Sweetwater

July 7, 2014
A melancholy vibe permeates this historical romance, in which a conflicted gay man in 1870 Wyoming Territory comes to terms with his “unnatural” desires—and other men’s desire for him. Elijah Carter’s deafness has always set him apart in South Pass City, but he’d be outright detested if they knew he was gay as well. He surrenders himself to the rich, cruel Harlan Crane, whose brutal domination further fuels his self-loathing and confusion. Meanwhile, Elijah is pursued by Grady Mullins, a wandering cowboy who wants to treat him with tenderness and care, which Elijah’s not sure he deserves. When Elijah’s adopted father is murdered, the young man sets forth on a risky path of vengeance and anger. Henry (When All the World Sleeps) skillfully portrays her hero as a young man learning to embrace his desires, but internal angst runs heavy throughout. The sex, while frequent and varied, is occasionally passionless, while the narrative is muted and often cheerless. For an erotic romance, albeit a well-written and character-driven one, this is oddly downbeat.

September 15, 2014
Henry (Bliss, 2014) vividly and erotically explores the coming-of-age of a young gay man in 1870 Wyoming in this dark historical romance of loss, shame, grieving, and rebirth. After losing his family to scarlet fever and his own partial hearing loss, Elijah has lived with the morally upright town doctor. But Elijah works for the town butcher and has a secret night life. Not only does he help his employer slaughter stolen cattle, he is also being sexually exploited by Harlan Crane, the wealthy, domineering owner of the Empire Saloon. Conflicted about his sexuality, Elijah is attracted to cattle rustler Grady Mullins, who promises sex with kindness and maybe even love. When the doctor is slain, Elijah's world is ripped apart, and as he swears vengeance, he has no one to turn to until he discovers who his true friends are. Though Henry's plot has gaps that explicit sex scenes don't adequately fill, this is a smart, unsparing, and candid tale of a struggling gay man in the brutal Wild West.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)