Sugar-Baby Bridge by Brett Edward Stout

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Brad is a 22 years old guy just out of 4 years of service in the Marine Corps. Stationed in Hawaii, he decided to take a break and visit San Francisco, believing the city the righ place to go for a gay man. Probably Brad hoped to find answers in the city and instead finds only other questions: who he is, who he wants to be?

One night in a club, Brad is searching one more man to spend the night and maybe have also a free dinner, since he is living in a very tight budge. Brad is not digging for money, he will not hook up with the first man with a heavy wallet. Ron is slightly older, 32 years older and a bit strange. He doesn't speak much, but he is gentle in his way, and when he asks Brad to go home with him, the young man agrees.

Comes out that Ron is a very wealth man, living a life only few could afford: night snack at the Fairmont, buying a new Mercedes only to take a few days break in a cabin on Lake Tahoe, having lunch in yacth clubs all around California. After a night of joyous and careless sex, Ron drags Brad in an impromptu short travel, but more far they go from San Francisco, more cold Ron becomes, and more Brad is regretting to have postponed his fly back to Hawaii.

Brad is a young man who wants to find his place in the world. He probably believes that finding a man, a partner, will help him to find an anchor in this world. And so he is ready to fall for Ron, but Ron is not the right man to give stability to Brad. Ron himself has trouble to decide what he wants to be; he is not a bad guy, but he has never had the chance to deal with real life. He is ready to spend heavy money for dressing Brad up with shirts and shorts embroidered with Yacht Club logo, but then he questioned on buying socks and boxers. He is cool and aloof around his family, almost if he is ashamed of Brad, but then he kisses the boy having a nightmare.

Ron doesn't drive back Brad but neither does something to prevent him to go away; and Brad needs to be need, he needs to be accepted, he wants for the first time in his life to be open and comfortable in his skin, and being the "best friend" of Ron is not enough.

The book has all the right elements: young and handsome characters, one of whom a Marine (the fascination of a man in uniform, even if retired); dreaming world setting, where money, work and every day life are not a problem; a possible Cinderfella ending, even if the shoe fitting scene is deferred to another book. Brad is a character you could fall for, he so clearly needs to be loved, with his polite behavior and puppy eyes look. Probably Ron is not the man for him, for the two to work, Brad should take the reins of their relationship, and even if he is not the one with money, he should be the one in command... I'm quite interested in seeing how this relationship will move on...

Amazon: Sugar-baby Bridge
Amazon Kindle: Sugar-baby Bridge
Publisher: Breur Media Corporation (March 24, 2011)

Reading List:

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Comments

[mammarella.livejournal.com]

Thank you :) It sounds very interesting.
Uncertain relationships are very intriguing, they bring out so much!
For that reason I couldn't read "Another Dream" by Addison Albright - can it get any cheesier? Though reviews are good. Oh, well **rolls eyes**

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Yes, this is not exactly your usual romance, so if you are searching for something different it's a nice try. Basically there are two interesting characters, a possible love story, but not your usual ending. Elisa