Unmentionable: The Men Who Loved On The Titanic by Ryan Field
14 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in Love You Divine, Ryan Field Tags: Love You Divine, Ryan Field
Title: Unmentionable: The Men Who Loved On The Titanic
Author: Ryan Field
Publisher: Love You Divine
Pages: 73
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Historical
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
One hundred years ago on April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg on its way to New York. Though it had been considered unsinkable by all standards, it went down in the cold waters of the Atlantic, taking with it stories of love and romance that weren’t discussed openly in those days. This was especially true with stories of love between two men. One of those hidden stories of the Titanic dealt with the unyielding love and strong romance between a young man named Liam and his older lover, Oliver. Because Oliver was a wealthy business man in America with a great deal of notoriety, the only safe way to bring Liam aboard the Titanic was to dress him in fine women’s clothing and claim he was Oliver’s shy, distant cousin returning to America for the first time in many years. They finally begin to relax when they realize that everyone on the ship believes Liam is a woman, until that fateful night on April 14th when destiny intervened and changed their lives forever.
Review:
I must say that when it comes to the Titanic I am all eyes and ears. I love all things about it. Not the horrible loss of death by any means but about the history itself. And I have to tell you that I never even ever thought that what Ryan wrote about probably did in fact happen! I mean if you think about, if you’ve watched documentaries on that unsinkable ship you’ll have known that there were men dressed as women to get to safety. Even in movie remakes you see where a man is dressed as a woman and he’s catching all kinds of hell for “stealing” a seat from a woman or child. Oh that whole thing was a messy mess from the get go. So, leave it to Ryan to make a connection here right? “What if one or more of those men dressed in women’s clothing” were indeed gay men traveling with their lovers incognito because back in those days it was a crime to have a lover that is the same sex as yourself. We’re talking hanging crime, at the very least prison term.
So, in all that, Ryan creates two incredible men and puts them aboard that ship. Liam who is in his twenties and his older lover Oliver, who is in his forties are lovers in London. Oliver is an unhappily married wealthy businessman and wants nothing more than to divorce his wife and spend the rest of his life with the man he loves and he proposes to do just that by going back to New York to get that divorce and live with Liam and just be happy. In order to bring Liam along though, Liam must agree to wear women’s clothing and travel as Oliver’s very shy cousin. Apparently Liam is very lovely to look at and can pass as a lady and he damn near fools everyone but one person.
Their time aboard the ship is wonderful, even IF Liam has to keep appearances up and dress as women did back in that era, he does find ways to blow Oliver’s mind, like the time they took a stroll on deck, he in his long fur coat and shoes…Oh you’ll love it.
Now the question here is, will Liam remain dressed as a woman when everyone on that ship is trying to find a way onto one of the lifeboats to save their own lives? Read it.
Definite recommend.
Reviewed By: Michele
Ryan Field: “Joan Rivers and Bethany Frankel: Gay Men Aren’t Pet Poodles “
02 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in Ryan Field Tags: Guest Post, Ryan Field
Ryan Field posted this on his blog which you can find here: Ryan Field Blog and I read it and found myself nodding through the whole posting. So I asked him if he minded if I reposted this here and he gave me permission. So here you go.
Poodles and gay men are two of the most misrepresented groups in the world. When most people think about poodles, they think about prissy, high-strung dogs who yap all the time and prance around in silly haircuts and rhinestone collars. When most people think about gay men they think about what they’ve seen on TV shows and films like “Sex in the City,” where every strong woman has at least one effeminate gay friend to hang out with. Trust me on this, poodles are nothing like that and neither are gay men. I have two poodles and the reason why I have them is because they are one of the smartest, strongest breeds out there. I used to show Irish Setters in obedience. I got tired of losing and got myself a poodle. Whenever I stepped into a ring and I saw either a poodle or a German Shepperd I knew I was screwed. Poodles can also be as vicious as Pit Bulls, and they prefer to be outside catching snakes instead of inside on fluffy pillows. And, like gay men, if you cross a poodle not only will he snap back fast but he’ll never forget you crossed him.
