Book Review: "The Loves of My Life" by Edmund White

Edmund White was the first gay fiction author whose work I read back in the 1980s. He’s definitely one of the legends of the genre, and at 85 years old, he’s still writing. This memoir was my book club’s pick for the month and it certainly provoked a lot of discussion!

“Did I always endure unreciprocated love because I could only love (and write about it) when I was rejected? Did my low self-esteem seek out rejection, as in I wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would accept me? Or does everyone hope to trade up to a newer, better lover? Not social climbers but amorous climbers?”

This memoir isn’t your typical chronicling of White’s literary career or anything like that. In this book, White looks back on more than 60 years of sexual encounters. He touches on everything from his childish escapades while growing up and taking his curiosity a few steps further as a teenager, to sex he paid for (and, in some cases, was paid for), as well as the risks he and many other men took, given the illegality of homosexual activity both in the U.S. and abroad.

White doesn’t mince words when describing some encounters and the men he was with. Some of his memories may be shocking, some were tame, and some were tremendously poignant, given how AIDS decimated the gay community in the 1980s and 1990s. And while the sheer number of encounters may seem unbelievable, for many men during that time, having the opportunity to be free from hiding their true selves often led to unbridled activity.

True to the title of the book, White touches on his romantic relationships as well. He shares both good memories and bad, and there are clearly some men he was fonder of than others.

I’m definitely not a prude, but after a while I felt like some of White’s recollections became excessive. However, I love how he captured the changes in society and sexual freedom through the decades, and how he views sex now that he’s in his 80s.

Book Review: "Poetry on Ice" by Jesse H Reign

Even though I feel like suddenly hockey romances are EVERYWHERE (I was reading them before they were cool), I need to have my fix. And holy hell, this book was S-T-E-A-M-Y!! (Not that I’m complaining, but…)

Robbie has been traded to the Seattle Vipers. He’s happy to be playing for the team he grew up rooting for, although they’re not as good as his last team. He’s also a bit intimidated by one of his new teammates, Ant. Ant is one of hockey’s bad boys, and for some reason, he’s always had it out for Robbie.

Ant has always felt competitive with Robbie, has always compared his stats to Robbie’s to ensure he is stronger, faster, better. As soon as Robbie joins the team, there is friction between them which instigates fistfights. Not the best look for two of the Vipers’ hottest players, but Ant loves getting a rise out of Robbie.

As the tension grows between them and the team suffers, the coach makes them practice together for hours on end so they can be in sync. He also makes them share hotel rooms when the team is on the road. And it is there where things turn from fighting to, well, you know.

Ant is the dominant one in their encounters and that suits Robbie just fine. While he does everything he can to discourage Robbie from catching feelings, as Ant doesn’t do relationships, it’s not long before Ant realizes he’s fallen for Robbie. And that scares him. A lot.

This was my first book by Jesse H Reign, and it definitely won’t be my last! I enjoyed the character development, the emotion, and the banter as much as the serious heat.

Book Review: "Mothers and Sons" by Adam Haslett

Adam Haslett burst on the literary scene in 2002 with his debut story collection, You Are Not a Stranger Here. Amazingly, he’s only published three (soon to be four) books, and yet he’s been a finalist for two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction and two National Book Awards.

Mothers and Sons, Haslett’s fourth book, which will publish in January, is another well-told and deeply felt novel. It’s a story about family, love, grief, overcoming your past, and how trauma can change us completely. It’s also a story of empathy, and how challenging it can be to care for broken people when we are broken ourselves.

Peter is a Legal Aid immigration lawyer. He spends his days defending those seeking asylum from their home countries, and he often deals not only with his clients, but the families they would leave behind if they were sent back home. While he fights to keep families together, the irony is that he has been estranged from his mother, Ann, for many years.

Ann, who was a successful pastor, now runs a retreat center in Vermont with her partner, Clare. She wishes she could reconnect with Peter, but knows the fracture between them runs deep.

Peter’s most recent case is defending Vasel, a young Albanian man seeking asylum because he is gay. This case triggers many memories for Peter, who is also gay, as he remembers his first same-sex relationship and the tragedies that occurred. Peter’s story is intertwined with Vasel’s and Ann’s, and the book culminates in a very powerful and affecting climax.

I have always been dazzled by Haslett’s storytelling ability, and this book is no exception. I’ll definitely be thinking about this for a while.

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the advance copy! The book will publish 1/7/2025.

Book Review: "The Summer Between" by Robert Raasch

A few days before they graduate from high school in 1978, Andy tells his best friend (and ex-girlfriend) Elena that he’s bi. Or maybe gay. While at first Elena worries that it was something about her that made Andy gay, she quickly realizes that his disclosure isn’t as surprising as she initially thought it was.

With just the summer remaining before Andy heads to NYU to study art, and Elena remains in New Jersey for college, Andy begins to take a few tentative steps out of the closet. While New York City has a reputation as a dangerous place, it’s also one of the epicenters of queer life, so he ventures into Greenwich Village.

Andy’s first foray into a gay bar leads to an unfortunate encounter that affects him more than he’s willing to admit. But it’s not long after that he meets Ben, an NYU graduate, and they begin dating. Ben also takes a protective interest in Andy, trying to help him become less sheltered and more open-minded, so hopefully he’ll stay safe.

For Andy, the summer is full of spending time with Elena and other friends, having evenings and weekends with Ben in NYC, and eagerly anticipating the start of college. But it’s also a time of crises, of wanting friendships to last forever even while growing apart, and of coming out to those you care about most.

As Andy tries to find his way, he’ll experience the highs and lows of first love, loneliness, envy, and random encounters. He’ll also realize those who are in his corner and those he can leave behind.

I love coming-of-age stories, and I really enjoyed this book. Andy’s voice was so authentic—I remember being on the cusp of adulthood yet still not there yet. I also remember what it felt like when your emotions are so close to the surface that you become attached to someone that’s not in the same mindset as you. It’s hard to believe that this is Robert Raasch’s debut, and it’s a book I’ll definitely think about for a while.

Book Review: "Forbidden Puckboy" by Eden Finley and Saxon James

If you’ve been following me at all, you know how much I love hockey romances, and this series is one of two that was responsible for stoking that fire. So glad this one is continuing!!

Knox dreamed of being a professional hockey player since he was young, and entering the league with his best friend Connor. But he never felt he was good enough, so he decided to become a ref instead, while Connor has become a popular NHL star.

Easton, Connor’s younger brother, is following in his footsteps and has been drafted on the same team. He’s had a crush on Knox since he was 16, but Knox would never get involved with him out of loyalty to Connor (although he definitely wanted to). And even now that they’re both adults, and there’s clearly attraction between the two of them, Knox keeps his distance.

But when Easton participates in a hockey game for queer players and allies—one that Knox will referee—Connor is worried that Easton will hook up with another player and cause a scandal. So he enlists Knox to keep Easton out of trouble, which is fine for Knox, so he doesn’t have to be jealous of Easton being with someone else.

After a little too much alcohol (actually, a lot), Knox and Easton get tangled up. While both don’t want Connor to know (for different reasons), their long-pent-up feelings are obvious to everyone. And when Connor finds out about his brother and his best friend, he causes some trouble, but realizes he can’t lose them both. So Knox and Easton decide to give being together a try.

“…there’s only one thing worse than your dream man being nothing like you thought he would be. And that’s your dream man being everything you imagined.”

This book, as well as the entire series, is full of banter, emotion, and steam. Knox is a bit of a whiner, which grows annoying kind of quickly, but it’s still an enjoyable story. Can’t wait for Book 8 in March!!

Book Review: "Please Come to Boston" by Gary Goldstein

In 1975, Nicky (who decides to start calling himself Nick) has left his home on Long Island for the first time, to attend college at Boston University. He’s a bit shy and self-effacing, but he’s a tremendously friendly person, and he starts making friends rather easily.

