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Mood Indigo
What happens when a powerful connection forms between two damaged strangers?
Found injured by the side of a road, Bill Ward suffers from retrograde amnesia. Having no recollection of his past, he feels like a nobody. Romance is definitely not an option for a nobody. Jazz singer and piano player Johnny Desmond, on the other hand, is emotionally dead from the ultimate betrayal. But from the moment their eyes meet, there’s no fighting it, and with their friends’ encouragement, Bill and Johnny decide to get to know each other.
Bill’s memories are hovering at the edge of his mind, tormenting him with fear and doubts about what he has to offer. Johnny also has a past—one that could endanger his life. It might have been love at first sight, but it will take courage and commitment to see it through to love that lasts forever.
Found injured by the side of a road, Bill Ward suffers from retrograde amnesia. Having no recollection of his past, he feels like a nobody. Romance is definitely not an option for a nobody. Jazz singer and piano player Johnny Desmond, on the other hand, is emotionally dead from the ultimate betrayal. But from the moment their eyes meet, there’s no fighting it, and with their friends’ encouragement, Bill and Johnny decide to get to know each other.
Bill’s memories are hovering at the edge of his mind, tormenting him with fear and doubts about what he has to offer. Johnny also has a past—one that could endanger his life. It might have been love at first sight, but it will take courage and commitment to see it through to love that lasts forever.
- GenresM M Romance
146 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 2, 2016
24 people want to read
About the author
Ken Bachtold
10 books6 followersKEN BACHTOLD graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA and an MA in acting and directing and a minor in art. Passing up a great teaching job and surrendering to the “lure of the big-time,” he came to New York. After pounding the pavement and finding it wanting, he decided to shape his own destiny and founded A Company of Players Repertory Theatre, producing and directing five plays, including J.M. Barrie’s Dear Brutus. For The Drama Committee, he directed several plays including Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband and A Woman of No Importance. He wrote and directed the musical Saloon, based loosely on The Drunkard, which opened a brand-new dinner theater in New Jersey and received rave reviews. Being accepted at the BMI Musical Comedy Class, he wrote The Facts of Life. Two other original musicals include Boo! and Dilemma!
He acted in and directed many shows for Frank Calo’s ongoing Spotlight On Festivals, Inc., including Jean Anouilh’s Antigone. More recently he wrote and directed the gay-themed original play Starting Over, accepted for the Ninth Annual Fresh Fruit Festival.
Always an avid reader, his two-year-old Kindle currently stores 400 books, mostly MM romance. Often frustrated at finding exactly the type of story he favored, he thought, What the hell, I should write one. And so he did! He dipped his foot in the literary pond by self-publishing. Growing more hopeful, he was profoundly delighted when Seeing the Same Blue was accepted for publication by Dreamspinner Press. Then came Blue Valentine Blues, part of the Valentine Anthology, and now, All By Myself. He hopes you like them all!
He acted in and directed many shows for Frank Calo’s ongoing Spotlight On Festivals, Inc., including Jean Anouilh’s Antigone. More recently he wrote and directed the gay-themed original play Starting Over, accepted for the Ninth Annual Fresh Fruit Festival.
Always an avid reader, his two-year-old Kindle currently stores 400 books, mostly MM romance. Often frustrated at finding exactly the type of story he favored, he thought, What the hell, I should write one. And so he did! He dipped his foot in the literary pond by self-publishing. Growing more hopeful, he was profoundly delighted when Seeing the Same Blue was accepted for publication by Dreamspinner Press. Then came Blue Valentine Blues, part of the Valentine Anthology, and now, All By Myself. He hopes you like them all!
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 4, 2020
2.5 stars. Each of the main characters in Mood Indigo has issues they are dealing with that prevent them from starting a relationship. Bill has amnesia and while he has flashes of his past, he is uncertain if he will ever regain his past, and is also worried that maybe he was not such a nice guy in his “former life”. Johnny has been devastated by infidelity and is not sure if he ever get over it. Yet Bill and Johnny are drawn together from that first moment at The Treble Clef jazz club when Johnny inexplicably starts playing Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” upon first seeing Bill.
We are never told how old Bill or Johnny are, but they “feel” older given their inner conflicts and actions. Quite a bit of time is spent while each man decides if he is ready to date, and once they finally decide to do so, at around 70%, they go to the beach together. They nervously slather sunscreen on each other:
The day at the beach culminates with some awkward frotting (" …. we began thrashing against each other in a kind of gymnastics never taught in school. I was glad there weren’t any people nearby, as we probably looked like some weird octopus having a fit. But, oh, it felt absolutely electric.”) which is the extent of any detailed sex in the book. Between all the awkwardness and uncertainty and fretting, Bill and Johnny seem to have little chemistry.
