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King Perry
(The Lost and Founds #1)
by
In a trendy San Francisco art gallery, out-of-towner Vin Vanbly witnesses an act of compassion that compels him to make investment banker Perry Mangin a mysterious offer: in exchange for a weekend of complete submission, Vin will restore Perry's "kingship" and transform him into the man he was always meant to be.
Despite intense reservations, Perry agrees, setting in motio ...more
Despite intense reservations, Perry agrees, setting in motio ...more
ebook, 2, 343 pages
Published
February 27th 2012
by Pickwick Ink Publishing
(first published February 26th 2012)
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Showing 1-30
Start your review of King Perry (The Lost and Founds, #1)
Jun 19, 2013
Julio Genao
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
all the lost kings and queens of this world—and every other.
Shelves:
loved
don't be afraid.
a man stands before you with an arm outstretched, offering you his hand.
he promises you an adventure.
he answers no questions. he gives no assurances.
he simply holds out his hand, and asks you to trust him.
don't be afraid.
he's offering you his hand.
reach out, and take it.
***
someone at dreamspinner was afraid when they put this story in a box with a label that read 'bittersweet dreams.'
they were afraid.
and they wronged you.
no span of joy this pure can ever be bittersweet, no matte ...more
a man stands before you with an arm outstretched, offering you his hand.
he promises you an adventure.
he answers no questions. he gives no assurances.
he simply holds out his hand, and asks you to trust him.
don't be afraid.
he's offering you his hand.
reach out, and take it.
***
someone at dreamspinner was afraid when they put this story in a box with a label that read 'bittersweet dreams.'
they were afraid.
and they wronged you.
no span of joy this pure can ever be bittersweet, no matte ...more
*Get this book for FREE right now here (11/20/16): https://www.instafreebie.com/free/jYfSd*
This book is one strange, crazy, lovely read. I had no idea what was going to happen for 99% of the story. I was totally, completely clueless, just like Perry. Throw away your rulebooks, ladies and gentlemen, and go along for the ride.
I honestly have no idea what to make of this book. If I had to describe this incredibly indescribable book I would say that it is a journey-type story. This is not a traditi ...more
This book is one strange, crazy, lovely read. I had no idea what was going to happen for 99% of the story. I was totally, completely clueless, just like Perry. Throw away your rulebooks, ladies and gentlemen, and go along for the ride.
I honestly have no idea what to make of this book. If I had to describe this incredibly indescribable book I would say that it is a journey-type story. This is not a traditi ...more
Cross-posted at Outlaw Reviews and at Shelf Inflicted
This story frustrated me initially, as I had no idea where it was going and I expect a certain kind of predictability in romance stories. I was afraid it was going to be a feel-good story, the kind that is anathema to my cynical heart. Though I was tempted to set it aside a few times, my curiosity got the better of me and I pressed on. Grudgingly, I opened my mind and my heart and embarked on an unforgettable journey that begins in a San Franc ...more
This story frustrated me initially, as I had no idea where it was going and I expect a certain kind of predictability in romance stories. I was afraid it was going to be a feel-good story, the kind that is anathema to my cynical heart. Though I was tempted to set it aside a few times, my curiosity got the better of me and I pressed on. Grudgingly, I opened my mind and my heart and embarked on an unforgettable journey that begins in a San Franc ...more
1 star for creativity. DNF @40%. Review posted October 27, 2014
Rating clarification
I'd like to remove that single star again because, while the idea of the story is original, it's also extremely unrealistic.
I apologize in advance for my weird review. While reading the story, I added quotes and remarks to my review. I was actually reviewing and reading the book simultaneously. Thus, my comments are all over the place.
************************************
Ok, seems to me that I have figured out the ...more
Rating clarification
I'd like to remove that single star again because, while the idea of the story is original, it's also extremely unrealistic.
I apologize in advance for my weird review. While reading the story, I added quotes and remarks to my review. I was actually reviewing and reading the book simultaneously. Thus, my comments are all over the place.
