits he's in love in Adrian. Unfortunately even though Ben's feelings are returned, Adrian just can't step away from everything he's been fighting for. Until he comes back home & finds out that Ben's position in the company has been eliminated & he misses Ben so much he works out a solution to cover the high-risk clients then confronts his father
Finally after Ben's interfering brother compounds the problem by not telling Adrian how to get in touch with Ben after Ben moves into a different apartment, Adrian returns to his grandparents' vineyard where Ben has helping to make upgrades & the pair is reunited.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. Jason was an asshat for being so reckless & then putting Ben at risk with his carelessness. Ben's brother was an asshat for keeping Ben's new location from Adrian, even knowing that Ben had feelings for Adrian. And my heart just broke for Adrian being forced to stay in the closet & not being able to be himself in order to protect other people.
January 4, 2014
(This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.)
This is a strong book. Two narrators, Red and Blue. “Red” is Ben, a 24 year-old actuary trainee: tall boyish redhead from Minnesota. “Blue” is Adrian, the 35 year-old CEO of the insurance company: melancholy sophisticate who struggles with loneliness and alcoholism.
The book is done in a fresh, unusual way. Red/Ben describes his first year in San Francisco as a new hire at Adrian’s company. He gets used to his job, he studies for his certification exams, he works out, he deals with exasperating sex-buddy Jason, and he gets infatuated with his supposedly straight boss Adrian. This is fascinating, especially the corporate environment in the financial disaster year of 2008. At the year mark, his first-person narrative stops.
Blue/Adrian takes over and describes the same year from his first-person viewpoint. It could have been too repetitive, but it isn’t. The interactions of Ben and Adrian are only part of Adrian’s life. They are framed to be very different from how Ben saw them. Then there is much filled in about Adrian that Ben does not know: his loving Italian grandparents, his homophobic father, his fake girlfriend Laurel, and his reasons for needing to stay in the closet.
At the year mark, Adrian’s first-person narrative stops. The story continues in both third-person viewpoints with Ben and Adrian aware of their attraction for each other. Ben and Adrian go on a canoeing trip together. Unfortunately, this trip creates a mushy slack in what had been a really tight narrative. Too much ogling each other and discussing the past. Some hurt feelings and moping over small misunderstandings. Some sex and more canoeing.
Afterward, the men must find their way through Adrian’s situation with thinking he has to stay in the closet and break up with Ben for his own good. Somehow the author manages not to make Adrian too much of a martyr. As his dilemma with his father gets revealed, it becomes more believable and complex. Overall, the story seemed to go on too long. It didn't quite recapture the huge potential it had before the canoe trip. But I liked both Ben and Adrian. Their story has substance: real setting, background, jobs, and plot. The characters grow and change, earning their happy ending.
This is a strong book. Two narrators, Red and Blue. “Red” is Ben, a 24 year-old actuary trainee: tall boyish redhead from Minnesota. “Blue” is Adrian, the 35 year-old CEO of the insurance company: melancholy sophisticate who struggles with loneliness and alcoholism.
The book is done in a fresh, unusual way. Red/Ben describes his first year in San Francisco as a new hire at Adrian’s company. He gets used to his job, he studies for his certification exams, he works out, he deals with exasperating sex-buddy Jason, and he gets infatuated with his supposedly straight boss Adrian. This is fascinating, especially the corporate environment in the financial disaster year of 2008. At the year mark, his first-person narrative stops.
Blue/Adrian takes over and describes the same year from his first-person viewpoint. It could have been too repetitive, but it isn’t. The interactions of Ben and Adrian are only part of Adrian’s life. They are framed to be very different from how Ben saw them. Then there is much filled in about Adrian that Ben does not know: his loving Italian grandparents, his homophobic father, his fake girlfriend Laurel, and his reasons for needing to stay in the closet.
At the year mark, Adrian’s first-person narrative stops. The story continues in both third-person viewpoints with Ben and Adrian aware of their attraction for each other. Ben and Adrian go on a canoeing trip together. Unfortunately, this trip creates a mushy slack in what had been a really tight narrative. Too much ogling each other and discussing the past. Some hurt feelings and moping over small misunderstandings. Some sex and more canoeing.
Afterward, the men must find their way through Adrian’s situation with thinking he has to stay in the closet and break up with Ben for his own good. Somehow the author manages not to make Adrian too much of a martyr. As his dilemma with his father gets revealed, it becomes more believable and complex. Overall, the story seemed to go on too long. It didn't quite recapture the huge potential it had before the canoe trip. But I liked both Ben and Adrian. Their story has substance: real setting, background, jobs, and plot. The characters grow and change, earning their happy ending.
May 22, 2013
This is the kind of story that delivers exactly what I like in an m/m romance - complex main characters, lots of emotional soul searching, a journey fraught with obstacles, some hot sex and a happy ending.
The story is first told from Ben's point of view, introducing a young man out to make his mark on the world. Moving from Minnesota to San Francisco, he is out, living a good life, with a good job. Ben respects his boss Adrian and they slowly develop a friendship which eventually leads to Ben having feelings for his 'straight' boss. "There was a connection between them. It wasn't merely a boss-employee relationship thing. There was more than that. Deep down, Ben knew there was more, wanted there to be more."
The next section of the story is told from Adrian's point of view. Adrian is very much in the closet. He has strong ideals and has been forced to lead a life, not of his own choosing. He denies his feelings for Ben for many complicated reasons. Adrian is so different from Ben, afraid to risk so many things.
The men finally confront their feelings when they spend a week together canoeing in the wilderness. But this very special time is also the catalyst for heartache to follow.
I really enjoyed the section of the book as the men travel through the lakes. There were some beautiful descriptions of the landscape, the weather and the journey. There were some wonderful descriptions blending the sexual experience with the location, very poetic... "Colors swirled and danced. The blue of Ben's eyes merged with the indigo lake and clear azure sky in the background."
There were also some wonderful analogies in the story, exploring the themes of risk and choices. As Ben and Adrian, head through the lakes to their drop off point, they need to reassess the direction they are taking and risk another path. Adrian needs to rely on Ben's experience and knowledge and trust they will reach their destination. "If only he had Ben's confidence to know which was the right path to take as far as his life went."
The ending worked well for me with separation and heartache, followed by life-changing decisions and the ultimate reconciliation.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end!
The story is first told from Ben's point of view, introducing a young man out to make his mark on the world. Moving from Minnesota to San Francisco, he is out, living a good life, with a good job. Ben respects his boss Adrian and they slowly develop a friendship which eventually leads to Ben having feelings for his 'straight' boss. "There was a connection between them. It wasn't merely a boss-employee relationship thing. There was more than that. Deep down, Ben knew there was more, wanted there to be more."
The next section of the story is told from Adrian's point of view. Adrian is very much in the closet. He has strong ideals and has been forced to lead a life, not of his own choosing. He denies his feelings for Ben for many complicated reasons. Adrian is so different from Ben, afraid to risk so many things.
The men finally confront their feelings when they spend a week together canoeing in the wilderness. But this very special time is also the catalyst for heartache to follow.
I really enjoyed the section of the book as the men travel through the lakes. There were some beautiful descriptions of the landscape, the weather and the journey. There were some wonderful descriptions blending the sexual experience with the location, very poetic... "Colors swirled and danced. The blue of Ben's eyes merged with the indigo lake and clear azure sky in the background."
There were also some wonderful analogies in the story, exploring the themes of risk and choices. As Ben and Adrian, head through the lakes to their drop off point, they need to reassess the direction they are taking and risk another path. Adrian needs to rely on Ben's experience and knowledge and trust they will reach their destination. "If only he had Ben's confidence to know which was the right path to take as far as his life went."
The ending worked well for me with separation and heartache, followed by life-changing decisions and the ultimate reconciliation.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end!
August 12, 2016
A free copy of this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review
I generally enjoy "opposites attract" stories, so Red+Blue was right up my ally. A.B. Gayle's writing was effective and fun to read; the format of the novel was different than any I have read before, but it worked. The beginning portion was told from first person POV - first Red (Ben) and then Blue (Adrian), with a short intro for each character and then their version of a series of events during the same time period. The rest of the novel is then told in third person, but does switch perspectives frequently. I enjoyed getting to know the characters during the first portion of novel - reading Ben's version of events and then Adrian's version. I especially liked Ben's character - he was confident, upbeat, friendly - his personality filled a room. Ben is someone I would like to have as a friend.
Adrian was in the closet most of the story, which was frustrating, but the interesting twist was that he had been out and was "forced" back in by his father and his own need to do what he thought was right. I also liked that A.B. Gayle took an industry (life insurance) that is generally considered pretty dry and portrayed the human side of it. The idea of providing life insurance to high risk people and how devoted Adrian is to helping those people gave the story another dimension. I found this description of Adrian's moving: "Everyone deserved to know that their life was valuable, that they mattered, and that they should not give up."
The build up between Ben and Adrian was pretty slow through the first half of the book, but once the two MCs get together, it burned the pages (or rather screens) up for me. The canoe trip and descriptions of the scenery were wonderful - felt like I took a little vacation as well.
