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Conventions #1
Conventional Wisdom
When B-list syndicated TV star Lucas runs into Gaming-goth-geek Trent in the hotel bar the night before the convention starts, he isn't expecting to become attached. And since Trent is obviously out of touch with television, Lucas figures he's safe using his 'con name', Bill Speare. When Trent-- Mainstream Video clerk and goth with big dreams--meets a stellar hottie who seems to be into him, he goes with it, happy to be free of his recent dry spell.
But one night turns into so much more, and when he finds out that his very temporary lover has been lying to him about something as unimportant yet vital as his name, he gets... miffed. Thanks to a new acquaintance, Cindy Lou, Trent works through his anger in a drunken evening, and when he finally goes to see Bill --Lucas-- he's figured it all out.
So has Lucas, and the two men do what comes naturally to them, but can they come to an explosive and enjoyable conclusion?
But one night turns into so much more, and when he finds out that his very temporary lover has been lying to him about something as unimportant yet vital as his name, he gets... miffed. Thanks to a new acquaintance, Cindy Lou, Trent works through his anger in a drunken evening, and when he finally goes to see Bill --Lucas-- he's figured it all out.
So has Lucas, and the two men do what comes naturally to them, but can they come to an explosive and enjoyable conclusion?
63 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 27, 2013
This is a relatively short book, the first in a series of three. Luckily the next book Conventional Education was ready to launch straight into as this one closes without resolution.
I enjoyed both the characters - the in-the-closet Lucas, star of a television series, and Trent, the goth computer game programmer. There is a lot of sex but I wanted more romance. I guess that is what books 2 and 3 are for!
3.5 stars
I enjoyed both the characters - the in-the-closet Lucas, star of a television series, and Trent, the goth computer game programmer. There is a lot of sex but I wanted more romance. I guess that is what books 2 and 3 are for!
3.5 stars
November 23, 2010
This is a very hot story about two characters who likely would have never given each other a second look had they not met at a convention. Both are slightly out of their normal environment and feel just adventurous enough to give a short affair a try.
I loved Trent. He is so goth and so geeky, clearly into the whole gaming scene. He is also out and meeting someone who is in the closet is a new experience for him. He deals with it amazingly well, initially because he's more interested in the hot sex than anything else. Then he gets to know Lucas and, to his surprise, ends up really liking him.
Lucas is an actor in a paranormal show, doing signings at the same convention. He thinks he needs to stay in the closet for the sake of his career. While his fears are real, he's not doing himself any favors by denying his nature. By the end of the story he is beginning to see this.
I'm glad I've already bought the second volume - hoping it'll start where the first one left off - I can't stop reading now!
I loved Trent. He is so goth and so geeky, clearly into the whole gaming scene. He is also out and meeting someone who is in the closet is a new experience for him. He deals with it amazingly well, initially because he's more interested in the hot sex than anything else. Then he gets to know Lucas and, to his surprise, ends up really liking him.
Lucas is an actor in a paranormal show, doing signings at the same convention. He thinks he needs to stay in the closet for the sake of his career. While his fears are real, he's not doing himself any favors by denying his nature. By the end of the story he is beginning to see this.
I'm glad I've already bought the second volume - hoping it'll start where the first one left off - I can't stop reading now!
April 4, 2010
You have Trent who is very likable and easy going, can't forget goth but that's who he is a gamer dude. Lucas? He was ok if not hidden in his dark closet and with good reason of course. He needed to be for success and fame keep his sexual preferences that way. There's more sex scenes in this book, but it's written nicely and in detail. Their coming together is not fireworks explosive, but sweet in it's own sense of the word.
I need to warn that if you're going to get this one and read it you better be prepared to picking up #2 to read right after. I'm telling myself right now how fawking glad I am that I had.
Now off to read Conventional Education #2 because I hafta.
I need to warn that if you're going to get this one and read it you better be prepared to picking up #2 to read right after. I'm telling myself right now how fawking glad I am that I had.
Now off to read Conventional Education #2 because I hafta.
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February 1, 2010Recently I read another geeky/hunk story that didn’t respect the usual rules of romance making the geeky a willing bottom and the hunk an eager top. Conventional Wisdom is maybe on this line, but it adds also an element more, the Cinderfella factor.
Lucas / Bill (Bill is the name he uses when in incognito) is a tv fiction actor who was invited to a Sci-fic convention. He is not sure what to expect, and to add to a less than eager mood he has also had yet another confrontation with his family, who don’t accept his homosexuality. Plus Lucas, playing the heartthrob for the fans, can’t live openly his being gay and so he has no outlet, not in his private than public life; he is so repressed that it’s 2 years that he has not had a same-sex relationship, worst he has also had to fake a straight relationship for the media. So when Lucas meets Trent, openly gay and clearly willing, he is ready to accept the risk to have a weekend long affair in the hotel where the convention is held.
