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Straight Man Gay #1
Straight Man Gay
What would you do if true love showed up in the wrong package—and knocked your socks off? American actor John Kaiser lives in London where he’s found fame as a television celebrity and theatrical star. He unwittingly falls in love with Brian Mallory, a reclusive Scottish millionaire who takes refuge in his London penthouse once a year to conduct business. Brian sees John as a shy, nervous and clumsy new friend, but John hopes they’ll be much more than just friends—until he learns of a love curvaceous, blonde, and sexy Carol Lexington. He’s devastated when he realizes he can’t compete with this beautiful woman. Or can he? And even if he could win Brian’s love, what other forces would lie in wait to tear them apart? From the ritzy charity galas of London’s elite to an English countryside manor and a stunning, riverfront luxury penthouse, this love story takes you on a journey of humor, happiness, pain, jealousy and bitter betrayal. Filled with quirky best friends, catastrophic events, and undying love and devotion, it’s the story of a straight man who falls in love with a gay man who did everything wrong and still got everything right. Straight Man Gay does what Giovanni’s Room and Brokeback Mountain couldn’ It takes the shame out of being gay and in love.
420 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2011
4 people are currently reading
818 people want to read
About the author
Danny Culpepper
4 books30 followersMy name is Sherrie Johnson. I live 40 minutes outside San Francisco in Campbell, California, and write under the pen name of Danny Culpepper. I've published three books: Straight Man Gay, Straight Man Gay Two and Straight Man Gay Three. These novels tell the humorous tale of falling in love with the wrong person, acquiring a quirky family when you didn't actually want one, and always being there for them--through the good and bad times. I think you'll find them entertaining. I write for the joy of telling a story that is funny, positive and full of characters that you can't help but love. I hope you enjoy spending time with the Mallory Clan!
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 3, 2012
I really did not care for this book. Not only was it too long, but many opportunities for suspense or mystery were ruined by the author's telling too much. The constant change of point of view was unnecessary and the lack of "showing" vs. "telling" made the book rather tedious.
Though, for the most part, the editing was well done--there were few grammatical errors--the story was so far-fetched with one absurd scene after another, that I rolled my eyes with every chapter.
The author refers to having researched this book. I have no idea what he might have researched, perhaps a bit of Welsh. Other than that, much of the gay content seemed stereotypical. The conversation was contrived and the entire notion of straight man turning gay, though feasible in some circumstances, was not handled in a believeable manner.
I don't aim to overly criticize a book, just to call it as I see it. And because I always finish a book that I start, it's only fair for me to tell the truth. Perhaps some refining and some focus of the author and characters who actually resemble real world people will make his writing enjoyable.
Though, for the most part, the editing was well done--there were few grammatical errors--the story was so far-fetched with one absurd scene after another, that I rolled my eyes with every chapter.
The author refers to having researched this book. I have no idea what he might have researched, perhaps a bit of Welsh. Other than that, much of the gay content seemed stereotypical. The conversation was contrived and the entire notion of straight man turning gay, though feasible in some circumstances, was not handled in a believeable manner.
I don't aim to overly criticize a book, just to call it as I see it. And because I always finish a book that I start, it's only fair for me to tell the truth. Perhaps some refining and some focus of the author and characters who actually resemble real world people will make his writing enjoyable.
May 15, 2014
Before I begin, I should state that I got this book from the GoodReads First Reads program. It didn't influence my review in any way.
Oh boy. I don't quite know where to start.
There are a number of lgbt books published which are categorized as GFY - gay for you - in which an ostensibly straight main character falls in love with another man and then spends the rest of the book proving his love and devotion to that man as the best boyfriend ever.
They're mostly pretty terrible.
I'm not saying they're all bad - I can think of examples in fiction, film, and even real life that were enjoyable and a lot of fun. But otherwise these books feature a character who identifies as straight until a big event happens (it's raining and he misses a party, it's the gay friend's birthday and all he wants is for the "straight" man to kiss him, he's bored and horny, etc.) and the man is suddenly deeply committed, willing to stand up and prove his love on the mountaintops, despite the fact that only a few pages ago he'd never thought about another man in a romantic fashion.
So basically, this book does that, quite shamelessly. However, this book is also way too long, tells us what's happening way too often, and doesn't really trust the reader to be able to interpret anything on their own. The author has a habit of telling us exactly what to think - we know Carol is bad because she literally tells us that she's bad. Later on, another characters tell us that she's bad and disgusting, but that he still wants to spend time with her (ostensibly so she can be humiliated and jettisoned from the book about 50 pages later). And it's like that with everybody - our narrators are so full of rage and fire that eventually we get to the point where you can tell when somebody is about to do something wrong because one of the narrators lets everybody know that they now hate this person and think that they're a terrible bastard.
So there's some lazy writing. Okay, I've survived that before. But the main characters grow so unlikeable as the story goes on. John, who starts off as a world renowned actor who is a bit self absorbed becomes increasingly needy, whiny, passive, active, kind, understanding, petulant, mean, and accommodating as whatever the current event calls for. Brian is a bit better, but he has a tendency to fly into unspeakable rages at the slightest provocation, as well as give in to John's increasingly bizarre demands. The whole thing seems less like a relationship and more like a codependent trainwreck that will only end in despair.
And I can't really blame the characters, because it's hard to really get to know who any of the characters are. Ben is written pretty well, but for the most part, everybody comes across less like a human being and more like the author was writing up a game she played with dolls ("John cried because he was sad. Carol was mean. Now John and Brian are kissing and falling in deep, never ending love."). None of the moments seem earned, and the characters seem to have regressed, rather than grown. We're left with these toys moving around the room, getting up to shenanigans, while it becomes more and more difficult to care about any of these people. In the end, you're left with a group of character traits that behave in increasingly unappealing ways.
As I said at the beginning of this review, I have, in fact, read and watched successful stories where straight men fell in love with gay men. This wasn't one of the successful stories. It was too long, too trite, and made up of unlikely characters in unlikely settings, none of which felt organic or real. I'm sure there are some people who will really enjoy this book... and I'm sure that if the author took the time to hone her craft, future books of hers could be good. But unfortunately, this is the book that I have, and I find it difficult to recommend it.
Oh boy. I don't quite know where to start.
There are a number of lgbt books published which are categorized as GFY - gay for you - in which an ostensibly straight main character falls in love with another man and then spends the rest of the book proving his love and devotion to that man as the best boyfriend ever.
They're mostly pretty terrible.
I'm not saying they're all bad - I can think of examples in fiction, film, and even real life that were enjoyable and a lot of fun. But otherwise these books feature a character who identifies as straight until a big event happens (it's raining and he misses a party, it's the gay friend's birthday and all he wants is for the "straight" man to kiss him, he's bored and horny, etc.) and the man is suddenly deeply committed, willing to stand up and prove his love on the mountaintops, despite the fact that only a few pages ago he'd never thought about another man in a romantic fashion.
So basically, this book does that, quite shamelessly. However, this book is also way too long, tells us what's happening way too often, and doesn't really trust the reader to be able to interpret anything on their own. The author has a habit of telling us exactly what to think - we know Carol is bad because she literally tells us that she's bad. Later on, another characters tell us that she's bad and disgusting, but that he still wants to spend time with her (ostensibly so she can be humiliated and jettisoned from the book about 50 pages later). And it's like that with everybody - our narrators are so full of rage and fire that eventually we get to the point where you can tell when somebody is about to do something wrong because one of the narrators lets everybody know that they now hate this person and think that they're a terrible bastard.
So there's some lazy writing. Okay, I've survived that before. But the main characters grow so unlikeable as the story goes on. John, who starts off as a world renowned actor who is a bit self absorbed becomes increasingly needy, whiny, passive, active, kind, understanding, petulant, mean, and accommodating as whatever the current event calls for. Brian is a bit better, but he has a tendency to fly into unspeakable rages at the slightest provocation, as well as give in to John's increasingly bizarre demands. The whole thing seems less like a relationship and more like a codependent trainwreck that will only end in despair.
And I can't really blame the characters, because it's hard to really get to know who any of the characters are. Ben is written pretty well, but for the most part, everybody comes across less like a human being and more like the author was writing up a game she played with dolls ("John cried because he was sad. Carol was mean. Now John and Brian are kissing and falling in deep, never ending love."). None of the moments seem earned, and the characters seem to have regressed, rather than grown. We're left with these toys moving around the room, getting up to shenanigans, while it becomes more and more difficult to care about any of these people. In the end, you're left with a group of character traits that behave in increasingly unappealing ways.
As I said at the beginning of this review, I have, in fact, read and watched successful stories where straight men fell in love with gay men. This wasn't one of the successful stories. It was too long, too trite, and made up of unlikely characters in unlikely settings, none of which felt organic or real. I'm sure there are some people who will really enjoy this book... and I'm sure that if the author took the time to hone her craft, future books of hers could be good. But unfortunately, this is the book that I have, and I find it difficult to recommend it.
July 17, 2023
No time for a review, I am reading book #2.
April 28, 2013
Very nice slow build for the romance. Brian seems maybe a little too perfect. Most of what is written about his life rings true. The Docklands flat is quite plausible. His staff is plausible. Not having an assistant for his business while in London doesn't seem plausible. Hard to do all he does alone. Some of the descriptions of the flat and his lifestyle are just perfect. A person who lives his lifestyle would have had a private jet or would rent one and then he would have not gone to Heathrow (too much comercial traffic, too many delays) and to one of the many private fields. The car would then pull right up to the aircraft.
John is a little too over the top for me, well sometimes WAY over the top for me. Sometimes I fell that he is not based on reality and then I remember those few people I know in the theatre industry and realize he is very plausible.
Some of the secondary friends are amazingly perfect for either or both Brian and John. Some are just hard to believe as being real guys.
The GFY is kind of real and also kind of unrealistic. Maybe because I don't personally know of any relationship where this has happened. I do know of many men who have come out VERY late in life, but somewhere deep down they have always known they were gay and it just took that long to stop hiding and faking being straight.
I don't mind all the different point of view mostly because everyone is so clearly identified.
Anal sex without lube is also kind of unbelievable to me. Especially becuase the bottom has not had any in a long time and with a full kitchen available or surely there would be some hand cream. Also no thoughts as to AIDS?
The story starts out as a love story then morphs into a rather dramatic life threatening one at the end. For me, that was kind of a WTF moment. The ending also seems kind of abrupt as it just seems to end.
Even with all this analyzing, I enjoyed the story immensely and look forward to the sequel.
John is a little too over the top for me, well sometimes WAY over the top for me. Sometimes I fell that he is not based on reality and then I remember those few people I know in the theatre industry and realize he is very plausible.
Some of the secondary friends are amazingly perfect for either or both Brian and John. Some are just hard to believe as being real guys.
The GFY is kind of real and also kind of unrealistic. Maybe because I don't personally know of any relationship where this has happened. I do know of many men who have come out VERY late in life, but somewhere deep down they have always known they were gay and it just took that long to stop hiding and faking being straight.
I don't mind all the different point of view mostly because everyone is so clearly identified.
Anal sex without lube is also kind of unbelievable to me. Especially becuase the bottom has not had any in a long time and with a full kitchen available or surely there would be some hand cream. Also no thoughts as to AIDS?
The story starts out as a love story then morphs into a rather dramatic life threatening one at the end. For me, that was kind of a WTF moment. The ending also seems kind of abrupt as it just seems to end.
Even with all this analyzing, I enjoyed the story immensely and look forward to the sequel.
August 3, 2017
2.5-3 stars
This book has me feeling perplexed. I don't think I've ever been so confused over how to rate a book. I waived between 2-4 stars as it went along.
It started out odd. The first chapter is from the POV of Carol. A stereotypical gold digger who has paid for information on Brian, the millionaire, in order to land herself a rich husband. She's so OTT and "über-villainy" it's ridiculous and I almost DNF.
But I made myself give this a chance and part of me is glad I did because I really did enjoy most of this.
Brian is stoic and set in his ways and he's staunchly straight. His friend Mickey manages openly gay John, an actor on a popular TV show, and when they meet John finds himself attracted to Brian.
But here's where I start to waiver.
John practically stalks Brian. Not in an unhealthy way but he is definitely a character who manipulates people and situations. Once you realise what he's doing it's not an attractive quality in a mc and even though I was laughing and smiling at their interactions it was a bit weird. We also get lots of interaction with Carol and Brian, who begin to see each other casually- and eventually some awkwardness when they run into John.
But then at around 40% they kiss awkwardly and shit gets real. It's emotional and sad and by the time we get to 55% this book hit me with the feelz something fierce. And I just didn't expect it.
But then there's a time jump
So now Brian is suddenly up for a relationship with John. And John goes a bit It was a little bat-shit crazy. Like they'd both had personality transplants and Brian was enabling John's co-dependency.
But in saying that, there was still a lot here to love. Although I'm finding it hard to remember specifics right now.
All I can really say is that for some reason I had to finish this. I still wanted to know what happens to these characters. As crazy as they had turned there was still a lot of love on the page.
So while I am confused with how I feel about this, I will say that, somehow, it kept me interested.
This book has me feeling perplexed. I don't think I've ever been so confused over how to rate a book. I waived between 2-4 stars as it went along.
It started out odd. The first chapter is from the POV of Carol. A stereotypical gold digger who has paid for information on Brian, the millionaire, in order to land herself a rich husband. She's so OTT and "über-villainy" it's ridiculous and I almost DNF.
But I made myself give this a chance and part of me is glad I did because I really did enjoy most of this.
Brian is stoic and set in his ways and he's staunchly straight. His friend Mickey manages openly gay John, an actor on a popular TV show, and when they meet John finds himself attracted to Brian.
But here's where I start to waiver.
John practically stalks Brian. Not in an unhealthy way but he is definitely a character who manipulates people and situations. Once you realise what he's doing it's not an attractive quality in a mc and even though I was laughing and smiling at their interactions it was a bit weird. We also get lots of interaction with Carol and Brian, who begin to see each other casually- and eventually some awkwardness when they run into John.
But then at around 40% they kiss awkwardly and shit gets real. It's emotional and sad and by the time we get to 55% this book hit me with the feelz something fierce. And I just didn't expect it.
But then there's a time jump
So now Brian is suddenly up for a relationship with John. And John goes a bit It was a little bat-shit crazy. Like they'd both had personality transplants and Brian was enabling John's co-dependency.
But in saying that, there was still a lot here to love. Although I'm finding it hard to remember specifics right now.
All I can really say is that for some reason I had to finish this. I still wanted to know what happens to these characters. As crazy as they had turned there was still a lot of love on the page.
So while I am confused with how I feel about this, I will say that, somehow, it kept me interested.
April 9, 2013
I thought this was an excellent book. For me the longer length allowed for the characters to be well-developed. The changing POV didn't bother me. I like reading a story where I can get into the heads of the two MC. I didn't when the POV switched to some of the supporting characters. For me it added variety to the reading experience. I also enjoyed the humour interspersed throughout the book. It was well written.
The only I thing I thought odd was
I would definitely recommend this book.
The only I thing I thought odd was
I would definitely recommend this book.
April 21, 2013
Nice book. Some very good ideas. Some less so. All in all an enjoyable reading. Brian is exactly the character I wanted to Read about choosing this book, while Johnny was a bit too over characterized. The change of POV wasn't as bad as I feared, but there were too many voices and some of them didn't deserve the right to speak (Carol for example).
It's not perfect but it's cute and it grows on you.
It's not perfect but it's cute and it grows on you.
July 28, 2018
This had some very entertaining bits and wasn't badly written. I enjoyed the setting and the premise, and I'm glad I finally read it after many years in the TBR pile. Alas, most of the characters were by turns unlikable, unbelievable, and/or extremely over-the-top. Also it seems as if the author hates women, or assumes that all gay men (and other readers of M/M romance) must hate women. I can't think of a single female character that wasn't depicted as grotesque.
July 19, 2017
I see that, much like any other book, this one has gotten its fair share of one-star reviews because someone didn't like the genre. I'm still amazed that a person would go to so much trouble to write so much against a book. Why would you think that is productive?
Now, on to Straight Man Gay. I read this book a very long time ago, and recently re-read. I don't re-read junk. I only re-read books that are well written, few if any errors, and have wonderful stories.
