The Impersonator

Title: The Impersonator
Author Shawn Lane
Publisher: AmberAllure
Genre: Contemporary M/M
Length Novella 18k
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

A guest review by Raine

Summary Review : A pleasing novella; its emotional range is more hurt, pissed off and horny than ‘Heartbbreak Hotel’.

THE BLURB

After being dumped by his boyfriend, Benjamin Pomeroy has hot club sex with a gorgeous new employee at the same las Vegas hotel where Ben works as an Elvis impersonator. And shortly thereafter, Ben abruptly loses his job when the new CEO, Maxwell Orton, decides that Elvis no longer fits the hotels’s image.

Facing the grueling prospect of locating a steady job, Ben needs extra cash to tide himself over. To help the situation, Ben’s brother Phillip, also employed at the hotel, offers him a paying propposition-swap identities with Phillip at a masquerade ball being given by Maxwell Orton, for the hotel’s higher echelon employees. Attendance being mandatory, but Phillip has made other important plans that he refuses to cancel. To Ben, the idea of switching places with his brother seems preposterous, yet harmless enough. Besides, its easy money right? And after all, he’ll be wearing a mask the entire time, so no one will learn of the deception.

But the masquerade doesn’t go as planned when Ben discovers, to his complete shock that Maxwell is actually the sexy hotel employee whom he entertained at the local gay club…

THE REVIEW

This novella is part of Amber Allure’s Masquerade Series. The specific requirement for authors was that, “your main hero must meet the love of his life at this masquerade ball.” Another requirement was that the writer should chose one from a selection of mask photographs, the costume that their hero and the book’s cover would wear.

This is the first work I’ve read by Shawn Lane. The location, in and around Las Vegas’s hotels and casinos was effective. I got a good sense of urban show business, slightly seedy, hot and hungry – Vegas style.

Ben comes across as quite young. His ambitions in show business have been delayed by his regularly paid job as an Elvis impersonator for a Vegas hotel. When his settled life gets a bit complicated, dumped by his live-in boyfriend, post break-up he indulges in casual hookups with some good hot sex scenes.

Things get worse when he is made redundant and is tempted by his rather dislikable, more successful, brother Phillip’s offer to earn some quick money, by impersonating him at an obligatory and important work function. The masked fancy dress reception is for the hotel’s new CEO to meet his senior staff. His closeted married brother has an adulterous weekend he refuses to cancel.

Ben recognises a previous hookup at the ball. It is only after more sex that Ben discovers that Trey is actually the new CEO, Maxwell Trey Orton, and as he puts it, “The shit has hit the fan”

The story has quite a nice cinderfella, mistaken or unknown identity thing going on. With the reveal at the masquerade ball Ben scurries away, without leaving a shoe but the scene has still been set. Ben is sweet, poor and has only mislaid his normal integrity. Trey is rich and powerful. Unfortunately I found his attraction for Ben to be, even within this emotionally grounded story, underwritten.

Trey seems an unlikely character as a CEO to a big organisation, following his impulses with Ben which seem reckless in the extreme. He is so taken by Ben who he knows is employed by his hotel, he has sex with him at a local club. This is risky enough but then to blatantly have oral sex in an alcove,

“…..No one will interrupt and if they do, well, I guess they’ll get a show.”

This, at a function in his honour, has to be professional suicide.

The emotional motivation is just too understated to carry the weight of his actions. After the ball, when he turns up at Ben’s apartment, he says,

”He wasn’t even sure why he was here. He liked Ben, of course. The man was gorgeous and very fuckable.”

and later,

” What was it about Ben that always made him want to attack the man? ”

Whatever it was I didn’t feel it came across strongly enough to suggest Ben was the love of his life. It is only Ben’s integrity that prevents Trey from being in a very awkward situation. Indeed Ben has a sweetness that is appealing, knowing when he is behaving badly and determined to be independent in his career.

I liked that Ben and Trey talked to each other and managed to avoid what looked like a set up for one of those annoying misunderstandings. I thought Ben’s brother was enough of a wildcard asshole to create a bit of tension, without being an over the top villain. He even had some redeeming features.

The emotional range level of this novella is not one of heightened angst, despair and lust. For the most part, I liked that it had it’s emotional feet on the ground. Perhaps this understatement fed into my final feelings about the book, as consequently I liked this novella but I didn’t love it. However, one of my personal criteria for a good book is: Will I read it again? So answering that question -yes, I will be spending more time with Ben.

Shawn Lane is clearly an experienced writer within this genre and has a strong following that I am sure they will enjoy this.