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Elsie Street #1
Elsie Street
Boston native Dave Madden has just been fired from a dead-end bartending job in San Francisco after a homophobic scene by the owner pushes him to his breaking point. His long-suffering girlfriend helps him get a job at the nearby Legion of Honor Museum as a guard. But what Dave finds there will challenge his whole sense of identity. For despite a fling with a college roommate that ended too soon for his liking, he considers himself straight.
When Dave encounters woozy young Aaron Andersen at an art event—openly gay, with a house of his own in SF's hip Bernal Heights neighborhood—he at first sees the 24-year-old techie as a harmless nerd and offers to drive him home. But Aaron soon has a hold on Dave, and as the men's lives become more intertwined, Dave finds himself falling into an unexpected and passionate relationship, one that will require all his loyalty and commitment, and his faith in love.
Both men are damaged characters, and Dave wants to be good for Aaron. But can their new life together on Elsie Street as an openly gay couple really work out?
(M/M romance)
When Dave encounters woozy young Aaron Andersen at an art event—openly gay, with a house of his own in SF's hip Bernal Heights neighborhood—he at first sees the 24-year-old techie as a harmless nerd and offers to drive him home. But Aaron soon has a hold on Dave, and as the men's lives become more intertwined, Dave finds himself falling into an unexpected and passionate relationship, one that will require all his loyalty and commitment, and his faith in love.
Both men are damaged characters, and Dave wants to be good for Aaron. But can their new life together on Elsie Street as an openly gay couple really work out?
(M/M romance)
146 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2015
211 people are currently reading
371 people want to read
About the author
Gabriella West
21 books47 followersBorn in California, grew up in Ireland, moved to the Bay Area in 1988.
I'm the author of 9 LGBT-themed novels, including "Time of Grace" and "Elsie Street." Two recent books are set in England in the 13th century. "A Knight's Tale: Kenilworth" explores the events of the Second Barons' War through the eyes of a squire, Will, living in Simon de Montfort's household. Book 2 was published in March 2018. My most recent book is "Once You Are Mine," an M/M love story set in Northern California during the first year of the pandemic.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: My latest release in the Knight's Tale trilogy, THE KNIGHT'S RETURN, was released on May 12... but if you pre-ordered it, you will NOT automatically receive a copy, as the pre-order was unfortunately canceled right at the last moment. So, please look for it now on Amazon.com, .UK, or the other sites and pick up a fresh copy. Thank you!
Lastly, I'm pretty good about responding to friend requests :)
I'm the author of 9 LGBT-themed novels, including "Time of Grace" and "Elsie Street." Two recent books are set in England in the 13th century. "A Knight's Tale: Kenilworth" explores the events of the Second Barons' War through the eyes of a squire, Will, living in Simon de Montfort's household. Book 2 was published in March 2018. My most recent book is "Once You Are Mine," an M/M love story set in Northern California during the first year of the pandemic.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: My latest release in the Knight's Tale trilogy, THE KNIGHT'S RETURN, was released on May 12... but if you pre-ordered it, you will NOT automatically receive a copy, as the pre-order was unfortunately canceled right at the last moment. So, please look for it now on Amazon.com, .UK, or the other sites and pick up a fresh copy. Thank you!
Lastly, I'm pretty good about responding to friend requests :)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
June 22, 2016
Originally read January 11, 2016. Original review was 2 stars: "A strange, yet compelling novella. The plot seemed very unfocused."
Re-read on 5/18/16 as prep for reading the second book in the series The Pull of Yesterday. On second read, I was surprised that I enjoyed the book quite a bit and now give it a 3.5 star rating.
There are several relationships in this story - Dave and Janine, Dave and his college roommate Matt, and Dave and his current boyfriend Aaron, Aaron and his past relationships - and we see how this affect the characters - how their past bleeds into the present and can influence the future.
