What They Say About Love

Title: What they Say About Love
Author: Alexi Silversmith
Publisher: Torquere Books
Genre: Contemporary M/M
Length:  Single Shot (short story, 59 PDF pages)
Rating:  4.25 stars out of 5

Summary Review: A funny story about long time friends becoming lovers.

THE BLURB

When James breaks up with his girlfriend on Valentine’s night, he’s forced to confront a part of himself that he’s done his best to suppress since college, the part that wants sex with another man. He’s sure he could never share the truth with his conservative family or his best friend Ethan, so in an attempt to figure out if his fantasies are the real thing or just a phaze, he heads out to a local gay club.

On the jam-packed dance floor, it’s easy just to move to the techno beat and let things happen. But when James turns around to look at the guy giving him a grope, he gets the shock of his life. Now he doesn’t know whether he wants to grab happiness with both hands — or run for his safe, closeted life.

THE REVIEW

James had been with his very proper girlfriend for two years and decided to propose on Valentine’s night,  but he got cold feet as he contemplated a bleak future with her. They were out to dinner at an upscale restaurant and Beth was dressed to the nines because she was anticipating  that this would be the big night. After all, when a man invites his best girl out on Valentine’s, what else could be on the menu? Unfortunately for Beth something happened between getting to the restaurant and getting the ring which remained in James’s pocket as he told her those infamous words many men and women dread hearing: “It’s not you, it’s me.” Beth was understandably angry when he delivered an even more cutting blow “I never loved you”. After she stomped out of the restaurant in her brand new shoes James felt relieved, and immediately after had an overwhelming  desire to sample a different kind of fare – a man.

Since it was Valentine’s and the night was young James decided to go out and play at a gay club so that he could hook up with someone and scratch his itch. There was one man whom he wanted and had longed for for some time but he was straight, so there was no hope. That night James just wanted to find a man who would give him what he craved —  sex. While not entirely a stranger to man on man sex as he had experimented once in college when he had been a pitcher, now he wanted a different experience — to be a receiver.

When he left for his evening out with the boys no one would have recognized him since he had shed his staid persona and looked very much  like any hot gay man looking to get laid. The first man he bumped into on the dance floor was very familiar — his business partner Ethan Stone who he had had more wet dreams about than he could remember. After they both recovered from the shock the only decision they had to make was whose house would be the scene of debauchery. The sex exceeded all of James’s expectations as Ethan was a tender tutor as well as an exciting lover, but the next day brought a different set of problems. Could their new relationship survive the cold light of day?

James had really wanted the white picket fence which included the package of a wife, 2.5 kids and a dog because he felt that at 30 it was time to settle down. His IT consulting business with his partner was in the black, he had a nice house and a great looking  girlfriend that his friends envied, but he was miserable. Although Beth would have been a perfect wife and mother and he had been looking for the right woman for years, he always broke up with his girlfriends before committing himself. Ethan was the only person he felt comfortable with and lately those hot and sweaty feelings he had for him just wouldn’t go away and interfered with his other relationships.  He didn’t know whether he was bi or gay but the fact was he wanted a man and that man was his best friend Ethan.

 The story is told in third person alternating points of view so we also get Ethan’s perspective. He couldn’t stand Beth and wished many times that James would get rid of her and that she would stop trying to fix him up with her friends. She would even make comments to him about fantasies and threesomes which made him gag, and when he found out that James had come to his senses and dumped Beth he couldn’t be happier. He had always been gay but never told James because his father made homophobic remarks all the time and James never set him straight so Ethan had no idea whether James felt the same way towards gays, and he didn’t want to lose his friend by coming out to him.

What They Say About Love was a very funny story that I enjoyed muchly although I did  have a couple of issues. One of them involved James’s father who turned around on a dime, changed his tune about gay people and welcomed James’s new lifestyle. It was too sudden and there was no real explanation for his switch although there was an inference between the lines. Also, I thought that the final scene in the book was lavish and a bit over the top.

I have to hand it to Alexi Silversmith who introduced a lot of humour into what is really a well worn plot, and her writing made the story very enjoyable. In addition, the protagonists were three dimensional, they seemed very much in love, and the pacing was just right. If you’re looking for a short fun read you might want to consider What They Say About Love.