What do you think?
Rate this book
Mild to Wild in Massachusetts
Brett has spent twenty-seven years trying to be perfect for the Mormon grandparents who raised him. Unfortunately, doing so has meant missing out on lots of life experiences—and denying a major part of who he is. Now that his grandparents are gone, Brett is ready to make up for lost time, break out of the sedate façade he’s always presented, and do something he would have never considered attend a gay men’s spiritual retreat in rural Massachusetts.
While trying to infuse some spice into his life with workshops like Erotic Massage, Body Painting, and Drag 101, Brett meets Boston nurse Karl, and it’s hard to deny the connection between them. But will Brett’s lack of experience and Karl’s insecurities end their romance before it can really begin?
It might be a spiritual retreat, but Brett must learn to embrace his physical reality if he’s going to grab on to his chance at love.
States of Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
While trying to infuse some spice into his life with workshops like Erotic Massage, Body Painting, and Drag 101, Brett meets Boston nurse Karl, and it’s hard to deny the connection between them. But will Brett’s lack of experience and Karl’s insecurities end their romance before it can really begin?
It might be a spiritual retreat, but Brett must learn to embrace his physical reality if he’s going to grab on to his chance at love.
States of Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
- GenresM M Romance
74 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2017
23 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 5, 2017
3.5 Stars
Left by his hippy mother to be raised by his Mormon grandparents, Brett has spent most of his 27 years hiding from who he is. He has gone through life with his head down, as to not draw attention to himself or the fact that he is gay. Now that his grandparents have passed on, Brett has decided with some urging from a family friend, that maybe it's time to go out and discover who he really is and start living his life.
This was definitely a coming of age story, not in the sense that Brett is young, well, 27 is still young, but in the sense that he is truly naive when it comes to living his life as a member of the gay community. Brett has never dated or acted on his sexuality. This isn't so much a love story as it is a story of self-discovery. Brett attends a retreat in Massachusetts and discovers what it's like to be comfortable in his own skin, while surrounded by other members of the LGBT community.
This was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed watching Brett come out of his shell and peel away the layers of the armor he'd built around him over the years. The secondary characters and the workshops Brett takes part in were all very entertaining to read about.
I haven't really mentioned a love interest, because truly this wasn't a love story. There is no declaration of love or happy endings here, in fact, the book ends rather abruptly. I'd love to see what the future holds for Brett and perhaps Karl? This was a well-written and enjoyable read. Recommendable.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement.*
Left by his hippy mother to be raised by his Mormon grandparents, Brett has spent most of his 27 years hiding from who he is. He has gone through life with his head down, as to not draw attention to himself or the fact that he is gay. Now that his grandparents have passed on, Brett has decided with some urging from a family friend, that maybe it's time to go out and discover who he really is and start living his life.
This was definitely a coming of age story, not in the sense that Brett is young, well, 27 is still young, but in the sense that he is truly naive when it comes to living his life as a member of the gay community. Brett has never dated or acted on his sexuality. This isn't so much a love story as it is a story of self-discovery. Brett attends a retreat in Massachusetts and discovers what it's like to be comfortable in his own skin, while surrounded by other members of the LGBT community.
This was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed watching Brett come out of his shell and peel away the layers of the armor he'd built around him over the years. The secondary characters and the workshops Brett takes part in were all very entertaining to read about.
I haven't really mentioned a love interest, because truly this wasn't a love story. There is no declaration of love or happy endings here, in fact, the book ends rather abruptly. I'd love to see what the future holds for Brett and perhaps Karl? This was a well-written and enjoyable read. Recommendable.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement.*
January 26, 2018
The title of this novella promises a journey – mild to wild – and that is what the book delivers, although not exactly in the way I expected. This story focuses on Brett’s journey of self-discovery, and at the age of twenty-seven and never even having admitted out-loud that he is gay, Brett has quite the distance to go. Other than some teenage fumbling in the backseat of his grandparents’ car (while they were driving), Brett has no experience. Considering where he comes from – a strict Mormon upbringing and a personal choice to always be “a good boy” – his decision to go on a retreat for gay, bisexual and questioning men alone is quite a step. The experiences he has while in the “wilderness” where the workshops take place, the conclusions he draws for himself, and the decisions he makes could be considered “wild” – for him and who he used to be.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
June 8, 2017
I think I need a shelf that says "not a romance" because that is exactly where this beautiful book would go. This story is about one young mans journey into learning how to let go and find that path to happiness. Is it a coming out story? Sort of but not the usual coming out story nor is it your typical coming of age story but in part it is that too. It's a beautifully written story of self discovery.
