Review: frogs, princes, fairy tales
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2012
Mary Calmes' protagonists are all at least a little bit larger than life - and sometimes a lot.  Even secondary characters can have a bit of a glossy shine to them.  On first reading some of her work, I had to adjust to this, but once there, I enjoyed the ride."Frog" in particular was a compelling and heart-swelling example of this.  Ms. Calmes' characterizations of these fantasy men are expert and incredibly magnetic and hyper-romantic, and within this context, the dialogue flows naturally.  I choked up a good deal (in a good way) through much of this, and did some outright sobbing a few times, the first time around location 851.  (I defy anyone to read that part dry-eyed.  This raises the question, "Why would anyone *want* to bawl in the middle of an M/M book?"  But the scene adds even more information about a couple of characters.  It works; it fits.)  I think most readers would be hard-pressed not to fall in love with one of our leads.  His humbleness makes him a little bit doltish sometimes, however in other ways he is perhaps too perfect.  And so what?On the other hand, the end drifted a bit and took the emo a little further than I liked.  But as a whole, this novella worked for me.  The romance, the sex (& reciprocity), the course of events, the sex ... it just required buying into a bit of hyperreality first.  I'll spot you the quarter.