Book Review: "Disco Witches of Fire Island" by Blair Fell

How could I resist a book with a title like this? My thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!

In 1989, Joe and his best friend Ronnie plan to spend the summer working and playing at the gay mecca of Fire Island Pines. Ronnie is looking for a sugar daddy, while Joe realizes it’s time to move on from grieving his late boyfriend Elliot, who died of AIDS.

When Ronnie’s promised job and accommodations both fail to materialize, Joe meets Lenny and Howie, two older gay men who are housecleaners on the side. They take Joe under their wing, and although they’re tremendously kind and generous to him, they seem to have a lot of secrets and quirky habits. What are they hiding?

Howie and Lenny are part of a coven of disco witches. They use dance to conjure up protection for the younger gay men who might become overwhelmed by the availability of sex and drugs on Fire Island. Both of these have destroyed too many men already, and they’re committed to protecting Joe. But the coven has been depleted by the loss of many of its members to AIDS, so they’re not as powerful as they once were.

While Joe works as a bartender, he finds himself attracted to a bisexual ferryman, and tantalized by a muscular man that keeps disappearing. Lenny and Howie try to warn Joe away from the mysterious hunk, saying that he represents impending danger. Will the disco witches be able to keep everyone safe?

This was such a fun, poignant, nostalgic, and steamy book. I can’t pass up anything set in the 1980s, and when you throw in a little magical realism—plus disco—I’m hooked. I really enjoyed this, and it made me think back to those we’ve lost.

Book Review: "The Z Word" by Lindsay King-Miller

The first Pride was a riot. The last Pride is a bloodbath.

This was so wild and crazy and I was totally there for it! If you watched The Walking Dead and thought, “What if there were more LGBTQ+ characters?”, this one is for you.

Getting over your ex is often difficult, but when your ex is hooking up with your friends, that can be torture. That’s the issue for Wendy. She’s trying to find her way in a new place, but jealousy isn’t a good look on her.

And then the people around them start turning into zombies. Blood-thirsty zombies. Luckily, Wendy isn’t the only one who notices. Her new friends—a mixed bag of queer people, including her ex, Leah—have to band together to figure out what’s causing the outbreak. But perhaps more importantly, they have to save themselves and save Pride.

Horror is definitely not a genre I read very often, but this book definitely was more than I expected. Sure, there’s gore and violence, but there’s also humor, emotion, and lots of steam. I enjoyed how Lindsay King-Miller turned some typical stereotypes on their head and gave queer characters the power to kick some ass.

Thanks so much to Quirk Books for the complimentary copy; sorry it took me so long to read the book!

Book Review: "Karaoke Queen" by Dominic Lim

This book was so sweet and fun. I could totally see an adaptation of this into a movie or television show—it’s part Kinky Boots,” part RuPaul’s Drag Race, and even a bit of Pose. But that’s not to say the book was derivative or a copycat in any way.

“For me, drag is heightened reality. It’s not about lying, it’s about revealing the truth in a different way. My truth. I see that now.”

Rex used to be a popular drag performer and karaoke host, until he locked that part of him away. But when he discovers his old college boyfriend Aaron is now managing a gay club and karaoke bar, it awakens the desire to perform again—not to mention his desire for Aaron.

The Pink Unicorn is a part of Oakland’s gay culture, but it’s never gotten back on its feet post-COVID. When Rex learns that the bar is struggling, he offers to host karaoke in his drag persona, Regina Moon Dee. But while Aaron is no longer the closeted guy Rex dated in college, drag makes him uncomfortable—so Rex can’t let Aaron know that he and Regina are one and the same.

Paolo, the bar’s karaoke jockey, immediately takes a shine to Rex, and recognizes his alter ego right away. He can’t understand why Rex would want to date Aaron if he won’t accept Rex for who he is. But Paolo is all too willing to help continue the ride that Rex and Regina are two separate people. As you might imagine, hijinks and drama ensue.

I really enjoyed Dominic Lim’s debut, All the Right Notes, and this book had the same amount of heart. Sure, there is lots of bending the truth and hiding things, but it’s all for the right reasons. Rex and Paolo are such winning characters, and their friends and family are so appealing too. You’ll definitely want to break into song after reading this!

Book Review: "The Bell in the Fog" by Lev AC Rosen

“There are endless possibilities for murder if you’re queer. Most people don’t really think it’s a crime to kill a criminal—and all of us are criminals to the rest of the world.”

