What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lovers
Scott was a child star, and had all the pitfalls of his profession, including drugs and a controlling, partying mom. Now he's clean, putting his life back together, and acting in a nationally known soap opera. Things are going great until his mother shows up, demanding money, threatening to out him to the entertainment world unless he coughs it up.
While Scott hates the blackmail, he's not out, and neither is his deeply closeted lover, Zane. Zane's got an ex-wife, kids, and a high powered job. Scott's playing a womanizer on his soap opera, and he's not sure he'll keep his job if he's exposed. Tough choices follow, and Scott has to decide if he's more afraid of hiding, or of living his life openly. Can he and Zane weather the storm and find a way to make all the drama work in their favor?
While Scott hates the blackmail, he's not out, and neither is his deeply closeted lover, Zane. Zane's got an ex-wife, kids, and a high powered job. Scott's playing a womanizer on his soap opera, and he's not sure he'll keep his job if he's exposed. Tough choices follow, and Scott has to decide if he's more afraid of hiding, or of living his life openly. Can he and Zane weather the storm and find a way to make all the drama work in their favor?
51 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2008
About the author
Sara Bell
31 books200 followersSara Bell lives in North Alabama with the world's sexiest, most supportive husband, the two most beautiful, gifted daughters on the planet, and two of the most neurotic but loveable dogs ever created. She's a full-time author who writes stories about never-ending love for all kinds of characters--gay, straight, and somewhere in-between. Sara still can't believe she gets paid to do something she loves so much, and she's darned grateful to her incredible readers for making her dream a reality.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 30, 2019
I so rarely give short stories 5 stars for a multitude of reasons but The Lovers by Sara Bell deserves them and more. Most short stories - even if they're sweet - leave me wanting and feeling like I've just read part of a larger story, The Lovers did neither. While I'm sad it's over it is a beautiful love story just as is. This story brought a whole host of emotions that will stay with me for a while.
TAGS
-- full of angst -- in the closet -- coming out -- addiction -- horrible parenting -- a beautiful love affair -- family unit -- sweet -- lots of tears (happy and sad) -- love the MCs to death... Scott and Zane -- less than 75 pages -- highly recommend
August 24, 2018
This is my favourite short story by Sara Bell.
The emotion in this short story rivals longer novel reads.
This short brought tears to my eyes while I fell totally in love with Zane and Scott. There was also a healthy amount of anger towards Scott’s mum.
Have your tissues ready not just for Zane and Scott’s anguish, but for the totally HEA epilogue.
ETA Still one of my favorites and I still need the tissues lol.
The emotion in this short story rivals longer novel reads.
This short brought tears to my eyes while I fell totally in love with Zane and Scott. There was also a healthy amount of anger towards Scott’s mum.
Have your tissues ready not just for Zane and Scott’s anguish, but for the totally HEA epilogue.
ETA Still one of my favorites and I still need the tissues lol.
February 26, 2010
I haven't known Sara Bell's work long; only know her for the last couple of days after reading her story in an Anthology: Eternal Darkness (her character there reminds me of Harry Dresden) and I like her writing style. So I try to find her other stories and love what I read so far.
For a novella, this one sure jams pack a lot of punches on its slevees. It's an all around classic love story, that sort of epic by itself. Hollywood epic, I mean. Like one you see in a TV drama. It covers family matters, love lost, reunion, acceptance, and one sweet epilogue. I enjoy the "heavy" family theme in this, because I almost never read a story about the two heroes settling down with kids (usually only up to the wedding). Seeing a snippet of Zane and Scott's life in the future is VERY satisfying. This story also reaffirms my belief that I love her writing style VERY much.
For a novella, this one sure jams pack a lot of punches on its slevees. It's an all around classic love story, that sort of epic by itself. Hollywood epic, I mean. Like one you see in a TV drama. It covers family matters, love lost, reunion, acceptance, and one sweet epilogue. I enjoy the "heavy" family theme in this, because I almost never read a story about the two heroes settling down with kids (usually only up to the wedding). Seeing a snippet of Zane and Scott's life in the future is VERY satisfying. This story also reaffirms my belief that I love her writing style VERY much.
May 23, 2012
3.5-4*
Totally sweet story! Maybe a bit too idealistic, but sometimes that's ok! :)
Except for the evil mother, everyone was great and supportive and all jellybeans and sunshine and flowers ...
Great read for a light feel good happy read! :)
Totally sweet story! Maybe a bit too idealistic, but sometimes that's ok! :)
Except for the evil mother, everyone was great and supportive and all jellybeans and sunshine and flowers ...
