Designs of Desire by Tempeste O'Riley
Definitely not my usual reading fare, I picked this book up at a recent library conference. As a librarian with a passion for readers' advisory I like to be familiar with a large variety of genres and authors, and this book definitely filled a gap for me.
This is the first gay romance I have read, and it was more explicit than I am generally comfortable in a romance book. I will be reading some others in this genre to get a broader sense of what is out there for readers looking for books of this type.
This book has lots going on. The main character James is a graphic commercial designer and an artist and has a history of bad relationships. The love interest Seth is head of a large local corporation looking to expand into the area of bed and breakfasts appealing to the GLBT community. He has hired James' company to do the branding for this new venture and James is assigned to the job.
James also has a physical disability that he has learned how to accommodate his lifestyle to and doesn't like having others do things for him because they think he can't.
When people from James' past begin to make threats against him, thinks start happening quickly.
One thing I found a bit uncomfortable about this novel was the subservient nature of James at times. I agree that everyone has a right to their own way of getting sexual pleasure as long as all involved are on board, but James' submissiveness comes into his public life as well, calling Seth "sir" and obeying him without question at times. I wouldn't be comfortable with this behaviour in a woman, and so wasn't comfortable with it here either, despite James seeming to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment