The Hun and the General by Tristram La Roche
24 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in Etopia Press, Tristram La Roche Tags: Etopia Press, Tristram La Roche
Title: The Hun and the General
Author: Tristram La Roche
Publisher: Etopia Press
Pages: 139
Characters: Attila the Hun, Livianus
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Historical
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
Livianus is bored and longs for action. His reward for serving Rome is the governorship of a quiet corner of Gaul, but as he whiles away his days at his sumptuous villa, his thoughts turn to Attila the Hun, the feared barbarian with whom Livianus once enjoyed an intimate friendship. When a desperate emperor asks him to return to Pannonia to broker a truce with Attila, Livianus’s old passion flares.
Attila is losing the will to go on. He is tired of being a tyrant but his people’s future depends on him. The arrival of Livianus renews Attila’s spirit as he prepares to march on Constantinople. Livianus has nothing to bargain with, but when the emperor’s sister delivers a proposition for Attila, a new and brighter future seems to lay directly ahead. For the people, and especially for the two men.
But the deadly hand of the emperor isn’t interested in peace, and as their plans are destroyed, only one course of action remains open to the Hun and the general.
Review:
Tristram La Roche brings his own spin to the legend of Attila the Hun in his latest novella The Hun and the General, the story of one of the most feared men in history, and the one and only man who could tame him.
A blend of historical facts and creative license come together to tell the story of the man roundly considered to be a savage and intelligent leader of the Hunnic Empire who aimed to plunder and pillage his way through the Holy Roman Empire, in the midst of its decline as a superpower. Known as the Scourge of God, Attila’s war machine gathered wealth, land, and a formidable reputation for showing no mercy to its enemies. But was it enough to keep the King of the Huns content?
Not according to this story. In it, Attila is portrayed as a man at a crossroads. No longer satisfied with the status quo, he wonders at his prospects, his wives and wealth and rule little comfort to him anymore. Faced with the prospect of invading Constantinople because of Roman Emperor Theodosius’ duplicity, Attila can find little enthusiasm in going to war against the ruler who used a treaty of peace as a means to fortify his land in preparation for Attila’s retaliation against his betrayal.
Retired general Livianus may be the only hope Rome has to avoid a Hun invasion, and Theodosius is willing to play that card in spite of the fact he gives the general nothing with which to ante. What no one realizes, however, is that Attila and Livianus share far more than a political relationship and that, while Livianus is loyal to the people of Rome, he is far from loyal to the man who seems bent upon Rome’s destruction.
Political intrigue and sibling rivalry bring Attila and Livianus together again after a long separation that didn’t serve to dampen the sexual attraction between the two men. Conqueror of armies, the dreaded Hun dominates with an indomitable will yet submits willingly to the general who can conquer his body.
Tristram La Roche successfully paints Attila the Hun as a sympathetic hero without diminishing his legend as a formidable warrior, something I wouldn’t have thought possible until reading The Hun and the General. Attila’s relationship with a man, who for all intents and purposes should be his sworn enemy, is entirely believable. These are two men who admire each other’s intellect and skill, and respect each other as peers and friends, which figured believably into this erotic and interesting story.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Leave A Comment For A Chance To Win Green River by Jardonn Smith
09 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Jardonn Smith Tags: Jardonn Smith, Tristram La Roche
Click HERE to enter and
Click HERE to read Jardonn’s interview.
Wanna Get Fixed? All You Have To Do Is Leave A Comment Here!
05 Oct 2011 15 Comments
in authors, Tristram La Roche, Uncategorized Tags: Tristram La Roche
Tristram La Roche is giving one lucky reader the chance to win a copy of his latest book, Fixed, the story of a man who found love at one of the lowest points in his life.
If you’d like to enter, just leave a comment here; it’s as easy as that.
But do it before October 11, 2011 at 11:59pm Eastern time, or you’ll be too late!
Good Luck!
Like this:
A Q & A Session With Mike Mason and Pete Bickerdyke
05 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Tristram La Roche Tags: Tristram La Roche
Here at Top2Bottom Reviews, we often get the opportunity to ask authors questions about themselves and their work, but very rarely do we actually have the opportunity to talk with the characters they create.
