Title: Rough Cut: Vincent Diamond Collected
Author: Vincent Diamond
Publisher: http://www.lethepressbooks.com/
Genre: Contemporary, GLBT (M/M)
Length: Novel
Rating: ***** (out of 5)
This eclectic collection of stories is aimed at the connoisseur of the m/m reading public. Being my first experience with Vincent Diamond’s books I didn’t know what to expect and the stories included in this collection gave me a great appreciation of his work and his writing. Most of the background is set in Florida where Mr. Diamond lives and you can feel the sultry, hot, humid heat and air almost like a slow drumbeat in the background.
Every protagonist in his stories would be considered by most to be a man’s man – physically strong, sometimes flawed, at times vulnerable and always three dimensional. Almost all of the stories are told in two and three segments making for a much richer experience with the characters that is not typically afforded the reader of short stories. The author makes no apologies for his characters and at times the writing is almost ‘in your face’ because the stories are of people in situations that are harsh and uncompromising. What I’ll try to do in this review of ROUGH CUT: VINCENT DIAMOND COLLECTED is give the reader a sense of the stories without being a spoiler
LIONS, TIGERS AND SNARES
COLD HANDS, WARM HEARTS
These two stories feature Byron, an agent for the US government working undercover as a pre-veterinarian summer intern at a big game wild life refuge and Kendall who is in charge of the refuge. In LIONS, TIGERS AND SNARES the electricity between Byron and Kendall is immediate but in the midst of getting to know each other a whole lot better a dangerous situation emerges when the owner of the refuge shows up and all hell breaks loose. In the second story COLD HANDS, WARM HEARTS there is a change of pace. I never knew there were so many uses for a freezer and ice. Oh my! Suffice it to say that I will forever remember Byron and Kendall’s adventures but I also love the emotion between them.
A COLD NIGHT’S SLEEP
FIRE
I was really moved by A COLD NIGHT’S SLEEP and the two main characters who were both damaged, physically and emotionally. Sandy, a former policeman had been hurt during a fire and bore the physical scars; he was living like a hermit when Tanner dropped in on him, literally. The attraction between them grew that night fueled by proximity until they couldn’t hold back. When they made love to each other it was as if they were two halves of a whole and the sex was both tender and raw and it didn’t matter that they were on different sides of the law.
In FIRE, Sandy and Tanner meet again three years later – Sandy now works for the Florida Parks Department teaching fire prevention to trainees. Changes have occurred in both their lives but the one constant is their overwhelming attraction to each other. I could feel the emotion and almost smell the odours described by the author, both indoors and out. What was amazing was that two such hard-bitten characters could show such feeling and tenderness. Then it is déjà vu all over again for Sandy – another day, another fire. The sex afterward – violent, sweaty and hot as they make love like animals – helps to heal Sandy’s wounds.
HAUNTED
SLIDE INTO DESIRE
WALKING THE BLUE LINE
DEEP TROUBLE UNDERCOVER
A QUESTION OF TASTE
DANGEROUS DAYS
TROPICAL DAZE
These 7 stories, easily novella length at 116 pages, are about Steven an undercover cop sent by the Jacksonville PD and the DEA to sniff out the department’s newest target – Conrad, leader of a crew of ravers and a primary suspect in a meth and ecstasy distribution operation. From their first meeting the attraction between Steven and Conrad sizzles and Steven has a hard time at first with the idea of sleeping with a man, something he has never done before, as well as getting in bed with the enemy.
Their first encounter is raw and rough and Steven is on fire; it’s as if the world as he knows it ceases to exist and his entire universe is limited to Conrad. From HAUNTED where Steven and Conrad first hook up to TROPICAL DAZE as the story plays out, the sex and lust between the two protagonists burn up the sheets and anything in their way. As they become more and more entangled Steven falls deeper and deeper for Conrad and begins to fear the emotions developing between them and the impact on his undercover assignment. Each story moves into the other and the intensity heightens until it culminates into a number of surprising events. These 7 stories show what a gifted storyteller Vincent Diamond is as he weaves this sultry tale and ratchets up the excitement to a crescendo, taking the reader along for the ride.
The other stories – SHEPHERD, BRUISED, BACK IN THE SADDLE, HORSING AROUND and IRISH CREAM are all excellent but space will not permit me to expand on them. What impressed me the most is the incredible writing style of Vincent Diamond and the wide range of subjects explored in the book which demonstrates his experience, skill and eloquent voice. Mr. Diamond does not avoid any topic in this book and goes boldly where most authors do not tread. He tackles previously taboo topics and many of the stories are about making choices. From a paroled prisoner in a liaison with a former police officer to an investigator at a big cat reserve getting ‘jiggy’ with his potential mark, to another officer deep undercover in more ways than one with his target and loving it, this book explores the seamy and sensual sides of the Sunshine State.
Fans of Mr. Diamond’s work and first time readers will love this book and I have no hesitation giving it 5 stars.
Interesting. I’m trying to stay clear of anthologies since most of those I read lately were disappointing with only one or two stories worth reading, often worse in the case of anthologies with 10 stories and more. But it’s different when all the stories are from the same author (given that you like said author, of course). Having the same characters coming back in several short stories allows you to develop them so much more, as if they were a novel, so they’re usually better. So I’ll put this book on the waiting list of my ‘must buy’ list. That list is too long to truly add anything to it right now, but when there,s a free spot I’ll move it there ;).
Hi Mary
I hear you about anthologies but I liked the stories in this one because the characters were totally different. However some of them were pretty intense and not for the faint of heart.
There’s another anthology you might want to consider as well – Mr. Right Now from Dreamspinner. Haven’t finished it as yet but when I do I’ll review it.