Danny Culpepper has written a wonderful story. I love the way that Brian starts out being bored with his life, and wanting to control each facet of it, even to the degree that he never brings anyone to his penthouse home.
I loved the personalities of the gay men and how they revolved around Martin, the straight friend to the four gay men, John (main character), Jeff, Prissy (he's precious) and Ben.
Back to Brian. He is looking for a connection. He always just seems to miss those connections with the rich and popular women of London's society. The women are trolling, the men wish they wouldn't, and there you have it. Sex on a motel bed, leave her wanting more, go home, and return to your lovely, pristine, and controlled existence.
Don't let a determined gay man near you, though. Don't open an invitation. It may actually come to fruition.
I loved the way that Brian just enjoyed John's company. It seems that Brian was still seeking something to be interesting in his life.
Surprise! John has the hots for straight Brian. That sure was expected, though, wasn't it? The lengths that the stage and film actor goes through to try to land the straight man are incredible.
I can say that Straight Man Gay (#1) was a heart-felt, entertaining, funny, and descriptive work of art. It is lengthy, at over 400 pages, but I love good, long books. I can sit and read from cover to cover, and with this book, I did just that.
There's fun, there's quirk, there's automobile accidents, and suspense, and some horrible events that happen between the pages of the book. Each is not outside of the realm of possibility.
I cried, laughed, and fell in love with every character. None more than Brian, though. I want to be like that man. If I could learn how to love unconditionally, understand and accept those who are loved by my own loved one, I would be the perfect person.
Good work, Danny! I read all the books, to date, and wanted to put my two-cents-worth out here to let folks know that the genre is accepted, gay men are just like everyone else (even though maybe a bit more colorful) and all are wonderful.
You did an amazing job!!!
Now, on to Straight Man Gay. I read this book a very long time ago, and recently re-read. I don't re-read junk. I only re-read books that are well written, few if any errors, and have wonderful stories.
Danny Culpepper has written a wonderful story. I love the way that Brian starts out being bored with his life, and wanting to control each facet of it, even to the degree that he never brings anyone to his penthouse home.
I loved the personalities of the gay men and how they revolved around Martin, the straight friend to the four gay men, John (main character), Jeff, Prissy (he's precious) and Ben.
Back to Brian. He is looking for a connection. He always just seems to miss those connections with the rich and popular women of London's society. The women are trolling, the men wish they wouldn't, and there you have it. Sex on a motel bed, leave her wanting more, go home, and return to your lovely, pristine, and controlled existence.
Don't let a determined gay man near you, though. Don't open an invitation. It may actually come to fruition.
I loved the way that Brian just enjoyed John's company. It seems that Brian was still seeking something to be interesting in his life.
Surprise! John has the hots for straight Brian. That sure was expected, though, wasn't it? The lengths that the stage and film actor goes through to try to land the straight man are incredible.
I can say that Straight Man Gay (#1) was a heart-felt, entertaining, funny, and descriptive work of art. It is lengthy, at over 400 pages, but I love good, long books. I can sit and read from cover to cover, and with this book, I did just that.
There's fun, there's quirk, there's automobile accidents, and suspense, and some horrible events that happen between the pages of the book. Each is not outside of the realm of possibility.
I cried, laughed, and fell in love with every character. None more than Brian, though. I want to be like that man. If I could learn how to love unconditionally, understand and accept those who are loved by my own loved one, I would be the perfect person.
Good work, Danny! I read all the books, to date, and wanted to put my two-cents-worth out here to let folks know that the genre is accepted, gay men are just like everyone else (even though maybe a bit more colorful) and all are wonderful.
You did an amazing job!!!
July 3, 2021
A BOOK I WON'T REREAD IN A BILLION YEARS!
I think I just might have developed an allergy to the narrators of this story (I mean the narrators, not the author!) It's not in my habits to judge the topic in a book (unless it's cliché to high heaven), authors write about what inspires them and the reader has to respect it even when the content is shocking, disgusting, morally-ill... it's just the author's freedom of thought and no one has the right to claim otherwise.
However,
I do still not like Carol's personality at all, nor do I like the others. I have a thing against haughty little pricks and she just happens to be the diva of the litter. What a repulsive first impression!
I liked some sides of the author's style, although I find the story boringly-extended. I didn't find the "humor" enjoyable. It wasn't fun to read. The snail-pace was rather cringe-worthy. When one writes a humorous_or so_ story, the first thing to do is to perfect the personalities of the main characters, to make them lovable and if not lovable interesting, captivating, attractive, addictive... not some drama-queen who complains from the very first chapter and calls people brainless and God incontinent (well, the first things of a long list)... I do still understand what the author intended to do with it, the shamelessness and everything, but, for me, it wasn't funny. I can list for you a long string of shameless characters from the books I read, and they were memorable as they were beautifully introduced... in the opposite of this. This wasn't enjoyable. It wasn't memorable. If anything, the narrators succeeded in earning my contempt from the contemptuous way the story is told.
I liked the blurb_otherwise I wouldn't have read this no-matter-what-it-is_and I liked the length, I like long stories, but unfortunately the lengthy pseudo-development was rather a torture than a bliss to read. I just might have had a mini infarct part way with all the over-exaggerated scenes and the ramblings... God, the ramblings again!
I think it's already obvious but I will say it nevertheless, I will definitely not read the second and third books. If I didn't drop it at the very first down, it was only out of curiosity. I wanted to know how long the masquerade would last. And you can believe me, it lasted!
For the first time I rate 1 star a technically 'well-written' book. For me a book is the legacy of its author and the last thing I want to be offered as a reader is the personal diary of a bunch of twats.
I think I just might have developed an allergy to the narrators of this story (I mean the narrators, not the author!) It's not in my habits to judge the topic in a book (unless it's cliché to high heaven), authors write about what inspires them and the reader has to respect it even when the content is shocking, disgusting, morally-ill... it's just the author's freedom of thought and no one has the right to claim otherwise.
However,
I do still not like Carol's personality at all, nor do I like the others. I have a thing against haughty little pricks and she just happens to be the diva of the litter. What a repulsive first impression!
I liked some sides of the author's style, although I find the story boringly-extended. I didn't find the "humor" enjoyable. It wasn't fun to read. The snail-pace was rather cringe-worthy. When one writes a humorous_or so_ story, the first thing to do is to perfect the personalities of the main characters, to make them lovable and if not lovable interesting, captivating, attractive, addictive... not some drama-queen who complains from the very first chapter and calls people brainless and God incontinent (well, the first things of a long list)... I do still understand what the author intended to do with it, the shamelessness and everything, but, for me, it wasn't funny. I can list for you a long string of shameless characters from the books I read, and they were memorable as they were beautifully introduced... in the opposite of this. This wasn't enjoyable. It wasn't memorable. If anything, the narrators succeeded in earning my contempt from the contemptuous way the story is told.
I liked the blurb_otherwise I wouldn't have read this no-matter-what-it-is_and I liked the length, I like long stories, but unfortunately the lengthy pseudo-development was rather a torture than a bliss to read. I just might have had a mini infarct part way with all the over-exaggerated scenes and the ramblings... God, the ramblings again!
I think it's already obvious but I will say it nevertheless, I will definitely not read the second and third books. If I didn't drop it at the very first down, it was only out of curiosity. I wanted to know how long the masquerade would last. And you can believe me, it lasted!
For the first time I rate 1 star a technically 'well-written' book. For me a book is the legacy of its author and the last thing I want to be offered as a reader is the personal diary of a bunch of twats.
September 14, 2015
As a gay man, I was very excited to read this book because I could relate to falling for straight guys and I've had very similar experiences. There were some really good parts that made it hard to put the book down but there were more things that I didn't like about it, I wasn't a huge fan of her writing style but I decided to read on for the story as I haven't read any gay-for-you books before. It started out good up until after John and Brian started being in a relationship together. John just became like a child. From how he was treated by his ex, he shouldn't have had that flip in personality because his ex was exactly that.
I like how realistic the buildup to Brian's and John's relationship was. Very plausible as most straight guys I've been with started out like how Brian did (don't argue that they weren't straight to begin with. Look up the Kinsey scale). Sometimes it's just love and gender doesn't matter anymore when you get hit by a really strong one.
I was also quite offended by the standards of beauty and success were in this book. It was like only beautiful gay men found happiness. All short gay guys who do not have an attractive face was out the door. There were some times that I thought the author really doesn't understand how many gay men think. I'm not saying we all think alike but... It was just offensive. I didn't like the "daddy" parts too cause there was no previous mention that John saw him as a father figure. Brian also sounded guy sometimes in his thoughts in the beginning of the book.
I've never given a 1 star before but sadly, this book has got to be on the bottom of my list.
I like how realistic the buildup to Brian's and John's relationship was. Very plausible as most straight guys I've been with started out like how Brian did (don't argue that they weren't straight to begin with. Look up the Kinsey scale). Sometimes it's just love and gender doesn't matter anymore when you get hit by a really strong one.
I was also quite offended by the standards of beauty and success were in this book. It was like only beautiful gay men found happiness. All short gay guys who do not have an attractive face was out the door. There were some times that I thought the author really doesn't understand how many gay men think. I'm not saying we all think alike but... It was just offensive. I didn't like the "daddy" parts too cause there was no previous mention that John saw him as a father figure. Brian also sounded guy sometimes in his thoughts in the beginning of the book.
I've never given a 1 star before but sadly, this book has got to be on the bottom of my list.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2011
This book was written by my coworker. It is a gay love story and a great read! The characters are colorful, full of people you will love to love and love to hate! The plot is entertaining with some interesting twists. It is, at turns, thought provoking in the author's description of the hate and discrimination faced by gay men, which is unfortunately still common. The sex descriptions are graphic so if you are easily offended perhaps it is not the book for you. All in all a great debut by the talented Mr. Culpepper who has a promising career ahead of him! I look forward to the next book!
July 12, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and okay, a year after I "took a break" from this book, I yield - I can't finish this. Every single woman is a terrible person. Every single man is a stereotype. Their relationship is unhealthy, codependent, and creepy. The sex scene was definitely not sexy. If it were shorter, I'd say you might find it more to your tastes so give it a shot! But it's not. It's very long for very little payoff, and I can't say I recommend picking it up.
August 12, 2025
I quite enjoyed this. I don't know if she meant to, but the author had me recalling my first delightful reading with Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City and what I loved about his series: the many interweaving, intersecting of characters and their stories tumbling into one another even before they actually meet.
Brian is just so non-phased by everything and anything that would make most men (and women!) go ballistic. Even Prissy's most off-the-wall antics (which, I find, are always sooo funny) have him cool, calm and understanding. As for John, I find him a bit too calculating but still likeable. His consideration and motivation is "all about him" and his fear of losing Brian. However, when the two are together, it's like the chemistry between Madeline Kahn's Elizabeth and Peter Boyle's Monster in the bedroom at the end of Young Frankenstein. Out of this Culpper produces some quite funny moments.
Throw in John's friends, "the poops" and it all rolls along quite well. Yeah, there are a few odd characters thrown in that fizz out and disappear which, at times, had me shaking my head. And a few times, the point of view narration is thrown to someone other than the two mains. Occasionally off-putting but with a purpose to a plot twist so just relax and go with it.
I'm now well into the second instalment. And, hooray, Prissy is even more present with their antics.
Brian is just so non-phased by everything and anything that would make most men (and women!) go ballistic. Even Prissy's most off-the-wall antics (which, I find, are always sooo funny) have him cool, calm and understanding. As for John, I find him a bit too calculating but still likeable. His consideration and motivation is "all about him" and his fear of losing Brian. However, when the two are together, it's like the chemistry between Madeline Kahn's Elizabeth and Peter Boyle's Monster in the bedroom at the end of Young Frankenstein. Out of this Culpper produces some quite funny moments.
Throw in John's friends, "the poops" and it all rolls along quite well. Yeah, there are a few odd characters thrown in that fizz out and disappear which, at times, had me shaking my head. And a few times, the point of view narration is thrown to someone other than the two mains. Occasionally off-putting but with a purpose to a plot twist so just relax and go with it.
I'm now well into the second instalment. And, hooray, Prissy is even more present with their antics.
August 7, 2021
I had my expectations low when I started this book on holiday, reading it by the pool. You know it will be cheap trash when you pick this up, right?
So I had no problem going along with the extremely slow development of the first two thirds. Granted, people are not just stereotypes but caricatures, but at least some of the writing is good and sometimes funny.
Until the two guys finally get each other. Within 20 pages, I am confronted with a real appalling description of a kiss, lots of disgusting writing about sex (guess this is what the author meant when she „did some research“), and a completely unbelievable change of hearts. Then things seriously go downhill and my jaw dropped while I spent the last third reading about a super dysfunctional and pathetic relationship instead of the true gay romance I had been waiting for.
What’s really shocking is that the author says she writes „for the joy of telling a story that is funny, positive and full of characters that you can't help but love.“ Then why fill a whole book only with characters that are unlikable and behave in the most grotesque ways?
So I had no problem going along with the extremely slow development of the first two thirds. Granted, people are not just stereotypes but caricatures, but at least some of the writing is good and sometimes funny.
Until the two guys finally get each other. Within 20 pages, I am confronted with a real appalling description of a kiss, lots of disgusting writing about sex (guess this is what the author meant when she „did some research“), and a completely unbelievable change of hearts. Then things seriously go downhill and my jaw dropped while I spent the last third reading about a super dysfunctional and pathetic relationship instead of the true gay romance I had been waiting for.
What’s really shocking is that the author says she writes „for the joy of telling a story that is funny, positive and full of characters that you can't help but love.“ Then why fill a whole book only with characters that are unlikable and behave in the most grotesque ways?
March 9, 2020
Enjoyably written. Brian was a good example of someone who doesn't fall in love with a gender, rather with a type of person -- perhaps even just one unique person -- because of things even he's not completely sure about.
July 2, 2023
I laughed so hard!
I got this book with the annual Smashwords sale and started to read and couldn’t put it down. I laughed so hard. All I have to do is think of Prissy’s tiny little a** in a tutu and I laugh again.
This is a great book, great storytelling, and relatable characters.
Give it a chance you’ll love it.
I got this book with the annual Smashwords sale and started to read and couldn’t put it down. I laughed so hard. All I have to do is think of Prissy’s tiny little a** in a tutu and I laugh again.
This is a great book, great storytelling, and relatable characters.
Give it a chance you’ll love it.
July 28, 2020
Honestly from start to finish the book had me hooked. I loved every second of it, definitely kept it interesting and funny!!! 10/10 would recommend.
June 16, 2013
Before I review this book, I just want to say that the author is a genuinely lovely person, who sent me this book, for free, because they thought I seemed nice. Like, who does that? Basically they're wonderful and I am very thankful.
Onto the actual book; I loved it. And I genuinely did, not just because it was given to me, I really did enjoy it.
It was very quick to get going and explained all the characters and their connections to each other well, and I really liked the changing perspectives. (I initially thought the story would only be told from Brian, John and Carol's points of view, but I'm glad we got to hear from John's friends' perspectives too.) That's one of the things I liked most because in other books it's all really one-sided, you never know what the other characters are thinking, however when almost everyone gets their say, it's good, lets you into everyone's heads. I also liked the style the book was written in.
Everyone has their own, individual personalities and each one of them is memorable (although the most memorable has to be Prissy, who is an annoying little shit 98% of the time). Also it's not just like 'these dudes are gay so they're all flamboyant and camp', like, they all have personalities and characteristics independent of the others and that is nice.
The book is very funny, and I did laugh out loud on multiple occasions. (It also made me cry, and I really appreciate books that can make me cry.)
I'm used to reading coming-of-age, teenage, high school sort of novels, so reading a book with 30-40 year old protagonists was an odd, but interesting change.
I wrote down, after reading the first few chapters of this book 'I love Mickey. I hate Carol.' Now, we're supposed to hate Carol, she gets in the way of the gay, but Mickey. Well, let's just say my opinions about him had changed rather significantly as I got further into the book.
If I have one downside, it's that they say each others' names too much, like, "Brian! Hey." "Hello, John." ".... Brian." "..... John." "Brian, ....." "... John." ".... Brian, ....." "John, ....." (okay not quite that bad,) they all just seem to say each other's names slightly too often.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book, I would (and already have) recommend(ed) it.
Also, I'll definitely be reading the sequel, whenever I get round to buying it. :)
Onto the actual book; I loved it. And I genuinely did, not just because it was given to me, I really did enjoy it.
It was very quick to get going and explained all the characters and their connections to each other well, and I really liked the changing perspectives. (I initially thought the story would only be told from Brian, John and Carol's points of view, but I'm glad we got to hear from John's friends' perspectives too.) That's one of the things I liked most because in other books it's all really one-sided, you never know what the other characters are thinking, however when almost everyone gets their say, it's good, lets you into everyone's heads. I also liked the style the book was written in.
Everyone has their own, individual personalities and each one of them is memorable (although the most memorable has to be Prissy, who is an annoying little shit 98% of the time). Also it's not just like 'these dudes are gay so they're all flamboyant and camp', like, they all have personalities and characteristics independent of the others and that is nice.
The book is very funny, and I did laugh out loud on multiple occasions. (It also made me cry, and I really appreciate books that can make me cry.)
I'm used to reading coming-of-age, teenage, high school sort of novels, so reading a book with 30-40 year old protagonists was an odd, but interesting change.
I wrote down, after reading the first few chapters of this book 'I love Mickey. I hate Carol.' Now, we're supposed to hate Carol, she gets in the way of the gay, but Mickey. Well, let's just say my opinions about him had changed rather significantly as I got further into the book.
If I have one downside, it's that they say each others' names too much, like, "Brian! Hey." "Hello, John." ".... Brian." "..... John." "Brian, ....." "... John." ".... Brian, ....." "John, ....." (okay not quite that bad,) they all just seem to say each other's names slightly too often.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book, I would (and already have) recommend(ed) it.
Also, I'll definitely be reading the sequel, whenever I get round to buying it. :)
November 3, 2016
*Disclaimer: I won this book for free through Goodreads' giveaways*
I really wanted to like this book based upon the premise and the fact that it was an "independent" author tackling the subject of "gay for you" romances. It didn't look as if it would be overly wrought with straight-bait fantasizing and might even handle the subject with some sense of two characters falling in love despite their respective orientations.
The book itself is edited well and reads as if it were produced by a major publisher(an issue that some indie authors haven't tackled as well). That said, each character is a bombastic exaggeration or stereotype. Most are so openly crass and crude that the sections devolve into conversations about sex punctuated with loud burps. The internal monologues are just as bad, with every single character rambling their shallow ideals for the reader to skim through. Brian is so neurotic and pretentious that I can't imagine anyone lusting after him despite his physical endowments. Carol, who starts the book, is so hateful and classist that she might as well wear a sign that says "villain" around her neck. John, while somewhat more human than the others, is so focused on appearances (something he states openly when meeting him) that he suffers physical harm at the hands of his abusive bf because he doesn't want to shake up how people see him, and actually calls the people he claims to be his friends as "nincompoops" before belittling them internally because they haven't reached his level of success and fame.
With any romance, the characters are the key drivers for the reader to continue the story. You want to watch them fall in love/lust...get swept away in the many, varied emotions that accompany such human interactions. After 50 pages of this story, though, all I wanted to do was put it down.
I really wanted to like this book based upon the premise and the fact that it was an "independent" author tackling the subject of "gay for you" romances. It didn't look as if it would be overly wrought with straight-bait fantasizing and might even handle the subject with some sense of two characters falling in love despite their respective orientations.
The book itself is edited well and reads as if it were produced by a major publisher(an issue that some indie authors haven't tackled as well). That said, each character is a bombastic exaggeration or stereotype. Most are so openly crass and crude that the sections devolve into conversations about sex punctuated with loud burps. The internal monologues are just as bad, with every single character rambling their shallow ideals for the reader to skim through. Brian is so neurotic and pretentious that I can't imagine anyone lusting after him despite his physical endowments. Carol, who starts the book, is so hateful and classist that she might as well wear a sign that says "villain" around her neck. John, while somewhat more human than the others, is so focused on appearances (something he states openly when meeting him) that he suffers physical harm at the hands of his abusive bf because he doesn't want to shake up how people see him, and actually calls the people he claims to be his friends as "nincompoops" before belittling them internally because they haven't reached his level of success and fame.
With any romance, the characters are the key drivers for the reader to continue the story. You want to watch them fall in love/lust...get swept away in the many, varied emotions that accompany such human interactions. After 50 pages of this story, though, all I wanted to do was put it down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2013
I went back and forth between four and five stars. But I must have my socks knocked off for all five.
I was worried when I won this book. I went back and read the reviews and saw a few people warning of the descriptive sex scenes. I'm not a reader of romance novels. And I really didn't want strong sex scenes here either!
But I worried for nothing. I did find a few scenes, but they weren't gratuitous. The moments were needed to push the scenes forward.
I LOVED Brian. Seriously. Almost as much as my own husband- who no one could top. But Johnny, who was charming in the beginning, and was amazingly compatible for Brain, became a whiny, bratty baby by the end and I lost my love for him. If I could change one thing about the book, it would be that.
I didn't mind the POV changes, I can't understand what everyone is saying is a problem. In fact, I think the other characters created a comic relief that made the story more rounded.
And that's all I can say for now. I read this book months ago, and should have written the review while it was still fresh, but a huge workload fell into my lap and I lost time to do it justice. And now I figure rather than doing a perfect review, I'd best just get to writing SOMETHING. The book certainly deserves that much! So, my apologies to the author. Sorry for the late and now rushed review. I loved the book, I loved the characters, and if you hadn't turned Johnny into Prissy (who was perfect for comedic relief- but not for the leading man!)in the end, I think I'd have given it a very rare five stars.