Great read for a light feel good happy read! :)
Read
May 7, 2009This story is more Hollywood style than the Hollywood's world in which it's setting!
Scott is a 29 years old former child star now stuck in a soap opera role after his mother dissipated all his money in drugs and parties. Scott has the same reputation as his fiction role, a womanizer, but instead he is gay and in the closet, and his lover is even more in the closet than him. Zane is a macho man superstar with five children from a previous marriage and a very strictly catholic upbringing. Together since 15 months, they only meet in secluded places when they want to have sex and no one of their friends or families know of their relationship. Or so thought Scott: now his mother is again in front of him asking money to not outing his son with the media. Scott now has to face a very hard decision: finally claim his sexuality in public and lose Zane forever, or give up to his mother's blackmailing.
Obviously Zane's character is inspired by some famous Hollywood names (I would dare to say Mel Gibson...) and Scott by some of those actors who found their fortune in the tv fiction. The story deals also with the recent event in California, like the temporary legalization of gay marriage. All in all Zane and Scott are pretty lucky and all the bad things they really should suffer if they were a real gay couple with a very public image are not shown. The story is not very long, 70 pages, and it's most spent telling us family pictures of Scott and Zane; the media circus is not far from them and they are aware of it, but it always remains outside, like at the other end of a fence that protect Scott and Zane's world.
Even if Scott is younger and also less physically imposing than Zane, he is the top of the couple; he is the stronger, the man who has the courage to take in hands the matter and deals with all the problems face to face. On the other hand Zane is not a bad character, he had a very bad experience in his past, and he obviously fears to lose his family; but he is not a coward and probably if Scott has expressed before his uneasiness with their relationship, he would have done something before. But since Scott seemed content with what they had, he saw no reason to unsettling their existences.
This is right the romance I like sometime to read, beautiful life, beautiful men, good feelings and a bit of hot sex to spice the thing up.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/36...
Scott is a 29 years old former child star now stuck in a soap opera role after his mother dissipated all his money in drugs and parties. Scott has the same reputation as his fiction role, a womanizer, but instead he is gay and in the closet, and his lover is even more in the closet than him. Zane is a macho man superstar with five children from a previous marriage and a very strictly catholic upbringing. Together since 15 months, they only meet in secluded places when they want to have sex and no one of their friends or families know of their relationship. Or so thought Scott: now his mother is again in front of him asking money to not outing his son with the media. Scott now has to face a very hard decision: finally claim his sexuality in public and lose Zane forever, or give up to his mother's blackmailing.
Obviously Zane's character is inspired by some famous Hollywood names (I would dare to say Mel Gibson...) and Scott by some of those actors who found their fortune in the tv fiction. The story deals also with the recent event in California, like the temporary legalization of gay marriage. All in all Zane and Scott are pretty lucky and all the bad things they really should suffer if they were a real gay couple with a very public image are not shown. The story is not very long, 70 pages, and it's most spent telling us family pictures of Scott and Zane; the media circus is not far from them and they are aware of it, but it always remains outside, like at the other end of a fence that protect Scott and Zane's world.
Even if Scott is younger and also less physically imposing than Zane, he is the top of the couple; he is the stronger, the man who has the courage to take in hands the matter and deals with all the problems face to face. On the other hand Zane is not a bad character, he had a very bad experience in his past, and he obviously fears to lose his family; but he is not a coward and probably if Scott has expressed before his uneasiness with their relationship, he would have done something before. But since Scott seemed content with what they had, he saw no reason to unsettling their existences.
This is right the romance I like sometime to read, beautiful life, beautiful men, good feelings and a bit of hot sex to spice the thing up.
http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/36...
February 13, 2012
A really nice novella about what's the most important thing in life.
Just reread it this evening. It reminded me why I enjoyed reading this novella very much. There are dramas. Hollywood dramas (the setting is Hollywood, after all), but not melodramatic. The characters are loveable. You feel for Scott and want to hate Zane-but you cannot. The supporting characters are also nice, including Zane's ex wife and brother. The epilogue is really nice.
Just reread it this evening. It reminded me why I enjoyed reading this novella very much. There are dramas. Hollywood dramas (the setting is Hollywood, after all), but not melodramatic. The characters are loveable. You feel for Scott and want to hate Zane-but you cannot. The supporting characters are also nice, including Zane's ex wife and brother. The epilogue is really nice.
