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Mardi Gras
by
As the publisher Noble Romance has gone out of business, this story is no longer available. However, it will be extended and re-published in the future under the title "Pride+Prejudices" and will be part of the Opposites Attract series.
Fifty year old American novelist, journalist and blogger, Damien, has arrived in Sydney for the 2010 Mardi Gras Parade. Damien is travelin ...more
Fifty year old American novelist, journalist and blogger, Damien, has arrived in Sydney for the 2010 Mardi Gras Parade. Damien is travelin ...more
ebook, 65 pages
Published
by Noble Romance Publishing
(first published August 9th 2010)
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^^I NOW KNOW THINGS I DID NOT KNOW BEFORE!^^
Mardi Gras was a short story, yet a very gratifying one. The book offers a very strong political theme, yet it also manages to put a little self-exploration in there. The book brought up many questions; questions that I had to find the answers to and gain complete understanding of what the author was trying to say. While it might be a very short story, it is a fulfilling story and had me turning the pages lightning speed.
Damien is a journalist for a g ...more
Mardi Gras was a short story, yet a very gratifying one. The book offers a very strong political theme, yet it also manages to put a little self-exploration in there. The book brought up many questions; questions that I had to find the answers to and gain complete understanding of what the author was trying to say. While it might be a very short story, it is a fulfilling story and had me turning the pages lightning speed.
Damien is a journalist for a g ...more

What I've come to love about A.B. Gayle's books are that they are smart, relevant, and thoughtful. The author has trust in the readers intelligence to give a deeply layered story.
I really enjoyed this short story and like others, I would love to see a sequel. We get fully developed characters, a vibrant setting, and a meaty social story. Great read! ...more
I really enjoyed this short story and like others, I would love to see a sequel. We get fully developed characters, a vibrant setting, and a meaty social story. Great read! ...more

I received this book as a prize in a contest. I was a little leery of it as I read the background for the book from the author and became concerned I would get bored with the details of the story. Surprisingly for me, it was a wonderful read. Knowing the background actually enhanced my enjoyment of the book. The author really put in thought and detail into a current issue in the gay community. She also brings to light all of the bias and issues with diversity. "...it's the groups that can't acce
...more


Review at On Top Down Under Book Reviews - http://bookreviewsandtherapy.blogspot... ...more

This was the first book I've read by this author, but certainly won't be the last. In fact, I'm really, really hoping that one of those future books will be a sequel to this one!
I read it in one gulp, needing to know what happens next. Now that I know, I'll probably read it again, more slowly, so I can savor it. I don't re-read right away often, but I think this is a book that merits it. I was right there with Damien, seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt, and it's a helluva ride. But there a ...more
I read it in one gulp, needing to know what happens next. Now that I know, I'll probably read it again, more slowly, so I can savor it. I don't re-read right away often, but I think this is a book that merits it. I was right there with Damien, seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt, and it's a helluva ride. But there a ...more

Perhaps the highest praise I can give to a short story like Mardi Gras is to say that I want more...I want to hear more about Patrick and Damien. I WANT TO HAVE ALL THE ENDLESS QUESTIONS THAT THIS LITTLE GEM PRODUCED ANSWERED AND QUICKLY!
SO...does Patrick continue selling himself or does he go back to the states with Damien--is that even a possibility after this next week they have together. After Damien writes his article about Australian Mardi Gras and has his fling with Patrick, will he come ...more
SO...does Patrick continue selling himself or does he go back to the states with Damien--is that even a possibility after this next week they have together. After Damien writes his article about Australian Mardi Gras and has his fling with Patrick, will he come ...more

Jun 28, 2010
Susan White
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Anyone who enjoys m/m romance.
Recommended to Susan by:
Beth Wylde's yahoo group
You know that big sigh you take at the end of a really good book? After finishing "Mardi Gras" that is exactly what I took, the big happy "what a great book" sigh.
Often when reading a new or "new to me" author, I have no idea what to expect. Will I like the writing style or won't I? Will this author be able to keep my attention.. or not. This book definitely is one that I greatly enjoyed, and one that kept my attention until the very last word. I could not put the book down.
I'm a US born and br ...more
Often when reading a new or "new to me" author, I have no idea what to expect. Will I like the writing style or won't I? Will this author be able to keep my attention.. or not. This book definitely is one that I greatly enjoyed, and one that kept my attention until the very last word. I could not put the book down.
I'm a US born and br ...more

Jul 18, 2010
Don Schecter
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
those interested in m/m romance
Recommended to Don by:
the author
Shelves:
gay-fiction
There are writers with the ability to create space and time they have no physical opportunity to experience. There are writers who can do the same with people. A.B. Gayle has the gift. In her first gay romance, she has entered the minds and hearts of 25 yo Patrick and 50 yo Damien, setting them on a collision course with romance. Gayle's powers of empathy are astounding. She knows how these men think and what makes them act. She full-well understands the differences in attitude and approach betw
...more