One nitpick - I thought that Ben barebacking so casually seemed out of character, but I suppose we all do things out of character at times. I also wish there had been an epilogue. I really wanted to know how they worked out all the loose ends. The ending was a bit abrupt.
Overall, enjoyed Red + Blue a lot. Even though it is a fairly long book, it went by quickly. This was my second read by A.B Gayle and won't be my last.
I generally enjoy "opposites attract" stories, so Red+Blue was right up my ally. A.B. Gayle's writing was effective and fun to read; the format of the novel was different than any I have read before, but it worked. The beginning portion was told from first person POV - first Red (Ben) and then Blue (Adrian), with a short intro for each character and then their version of a series of events during the same time period. The rest of the novel is then told in third person, but does switch perspectives frequently. I enjoyed getting to know the characters during the first portion of novel - reading Ben's version of events and then Adrian's version. I especially liked Ben's character - he was confident, upbeat, friendly - his personality filled a room. Ben is someone I would like to have as a friend.
Adrian was in the closet most of the story, which was frustrating, but the interesting twist was that he had been out and was "forced" back in by his father and his own need to do what he thought was right. I also liked that A.B. Gayle took an industry (life insurance) that is generally considered pretty dry and portrayed the human side of it. The idea of providing life insurance to high risk people and how devoted Adrian is to helping those people gave the story another dimension. I found this description of Adrian's moving: "Everyone deserved to know that their life was valuable, that they mattered, and that they should not give up."
The build up between Ben and Adrian was pretty slow through the first half of the book, but once the two MCs get together, it burned the pages (or rather screens) up for me. The canoe trip and descriptions of the scenery were wonderful - felt like I took a little vacation as well.
One nitpick - I thought that Ben barebacking so casually seemed out of character, but I suppose we all do things out of character at times. I also wish there had been an epilogue. I really wanted to know how they worked out all the loose ends. The ending was a bit abrupt.
Overall, enjoyed Red + Blue a lot. Even though it is a fairly long book, it went by quickly. This was my second read by A.B Gayle and won't be my last.
January 4, 2014
3.5 stars. Interesting book and tough for me to rate. The plot has been pretty well hashed out I think so I'll go easy there and stick to impressions.
Lately I've become fond of the practice of splitting a book in pieces and telling each piece from a different POV. I helps you get to know the character better. And this is what the author did here. What amused me early on was the setting of a work place, an insurance company of all things - but it worked. Ben was a typical 24 year old. He has problems at work and awkward moments with his boss. He likes but gets frustrated with his party boy best friend. He wants to pass his tests to succeed at his job but finds reason not to study. He loves and misses his family but doesn't wan to live with them. Ben is the Red of the story, the name in honor of his hair.
The pacing moves slow and steady. Many scenes are short but tight. When the POV shifts to Adrian, we go back in time a bit and get Adrian's view of some events. That wasn't as frustrating as I thought. The events are told with a different focus and the author doesn't retell anything we learned with Ben. Since Ben is an employee and Adrien is his rich boss, it makes sense that they'd see and interpret different things from the same event.
Adrien is the Blue and was tougher to warm up to. He put himself back in the closet to manage the West Coast Division and by keeping himself on a leash, he's tough to know. As frustrating at it was at times, Adrien has a reason for being in the closet and the way he was. The reasons may not resonate with everyone but the reasons were real and they're valid. I was very happy to see him dig out of his hole and find himself. I'm not completely sure though why he's Blue though.
The story dragged in a few places. I liked the slow build of the relationship, but the trip to Minnesota took way to long and felt out place with the rest of the pacing. I also felt the ending was a bit too pat. Considering what had broken them up, I'd expected a little more in fixing the relationship but they fell right back together easy as pie.
Overall I enjoyed the story and am glad I had a chance to read it.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Lately I've become fond of the practice of splitting a book in pieces and telling each piece from a different POV. I helps you get to know the character better. And this is what the author did here. What amused me early on was the setting of a work place, an insurance company of all things - but it worked. Ben was a typical 24 year old. He has problems at work and awkward moments with his boss. He likes but gets frustrated with his party boy best friend. He wants to pass his tests to succeed at his job but finds reason not to study. He loves and misses his family but doesn't wan to live with them. Ben is the Red of the story, the name in honor of his hair.
The pacing moves slow and steady. Many scenes are short but tight. When the POV shifts to Adrian, we go back in time a bit and get Adrian's view of some events. That wasn't as frustrating as I thought. The events are told with a different focus and the author doesn't retell anything we learned with Ben. Since Ben is an employee and Adrien is his rich boss, it makes sense that they'd see and interpret different things from the same event.