September 29, 2012
This was wonderful, and I even shed a few tears. What a beautiful love story - Sara Bell really is the perfect author if you're looking for short, sweet and incredibly moving romance stories. I loved the epilogue too, was just the perfect ending :)
October 13, 2017
A nice and short story about being gay: accepting yourself, a life in public, coming out and family. It is a nice story with heavy emotions, but not too deep. A good read for on between.
March 23, 2010
I am such a sucker for gay romance novels that feature famous actors or musicians as lead characters. I'm not sure what it is that appeals so much to me: the whole coming-out-of-the-closet routine, the drama involved in such a public arena, or perhaps the typical dysfunctional and/or lonely past suffered by said closeted stars? While this novella makes a great start at telling this type of complicated story I love, I just wish it were longer so that it could deal with all the issues more fully.
Scott is a has-been child star whose druggie mother mismanaged his career and spent all his earnings. Scott now works on a soap opera and has been secretly dating another actor, Zane, for the past 15 months. Unlike Scott, Zane has a huge career, an ex-wife, and five kids to worry about. But this is all backstory. When the novella begins, Scott's addict mother has come demanding cash in return for not outing her son to the tabloids. Yikes. What is a guy to do?
The ensuing decisions to be made by both Scott and Zane are extremely difficult. Scott's internal struggles about coming out, his mixed feelings toward his addict mother, and his yearnings for a normal open relationship are heart wrenching to read about. Zane is struggling in a different way - he's freaked about the possibility of losing Scott, his friends, his career, and mostly his kids. It's all achingly sad and infuriating at the same time. And that is what's so great about all the Sara Bell stories that I have read so far -- they all make you feel for the characters' struggles as if they are real.
Overall, I think this novella is great for what it is: an attention grabbing tale with emotion inducing subjects and a gift-wrapped finish. What makes it less than it could be is its short length and the fact that it glances over a lot of conflict and potential story-line. I can't help but wish for it to have been a more fleshed-out novel. Regardless, I still liked it and would recommend it.
On a final note: What's up with the title and cover for this book? Seriously. The only reason I picked this up was because I had read and enjoyed two other books from this author previously. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but obviously I can't help it. And if we're all being honest, neither can most people.
Scott is a has-been child star whose druggie mother mismanaged his career and spent all his earnings. Scott now works on a soap opera and has been secretly dating another actor, Zane, for the past 15 months. Unlike Scott, Zane has a huge career, an ex-wife, and five kids to worry about. But this is all backstory. When the novella begins, Scott's addict mother has come demanding cash in return for not outing her son to the tabloids. Yikes. What is a guy to do?
The ensuing decisions to be made by both Scott and Zane are extremely difficult. Scott's internal struggles about coming out, his mixed feelings toward his addict mother, and his yearnings for a normal open relationship are heart wrenching to read about. Zane is struggling in a different way - he's freaked about the possibility of losing Scott, his friends, his career, and mostly his kids. It's all achingly sad and infuriating at the same time. And that is what's so great about all the Sara Bell stories that I have read so far -- they all make you feel for the characters' struggles as if they are real.
Overall, I think this novella is great for what it is: an attention grabbing tale with emotion inducing subjects and a gift-wrapped finish. What makes it less than it could be is its short length and the fact that it glances over a lot of conflict and potential story-line. I can't help but wish for it to have been a more fleshed-out novel. Regardless, I still liked it and would recommend it.
On a final note: What's up with the title and cover for this book? Seriously. The only reason I picked this up was because I had read and enjoyed two other books from this author previously. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but obviously I can't help it. And if we're all being honest, neither can most people.
June 12, 2012
I'm normally not big on books where any of the characters are celebrities (actors, rocks stars, etc.) but this one was really quite good.
Scott is a former child actor who is trying to make his way back in the industry by working at a popular cable station soap opera. He is also gay and not out of the closet. Zane, a bigger actor than Scott, is Scott's lover and is also in the closet. Scott's mother, who was the direct cause of his career downfall, threatens to expose his homosexuality to a tabloid if he doesn't give her a large amount of money. The way that Scott handles that situation was perfect. The way Zane handled it was not. While I understood Zane's character, it took me a bit into the book before I was able to get beyond that. His reaction was perfectly normal but I found myself rooting for Scott and sympathizing for him and to hell with Zane. Zane definitely redeems himself though it takes a little while to get there. The love story between the two was very sweet and I love how it came together.
