If you’re a fan of gay romance stories, then Felice Picano’s
new anthology for Cleis, Best Gay Romance2015, is well worth the price of admission. Sure, there are a bunch of very
short hook-up pieces and a few “WTF” moments, but the best stories in the book
are deeply romantic and beautifully written.
“Discodemius,” by Jerry Wheeler, is a real hoot. A
present-day twink casts a spell that conjures up a demon. But instead of the Azmodeus,
whom he expects, he gets “the unholy terror from the seventies, Discodemius,”
wearing a hot pink leisure suit and a “mass of medallions on gold chains that
clacked against his scaly chest.”
Be careful what you wish for, right? When Kevin wishes to be
“entertained,” he has no idea what he’s getting into. I read this one eagerly,
wondering how a time-travel story could have a happy ending, and I was
delighted by the twist at the end.
“The Great Masturbator” by Daniel Jaffe is another story
that kept me puzzled, about a man who has an out-of-body experience at a
circus. It’s a very clever twist on the idea of a romance, as well as full of
great little details and very evocative writing.
 |
| Michael Thomas Ford |
I was also delighted to see one of my favorite romance
authors, Michael Thomas Ford, represented in the anthology, and “Reader, I
Married Him” did not disappoint. When you get to the end of the story, then go
back and look at the story’s title, and you’ll understand how a master works.
As an English major myself, I loved the romantic allusion here. Go Charlotte Bronte!
One of the sexiest and most romantic stories is by two
women, Erin MacRae and Racheline Maltese, the story of a date that starts out
to be a huge screw-up, as Pete tries to remove his wedding ring (his husband
has died three years before) in preparation for a big date with Isaac. Olive
oil, lube, and Windex make for a sweetly erotic encounter that has the reader
rooting for both men.
No comments:
Post a Comment