But this isn’t about dogs. A few things prompted this post. The first was a comment I read a few weeks ago by an older gay author and book reviewer whom I admire a great deal. He read an article where someone asked Joan Collins how she feels about gay men and she allegedly replied by saying something about how much she loves gay men and never likes to go anywhere without one. The gay male author I admire posted something like this in reply: “Why do I now feel like a pet poodle.”
Another reason why I’m posting about this is because I was asked to participate in a TV reality show a few weeks ago. A producer in Hollywood contacted one of my publishers and asked if she could recommend someone. My publisher recommended me and the producer contacted me right away. From what I gather, it’s a reality show about romance authors…romance authors in general, not just m/m romance authors. I answered a few questions, replied nicely, and spent a lot of time thinking about this reality show over that weekend. Ultimately, after I answered the basic questions, before it went any further, I declined and thanked the producer for considering me. I did this partly because I’m a writer, not a TV personality and I love what I do as a writer. I also declined because I’ve seen the way these reality shows represent gay men…very poorly…and I didn’t want to wind up as someone’s pet poodle. I think you feminists out there can relate to this with regard to beauty pageants, and the way women have always been represented (or misrepresented) in beauty pageants. I was never a fan of beauty pageants for this reason. It’s basically the same reason why I declined on the reality show.
The main reason why I’m writing about this now is because Tony and I accidentally watched two reality shows on TV this week I rarely ever have time to watch. One was a show by someone I’d never even heard of until I watched the show and googled her name: Bethany Frankel. The show is about Bethany Frankel’s life (a reality TV diva from what I gather), in general, with the same quasi reality theme all these shows have…even though it all looks completely staged and there isn’t an ounce of reality to it.
But there was nothing else on, so we didn’t switch the channel. In one scene, Bethany and an older woman with a very negative attitude go shopping. And guess where they go? That’s right. To the gay guys who own a posh high end furniture gallery in New York. I think Ms. Frankel even commented about how much she loves to visit her “boys,” (meaning her gay male friends) on her way into the gallery. This scene mirrored every single offensive “Sex in the City” scene with gay men being treated like women…just one of the girls…I’d ever witnessed. Tony and I watched for a few minutes, rolled our eyes, and promptly changed the channel. You have to understand where we are coming from. Tony was a corporate executive who traveled the world for twenty years until he started his own company. He worked with strong women in corporate and they always treated each other with mutual respect. No one, trust me on this, ever treated Tony the way Ms. Frankel treated the gay guys who owned that store in New York. If they had, they wouldn’t have been able to speak for a month (smile).
And Ms. Frankel’s show wasn’t even that bad, at least not considering other shows I’ve seen. I wouldn’t even be writing this post if I hadn’t watched the Joan Rivers, “Joan and Melissa” show last night. Again, Tony flipped to the channel by accident and we wound up watching something we normally wouldn’t watch. I’m a fan of Joan Rivers. She’s been around for a long time and I respect her survival instincts. Of course I believe her show is as much about reality as I believe the candidates running for President right now. But it’s not a bad show either; I like bologna. Some of the lines are hysterical. I was enjoying it…and then the classic gay guy pet poodle came on and Tony and I wound up rolling our eyes again. In Joan’s show, the gay guy is a middle aged comic who opens for Joan before she goes on and does her act. I’m sure he’s paid well for what he does. He’s just one of the girls, which is classic in regard to how reality TV shows and Hollywood have been treating gay men for years. In last night’s show, this guy put on his make up and went to a bachelorette party with all the women, and Joan actually referred to him as the “sister” she always wanted to have. Evidently, he doesn’t mind this at all.
Now I do know this is a combination of generation gap and money. Joan comes from a time when the only openly gay men were the most effeminate and enjoyed being treated like pet poodles…for a buck. Again, I’m not knocking these guys because they did what they had to do to survive in a world where there weren’t LGBT rights. No one talked about diversity and tolerance back then. In some ways, it’s still like that to this day and we, as gay men, have a long way to go in the self-esteem department. Joan also knows how to get a laugh and what people will laugh at. And gay men behaving like prissy women are right up there at the top of the funny ha-ha list in stand up comedy. They all do this; it’s not exclusive to Joan Rivers. And we all know there is no limit to how far anyone will go when it comes to making money.
The most interesting thing about all this is that some of the most powerful gay men in Hollywood were not openly gay and they were not treated like pet poodles. Joan Rivers and Bethany Frankel wouldn’t have treated Rock Hudson or Merv Griffin that way. I do know that there are, indeed, gay men who like to be treated like one of the girls. I’m not slamming them in this post and I really don’t care how they choose to live their lives. I want to make it clear that I’m not discriminating against them. It’s just that I often wonder where the Al Sharpton hero is for the gay male community when someone does or says something offensive with regard to gay men. I’ve always been the first one to laugh at myself. I wrote about a burping dick once and I’ve been writing parodies for years. I think I have a sense of humor. But I also think it’s time that we stop laughing at gay men the same way we have stopped laughing at people of African descent, or Asian descent, or any descent for that matter. I don’t like it when things get PC and people have to stand on guard constantly. But there should be some lines drawn so all gay men aren’t misrepresented and exploited to the mainstream public in such obvious ways. We’re fighting for some serious rights and we need to be taken seriously in order to get them. I feel strongly about this with regard to the way women are treated, too. I just don’t comment about it often because I’m not a woman and I don’t feel I have the right to do this.
I’m also no one’s pet poodle. Neither is my partner, Tony. I would rather go to a funeral than suffer through a bride’s bachelorette party…even if Joan Rivers was paying me to do it. Just the thought of going to a bachelorette party makes me want to scratch my nuts and spit on the sidewalk in retaliation. I’m not one of Bethany Frankel’s “boys.” I don’t like to shop, arrange flowers, or pick out fabrics. I like fast cars, straight vodka, and a good cigar every once in a while. I like sex with men, but that doesn’t make me a woman. I don’t like to gossip, shop for anything, or listen to Broadway show tunes. I know more than a handful of gay men who are just like me and feel the same way I do. And for every single gay man who doesn’t mind being treated like a pet poodle…or who is willing to be treated like one for money…there are at least ten more who wouldn’t allow it to happen.
A Young Widow’s Promise by Ryan Field
05 Dec 2011 5 Comments
in Ryan Field Tags: loveyoudivine Alterotica, Ryan Field
Title: A Young Widow’s Promise
Author: Ryan Field
Publisher: loveyoudivine Alterotica
Pages: 148
Characters: Felecia, Calvin, and John, and Robert, and Johnson
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Historical
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
History is often repeated in ways that will protect both the guilty and the innocent.
Felecia Roundtree is thirty-seven years old, she’s already lost her husband in battle, and prays each morning her two young sons live to see another day. With her own two hands, she’s turned the front of her property at remote Locust Point, NJ, into a burial ground for unknown Confederate prisoners of war, hoping someone will return a kind gesture to her own loved ones. Then one morning in August, just after she has a vision of her dead husband, three Confederate prisoners of war turn up at her doorstep begging for mercy. One is near death; the other two aren’t much better. Though she’s reluctant at first to help the enemy, she offers them food and shelter, and then eventually begins the romance of her lifetime with a young old Confederate named Calvin. When she learns a deep dark secret about the other two Confederates, she’s not sure what to think. Felecia has no idea she’s even falling in love. Nor does she realize she’s preserving an important part of American History. But she’s true to her promise every step of the way.
Review:
A Young Widow’s Promise is one hell of a fascinating look into the lives of these fictionalized historical figures so much so that I truly didn’t want this particular one to end. Now, I know at this moment you’re wondering wait! This is an MM review site, and there’s a female main character mentioned above, the title gives that much away so what is it doing here? Well, let me answer that first before I get into the review. The other supporting characters in this story are as important if not more so than the main character and they are indeed gay men, with a story of their own.
In talking to Ryan about this particular story I learned that it took him several years to not only write it, but it took him just as long to bring it forth to be published and now I understand why he did that. It had to be all it could be, and the characters needed to grow within their creators head, they needed to fully tell him their story and he listened.
Felecia is a thirty-seven year old mother and widow who is alone during war time at her family’s home in Lotus Point NJ. This story takes place during the Civil war and instead of it being told from the POV of a southern lady as so many historical fiction stories are, this is told in the third person through a northerner’s POV. But not just any northerner. This is Felecia who sees people as people, she does not see them as the ally or foe, and when three men, dressed in Confederate’s clothing showed up in front of her home pleading for help, as a woman living on her own basically in the middle of nowhere she had a quick decision to make while the men begged her as she held a rifle at them. Shoot them to keep from being robbed and raped or shove her fears aside and help them. When she noticed how sincere they were and how injured one was, she opted for the later.
Now, Felecia is one tough gal, I gotta give her that but she’s not tough in the way that men are, she’s not by any means a tomboy, she is all lady and she is not at all prudish, she is who she is. She’s been on her own and had to rely upon herself for many years, what with her husband being killed during the war, and her two sons off fighting in the same war, she had no choice. She even arranged for nameless confederate soldiers to be buried in her yard in hopes that someone somewhere would have done the same for her dead husbands unknown whereabouts.
The three men, Calvin, Johnson, and Robert, are three very gentle souls with families back home in Georgia and they are decent human beings. This is what she saw in them, and then she finds out quite by accident that two of the three men are gay and this lovely woman, no matter what others thought of gay men in this era, she saw them as people and accepted them for who and what they were.
She did all she could to help these men, even hiding them from enemy. And during this time she met the man who would become her husband and a big important part of history. I have to say that this story is so well done that I feel as if this is a true look into the past lives of real people, and who knows? It just may be. Truly believable concept, the characters are well fleshed out, the narrative not overdone, the dialogue smooth and pleasant to read, and the setting is so real that it really paints the picture of what it must have looked like at that time. I love the idea that Ryan created a strong lady to lead this cast of characters in a very ladylike way. And for those of you seeking sex scenes. There is one M/F scene that is necessary for the plot and there are references of MM sex as well but I will say, this story isn’t about the sex, this is a story of people during the civil war and their lives.
And here’s a piece of fact for you. “The places in the book have fictional names, but they do exist. And the cemetery actually does exist, too. You can Google “Finns Point National Cemetery.” Ryan Field
Reviewed By: Michele
Ryan Field Discusses Switching Genres and Pen Names
05 Dec 2011 2 Comments
in Ryan Field Tags: Ryan Field
There are obviously many reasons why authors decide to use pen names. Some are more complicated than others, and I’m going to focus on the issue of switching genres in this post. If an author is known for writing in one specific genre, and then decides to write something in another genre, the odds are he/she will use a pen name.
Authors do this because they don’t want to confuse readers. They do this because they don’t want to get their established readers upset. Sometimes they do this because publishers ask them to do this. And the reason why publishers ask authors to use pen names is also so readers won’t get confused or upset. It’s always about the reader in cases like this.
Personally, I’m on the fence about this. Are we underestimating readers? I honestly don’t know. I’ve heard from readers that they don’t care whether I use a pen name or not, if I write something in a different genre. But there are also a lot of readers I don’t hear from, especially because I write erotic m/m romance. I know this because I get thousands of hits a month on my blog and very few comments. These readers of erotic romance and erotica tend to be discreet and they don’t comment on blogs, leave reviews and ratings, or contact authors personally. If they do, most use their own pen names. So there’s really no way of knowing how a book an author has written in another genre will be received until the sales come back months later.
Recently, I had a m/m historical romance published titled, A Young Widow’s Promise. Though the book is being classified as “erotic”, I personally hesitate to use that word. There are a few PG rated steamy scenes in the book that are focused around the passion between the two main characters. But it’s not what I would consider serious erotica. In fact, it’s one of the least erotic romances I’ve ever written. The story didn’t call for too much sex. This time it called for more emotion and that’s how I wrote it.
But A Young Widow’s Promise is also classified in a genre in which I don’t usually write: historical. Though I’ve been known to write a novel in a month’s time, this novella took me years to write. I agonized for months on whether or not to release it with a pen name. My publisher, Loveyoudivine.com, believes that authors should make these decisions, which is one reason why I’ve loved working with them for the past six years. Ultimately, I decided against a pen name and went with my own name. This could have been a huge mistake on my part; it’s still too soon to know. But I’m comfortable with the decision and I don’t have any regrets. If I had decided to use a pen name I would have had to come up with a different identity, too.