It’s 1952 in San Francisco. Andy was in the Navy and then became a police officer—until his homosexuality was discovered, and he was fired. Now he works as a private detective, living and working above The Ruby, a queer bar.

One day, a blast from the past arrives at his office. It’s James, with whom Andy shared a relationship (as well as other men) while they were in the Navy. But one day James disappeared, and Andy thought his sexuality had been discovered, and perhaps that meant Andy might get court-martialed.

James, who is still in the Navy, and is being considered for a major promotion, is being blackmailed with photos of him in compromising positions. If these photos get out, they will ruin him, so James hires Andy to find out who’s behind it. While Andy would like to send James packing, old feelings run deep, and he could use some money.

Tracking down the blackmailer forces Andy to confront his days in the Navy. He meets another old friend, and the forced reminiscences fill him with nostalgia, anger, and grief. How can he find out the truth when the police would all too happily let queer people kill each other?

This is the second book in a series that started with the fantastic Lavender House, but this can be read as a standalone. The characters are so compelling and the glimpses of what life was like for queer people back then are fascinating and at times, sad. Can’t wait for the third book, Rough Pages, to publish on 10/1!

Book Review: "Dragged to the Wedding" by Andrew Grey

What a fun book this was! I truly loved every minute of it.

James is a gay police officer in the Chicago suburbs. He's happy with his job and with his life. But with his sister getting married in his hometown of Missoula, Montana, his mother keeps pressuring him to bring a date. The thing is, living 2,000 miles away from his family has enabled him to keep his sexuality a secret, so he's freaking out. Sure, he should level with his family, but he doesn't want to deal with his demanding, conservative mother, nor does he want to steal his sister's thunder.

Where is he going to find a date? When one of his friends has to back out of going to the wedding with him, James is at his wit's end. But salvation is found when a friend introduces him to Daniel, aka Lala Traviata, famed Chicago drag queen. When James first meets Lala, he can't believe that he's intrigued by a woman, but then he understands just how good she is at what she does. After a brief discussion, they agree that Lala will accompany James home to Montana and pretend to be his girlfriend.

It's not long before Lala has completely won over James' family, helping solve crises from altering his sister's wedding gown to helping his soon-to-be brother-in-law with dance lessons. As the wedding draws closer, James is anxious that the truth will be revealed, but at the same time, the chemistry between him and Daniel intensifies. And while Daniel feels the same way about James, what will happen when they return to Chicago? Would James want a relationship with someone who spends a significant amount of time in drag? And is Daniel willing to risk his heart on someone who is afraid of being truthful with his family?

Sure, the story advances much as you'd expect it to. But James and Daniel (and Lala, for that matter) are so engaging and entertaining that I was rooting for them from start to finish. The book is funny, sweet, a little steamy, and really heartwarming.

Book Review: "The Gentleman's Book of Vices" by Jess Everlee

Even though its title is similar to a few other books, including a popular YA series, this is a fun and romantic gay Victorian love story.

London, 1883. Charlie is a well-dressed son of privilege, although what he has to show for it is a mountain of debt, an immense tolerance for alcohol, and a collection of erotic novels that he keeps under lock and key. He spends many nights with a motley crew of friends at The Curious Fox, one of the city’s “molly houses” (gay bars).

All of this is soon to change, however, when Charlie gets married, in an arrangement brokered by both sets of parents. Charlie feels like he can be a dutiful husband even if he can’t truly love his wife.

But when he finds the true identity of Reginald Cox, his favorite author of erotica, he cannot wait to meet the man, Miles Montague. When Charlie shows up at the bookstore he owns, Miles thinks Charlie is there to blackmail him, but he just wants Miles to sign a copy of his favorite book. Their chemistry is instantaneous and intense, and it’s not long before the two are spending a lot of time together.

As Charlie’s wedding approaches, Miles and all of his friends at The Curious Fox try to convince him to call it off. Should Charlie risk the wrath of his family and the loss of his financial comforts to finally go after his happy ending, or should he do what is expected?

I enjoyed this so much!! I loved all of the characters and there was a lot more weight to the story than I expected. I hope Everlee has another book like this up her sleeve!! (Note: the second book in the series comes out in July!)

