Review: Sweet and gentle, filled with emotion, but a bit of a fairy tale...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2014
I had to put aside a number of qualms in reading Diane Adams' "Last First Kiss."  The youth fetish of m/m romance is in full sway, since the main characters are 25 and 18.  I also had to choke down a little incredulity at the idea of any teenager being quite as awesomely selfless as Gage Harris is.  That forced me to take a sort of fairy-tale leap of faith.  That said, however, the story of these two young men and their improbable romance won my heart and left me weepy any number of times.What appealed to me about this story is the idea that an ambitious young gay man, with a graduate degree from a prestigious southern school, would find himself captivated by an even younger man who seems on the surface to be a loser in every stereotypical southern-white-trash way; but whose personal integrity then becomes the main attraction.Trent is resigned to singlehood after his first (and only) boyfriend makes it clear that his concept of fidelity is driven by convenience rather than commitment. The chance meeting with Gage on a rural back road leaves Trent smitten with his pretty face, but appalled at the circumstances of Gage's life - married with two little boys at the age of 18.  As Trent begins to understand the facts behind Gage's tale, and to appreciate the deep personal integrity that guides him, his perspective begins to shift.This is a long, slow, sweet burn of a romance.  It is a story about finding goodness where you don't expect it; finding acceptance in a world filled with prejudice; and finding out that love can take you places you never expected to go.By odd coincidence, I read this book while traveling for business, and found myself just a short drive from the small town in North Carolina where Trent lives.  Adams has created a strong sense of place for this novel, and the locale plays a significant role in the story, adding authenticity and context.  While weak editing distracts from Adam's good writing, it wasn't enough to undermine my enjoyment. .Diane Adams seems to have written a lot of Christian fiction, as well as m/m romances, which strikes me an, um, interesting combination, to say the least. But, as  a gay man, it makes me wonder some about the author's own story, as deep-south religion-based anti-gay prejudice is one of the motivating anxieties that Trent has to confront. Sounds to me as if there was a personal journey in there somewhere.