Review: A Pretty Darned Good Book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 3, 2014
This book is neither rocket science nor Hemingway. What it is, is a darned good gay romance - and that's exactly what I was looking for.It's the story of two men, one just over 40 with a ten-year-old son and a pending divorce; the other, 32, with a gorgeous body, great intelligence and a beautiful soul - not to mention a past shrouded in mystery.Most of the book is the story of how Gio, the bisexual 40-year-old, well-known (but faded) rock star and Lance, the owner of a sophisticated antiques business, discover that the love between the two men means home, and despite past relationships and marriages, a passionate and equal partnership in life.There are twists here. The biggest one is that Gio, needing money to pay the lawyers and settlement for his divorce, agrees to star, with his band, in a reality show. The smarmy producer, Kevin, wants to spice up the show to boost its ratings by inventing a relationship between him and an actor hired to be his "boyfriend". Little did Kevin know that Gio had a REAL boyfriend, his first, and one he has to keep hidden so that he will not become an inadvertent and unwilling star in the show.There is a stunning car chase at the climax of the tale, and Lance's mysterious background is revealed. It was bad, but nothing that would keep them from sharing the obligatory (and excellent) HEA.The writing is polished, assured and propulsive. K. Vale is a talented author. The editing, dialogue and description are all top notch. For me, it was a page-turner. I resented the time I spent away from the book, and read the whole thing over one afternoon. There is a stunningly-written same-sex wedding scene between two members of a different rock band that you must not miss! It was both laugh-out-loud funny and profoundly moving.I recommend "double Takes" most highly. It was "just" a romance, with no aspirations to be great literature. Which is fine with me. I loved every moment of it.