Title: Past Lies
Author: Shayla Kersten
Publisher: http://ellorascave.com
Genre: Contemporary, GLBT (M/M)
Length: Novel
Rating: *** (out of 5)
Randy Martin is back in town for his 20-year high school reunion, the same town that had ostracised him in the past. Randy is looking forward to rubbing the faces of the town’s wealthy citizens in the dirt because he is now their equal or better. Best of all he is looking forward to seeing his high school crush Paul Loughton, the town’s Mayor.
Paul is dreading his high school reunion for two reasons. The first – he knows that Randy, whom he hasn’t seen since high school is going to be there. He has always had sexual feelings for Randy but never let on because of his upbringing and the fact that his father, the Judge, would be horrified and disown him. His second reason is that all the single women in town would be on the prowl when news of his broken engagement becomes public, and his ex-fiancée who is determined to get back with him is also going to be there.
When he sees Randy again Paul knows that he is going down, way down. The feelings from high school can no longer be suppressed and he drinks heavily that night to blunt them. When he becomes too drunk to drive himself home Randy offers to drive him but what he gets is a ride of the carnal kind. Their first night together is everything he has dreamed of and more; the pleasure is indescribable. Although Paul is inexperienced and has never had sex with another man he knows that Randy is the real deal for him, but neither one of them is prepared to be “outed” to his parents or have their relationship become public knowledge.
The book has a lot of wonderful sex which helps an otherwise thin plot. Shayla Kersten is a mistress in the art of writing great sex scenes and in this book she does not disappoint as each scene has a lot of emotion and variety and also a bit of kink. Paul and Randy seem made for each other.
In Past Lies the characterizations did not work for me. The two protagonists Paul and Randy are almost 40 years old but both are afraid of their parents finding out that they are gay. Randy is a high powered executive who has made millions in the technology industry but he’s scared to tell his mother he is gay even though he has been out since college; his excuse is totally transparent. Paul, a lawyer, is from a wealthy family and while clearly the Bible Belt of Arkansas would not be the most gay-friendly place to live if his sexual orientation were discovered, he could practice law elsewhere. Of the supporting characters Randy’s and Paul’s mothers seem realistic and the Judge is true to type while Diane, Paul’s ex-fiancée is the kind of woman everyone loves to hate – cunning, manipulative and avaricious.
The author redeems herself in the end but I still feel that the two men, especially Paul, needed to be stronger and more forthright earlier in the story and this is borne out by the way the conflict is resolved by someone else.
This book was formerly reviewed for Literary Nymphs Reviews
