Review: Five Stars From The First Page
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 14, 2013
This book was five stars from the very first page, paragraph or, perhaps, even word.This is the second of Mr. Fitzroy's books I've read this week and both point out one inescapable fact. Mr. Fitzroy is a brilliant writer, and we're honored to have him writing gay fiction. I wish I could say this of more M/M authors.This is a simple story. Air Force Colonel risks his life and sustains bullet wounds protecting his President from a crazed gunman. The President brings him to the White House as some kind of NSA assistant in charge of, well... being the President's friend.One thing leads to another and they become lovers. What is not so usual is that they do so with the approval of both the President's wife and young daughter. His wife has known about her husband's needs for many years, and is happy to share him with his lover -  as they work together to keep him happy and keep him safe. Also, his wife is with MSF (Doctors Without Borders) and has a rich and rewarding life aside from her roles as wife and First Lady.What's equally impressive is that these men are not 27-year-old Adonises, but rather mature men, the Colonel in his forties, the President, 56. And yet they are still sexy, vital, hot for each other and beginning a relationship destined to last the rest of their lives. Therefore, there's no young, fumbling, frantic groping - just a mature, passionate love to be admired.Most of the book is a detailed journey through the tribulations and joys of their love in the crucible that is The White House - and the rest is a fairly thin story of international intrigue. But even that story brings with it lessons about what it is to be President in a dangerous world, and the sacrifices necessary to keep the world safe.Overriding it all is the author's incredible facility with words, dialog, exposition and description. And it's an economy of words that often brought a smile to my face. One of the favorite lines I've ever read appears when the Colonel finds himself alone in the President's bed, sheet tucked up to his chin to hide his body and the remnants of recent sex, only to ruminate: "He felt he looked like some nervous teenager waiting for her gynecologist". I need to read more like that.For me, it is an absolute joy to read the words of a great writer - and Mr. Fitzroy is definitely one of them.