On his first day of college, he meets two people: Lori, a fellow freshman who lives on the same floor of their dorm (BU’s first coed dorm floor), and Joe, a handsome jock and dorm orientation leader. Nick and Lori teeter on the line between friends and lovers for a bit before deciding on being friends, and then Joe asks Lori out. And while Nick is a bit jealous, he’s not sure who he’s more envious of—Joe or Lori.

For the first time, Nick realizes that what he feels for Joe makes sense of similar feelings in high school. But in 1975, no one really expressed those feelings, especially not if you were raised Catholic in an Italian family. Yet Nick, Lori, and Joe fall into a love triangle of sorts, and it seems to work for all three, at least for a little while.

As Nick tries to figure out what (and whom) he really wants, and the implications that might occur, he and Joe draw closer. Yet while Nick isn’t quite dissuaded by his feelings, Joe knows that this isn’t a path he can take with his life.

Fifty years later, Nick and Joe reunite in Boston. They’re a little shell-shocked by all of the changes to the places they knew so well in college, and they’re unsure who they are to one another after all this time. But the connection between the two of them is just as palpable as it was in 1975.

This was an absolutely fantastic book. It so perfectly captures the emotions of figuring yourself out for the first time, and what it’s like to meet friends who get you completely. It’s a romantic, funny, and emotional book that really grabbed hold of my heart, and now I’ve got to dive into Gary Goldstein’s backlist!!

Book Review: "The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World, Second Edition" by Alan Downs, PhD

I don’t read much nonfiction beyond an occasional memoir, but this was our book club pick for August. We read the second edition, which was revised in 2011; the original was written in 2005.

The book is organized in three stages that the author believes describes the journey of most gay men. The stages are arranged by the primary manner in which gay men handle shame, from being “in the closet” and fearful of their own sexuality, to overcompensating by being more “successful, outrageous, fabulous, beautiful, or masculine,” to building a life based on their own values instead of feeling like they have to prove themselves.

“While we are different, we are at the same time very similar to all others. We want to be loved and to love. We want to find some joy in life. We hope to fall asleep at night fulfilled from our day’s endeavors. In these aspirations and appetites we are like all men and women. The problem is, our path to fulfilling these basic human needs has proven to be fundamentally different from the well-worn paths of straight humanity.”

While I recognized moments from my own coming out journey in the book, I also felt at many times the author was making generalizations that didn’t necessarily apply to me. I do understand that some may have a poor relationship with their fathers because of their sexuality, but that wasn’t the case for me.

What we found from our book club discussion is—unsurprisingly—every person’s experience is different, so the book resonated in different ways with each person. Some felt this was a powerful and valuable resource; others didn’t feel as connected to the book.

I probably wouldn’t have read this if it weren’t for the book club, but it definitely made me think. And sometimes that’s what reading does for us.

Book Review: "Gravity" by Tal Bauer

Another hockey romance? Some may say I’m obsessed. It is Stanley Cup playoff season, so why not?

Bryce is a Canadian hockey legend. Raised in a small Quebec town, he’s now captain of the beloved Montreal Étoiles. He’s smashed so many records but he hasn’t yet won the Stanley Cup. Beyond that, he has been having feelings he won’t let himself acknowledge, feelings about what it might be like to fall in love completely, to be with another man.

Hunter is an enormously talented young player who grew up idolizing Bryce. When they get to play together at the all-star game, they dazzle the fans and the hockey world alike, but it is their easy and intense friendship that wows them both. But when Bryce kisses him, he panics, which sends Bryce into a serious slump.

Desperate to recapture the magic of the all-star game, Hunter gets traded to Montreal. At first the move actually exacerbates the team’s problems, until Bryce and Hunter take a trip to visit Bryce’s hometown. The magic of their friendship ignites again, which quickly leads to passion and love.

While they try to keep their relationship a secret, a crisis occurs which pushes it into the open. No one really seems to care about anything but Bryce’s happiness and, of course, for the Étoiles to win the Stanley Cup.

This is the second Tal Bauer book I’ve read, and I just love the way he writes. It’s romantic and steamy and just beautiful, and it makes you wonder why the real world can’t be like this. For those of you who like hockey in your hockey romances, there's a lot of it, which I enjoyed. My one tiny quibble with the book is there are a lot of French phrases (not all are translated), so I spent a lot of time Googling everything. But that didn't dull my love for the book.

Book Review: "Songs on Endless Repeat: Essays and Outtakes" by Anthony Veasna So

In 2021, Anthony Veasna So’s debut, Afterparties, was published to great acclaim. His stories about the children of Cambodian immigrants living in California dealt with issues of culture and sexuality, and were really fantastic. Sadly, however, So never got to see the response to his book; he died of an accidental drug overdose in December 2020. He was only 28.

In addition to his fiction, So wrote and published a number of essays. These were collected, along with a number of linked chapters of unpublished fiction, and recently released as Songs on Endless Repeat. The combination of essays and fiction really demonstrate the depth of his talent and the tragedy of his death.

So’s essays are funny, thought-provoking, fascinating, and emotional. He touches on what the film version of Crazy Rich Asians meant for the depiction of Asians in the movies, his love of and struggles with reading, and in the strongest essay in the book, he reflects on his grief following a close friend’s suicide. (The words are especially poignant in the light of So’s death.) The fiction is chapters from an unpublished novel called Straight Thru Cambotown,” in which three Cambodian-American cousins stand to inherit their late aunt’s loan shark business. It’s funny and insightful.

I had worried that this book would be a collection of writings that So never felt compelled to publish, but that’s not true. It's some really good stuff. With this book and Afterparties, at least his talent and his voice can live on.

Book Review: "Bellies" by Nicola Dinan

“I wore a dress on the night I first met Ming.”

When Tom meets Ming at a drag night at a bar near their university, both men are mutually attracted to one another. Tom, only recently out, is attracted to how together Ming seems, how serene, how confident in his future as a playwright and his sexuality. It’s not long before the two become inseparable.

As their relationship deepens, Tom realizes that Ming not only struggles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but he seems increasingly dissatisfied with his body and appearance for reasons he cannot explain to Tom. After graduation, the couple moves to London, but no matter how they try to settle into their future together, the tension between them starts to intensify.

And then Ming tells Tom he intends to transition and become a woman.

The second half of the book follows Ming and Tom’s lives after Ming’s transition. Not only does this affect their relationship but their circle of mutual friends, and each confronts their own professional and personal issues. What happens after someone transitions? Can this individual who is finally living authentically find peace and satisfaction? And what parts of our lives should be open to public consumption?

This was a tremendously interesting premise. It was thought-provoking, emotional, funny, and insightful. Not much really happens in the book: it’s definitely character- and dialogue-driven, and it reminded me of a Sally Rooney novel. (That could be a positive or negative comparison depending on your opinions of her books.)

In the end, I just wish I enjoyed the characters more, so I could have been fully invested in the story.

Book Review: "Speech Team" by Tim Murphy

Growing up in the Massachusetts suburbs, Thomas "Tip" Murray dreamed of a glamorous life as a screenwriter, a foreign correspondent, or a film critic. Now in his early 40s, he couldn't have gotten further from those dreams: he's a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, living in Providence with his solid and dependable husband, Marcus, and he works as a writer for an educational nonprofit.

One day he hears from his high school best friend, Natalie, that Pete, one of their classmates and Speech Team members, has committed suicide. While neither of them had thought much about Pete in many years, they were shocked to see that in his farewell post on social media, he mentioned that their Speech Team coach, Gary Gold, once made a devastating comment to him. Pete's post triggered some memories for Tip, memories of his own insult at the hands of Mr. Gold.

The more Tip thinks about Pete and Mr. Gold, the more obsessed he becomes with high school memories—the positive and the negative. He and Natalie (mostly at his urging) decide to look up two of their other classmates: Anthony, who is now a famous fashion designer, and Jennifer, the once-intense intellectual who is now a college professor. After some awkward moments, the four reunite and rehash some old memories. And then they discover one thing they all have in common: each was stung by an insult from Mr. Gold.

The quartet finds that Mr. Gold is still alive and now living in Florida, so they decide to take a road trip down there and confront him. But what they find is not at all what they were expecting. And Tip is slowly losing his grip, which puts his sobriety and his marriage at risk.

This book really hit close to home for me, but that only made me love it more. I went to high school in the 1980s and graduated the same year as the characters did. I struggled with my sexuality and was bullied quite a bit, much like Tip. And I had a high school teacher who bullied me, and more than 35 years later, some of the things he said still linger in my mind. (No one needs to worry about me confronting him, however, since he died a few years ago.)

I was so excited when I saw this book at the store, because I'm a huge fan of the way Tim Murphy writes. (Christodora was an utterly fantastic book.) This is, as I've read, a much more personal book for Murphy, and it definitely felt that way. It was tremendously thoughtful, and thought-provoking.

Book Review: "Pageboy" by Elliot Page

I read very few celebrity memoirs, but when I heard that Elliot Page had written a book about his journey from struggling with being queer to the realization and acceptance of his identity as a trans man, I knew it was the perfect read for Pride Month.

Raised by divorced parents, verbally and emotionally abused by his stepmother and stepsiblings, Elliot had a rich fantasy life. He really wanted to be a boy, and often insisted on wearing boyish clothes and short hair. But as he grew older, his mother was less supportive of what she saw as merely tomboyish qualities.

He turned to acting as an escape from reality. At times it was frustrating that he had to wear dresses for the female characters he played. But as success grew—including an Oscar nomination for Juno—he found himself being forced into the role of quirky actress, and forced to hide who he truly was.

This was a terrific book, full of emotion, uncomfortable moments (for Elliot), sadness, and jubilant self-acceptance. There’s even a little Hollywood gossip.

“The act of writing, reading, and sharing the multitude of our experiences is an important step in standing up to those who wish to silence us. I’ve nothing new or profound to say, nothing that hasn’t been said before, but I know books have helped me, saved me even, so perhaps this can help someone feel less alone, seen, no matter who they are or what journey they are on.“

Book Review: "Is It Hot in Here? Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth?" by Zach Zimmerman

How can you resist a book with a title like this? Comedian and writer Zach Zimmerman provides fodder for laughs, tears, and even some a-ha moments in this memoir-esque collection of essays and anecdotes about making peace with yourself.

Zimmerman chronicles growing up in a religious home (and his need to escape), coming to terms with his sexuality, trying to find love amidst online dating disasters, and other situations, including his family’s reactions to the COVID pandemic.

Interspersed between these essays are lists with titles like “Seven New Sins–and Tortures Too.” (Among those sins are “suggesting a book club book you’ve already read” and included among the tortures is “You are given six delicious Cadbury Creme Eggs and told one is filled with mayonnaise. (They are all filled with mayonnaise.)”

Some of these essays made me laugh out loud, some made me roll my eyes at the absurdity of the events Zimmerman described, and some actually made me think.

But after a while, everything started to have the same sarcastic tone, and some of the content was a little too precious for me. Yet this surely was an enjoyable break from heavy fiction!

Book Review: "Endpapers" by Jennifer Savran Kelly

It’s 2003. New York City is just starting to move forward after 9/11. Dawn works as a bookbinder at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, repairing old books while hoping to find the spark to reignite her own artistic efforts.

At the same time, she is struggling with her sexual identity. She is dating Lukas, who wishes she were a man, while there are days she isn’t sure what or who she really is. In a time before people generally understood the concept of nonbinary or genderqueer, Dawn’s exploration serves to complicate her relationship with Lukas, her colleagues, and her family.

One day while repairing a book she finds the cover of a pulp novel from the 1950s bound inside the back cover. She cannot figure out how it would’ve gotten there. But that’s only the start of the mystery. The cover features a woman dressed as a man, and on the back is a love letter from one woman to another, written in German.

Who were these women? What happened to them and their relationship? And why does this book cover speak to Dawn so much? Solving this mystery becomes an obsession for her, as well as an opportunity to avoid dealing with her concerns about her creative block, her relationship with Lukas, and the violence that always threatens the LGBTQ community. It's sad that many of the issues addressed in the book haven't changed much in 20 years.

This was so good. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books for inviting me on the tour for this. I found it so compelling, and I cannot get it out of my mind.

Book Review: "The Locked Away Life" by Drew Davies

If you’re looking for a book to warm your heart while it chokes you up, look no further!!

Esther is an 82-year-old woman living alone in her once-grand house. She knows that the end of her life is drawing near, so she can’t stop thinking about Thackeray, her one true love. Why did he betray her? Where is he now?

The answer may very well be found online, or as Esther refers to it, the Inter-Net. But how to navigate that scary world? She places an advertisement looking for someone to help her, and it is answered by Bruno.

Bruno is 18 and feels like an outsider in his life. He’s interested in this opportunity so he can make the money he needs to escape and make the changes to his life he desperately wants.

The two form the most unlikely friendship, brought together by the secrets each has and the feelings of loneliness. But can they make each other see how special they are, just how they are?

This really was a beautiful book. It deals with some pretty heavy issues but it’s just so charming at the same time. These characters were really special.

Book Review: "Frat Wars: Presidential Chaos" by Saxon James

Frat Wars: Presidential Chaos is a tremendously satisfying and sexy conclusion to a terrific series.

Zeke has been president of Sigma Beta Psi for a few years now. He loves the job and he loves his fraternity brothers, but with graduation not too far in the distance, he’s ready to move on. He wants to focus on pursuing his dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer.

Charles is the president of Rho Kappa Tau, their biggest rival and usually the target of their pranks. He never really wanted to be president but agreed to step into the role. The Sigmas annoy him and his brothers but dealing with Zeke is a definite plus, although he wouldn’t admit that to anyone.

When rumors about hazing—and particularly the Sigmas’ role—surface, Zeke needs to find out who is making the false accusations and why. And while at first it looks like Charles and his fraternity might be behind the rumors, Zeke trusts they’re not responsible, and he and Charles team up to track down the troublemaker. But the closer they work together, the more they realize their feelings go beyond rivalry—and those feelings could affect both of their futures.

This series is excellent—it’s super-steamy, romantic, funny, and thought-provoking. It definitely turns some stereotypes on their head. I’ve really become a huge fan of Saxon James (she's also the co-author of the Puckboys series I'm loving)—and would love it if this wasn’t the last book in the series!!

Book Review: "Lavender House" by Lev AC Rosen

Lavender House was a satisfying mystery that delivers so much more. It was fantastic!

California. 1952. Andy was a police detective in San Francisco until he was caught in a raid at a gay bar. Fired, disgraced, and shunned, he is nearing the end of the rope.

Then he is approached by a woman who asks him to investigate the murder of her wife. Her wife was Irene Lamontaine, the head of the famous Lamontaine soap empire, and she was killed at Lavender House, their secluded estate. It turns out that the house is home to a number of gay people, living their lives freely, even if it’s only within the walls of the house.

Andy agrees to investigate the murder and takes residence at Lavender House. He never imagined that he’d see people like him so openly embracing love and having the type of relationships that wouldn’t be possible in the outside world. It forces him to come to terms with his own life and sexuality, as well as reconcile his being a police detective with the way his colleagues treated gay people.

“Just because we know what we are, and we know what the world is, doesn’t mean we can change anything about either of them.”

The mystery in this book is fairly standard but the book worked for me on so many levels. I loved many of the characters and would love to see a sequel someday. (Rosen has certainly set things up for that.) This was a fascinating, emotional look at the struggles queer people faced back then.

Book Review: "Irresponsible Puckboy" by Eden Finley and Saxon James

Yep, another steamy hockey romance. I don’t even watch this much hockey!

Tripp and Dex are NHL teammates and best friends. They spend so much time together and are so close, most people joke that they’re secretly in love with each other. But for Tripp, it’s no joke. He’s definitely in love with Dex, even if it’s the oldest story in the world—the gay guy in love with his straight best friend. Even his closest friends, the other gay hockey players in the league, warn him about getting hurt.

To Dex, Tripp is the most important person in the world. He’s been sad when relationships have ended but he always has Tripp to turn to. But he has no idea that Tripp is actually in love with him.

When commitment-phobic Dex worries he might never get married, he comes up with a crazy scheme: he and Tripp should get married but not file the license, so he can get more comfortable with the idea. No one in their right mind would agree to that, right? Well, no one except Tripp.

And when their marriage turns out to actually be legal and the press gets wind of it, they agree to pretend to be married for a while. Otherwise, the resulting chaos could see one of them get traded, and that’s unacceptable.

Anyone want to guess what happens when you pretend to have a relationship? This is a sweet, sexy, friends-to-lovers AND fake dating story with as much fun banter as the first book in the series. I’m definitely on board for Book 3!!

Book Review: "Frat Wars: Master of Mayhem" by Saxon James

This book was a sexy frat house romance that stole my heart!⁣

⁣ “This brotherhood you love so much? The idea that we’ve all got each other’s backs through thick and thin, no matter what. That’s what a relationship is.”⁣

⁣ Robbie and Brandon are fraternity brothers and very close friends. They couldn’t be more opposite, however. Robbie is loud, cocky, competitive, and the king of pranks at Sigma Beta Psi. Brandon isn’t as comfortable being the center of attention, and as the frat’s risk manager, he’s always worrying about the havoc Robbie and the other brothers cause with their schemes.⁣

⁣ When Robbie decides he’s curious about what it’s like to have sex with a guy, no one thinks it’s that big of a deal. But when none of his frat brothers—not even those who are gay—are willing to experiment with him, no one is expecting that Brandon will volunteer to kiss Robbie to see what he thinks. And of course, no one is expecting them to love it.⁣

⁣ Although there is some initial reluctance to take their friendship to this level, after a while their attraction to one another is too strong to ignore. But Robbie has never been the type to want a relationship, they’ll be graduating soon, and Brandon isn’t sure if he’s bi, gay, or what. Is this just college fun, or something else?⁣

⁣ I loved the first book in this series, King of Thieves, and this is just as good. It’s super-steamy in places, romantic and funny in others. It was a very quick but emotionally satisfying read, and I can’t wait to pick up Presidential Chaos, the third and final book in this series.

Book Review: "My Government Means to Kill Me" by Rasheed Newson

Rasheed Newson's debut novel is a moving, informative story of a young, gay Black man’s coming of age in 1980s New York City.

“…all great activists start off as young people who don’t really know what the hell they’re doing.”

Trey leaves his wealthy family in Indiana and turns his back on his trust fund and moves to New York City in the mid-1980s. He has very little money but refuses to compromise his values by hustling. He meets an interesting group of friends and explores his sexuality despite NYC being an epicenter of the AIDS epidemic.

After volunteering at a home hospice for those dying of AIDS, he gets pulled into the early days of ACT UP, an activist group trying to get the government to provide better support to those living with the disease. Along the way he tries to navigate his guilt about a childhood incident, deal with the demands of his family, and better understand the dynamics of sex and love.

This was a really good book that felt like a memoir. Trey is essentially dropped into an historical narrative and comes into contact with a number of individuals both key to the gay rights movement and those who caused trouble for it. Newson peppers the book with footnotes about different people and references in the book, and while many times I feel footnotes in books are distracting, these were really informative.

Having been a bit younger than Trey in the mid-1980s, I still vividly remember this time in history, and figuring out my sexuality a few years later was still as confusing, frightening, and complicated in the midst of uncertainty about AIDS. This was a fascinating story.