Howdy! I'm Eddie Smith and this is the story of my first romantical adventure with my new boyfriend, Whit Hall.
I'm 52 and a big bear of a guy. Whit is 35 and a tall, muscled retired pro football player. Apparently, opposites do attract!
Funny thing is, though... Whit knows more about classic movies than me and, it turns out, he loves 70s music as much as I do... Maybe we're not so different, after all...
Anyway, we're here on Mo'orea, the island next door to Tahiti, and it's amazing! We've got a nice bungalow over a beautiful harbor and, well, it's beyond romantic...
What you might not know is that Whit and I have only known each other for a few days. And, even though we had a rocky start, the topic of marriage has already come up. Too soon? Probably...
And like the song says, we're getting to know each other...
Only thing is... There's this guy who's following us around the island and he might be taking pics of us because, well, it's a big deal when Whit Hall, only son of a big-time megachurch preacher who hangs with Trump, turns out to be gay...
Frank W. Butterfield, not an assumed name, loves old movies, wise-cracking smart guys with hearts of gold, and writing for fun.
Although he worships San Francisco, he lives at the beach on another coast.
Born on a windy day in November of 1966, he was elected President of his high school Spanish Club in the spring of 1983.
After moving across these United States like a rapid-fire pinball, he currently makes his home in a hurricane-proof apartment with superior water pressure that was built in 1926.
While he hasn't met any dolphins personally, that invitation is always open.
Getting to Know You (#1, the romantical adventures of Whit and Eddie) By Frank W. Butterfield Published by the author, 2019 Four stars
“And I knew better. I’d been listening to Dan Savage for a really long time. I figured Dan would tell me to cool my jets and he wouldn’t be wrong.”
So I’ve gotten sucked into yet another of Frank Butterfield’s charming, heartfelt rabbit holes. This is the world of here and now, of evangelical power brokers and presidential tweets. Nonetheless, Nick Williams and Carter Jones, and even great uncle Paul Williams, are here. Not just through their chosen heirs, Mario Ossler and Bob Jenkins, but in spirit, through Eddie Smith’s ability to channel the long-gone gay heroes.
I can’t tell you how weirdly comforting that is. Those of us who continue to live Nick and Carter’s lives through the epic series that started Butterfield down this path, can now leap into the future (i.e. the present) and bask in the warmth of their courage and wisdom and magic billionaire powers. This is not Tolstoy, but it is awesome.
So Eddie, a chubby 52-year-old bear from Daytona Beach by way of Texas and many other places (sounding suspiciously like the author, one must note), has managed to capture the heart of Whit Hall, a 35-year-old recently retired pro football star – an athlete who’s been abstinent and deeply religious all his life because of his celebrated evangelical family.
Yikes, indeed.
Mario and Bob are trying to keep Eddie and Whit’s fated meeting a secret, but even the vast reach of WilliamsJones can’t protect them in this day of social media. The president tweets about them, because of course he knows Whit’s father, and the proverbial shit hits the fan.
There are also two murders which, if you think about it, is part of the rhythm of the Nick & Carter books. However, just as with those novels, you can’t let that distract you from the real meat of the story that spring from Butterfield’s imagination: the emotional and psychological development of these two strong, independent men, who have found their lives brought together by forces that seem outside this world. Eddie Smith has issues, issues that are more subtle than the obvious, freak-out issues of Whit (famous religious straight athlete suddenly comes out and runs off with a hefty middle-aged guy). Eddie has, like so many gay men in my lifetime, been taught that he is not destined to be happy or to have the love of his life, because he is not gym-slim, because monogamy is not what liberated men get, and because love is not something LGBT people deserve. Oh, Eddie is out and proud (and, amazingly, Whit is as well, suddenly and powerfully, showing what a mensch he is). But the messages of our culture are deep and strong. Our inner doubts and fears rule us with a tighter grip than we know, even when we know it.
Nick Williams, Mario and Bob, and even, amazingly, Carter Jones, are all trying to inspire Eddie to live his dream, and not give in to his fears. It is that process that makes this book both winsome and, ultimately, profoundly touching. Along the way we are surprised in many ways and begin to see that the world, despite everything, is better than it was in Nick and Carter’s days.
There are only so many rabbit holes that Frank Butterfield can coax me down, but I’m glad I dropped into this one.
Eddie! Where have you been all my life? Please, please keep the adventures of Whit and my beloved Eddie going. With the amazing Nick and Carter mystery series and then the new Daytona Beach stories I figured I'm set. I have read everything this author has written but prefer the historical mysteries that he tells so well. And then along came "Chasing Eddie" and I was hooked! And now with this new book set in the Nick and Carter universe, we continue to share in the beautiful, funny and exciting adventures of the relatable Whit and Eddie. I loved learning about the generations that came after Nick and the gang, too! I was unable to set this book down and am already wishing I had a new Eddie book in my hands!
I’m glad I looked around the author’s books on KU first because I’m not here for it. I love mystery books. I love m/m books. I love romance books. What I’m not into is how this book starts off?? It links to the 30+ epic mystery series the author has written. That one is a historical series set in the 1950s+, so it’s obvious that in this new contemporary series, they’re probably not around anymore or could’ve been way old. But this book starts off by telling readers that they’ve lived their lives and are now dead???
I absolutely loathe generational books, but this definitely takes it one step further. I don’t know what link there is between the two series, but frankly, I don’t care to ever find out.
Whit and Eddie are the new kids on the block, picking up their adventures immediately after the end of their introduction in Chasing Eddie. This new series takes us to a week after their first meeting and the events occurring after Whit came out to his mother. In an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the publicity searchlight they spend some time in French Polynesia before a trip to the even more secluded Henry's Island (first encountered in Their Own Hidden) before returning to face the music.
There's a lot more to it, of course - but Whit and Eddie are a splendid addition to the mix. Although there is a personal tragedy involved the book is upbeat and affirming (I think I hate that word!) as well as quite funny in places. There is an introduction (penned/dictated) by Nick which fills some of the missing information - and the book ends on a slight cliffhanger involving Bob and Mario, the heirs to WilliamsJones.
Some amazing down to earth sometimes and totally extravagant stories about relatable characters. I know so many of the locations in California, Texas, Louisiana, and especially Daytona Beach! A wonderful gay love story is unfolding amidst some pretty exotic circumstances. This is a fun, easy, and captivating read. Can't wait to read the next chapters in Whit and Eddie's adventures!
Perhaps if I had started the series at a better point I would have liked it more, but this is possibly the least stand-alone book I've ever read. I don't like the writing style enough to bother trying to find a better starting point.