Trent is a penniless video store clerk with a passion for video game. He is gay, goth and cute but in a mousy way. He also has no idea who Lucas / Bill is, and sincerely it doesn’t matter: when the handsome man nears him in the hotel bar, Trent doesn’t think twice to grab the chance. There is a bit of Cinderfella here, with Lucas being in an hotel suite and Trent having to share a twin room with another friend: when Lucas is willing to share his suite with him, and above all his bed, Trent doesn’t look the gift horse in the mouth. And if Bill is a little reticent with his life and work, well, since he is not at all reticent in bed, even that doesn’t matter. Trent is not searching for the love of his life, yes, he maybe is a little bit dumbstruck with the situation, but he is willing to play along. I found endearing Trent’s behaviour, his outbursts of sincerity soon followed by a sudden blush when he realized what he has said, Trent seems to be a really friendly, nice and happy-to-go type of guy, not the usual mourning goth guy.
Probably the most interesting thing of the story, aside the sex that is good and nice, it’s the setting. Clearly the author knows about conventions and what happens during it, and having chosen to set the story in the Washington D.C.’s area helps even more in making all the situation realistic. The author also chooses to not give a clear answer on the eternal question “how can a public persona comes out without losing his fans”, maintaining the story more on a light level: yes, maybe Trent and Lucas are more than occasional lovers, yes, maybe there is even love between them, but all this will be cleared in a following moment, maybe with time and acquaintance, when they will be sure that it’s not only a weekend fling.
On a final note, I would be more than interested in reading Cindy Lou’s son story, since her mother was a very nice character.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003F777WO/?...
Lucas / Bill (Bill is the name he uses when in incognito) is a tv fiction actor who was invited to a Sci-fic convention. He is not sure what to expect, and to add to a less than eager mood he has also had yet another confrontation with his family, who don’t accept his homosexuality. Plus Lucas, playing the heartthrob for the fans, can’t live openly his being gay and so he has no outlet, not in his private than public life; he is so repressed that it’s 2 years that he has not had a same-sex relationship, worst he has also had to fake a straight relationship for the media. So when Lucas meets Trent, openly gay and clearly willing, he is ready to accept the risk to have a weekend long affair in the hotel where the convention is held.
Trent is a penniless video store clerk with a passion for video game. He is gay, goth and cute but in a mousy way. He also has no idea who Lucas / Bill is, and sincerely it doesn’t matter: when the handsome man nears him in the hotel bar, Trent doesn’t think twice to grab the chance. There is a bit of Cinderfella here, with Lucas being in an hotel suite and Trent having to share a twin room with another friend: when Lucas is willing to share his suite with him, and above all his bed, Trent doesn’t look the gift horse in the mouth. And if Bill is a little reticent with his life and work, well, since he is not at all reticent in bed, even that doesn’t matter. Trent is not searching for the love of his life, yes, he maybe is a little bit dumbstruck with the situation, but he is willing to play along. I found endearing Trent’s behaviour, his outbursts of sincerity soon followed by a sudden blush when he realized what he has said, Trent seems to be a really friendly, nice and happy-to-go type of guy, not the usual mourning goth guy.
Probably the most interesting thing of the story, aside the sex that is good and nice, it’s the setting. Clearly the author knows about conventions and what happens during it, and having chosen to set the story in the Washington D.C.’s area helps even more in making all the situation realistic. The author also chooses to not give a clear answer on the eternal question “how can a public persona comes out without losing his fans”, maintaining the story more on a light level: yes, maybe Trent and Lucas are more than occasional lovers, yes, maybe there is even love between them, but all this will be cleared in a following moment, maybe with time and acquaintance, when they will be sure that it’s not only a weekend fling.
On a final note, I would be more than interested in reading Cindy Lou’s son story, since her mother was a very nice character.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003F777WO/?...
March 5, 2010
I have to admit that this book languished for a long time on my to-read list until I finally got to it last week.
From the moment I started to read it, I knew that this was a book I should have read much sooner. It's great and I actually said "I LOVE it!" as I closed the last page on my e-reader.
This is a feel-good story of instant lust that turns to something a little more indepth as the story progressed (not that either character would ever *say* so.)
Trent is a goth boy gamer geek and Lucas (aka Bill Speare) is a syndicated TV series actor.
The two meet at a sci-fi and gaming convention and it's not too long before they hook up for some 'extra-conventional' activities, forming a friendship over the four days of the convention.
Secondary characters are minimal in this story, and most of the time is spent on the developing relationship between the two protagonists.
There were a couple of moments when I was holding my breath wondering if I would need to slap either one, but they both regained their senses in time to prevent me having to "go in there!"
I really liked the character of Cindy Lou, a woman whom Trent met during the convention who seemed very open minded for a Bible-belter.
There was one moment in the story that threw me a little bit because of terminology used by Trent which made me go huh? It was something a dedicated gamer dude and developer wouldn't have used but if you're not a gamer, or associated with one, you probably wouldn't notice.
If you like a feel good romance of the 'lust turning to something more' variety, then I can heartily recommend this!
Can't wait to read the next in the series now!
From the moment I started to read it, I knew that this was a book I should have read much sooner. It's great and I actually said "I LOVE it!" as I closed the last page on my e-reader.