Book Review: "Pumpkin" by Julie Murphy

Holy hell! Pumpkin, Julie Murphy's latest book, is an absolutely amazing book about living your life as unabashedly you as you can.

Waylon Brewer is a flamboyantly gay (and fat) high school senior from a small Texas town. Being gay at his high school isn’t ideal but it’s not too traumatizing; while he has to endure some taunting, having his twin sister Clementine (who is also gay) by his side makes everything more endurable.

“There are times when I feel like I can’t be me. I can’t simply exist. I have to offer something in exchange. Something that absolves me of being fat and gay and even worse—both of those things at once.”

When the audition video he made one night for his favorite TV drag show is accidentally shared with the entire school, he gains a little more notoriety and takes a few more insults. But ultimately, he is nominated for prom queen, and Hannah, Clem’s girlfriend, is nominated for prom king.

Although they were nominated as a joke or insult (or maybe a little of both), Waylon and Hannah decide they’re going to do anything they can to win. And when Waylon is paired up with Tucker, one of his nemeses, on prom court projects, he learns that sometimes first impressions of a person don’t always reveal the truth of who they are.

Pumpkin is so funny, so sensitive, so utterly squee-worthy, I can’t find enough words to express how much I loved it. I’ve been that fat gay kid too, and I didn’t handle it with even a fraction of the flair Waylon did. Every single one of these characters is so exceptional in their own way. This is definitely a book I wish existed when I was growing up.

I hope we get a sequel someday! I love buddy reads with my friend Louis because the discussion is always so great, and this certainly was no exception!!

Book Review: "One Last Stop" by Casey McQuiston

Casey McQuiston's upcoming novel, One Last Stop, proves that love can flourish in even the most mundane of places, like the Q train on the NYC subway.

For the longest time it was just August and her mother against the world. But helping her mother with her obsessive need to find her brother, who went missing in 1973, became too much to bear, so she left New Orleans to go to college.

She bounced from place to place, school to school, and finally lands in Brooklyn. She figures it’s a big enough place to be on your own and not connect with anyone. But she soon finds an apartment and a job, and becomes part of a circle of friends for the first time.

After a disastrous start to her morning on her first day of school, she sees her on the Q train. Jane is everything August is not—sexy, brash, outgoing, helpful, and utterly confident, the type of person who could start a dance party on a crowded subway train. August starts planning her morning commute in the hopes of seeing Jane—and she invariably always does.

But little by little, she realizes Jane isn’t your typical subway encounter. And it’s up to August, with a lot of help from her friends, to see if they can fix Jane’s “situation.” But what would that do to the potential of a relationship with August?

You can get more information if you read the plot synopsis, but I didn’t know anything about One Last Stop when I started it. It’s a very unique twist on a love story which will require suspension of your disbelief. (Or maybe this happens all the time on the subway, lol?)

I liked the chemistry between August and Jane, and I loved the diverse supporting characters. I just felt the whole concept of the story took so long to unfold and solve, and at times it dragged the pace of the story down for me a bit. But that’s not to say I didn’t get teary-eyed at times, because, well, I’m me.

McQuiston's first book, Red, White and Royal Blue was my favorite book of 2019, so certainly my expectations were high for this one. But I wasn't expecting her to write the same book, and that wasn't my challenge with this. I just felt that the whole wasn't as great as the sum of its parts.

NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

One Last Stop publishes 6/1.

Book Review: "Boy Queen" by George Lester

George Lester's Boy Queen is a beautiful, joy-filled book about finding the right path—and the belief in yourself to follow it.

Robin has his future planned—he’s going to attend a performing arts academy and set the theatre world on fire. Everyone tells him how talented he is, even though he doesn’t always believe it.

When he doesn’t get into the academy as he (and everyone else) thought he would, he’s utterly devastated. What’s next for his future? He didn’t apply to university and all his friends did, so he has no clue what he’ll do, and he doesn't want to have to stay in his hometown alone.

On his birthday, to try and get him out of his doldrums, he and his friends go to Drag Night at a gay bar, and he is utterly mesmerized. He realizes that this is what he wants to do. This is who he wants to be.

Under the tutelage of the glorious Kaye Bye, he sets out to find his true self. But he’ll need to believe in himself and his talent first, and realize he also needs to focus on the people who love him for who he is—not the ones who only support and love him when no one is around.

“I’ve never felt so powerful or fully in control of myself before, but, in that moment, there it was. The more applause I got, the more powerful I felt, like some kind of oversized Tinkerbell in three pairs of tights and a six-inch heel.“

So full disclosure: while I have immense admiration for the artistry, talent, and sheer confidence of drag artists, I’ve never been a huge fan. But this book by George Lester has gotten me hooked a bit!!

I absolutely loved Boy Queen and the characters, especially Robin’s friends, some of his teachers, and his mother, who was incredible. The support and encouragement they gave him really filled my heart.

It was fun buddy reading this with my friend Javi. We both loved it, and hopefully you will, too!

Book Review: "Atonement Camp for Unrepentant Homophobes" by Evan J. Corbin

What would you expect from a book with a title like Atonement Camp for Unrepentant Homophobes? Evan J. Corbin delivers a quirky, moving, and tremendously thought-provoking read.

Imagine that the oldest translation of a Gospel is found in which Jesus explicitly condemns bigotry and homophobia. It changes the world quickly—the U.S. has elected its first lesbian president, the Pope has come out of the closet, and people treat the LGBTQIA+ community with respect and admiration.

Rick Harris, a pastor from North Carolina, is unmoved by these changes and continued to preach against the evils of homosexuality. When one sermon goes too far and offends the most influential family in the congregation, he is given a choice by the church elders: attend an atonement camp or get fired.

The atonement camp, run by drag queens, is utter torture for Rick and his fellow campers at first. Lots of alcohol, pedicures, and scantily clad pool boys loosen people up, but there are important lessons to be learned about the struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as learning to understand the demons that we all carry.

“Binary gender subscribers. Trans deniers. Hypocrites, sinners, and fools. Honestly, I don’t care who you were before you came here. I only care about the people you’ll be when you leave. No one is hopeless. No one is beyond redemption.”

I found this to be funny and emotional, and it definitely made me think. Of course, the campers embodied all of the arguments you hear from those who criticize homosexuality, but you see that these characters are not without their flaws as well. And while at first it looks like the camp plays into all the typical stereotypes, there’s depth there beyond what you expect.

This is definitely a book I’ll remember!!

I was pleased to be part of the blog tour for this book. Thanks to Pride Book Tours and Evan J. Corbin for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

Book Review: "The Black Flamingo" by Dean Atta

Gorgeously unique, Dean Atta's The Black Flamingo is a salute to finding and loving yourself.

Michael is a half-Jamaican, half Greek Cypriot boy growing up in London. He realizes early on that being mixed-race makes him different, as he’s not black enough for some in his family and not Greek enough for others.

He also knows he’d rather play with dolls and his female friends, and kiss the boys. After some ridicule by his peers he finds a way to get by, and he forms a close friendship with Daisy, a fellow outcast. But while his coming out doesn’t surprise anyone, he realizes he still has some growing and learning to do, and he needs to figure out who he is.

When he gets to university, he’s ready for freedom, but he still feels out of place until he finds The Drag Society. It is there he learns exactly how amazing and fierce he is, how much the only person’s opinion that matters is his own, and that when you love yourself it makes it easier to love others and be loved by them.

"He is me, who I have been,
who I am, who I hope to become.
Someone fabulous, wild, and strong.
With or without a costume on."

What an incredible, emotional, powerful book. This is a novel-in-verse interspersed with poems Michael writes, but it doesn’t read any differently than a traditional novel.

I devoured this one. I think this is such an empowering, ultimately joyful book that I will remember for a long time. Dean Atta has created a gorgeous book about race and pride at exactly the right time. May we all be as fierce as the Black Flamingo!

My month of Pride Reads keeps rolling!!

Book Review: "The Prince and the Dressmaker" by Jen Wang

"Some days I look at myself in the mirror and think, 'That's me, Prince Sebastian! I wear boy clothes and look like my father.' Other days it doesn't feel right at all. Those days I feel like I'm actually...a princess."

Prince Sebastian is 16 years old, and his parents are pressuring him to find a wife. They keep suggesting all types of young women, princesses and other royalty from other countries. He knows he needs to be strategic to help the kingdom, but his heart isn't in it. It's not that some of these young women aren't nice, that he doesn't enjoy their company, it's just...he has a secret.