As Dave breaks up with Janine and begins a relationship with Aaron, he thinks "He had welcomed me into his life a little bit too easily, and I was starting to see why he had done it. We were all doing this, weren't we, trying to retrieve the past as we went, the good parts of the past, the parts we wanted to keep. But the bad things don't ever disappear, I thought."
Then Dave reconnects with his college roommate Matt, who is getting married in a few days. Dave and Matt had experimented together in college and while Matt was the one to step back then, now with his pending marriage Matt wants to meet one more time. As Dave tells him: "We can't re-create the past, Matt. I wish we'd reconnected a few years ago. Things might have been very different then."
Elsie Street ends without any resolution, so I'm looking to the next book in the series The Pull of Yesterday (review to come in the next few days).
Re-read on 5/18/16 as prep for reading the second book in the series The Pull of Yesterday. On second read, I was surprised that I enjoyed the book quite a bit and now give it a 3.5 star rating.
There are several relationships in this story - Dave and Janine, Dave and his college roommate Matt, and Dave and his current boyfriend Aaron, Aaron and his past relationships - and we see how this affect the characters - how their past bleeds into the present and can influence the future.
There was something revealing about our sex that day. I realized that there had always been other people in our lives. [...] Then the people that we'd slept with before we knew each other. They hadn't been far away. And the people that Janine had fucked while we were together. Those people had actually kept us together, somehow.
As Dave breaks up with Janine and begins a relationship with Aaron, he thinks "He had welcomed me into his life a little bit too easily, and I was starting to see why he had done it. We were all doing this, weren't we, trying to retrieve the past as we went, the good parts of the past, the parts we wanted to keep. But the bad things don't ever disappear, I thought."
Then Dave reconnects with his college roommate Matt, who is getting married in a few days. Dave and Matt had experimented together in college and while Matt was the one to step back then, now with his pending marriage Matt wants to meet one more time. As Dave tells him: "We can't re-create the past, Matt. I wish we'd reconnected a few years ago. Things might have been very different then."
Elsie Street ends without any resolution, so I'm looking to the next book in the series The Pull of Yesterday (review to come in the next few days).
July 24, 2020
This is a story that I have absolutely no idea how to review. I saw it as a bookbub deal and snatched it up. To be honest, some of the reviews also piqued my interest, even the shitty ones.
One, in particular, mentioned the characters being in an open relationship. This story is NOT a healthy depiction of the lifestyle.
Although one-dimensional, the main character's girlfriend is nothing but a hypocrite. How is it okay to give your partner permission to spend the night with someone else and then throw it in his face when he does?
What struck me as even odder was that Aaron did the same shit to ?? sorry forget MC's name.
Although this book is listed as a MM romance (in the title as well as on Amazon) there's on-page MF sex and blowjobs, so I personally feel this story should be marketed as bisexual, but what do I know?
All that said and done, something about the story kept me flicking the pages, kinda like a train wreck waiting to happen. For that alone, I give this book 3 stars.
Would I read more by this author? Oddly, yes.
One, in particular, mentioned the characters being in an open relationship. This story is NOT a healthy depiction of the lifestyle.
Although one-dimensional, the main character's girlfriend is nothing but a hypocrite. How is it okay to give your partner permission to spend the night with someone else and then throw it in his face when he does?
What struck me as even odder was that Aaron did the same shit to ?? sorry forget MC's name.
Although this book is listed as a MM romance (in the title as well as on Amazon) there's on-page MF sex and blowjobs, so I personally feel this story should be marketed as bisexual, but what do I know?
All that said and done, something about the story kept me flicking the pages, kinda like a train wreck waiting to happen. For that alone, I give this book 3 stars.
Would I read more by this author? Oddly, yes.
January 24, 2016
Every single one of these characters need some serious therapy. This story is miserable from start to finish. I came away from it wanting a very large drink.
June 10, 2025
Extraña, diferente
Dave tiene un trabajo sin sentido, una novia que es más una amiga con derecho que novia. Pero el día que lo botan del trabajo, su vida cambia y tiene que tomar decisiones que lo llevarán por dónde menos espera. Sin embargo, podrá tener realmente una vida diferente?