The author does a nice job of creating sympathetic characters to surround Bill and Johnny. Johnny’s loyal best friend is Gil, while Bill lives in an apartment building owned by Marge (a grey-haired “apple-cheeked” older woman) and her brother Charles, along with his partner of 40 years, Banner. Sadie Hall is a 1940’s era big band singer who always has a home at The Treble Clef.
The book finally kicks into high gear around 85% with a kidnapping by an over-the-top villain and a car accident that results in a coma. We finally learn how Bill ended up injured on the side of the road (in about 4 paragraphs), and the story quickly ends with a HEA.
If you are looking for a M/M romance with a sizzling sexual relationship and a fast-paced plot, Mood Indigo is not for you. I cannot personally recommend it, but some readers may enjoy it for its 1940’s retro feel and rather courtly romance.
I received an ARC from Dreamspinner Press, via GayBook Reviews, in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
We are never told how old Bill or Johnny are, but they “feel” older given their inner conflicts and actions. Quite a bit of time is spent while each man decides if he is ready to date, and once they finally decide to do so, at around 70%, they go to the beach together. They nervously slather sunscreen on each other:
I turned onto my stomach, and he poured some of the lotion on me and began to wipe it in broad sweeps across my back. I was lucky I was lying facedown. It was a great disappointment when he finished.
“Now, would you do mine?”
Oh, oh.
I raised myself, and saw him spread out on his stomach while facing away from me. He was the soul of discretion …
The day at the beach culminates with some awkward frotting (" …. we began thrashing against each other in a kind of gymnastics never taught in school. I was glad there weren’t any people nearby, as we probably looked like some weird octopus having a fit. But, oh, it felt absolutely electric.”) which is the extent of any detailed sex in the book. Between all the awkwardness and uncertainty and fretting, Bill and Johnny seem to have little chemistry.
The author does a nice job of creating sympathetic characters to surround Bill and Johnny. Johnny’s loyal best friend is Gil, while Bill lives in an apartment building owned by Marge (a grey-haired “apple-cheeked” older woman) and her brother Charles, along with his partner of 40 years, Banner. Sadie Hall is a 1940’s era big band singer who always has a home at The Treble Clef.
The book finally kicks into high gear around 85% with a kidnapping by an over-the-top villain and a car accident that results in a coma. We finally learn how Bill ended up injured on the side of the road (in about 4 paragraphs), and the story quickly ends with a HEA.
If you are looking for a M/M romance with a sizzling sexual relationship and a fast-paced plot, Mood Indigo is not for you. I cannot personally recommend it, but some readers may enjoy it for its 1940’s retro feel and rather courtly romance.
I received an ARC from Dreamspinner Press, via GayBook Reviews, in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
February 21, 2016
1.5 stars
This is my very first Ken Bachtold book and will probably be my last. As sad as I am to say this, there was no enjoyment for me to be found in this story. The blurb sounded intriguing and I remember previously reading a book with a similar story line that I enjoyed, so this book had a lot of potential. Unfortunately there were so many things that went wrong.... here's a few of them.
The main characters were interesting and intriguing at the beginning, but quickly became cheesy and hard to connect with. There is nothing realistic in their interactions and the conversations were stilted and boring. The writing felt wooden, stiff, with absolutely no flow or reason.
Let me address the realistic issue; there is absolutely no instant in my life or life in general where I've heard people talking to each other the way Bill and Johnny did. It took 1/3 of the book for Johnny and Bill to even say hi to each other and let me tell you it was awkward as hell. They saw each other three times before, when Bill would go into the Jazz bar Johnny was playing music at; each time they had some significant (for them at least, for me was kind of confusing) staring contest after which Johnny would launch into a play of Mood Indigo, which would make Bill run away. The fourth time Bill came in Johnny was determined to talk to Bill, and so he chased after him when Bill ran away again. This is the first conversation they've ever had (all of the quotation marks are a small part of their first conversation):
"What's your name?"
"I have no real name, I call myself Bill Ward."
"I don't understand."
"They told me I must have been in an accident. When they found me I was like road kill."