I wish this was longer or a sequel would be nice. I really want to hear what happens to him after he leaves the retreat and I'd love to be there when he finds that special someone. I'm completely in love with Brett!
April 9, 2017
I have to admit that book was a little confusing to me. I understood the giest of it but as far as whether the two main men went and if they decided to get together or not, well let's just say it ended with me going "what the hell"?
Brett has lived pretty much a sheltered life when it comes to exploring his sexuality. He felt he had to hide who he is so he would not shame his Mormon grandparents but in the end I truly believe that most of that was in his own head.
If I had to describe who I think that Brett is, I would say that personality wise he is very uptight. I believe that he has set himself up with very strict rules that he believes he has to follow in order to make his grandparents proud of him. But I think that reality is that his grandparents would not really care because they have supported other members of his family that has no followed the Mormon way in the least. They never out and out told him that it was wrong to be who he is but I think that Brett is such a serious person and does not know how to let himself truly feel that he does what he has conceived as being the right thing by hiding who h is and never exploring his sexuality. I honestly believe that he thinks that he needs to make up for what he views as other family members past mistakes by trying to be perfect.
When Brett finally decides that it is ok to explore this side of him he tried to go out with a bang. He finds himself at a sexual retreat to be able to learn bout himself and things that he will or might like. There is where he meets. Man that he is attracted to Karl. But Brett keeps making mistake after mistake where Karl is concerned.
Can Brett and Karl figure out a way to make it work?
Like I said in the beginning of this review, I can honestly say that I m unsure of whether here two actually end up together or not. I feel like the book ended abruptly and left me wondering what happened. It may have just been me and the take away I got from this book and others may not share the same outcome that I did. Regardless it was an interesting read.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
Brett has lived pretty much a sheltered life when it comes to exploring his sexuality. He felt he had to hide who he is so he would not shame his Mormon grandparents but in the end I truly believe that most of that was in his own head.
If I had to describe who I think that Brett is, I would say that personality wise he is very uptight. I believe that he has set himself up with very strict rules that he believes he has to follow in order to make his grandparents proud of him. But I think that reality is that his grandparents would not really care because they have supported other members of his family that has no followed the Mormon way in the least. They never out and out told him that it was wrong to be who he is but I think that Brett is such a serious person and does not know how to let himself truly feel that he does what he has conceived as being the right thing by hiding who h is and never exploring his sexuality. I honestly believe that he thinks that he needs to make up for what he views as other family members past mistakes by trying to be perfect.
When Brett finally decides that it is ok to explore this side of him he tried to go out with a bang. He finds himself at a sexual retreat to be able to learn bout himself and things that he will or might like. There is where he meets. Man that he is attracted to Karl. But Brett keeps making mistake after mistake where Karl is concerned.
Can Brett and Karl figure out a way to make it work?
Like I said in the beginning of this review, I can honestly say that I m unsure of whether here two actually end up together or not. I feel like the book ended abruptly and left me wondering what happened. It may have just been me and the take away I got from this book and others may not share the same outcome that I did. Regardless it was an interesting read.
Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
April 12, 2017
A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
For the full review, visit http://wp.me/p220KL-abD
From that review: "Mild to Wild in Massachusetts introduced me to author Paul Walkingsky. After finishing this story, I want to know more about this author and read more of his writings. From the little I could find, this might be his first story. If so, its a good one.
I'm unfamiliar with growing up Mormon or life in Utah, or gay Mormon in Utah so when I say that Brett came off as a much older person at first, I'm not sure if that's due to his religious upbringing or his mental framework but I was surprised to find out that he was only 27 not say 47 from the manner in which he was talking about himself, his clothing, and his lack of sex life. There was a slight disconnect at first from his character and I'm at a loss to say why. But then all of a sudden the story snaps together when Brett comes into some money and makes a decision to go to a gay men's retreat in Massachusetts. For Brett, that's like going to Oz....plane ride, exotic place...its so far out of his comfort zone..its truly the land of Dorothy."
For all our reviews, author interviews and all things books, visit us at http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
For the full review, visit http://wp.me/p220KL-abD
From that review: "Mild to Wild in Massachusetts introduced me to author Paul Walkingsky. After finishing this story, I want to know more about this author and read more of his writings. From the little I could find, this might be his first story. If so, its a good one.