Aunque es raro que no me guste un libro, este realmente lo encontré sin sentido. El prota es extraño, no solo inadaptado sino mal definido. En ningún momento entiendes si es lo que quiere o por qué. El novio es raro, parece más un loco asesino que un joven buscando un novio real. Las mujeres fueron los mejores personajes, pero fueron las que menos influyeron en nada.
En fin, me pareció una historia caótica, con personajes extraños o mal definidos y un final sin sentido. Es probable que sea del gusto de otras personas, pero no es para mí.
Dave tiene un trabajo sin sentido, una novia que es más una amiga con derecho que novia. Pero el día que lo botan del trabajo, su vida cambia y tiene que tomar decisiones que lo llevarán por dónde menos espera. Sin embargo, podrá tener realmente una vida diferente?
Aunque es raro que no me guste un libro, este realmente lo encontré sin sentido. El prota es extraño, no solo inadaptado sino mal definido. En ningún momento entiendes si es lo que quiere o por qué. El novio es raro, parece más un loco asesino que un joven buscando un novio real. Las mujeres fueron los mejores personajes, pero fueron las que menos influyeron en nada.
En fin, me pareció una historia caótica, con personajes extraños o mal definidos y un final sin sentido. Es probable que sea del gusto de otras personas, pero no es para mí.
June 28, 2016
Got this for free during a recent promotion. I stopped at 52% to go to bed and now honestly don't feel like finishing it. Yet it has some redeeming merits, hence the rating.
Dave is a very passive person. What does he want? He doesn't really know, and he doesn't seem to be going anywhere in his life. He's puttering along in a job as a bartender until his boss freaks out at some gay guys, and then he putters along to a job as a security guard where he accidentally starts hitting on a guy at a function, drives him home, makes out with him, gets in trouble at work for it (which, you know what? I agreed with the boss on even though it was supposed to be a big injustice), and then realizes he's going to get fired from that job sooner rather than later.
He also has an open relationship with his girlfriend Janine, but open seems to mean she sleeps around and he doesn't, his words. Which, you know, I've seen relationships like that, and I think Dave needed to leave it not because that dynamic doesn't work but because it isn't working for him. But the way it happens is where I lost interest. He goes to sleep with the guy he met at the museum (and I refuse to call this a spoiler because this is MM and we all know what's coming) with his girlfriend's permission/knowledge, and it is As If Woman Never Touched Him. First, he declares he loves museum guy, even though they've known each other for all of half an hour when they weren't sucking tonsil, then museum guy declares the love is mutual. They go three rounds of sex, Dave returns home, and Janine is pissed off because when she asks if Dave ever loved her, he says he didn't.
Now, I'd probably toss him to the curb for that too, because at this point Dave is being a jerk. (Yes, Janine is being a hypocrite, but still, her demanding that and the way he answered prove she was right to be worried.) Should he stay with someone he doesn't really love? No. But to just go "oh the however many years you've loved me I haven't loved you back guess I never actually was into women" is called being an asshole of the first water. He tries to be nice about it, but honestly? You were having sex with her the whole time. Probably women do it for you just a tiny bit. I can't blame Janine for being pissed and saying "get out." I'm not supposed to like her, and I don't, but I don't like Dave either.
And so what does Dave do, facing homelessness? He texts the new lover and goes "can I move in" and new lover, who owns a house and has known this guy all of, what, two meetings, goes "of course sweetie!" A match made in naive heaven.
If I'd not started this book at one in the morning, I might have kept reading, but I just didn't want to. The sex with a guy was hot, if a bit sparse on the details but that's a style choice, and was well-done enough that I wouldn't have noticed it if the scenes with a woman hadn't been slightly more detailed. The dialogue, as others have noted, was stilted. But mostly I didn't empathize with Dave at all. He thought of himself as a loser, and I had to agree. He didn't seem to have any motivation in life, and at the ripe age of 28 was acting like a college student in terms of emotional development.