************************************
Ok, seems to me that I have figured out the ...more
This book has done the seemingly impossible: it has rendered me speechless.
*crickets*
Ok, so that didn’t last long but really…WTF? I’m not quite sure what to say here.
King Perry is quite possibly one of the MOST ROMANTIC books I have ever read.
It is also hella weird…like, really, really weird.
This book had me crying time and time again with poignant, emotional moments.
I also was annoyed the rest of the time.
It is original and quirky and gorgeous.
It is confusing and outrageous.
I enjoyed it s ...more
I realized about three pages into this book that I should just give up expecting and predicting and go with it. But like Perry, I had to learn that lesson over and over. This isn't a romance. I'm not sure what it is, other than brilliant and surprising and imaginative and unexpected. There is poignancy mixed with a lot of humor, often the kind of humor that sneaks up on you and delivers a wet raspberry on the back of your neck - affectionate, startling, silly and with love at its foundation.
The ...more
The ...more
Don't read any further if you don't like personal information, potential spoilers or rambling musings.
On a quiet evening in 1999, investment banker Perry Mangin attends an art show in San Francisco. He's a nice looking man, not super hot but not a slouch.
Vin Vanbly is also at the event. He's a mechanic from Minnesota, in town on vacation. Vin's a bear - a stocky, hairy guy - and soon he and Perry notice each other. Vin waits, and soon Perry comes over where he's studying the paintings.
The two me ...more
On a quiet evening in 1999, investment banker Perry Mangin attends an art show in San Francisco. He's a nice looking man, not super hot but not a slouch.
Vin Vanbly is also at the event. He's a mechanic from Minnesota, in town on vacation. Vin's a bear - a stocky, hairy guy - and soon he and Perry notice each other. Vin waits, and soon Perry comes over where he's studying the paintings.
The two me ...more
I do not envy the person who had to try to write the blurb for this book. I thought about trying to describe this to a friend, and nothing I could think of did it any sort of justice. Weird, wonderful, sublime, transcendent, and ridiculous; this has to be one of the most interesting, and original books I've read in ages. Loved it.
...more
DNF 21%
This is too bizarre for my taste.
The MC is a quirky guy who thinks too fast and says random things that make sense to him only.
Certain things he comes up with is so surreal that it borders to fantasy. It’s not, but his eccentricity reads as such to me, and fantasy doesn’t push my buttons at all.
There is a parallel story of Kings rolling on which reinforces my feelings about this one-sided trip in the MC’s head, something I am not following.
I’m sure at some point if I persisted it would ...more
Excellent gay fiction about taking chances, forgiving, and finding the self you lost along the way. I started reading feeling a bit resistant, because, well, it sounded kinda hokey to me from the blurb. Oh, how very wrong I was - and how very glad that I read this story. While it has romantic moments and is filled with love, it is not a romance per se, so you need to let go of your expectations about how the story will end. But rest assured that this is not like some of the other stories I've re
...more
I see a review on my updates for a book called King Perry by a new author to me called Edmond Manning. I like the cover, the review is intriguing and it’s got umpteen, glowing, five star reviews. So I take the plunge and buy it. I know from the reviews this book has deeply affected its readers and I'm curious to find out why. Billed as bittersweet I have to admit that I’m wary as I don't mind seeing my MC's go through a fair bit of angst, but I do like a HEA or at least a HFN. For once though, b
...more
**** One hour after finishing the book ****
I don't know if I'll be able to review this book at all.
I don't know if I'll find the right words to review it someday, but for sure not right now.
Right now I AM SPEECHLESS.
I don't know if there are the right words to express all my emotions I lived through reading it.
In few words:
THIS BOOK IS BRILLIANT, AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL AND TOTALLY CRAZY!!!
It's hard to find words, to strum the soul, to let out what is almost always ineffable.
If you ...more
IT IS NOT A TYPICAL ROMANCE. It is much better.
Wow.
It seems quite pointless to review this story other than to say that it is a journey. A hero's journey. Perry's journey as told through his guide's eyes. It's like a gilded mosaic with so many pieces crammed together incredibly close. Clever and faceted, entertaining and epiphanous, and simply more than you'd expect. A gift.
This book makes you feel like a puppy gamboling along, stepping on its ear every so often and smashing its nose into the ground. But, like the puppy you stumble back up ...more
It seems quite pointless to review this story other than to say that it is a journey. A hero's journey. Perry's journey as told through his guide's eyes. It's like a gilded mosaic with so many pieces crammed together incredibly close. Clever and faceted, entertaining and epiphanous, and simply more than you'd expect. A gift.
This book makes you feel like a puppy gamboling along, stepping on its ear every so often and smashing its nose into the ground. But, like the puppy you stumble back up ...more
Mar 17, 2012
Cole Riann
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Everyone!!!!!
Recommended to Cole by:
Chris
A miraculous, healing story to hold close to your heart!
I've heard many, many wonderful things about this book over the last month or so. Josephine Myles wrote a wonderful review that caught my interest after Chris directed me there, and became my personal cheerleader -- saying, "read it now! read it now!". I found myself very lucky then, to be one of the recipients of the GoodReads giveaway and received my paperback copy from Edmond in the mail last week, along with a beautiful note and a yummy ...more
I've heard many, many wonderful things about this book over the last month or so. Josephine Myles wrote a wonderful review that caught my interest after Chris directed me there, and became my personal cheerleader -- saying, "read it now! read it now!". I found myself very lucky then, to be one of the recipients of the GoodReads giveaway and received my paperback copy from Edmond in the mail last week, along with a beautiful note and a yummy ...more
An inspirational, unique and quirky read. King Perry teaches us to let go of our fears, find our true selves and LIVE life to the fullest!!
To boast wonder takes great courage. Being left speechless with joy is not for the weak. We forget to be surprised by everyday miracles, like toast springing up, the mesmerizing blue in the sky, or even simple friendships. To touch and remember this delicate sense of wonder, we travel. We deliberately let ourselves become tourists to welcome in this unique ...more
To boast wonder takes great courage. Being left speechless with joy is not for the weak. We forget to be surprised by everyday miracles, like toast springing up, the mesmerizing blue in the sky, or even simple friendships. To touch and remember this delicate sense of wonder, we travel. We deliberately let ourselves become tourists to welcome in this unique ...more
I've had the privilege to read through the final draft of King Perry and it's an amazing story with so much heart. I can't recall the last time I was so delighted and uplifted by a book that doesn't have the traditional romance ending.
This is coming out under Dreamspinner's Bittersweet line because of that ending - but believe me, there's nothing bitter about it. I was left with a huge smile on my face and joy in my heart.
Prepare yourself for a journey to strange new places and the depths of the ...more
This is coming out under Dreamspinner's Bittersweet line because of that ending - but believe me, there's nothing bitter about it. I was left with a huge smile on my face and joy in my heart.
Prepare yourself for a journey to strange new places and the depths of the ...more
I have to confess and admit that I am not usually speechless around books. With this one I was, maybe because something in it touched a sore point with me. This left me wanting a ‘Vin’ in my life, someone to help me get a hold of myself and get over things instead of standing there, wallowing in them. Forgiveness is not an easy thing to preach, write about or to try. It leaves you vulnerable and strong at the same time. Both the reaching out and the accepting are so so hard but leave us reborn,
...more
Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/
I could read Mr. Manning's exquisite style of writing for hours on end and never tire of it. He reminds me very much of Andrew Holleran with his soothing, almost lyrical way they both put thoughts into words. I don't know why this book was classified as a bittersweet because the ending was a very happy one in my opinion.
Vin Vanbly is a quirky visitor to San Francisco when he meets Perry Mangin in an art gallery. Perry is an investmen ...more
I could read Mr. Manning's exquisite style of writing for hours on end and never tire of it. He reminds me very much of Andrew Holleran with his soothing, almost lyrical way they both put thoughts into words. I don't know why this book was classified as a bittersweet because the ending was a very happy one in my opinion.