I'm unfamiliar with growing up Mormon or life in Utah, or gay Mormon in Utah so when I say that Brett came off as a much older person at first, I'm not sure if that's due to his religious upbringing or his mental framework but I was surprised to find out that he was only 27 not say 47 from the manner in which he was talking about himself, his clothing, and his lack of sex life. There was a slight disconnect at first from his character and I'm at a loss to say why. But then all of a sudden the story snaps together when Brett comes into some money and makes a decision to go to a gay men's retreat in Massachusetts. For Brett, that's like going to Oz....plane ride, exotic place...its so far out of his comfort zone..its truly the land of Dorothy."
For all our reviews, author interviews and all things books, visit us at http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
April 13, 2017
Full review available at: https://optimummblog.wordpress.com/20...
I had the opportunity to read Mild to Wild in Massachusetts by Paul Walkingsky, and I have to say that I think the book had some missed opportunities to it. I do want to state that I loved the blurb for the book it was very catchy and made me want to read it. So kudos for snagging my interest. I was expecting lots of wild oat sowing and some pretty hot scenes which I did eventually get when the book finally got to the retreat part. However, the book is only 74 pages, which isn’t very long. The first five chapters are all about why Benjie (later changed to Brett) doesn’t want to be a screw up like he considers the rest of his family and why he decided to stay a closeted gay. Although the first five chapters are well written, I was bored reading them and kept asking myself when we would get to the good stuff that the blurb promised.
I wasn’t disappointed with the retreat portion of the book. It was hot, and I especially loved the parts about the erotic message and body painting. Another missed opportunity for me was the ending. It’s stated a couple of times that because of all of his vacation time available that Brett has booked a week in Boston to continue to explore himself, but we never get to see it. I would have been so much happier to read five chapters about his week in Boston after the retreat then the first five chapters of the book. He could have continued to explore his new relationship with Kyle or even looked up his seatmate from the plane who gave him his number. So yeah, a missed opportunity in my opinion.
Okay so on to the good part of the book, the retreat. I loved this part of the book. Brett meets so many diverse people at the retreat that help him become more comfortable and confident in his body. Walter, who has an agreement with his wife that he gets to come to these retreats to get his other needs met since he’s a teacher at a Wisconsin school. Jared who’s default setting is a hound dog and shamelessly flirts with everybody. Danny, who is from Connecticut and who’s body is the exact opposite from Brett’s and who has the pleasure of being Brett’s erotic massage partner. Karl, who is filled with lots of great pieces of wisdom and is very supportive of Brett getting out there and sowing some wild oats before settling down. Although Karl does jerk Brett around a little bit and sends some mixed signals, and Brett accidently hurts Karl’s feelings, they do manage to work it out in the end.
The sowing of the wild oats isn’t about sex for Brett because at the end of the book he’s still a virgin. But for Brett, it’s about him being more comfortable and confident with his body after each of his classes. And now you can see why I wanted those extra five chapters at the end of the book. I would have liked to see more of Brett and Kyle.
3.5 OptimuMM's
**** The ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press. My review is an honest opinion of the book ****
I had the opportunity to read Mild to Wild in Massachusetts by Paul Walkingsky, and I have to say that I think the book had some missed opportunities to it. I do want to state that I loved the blurb for the book it was very catchy and made me want to read it. So kudos for snagging my interest. I was expecting lots of wild oat sowing and some pretty hot scenes which I did eventually get when the book finally got to the retreat part. However, the book is only 74 pages, which isn’t very long. The first five chapters are all about why Benjie (later changed to Brett) doesn’t want to be a screw up like he considers the rest of his family and why he decided to stay a closeted gay. Although the first five chapters are well written, I was bored reading them and kept asking myself when we would get to the good stuff that the blurb promised.
I wasn’t disappointed with the retreat portion of the book. It was hot, and I especially loved the parts about the erotic message and body painting. Another missed opportunity for me was the ending. It’s stated a couple of times that because of all of his vacation time available that Brett has booked a week in Boston to continue to explore himself, but we never get to see it. I would have been so much happier to read five chapters about his week in Boston after the retreat then the first five chapters of the book. He could have continued to explore his new relationship with Kyle or even looked up his seatmate from the plane who gave him his number. So yeah, a missed opportunity in my opinion.
Okay so on to the good part of the book, the retreat. I loved this part of the book. Brett meets so many diverse people at the retreat that help him become more comfortable and confident in his body. Walter, who has an agreement with his wife that he gets to come to these retreats to get his other needs met since he’s a teacher at a Wisconsin school. Jared who’s default setting is a hound dog and shamelessly flirts with everybody. Danny, who is from Connecticut and who’s body is the exact opposite from Brett’s and who has the pleasure of being Brett’s erotic massage partner. Karl, who is filled with lots of great pieces of wisdom and is very supportive of Brett getting out there and sowing some wild oats before settling down. Although Karl does jerk Brett around a little bit and sends some mixed signals, and Brett accidently hurts Karl’s feelings, they do manage to work it out in the end.
The sowing of the wild oats isn’t about sex for Brett because at the end of the book he’s still a virgin. But for Brett, it’s about him being more comfortable and confident with his body after each of his classes. And now you can see why I wanted those extra five chapters at the end of the book. I would have liked to see more of Brett and Kyle.
3.5 OptimuMM's
**** The ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press. My review is an honest opinion of the book ****
April 20, 2017
This is a new author to me and I always find that one of my favorite aspects of reviewing – finding new authors, subjects, genres…
My general impression is that this is a good “coming of age” story about Brett and I think the writing was pretty good.
I wasn’t crazy about the author’s style (it’s written in a journal fashion) but I think that is a matter of taste. I definitely did not like the fact that there is not a specific romance but a general “exploration”. I like romance, the sappier the better and that’s no lie!
If you’re looking for a single person’s experience in blossoming – exploring the world and learning about being a gay guy for the first time in his life – this would be great for you.
If you’re looking for a “typical”romance with one (or more) love interests – keep looking.
3 of 5 stars
My general impression is that this is a good “coming of age” story about Brett and I think the writing was pretty good.
I wasn’t crazy about the author’s style (it’s written in a journal fashion) but I think that is a matter of taste. I definitely did not like the fact that there is not a specific romance but a general “exploration”. I like romance, the sappier the better and that’s no lie!
If you’re looking for a single person’s experience in blossoming – exploring the world and learning about being a gay guy for the first time in his life – this would be great for you.
If you’re looking for a “typical”romance with one (or more) love interests – keep looking.
3 of 5 stars
April 21, 2017
1.5 stars
April 24, 2017
3.25 stars
April 27, 2017
A Joyfully Jay review.
2.75 stars
So, the hook here practically screamed to me that Brett was going to get sexually wild out in Massachusetts. And, to my mind, that didn’t happen. At all. Brett does the hard work of self-realization and experiences his first physical closeness with another man, but this isn’t an erotic story. He meets Zach, a gay man on his flight, who’s interested in visiting when the retreat ends. That’s promising but vague. Then he makes a retreat friend, Karl, who could be more, and it’s complicated. Some kissing, a little touching, and it’s time to move on because…they aren’t on the same sexual page?
Brett meets several insightful individuals who help him on his journey toward realizing his gayness, but this story is more of an emotional journey than a sexual one. For me the pace lagged, and I felt like Brett considered and reconsidered and then had second and third thoughts about virtually everything. He is young and indecisive and not sure who might make a good partner on his journey. This isn’t a romance—it might be the start of one, but there is no romance arc within the text. Unfortunately, the book didn’t grab me. Part of this is the repetition and cadence of the book, and the rest was the lack of discernible plot arc. In the end, Brett’s finally worked up the gumption to make some experiences happen with a partner and…end of book. It never seem to me that Brett got even a little wild–though the hint was strong that he *might*. The “wild” in the title really reflected the wilderness location; that was unsatisfying.
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
2.75 stars
So, the hook here practically screamed to me that Brett was going to get sexually wild out in Massachusetts. And, to my mind, that didn’t happen. At all. Brett does the hard work of self-realization and experiences his first physical closeness with another man, but this isn’t an erotic story. He meets Zach, a gay man on his flight, who’s interested in visiting when the retreat ends. That’s promising but vague. Then he makes a retreat friend, Karl, who could be more, and it’s complicated. Some kissing, a little touching, and it’s time to move on because…they aren’t on the same sexual page?
Brett meets several insightful individuals who help him on his journey toward realizing his gayness, but this story is more of an emotional journey than a sexual one. For me the pace lagged, and I felt like Brett considered and reconsidered and then had second and third thoughts about virtually everything. He is young and indecisive and not sure who might make a good partner on his journey. This isn’t a romance—it might be the start of one, but there is no romance arc within the text. Unfortunately, the book didn’t grab me. Part of this is the repetition and cadence of the book, and the rest was the lack of discernible plot arc. In the end, Brett’s finally worked up the gumption to make some experiences happen with a partner and…end of book. It never seem to me that Brett got even a little wild–though the hint was strong that he *might*. The “wild” in the title really reflected the wilderness location; that was unsatisfying.
Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews