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Moonspun
Multicultural LGBT Paranormal
Celebrating "Coming Out Day" 2010
Jamie Cowan hoped his new gig as playwright-in-residence at an urban theater would be the start of a new life -- a proud life out of the closet. Instead, he's stuck in student digs with oversexed roommates and a morose parrot. He's too intimidated by city life and city people to be honest about being gay, much less try to find a lover. Worst of all, he's blocked, unable to write, and in danger of losing his dream life before it even begins -- until an errand for the theater brings him face-to-face with the most beautiful man he's ever seen.
Spider is a humble Dominican-American tailor. Meeting Jamie gives Spider a glimpse of a life -- and love -- he never imagined for himself. But Spider has a secret, and it's not that he's gay. Whenever the moon is high, Spider sits before his loom and weaves tapestries that predict the future.
Spider and Jamie's mutual attraction is undeniable, but first they must overcome Jamie's closet and Spider's secrets. That's when they learn that their past fears are nothing compared to a new an arcane threat that will test Jamie's mettle and threaten Spider's very survival.
Publisher's This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find male/male sexual practices.
Celebrating "Coming Out Day" 2010
Jamie Cowan hoped his new gig as playwright-in-residence at an urban theater would be the start of a new life -- a proud life out of the closet. Instead, he's stuck in student digs with oversexed roommates and a morose parrot. He's too intimidated by city life and city people to be honest about being gay, much less try to find a lover. Worst of all, he's blocked, unable to write, and in danger of losing his dream life before it even begins -- until an errand for the theater brings him face-to-face with the most beautiful man he's ever seen.
Spider is a humble Dominican-American tailor. Meeting Jamie gives Spider a glimpse of a life -- and love -- he never imagined for himself. But Spider has a secret, and it's not that he's gay. Whenever the moon is high, Spider sits before his loom and weaves tapestries that predict the future.
Spider and Jamie's mutual attraction is undeniable, but first they must overcome Jamie's closet and Spider's secrets. That's when they learn that their past fears are nothing compared to a new an arcane threat that will test Jamie's mettle and threaten Spider's very survival.
Publisher's This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find male/male sexual practices.
131 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 21, 2010
48 people want to read
About the author
Lee Benoit
49 books21 followersBefore dawn and after dark, Lee Benoit is a writer of queer fiction, some contemporary, some speculative, some historical. During the daylight hours she is a professor of sociology & anthropology. In the old days, Lee traveled the world doing field research. Nowadays, she lives in the middle of a New England hayfield where being a two-spirit single parent provides more than enough excitement. Lee also paints watercolors, bakes wild-yeast sourdough bread, and shares her bed with a pair of cats and an abjectly adoring hound-retriever mutt. Whenever she gets itchy feet and misses the world of research and advocacy, Lee invents a new world in her head and takes notes on what happens there.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 12, 2011
Jamie is a young play write who has moved to another city but is having trouble working on a new piece. His roommates are noisy and very out gay and while Jamie is gay, he's not out. One day, sent to pick up some draperies, he meets Spider, a tailor who also does his own weaving. Spider's family is from the Dominican Republic including his wacky "aunt" who is into Santeria, the religion of the islands and senses that Jamie and Spider are meant to be. However, there is a kink. Spider is compelled to weave from moon rise to moon set, not matter what. He just weaves like his grandfather and what shows up shows up. He finally confesses to Jamie who it seems writes similarly and is soon wring the Grandfather's life story without realizing it. So there is sort of a mystical element here and both Jamie and Spider are virgins who move in together on day 2 but don't actually do much, even kissing for weeks, if not months, despite sharing a bed. I found that a bit ... weird. 22 year old healthy guys, in bed together, not even kissing? Right. They didn't even seem to jerk off privately. It was an okay story although I would have liked to get some explanation of the whole weaving thing, but I guess the mystery is the point. So if you like mystical stories it's well written.
October 24, 2010
This review was originally written for The Romance Reviews and can be found here:
http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/vie...
