YA Gay Romances

A long while back, I had mentioned that I'd seen the movie Love, Simon, then read the book it was based on, Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertali. Perhaps because I had seen the movie first, I preferred the movie to the book -- so much so that I went and wrote a YA novel that captured the feel of Love, Simon.

Since then, my book life has been this odd mix of the regular super-erotic stuff I write/read, all the Star Trek that I'm hopelessly addicted to, and now this whole new-to-me genre of gay YA romance.

I'm currently in the midst of reading two gay YA (maybe NA?) books:

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

Mackenzi Lee

I'm about a quarter through this one. It's ... good.

I mean, yeah, it's good. But for some reason it just doesn't have me hooked. And when I just went and did a quick Google search so I could find a cover image, I was presented with links and YouTube videos of people who are raving about this book.

So ... it's obviously good. And it's probably better than I feel it is.

The book is told in Monty's POV, who's on a last tour of the Continent (Europe) before he settles down into his role as an adult in his father's estate. Along on the tour are his best friend (and sometimes paramour) Percy and his sister, as well as a chaperone. Hijinks ensue.

It's ... good. It's just not right for me. I will continue to slowly read it, though.

The Art of Falling in Love

Eli Summers

I'm currently reading an ARC of The Art of Falling In Love (which comes out in late August I believe) by my Twitter buddy Eli Summers. So, full disclosure, I'm not exactly impartial here.

I greatly enjoy Eli Summers's writing style -- it's very easy flowing and simple, but, like, in a very good way.

Holden, the main character, lives in a small town and develops feelings for Aaron and has to come to understand himself in the process. It's a rather simple tale, but it captures the sort of micro-aggressions and closed minds that those who are coming to understand themselves must face -- and by having all of this take place in a small town, those micro-aggressions and passing homophobia are just magnified, especially when one considers the more intense faith communities that exist in many small towns. I think that the depth of this plot -- as it can be fairly subtle -- would be lost in the hustle and bustle of a big city, making setting this in a small town a smart choice for storytelling.

Cameron D. James is a writer of gay smut.