Now, this may end with neither guy being as naive as they seem (though Dave just seems like an emotional leech) or it may turn into drama land as they realize moving this fast is usually a bad idea for a reason. Fair enough. But I just sort of wish they'd both grow up a little.
If you are all about the sexual magnetism, this book might interest you. If you prefer characters with motivation, look elsewhere.
Dave is a very passive person. What does he want? He doesn't really know, and he doesn't seem to be going anywhere in his life. He's puttering along in a job as a bartender until his boss freaks out at some gay guys, and then he putters along to a job as a security guard where he accidentally starts hitting on a guy at a function, drives him home, makes out with him, gets in trouble at work for it (which, you know what? I agreed with the boss on even though it was supposed to be a big injustice), and then realizes he's going to get fired from that job sooner rather than later.
He also has an open relationship with his girlfriend Janine, but open seems to mean she sleeps around and he doesn't, his words. Which, you know, I've seen relationships like that, and I think Dave needed to leave it not because that dynamic doesn't work but because it isn't working for him. But the way it happens is where I lost interest. He goes to sleep with the guy he met at the museum (and I refuse to call this a spoiler because this is MM and we all know what's coming) with his girlfriend's permission/knowledge, and it is As If Woman Never Touched Him. First, he declares he loves museum guy, even though they've known each other for all of half an hour when they weren't sucking tonsil, then museum guy declares the love is mutual. They go three rounds of sex, Dave returns home, and Janine is pissed off because when she asks if Dave ever loved her, he says he didn't.
Now, I'd probably toss him to the curb for that too, because at this point Dave is being a jerk. (Yes, Janine is being a hypocrite, but still, her demanding that and the way he answered prove she was right to be worried.) Should he stay with someone he doesn't really love? No. But to just go "oh the however many years you've loved me I haven't loved you back guess I never actually was into women" is called being an asshole of the first water. He tries to be nice about it, but honestly? You were having sex with her the whole time. Probably women do it for you just a tiny bit. I can't blame Janine for being pissed and saying "get out." I'm not supposed to like her, and I don't, but I don't like Dave either.
And so what does Dave do, facing homelessness? He texts the new lover and goes "can I move in" and new lover, who owns a house and has known this guy all of, what, two meetings, goes "of course sweetie!" A match made in naive heaven.
If I'd not started this book at one in the morning, I might have kept reading, but I just didn't want to. The sex with a guy was hot, if a bit sparse on the details but that's a style choice, and was well-done enough that I wouldn't have noticed it if the scenes with a woman hadn't been slightly more detailed. The dialogue, as others have noted, was stilted. But mostly I didn't empathize with Dave at all. He thought of himself as a loser, and I had to agree. He didn't seem to have any motivation in life, and at the ripe age of 28 was acting like a college student in terms of emotional development.
Now, this may end with neither guy being as naive as they seem (though Dave just seems like an emotional leech) or it may turn into drama land as they realize moving this fast is usually a bad idea for a reason. Fair enough. But I just sort of wish they'd both grow up a little.
If you are all about the sexual magnetism, this book might interest you. If you prefer characters with motivation, look elsewhere.
August 20, 2019
Unfortunately , not great.
I’m sorry to say this book was a No for me. It was full of broken characters that seemed to do stupid things at random times. The sex was utterly boring and banal. Random characters did nothing to aid the plot. I hate leaving bad reviews on someone’s work but this time there was no other option. I’d give this one a miss.
I’m sorry to say this book was a No for me. It was full of broken characters that seemed to do stupid things at random times. The sex was utterly boring and banal. Random characters did nothing to aid the plot. I hate leaving bad reviews on someone’s work but this time there was no other option. I’d give this one a miss.
April 14, 2016
1.75 stars
hmm I just don't know how I feel about this one...
hmm I just don't know how I feel about this one...
March 22, 2021
This is a new to me author. This is a mm contemporary story set in the USA. Told from Dave’s POV. Dave is very loose with his sleeping partners and very loose with the I love yous.