Vin Vanbly is a quirky visitor to San Francisco when he meets Perry Mangin in an art gallery. Perry is an investmen ...more
This is my first five-star rating. I almost wish I could give it more.
I can't begin to figure out how to review this book, except to say it took me by surprise. Full of unexpected humor and insight, overflowing with emotion of every kind... I couldn't put it down. By the time I reached the last quarter of the book, I found myself reading more slowly, because I didn't want to reach the end, and that end... gaaaaahhhhh. It killed me.
This book should be #1 on the NY Times bestseller list. It's tha ...more
I can't begin to figure out how to review this book, except to say it took me by surprise. Full of unexpected humor and insight, overflowing with emotion of every kind... I couldn't put it down. By the time I reached the last quarter of the book, I found myself reading more slowly, because I didn't want to reach the end, and that end... gaaaaahhhhh. It killed me.
This book should be #1 on the NY Times bestseller list. It's tha ...more
Jan 17, 2014
Kynthos-the-Archer (Kyn)
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Give it a go if you love poetry with your M/M romance, unconventional ending and a dash of purple.
Recommended to Kynthos-the-Archer (Kyn) by:
Cdmr9816 (LGBT Fantasy Fiction - May 2014 Pick-it-for-me Challenge)
I love it and I hate it with equal vigour. Yet why 4 Stars?
After finishing this book I felt like I have just visited San Fransisco and wanting to physically visit San Fransisco. The book could give the best San Fransisco tourist guide book a run for the money.
I wish for a crazy guide like Vin to take me around but I don't want to be in his head though. His wandering mind annoys me mighty since he is the narrator and the sole POV throughout the story. I know he says the most brilliant thing from ...more
Sep 08, 2017
Teal
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
fiction,
m-m,
freebie-or-gift,
read-in-2017,
series,
reviewed,
lgbtqi,
ebook,
own,
best-of-read-in-2017
Not so much a book as an experience. Much like Perry himself, I half-reluctantly committed myself to this journey, only to be dragged not-quite-kicking and not-quite-screaming into unexpectedly deep inner places.
I've read approximately 2000 novels, and this is one of a kind. To all the people who didn't like this, or who DNF'd, I want to say: I get it. This book isn't going to be for everyone, and probably at a different time in my life it wouldn't have been for me either.
I'm not going to be ab ...more
I've read approximately 2000 novels, and this is one of a kind. To all the people who didn't like this, or who DNF'd, I want to say: I get it. This book isn't going to be for everyone, and probably at a different time in my life it wouldn't have been for me either.
I'm not going to be ab ...more
Once in a blue moon you come across a book that just blows you away. For the better part of this story I had no idea what was going on but despite that I couldn't stop reading. The story flowed from the pages and made me laugh and then cry (literally cry, which doesn't happen very often). Vin is an enigma, even having finished the book you are unsure who he really is or what his motivations are but you love him all the same. Watching Perry struggle to journey from lost to found it is hard to bel
...more
Nov 02, 2013
Jordan Price
added it
This novel grabbed me by the brain and didn’t let go. But although it was stunningly smart, it wasn’t a dry, cerebral read by any stretch. It grabbed me by the heart and the funnybone, too. I had to actually ration out the novel, because it seemed disrespectful to gulp it all down in a few nights. I cared so much about the characters that it transcended fiction and became a part of my subjective reality. Edmond Manning had me crying over a freaking dessert at one point. *shakes fist* Damn you, M
...more
“…have you ever done anything so significantly outrageous, so beautiful and insane, that on days when your life feels dull, these shining moments leap out? Do you have an answer to the question ‘Did I live? Did I touch the world?’” –Vin Vanbly
If my life had a soundtrack, there would have been a great crescendo of strings and woodwinds when I hit the 'buy it with one click' button on this book's Amazon page.