Say what? Who tells that to a complete stranger the very first time they have any kind of conversation? I mean do people blurt things out like that? Because if they do, I must live on another planet since I've never heard any conversation like that in my life! And this is 100% insta-love; you know insta-love can be sort of cute when done right, but these guys decide quite cheesily that they have a crazy chemistry and need to try a serious relationship. It kind of went like this (this happened 2 minutes after they introduced each other):
"I looked up and saw your very blue eyes, and I kind of shuddered. I felt some kind of connection. Scared the hell out of me. It was the first time I didn't feel isolated. And there you were, the handsome perfect stranger. Right out of a book." -----> Bill
"I know. I looked up and you were gone. I had this weird sense of loss, and I thought I'd probably never see you again." -----> Johnny
During the first conversation they've ever had Johnny also tells Bill about his cheater ex boyfriend and the terrible time after they split up. As much as I wanted to, I simply couldn't believe, never mind buy into their relationship. They had no chemistry at all and they were so very boring together. Needless to say the topics of their conversations came and went without any sense. It was like some weird butchered dialog that was pretty much just vomited on page without any editing to make sense of it.
The plot is....well.... wait, what plot? I'm pretty sure I must have missed the plot, because most of the book Johnny and Bill spent their time being all cute and completely unsexy, Bill's housemates, a trio of older people who acted like meddling kids, stuck their nose into Bill's personal life and were constantly plotting things. I've just finished a book in which the grandmother was pretty much my favorite character because she was a hoot, but I can't say the same thing about these ones. They seemed a bit creepy to me, or maybe I should blame that on the blocky dialog and bad writing. And I get the feeling there was supposed to be some form of suspense given Bill's accident and the recovery of his memory but it was mostly a case of stating the obvious.
I usually find things to enjoy or like in a book regardless whether the book I read gets a high rating or not; I tried to think of what I liked and couldn't come up with anything! Not the characters, not the story, and certainly not the writing. I am being very generous giving this book 2 stars.
This is my very first Ken Bachtold book and will probably be my last. As sad as I am to say this, there was no enjoyment for me to be found in this story. The blurb sounded intriguing and I remember previously reading a book with a similar story line that I enjoyed, so this book had a lot of potential. Unfortunately there were so many things that went wrong.... here's a few of them.
The main characters were interesting and intriguing at the beginning, but quickly became cheesy and hard to connect with. There is nothing realistic in their interactions and the conversations were stilted and boring. The writing felt wooden, stiff, with absolutely no flow or reason.
Let me address the realistic issue; there is absolutely no instant in my life or life in general where I've heard people talking to each other the way Bill and Johnny did. It took 1/3 of the book for Johnny and Bill to even say hi to each other and let me tell you it was awkward as hell. They saw each other three times before, when Bill would go into the Jazz bar Johnny was playing music at; each time they had some significant (for them at least, for me was kind of confusing) staring contest after which Johnny would launch into a play of Mood Indigo, which would make Bill run away. The fourth time Bill came in Johnny was determined to talk to Bill, and so he chased after him when Bill ran away again. This is the first conversation they've ever had (all of the quotation marks are a small part of their first conversation):
"What's your name?"
"I have no real name, I call myself Bill Ward."
"I don't understand."
"They told me I must have been in an accident. When they found me I was like road kill."
Say what? Who tells that to a complete stranger the very first time they have any kind of conversation? I mean do people blurt things out like that? Because if they do, I must live on another planet since I've never heard any conversation like that in my life! And this is 100% insta-love; you know insta-love can be sort of cute when done right, but these guys decide quite cheesily that they have a crazy chemistry and need to try a serious relationship. It kind of went like this (this happened 2 minutes after they introduced each other):
"I looked up and saw your very blue eyes, and I kind of shuddered. I felt some kind of connection. Scared the hell out of me. It was the first time I didn't feel isolated. And there you were, the handsome perfect stranger. Right out of a book." -----> Bill
"I know. I looked up and you were gone. I had this weird sense of loss, and I thought I'd probably never see you again." -----> Johnny
During the first conversation they've ever had Johnny also tells Bill about his cheater ex boyfriend and the terrible time after they split up. As much as I wanted to, I simply couldn't believe, never mind buy into their relationship. They had no chemistry at all and they were so very boring together. Needless to say the topics of their conversations came and went without any sense. It was like some weird butchered dialog that was pretty much just vomited on page without any editing to make sense of it.
The plot is....well.... wait, what plot? I'm pretty sure I must have missed the plot, because most of the book Johnny and Bill spent their time being all cute and completely unsexy, Bill's housemates, a trio of older people who acted like meddling kids, stuck their nose into Bill's personal life and were constantly plotting things. I've just finished a book in which the grandmother was pretty much my favorite character because she was a hoot, but I can't say the same thing about these ones. They seemed a bit creepy to me, or maybe I should blame that on the blocky dialog and bad writing. And I get the feeling there was supposed to be some form of suspense given Bill's accident and the recovery of his memory but it was mostly a case of stating the obvious.
