Hidden treasures

Since my own writing isn’t doing anything new and exciting right now, I thought I’d do a different type of post this time. I usually don’t talk about other people’s books here. I’m not sure why not, except that I tend to keep things compartmentalized. I write a lot of reviews on Goodreads – over 550 so far. I enjoy letting people know about the books I love, and turning new readers on to great storytelling.

A recent book release, that didn’t get the full attention I expected, made me think about all those hidden treasures – the books I’ve read and loved, and wonder why the whole world isn’t snapping them up and loving them too. You know the ones. Although your list is no doubt different from mine, because in the wonder of human diversity, there is also diversity of tastes. But I’m sure you also have that list of the books you’ve loved, the ones that charmed, amused or uplifted you, or wrecked you for a span of time, while making the real world go away. Stories written by talented authors who somehow haven’t found the audience they deserve.

Anyway, since my email in-box is annoyingly silent on the topic of ongoing manuscripts, and real life is a bitch, I thought maybe we could give each other this – books that make life better, and that not enough people have read.

I’m going to give you my list here, with a bit of general chat about what the story did for me, and a link to my full reviews, which tend to be wordy. (Who me? Never.) These are not all of my top favorite books, by any means, but I don’t think I need to tell you to go read Amy Lane or Harper Fox or Jordan Castillo Price or Heidi Cullinan. All of them have written wonderful take-to-a-desert-island books that I love. But unless you’re very new to the genre, you’ve already sampled those and formed your own opinions. These are the lesser-known books, ones with fewer than five hundred ratings on Goodreads, often a lot fewer. I’ll give you my top ten… I invite you to list your own hidden gems in the comments below.
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King Perry by Edmond Manning : This is the book that got me thinking about the topic. The second book in this projected six-book series just came out, and those who loved the first were thrilled. But there aren’t enough of us. In my review of this first book, I wrote, “This isn’t a romance. I’m not sure what it is, other than brilliant and surprising and imaginative and unexpected. There is poignancy mixed with a lot of humor…” This book startled and perplexed and delighted me, once I let go of my expectations and fell into the brilliant narrative. It’s the first book in a voyage of discovery for and about the narrator, Vin Vanbly, as he interacts with one man after another, changing them and himself in the process.

I should point out that I am now a friend of the author’s. But I wasn’t when I read the book, and wrote this enthusiastic review. This is a book I could never have written, but I’m delighted to have read. You can get a feel for the author’s voice by reading his enormously entertaining (but way too sparse, Edmond, dammit) blog; try this entry about his Mom and her post office. The same mix of humor, insight, playfulness and compassion informs his fiction writing.

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Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen : Tamara Allen writes some of the very best historical M/M stories I’ve ever read. They are not erotic – the sex is mostly off-page – but the love, the passion, the emotions are very much front and center. The atmosphere is captivating, the characters real, the research impeccable and unobtrusive. I love everything of hers I’ve read.

And make no mistake – these are books about real men, living and loving and going through life, whose time just happens to be a century or so ago. You could know no history at all, and still love these men. Whistling in the Dark I think is my favorite, although it’s a close call. This book has two men dealing with the traumas left behind from serving overseas during WWI, surviving injuries, and loss, and PTSD. As they each work to make a place for themselves in a world that has dealt them major blows, and still isn’t cutting them much of break now that they’re home, they meet, and recognize a kinship in each other. My Goodreads review is here.

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Ravages by R.A. Padmos : This is a tough read. Two professional soccer players, very much in love, and in the closet, are devastated by the horrendously vicious gay-bashing of the older of the two. This book deals with the aftermath, both physical and psychological, of the trauma, and of the younger man’s decision to come out publicly, in support of his beloved. Beautifully written and intense, with a love that is idealized and yet feels true to the core, this deserves a wider audience. For those who can handle the pain at its start, there is a rich reward of love at its end. My Goodreads review is here.