The only issues I had were
Scott is a former child actor who is trying to make his way back in the industry by working at a popular cable station soap opera. He is also gay and not out of the closet. Zane, a bigger actor than Scott, is Scott's lover and is also in the closet. Scott's mother, who was the direct cause of his career downfall, threatens to expose his homosexuality to a tabloid if he doesn't give her a large amount of money. The way that Scott handles that situation was perfect. The way Zane handled it was not. While I understood Zane's character, it took me a bit into the book before I was able to get beyond that. His reaction was perfectly normal but I found myself rooting for Scott and sympathizing for him and to hell with Zane. Zane definitely redeems himself though it takes a little while to get there. The love story between the two was very sweet and I love how it came together.
The only issues I had were
March 23, 2013
Huh. Strangely enough, I really enjoyed this one. Yeah, yeah, the usual staples. Fame, riches, betrayal, marriage, progeny. But it was still a really sweet story. Simple, but sweet. The fact that the protagonists had already been lovers for a while at the beginning of it, something that usually puts me off, really worked in the story’s favour here, as did the dual perspective.
So yeah. Despite the odd (fourteen years later, seriously?) epilogue, this story gave me a fuzzy feeling.
Plus I really relish the fact that it wasn’t sex based, in contradiction to how the relationship apparently began. I know many people read m/m for the sex scenes and demand more and racier ones all the time. It’s a bit the opposite for me (although I do appreciate a good steam scene); I need the emotional connect and I need people I can care about. I got that here. Who cares if it was idealized and formulaic? This one at least did not bore me.
So yeah. Despite the odd (fourteen years later, seriously?) epilogue, this story gave me a fuzzy feeling.
Plus I really relish the fact that it wasn’t sex based, in contradiction to how the relationship apparently began. I know many people read m/m for the sex scenes and demand more and racier ones all the time. It’s a bit the opposite for me (although I do appreciate a good steam scene); I need the emotional connect and I need people I can care about. I got that here. Who cares if it was idealized and formulaic? This one at least did not bore me.
September 5, 2016
Synopsis:
Scott is a former child actor who had the requisite drug problems and a wretched mother. He is also in the closet, along with his lover, Zane. Zane runs a company, has an ex-wife and children, and has no intention of ever coming out. Scott has a role on a soap, and when his mother shows up threatening to out him, he and Zane have to make choices on how they want to react.
What I liked: that Scott and Zane were their own person, and that each made a decision about whether or not to come out separately. I liked that Scott stood up for himself and wouldn't let his mother bully him. I liked that Zane's ex was not a harpy, as so many of them are.
What I didn't like: I wish that the story would have been longer.
Scott is a former child actor who had the requisite drug problems and a wretched mother. He is also in the closet, along with his lover, Zane. Zane runs a company, has an ex-wife and children, and has no intention of ever coming out. Scott has a role on a soap, and when his mother shows up threatening to out him, he and Zane have to make choices on how they want to react.
What I liked: that Scott and Zane were their own person, and that each made a decision about whether or not to come out separately. I liked that Scott stood up for himself and wouldn't let his mother bully him. I liked that Zane's ex was not a harpy, as so many of them are.
What I didn't like: I wish that the story would have been longer.
August 15, 2016
Scott had a bad life partying and drugs that didnt go well when partying with your mum too. While scott managed to clean his life his mum was another story.
So now that scott been clean and has an great career and a man he loves. His mum is blackmailing to come out. He has a choose to come out and lose the man he loves. Or just be blackmailed by him mum. And whatever happens Zane and scott are so wonderful together and they truly did make a great family in the end...
So now that scott been clean and has an great career and a man he loves. His mum is blackmailing to come out. He has a choose to come out and lose the man he loves. Or just be blackmailed by him mum. And whatever happens Zane and scott are so wonderful together and they truly did make a great family in the end...
December 22, 2012
This story can be called an oldie, but them, we can even state it's definitely a beautiful gem of a story, too. The main storyline is serious even hard, but really well written. I liked both MC's.
Overall, Sara Bell did a wonderful work here.
Overall, Sara Bell did a wonderful work here.
January 4, 2014
Another shortie by Sara Bell, reads a bit like a writing exercise inspired by the tarot card it was named for but not bad. Predictable like most of her stuff but what can you do in so few pages when you wants you a happy ending?
October 25, 2014
3.5 stars--I'm in the middle of a Sara Bell marathon--her short stories are surprisingly good and varied. Highly recommend one of her reads if you have a spare hour or so.
The Lovers is a sweet, though sometimes a bit overly emotional, read.
The Lovers is a sweet, though sometimes a bit overly emotional, read.
October 17, 2010
Another good m/m romance from Sara Bell about a soap opera star whose drug addict mother threatens to out him unless he pays her off (again).
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews