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Sute & Solitude
On the Michelin Stars. On the Dating Pure Disaster.Meet Leo Valdez, a culinary genius. In the cutthroat world of San Francisco fine dining, he’s a perfectionist, a visionary, and the undisputed king of his Michelin-starred Mexican-Cajun restaurant, Suté. He can orchestrate a kitchen with the precision of a surgeon and coax flavors into a symphony. Professional success? Absolutely soaring.
His personal life? A five-alarm dumpster fire.
As a gay man in his early thirties yearning for a deep, lasting relationship, Leo finds himself adrift in San Francisco’s casual hookup culture. Every date is a fresh from crypto-bros explaining NFTs mid-coitus to performance artists demonstrating "ethical consumption" with avocado toast; from self-proclaimed "trauma healers" with ex-boyfriend binders to "poly professors" inviting him to pony play with their husbands. His vulnerability becomes content, his boundaries are constantly breached, and his attempts at genuine connection are met with baffling philosophies, unsolicited dick pics, or immediate ghosting.
Thankfully, Leo's darkly witty internal monologue and unfiltered debriefs with his riotously funny kitchen staff—his pragmatic head waitress, his blunt sous chef, his empathetic trans mixologist, and his chaos-prone saucier—provide the perfect comedic foil. Together, they navigate the absurdities of modern dating, the pressures of a community that sometimes feels more exclusive than inclusive, and the quiet ache of seeking true belonging.
Suté & Solitude is a laugh-out-loud dark comedy that pulls back the curtain on the messy, often hilarious, and surprisingly poignant challenges of finding love and self-worth in a world obsessed with curated personas. Can a chef who’s a master of flavors find peace and happiness when his heart feels utterly off-menu? Or will he discover that true fulfillment tastes sweetest when seasoned with self-acceptance and the unwavering support of your chosen family?
Perfect for fans of sharp, uncensored humor, relatable dating struggles, and a dash of culinary brilliance.
His personal life? A five-alarm dumpster fire.
As a gay man in his early thirties yearning for a deep, lasting relationship, Leo finds himself adrift in San Francisco’s casual hookup culture. Every date is a fresh from crypto-bros explaining NFTs mid-coitus to performance artists demonstrating "ethical consumption" with avocado toast; from self-proclaimed "trauma healers" with ex-boyfriend binders to "poly professors" inviting him to pony play with their husbands. His vulnerability becomes content, his boundaries are constantly breached, and his attempts at genuine connection are met with baffling philosophies, unsolicited dick pics, or immediate ghosting.
Thankfully, Leo's darkly witty internal monologue and unfiltered debriefs with his riotously funny kitchen staff—his pragmatic head waitress, his blunt sous chef, his empathetic trans mixologist, and his chaos-prone saucier—provide the perfect comedic foil. Together, they navigate the absurdities of modern dating, the pressures of a community that sometimes feels more exclusive than inclusive, and the quiet ache of seeking true belonging.
Suté & Solitude is a laugh-out-loud dark comedy that pulls back the curtain on the messy, often hilarious, and surprisingly poignant challenges of finding love and self-worth in a world obsessed with curated personas. Can a chef who’s a master of flavors find peace and happiness when his heart feels utterly off-menu? Or will he discover that true fulfillment tastes sweetest when seasoned with self-acceptance and the unwavering support of your chosen family?
Perfect for fans of sharp, uncensored humor, relatable dating struggles, and a dash of culinary brilliance.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 29, 2025
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Brandon Cloud
202 booksBrandon Cloud writes queer fiction that bruises with honesty, heals without permission, and refuses to look away. A retired RN with an MSN and MBA, he now channels a lifetime of trauma, dark humor, and hard-won love into emotionally raw, character-driven stories.
A survivor of conversion therapy, cancer, and one abusive relationship too many, Brandon doesn’t write to explain queerness—he writes to honor it. His characters are complex, flawed, tender, and real. They’re queer, yes—but that’s not the whole story. His mission is to create LGBTQ+ fiction where being gay isn’t the entire plot. It’s important to tell queer stories—all of them—not just the tragic, the sanitized, or the simplified.
His novels (The Unspoken Cord, Reverb in the Fog, The Bleeding Heart, and others) explore love, grief, identity, legacy, and the slow, brutal work of becoming whole.
When not writing, Brandon is managing hotels, walking his chaos goblin chihuahua Daisy, or deep in a narrative video game with a Diet Dr. Pepper in hand. He believes in chosen family, joyful defiance, and telling the truth—especially when it’s inconvenient.
🖤 www.theclobra.com
📚 amazon.com/author/theclobra
A survivor of conversion therapy, cancer, and one abusive relationship too many, Brandon doesn’t write to explain queerness—he writes to honor it. His characters are complex, flawed, tender, and real. They’re queer, yes—but that’s not the whole story. His mission is to create LGBTQ+ fiction where being gay isn’t the entire plot. It’s important to tell queer stories—all of them—not just the tragic, the sanitized, or the simplified.
His novels (The Unspoken Cord, Reverb in the Fog, The Bleeding Heart, and others) explore love, grief, identity, legacy, and the slow, brutal work of becoming whole.
When not writing, Brandon is managing hotels, walking his chaos goblin chihuahua Daisy, or deep in a narrative video game with a Diet Dr. Pepper in hand. He believes in chosen family, joyful defiance, and telling the truth—especially when it’s inconvenient.
🖤 www.theclobra.com
📚 amazon.com/author/theclobra
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