Monarch Season

by Mario López-Cordero

"A brisk, breezy beach read...Mario López-Cordero doesn't rely on sex alone to keep readers engaged. His snappy dialogue and detailed descriptions...are compelling enough."—Instinct magazineDevin Santos has a boyfriend in finance, a magazine-worthy beach house, and a closet full of Purple Label—never mind that he’s as jaded as a foo dog and self-medicates with enough pot to numb an elephant. Though he can measure success in cobblestone abs, Italian linen sheets, and a gallery’s-worth of contemporary art, something’s still missing. The cracks are starting to show in his relationship with domineering I-banker Charlie Doherty, and no amount of chalky Venetian plaster can obscure them. When a neighborhood admirer appears alongside his best friend Jude at the Pines ferry terminal, the former magazine editor is at first unimpressed. But Frank Duma is confident, clever, and shameless in his pursuit of Devin. The stormy, cat-and-mouse friendship that develops begins to unravel a life built on the premise that image is everything, and forces Devin to re-examine what it truly means to have it all.Mario López-Cordero is a journalist who has spent more than a decade writing about design, travel, fashion, and culture. He is currently the senior editor of Veranda and his writing has also appeared in New York, Travel + Leisure, and Martha Stewart Living; he previously held staff positions at Elle Decor, Harper’s Bazaar, and House Beautiful. He lives in New York City. 

Genres: M M Romance

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2013

About the author

Mario López-Cordero is a journalist who has spent more than a decade writing about design, travel, fashion, and culture. He is currently the senior editor of Veranda and his writing has also appeared in New York, Travel + Leisure, and Martha Stewart Living; he previously held staff positions at Elle Decor, Harper’s Bazaar, and House Beautiful. He studied at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and currently lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monarch Season is an in-depth character study of deeply flawed, complex people, some of whom grow throughout this novel.

Devin Santos, one of the leads, seems to have it all - money, prestige, a hot boyfriend, the finest of the finest things available, a summer beach house - and still, from the first moment, the reader is able to see the cracks in the beautiful facade. Devin's boyfriend is messing around with other men, and not even trying to hide it, which prompts Devin to self-medicate with pot and valium, but doesn't prevent him from trying to hold on to the image and lifestyle he's created for himself.

When Frank Duma enters his life and tries to win Devin for himself, Devin is forced to examine his values, his place in his boyfriend's life, and must realize that self-worth doesn't necessarily come from the fine and expensive things that surround you, but instead from the love and devotion of a man who puts your own needs first.

The book doesn't need to rely on titillating sexual situations to bring its point across, nor does it shy away from peeling back the layers of the rich and somewhat famous who only seek power and pleasure for themselves, without regard for what it may cost anyone else.

The entire supporting cast has a purpose in the novel, and the author manages, with poignant and often witty dialogue, to draw a picture of two flawed individuals who, despite their obvious differences and Devin's initial disdain and denial, find something in each other they were desperately missing.

Monarch Season subtly questions and expounds on themes of false images and real identities, power and intrigues, sex and lust, money and prestige. The author created complex characters, including the supporting cast, that never felt like caricatures or parodies of contemporary gay culture. The writing is crisp and descriptive, the dialogue witty and wry, and this is the perfect book for a summer beach read.

A very impressive debut. I look forward to more from this author.

I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return.

[Lori Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, romantic, and hot romp through the world of a rich magazine mogul who's looking to find something more than money with a new man.