Review: Simply Phenomenal
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 8, 2014
It didn't take much for me to be interested in reading 'Queers'. As soon as I knew it was a new release by A.J. Rose, without even reading the description, I had to have it in my hot little hands. I will honestly admit, after I read the blurb, I was a little concerned about two things. One, the length of the book is quite the tome, and if the author can't keep my attention, then I tend to mentally wander. And second, the fact that there would be four different points of view had me concerned because not many authors can pull that off before the book simply becomes cumbersome. Rest assured, my fears were completely unfounded. Yes, the book is very long. It is also a stunningly well written work and my mind didn't wander, not even once. And, yes, there are four points of view, but the author wove each of their story lines together in a seamless fashion that left me, frankly, in a daze at the conclusion of the final page. Trust me. This is a book not to be missed and it will remain as a favorite of mine for eternity.Duff moved to LA four years ago from the Midwest, determined to make his dreams come true. He has just gotten a job at Queers, a dueling piano bar that has been instrumental in helping people find their way to recording contracts. Brad is part owner of Queers and three years ago he lost his life partner and since then Brad has only been existing, not living. Garrett is Duff's best friend and he moved with Duff to LA hoping to find his knight in shining armor. Jackson has been in love with Garrett for over a year but Jackson's reputation as a man-whore is keeping Garrett from believing anything that Jackson says.Duff, with a little help from Moonshine, and Brad begin the delicate dance of getting to know one another. Brad was so hesitant and he reminded me of a turtle peeking his head out of his shell and then tucking it back inside the instant he experienced any discomfort. Brad had really suffered a horrific loss three years ago, so it was understandable that he'd be hesitant, wary, and awkward in his first few dates. Duff is such a kind, gentle man, but not a pushover, and watching their romance proceed was one of the highlights for me of this book.Garrett has spent his entire life looking for romantic and lasting love; fairy tale love. Unfortunately, what he finds is Landon, a music exec, who is handsome and wealthy and sweeps Garrett off his feet. Garrett is so dazzled that he ignores the little warning signs until it's almost too late. Landon is a dominant and very controlling man, who brings severe emotional, physical, and mental abuse on Garrett. The worst is that Duff and Jackson can see what's going on, but Garrett won't listen. Poor Jackson who just wants to love Garrett for exactly who he is and Jackson is trying so hard to just find the words, all the while having to watch the horror Garrett is going through and not being able to help.Outside of these four incredible men, the author wrote some wonderful supporting characters, of which Moonshine was one. I loved her. She's a meddler and a matchmaker. She owns the other half of Queers and is Brad's best friend. Moonshine has kept Brad and Queers alive while browbeating Brad into living again. She's an incredible character and her love interest, Jennica, is sweet, adorable, and has a heart of gold. Moonshine is the fairy godmother, in Goth wear, that these guys never saw coming.There is so much I want to pack in to this review, but I already feel like I jumbled everything up simply by trying to express how much I loved this book. There is so much more to it than just the love stories. In fact, for me, the friendships between these men were a huge draw to my loving this book. The author did a phenomenal job with integrating the importance of the friendships side by side with the love stories. Genius, A.J., just genius. I will warn you that there are some scenes of domestic violence that are pretty heavy, including a rape scene that made me cringe. However, the author did the scenes and the emotions justice and subsequently didn't show me any victims. Only survivors.This was an all around fantastic and wonderful story. I can very highly recommend it. Thank you, A.J., for bringing Queers and the people inside it to life.