Reviewed by Dan

TITLE: Smoky Mountain Dreams

AUTHOR: Leta Black         

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 425 Pages

BLURB:

Sometimes holding on means letting go After giving up on his career as a country singer in Nashville, Christopher Ryder is happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee. But while his beloved Gran loves him the way he is, Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. Even when he’s center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. Bisexual Jesse Birch has no room in his life for dating. Raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother, he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

REVIEW:

I am so glad I asked to review this book. Not only was it a proper length book at 425 pages…what…you think that is long? Incorrect.  It was a perfect length and it was good from beginning to end. The book was well written, expertly edited and contained a host of very believable characters. Be prepared though, I started it first thing this morning and read it all in one sitting. It wasn’t a book I wanted to put down.

Christopher Ryder is a performer at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, which I in my mind thought of the entire way through the book as Dollywood since it is in almost the exact same location.  I noticed afterwards that Ms. Blake had thanked Dollywood and Dolly Parton, so I guess I was correct!  Christopher feels he is always “second best”. He is the “second” singer, behind a drunk, but famous, singer who fails to show up many nights meaning Christopher gets to perform. He has always felt “second best” with his family of Fundamentalists who see his homosexuality as a sin, and he feels he is always going to be “second best” for a relationship.  He thinks he is nothing special.  We learn as the book goes on that Christopher’s Stepfather is a staunch Fundamentalist Preacher who verbally abused Christopher from the time his mother married him until the time he escaped to go to Nashville.  Unfortunately the Nashville music career didn’t work out and now he is performing at the theme park.

Jesse Birch is a wealthy bisexual man, the son of the Birch Biscuit family. His wife was in a terrible car accident five years before and has been in a vegetative state ever since. His wife was his childhood best friend, and even though Jesse identified as gay, they had a drunken night in Europe and ended up in bed together. Two children and several years later the accident happened and Jesse has been alone ever since. The last thing he is looking for when he spots the hot singer at Smoky Mountain Dreams is a relationship. Although he has gone back to only having sex with men, it has only been with quick anonymous sex garnered through his account on Grindr.

Through a miscommunication, Christopher thinks that the wife is dead.  Jesse thinks Christopher knows she is in a vegetative state because the case has been all over the news for five years, similar to the Terry Schiavo case in Florida.  Jesse wants to pull the plug, but his wife’s Fundamentalist sister is opposed because it isn’t God’s choice, and the case has made headlines.  When Christopher does find out there is a bit of drama.  He’s been dating a married man?

This book is the tale of these two broken men coming together and through each other dealing with their heavy issues.  Along the way there are a lot of ups and downs, some crazy ass Fundamentalist relatives, a jealous former hook-up of Christopher’s (who sounded pretty damned hot by the way), a really cool Granny, and one not so trusting daughter.  Oh, and did I mention some really well written sex scenes?

I loved this book. What I liked best was the believable characters and story.  I recommend it for anyone looking for a longer, enjoyable read.  I will definitely be searching out and reading Ms. Blake’s other books based on how much I enjoyed this one!  Excellent job!

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon

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