 Cheri
Rosenberg reivews three novels in this issue...Bought & Paid For by Michael Halfhill Common Sons by Ronald L.
Donaghe
Imperceptible Danger by DC
Elmore
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 by Michael Halfhill ISBN: 0-595-30490-7 Bought and Paid For by Michael Halfhill is about a boy on the cusp of his eighteenth birthday. Jan Phillips has recently completed high school at Saint Dominic’s Academy under the tutelage of Father Sobinski, and his impoverished mother wants him to get a job. Joy Phillips has six mouths to feed and feels it’s time her eldest son pulls his own weight. Having been given an ultimatum, Jan goes out in search of work, but comes up empty handed. Jan first hears about the “Tenderloin District” in Philadelphia from a friend who confides in him that he goes there and makes money by having sex with old men. Having been sheltered by his mother and Father Sobinski his whole life, Jan is repulsed when his friend suggests that with his good looks he could make a fortune. With his mentor Father Sobinski relocated to Rome, and his mother kicking him out of the nest, Jan sees no alternative than to try to make money the way his friend suggested. He leaves his row house in Kensington, and takes the bus to the “Mary-Go-Round” in Center City where sex can be bought. The extremely wealthy, handsome and charismatic, Tim Morris, notices and takes an interest in the beautiful blond boy, who he dubs Goldilocks. Tim keeps an eye on Jan from his penthouse window, which conveniently overlooks the Tenderloin District. Tim notices that Jan isn’t making any money so decides to meet the boy. After listening to Jan’s story and impressing the poor boy with his wealth, Tim makes him a business proposition. “Your mother needs money and she has you. I have money and I want you. It would be a simple exchange.” Should Jan try to convince his mother to sell him, her own son? Jan is not yet aware of his own sexuality, having lived his life in a social-sexual vacuum. “Jan has been taught all his life that…he would be damned for being queer.” Bought and Paid For is multi-dimensional fiction at its best. A romantic layer details the love that develops when Jan falls in love with his moody mentor, Tim. Jan is a complex character who is not just another pretty boy—he’s smart too. As the story unfolds, you learn why Tim behaves the way he does, and why he finds love and intimacy so scary. Another layer deals with the espionage aspect of the story as the characters find themselves in sticky and dangerous situations. The reader discovers that Tim is grooming Jan for clandestine international activities of the Mundus Society—but for what purpose? You have to read the book to find out. A truly wonderful character is Mrs. Santos, Tim’s trustworthy housekeeper, confidant, and friend. She does more than cook delectable meals and run the household; she has a wisdom that gets Tim though his emotional rough spots. Mrs. Santos becomes a surrogate mother to Jan once he moves in with Tim. Michael Halfhill is a talented storyteller. In Bought and Paid For, using third person narration, Halfhill captures the reader from the minute the first word is read. The intriguing, suspenseful, and sometimes disturbing story of Jan Phillips and Tim Morris goes way beyond an older man falling for a much younger, impressionable boy. Finding out what Tim really wants from Jan is part of what keeps the reader engrossed in the story. The other part is living vicariously through Jan as Tim teaches him about a world he has only read about in books. Aside from any moral judgments about this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and was enamored of Jan and Tim. Some may be offended by the age difference and circumstances leading to Tim’s capture of Jan’s heart, but others might see the relationship as that of two consenting adults who fall in love. Halfhill makes us root for the characters despite what's deemed morally unacceptable. Bought and Paid For has everything from romance, love, sex, religion, politics, prostitution, family, society, and morality issues to international intrigue. I give my highest praise and five stars plus for the first effort by Michael Halfhill. I eagerly await the sequel Scimitar. |
 Imperceptible DANGER by D. C. Elmore ISBN: 1-59457-490-1 Global Book Publisher, 2004, $15.99 In D. C. Elmore’s Imperceptible DANGER, we meet world-renowned photographer Tristin Dobbs who thinks nothing of taking risks in her professional life; she even photographs sharks at close range. The thirty-three year old is adept at surviving in the wild and taking on dangerous assignments to further her career, but when it comes to matters of the heart, Tristin is much more cautious. She is attractive to both men and women and according to those who know her, she could have her pick of dates. If that’s true, then why is she single? Tristin’s sister Lauren is the owner of the “Wilderness Escape,” which sponsors organized guided camping trips. Out of the goodness of her heart, Tristin agrees to go on the fourteen-day excursion to take professional photographs for Lauren’s next brochure. She could think of better ways to spend her vacation than with a bunch of city girls “who think spending a couple weeks in the woods is going to miraculously change their lives forever…” (p. 2-3) until she meets the lovely lawyer Danielle Eason. Danielle is breathtaking, “…her eyes sparkling with unparalleled beauty.” (p. 11) A novice camper with perhaps other things on her mind than back packing, Danielle has brought a suitcase along for a hiking adventure. Tristin, the more experienced camper, decides to help Danielle and is immediately taken with the girl’s radiance. She allows Danielle to share her backpack and sleeping bag. They become instant friends and partners for the remainder of the trip. Tristin falls in love with the beautiful secretive stranger, thus beginning a tempestuous affair. During the cookouts, camping, and hiking, Elmore introduces and develops each character using dialogue that is lively and believable. The setting is adequately described, “The rays of sunlight that managed to weave their way through the thick greenery created a kaleidoscope effect on the forest floor.” (p. 56), as the campers explore, get to know one another, and the reader learns about them. The lead tour guide, Kate Kirkland, an earth mother type, acts as a mentor and protector of all the girls, especially Tristin. It is fun meeting all the girls and sharing their adventure. All is well until accidents begin to happen and Tristin suspects someone is sabotaging their campsite—but who is doing it and why? D. C. Elmore throws in lots of plot twists to keep you guessing along with humor, drama, and sex to keep you engrossed in this romance/action/adventure novel. I laughed out loud when, “[Tristin] had managed to alleviate the puffiness earlier in the morning thanks to the twenty-minute treatment of a makeshift ice pack using ice cubes, a washcloth, and duct tape.”