Title: Aquamarine
Author: Sara Bell
Publisher: http://torquerebooks.com
Genre: Contemporary, GLBT (M/M)
Length: 47 pages
Rating: ** 1/2 (out of 5)
Derek Hoffman and Ford Galloway have been best friends since they roomed together as college freshmen. Derek who is “out” as a gay football player, and Ford who is straight, play for the same college football team, the Coast Southern Cougars. Derek has been nominated for the Heisman Trophy and his boyfriend Paul, an aspiring actor, is always in the news talking about his relationship with Derek whose family thinks Paul is a jerk and is only with Derek because he wants to bask in his reflected glory. Paul’s recent announcement of their engagement is the last straw, taking Derek and his family totally by surprise.
Then Derek suffers a career-ending injury during a game. Ford is distraught and will not leave his side during his hospital stay and offers to take care of him during his convalescence. Derek’s supposed fiancé Paul, who had been MIA since his accident, shows up just long enough to break up with him, a move anyone could see coming a mile away somewhat like a pitcher telegraphing his next pitch to the hitter.
Derek had been in love with Ford long before he met Paul but always thought that he was straight, however Ford seems to be unusually tender and loving toward him when he is injured and he wonders if he is reading the signs correctly, but he doesn’t want to risk a rebuff. Things quickly come to a head when Ford comes home and sees the new gay male nurse helping Derek in the bathroom.
Aquamarine could have been a very good story but the main characters are not very believable. The story is told from Derek’s POV and I find it hard to relate to him. How could he have been blind to the fact that Paul was only using him and disregard the advice of everyone he loved and respected to stick with this guy? I can’t understand why he did not drop Paul after the engagement fiasco. There are errors in the book including name switches which make it difficult to keep the characters straight. Also, Ford changed from hetero to gay three quarters of the way through the book with a very lame explanation which didn’t seem to be logical. I have given this book 2.5 stars because at least the sports background seems credible.
This book was previously reviewed for Literary Nymphs Reviews
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I read AQUAMARINE last month and thought it was dreadful (gave it 2.5 or 3 stars, I think). Mary M read it and liked it. LOL
Hi Jen
I’m so happy we agree about this book. I think it’s a story of missed opportunities which is too bad – it could have been a lot better. I sometimes wonder where the editors are in the whole equation, but c’est la vie.
Well what do you know. Am I the only one who LOVEd that story? :-DD I thought it was lovely and seriously, couldn’t find anything wrong with it, except maybe the first “real” sex scene at the end – totally anticlimatic. I found the character really cute. Maybe it could have been better, but I liked it enough that I didn’t bother thinking how it might have been improved. I only do that with a story I find truly dreadful. Like both of you with this story, I guess :-D. Lol.
Hi Mary
I loved the concept; but then there were the name switches and also some of the plot was incomprehensible (to me.) The author lost me half way through the book but I had to finish it because I was reviewing it for another site as well. Hey, I gave it a 3 because I love sports and books with a sports theme – Jen gave it 2.5 LOL
Lol. If anything, the sport aspect would be a downside for me because I’m so not into sports. Football less than anything. I didn’t notice the name switches, but then, sometimes I just don’t see it. And I like the straight-guy-turning-out gay thing enough to overlook plausability, so that might be why I was OK with the plot :-DD Lol. As I told Jen, if you didn’t like this one, you probably won’t enjoy Sara’s other short story Heart Song, which had a similar feel and kind of plot. Of course, I loved that one too :-DD
The sports aspect was what made me want to read the book. I’m somewhat of a sports junkie but when she lost me on the name switches and other stuff, I gave up. I do love the concept of straight guy turns gay with best friend but I felt that this story didn’t quite live up to its promising start.
Thanks for the tip on Heart Song – guess I won’t rush out to get it LOL
Without even reading it I can see the problem in the blurb which states Ford is straight, which is obviously not going to be the case.
Randy
This is the type of story that many M/M readers love, it’s called “Gay For You,” and as a reader you have to suspend disbelief, the same way you would about paranormal stories. Many of the books are quite good – this one just failed on all levels.