Hank Fielder

For someone who has lost the love of his life, has had a 'checkered past' (to put it carefully), and is now being blackmailed, life certainly isn’t easy. This book paints Nick's life story with all its colorful detail, and in that sense is a fascinating coming of age story and an 'accounting' of the times, events, and people that shaped Nick into who he is today. While the blurb focuses on the mystery and the blackmail, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a thriller. What makes this story special is the description of all the events that made Nick into who he is today, the colorful characterizations of the people he encountered on his way, and the deep love he felt for Rusty.

Nick is a troubled individual almost from day one of his life. With a black father (who has vanished) and a white mother (who dies when he is still very young, he ends up being raised by his racist white grandparents in rural Wisconsin. He is taught to ignore the black side of his heritage and ends up seeing himself as white. That, however, is only one of the factors making life difficult for him. He wants to be a pop star, struggles with drugs and his sexuality, and life goes downhill from there.

Rusty may be the older man in their relationship, and takes Nick under his wings, in a way, but he has his own issues. Addicted to alcohol and drugs, he stumbles through life wanting to make it big. His own studio is a dream that may come true, but he is a musician at heart, not a businessman. He does give Nick the stability he needs for a while, sort of, but, in the end, cannot keep up with life's demands and tragically dies.

Anson, the detective helping Nick figure out who is blackmailing him this time, really only plays a minor role in this book. I thought that was too bad, because there is a lot of potential for more between him and Nick, and I wanted to see that. Anson may be the first stable influence in Nick's life and I was certainly relieved to see him make an appearance!

If you expect a thriller, or a traditional romance, you will be disappointed. And if you don’t like flashbacks or puzzling out who did what when, stay away from this novel. But, if you approach this book with an open mind to finding out what it was like to be an up and coming musician in the 80s, if reading about a young man struggling with his mixed race background on top of being gay is what you're interested in, and if you don’t mind the very realistic descriptions of what goes on in parts of the music industry, you may like this book.




NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.… (lisätietoja)

‘Make Someone Happy’ is a fun, entertaining story about first-job jitters, an encounter with white magic, and the fears that result from not being sure what is real and what is “magical”. It also shows that sometimes, getting what you wish for can be a very double-edged sword.

Joe has just started working for a high-end spa, and while he did well at massage school, the reality of working with sometimes difficult customers is entirely different. As if his professional issues weren’t bad enough, Joe has a crush on his super-successful coworker, Andre, and no idea how to approach him. When he rescues a kitten that belongs to a white witch and gets a wish, Joe is skeptical but decides it can’t do any harm to wish for the same kind of “magical massage touch” that Andre seems to have.

What follows is an incredible rise in popularity, a whirlwind romance with Andre, and a massive downer when self-doubt begins to affect the way Joe sees himself. Joe’s struggle with what is real and what isn’t is painful to watch, but the way he ultimately deals with it does make him grow and enables him to deal with life in a more adult way.

If you like coming of age stories, if you think a touch of magic can make things more interesting, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read with some very hot massage scenes between the main characters, then you might like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.… (lisätietoja)