Jamie had hoped his exciting new life in the city as playwright-in-residence at a local community theater would open up a whole new world for him. However, he's found that he's just as scared of being out of the closet here as he was with his repressed New England family. He has no life, no lover, and the closest thing to action he's had has been listening to his over-sexed roommates have at each other while he's trying to write. To make matters worse, it seems as though he's suffering from writer's block, so nothing is going his way, but that all changes when he makes an errand to a tailor shop.
Spider is a Dominican-American tailor who runs the shop that Jamie goes to. He also happens to be the most beautiful man he's ever seen. There is a pull between the two men that is inexplicable and both are hesitant to give into it. Spider has been all alone since his grandfather died a year ago, and he's accepted that it's always going to be that way. He's got secrets, and he's not keen on sharing them with anyone, especially someone he's attracted to. However, the two men can't seem to fight the attraction that they have for one another. And in exploring that attraction, secrets are revealed, and they find that they are made for one another in more ways than one.
This novel was unlike any other paranormal romance that I have ever read. The storyline was unique and well-developed. It immediately drew me in because I really couldn't decipher how the story was going to evolve. Because of that, I didn't want to stop reading as I was sure that I could get it figured out in the next couple of pages. Finally, I gave up and just enjoyed the descriptive world building that the author laid out. The secondary characters were as well-developed as the main ones, and it made for an enjoyable read as I could clearly see the settings and characters in my head as I was getting more involved in the story.
The romance between Jamie and Spider was so sweet. The two men are both painfully shy and inexperienced, although for different reasons. Their initial lust and then eventual love evolved in a very natural way in spite of the preternatural storyline. As they began to grow in their relationship, they also seem to grow as people, and it seems that they brought the best out in each other. The love scenes were few, but very passionate although there were some awkward moments in the beginning of their physical relationship. That also seemed to follow a natural progression as they became more comfortable with exploring each other's bodies.
The story did move a bit slowly in the beginning, but it was well worth the wait to see how the story unfolds. If you would like to read a novella with an unusual storyline, descriptive writing, well-developed characters, and true love found, Moonspun is definitely for you.
http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/vie...
Jamie had hoped his exciting new life in the city as playwright-in-residence at a local community theater would open up a whole new world for him. However, he's found that he's just as scared of being out of the closet here as he was with his repressed New England family. He has no life, no lover, and the closest thing to action he's had has been listening to his over-sexed roommates have at each other while he's trying to write. To make matters worse, it seems as though he's suffering from writer's block, so nothing is going his way, but that all changes when he makes an errand to a tailor shop.
Spider is a Dominican-American tailor who runs the shop that Jamie goes to. He also happens to be the most beautiful man he's ever seen. There is a pull between the two men that is inexplicable and both are hesitant to give into it. Spider has been all alone since his grandfather died a year ago, and he's accepted that it's always going to be that way. He's got secrets, and he's not keen on sharing them with anyone, especially someone he's attracted to. However, the two men can't seem to fight the attraction that they have for one another. And in exploring that attraction, secrets are revealed, and they find that they are made for one another in more ways than one.
This novel was unlike any other paranormal romance that I have ever read. The storyline was unique and well-developed. It immediately drew me in because I really couldn't decipher how the story was going to evolve. Because of that, I didn't want to stop reading as I was sure that I could get it figured out in the next couple of pages. Finally, I gave up and just enjoyed the descriptive world building that the author laid out. The secondary characters were as well-developed as the main ones, and it made for an enjoyable read as I could clearly see the settings and characters in my head as I was getting more involved in the story.
The romance between Jamie and Spider was so sweet. The two men are both painfully shy and inexperienced, although for different reasons. Their initial lust and then eventual love evolved in a very natural way in spite of the preternatural storyline. As they began to grow in their relationship, they also seem to grow as people, and it seems that they brought the best out in each other. The love scenes were few, but very passionate although there were some awkward moments in the beginning of their physical relationship. That also seemed to follow a natural progression as they became more comfortable with exploring each other's bodies.
The story did move a bit slowly in the beginning, but it was well worth the wait to see how the story unfolds. If you would like to read a novella with an unusual storyline, descriptive writing, well-developed characters, and true love found, Moonspun is definitely for you.
January 20, 2011
Moonspun is an involved tale that will force your mind to wander along paths you never thought to experience. Although heavy on prose and confusion in the first couple of chapters, persevere, as it soon becomes clear this is necessary to aid in the sense of unknown felt by both main characters before they stumble on a joint journey allowing all of their previous doubts, fears and questionings to fall behind. As a reader, leave all your preconceived notions at the door, and walk through the door that is Moonspun with a mind empty to all but the possibility of what Lee's writing will create.
Spider is a man resigned to his fate, knowing this life will more than likely leave him a lonely man. At ease with himself and those around him, Spider appears most comfortable in those surrounds that impart tradition and history. At the same time, Spider is seen often to escape into melancholy over not only the knowledge of what this life will most likely mean for him, but also at the loss of his grandfather, who shared his fateful curse. Feeling unable to accept Jamie in his life at first, Spider accepts that with time comes further understanding, allowing Jamie to be spun into the rich tapestry of legend that his story has become.
Jamie is your typical post-university man, trying to find his feet in an unknown city, while being forced to share space with two obviously out there men who seem to impart a sense of frustration in Jamie over the way they choose to live. Most often cheerful, Jamie also has a dash of pessimism in the way he views the world around him and how he believes others view him. As the story unfolds, Jamie is learning to let the road less travelled be his guide, and that sometimes what you need isn't always what you thought you wanted.
Throughout the first half of the story, the sharing of each character's strengths, weaknesses and backgrounds allows the reader to have a true sense of where Jamie and Spider have come from and where they will go together from here. True attention to detail has been placed on locations and the people within them, to the point where, as a reader, you can almost feel yourself in the room looking on as the scene plays out. Rich with West African beliefs and Dominican Republic history, with a touch of the modern day fairy tale woven into its pages, this story would be good for anyone who enjoys fantasy or drama in a contemporary setting. Nx
Note: Reviewed for Queer Magazine Online
Spider is a man resigned to his fate, knowing this life will more than likely leave him a lonely man. At ease with himself and those around him, Spider appears most comfortable in those surrounds that impart tradition and history. At the same time, Spider is seen often to escape into melancholy over not only the knowledge of what this life will most likely mean for him, but also at the loss of his grandfather, who shared his fateful curse. Feeling unable to accept Jamie in his life at first, Spider accepts that with time comes further understanding, allowing Jamie to be spun into the rich tapestry of legend that his story has become.
Jamie is your typical post-university man, trying to find his feet in an unknown city, while being forced to share space with two obviously out there men who seem to impart a sense of frustration in Jamie over the way they choose to live. Most often cheerful, Jamie also has a dash of pessimism in the way he views the world around him and how he believes others view him. As the story unfolds, Jamie is learning to let the road less travelled be his guide, and that sometimes what you need isn't always what you thought you wanted.
Throughout the first half of the story, the sharing of each character's strengths, weaknesses and backgrounds allows the reader to have a true sense of where Jamie and Spider have come from and where they will go together from here. True attention to detail has been placed on locations and the people within them, to the point where, as a reader, you can almost feel yourself in the room looking on as the scene plays out. Rich with West African beliefs and Dominican Republic history, with a touch of the modern day fairy tale woven into its pages, this story would be good for anyone who enjoys fantasy or drama in a contemporary setting. Nx
Note: Reviewed for Queer Magazine Online
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2011
Almost from the start, it felt as if the author was striving for magical realism within a genre construction, but ultimately, this blend failed to work for me. Its dreamy pacing - common in magical realism within literary fiction - is held back by characters that are too innocent and passive for my tastes.
October 26, 2015
2011 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
March 8, 2011
Beautiful prose. Can't move me though. Feel like story of 2 insomnia guys falling in love with each other which make story lack of challenge.
September 30, 2011
Great story.. really like the characters in this book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews