Day: August 1, 2015

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Ask, Answer, Look, Kiss by Livia Frost

GoodReads Presents http://www.mmromancegroup.com/?p=277843

ask lookBlurb

Dear Author,
We’ve been friends forever. Best friends in school. Roommates and best friends in college. Partners and best friends in business. He was the first person I told when I realized I was gay. He just said, “Me, too.” Yet somehow, in all those years, through all the ups and downs, we never even thought of being lovers. We were always best friends.
Then one day, something changed. What happened? How did we end up here?

Photo Description:
Two unclothed men stand side-by-side at the railing to a ship, their backs to us, facing the ocean. The man on the left has his arm around the waist of the other and their heads are tipped together affectionately. Both men are similar looking: wide shoulders, shaved heads, shapely butts, and golden skin. The one major difference is their tattoos. The man on the left has two tribal bands across his right bicep and shoulder. The other man has a swirling tribal design that covers most of his back, with smaller designs on his lower back and upper right thigh.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is an Open Road” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

ask look listen (1)Review

This is a best friends to lovers story. Travis and Ben have been friends and business partners forever. They are both gay but – due to * reasons * – they’ve never even kissed.

When a wacky friend does a strange “intimate speed dating” event, the two participate and it launches them from friends to lovers.

**

I never quite bought into this story. If you look at the picture – two burly dudes all tatted up – it never really jives with the personal caterers that we have in this story. I also never bought that for 16 years the two never got a smidgen of attraction and then suddenly – POW – instant forever love.

Sure, it’s a short story, but it can be done and in this case it isn’t done very effectively.

I liked the idea and the writing was fine, but I didn’t think the picture matched the story at all and I didn’t buy the intimate speed dating thing at all.

3 of 5 hearts

3

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Never Let Go of Hope by Edward Kendrick

Smashwords presents http://www.amazon.com/Never-Let-Hope-Edward-Kendrick-ebook/dp/B00ZS5298I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1437867707&sr=1-1&keywords=never+let+go+of+hope+by+edward+kendrick&pebp=1437867709095&perid=1E9MRE83MKNSJVGHK8HE

never let go hopeBlurb

Well-known artist Ellis Williams is in a slump and feeling all his fifty-three years. He’s lost the joy which used to permeate his painting and despairs of ever regaining it. It doesn’t help when he runs into a young man who comes on to him to win a bet, thus destroying more of Ellis’s confidence.

Then, at a party, Ellis meets Martin Lovell, a man his age whose partner died soon after they adopted their son. Will these two middle-aged men learn they should never let go of hope? Or is it too late for men their age to open themselves to the possibility of love and being loved?

 

Review

Ellis is a misanthropic artist, living on his own outside New Orleans. He’s fairly happy to be reclusive, only occasionally feeling that yearning for human (sexual) contact. Lately, though, his art (his true mistress) has been lacking spark, so he finds himself seeking out human contact for the first time in years.

Martin is a widower, father of a 10 year old, and a basically wonderful, big-hearted guy. He meets Ellis after Ellis has just been “played” by a 20-something at a bar and is feeling particularly despondent.

The two start a VERY slow relationship that only very, very gradually develops into something more.

**

This is a slow burn romance that spends more time with developing Ellis than the relationship. It’s terribly sweet, low steam and very nice, but not something amazing or fantastic.

I enjoyed watching Ellis’ art transform as he felt more and more for Martin and I loved that there was no drama with the child.

It’s a nice, short story of love between guys over 50 and I enjoyed it very much.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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