When Summer Comes

If there was ever a doubt as to why William Maltese has carved himself a very special niche as a preeminent writer of gay erotica, When Summer Comes will put that to rest. Once again, Maltese has shown exactly why he does this; he's good at it. Very good. With unerring consistency, this book continues in the same vein as his other works of erotic writing, and is a worthy addition to his collection of Big Bang books. Make no mistake, this is X-rated writing. The loosely woven plot takes us from the sexual exploits of a group of High School friends on the West Coast, to Jason Summer and his conquests in the East; Florida, to be exact, where the sun and lifestyle make Jason's raison d'etre easy: to hustle his way across Florida first, and the country second, making his eventual way to California. Don't look for a deep plot or social commentary here, although there are characters and a thread that we follow from start to finish. Rather, think of this as a vehicle for explicit, graphic, gay sex, high-spirited and filled with Maltese's own brand of humor, quick-witted and dry. When Summer Comes is a literary version of an adult video, and nothing gets lost in the translation. If a one-handed read is the book you're after, none will surpass this one. William Maltese's When Summer Comes will deliver. Again, and again, and again.

For those of us who find ALL of William Maltese's right-on short stories (CALIFORNIA CREAMIN' and SUMMER SWEAT), must-reading, we have here, with WHEN SUMMER COMES, all of the good things of his shorter formats in an enjoyable, larger, bigger, genuinely enjoyable novel-length sexual romp that takes us from the east coast of Florida, to the west coast of California, and several states (including the big "T" for Texas) in between, throwing in Hawaii for good measure ... with Maltese's trademark horny hustlers and surfers, exhibitionists and voyeurs, cowboy and Indian, movie and television stars and personalities, along for the doesn't-get-much-better-than-this! ride. While I enjoyed Maltese's mainstream novel (with gay theme), A SLIP TO DIE FOR, and look forward to the rest of that Stud Draqual mystery series, there's just no denying how pleased I am that he didn't forget those of us who not only revel in his more down-to-earth and nitty-gritty erotica but who appreciate his ability to tell a great and sexy story with the occasional hearty dollop of don't-take-this-too-seriously humor. Humor often, I find, sadly lacking in the erotica of writers (who shall remain nameless) who take themselves and their work way tooooooo seriously.