The Agent and the Model, book 7 in the Ellery Mountain series

[Ulysses]

The seventh and possibly the last of the Ellery Mountain series, from the gayest place in America, which is, apparently, Tennessee. Who knew?

I have grown to love the Ellery Mountain series...now counting seven substantial nuggets of romantic story-telling featuring handsome men in the only place in Tennessee that isn't viciously homophobic...

Scott's focused tales don't allow for great character depth, but this chapter in the saga brings Mikey--the teenager who was brutally attacked and left for dead early in the series--back to Ellery. I remember being unhappy with the lack of resolution to Mikey's attack, but now see the author's intent.

Several years have passed in Ellery, and the relationships forged over time, built on the core group of beautiful guys, have solidified into a gay community of Disney-like warmth and contentment. Into this mix of 30-somethings enters Michael, the battered teenager now approaching twenty-five and basking in financial success and celebrity as a male fashion model. But his demons haven't been wrestled yet, and he is seeking out the comfort of his grandmother in Ellery in order to flee a new unhappiness that has broken his self-confidence.

RJ Scott's Ellery series tends not to be overly angst-ridden, but this book has a higher level of background distress than most--largely due to Michael's inability to deal with his past and adjust his perspective on his agent Alex's behavior. This is more than a misunderstanding, but it is not an earth-shattering trauma, either.

Once again, Ellery becomes the place where emotional honesty and the support of a band of big-hearted Theban warriors helps our heroes see the light. And I wouldn't have it any other way.