This book starts with Vin Vanbly, a man with a crack sense of humor, a love of the skeleto ...more
If my life had a soundtrack, there would have been a great crescendo of strings and woodwinds when I hit the 'buy it with one click' button on this book's Amazon page.
This book starts with Vin Vanbly, a man with a crack sense of humor, a love of the skeleto ...more
Nov 03, 2013
Angela Bee Bee
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
people who like San Francisco, people who like words, and the letters G and X.
King Perry (The Lost and Founds Book 1)
Totally love-hate this book! Brilliant but so damn frustrating.
A madman's ramblings of logistics and nonsensical riddles, with lots of your favorite words beautifully thrown in;
carbonara, marachino, cherry crepes, lapis lazuli, resplendent.
Here's some insane nonsense back at ya:
Ping is the name of a famous duck, not referenced here.
I was screaming at my Kindle, "Ping should be the duck's name!"
"Piiiiiiing!"
How can you reference Will and Holly f ...more
This novel is a strange creature. It's romantic, but not a romance, it doesn't have a traditional happy ending, yet it's far from unhappy. I wouldn't even call it bittersweet, despite the occasional tart tones of the narrative. King Perry is an unusual modern fairy tale about finding one's true self.
I don't want to retell the plot, so instead I'll list my favorite quotes:
"…we all want to belong in the Homo Homeland, to find a corner of the world where we are each uniquely celebrated."
"Toppling s ...more
I don't want to retell the plot, so instead I'll list my favorite quotes:
"…we all want to belong in the Homo Homeland, to find a corner of the world where we are each uniquely celebrated."
"Toppling s ...more
Great book: I couldn’t put it down, it left me with a lot of unanswered questions and made me ponder about personal issues I didn’t acknowledge having.
Ps: Now I have a compelling desire to visit San Francisco.
“For reasons I have never understood, believing in yourself sometimes hurts as much as being abandoned.”
King Perry took me on a journey I have never been before. I figured early on that I had to read it slowly, savour it, appreciate every moment of laughter and take time to recover from the hard punches.
Like Perry’s, my brain and heart fought the battle of logic against belief. But it was a short fight and my heart won – this book got all my love.
I stopped trying to guess what happens next aft ...more
When I first read the blurb for King Perry, I though it was the weirdest blurb ever but since a couple of people whose opinion I value said great things about it, I decided to give it a try. In the middle of the book I felt the deepest sympathy for the poor person who had to write a blurb for this book and at the end I knew that this is a book that shouldn't have a blurb at all.
If you were to say that this book is about Perry, a investment banker with a hurt that never healed and who spends a we ...more
If you were to say that this book is about Perry, a investment banker with a hurt that never healed and who spends a we ...more
I found this terrifically seductive. Who doesn't want to be kinged? Who doesn't want to be loved and adored, even if it's for a weekend? It's a fantastic idea and certainly innovative (? is that the right word ?) for mm. I loved Vin. I loved how Vin loved. It was a long weekend, yet satisfying. And that scene with the cello, hubba hubba!
But yet, there were things niggling at me. Sometimes I wish I could let go and not worry about the niggles. I had the same problem reading the Falls Chance Ranch ...more
But yet, there were things niggling at me. Sometimes I wish I could let go and not worry about the niggles. I had the same problem reading the Falls Chance Ranch ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Perry BR Dec 14, 2014-Irina, Rosa & Otila | 37 | 24 | Dec 17, 2014 09:06PM | |
| Dreamspinner Press: King Perry by Edmond Manning | 1 | 29 | Feb 27, 2012 08:08AM |
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Edmond Manning has always been fascinated by fiction: how ordinary words could be sculpted into heartfelt emotions, how heartfelt emotions could leave an imprint inside you stronger than the real world. Mr. Manning never felt worthy to seek publication until recently, when he accidentally stumbled into his own writer’s voice that fit perfectly, like his favorite skull-print, fuzzy jammies. He fina
...more
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