(p. 2) Whoever heard of using duct tape as part of a beauty regimen? I like the poetic way Elmore describes her character’s emotions as in, “Tristin felt as if her heart had turned into a hummingbird beating its wings as it swooped in to smell the sweet scent of a flower high upon a mountainside.” (p. 9) Imperceptible DANGER is D. C. Elmore’s first published work and is a wonderful beginning to a promising career. Elmore is currently working on several projects including a screenplay, a children’s story called "The Adventures of Radius and Chukka," and other novels. Unconditional, a love story, is coming out in March 2005 and Malicious Intentions, a murder mystery, is coming out in June 2005. I highly recommend this new author and feel Imperceptible DANGER, a five star novel, is the first of many titles we can expect and enjoy by D. C. Elmore. |
 Common Sons by Ronald L. Donaghe ISBN: 0-595-09708-1 iUniverse Star Book Common Sons is the first novel in the remarkable "Common Threads in the Life" series by accomplished author Ronald L. Donaghe. It takes place on the Reece farm in the middle of a New Mexican desert, near the Florida Mountains in a small town called Common. Joel Reece is a courageous seventeen year old who is not afraid to fight for what he believes. Joel discovers the name for what he is and learns first hand about hatred and discrimination. Homosexuality was believed to be “a neurotic distortion of the total personality…” by ignorant psychiatrists at that time. Rather than deny his true nature and try to make it disappear, the admirable young man stands proud in 1965 when the social climate for gays was far less tolerant. Joel, far from being neurotic and certainly not fitting any of the stereotypical characteristics of the “gay” male, is a farmer’s son aspiring to follow in his father’s footsteps. He falls in love with Tom Allen, a preacher’s boy, after the unlikely pair became close friends and share an unplanned public kiss. Rumors that Joel and Tom are queer begin to destroy the boys’ reputations. All we know about Joel at the beginning of Common Sons is, “Joel woke up disturbed.” Donaghe captures the reader’s attention immediately with the four-word paragraph, and holds the reader’s interest for 376 pages. It doesn’t take long to find out what makes Joel tick. The calm and steadfast young man is not only smart beyond his years, but he knows exactly what he wants; he wants Tom in his life—forever. Tom, a year ahead of Joel in school, has just graduated. His father has already picked out a college for him to attend, since the strict preacher doesn’t allow his son to participate in any decision making—not even concerning his own future. Tom and Joel meet after Mr. Allen takes the job as preacher for the fundamentalist Church of Christ in Common. Tom, believing in his church’s teachings, lives in fear of his father’s wrath. Tom is aware of his homosexuality. “…drumming in his head were passages from the Bible he knew by heart.” “Sins of the flesh,” “reprobate mind,” “unnatural lusts.”” He fights long and hard to change, but after he meets and falls in love with Joel, he begins to question his father, the Bible, and his own self-loathing. Joel teaches him the true meaning of love, self-respect, and friendship. Once the boys decide that they want to be together, they have to fight Mr. and Mrs. Allen, who cannot accept Tom’s homosexuality. They refuse to have any further dealings with him unless he repents for his “hideous” sins. Luckily, Joel’s parents are nothing like Tom’s parents. Even though the Reeces are not that happy about the situation, they have an open mind and wouldn’t consider disowning their son. Douglas Reece, Joel’s father, is one of my favorite characters. He is a strong man with high standards, morals, and through his fine example, he teaches Joel to respect himself. Douglas does not allow the church’s unyielding doctrines to guide his beliefs. One memorable lesson that Douglas teaches Joel is, “Never show disrespect to people, son, and you won’t do anything to be ashamed of. If you want something from somebody, and they aren’t willing to part with it, that’s their decision and your tough luck.” Douglas is respected in his community and does not allow prejudice to stand in the way of how he feels about his son. Unlike the Allens, the Reeces hold their heads high in the face of adversity. Joel and Tom are also up against Kenneth Stroud (notice how his name rhymes with shroud) the town’s bad boy who has had it in for Joel since they were kids. Kenneth comes from a poor family with an alcoholic, wife-beating father, who feels the world ought to pay for his bad luck. He and another villain, Paul Romaine, one of the church’s disciples, set out to publicly humiliate and destroy Joel and Tom. Ronald L. Donaghe develops his characters so well that you either want to be Joel or you want to meet him. Joel and Tom are excellent role models of a committed, faithful, and loving couple who should be envied, not despised. What I love most about Common Sons, and the sequels The Blind Season and The Salvation Mongers, is the author’s ability to get inside the characters’ heads so completely. Donaghe even humanizes the villains, which makes their evil deeds all the more horrible. Along with character development, picturesque descriptions of the New Mexican landscape, and depictions of the rampant homophobia that existed at the time, Donaghe also manages to teach many lessons of tolerance. Common Sons is a wonderful journey of two boys’ lives, and the reader feels privileged to share it with them. Donaghe’s style, honesty, and wit make his books, both fiction and non-fiction, very hard to put down. Common Sons is a five plus star novel that you will want to keep, recommend to others, and read again. |