While by day, Sebastian fulfills his obligations as prince (sometimes just by the skin of his teeth), by night, Sebastian likes to dress in beautiful, eye-catching gowns, and take Paris society by storm as Lady Crystallia. His best friend, Frances, happens to be the most talented dressmaker and seamstress, and she creates Lady Crystallia's gowns, each one more avant-garde than the next.

It's hard, however, when you're the only one who knows your friend's deepest secret. Obviously, you want to protect your friend, but what if it means having to keep your achievements a secret, too? Everyone knows that Frances is Sebastian's seamstress, but if she started to get acclaim as the dressmaker for Lady Crystallia, it won't take long for people—especially the king and queen—to put two and two together and realize who Lady Crystallia really is. And that would be disastrous for Sebastian.

Jen Wang's The Prince and the Dressmaker is an absolutely wonderful graphic novel with gorgeous illustrations and an amazingly heartfelt story. Not only does it deal with the sacrifices we often make for our friends, and how sometimes we ask our friends for too much in an effort to enable us from avoiding important decisions, its unabashedly positive message that no one really should care what makes people happy if we love them made this book the perfect ending to my month of LGBTQ reads for Pride month.

Some have expressed criticism that Sebastian never declares himself to be gay, trans, or whatever, but all I kept thinking when I read this was the line from "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga: "Don't be a drag, just be a queen." Sebastian clearly expresses his conflict over his identity, and at 16, it's entirely plausible that he's unsure exactly how he wants to live his entire life.

This is the second graphic novel I've read this month and I am loving this genre. This was a super-quick read, but boy, did it warm my heart completely. It's such an amazing tribute to friendship, love, acceptance, and being exactly who you are. How can you quibble with that?

Find this amazing book, take it to your heart, and share it with those you care about.

Book Review: "Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens" by Tanya Boteju

Tanya Boteju's debut novel, Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens is an unabashedly charming book about finding yourself and being true to who you are. It's a book with humor, sensitivity, and so much heart, and it definitely left me with a smile on my face. (It's much less conspicuous to smile on a plane while reading rather than cry your eyes out!)

Nima Kumara-Clark has just finished her junior year of high school, but she doesn't see much excitement on the horizon this summer outside of hanging out with her best friend, Charles. She's longing for something to shake her life up, and given that she's spent a few years nursing an obsessive love for Ginny, her straight best friend, it doesn't appear that love is in the cards for her either.

One night during the local summer festival, she has a chance encounter with Deidre, a drag queen, who takes her to her first drag show. Nima is quickly taken under Deidre's wing, and she feels tremendously comfortable for the first time in her life, which is a change from her usual awkwardness. She is also utterly unprepared for the way the show makes her feel, especially when she sees a performance by Winnow, a sexy drag king.

"With each passing moment, I'd get that feeling you sometimes have the moment you're about to flip the final page of a really good book, when your anticipation for what happens next overwhelms you, but you also know that turning the page means you're closer to an end. This was a story I didn't want to end."

It seems as if Winnow shares the same attraction and feelings for Nima once the two meet. Nima has been disappointed too many times before, and she's not sure if she's ready to fully acknowledge her sexuality or let her guard down again. But she's also unafraid to let another opportunity to find love pass her by.

As Nima's friendship with Deidre deepens, and her interest in Winnow grows (as does the number of awkward encounters between them), she also has to deal with a number of other issues—Charles' jealousy of this new "life" she has found, the confusing behavior and mood swings of a childhood friend-turned-bully, and the re-emergence of her mother, who left Nima and her father more than a year ago with no explanation. It's a lot of emotional pressure for a young woman on the cusp of embracing her true self and taking the first few steps toward self-acceptance.

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens is a fun read, and some of the characters are so tremendously vivid that they capture your heart. There's so much spirit in this book, but there's also a lot of emotion, as the characters have to come to terms with their identity, acknowledge the pain caused by others, and find the courage to step outside their comfort zone.

I enjoyed this book very much, and read it during the course of a plane ride. I did feel there were many issues that were left unresolved, including what was going on with Gordon, and Nima's relationship with her mother. That was a little frustrating. I also wasn't really sure about Deidre—was she a drag queen, a trans woman, or something else? I can only hope that Boteju might have a follow-up book planned to provide some answers.

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens will leave you smiling, humming, and, depending on where you are when you're reading this, dancing. This book is full of positivity and hopefully, when it falls into the right hands, may help lots of teenagers and adults begin the journey toward self-acceptance.