December 28, 2021
Beautiful
Not an m/m romance, despite what it says on Kindle. Is there a romance between two men? Of course, and a very interesting one. This was really a story about Dave and his impact on the people around him. Those people are primarily Janine, Aaron and Matt. Those people were affected by his actions far more than he was by theirs.
Before Dave met Aaron, I felt like we'd already learned so much about him. Everything that followed was a natural extension. Even his breakup with Janine was inevitable, regardless of whether or not he ever met Aaron. It was a dreary life, though Dave couldn't acknowledge it at the time.
I wouldn't say this was an entirely upbeat story. Three of the four most interesting characters had not so nice childhoods. Matt had it good. I want to say he was a closet bisexual but his fiancee's reaction to her brief meeting with Dave was venomous which made me think Matt had been honest with her.
The book left Dave and Aaron in an odd place. Though they seemed content, it doesn't exactly inspire a happily-ever-after feeling. I think, for both, it's a first real love that's reciprocated in full. Does that mean it will work long-term? Hard to say but also not important
If you like low-key, not sunshine and rainbows and a story that's only half-romance, this might be for you. I enjoyed it immensely. I say that as someone who has an unreadable category for books.
Not an m/m romance, despite what it says on Kindle. Is there a romance between two men? Of course, and a very interesting one. This was really a story about Dave and his impact on the people around him. Those people are primarily Janine, Aaron and Matt. Those people were affected by his actions far more than he was by theirs.
Before Dave met Aaron, I felt like we'd already learned so much about him. Everything that followed was a natural extension. Even his breakup with Janine was inevitable, regardless of whether or not he ever met Aaron. It was a dreary life, though Dave couldn't acknowledge it at the time.
I wouldn't say this was an entirely upbeat story. Three of the four most interesting characters had not so nice childhoods. Matt had it good. I want to say he was a closet bisexual but his fiancee's reaction to her brief meeting with Dave was venomous which made me think Matt had been honest with her.
The book left Dave and Aaron in an odd place. Though they seemed content, it doesn't exactly inspire a happily-ever-after feeling. I think, for both, it's a first real love that's reciprocated in full. Does that mean it will work long-term? Hard to say but also not important
If you like low-key, not sunshine and rainbows and a story that's only half-romance, this might be for you. I enjoyed it immensely. I say that as someone who has an unreadable category for books.
July 8, 2016
A wonderful story, the main characters were great. I loved Aaron. The story was well written, and I cant wait to read book two in this series.
June 2, 2021
A lovely story of finding yourself
Dave once had a relationship with a man at college; His roommate and best friend Matt, although the relationship never went all the way sexually, the boys never fully cementing their love. However, after Dave had to quit college he lost touch with his first love, and moved into a five year relationship with Janine.
After Dave gets fired from his job as a barman, Janine manages to get him a job working as a security guard at a museum. It is here the he meets Aaron, and the two quickly fall in love with each other, Dave finally, once and for all realising he is gay and wants to live his life with his new love.
Then Matt reappears in Dave's life a week before his wedding to a rather indifferent - to Dave - Taylor.
Dave and Matt have a meeting prior to Matt's bachelor party to discuss their past and make up for not staying in touch. This all confuses Dave for a while, but then he comes to his conclusion and makes the decision to be with the one person .
Gabriella West has written this story from Dave's perspective and we really get a feel for what he is going through. The relationship he has with Janine, or lack of, his growing feelings for Aaron, and his old feelings for Matt.
Dave tried to be honest with those in his life and we readers can feel his emotions as he works through everything going on in his life. Ms. West portrays him and the other character well. They're very believable and I have to grown to really like Dave. I do feel he has made a mistake as the book comes to a conclusion, but to discover what that mistake is, you'll just have to read the book!
This is the first of a three book series and I am now off to greedily indulge in the second book (The Pull of Yesterday) to see what is now in store for the couple.
