Blue Eyed Stranger (Trowchester Blues, #2) in Riptide Publishing

Feb 14, 2017 Richard Derus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Rating: 4.5* of five

I suspect a lot more of us are familiar with hiding the agony of depression than we're willing to admit or discuss. BLUE EYED STRANGER blows that set of closet doors wide open. Add in a peek at the culture of historical re-enactors, the second-generation syndrome, and hefty dollop of sex packed in the water of love, and the winning formula is complete.

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Jul 10, 2015 Kaje Harper rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m, favorites

This second book in the series gives us two more interesting characters, and a fun immersion in the world of historical re-enactment.

Martin Deng is a history teacher, and a Viking re-enacter. He left his old society and founded a new one where he hopes, one day, to be able to be a gay, black Viking without the jibes and personality conflicts that kept him in the closet so far. But at present his fledgling society is struggling, all the work and weight is on his shoulders, and he's keeping his he This second book in the series gives us two more interesting characters, and a fun immersion in the world of historical re-enactment.

Martin Deng is a history teacher, and a Viking re-enacter. He left his old society and founded a new one where he hopes, one day, to be able to be a gay, black Viking without the jibes and personality conflicts that kept him in the closet so far. But at present his fledgling society is struggling, all the work and weight is on his shoulders, and he's keeping his head down. He's also in trouble at work, where his efforts to teach history that might matter to his diverse students, rather than the white, bland history of the textbooks, results in him being fired. With no job, no money, and a hobby that often pays less than it brings in, Martin is under a lot of stress.

On the field of a re-enactment, he meets Billy, member of a Morris dance group, and fellow authenticity-lover. And fellow gay man. But Martin's attraction has to be tempered by his fears for both finding a teaching job and running his society, should his orientation come out. His closet still feels like the safe place to be.

Billy Wright loves his dance performances. Behind the classic black-face and costume, he's free to be the bold spirit he can't manage in his own skin. He meets Martin while in costume, and manages to make a connection that is both desire and mutual admiration. But keeping something going between them, when the mask comes off and real life presses in, is more difficult.

It doesn't help that Billy battles clinical depression, every day of his life. Some days are better, some are far worse, and it doesn't take much to derail him into a downward spiral. Martin may be the best thing he's found, or the thing that breaks him completely.

I loved both characters. Billy's depression was believably portrayed, as were Martin's conflicts, and understandable self-absorption. This was another original story, one that had both characters and atmosphere that didn't fit the common mould. I read it straight through, and I'm looking forward to the next one. ...more

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Feb 27, 2015 Feliz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, musicians, hurt-comfort

Billy Wright has a problem: he’s only visible when he’s wearing a mask. That’s fine when he’s performing at country fairs with the rest of his morris dancing troupe. But when he takes the paint off, his life is lonely and empty, and he struggles with crippling depression.

Martin Deng stands out from the crowd. After all, there aren’t that many black Vikings on the living history circuit. But as the founder of a fledgling historical re-enactment society, he’s lonely and harried. His boss doesn’t l Billy Wright has a problem: he’s only visible when he’s wearing a mask. That’s fine when he’s performing at country fairs with the rest of his morris dancing troupe. But when he takes the paint off, his life is lonely and empty, and he struggles with crippling depression.

Martin Deng stands out from the crowd. After all, there aren’t that many black Vikings on the living history circuit. But as the founder of a fledgling historical re-enactment society, he’s lonely and harried. His boss doesn’t like his weekend activities, his warriors seem to expect him to run everything single-handedly, and it’s stressful enough being one minority without telling the hard men of his group he’s also gay.

When Billy’s and Martin’s societies are double-booked at a packed county show, they know at once they are kindred spirits, united by a deep feeling of connectedness to their history and culture. But they’re also both hiding in their different ways, and they need each other to be brave enough to take their masks off and still be seen.

This book was at once wonderfully entertaining and incredibly informative, at least for me. I’m nuts for reenactment events, and both main characters are involved in that: Martin’s group focuses on ninth century Vikings while Billy does morris dancing, some kind of ritualized English folk dance that started in the fifteenth century.

Martin was a really interesting character. He was so proud of his ancestry and the history of black people in Britain but at the same time very aware of the fact that, as a black gay man, he belonged to not only one, but two minorities at once. Since the color of his skin is too obvious to hide, he is firmly in the closet – first, because he’s a teacher after all, and also because he doesn’t think being gay has a place in the macho world of his Viking warrior society. It was touch and go for a while if he’d ever find the courage and/ or the right incentive to stand by himself and his lover.

Which would be Billy, who is struggling with serious depression. His condition is portrayed very well, in my opinion, down to the fact that he feels unworthy to the point of invisibility unless he can hide behind his dancing mask, which allows him to connect to his own inner strength. I loved his character, plain and simple, his resilience despite the almost crippling disease and his seemingly never-ending ability to forgive. I wanted to smack Martin upside the head several times for how thoughtless he treated Billy at times. But they were also a wonderful fit as a couple. There was no magical cure, no healing power of sex. And yet, the love both men feel for each other as well as for their mutual hobby, offered realistic hope for a positive outcome.

I learned a lot about historical reenactment from this book, about the motivation of the people behind it and why it might seem so important to get it exactly right even if the details border on ridiculous at times. Much of this was described in this author’s compelling prose, which I happen to like a lot but others might find tedious, especially those not interested in history or reenactment.

There wasn’t much sex in this book, which I thought fit both main characters’ personas well. Their relationship was definitely not platonic, but not focused on mattress sports either.
This was a rather quiet read, sweet rather than raunchy and thoughtful rather than action-packed, beautifully written and featuring a lovely romance. Highly recommended.
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