Well, that’s about to change today, as I had the opportunity to come up with some questions for Mike and Pete, the leading men in Tristram La Roche’s Fixed. I hope you enjoy learning about them as much as I did.
I spoke with Mike first; here’s what he had to say:
Q. How did you and Kurt meet? How long were you together?
A. I’d gone to Marseilles for the weekend. I went for a walk around the harbor and we literally bumped into each other. I almost knocked him into the water and had to grab him to stop him falling in. There was something in the way he looked at me and that was that. We managed nearly five years together.
Q. When did you start your business together?
A. Almost as soon as we’d met. I’d already got it going and I needed help. Kurt fit in perfectly. Looking back on it I see how it mirrors the way Pete and I got it together.
Q. Did you and Kurt have any, shall we say, “interesting” encounters with the wealthy and famous clients you served?
A. Oh, certainly. Plenty of those, but I’m too professional to name names. I dare say I could make a small fortune if I went to the newspapers. I’ll never forget the British politician who insisted on being spit roasted on the deck of his yacht. I think he got a thrill from the risk of being caught.
Q. When your business partnership and personal relationship with Kurt ended, where did he go? Was he able to find work right away, or was he forced, like you, to make do the best way he could?
A. He got in his car and drove straight back to the family pile in northern Germany. His father took him back into the family business. I think they were glad; they always wanted him to marry and produce an heir.
Q. What were your initial feelings at the moment you recognized Pete?
A. Shame. When you lose everything it’s bad enough but when you meet someone from your past it makes it much worse. I knew he would think ‘what the hell?’ I didn’t know he harboured feelings for me so I assumed he would gloat at my downfall and rush off to tell everyone that I’d got my comeuppance.
Q. What most impresses you about Pete? I mean, ahem, other than his obvious physical attributes. 
A. He is what you see. He’s not complicated and doesn’t have any hidden agenda. He’s got over his earlier problems and made a good life for himself. He never looks back and never wallows in self-pity. These things are good for me.
Q. If you were to use only three words to describe Pete, what would they be?
A. Generous, funny and solid.
Q. Hindsight being 20/20, what are some things you wish you’d done differently in the course of your life?
A. I wish I’d seen through my parents’ snobbery sooner, before it rubbed off on me, but I always wanted to please them. I’ve been a fool with my money; so long as Kurt was happy, I was happy, but I should have said ‘no’ more often. I’ll never know how things would have turned out if I’d acted differently.
Q. Do you really believe in luck, either good or bad?
A. Definitely. No matter how hard you try, no matter how good you are, without a bit of luck at the right time you can’t move forward. I get angry with ‘self-made men’ (I hate that term in itself!) who say they did it all through hard work and luck has nothing to do with it. They don’t know how lucky they are. The ones who have my admiration are people like J K Rowling who acknowledge the part luck plays.
Q. What’s your best memory with Pete, thus far?
A. I think that time we got snowed in, when I’d told him I wanted to be with him.
Q. Do you think you’ve finally found your happy ending?
If I’m lucky.
And now some questions for Pete:
Q. How shocked were you when you realized it was Mike Mason’s home you were in?
A. I nearly fell over. I mean, Mike Mason! He always had the best, always did well. I’d assumed he was living in a castle somewhere with a Ferrari and private jet.
Q. What sorts of changes could you see in him, just from that initial encounter?
A. He’d lost his arrogance. He used to be so self-assured and he seemed somehow a shadow of the person I used to know. His face looked tired, weary- but that’s gone now!
Q. If you were to use only three words to describe Mike, what would they be?
A. Intelligent, cultured, loving.
Q. How did losing your brother affect the course of your life?
A. It made me value every day. I stopped worrying about the future so much and what other people thought of me. Once I did that, things seemed to fall into place.
Q. What was going through your mind during the rest stop encounter with the Dutch trucker?
A. You don’t want to know, he he! To be honest, if Mike had said ‘no’ I wouldn’t have gone through with it, but it was clear he wanted it as much as I did. Blokes are blokes, it doesn’t mean anything really. I think it was a turning point for Mike, actually, looking at how things went after that incident.
