A Bit of Rough by Lauren Baumbach

[jmc_bks]

(c) 2006, Torquere Press, available at Fictionwise.com.

I think I read a recommendation of A Bit of Rough in a discussion about m/m romance on either a listserve or in the comments on a romance reader blog, I'm not sure. And there it was, available at ebookwise.com when I was looking for something to read. Et voila, I downloaded a copy. [That's the danger of ebooks for me -- instant gratification -- where pre-ebook, I would've just fished something out of the TBR pile.]

When a handsome and seductive stranger tries to pick him up in a biker bar, architect James Justin impulsively lets it happen. But his fling with hunk Bram Lord for a one night stand turns into something bigger. Forceful, highly physical, Bram matches and exceeds James' sexual fantasies, but shy, uncertain James struggles to be everything the strongly committed Bram wants. Personal demons and family secrets make the road to a happy for both of them as they struggle to find balance and create a relationship they can both be happy in.

Read the excerpt here.

ABoR drops the reader right into the action. Literally. James, a junior architect at a well-known firm, is sticking out like a sore thumb in a rough-neck kind of bar. He follows Bram, a handsome stranger, out into the alley behind the bar and they have amazingly hot sex. After a partial post-coital introduction (James doesn't know Bram's name yet), they separate and make plans to see each other the next night. And they are off and running.

I enjoyed the plot -- no trumped up suspense or adventure or drama, just two people getting to know each other. The book blurb (as usual) was a little over the top. Personal demons? Family secrets? Huh? Did I miss them? James didn't strike me as shy, just reserved. The family "secrets" were pretty average and not really secret at all. The major issue was James's discomfort with being out professionally, and even that was a relatively small part of the story.

Both characters need to be flagged for early use of the Three Little Words. They had known each other for 24 hours when they started dropping the L-Bomb and talking about commitment. I don't believe in Love At First Sight -- I believe in Lust At First Sight and Immediate Attraction, which can grow into love, but how can you be in love with someone whose company you've been in for only a few hours?

Otherwise, it was a fast, hot, slightly purple read. B-/C+ range for me.

Thinking about ABoR in the context of the other M/M romances I've read, ABoR is both alike and different. The notable difference is the assignment of masculine and feminine gender characteristics. Obviously they are both men, but one seems to fit the "man" role, while another fits into the typical "female" role. This is unlike other M/M books I've read in which neither hero had all of the so-called softer characteristics of a heroine, even if one was more macho than the other in some ways. In ABoR, Bram is ultra-masculine, while James is, well, girly. His physical description (petite, cute, etc.) is composed of nouns easily applied to women. Even when he stands up for himself to a bully, it seems like Bram is humoring him by letting him do so. I guess what I'm saying is that ABoR seemed to be sticking to a stereotype that I hadn't read before. Maybe the stereotype is there and I just haven't read it before. :shrugs:

Comments

Book rec

[jperceval.livejournal.com]

This one's far from erotica, but one of my favorites with a gay relationship: Halfway Home by Paul Monette. If you can find a copy, it's well worth the read.

Re: Book rec

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recommendation. I've been looking for M/M that is not erotica, but it is harder to find than I thought, both online and in bricks and mortar stores. I'm sure it is out there, I've probably not been searching properly.