Review: Disappointed
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 4, 2010
So far I am batting 0-3 for ZA Maxfield's books and writing positive reviews. I bought this book because of the stellar reviews here and on other sites and for the most part I enjoyed reading the book, but there are issues. First, the good things. The relationship between Jae and Kelly is unique and once it gets going is fun, original and hot. I like that Kelly has some quirks - OCD, his fear of leaving his house, and his obsession with Jae's hair. Z.A. Maxfield's characters in this book are crisp, three dimensional and entertaining. I also liked Will, Jae's "houseboy," who I hope gets his own book. His backstory was full of heartbreak, but his strength and love for Kelly was a great part of the book. Those are the things I liked about "ePistols at Dawn," now onto the things that made me give it only a 3-star rating.The first 60 pages of the book dragged - badly. I almost gave up on reading it. Too many e-mails between Kelly and Jae and too much sex between Will and Jae. At first I thought this was going to be a love story about Will and Kelly a la "Pretty Woman," not Jae and Kelly. I would have liked it better if Will had just been Kelly's roommate and not his "houseboy." Second, the subplot about Windows and Doorways also dragged on for too long. The secret that Kelly was the author of both should have been revealed much sooner. Third, there were consent issues between Will and Kelly that made alarm bells go off in my head once it was revealed that Will was sexually abused by his stepfather, had run away from home to become a hooker, and was "given" to Kelly by a friend as a houseboy/lover who was leaving LA and couldn't take care of Will any longer. That subplot made me dislike Kelly for the last half of the book. Who basically forces a damaged child (Will would have been 19 when he went to live with Kelly who is in his mid-to-late 30's) to clean his house and have sex with him as payment to live there? That aspect of the book left a very bad taste in my mouth. I know the whole "houseboy and all-around slut" thing was supposed to be humorous, I did not find it so. Maxfield should have had Will and Kelly just as roommates, as the dubious consent issues in that relationship were irritating.So, while there were aspects of "ePistols at Dawn" I did enjoy, I cannot give it a ringing endorsement.