I was worried when I won this book. I went back and read the reviews and saw a few people warning of the descriptive sex scenes. I'm not a reader of romance novels. And I really didn't want strong sex scenes here either!
But I worried for nothing. I did find a few scenes, but they weren't gratuitous. The moments were needed to push the scenes forward.
I LOVED Brian. Seriously. Almost as much as my own husband- who no one could top. But Johnny, who was charming in the beginning, and was amazingly compatible for Brain, became a whiny, bratty baby by the end and I lost my love for him. If I could change one thing about the book, it would be that.
I didn't mind the POV changes, I can't understand what everyone is saying is a problem. In fact, I think the other characters created a comic relief that made the story more rounded.
And that's all I can say for now. I read this book months ago, and should have written the review while it was still fresh, but a huge workload fell into my lap and I lost time to do it justice. And now I figure rather than doing a perfect review, I'd best just get to writing SOMETHING. The book certainly deserves that much! So, my apologies to the author. Sorry for the late and now rushed review. I loved the book, I loved the characters, and if you hadn't turned Johnny into Prissy (who was perfect for comedic relief- but not for the leading man!)in the end, I think I'd have given it a very rare five stars.
February 2, 2015
I received this book in one of the Goodreads giveaways. I really liked this book. The main reason I liked this story do much was because of the romance. I feel that a lot of time whether the couple is gay or straight the genre of romance has a tendency to make the love instant and ‘perfect’ everything is cookie cutter and just fits together perfectly, leaving the author having to come up with drama that just seems to bring the ‘perfect’ couple even more together. However with this story that was not the case first off Brian is very straight and has a serious of rules that demands be followed by anyone who he dates. So the romance is anything but perfect. It’s messy and complicated and sometimes the pieces aren’t fitting together perfectly and I love it. It’s a relationship that needs to be worked for and worked on and that adds to the story and makes you want to see where the relationship goes.
On top of the messy love story I also enjoyed the writing style and the comedy that is in the story.
In fact the only thing that I didn’t care for is Carol's POV. She is a horrible person, probably one of the most horrible persons I have ever read about. So having her as the first chapter of the book made it extremely hard to get through in the beginning, even though it does kind of lay the ground for the story, she is such a horrible person it almost wants to make you skip it. Otherwise it’s a great story.
Review is also at http://angel0607.livejournal.com/4709...
On top of the messy love story I also enjoyed the writing style and the comedy that is in the story.
In fact the only thing that I didn’t care for is Carol's POV. She is a horrible person, probably one of the most horrible persons I have ever read about. So having her as the first chapter of the book made it extremely hard to get through in the beginning, even though it does kind of lay the ground for the story, she is such a horrible person it almost wants to make you skip it. Otherwise it’s a great story.
Review is also at http://angel0607.livejournal.com/4709...
May 5, 2014
I absolutely fell in love with tis book. Every aspect about had me hooked by the end of chapter 1. This is actually one of the few books that made me feel. There were points in the book where I had troubles continuing because some of the scenes got a little to hot and sweaty for me.
John is the protagonist in out tale and is the character that made me feel the most. He had to go through quite the ride when he finally met up with the hunky, sexy man meat that is Brian. First off there is this female whom I'd rather not remember that is dating the majestic creature, Brian. However before the two meet, John is in an abusive relationship with another irrelevant person. Before we reach the half way mark, both irrelevant people have been deleted from the plot. When they do finally get together it's all hot, sweaty sex.... mostly because it John whom has overly active sweat glands when the two start going at it.
Overall this book was wonder and I can't wait to read it six more times before it starts aging.
PS I won this in a First Reads Giveaway. YAY!!! Lucky Me!!!
John is the protagonist in out tale and is the character that made me feel the most. He had to go through quite the ride when he finally met up with the hunky, sexy man meat that is Brian. First off there is this female whom I'd rather not remember that is dating the majestic creature, Brian. However before the two meet, John is in an abusive relationship with another irrelevant person. Before we reach the half way mark, both irrelevant people have been deleted from the plot. When they do finally get together it's all hot, sweaty sex.... mostly because it John whom has overly active sweat glands when the two start going at it.
Overall this book was wonder and I can't wait to read it six more times before it starts aging.
PS I won this in a First Reads Giveaway. YAY!!! Lucky Me!!!
July 13, 2013
first off thanks to goodreads and the person who hosted the giveaway for this . i have been looking for awhile for a book involving same sex couple...all i can say is wow this was a good start book for me. so full of emotion,wonderful characters and a dash of humor mixed in. very pleased to have this book in my collection
June 5, 2013
Received as Goodreads winner which did not influence my review.
Agree with Vonda about graphic sex scenes. Book is good enough read that skipping sex scenes will still provide acceptable reading experience.
Agree with Vonda about graphic sex scenes. Book is good enough read that skipping sex scenes will still provide acceptable reading experience.
June 12, 2014
I won this book from Goodreads. It was a fun read sometimes, but overall it was just alright. I was interested because it sounded like a cute, funny story different from what I normally read. But the book felt too long and forced sometimes.
May 15, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. The scenes were just graphic enough and the character's were rather enjoyable.
October 19, 2014
This book is both ridiculous and funny. Unfortunately some of the characters were caricatures, but taken as what it was it was fun--I read the sequel too.
Want to read
July 10, 2018Book 2 and 3 of this series are free at smashie right now: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...
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