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reviews_and_ramblings
This novel collects some of my preferred themes in Gay Romance: it has a college setting, Kit, 20 years old is attending a Christian college to fulfil a promise to his wealthy father, maintain good grades while he is pursuing his real dream, to become a professional baseball player; Kit falls for Liam, the 36 years old college professor of one of Kit’s courses. So other than a college themed novel, this is also a very nice May / December romance, with a switch that I liked, the dominant lover in the couple it’s not the older man, Liam, but Kit: the dominant role serves to Kit to grew, not only in age but also in self-esteem. Kit has not a solid family behind, and above all, he has a troubled relationship with his father who treats him more like a teenager than a young adult. Kit is loosing himself in relationship with older men, probably a way to prove that he can “control” them and impose to them his decisions, while he is not able to do the same with his father. When Kit meets Liam, the need of Kit to “dominate” an older man, is matched to Liam’s need to be dominated; it’s not strictly necessary for Liam that his partner is younger, but probably Liam has a soft spot for younger men, and so to find a younger man who is also able to be an attentive and careful dominant, is the perfect combination for him. Liam is not probably a strong man, if for strong you means an emotional independent man. Liam is very fragile on an emotional level; I think he can be easily wound with harsh words more than with a real physical pain. Liam is also the classical man who needs to take care of his partner in a very ordinary way, cooking dinner, doing chores, and so on. He has the need to prove his love with small things, and he has the need to have a life partner near him, someone to share his day-to-day life.
As you probably have already understood, there are two more themes: a BDSM relationship and the sport setting. While I’m not so fond of the first of the two, I can say that in A Perfect Game, the kinky side of BDSM relationship is well compensated by the love relationship, Kit never pushes too much Liam, he is always attentive of Liam’s changes of mood, and in the end, and their games are more sexy than painful. The sport setting instead is a bit on the behind scene, it’s not fully developed but hinted: there is probably space for a sequel, where this side of the story can be developed further.
I also liked a lot the real setting, the places where the novel is developed, Providence, Provincetown, Newport… all places I visited last September and that I recognized in their description. It’s clear that the authors are describing places they know and love, and this love transpires from their words. It made me want to come back there to see if my memories and their descriptions are up to the reality.
https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=79
Amazon Kindle: A Perfect Game
The Rainbow Awards: Third (and last!) Phase: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/85035
