Review: Taboo Desires by Amanda Young
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 4, 2008
Amanda Young is one of my "sure thing" authors whose books I pick up when I want to be guaranteed a good read. I've read most of her books, and so far I haven't found anything I didn't like. Her characters are realistic, her love scenes are hot without being purple or cheesy, her narrative is smooth, her dialogue is natural...she's just a great writer.This is a hot little novella (50-odd pages) about a guy that finally decides he's done with women. The same day he decides to act upon his same-sex fantasies, he runs across the younger brother of an old friend. Sparks fly, things get hot, and the rest is history.I admit the "supposedly straight guy turns gay" story is one of my guilty pleasures. I know it's not the most realistic scenario, but it's one for which I'll gladly suspend disbelief. I love the secret glances, the tentative touches, and the "so wrong but feels so good" angst. If I had one complaint about this particular story, however, it would be that the transition was little too quick for my taste. In this case, though, it's obviously more of a word count limitation than intentional rushing. It's difficult to capture the psychology of coming out in 50-something pages, so you have to understand beforehand that a short story like this is going to contain the highlights rather than the full experience. If you want a short, sexy e-book and have a couple of bucks to spare, buy this. Or just make it simple and buy Amanda's entire backlist.