Q. Do you believe in luck, either good or bad?
A. Sure do, but bad luck is simply the absence of good luck as far as I see.
Q. How difficult was it for you that Mike kept you at an emotional distance?
A. It hurt at times. I regretted losing my temper with him but I’m only human. I knew I wanted him so I was prepared to wait, and I understood he’d been through hell and needed time. If I’d pushed harder (he he) it might have scared him off.
Q. What do you see as the turning point in your relationship?
A. I don’t think there was one big turning point, rather a series of small curves that together turned things in the right direction. One, as I’ve said, was the Dutch lorry driver. Then the visit to the casino; that swiped away one of his objections to being involved with me. When I had the accident I think it made him realize he was becoming attached to me. Finally, Kurt’s letter proved Mike’s feelings for me.
Q. Will Mike continue to work for you, or do you see him doing something else?
A. So long as I keep the business going I think he will continue because he is really good. Profits are up. But, to be honest, between us we have more than enough money to stop working and I’d quite like to enjoy Mike, travel the world and see things with him while we are young enough to enjoy it. I haven’t pushed this with him yet, but I toy with the idea of buying a house in Provence and maybe doing a little bit of what he used to do – after we’ve done some travelling.
Q. What’s your best memory with Mike, thus far?
A. Apart from some great sex, I have to say the casino. You should have seen his face!
Q. Have you found your happy ending?
A. I have, and I hope he has.
Thanks so much to Mike, Pete, and Tristram for being here with us today!
Like this:
Fixed by Tristram La Roche
05 Oct 2011 1 Comment
in authors, Etopia Press, publishers, Tristram La Roche Tags: Etopia Press, Tristram La Roche
Title: Fixed
Author: Tristram La Roche
Publisher: Etopia Press
Pages: 140 (.pdf)
Characters: Mike Mason, Pete Bickerdyke
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
A spin of the wheel can change everything…
Mike had it all. A business in the south of France, money, and a handsome boyfriend. But when the world’s economies nose-dived, he lost the lot—including Kurt. With nothing left, he finds himself back home in the north of England, living in a broken-down rented flat, alone.
When the boiler breaks down, the repairman turns out to be an old acquaintance—one who was never Mike’s social equal. Now Pete’s the one with money and security, his own thriving company and a collection of classic cars. Pete’s joie de vivre is impossible to resist, but how can Mike face being a kept man?
Review:
Mike Mason is a broken man with a broken spirit. Luck and life hadn’t always been such cruel masters to Mike, but then again, luck is always dictated as much by opportunity as it is by the whims of misfortune. Good luck giveth, and bad luck taketh away. It’s an unwritten contract between fate and good intent that drags we mere mortals along in its wake and dictates the course life will take.
For Mike, those opportunities were always close at hand. Coming from a well-to-do family had always given Mike a bit of an advantage over anything as elusive as chance. A successful business, a successful relationship, Mike and good fortune were ever on intimate terms. Until the day the bottom fell out of the world economy. Then those wealthy clients who’d made Mike and his lover, Kurt, wealthy men, vanished, leaving the two men with a business that could no longer remain solvent without the clientele and their hefty bank accounts to finance the venture.
The lavish lifestyle, to which Mike had become accustomed, ceased to exist. The relationship on which Mike had banked would last for a lifetime, dissipated as quickly as their business. It was a terrible blow that put misery and Mike on a first name basis, and sent him from the South of France back to England, back to a place Mike cannot consider home.
A broken down rental property is the best that Mike can expect these days. Sure, it’s a roof over his head, which leaves him better off than some, but it’s difficult to see a silver lining around a single cloud, when your entire life feels obscured by a haze of disappointment, your future entirely uncertain. But it’s that broken down rental, ironically, that turns the tide of Mike’s fortune, in the form of Pete Bickerdyke, a man from Mike’s school days, a man for whom Mike never had the time of day before, who comes along and shows Mike that sometimes life and love are nothing more than a gamble. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, there are no guarantees in life, but one: you’ll always lose if you’re too afraid to take the risk.
A broken heart and a generous dose of fear, not to mention Mike’s own pride, dictate his actions and reactions to Pete, even though he is attracted to the man whose business has flourished in spite of the flagging economy. The boy whom Mike didn’t give the time of day to in school is now standing where Mike once was. The difference, however, is that Pete doesn’t see Mike as a success or a failure. Pete merely sees Mike as the man he wants to spend time with. And maybe even fall in love with.
The funny thing about fear of failure is that it’s often prompted by a lack of acceptable choices. When Mike feels hemmed in by the shortfall of options in his life, he nearly allows his apprehensions to lead him away from the path to happiness. When given the choice between a good option and an even better one, however, Mike finally realizes love is a gamble that will pay off if only he’s willing to lead with his heart.
Fixed is a romantic story with a bit of an edge to it, exploring the difference between sex and love, and how intricately connected the mind and the heart are when separating the physical needs from the emotional.
Mike’s conflicts were genuine, his doubts and missteps believable on the journey that would ultimately help him to realize that true love is unconditional, not based upon how much you can contribute to the partnership, but how much of yourself you’re willing to invest in it.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Lorenzo il Magnifico by Tristram La Roche
11 Sep 2011 6 Comments
in Evernight Publishing, Tristram La Roche Tags: Evernight Publishing, Tristram La Roche
Title: Lorenzo il Magnifico
Author: Tristram La Roche
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Pages: 76
Characters: Luke, Lorenzo
POV: 3rd person
Setting: Florence, Italy
Sub-Genre: Erotic Romance/Menage
Cover Rating: 4
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
When Luke visits Florence he hopes it will be the start of a new chapter in his life. A chance meeting with a tall, handsome waiter and that chapter starts far sooner than he could ever have imagined.
Lorenzo is everything Luke has been looking for. Hot, sexy and uninhibited, he pushes buttons Luke never knew existed. But Luke lives in England, Lorenzo in Florence, and the time soon comes for them to part…
Can this holiday fling become more than just sex? Can it, in fact, turn into a magnificent romance?
Review:
Tristram La Roche’s Lorenzo il Magnifico is a joyfully erotic journey through the streets of Florence, Italy, as we follow Luke on a holiday that will serve to change his life forever.
He is in a dead end job, you see, working in a customer call center in Leeds in order to pay his way through his graduate studies and make good use of his degree in art history. For Luke to break into the art world as a dealer in England, he must earn a master’s degree, which then does nothing to guarantee he won’t have to move abroad to put it to good use—not an issue for Luke, though, as his family ties were cut seven years before when he came out to them. He has nothing keeping him in Leeds, no commitments, no relationships he would be forfeiting to pursue his career. Luke is merely adrift, cruising through life in search of a place to anchor. And where sex is concerned, any port in a storm will do for Luke—or sometimes ports, as in the multiple partner variety.
A week in Florence, with its legendary art history, becomes the land of opportunity for Luke, as he mixes business and pleasure, meeting with influential locals who will become instrumental to his future, both in his career and his personal life.
An encounter with a waiter on the busy streets, then at a trattoria within his first moments in Italy will set the tone for the rest of the holiday for Luke. The romance of the city and its landscapes, passionate encounters, and a chance at love will seduce the man who, up until the moment he stepped off the curb and into the path of Lorenzo’s speeding Vespa, thought his week away would be nothing more than a little business peppered with loads of anonymous sex. Fate has other plans for Luke, though, and where the heart is concerned, even the best laid plans can be derailed at a moment’s notice.
Lorenzo il Magnifico is the journey of a young man whose past has left him a bit guarded, and possibly a little bit jaded on the subject of commitment, until he meets the man who makes him feel—a little bit different, a little bit hopeful, a little bit anxious that he could lose something really wonderful, a little bit optimistic that he’s finally found a place and a someone to call home.
Tristram La Roche offers just the right touch to his story for those who believe love can start with the smallest of seeds and, with the right attention, can bloom into something terrific.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Check This Out!
07 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Tristram La Roche Tags: Tristram La Roche
Click HERE to learn how you can enter to win Tristram La Roche’s debut novella On My Knees.
Hurry! Time’s running out.