This is a feel-good story of instant lust that turns to something a little more indepth as the story progressed (not that either character would ever *say* so.)
Trent is a goth boy gamer geek and Lucas (aka Bill Speare) is a syndicated TV series actor.
The two meet at a sci-fi and gaming convention and it's not too long before they hook up for some 'extra-conventional' activities, forming a friendship over the four days of the convention.
Secondary characters are minimal in this story, and most of the time is spent on the developing relationship between the two protagonists.
There were a couple of moments when I was holding my breath wondering if I would need to slap either one, but they both regained their senses in time to prevent me having to "go in there!"
I really liked the character of Cindy Lou, a woman whom Trent met during the convention who seemed very open minded for a Bible-belter.
There was one moment in the story that threw me a little bit because of terminology used by Trent which made me go huh? It was something a dedicated gamer dude and developer wouldn't have used but if you're not a gamer, or associated with one, you probably wouldn't notice.
If you like a feel good romance of the 'lust turning to something more' variety, then I can heartily recommend this!
Can't wait to read the next in the series now!
July 1, 2015
Fairly standard romance fare. I think there were a few too many sex scenes and not enough actual romance scenes, though I appreciate that neither character had "fallen in love" by the end of the weekend.
I think I might have rated it slightly higher its it had been just a tad longer, and if not for the gaming mistakes. I even thought the author might know her gaming stuff, and then Trent says something about graphics being too extreme past the early levels.... but that isn't how graphics work. He also talks about non-gamers not having high-end "graphics programs", but.... the graphics capability would be determined by hardware (graphics card), not software. Plus, most games allow you to lower the graphics settings so they will work on a lower end rig.
... And, the games industry guy being impressed by Trent's assessment is strange, since most game companies (particularly those large enough to afford extremely detailed graphics) would have a marketing department to analyze their audiences. There's a reason why the graphics in "The Sims" franchise have never been particularly high-end.
Anyway, I'm rambling. As long as you aren't nitpicky and are satisfied with a short story that is 70% porn, this novel is fine.
I think I might have rated it slightly higher its it had been just a tad longer, and if not for the gaming mistakes. I even thought the author might know her gaming stuff, and then Trent says something about graphics being too extreme past the early levels.... but that isn't how graphics work. He also talks about non-gamers not having high-end "graphics programs", but.... the graphics capability would be determined by hardware (graphics card), not software. Plus, most games allow you to lower the graphics settings so they will work on a lower end rig.
... And, the games industry guy being impressed by Trent's assessment is strange, since most game companies (particularly those large enough to afford extremely detailed graphics) would have a marketing department to analyze their audiences. There's a reason why the graphics in "The Sims" franchise have never been particularly high-end.
Anyway, I'm rambling. As long as you aren't nitpicky and are satisfied with a short story that is 70% porn, this novel is fine.
May 13, 2011
Wow, finding old reviews I never recorded at GR.
Trent meets Bill at the ComiCon and they hit it off. Smoking sex. Trent's a goth there for the gaming, Bill is actually Lucas, a famous in the closet actor in a sci-fi show and is thrilled that Trent has no idea who he is. They continue to meet everynight of the show until on nearly the last day Trent accidentally discovers who Trent is. He's upset needless to say but then realizes why Lucas would do that and after talking with his new friend Mary Lou (a 45 year old former beauty queen from the south - who I must say was an amazing character that I LOVED) he makes up with Lucas and they spent the rest of their time together, Lucas then goes back to California and Trent to home in DC but they commit to keeping in touch. There is a sequel which I'm glad to hear because I'd love to see these too get a HEA.
Trent meets Bill at the ComiCon and they hit it off. Smoking sex. Trent's a goth there for the gaming, Bill is actually Lucas, a famous in the closet actor in a sci-fi show and is thrilled that Trent has no idea who he is. They continue to meet everynight of the show until on nearly the last day Trent accidentally discovers who Trent is. He's upset needless to say but then realizes why Lucas would do that and after talking with his new friend Mary Lou (a 45 year old former beauty queen from the south - who I must say was an amazing character that I LOVED) he makes up with Lucas and they spent the rest of their time together, Lucas then goes back to California and Trent to home in DC but they commit to keeping in touch. There is a sequel which I'm glad to hear because I'd love to see these too get a HEA.
November 3, 2012
Three stars only because this short story seem to me as the beginning of romance between Lucas and Trent , don't seem to me as finished, as an episode, especially because there aren't difficult or problems or grand scenes.
Though Trent is a cute character while I don't know if Lucas I like.
Though Trent is a cute character while I don't know if Lucas I like.
May 26, 2015
Three books in the series and must be read in order, which I did. They were very well written and I enjoyed them but they should have all been one book instead of three. Rating would have been higher.
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October 13, 2012
I reread this in June of 2012 and loved it as much as the first time.
lurking-in-kindleland
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December 23, 2014
OMG I loved this story!!! considering that it's so short i'm happily surprised that the character are so engrossing.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews