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St. Nacho's by Z.A. Maxfield
Jan. 4th, 2009 08:31 pmSt. Nacho's by Z.A. Maxfield
Published by Loose Id, © 2008
Excerpt available here.
Available for purchase here.
Why did I buy this book? I’ve been on a m/m ebook binge lately. Stopped by Loose Id and saw the new release, and the blurb caught my attention. Also, I really liked the name St. Nacho.
What did I think about the cover art? It is by Anne Cain; I like her style generally. A lot of ebooks tend to have ugly, cartoony art (from some program named Poser?) or manga-ish art, which isn’t really to my taste. It’s a little heavy on the man-titty, but still pretty good.
What did I think of the book? The content of the book lived up to the hook, I think.
Cooper is a mess when he arrives in St. Ignacio; he’s been on the road, wandering, for more than three years. A recovering alcoholic, a musician who wasted his gift on alcohol and drugs, he is unable and unwilling to connect with other human beings, feeling safer in isolation. Music seems to be his only consolation, but even that seems to pain him sometimes. It isn’t until the plot is fairly well advanced that the reader learns why Cooper is punishing himself and living in self-imposed isolation.
Community and place play significant roles in St. Nacho’s; not just the titular town, but Cooper’s hometown of River Falls, Wisconsin. It is fascinating to contrast the influence of the two on Cooper and other characters, being a bit of a case study on history, memory and forgiveness. Maxfield did an excellent job of showing Cooper's struggle with his guilt about the past and the obligations that he felt because of that past, and his attempt (or not) to reconcile that guilt with the new life he has found in St. Ignacio.
As a general observation, I find that m/m romance seems to have a lot of sex. (I’ve had a hard time finding “sweet” m/m romance, but it must be out there; I’m probably not looking in the right places. Any recommendations would be appreciated.) Too much sometimes, IMO, because many authors struggle (and fail) to balance the character development and plot with the love/sex scenes. Maxfield didn’t have that problem. The physical intimacy between Shawn and Cooper changed and evolved as their relationship did, and I appreciated seeing the changes unfold.
The only knock I have for the ebook is that Shawn, as a character, is rather enigmatic and undeveloped. He’s a young college student, deaf, a busboy at Nacho’s; he comes across as almost preternaturally confident and secure. It would've been nice to see inside his head at certain points of the book. The narration, entirely from Cooper’s point of view, is the reason for this. Ultimately, though, St. Nacho’s, although a romance novel, is about Cooper’s redemption and self-forgiveness, so the focus on him and the underdevelopment of Shawn doesn’t bother me too much.
Keep or pass on? Keep, definitely.
Had I read this author before? Nope. I’m not sure if this author has been published before; now that I’ve read and enjoyed St. Nacho’s, I’ll be checking to see if s/he has a backlist or a website.
Published by Loose Id, © 2008
Excerpt available here.
Available for purchase here.
Cooper has spent the last three years running from a painful past. He's currently moving from town to town, working in restaurant kitchens, and playing his violin for tips. As soon as he starts to feel comfortable anywhere—with anyone—he moves on. He's aware that music may be the only human language he still knows. Ironically, the one man he's wanted to communicate with in all that time is deaf.
Shawn is part of a deaf theater group at the nearby college. Shawn wants Cooper as soon as they meet and he begins a determined flirtation. Cooper is comfortable with down and dirty sex, just not people. As far as Shawn is concerned, dirty sex is win-win, but he wants Cooper to let him into the rest of his life as well.
Cooper needs time to heal and put his past away for good. Shawn needs to help Cooper forgive himself and accept that he can be loved. Both men find out that when it comes to the kind of healing love can bring, the sleepy beachside town of Santo Ignacio, “St. Nacho's” as the locals call it, may just be the very best place to start.
Why did I buy this book? I’ve been on a m/m ebook binge lately. Stopped by Loose Id and saw the new release, and the blurb caught my attention. Also, I really liked the name St. Nacho.
What did I think about the cover art? It is by Anne Cain; I like her style generally. A lot of ebooks tend to have ugly, cartoony art (from some program named Poser?) or manga-ish art, which isn’t really to my taste. It’s a little heavy on the man-titty, but still pretty good.
What did I think of the book? The content of the book lived up to the hook, I think.
Cooper is a mess when he arrives in St. Ignacio; he’s been on the road, wandering, for more than three years. A recovering alcoholic, a musician who wasted his gift on alcohol and drugs, he is unable and unwilling to connect with other human beings, feeling safer in isolation. Music seems to be his only consolation, but even that seems to pain him sometimes. It isn’t until the plot is fairly well advanced that the reader learns why Cooper is punishing himself and living in self-imposed isolation.
Community and place play significant roles in St. Nacho’s; not just the titular town, but Cooper’s hometown of River Falls, Wisconsin. It is fascinating to contrast the influence of the two on Cooper and other characters, being a bit of a case study on history, memory and forgiveness. Maxfield did an excellent job of showing Cooper's struggle with his guilt about the past and the obligations that he felt because of that past, and his attempt (or not) to reconcile that guilt with the new life he has found in St. Ignacio.
As a general observation, I find that m/m romance seems to have a lot of sex. (I’ve had a hard time finding “sweet” m/m romance, but it must be out there; I’m probably not looking in the right places. Any recommendations would be appreciated.) Too much sometimes, IMO, because many authors struggle (and fail) to balance the character development and plot with the love/sex scenes. Maxfield didn’t have that problem. The physical intimacy between Shawn and Cooper changed and evolved as their relationship did, and I appreciated seeing the changes unfold.
The only knock I have for the ebook is that Shawn, as a character, is rather enigmatic and undeveloped. He’s a young college student, deaf, a busboy at Nacho’s; he comes across as almost preternaturally confident and secure. It would've been nice to see inside his head at certain points of the book. The narration, entirely from Cooper’s point of view, is the reason for this. Ultimately, though, St. Nacho’s, although a romance novel, is about Cooper’s redemption and self-forgiveness, so the focus on him and the underdevelopment of Shawn doesn’t bother me too much.
Keep or pass on? Keep, definitely.
Had I read this author before? Nope. I’m not sure if this author has been published before; now that I’ve read and enjoyed St. Nacho’s, I’ll be checking to see if s/he has a backlist or a website.
