Fifty Shades of Gay

Title: Fifty Shades of Gay
Author: Jeffery Self
Cover Artist: Scott Carpenter
Publisher: Riverdale Ave Books
Buy Link:  Buy Link 50 Shades of Gay  http://riverdaleavebooks.com/
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: Novel/176 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

A Guest Review by Sammy

Review Summary: A hilarious look at Hollywood romance, self-discovery and coming out of the closet all rolled into one hot and sexy novel.

Blurb: Meeting his celebrity crush was one thing, but even Hollywood could not have written what happened next.

Inspired by E.L. James’ international phenomenon, 50 Shades of Grey, Jeffery Self’s 50 Shades of Gay tells the story of a young celebrity blogger, Alex Kirby, who interviews Taylor Grayson, a superstar leading man in Hollywood blockbuster films. Grayson also happens to be a closeted gay man with a passion for BDSM. When Grayson draws the younger man into his private orbit and initiates him into his sexual world, the younger man can tell that kinky sex has shielded Grayson from having a real emotional connection with another man. But he is head over heels in love with the older, powerful, gorgeous man who has selected him for the pleasures of submission. Ultimately, Alex decides to experiment with the power differential between them, and see if he can break through the armor that Grayson and his layers of Hollywood handlers have imprisoned him in. Will he be able to open Grayson up to real intimacy, or will he cause Grayson to end the relationship and cut himself off yet again?

Review: So, dear readers, I hope I am not alone here in saying that I have never read Fifty Shades of Grey. So, when I saw Fifty Shades of Gay by Jeffrey Self on the review list I paused, wondering if this might not be either a) a parody of the original m/f book or b) a gay version of the same. Needless to say I was intrigued and scooped it up from Wave as soon as I could. While I now know the answer to the aforementioned puzzler, I also know this: I laughed myself silly over this book, gasped aloud at the naughty scenes and silently cheered at the end. Allow me to introduce you to the finer points of Fifty Shades of Gay.

Alex Kirby, aspiring writer, 24 year old virgin is asked by his roommate to fill in for him on a four  minute interview with the uber-sexy movie star, Taylor Grayson. Alex who is not your most bold or brave of characters, manages to make the interview and squeak out one insipid question before being dismissed by Grayson’s handlers. But, much to his surprise, he later receives a personal invitation to Grayson’s premier opening and finds himself backstage with the man who is definitely interested in learning more about Alex. Taylor is shrouded in a mystery of his own making, however, and before Alex can assimilate it all, he is signing confidentiality statements and being offered a Dom/sub contract to have an affair with the very closeted Taylor Grayson.

Taylor, is perhaps one of the more interesting characters I have read in a while. The minor glimpses we get from author Jeffrey Self into how the man’s dominant mind works and what he considers a “non-romantic” partnership is fascinating to say the least. Taylor’s response and seeming inability to be affectionate made my head spin at times and I found myself, on more than one occasion, yelling at my kindle for Alex to run far and fast away from the man. Of course, it was always at this point in the story that Mr. Self’s special brand of humor would come romping out to play and I would laugh my way into the next tense relational section of the novel.

As is often the case with shorter books, I wanted a bit more. I wanted the ending to be a little less glib, the resolution to what seemed as almost insurmountable problems should have taken longer and the moments of discovery about how each man brought baggage to the relationship needed to be explored just a tad more. But while this was may have been my laundry list of how I wanted a longer story, it did not detract from the overall smart and witty quality of the book–it was good, better than good and I hope this author continues to write because he has a wicked sense of humor and is a deft storyteller to boot.

So, whether you have read that other fifty shades or not, I think, dear reader, that this Fifty Shades of Gay by Jeffrey Self should go on your to buy list–but, as always the decision is yours. Know that there are bdsm elements in the book—but none that will overwhelm or make you squeamish by my standard. Let me know if you decide to pick this gem up!