Dave once had a relationship with a man at college; His roommate and best friend Matt, although the relationship never went all the way sexually, the boys never fully cementing their love. However, after Dave had to quit college he lost touch with his first love, and moved into a five year relationship with Janine.
After Dave gets fired from his job as a barman, Janine manages to get him a job working as a security guard at a museum. It is here the he meets Aaron, and the two quickly fall in love with each other, Dave finally, once and for all realising he is gay and wants to live his life with his new love.
Then Matt reappears in Dave's life a week before his wedding to a rather indifferent - to Dave - Taylor.
Dave and Matt have a meeting prior to Matt's bachelor party to discuss their past and make up for not staying in touch. This all confuses Dave for a while, but then he comes to his conclusion and makes the decision to be with the one person .
Gabriella West has written this story from Dave's perspective and we really get a feel for what he is going through. The relationship he has with Janine, or lack of, his growing feelings for Aaron, and his old feelings for Matt.
Dave tried to be honest with those in his life and we readers can feel his emotions as he works through everything going on in his life. Ms. West portrays him and the other character well. They're very believable and I have to grown to really like Dave. I do feel he has made a mistake as the book comes to a conclusion, but to discover what that mistake is, you'll just have to read the book!
This is the first of a three book series and I am now off to greedily indulge in the second book (The Pull of Yesterday) to see what is now in store for the couple.
October 3, 2019
The characters in this book- especially Aaron, Dave, and Janine are a mess. Author Gabriella West has them living in a fog of reality that is never clear. Most of the M/M Romances I've read feature relationships that have to overcome a lot of baggage from the past, but here the characters are all pretty indifferent about it. I never got the sense that West was making any attempt to give us a satisfying (concise) image of her characters. It all felt vague and shadowy- almost creepy at times. I couldn't help but feeling some awful things were about to happen, or be revealed. That never happened. I finished the book with the same questions I had at the start: Who are they? What are they together? Where are they headed? How can they accept and move on? None of those questions are ever answered. The characters just float on without any true feeling. The most frightening thing was (Bi) Dave and Aaron's immediate professing of 'love'. This wasn't 'love at first sight' this was obsessive-compulsive and/or co-dependent behavior at best. Not at all believable even for the most desperate.
January 13, 2020
Left a Bit Confused
This is one of my first looks into LGBT books and I didn't particularly like it. Most of the characters just seemed to be some level of awful.
I did like Dave's journey to understanding who he is and what he likes. It felt like a difficult time in his life but he had people around him that cared and gave him the space he needed to figure himself out.
This book definitely left me wanting. I wanted more information on Aaron's past and why their relationship had grown so heated so quickly. I felt like there was more to Dave and Aaron's story that I missed.
This is one of my first looks into LGBT books and I didn't particularly like it. Most of the characters just seemed to be some level of awful.
I did like Dave's journey to understanding who he is and what he likes. It felt like a difficult time in his life but he had people around him that cared and gave him the space he needed to figure himself out.
This book definitely left me wanting. I wanted more information on Aaron's past and why their relationship had grown so heated so quickly. I felt like there was more to Dave and Aaron's story that I missed.
August 28, 2019
An Emotional Ride!
I loved this story! Sometimes, in Life and Love, we don't really know WHO we end up falling in love with. Sometimes it happens in a small moment or over a lifetime. And its never easy! This story takes you for that ride! All the bumps and dings that make love worth every single moment!
I loved this story! Sometimes, in Life and Love, we don't really know WHO we end up falling in love with. Sometimes it happens in a small moment or over a lifetime. And its never easy! This story takes you for that ride! All the bumps and dings that make love worth every single moment!
December 29, 2019
Elsie Street by Gabriela West
Adored the storyline just felt Dave is a bit of a people pleaser which can lead to his and Aarons downfall concerning Matt. Very gripping and realistic not sure I want to spoil the end with reading the sequel.
Adored the storyline just felt Dave is a bit of a people pleaser which can lead to his and Aarons downfall concerning Matt. Very gripping and realistic not sure I want to spoil the end with reading the sequel.