There is no way an author can use a pen name without conjuring up some kind of an identity for the pen name. How far the author will take this is up to each individual author. It would be absolutely insane to release a book, with a pen name, and not add something personal about the pen name. By adding something personal the author is, indeed, creating an identity for the pen name. And I know this from experience, because I’ve written fiction in other genres with pen names. Each time I did this I had to not only create the pen name, but also the identity to go along with the name.
And I wasn’t fond of doing this. In my case, I always wound up putting the books and the pen names aside and focusing more on what I was writing with my own name in the m/m genre. Some authors can work the pen name angle well, and I applaud them and encourage them. But not me. It was stressful, boring, and it wasn’t something I looked forward to doing. And when I started receiving e-mails and blog comments associated with the pen names, I felt creepy answering them. Especially when some of the e-mails and comments came from people I knew with my own name. (I also found it was easier to get into trouble with a pen name, which is a different post altogether.)
So I decided to put all that aside and focus on my own name with A Young Widow’s Promise. The books I’m talking about that I wrote with the pen names did okay. But none of them did anything significant in sales and I’m certain it’s because I spent little time promoting them. They got great reviews, too, which surprised me. One reviewer who loves to blast my m/m erotica because it’s too “erotic” actually raved about one book I wrote with a pen name. And I have to admit that did give me a small amount of personal satisfaction. The problem there was that I couldn’t even gloat about it without giving away my pen name’s real identity.
But it wasn’t enough satisfaction to encourage me to continue promoting any of these books with pen names. I just didn’t like doing it. That’s not to say I will never do it again. It all depends on the project and the genre. It also depends on the publisher. Sometimes publishers insist on things like this and sometimes they are right about them. And some authors thrive with pen names, and their readers love them just as much as readers love authors who use their own names. In the end, it’s all about the book anyway. And I like to think readers think this way, too.
The Bachelor by Ryan Field
20 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Ravenous Romance, Ryan Field Tags: Ravenous Romance, Ryan Field
Title: The Bachelor
Author: Ryan Field
Publisher: Ravenous Romance
Pages: 152
Characters: Jim and several others
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Romance/Contemporary
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
Jim Johnston has been trying to break into show business for seven years, and now he has a chance to audition for a new reality show called The Gay Bachelor. But he missed the Hollywood auditions, so he has to travel back home to the deep rural country of Southern New Jersey and audition in Philadelphia.
Jim arrives at his parents’ old brick plantation style house for the first time since he graduated high school. When he sees how much they’ve aged since he’s been gone, it tugs at his heart and he tis determined to make things right again so it doesn’t take another seven years for him to return.
But this doesn’t stop Jim from having a quick affair with his mother’s maid’s strapping nephew while his mother and father are at church. And it doesn’t stop him from falling hopelessly in love with one of the producers of the new reality show, The Gay Bachelor, when he auditions in Philadelphia.
With all the obstacles Jim faces before the audition, he discovers a few things about himself he didn’t know. In spite of the disappointments…and a few awkward moments with a chocolate cupcake…he’s determined to concentrate more on love than on casual sex. Even though he’s not sure how it’s all going to work out in the end, he’s ready to take his chances for the sake of love
Review:
The Bachelor is one of those stories that captivates you from the start simply because the main character is so down and out fun to be with. He’s spontaneous, he’s fun, realistic, he’s a single gay man looking for love, in all the wrong places.
Jim Johnston has a goal in life, and that is to land a spot on a new reality show, The Gay Bachelor. However, he must fly back home, to Southern New Jersey to try out for it as he missed the tryouts in L.A. when they were in town. The biggest problem there is that he hadn’t been home in seven years, not since he came out to his parents and they took the news with less than happiness and support for their only son. So, he left the East Coast and went West, to Hollywood, with big plans on becoming a movie star, and he ends up meeting a girl Myra who ends up being his best friend and roomie. They have big dreams and their story is fun and down to earth. They are both working in the entertainment industry, just not their desired positions and they are both looking for the “one.” The right man to turn their worlds inside out, so to speak. Jim, who is sure he has no special talents lands a job working as a fluffer of sorts for an online live webcast “reality” porn show. Not exactly what he wants out of life, but it pays the bills and he loves all the men he works with. Maybe too much but hey, money IS the soul purpose for the job so…
Now, the one thing with Jim is that this man doesn’t go around making it obvious that he’s gay. He points it out a few times that he’s not the limp wristed, lisp talking, flamboyant gay man. In fact, he was team captain of his football team in high school, he was the one people looked up to, and he also is not one to hide that he’s gay. He just doesn’t act it. Basically his message here is that one never knows. And really? It’s not a big deal if one is or isn’t. We are all, just people. Now, the reason I bring this up is because he must at one time in the story become that gay man he is not and the POV from him is just too funny. Several times I had to laugh out loud, it was worthy of it.
Once Jim is back in his home state, back home with his parents, and yes, his parents have aged considerably since his departure all those years ago and he aches for the time missed. He loves them. And they him, even his hard headed father. So, Jim has this insatiable appetite for sex, this guy, while looking for the “one” has sex like more times in two days than I have fingers. He’s a hoot but once you read how and why, you’ll agree with me. Sex is Sex at that point. It’s not making love, nor is it love. After he has sex with his parents housekeeper/cook, several times and a secret is spilled, he decides to turn a new leaf and not do that anymore, not unless he’s certain the guy is the one for him.
Jim has his audition and meets someone he met in the airport on his way to his parents house and I have to say, chocolate cupcakes bring a whole new meaning than just dessert now.
The story is well done, tight plot, awesome characterization, the setting is wonderfully done, putting me there with the characters and believe it or not, I could feel that humidity index here in Colorado as Ryan described it in the story. Great job, Ryan. You made me see how they pick contestants for those so called reality shows in a new light. And how it’s possible to find love in the backseat of a car. OH, that was a dream. HAHA!
Reviewed By: Michele
Dancing Dirty by Ryan Field
02 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Ryan Field Tags: Ryan Field
Title: Dancing Dirty
Author: Ryan Field
Publisher: Ravenous Romance
Characters: Junior, Carlo
Pages: 197
POV: 3rd person
Setting: Pennsylvania, 1978
Sub-Genre: Romance
Book Cover Rating: 5
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
It’s the summer of 1978, it’s the middle of the disco era, and dancing is one of the hottest trends. But eighteen year old Junior has never seen the inside of a gay bar or danced with another man. His mother and father think he’s just shy about meeting girls and that he’ll grow out of it. His little sister drives him insane with her constant invisible companion, a talking dog named Elmer. All Junior cares about is meeting the right man and falling in love.
But when his parents buy a summer home in an exclusive resort community in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, his prospects of finding love don’t look too promising. His first day there he meets an aggressive, abrasive young woman who isn’t the least bit shy about letting him know she wants to get to know him better. And the more he ignores her, the more she chases after him.
While his mother and father are enjoying all the amenities of the resort, and his sister is flirting with one of the waiters, Junior mopes around watching everyone else have fun. That is until he meets a handsome young dance instructor named Carlo who changes his life in ways he’d never dreamed were possible.
From the minute Junior lays eyes on Carlo, he knows he’s in love. And in order to prove his love, he’s willing to make personal sacrifices that no one else has ever been willing to make for Carlo…
Review:
A new and interesting take on the ever popular Dirty Dancing, Ryan Field brings to us his intake of the gyro grinding dancing flick that made Patrick Swayze a star overnight. In this rendition we are introduced to Carlo, a dance instructor who is works hard to make a living by teaching the rich class of people how to dance at a resort in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Edgar hasn’t had a summer vacation in more than twenty years and recently bought a thousand square foot home in a sub-division known as Pocono Mountain Farms. Dr. Edgar takes his family for the summer to relax. And because he saved the life of the developer Mr. Ben Timberlake he was given the first years community associations fees for free.
Junior has a little sister, her name is Laney and she has this black haired, blue eyed, pointed ear mongrel dog, she calls Elmer, and he’s invisible. Junior’s mom is a stay at home homemaker. There, so the layout is done, introductions are made.
This story takes place in the late seventies and back in that era one didn’t need to concern themselves with condoms and such, because anything passed during sexual relations could be cured by the doctors. So, I want to get the usage of condoms out of the way, as in this story, they aren’t used between the two main characters. Then I want to address the secondary characters. Juniors sister is a hoot at just sixteen. She is very much like the secondary character in the movie version, and when she gets to going about her dog, you can’t help but to smile and adore them both. Valerie Timberlake—oh she’s a character that one. Then there’s Gary. Gary is the one who is that go between guy who knows Carlo and the other dancers as well as Junior. He is the one who introduced the two. Then we have Carol’s leading lady on the dance floor.
Ryan did a wonderful job adapting this story over for his fans. The characters are easy to like and easy to not like. I loved hating Valerie. I loved loving Elmer and for someone who is invisible with no dialogue, that in itself was an experience. The plot sticks close to Dirty Dancing, the sex scenes…YUM…MEE…I love how Ryan takes you into the privacy of his characters sex lives. And he even kept the classic line: “No one sticks Junior in the corner.”
Reviewer: Michele
The Virgin Billionaire by Ryan Field
12 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Ryan Field Tags: Ryan Field
Title: The Virgin Billionaire
Author: Ryan Field
Publisher: Ravenous Romance
Pages: 177
Characters: Luis Fortune, Jace Nicholas
POV: 3rd
Setting: Manhattan
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book Cover Rating: 4
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
Luis Fortune spends his nights escorting affluent older gentleman to parties, nightclubs and restaurants. And though he’s not officially a rent boy because there’s never any physical contact, he is paid well. He charms them with his looks and his carefree attitude. He makes them smile by laughing at their jokes and listening to their dull stories. But Luis is only doing this temporarily, until the right older man asks him to settle down. He’s looking for something he can depend on, and until he finds it he won’t even give the stray dog that followed him home a name.
While Luis is searching for money and security, he takes comfort in reading a blog written by a woman in France he’s never met, Elena’s Romantic Treasures and Tidbits. She adores gay men and romance, and she posts artistic photos, wonderful stories, and endearing posts about gay men that bring Luis a sense of comfort and security on his darkest, scariest days.
Jase Nicholas is a forty year old high-profile billionaire who can pass for thirty. He’s spent the first half of his life running from the fact that he’s gay. And now he wants to find out what he’s been missing all those years. So he tells his family and friends he’s going on a pilgrimage for a couple of months, and then he drops out of sight so he can come to terms with his sexuality and finally lose his gay virginity. But instead of going on a pilgrimage, he rents a small apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He changes his appearance and plunges into a world of young gay men. And when one of the young men he meets is Luis Fortune, his life is never the same again…
Review:
A year ago this book was released. It took me a whole year to get to it and for that I’m sad. But there’s one good thing about it…Ryan Field has released four more in this series and now I don’t have to wait to read them.
The break out book, The Virgin Billionaire is about 40 year old Jase Nicholas and Luis Fortune, a twenty something escort who “dates” older men for money. Jase is a man who has literally been stuck in his own world of creation and making more money than he’ll ever need from his inventions. When he turns the big 40 he finally realizes how life is passing him by and he hasn’t live it yet. So he arranges to live in the city, incognito by ridding his face of his long beard and cutting his hair, and telling no one who he is. No one but a close friend who brings him money on almost a daily basis that is.
Jase moves into an apartment building in Manhattan’s upper west side where he meets Jase and immediately finds himself attracted to the younger man.
Luis is a free spirited young man who knows what he wants from life, and he knows how to get it, he just needs to land the right older man who will take care of him in exchange for companionship. Age matters not to Luis. He often dates an older man who pays him $500.00 for his used socks and every Friday he receives this amount when he accompanies the man to real estate showings and thinks nothing of it.
Luis befriends Jase almost at once, often times treating him like a long time friend, often sharing things with him he had never done with anyone else, he even walks around damn near naked making life almost impossible for Jase to be around the younger man and not be in a constant state of hardness.
However, the two men each have secrets they hide from one another and those secrets can destroy even the most solid of friendships. Friends come and go to shake things up as well and there’s a dog that Luis has and calls just doggie because he is afraid to name the little one because he has this fear that nothing is a for sure stable thing, including that little dog who, by the way, will make his way into your heart while reading this story.
There are some funny parts in this story, for example Jase’s driving skills. I read those parts and laughed out loud. Then we have Jase and his almost happy go lucky no worries attitude to whatever is going on and I even had a giggle or two for the usage of the fire escape between these two.