Oh, How We Love To Give Away FREE Books!
05 Aug 2011 12 Comments
in authors, Tristram La Roche Tags: Tristram La Roche
Listen up, readers! Tristram La Roche would like to offer the chance for a lucky winner to receive an e-copy of his debut novella On My Knees.
All you need do to enter is leave a comment on this post before 11:59pm Eastern time on Wednesday, August 10, 2011. It’s that easy.
Good luck!
Warning: Tristram La Roche Writes Hot M/M Fiction
05 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in authors, Tristram La Roche Tags: Tristram La Roche
Thanks so much for being here with us today, Tristram. Why don’t we start out by having you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
It is my pleasure, thank you for inviting me. I believe that if we expect readers to buy our books then we should also be willing to bare our souls for them a little. My background is rather a mixed affair. My paternal grandfather was of French descent, hence the name. The rest of me is English. As a child I was taken around Europe rather a lot and I guess that’s where traveling entered my blood. I love to travel and, unless I am writing or reading, I get unsettled easily. I am very much at home on ‘The Continent’ as they used to say and actually know France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Spain better than I know Britain. I have worked in design, tourism and yacht charter, as well as trying my hand at catering. My cooking these days is limited to home. I abhor bigotry and intolerance.
When did you discover your passion for writing? Was there someone in particular who encouraged and inspired your love for storytelling?
My English teacher at school always told me I could write but my parents gave me no encouragement, so it fell by the wayside. I have always felt that I could do it but have been so busy running round on the rat wheel that I never tried. At the end of last year I overheard a comment along the lines of if you don’t try, you’ll never know. So I began reading like a book lover who’d been told he would go blind in six months. At some point in the New Year I felt ready.
On My Knees is your first published book: how long did it take to finish the manuscript?
Just over a month. Let’s say three weeks or so, plus another week to a fortnight for polishing. I seem able to produce a novella in around a month but a full length novel, which I am working on, takes much longer.
How long did it take for the book to be published?
I had already noticed Etopia Press and read some of their publications. I was impressed by their broad outlook and modern attitude. I submitted On My Knees only to them and had an acceptance within a month. That was February. Then we had the editing process, cover design and so on, with publication on June 4th of this year as per schedule.
How much creative input did you have in the cover design for the book?
As writers will know, the author rarely gets a say on the cover. Etopia Press do take notice of your wishes, something else I liked about them. Basically, I provided clues about the story so the artist had something to go on. The first draft of the cover was sent to me for comment. I have no doubt that if I had wanted changes they would have been considered, but I loved it as it was. I still think it’s a great cover. Someone in a review on Amazon said that you can judge this book by its cover – and they gave it five stars.
Are there any parts of the story that originated from your own life experiences?
Of course. What writer doesn’t draw on experience to some extent? The crucial part, falling in love almost at first sight and against all odds, is my story. That’s why I smile to myself if someone says ‘just as if’ because it did happen – to me!
What message(s) do you hope your readers will take away from the story?
That truth is all important. Live your life as you, not as what someone else wants you to be. And I want people to see that no matter how low you get, there is always hope.
Do you find you draw your characters from the people you know, or do they even resemble you in any way?
I’m lucky that I’ve met a huge variety of people; good, bad, funny, tragic, wise, stupid, weak, poor, rich and powerful. Virtually every character I write is, at least in part, one of these. And I’m always around.
Do you write full time? If not, how many hours per day do you attempt to dedicate to your writing?
Yes, I have stopped all my other business interests now so that I can concentrate on writing. I’m not twenty-one anymore and have at least a hundred books bursting to get out of my head.
Do you typically outline your plots before you begin the writing process, or do you write in a more freestyle fashion?
I’m freestyle. I do have an idea in my head when I start writing but I find that once the characters get on stage things begin to flow and they tend to lead me.
What has been the most difficult topic you’ve ever approached in your writing?
I know what the topic is and I haven’t approached it yet. I’m waiting for the right moment, and it will have to be a full length novel. You’ll know when I do it!
What was the best piece of advice you’ve ever received with respect to the art of writing? How did it change the way you approach your craft?