December 13, 2018
Trouble in paradise
One young man who has no idea of who, what, or where Finally finds them all in one place. But can he keep it?
One young man who has no idea of who, what, or where Finally finds them all in one place. But can he keep it?
October 6, 2019
Unpredictable
I was never sure where the story would go, which is a good thing! All the characters are flawed in some way which makes them somewhat unpredictable.
I was never sure where the story would go, which is a good thing! All the characters are flawed in some way which makes them somewhat unpredictable.
May 9, 2021
A good story that had some great characters though I am not sure I like the romance that is going on. I will be interested to read the rest of the series.
July 13, 2021
How does the story end?
I’m not really sure how I feel about this story. It’s bleak, without a conclusive ending. Yet, it kept me reading, unsure what to hope for.
I’m not really sure how I feel about this story. It’s bleak, without a conclusive ending. Yet, it kept me reading, unsure what to hope for.
January 2, 2020
Delightfully memorable characters, set in a lovingly captured SF. A sexy and emotionally compelling first installment. Can't wait for the next!
August 16, 2019
DNF
I was bored from the beginning. The main character was boring and all his boring thoughts became very annoying. The guy he met seemed ok, but there’s too much dull reflection between the first meeting and the second and I couldn’t take anymore.
I was bored from the beginning. The main character was boring and all his boring thoughts became very annoying. The guy he met seemed ok, but there’s too much dull reflection between the first meeting and the second and I couldn’t take anymore.
October 19, 2022
It was a quick read and I enjoyed the story, sense of time and place.
May 10, 2016
This one is hard to review. A tragically sad commetary on one man's life. Dave felt rejected by a young lover and tossed away his gay to embrace a woman instead. Five years later, he loses his job and lands another, only to learn his girlfriend slept with the guy to get him the job. The new job brings a new chance at life and love when he meets, Aaron. But Aaron has his own secrets.
What kept me from loving this story was the way it felt so monotone. Is Dave truly so even tempered, so unfeeling, and yet he declares he loves Aaron after only their second meeting. Then Dave reads Aaron's diary and the mind games start spinning. A lot of the dialogue was stilted, with nary a laugh (except for one highlight of joking around).
What kept me from loving this story was the way it felt so monotone. Is Dave truly so even tempered, so unfeeling, and yet he declares he loves Aaron after only their second meeting. Then Dave reads Aaron's diary and the mind games start spinning. A lot of the dialogue was stilted, with nary a laugh (except for one highlight of joking around).
December 23, 2015
Now available on Kobo, All Romance, BN and Apple...
July 6, 2016
3.5 stars
October 26, 2019
Elsie Street is a romance book by Gabriella West. The story revolves around Dave Madden's realization that he might not be straight and the relationship he endangers because of that. For those wishing to see how the story continues after the last page, there are two sequels.
For a book with so much sex, this book was not erotic. There are hardly any solid images of the act and those described are quickly brushed past. Instead of images of the act all we have is Dave saying how it feels emotionally. This is true even when he has sex with Aaron Andersen who is supposed to be the best lover ever. As a reader, I can't understand the amazing sex if it isn't described.
Now books don't have to have explicit sex if they're a romance. There are emotional sides in relationships. So if a book doesn't have hot and heavy sex, it should have a story that you can become emotionally invested in. That isn't the case for Elsie Street. Everything is so fast paced and any obstacles are quickly avoided.
Also, Dave is allowed by both his lovers to have sex with at least one other person. Both of his lovers are encouraging up until the moment he has sex with another person. They then act like he has committed some great sin. It is as if Gabriella West scrapped a cheating plot and the remnants are littered throughout the book.
If Fifty Shades of Grey was too erotic and emotionally compelling for you, this book will be the perfect addition to your collection.