I usually find things to enjoy or like in a book regardless whether the book I read gets a high rating or not; I tried to think of what I liked and couldn't come up with anything! Not the characters, not the story, and certainly not the writing. I am being very generous giving this book 2 stars.
March 3, 2016
“You ain't never been blue till you've had that mood indigo. That feeling goes stealing right down to my shoe, while I just sit here and sigh... I'm just a poor fool that's bluer than blue can be, when I get that mood indigo, I could lay me down and die.” ~ Duke Ellington
When Bill Ward, of 'Mood Indigo' by Ken Batchtold, wakes up in the hospital, he can't remember anything, not even his name. Having no choice, he takes it day by day. He soon realizes that, although there are no memories he can call upon, he hasn't forgotten the skills he's learned and eventually gets a decent job as a book keeper. Even with the new friends he makes at his apartment building, Bill is lonely. He wanders into a jazz club one night, The Treble Clef, just to relax after a stressful day. Bill orders an Old Fashioned by instinct and settles at a table to listen to the band. Johnny Desmond, part-owner and band leader notices him and they lock eyes. Johnny is compelled to play 'Mood Indigo', and old blues song, because that's the way Bill looks, bluer than blue. When their eyes meet, it ignites a spark between them that almost scares Bill to death; he immediately gets up and runs out of the bar.
Bill tries to bury himself in his work, but can’t get The Treble Clef or Johnny out of his mind. He decides that if he doesn’t go back, it would drive him crazy, so one night after a long day at work, Bill returns. He sits at a table, drinking and listening to the music. When Johnny sees him, once again, he starts playing 'Mood Indigo'. Bill and Johnny exchange looks until Bill can't stand the tension any longer and leaves while Johnny gets distracted so he doesn't see Bill go. In a conversation with his friends, Bill finally admits that he is attracted to another man. He's also afraid of making any kind of commitment for fear that the person he was is drastically different from the one he is now. His friends try to convince Bill that people don't change that much and, if he really likes Johnny, he shouldn't let that keep him from pursuing him. In the meantime, Johnny's ex-boyfriend, Brad, comes back to cause trouble saying he made a mistake and wants Johnny back. Johnny tells Brad he doesn't love him anymore and doesn't want him back. Brad doesn't believe him but leaves for now, telling Johnny it isn't over because he always gets what he wants.
After his conversation with his friends, Bill is drawn back to The Treble Clef. Once again, Johnny plays 'Mood Indigo' for him. Things are going well until Bill's insecurities catch up with him and he tries to leave. This time, Johnny runs after him, puzzled but intrigued as well. He catches up with Bill and they go to a park to talk. Bill and Johnny talk a while about their reactions to each other and Bill's amnesia. They exchange contact information and agree to meet at the club sometime soon. Bill’s friends from his apartment building are anxious to hear about their encounter and he explains what happened. When Bill is alone again, all his doubts comes back and he decides to avoid Johnny. After encouragement from Gil, Johnny gets tired of waiting and takes matters into his own hands. Johnny has Bill's address, so he goes to find him. Bill's friends are delighted he's come and invite him for tea. This gives them the opportunity to get to know him. About that time, Bill comes downstairs. He's astonished to see Johnny. His friends give them time to talk. Bill and Johnny decide they will go forward with their relationship, but do so slowly. Bill and Johnny grow closer all the time. Then a dreadful phone call comes with Gil, Johnny's best friend, telling Bill that Johnny's ex-boyfriend has kidnapped him from the club at gunpoint and seemed extremely unstable. Bill rushes to the club to help Gil formulate a plan to free Johnny. Gill has a good idea where Brad has taken Johnny, so they rush to the location. When they arrive, they know they have to proceed with extreme caution. In Brad's mental state, they don't want to spook Brad or it could all end in disaster.