The plot, the story telling, the characters, dialogue, and the setting are all done in Ryan’s classic pattern. He keeps things moving forward, the conversations between the characters real and easy to follow, the narrative not over done. All in all I really liked spending my time with them and can’t wait to get to the next one.
Reviewer: Michele
Big, Bad, and On Top by Ryan Field
23 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Ryan Field Tags: Ryan Field
Title: Big, Bad, and On Top
Author: Ryan Field
Publisher: Ravenous Romance
Pages: 191
Characters: Duke, Jaime
Setting: Contemporary
POV: 3rd
Book Cover Rating: 4
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
Duke’s driven by his ambition to be the best fighter pilot in the Navy, not the fact that he’s a closeted gay man. But he’s garnered a reputation for being overly aggressive and far too impulsive. He likes to think the chances he takes are heroic and wise, but there are many in the Navy who think he’s reckless and irresponsible.
And when the Navy sends Duke to the most rigorous flight class in the world, he becomes even more aggressive in order to be the big, bad “top gun” everyone expects him to be. But while he’s working hard to be number one, he meets an attractive young civilian flight instructor named Jaime who turns his entire life upside down. Though it starts out as a harmless flirtation, their connection becomes so intense Duke begins to wonder whether or not he can continue to abide by the rules of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
After a serious accident that leaves Duke so devastated he can barely fly a plane, Duke begins to question his goals, his ferocious need to be number one, and his unyielding devotion to a military that refuses to treat him with dignity and equality. He realizes the only good thing that has ever happened to him was falling in love with Jaime, and he discovers he has two choices. Both have the potential to change his and Jaime’s lives forever, and both come with serious consequences. But he can only choose one. And even while Duke is wrestling with the biggest decision of his life, his passion for Jaime burns hotter than ever.
Review:
You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling,
Whoa, that lovin’ feeling,
You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling,
Now it’s gone…gone…gone…wooooooh.
Okay, sorry. I could not resist. But this song ran through my head the whole time I read this novel by Ryan Field. He did such a wonderful job capturing the thoughts of Duke and though the story is told through his POV, in the 3rd person, he captured the other characters wonderfully!
Duke is a Navy fighter pilot; his life goal is to be the best of the best. He’s aggressive, he’s at times dangerous, he has an issue with following rules, and he’s kept in the closet about his sexuality due to the DADT law. He, along with his flight partner Hinky, is sent to Miramar air force base, the top flight school in the world, to continue with their lessons and to climb higher then ever.
Remember my attempt at singing up there ^ well, after a particularly rough day at flight school Duke and Hinky along with other members of the base head to a bar for some down time, I had visions of the movie come back to me. I could see Duke and Hinky singing, but not to a woman, but to this cute little hot guy named Jamie. Well, Duke, remember I said was very aggressive, managed to catch Jamie’s interest and they met in the restroom to discuss things, only Jesse wasn’t as easy as all that and it was that instant that I knew Jamie was going to be the one to tame Duke.
The students in this training school are put through vigorous training, all of them pushed to be the best in the class, and Duke rises to that challenge. Or he tries to but he’s a hot head with his own agenda, and oftentimes that is his own downfall, often bringing second place. Duke and Hinky are an amazing team, but this story is centered around Duke and his inner turmoil’s, his missing presumed to be dead father, his need to be the best, and his love for his flight instructor.
We’ve all seen the movie this tale is based on, we know there is a part that breaks your heart, brings a tear or two, a sad smile and so we know to expect it in the book, too. Duke is faced with a dilemma at this point, one that may not see him in the air again.
I can not give Ryan enough praise for capturing Duke as he did. The narrative, the detail, the inner weaknesses, and strengths of this pilot are done with precise accuracy. I completely enjoyed my time with Duke and his friends, and I adored, the only man who was capable of opening Duke’s eyes to not only the dangers of the way he flew but also of sending an amazing message about the DADT law. With this one sentence Duke says it all.
“So it is with deep regret I can’t accept this plaque, nor can I support an institution that refuses to support equal rights for everyone in America.”
AMEN!!
Reviewer: Michele