For a book with so much sex, this book was not erotic. There are hardly any solid images of the act and those described are quickly brushed past. Instead of images of the act all we have is Dave saying how it feels emotionally. This is true even when he has sex with Aaron Andersen who is supposed to be the best lover ever. As a reader, I can't understand the amazing sex if it isn't described.
Now books don't have to have explicit sex if they're a romance. There are emotional sides in relationships. So if a book doesn't have hot and heavy sex, it should have a story that you can become emotionally invested in. That isn't the case for Elsie Street. Everything is so fast paced and any obstacles are quickly avoided.
Also, Dave is allowed by both his lovers to have sex with at least one other person. Both of his lovers are encouraging up until the moment he has sex with another person. They then act like he has committed some great sin. It is as if Gabriella West scrapped a cheating plot and the remnants are littered throughout the book.
If Fifty Shades of Grey was too erotic and emotionally compelling for you, this book will be the perfect addition to your collection.
July 2, 2021
I'm not sure what to think of this book. It was almost dreamlike in the progression of Dave's life wrt to his time with Janine, then the meeting and almost immediate progression of his relationship with Aaron, with his only other boyfriend appearing into the mix just to add to .
It felt like someone's actual diary (journal) as people came into the story in a random way without a lot of explanation or continuity, i.e. Mike's wife near the end of the book, like real life. Characterisation was also a little weak, both bosses he had in this novel were also similar i.e. the homiphobic bar boss, then Mike who seemed to be similar in how he treated Dave.
So 3 stars, the writing itself was good and deserved more, but couldn't quite figure out how I felt about the book. However, looking at it again while writing this review, it is definitely a keeper for the writing, and as a book about someone realising their sexuality, I thought it was good. So the rating may increase!
It felt like someone's actual diary (journal) as people came into the story in a random way without a lot of explanation or continuity, i.e. Mike's wife near the end of the book, like real life. Characterisation was also a little weak, both bosses he had in this novel were also similar i.e. the homiphobic bar boss, then Mike who seemed to be similar in how he treated Dave.
So 3 stars, the writing itself was good and deserved more, but couldn't quite figure out how I felt about the book. However, looking at it again while writing this review, it is definitely a keeper for the writing, and as a book about someone realising their sexuality, I thought it was good. So the rating may increase!
April 9, 2020
DNF at 70%
The relationship between the main character Dave and his girlfriend was too chaotic for me. I was frustrated with her, and more so with him. Their relationship was very frustrating to me.
Eventually they break up and he goes to live with a guy he met at work. Also at work is this disgusting character Mike who is a total asshole to Dave for no real reason other than Mike assumes he is gay.
I stopped reading when Dave randomly meets up with his college roommate (who was his random sex partner, but supposedly neither of them are into guys?) from Boston at Dave’s work in San Francisco. Honestly, I didn’t see that twist, but it wasn’t enough to make me stay.
This is the first M/M romance novel I’ve ever read, so I don’t know if most are like this, or I chose a bad first read.
The relationship between the main character Dave and his girlfriend was too chaotic for me. I was frustrated with her, and more so with him. Their relationship was very frustrating to me.
Eventually they break up and he goes to live with a guy he met at work. Also at work is this disgusting character Mike who is a total asshole to Dave for no real reason other than Mike assumes he is gay.
I stopped reading when Dave randomly meets up with his college roommate (who was his random sex partner, but supposedly neither of them are into guys?) from Boston at Dave’s work in San Francisco. Honestly, I didn’t see that twist, but it wasn’t enough to make me stay.
This is the first M/M romance novel I’ve ever read, so I don’t know if most are like this, or I chose a bad first read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2021
I don’t even have words for this...characters you can’t even like because they are so messed up it would take a lifetime of therapy to even begin to understand their issues, “open relationships” which is a nice way of saying I’m with him/her until something better comes along, insta-love - yep, we’ve got the I love you despite me not knowing your middle name, and the whole let’s move in together, again despite not knowing a thing about the other person. Readable, but unbelievable, don’t waste two hours of your life you will never get back and gain absolutely nothing for it.
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