Adrien is the Blue and was tougher to warm up to. He put himself back in the closet to manage the West Coast Division and by keeping himself on a leash, he's tough to know. As frustrating at it was at times, Adrien has a reason for being in the closet and the way he was. The reasons may not resonate with everyone but the reasons were real and they're valid. I was very happy to see him dig out of his hole and find himself. I'm not completely sure though why he's Blue though.
The story dragged in a few places. I liked the slow build of the relationship, but the trip to Minnesota took way to long and felt out place with the rest of the pacing. I also felt the ending was a bit too pat. Considering what had broken them up, I'd expected a little more in fixing the relationship but they fell right back together easy as pie.
Overall I enjoyed the story and am glad I had a chance to read it.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
June 21, 2012
A.B. Gayle always writes complex characters I can believe in with storylines that make me think. This story was no exception. I loved it, and Ben especially. Although I'm sure he would argue the description, I loved Ben's purity. That wasn't the only thing I loved about him, but it stands out (in part because it makes me giggle to picture how much that would annoy him). ;)
I loved the dual start, and I think it was very effective for the story, and the way it then finished with the alternating third. I'd seen some discussion that the ending was too abrupt, so I'd wondered how I'd feel about it. I did find myself surprised to be at the end of the story when I thought I still had a few pages left. So I guess that means I felt it ended abruptly, too. But I don't feel like I was cheated, or left hanging, just surprised. I would definitely love to see the possible sequel I saw discussed, so add me as another in the "yes, please!" column for that.
I loved the information about high-risk insurance, and especially HIV+ insurance coverage, in the story. It's not something I know much about, but it was fascinating. And clearly important, and I loved that it was important to Ben and Adrian. I really loved them both, but I felt somewhat distanced from Adrian, even when we were in his POV.
I think a certain amount of distance was to be expected, considering Adrian was rather distanced from himself for much of the story, so it makes sense I'd feel it too. But I think I was just a little too distanced because I was distracted by some obviously non-native niggles about the San Francisco setting. They weren't egregious, just little things that I think only a native would notice. The good news for anyone else that might bother is that I'll beta the upcoming books, so this should be the only book those particular niggles will appear in.
I loved the dual start, and I think it was very effective for the story, and the way it then finished with the alternating third. I'd seen some discussion that the ending was too abrupt, so I'd wondered how I'd feel about it. I did find myself surprised to be at the end of the story when I thought I still had a few pages left. So I guess that means I felt it ended abruptly, too. But I don't feel like I was cheated, or left hanging, just surprised. I would definitely love to see the possible sequel I saw discussed, so add me as another in the "yes, please!" column for that.
I loved the information about high-risk insurance, and especially HIV+ insurance coverage, in the story. It's not something I know much about, but it was fascinating. And clearly important, and I loved that it was important to Ben and Adrian. I really loved them both, but I felt somewhat distanced from Adrian, even when we were in his POV.
I think a certain amount of distance was to be expected, considering Adrian was rather distanced from himself for much of the story, so it makes sense I'd feel it too. But I think I was just a little too distanced because I was distracted by some obviously non-native niggles about the San Francisco setting. They weren't egregious, just little things that I think only a native would notice. The good news for anyone else that might bother is that I'll beta the upcoming books, so this should be the only book those particular niggles will appear in.
June 16, 2012
Gennie's review posted on Guilty Pleasures
Red + Blue is the first book I’ve read by author AB Gayle, but I am sure there will be more in the future. This book is about two people finding their place in the world, figuring out how to use their individual voice, while also learning to ask for help along the way. The author chose an unusual style in writing this book, but it really worked for me. The book opens with first person from Ben’s perspective, then switches to Adrian’s first person perspective of the same amount of time, and then the book moves to third person where we get both Ben and Adrian’s point of view. It sounds confusing, but I promise it works and had me from the start.
I loved Ben’s character, he’s honest and straight forward and strives to be all that he can be, however he’s still only 24 and has some growing up to do because he can be a bit naïve. Adrian was once completely out and proud, but has let his responsibilities, guilt and his father’s prejudices wall him in and the closet is becoming very stuffy. I don’t want to give any more away, but this is a great story with two good guys just trying to find their way.
Ms. Gayle does a fabulous job capturing the life and energy of San Francisco as well the beauty and calm of nature found in Northern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada. There are great secondary characters found within this book, including both the MC’s family and friends. I can’t wait to hear their stories, especially Jason, Chris and Mick’s! If you like M/M stories about discovery, love and hard decisions, than this book is for you!
