Summer Share

4 simple stories of finding and rediscovering love, gay-style... I find that in 3 of them, they fall in love way too fast and the resolutions are way too pat and too perky. BUt who wants to read a party-pooper of a book in the bright, sunny days of summer anyway. But they are all charming in their own way.But I gave this book 5 stars just because of 1 story - Andy Schell's The Outline of a Torso. It is light, unassuming and sweet at the start but suddenly, you willingly allow yourself to get swept up in the story in order to discover the tangled relationship between Rusty and Ethan. Schell sets up situations and uses other supporting characters to pave that way for a happy ending, but he does it so cleverly that I wished that he could have turned this short story into a novel. I would have loved to delve deeper into this rediscovery of first love.

I didn't know what to expect when I purchased Summer Share. The only reason I bought the book was because I wanted to read more gay authors and figured that I could hit 4 birds with one stone. It was the ultimate surprise!I immediately became engulfed in the worlds that each author created. In this world, true love was paramount and although each protagonist had his share of heartbreaks, each man never gave up hope that one day they would find what they were searching for.I would recommend this work to anyone, and will probably make my friends read it. If you enjoy reading love stories or are weary of every falling inlove again, this is the book for you! It will change your perspectives and give you hope!

SUMMER SHARE is an anthology of four gay summer romance novellas set in four summer vacation sites and designed for perfect summer reading. The first stop is Aspen in August with SUGAR DADDY SUMMER by Chris Kenry. It features Walter, the personification of a sugar daddy; Keith and Derek, his totally obnoxious ex's; Brian, his current and most sensible flame; and Jake a man from the past and possible future. Kenry is the author of Can't Buy Me Love and this season's Uncle Max. In SUGAR DADDY SUMMER he shows all of the creative skills he showed in Can't Buy Me Love, but didn't in Uncle Max. This one gets my 4.5 stars.Next stop is P-Town with THE PERFECT HUSBAND by William J. Mann. This one features Andy Krywinski and Troy Palmer, old college buddies who are on a summer quest to P-Town - to finally find their Mr. Rights. Mann is the author of The Men From The Boys, The Biograph Girl and the upcoming Where The Boys Are. I hadn't read any of his previous works, but I probably will be in the near future since I felt his contribution to this anthology was the best written. A full 5 stars here.The exotic Hawaiian Islands (now and six years ago) are the setting for THE OUTLINE OF A TORSO by Andy Schell. Six years ago three best buds and budding gay teens were having a surfing summer when a very "straight" and seductive teen, Ethan Prather showed up and devastated not only their summer but also their lives. Now six years have gone by and the three recent college grads have returned to Maui for their summer vacation. And guess who also shows up? Schell is the author of the best selling novel, My Best Man. His contribution to Summer Share is a little more serious in tone and extremely well written. He earned my 5 stars with it.SATISFACTION by Ben Tyler takes you to the gay Mecca of Palm Springs for a series of summer weekends. Dusty, a Hollywood PR man, is in love with an older Chad, who apparently can't get enough love, until Dusty walks in to find him and his latest twink in the hot tub and naturally walks out. Dusty then sets out to rebuild his life and find love anew. Tyler is the author of Tricks Of The Trade and the current Hunk House. His tale was the most predictable of the four, but I'll give him 4 stars.SUMMER SHARE is perfect for summer reading - light, but enjoyable If you don't want to get bogged down in a long multi-page novel here's the book for you.

What a wonderful group of stories. Each one is a fun fantasy of ideal love where gorgeous hunky boy meets well-muscled Mr. Right. There's lots of humor, lots of sex, some cool locations, and everyone is rich or going to get there soon. And no matter what obstacles are put in their way, our two love-birds get together in the end just as they should. You could not ask for more fun. Don't look for tough issues here -- or kinky sex; don't look for reality, just read 'em and laugh, sigh, even shed a tear of joy. They're a great vacation read, or for when you're blue. In Summer Share, both you and those little blue birds make it over the rainbow.

SUMMER SHARE is a book you'll want to read by the pool or at the beach, then share it with your friends. Four popular gay writers are represented in this anthology. They're all great in their own way, and their short novels are fun and diverse. I especially liked Ben Tyler's "Satisfaction," and Chris Kenry's "Sugar Daddy Summer." These guys know how to write fun, absorbing, and character-driven stories. This is one of those must reads, and you'll be talking about it at parties for the rest of the year. I give it with an A+.