This is a good story, written in alternating point of views, with each chapter clearly indicating who is speaking. It's good to know what both men are thinking. The secondary characters, Johnny's best friend, Gil and Bill's neighbors and good friends are awesome. They added lots of depth and were wonderful in supporting Bill and Johnny. Bill's dreams were a good way of presenting Bill's subconscious mind at work. If you like stories about amnesia, Jazz, night clubs, second chances, drama, and angst, then you might enjoy this story. Thanks, Ken, for bringing Bill and Johnny to life and for the jazz history lesson as well.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
When Bill Ward, of 'Mood Indigo' by Ken Batchtold, wakes up in the hospital, he can't remember anything, not even his name. Having no choice, he takes it day by day. He soon realizes that, although there are no memories he can call upon, he hasn't forgotten the skills he's learned and eventually gets a decent job as a book keeper. Even with the new friends he makes at his apartment building, Bill is lonely. He wanders into a jazz club one night, The Treble Clef, just to relax after a stressful day. Bill orders an Old Fashioned by instinct and settles at a table to listen to the band. Johnny Desmond, part-owner and band leader notices him and they lock eyes. Johnny is compelled to play 'Mood Indigo', and old blues song, because that's the way Bill looks, bluer than blue. When their eyes meet, it ignites a spark between them that almost scares Bill to death; he immediately gets up and runs out of the bar.
Bill tries to bury himself in his work, but can’t get The Treble Clef or Johnny out of his mind. He decides that if he doesn’t go back, it would drive him crazy, so one night after a long day at work, Bill returns. He sits at a table, drinking and listening to the music. When Johnny sees him, once again, he starts playing 'Mood Indigo'. Bill and Johnny exchange looks until Bill can't stand the tension any longer and leaves while Johnny gets distracted so he doesn't see Bill go. In a conversation with his friends, Bill finally admits that he is attracted to another man. He's also afraid of making any kind of commitment for fear that the person he was is drastically different from the one he is now. His friends try to convince Bill that people don't change that much and, if he really likes Johnny, he shouldn't let that keep him from pursuing him. In the meantime, Johnny's ex-boyfriend, Brad, comes back to cause trouble saying he made a mistake and wants Johnny back. Johnny tells Brad he doesn't love him anymore and doesn't want him back. Brad doesn't believe him but leaves for now, telling Johnny it isn't over because he always gets what he wants.
After his conversation with his friends, Bill is drawn back to The Treble Clef. Once again, Johnny plays 'Mood Indigo' for him. Things are going well until Bill's insecurities catch up with him and he tries to leave. This time, Johnny runs after him, puzzled but intrigued as well. He catches up with Bill and they go to a park to talk. Bill and Johnny talk a while about their reactions to each other and Bill's amnesia. They exchange contact information and agree to meet at the club sometime soon. Bill’s friends from his apartment building are anxious to hear about their encounter and he explains what happened. When Bill is alone again, all his doubts comes back and he decides to avoid Johnny. After encouragement from Gil, Johnny gets tired of waiting and takes matters into his own hands. Johnny has Bill's address, so he goes to find him. Bill's friends are delighted he's come and invite him for tea. This gives them the opportunity to get to know him. About that time, Bill comes downstairs. He's astonished to see Johnny. His friends give them time to talk. Bill and Johnny decide they will go forward with their relationship, but do so slowly. Bill and Johnny grow closer all the time. Then a dreadful phone call comes with Gil, Johnny's best friend, telling Bill that Johnny's ex-boyfriend has kidnapped him from the club at gunpoint and seemed extremely unstable. Bill rushes to the club to help Gil formulate a plan to free Johnny. Gill has a good idea where Brad has taken Johnny, so they rush to the location. When they arrive, they know they have to proceed with extreme caution. In Brad's mental state, they don't want to spook Brad or it could all end in disaster.
This is a good story, written in alternating point of views, with each chapter clearly indicating who is speaking. It's good to know what both men are thinking. The secondary characters, Johnny's best friend, Gil and Bill's neighbors and good friends are awesome. They added lots of depth and were wonderful in supporting Bill and Johnny. Bill's dreams were a good way of presenting Bill's subconscious mind at work. If you like stories about amnesia, Jazz, night clubs, second chances, drama, and angst, then you might enjoy this story. Thanks, Ken, for bringing Bill and Johnny to life and for the jazz history lesson as well.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
April 4, 2016
I started this book several times before I finally made my way to the end. It’s written in the first person and the result is pretty bulky. I never really connected well to the characters and found the prose to be awkward.
Bill is a patient suffering from amnesia – we don’t find out til the end what happened to cause this – and for the first 30% of the book we are learning about his “new life” and how he gets his feet back under him while at the same time learning about Johnny and his life.
Johnny is a musician whose boyfriend cheated on him and this causes him a lot of angst.
Bill and Johnny dance around one another for several nights until finally Johnny confronts Bill and makes him talk about his fears. After that they are pretty much connected to one another.