Jul 08, 2010
Elisa Rolle
added it
This is a nice May/December novella about an embittered 50 years old writer and blogger, Damien, who is sent to Sydney to do a reportage on the gay pride parade during the Mardi Gras, the same parade he accused how having no more a serious content in his blog.
It’s not that Damien has something in particular against Sydney or his gay parade, but maybe the fact that he spent there a wonderful summer, when he was 25 years old and gay and proud and out, makes his boring life now even more unbearabl ...more
It’s not that Damien has something in particular against Sydney or his gay parade, but maybe the fact that he spent there a wonderful summer, when he was 25 years old and gay and proud and out, makes his boring life now even more unbearabl ...more

Usually, I do not really love the books where the story is told to the first person of the singular, I feel that I miss a lot of emotions from anyone but the narrator. But AB Gayle makes everything very lively, that you forget you only have one side of the story. You feel you’re a part of what Damien sees, feels and reacts to.
From the beginning, you know, or rather guess, something is wrong with the meeting of the two characters. But you don’t know what, and the tension grows almost in spite of ...more
From the beginning, you know, or rather guess, something is wrong with the meeting of the two characters. But you don’t know what, and the tension grows almost in spite of ...more

Jun 28, 2010
A.B. Gayle
added it
· (Review from the author)
Shelves:
first-person-pov,
books-i-wrote
Australia's "Pride" Parade is called the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. This is run by a "not for profit" organisation,the New Mardi Gras committee. My novella is not endorsed by them or linked to them in any way. For the record, they were not happy with me using the term Mardi Gras for the title of the book as they have copyrighted it in Australia. They eventually gave me permission to use it providing I made it clear that I wasn't connected to them in any way.
In recognition of the great wo ...more
In recognition of the great wo ...more

A. B. Gayle's work is an intriguing look at Australia, through its take on Mardi Gras, traditionally a celebration of social excesses collimating in a spate of debauchery the day before Lent begins. Australia's Mardi Gras doesn't make any pretenses to a quasi religious origin. It is a celebration of another stripe.
I found myself surprised to be reading a story that had nothing to do with what I had expected. I had assumed that Mardi Gras meant the same thing worldwide so this tale was a bit of ...more
I found myself surprised to be reading a story that had nothing to do with what I had expected. I had assumed that Mardi Gras meant the same thing worldwide so this tale was a bit of ...more

A very nice May/December story, thoughtful, sweet but not overly so. The writing is tight and compelling; I like the descriptions, the pacing, the characterization, all of this was wonderful. Both characters were so real. Neither was particularly 'heroic' nor 'villanous', which can sometimes make for a dull read (I do like larger-than-life characters); it did not here. They were both idiosyncratic enough to be fascinating.
EDIT: I'd listed a detraction earlier that turned out to be about formatti ...more
EDIT: I'd listed a detraction earlier that turned out to be about formatti ...more

I really enjoyed this book. I knew nothing about Australia's Mardi Gras before reading it; the author has drawn a very vivid picture for us. So much so that I would now love to go! I found the love story touching, the characters believable and the outcome very satisfying. The author also handles the politics of Mardi Gras (and similar events worldwide)with a great deal of understanding, resulting in a thought-provoking story as well as a very enjoyable one.
...more

Loved it! Nice romantic m/m short story. Her writing style is laid back as she draws you in to Damien's (hunk of cuteness) experience in Austrailia. I enjpyed her way of weaving historical gay facts & quotes into the story. It was a bit of mystery/eroticism/romance/travel woven together to create a lovely story.
...more

Jun 22, 2012
Lady*M
marked it as to-read
To reread.

Good story. Had the pleasure of serving as a "beta", and enjoyed the experience. Not sure my feedback was any good, because this came out great in first draft. (Hence I'm not rating it)
What you'll like about the story is that it's told and written well, with A B's trademark humour and wisdom - not preachy, even though it's dealing with Important Questions (how far should the gay community go in flaunting/assimilating?). I'd recommend it for both gay and m/m readers.
...more
What you'll like about the story is that it's told and written well, with A B's trademark humour and wisdom - not preachy, even though it's dealing with Important Questions (how far should the gay community go in flaunting/assimilating?). I'd recommend it for both gay and m/m readers.
...more
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Unlike many authors, I haven't been writing stories all my life. I've been too busy living life.
My travels took me from the fjords of Norway to the southern tip of New Zealand. In between, I've worked in so many different towns I've lost count. I've shoveled cow shit, mustered sheep, been polite to customers, traded insults with politicians and need to be forgiven on occasions when I get confused ...more
My travels took me from the fjords of Norway to the southern tip of New Zealand. In between, I've worked in so many different towns I've lost count. I've shoveled cow shit, mustered sheep, been polite to customers, traded insults with politicians and need to be forgiven on occasions when I get confused ...more
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