Why I bought the book: This is another book which has been in my TBR pile for a loooooong time, so long I'm not sure quite what prompted me to buy it. I think it was after reading a good review at Jessewave's site.Plot: Jack is a middle aged and rather curmudgeonly author whose summer is brightened up considerably when he realises that his neighbour's kid, who is earning money by gardening for him, has developed into a rather attractive 18 year old man. He's even more delighted when Ricky seduces him in his kitchen leading to a summer of no-strings fun for both of them. After the summer Ricky goes to College but neither of them are ready to break off the ties completely.
I seem to think that this books started life as a serialisation on the Turn of the Screw TQ subscription service. This shows a little in the way the book is structured in that each chapter is made up of a section where the scene is set and the plot is furthered, followed by an extended sex scene. Whilst this was still interesting and, at least at first, the sex showed a progression in the relationship, I found that by the end of the book I was getting a little tired of this structure and I skimmed the last couple of sex scenes.
What worked well in particular with the plotting was the theme of cross-dressing, which managed to be sensitively handled whilst also giving an insight into why both men enjoyed that aspect of that relationship; and the May to December theme which I shall say more about below.
Characters: There's an age gap of thirty years between the characters. I have to be honest that I found that uncomfortable at times. However, the authors did a really good job of showing both the positives and the negatives of such a gap in ages and so I settled into it after a while. Jack, as you can imagine, is very sexually experienced whereas Ricky is not (although he's not a virgin). This was a wonderful thing for Ricky whom the title of the book reflects. For Ricky does bloom during the book as he discovers himself sexually, and grows as a person through the story. Jack also blooms as a result of Ricky's enthusiasm and guileless affection. I loved how careful Jack is with Ricky, how protective he is of Ricky's emotional journey, not realising that Jack himself is being slowly charmed by Ricky. For me, this was the best part of the book. I could happily have seen a number of the sex scenes cut down or removed but the scenes before the sex when the men are just talking or dating were really special and very romantic.
Overall: Despite the slight problems I had with the overall structure and a little bit too much in terms of sex/plot ratio, this was still a darned good read for me. I really liked the dynamics between the two characters and wholly believed their romance even with the very large age gap. The book mainly focuses on the romantic couple but there are other characters and I especially liked Ricky's college friends who allowed us to see Ricky away from Jack and with people his own age; and Ricky's Dad who was a great example of a supportive and loving father. The cross dressing wasn't a huge part of the book so don't let that put you off if it's not your thing but was handled well and should be a draw for those readers who like the theme. In the end I'm giving Slow Bloom a grade of 'Very Good' and would recommend it to those who like the themes or who want to read a character based romance with plenty of very hot sex.
Buy this book HERE.
I think the problem with the structure and the almost excessive sex was the fact that it was a serial. Reading such once a month is fine, but when you just slap it all together, it suddenly is overkill chapter after chapter and doesn't really work the same as if written as a novel. It was still enjoyable but at the end I was more interested in the plot than the sex and started skimming.
ReplyDeleteUsually the big age difference makes me squirm but I didn't find it too bad, but then I wasn't really convinced that they would be together for EVAH, but for now was fine for this place in their lives.
I think you're right, Tam. Month by month the sex wouldn't have seemed too much but put together it did get a bit repetitive after a while. I can see why you started skimming.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed this a little with the serialised books that TQ convert to novels, they often don't quite work as well as a whole, although you can see that they would have been terrific when split into parts.
I really loved this book! The sex was excessive but kind of different each time, always just a little more exiting. The icing on the cake was the crossdressing. Holy sweet and sassy, I never thought I would love it so much, it was one of my favorite reads this year.
ReplyDeleteI liked this one, too. Didn't realize it started out as a serial, but it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteHi Darien
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the book too. I agree, apart from a little towards the end, the sex scenes mainly added to the progression of the romance.
This is definitely a book I'd recommend to those wanting to try a cross-dressing themed book.
Chris: I can't remember where I heard it - perhaps on that initial review at Wave's - but some of the weaknesses do make sense when you see it in the light of it having been serialised originally.