Get on with the story. I used to think that you had to give detailed descriptions, but you don’t. Now I love to keep the pedal to the metal.
If you were to offer a word of advice to a new author just starting out, what would it be?
Read Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’. No matter what your genre there is good stuff between those pages. Be prepared for hard work and setbacks. Never, never give up.
Do you generally have the titles of your work planned before you begin writing, or does that occur later on in the writing process?
It’s a bit of both, really. Sometimes a title will come to me and I think it’s a good idea, then I’ll see if I can cultivate a story around it. Other times the story comes first.
What is the question you’re most frequently asked by your fans?
Are you really gay?
Have you had any particularly memorable fan experience?
That would be telling.
Are you surprised by the ever-growing female fan-base of Male/Male fiction?
Yes, astonished. I don’t understand it but there we are. I’m delighted if they want to read it. We’ll see as the genre grows if it branches in two directions; one more romantic, the other closer to reality. If that happens it will be interesting to see which way male and female readers go, if they do have differing tastes that is. It’s an exciting time. My own writing tends to be gritty rather than hearts and flowers, and I’ve just had a long deliberation with one editor as to whether it will be acceptable more to men or women. We’ll see, I suppose. Maybe both will like it.
Digital media—the e-reader/tablet computer/Android apps—is changing the way people access and enjoy books. What pros and/or cons do you see surrounding the business of e-publishing? How do you see digital media evolving in the years to come?
If you’d asked me one year ago about e-books I would have said that you’d never get me away from my print books. I got a Kindle just over six months ago and I will kill anyone who tries to separate me from it. Now I really won’t read a paper book unless I absolutely cannot get it on Kindle. First of all, Kindle is not back lit like a computer so you don’t get eye strain (that’s always the first objection I hear). Then the advantages are too numerous to list – the ability to change the font size, the portability (thousands of books in your pocket), no breaking your fingers to open up the centerfold, adding notes and highlights, instant downloads…
So, e-publishing is here to stay and will continue to grow. Whilst on the one hand it has enabled new writers to get out there, the downside is that the marketplace is awash with junk. It can be hard for the readers to sort the wheat from the chaff. I think that will settle down, so it doesn’t get me all hot and bothered. In a short time I believe we’ll see the e-book as the industry standard for fiction. Print books will always be around for illustrations and certain reference volumes. And to those who still say I’m wrong, I can only point out that someone once said, “I’ll never read a scroll. I like the smell and feel of stone.”
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
Oh, I would love to be a film star. Whether or not I could be is another matter entirely.
Aside from writing, what else do you enjoy doing? Do you have any hobbies?
I love good food and wine, music, opera, films, theatre and, erm, nice cars. I enjoy entertaining and, as I’ve said, traveling.
If we were to look around the desk where you sit to write, what would we find there?
My AppleMac, Lacie hard drive, phone, pen and pad. I’m a minimalist.
How would you describe your sense of humor?
Wicked and dirty.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Novels for less than a dollar.
Do you have a favorite personal mantra, quote, or saying that describes your outlook on life and the way you approach each day?
Truth against the world.
Do you speak more than one language? If so, which one(s)?
Italian is my second language. I can struggle along in Spanish and German but, strangely, my French is dreadful.
Of all the modern conveniences, which one would you most likely say you couldn’t live without?
Clean water.
Do you have any new projects coming up that you’d care to share with us?
My second novella, Lorenzo il Magnifico, is being released today (August 5th) by Evernight Publishing. They’ve produced a fabulous cover, which gives you a good flavor of what the book is about. In September, Etopia Press will publish my third, Fixed! Lorenzo is set in Florence, Italy; Fixed takes us to France and Monte Carlo. I’m already well on with an historical MM that started out as another novella but might expand.
Thank you again for spending some time with us, Tristram. Will you tell us where we can find you on the Internet?
My website: http://tristramlaroche.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002276172449
Twitter: @TristramLaRoche
And we’d love if you’d share a favorite excerpt from On My Knees with us.
Of course. Here we are:-
My trunks ballooned with the buffeting of the whirlpool and fizzed when I squeezed them flat. Steam, heavy with the scent of menthol and eucalyptus, rose around me and cleared my head. A few minutes of this and I would be as right as rain. Might even be able to face Diana. I lay back, stretched out my legs and closed my eyes. Christ, she could have injured me—killed me. Was it even safe to go back there? Well, I had nowhere else to go. Even if I had to go down on my knees and beg.
“Room in there for another?”
My eyes sprang open. The guy had left the pool and was coming down the steps into the Jacuzzi, steadying himself on the tubular handrail. I sat up and contracted myself into as small a space as possible while he located the seat beneath the foam and settled down.
“Quiet tonight,” he said.
That accent, what was it? There was a hint of something. What did they call it? Mid-Atlantic?
“Makes a change,” I said, shifting in my seat.
He smiled. I sort of smiled back.
“I’m Attila, by the way.” He leaned forward and offered his hand.
“Mark.”
His hand was still cool from the swimming pool, his grip firm. I now noticed the tattoos on both arms, green and orange serpents entwined around swords or daggers. They reminded me of my father’s. How I used to tremble when those arms came towards me, harbingers of pain. I looked away. Time to get out.
“Well,” I said, climbing the steps. “Might see you around.”
He nodded and smiled again. I could feel his eyes on my back as I took my towel and headed towards the door.
The changing room was still deserted, still in a mess. I dumped my wet towel in the bin and took a clean one from the rack, then went into the inner sanctum where the showers, sauna and steam room were. Since everywhere was empty, I took advantage of the steam. I sucked in the hot, moist air a few times to clear my lungs. The only sound in there was the occasional rasp of the steam outlet and the steady dripping of the condensation. Through the misted door I could see that someone else had come through from the changing room.
Attila’s outline was unmistakable as it emerged through the clouds of steam that gathered and tumbled around the open door…
On My Knees by Tristram La Roche
05 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in authors, Tristram La Roche Tags: Tristram La Roche
Title: On My Knees
Author: Tristram La Roche
Publisher: Etopia Press
Pages: 121
Characters: Mark, Attila
POV: 1st person
Setting: London
Sub-Genre: Romance
Cover Rating: 4
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
Surviving on alcohol and antidepressants, Mark staggers through his unhappy marriage and watches his London architectural business head for the rocks. When another nasty argument with his wife sends him to the gym to blow off steam, a tall, dark stranger enflames a part of him he’s denied all these years, trying to convince himself he’s not “weird.” But Mark’s not weird, he’s gay. And after a taste of Attila’s lips, nothing can put that genie back in the bottle…
Review:
On my Knees is the touching and romantic love story of a man, Mark, who has spent ten years struggling through a tragic mistake of a marriage. Battling with the depression that comes along with the disillusionment of conforming to others’ expectations, Mark goes through the motions of life without actually participating in it. Mark doesn’t live as much as he simply endures.
Anti-depressants and alcohol are the means he uses to cope with a life that includes little more than work and fighting with his wife. It’s no way to exist—the denial and frustration taking their toll on him emotionally and physically. It’s on a whim, on an evening after a particularly awful fight with his wife, that Mark makes a trip to the gym to burn off some of his excess frustration; it’s the night his life changes forever, the night a perfect stranger draws Mark out of his hiding place and into the life he’s meant to lead.
Mark and Attila realize an immediate attraction to each other, complicated by Mark’s domestic situation. It’s a situation Attila understandably doesn’t want to become involved in. But where there’s love, there are answers. Those answers, however, can sometimes be difficult to find. The two men go through their share of uncertainties in the journey to their happy ending, but it’s a journey that, as a reader, it’s a pleasure to follow.
Tristram La Roche’s debut novella is a treat for the diehard romantic in all of us. Poignant and sweet, it’s a celebration of the sort of love that sneaks up on Mark and Attila, not like a welcome breeze on a warm day; rather, it’s the sort of love that hits like a hurricane and sweeps the two men away, powerless against it.
This is a story of second-chances and new beginnings; of taking charge of your own happiness and the direction of your future; of finally believing that who you truly are is far better than the person you’ve pretended to be, and all the excitement, trepidation, and difficulties that go along with it.
Reviewed By: Lisa
