reviews_and_ramblings | Smoke Screen by Stevie Woods

Julian is a gentleman of the beginning of the nineteen century. He is wealthy and handsome, and deeply in love with his best friend Richard. But his love is impossible, he knows that, and now Richard is returned from a journey abroad with a beautiful and charming bride. Fortunatey their friendship seems not to be affected from the new marital status of Richard and Julian still have a lot of chance to stay near his love, even if this is a pleasure filled of pain.

Richard has understood to be in love with Julian also before his friend. For this reason he has left and searched for a bride to try to forget his love. But one year later his marriage he has to admit that his feelings are still here and deeply than before. And no more he can deny to himself the hunger he bears for Julian. He will do anything to finally have his friend by his side, soul and body.

A very brief novel who explore the hidden world of gay love in the upper society of the nineteen century. The most important merit of this work is that it not underestimate the trouble and the perils to love another man in a place and in a time where this act was a crime punishable with death. Too short to give me a full impression of the two characters, it seems to me that they are sketched with a certain degree of reality.

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