Review: A short, syrupy,stereotypical M/M romance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 2, 2014
The book is free, so I had it deliver to my tablet; I read it, and then grabbed my review template. Here is a short review for a short story.INTRO: M/M romance by an award winning author, Lex Valentine, and so, worthy of reading.SYNOPSIS: Two men, one hiding his sexuality and the other overtly gay, pine for one another from afar— five years, no less— and then, ultimately, they come together.PACE:  somewhat ponderousPLOT/STORYLINE:  SimplisticWRITING/STYLE: Well written with  minor distractions, a testament to the author’s skill.CHARACTORS: Under-developed and stereotypical.WARNING: The only sex scene is gratuitous and lends little to the arc of the narrative. It is unimaginative and approaches boring.COMMENT:  The story is too short for the topic. A longer narrative focusing on developing two main characters may work; consider, for example, “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx. (Possibly the author is using the short story to flesh out ideas for an in depth book.) The “entangled” relationship of characters is a distraction, and as backstory snap shots, the reader struggles to keep everyone sorted.The story is a fast read, free, and with poignant moments. As a simple, syrupy, story to give a completely negative review is unwarranted— don’t judge a book by its cover— so three stars, then, and a recommend.