Red + Blue is the first book I’ve read by author AB Gayle, but I am sure there will be more in the future. This book is about two people finding their place in the world, figuring out how to use their individual voice, while also learning to ask for help along the way. The author chose an unusual style in writing this book, but it really worked for me. The book opens with first person from Ben’s perspective, then switches to Adrian’s first person perspective of the same amount of time, and then the book moves to third person where we get both Ben and Adrian’s point of view. It sounds confusing, but I promise it works and had me from the start.
I loved Ben’s character, he’s honest and straight forward and strives to be all that he can be, however he’s still only 24 and has some growing up to do because he can be a bit naïve. Adrian was once completely out and proud, but has let his responsibilities, guilt and his father’s prejudices wall him in and the closet is becoming very stuffy. I don’t want to give any more away, but this is a great story with two good guys just trying to find their way.
Ms. Gayle does a fabulous job capturing the life and energy of San Francisco as well the beauty and calm of nature found in Northern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada. There are great secondary characters found within this book, including both the MC’s family and friends. I can’t wait to hear their stories, especially Jason, Chris and Mick’s! If you like M/M stories about discovery, love and hard decisions, than this book is for you!
July 10, 2012
Actuarial student Ben Dutoit is from Minnesota, but he has moved to the city to find his way and to live a gay lifestyle. He finds a mentor at his small insurance company, Carl Hausfeldt, has a friend with benefits, and is relatively content. When Carl suffers a heart attack, however, and Laurel Marchison the ice queen comes to take over, things start to take a turn for the worse. Luckily it seems that the Boss, Adrian Sydney Sutherland IV, is fair minded and occasionally takes his side.
My absolutely favorite aspect of this book is how A.B. Gayle cleverly uses the Red + Blue title throughout the book. Part One of the book is Red and is from Ben's POV. Part Two is Blue and is from Adrian's POV and while it goes over the same time period as Part One, it is not redundant in any way. The two stories meld well together without overly repeating any of the previous events. Part Three is Red + Blue and goes back and forth between Ben and Adrian's POVs.
I really enjoyed the way this book was laid out, I liked the characters, and I liked the story. There is really not much I didn't like about this book. I'm on the fence between 4 and 5 stars so I'll give it 5 stars for now because it made me pretty happy. I can't wait to see what else A.B. Gayle dreams up for this "Opposites Attract" series
My absolutely favorite aspect of this book is how A.B. Gayle cleverly uses the Red + Blue title throughout the book. Part One of the book is Red and is from Ben's POV. Part Two is Blue and is from Adrian's POV and while it goes over the same time period as Part One, it is not redundant in any way. The two stories meld well together without overly repeating any of the previous events. Part Three is Red + Blue and goes back and forth between Ben and Adrian's POVs.
I really enjoyed the way this book was laid out, I liked the characters, and I liked the story. There is really not much I didn't like about this book. I'm on the fence between 4 and 5 stars so I'll give it 5 stars for now because it made me pretty happy. I can't wait to see what else A.B. Gayle dreams up for this "Opposites Attract" series
June 16, 2012
Good contemporary story, with a slow paced romance. It's nicely done, there is a story, the characters are appealing and likeable. There is also some good sexual tention between them. I was wondering about the ending since some have writen, the story feels unfinished. Well, there is not much of a HEA but there is one, we don't know what will happen next, if they can make it work but truthfully I was satisfied with how it ended, that it didn't turn into a sugary concotion at the end. Then again I like Josh Lanyons work and I think most of his earlier book are a lot more open ended and the ending a lot less satiesfying, still I liked the book, because the chemestry between the characters worked for me and the ending was believable.
July 7, 2014
What a freaking waste of my time... *cringes*
This was definitely nothing to write 'home' about.
This is your typical openly gay guy meets closeted older guy that cant be who he truly is, blah blah blah, the whole book Ben wonders if his beloved boss is really completely straight till he isnt, and then he's scared of coming out, daddy issues, queen B character, protective family, the cliche'd-ness (is this even a word? Im not making sense) of the story is not the issue, it was the poor writing and weak characters are just a big turn off for me, I skimmed most of the last 50% and didnt even read the non-exciting sex scenes, Im sorry but this was simply not for me.
This was definitely nothing to write 'home' about.
This is your typical openly gay guy meets closeted older guy that cant be who he truly is, blah blah blah, the whole book Ben wonders if his beloved boss is really completely straight till he isnt, and then he's scared of coming out, daddy issues, queen B character, protective family, the cliche'd-ness (is this even a word? Im not making sense) of the story is not the issue, it was the poor writing and weak characters are just a big turn off for me, I skimmed most of the last 50% and didnt even read the non-exciting sex scenes, Im sorry but this was simply not for me.
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