Eventually Bill’s former life catches up to him and this causes problems in his “new life”.
**
I could not get into this book. The writing was bulky and the dialog was stiff and unrealistic. The two men said things to one another that sounded like something you’d hear on a black and white re-run television show.
“That’s just it. I don’t know what happened, but when I looked up and saw him standing just inside the door, I felt like someone had opened my skull and poured champagne inside.”
Later…
“Well, this guy must be some kind of wizard.”
“Yeah, and he’s probably put some kind of spell on me.”
“But, Johnny, whatever it is, it’s a good spell. I haven’t seen such a sparkle in your eyes for, lo, these many years.”
There was a lot of “telling” and not enough “showing” and I just didn’t really connect with the characters. The amnesia part was – at first – an interesting concept – sort of redefining who a person “really” is and establishing a new life for oneself, but in the end, where we see the twist, it felt very melodramatic and cheesy.
I can’t really recommend this, but I give it 2 of 5 stars for the creativity.
Bill is a patient suffering from amnesia – we don’t find out til the end what happened to cause this – and for the first 30% of the book we are learning about his “new life” and how he gets his feet back under him while at the same time learning about Johnny and his life.
Johnny is a musician whose boyfriend cheated on him and this causes him a lot of angst.
Bill and Johnny dance around one another for several nights until finally Johnny confronts Bill and makes him talk about his fears. After that they are pretty much connected to one another.
Eventually Bill’s former life catches up to him and this causes problems in his “new life”.
**
I could not get into this book. The writing was bulky and the dialog was stiff and unrealistic. The two men said things to one another that sounded like something you’d hear on a black and white re-run television show.
“That’s just it. I don’t know what happened, but when I looked up and saw him standing just inside the door, I felt like someone had opened my skull and poured champagne inside.”
Later…
“Well, this guy must be some kind of wizard.”
“Yeah, and he’s probably put some kind of spell on me.”
“But, Johnny, whatever it is, it’s a good spell. I haven’t seen such a sparkle in your eyes for, lo, these many years.”
There was a lot of “telling” and not enough “showing” and I just didn’t really connect with the characters. The amnesia part was – at first – an interesting concept – sort of redefining who a person “really” is and establishing a new life for oneself, but in the end, where we see the twist, it felt very melodramatic and cheesy.
I can’t really recommend this, but I give it 2 of 5 stars for the creativity.
June 8, 2016
Mood Indigo by Ken Bachtold tells the story of a car accident victim who suffers a unique form of retrograde amnesia. He doesn’t just lose memories he loses his entire sense of himself. Worse still, no one comes to claim him. So, he heals with no identity, and no one to help connect him to the first part of his life. He chooses the name Bill Ward, finds a job connected with his math skills, and develops a love for jazz – and an attraction to a jazz musician named Johnny.
The concept was an intriguing one – how does a man with no past navigate the messy world of adult relationships? The answer, unfortunately, was that he really didn’t. Everything was too perfect. Johnny was transcendentally drawn to him, defended Bill against his ex, and works very hard to convince him to take a chance on their love. For his part, Bill resists their obvious connection because he didn’t want to burden Johnny with a man who doesn’t have an identity. The whole relationship from the attraction, to the interaction, to the resistance, and everything that came after felt contrived – as did the dialogue.
I’m giving Mood Indigo three stars for a solid concept that fell short. While I wouldn’t personally recommend it, but others may feel differently.
Reviewed by Liz Cat for Crystal’s Many Reviewers
*Copy provided for review*
The concept was an intriguing one – how does a man with no past navigate the messy world of adult relationships? The answer, unfortunately, was that he really didn’t. Everything was too perfect. Johnny was transcendentally drawn to him, defended Bill against his ex, and works very hard to convince him to take a chance on their love. For his part, Bill resists their obvious connection because he didn’t want to burden Johnny with a man who doesn’t have an identity. The whole relationship from the attraction, to the interaction, to the resistance, and everything that came after felt contrived – as did the dialogue.
I’m giving Mood Indigo three stars for a solid concept that fell short. While I wouldn’t personally recommend it, but others may feel differently.
Reviewed by Liz Cat for Crystal’s Many Reviewers
*Copy provided for review*
November 8, 2016
This title was originally reviewed for Prism Book Alliance®
Predictable but sweet as all get out. Almost too sweet and perfect, actually. If that is your bag, then you will probably enjoy Mood Indigo a bit more than I did. I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, I just never felt fully comfortable in the story.
For complete Review see http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?p=4...
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