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Knight Errant by K.D. Sarge : This is a lighthearted romp with a delightful main character. Although it is science fiction, the SF background is very light, and the focus of the story is heavily on the main character, Taro, and his approach to a developing relationship with former joy-boy Rafe, to dealing with the sister whose mentorship he is beginning to outgrow, and to a world that he more than meets head on. Taro may be young, inexperienced in sex and love, and trying to behave, but he is also brilliant, headstrong, wild, and talented. This is a wonderful ride, a fast, smooth, entertaining story with adventure, wit, and true love. The sex becomes plentiful in the plot, but happens exclusively off the page, making this also suitable for older YA. My Goodreads review is here.

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Diversion by Eden Winters : The strength in this contemporary mystery book is in the main characters, particularly Lucky, who is smart-assed, brilliant, and prickly in protection of a vulnerable heart he would never admit to owning. The setting is unique, having its focus on the unfamiliar world of prescription drug distribution abuses. The background was well-researched, and fuels the interesting plot, but never intrudes on the heart of the story – the growing relationship between Lucky, and Bo, his honorable and self-controlled Narcotics Bureau partner. My Goodreads review is here.

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Bonds of Earth by G.N. Chevalier : This is another lovely historical romance, once again about men facing the aftermath of WWI. In a different style and feel than the Tamara Allen book, this is a slower, more poignant, somewhat darker and less vigorous story, beautifully written and satisfying at its end. My Goodreads review is here.

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White Knuckled Moments by Madeleine Ribbon : Amazingly, for a book whose MC is a young college guy facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, this is a positive, fairly low-angst story. It’s a sweet tale of young love, and a story about family, about coming out and dealing with life and expectations. There are great secondary characters, notably the MC’s brother. The narrator has been dealing with brain tumors since he was ten, and also hiding his sexuality from a large, religious family. Now, faced with the possibility of not living out the year, he must decide what really matters to him. Finding a chance at love makes it both easier, and harder. The author somehow found just the right tone to show me where her MC lives, caught between fear and resignation, affection and self interest, now seasoned with love, disappointment and just a touch of hope. Very well done. My Goodreads review is here.

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A Hole in God’s Pocket by K.Z. Snow : This story deals with two men, exiled from their religious communities by their sexuality, trying to make sense of attraction, love and faith. It is not an angry book, but is filled with the sense of lost possibilities. This is a lament to the pain that narrow-minded adherence to doctrine can cause, and a hymn to the healing qualities of love. The love story is very sweet and the general tone is low angst, as these two men find a new community in each other. My Goodreads review is here.

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Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk : This is a fun paranormal, historical story with a great MC couple, especially the shy scholarly narrator, and also includes a wonderful strong female secondary character. It’s a bit reminiscent of the classic turn-of-the-century paranormal adventure stories like King Solomon’s Mines, but with a wonderful M/M romance added in. There is great sexual tension, and eventually sweet, hot sex, with monsters, magic, and the triumph of brains over brawn, although brawn is celebrated too. The sequel is also wonderful, and this has the bonus of a lovely cover. My Goodreads review is here.

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The General and the Horse Lord by Sarah Black : A contemporary romance, despite the fantasy-sounding title. The horses in question are Apache helicopters. Both men are military officers, now retiring and leaving behind stellar careers in the DADT military they served. They have a long-time relationship that has deepened into unbreakable love, although one of the men got married in hopes of a family, and, unable to stay away from his lover, has been cheating on his wife all this time. With retirement, the risks of coming out are reduced, and for once these men can think about putting their relationship ahead of the careers they have loved. But there is a cost, in pain for them and their families, and in the difficulty of reworking their lives in this new image. The military mindset is hard to leave behind, and the betrayed wife is justifiably angry and hurt, and perhaps unjustifiably vengeful. I loved the realistic tone of this established-couples romance. My Goodreads review is here.

So that’s my top ten, whittled down out of about twenty-five I could have named. I hope some of you will have your interest piqued (please, not peaked… saw that error three times in the last week) by one of these books. And I’d love to hear about the books you think the world should be celebrating, and isn’t, yet…